I was sitting here watching the end of the Edmonton-Phoenix hockey game when I realized a very gratifying thing. They played this commercial, from the Safeway Club, and the person won a trip to Cancun, Mexico. I sat here thinking, you know, I've been there! That was a neat feeling. I saw some pictures from a model's trip to Cancun and it was neat to recognize the place she had visited. It was the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. I saw in the background the remnants of buildings that I'd seen myself.
I was exceptionally pleased with the realization that I got from this. I've travelled. I've seen part of the world now. Okay, I'm not some massive traveller but at least I've been a few places. I couldn't have said that a couple years ago. Since then I've been to Edmonton and Calgary a few times, east to Winnipeg and as far as Dryden, Ontario. I made it to Vancouver and saw a bunch of things there. And there was the two big trips, to Cancun, Mexico, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. I'm not a great tourist. I don't have good tourist instincts but there's been new, different, interesting things that I've seen just by going other places. I also went to Tampa Bay, Florida this year. I think I can take some comfort in having seen some of the world now.
If there was any one place that I'd have like to have visited, and didn't, or haven't, it would be New Jersey. Whatever has gone right or wrong with Tara, I would have liked to have visited her town, and seen the sights of her state, with her. For all the traveling I have done, that is my one regret.
Toodles!
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
I had a peculiar dream last night. Not peculiar in the sense of, I had a rutabaga for a head or anything but, the content of the dream is something that a guy would never, ever want to dream about.
I dreamed that I got kicked in the nuts.
Why on earth would I dream that? Furthermore, if I did dream it, why wasn't the trauma that should go along with such a remembrance enough to wake me up? Maybe I did wake up but I stayed close enough to sleep that I didn't think I woke up. Anyway, that's what I dreamed last night. Which is troubling because who wants to dream about that? I'd rather dream about the Swedish Bikini team stopping over at my house for a barbeque. Unfortunately I never dream about stuff like that. My dreams are more typically jarring, psychotic images forced together into a narrative that quite obviously has to exist outside of the bounds of normal reality. I dream stupid stuff, like that flying dream I had, that I still remember. I couldn't put together the details for you anymore but that dream was peculiar.
Perhaps I need to change my daily pattern to stimulate more exciting dreams. Unfortunately my life is boring and I know not what to incorporate to achieve better memories. Suggestions are always appreciated.
Toodles!
I dreamed that I got kicked in the nuts.
Why on earth would I dream that? Furthermore, if I did dream it, why wasn't the trauma that should go along with such a remembrance enough to wake me up? Maybe I did wake up but I stayed close enough to sleep that I didn't think I woke up. Anyway, that's what I dreamed last night. Which is troubling because who wants to dream about that? I'd rather dream about the Swedish Bikini team stopping over at my house for a barbeque. Unfortunately I never dream about stuff like that. My dreams are more typically jarring, psychotic images forced together into a narrative that quite obviously has to exist outside of the bounds of normal reality. I dream stupid stuff, like that flying dream I had, that I still remember. I couldn't put together the details for you anymore but that dream was peculiar.
Perhaps I need to change my daily pattern to stimulate more exciting dreams. Unfortunately my life is boring and I know not what to incorporate to achieve better memories. Suggestions are always appreciated.
Toodles!
Friday, March 21, 2003
What do you do when you see the world going to hell? What do you do with the level on which it is going to hell is so far removed from your sphere of influence that you are powerless to affect, change or even register an impact on it?
I'm trying not to think about this war going on. Thinking about it, acknowledging it, or following it in any way depresses me on a level that disturbs me very profoundly. I'm finding that the only way to deal with it is to ignore it, hope it ends quickly, and the powers that be get distracted by the country they are conquering for a sufficiently long enough amount of time that another American election rolls around. I pray, in a way that I don't often do, or to a diety I don't fully recognize, that the people of the U.S.A. come to their collective senses and elect a new president. It's my opinion this one is not doing a good job and is endangering us all with his zeal for attack.
I'm left with praying because I'm not an American, and can't vote on it. Even saying something about it is useless. There's only one hope left for the world and its the citizens of America. The rest of us have to hope that, when they get the chance to vote, they do the right thing.
Toodles.
I'm trying not to think about this war going on. Thinking about it, acknowledging it, or following it in any way depresses me on a level that disturbs me very profoundly. I'm finding that the only way to deal with it is to ignore it, hope it ends quickly, and the powers that be get distracted by the country they are conquering for a sufficiently long enough amount of time that another American election rolls around. I pray, in a way that I don't often do, or to a diety I don't fully recognize, that the people of the U.S.A. come to their collective senses and elect a new president. It's my opinion this one is not doing a good job and is endangering us all with his zeal for attack.
I'm left with praying because I'm not an American, and can't vote on it. Even saying something about it is useless. There's only one hope left for the world and its the citizens of America. The rest of us have to hope that, when they get the chance to vote, they do the right thing.
Toodles.
Thursday, March 20, 2003
I saw some losers today. There is really no doubt in my mind that they were losers. Which is an odd realization to come to, when it actually hits you. At least for me it was. I'm not usually someone that makes a qualitative decision about someone based solely on a few moments. But I did today. I got one look at these guys and my mind immediately said, loser.
