Morning folks,
{slurp}
Wow, did I ever make it into work early this morning. Typically I'm in around 9am due to having to drop the kids off at school for 8:30, but today I'm in before 8. I have a nice hot coffee in my hands, nobody around to bug me and I've already packed up my desk for the move. Things are starting to get better.
{slurp}
Of course my day didn't start like this. Oh no, the day started with a ringing sound as my Black Berry screamed for me to awake and pick it up. Like a screaming baby just wanting attention, my Black Berry was ringing because someone, somewhere, decided they wanted to talk to me. Unfortunately for me, this person was a co-worker and there was a major issue at work that required my attention. This was 4 hours ago.
{slurp}
Of course by the time I logged in one of my team (ex-team?) members was already on the job and failing critical services over to another host. The day was saved, but the damage was done; I was now awake. I looked at my clock and saw that it was now 5:30am and I know my alarm clock is programmed to go off at 6:30am. This knowledge is a major burden when you're trying to get some sleep. Knowing you're just going to be woken up again in an hour (less than an hour since you've sat there thinking about it 10 minutes) it almost doesn't seem worth even putting your head on the pillow. Regardless, I went upstairs, climbed into bed and turned the TV on to see if that would ease my mind somewhat. Well, it didn't. I ended up falling asleep (almost) as the alarm was going off. This is where I decided to trick myself :) I hit the snooze button, turned off the TV and rolled over. In that 9 minute span I had such a great sleep it was amazing. Of course the scream of the alarm clock (no wait, that was Faith Hill on the radio) brought me back and I groaned as my eyes (which are clearly puffy and red) opened. I hit the snooze button at least 2 more times after that and finally dragged my ass out of bed and into the shower. After it was all said and done, I was out of the house by 7:30 and at work before 8. All is well, so far.
{slurp}
Today holds many unknowns for me. Part of me is excited about this new position and I can't wait until I can finally get started, the other part of me is expecting a phone call from my boss asking me if we can hold off the move (again) for a few days/weeks. I think if the later of those two happens, I'll be looking for work outside of this company. I've had it happen one too many times now.
{slurp}
I want to touch on a subject that has been bugging me for the past month or so; I want to talk quickly about virtual property. What is virtual property? Well to simplify, it is nothing and you own it; it is like owning Nothing. To own something virtual means to virtually own something. Confusing isn't it?
{slurp}
Let me give you an example of virtual property and let's see if it makes more sense. I play a video game (actually I play many, but we'll use one for an example) called Lord of the Rings Online. This game has characters in it that you can control (aka Avatars). You move around in a virtual world doing quests, killing enemies and meeting other people... err.. avatars controlled by people. You gain items when you kill enemies as well as obtain wealth in the form of copper, silver and gold pieces. You work through levels and gain more powers, better items and more wealth. Well, some would consider the items and wealth you've obtained in a game like this, virtual property. It is yours, you worked for it, you collected it and you have it stored on your character. You can become proud of it, you can covet it and you can display it for others to see. The only thing you can't do with it is bring it to the real world and make it real; it is a virtual object which is nothing more than a few lines of code and a database entry somewhere. It is virtually nothing.
{slurp}
A lot of people put great stock in these virtual items and virtual property they have gathered. I played World of Warcraft for 3 years and accomplished many things and gathered many items. The net worth of all my characters in WoW is estimated around 20k gold (conservative guess) yet in the real world, the account MAY be worth a few hundred bucks. I can't take that really nice bow and hang it on the wall of my house, I can't take that gold I've collected and buy milk with it; everything is virtual even the game.
{slurp}
So where do we draw the line? People will spend real world cash to buy virtual items. If you look at it from a high level, it seems like you're just giving money away. However, sometimes these virtual items/currency can bring a certain joy or happiness. Does that still mean you've wasted your money? One could argue that spending your money on beer, or candy, or (insert pleasure food/drink here) is a waste of money as well since you only get a quick "pick me up" or "happiness" from it and then it is gone. Same with virtual items I guess :)
{slurp}
Anyway, don't want to delve too deep into that so I'll leave it with you to ponder over today. For now, I need to run and get some work done (been 30 minutes so far).
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
v16.5 - Deep Thought
Howdy folks,
{slurp}
I'm in deep thought this morning. I can't say exactly what I'm thinking about, but all will come out in due time. There are forces in this world that are constantly moving and shaping things around us. There is obviously a higher power than us at work here, but can one really say that power is God?
{slurp}
I'm not about to get into a religious debate, but this is one thing I've been thinking on recently. We, as human beings, need to believe in something, to have faith in something bigger than ourselves. You see it everywhere you look today. Religious people believe in a god whether it is the God I grew up with or some other god. People need something to believe in, especially when life starts to get them down and they feel they have nowhere else to turn. Interesting isn't it?
{slurp}
Of course I don't want to talk about religion or gods or anything like that today. No, something else is occupying my mind today and it is a little closer to home. I'm thinking on life in general and how easily it can be created and how easily it can be destroyed. Life is measured in heart beats and it only takes one to change a person's life forever. In a single heart beat a person can take their very first breath, in another a person is taking their last. What happens in the heart beat? The structure of life is very complex and hard to fathom sometimes. Ever look at an Advanced Biology book? Stuff kids are learning in High School today are things people used to learn in University back when I was in High School. Interesting isn't it?
{slurp}
Well, I don't want to go off the deep end here with random thoughts of nothingness. People will begin to think I'm musing or something :) No really, I need to run and pick up Katie from work and the kids are running around the house yelling and playing instead of getting ready. Time to lay down the law once again :)
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
I'm in deep thought this morning. I can't say exactly what I'm thinking about, but all will come out in due time. There are forces in this world that are constantly moving and shaping things around us. There is obviously a higher power than us at work here, but can one really say that power is God?
{slurp}
I'm not about to get into a religious debate, but this is one thing I've been thinking on recently. We, as human beings, need to believe in something, to have faith in something bigger than ourselves. You see it everywhere you look today. Religious people believe in a god whether it is the God I grew up with or some other god. People need something to believe in, especially when life starts to get them down and they feel they have nowhere else to turn. Interesting isn't it?
{slurp}
Of course I don't want to talk about religion or gods or anything like that today. No, something else is occupying my mind today and it is a little closer to home. I'm thinking on life in general and how easily it can be created and how easily it can be destroyed. Life is measured in heart beats and it only takes one to change a person's life forever. In a single heart beat a person can take their very first breath, in another a person is taking their last. What happens in the heart beat? The structure of life is very complex and hard to fathom sometimes. Ever look at an Advanced Biology book? Stuff kids are learning in High School today are things people used to learn in University back when I was in High School. Interesting isn't it?
{slurp}
Well, I don't want to go off the deep end here with random thoughts of nothingness. People will begin to think I'm musing or something :) No really, I need to run and pick up Katie from work and the kids are running around the house yelling and playing instead of getting ready. Time to lay down the law once again :)
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Saturday, March 29, 2008
v16.4 - Snowy Saturday
Howdy folks,
{slurp}
Well the snow has finally stopped (more scheduled to drop tomorrow though) and I can't believe how much fell. Not that it was a lot of snow, it was just a lot to fall all at once. Of course by the end of the day most of it was gone as the temperature went above freezing. Spring has finally started to come and I'm excited. I even tore down the plastic on our windows today because I'm that confident that spring is here and we won't need those any more :)
{slurp}
Of course there was one big reason why the plastic came down on one window. My daughter decided she was going to put a fist sized hole in one to hide some trinkets of hers on the window sill. Little did she realize that when you break that taut plastic wrap on the window, the whole thing shrivels up and begins to pull away. I can only imagine the look on her face when she saw this start to happen :) Oh well, it was almost time to pull the stuff down anyway so it was good AND bad.
{slurp}
Children are quite interesting. Lately, my daughter has started taking on her own little personality. She really surprises me sometimes with some of the things that come out of her mouth. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that these thoughts and ideas are coming from a five year old. Then there are times when she acts exactly her age and I can't help but be a little disappointed. Sometimes I forget that she is only 5 and when she exhibits signs of maturity, it is only because she is copying an adult she knows. I can't say I've been the best parent, but what parent can make that claim? I take things one day at a time and when it comes time to be firm and lay down the law, I try to stand by what I say and enforce it. Hard, but necessary.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, must be off as it is getting a bit late here and I should think about getting to bed soon.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Well the snow has finally stopped (more scheduled to drop tomorrow though) and I can't believe how much fell. Not that it was a lot of snow, it was just a lot to fall all at once. Of course by the end of the day most of it was gone as the temperature went above freezing. Spring has finally started to come and I'm excited. I even tore down the plastic on our windows today because I'm that confident that spring is here and we won't need those any more :)
{slurp}
Of course there was one big reason why the plastic came down on one window. My daughter decided she was going to put a fist sized hole in one to hide some trinkets of hers on the window sill. Little did she realize that when you break that taut plastic wrap on the window, the whole thing shrivels up and begins to pull away. I can only imagine the look on her face when she saw this start to happen :) Oh well, it was almost time to pull the stuff down anyway so it was good AND bad.
{slurp}
Children are quite interesting. Lately, my daughter has started taking on her own little personality. She really surprises me sometimes with some of the things that come out of her mouth. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that these thoughts and ideas are coming from a five year old. Then there are times when she acts exactly her age and I can't help but be a little disappointed. Sometimes I forget that she is only 5 and when she exhibits signs of maturity, it is only because she is copying an adult she knows. I can't say I've been the best parent, but what parent can make that claim? I take things one day at a time and when it comes time to be firm and lay down the law, I try to stand by what I say and enforce it. Hard, but necessary.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, must be off as it is getting a bit late here and I should think about getting to bed soon.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Friday, March 28, 2008
v16.3 - Merry Christmas
Howdy folks,
{slurp}
Confused? Me too. Apparently Mother Nature decided to pay us another winter visit and dumped a PILE of snow on us. I don't know how much snow yet, but my vehicle is completely covered and it is still coming down as I type this. It all started early this morning so it has been snowing fairly steadily for at least 13 hours now.
{slurp}
I had the day off work today (yay). As luck would have it, the two people who are supposed to be on-call this week missed their calls again (that is the 3rd time this week) and I'm left holding the bag of shit as per usual. Pisses me off, especially when it is my day off and I'm getting a phone call in the wee hours of the morning. Oh well, won't have to worry about it after this weekend.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, wanted to write down a few lines before logging for the evening. Hope you all have a great Friday night and we'll see you here again tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Confused? Me too. Apparently Mother Nature decided to pay us another winter visit and dumped a PILE of snow on us. I don't know how much snow yet, but my vehicle is completely covered and it is still coming down as I type this. It all started early this morning so it has been snowing fairly steadily for at least 13 hours now.
