Book Review: My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business

by: Dick Van Dyke

I want to preface this post by saying I enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy read about an actor who I like and enjoy. However, it was probably a bad idea to read it immediately after Steve Jobs.

It was nice to read about the golden age of television and see how actors back then had real talents like singing and dancing. Van Dyke is 75% of the way to an EGOT, only missing an Oscar. That is an especially amazing feat since he is known primarily for only 4 things: The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Diagnosis Murder.

The only problem with this book is the one I read before it. I was still in the frame of mind of Walter Isaacson’s take on Steve Jobs’ life and it carried over to this read. First of all, one is a biography and one is a memoir. That’s a huge difference. I’m not saying Van Dyke was trying to spin anything in his favor but obviously it was written from his perspective. Second, there was no dirt. Van Dyke is known for being clean cut and staying out of tabloid trouble which is fine, of course, except that I had already been immersed in the Apple exposé known as Steve Jobs.

Anyway, it’s a good read if you’re a fan of Dick Van Dyke but make a point to buffer it with some lighter fare (or maybe I’m just weird).

Wonderful Christmastime

It’s funny how things change. When I was a kid there was nothing I hated more than getting clothes. Now I’m actually excited about new dress socks or ties for the office.

I used to pray for a huge gift like a Game Boy, Nintendo 64 or PlayStation 2. Now I want practical stuff for my home like a space heater and wine glasses (But I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t jealous of my sister’s new Kindle Fire).

Probably the clearest difference, though, is that I never used to be able to sleep on Christmas Eve. I'd have the hardest time falling asleep and then I’d be up by 6 am. It was tough having to wait for everyone else to wake up so we could finally open the presents. This year we opened presents at 9 am and still had to wake up my siblings.

However, I do take much more pride in the giving of gifts now than receiving. I realize that I’ve lived my life without these “presents” and if I don’t get something I want that I will be able to continue living without it-- Or break down and buy it. That’s the other advantage to being an adult.

Book Review: Steve Jobs

by: Walter Isaacson

Unprecedented access. That’s what Walter Isaacson got from Steve Jobs and that’s what the reader gets from Steve Jobs.

Most people know his story, especially the past decade or so. But this biography has a lot of inside information that the public never had access to: behind the scenes stories and glimpses into a brilliant mind. But with that brilliance came a dark side. He was a perfectionist and therefore a very difficult and demanding boss. The fact that he was so hands as a CEO made it even more of an issue with confrontations between him and employees becoming common daily occurrences.

But people believed in his vision and would follow him anywhere. His list of successes is enviable; the original Macintosh, iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad, nevermind his co-creation and leadership of Pixar (yes, that Pixar). He was a showman first and foremost but was also a design freak. He lived by the mantra of minimalism and making things as simple as possible.

This life story is so packed with information that I can’t even write a cohesive blog post about it. Read this book for the true tale of Steve Jobs.

The office yankee swap

With the holidays come many traditions. Some of these take place in the workplace such as secret santas or yankee swaps. Yesterday, my team had a yankee swap.

I’ve only been at this company for 3 weeks so I’m glad we didn’t do a secret santa. I don’t know people well enough yet. My real concern coming in to this was if I should play it safe or not. The safe gifts include Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts gift cards and booze. I was heavily considering picking up a bottle of something but decided that wouldn’t be very exciting. So I went on a Target trip to find some inspiration. They had plenty of cheap things but nothing I thought would be good for a yankee swap. Until I saw it... a lava lamp. It was perfect because it wasn't a standard gift and you can put it on your desk at work.

When we started the swap we put all our (wrapped) gifts in the middle of the table. Mine got picked first because it looked so bad ass. Then the person with #2 actually swapped for it. Boy was I feeling good! But that was the end of it. #2 kept it the rest of the time and pretty much every other gift was a bottle or a gift card. For a second, I had a bottle of Wild Turkey but lost it in a swap for a Starbucks card. Which was great because I don’t drink coffee. But hey, first person to comment gets it!

The Nutcracker

Last night we continued our holiday tradition of going to see The Nutcracker performed by the Boston Ballet at the Boston Opera House. This year is actually the final year they are using these props, costumes and effects. They have been in use for nearly 20 years and I am happy to say I got to see them the past 3 years.

When I was a kid we never went to see The Nutcracker (A fact further impressed on me when I couldn’t follow the story my first time). I remember some of my classmates mentioning it in elementary school and I didn’t get it. Why would anyone want to see a ballet anyway? But really, I was curious and a little jealous.

Fast forward many years to 2009. I had already been living in Boston for 2 years but hadn’t bumped into The Nutcracker at all. Yet one fateful day I was on Twitter and noticed something the indispensable @BostonTweet had posted. It was a link to Boston Ballet’s website where you could purchase tickets that day for 15% off. I was excited and intrigued so I went all in and haven’t looked back.

Now that I know the plot I absolutely adore going and I consider this my new Christmas tradition. It’s nice to dress up and go out and watch the fine arts. Have a sit down dinner and feel refined. But come on, it’s for the young at heart. The bear? One-armed gingerbread man? The black sheep? You got me -- I am the lowest common denominator and I love it.