Blog Question Of The Day:

Should I buy a battery charger?

There is the distinct possibility that I'm cursed.

This morning was the morning from hell. I don't even know how to write it, with enough energy to accurately portray the series of events that bordered on catastrophe. Likewise, it is somewhat surreal to reach 2:00 in the afternoon, and discover that you've met all the challenges of the morning, and find yourself back at square one.

First bad thing to happen this morning was . . . the truck didn't start. What the hell is up with that? Its not THAT cold out. It should have turned over. I was not amused. Fine, deal with it, get a ride to work.

Second bad thing, after I arranged for an appointment to get it looked at, the guy from TJ Electric shows up, to review the SCADA system (remote monitoring) in Okanese, and discuss the potential for a similar system for Balmoral. I'd forgotten about that. So, I had to deal with this guy, and shelf the, fix the truck, plan.

Third bad thing, we install PCanywhere on my desktop computer, as that is the method by which is remote monitor this treatment plant. We install and there's the typical, request to reboot. Fine, I gotta hook up modem cables anyway. The phone cables take me several minutes, and in the mean time, my computer is rebooting, over and over again.

Fourth bad thing, the guy who's here to show me how to remotely sample the system in Okanese, can not get his software to work. He's sitting in my guest chair, working on his laptop, while I try to fix mine.

Bad things three and four continue to battle each other for dominance through the rest of the morning, and right up until lunch. Finally, after an exhaustive process I find out what the problem is, and am able to move towards fixing it. Its 12:!5 now, and I finally go for lunch.

Fifth bad thing to happen this day, my truck STILL won't start, even though its considerably warmer, and I've had it plugged in for 5 hours. I'm honked right off about that but, my boss has a battery charger and about 1 minute from that and she turns over finally. Still, Sherwood and I are going to have a discussion about what the hell is going on with my truck.

So its been a collection of misadventures in my life today. How are all of you?

P.S. Thanks to all that responded to my 'poll'. I appreciate the feedback.

Blog Site Of The Day:

Nabisco CandyLand Online Golf

Okay, we're going to do something a little different today. Our post for the day is going to be a 'Blog Question Of The Day' but with a twist.

Unless I subscribe to the 'subscription' Blogger model, I can't collect statistics on my site, how many people are reading it, and so on. I have contemplated going that route but, it seems like a poor choice to make since I can get around the 'no pictures' problem by posting to them to my SaskTel web site, and linking to that in the blog. The only other thing I want is the counter, and we're going to try and get around that right here.

Part one of this mysterious blog posting is, to collect site statistics. Do you read my blog? If so, please respond to the email posted on the page. There are probably some of you that want to remain anonymous. I'm okay with that. Set up a bogus Hotmail (or Yahoo, Mail.com, Netscape, etc) and email me with 'I read your blog' I just want numbers. I don't need names.

Part two. This is an issue that has become more and more prominent lately. It came to a head with my 'Janet Jackson' post of a couple days ago. The Question Of The Day is, do you think I should pursue some type of professional writing assignment? I'm not looking for a pat on the back. Several people have said I should, so I'm just curious about whether this is a general consensus or whether I'm only hearing from half of my readership.

Its all voluntary. I'm just curious about these two things. Thanks for listening.

Toodles!


P.S. I couldn't think of anything to rant about today. I spent the day being pissed off about Mouse. I didn't want to spit venom about that yet again. Thus, my lame appeal for feedback.

The translation of the word 'Souris' from French to English is, Mouse.

I guess I hate mice.

I hate Souris.

Isn't this just so typical? Haven't we got bigger, more important things to get excited about?

Okay, she exposed her breast. Big deal. And it wasn't even complete nudity. There was some stupid piece of jewelry covering the part that, by fairly common agreement, is essential to determining whether a woman is revealing too much or not. And now they want federal inquiries on decency, fines, penalties, and on and on and on until you can't blather on about it any more because your throat is hoarse.

Its a boob. For crying out loud people, can't we put this in the right context? There are soldiers dying in a foreign land, for a reason that is turning out to be spurious. There are children being abused, and living on the street, selling their souls for $5 and the chance to eat for the first time in a week. There are people dying of diseases we can't cure. With all of this other heartbreak going on, real people suffering real indignities, the sight of one woman's partially exposed breast, is the thing that we can't get past?