{slurp}
I had the day off work today (yay). As luck would have it, the two people who are supposed to be on-call this week missed their calls again (that is the 3rd time this week) and I'm left holding the bag of shit as per usual. Pisses me off, especially when it is my day off and I'm getting a phone call in the wee hours of the morning. Oh well, won't have to worry about it after this weekend.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, wanted to write down a few lines before logging for the evening. Hope you all have a great Friday night and we'll see you here again tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Thursday, March 27, 2008
v16.2 - Friday for Me!
Morning Folks,
{slurp}
Well it's Friday...... for me :) Suckers
{slurp}
I wanted to post quickly regarding my using yesterday and the issue I was facing at work. I had a discussion with my manager regarding the "issue" and he basically explained to me that the reason there was need for a resume and all that other stuff is around my billing and has nothing to do with me moving to this new team. Basically, I'm being billed at Level Y and they need to be able to bill me at Level Z which means my billing rating needs to change so they can do that. So in order for that to change, they need to prove I've I've been in the industry for more than 8-10 years and I will be performing high level administration tasks. Sounds like this is a fairly common problem when moving between teams and is typically transparent to the consultant. The reason I'm hearing about this particular case is because the company I work for is going through some major changes and is revamping a lot of the processes. Oh well.
{slurp}
Did I mention it is Friday? :) Today is officially my last day of work for the week AND it is my last day on this team as their team lead. I will admit, if it wasn't for a couple things, I would love to stay on as team lead for this team, but there is way too much legacy and history here that is nearly impossible to change. I made a LOT of changes when the reigns were handed to me and I'm happy with the outcome even though I spent countless hours in break-out rooms and in phone meetings with managers getting it done. Overall, the team is stronger than I've ever seen it and we're holding steady with 7 people! Huge feat when you consider I've been here almost 3 years and the highest number of people I've seen on the team was 5 at any given time.
{slurp}
Yes, I feel I'm a good team lead, but I don't feel I want to be a team lead at this time in my life/career. While my track record is proven, I just can't bring myself to do this full-time... yet :)
{slurp}
Well folks, just wanted to say that and clear up some confusion about yesterday. So far, today has been busy (paged early this morning) but I have high hopes that the day is going to be good. The weather is supposed to be sunny and +6 (approx 43 for my American friends) so things are looking up.
{slurp}
Until next time...
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Well it's Friday...... for me :) Suckers
{slurp}
I wanted to post quickly regarding my using yesterday and the issue I was facing at work. I had a discussion with my manager regarding the "issue" and he basically explained to me that the reason there was need for a resume and all that other stuff is around my billing and has nothing to do with me moving to this new team. Basically, I'm being billed at Level Y and they need to be able to bill me at Level Z which means my billing rating needs to change so they can do that. So in order for that to change, they need to prove I've I've been in the industry for more than 8-10 years and I will be performing high level administration tasks. Sounds like this is a fairly common problem when moving between teams and is typically transparent to the consultant. The reason I'm hearing about this particular case is because the company I work for is going through some major changes and is revamping a lot of the processes. Oh well.
{slurp}
Did I mention it is Friday? :) Today is officially my last day of work for the week AND it is my last day on this team as their team lead. I will admit, if it wasn't for a couple things, I would love to stay on as team lead for this team, but there is way too much legacy and history here that is nearly impossible to change. I made a LOT of changes when the reigns were handed to me and I'm happy with the outcome even though I spent countless hours in break-out rooms and in phone meetings with managers getting it done. Overall, the team is stronger than I've ever seen it and we're holding steady with 7 people! Huge feat when you consider I've been here almost 3 years and the highest number of people I've seen on the team was 5 at any given time.
{slurp}
Yes, I feel I'm a good team lead, but I don't feel I want to be a team lead at this time in my life/career. While my track record is proven, I just can't bring myself to do this full-time... yet :)
{slurp}
Well folks, just wanted to say that and clear up some confusion about yesterday. So far, today has been busy (paged early this morning) but I have high hopes that the day is going to be good. The weather is supposed to be sunny and +6 (approx 43 for my American friends) so things are looking up.
{slurp}
Until next time...
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
v16.1 - Big Sigh
Morning folks,
{slurp}
And no, that is not a sign of relief, that is a sigh of pure disgust and weariness. Seriously, how many times do you have to experience the same issues before you finally learn your lesson? Apparently I'm a sucker.
{slurp}
I received a phone call from my boss just before leaving work last night. Apparently there are some issues with me leaving the team I'm on to move to the team I want to be on. I was in so much shock to hear the news (only days before I was to migrate off) that I only caught pieces of the "reason" behind it. From what I did catch though, there was something about my new job being listed as an Advanced Position and my personal file does not allow me to work in an Advanced Position. So now I have to prove to the company I can do the job before they allow me to move.
SON OF A...
{slurp}
Life does like to throw those curve balls at you doesn't it? In other news work related, one of my friends whom I've been trying to get hired on here has finally gotten a job offer to start in April. I submitted his resume so I'll get a recruitment bonus for him, but I'm just glad I was able to help him out. It wasn't that many years ago that I was like him, new to IT wanting to start a career in IT and not knowing how to get in. Well thankfully one placement agency took me under their wing and helped me along the way. You see, I just only needed to prove I could do the job and after 6 months with the company a big company by the name of General Electric (GE) took notice and offered me a full-time position. Life was good and I was IN. I'm just glad I was given the opportunity to give this guy a chance like I was given. Like me, I'm sure he only needs this opportunity to prove he can do the job and he will advance his career.
{slurp}
Well folks, time to start my day and get to the bottom of all this BS. Hope everyone has a spectacular day and we'll see you here again tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
And no, that is not a sign of relief, that is a sigh of pure disgust and weariness. Seriously, how many times do you have to experience the same issues before you finally learn your lesson? Apparently I'm a sucker.
{slurp}
I received a phone call from my boss just before leaving work last night. Apparently there are some issues with me leaving the team I'm on to move to the team I want to be on. I was in so much shock to hear the news (only days before I was to migrate off) that I only caught pieces of the "reason" behind it. From what I did catch though, there was something about my new job being listed as an Advanced Position and my personal file does not allow me to work in an Advanced Position. So now I have to prove to the company I can do the job before they allow me to move.
SON OF A...
{slurp}
Life does like to throw those curve balls at you doesn't it? In other news work related, one of my friends whom I've been trying to get hired on here has finally gotten a job offer to start in April. I submitted his resume so I'll get a recruitment bonus for him, but I'm just glad I was able to help him out. It wasn't that many years ago that I was like him, new to IT wanting to start a career in IT and not knowing how to get in. Well thankfully one placement agency took me under their wing and helped me along the way. You see, I just only needed to prove I could do the job and after 6 months with the company a big company by the name of General Electric (GE) took notice and offered me a full-time position. Life was good and I was IN. I'm just glad I was given the opportunity to give this guy a chance like I was given. Like me, I'm sure he only needs this opportunity to prove he can do the job and he will advance his career.
{slurp}
Well folks, time to start my day and get to the bottom of all this BS. Hope everyone has a spectacular day and we'll see you here again tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
v16.0 - Looking for New CMS
Howdy folks,
{slurp}
Guess what? My musings over the last couple days didn't make it to the front page. Why? Well, I'm trying to figure that out, but I think it is time for me to find a new CMS (Content Management System) to publish my musings with. Sometimes when I write, I click save to save the work so I don't lose it all. This will sometimes put the musing into an unpublished state and when I'm finished, I'll click save to save my work. This means I can see the musing fine, but others cannot because it isn't "published" yet. Then I come to work and realize my last two musings are missing and I start digging into why. Well, I figured it out and I've published them as they should have been. Folks, if you see a missing musing one day, please don't hesitate to drop me an email and let me know you don't see a musing. I would hate to think my musing was up for your enjoyment, and then realize a few days later there was no new posts.
{slurp}
I'm back at work today and just as I predicted, there isn't enough hours in a day to complete it all. Therefore, I have no choice but to not give a damn :)
{slurp}
Seriously, when you are given a mound of work and tasks to do you typically will plug away and work through it. If that mound grows daily and the amount of work you do daily doesn't decrease the amount of work load then you get a bit stressed or disgruntled. Well, my work load grows constantly and despite my efforts to get everything completed, there is always loose ends and more work getting piled on more work. It leaves me sitting here wondering if I'm ever going to complete anything and eventually I throw my hands up in the air and say "screw it". Of course I end up going on a rant and then, magically, my work load starts to disappear. Not disappear in the traditional sense, but the work being handed down is stopped and I am finally able to catch up on the tasks I have. The conversation by the water cooler today was around whether you would rather do manual labor or IT labor. While the IT industry is fairly well paying and requires very little physical effort, I really do miss the days of manual labor. Part of it was from working outside, the other part is how I felt physically. I was tired, but it was a good tired. When I went to bed at night, I fell asleep and didn't wake until morning. My work today is mentally tiring and when I go to bed at night my brain is still moving and I can't sleep. I wake several times throughout the night and end up feeling like crap the next morning.
{slurp}
What to do?
{slurp}
Anyway folks, going to head off and get some more of that work load done :) Hopefully by this time next week I'll be moved to my new position and I can finally start enjoying work again.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Guess what? My musings over the last couple days didn't make it to the front page. Why? Well, I'm trying to figure that out, but I think it is time for me to find a new CMS (Content Management System) to publish my musings with. Sometimes when I write, I click save to save the work so I don't lose it all. This will sometimes put the musing into an unpublished state and when I'm finished, I'll click save to save my work. This means I can see the musing fine, but others cannot because it isn't "published" yet. Then I come to work and realize my last two musings are missing and I start digging into why. Well, I figured it out and I've published them as they should have been. Folks, if you see a missing musing one day, please don't hesitate to drop me an email and let me know you don't see a musing. I would hate to think my musing was up for your enjoyment, and then realize a few days later there was no new posts.
