Alex is an Iowa football player; Megan is a prom queen; Karen is a mom, and I'm a dad. Woo-hoo.
I've been tired at night. I've been going to bed ~10 and just trying to keep up. I mowed for the final time last night to get my $200 for the month. I hope I can get a gig like that again - though I don't really want any of my neighbors to move - just because I like being outside after sitting in front of a PC all day.
I have a stack of work to go through and I won't get through it all today. Starting Monday, I'll be working on update stuff and that will last a couple of weeks. By 11/17, I hope to be back to documentation.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
I Don't Stomp, I am not all that good...
I embedded a video on my blog of a NJ band called "Let Me Run" and it was a live performance. I decided to un-embed it mainly because every time I tried to watch it, it never played. I did ask for a promo copy.
No PC for you
I wasn't really a Seinfeld fan. It was one of those shows that just never appealed to me. The previews never really looked funny and when I did sit down to watch it, I just didn't think it was as funny as, say, Cheers or Night Court. The only Seinfeld episode I can tell you about is when there was a Soup Nazi. People stood in line to get this guy's soup and if you didn't order correctly, he yelled, "No soup for you!". Then it turned out that Kramer bought a chest of drawers and in it was the Soup Nazi's secret recipe. The only reason I mention this is because I thought about signing on to the PC last night. Then I thought, "No PC for you!" so I didn't.
A husband and wife came for counseling after 20 years of marriage.
When asked what the problem was, the wife went into a passionate, painful tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the 20 years they had been married.
She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of unmet needs she had endured over the course of their marriage.Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the male therapist got up, walked around the desk, and after asking the wife to stand, embraced
and kissed her passionately as her husband watched with a raised eyebrow. The woman shut up and quietly sat down as though in a daze.The therapist turned to the husband and said, 'This is what your wife needs at least three times a week. Can you do this?'
The husband thought for a moment and replied, 'Well, I can drop her off here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays, I fish.'
Metallica, Down, and the Sword played in Des Moines, IA, last night. I am glad I didn't take in that show. Their show on Saturday, November 8th, is going to kick butt, even if I have to buy a ticket. It's Metallica - how can it be bad? I am taking the kids to Dave and Chris in Blue Grass, IA (Karen's brother and wife) on that day and then taking an evening of METAL. My friend Kevin is going. I have been trying to get a hold of my contact @ WBR (their label) but the publicist I worked with to see Avenge Sevenfold / Buck Cherry / Shine Down /Saving Abel has an e-mail address that sends back delivery failures.
In other news, there were photos posted of the 20 year class reunion I didn't attend online. Seeing some of the people that were there makes me glad I didn't go. I think that there is something to be said for putting the past behind me.
This is my new favorite song. I found two videos of it. The first is a concert clip from St. Louis and the second shows a single picture but has the lyrics.
A husband and wife came for counseling after 20 years of marriage.
When asked what the problem was, the wife went into a passionate, painful tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the 20 years they had been married.
She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of unmet needs she had endured over the course of their marriage.Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the male therapist got up, walked around the desk, and after asking the wife to stand, embraced
and kissed her passionately as her husband watched with a raised eyebrow. The woman shut up and quietly sat down as though in a daze.The therapist turned to the husband and said, 'This is what your wife needs at least three times a week. Can you do this?'
The husband thought for a moment and replied, 'Well, I can drop her off here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays, I fish.'
Metallica, Down, and the Sword played in Des Moines, IA, last night. I am glad I didn't take in that show. Their show on Saturday, November 8th, is going to kick butt, even if I have to buy a ticket. It's Metallica - how can it be bad? I am taking the kids to Dave and Chris in Blue Grass, IA (Karen's brother and wife) on that day and then taking an evening of METAL. My friend Kevin is going. I have been trying to get a hold of my contact @ WBR (their label) but the publicist I worked with to see Avenge Sevenfold / Buck Cherry / Shine Down /Saving Abel has an e-mail address that sends back delivery failures.
In other news, there were photos posted of the 20 year class reunion I didn't attend online. Seeing some of the people that were there makes me glad I didn't go. I think that there is something to be said for putting the past behind me.
This is my new favorite song. I found two videos of it. The first is a concert clip from St. Louis and the second shows a single picture but has the lyrics.
Friday, October 24, 2008
It Happened Again
On December 24, 2007, there was a fire at Breitbach's, the oldest bar in Iowa. Breitbach's is located in Balltown, Iowa. Balltown has two streets, a church, a stop sign, a feed store and Breitbach's. Read more about it here. It's where Karen and I got married.
Today, strike Breitbach's off that list.
It burned to the ground.
Again.
My heart and prayers go out to the family who have to deal with all the anger they had to deal with before - less than a year ago - again.
Today, strike Breitbach's off that list.
It burned to the ground.
Again.
My heart and prayers go out to the family who have to deal with all the anger they had to deal with before - less than a year ago - again.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Technical Writers and the Subject Matter Expert (SME)
There has been some discussion on Techwr-L about how SMEs review text that is sent to them for review. The purpose of the SME review is to find any technical glitches in the text the tech writer has written, based upon the SME fuller understanding of the topic. I thought about the ideas in these posts and found them relevant to what happened yesterday.
I was having an okay day - not the greatest, not the best - when my manager sent an email out that said a developer, Christopher, is working on a hot project and that it adds a new value to our system.