I was at the 7-11 in Yorkton. I needed a drink, and a brief rest, so I pulled in there. Already in the parking lot were three teenage guys, the losers in question. They were around, or inside, of a beat up old hatchback car. I don't know exactly why my mind screamed, loser, immediately. But I pulled into the lot and just sat there for a few minutes. I'd been very sleepy on the road and I wanted to get my wits about me. I kept getting the sense I was being watched. I'd look over and one of this group of three guys was invariably watching me.
Maybe it was the smoking. That's a definite strike against you, in my book. But they seemed really fake about that too. It was like they were smoking, not for the experience itself but for the illusion of cool. The same with the way they were dressed, and their carriage of being. Everything about them seemed just a little bit 'off', like they were attempting to be something they were not. The crappy car didn't help them much in the status department either. Okay, having a car is better than not having a car, but this jalopy wasn't much better than no car at all. I hope they didn't pay much money for it.
I hate being vain but I do have my moments. Today was one of them. I watched these three idiots and I couldn't help feeling relief that I wasn't one of them.
Toodles.
I was at the 7-11 in Yorkton. I needed a drink, and a brief rest, so I pulled in there. Already in the parking lot were three teenage guys, the losers in question. They were around, or inside, of a beat up old hatchback car. I don't know exactly why my mind screamed, loser, immediately. But I pulled into the lot and just sat there for a few minutes. I'd been very sleepy on the road and I wanted to get my wits about me. I kept getting the sense I was being watched. I'd look over and one of this group of three guys was invariably watching me.
Maybe it was the smoking. That's a definite strike against you, in my book. But they seemed really fake about that too. It was like they were smoking, not for the experience itself but for the illusion of cool. The same with the way they were dressed, and their carriage of being. Everything about them seemed just a little bit 'off', like they were attempting to be something they were not. The crappy car didn't help them much in the status department either. Okay, having a car is better than not having a car, but this jalopy wasn't much better than no car at all. I hope they didn't pay much money for it.
I hate being vain but I do have my moments. Today was one of them. I watched these three idiots and I couldn't help feeling relief that I wasn't one of them.
Toodles.
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
I have a problem. The stupid, damn wireless ethernet antenna that I had my boss purchase, so that we could have the shop, a few blocks away, on our network, doesn't have enough range to reach the other shop. I'm not amused. I bought an antenna that is way more powerful than I need, specifically so that I'd have enough range to reach the other shop. 3 km worth of range when I'm only 300 meters away. I go a hundred feet up the street and I lose 40% of my signal strength. Something is not kosher here. Blog readers, if any of you know something about wireless ethernet, PLEASE contact me at the email address provided. I am desperate for some assistance.
Thank you.
Toodles
Thank you.
Toodles
Monday, March 17, 2003
I've been having the strangest dreams at night, over the past few nights. Every so often during the day I'll remember a snippet from one of them and I'll be thinking to myself, whatever in the world made me dream that!?! I will give you an example.
Last night I dreamed that they wanted to host the American Music Awards in the auditorium of Central Butte School. Everyone in the school was really excited, and was doing their best to accomodate the dignitaries, and make this happen. My dad was a mess and wanted nothing to do with it, and sat in his office in the school, behind his desk, without the chair, so he couldn't be seen if you looked in the door. He was reading a newspaper and eating peanuts.
To compound the weirdness, the people of Montreal were pissed that Central Butte was chosen over them, Montreal, to hose the American Music Awards. The travel agent I went to visit, during the dream, did not recommend continuing with my plan of going to Expos games this summer, because of this fracas.
But the concluding thought that we have to consider about this is, Why were the AMERICAN Music Awards going to be held in CANADA!?!?!?!?!
Just something for you to ponder. Toodles!
Last night I dreamed that they wanted to host the American Music Awards in the auditorium of Central Butte School. Everyone in the school was really excited, and was doing their best to accomodate the dignitaries, and make this happen. My dad was a mess and wanted nothing to do with it, and sat in his office in the school, behind his desk, without the chair, so he couldn't be seen if you looked in the door. He was reading a newspaper and eating peanuts.
To compound the weirdness, the people of Montreal were pissed that Central Butte was chosen over them, Montreal, to hose the American Music Awards. The travel agent I went to visit, during the dream, did not recommend continuing with my plan of going to Expos games this summer, because of this fracas.
But the concluding thought that we have to consider about this is, Why were the AMERICAN Music Awards going to be held in CANADA!?!?!?!?!
Just something for you to ponder. Toodles!
Sunday, March 16, 2003
I have this fantasy. I have it every time I go up from the office to one of the bars at the open end of the arena. You step through the door at the bottom of the stairwell and you're hit by it immediately. The fetid stench of cigarette smoke. And before a game there is inevitably a couple of people standing by the exit doors smoking.
It comes to mind immediately. I see myself holding my tray with one hand while my other hand, usually the left one, reaches around behind my back. The fingers of my hand grip cold steel and I smile. Then next part comes on slow motion. My hand comes back around from behind my back, a 9 mm pistol gripped in my fingers. I point at the first one, a stupid-ass woman than is nearly always there. I pull the trigger. A loud retort echoes in the tall chamber. A smoking hole appears in her head as a shocked look appears on her face. Then my aim going to the next person, this mustached man this is equally there before a game. A hole appears in his forehead, right between the eyes. The two dead people fall slumped to the floor by the door, their disgusting habit bearing acute reminder of why they had to be killed.
