We are leaving for Elkader after work tomorrow. Not sure when I'll sit in front of this PC.
I got sucked into reading what I wrote about five large projects at work. I thought enough time had passed that I could give an update on them, since they were important enough to write about back then.
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.
As of 7/29/2010, this has been released to our clients. There are minor issues that creep in occasionally, but overall, this was a successful project.
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.
As of 7/29/2010, this project was delayed a software release. It is scheduled to go out soon. I finished the work I had put off and, actually, wrote that content in a morning. It went a lot better than I thought it was going to go.
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 turned out to be a fairly simple change. I got on the phone with the software vendor and worked it out.
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.
This was something that I was able to work through as well. Same software vendor customer support person helped me.
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.
As of 7/29/2010, if I remember exactly what I was thinking about when I wrote the above, the scope of the project narrowed and it is not nearly as big of a nightmare as I originally feared it would be.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Pictures of my CDs
Just because I haven't written a lot lately does not mean I am sitting around, bored out of my mind. In fact, July has flown by. We spend weekends camping and when home, it seems like this has been the summer of the mower. We have had a lot of things going on when we are home.
I downloaded some pics from our camera and wow! I'd forgotten I'd taken these. My collection, from left to right, along a wall in the den.
I downloaded some pics from our camera and wow! I'd forgotten I'd taken these. My collection, from left to right, along a wall in the den.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
A Trip to the IPOM & Invisible Skin
IPOM (Insanity Palace of Metallica) has gone a recent facelift. It has a fresher UI and is a joy to walk around. I was quite quickly to find Metallica shows that were played in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Know what? I don't remember this show except that it was a Sunday and as I looked at all the kids in the arena, I thought they should be doing homework. I don't remember any of the songs. No, I wasn't drunk.
Date: 11/10/91
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA - USA @ Five Seasons Center
•Enter Sandman
•Creeping Death
•Harvester Of Sorrow
•Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
•Sad But True
•Wherever I May Roam
•Bass Solo
•Through The Never
•The Unforgiven
•Justice Medley
•Drum Solo
•Guitar Solo
•The Four Horsemen
•For Whom The Bell Tolls
•Fade To Black
•Whiplash
•Master Of Puppets
•Seek And Destroy
•One
•Last Caress
•Am I Evil?
•Battery
I also saw this show:
Date: 01/28/93
Location: Iowa City, IA - USA @ Carver-Hawkeye Arena
•Enter Sandman
•Creeping Death
•Harvester Of Sorrow
•Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
•Sad But True
•Of Wolf And Man
•The Unforgiven
•Justice Medley
•Bass Solo
•Guitar Solo
•Through The Never
•For Whom The Bell Tolls
•Fade To Black
•Master Of Puppets
•Seek And Destroy
•Whiplash
•Nothing Else Matters
•Wherever I May Roam
•Am I Evil?
•Last Caress
•One
•Battery
Know what? I don't remember this show except that it was a Sunday and as I looked at all the kids in the arena, I thought they should be doing homework. I don't remember any of the songs. No, I wasn't drunk.
Date: 11/10/91
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA - USA @ Five Seasons Center
•Enter Sandman
•Creeping Death
•Harvester Of Sorrow
•Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
•Sad But True
•Wherever I May Roam
•Bass Solo
•Through The Never
•The Unforgiven
•Justice Medley
•Drum Solo
•Guitar Solo
•The Four Horsemen
•For Whom The Bell Tolls
•Fade To Black
•Whiplash
•Master Of Puppets
•Seek And Destroy
•One
•Last Caress
•Am I Evil?
•Battery
I also saw this show:
Date: 01/28/93
Location: Iowa City, IA - USA @ Carver-Hawkeye Arena
•Enter Sandman
•Creeping Death
•Harvester Of Sorrow
•Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
•Sad But True
•Of Wolf And Man
•The Unforgiven
•Justice Medley
•Bass Solo
•Guitar Solo
•Through The Never
•For Whom The Bell Tolls
•Fade To Black
•Master Of Puppets
•Seek And Destroy
•Whiplash
•Nothing Else Matters
•Wherever I May Roam
•Am I Evil?
•Last Caress
•One
•Battery
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
NEW Godsmack & Catching Up, a bit
I reviewed Godsmack's latest CD here and it is quite good. I really liked it.
I got home @ 1:30 AM last night. Why so late? I went to Des Moines, IA, to see Fear Factory, 36 Crazy Fists, Baptized in Blood, Divine Heresy, and another band - the name escapes me. They were all very good. Fear Factory has drumming legend Gene Hoglan playing with them. Wow. I was totally mesmerized. This was from their recent Milwaukee, WI, show. Look at the way Hoglan plays the hi-hat. He has one really low and rides with his left hand.