When new values are added to our system, it means work for me. There is end-user and internal documentation to update so I have a vested interest in making sure the text that is used is something I can easily translate for the end-user. The email I'm referring to included text in a e-mail from our project manager with proposed text for the new value. When I read the original text, I didn't understand why it had to use so many words. It seemed to greatly complicate the purpose and functionality in the new value.
I replied to my manager that it was the most wordy description for a value I had seen in my 10 years here and that I was working on a rewrite. She replied back that she wanted to review the rewrite.
I sent a proposed rewrite to Christopher via ICQ. He sent back a reply with revised text. We went back and forth, negotiating, before he walked over to my cubicle. We negotiated some more (~1/2 hour total) and hammered through what the system value actually did, how it affected the system, and what text best described it. After negotiations were complete, I sent this to my manager, cc'ing the developer, with this text:
Christopher and I have been negotiating the verbiage for the ... description associated with this project. We are both satisfied with this rewrite. This blurb is for the end-user.
She replied "Great Thanks."
So, I thought, my manager knows that Christopher and I worked together, as a team, as we're all supposed to do, but what about Christopher's manager?
I then sent that e-mail on to Christopher's manager with a note that said "The fruit of the Technical Writer working with Development..."
My point is that Christopher, the SME, helped me out and, for his efforts, I gave Christopher positive feedback. This is not the first value we have negotiated and probably won't be the last.
I was having an okay day - not the greatest, not the best - when my manager sent an email out that said a developer, Christopher, is working on a hot project and that it adds a new value to our system.
When new values are added to our system, it means work for me. There is end-user and internal documentation to update so I have a vested interest in making sure the text that is used is something I can easily translate for the end-user. The email I'm referring to included text in a e-mail from our project manager with proposed text for the new value. When I read the original text, I didn't understand why it had to use so many words. It seemed to greatly complicate the purpose and functionality in the new value.
I replied to my manager that it was the most wordy description for a value I had seen in my 10 years here and that I was working on a rewrite. She replied back that she wanted to review the rewrite.
I sent a proposed rewrite to Christopher via ICQ. He sent back a reply with revised text. We went back and forth, negotiating, before he walked over to my cubicle. We negotiated some more (~1/2 hour total) and hammered through what the system value actually did, how it affected the system, and what text best described it. After negotiations were complete, I sent this to my manager, cc'ing the developer, with this text:
Christopher and I have been negotiating the verbiage for the ... description associated with this project. We are both satisfied with this rewrite. This blurb is for the end-user.
She replied "Great Thanks."
So, I thought, my manager knows that Christopher and I worked together, as a team, as we're all supposed to do, but what about Christopher's manager?
I then sent that e-mail on to Christopher's manager with a note that said "The fruit of the Technical Writer working with Development..."
My point is that Christopher, the SME, helped me out and, for his efforts, I gave Christopher positive feedback. This is not the first value we have negotiated and probably won't be the last.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Found it!
I found three things tonight:
First, my dream house and only $15,000 / month for a mortgage!
Second, a cool Guitar Hero-like Flash game (thanks to Phil for pointing it out): http://www.freearcade.com/SuperCrazyGuitarManiacDeluxe3.flash/SuperCrazyGuitarManiacDeluxe3.html
Third, and finally, I rediscovered Rob Halford's song called "Resurrection" from a CD called "Resurrection." Scott Travis plays the drums. Listen to that double bass! I used to dream of playing in a band - any band - that could play at a concert like this. More info: "The footage comes off "Resurrection World Tour - Live At Rock In Rio III", a three-hour DVD which debuted earlier this month in a custom-designed digipack, featuring a twenty-eight page booklet and HALFORD's debut CD release, "Resurrection – Remastered" with 16 songs, including two new HALFORD tracks. The DVD also includes HALFORD's complete Rock In Rio III performance in 5.1 Surround Sound audio. Thirteen cameras are fixed on the HALFORD as The Metal God delivers one of his best live performances in front of two-hundred-thousand-plus Brazilians."
First, my dream house and only $15,000 / month for a mortgage!
Second, a cool Guitar Hero-like Flash game (thanks to Phil for pointing it out): http://www.freearcade.com/SuperCrazyGuitarManiacDeluxe3.flash/SuperCrazyGuitarManiacDeluxe3.html
Third, and finally, I rediscovered Rob Halford's song called "Resurrection" from a CD called "Resurrection." Scott Travis plays the drums. Listen to that double bass! I used to dream of playing in a band - any band - that could play at a concert like this. More info: "The footage comes off "Resurrection World Tour - Live At Rock In Rio III", a three-hour DVD which debuted earlier this month in a custom-designed digipack, featuring a twenty-eight page booklet and HALFORD's debut CD release, "Resurrection – Remastered" with 16 songs, including two new HALFORD tracks. The DVD also includes HALFORD's complete Rock In Rio III performance in 5.1 Surround Sound audio. Thirteen cameras are fixed on the HALFORD as The Metal God delivers one of his best live performances in front of two-hundred-thousand-plus Brazilians."
It's nearly time...
Not only is Hallow's Eve nearly upon us but the Metallica tour kicked off tonight in Arizona...