I smile widely as I climb the stairs, my deed done.
Thanks my fantasy. I wish I could make it reality.
Toodles!
It comes to mind immediately. I see myself holding my tray with one hand while my other hand, usually the left one, reaches around behind my back. The fingers of my hand grip cold steel and I smile. Then next part comes on slow motion. My hand comes back around from behind my back, a 9 mm pistol gripped in my fingers. I point at the first one, a stupid-ass woman than is nearly always there. I pull the trigger. A loud retort echoes in the tall chamber. A smoking hole appears in her head as a shocked look appears on her face. Then my aim going to the next person, this mustached man this is equally there before a game. A hole appears in his forehead, right between the eyes. The two dead people fall slumped to the floor by the door, their disgusting habit bearing acute reminder of why they had to be killed.
I smile widely as I climb the stairs, my deed done.
Thanks my fantasy. I wish I could make it reality.
Toodles!
I have this fantasy. I have it every time I go up from the office to one of the bars at the open end of the arena. You step through the door at the bottom of the stairwell and you're hit by it immediately. The fetid stench of cigarette smoke. And before a game there is inevitably a couple of people standing by the exit doors smoking.
It comes to mind immediately. I see myself holding my tray with one hand while my other hand, usually the left one, reaches around behind my back. The fingers of my hand grip cold steel and I smile. Then next part comes on slow motion. My hand comes back around from behind my back, a 9 mm pistol gripped in my fingers. I point at the first one, a stupid-ass woman than is nearly always there. I pull the trigger. A loud retort echoes in the tall chamber. A smoking hole appears in her head as a shocked look appears on her face. Then my aim going to the next person, this mustached man this is equally there before a game. A hole appears in his forehead, right between the eyes. The two dead people fall slumped to the floor by the door, their disgusting habit bearing acute reminder of why they had to be killed.
I smile widely as I climb the stairs, my deed done.
Thanks my fantasy. I wish I could make it reality.
Toodles!
It comes to mind immediately. I see myself holding my tray with one hand while my other hand, usually the left one, reaches around behind my back. The fingers of my hand grip cold steel and I smile. Then next part comes on slow motion. My hand comes back around from behind my back, a 9 mm pistol gripped in my fingers. I point at the first one, a stupid-ass woman than is nearly always there. I pull the trigger. A loud retort echoes in the tall chamber. A smoking hole appears in her head as a shocked look appears on her face. Then my aim going to the next person, this mustached man this is equally there before a game. A hole appears in his forehead, right between the eyes. The two dead people fall slumped to the floor by the door, their disgusting habit bearing acute reminder of why they had to be killed.
I smile widely as I climb the stairs, my deed done.
Thanks my fantasy. I wish I could make it reality.
Toodles!
Friday, March 14, 2003
Crap! I was so busy trying to finish my model this afternoon at work that I forgot to blog. What a terrible transgression! I'm going to blog now, even though its 10:30 at night.
As I said before, I was going hard on my model today. I got a call from a consultant this morning. Have you got any drawings for our project? Ummmm no, I said. I didn't add that, from my perspective, there was no project yet. He seemed a little taken aback by the fact that I hadn't done any drawings yet. Well geez, I'm not into a 'getting paid' mode on this job yet, why would I be busting me ass already? I suppose I could have. Getting the job seems to be a relative lock. I'm gun-shy about spending a lot of effort on things before anyone puts a dollar on the table, after doing so many quotes for people then having them go to Staples to buy a computer. That makes you leery about going the extra mile.
So I've screwed myself. I didn't get the model done so I'm doing it on my own time, whenever I can, this weekend. I don't think I have too much more than I really need to do. I have the final piping to put on it. Maybe do some rough dimensioning of the whole unit. I don't anticipate 20 hours more work or anything. Dimensioning is the pain in the ass and I'm leaving that part out, at this stage. I hope to spend only a few hours on it, and finish it up.
Toodles!
As I said before, I was going hard on my model today. I got a call from a consultant this morning. Have you got any drawings for our project? Ummmm no, I said. I didn't add that, from my perspective, there was no project yet. He seemed a little taken aback by the fact that I hadn't done any drawings yet. Well geez, I'm not into a 'getting paid' mode on this job yet, why would I be busting me ass already? I suppose I could have. Getting the job seems to be a relative lock. I'm gun-shy about spending a lot of effort on things before anyone puts a dollar on the table, after doing so many quotes for people then having them go to Staples to buy a computer. That makes you leery about going the extra mile.
So I've screwed myself. I didn't get the model done so I'm doing it on my own time, whenever I can, this weekend. I don't think I have too much more than I really need to do. I have the final piping to put on it. Maybe do some rough dimensioning of the whole unit. I don't anticipate 20 hours more work or anything. Dimensioning is the pain in the ass and I'm leaving that part out, at this stage. I hope to spend only a few hours on it, and finish it up.
Toodles!
Thursday, March 13, 2003
So I go home for lunch today, and turn on the TV. There's nothing remarkable about that. I watch TV at lunch everyday. I did my usual thing and checked out all the movie channels first. There was nothing on, as usual. That kind of pisses me off. I come home, would like to watch a movie, and there's nothing on. Then, at 3:00 in the morning they play something I'd watch. Put it on during the day, dammit!
