We don't have to deal directly with state agencies very often. We don't often have to drive nearly 50 miles to wait while the office workers take their two-hour lunch break so we can spent $9.00 per hour per person to look up one death record. We don't often have to look up information in one book (or use a creaking DECpc 466D2 with a Foxpro database) to find out what book contains the death record, fill out a slip of paper, hand it to a person who goes into the back room to find the book that contains the record. We were fortunate. We found what we wanted, the death record of Sandra's great-grandmother in Dorchester in 1943. A copy of the record cost us 18 bucks. Other people waited longer and then had to leave without finding what they needed because they had to get back to work.
It was a fine day, though. The This Old House project was a fun and fascinating place. TV, as we know, changes the scale of things. The yard was smaller that appeared on TV. The house had wonderful details provided by the builders and designers. A few minutes into our tour, Tom Silva showed up to continue some of the finish work. A couple of people in our tour party got his autograph.
The stock market in general and the tech market in particular was shaken by IBM's announcement on Thursday that it missed its first quarter numbers. IBM stock is down more than 20% in the past year. IBM could shed as many as 10,000 employees.
Which means that it's a good time to get a dog. Or cat. Or whatever.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Friday, April 15, 2005
The check is in the mail
Folks in the States (those who use check instead of cheque) know that this is a special day. Our tax forms must be filed by midnight tonight. This year we're ok on this. We mailed our forms a couple of weeks ago and so can look on today as the bright, though cool, spring day that it is.
Marley woke us early this morning with a fresh message from the dog satellite. The message was garbled, however, because he had his chameleon squeak toy in his mouth.
Today we're off to see the finished This Old House project in Carlisle. It's gonig to involve a good bit of walking, so my father decided not to come with us. After the tour, we're going to Dorchester to look up geneological records for Sandra's family at the state archives.
Diet does play a significant role in health. Perhaps we need one of these new refrigerators that maintains and even enhances the nutritional value of the food. Alternatively, maybe our food needs to be fortified with the strength of super-heroes. Or, we can always turn to classic Weight Watcher meals from 30 years ago, such as the Frankfurter Spectacular.
Marley woke us early this morning with a fresh message from the dog satellite. The message was garbled, however, because he had his chameleon squeak toy in his mouth.
Today we're off to see the finished This Old House project in Carlisle. It's gonig to involve a good bit of walking, so my father decided not to come with us. After the tour, we're going to Dorchester to look up geneological records for Sandra's family at the state archives.
Diet does play a significant role in health. Perhaps we need one of these new refrigerators that maintains and even enhances the nutritional value of the food. Alternatively, maybe our food needs to be fortified with the strength of super-heroes. Or, we can always turn to classic Weight Watcher meals from 30 years ago, such as the Frankfurter Spectacular.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Pockets of reasonableness and harmony will appear as if from nowhere!
When I returned to work yesterday, I learned that two other guys had been sick as well. In all, there were four of us, including the guy who was sick early last week and probably brought it to the office. He had deadlines last week and felt that he needed to work through the illness. He made it his deadlines. There was little resentment among the rest of us. We have all done the same at one point or another.
I remarked yesterday that I sounded like Darth Vader on a speakerphone. At the time I had no idea that there was such a product.
Too much bean curd sheet roll or marinated jelly fish might not be good for us. (If people are eating so much marinated jelly fish that it's causing health problems, then they have more problems that the amount of marinated jelly fish they're eating.) I wonder when they'll turn their spotlight on American cuisine and its adherents.
Muffin can put away the Kevlar vest for a while. It looks as though Wisconsin is not going to allow hunting of cats for now.
And then, from the west, comes not just an organization, but a movement.
I remarked yesterday that I sounded like Darth Vader on a speakerphone. At the time I had no idea that there was such a product.
Too much bean curd sheet roll or marinated jelly fish might not be good for us. (If people are eating so much marinated jelly fish that it's causing health problems, then they have more problems that the amount of marinated jelly fish they're eating.) I wonder when they'll turn their spotlight on American cuisine and its adherents.
Muffin can put away the Kevlar vest for a while. It looks as though Wisconsin is not going to allow hunting of cats for now.
And then, from the west, comes not just an organization, but a movement.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Stops and starts
Today I'll return to work. I have a couple of things that I need to complete by the end of the day tomorrow, along with a few more that I'd like to get done. Sandra wasn't feeling well yesterday, either, and came home early. She reports that she's better this morning and will go to work. What a fun couple we are.
The water in the birdbath is frozen for the third morning in a row. Sandra covered the pansies that's she's planted along the driveway. We're expecting temperatures below freezing every night through the weekend. Everything warms quickly once the sun reaches it.
Apparently having solved all of their other problems, the Wisconsin might allow cat hunting. I know several cat owners, peace-loving folks, who would consider drastic action.
One has to know a lot about a lot, just to get along. We had to fill out some paperwork for the conservation commission. The form asked for the latitude and longitude of our camp. It sort of makes sense, given that the town doesn't even have its own ZIP code. Nevertheless, it's not the kind of information that you keep in your head, unlike, say, One hen, two ducks, three squawking geese, .... The commissioners were good-humored and agreed that they could find the proper with other map information we provided. BTW, we're somewhere around 72.1W, 42.5N.
I know of people who wrote college papers for other people as a way to generate some cash. It was hard work, because you really had to research and write the papers. Automation has greatly simplified that work.
The water in the birdbath is frozen for the third morning in a row. Sandra covered the pansies that's she's planted along the driveway. We're expecting temperatures below freezing every night through the weekend. Everything warms quickly once the sun reaches it.
Apparently having solved all of their other problems, the Wisconsin might allow cat hunting. I know several cat owners, peace-loving folks, who would consider drastic action.
One has to know a lot about a lot, just to get along. We had to fill out some paperwork for the conservation commission. The form asked for the latitude and longitude of our camp. It sort of makes sense, given that the town doesn't even have its own ZIP code. Nevertheless, it's not the kind of information that you keep in your head, unlike, say, One hen, two ducks, three squawking geese, .... The commissioners were good-humored and agreed that they could find the proper with other map information we provided. BTW, we're somewhere around 72.1W, 42.5N.
I know of people who wrote college papers for other people as a way to generate some cash. It was hard work, because you really had to research and write the papers. Automation has greatly simplified that work.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
A year of RoasterBoy
What I see in that first entry of this journal, a year ago today, is a guy off-balance, but still confident. The loss of the job was a big deal, but there were also good and fun and hopeful things to do each day.
