The Life of Stephen Datoc

2010 is Pomplamoose's year

2009-10-05T15:24:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't posted in a while but I recently discovered a new musical duo that I just can't get out of my head. Their name is Pomplamoose and they've got an awesome upbeat jazzy sound that has Top 40 written all over it. The vocals, provided by Nataly Dawn, are amazing and Jack Conte seemingly plays every instrument under the sun. I suggest starting with Beat the Horse, move on to their covers and various singles, and then end with Les Commun Des Mortels. Oh and don't forget to watch their VideoSongs on Youtube, best idea for music videos ever.

Blog on hiatus

2008-08-15T22:07:00.002-04:00

I have started a new job so this blog will go on hiatus. Hopefully I can restart blogging again once I have some time. Thanks to anyone who has visited and has added to my hit counter.

Stephen

Ten Things To Do During A Power Outage

2008-06-06T01:06:00.002-04:00

There were recently some heavy storms in the DC Metropolitan area and as a result my power was out. Without cable, internet, TV, or light I found myself excruciatingly bored. In times like these I come to appreciate my modern conveniences. This inspired me to create a list of things that might make that summer blackout a little more tolerable:

1. Play a game of cards

2. Read your favorite book

3. Listen to the radio

4. Meditate

5. Play flashlight tag

The person who is "it" waits at the "jail" counting to a high number while everyone else hides. Then, armed with a flashlight, this person searches for the others who may be switching hiding spots. The flashlight must remain on at all times and may not be covered. When "it " spots someone, s/he must use the flashlight to get a close enough look at the person to identify him/er and call out his/er name. Each caught person is sent to "jail" to wait until everyone is caught. The first person caught then becomes "it." Another variation is to have more than one person (or a team) be "it." With this configuration, people who are not "it" can tag other people (or team members) free from "jail." One of the "its" may stay near to guard the "jail."

6. Tell ghost stories

7. Ponder life's mysteries

8. Bust out the portable electronics and use them 'til the batteries run dry

9. Prepare for the next blackout

10. Print out this list and think of things to add to it

Graduation...and then real life

2008-05-28T01:19:00.004-04:00

I had hoped that this blog would not be another testament to my procrastination abilities, but alas it has. In the past two months that this blog has been empty I have graduated college, looked for employment, went on interviews, and then kept on looking for employment. The job market has not been kind to me but I will keep on looking. Good news is that I got paid by PayPerPost which was nice. I am grateful that I have kind parents who welcomed me back with open arms, a roof over my head, and food to eat, if every college grad should be so lucky. I should be writing more from here on out about the events that populate this limbo of a life I currently live.

PayPerPost Approved!

2008-03-19T15:06:00.006-04:00

Just found out that PayPerPost approved my blog, so I'm writing my first post for them. I hope that by writing for PPP I can make writing about myself a little more worthwhile. The money that I receive from PayPerPost will supplement my already meager income so hopefully I can take advantage of PPP's many opportunities. Getting paid to write about myself is definitely a plus when it comes to blogging.

I have already met some people that have joined PPP and the consensus is that it is a good way to make money through blogging. PayPerPost's blog network is a better way for me to monetize my blog because my writing does not conform to a general theme and it is harder for some ads to target my readers effectively. The sponsored posts will let me advertise while also blogging about what I want to blog about.

Banner ads have been my only source of ad income prior to PPP and they don’t really work to well for me so this is a welcome change of pace. I will still use banner ads but if PayPerPost turns out to be the better option, I will most likely use PPP exclusively for the near future.

Joining PayPerPost

2008-03-14T00:20:00.002-04:00

I'm joining PayPerPost to see whether I can successfully monetize my blog. I don't know if I can take advantage of all of their opportunities because this blog is so spanking new I'll keep you updated as to whether its worth it or not.

10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me

2008-03-13T15:35:00.005-04:00

I'm waiting to board my plane to go back home and I've got a little more than an hour to go so I decided to do some blogging. I couldn't think of anything to post about so I decided to go with what I know best, myself. So here are ten things you probably didn't know about me:

I was born in Washington D.C. and was raised in Rockville, MD.
I am of Filipino heritage.
I am a brother of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.
My sport of choice is racquetball.
I have worked at the Washington Post as an intern.
I met Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones in person when Michael Douglas was filming "The Sentinel" in Washington D.C. (I was working as a courier over that summer and bumped into them making a pick-up).
I am managing a mock mutual fund over at Marketocracy.com
I am flatfooted.
I am a big fan of ska.
This is my third blog, the other two I got bored with and subsequently deleted. One was about a mock portfolio I was managing and the the other was going to be a political blog. Both were discontinued because of procrastination which, ironically, was the reason I started this blog.

Hope this gave you some insight into who writes this stupid thing. I'll post again after my Atlantic City trip.

The Vice President - Skittles Scandal

2008-03-12T15:47:00.008-04:00

Michael Sheridan is a student at Sheridan Middle School in New Haven, CT. He was stripped of his title as class VP, barred from attending an honors student dinner, and suspended for a day after buying a bag of Skittles from a classmate. Sheridan was unaware of his infraction although he did notice some odd behavior coming from the shifty sugar peddler.

This is ridiculous. Suspended for candy? The school is playing this like it was a drug deal. Kids at this school are going to have to start finding street names for candy now. Here's some suggestions for the kids: "rainbows" for Skittles, "satisfies" for Snickers, "Le Cirque" for circus peanuts, "white rappers" for M&Ms. Any other suggestions out there?

Best of Pittsburgh: Food and Drink

2008-03-10T22:57:00.010-04:00

I have been going to Duquesne University for the past three years and I will complete my fourth and final year this May. As a consequence I have been a mostly permanent resident of Pittsburgh over that same time. This will be the first of a series of posts about the best of Pittsburgh, it will be geared towards a younger audience but it should cater to any tourists to Pittsburgh as well. Also, keep in mind that most of this stuff will be Duquesne U-centric.