That's besides the point. I put on MuchMusic and they are having an MTV special, Diary of . . . Today's diary was of Christina Aguilera. I'm sorry but I'm just not buying this girl's schtick. What are you already? You dress like a Sunset Strip hooker but really you're a nice girl? You look like hell after a costume party for your little brother and have to clean up but when I see you in this photo shoot you have the cheapest, most tawdry ensemble I've seen in awhile on, and seem damn proud of it. Which is it? Make up your mind!
I'm probably being narrow minded about this but I'm real tired of ambiguity. You are what you are, and how dare you castigate me for forming an opinion about the persona that you're putting out for me. I have to give you ultimate freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want, and also have to give you the benefit of the doubt to an infinitie degree? Ummm, I don't think so. I really believe you have to be responsible for yourself, at all times. Whatever you put out there for me, and everyone else to see, we have a right to judge you by that. I don't owe you infinite patience and forgiveness. I owe you only as much as I'm willing to suffer, based on how you treat me.
I know this girl is not the fragile waif she wanted to be seen as, in this show. That was her 'good' side. Oh, I wear the slutty clothes but I'm not a slut. I only ask for the things I really want or need. I'm a nice person, who treats people nice. Why does everyone pick on me? You're not what you say you are, in that show. You came to my arena and I know you made the diva demands. I was there, I know the people that had to fulfill them. I've read the rumors that go around. Maybe they aren't all truth but the truth is at their core. I was just nice to go shopping, like a normal person. Normal people don't drop a grand on freakin' party decorations for an occasion your mom just made up. That's not normal people. You're not normal people. Live the image or be real. Make a choice. Bitch please!!!
I'm out. Toodles!
That's besides the point. I put on MuchMusic and they are having an MTV special, Diary of . . . Today's diary was of Christina Aguilera. I'm sorry but I'm just not buying this girl's schtick. What are you already? You dress like a Sunset Strip hooker but really you're a nice girl? You look like hell after a costume party for your little brother and have to clean up but when I see you in this photo shoot you have the cheapest, most tawdry ensemble I've seen in awhile on, and seem damn proud of it. Which is it? Make up your mind!
I'm probably being narrow minded about this but I'm real tired of ambiguity. You are what you are, and how dare you castigate me for forming an opinion about the persona that you're putting out for me. I have to give you ultimate freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want, and also have to give you the benefit of the doubt to an infinitie degree? Ummm, I don't think so. I really believe you have to be responsible for yourself, at all times. Whatever you put out there for me, and everyone else to see, we have a right to judge you by that. I don't owe you infinite patience and forgiveness. I owe you only as much as I'm willing to suffer, based on how you treat me.
I know this girl is not the fragile waif she wanted to be seen as, in this show. That was her 'good' side. Oh, I wear the slutty clothes but I'm not a slut. I only ask for the things I really want or need. I'm a nice person, who treats people nice. Why does everyone pick on me? You're not what you say you are, in that show. You came to my arena and I know you made the diva demands. I was there, I know the people that had to fulfill them. I've read the rumors that go around. Maybe they aren't all truth but the truth is at their core. I was just nice to go shopping, like a normal person. Normal people don't drop a grand on freakin' party decorations for an occasion your mom just made up. That's not normal people. You're not normal people. Live the image or be real. Make a choice. Bitch please!!!
I'm out. Toodles!
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
Well this is going to be an expensive lesson. 8-(
I broke the cardinal rule of driving. I didn't check. I just hopped in and drove away. And of course, I had the DMX just pouding the truck so I couldn't hear anything. It didn't sound right but I figured, its just a short drive home. I'll check when I get home.
I drove home on a flat tire. And not kinda flat, like when its low on air. It was FLAT! We're talking pancake flat. I got out and the rubber was steaming from the heat of friction. I knew it wasn't good. No answer at the tire place. One bad thing about small town living. Everything and I do mean EVERYTHING shuts down for lunch. One thing I miss about city living is being able to get stuff whenever you want it. I was hungry for a steak last night. Living in Watson that wasn't even an option.
But I digress. The tire guy conceded and drove over to my house, jacked up my truck and put air in the tire so I could drive it over to his shop. That went okay. He took it off and examined it for a nail. No nail but the inside of the tire is all chewed up from where the rim was rubbing on it, when it was flat. The tire didn't even roll around as the truck drove. It just kinda slid along underneath, and the spinning rim dug into the rubber.
Now I have a conundrum. There's no whole in the tire and its still structurally sound enough, for now. Do I push it with this tire, and wait for a better weekend to get a tire or go balls out and buy a new one this weekend? I'm leaning towards just going out and buying a tire this weekend, even if my schedule won't really allow for it. I don't wanna have a blowout on the highway some morning at 6:00 am. Food for thought anyway.
Toodles!
I broke the cardinal rule of driving. I didn't check. I just hopped in and drove away. And of course, I had the DMX just pouding the truck so I couldn't hear anything. It didn't sound right but I figured, its just a short drive home. I'll check when I get home.
