Justin Wright » Random

It’s Been So Long…

Justin Wright — Tue, 10 May 2011 22:11:12 +0000

It feels like it’s been years since I published a new blog post. Turns out it’s only been two months. Then again, that’s still a heck of a break between posts. I hope to get back into the habit of writing more often but I can’t make any promises.

So what have I been doing the past two months?

Well, besides working on projects, I’ve been spending A LOT of time outdoors. I’ve been trying to get out hiking as often as possible and just broke the 200 mile mark for the year. My goal is to hike a thousand miles in 2011 (view my hike log).

I’m also getting ready for my first attempt at climbing Mt St Helens in a couple weeks. I’m really excited and hope the weather takes a turn for the better. We’ve had a few sunny days in the past couple of weeks but a lot of rain as well.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately as well. A few of my latest reads include Walden, Cat’s Cradle, and Franny and Zooey. I’m currently reading Ed Viester’s No Shortcuts to the Top, a book about climbing the 14 tallest peaks in the world. Mountaineering is the next hobby I’m looking to try out but it’s going to take some time.

Last but not least, I just want to thank everyone who’s taken the time to contact me over the past few weeks. My blog post about office jobs has been getting a lot of feedback lately from people who feel just like I did when I used to work in a cubicle.

So what’s been going on in your life? Feel free to leave a comment.

Coke in Glass Bottles

Justin Wright — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:00:43 +0000

Once in a great while I like to take a look at my traffic stats to see where people are coming from and what posts they are landing on. So today I spent some time digging through my data and found that my most popular post is now an article that I never anticipated getting much traffic. What is it?

It has to do with the title of this post…

Confused? Here’s the story: Awhile back I wrote a post while I lived in Austin about Mexican Coke. Many of the restaurants there had Mexican Coke so I eventually gave it a try, despite not liking soda much.

So what is Mexican Coke? In a nutshell, it’s Cocoa Cola produced in Mexico which is shipped up to the US. The main different between Mexican Coke and the US Coke is that it comes in glass bottles. The product from Mexico also uses real cane sugar, where as the US version uses HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).

I must say, it’s pretty surprising to see how many people are interested in finding Coke in glass bottles. I have a feeling people just like the idea of drinking out of glass instead of aluminum or plastic (I know I do). Or they just prefer the taste of real sugar over chemicals and syrupy corn products.

Anyways, the reason I wanted to put this post up is because it goes to show that you never know what people might find interesting (especially when blogging). Going through my stats also made me realize that I used to blog about any topic that came to mind, where as the last year or so I’ve been focusing more on specific topics relating to life, careers, and the digital nomad lifestyle.

My goal moving forward is to get back to blogging about everything since I love writing and this blog was originally setup as a way to share my thoughts, ideas, and opinions about all sorts of things. Plus it is a lot of fun to put up random posts since you never know what you can expect here on Life of Justin.

Stay tuned for a little more randomness on the blog.

The Story of Stuff

Justin Wright — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:25:36 +0000

Have you ever wondered where stuff comes from and where it all ends up? The video below takes a very interesting look at the story of stuff and why we need to change the way we think, shop, and consume.

What’s Going On?

Justin Wright — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:48:23 +0000

If you haven’t noticed, it’s been a little quiet around here lately. And it’s not because I’ve run out of things to say. I’ve just been super busy working on a few projects, most importantly the new look for ZoopMedia. We just launched the new look this morning and so far it’s been a success.

New WordPress Video Series

One of the biggest changes to the site is the addition of our new WordPress Crash Course. It’s a 16 video WordPress course that covers all the basics to get started. Each video is shot in high definition so you can easily follow along and not have to worry about blurry or choppy video.

Best of all, the course is completely FREE of charge. All we ask is that you sign up for our ZoopMedia newsletter so we can send you WordPress related news and updates.

Now Writing For Performancing

Another thing I’ve started doing is writing over at the Performancing blog. It’s a blog geared to helping bloggers succeed. So if you’re ever in the need for a few quick blog tips, don’t hesitate to check it out.

Interview At Blogger Talks

If you missed my post the other day, I also did an interview over at Blogger Talks. It’s always fun to answer peoples questions when it comes to blogging and it was a great interview. You can read the full interview over at Blogger Talks.