I had my annual physical early last week. My doctor asked me how I was doing. I told him that I am doing worse than I was a year ago, but better than I was 20 years ago. The doctor noted some test scores that confirmed my assessment, so I'm scheduled for follow-up visits over the next few months.
And then I got sick. Again. Another respiratory infection that has me sounding like Darth Vader on a speaker phone. I worked on Thursday and Friday, when I certainly not have gone in. Saturday, we had a few things to do in the morning, and it's been red pj-time since then. Today's the first day that I've felt anything close to as good as I did when I told my doctor I was feeling worse than I did a year ago.
So, I've been sick a lot this past year. There's something to be learned in that. I haven't learned it yet, but there's something in there.
When I was a kid, I was very interested in astronomy. It was around the time of Sputnik and before there were dogs, other animals, or people in space. (Today is also the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's space voyage.) I read books and drew maps of the solar system. You can imagine my excitement when I learn that there's a TV show called As the World Turns. A whole show on astronomy. You can imagine my disappointment when I saw the actual show.
Yesterday's Red Sox home opening was a good time. It's a tough crowd, to be sure. Even the batboy was booed during the introductions. The Yankees handled it all with good humor and class, staying on the steps of the dugout and watching all of the events. It was quite a production, with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops playing the national anthem, F16s overhead. It was great to see Bill Russell, joined by Bobby Orr, Richard Seymour, and Tedy Bruschi to throw out the ceremonial first balls. That the game turned out as it did (8-1, Sox) was an added bit of sweetness.
A year ago, I was just starting the process of copying my music collection to my iPod. I learned yesterday that the President has an iPod as well. Here's a bit of what's on iPod One.
Happy Birthday, Woody.
I had my annual physical early last week. My doctor asked me how I was doing. I told him that I am doing worse than I was a year ago, but better than I was 20 years ago. The doctor noted some test scores that confirmed my assessment, so I'm scheduled for follow-up visits over the next few months.
And then I got sick. Again. Another respiratory infection that has me sounding like Darth Vader on a speaker phone. I worked on Thursday and Friday, when I certainly not have gone in. Saturday, we had a few things to do in the morning, and it's been red pj-time since then. Today's the first day that I've felt anything close to as good as I did when I told my doctor I was feeling worse than I did a year ago.
So, I've been sick a lot this past year. There's something to be learned in that. I haven't learned it yet, but there's something in there.
When I was a kid, I was very interested in astronomy. It was around the time of Sputnik and before there were dogs, other animals, or people in space. (Today is also the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's space voyage.) I read books and drew maps of the solar system. You can imagine my excitement when I learn that there's a TV show called As the World Turns. A whole show on astronomy. You can imagine my disappointment when I saw the actual show.
Yesterday's Red Sox home opening was a good time. It's a tough crowd, to be sure. Even the batboy was booed during the introductions. The Yankees handled it all with good humor and class, staying on the steps of the dugout and watching all of the events. It was quite a production, with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops playing the national anthem, F16s overhead. It was great to see Bill Russell, joined by Bobby Orr, Richard Seymour, and Tedy Bruschi to throw out the ceremonial first balls. That the game turned out as it did (8-1, Sox) was an added bit of sweetness.
A year ago, I was just starting the process of copying my music collection to my iPod. I learned yesterday that the President has an iPod as well. Here's a bit of what's on iPod One.
Happy Birthday, Woody.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Café, sans souris
Even more than the birds, the sound of the peepers are a sure sound of spring. We have peepers near from the small stream across the street and around the vernal pools near the camp.
The camp road wasn't bad at all, with just enough snow, mud, and water to make it interesting. My father said he'd to go there last week and the snow was still too deep. The water is high, but not running across the road. We have a platter of snow/ice, 25' in diameter, in the parking area. It'll be a couple more weeks before that's gone.
The lake is pretty much open. The northwest winds push the ice into our cove. The ice was still thick enough to support Marley. We called him back quickly. Twice, I've had to pull dogs out of a holes in the ice. It's not fun and I'm glad not to do it again. The ice was melting in the couple of hours that we were there, so we declared that April 9 was Ice Out Day. We haven't been rigorous about it, but, when we remember, we write these events on a piece of birch bark tacked to the wall.
Since our last visit a few weeks ago, half of a dead birch tree fell onto the steps going to the sauna. In all, we got through the winter with no great trouble.
The representatives of the conservation commission were coming to look at the site where we want to place our new septic system. Sandra and I got to the camp in plenty of time to get a fire going in the stove and to make some coffee, should the commission members want to stay for a visit. As it turned out, although they were interested in seeing the property, they didn't stay for coffee.
Remember the leopard in Hemingway's 'The Snow of Kilimanjaro'? The carcass of this great cat near the summit of Africa's tallest mountain. How did it get there? Where was it going? It's in that spirit that I pondered the fate of the dead mouse, inside our metal coffee pot, the cover snugly in place.
With the expected trepidation, we're declaring an end to winter. Yesterday we helped my father move the lawn-mower attachment for the tractor; he'll remove the snow blower shortly. Sandra picked up some gas stabilizer to add to our snow blower's gas tank. I'll wheel the machine up to the back shed. We'll also put away the snow shovels and other implements of destruction. The NWS says that we might see a few snowflakes, but only a few, tomorrow evening.
The camp road wasn't bad at all, with just enough snow, mud, and water to make it interesting. My father said he'd to go there last week and the snow was still too deep. The water is high, but not running across the road. We have a platter of snow/ice, 25' in diameter, in the parking area. It'll be a couple more weeks before that's gone.
The lake is pretty much open. The northwest winds push the ice into our cove. The ice was still thick enough to support Marley. We called him back quickly. Twice, I've had to pull dogs out of a holes in the ice. It's not fun and I'm glad not to do it again. The ice was melting in the couple of hours that we were there, so we declared that April 9 was Ice Out Day. We haven't been rigorous about it, but, when we remember, we write these events on a piece of birch bark tacked to the wall.
Since our last visit a few weeks ago, half of a dead birch tree fell onto the steps going to the sauna. In all, we got through the winter with no great trouble.
The representatives of the conservation commission were coming to look at the site where we want to place our new septic system. Sandra and I got to the camp in plenty of time to get a fire going in the stove and to make some coffee, should the commission members want to stay for a visit. As it turned out, although they were interested in seeing the property, they didn't stay for coffee.