{slurp}
I'm back at work today and just as I predicted, there isn't enough hours in a day to complete it all. Therefore, I have no choice but to not give a damn :)
{slurp}
Seriously, when you are given a mound of work and tasks to do you typically will plug away and work through it. If that mound grows daily and the amount of work you do daily doesn't decrease the amount of work load then you get a bit stressed or disgruntled. Well, my work load grows constantly and despite my efforts to get everything completed, there is always loose ends and more work getting piled on more work. It leaves me sitting here wondering if I'm ever going to complete anything and eventually I throw my hands up in the air and say "screw it". Of course I end up going on a rant and then, magically, my work load starts to disappear. Not disappear in the traditional sense, but the work being handed down is stopped and I am finally able to catch up on the tasks I have. The conversation by the water cooler today was around whether you would rather do manual labor or IT labor. While the IT industry is fairly well paying and requires very little physical effort, I really do miss the days of manual labor. Part of it was from working outside, the other part is how I felt physically. I was tired, but it was a good tired. When I went to bed at night, I fell asleep and didn't wake until morning. My work today is mentally tiring and when I go to bed at night my brain is still moving and I can't sleep. I wake several times throughout the night and end up feeling like crap the next morning.
{slurp}
What to do?
{slurp}
Anyway folks, going to head off and get some more of that work load done :) Hopefully by this time next week I'll be moved to my new position and I can finally start enjoying work again.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Monday, March 24, 2008
v15.9 - Last Day Off
Morning folks,
{slurp}
Well it has been a nice long weekend, but this is the last day I have off and tomorrow it is back to the grind.
{slurp}
This weekend has been a huge drain on me. I believe I mentioned that one of my guys decided he was going to take some time off without any notice just before a major power down weekend. Well, needless to say, he really screwed over the team and I ended up holding the ball when all was said and done. I've worked most of my weekend and really don't care whether this guy comes back or not. As far as I'm concerned, he is unreliable and can go find another job somewhere else; I no longer trust he'll be around when needed.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, I plan on getting some cleaning done today and relaxing. Even though I know I'll be working despite being off, I should try and actually enjoy my day off before going back to hell.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Well it has been a nice long weekend, but this is the last day I have off and tomorrow it is back to the grind.
{slurp}
This weekend has been a huge drain on me. I believe I mentioned that one of my guys decided he was going to take some time off without any notice just before a major power down weekend. Well, needless to say, he really screwed over the team and I ended up holding the ball when all was said and done. I've worked most of my weekend and really don't care whether this guy comes back or not. As far as I'm concerned, he is unreliable and can go find another job somewhere else; I no longer trust he'll be around when needed.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, I plan on getting some cleaning done today and relaxing. Even though I know I'll be working despite being off, I should try and actually enjoy my day off before going back to hell.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Sunday, March 23, 2008
v15.8 - Easter Time
Howdy Folks,
{slurp}
Well the day is finally here, Easter Sunday.
{slurp}
The day started off with a bang. I was up until 1 or 2am playing games (I know I know) and was abruptly awoken by a wide eyed child who was on the verge of taking off like a rocket as she bounced around my room begging me to get up because the "EASTER BUNNY WAS HERE THE EASTER BUNNY WAS HERE!".
{slurp}
I got up, despite my body screaming at me to sleep more (I was up until 4am the night before gaming.. I know, I know), and I made my way downstairs to view the Easter Bunny's handy work. The day went on thought it felt like I was standing still most of it. I did, however, learn two valuable lessons today.
1) Never, NEVER, give a five year old chocolate for breakfast
2) When your body screams at you to stay in bed, listen to it. The damage caused by sleeping in an extra hour or so may be worth it compared to the damage you may cause by being over tired and not awake.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, time for me to call it a day, take care and we'll see you tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Well the day is finally here, Easter Sunday.
{slurp}
The day started off with a bang. I was up until 1 or 2am playing games (I know I know) and was abruptly awoken by a wide eyed child who was on the verge of taking off like a rocket as she bounced around my room begging me to get up because the "EASTER BUNNY WAS HERE THE EASTER BUNNY WAS HERE!".
{slurp}
I got up, despite my body screaming at me to sleep more (I was up until 4am the night before gaming.. I know, I know), and I made my way downstairs to view the Easter Bunny's handy work. The day went on thought it felt like I was standing still most of it. I did, however, learn two valuable lessons today.
1) Never, NEVER, give a five year old chocolate for breakfast
2) When your body screams at you to stay in bed, listen to it. The damage caused by sleeping in an extra hour or so may be worth it compared to the damage you may cause by being over tired and not awake.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, time for me to call it a day, take care and we'll see you tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Saturday, March 22, 2008
v15.7 - The Day Before
Howdy folks,
{slurp}
It is Saturday, the day before Easter. You know, this is a fairly funny day as yesterday was considered a holiday here and tomorrow is considered a holiday. You get this one day in the middle to do all your last minute Easter shopping and getting other things and then you're back into another Holiday. I don't know why I mention this, it was just something on my mind as I started writing.
{slurp}
As mentioned, today is Saturday and despite it being a holiday weekend, all the things we normally need to do today need to be done. We have dance class to attend, after which a Birthday party to attend and then we'll most likely be doing some grocery shopping. Our day is packed fully of goodness and I'm looking forward to spending the day with the whole family.
{slurp}
Today, as luck would have it, is also my Father's birthday. My sister's family is supposed to be up there visiting him this weekend. Part of me wishes I was spending time with family, but the other part of me is glad I don't have to worry about any travel plans and can just relax at home this weekend.
{slurp}
Also this weekend, the company I work for is having their Annual Easter Power Down. For those who don't know what that is, basically they pick several buildings globally and power them off for the weekend. This is to test BCP (Business Continuity Plan) and to be a pain in my ass. The amount of work that goes into a single building being powered down is silly. A lot of it is politics and you can't get anything done that is needed without proper approvals and sign-offs. I mean, come on! They are powering the building OFF, if you don't let me do this, then you will lose ApplicationX for the whole weekend. You can approve this and let me do my job, or you can be without the application. Personally, it is a LOT less work to let them power the thing off and lose access to applications for the weekend, but that isn't the way it is supposed to work. As I mentioned, they also use this to test BCP. Well the funny thing about that is they do a whole pile of work to ensure stuff is going to be available. A true BCP test would be to just power the building down and see what lives and what dies (application wise). Then you have simulated a proper loss of building which is the way these things SHOULD go. But I'm just a consultant and lowly IT person, so what would I know?
{slurp}
Anyway folks, I must be off so we can being our busy day. Take care..
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
It is Saturday, the day before Easter. You know, this is a fairly funny day as yesterday was considered a holiday here and tomorrow is considered a holiday. You get this one day in the middle to do all your last minute Easter shopping and getting other things and then you're back into another Holiday. I don't know why I mention this, it was just something on my mind as I started writing.
{slurp}
As mentioned, today is Saturday and despite it being a holiday weekend, all the things we normally need to do today need to be done. We have dance class to attend, after which a Birthday party to attend and then we'll most likely be doing some grocery shopping. Our day is packed fully of goodness and I'm looking forward to spending the day with the whole family.
{slurp}
Today, as luck would have it, is also my Father's birthday. My sister's family is supposed to be up there visiting him this weekend. Part of me wishes I was spending time with family, but the other part of me is glad I don't have to worry about any travel plans and can just relax at home this weekend.
{slurp}
Also this weekend, the company I work for is having their Annual Easter Power Down. For those who don't know what that is, basically they pick several buildings globally and power them off for the weekend. This is to test BCP (Business Continuity Plan) and to be a pain in my ass. The amount of work that goes into a single building being powered down is silly. A lot of it is politics and you can't get anything done that is needed without proper approvals and sign-offs. I mean, come on! They are powering the building OFF, if you don't let me do this, then you will lose ApplicationX for the whole weekend. You can approve this and let me do my job, or you can be without the application. Personally, it is a LOT less work to let them power the thing off and lose access to applications for the weekend, but that isn't the way it is supposed to work. As I mentioned, they also use this to test BCP. Well the funny thing about that is they do a whole pile of work to ensure stuff is going to be available. A true BCP test would be to just power the building down and see what lives and what dies (application wise). Then you have simulated a proper loss of building which is the way these things SHOULD go. But I'm just a consultant and lowly IT person, so what would I know?
{slurp}
Anyway folks, I must be off so we can being our busy day. Take care..
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Friday, March 21, 2008
v15.6 - Happy Spring!
Good morning folks,
{slurp}
Well it is officially the first day of Spring! Isn't that great?
{slurp}
As luck would have it, today is also Good Friday which is considered a stat holiday here in Canada. I have the day off today, but I suspect I'll be working quite a bit of it as our client is in the USA which does not seem to view Good Friday as a holiday. Interesting that.
{slurp}
Anyway, I just wanted to stop by quick this morning and wish everyone a happy first day of Spring. In a couple days I'll be here wishing everyone a Happy Easter which is just grand as well.
Until then...
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Well it is officially the first day of Spring! Isn't that great?
{slurp}
As luck would have it, today is also Good Friday which is considered a stat holiday here in Canada. I have the day off today, but I suspect I'll be working quite a bit of it as our client is in the USA which does not seem to view Good Friday as a holiday. Interesting that.
{slurp}
Anyway, I just wanted to stop by quick this morning and wish everyone a happy first day of Spring. In a couple days I'll be here wishing everyone a Happy Easter which is just grand as well.
Until then...
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Thursday, March 20, 2008
v15.5 - Oops
Howdy Folks,
{slurp}
I missed yesterday's musing and I deeply apologize. Work was very hectic and I wasn't able to get anything written down throughout the day. I thought about the musing on my way home and made a mental note to write something quickly when I got home, but forgot. Then later in the evening while I was playing some Lord of the Rings Online with a friend, I thought about writing again and then completely forgot.
{slurp}
This has been a very brutal week for me. I found out this week that the new position I'm being moved to is being pushed out 2 more weeks due to hiring delays for the backfill position. I was looking forward to moving my desk next week (which was the initial plan) but now it looks like I won't get a chance to move until the 31st at the earliest. Oh well, can't say I'm very surprised after working here for the last 2.5 years.
{slurp}
The kids are home from school today. We had a freezing rain warning issued for our area last night and today but so far it has been more rain than freezing. There was a thin layer of ice on my vehicle when I went to go to work, but most of it just fell off due to the mild temperatures. Tomorrow is the first day of spring and they are calling for snow.
{slurp}
So I started my day off today working from home. As mentioned, the kids were home from school today and Katie works early in the morning until the afternoon so that means I'm stuck home watching them until she gets home. Well as luck would have it, the whole place started to fall apart (at work that is) and I had to call Katie up at work and ask her to leave early because I had to head into the office. Well here I sit, mounds of shit all around me that I need to fix and I'm hating it.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, stuff is happening and I'm losing my concentration on my musing. Until next time..