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Begrudginly, my Top 10 List
Michael Smith is a member of the Daily Vault review panel. So far, this is his Top 10 of the last ten years:
10. Music - Madonna
9. Underneath It All - No Doubt
8. Hero - Enrique Iglesias
7. Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen
6. Get The Party Started - Pink
5. Somebody Told Me - The Killers
4. Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
3. Beautiful - Christina Aguilera
2. Paper Planes - M.I.A.
***1. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley***
I was actually thinking about this last night. I only recognized the Green Day track. If I had to make a list, I'd have these on it:
1) For You - Staind
2) She Hates Me - Puddle of Mudd
3) Numb - Linkin Park
4) Bat Country - Avenge Sevenfold
5) The Diary of Jane - Breaking Benjamin
6) Someday - Nickelback
7) I Hate Everything about You - 3 Days Grace
8) American Idiot - Green Day
9) Show Me How to Live - Audioslave
10) Life is Beautiful - Sixx AM
The way I came up with this list is by listening to both KRNA and Rock 108 and noticing which songs have stay power and which ones move along quickly. The singles I heard from Megadeth ("Trust") & Metallica ("Frantic") are great songs but they haven't held up around here as being pounded into my skull.
Honorable mentions go to "Monkey Wrench" by the Foo Fighters, "Seven Army Nation" by the White Stripes, and "Self-Esteem" by the Offspring.
10. Music - Madonna
9. Underneath It All - No Doubt
8. Hero - Enrique Iglesias
7. Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen
6. Get The Party Started - Pink
5. Somebody Told Me - The Killers
4. Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
3. Beautiful - Christina Aguilera
2. Paper Planes - M.I.A.
***1. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley***
I was actually thinking about this last night. I only recognized the Green Day track. If I had to make a list, I'd have these on it:
1) For You - Staind
2) She Hates Me - Puddle of Mudd
3) Numb - Linkin Park
4) Bat Country - Avenge Sevenfold
5) The Diary of Jane - Breaking Benjamin
6) Someday - Nickelback
7) I Hate Everything about You - 3 Days Grace
8) American Idiot - Green Day
9) Show Me How to Live - Audioslave
10) Life is Beautiful - Sixx AM
The way I came up with this list is by listening to both KRNA and Rock 108 and noticing which songs have stay power and which ones move along quickly. The singles I heard from Megadeth ("Trust") & Metallica ("Frantic") are great songs but they haven't held up around here as being pounded into my skull.
Honorable mentions go to "Monkey Wrench" by the Foo Fighters, "Seven Army Nation" by the White Stripes, and "Self-Esteem" by the Offspring.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Belly = Full!
We played @ 5:15 Mass tonight. We did a song called "Sing of the Lord's Goodness" which is in 5/4 time. The count is 12-123 12-123 and it sounds a lot like Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" piece, which is famous for Joe Morello's drum solo. No, no drum solo from me. I must admit, though, I played this song 20 years ago in Cedar Rapids at St. Pius X and when I played it then, I had a) no idea who Joe Morello or Dave Brubeck were and b) I wasn't nearly as good of a drummer as I think I am now. I played my drums to mimic the melody and had no idea how it was counted. Tonight, though, was different. I wasn't quick enough to stretch out, but I could feel the pulse and played the ride and snare on different beats while my bass drum and hi-hat kept straight time.
Here's a 5/4 groove solo that sounds good.
After Mass, we went to Eggy's on 965. I had a BBQ bacon cheeseburger and a couple of pints of Miller Lite. Tasted awesome.
We rented "27 Dresses" and per IMDB.com, it's about a 6 out of 10 star movie. Great.
Tomorrow we're going to CR to do some birthday shopping for Alex, then to Alex's basketball practice @ 3. New "Desperate Housewives" episode too.
Here's a 5/4 groove solo that sounds good.
After Mass, we went to Eggy's on 965. I had a BBQ bacon cheeseburger and a couple of pints of Miller Lite. Tasted awesome.
We rented "27 Dresses" and per IMDB.com, it's about a 6 out of 10 star movie. Great.
Tomorrow we're going to CR to do some birthday shopping for Alex, then to Alex's basketball practice @ 3. New "Desperate Housewives" episode too.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Employee Health
Employee health seems to be the new buzzword. It is spoken about by our CEO at our monthly staff meetings, we get e-mail messages about various runs and racing events that are held around here, we had a health screening about a month ago, and we've had weekly lunch seminars that talk about eating healthy.
As for me, I'm 6'4" and, per all the lit I read, I'm supposed to way 30lbs less than I do. I'd go down the shower drain if I weighed that and only my feet would prevent me from being lost forever in the city system. I drink lots of Mountain Dew Live Wire, Pepsi, and regular Mountain Dew. I have a small gut, but that doesn't stop one of my favorite sister-in-laws from always asking me if I am losing weight (drives my wife nuts). Also, I walked into the building last month at the same time as our CEO and *he* asked if I had been losing weight.
Am I? No, not really. I fluctuate 3-4 lbs up and down.
The things that have worked for me are these:
And here's the biggest thing: Take smaller portions of every thing you put on your plate and *don't* go back for seconds.
I also have read and been told that if you're serious about losing weight, eat breakfast. I haven't bought into that yet. I get up @ 6:15, wake the kids up @ 6:30 - I have a 10 year-old and 12 year-old - and getting them out the door by 7 takes more energy than it should. My son came downstairs this AM, freaking out because his jeans that fit earlier this week "all of a sudden" don't fit. We got the issue resolved - he put on a pair of shorts.
As for me, I'm 6'4" and, per all the lit I read, I'm supposed to way 30lbs less than I do. I'd go down the shower drain if I weighed that and only my feet would prevent me from being lost forever in the city system. I drink lots of Mountain Dew Live Wire, Pepsi, and regular Mountain Dew. I have a small gut, but that doesn't stop one of my favorite sister-in-laws from always asking me if I am losing weight (drives my wife nuts). Also, I walked into the building last month at the same time as our CEO and *he* asked if I had been losing weight.