I drove home on a flat tire. And not kinda flat, like when its low on air. It was FLAT! We're talking pancake flat. I got out and the rubber was steaming from the heat of friction. I knew it wasn't good. No answer at the tire place. One bad thing about small town living. Everything and I do mean EVERYTHING shuts down for lunch. One thing I miss about city living is being able to get stuff whenever you want it. I was hungry for a steak last night. Living in Watson that wasn't even an option.
But I digress. The tire guy conceded and drove over to my house, jacked up my truck and put air in the tire so I could drive it over to his shop. That went okay. He took it off and examined it for a nail. No nail but the inside of the tire is all chewed up from where the rim was rubbing on it, when it was flat. The tire didn't even roll around as the truck drove. It just kinda slid along underneath, and the spinning rim dug into the rubber.
Now I have a conundrum. There's no whole in the tire and its still structurally sound enough, for now. Do I push it with this tire, and wait for a better weekend to get a tire or go balls out and buy a new one this weekend? I'm leaning towards just going out and buying a tire this weekend, even if my schedule won't really allow for it. I don't wanna have a blowout on the highway some morning at 6:00 am. Food for thought anyway.
Toodles!
Monday, March 10, 2003
Its been a frustrating morning. Everything is in upheaval here at work. People changing offices. People setting up new offices, with new responsibilities and priorities. There's been hardware changes with phones and computers. Everything is sort of a mess.
My problem? I'm trying to install an antenna for the wireless ethernet that we have (nominally) in the office. Up until now the only person using the wireless ethernet was my boss, with his wireless ready laptop. Now we are putting a computer in the shop, which is a few blocks away. The access port antenna is not strong enough to reach that computer on its own, so we ordered an external, outdoor antenna. That took forever and a day to arrive. Now its here and I need a cable to connect the antenna to the access port. This is not a simple cable either. Its an expensive, specialty cable that I don't have, and now need. I am frustrated beyond belief by this situation. I hate trying to do stuff without all the right tools, equipment and/or expertise. I've spent the morning on the internet, and in conversation with people more knowledgeable than myself, on this question. There is still no resolution. That is the main source of my frustration.
Toodles!
My problem? I'm trying to install an antenna for the wireless ethernet that we have (nominally) in the office. Up until now the only person using the wireless ethernet was my boss, with his wireless ready laptop. Now we are putting a computer in the shop, which is a few blocks away. The access port antenna is not strong enough to reach that computer on its own, so we ordered an external, outdoor antenna. That took forever and a day to arrive. Now its here and I need a cable to connect the antenna to the access port. This is not a simple cable either. Its an expensive, specialty cable that I don't have, and now need. I am frustrated beyond belief by this situation. I hate trying to do stuff without all the right tools, equipment and/or expertise. I've spent the morning on the internet, and in conversation with people more knowledgeable than myself, on this question. There is still no resolution. That is the main source of my frustration.
Toodles!
Friday, March 07, 2003
I'm getting a new office. There has been talk of it for a few days now but Murray made it official this morning. He told me I was moving. The situation is this. Clarence is moving across town to our production shop. He is taking his computer, which I've put a wireless network card into (that works real slick) and vacating his office here. Kim is moving across the building, from behind the counter, to next to the front door, to more easily handle consumers. Since Kim's office slightly bigger, and not in the direct line of customer view, that's where I'm going. I get a window, more room. I think its a winning situation all around.
Toodles!
Toodles!
My mom had to go to emergency last night. It was a kind of messed up situation. I left to get some food for this weekend's festivities at Sean in Regina. I don't know if I was gone a half an hour. When I come back my mom is sitting on the steps going downstairs to the den/family room. She's got vomit all over her, there's a big pile of it on the floor. Her head is lolling over my dad's hand as he's holding her up while on the phone with 9-1-1 with the other. I walk in on this and I don't know what the hell is going on.
The paramedics show up after a few minutes, I don't know exactly how many as the entire episode seemed to happen in a fast moment, and an eternity at the same time. I guess I could have taken from the deliberateness of their actions that things weren't too serious. The paramedics didn't seem panicked or in a hurry or anything. I suppose that was a good sign but at the time I didn't really stop to ponder it. I did notice there were way too many damn people in the house. The ambulance showed up and two guys came in with medical equipment and started to try and figure out what was going on. A couple minutes later about 5 more guys showed up and all they managed to do was get in the way. The pathway from the front door to downstairs, or even into the living room is fairly streamlined, and not that conducive to large volume traffic.
Eventually they put her on a stretcher and took her out to the ambulance. By the time they'd got her on the stretcher she was already getting more coherent, and seemed to be getting better. She was answering questions and managed to tell the paramedics that she wanted to go to University Hospital. Dad and I cleaned up while they did whatever they were doing out in the ambulance, in front of the house. Eventually they drove away and a couple minutes later my dad followed.
There isn't much left to the story after that. I waited at home for news while dad waited at the hospital. I found my sister and told her what was going on. She came over and we waited for news together. Dad phoned once and said they were doing tests and there were no results, but she looked and felt better. He came home at another point to get her some clean clothes as she felt better and was likely coming home. He phoned a little while later and said the first tests were back with inconclusive results and now they were doing more tests and x-rays. I didn't understand the x-ray part. There was no answer on what was wrong but she looked and felt much better. Finally, at midnight Dad called and said Mom was okay, the tests came back good, and she was coming home.