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
I missed yesterday's musing and I deeply apologize. Work was very hectic and I wasn't able to get anything written down throughout the day. I thought about the musing on my way home and made a mental note to write something quickly when I got home, but forgot. Then later in the evening while I was playing some Lord of the Rings Online with a friend, I thought about writing again and then completely forgot.
{slurp}
This has been a very brutal week for me. I found out this week that the new position I'm being moved to is being pushed out 2 more weeks due to hiring delays for the backfill position. I was looking forward to moving my desk next week (which was the initial plan) but now it looks like I won't get a chance to move until the 31st at the earliest. Oh well, can't say I'm very surprised after working here for the last 2.5 years.
{slurp}
The kids are home from school today. We had a freezing rain warning issued for our area last night and today but so far it has been more rain than freezing. There was a thin layer of ice on my vehicle when I went to go to work, but most of it just fell off due to the mild temperatures. Tomorrow is the first day of spring and they are calling for snow.
{slurp}
So I started my day off today working from home. As mentioned, the kids were home from school today and Katie works early in the morning until the afternoon so that means I'm stuck home watching them until she gets home. Well as luck would have it, the whole place started to fall apart (at work that is) and I had to call Katie up at work and ask her to leave early because I had to head into the office. Well here I sit, mounds of shit all around me that I need to fix and I'm hating it.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, stuff is happening and I'm losing my concentration on my musing. Until next time..
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
v15.4 - Give Me Some Sugar
Morning folks,
{slurp}
My musing title today reminds me of a joke my father used to tell that goes something like this:
{slurp}
I plan on talking about sugar for a bit today (hence the title) and the way it affects us. Sugar dates back to as far as I can google. From what I can tell, it has been around for a very very long time. It is one of the primary causes of Type-2 Diabetes, Obesity, Tooth-decay and the process of growing sugar is harmful to the environment. If all these things were not enough, it was also one of the leading reasons for African slavery.
{slurp}
That's right folks, not only does sugar make things sweet, it can also leave a bitter taste in your mouth when you think of where it comes from. But that can go for pretty much anything these days. Everything we've discovered or marketed has skeletons in the closet and derives from some form of slavery or causes some disease. I received an email yesterday which talks about MSG and it's effects on the body and such. MSG was a great idea back in the day to add flavor to foods, but it has been linked with so many different health issues like Chest Pains, Headaches, Nausea, Rapid Heartbeat, Difficulty Breathing, Weakness and various other physical issues.
{slurp}
Of course we eat both sugar and MSG daily sometimes without even knowing it (or thinking about it). Next time you sit down for a meal or a snack, take a quick look at the packaging and read the ingredients and nutrition information, I guarantee you'll be surprised.
{slurp}
Well folks, that ends my little lesson today. Tune in next week where I talk about the negative effects of work on your health :)
Until then...
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
My musing title today reminds me of a joke my father used to tell that goes something like this:
Pass the Honey, HoneyAhh the memories ;)
Pass the Sugar, Sugar
Pass the Tea, Bag
{slurp}
I plan on talking about sugar for a bit today (hence the title) and the way it affects us. Sugar dates back to as far as I can google. From what I can tell, it has been around for a very very long time. It is one of the primary causes of Type-2 Diabetes, Obesity, Tooth-decay and the process of growing sugar is harmful to the environment. If all these things were not enough, it was also one of the leading reasons for African slavery.
{slurp}
That's right folks, not only does sugar make things sweet, it can also leave a bitter taste in your mouth when you think of where it comes from. But that can go for pretty much anything these days. Everything we've discovered or marketed has skeletons in the closet and derives from some form of slavery or causes some disease. I received an email yesterday which talks about MSG and it's effects on the body and such. MSG was a great idea back in the day to add flavor to foods, but it has been linked with so many different health issues like Chest Pains, Headaches, Nausea, Rapid Heartbeat, Difficulty Breathing, Weakness and various other physical issues.
{slurp}
Of course we eat both sugar and MSG daily sometimes without even knowing it (or thinking about it). Next time you sit down for a meal or a snack, take a quick look at the packaging and read the ingredients and nutrition information, I guarantee you'll be surprised.
{slurp}
Well folks, that ends my little lesson today. Tune in next week where I talk about the negative effects of work on your health :)
Until then...
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Monday, March 17, 2008
v15.3 - Back to Work
Morning folks,
{slurp}
Bleh. I'm back at work. The new position I was looking forward to starting has now been pushed off by a week due to the new hire not starting today (like we thought he would). Typical.
{slurp}
I have been back to work a total of 3 hours so far and I wish I had the rest of the week off. I am really starting to dislike this position and am really looking forward to a change of pace with this new team.
{slurp}
Well, as luck would have it, I came into work and had over 14,000 emails to go through (yup, that is 14 with 3 zeros). This should take me most of the day to clean up and get caught up again. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time to write this morning.
{slurp}
Today is St. Patrick's Day! Traditionally people dress up in green, drink copious amounts of beer and just have a grand ol' time celebrating.... something. What is St. Patrick's Day all about anyway? Well I did a bit of digging and came up with some information for you. As you're most likely aware, St Patrick's Day is a day of feasting/drinking and celebrating St. Patrick (no, not the guy that took out life insurance, good for you son). St. Patrick was a Patron Saint of Ireland (circa 385-461 AD) and lived a pretty interesting life (you should check it out HERE). It is believed he died on the 17th of March which is why traditionally celebrate on this day. Where does the green come from? Well it is also believed that St. Patrick used a Shamrock to teach the Irish people about the trinity (Christian teaching) as he was famous for. Of course all of the information is spotty at best around his life and why we still celebrate his legacy, but I thought it would be good to share with you regardless. :)
{slurp}
Well folks, I must be off. The house still looks fantastic (did some quick cleaning this morning) and we still don't have company coming to visit :) Oh well. I need to run now and get some work caught up; so until next time.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Bleh. I'm back at work. The new position I was looking forward to starting has now been pushed off by a week due to the new hire not starting today (like we thought he would). Typical.
{slurp}
I have been back to work a total of 3 hours so far and I wish I had the rest of the week off. I am really starting to dislike this position and am really looking forward to a change of pace with this new team.
{slurp}
Well, as luck would have it, I came into work and had over 14,000 emails to go through (yup, that is 14 with 3 zeros). This should take me most of the day to clean up and get caught up again. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time to write this morning.
{slurp}
Today is St. Patrick's Day! Traditionally people dress up in green, drink copious amounts of beer and just have a grand ol' time celebrating.... something. What is St. Patrick's Day all about anyway? Well I did a bit of digging and came up with some information for you. As you're most likely aware, St Patrick's Day is a day of feasting/drinking and celebrating St. Patrick (no, not the guy that took out life insurance, good for you son). St. Patrick was a Patron Saint of Ireland (circa 385-461 AD) and lived a pretty interesting life (you should check it out HERE). It is believed he died on the 17th of March which is why traditionally celebrate on this day. Where does the green come from? Well it is also believed that St. Patrick used a Shamrock to teach the Irish people about the trinity (Christian teaching) as he was famous for. Of course all of the information is spotty at best around his life and why we still celebrate his legacy, but I thought it would be good to share with you regardless. :)
{slurp}
Well folks, I must be off. The house still looks fantastic (did some quick cleaning this morning) and we still don't have company coming to visit :) Oh well. I need to run now and get some work caught up; so until next time.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Sunday, March 16, 2008
v15.2 - Slow Sunday
Howdy Folks,
Just realized I forgot to publish this document so I'm doing so now.
{slurp}
Well today is my last day of vacation. I'm not excited to be going back to work tomorrow, but who ever is? :)
{slurp}
This Sunday has just be dragging on. I awoke this morning, came downstairs and saw a huge mess. I began cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and before I knew what was going on I had furniture moved and was sweeping, vacuuming and washing walls and floors. I don't know what came over me but the house looks fantastic now. Now if only we had company coming over to visit :)
{slurp}
Well folks, I'm exhausted and just want to sit back and relax with some gaming. Until next time.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Just realized I forgot to publish this document so I'm doing so now.
{slurp}
Well today is my last day of vacation. I'm not excited to be going back to work tomorrow, but who ever is? :)
{slurp}
This Sunday has just be dragging on. I awoke this morning, came downstairs and saw a huge mess. I began cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and before I knew what was going on I had furniture moved and was sweeping, vacuuming and washing walls and floors. I don't know what came over me but the house looks fantastic now. Now if only we had company coming over to visit :)
{slurp}
Well folks, I'm exhausted and just want to sit back and relax with some gaming. Until next time.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Saturday, March 15, 2008
v15.1 - Early Bird
Morning Folks,
{slurp}
It is early Saturday morning. I didn't get to bed until around 3am this morning and awoke around 8am feeling completely rested; it was strange.
{slurp}
So here I sit early in the morning, Katie is at work, the kids are still in bed and I thought it would be a perfect time to get a musing out.
{slurp}
A year or so ago I stumbled upon this poem on the web which I found quite interesting. It was titled "I want to be Six again" and it went through all the things we as adults sometimes face and how to a six year old they are meaningless. I'm not one for copy/pasting stuff into my Musings, but I felt this was worth sharing.
I felt it sent a good message to those of us with children. I know for me it has helped me to overlook a few things (within reason) and allow my children to enjoy their childhoods just a bit more as they will never get those back.
{slurp}
Folks, right now I have a decision to make regarding my gaming. As most of you know I'm a huge gamer. Before I changed the site slogan to Irrational Enthusiasm, it used to read "Ramblings from a UNIX Administrator and Gamer". The issue is this, I play too many Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) right now and while I like playing all of them, I need to pick and choose which one (or two :) ) I want to continue with. I know the names won't mean anything, but here are the ones I'm currently playing and (so far) enjoy. Eve Online, World of Warcraft, City of Villains and Lord of the Rings Online. Right now, the only game in that list that "feel" I should keep is World of Warcraft since I've invested 3 years in it so far, have multiple level 70s and most of my online friends play. Also, my father and step-brother both play so it is good to have that medium in which to contact them on a daily basis.
{slurp}
So really my choice is between Lord of the Rings, Eve Online and City of Villains. All of these games are great but I just can't afford to pay 4 montly subscription fees. I need to decide soon which ones I'm going to drop and which one I'm going to keep. I really enjoy Eve Online as it is space exploration and domination :) Something I really enjoy, but Katie has recently aquired a lifetime membership to Lord of the Rings online (never have to pay an online fee again) from a mutual friend and I was thinking of doing the same so her and I will always have that game available to us until the day it dies.