Am I? No, not really. I fluctuate 3-4 lbs up and down.
The things that have worked for me are these:
When you are trying to unwind from a long day, and sit watching two episodes of MASH, don't eat. Don't have a bowl of ice cream with choc syrup *and* choc chips. During the day, don't have a 3 Musketeers bar @ 2. During the day, take two 15 minute breaks - one ~10, one ~3 - and walk outside. Even if it's cold, get some fresh air. Go with a co-worker and *don't* talk about work. Instead of eating a huge lunch, eat less. Drink less beer on the weekends. Mow the yard with a push mower or self-propelled - not a riding one - and walk briskly.
I also have read and been told that if you're serious about losing weight, eat breakfast. I haven't bought into that yet. I get up @ 6:15, wake the kids up @ 6:30 - I have a 10 year-old and 12 year-old - and getting them out the door by 7 takes more energy than it should. My son came downstairs this AM, freaking out because his jeans that fit earlier this week "all of a sudden" don't fit. We got the issue resolved - he put on a pair of shorts.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Concert Review and Damn, I'm tired.
I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I am literally yawning every minute as I type this. It's 10:45 PM.
My review of the Trivium gig is here http://www.dailyvault.com/article.php5?id=156 & my butchering of 4Lyn is here: http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=5643
Favorite line: "Their insanely complex rhythms mesmerized the crowd as vocalist Nathan Ells ripped his heart out and proclaimed venom through his screams of agony."
Another yawn. I'm going to bed.
My review of the Trivium gig is here http://www.dailyvault.com/article.php5?id=156 & my butchering of 4Lyn is here: http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=5643
Favorite line: "Their insanely complex rhythms mesmerized the crowd as vocalist Nathan Ells ripped his heart out and proclaimed venom through his screams of agony."
Another yawn. I'm going to bed.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Monday Starts It Up Again
I have a love/hate relationship with Mondays.
On one hand, it's back to work. It's back to wading through a multiple week backlog of documentation changes. It's back to snippy private thoughts about workload distribution throughout the company - 4 Support reps are leaving our company. It's back to integrating new functionality into existing HTML and Word files and trying to get it all done.
On the other hand - and I don't mean to offend anyone who only has one hand - it's back to life. It's a 1/2 hour drive north to work and a 1/2 hour drive south home. It's sitting in Dennis' living room and scratching Max's belly. It's playing the Playstation 2 NFL game with your son and quitting when you're winning 13-12 and talking smack about how awesome you are when you have no true idea how you did anything in that game.
It's also being tired @ 10:30 and calling it a night.
On one hand, it's back to work. It's back to wading through a multiple week backlog of documentation changes. It's back to snippy private thoughts about workload distribution throughout the company - 4 Support reps are leaving our company. It's back to integrating new functionality into existing HTML and Word files and trying to get it all done.
On the other hand - and I don't mean to offend anyone who only has one hand - it's back to life. It's a 1/2 hour drive north to work and a 1/2 hour drive south home. It's sitting in Dennis' living room and scratching Max's belly. It's playing the Playstation 2 NFL game with your son and quitting when you're winning 13-12 and talking smack about how awesome you are when you have no true idea how you did anything in that game.
It's also being tired @ 10:30 and calling it a night.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
SA, Garage Band called Congresbury
Okay, this is the Spiral Architect song "Spinning" from the perspective of the drummer. The camera only shows what he is doing.
These comments are associated with the following band:
|
Me and my band jamming in a garage, the voice isnt in time as we recorded it seperatly and couldnt get it too layer in time! comments will be much apprietciated!
|
A spellchecker would be appreciated as well
I like it.
These comments are associated with the following band:
|
Me and my band jamming in a garage, the voice isnt in time as we recorded it seperatly and couldnt get it too layer in time! comments will be much apprietciated!
|
A spellchecker would be appreciated as well
I like it.
Doing it Again and Again
I logged into my work PC tonight. I hadn't been on the PC in the den all weekend - we were out of town Sat. AM in Cedar Falls and today I slept in - so I was just kind of curious what had happened @ work after I left @ 5.
Shocking news. As I was leaving Friday, one of my friends Sue told me that her last day was that day and that I wouldn't see her at our employer again. Sue was a good Support rep and I think from what I had observed, she was learning quickly. That said, I didn't work with her daily so I admit I am not the best of judges.
So tonight, when I got onto my work PC, I also learned that my friend Leah is done at our employer as well. I will miss Leah. She would have had her 2 year anniversary in just a few short days. I learned my Girl Authority CD to her and she lost it.. I hope Leah lands on her feet and that her reason(s) for leaving work out for her.
I had high hopes for both Sue and Leah to lead the new generation of support reps. We had another guy, Derek, leave earlier this month as well. I don't know what's going on but I hope it's not something serious. Our Support reps are our first line of Customer Support and, frankly, we need knowledge up front. Training new employees is time-consuming. I hope the company hires replacements quickly. The Support dept has a lot of initiatives on-going and losing three people is not going to make anyone's job easier.
As for me, I have a meeting with my manager on Wednesday to talk about my progress in the last year. I have accomplished many things and I feel good about where I have progressed in the last year. I had an aggressive set of goals laid out for me but, frankly, most of them did not get accomplished due to the workload I was expected to complete. In my mind, I am doing the work of two full-time people. I hop from developing the UI for our Windows Screens product and releasing those changes to the clients over to actual writing documentation. I was asked, of the two, which I liked more. A year ago, hands-down, I would have said writing documentation. Lately, even before the J Walk training, I've been liking developing the UI as much. I think I'm starting to master those tasks. I still make mistakes and no, I'm not perfect. But in the sense of learning, I feel like I learn the most with developing the UI.