Grow up people. All the adults in the world ought to have the sense of reason to know that seeing one breast will not bring down upon us the fall of the heavens. And to those that scream in anguish 'think of the children!' I have some wisdom. Kids don't care. Curious they might be, but offended they are not. Nor should you be. Its one breast, on one stage, at one event. Was it the most tactful choice to have made. No, probably not, considering the zealots who live for an opportunity to get excited about something like this. But is it indecent? Hardly.

Its a breast people. Every woman has them. Grow up, and find something more important to crusade about.

Okay, rant number two for today.

Why the hell don't people just listen to me!?!

Here we are again with this infamous plant, who's name I will no longer utter. Back in December we were experiencing troubles with this plant. I gathered up all the data, and did some fairly intensive analysis of what was going on, what the problem was, what was the cause, and how to fix it. After all of that, I came to a conclusion, and wrote a nice, very objective, non-accusatory letter outlining the cause of the problem, and what the solution should be. I tried to be even-handed, thorough, and completely non-judgemental.

I got my ass handed to me on a platter. The consultant, the one we know and love, called my boss, and bitched me out about this letter. I wasn't blaming anyone, but it took complete offense to it, and basically ripped me a new one. To say he was angry would be putting it mildly. And this was to a letter I had attempted to keep friendly, and professional.

A couple weeks passed and the situation did not improve. I wrote another letter, again trying not to honk anyone off. In short form, I stated that the system was continuing to perform poorly, for the reasons I had already outlined, and we still needed to change operation of the system to improve results. My polite letter was again responded to with vitriole.

Now it is February, and the town's co-owner, in the form of provincial water governing body, has decided to speak up. First he calls me, and asks me what the situation is, and what needs to be done to make things work better. I explain what my position is, and what I think will remedy our problem. He thanks me for the opinion and we hang up.

Not 30 minutes later I get a fax from the consulting engineer. Sequencing of the plant will be changed immediately, to exactly what I had suggested almost two months ago.

This drives me up the wall. The consultant can stick it in my left ear, and scream that we aren't going to change the sequencing. Even though it is obviously contributing to the deterioration of performance in the total water treatment package. My good intentions and due dilligence is stomped on by arrogance and pride. Then one call from someone else, and we reverse directions immediately.

AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

Okay, I have to rant. Again. Stupid people!

What the hell is wrong with some people? Why don't they sit down, and figure out their situation, before getting all excited and starting to phone? I don't understand this.

This guy, on one of our jobs, phoned this morning wanting to know where his equipment was. We knew nothing about it, as we figured that all the material was on site and either, installed, or waiting to be installed. There was no news about additional parts to supply. But this guy is all excited, and why isn't the unit complete, and when are you coming to fix it, and where are the parts. Your basic whine of anyone that wants something, and has no control over its delivery.

So I get on this, and see what's wrong, and how to fix it. I take the excited guy out of the equation and talk to my technician, who's on site trying to finish this job out. I go through with him everything on the unit, and what's wrong, what's missing, and what do we need to do. I get myself an accurate read on the situation and go about remedying it.

A few minutes later we get another call. The excited guy was completely out to lunch, and all parts were on site, and installed. Some of them had not been hooked up, and thus looked defective when they were just inoperative. This nitwit had to go and stir up all this fuss, when all he really needed to do was check to see why things weren't working.

I hate people that do that! Examine your situation critically, and not from the hip, and often the solution is right in front of you. Don't use the phone just because its handy! Use your eyes, and you sense of ration. Doesn't anyone think anymore!?!

I watched the Super Bowl this evening. I kind of feel sorry for the back judge, in the officiating crew. He had to run around the field with the word 'BJ' on the back of his sweater. Plus they give him a number. The poor guy looks like he's running around offering services for the listed price.

I gotta get something off my chest.

What's with these idiots who bring $100 bills to a hockey game? Who carries around $100 bills anyway? Okay, I could understand if you were going to Future Shop to buy a big screen TV. Having hundreds would be the most expedient way to pay for the purchase in cash. But to a hockey game!?! What's the typical cost for something you might want? $4 or $5 for a drink, or some food and a drink. Even if you buy a round of beers for you and your 3 friends, that's still not even $20, and you're going to get back $80+ in return.

It pisses me off. What, are you trying to show off? What practical purpose could their be to having a wallet full of $100 bills? Sooner or later you have to spend them, and the likelihood is, whatever you want to buy is not going to consume $100. You're going to drain somebody's cash drawer. Isn't it kinda rude then, to expect that someone can make change for your flashy $100 bill?