Remember the leopard in Hemingway's 'The Snow of Kilimanjaro'? The carcass of this great cat near the summit of Africa's tallest mountain. How did it get there? Where was it going? It's in that spirit that I pondered the fate of the dead mouse, inside our metal coffee pot, the cover snugly in place.
With the expected trepidation, we're declaring an end to winter. Yesterday we helped my father move the lawn-mower attachment for the tractor; he'll remove the snow blower shortly. Sandra picked up some gas stabilizer to add to our snow blower's gas tank. I'll wheel the machine up to the back shed. We'll also put away the snow shovels and other implements of destruction. The NWS says that we might see a few snowflakes, but only a few, tomorrow evening.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
The word from across the pond is that MG Rover, heir to the British Leyland automotive lineage, is heading for bankruptcy and may go out of business altogether. An industry analyst noted that the car manufacturer, the last British-owned, would likely be remembered for poor quality and poorly designed cars.
My friend, Don, liked to work on the cars in this family. His first order of business was to replace the Lucas electrical system. (One Internet commentator calls Lucas, the Prince of Darkness.)
In the 70s, my father owned a couple of old Land Rovers. He used one when he needed to get railroad ties from an old railroad bed near the camp. (The railroad company already removed the rails.) The ties were so long and heavy, however, that they broke the rear axle. The second Land Rover was for parts.
I had an Austin-Healey Sprite during this same period. A real fun car to drive, but so very useless in New England winters. You couldn't see over a tall dog, let alone a snow bank. In cold weather, I had to park it where the morning sun would shine on it. The springs were bad and, during the night, the car body would settle on the tires and the car wouldn't move. Once the sun had warmed the car, including the springs, the body would rise up again and I could drive away.
This little book is essential for anyone who writes. It's also a good resource for those who read; it shows us what is good writing and why it's good. I've known of instructors who would put Strunk & White 14 next to an offending sentence. The book is necessary, but not sufficient. For example, in its list of commonly misspelled words, floccinaucinihilipilification is conspicuously absent.
Some Ontario hospitals have significantly better wait times for various surgical procedures. It's almost like have a FastPass® ticket or Fast Lane transponder for your health care.
Most days I work right up to the end of the day. It's rare that I take the time, particularly at the end of the day, to wrap things up, to review what's been accomplished and not. As a result, the days can tumble over one another, the last one not completed before the next one starts. This article, You can do anything - but not everything, was very helpful when it was first published five years ago. It still makes sense.
[Blogger.com was off the air for most of the day yesterday, so I was unable to post the day's journal entry. I'm not the only one affected. (The piece includes a link to a Wired article with a PG-13 comment.) ]
My friend, Don, liked to work on the cars in this family. His first order of business was to replace the Lucas electrical system. (One Internet commentator calls Lucas, the Prince of Darkness.)
In the 70s, my father owned a couple of old Land Rovers. He used one when he needed to get railroad ties from an old railroad bed near the camp. (The railroad company already removed the rails.) The ties were so long and heavy, however, that they broke the rear axle. The second Land Rover was for parts.
I had an Austin-Healey Sprite during this same period. A real fun car to drive, but so very useless in New England winters. You couldn't see over a tall dog, let alone a snow bank. In cold weather, I had to park it where the morning sun would shine on it. The springs were bad and, during the night, the car body would settle on the tires and the car wouldn't move. Once the sun had warmed the car, including the springs, the body would rise up again and I could drive away.
This little book is essential for anyone who writes. It's also a good resource for those who read; it shows us what is good writing and why it's good. I've known of instructors who would put Strunk & White 14 next to an offending sentence. The book is necessary, but not sufficient. For example, in its list of commonly misspelled words, floccinaucinihilipilification is conspicuously absent.
Some Ontario hospitals have significantly better wait times for various surgical procedures. It's almost like have a FastPass® ticket or Fast Lane transponder for your health care.
Most days I work right up to the end of the day. It's rare that I take the time, particularly at the end of the day, to wrap things up, to review what's been accomplished and not. As a result, the days can tumble over one another, the last one not completed before the next one starts. This article, You can do anything - but not everything, was very helpful when it was first published five years ago. It still makes sense.
[Blogger.com was off the air for most of the day yesterday, so I was unable to post the day's journal entry. I'm not the only one affected. (The piece includes a link to a Wired article with a PG-13 comment.) ]
Thursday, April 07, 2005
perl -e "print \"Hello, World\""
I spent most of yesterday working on some scripts (small programs) to automate some repetitive tasks that the writers must perform when writing or verifying their documents. I'm not sure which is more frustrating - working a long time on something because it's hard or because it can't be done and I don't know it. The work is further complicated when I use multiple languages (JavaScript, shell scripts, FrameScript, Perl, and others). Each language is slightly different, so it's easy to get them confused. In addition, these scripts can behave slightly differently on Windows and UNIX.
One time when we were complaining about finances or work or something along those lines, a member of our family said, "I'll trade checkbooks with you."
Walt Mossberg at the Wall Street Journal has updated his computer buying guide. Walt's clear and respectful writing is unusual among technology professionals. A recent study of AOL users in the UK showed, not surprisingly, that a large percentage of users did not understand the terminology commonly used to describe computer security threats.
By some accounts, between 4 and 10 in 100 email users have bought something from spammers, making it an attractive business.
My grandfather thought that the English system of measurement that was crazy, that it made carpentry and just about everything else more difficult. With the metric system, you can do the arithmetic in your head. (I've worked with engineers who can do hexadecimal math in their heads. It's fun to watch until you realize what they're doing and then it's scary.) On the other side, however, a pilot told me that he didn't like the metric system because a degree covered a wider range of temperature. A temperature of -.5°C is, to this pilot, significantly colder than -.5°F when you're watching for ice formation on your wings. Anyway, today is the 210th anniversary of France's adoption of the metre (meter). A couple of years ago, Ken Alder published The Measure of All Things, telling the story of the astronomers who tried to establish the length of the meter.
If we have time on Saturday, we'd like to get to the River Rat Race in Athol.
One time when we were complaining about finances or work or something along those lines, a member of our family said, "I'll trade checkbooks with you."
Walt Mossberg at the Wall Street Journal has updated his computer buying guide. Walt's clear and respectful writing is unusual among technology professionals. A recent study of AOL users in the UK showed, not surprisingly, that a large percentage of users did not understand the terminology commonly used to describe computer security threats.