That all said, looking ahead, I have until the end of this month to clear away my backlog of projects - and the backlog is pretty thick - so that I can start writing documentation for a new product that will encompass 9 different new systems into a new suite. That means that there will be hundreds - I'm guessing - of new screens to write about and that will keep me very busy. That product is due to QA by the end of the year. I am really hoping that I can wrap my head around all the intricacies of it and make my goal of having it all documented by the time it arrives in QA at the end of 2008. I need to find a way to make that happen.
Which brings me back to trying to balance the work of two full-time positions. It's not going to work forever and something has to give. Hopefully, my conversation with my manager on Wednesday delves into how and what is going to give.
Shocking news. As I was leaving Friday, one of my friends Sue told me that her last day was that day and that I wouldn't see her at our employer again. Sue was a good Support rep and I think from what I had observed, she was learning quickly. That said, I didn't work with her daily so I admit I am not the best of judges.
So tonight, when I got onto my work PC, I also learned that my friend Leah is done at our employer as well. I will miss Leah. She would have had her 2 year anniversary in just a few short days. I learned my Girl Authority CD to her and she lost it.
I had high hopes for both Sue and Leah to lead the new generation of support reps. We had another guy, Derek, leave earlier this month as well. I don't know what's going on but I hope it's not something serious. Our Support reps are our first line of Customer Support and, frankly, we need knowledge up front. Training new employees is time-consuming. I hope the company hires replacements quickly. The Support dept has a lot of initiatives on-going and losing three people is not going to make anyone's job easier.
As for me, I have a meeting with my manager on Wednesday to talk about my progress in the last year. I have accomplished many things and I feel good about where I have progressed in the last year. I had an aggressive set of goals laid out for me but, frankly, most of them did not get accomplished due to the workload I was expected to complete. In my mind, I am doing the work of two full-time people. I hop from developing the UI for our Windows Screens product and releasing those changes to the clients over to actual writing documentation. I was asked, of the two, which I liked more. A year ago, hands-down, I would have said writing documentation. Lately, even before the J Walk training, I've been liking developing the UI as much. I think I'm starting to master those tasks. I still make mistakes and no, I'm not perfect. But in the sense of learning, I feel like I learn the most with developing the UI.
That all said, looking ahead, I have until the end of this month to clear away my backlog of projects - and the backlog is pretty thick - so that I can start writing documentation for a new product that will encompass 9 different new systems into a new suite. That means that there will be hundreds - I'm guessing - of new screens to write about and that will keep me very busy. That product is due to QA by the end of the year. I am really hoping that I can wrap my head around all the intricacies of it and make my goal of having it all documented by the time it arrives in QA at the end of 2008. I need to find a way to make that happen.
Which brings me back to trying to balance the work of two full-time positions. It's not going to work forever and something has to give. Hopefully, my conversation with my manager on Wednesday delves into how and what is going to give.
Stupid Blue Devils
At Duke University, there were four sophomores taking chemistry and all of them had an "A" so far. These four friends were so confident, that the weekend before finals, they decided to visit some friends and have a big party.
They had a great time, but after all the hearty partying, they slept all day Sunday and didn't make it back to Duke until early Monday morning.Rather than taking the final then, they decided that after the final they would explain to their professor why they missed it.They said that they visited friends but on the way back they had a flat tire. As a result, they missed the final.The professor agreed they could make up the final the next day.The guys were excited and relieved. They studied that night for the exam.The Professor placed them in separate rooms and gave them a test booklet. They quickly answered the first problem worth 5 points.Cool, they thought! Each one in separate rooms, thinking this was going to be easy ... then they turned the page.On the second page was written....
Scroll down....
Just a bit more.......
Oh, you can take it......
Almost there.......
You sure you want to read this? LOL Ok...... Here is "The Exam"....... ......... ......... .
For 95 points: Which tire?
They had a great time, but after all the hearty partying, they slept all day Sunday and didn't make it back to Duke until early Monday morning.Rather than taking the final then, they decided that after the final they would explain to their professor why they missed it.They said that they visited friends but on the way back they had a flat tire. As a result, they missed the final.The professor agreed they could make up the final the next day.The guys were excited and relieved. They studied that night for the exam.The Professor placed them in separate rooms and gave them a test booklet. They quickly answered the first problem worth 5 points.Cool, they thought! Each one in separate rooms, thinking this was going to be easy ... then they turned the page.On the second page was written....
Scroll down....
Just a bit more.......
Oh, you can take it......
Almost there.......
You sure you want to read this? LOL Ok...... Here is "The Exam"....... ......... ......... .
For 95 points: Which tire?
Friday, October 10, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Wrong City, People, WRONG CITY
Two upcoming events are being held in the WRONG city as far as I'm concerned:
An Evening with Terry Bozzio
West Music is proud to present Terry Bozzio on Oct. 21st at 6:30pm in the Redstone Room at River Music Experience, 129 Main St., Davenport, IA.
Bozzio is a phenomenal drummer, as evidenced below:
On top of that, West Music scheduled this event:
Meet & Greet Louie Bellson
Come shake hands with legendary percussionist Louie Bellson from 4:00-5:00pm October 14th at West Music, 4305 44th Ave., Moline, IL.
