Ciao, Xanga

I'm a Fool for April

Well, friends, I sincerely apologize to anyone who was caught off guard by my April Fool's Day entry yesterday. I appreciate a practical joke just as much as the next guy, and unfortunately, that means that I'm not going to California to work for Google. Maybe someday, though.

To make up for my prank, here's something that's not a joke: 171 pictures from my trip to Italy. Enjoy!

Finally Got a New Job! (Maybe)

A couple months ago, I was complaining about my job like I always do, but then I was struck with a thought---"If I dislike my job so much, why not try to find a better job?" Well, I always talk about how cool it would be to work for Google, so I found their listing of current openings (there are literally hundreds) and started poking around. I found an opening entitled Assistant Webmaster, but the only catch was that it was for Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. "What the heck?" I thought. "It couldn't hurt to apply!"

So I polished up my resume and started dropping hints about Mountain View. I asked Alix if she knew what it was like there, and we agreed that being in the same state for a majority of the year would be a good thing. This was at least a few months ago, maybe back in January or even December of last year. Out of the blue, I get a call today on my cell phone while I'm at work. The area code on my caller ID is showing up as 650, which I don't recognize, but I go ahead and answer it anyway.

"Is this Matthew Jacob?"

"Um, yes."

"Hi, Mr. Jacob. This is Mark Lowenstein from Google. The reason I'm calling today is to see if you're still interested in the assistant webmaster position you applied for a while back."

Currently Listening Franz Ferdinand By Franz Ferdinand see related

When in Rome...

I wasn't actually in Rome, but I did just get back from Italy yesterday! The Pope wanted my opinion on some public policy issues for the Catholic church, but I told him I had more pressing matters that I had to attend to. Instead of the Vatican, the Matt Jacob 2006 World Tour included stops in Venice, Florence, and Lucca, as well as an all-out sprint through the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

Out of consideration for my esteemed readers, I won't bore you with hundreds of pictures from my trip (and believe me, there are literally hundreds---261, to be exact). I've decided to post just a handful of my favorite pictures with brief captions, but if you want to see more pictures or find out more about the trip, you can take me out for coffee sometime. I had a fantastic week of spending time with Alix and exploring parts of Florence on my own while she was in class, and I definitely wasn't ready to leave as soon as I did.

Now I'm going to turn over the rest of this entry to the pictures and let them do the talking.

 
The Grand Canal in Venice, as seen from the Rialto bridge (see below).

The Rialto bridge in Venice connects the two sides of the Grand Canal and is more than 400 years old.

Pigeons run rampant in Venice. Alix thinks I have an irrational fear of these dirty little birds, but I think it's perfectly justified.

A cool walkway on the side of Palazzo Ducale in Venice.

A random, neat-looking canal in Venice, of which there are hundreds.

Touring the Grand Canal in a gondola during sunset. It's the romantic (read: tourist) thing to do in Venice.

The Grand Canal at night.

The famous Cupola of the Duomo in Florence.

The view from the top of the Cupola (see above). This panorama is actually 8 pictures stitched together.

Some statue in Florence that I wish I knew the name of.

I commissioned an artist to do a sculpture of me while I had some free time to kill in Florence.

Florence's Ponte Vecchio bridge, which spans the dirty Arno River. The bridge itself contains lots of jewelry shops.

A shot of the Arno taken from the Ponte Vecchio.

An old man sitting on a bench in Lucca. The wall in the background was built in the 16th century, and it goes around the entire city.

We rode bikes around Lucca, and this picture was taken just outside the city walls.

It was a good trip.

This is from yesterday. I don't have time for a full entry, but I had to post something, right?

Currently Listening Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies for the Film Curious George (Jack Johnson) By Original Soundtrack, Jack Johnson see related