By some accounts, between 4 and 10 in 100 email users have bought something from spammers, making it an attractive business.
My grandfather thought that the English system of measurement that was crazy, that it made carpentry and just about everything else more difficult. With the metric system, you can do the arithmetic in your head. (I've worked with engineers who can do hexadecimal math in their heads. It's fun to watch until you realize what they're doing and then it's scary.) On the other side, however, a pilot told me that he didn't like the metric system because a degree covered a wider range of temperature. A temperature of -.5°C is, to this pilot, significantly colder than -.5°F when you're watching for ice formation on your wings. Anyway, today is the 210th anniversary of France's adoption of the metre (meter). A couple of years ago, Ken Alder published The Measure of All Things, telling the story of the astronomers who tried to establish the length of the meter.
If we have time on Saturday, we'd like to get to the River Rat Race in Athol.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Instant Birds
There's a large spruce tree in front of our house. When I came home from work yesterday afternoon, the tree was filled with the sounds of birds. Until now, the tree has been mostly silent. We used to have a pair of Springer spaniels, Bob and Raye. In the good weather, we'd leave a window open in the laundry room where they stayed during the day. A mockingbird in the spruce tree was able to mimic Raye's keening perfectly.
On the way to work yesterday I stopped for gasoline. It's difficult to buy gas because so many people have parked their cars and gone in for their white chocolate raspberry latte (which, you'll be pleased to know, contains no crustaceans). The station had run out of 2s for its price signs and had to make do with hand-drawn numerals.
The overnight news brings the report of Prince Rainier's death. His son, Prince Albert, who assumed royal duties during his father's illness, is reported to be an interesting guy.
During my evanescent graduate career, I took a course with David Hackett Fisher, who won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for history.
A Boston-based restaurant chain, Legal Sea Foods, has joined the boycott of Canadian seafood products in protest over the seal hunt.
On the way to work yesterday I stopped for gasoline. It's difficult to buy gas because so many people have parked their cars and gone in for their white chocolate raspberry latte (which, you'll be pleased to know, contains no crustaceans). The station had run out of 2s for its price signs and had to make do with hand-drawn numerals.
[At a well-known coffee chain]Peter Jennings of ABC News announced yesterday that he has lung cancer. It's been nearly 20 years since my last cigarette and longer for Sandra, but stopping confers no immunity. It probably didn't help that, as a kid, I played with the sheets of asbestos cloth that my father had for his welding business.
"A venti Americano, please."
"Room?" asks the young woman behind the counter.
"?"
"Room?"
"Oh, ah, no, black"
[a couple of minutes later]
"Venti Americano with room," says the barista.
The overnight news brings the report of Prince Rainier's death. His son, Prince Albert, who assumed royal duties during his father's illness, is reported to be an interesting guy.
During my evanescent graduate career, I took a course with David Hackett Fisher, who won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for history.
A Boston-based restaurant chain, Legal Sea Foods, has joined the boycott of Canadian seafood products in protest over the seal hunt.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Enough of the ice has melted on Lake Quinsigamond to let the rowing crews get in some practice time. Even though they're working very hard, it had to be cold on the lake that's just above freezing. I could see the skullers as I drove home along Route 9 after I did some grocery shopping. Commuting is a lot easier now. For the years that I was driving to Lexington, the weekly Starts & Stops column in the Boston Globe was a must-read.
The rains have let up and the floods were not as bad as predicted.
My return to the office was alright, at least until the afternoon. I met with an engineer who had a lot of comments (few favorable) about a book that we'd just released. My biggest problem wasn't that I made mistakes, but that I'd not included him in the final review. He wasn't on the formal review list and should have been. There were just a couple of minor things that were actually incorrect. Several sections were not clear and could lead the reader to do the wrong things. It's too late to fix these sections for this release. We may be sending out an update in a month; I hope to make these corrections this week.
A VP at a former company used to say, "Make new mistakes."
I can take a small measure of comfort that I'm not the only one who's making mistakes these days:
We're meeting with the Phillipston Conservation Commission on Saturday to inspect the site of our proposed septic system. So, we won't be able to attend the rescheduled event. I guess we'll just have to send a gift.
The rains have let up and the floods were not as bad as predicted.
My return to the office was alright, at least until the afternoon. I met with an engineer who had a lot of comments (few favorable) about a book that we'd just released. My biggest problem wasn't that I made mistakes, but that I'd not included him in the final review. He wasn't on the formal review list and should have been. There were just a couple of minor things that were actually incorrect. Several sections were not clear and could lead the reader to do the wrong things. It's too late to fix these sections for this release. We may be sending out an update in a month; I hope to make these corrections this week.
A VP at a former company used to say, "Make new mistakes."
I can take a small measure of comfort that I'm not the only one who's making mistakes these days:
- "The exact time of death, I think is not something that matters so much at this moment...," notes Fox News Channel's Shep Smith, after prematurely announcing that the Pope had died. Transcription and video are here. Of course, none of the media was flawless.
- Yesterday's mail brought me a free Schick Quattro.
- The Red Sox made two errors in their opening game.
We're meeting with the Phillipston Conservation Commission on Saturday to inspect the site of our proposed septic system. So, we won't be able to attend the rescheduled event. I guess we'll just have to send a gift.
Monday, April 04, 2005
4/4. Perhaps the most commonly used time signature. It's also a day in April. A month from now, the time signature of the day gets more interesting.
Yeah, the Red Sox lost the opener. Reality trumps fantasy this week. Pitching is going to be their weakness, as it is most years. And no one is going to win a lot of games against a first-ballot Hall of Famer such as Randy Johnson. (Here's a video clip of RJ's most famous bird-hunting trip.) These guys are, IMO, doing an interesting job of chronicling the baseball season as they see it.
Yesterday morning we had the chance to babysit for a few hours. We had good fun. They're such great kids, each unique, a lot of fun and very responsible. When we had a question, particularly regarding the care of Cassandra, Tess (6) was quick to find us what we needed.
My father continues to do pretty well at this new, slower pace. During our visit, I reset the clock on his television to the time of the season. He didn't need much more assistance this week. Stairs are still a problem for him. He needs to go to the cellar to have his sauna and, during rainy spells such as this, to check on the sump pump. We're still hoping that we can get a railing for the stairs that lead from the parking area to the camp.
