I went for a walk yesterday morning. It was starting to drizzle but I had my Five Finger Death Punch blasting through Megan's pink earphones. It's good to be me these days. There are changes everywhere. As I walked outside, I saw change. Flowers are blooming, rain is making a gray world green. And the world is getting nicer. There are subtle changes in the people around me. Smiles and forgiveness replacing tears and resentment. There is a lot to be thankful for and it seems like there is no end in sight.
That said, I am not going to be writing a lot, probably, between now and May 16th. Call it a mini-break, if you will. Nothing to be concerned about to my 3 followers. Schedules are getting hectic and focus must remain on the ultimate goal.
Be back in 3 weeks...
Search This Blog
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Weird Al
Oh my... this is funny! My son said he had seen this so he asked me to watch it. It's long - 10 minutes - but it is funny!
Ketching up...
Thanks to Rick W's Facebook post, here's a good melodic band that is playing @ the Hard Rock Melodic Festival in Elgin, IL (by Chicago) but it is on the weekend of when we are picking up the camper in Davenport. Otherwise, it would be a good festival to check out. Winger is headlining one of the nights and seeing Rod Morgenstein (drummer) in person would be amazing and probably worth the ticket.
One of the bands I have always thought did not get their fair shake in the hard rock world is Saraya. This is a band that released their debut in 1989 and wow... I don't know how many times I listened to it. Sandi Saraya is the lead vocalist. This is a live video of my favorite song on this release called "Get U Ready" which really captures Saraya's style.
This is the lead-off track (studio version) and I am still captivated by the vocals. I really don't remember the first time I listened to this band. But I am glad I did. I wore out a cassette and found the CD in a video/CD store in Chicagoland years ago. Great purchase for $2.99!
Another great track on this CD is called "Back to the Bullet." It is track 8.
Why do I think I am going to take this to work tomorrow and listen to it?
Work. Ah, yes. I am still plugging away. There is still always things to keep me busy. Back on 2/28/2010, I wrote about five major projects. Here's what I wrote with updated information in bold, italic, interspersed where appropriate.
Project A is a huge change that has to do with how our clients process something. We have to be certified by someone and then, after we deliver the software to our clients, the clients need to be audited and certified. The way this has to work is that it has to arrive on 3/12 (that Friday). Selfishly, that week (3/15) is going to be a very busy week at work. The timeline for testing and documenting the changes to the system have a two week window. There are consultants involved so it will be very important that everyone stays on-time. This project was late getting to us. It should have been done by now but it is not. This project has a larger impact than I originally thought because the scope of the project has changed multiple times. I hope to finish the documentation for it by the end of Wednesday.
Project B means a lot of work for me. It involves buckling down and writing some content that I have been procrastinating. It is not that the content is difficult to write - I think I could bang it out in a day - it's that I think it's overview material, about something stupid that no one is going to read. It's content that should be covered in a training class but since we don't really do training classes like we used to - clients seem to magically end up with a new system on their PCs - I understand I need to write the content. There is also a lot of project B that I need to write in other areas, besides the aforementioned overview. I am comfortable with where I am, but there are holes I need to fill in. This project is still not done. Project A has taken over as being the number one priority. In fact, this project is not being released until later, after Project A, so I have some breathing room.
Project C involves doing the user interface work I do and making records that display in pink display, well, in pink. If you imagine a floor with a carpet. The programmers code the floor and I design the carpet that everyone sees. I don't know if that really makes sense or not. I had to submit a call report to the software vendor that makes the "carpet" because the obvious ways to make the records display in pink did not work. This project is done. It turned out being easier to do than I thought. I worked with the vendor of the tool for a bit and got it resolved.
Project D is also a user interface project. When you are in Add mode, F16 should never be enabled. However, if I set it up where F16 is disabled in Add mode, it is disabled in Change mode as well. I tried all the obvious, and not so obvious, things I know how to do but it didn't seem to work. I asked for a call from the vendor and I need to get that resolved. Same type of comment. I worked with the vendor of the tool for a bit and got it resolved.
Project E is a huge change to one of our systems. Not only are there going to be UI changes - the carpet - but there will also be a lot of documentation changes. I've come to the conclusion that while it is not scheduled for release until the April/May timeframe, I cannot delay working on it until then. This area of the system continually has smaller changes but this is a larger one. I am hoping my co-worker is available to take some of the documentation work off my plate. However, I know that she is busy too so that's kind of an on-going storyline. This project has been delayed from the April/May timeframe to a later date. There is likely I will be spending a lot of time on this project. I do not know if my aforementioned co-worker will be able to help me as she will be working a lot on Project A.