The conclusion? Dad gave me the phrase 'vagus nerve reaction'. The explanation of that was, after a trauma (Mom had eye surgery recently) the vagus nerve can be irritated and it causes the desire to vomit, along with nausea. Blood pressure drops and you get the dizzy feeling Mom experienced. I looked up 'vagus nerve' on the internet this morning and its this fairly influential nerve that runs from the brain stem to many vital organs in the chest, including being connected to the digestive system. It seems like a plausible explanation, after reading about what the vagus nerve us.
So that was my night. I didn't get to sleep until about 1:00, and getting up at 6:00 has made me very tired. I question how productive I will be today. However, I will perservere. Thank you to all that I spoke to last night (Kevin, Sean and Greg in particular) for the support and kind words. They were appreciated. It seems to have just been an episode that has left no lingering affects. Mom seemed fine again this morning.
Have good day peoples. Toodles!
The paramedics show up after a few minutes, I don't know exactly how many as the entire episode seemed to happen in a fast moment, and an eternity at the same time. I guess I could have taken from the deliberateness of their actions that things weren't too serious. The paramedics didn't seem panicked or in a hurry or anything. I suppose that was a good sign but at the time I didn't really stop to ponder it. I did notice there were way too many damn people in the house. The ambulance showed up and two guys came in with medical equipment and started to try and figure out what was going on. A couple minutes later about 5 more guys showed up and all they managed to do was get in the way. The pathway from the front door to downstairs, or even into the living room is fairly streamlined, and not that conducive to large volume traffic.
Eventually they put her on a stretcher and took her out to the ambulance. By the time they'd got her on the stretcher she was already getting more coherent, and seemed to be getting better. She was answering questions and managed to tell the paramedics that she wanted to go to University Hospital. Dad and I cleaned up while they did whatever they were doing out in the ambulance, in front of the house. Eventually they drove away and a couple minutes later my dad followed.
There isn't much left to the story after that. I waited at home for news while dad waited at the hospital. I found my sister and told her what was going on. She came over and we waited for news together. Dad phoned once and said they were doing tests and there were no results, but she looked and felt better. He came home at another point to get her some clean clothes as she felt better and was likely coming home. He phoned a little while later and said the first tests were back with inconclusive results and now they were doing more tests and x-rays. I didn't understand the x-ray part. There was no answer on what was wrong but she looked and felt much better. Finally, at midnight Dad called and said Mom was okay, the tests came back good, and she was coming home.
The conclusion? Dad gave me the phrase 'vagus nerve reaction'. The explanation of that was, after a trauma (Mom had eye surgery recently) the vagus nerve can be irritated and it causes the desire to vomit, along with nausea. Blood pressure drops and you get the dizzy feeling Mom experienced. I looked up 'vagus nerve' on the internet this morning and its this fairly influential nerve that runs from the brain stem to many vital organs in the chest, including being connected to the digestive system. It seems like a plausible explanation, after reading about what the vagus nerve us.
So that was my night. I didn't get to sleep until about 1:00, and getting up at 6:00 has made me very tired. I question how productive I will be today. However, I will perservere. Thank you to all that I spoke to last night (Kevin, Sean and Greg in particular) for the support and kind words. They were appreciated. It seems to have just been an episode that has left no lingering affects. Mom seemed fine again this morning.
Have good day peoples. Toodles!
Wednesday, March 05, 2003
"You gotta grow man. Don't you ever want anything more for yourself? I know this poor, hapless son of a bitch does. I look into his sorry doe eyes and I just, I see a man crying out. He's crying out, when lord? When the fuck can your servant ditch this foul mouthed little chucklehead, to whom I am a constant victim of his folly, so much so that it prevents me from ever getting to kiss a girl. Fuck! When Lord, when? When's gon' be my time!"
Tuesday, March 04, 2003
I have a pet peeve. Maybe this is just particular to me, and everyone else does it differently but nonetheless it irritates the hell out of me.
MSN Messenger (aren't all my probably in some way connected to Microsoft!?!) imports your contact list to the contacts area in Outlook Express. This is a good feature, if it actually freakin' worked. When you install the program, it adds all the contacts to your address book in Outlook Express and that's where it stops. You can change your online name in MSN Messenger, but it doesn't update in your Outlook Express contact list.
Perhaps I'm just a feeb and there is a way to fix this. I always prefer ranting about the evils of Microsoft first. In any event, in the incarnation that is operating on my computers, Outlook Express does not update my MSN contacts and it irritates me. That is all.
Toodles!
MSN Messenger (aren't all my probably in some way connected to Microsoft!?!) imports your contact list to the contacts area in Outlook Express. This is a good feature, if it actually freakin' worked. When you install the program, it adds all the contacts to your address book in Outlook Express and that's where it stops. You can change your online name in MSN Messenger, but it doesn't update in your Outlook Express contact list.
Perhaps I'm just a feeb and there is a way to fix this. I always prefer ranting about the evils of Microsoft first. In any event, in the incarnation that is operating on my computers, Outlook Express does not update my MSN contacts and it irritates me. That is all.
Toodles!