Recently I received a call from a friend looking for advice. A dentist had refused to work on him because my friend's blood pressure was too high. My friend called, looking for another dentist. He hasn't been to a doctor in many years. He didn't like the doctors he'd seen because it seemed like they were too willing to prescribe a lot of pills. I suggested a few resources where he might be able to find a doctor with a different approach to healing and medicine, including osteopaths. That led to a discussion of chiropractic and massage. He'd recently had a massage and was particularly pleased, not only because the massage was helpful, but also because the masseuse is a bartender.
We can be comforted that, no matter when the Pope's funeral will take place, the Royal Wedding will go on. I know that you were worried.
The National Weather Service has been declaring, rescinding, and declaring flood warnings throughout the state. (I've used the Emergency Email service for several years; it provides me with email notifications of watches and warnings. Sometimes I have the messages sent to my cell phone when we're going to be at the camp and away from the Internet.) The flooding looks to be damaging, but not deadly. Snow is troublesome, but water is much worse. A snowplow or snowblower isn't much good against rising waters.
It will be windy for the seal hunt.
Yeah, the Red Sox lost the opener. Reality trumps fantasy this week. Pitching is going to be their weakness, as it is most years. And no one is going to win a lot of games against a first-ballot Hall of Famer such as Randy Johnson. (Here's a video clip of RJ's most famous bird-hunting trip.) These guys are, IMO, doing an interesting job of chronicling the baseball season as they see it.
Yesterday morning we had the chance to babysit for a few hours. We had good fun. They're such great kids, each unique, a lot of fun and very responsible. When we had a question, particularly regarding the care of Cassandra, Tess (6) was quick to find us what we needed.
My father continues to do pretty well at this new, slower pace. During our visit, I reset the clock on his television to the time of the season. He didn't need much more assistance this week. Stairs are still a problem for him. He needs to go to the cellar to have his sauna and, during rainy spells such as this, to check on the sump pump. We're still hoping that we can get a railing for the stairs that lead from the parking area to the camp.
Recently I received a call from a friend looking for advice. A dentist had refused to work on him because my friend's blood pressure was too high. My friend called, looking for another dentist. He hasn't been to a doctor in many years. He didn't like the doctors he'd seen because it seemed like they were too willing to prescribe a lot of pills. I suggested a few resources where he might be able to find a doctor with a different approach to healing and medicine, including osteopaths. That led to a discussion of chiropractic and massage. He'd recently had a massage and was particularly pleased, not only because the massage was helpful, but also because the masseuse is a bartender.
We can be comforted that, no matter when the Pope's funeral will take place, the Royal Wedding will go on. I know that you were worried.
The National Weather Service has been declaring, rescinding, and declaring flood warnings throughout the state. (I've used the Emergency Email service for several years; it provides me with email notifications of watches and warnings. Sometimes I have the messages sent to my cell phone when we're going to be at the camp and away from the Internet.) The flooding looks to be damaging, but not deadly. Snow is troublesome, but water is much worse. A snowplow or snowblower isn't much good against rising waters.
It will be windy for the seal hunt.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Spring forward, fall down.
Sandra has brought in forsythia cuttings and placed them in water next to the stove. They are flowering, first yellow, then green.
The Vatican will be center of attention during this time of mourning. We'll see centuries-old traditions to guide and strengthen the Church. But, we'll see these traditions played out on massive TV screens in St. Peter's Square, the images broadcast by satellite to all the world. The Vatican press service sends SMS text messages to journalists, telling them when to expect an announcement from the Vatican press office. I remember watching television and seeing the puff of white smoke that signified the election of Paul VI. It could have been a live broadcast, but I suspect that it was on film.
John Paul II's contrition and strength, his own and on behalf of the Church, brought great healing between Catholics and Jews. "You are our elder brothers," he said when visited the Synagogue of Rome in 1986.
He spoke of peace. He spoke directly to the powerful, saying that peace was their obligation. That our leaders choose now to talk of his message of freedom, rather than of peace, is telling.
And he gave us the gift of a brave death. It's truly brave to share with us a failing body and to show the acceptance of death as a part of the whole of life. My mother and step-father were similarly generous, for which I will be forever grateful.
What, then, do we make of other matters, such as the ordination of women, putting doctrine ahead of life, and a slow and muted response to a contemporary evil? Every person, from the most lowly to the most exalted, brings a wealth of beliefs, strengths, and weaknesses. If we're to have a relationship, we'll have a relationship with the whole person. We'll live in the midst of contradictions in us and in the other. And that's what makes the days worthwhile.
In a parallel universe, where the old are young forever, it's Opening Day, the Red Sox against the Yankees.
Sandra has brought in forsythia cuttings and placed them in water next to the stove. They are flowering, first yellow, then green.
The Vatican will be center of attention during this time of mourning. We'll see centuries-old traditions to guide and strengthen the Church. But, we'll see these traditions played out on massive TV screens in St. Peter's Square, the images broadcast by satellite to all the world. The Vatican press service sends SMS text messages to journalists, telling them when to expect an announcement from the Vatican press office. I remember watching television and seeing the puff of white smoke that signified the election of Paul VI. It could have been a live broadcast, but I suspect that it was on film.
John Paul II's contrition and strength, his own and on behalf of the Church, brought great healing between Catholics and Jews. "You are our elder brothers," he said when visited the Synagogue of Rome in 1986.
He spoke of peace. He spoke directly to the powerful, saying that peace was their obligation. That our leaders choose now to talk of his message of freedom, rather than of peace, is telling.
And he gave us the gift of a brave death. It's truly brave to share with us a failing body and to show the acceptance of death as a part of the whole of life. My mother and step-father were similarly generous, for which I will be forever grateful.
What, then, do we make of other matters, such as the ordination of women, putting doctrine ahead of life, and a slow and muted response to a contemporary evil? Every person, from the most lowly to the most exalted, brings a wealth of beliefs, strengths, and weaknesses. If we're to have a relationship, we'll have a relationship with the whole person. We'll live in the midst of contradictions in us and in the other. And that's what makes the days worthwhile.
In a parallel universe, where the old are young forever, it's Opening Day, the Red Sox against the Yankees.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
"The facts are the facts," said the Fox News announcer, reporting the death of the Pope, yesterday at 1:30 PM.
The death of public figures in the era of round-the-clock cable news channels is still new to us. Unfortunately, after a while, the coverage begins to look a bit like the coverage of O.J.'s slow-speed chase.