So there you have it. Work is busy. There are always a zillion things to do. I still enjoy my job. I sometimes feel like I can't get anything done at work, though. It's like I have competing #1 priorties and time spent on Project A, for example, means I can't work on another hot priority. I am doing the best I can. I need to continue to dedicate myself to my work in order to meet the deadlines that have been set. I think there is going to be a big push for me to get a lot of my doc changes done this week. The target release date for Project A is 4/23 so a lot of work has to happen before then in my little world. I basically need to have everything done by this Friday. If that means extra hours, then that is what must be done.
One of the bands I have always thought did not get their fair shake in the hard rock world is Saraya. This is a band that released their debut in 1989 and wow... I don't know how many times I listened to it. Sandi Saraya is the lead vocalist. This is a live video of my favorite song on this release called "Get U Ready" which really captures Saraya's style.
This is the lead-off track (studio version) and I am still captivated by the vocals. I really don't remember the first time I listened to this band. But I am glad I did. I wore out a cassette and found the CD in a video/CD store in Chicagoland years ago. Great purchase for $2.99!
Another great track on this CD is called "Back to the Bullet." It is track 8.
Why do I think I am going to take this to work tomorrow and listen to it?
Work. Ah, yes. I am still plugging away. There is still always things to keep me busy. Back on 2/28/2010, I wrote about five major projects. Here's what I wrote with updated information in bold, italic, interspersed where appropriate.
Project A is a huge change that has to do with how our clients process something. We have to be certified by someone and then, after we deliver the software to our clients, the clients need to be audited and certified. The way this has to work is that it has to arrive on 3/12 (that Friday). Selfishly, that week (3/15) is going to be a very busy week at work. The timeline for testing and documenting the changes to the system have a two week window. There are consultants involved so it will be very important that everyone stays on-time. This project was late getting to us. It should have been done by now but it is not. This project has a larger impact than I originally thought because the scope of the project has changed multiple times. I hope to finish the documentation for it by the end of Wednesday.
Project B means a lot of work for me. It involves buckling down and writing some content that I have been procrastinating. It is not that the content is difficult to write - I think I could bang it out in a day - it's that I think it's overview material, about something stupid that no one is going to read. It's content that should be covered in a training class but since we don't really do training classes like we used to - clients seem to magically end up with a new system on their PCs - I understand I need to write the content. There is also a lot of project B that I need to write in other areas, besides the aforementioned overview. I am comfortable with where I am, but there are holes I need to fill in. This project is still not done. Project A has taken over as being the number one priority. In fact, this project is not being released until later, after Project A, so I have some breathing room.
Project C involves doing the user interface work I do and making records that display in pink display, well, in pink. If you imagine a floor with a carpet. The programmers code the floor and I design the carpet that everyone sees. I don't know if that really makes sense or not. I had to submit a call report to the software vendor that makes the "carpet" because the obvious ways to make the records display in pink did not work. This project is done. It turned out being easier to do than I thought. I worked with the vendor of the tool for a bit and got it resolved.
Project D is also a user interface project. When you are in Add mode, F16 should never be enabled. However, if I set it up where F16 is disabled in Add mode, it is disabled in Change mode as well. I tried all the obvious, and not so obvious, things I know how to do but it didn't seem to work. I asked for a call from the vendor and I need to get that resolved. Same type of comment. I worked with the vendor of the tool for a bit and got it resolved.
Project E is a huge change to one of our systems. Not only are there going to be UI changes - the carpet - but there will also be a lot of documentation changes. I've come to the conclusion that while it is not scheduled for release until the April/May timeframe, I cannot delay working on it until then. This area of the system continually has smaller changes but this is a larger one. I am hoping my co-worker is available to take some of the documentation work off my plate. However, I know that she is busy too so that's kind of an on-going storyline. This project has been delayed from the April/May timeframe to a later date. There is likely I will be spending a lot of time on this project. I do not know if my aforementioned co-worker will be able to help me as she will be working a lot on Project A.