I got home @ 1:30 AM last night. Why so late? I went to Des Moines, IA, to see Fear Factory, 36 Crazy Fists, Baptized in Blood, Divine Heresy, and another band - the name escapes me. They were all very good. Fear Factory has drumming legend Gene Hoglan playing with them. Wow. I was totally mesmerized. This was from their recent Milwaukee, WI, show. Look at the way Hoglan plays the hi-hat. He has one really low and rides with his left hand.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Three Jokes & a Drummer
During a long-distance train trip, someone got on, pulled a gun, and announced that he and his gang were robbing the train. The train robbers proceeded to take everything of value or possible value that they could find. After they left, one man saw that his wife was still wearing her rings.
“How did you keep them from stealing the rings,” he asked. “I would have thought those would be the first things they would take..”
“I thought so too,” replied the wife, “so I took them off and hid them in my mouth.”
“Gee,” said the husband, “I wish your mother had been here. We could have saved the luggage.”
At Saint Mary's Catholic Church in South Philly they have a weekly husband's-only marriage seminar. At the session last week, the Priest asked Tony, who was approaching his 50th wedding anniversary, to take a few minutes and share some insight into how he had managed to stay married to the same woman all the years.
Tony replied to the assembled husbands, "Well, I've tried to treat her nice and spend money on her, but best of all is that I took her to Italy for our 25th anniversary!"
The Priest responded "Tony, you are an amazing inspiration to all the husbands here! Please tell us what you are planning for your wife for your 50th Anniversary."
Tony proudly replied, "I'm gonna go get her."
A husband and wife are working in the yard on a hot day. They get done with their work and go inside to shower. The husband gets undressed first and gets in the shower. As the wife is getting undressed, the doorbell rings. She wraps a towel around herself and goes to the door. When she opens the door, she sees their neighbor Frank. Frank says, "I'll give you $20 if you drop that towel." The wife considers and drops her towel. Frank gives her a $20 bill and walks away. When the wife returns to the husband, he asks, "Who was at the door?" She replies, "It was Frank." The husband says, "Oh, did he give you the $20 he owes me?"
“How did you keep them from stealing the rings,” he asked. “I would have thought those would be the first things they would take..”
“I thought so too,” replied the wife, “so I took them off and hid them in my mouth.”
“Gee,” said the husband, “I wish your mother had been here. We could have saved the luggage.”
At Saint Mary's Catholic Church in South Philly they have a weekly husband's-only marriage seminar. At the session last week, the Priest asked Tony, who was approaching his 50th wedding anniversary, to take a few minutes and share some insight into how he had managed to stay married to the same woman all the years.
Tony replied to the assembled husbands, "Well, I've tried to treat her nice and spend money on her, but best of all is that I took her to Italy for our 25th anniversary!"
The Priest responded "Tony, you are an amazing inspiration to all the husbands here! Please tell us what you are planning for your wife for your 50th Anniversary."
Tony proudly replied, "I'm gonna go get her."
A husband and wife are working in the yard on a hot day. They get done with their work and go inside to shower. The husband gets undressed first and gets in the shower. As the wife is getting undressed, the doorbell rings. She wraps a towel around herself and goes to the door. When she opens the door, she sees their neighbor Frank. Frank says, "I'll give you $20 if you drop that towel." The wife considers and drops her towel. Frank gives her a $20 bill and walks away. When the wife returns to the husband, he asks, "Who was at the door?" She replies, "It was Frank." The husband says, "Oh, did he give you the $20 he owes me?"
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
L7 & the List...
It was the strangest thing. All of a sudden two days ago, I started humming, "When I get mad / and I get pissed / I get out a pen / and write up a list / of all the a$$holes that won't be missed."
The song that had magically popped into my head was L7's "Shitlist." I guarantee you that I have not listed to their release, Bricks are Heavy, for at least 5 years. It's on a cassette in a box in my den and I haven't been compelled to listen to it.
But all of a sudden, it's in my head. So, of course, upon returning to my house and firing up this PC, I was compelled to find it on youtube. Sure enough:
The song that had magically popped into my head was L7's "Shitlist." I guarantee you that I have not listed to their release, Bricks are Heavy, for at least 5 years. It's on a cassette in a box in my den and I haven't been compelled to listen to it.
But all of a sudden, it's in my head. So, of course, upon returning to my house and firing up this PC, I was compelled to find it on youtube. Sure enough:
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