We last experienced the death of a pope in 1978, with the passing of Paul VI. At the time, I was driving a three-cylinder Saab with a pump that automatically mixed oil with the gas. The pump failed without my knowing it. The engine seized as I was driving down Route 2. It wasn't worth it to replace the engine, so I found a Plymouth Valiant of recent vintage. A few weeks later, John Paul I died suddenly. So did the reportedly indestructible slant-6 engine in my Valiant. The other day, Sandra and I were riding together and she remarked, "Is your transmission slipping? Your car is running rough."
We use conference calls in work constantly. There are times when several family members or friends need to be able to work through something on the phone and where a conference call would be very handy. I've not used this service, but it seems like a very good idea.
My work doesn't rouse these kinds of passions.
Our computers automatically adjust for Daylight Savings Time. The other clocks in the house and car and on our wrists need to be adjusted manually this evening. In 1974 Richard Nixon issued an order that we set our clocks ahead an hour in January because of the shortage of fuel. When I worked the graveyard shift on the nights that we set our clocks ahead, I insisted on being paid for the full eight hours, even though we worked just the seven. Today's Boston Globe carries a a review of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time by Michael Downing, what looks to be an interesting history of how we arrived at this odd ritual.
The death of public figures in the era of round-the-clock cable news channels is still new to us. Unfortunately, after a while, the coverage begins to look a bit like the coverage of O.J.'s slow-speed chase.
We last experienced the death of a pope in 1978, with the passing of Paul VI. At the time, I was driving a three-cylinder Saab with a pump that automatically mixed oil with the gas. The pump failed without my knowing it. The engine seized as I was driving down Route 2. It wasn't worth it to replace the engine, so I found a Plymouth Valiant of recent vintage. A few weeks later, John Paul I died suddenly. So did the reportedly indestructible slant-6 engine in my Valiant. The other day, Sandra and I were riding together and she remarked, "Is your transmission slipping? Your car is running rough."
We use conference calls in work constantly. There are times when several family members or friends need to be able to work through something on the phone and where a conference call would be very handy. I've not used this service, but it seems like a very good idea.
My work doesn't rouse these kinds of passions.
Our computers automatically adjust for Daylight Savings Time. The other clocks in the house and car and on our wrists need to be adjusted manually this evening. In 1974 Richard Nixon issued an order that we set our clocks ahead an hour in January because of the shortage of fuel. When I worked the graveyard shift on the nights that we set our clocks ahead, I insisted on being paid for the full eight hours, even though we worked just the seven. Today's Boston Globe carries a a review of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time by Michael Downing, what looks to be an interesting history of how we arrived at this odd ritual.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Rabbit, Rabbit.
April 1 is Finnish Moose-Carving Day and Intolerance Day (not to be confused with Food Intolerance Day in January), but I cannot find any more information on these celebrations.
Yeah, I know that it's also April Fool's Day. Goodness knows that we need a laugh. But, who needs to manufacture foolishness when foolishness is growing on trees? Last night, during a local TV discussion of Terri Schiavo's last days, the moderator asked, "Did any politician behave honorably during this time?" The panelists could think of no one.
Automated technical documentation job search finding of the day: Food and Beverage Director in Cody, Wyoming: Provides food and beverage services by overseeing all culinary, restaurant, beverage, bar, room service, and banquet operations.
A report out on the wire services shows a genetic link to a condition called Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome.
My mother was a champion of peace, but her love of sending and receiving mail would have taken her peaceable nature to the limit by this.
Today's the final day of class. I've learned quite a bit and will be able to apply more of it than I'd thought. In addition to topics such as Active Directory and access control lists, I learned about a Windows Registry setting that lets me recover deleted messages from an Exchange server using Outlook.
We had hoped to get to the camp this weekend, but the forecast calls for flooding rains. We'd be in no danger from the heavy rain, but we'd also be able to do little outside. I have overdue tasks at home, including the collection of information to present to our financial planner so that she can tell us to save more.
April 1 is Finnish Moose-Carving Day and Intolerance Day (not to be confused with Food Intolerance Day in January), but I cannot find any more information on these celebrations.
Yeah, I know that it's also April Fool's Day. Goodness knows that we need a laugh. But, who needs to manufacture foolishness when foolishness is growing on trees? Last night, during a local TV discussion of Terri Schiavo's last days, the moderator asked, "Did any politician behave honorably during this time?" The panelists could think of no one.
Automated technical documentation job search finding of the day: Food and Beverage Director in Cody, Wyoming: Provides food and beverage services by overseeing all culinary, restaurant, beverage, bar, room service, and banquet operations.
A report out on the wire services shows a genetic link to a condition called Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome.
My mother was a champion of peace, but her love of sending and receiving mail would have taken her peaceable nature to the limit by this.
Today's the final day of class. I've learned quite a bit and will be able to apply more of it than I'd thought. In addition to topics such as Active Directory and access control lists, I learned about a Windows Registry setting that lets me recover deleted messages from an Exchange server using Outlook.
We had hoped to get to the camp this weekend, but the forecast calls for flooding rains. We'd be in no danger from the heavy rain, but we'd also be able to do little outside. I have overdue tasks at home, including the collection of information to present to our financial planner so that she can tell us to save more.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
For the first time in a long time, the words snow, cold, freeze, or ice don't appear in the weather service's seven-day forecast. Yesterday the temperature nudged 60°F (4.5 cubits). The yard continues to give up items that have been covered by snow for these many months - a dog toy, a shovel, a cluster of snow drops.
Not only is my work not hard, but I don't have an international crowd watching me. And people aren't stealing my hat.
Walt Mossberg at the Wall Street Journal reviewed a couple job-search websites in this morning's edition. The Journal also provides free access to many resources on its Career Journal site.
Those Aussies are a tough breed. The promise of death isn't sufficient; you have to hit 'em where it really hurts.
There are pictures, mercifully not online, of me 15 years ago looking pretty much like this guy, who, in turn, looks kind of like this guy. (I regret that we're going have to miss this year's World Beard and Moustache Championships in Berlin.)
Not only is my work not hard, but I don't have an international crowd watching me. And people aren't stealing my hat.
Walt Mossberg at the Wall Street Journal reviewed a couple job-search websites in this morning's edition. The Journal also provides free access to many resources on its Career Journal site.
Those Aussies are a tough breed. The promise of death isn't sufficient; you have to hit 'em where it really hurts.