Best of Food and Drink

Best Sandwich - Primanti's on 3803 Forbes Ave

They serve the best sandwiches in the city and are a Pittsburgh institution. Their claim to fame is the addition of coleslaw and fries to every sandwich, making it a meal in itself. Try the Black Angus steak sandwich, it's delicious.

Honorable Mention - Fat Head's on 1805 East Carson St

Best Pizza Joint - Milano's on 3606 5th Ave

The best pizza in the city, in my opinion. The regular for most Duquesne students is the "College Special" which is a large cheese pizza and a large drink. My roommate and I usually split one and are stuffed to the gills. They have great hoagies too. There is also a bar that is excellent during sporting events.

Best Local Bar - Shale's Cafe on 1208 5th Ave

The regular barkeep, George, is a really cool guy and every once in a while he'll bust out the guitar and play a few songs. Not a whole lot of frills but there are two flat screen TVs, a dart board and foosball table in the back. Just a real nice place to relax and have a drink.

Honorable Mention - White Eagle on 2300 East Carson St

Best Value: Food - Original Oyster House on 20 Market Sq

The seafood here is great and most everything on the menu is under $10. This includes oysters, clams, shrimp, crab cakes and more. Its located right in the heart of Downtown.

Best Value: Drinks - Milano's on 3606 5th Ave

Just had to mention it again because of their everyday specials on so many different beers and liquors.

Any Pittsburghers out there have any suggestions? Just comment or email me!

Joining MyBlogLog

2008-03-10T21:41:00.004-04:00

I'm joining MyBlogLog so you should see a recent visitors widget on my side bar soon.

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Pictures from Prague

2008-03-10T14:36:00.004-04:00

My pictures from my trip to Prague are up. Prague is a really great city, it has a classic beauty that was fortunately untouched by the destruction caused by World War II. Everything was relatively cheap back in 2005, I believe they still use the koruna but I would try to go before they convert to the Euro. If you go I suggest you try the boar, it's delicious.

BlogCatalog and Twitter

2008-03-10T12:24:00.005-04:00

I'd like to thank some of users at BlogCatalog for welcoming me into the blogosphere: webdiggin, esac, simonbiz, and problogreviews. Special thanks to webdiggin for the comment. Being from Canada and Malaysia, these users have made my blog internationally read. Who would've thought?

I've also added the Twitter application so that every second of my life can be accounted for. It's kinda creepy but its all about accountability right?

Free Money!

2008-03-09T19:20:00.005-04:00

I have an ING bank account and they have a referral program where you get $25 for opening an account of at least $250 and I get $10 for the referral. I have 50 referrals to give out and you can either open a checking or savings account. Once you open your account you'll have 50 referrals to give out as well! Email me at snatchedpoet@yahoo.com with the subject line "ING Referral" and I'll send you a link to sign up. All accounts need a unique Social Security number so please, one account per person. I'm putting up the number of referrals left on my sidebar.

*Inspired by Steve Pavlina. What can I say? The guy is a genius!

Beverly Hills Cop

2008-03-09T17:02:00.006-04:00

I'm watching Beverly Hills Cop on Spike and I'm realizing that the 80's was probably the last time that Eddie Murphy was funny. I'm hoping he makes Beverly Hills Cop IV that would surely make up for Norbit.

Bipolar Pittsburgh

2008-03-09T16:45:00.007-04:00

Pittsburgh is the most bipolar city. Today is nice and sunny, just a few clouds in the sky. Yesterday was the most cloudy, snowy, freezing rainy, downright ugly day. Other good news in Pittsburgh, the Penguins won in a thrilling last-minute victory over the Washington Capitals. The Pens needed this win after losing to the Florida Panthers yesterday. Not much else going on today, tomorrow is the first day of the last week of school before Spring Break. I am headed to Atlantic City to take in the sights and do a little gambling.

Venice Pictures

2008-03-09T14:16:00.005-04:00

I've posted my pictures from Venice and they are currently rotating in my Slideshow. Here's one of my favorites:

My Ten Biggest Fears about Blogging

2008-03-09T12:16:00.006-04:00

In blogging about my life, there are certain things that just worry me...

1. Something I post will come back to bite me in the ass.

2. That no one will ever read this and I realize that my life is THAT boring.

3. Having so much about me online will produce some sort of cyber-stalker (Ha ha, not likely)

4. That my blog ends up like this or this.

5. Someone will think that I'm too smart for my own good.

6. Someone will think that I'm too stupid to be doing this.

7. Time spent blogging could be used for something so much better.

8. My girlfriend finds out I'm blogging.

9. My family finds out I'm blogging.

10. That someone is actually listening to me.

For more fears check out this site: Phobialist

Time Travel

2008-03-09T03:16:00.004-04:00

Well folks, as of 15 minutes ago we just jumped one hour ahead in time. That is if you observe Daylight Savings Time. Goodbye, one hour of sleep. Hello, grumpier mornings. Here's a video clip to illustrate:

Pictures from Italy

2008-03-08T18:29:00.005-05:00

I just uploaded some of my pictures from the study abroad semester I did in Rome back in the Fall of 2005 . The pictures that are up now are from Assisi, Siena, and San Gimignano in Italy. It was really mountainous and foggy up there so the pictures turned out to be really interesting. Enjoy!

Snowy Saturday

2008-03-08T16:27:00.003-05:00

The weather here in Pittsburgh is pretty cruddy, lots of snow and freezing rain. Pittsburgh weather is usually never good, especially in the winter. As a result, I've been indoors all day playing MLB 07 in PS2. I should really get some school work done but that'll come after dinner, I guess.