And Louie Bellson? Here's a small taste of his ability.
An Evening with Terry Bozzio
West Music is proud to present Terry Bozzio on Oct. 21st at 6:30pm in the Redstone Room at River Music Experience, 129 Main St., Davenport, IA.
Bozzio is a phenomenal drummer, as evidenced below:
On top of that, West Music scheduled this event:
Meet & Greet Louie Bellson
Come shake hands with legendary percussionist Louie Bellson from 4:00-5:00pm October 14th at West Music, 4305 44th Ave., Moline, IL.
And Louie Bellson? Here's a small taste of his ability.
OK GO
I listened to OK GO for the first time yesterday and now I'm hooked. Thanks a lot ChrisM.
I think this is my favorite song. I don't understand why my local rock stations have never picked up this band. They fit into the White Stripes kind of genre. And I can't freakin' believe it! They *just* played a couple of weeks ago on 09/26/2008 at the Regents Center in Decorah, IA. I'm totally bummed now. I'm trying to think of what I was doing on 9/26 . . .Oh, here it is. We went to the Regina football game.
I like this song too:
This is a live version of the song above.
Only 2 hours 39 minutes or 126.81 miles away...
I think this is my favorite song. I don't understand why my local rock stations have never picked up this band. They fit into the White Stripes kind of genre. And I can't freakin' believe it! They *just* played a couple of weeks ago on 09/26/2008 at the Regents Center in Decorah, IA. I'm totally bummed now. I'm trying to think of what I was doing on 9/26 . . .Oh, here it is. We went to the Regina football game.
I like this song too:
This is a live version of the song above.
Only 2 hours 39 minutes or 126.81 miles away...
Closet Jerry Springer fan
I think I've seen a few episodes of Jerry Springer and I found the show kind of interesting.
Human Abstract, 36CF, ATR, and Trivium sampler
On Monday, I saw Human Abstract, 36 Crazy Fist, All That Remains, and Trivium. As a taste of what I saw:
Generic
This is more of a note to myself than anything.
Somewhere Else
I looked today and not found
Resigned to cross another day
I wanted today but it too will pass
I continue the path
Envisioning the opportunity in my world
Tasting fulfilling
Opportunity went to someone else
Do I seek another
At this place in my life
I reach this place daily
Am I better off where I stand?
You shape my path
Envisioning I am somewhere else
Seemed to me at the time
Wanted to leave before now
Continuing on my path, I persist
Sun slowly approaches
It seems like this is it
Could this be my final day
To conquer all that is in front of me
You are the one
I have to choose what I do with it
It seems like this is the time
Do I confront this?
Do I take it on?
Where are my answers?
Did I know I'd be like this?
I longed to be somewhere else
Long before this day began
It seemed innocent then
Why go on like this
If opportunity takes me somewhere else
I'm ready for the journey
Someone higher decides for me
I just accept or decline the offer
I looked today and not found
Resigned to cross another day
I wanted today but it too will pass
I continue the path
Envisioning the opportunity in my world
Tasting fulfilling
Opportunity went to someone else
Do I seek another
At this place in my life
I reach this place daily
Am I better off where I stand?
You shape my path
Envisioning I am somewhere else
Seemed to me at the time
Wanted to leave before now
Continuing on my path, I persist
Sun slowly approaches
It seems like this is it
Could this be my final day
To conquer all that is in front of me
You are the one
I have to choose what I do with it
It seems like this is the time
Do I confront this?
Do I take it on?
Where are my answers?
Did I know I'd be like this?
I longed to be somewhere else
Long before this day began
It seemed innocent then
Why go on like this
If opportunity takes me somewhere else
I'm ready for the journey
Someone higher decides for me
I just accept or decline the offer
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
How to kill a Conversation
My friend Sue passed this comic on the HATT list today: http://www.savagechickens.com/2008/10/a-little-less-conversation.html
Will speculate on why it is so applicable later tonight.
Will speculate on why it is so applicable later tonight.
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Week Ahead
This week is crazy busy.
Monday, Alex has his piano lesson. I usually take him and sit in the teacher's living room and listen but, tonight, I'm going to a concert @ Hawkeye Downs. I only have heard two of the 4 bands (36 Crazy Fist & Trivium). Both are metal. I'll write a review of it for dailyvault.com
Tuesday, Megan has a volleyball game @ 6 so we leave immediately when I get home.
Wednesday, Megan has her piano lesson after being off the month of Sept and rarely practicing. I also have a coach's meeting for Alex's team @ North Dodge @ 6:30.
Thursday, Karen and the kids have haircuts and I'm donating blood.
Friday, we're going to see Karen's brother's band in Cedar Falls and staying overnight at his house.
Saturday, we're going to my nephew's football game (Karen's his godmother). Then we're coming back home and playing @ 5:15 Mass.
Sunday, Alex has basketball practice from 3-5. I have to mow the yard of the house down the street.
Then it starts all over again.
Monday, Alex has his piano lesson. I usually take him and sit in the teacher's living room and listen but, tonight, I'm going to a concert @ Hawkeye Downs. I only have heard two of the 4 bands (36 Crazy Fist & Trivium). Both are metal. I'll write a review of it for dailyvault.com
Tuesday, Megan has a volleyball game @ 6 so we leave immediately when I get home.
Wednesday, Megan has her piano lesson after being off the month of Sept and rarely practicing. I also have a coach's meeting for Alex's team @ North Dodge @ 6:30.