So there you have it. Work is busy. There are always a zillion things to do. I still enjoy my job. I sometimes feel like I can't get anything done at work, though. It's like I have competing #1 priorties and time spent on Project A, for example, means I can't work on another hot priority. I am doing the best I can. I need to continue to dedicate myself to my work in order to meet the deadlines that have been set. I think there is going to be a big push for me to get a lot of my doc changes done this week. The target release date for Project A is 4/23 so a lot of work has to happen before then in my little world. I basically need to have everything done by this Friday. If that means extra hours, then that is what must be done.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Music Festivals I'm Not Going to attend...
Three music festivals in different geographic areas caught my attention.
First, there's a heavy metal festival in New Jersey that has been happening for 11 years. This is its 12th year. I've never been to New Jersey. A two day ticket for this concert is $80, which is not a bad price if you like this type of music. I am a heavy metal fan but Cookie Monster vocals don't impress me. I have no desire whatsoever to go see more than one or two of these bands. Most of them, I've never heard of. I'm not as involved in the heavy metal/hardcore scene as I thought I used to be. I still write music reviews (http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=6492 is my latest review) for Dailyvault.com, but I'm finding my interests take me other places.
I digress. Here are the bands and their time slots. Look at Friday. A band starts @ noon and the second band starts a 1/2 hour later @ 12:30. So, they are actually going to play 20 minutes to allow 10 minutes to change the equipment?!? Bands with a <== indicate someone I've actually heard of. Second Stage Friday 12 noon MONSTERS 12:30 p.m. XTHEWARX 1 p.m. GRAVE MAKER 1:30 p.m. FORFEIT 2 p.m. DONNYBROOK! 2:30 p.m. BURNING EMPIRES 3 p.m. THICK AS BLOOD 3:30 p.m. C.O.A. 4 p.m. MONGOLOIDS 4:30 p.m. DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 5 p.m. DEATH THREAT 5:30 p.m. EARTH CRISIS <== 6:15 p.m. CRO MAGS <== Main Stage Friday 3:10 p.m. HOWL 3:40 p.m. ARCHITECT UK 4:10 p.m. AFTER THE BURIAL 4:40 p.m. NACHTMYSTIUM 5:25 p.m. DOOMRIDERS 6:10 p.m. FALL OF TROY 6:55 p.m. VALIANT THOR 7:40 p.m. BARONESS 8:35 p.m. BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME <== 10 p.m. MASTODON <== Second Stage Saturday 12 noon ACROSS THE SUN 12:30 p.m. SWASHBUCKLE 1 p.m. ROSE FUNERAL 1:30 p.m. ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS 2 p.m. XTYRANTX 2:30 p.m. GAZA 3 p.m. TONY DANZA 3:30 p.m. ALPHA OMEGA 4 p.m. SOUL CONTROL 4:30 p.m. REIGN SUPREME 5 p.m. CRUEL HAND 5 p.m. DISEMBODIED 6:15 p.m. MUNICIPAL WASTE <== don't know if I've actually heard their music Main Stage Saturday 12:15 p.m. ACARO 12:45 p.m. LECHEROUS NOCTURNE 1:15 p.m. MALEFICE 1:45 p.m. PERIPHERY 2:15 p.m. CHELSEA GRIN 2:45 p.m. ABACABB 3:15 p.m. TTEOTD 3:45 p.m. HOLY GRAIL 4:15 p.m. CATTLE DECAPITATION <== these guys SUCK!!! 4:45 p.m. IMPENDING DOOM 5:25 p.m. SKELETON WITCH 6:10 p.m. 1349 7 p.m. ELUVEITIE 7:50 p.m. WHITE CHAPEL 8:40 p.m. JOB FOR A COWBOY <== wasn't impressed with this band 9:45 p.m. AMON AMARTH <== this wouldn't be a bad band to see - very good power metal 11:30 p.m. CANNIBAL CORPSE <== are you kidding me?!? these guys suck! So... yeah, not going. My assumption is the music is a lot like this.