There are pictures, mercifully not online, of me 15 years ago looking pretty much like this guy, who, in turn, looks kind of like this guy. (I regret that we're going have to miss this year's World Beard and Moustache Championships in Berlin.)
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Day 1 of the course was interesting enough. As with many people, most of my technical education has been on-the-fly. I've learned enough to solve a problem or learned a bit from looking over the shoulder of the person who's fixing the problem I'd created. It's good to have a chance to learn some fundamentals, to fill in the gaps. (The most dangerous kind of ignorance is when you don't know that you don't know.) The course doesn't have direct applicability to my job, but the indirect applications are useful enough.
The automated job searches continue to delight and amaze. Searches for technical documentation positions brought a lead for a position as a chef at Nordstrom and an International Demonstrator Training Specialist opportunity at a company "that manufactures and distributes beautifully designed, high quality rubber stamps and accessories...."
This court ruling, if it holds up, could have big implications for people working from home and maybe even working in remote offices.
Our local grocery store had a sale on blueberries, which we enjoy on our breakfast cereal. The brand is South Pacific. Now, South Pacific usually brings images of the Broadway show, movie, or various cast recordings or of Marlon Brando, not Augusto Pinochet.
If I want to learn about programming tools and setup, you can bet that my first stop will be http://floccinaucinihilipilification.net/.
The automated job searches continue to delight and amaze. Searches for technical documentation positions brought a lead for a position as a chef at Nordstrom and an International Demonstrator Training Specialist opportunity at a company "that manufactures and distributes beautifully designed, high quality rubber stamps and accessories...."
This court ruling, if it holds up, could have big implications for people working from home and maybe even working in remote offices.
Our local grocery store had a sale on blueberries, which we enjoy on our breakfast cereal. The brand is South Pacific. Now, South Pacific usually brings images of the Broadway show, movie, or various cast recordings or of Marlon Brando, not Augusto Pinochet.
If I want to learn about programming tools and setup, you can bet that my first stop will be http://floccinaucinihilipilification.net/.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Some things we rely on without even thinking about them, such as the firmament beneath us.
Here, the earth is steady and a cold rain falls. There have been warning about floods in some low-lying areas because of the heavy rain. The low temperature, just a few degrees above freezing, has slowed the snow melt.
This week brings the first change in my work routine since I started this job. I'll travel to another town for my training. The classes are scheduled for 9-5. With breaks, that yields about six hours of instruction. My head certainly feels empty enough to receive new material.
For your next candlelight supper, here's a special after-dinner coffee with this for dessert. Oh, and don't worry about these snacks; they're baked, not fried.
If your phone isn't ringing enough, put up an ad that offers computer repair service.
I'm glad that I don't have to look for a job right now. Job-hunting, including, but not limited to the interviewing process, requires a level of marketing energy that I just don't have right now. I keep alert to possibilities, such as following up with a former co-worker who occasionally needs documentation support for his consulting business. And, I read articles about online job searches, such as this (NYT, free registration required). That's about it for now, though.
Here, the earth is steady and a cold rain falls. There have been warning about floods in some low-lying areas because of the heavy rain. The low temperature, just a few degrees above freezing, has slowed the snow melt.
This week brings the first change in my work routine since I started this job. I'll travel to another town for my training. The classes are scheduled for 9-5. With breaks, that yields about six hours of instruction. My head certainly feels empty enough to receive new material.
For your next candlelight supper, here's a special after-dinner coffee with this for dessert. Oh, and don't worry about these snacks; they're baked, not fried.
If your phone isn't ringing enough, put up an ad that offers computer repair service.
I'm glad that I don't have to look for a job right now. Job-hunting, including, but not limited to the interviewing process, requires a level of marketing energy that I just don't have right now. I keep alert to possibilities, such as following up with a former co-worker who occasionally needs documentation support for his consulting business. And, I read articles about online job searches, such as this (NYT, free registration required). That's about it for now, though.
Monday, March 28, 2005
This should be a quiet day, a quiet week, in fact. I plan to spend the day taking care of various tasks, some several weeks old, that I'd been ignoring while we worked on the release. Tomorrow through Thursday, I'll be in training. One of the rules-of-thumb that we use regarding training is that knowledge should be applied within about three weeks or it's pretty much lost. I don't have any requests for Microsoft Exchange Server administrative services in my queue, so there's a risk that my new knowledge might leak onto the floor.
We had a great time at Mike and Lynn's yesterday afternoon. Good food, good fellowship, plenty of chances to visit with Miss Cassandra. Before Easter dinner, we visited with my father, who was having an off day. I spent most of the visit working with him to remove the Spanish subtitles that were showing up on channel 5. He has three remote controls, each of which only works partially, so you need at least two to get anything done.
"People were not tuning into other people because they're tuned into themselves," observes a principal in Australia as she explains why she's banned iPods from her school. Of course, workers face perils from too much outside stimulation, too.
You can use recycled toothbrushes to keep your green teeth healthy.
If you see Goliath, tell him to stay from this Vermont town.
A friend wrote to ask why Ad-Aware was finding problems on his system that Spybot wasn't. Unfortunately, adware, spyware, and the broad category of stuff called malware requires more than one program to keep your system clean and functioning safely. Here's a summary of the (free) programs that are good to have and use. The bad guys seem intent on making computing a miserable experience. Add in viruses, worms, and spam, and you start to wonder, "Is it worth it?" Well, in my opinion, yes, it's worth it, but there is work involved. This is a place where the big service provides, such as AOL, Earthlink, and the cable Internet providers can make a big difference by providing comprehensive protection services. I'll also put in a plug for my favorite web browser, Firefox. Although not immune to the bad stuff, it offers protections that you don't get with Internet Explorer.
We have a cold rain this morning. It started as freezing rain, but has warmed since sunrise. Tonight we should get some fog, hastening the snow melt.
We had a great time at Mike and Lynn's yesterday afternoon. Good food, good fellowship, plenty of chances to visit with Miss Cassandra. Before Easter dinner, we visited with my father, who was having an off day. I spent most of the visit working with him to remove the Spanish subtitles that were showing up on channel 5. He has three remote controls, each of which only works partially, so you need at least two to get anything done.
"People were not tuning into other people because they're tuned into themselves," observes a principal in Australia as she explains why she's banned iPods from her school. Of course, workers face perils from too much outside stimulation, too.
You can use recycled toothbrushes to keep your green teeth healthy.