{slurp}
I urge you all to check out the websites for each of these games (I hope the autolink works :) ) and let me know what you think.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, I need to run and get some house work done. Take care and we'll see you here again tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
It is early Saturday morning. I didn't get to bed until around 3am this morning and awoke around 8am feeling completely rested; it was strange.
{slurp}
So here I sit early in the morning, Katie is at work, the kids are still in bed and I thought it would be a perfect time to get a musing out.
{slurp}
A year or so ago I stumbled upon this poem on the web which I found quite interesting. It was titled "I want to be Six again" and it went through all the things we as adults sometimes face and how to a six year old they are meaningless. I'm not one for copy/pasting stuff into my Musings, but I felt this was worth sharing.
I Want To Be Six Again
To Whom it May Concern:
I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult, in order to accept the responsibilities of a 6 year old. The tax base is lower. I want to be six again.
I want to go to McDonald's and think it's the best place in the world to eat.
I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make waves with rocks.
I want to think M&Ms are better than money, because you can eat them.
I want to play kickball during recess and stay up on Christmas Eve waiting to hear Santa and Rudolph on the roof.
I long for the days when life was simple. When all you knew were your colors, the addition tables and simple nursery rhymes, but it didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care.
I want to go to school and have snack time, recess, gym and field trips.
I want to be happy, because I don't know what should make me upset.
I want to think the world is fair and everyone in it is honest and good. I want to believe that anything is possible.
Sometime, while I was maturing, I learned too much. I learned of nuclear weapons, prejudice, starving and abused kids, lies, unhappy marriages, illness, pain and mortality.
I want to be six again.
I want to think that everyone, including myself, will live forever, because I don't know the concept of death.
I want to be oblivious to the complexity of life and be overly excited by the little things again.
I want television to be something I watch for fun, not something used for escape from the things I should be doing.
I want to live knowing the little things that I find exciting will always make me as happy as when I first learned them.
I want to be six again.
I remember not seeing the world as a whole, but rather being aware of only the things that directly concerned me.
I want to be naive enough to think that if I'm happy, so is everyone else.
I want to walk down the beach and think only of the sand beneath my feet and the possibility of finding that blue piece of sea glass I'm looking for.
I want to spend my afternoons climbing trees and riding my bike, letting the grownups worry about time, the dentist and how to find the money to fix the old car.
I want to wonder what I'll do when I grow up and what I'll be, who I'll be and not worry about what I'll do if this doesn't work out.
I want that time back.
I want to use it now as an escape, so that when my computer crashes, or I have a mountain of paperwork, or two depressed friends, or a fight with my spouse, or bittersweet memories of times gone by, or second thoughts about so many things, I can travel back and build a snowman, without thinking about anything except whether the snow sticks together and what I can possibly use for the snowman's mouth.
I want to be six again.Author Unknown
I felt it sent a good message to those of us with children. I know for me it has helped me to overlook a few things (within reason) and allow my children to enjoy their childhoods just a bit more as they will never get those back.
{slurp}
Folks, right now I have a decision to make regarding my gaming. As most of you know I'm a huge gamer. Before I changed the site slogan to Irrational Enthusiasm, it used to read "Ramblings from a UNIX Administrator and Gamer". The issue is this, I play too many Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) right now and while I like playing all of them, I need to pick and choose which one (or two :) ) I want to continue with. I know the names won't mean anything, but here are the ones I'm currently playing and (so far) enjoy. Eve Online, World of Warcraft, City of Villains and Lord of the Rings Online. Right now, the only game in that list that "feel" I should keep is World of Warcraft since I've invested 3 years in it so far, have multiple level 70s and most of my online friends play. Also, my father and step-brother both play so it is good to have that medium in which to contact them on a daily basis.
{slurp}
So really my choice is between Lord of the Rings, Eve Online and City of Villains. All of these games are great but I just can't afford to pay 4 montly subscription fees. I need to decide soon which ones I'm going to drop and which one I'm going to keep. I really enjoy Eve Online as it is space exploration and domination :) Something I really enjoy, but Katie has recently aquired a lifetime membership to Lord of the Rings online (never have to pay an online fee again) from a mutual friend and I was thinking of doing the same so her and I will always have that game available to us until the day it dies.
{slurp}
I urge you all to check out the websites for each of these games (I hope the autolink works :) ) and let me know what you think.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, I need to run and get some house work done. Take care and we'll see you here again tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Friday, March 14, 2008
v15.0 - Vacation Done
Howdy folks,
{slurp}
Even though I still have a weekend ahead of me, I consider today the last day of my vacation. Hard to believe 7 days have gone by already. I can honestly say it has been such a HUGE release to be not even think about work the last week. I checked my BlackBerry for the first time today, and only to quickly glance over emails (I have over 100 in my Inbox alone which doesn't count the thousands of others that get filtered to different folders) because I had to login today and approve timesheets for the week. I won't miss that.
{slurp}
I won't take a whole lot of time today to write as this musing is already pretty late in the day and I'm starting to get a bit tired. Katie goes back to work tomorrow which sucks and things are back to the old regular Saturday grind.
{slurp}
Until next time my friends, keep your sticks on the ice.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Even though I still have a weekend ahead of me, I consider today the last day of my vacation. Hard to believe 7 days have gone by already. I can honestly say it has been such a HUGE release to be not even think about work the last week. I checked my BlackBerry for the first time today, and only to quickly glance over emails (I have over 100 in my Inbox alone which doesn't count the thousands of others that get filtered to different folders) because I had to login today and approve timesheets for the week. I won't miss that.
{slurp}
I won't take a whole lot of time today to write as this musing is already pretty late in the day and I'm starting to get a bit tired. Katie goes back to work tomorrow which sucks and things are back to the old regular Saturday grind.
{slurp}
Until next time my friends, keep your sticks on the ice.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Thursday, March 13, 2008
v14.9 - Telling the Future
Good morning folks,
{slurp}
Well well, was I sure surpised this morning when I awoke and found the ground covered with several inches of new snow. Sometime throughout the night we got a nice dump of snow which covered our nice brown grass. Shame really, I was hoping spring had sprung and we would be finally rid of this white stuff. Oh well, I guess I can endure a bit more of it :)
{slurp}
Like any good husband, I awoke this morning, got all the garbage together (it is garbage day today here) and carted it all out to the curb for the garbage "people" to come and pick up. I then decided it was time for a coffee so I got into my vehicle and drove down to my local Tim's (I have 4 to choose from) and ordered myself an Extra Large with one cream. It tastes fantastic!
{slurp}
Ahhh
{slurp}
After I got home from getting coffee I decided to shovel the snow out of our parking spot. It didn't take long, but did it ever take the wind out of me. You don't realize how out of shape you are until you start shoveling snow. Of course, I'm not out of shape :) so I did it with ease. NOT!
{slurp}
I titled my musing today "Telling the Future" as I think it is a topic which is quite interesting. Each of us has this "gut feeling" we always feel when we know something is right or wrong or when something bad is going to happen. We can always tell when things aren't right just like Spiderman's spidey senses. It is this feeling that sometimes can save a life or save someone from harm. Could this feeling be simply a person being tied into the thread of the world? Or is there some kind of mystical force out there tugging and pulling us and letting us know when something bad is going to happen? Nobody knows for certain, but there is no doubt in my mind there IS something and some of us are more "tuned" to this than others.
{slurp}
Katie always comments on how I am such a great judge of character when I meet people. For some reason, I have this "gift" where I can meet someone and can tell right away what kind of person they are and whether they are "nice" or not. Personally I would call it a curse more than a gift sometimes, especially when I can call someone I only met as they served me coffee and be right even though Katie has been working with the person for over a month and doesn't agree. Of course, in the end she always sees what I saw, but it typically takes her a few months to see it where I can "read" it as soon as I meet someone. Strange isn't it?
{slurp}
I know this has nothing to do with telling the future, but I thought I'd bring it up anyway :)
{slurp}
I bought myself a PSP yesterday. Specifically, I bought myself the special edition Star Wars PSP. This is one cool little toy and I'm happy I picked it up. I had been looking at them for several months now and had numerious opportunities to pick one up. I didn't feel right picking one up, until yesterday. I like the device and can't wait to start using it more. In order to get the "full" benifit out of the device I still need to pick up a memory card for it (didn't say it was required) and I also want to pick up a headset for it. This little device has built in Skype functionality which will allow me to use the device as a phone. As long as I have internet access somewhere, I can dial out using Skype (for free) and make a phone call to anywhere in North America. If you're on the web and wanted to call me, you could install Skype on your PC, type in my Skype address and bam, my PSP would ring and I would answer. I can also store Movies and MP3s on this bad boy which is great!
{slurp}
Anyway folks, I must run for now. I have a bunch of things I need to get finished today and would like to have my evening (last evening for Katie as she works Saturday morning early) set aside for some gaming. Take care and we'll see you here again tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Well well, was I sure surpised this morning when I awoke and found the ground covered with several inches of new snow. Sometime throughout the night we got a nice dump of snow which covered our nice brown grass. Shame really, I was hoping spring had sprung and we would be finally rid of this white stuff. Oh well, I guess I can endure a bit more of it :)
{slurp}
Like any good husband, I awoke this morning, got all the garbage together (it is garbage day today here) and carted it all out to the curb for the garbage "people" to come and pick up. I then decided it was time for a coffee so I got into my vehicle and drove down to my local Tim's (I have 4 to choose from) and ordered myself an Extra Large with one cream. It tastes fantastic!
{slurp}
Ahhh
{slurp}
After I got home from getting coffee I decided to shovel the snow out of our parking spot. It didn't take long, but did it ever take the wind out of me. You don't realize how out of shape you are until you start shoveling snow. Of course, I'm not out of shape :) so I did it with ease. NOT!
{slurp}
I titled my musing today "Telling the Future" as I think it is a topic which is quite interesting. Each of us has this "gut feeling" we always feel when we know something is right or wrong or when something bad is going to happen. We can always tell when things aren't right just like Spiderman's spidey senses. It is this feeling that sometimes can save a life or save someone from harm. Could this feeling be simply a person being tied into the thread of the world? Or is there some kind of mystical force out there tugging and pulling us and letting us know when something bad is going to happen? Nobody knows for certain, but there is no doubt in my mind there IS something and some of us are more "tuned" to this than others.