The second festival is Rocklahoma. It is about 7 hours from my house. It looks like a good show. However, my experience with the Memphis in May concerts is that sometimes the bands you really want to see are playing at the same time on two different stages. That has happened to me before. You as a concert audience member have to choose. That is why I am holding out on my opinion on this show until they announce the times for the bands to play. If I really wanted to see ZZ Top and they are playing at the same time as Godsmack, how do you choose? The third festival is the aforementioned Memphis in May. I'm getting older. I really am. I don't really think I could go through this concert again. It always rains. There's always a lot of walking - I mean A LOT of walking - and in the crowds, it's not all that much fun. I've never had a bad time in Memphis. It's just that I'm getting older and spending nearly $700 on myself (figuring $100/day x 5, plus hotel) is just not in the cards for me. More info about it here
First, there's a heavy metal festival in New Jersey that has been happening for 11 years. This is its 12th year. I've never been to New Jersey. A two day ticket for this concert is $80, which is not a bad price if you like this type of music. I am a heavy metal fan but Cookie Monster vocals don't impress me. I have no desire whatsoever to go see more than one or two of these bands. Most of them, I've never heard of. I'm not as involved in the heavy metal/hardcore scene as I thought I used to be. I still write music reviews (http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=6492 is my latest review) for Dailyvault.com, but I'm finding my interests take me other places.
I digress. Here are the bands and their time slots. Look at Friday. A band starts @ noon and the second band starts a 1/2 hour later @ 12:30. So, they are actually going to play 20 minutes to allow 10 minutes to change the equipment?!? Bands with a <== indicate someone I've actually heard of. Second Stage Friday 12 noon MONSTERS 12:30 p.m. XTHEWARX 1 p.m. GRAVE MAKER 1:30 p.m. FORFEIT 2 p.m. DONNYBROOK! 2:30 p.m. BURNING EMPIRES 3 p.m. THICK AS BLOOD 3:30 p.m. C.O.A. 4 p.m. MONGOLOIDS 4:30 p.m. DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 5 p.m. DEATH THREAT 5:30 p.m. EARTH CRISIS <== 6:15 p.m. CRO MAGS <== Main Stage Friday 3:10 p.m. HOWL 3:40 p.m. ARCHITECT UK 4:10 p.m. AFTER THE BURIAL 4:40 p.m. NACHTMYSTIUM 5:25 p.m. DOOMRIDERS 6:10 p.m. FALL OF TROY 6:55 p.m. VALIANT THOR 7:40 p.m. BARONESS 8:35 p.m. BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME <== 10 p.m. MASTODON <== Second Stage Saturday 12 noon ACROSS THE SUN 12:30 p.m. SWASHBUCKLE 1 p.m. ROSE FUNERAL 1:30 p.m. ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS 2 p.m. XTYRANTX 2:30 p.m. GAZA 3 p.m. TONY DANZA 3:30 p.m. ALPHA OMEGA 4 p.m. SOUL CONTROL 4:30 p.m. REIGN SUPREME 5 p.m. CRUEL HAND 5 p.m. DISEMBODIED 6:15 p.m. MUNICIPAL WASTE <== don't know if I've actually heard their music Main Stage Saturday 12:15 p.m. ACARO 12:45 p.m. LECHEROUS NOCTURNE 1:15 p.m. MALEFICE 1:45 p.m. PERIPHERY 2:15 p.m. CHELSEA GRIN 2:45 p.m. ABACABB 3:15 p.m. TTEOTD 3:45 p.m. HOLY GRAIL 4:15 p.m. CATTLE DECAPITATION <== these guys SUCK!!! 4:45 p.m. IMPENDING DOOM 5:25 p.m. SKELETON WITCH 6:10 p.m. 1349 7 p.m. ELUVEITIE 7:50 p.m. WHITE CHAPEL 8:40 p.m. JOB FOR A COWBOY <== wasn't impressed with this band 9:45 p.m. AMON AMARTH <== this wouldn't be a bad band to see - very good power metal 11:30 p.m. CANNIBAL CORPSE <== are you kidding me?!? these guys suck! So... yeah, not going. My assumption is the music is a lot like this.
The second festival is Rocklahoma. It is about 7 hours from my house. It looks like a good show. However, my experience with the Memphis in May concerts is that sometimes the bands you really want to see are playing at the same time on two different stages. That has happened to me before. You as a concert audience member have to choose. That is why I am holding out on my opinion on this show until they announce the times for the bands to play. If I really wanted to see ZZ Top and they are playing at the same time as Godsmack, how do you choose? The third festival is the aforementioned Memphis in May. I'm getting older. I really am. I don't really think I could go through this concert again. It always rains. There's always a lot of walking - I mean A LOT of walking - and in the crowds, it's not all that much fun. I've never had a bad time in Memphis. It's just that I'm getting older and spending nearly $700 on myself (figuring $100/day x 5, plus hotel) is just not in the cards for me. More info about it here
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Conchita Campos
This is a review of an excellent jazz/pop female vocalist: http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=6492
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)