If you see Goliath, tell him to stay from this Vermont town.
A friend wrote to ask why Ad-Aware was finding problems on his system that Spybot wasn't. Unfortunately, adware, spyware, and the broad category of stuff called malware requires more than one program to keep your system clean and functioning safely. Here's a summary of the (free) programs that are good to have and use. The bad guys seem intent on making computing a miserable experience. Add in viruses, worms, and spam, and you start to wonder, "Is it worth it?" Well, in my opinion, yes, it's worth it, but there is work involved. This is a place where the big service provides, such as AOL, Earthlink, and the cable Internet providers can make a big difference by providing comprehensive protection services. I'll also put in a plug for my favorite web browser, Firefox. Although not immune to the bad stuff, it offers protections that you don't get with Internet Explorer.
We have a cold rain this morning. It started as freezing rain, but has warmed since sunrise. Tonight we should get some fog, hastening the snow melt.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Hyvää Pääsiäistä or Onnellista Pääsiäistä. If you can pronounce either of them, help yourself to an egg. (Most of the eastern church won't celebrate Easter until May 1. The Finnish church has used the Gregorian calendar since 1920 to determine the date of Easter.)
Sandra and I went grocery shopping last evening, picking up a few things for today's Easter dinner at Mike and Lynn's and to pick up our own groceries for the week. The place was three-alarm bonkers. At one point, the store manager announced that there would be a clearance sale on cookies. Folks headed for the tables like it was Filene's Basement. To their credit, eople were polite as they bumped into each other. I'm told that this frenzy has something to do with the resurrection of Christ Jesus.
Today's installment of "I work hard, but what I do isn't hard work." comes from our own back yard. Sandra and I stacked wood yesterday morning. Somehow, the guy who cuts, splits, and delivers our wood makes a living at it. He can produce enough wood at a low enough price that he can sell it and still make a decent wage.
Along those lines, you can now live a simulated version of someone else's live with Real Lives. The latest version includes, and I'm not making this up, "Fixed bug in configuration file that caused diseases not to appear in some cases"
I work with technology a lot and so see its limitations. Sometimes you just can't trust the clicker to do the right thing. Sometimes the V-Chip doesn't give you the control you need. Rest assured. Here's a gadget that will keep Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter from all 525 lines on your TV screen.
For the first time in a very long time, the week's forecast doesn't include the word snow. Yesterday we had our morning coffee break on the front porch and lunch on the back porch, each time enjoying the strong March sunshine.
The snow is still a foot or more deep in much of the back yard. We'll work on the wood pile this morning, visit my father at noon, and then go to M&L's. (We invited my father to dinner, but he doesn't attend large gatherings anymore.) It will be a full day and a good day. We have more than our share of blessings.
Sandra and I went grocery shopping last evening, picking up a few things for today's Easter dinner at Mike and Lynn's and to pick up our own groceries for the week. The place was three-alarm bonkers. At one point, the store manager announced that there would be a clearance sale on cookies. Folks headed for the tables like it was Filene's Basement. To their credit, eople were polite as they bumped into each other. I'm told that this frenzy has something to do with the resurrection of Christ Jesus.
Today's installment of "I work hard, but what I do isn't hard work." comes from our own back yard. Sandra and I stacked wood yesterday morning. Somehow, the guy who cuts, splits, and delivers our wood makes a living at it. He can produce enough wood at a low enough price that he can sell it and still make a decent wage.
Along those lines, you can now live a simulated version of someone else's live with Real Lives. The latest version includes, and I'm not making this up, "Fixed bug in configuration file that caused diseases not to appear in some cases"
I work with technology a lot and so see its limitations. Sometimes you just can't trust the clicker to do the right thing. Sometimes the V-Chip doesn't give you the control you need. Rest assured. Here's a gadget that will keep Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter from all 525 lines on your TV screen.
For the first time in a very long time, the week's forecast doesn't include the word snow. Yesterday we had our morning coffee break on the front porch and lunch on the back porch, each time enjoying the strong March sunshine.
The snow is still a foot or more deep in much of the back yard. We'll work on the wood pile this morning, visit my father at noon, and then go to M&L's. (We invited my father to dinner, but he doesn't attend large gatherings anymore.) It will be a full day and a good day. We have more than our share of blessings.
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Not surprisingly, Marley has been subdued since he got home from the vet's yesterday. He does his usual stuff - eat, inspect the yard, wag his tail when he hears Sandra get up - but does so slowly. We can take the bandage off of his foot on Monday if he hasn't already chewed it off. So far, he's left it alone. We'll return to the doctor's in two weeks to find out what's next.
I left the office early yesterday afternoon. The project leader was making the final CD. We're done with the release. On balance, I believe that we produced a better product than we did in the previous release. I'm pretty sure that we won't make it into the Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness. I hope that, in the coming months, I will be doing less writing and more work with the systems and software that the team uses.
My manager reports that he's extended my contract, so it looks as though I'll have work through the summer. I'm relieved. I'm not ready to start interviewing for jobs again.
In the early 90s, AT&T did a study of its staff in an attempt to find out why some engineers were more effective than others. They equalized for intelligence, education, and experience. The study indicated that the effective engineers were the ones who built their personal networks before they needed it. When they ran into to trouble, they knew who to contact and those people would answer the phone. This article reports much the same. (Here's his blog.)
Let's see, a hair dryer that looks like a gun. What could possibly go wrong? Oh, and don't forget something for the kiddies. Let them have stuffed animals mounted like hunting trophies.
I left the office early yesterday afternoon. The project leader was making the final CD. We're done with the release. On balance, I believe that we produced a better product than we did in the previous release. I'm pretty sure that we won't make it into the Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness. I hope that, in the coming months, I will be doing less writing and more work with the systems and software that the team uses.
My manager reports that he's extended my contract, so it looks as though I'll have work through the summer. I'm relieved. I'm not ready to start interviewing for jobs again.
In the early 90s, AT&T did a study of its staff in an attempt to find out why some engineers were more effective than others. They equalized for intelligence, education, and experience. The study indicated that the effective engineers were the ones who built their personal networks before they needed it. When they ran into to trouble, they knew who to contact and those people would answer the phone. This article reports much the same. (Here's his blog.)
Let's see, a hair dryer that looks like a gun. What could possibly go wrong? Oh, and don't forget something for the kiddies. Let them have stuffed animals mounted like hunting trophies.
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