Rainy Rain Days

First of all, Death Magnetic was released. My review of it was posted yesterday on Dailyvault.com (scroll to the bottom)

Second, my review of 4Lyn was published on 9/11 and you can read that here.

Third, it's Saturday and it seems like I have long enough to just pause for a moment before the schedule picks up again - both personally & professionally - and returns to its frantic pace.

Professionally, I can say I survived my week of training @ work on a development product that will replace our existing development product. Basically, we upgraded to what we could have upgraded to 10 years ago. On Monday, I will start using the new product to create a user interface that lays on top of a green screen application. That work (by my timeline) has to be completed by 9/24 @ noon. Then, in the afternoon of 9/24, I'll start putting together what we call the 08V2R1 mass release. That will go out the door on 9/26. THen I'll also put together what we call the 08V3R1 early release, which has to be to a client by 10/1. After that goes out the door, I *may* be able to return to writing documentation and online Help for our applications but, honestly, that's not a given. Using the aforementioned development tool to do a lot of cool things will take time and it will be a management decision what we do and how many resources we dedicate to those types of tasks. My ballpark estimate is that one full-time person could take 2 years to do all the things we want to do and, at that point, if it's me, documentation sits and grows mold. At that point it becomes my manager's decision regarding what I am to work on. I don't know what is going to happen. I think that there are some major decisions that need to be made and it will be very interesting to evaluate where all of this stands on 10/13.

Personally, I am going in 45 minutes to get an oil change for the car. Then Iowa plays ISU in football and I have said, for a couple of weeks, that I planned to sit down and watch it on the Big Ten Network (GO HAWKS!) so I'm still counting on that. I imagine the game will be over by 2. Then we are going to 5:15 Mass. I am playing drums and Karen is singing. I really enjoy playing drums @ Mass. I've been leaving my set @ church and us playing is turning into a good habit.

On Sunday, we need to winterize the camper, which means putting anti-freeze through all the pipes so that the cold winter doesn't break a pipe. We have to have that done by 2 (in my mind) because @ 3, Alex starts up his basketball team practice. It is from 3-5. I plan on making the kids run. If it ever stops raining, I'll mow our neighbor's yard.

Then the week starts. It'll start out slow on Monday but picks up steam on Tuesday. My friend Phil and I are going to Moline, IL, to see Saving Abel, Shine Down, and Buck Cherry. There was a 4th band - Avenge Sevenfold - but their singer has vocal cord problems so they cancelled the rest of their tour, including Moline. Also, on Tuesday, Megan starts her volleyball league.

On Wednesday, the kids have school pictures so that involves making sure they look nice in the AM before they get on the bus. Karen usually works early on Wednesdays but she is going in later so that she can make sure the kids look nice. If the weather is not rainy, I am planning to mow our neighbor's house down the street.

On Thursday, it is "back to school" night @ Regina. We will get to see their classrooms, have some watered down punch and maybe a cookie.

On Friday, we will hook up the truck to the camper and go to Zwhingle to store the camper for the winter. Then we are going to Balltown. I imagine we will be in Balltown by 8 PM.

On Saturday, we are going to help my father-in-law clean his windows that are on the 2nd story. There was originally talk about going golfing, but that's not a certainty. At night, we're going to a Catholic Knights dinner in Dubuque.

On Sunday, we'll return to North Liberty in time for Alex's basketball practice from 3-5. He was also invited to a classmate's birthday party and we are taking him there after practice.

Then we're to 9/22 and the whole cycle restarts. Karen has a training class @ night on 9/22. Other highlights include my deadline @ work on 9/24, and the Iowa Homecoming parade. Judy, our parish music minster, talked last Saturday about having a float in the parade and playing music on the back of a flatbed truck! Wouldnt't that be totally sweet?!? Saturday, we'll probably play @ 5:15 Mass and Sunday is basketball practice.

The following week (9/29) is the week of my decade of service @ my employer!