{slurp}
Katie always comments on how I am such a great judge of character when I meet people. For some reason, I have this "gift" where I can meet someone and can tell right away what kind of person they are and whether they are "nice" or not. Personally I would call it a curse more than a gift sometimes, especially when I can call someone I only met as they served me coffee and be right even though Katie has been working with the person for over a month and doesn't agree. Of course, in the end she always sees what I saw, but it typically takes her a few months to see it where I can "read" it as soon as I meet someone. Strange isn't it?
{slurp}
I know this has nothing to do with telling the future, but I thought I'd bring it up anyway :)
{slurp}
I bought myself a PSP yesterday. Specifically, I bought myself the special edition Star Wars PSP. This is one cool little toy and I'm happy I picked it up. I had been looking at them for several months now and had numerious opportunities to pick one up. I didn't feel right picking one up, until yesterday. I like the device and can't wait to start using it more. In order to get the "full" benifit out of the device I still need to pick up a memory card for it (didn't say it was required) and I also want to pick up a headset for it. This little device has built in Skype functionality which will allow me to use the device as a phone. As long as I have internet access somewhere, I can dial out using Skype (for free) and make a phone call to anywhere in North America. If you're on the web and wanted to call me, you could install Skype on your PC, type in my Skype address and bam, my PSP would ring and I would answer. I can also store Movies and MP3s on this bad boy which is great!
{slurp}
Anyway folks, I must run for now. I have a bunch of things I need to get finished today and would like to have my evening (last evening for Katie as she works Saturday morning early) set aside for some gaming. Take care and we'll see you here again tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
v14.8 - Games and Gaming
Morning folks,
{slurp}
It is Wednesday! I have no work, the kids have no school and Katie is off. What on earth are we going to do? :)
{slurp}
Personally, I would like to sit back and do some gaming today, maybe make a trip to WalMart to pick up a few things and drink coffee. Of course, what will happen is I won't get much gaming done, I'll be dragged to WalMart and I'll get a coffee made for someone else again (bleh).
{slurp}
I awoke this morning with the feeling of "something is wrong". I couldn't put my finger on it, but something just felt wrong to me. I quickly sprang out of bed and checked on the kids who were snug and warm in their beds. I came back into the bedroom and looked at the cable box and saw it was 2:06am. The funny part is, I wasn't tired and there was a faint glimmer of light coming in through the window. Yes, it was morning but for some reason my cable box was telling me it was the middle of the night. What foul magic is this!
{slurp}
Well, once I was fully awake I quickly realized that my cable box somehow was "reset" while we were away and instead of displaying the time, it was displaying the channel. The alarm clock next to my bed told the real story as it was exactly 10 minutes fast and showing 7:25am. At that point I had forgotten all about the "wrong" feeling and made my way downstairs where I sat in front of the PC and played a couple games before heading to Tim's to get a coffee.
{slurp}
I'm really starting to enjoy this no work thing. I wish I could do this all the time :) I'm sure this weekend the reality of going back to work will sink in, but for now I don't want to think about it and want to enjoy the time off I've worked so hard to get.
{slurp}
With that, I bid you all farewell for now and we'll see you here again tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
It is Wednesday! I have no work, the kids have no school and Katie is off. What on earth are we going to do? :)
{slurp}
Personally, I would like to sit back and do some gaming today, maybe make a trip to WalMart to pick up a few things and drink coffee. Of course, what will happen is I won't get much gaming done, I'll be dragged to WalMart and I'll get a coffee made for someone else again (bleh).
{slurp}
I awoke this morning with the feeling of "something is wrong". I couldn't put my finger on it, but something just felt wrong to me. I quickly sprang out of bed and checked on the kids who were snug and warm in their beds. I came back into the bedroom and looked at the cable box and saw it was 2:06am. The funny part is, I wasn't tired and there was a faint glimmer of light coming in through the window. Yes, it was morning but for some reason my cable box was telling me it was the middle of the night. What foul magic is this!
{slurp}
Well, once I was fully awake I quickly realized that my cable box somehow was "reset" while we were away and instead of displaying the time, it was displaying the channel. The alarm clock next to my bed told the real story as it was exactly 10 minutes fast and showing 7:25am. At that point I had forgotten all about the "wrong" feeling and made my way downstairs where I sat in front of the PC and played a couple games before heading to Tim's to get a coffee.
{slurp}
I'm really starting to enjoy this no work thing. I wish I could do this all the time :) I'm sure this weekend the reality of going back to work will sink in, but for now I don't want to think about it and want to enjoy the time off I've worked so hard to get.
{slurp}
With that, I bid you all farewell for now and we'll see you here again tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
v14.7 - Back Home
Howdy folks,
{slurp}
We're home, safe and sound. I didn't want to leave, but somewhere along the way schedules were conflicting and my father was heading out of town for a couple days on some kind of conference so we decided to leave today.
{slurp}
The journey was uneventful and seemingly short. We made good time and arrived home in just under 3 hours. After unpacking and cleaning out the vehicle, we decided we should get some groceries. We made our way to the grocery store and then a quick stop a the liquor store and home. In a way I'm glad to be home to enjoy the rest of my time off relaxed without worry of travel or anything like that. Just the thought of having to travel is somewhat draining :) For those who have done any kind of travel recently, you can understand where I'm coming from.
{slurp}
Well folks, I need to sign off for now and hope to have a bit more to talk about tomorrow. Until then.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
We're home, safe and sound. I didn't want to leave, but somewhere along the way schedules were conflicting and my father was heading out of town for a couple days on some kind of conference so we decided to leave today.
{slurp}
The journey was uneventful and seemingly short. We made good time and arrived home in just under 3 hours. After unpacking and cleaning out the vehicle, we decided we should get some groceries. We made our way to the grocery store and then a quick stop a the liquor store and home. In a way I'm glad to be home to enjoy the rest of my time off relaxed without worry of travel or anything like that. Just the thought of having to travel is somewhat draining :) For those who have done any kind of travel recently, you can understand where I'm coming from.
{slurp}
Well folks, I need to sign off for now and hope to have a bit more to talk about tomorrow. Until then.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Monday, March 10, 2008
v14.6 - Memories
Howdy Folks,
{slurp}
Well it is Monday and day 3 of my Vacation. It was nice to wake up today and not have to go to work or school. It was also nice to spend Sunday night not entirely in the dark. In case you hadn't noticed, Saturday night the clocks went ahead an hour which means we get to enjoy one more hour of daylight. Yes, the days are starting to get longer and longer which means summer is on its way and warm weather.
{slurp}
I can't wait
{slurp}
Today we took a trip around town. It has been a long time since I was a frequent travellers of the roads here and I found today that I missed it dearly. I saw houses that I saw a thousand times and drove on roads I travelled on just as many times. In a way it was just like the "good ol days" but obviously things change and not everything was the same. Trees that were once just sapplings were now huge and towering providing shade where once sun baked earth stood. It was strange, but comforting all at the same time.
{slurp}
Part of me would love nothing more than to go back there and settle down with my family but as with all memories, there are good ones and bad ones. It is the bad ones that are keeping me away and while I have more good memories than bad, I still just can't bring myself to live there (just yet).
Time will tell I guess.
{slurp}
Well folks, I must be off. This musing is coming in quite late only because I didn't get a chance to write it. Better late than never right? :) Tomorrow we are leaving early and heading back to Halifax so chances are I won't get a musing out until late afternoon. So, until then...
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Well it is Monday and day 3 of my Vacation. It was nice to wake up today and not have to go to work or school. It was also nice to spend Sunday night not entirely in the dark. In case you hadn't noticed, Saturday night the clocks went ahead an hour which means we get to enjoy one more hour of daylight. Yes, the days are starting to get longer and longer which means summer is on its way and warm weather.
{slurp}
I can't wait
{slurp}
Today we took a trip around town. It has been a long time since I was a frequent travellers of the roads here and I found today that I missed it dearly. I saw houses that I saw a thousand times and drove on roads I travelled on just as many times. In a way it was just like the "good ol days" but obviously things change and not everything was the same. Trees that were once just sapplings were now huge and towering providing shade where once sun baked earth stood. It was strange, but comforting all at the same time.
{slurp}
Part of me would love nothing more than to go back there and settle down with my family but as with all memories, there are good ones and bad ones. It is the bad ones that are keeping me away and while I have more good memories than bad, I still just can't bring myself to live there (just yet).
Time will tell I guess.
{slurp}
Well folks, I must be off. This musing is coming in quite late only because I didn't get a chance to write it. Better late than never right? :) Tomorrow we are leaving early and heading back to Halifax so chances are I won't get a musing out until late afternoon. So, until then...
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Sunday, March 9, 2008
v14.5 - Saccade Sunday
Howdy folks,
{slurp}
Happy Sunday. I'm on day 2 of my vacation and I'm feeling fine.
{slurp}
Today we went to church. Normally I'm not one to go to church, but whenever I'm home I will always go to the church I grew up in. It was odd to see some of the people I knew back when I was young. People grow old, but they always see that little boy they taught in Sunday school. It was strange.
{slurp}
We had a fairly good day. We went out to eat for lunch and then spent some time at the mall. Other than the rain and snow that has been falling most of the day, things were fine.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, have to get things ready for supper (we are using the dining room table as a computer desk) so I need to run. Until tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Happy Sunday. I'm on day 2 of my vacation and I'm feeling fine.
{slurp}
Today we went to church. Normally I'm not one to go to church, but whenever I'm home I will always go to the church I grew up in. It was odd to see some of the people I knew back when I was young. People grow old, but they always see that little boy they taught in Sunday school. It was strange.
{slurp}
We had a fairly good day. We went out to eat for lunch and then spent some time at the mall. Other than the rain and snow that has been falling most of the day, things were fine.
{slurp}
Anyway folks, have to get things ready for supper (we are using the dining room table as a computer desk) so I need to run. Until tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Saturday, March 8, 2008
v14.4 - Troublesome Travels
Howdy Folks,
{slurp}
Sorry for the later than usual musing. Today we travelled up to New Brunswick to visit some family and despite the forecast calling for freezing rain and bad roads, the trip went fairly uneventful. Other than the constant bathroom breaks and food stops of course.
{slurp}
We made it safe and sound and a little ahead of schedule and now are preparing for the storm to hit. It is nice to be away from the city and visiting a familar place. I grew up in this town so it feels like coming home to me.