Thursday, Karen and the kids have haircuts and I'm donating blood.
Friday, we're going to see Karen's brother's band in Cedar Falls and staying overnight at his house.
Saturday, we're going to my nephew's football game (Karen's his godmother). Then we're coming back home and playing @ 5:15 Mass.
Sunday, Alex has basketball practice from 3-5. I have to mow the yard of the house down the street.
Then it starts all over again.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Devotion and Desire for 24 to come soon
Bayside is a band that I've learned about in the last couple of years. Their power punk is really worth a listening. I just got a flyer from their label that they have 2 new CDs coming out - a live CD and a studio. I hope to hear them both soon.
Another fairly recent thing I like to do is watch "24" on the Fox network. I haven't seen the first 5 seasons - only season 6 - so I don't know a lot about what has happened the first 5 seasons. I guess some things take a while for me to catch on to. This is the Wikipedia page about the next season: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_(season_7)
If you get an E-mail with "Nude Photos of Sarah Palin" in the subject line,
do not open it. It might contain a virus.
If you get an E-mail with "Nude Photos of Hillary Clinton",
do not open it. It might contain nude photos of Hillary Clinton
Finally, unrelated to Bayside or the show "24" or anything else, really, we played 11 Mass today. We played a song called "Lead Me Lord" and, for my drum part, I did a pseudo-"Enter Sandman" floor tom rhythm. I really like that song.
I also had this song in my head today:
As well as this song:
Another fairly recent thing I like to do is watch "24" on the Fox network. I haven't seen the first 5 seasons - only season 6 - so I don't know a lot about what has happened the first 5 seasons. I guess some things take a while for me to catch on to. This is the Wikipedia page about the next season: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_(season_7)
If you get an E-mail with "Nude Photos of Sarah Palin" in the subject line,
do not open it. It might contain a virus.
If you get an E-mail with "Nude Photos of Hillary Clinton",
do not open it. It might contain nude photos of Hillary Clinton
Finally, unrelated to Bayside or the show "24" or anything else, really, we played 11 Mass today. We played a song called "Lead Me Lord" and, for my drum part, I did a pseudo-"Enter Sandman" floor tom rhythm. I really like that song.
I also had this song in my head today:
As well as this song:
Sunday Poison
My keyboard leaked venom when it tackled the latest Poison release: http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=5698
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Whew!
What a week. It went by very quickly.
The main thing is that I am happy. I think that says a lot about a person - how happy they are. I look at my life with a guarded disbelief. I find it interesting how life has been very good to me. I read in the newspaper and online about all these messed up people. At a local junior high, for example, there was a 12 year old boy who took down his pants and tried to get a girl to touch him. He's in the newspaper for sexual abuse. My daughter is 12! I can't imagine being in a situation where you have to talk to the police about your child's behavior. It's something I can't fathom.
We went to the Regina / Tipton game last night and, as expected, Regina won to improve to 6-0. Regina didn't play bad but it was a game that never felt like it had much of a rhythm to it. There were penalties on both sides. Tipton scored within the last 4 minutes to make it 27-7 and then tried an onside kick - those never work - to try to get the ball back. It was cold sitting in the stands but it was worth seeing the action. A Regina player leveled a Tipton player and laid him out. Tipton also had a 80 yard punt that they downed on the 1 yard line. Regina ended up scoring - if I recall correctly - on that drive.
Today is the MSU v. IA game. It's in Michigan and the Hawks desparately need a win to avoid being 0-2 in the Big Ten.
In Iowa, we are having friends come over ~5:30 and we're ordering pizza. I think the time between the end of the game and 5:30 will be spent cleaning up the house. We've identified some tasks - like cleaning up the bathroom closet and putting our ghosts out on the porch - as things that need to be done.
I took the van over to Linder Tire at 6 AM. I filled up the van with gas ($57), dropped it off, and walked home - it's about a mile. The issue with the van? The brakes squeal and Karen's not happy re: that.
I had the craziest dream and I don't know what brought it on. I dreamed that I went to my high school's first swim team practice in Cedar Rapids. I left my hosue @ 5 AM and got there @ 6 and had a talk with the coach. I talked about how I wanted to help coach and how I missed swimming and how I felt like I could contribute. In the dream, my former coach turned it into feeling guilty about my friend Lee's death and how it was just the grieving process that led me to practice. So then it was 7:15 and Alex - who mysterioudly showed up - had to be @ school in Iowa City - by 8 AM. And we had to take showers and get dressed before we could even leave. Then I had to turn around and get to work by 8. It was amazing how the circumstances of it all played out. I don't know what to really think of it all. I feel like I constantly think about Lee.
Lee was on the swim team with me all 4 years. He and Mike and I were the only 4 to go from freshmen to seniors. Lee and Mike were voted captains - I was not. Lee kind of took me under his wing. I remember - and the kids have heard this story - how he told me how to hold my fork. I don't really think anyone but Lee could have said "Hey, what are you doing?" and told me to not hold it in my fist. I chuckle when I think about him. I remember being in 10th grade geometry one day and he had a Sports Illustrated magazine. There was an article about Len Bias, a basketball player who had recently died from Marphan's Syndrome. His symptons were tall, skinny, big hands, and big feet. Lee proclaimed, "Hans, you have Marphan's Syndrome." I remember going as far as to send the article to my doctor at the time and ask what he thought. "No, you don't have Marphan's Syndrome."