I don't understand it. If someone knows the answer, please enlighten me. Otherwise, I'll be over the corner muttering curses.

And it continues . . .

2-1/2 hours more spent with the demon that haunts me. I've been to battle. I've seen war. It never ceases, never ends, never slackens or gives any quarter. Just brutal, unrelenting punishment.

And the result? A solution that makes no one happy, but similarly makes no one angry. I hate conclusions that don't result in some amount of contentment.

For all of you who have wondered about Boris, and who he is, I snapped a quick picture of him the last time I was on site.



Boris

Here is an update to yesterday's battery troubles. I know you all love this so . . . WE HAVE PICTURES!!!


Picture #1


Picture #2



There will be further pictures from my life, at a later date.

Toodles!

I have whacked a penguin 323.5 feet with my baseball bat. Two other times I made a penguin fly 323.4 feet.

I am mean to penguins.

Blog Question Of The Day:

What's the optimum height at which to smack the penguin?

Has anyone else ever noticed that the only difference between 'Hitler' and 'Hustler' is Hitler has an 'I' and Hustler has 'us'?

When everything works the way its supposed to, when the remote start turns the engine over, and the battery has the juice to start in the frigid climate, its a beautiful thing.

Update to the earlier post about my battery.

Again, the service department is still populated by idiots. I finally got to speak to a representative. He seemed far less than concerned about my problem. As I correctly predicted, their answer was for ME to have it hauled into their shop, so they could look at it at their convenience. As I'm in WATSON and not SASKATOON, this is not really an option.

And why isn't it an option? Well friends, as any right thinking, logical person would have concluded, my battery was completely wrecked, and needed to be replaced. Boosting it and driving to Sherwood in Saskatoon is not an option. I know the suspense is killing you so I'll explain why its not an option.

I blew up my battery! That's right, exploded it. Okay, that might be a little overboard, but I did destroy it. One of our service guys got it into the car wash this afternoon, and took things apart. Once it was apart it was easy to see why it wouldn't start, hold a charge, worked some times and didn't work other times.

The plastic housing that encompasses the chemical cells that make a battery, a battery, was burst. The plastic ripped almost completely around. It actually folds out like a convenient door right now. This is not by design. I guess the liquid inside must have froze, expanded, and stressed the plastic until it broke. I have pictures and any one that wants to see is welcome. I'm going to be creating a place for me to upload pictures, to link to in this blog, but its not set up yet tonight. Just ask if you wanna see the pics.

And so ended my day. New battery, installed for me, which I greatly appreciated, and all is back to right in my world. This does not absolve Sherwood of their lack of interest, and I'm still peeved at them. But, I'm back in the driving game, so that much makes me glad.

Toodles all, and be well.

It is time. I can hold back the sense of outrage no longer.

My truck, the new truck, the bend over and take it like a man payment truck, does not work. That part I could be okay with, I think, if it made sense why it didn't work. Instead, it chooses to be mysterious, which is confounding me to great heights.

First of all, who ordered this god damn weather!?! I mean, this is freakin' retarded! I have a fair sense of outrage about that too. What's with this, all of a sudden being -40 crap? I mean, its -40 C air temperature out there! Its bloody retarded! And why, as humans, are we still trying to have a normal existence? Shouldn't we be bundled up in our respective igloos?

Back to the truck, that vile perpetrator. Its a brick. There's no more descriptive noun for what its been turned into. To the point, it doesn't do a damn thing. There are times when it won't supply enough electricity to power the remote door locks. When it sits outside, it is a total brick. But then again, its not. The headlights will flash, but the radio will have lost power and be reset to 12:00. Sometimes it seems fine, cold but fine, but won't start. Check that, it never starts when its outside, but sometimes it does everything else but start.

All that I could manage. What I can no abide is the complete lack of sense to be made from things. Okay, its a brick. Sitting in the parking lot outside, a battery charger could not but a charge to the battery. Move it into the car wash for 10 minutes and it acts like its a summer day. What the hell is going on?

Now, to compound all of that, the sons of bitches at Sherwood service will not call me back. What if I wasn't in Watson, but instead parked at Muskowekwan First Nation, which is in the middle of piss all? What then? Oh, so sorry. Bring it in for service in two weeks and we'll look at it. Look at it! Its broke now! I need it back, NOW! And I can't even get someone on the phone.

If you need me, I'll be over here in the corner, beating my monkey severely.