A Few Upcoming Posts

Now that I have the largest project completed, I plan on spending more time working on this blog. I hope to start pumping out a few new posts each week so don’t forget to check back soon!

Can Your Printer Do This?

Justin Wright — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:49:58 +0000

Who would of thought you could do something this awesome using a couple printers.

Mexican Coke vs American Coke

Justin Wright — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:54:09 +0000

One of the many things I’ve discovered since moving to Austin is Mexican Coke. Prior to moving here, I wouldn’t of had the slightest clue as to what it is. Now I can’t get enough of the stuff.

Mexican Coke is super addicting and delicious and there’s just something about drinking out of the old school glass bottle that makes it more enjoyable.

So I’ve decided to have a battle between regular Coke and Mexican Coke. Here we go!

Round 1: Appearance

As the old saying goes, “appearance is everything.” Even when we’re talking about something as simple as cola. Lets take a closer look at the two different bottles and see which one wins:

American Coke

As you can see to the left, the American Coke looks like any Coke you would see at a gas station. It consists of a screw off plastic cap, a plastic label, and a paper (I think?) sticker known as the label.

There’s a bunch of crap on the label about entering codes on the internet to win like a billion dollars or something. Does anyone actually take the time to read the codes off the caps and enter them online? I sure don’t.

Other than that, we have some nutrition facts, bottle information, and that’s about it.

In terms of appearance, it’s not that appealing.

Mexican Coke

Now lets take a look at the Mexican Coke. As you can see, the Mexican Coke features a metal cap (it’s not even a screw off), as well as a SUPER thick glass bottle.

Apparently they don’t bother with the sweepstakes in Mexico, so the label is literally burned? etched? built right in to the glass. Kind of badass if you ask me.

It has far less information on it compared to the American bottle. The nutrition facts are actually on a sticker, which I’m assuming is added once it makes its way to the US.

Overall, this bottle kills the American Bottle.

1-0 Mexican Coke

Round 2: The Ingredients

In round two, we’re going to compare the ingredients. I know neither of them are healthy beverages but we’ll forget about that for now. Here’s a closer look at the ingredients of each one:

American Coke

Water, high-fructose corn syrup, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavors, caffeine.

Mexican Coke

Carbonated water, sugar, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavors, caffeine.

As you can see, there’s only one key difference. The American Coke uses high fructose corn syrup, which is probably one of the worst things on the planet in terms of health. The Mexican Coke uses real cane sugar, which is at least natural.

2-0 Mexican Coke

Round 3: Taste Testing

Finally, time to taste the two and compare them:

American Coke

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a regular Coke so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I took a few sips and really focused on the flavor. For some reason, it tastes a lot more “fake” and has a chemical taste to it. The sweetness is more bitter and sort of reminds me of a diet Coke that uses artificial sweeteners.

Mexican Coke

Once I got done tasting the American Coke, I immediately tried some of the Mexican Coke. Wow does it taste better. It’s sweeter and has a less acidic/chemical taste to it. It tastes a lot more like a naturally sweet beverage such as juice.

3- 0 Mexican Coke

It’s Delicious

Well the Mexican Coke dominated this battle. I’ll continue to spend a $1.25 on the Mexican Coke in glass bottles knowing that the taste is far better than the American version.

FYI: You can now get Mexican Coke by the case on Amazon.

Meet happy!

Justin Wright — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:00:44 +0000

While walking down the street the other day, my girlfriend and I came across an awesome puppy named happy. She was hanging out on Congress with a few other puppies that were rescued by Austin Pets Alive. It’s a nonprofit volunteer organization that is helping to stop killing of adoptable pets. All I can say is they are doing a great job and it’s awesome to see people making a difference.

After thinking it over for a few days, we decided to go ahead and bring her on home. Say hello to happy!

She’s a Terrier Mix and were looking forward to seeing how big she gets lol.

Let’s Laugh At People

Justin Wright — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:27:26 +0000

Friday Video

Hey everyone, once again it is time for a Friday Video. This morning, I was a little angry waking up because I really just wanted to sleep in. Then I got to work only to realize my computer is all messed up. My Windows Explorer keeps crashing, my profile reset, all kinds of good stuff…

Anyways, I really just needed a few laughs to cheer me up today so I went on YouTube and looked around for some funny videos and I decided on this one:

Why Is It So Funny?