{slurp}
Well, just wanted to put up something for today. I promised I would write every day and so far I'm holding true to that promise :) Until tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Sorry for the later than usual musing. Today we travelled up to New Brunswick to visit some family and despite the forecast calling for freezing rain and bad roads, the trip went fairly uneventful. Other than the constant bathroom breaks and food stops of course.
{slurp}
We made it safe and sound and a little ahead of schedule and now are preparing for the storm to hit. It is nice to be away from the city and visiting a familar place. I grew up in this town so it feels like coming home to me.
{slurp}
Well, just wanted to put up something for today. I promised I would write every day and so far I'm holding true to that promise :) Until tomorrow.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Friday, March 7, 2008
v14.3 - Fandiddilytastic Friday
{SLURP}
Hey Folks,
{slurp}
It is Friday and all I can say is THANK GOD!
{slurp}
As of 4:30pm today I am officially on vacation and I can put this place behind me for a solid 9 days straight. I can't remember the last time I actually took a week off and actually didn't think about work. I'm really looking forward to this break. I'm sure by the end of it I'll be really looking forward to getting back to work but... oh well :)
{slurp}
Today's musing will be fairly short as I have a bunch of work I need to finish up before I leave. I just wanted to say I won something else on the Roll up the Rim contest. It is only a donut, but at least it is something! Hopefully over my vacation I'll win some more, but right now I'm happy I actually won something else.
{slurp}
Until tomorrow folks, keep fit and remember to look both ways before crossing the street.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Hey Folks,
{slurp}
It is Friday and all I can say is THANK GOD!
{slurp}
As of 4:30pm today I am officially on vacation and I can put this place behind me for a solid 9 days straight. I can't remember the last time I actually took a week off and actually didn't think about work. I'm really looking forward to this break. I'm sure by the end of it I'll be really looking forward to getting back to work but... oh well :)
{slurp}
Today's musing will be fairly short as I have a bunch of work I need to finish up before I leave. I just wanted to say I won something else on the Roll up the Rim contest. It is only a donut, but at least it is something! Hopefully over my vacation I'll win some more, but right now I'm happy I actually won something else.
{slurp}
Until tomorrow folks, keep fit and remember to look both ways before crossing the street.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Thursday, March 6, 2008
v14.2 - Thoughtful Thursday
Morning folks,
{slurp}
Keeping theme with my other musings this week, I've decided to call this one Thoughtful Thursday.
{slurp}
First off, today is Thursday so I had to have the day in there and secondly, I'm very thoughtful today; that is to say I am full of thoughts. Last night I was going through some very old emails. I was looking at pics, jokes and various other kinds of emails I've received over the last few years. I saw emails from friends, family members and even old forums/sites I signed up for that no longer exist. I started to think about the Musings and where they will be in a few years from now. Although I've been musing on-and-off for a few years now, I often wonder what would happen if all of a sudden my site went down and the musings stopped. Would anyone outside of my immediate family even really the musings or ever find reference to them online? Possibly not, which seems a bit disheartening when you think about it. The web is so massive these days that you can find virtually anything online. It is easy to sit down and pick your favorite search engine and type in what you want to find.
{slurp}
I was reminded of my childhood last week when my son had a school assignment to complete about Tasmanian Devils. We went to Chapters the book store and they didn't have anything about Tasmanian Devils there. We checked Walmart and found nothing. We changed several places around the city and couldn't find anything useful about Tasmanian Devils. What did we end up doing? Going to Staples, picking up some ink cartridges for the printer and going home to do a Google search for Tasmanian Devils. Low and behold, there was so much information available we had to pick and choose which pictures to print off and what information to use. We did all that in under 30 minutes while we spent over 4 hours earlier that day driving around and checking out all the stores. People are calling this the "Information Age" and it is becoming more and more apparent that individuals no longer need to leave their homes to get information and if everyone knew how to use a search engine, they could find out anything about anything they wanted anytime they wanted.
{slurp}
I guess it is easy to take having the internet for granted; like electricity or running water. We just expect when we hit that light switch that the lights will come on, never thinking otherwise. We just assume when we turn the tap on that water will come out. I just assume that when I sit down at my desk and turn on my computer that I will have internet and be able to browse the web and find information, read my email and check on my forums. The internet has almost become a necessity in daily life. In fact, for some, it is necessary to do their jobs and more and more companies are relying on the internet to drive their business. It is a bit scary when you think about it.
{slurp}
Without the internet I wouldn't be able to communicate my thoughts to you all. And my thought right now is I need to sign-off and get some work done. :) Thanks for dropping by today and I hope to see you here again tomorrow.
Until next time.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Keeping theme with my other musings this week, I've decided to call this one Thoughtful Thursday.
{slurp}
First off, today is Thursday so I had to have the day in there and secondly, I'm very thoughtful today; that is to say I am full of thoughts. Last night I was going through some very old emails. I was looking at pics, jokes and various other kinds of emails I've received over the last few years. I saw emails from friends, family members and even old forums/sites I signed up for that no longer exist. I started to think about the Musings and where they will be in a few years from now. Although I've been musing on-and-off for a few years now, I often wonder what would happen if all of a sudden my site went down and the musings stopped. Would anyone outside of my immediate family even really the musings or ever find reference to them online? Possibly not, which seems a bit disheartening when you think about it. The web is so massive these days that you can find virtually anything online. It is easy to sit down and pick your favorite search engine and type in what you want to find.
{slurp}
I was reminded of my childhood last week when my son had a school assignment to complete about Tasmanian Devils. We went to Chapters the book store and they didn't have anything about Tasmanian Devils there. We checked Walmart and found nothing. We changed several places around the city and couldn't find anything useful about Tasmanian Devils. What did we end up doing? Going to Staples, picking up some ink cartridges for the printer and going home to do a Google search for Tasmanian Devils. Low and behold, there was so much information available we had to pick and choose which pictures to print off and what information to use. We did all that in under 30 minutes while we spent over 4 hours earlier that day driving around and checking out all the stores. People are calling this the "Information Age" and it is becoming more and more apparent that individuals no longer need to leave their homes to get information and if everyone knew how to use a search engine, they could find out anything about anything they wanted anytime they wanted.
{slurp}
I guess it is easy to take having the internet for granted; like electricity or running water. We just expect when we hit that light switch that the lights will come on, never thinking otherwise. We just assume when we turn the tap on that water will come out. I just assume that when I sit down at my desk and turn on my computer that I will have internet and be able to browse the web and find information, read my email and check on my forums. The internet has almost become a necessity in daily life. In fact, for some, it is necessary to do their jobs and more and more companies are relying on the internet to drive their business. It is a bit scary when you think about it.
{slurp}
Without the internet I wouldn't be able to communicate my thoughts to you all. And my thought right now is I need to sign-off and get some work done. :) Thanks for dropping by today and I hope to see you here again tomorrow.
Until next time.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
v14.1 - Whoah Wednesday
Morning folks,
{slurp}
It is Wednesday and thw Whoah is describing what I woke up to today. I awoke as I always do, to the sound of the radio playing on my alarm clock. I typically will let the thing play for a few minutes and hit snooze and repeat this until it is time to get up. This is my "gradual wake" program which doesn't work worth a damn.
{slurp}
I was listening to the radio and was surprised to hear of a freezing rain warning for today. My first thought was, "Wow, that will be fun driving to work in." and I was getting ready to hit snooze just as the announcer was informing everyone that all the schools in the area are closed today. Imagine my excitement as those words echoed out of the tiny box on my night stand. Now I don't go to school, but my kids do and when they can't go to school, I can't go to work. One of the perks of my job is the ability to login remotely and do my work. So I got out of bed, washed up and logged into work to inform my team I will be Working from Home (aka WFH) today due to the school closures. I then proceeded to check my email, message boards and make sure everything is running as expected. The kids are still in bed, it is quiet (for now) and my vehicle looks like it has a half inch of ice covering it. I'm going to try to see if I can take it off in one piece later and set it in the parking stall next to mine. Imagine the look on the neighbours face when they come home and see an ice replica of my vehicle sitting in their spot.
{slurp}
So here I am, at home, drinking home brew (bleh) and writing my musing completely undisturbed. It is a good feeling and I wish I could spend every day this way.
{slurp}
If you've been following my Roll up the Rim 2008 progress, you'll notice as of yesterday I've only won one thing from the Roll up the Rim contest. That is to say, out of 16 cups of coffee, I have won one thing (a coffee). Looks like the odds are against me this year again :) That's fine, by the end of it I will be above the 1 in 9 average and life will be better for it.
{slurp}
Well folks, despite the fact I'm working from home I do need to actually do some work so I'm going to sign off now and return to my daily blah. Keep checking back for site updates and changes as I plan on making a few today :)
Until next time.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
It is Wednesday and thw Whoah is describing what I woke up to today. I awoke as I always do, to the sound of the radio playing on my alarm clock. I typically will let the thing play for a few minutes and hit snooze and repeat this until it is time to get up. This is my "gradual wake" program which doesn't work worth a damn.
{slurp}
I was listening to the radio and was surprised to hear of a freezing rain warning for today. My first thought was, "Wow, that will be fun driving to work in." and I was getting ready to hit snooze just as the announcer was informing everyone that all the schools in the area are closed today. Imagine my excitement as those words echoed out of the tiny box on my night stand. Now I don't go to school, but my kids do and when they can't go to school, I can't go to work. One of the perks of my job is the ability to login remotely and do my work. So I got out of bed, washed up and logged into work to inform my team I will be Working from Home (aka WFH) today due to the school closures. I then proceeded to check my email, message boards and make sure everything is running as expected. The kids are still in bed, it is quiet (for now) and my vehicle looks like it has a half inch of ice covering it. I'm going to try to see if I can take it off in one piece later and set it in the parking stall next to mine. Imagine the look on the neighbours face when they come home and see an ice replica of my vehicle sitting in their spot.
{slurp}
So here I am, at home, drinking home brew (bleh) and writing my musing completely undisturbed. It is a good feeling and I wish I could spend every day this way.
{slurp}
If you've been following my Roll up the Rim 2008 progress, you'll notice as of yesterday I've only won one thing from the Roll up the Rim contest. That is to say, out of 16 cups of coffee, I have won one thing (a coffee). Looks like the odds are against me this year again :) That's fine, by the end of it I will be above the 1 in 9 average and life will be better for it.
{slurp}
Well folks, despite the fact I'm working from home I do need to actually do some work so I'm going to sign off now and return to my daily blah. Keep checking back for site updates and changes as I plan on making a few today :)
Until next time.