Sorry for not posting yesterday. It was kind of a weird day. I was answering questions from a consulting engineer in Saskatoon. I spent nearly the whole day, yesterday, writing emails. I'd meticulously craft a response to this guy's question, send it off, then get another batch of questions about a half hour later. I must have written 5 emails to this engineer yesterday. I think I finally got my point explained to him. I got a reply this morning that said he understood my point now.
I didn't have a good night last night. I woke up a bunch of times. I even had to get up and go to the bathroom, which almost never happens. I couldn't tell you why it was such a chaotic night. I do know that I kept having this irrational fear that I was going to oversleep and be late for work. Of course I wasn't late for work, and instead woke myself a bunch of times overnight. I hate when I do that.
My new favorite emoticon is 8-|
I'm downloading new music like a crazy man lately. The endless cycle of the same CD's in my truck was driving me nuts. I have downloaded 5 albums in the past 4 work days. I'm a crazy man!!! I'm also a thief but I'm comfortable with it. I wouldn't otherwise listen to this music so its not like anyone is out any money. I wouldn't have bought the CD's so I didn't really cost the artists, or the record company, any money. I am thinking of buying some CD's but I never seem to end up at the record store. I wanna get the Pearl Jam album and I think there's a Tragically Hip album that I don't have. I think I'll have to make an effort to go to the store one of these weekends. I never seem to manage all of my differing priorities very well. 8-|
Toodles!
I didn't have a good night last night. I woke up a bunch of times. I even had to get up and go to the bathroom, which almost never happens. I couldn't tell you why it was such a chaotic night. I do know that I kept having this irrational fear that I was going to oversleep and be late for work. Of course I wasn't late for work, and instead woke myself a bunch of times overnight. I hate when I do that.
My new favorite emoticon is 8-|
I'm downloading new music like a crazy man lately. The endless cycle of the same CD's in my truck was driving me nuts. I have downloaded 5 albums in the past 4 work days. I'm a crazy man!!! I'm also a thief but I'm comfortable with it. I wouldn't otherwise listen to this music so its not like anyone is out any money. I wouldn't have bought the CD's so I didn't really cost the artists, or the record company, any money. I am thinking of buying some CD's but I never seem to end up at the record store. I wanna get the Pearl Jam album and I think there's a Tragically Hip album that I don't have. I think I'll have to make an effort to go to the store one of these weekends. I never seem to manage all of my differing priorities very well. 8-|
Toodles!
Friday, February 28, 2003
I'm having a weird day. I've been having a lot of those lately. My head just doesn't seem to be in the game anymore. I'm not sure if its winter blah's, general discontent, or something more sinister. I just can't concentrate. I will provide some examples.
Right now I'm trying to write this simple introduction letter. I did a budgetary quote for a consulting engineer in Saskatoon and I'm just puttting together a short one page document to introduce the proposal, and give the preliminary price. I can't find any words. I just wanna say hello, this is who I am, and here's the price. That should be something simple for me, a person that likes writing. I'm stuck for words. I wonder if my atmosphere is contributing to my problem. Maybe I need more sunlight. Sunlight seems to help me think. That is an angle I had not considered.
I want something. That's all I know however. There is this general sense of desiring some thing but I can't put my finger on what that object or concept is, that I want. It is a most frustrating situation. I'd ponder that but I want to finish this stupid letter I'm trying to write yesterday. If any of you have seen my missing 'want' let me know where you saw it and I'll swing by and pick it up. Thanks.
Toodles!
Right now I'm trying to write this simple introduction letter. I did a budgetary quote for a consulting engineer in Saskatoon and I'm just puttting together a short one page document to introduce the proposal, and give the preliminary price. I can't find any words. I just wanna say hello, this is who I am, and here's the price. That should be something simple for me, a person that likes writing. I'm stuck for words. I wonder if my atmosphere is contributing to my problem. Maybe I need more sunlight. Sunlight seems to help me think. That is an angle I had not considered.
I want something. That's all I know however. There is this general sense of desiring some thing but I can't put my finger on what that object or concept is, that I want. It is a most frustrating situation. I'd ponder that but I want to finish this stupid letter I'm trying to write yesterday. If any of you have seen my missing 'want' let me know where you saw it and I'll swing by and pick it up. Thanks.
Toodles!
Thursday, February 27, 2003
Today has been a day of random thoughts. I've been kind of flitting across a wide variety of things and haven't really concentrated on anything. Such is my day-to-day life but its seemed more pronounced today.
Our new friends from Winnipeg got home, and went to work for the first time today. Thus they were recieving emails and the barrage of digital mail has begun. I wonder what people did during the work day before email and IM? Probably talked to their co-workers. I suppose I could do that too but, my co-workers do not share the same world perspective as me so conversations with them are often brief. I prefer talking to my friends, or are more in tune with my way of thinking.
I finally got to wash my truck last night. God did it need that! It was caked and covered in a white, ugly crusty substance. I'm assuming it was road salt but I did not perform a full spectral analysis. I spent three bucks washing it and I got my full money's worth. Actually, the sludge game off pretty easily, which was reassuring. If it peeled off that easily, it wasn't embedded or anything. It was probably too cold for that, if that's any kind of explanation.