I don’t know, but for some reason I like laughing at the expense of others’. It really makes my day to see people fall, or better yet, embarrass themselves in front of a large group of people. It reminds you that everyone has bad moments so we might as well laugh at them and move on with our lives.

Personally, I could not stop laughing when that little dog grabs the roman candle while it’s lit. If that wasn’t enough, it then decided to run around with it in his mouth shooting flaming balls at all the spectators. I loved it!

And we can’t forget little Billy, the Boy Scout trying to dance. If that’s what you can call it, but I must admit it’s damn funny to watch him jack that other guy right in the face. Classic…

What’s Your Favorite Part?

Like It? Subscribe to Life of Justin!

I’ve Blown My Own Mind

Justin Wright — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:01:59 +0000

So the past couple of days, I have been trying to figure out my future plans. I have pieces of paper scattered around with notes on them I can’t even read. I have gone through all the different options and choices and think I officially blew my own mind.

I have no idea what I am doing. I am either moving somewhere else, staying in Phoenix for the summer, or heading home to Wisconsin. My trip to Europe is still going to happen, but I am planning to hold off until fall when prices drop.

So the question is, what do I do until then?

I am sick of my current job and really feel the need for some change. At the same time, I know how much work it takes to quit a job, apply for new one, get the job, and fill in tons of paperwork for new benefits and all the crap. Or I could sandbag it even more here until I get canned.

I could go work a screw off job for the summer somewhere, but I am not sure where. I know I would take a pay cut but that is not much of a deal to me. I’d rather take a pay cut and live my job.

I am also struggling to figure out where I want to go. I like Phoenix a lot, but hate it at the same time. I love the weather and the things available to do here. Plus I have a lot of friends here and more on the way. The only thing I miss is the Ocean and some humidity in the air.

Some major things need to be decided in the near future, and hopefully everything works out. In the mean time, I have decided to live day to day and not worry so much about what is happening in the future.

Ahh I just needed to get that out of my head. Now I can actually get back to writing tomorrow.

Into the Wild

Justin Wright — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:50:08 +0000

Last night I watched the movie Into the Wild and enjoyed it a lot. Thanks to Adam and Bethany for recommending it to me.

The movie is based on the book and is a story about Christopher McCandless, a graduate of Emory University. Upon graduation, Chris decided to give his $24,000.00 he had in his savings account to charity and venture off into on his own journey. He gave up all of his material possessions in hopes of finding freedom from the society we live in.

His overall goal was to one day make it to Alaska because it is the true land of the wild. On his journey to Alaska, he makes his way through the United States and spends time in Arizona, South Dakota, and California just to name a few.

He had various ways of coming up with some money to eat, including working on a farm and at a Burger King. He met a lot of interesting people along the way, including a couple with an RV that Chris lived with for a while.

Overall, I thought it was a great movie that really showed how life can be lived in so many different ways. Their are different paths to take in life and none of them are right or wrong.

My Take

I feel that I would like to do something similar to this, but not in as intense of way as Chris did. I would not go as far as to burn up all my credit cards, my social security card, and light my last few dollars on fire.

I would rather travel with my savings and credit cards as a backup fund if something went wrong. I am not looking to get into the wild like Chris was either. But more or less just trying to get out of the rat race of corporate America. I think working various temp jobs would be something I would enjoy because I would never be tied down to living in one place.

I do not mind sleeping in a tent, but I would prefer sleeping in my car or in hostels. Hostels are still relatively cheap and open you up to meeting a lot of people. I did not like the fact that Chris was so isolated in the movie. I am more of a people person looking to meet as many wise and knowledgeable people as I can in my lifetime.

And there is no way that I could leave my computer behind because I would like to keep writing in my blog as my journey through life unfolds. I would definitely stay in touch with my family and friends instead of disappearing like he did in the movie.

The movie really did get me to thinking and I am positive something big is going to happen in the next few months depending on when I get everything sorted out. So please stick around as Life of Justin is surely going to get a lot more entertaining (Not that it isn’t already;)).

PS. Check back tomorrow, I have a movie idea I want to pitch