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
v14.0 - Tintinnabulation Tuesday
Good morning folks,
{slurp}
It is Tuesday and I'm still not feeling well. I woke up part way through the night, my t-shirt soaked from sweat. I attempted to take it off but met with some resistance. Eventually, after what seemed like an hour, I got my t-shirt off, threw it across the room and heard a "slap" when it hit the wall. Yes, it was really that wet.
{slurp}
So here I am, at work, congested chest and a bit of a dry cough. I really dislike getting sick, it just ruins my whole day.
{slurp}
I'm sure some of you have noticed a change in the site today. One of the nice things I like about WordPress is the ability to just plug in a new theme whenever I wish. I have a bunch of themes installed but I am very picky and never seem to be able to find one I really like. I set this one up today while eating breakfast and it is starting to grow on me a bit. The theme is clean and clear and you can find everything you need right off the main page (which is nice). It doesn't have any graphics (minus the random gallery image) which makes it fast to load and the colors just seem to work (for me). Overall I think I'll be keeping this one around for awhile unless I find something really attractive and then I will put that up.
{slurp}
I'm sure the REAL question on your mind right now is what the hell Tintinnabulation is :) Well, I wanted to find a word that started with T and I didn't want any old word up there. So I went searching through the dictionary and I stumbled on Tintinnabulation. The meaning is simple, Tintinnabulation means the ringing of bells. Isn't that fun? :)
{slurp}
Alright folks I must be off for now and try to get my mind on work and get some of my projects/tasks completed. I'm in the process of moving off this team to a new one (perhaps more on this tomorrow) and I have a transition plan in place to do just that. Keep your fingers crossed as I have a very vague idea of what I'm walking into and it may turn out to be a lot worse than my current job.
Until then,
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
It is Tuesday and I'm still not feeling well. I woke up part way through the night, my t-shirt soaked from sweat. I attempted to take it off but met with some resistance. Eventually, after what seemed like an hour, I got my t-shirt off, threw it across the room and heard a "slap" when it hit the wall. Yes, it was really that wet.
{slurp}
So here I am, at work, congested chest and a bit of a dry cough. I really dislike getting sick, it just ruins my whole day.
{slurp}
I'm sure some of you have noticed a change in the site today. One of the nice things I like about WordPress is the ability to just plug in a new theme whenever I wish. I have a bunch of themes installed but I am very picky and never seem to be able to find one I really like. I set this one up today while eating breakfast and it is starting to grow on me a bit. The theme is clean and clear and you can find everything you need right off the main page (which is nice). It doesn't have any graphics (minus the random gallery image) which makes it fast to load and the colors just seem to work (for me). Overall I think I'll be keeping this one around for awhile unless I find something really attractive and then I will put that up.
{slurp}
I'm sure the REAL question on your mind right now is what the hell Tintinnabulation is :) Well, I wanted to find a word that started with T and I didn't want any old word up there. So I went searching through the dictionary and I stumbled on Tintinnabulation. The meaning is simple, Tintinnabulation means the ringing of bells. Isn't that fun? :)
{slurp}
Alright folks I must be off for now and try to get my mind on work and get some of my projects/tasks completed. I'm in the process of moving off this team to a new one (perhaps more on this tomorrow) and I have a transition plan in place to do just that. Keep your fingers crossed as I have a very vague idea of what I'm walking into and it may turn out to be a lot worse than my current job.
Until then,
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Monday, March 3, 2008
v13.9 - Case of the Moandays
Morning folks,
{slurp}
I seem to be having a bad day today. It all started the minute I opened my eyes and has continued to go down hill all day. I can't put my finger on any specifics, it is just my general outlook on things that is amplifying the bad into REALLY bad.
{slurp}
Anyway. Bad day or not, the musings must go on. It is taking me several hours to write this as I was out sick Thursday and Friday last week and I'm a few days behind. I keep getting pulled away for various things and I'm having issues keep up with all the "news" coming in. We also brought another guy into my team today so now I have a group of 6 under me.
{slurp}
It is a typical Monday morning that's for sure. People looking for "this" or "that" and wanting it by noon. Meetings getting scheduled and everything else. I keep telling myself, 5 more days. In 5 more days I'm on vacation and I just can't wait!!!
{slurp}
Well folks, the distractions are many and the work load is high so I must sign-off for now. I keep saying I need to do this at a different time of the day (not at work time) but I keep forgetting :)
Oh well,
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
I seem to be having a bad day today. It all started the minute I opened my eyes and has continued to go down hill all day. I can't put my finger on any specifics, it is just my general outlook on things that is amplifying the bad into REALLY bad.
{slurp}
Anyway. Bad day or not, the musings must go on. It is taking me several hours to write this as I was out sick Thursday and Friday last week and I'm a few days behind. I keep getting pulled away for various things and I'm having issues keep up with all the "news" coming in. We also brought another guy into my team today so now I have a group of 6 under me.
{slurp}
It is a typical Monday morning that's for sure. People looking for "this" or "that" and wanting it by noon. Meetings getting scheduled and everything else. I keep telling myself, 5 more days. In 5 more days I'm on vacation and I just can't wait!!!
{slurp}
Well folks, the distractions are many and the work load is high so I must sign-off for now. I keep saying I need to do this at a different time of the day (not at work time) but I keep forgetting :)
Oh well,
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Sunday, March 2, 2008
v13.8 - Super Roll Sunday!!
Morning Folks,
{slurp}
Actually got around to posting early today :) After an exhausting, but fun, night of gaming I made it to be around 2am. Next thing I remember is my daughter climbing into bed sometime around 7am this morning wanting to talk to me. Of course I'm tired and groggy and a bit on the cranky side so I tell her if she wants to stay she needs to be a bit quieter so I can sleep. At 7:10, I got out of bed.
{slurp}
I'm a bit on the tired side today and not looking forward to tomorrow when I go back to work. I am, however, looking forward to the week after when I'm off for the ENTIRE week! That's right, I've booked a week of vacation!! This week, unfortunately, March Break in New Brunswick (and the rest of the country I believe) while the week after is March Break in Nova Scotia. I heard a rumor the NS government was planning on syncing it up with the other provinces but alas, it didn't happen yet. Regardless, I have the week off work and the kids are home from school that week and Katie is off during the week (still works on the weekend) so I suspect it will be good times ;)
{slurp}
I can't remember the last time we all had a whole week available to spend together. It seems like it was so longa go. How time goes by.
{slurp}
Well, I need to get to some cleaning before Katie gets home from work. After getting schooled by my son in Wii tennis, I have decided to reevaluate my life :) Just kidding, but I can't believe the little punk beat me... ME!!! :) Oh well, I gladly pass my gaming trophies over to him as the next gamer in the family.
{slurp}
Until next time,
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
Actually got around to posting early today :) After an exhausting, but fun, night of gaming I made it to be around 2am. Next thing I remember is my daughter climbing into bed sometime around 7am this morning wanting to talk to me. Of course I'm tired and groggy and a bit on the cranky side so I tell her if she wants to stay she needs to be a bit quieter so I can sleep. At 7:10, I got out of bed.
{slurp}
I'm a bit on the tired side today and not looking forward to tomorrow when I go back to work. I am, however, looking forward to the week after when I'm off for the ENTIRE week! That's right, I've booked a week of vacation!! This week, unfortunately, March Break in New Brunswick (and the rest of the country I believe) while the week after is March Break in Nova Scotia. I heard a rumor the NS government was planning on syncing it up with the other provinces but alas, it didn't happen yet. Regardless, I have the week off work and the kids are home from school that week and Katie is off during the week (still works on the weekend) so I suspect it will be good times ;)
{slurp}
I can't remember the last time we all had a whole week available to spend together. It seems like it was so longa go. How time goes by.
{slurp}
Well, I need to get to some cleaning before Katie gets home from work. After getting schooled by my son in Wii tennis, I have decided to reevaluate my life :) Just kidding, but I can't believe the little punk beat me... ME!!! :) Oh well, I gladly pass my gaming trophies over to him as the next gamer in the family.
{slurp}
Until next time,
Cheers,
Al
Saturday, March 1, 2008
v13.8 - Where's My Roll-up?
Howdy Folks,
{slurp}
What a day. It all started off early this morning waking up to the sounds of my son getting sick in the bathroom. Not a great way to start the day half asleep hearing "something" coming from the bathroom next to you and wondering if you're dreaming or really awake.
{slurp}
After an exhasting morning, I do the normal Saturday routine arriving at Tim Horton's around noon to get a coffee and pick up Katie from work. This time, however, was the first time since the Roll Up the Rim contest started that I was not "permitted" to have a Roll up the Rim cup. Why you ask?
{slurp}
I'm sure you've heard it all before: Contest available to everyone EXCEPT employees of Company X AND their immediate family. Apparently, everyone knows me as Katie's husband at her work so when I went up to the counter and ordered my beverage (Large coffee with 1 cream) I was quite surprised to get a regular every day brown cup.
{slurp}
Needless to say, Katie wasn't very impressed and she is going into work tomorrow to correct this mistake :) Granted, I am an immediate family member and I am permitted from playing, but come on!! Haven't they heard of fiendz.net? Don't they know I keep records of this stuff and post it? Don't they know I muse over coffee??!!??
{slurp}
Ahh. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and my roll-up cup will be mine!! MY PRECIOUSSSSSS!!
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
{slurp}
What a day. It all started off early this morning waking up to the sounds of my son getting sick in the bathroom. Not a great way to start the day half asleep hearing "something" coming from the bathroom next to you and wondering if you're dreaming or really awake.
{slurp}
After an exhasting morning, I do the normal Saturday routine arriving at Tim Horton's around noon to get a coffee and pick up Katie from work. This time, however, was the first time since the Roll Up the Rim contest started that I was not "permitted" to have a Roll up the Rim cup. Why you ask?
{slurp}
I'm sure you've heard it all before: Contest available to everyone EXCEPT employees of Company X AND their immediate family. Apparently, everyone knows me as Katie's husband at her work so when I went up to the counter and ordered my beverage (Large coffee with 1 cream) I was quite surprised to get a regular every day brown cup.
{slurp}
Needless to say, Katie wasn't very impressed and she is going into work tomorrow to correct this mistake :) Granted, I am an immediate family member and I am permitted from playing, but come on!! Haven't they heard of fiendz.net? Don't they know I keep records of this stuff and post it? Don't they know I muse over coffee??!!??
{slurp}
Ahh. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and my roll-up cup will be mine!! MY PRECIOUSSSSSS!!
{slurp}
Cheers,
Al
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)