Lee also used to kid me about how skinny I was. He said I was so skinny, I could go down the drain but my feet would prevent me from going all the way down. He also used to sing "I was born to love you / I was born to love you / I was born to love you / but you were born to love me first." It was paraphrasing "Caddyshack" : http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071030134508AAobb7X. I do miss Lee. Funny thing is that I doubt we would have even kept in contact after high school if he were still around. When he died in 1996, I went to the wake because of knowing him in high school and because I wanted to offer my sympathy to his parents and brothers and sister. It wasn't because we had been hanging out together. I know he's in a better place.
Work was crazy yesterday. I just got the 08V2R1 Mass Release out the door and had to turn around and start the 08V3R1 Early Release prep that has to go out Monday. I did take a moment to notice the following comic:
I got the biggest laugh when I removed "retail" in the final panel.
I also happened upon last Sunday's "Blondie" which I thought was very funny.
Finally, I used to contribute reviews to Jersey Beat. I still have them in my Favorites but it had been a while since I checked out their site. The last time I was there, the layout did not look *anything* like it does now. I like the design. I came across this review. I warn you - the writer uses the f bomb to make his point: http://www.jerseybeat.com/metallica_deathmagnetic.html. I also found Jim's blog: http://jerseybeat.blogspot.com/.
The main thing is that I am happy. I think that says a lot about a person - how happy they are. I look at my life with a guarded disbelief. I find it interesting how life has been very good to me. I read in the newspaper and online about all these messed up people. At a local junior high, for example, there was a 12 year old boy who took down his pants and tried to get a girl to touch him. He's in the newspaper for sexual abuse. My daughter is 12! I can't imagine being in a situation where you have to talk to the police about your child's behavior. It's something I can't fathom.
We went to the Regina / Tipton game last night and, as expected, Regina won to improve to 6-0. Regina didn't play bad but it was a game that never felt like it had much of a rhythm to it. There were penalties on both sides. Tipton scored within the last 4 minutes to make it 27-7 and then tried an onside kick - those never work - to try to get the ball back. It was cold sitting in the stands but it was worth seeing the action. A Regina player leveled a Tipton player and laid him out. Tipton also had a 80 yard punt that they downed on the 1 yard line. Regina ended up scoring - if I recall correctly - on that drive.
Today is the MSU v. IA game. It's in Michigan and the Hawks desparately need a win to avoid being 0-2 in the Big Ten.
In Iowa, we are having friends come over ~5:30 and we're ordering pizza. I think the time between the end of the game and 5:30 will be spent cleaning up the house. We've identified some tasks - like cleaning up the bathroom closet and putting our ghosts out on the porch - as things that need to be done.
I took the van over to Linder Tire at 6 AM. I filled up the van with gas ($57), dropped it off, and walked home - it's about a mile. The issue with the van? The brakes squeal and Karen's not happy re: that.
I had the craziest dream and I don't know what brought it on. I dreamed that I went to my high school's first swim team practice in Cedar Rapids. I left my hosue @ 5 AM and got there @ 6 and had a talk with the coach. I talked about how I wanted to help coach and how I missed swimming and how I felt like I could contribute. In the dream, my former coach turned it into feeling guilty about my friend Lee's death and how it was just the grieving process that led me to practice. So then it was 7:15 and Alex - who mysterioudly showed up - had to be @ school in Iowa City - by 8 AM. And we had to take showers and get dressed before we could even leave. Then I had to turn around and get to work by 8. It was amazing how the circumstances of it all played out. I don't know what to really think of it all. I feel like I constantly think about Lee.
Lee was on the swim team with me all 4 years. He and Mike and I were the only 4 to go from freshmen to seniors. Lee and Mike were voted captains - I was not. Lee kind of took me under his wing. I remember - and the kids have heard this story - how he told me how to hold my fork. I don't really think anyone but Lee could have said "Hey, what are you doing?" and told me to not hold it in my fist. I chuckle when I think about him. I remember being in 10th grade geometry one day and he had a Sports Illustrated magazine. There was an article about Len Bias, a basketball player who had recently died from Marphan's Syndrome. His symptons were tall, skinny, big hands, and big feet. Lee proclaimed, "Hans, you have Marphan's Syndrome." I remember going as far as to send the article to my doctor at the time and ask what he thought. "No, you don't have Marphan's Syndrome."
Lee also used to kid me about how skinny I was. He said I was so skinny, I could go down the drain but my feet would prevent me from going all the way down. He also used to sing "I was born to love you / I was born to love you / I was born to love you / but you were born to love me first." It was paraphrasing "Caddyshack" : http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071030134508AAobb7X. I do miss Lee. Funny thing is that I doubt we would have even kept in contact after high school if he were still around. When he died in 1996, I went to the wake because of knowing him in high school and because I wanted to offer my sympathy to his parents and brothers and sister. It wasn't because we had been hanging out together. I know he's in a better place.
Work was crazy yesterday. I just got the 08V2R1 Mass Release out the door and had to turn around and start the 08V3R1 Early Release prep that has to go out Monday. I did take a moment to notice the following comic:
I got the biggest laugh when I removed "retail" in the final panel.
I also happened upon last Sunday's "Blondie" which I thought was very funny.
Finally, I used to contribute reviews to Jersey Beat. I still have them in my Favorites but it had been a while since I checked out their site. The last time I was there, the layout did not look *anything* like it does now. I like the design. I came across this review. I warn you - the writer uses the f bomb to make his point: http://www.jerseybeat.com/metallica_deathmagnetic.html. I also found Jim's blog: http://jerseybeat.blogspot.com/.
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