I sorted my file cabinet this morning. The one project from Manitoba has created a prodigious amount of paper and in looking for something I realized that my file folder had no rhyme or reason. I decided to try and make order from chaos. It took an hour. That surprised me. If you just randomly stuff paper into a file cabinet for months, its amazing the level of insanity you can create.
There's something else on my mind but I can't figure out how to write it down, to really say what's in my head. Grant, stuck for words? Doesn't seem possible, does it? In this instance it is true. I'm actually having some trouble getting my head around some of my beliefs lately. It looks like its time for another re-definition. I hate having to do it but every so often it seems my psyche needs reorganization. I should draw up a map of my convoluted brain so it would be easier to sort. Kind of like my file cabinet from this morning.
Toodles!
Our new friends from Winnipeg got home, and went to work for the first time today. Thus they were recieving emails and the barrage of digital mail has begun. I wonder what people did during the work day before email and IM? Probably talked to their co-workers. I suppose I could do that too but, my co-workers do not share the same world perspective as me so conversations with them are often brief. I prefer talking to my friends, or are more in tune with my way of thinking.
I finally got to wash my truck last night. God did it need that! It was caked and covered in a white, ugly crusty substance. I'm assuming it was road salt but I did not perform a full spectral analysis. I spent three bucks washing it and I got my full money's worth. Actually, the sludge game off pretty easily, which was reassuring. If it peeled off that easily, it wasn't embedded or anything. It was probably too cold for that, if that's any kind of explanation.
I sorted my file cabinet this morning. The one project from Manitoba has created a prodigious amount of paper and in looking for something I realized that my file folder had no rhyme or reason. I decided to try and make order from chaos. It took an hour. That surprised me. If you just randomly stuff paper into a file cabinet for months, its amazing the level of insanity you can create.
There's something else on my mind but I can't figure out how to write it down, to really say what's in my head. Grant, stuck for words? Doesn't seem possible, does it? In this instance it is true. I'm actually having some trouble getting my head around some of my beliefs lately. It looks like its time for another re-definition. I hate having to do it but every so often it seems my psyche needs reorganization. I should draw up a map of my convoluted brain so it would be easier to sort. Kind of like my file cabinet from this morning.
Toodles!
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
I just wrapped up two things simultaneously and need to show them to my boss. So what happens? He leaves the office after being in it for only half an hour this afternoon! So, while I'm super busy with projects, I'm kind of up against the wall at this very moment because step two is dependent upon my bosses approval before continuation. I hate that. I should assert myself as a constitutional monarchy and make pre-emptory decisions based on what I think.
On second thought, that's a bad idea. I have a tendency to go for the overly dramatic and that doesn't play too well in the general business world. My decisions would be rash, and ill concieved, if I put all of them into practice. Better that I have a boss, to buffer my wild notions from the world at large.
Toodles again!
I just wrapped up two things simultaneously and need to show them to my boss. So what happens? He leaves the office after being in it for only half an hour this afternoon!
On second thought, that's a bad idea. I have a tendency to go for the overly dramatic and that doesn't play too well in the general business world. My decisions would be rash, and ill concieved, if I put all of them into practice. Better that I have a boss, to buffer my wild notions from the world at large.
Toodles again!
News from the world of Blog!
In news today, your intrepid warrior, Sir Telk, has encountered the Hortizigoid Intestine creature. This is a foul, entrenched beast that feeds on the healthy intestines of wayward travelers. Early this morn, yours truly came upon this miscreant as I slumbered quietly along the Road of Sominus. I was minding my own business, having a lovely dream about something I don't remember, when the Hortizigoid Intestine Monster or HIM for short, jumped up and grabbed me firmly, with all claws, about the intestine and general tummy region. I was in agony. My interminable battle with this monster has continued, without abatement, since 4:00 this morning. I am not winning the tide. My latest weapon to unleash upon the beast has been a liberal dosing of the ale of ginger. It is my distinct hope that this will provide the necessary carbon dioxide to poison the creature, and with a powerful exhalation or two, I will rid it from my innards.
Other than that, I'm good. Hopefully the rest of your travelers of the internet are avoiding the pitfalls and follies of misfortune. Toodles!
In news today, your intrepid warrior, Sir Telk, has encountered the Hortizigoid Intestine creature. This is a foul, entrenched beast that feeds on the healthy intestines of wayward travelers. Early this morn, yours truly came upon this miscreant as I slumbered quietly along the Road of Sominus. I was minding my own business, having a lovely dream about something I don't remember, when the Hortizigoid Intestine Monster or HIM for short, jumped up and grabbed me firmly, with all claws, about the intestine and general tummy region. I was in agony. My interminable battle with this monster has continued, without abatement, since 4:00 this morning. I am not winning the tide. My latest weapon to unleash upon the beast has been a liberal dosing of the ale of ginger. It is my distinct hope that this will provide the necessary carbon dioxide to poison the creature, and with a powerful exhalation or two, I will rid it from my innards.
Other than that, I'm good. Hopefully the rest of your travelers of the internet are avoiding the pitfalls and follies of misfortune. Toodles!
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
I am a glutton for punishment.
I'm no sooner back from the Dominican Republic and I'm already into planning mode on the next trip I want to take. I would like to go watch the Montreal Expos play baseball this summer, in Montreal. The problem I'm having is, I can't find a hotel. Its hard to search for a hotel when your criteria is, proximity to a facility. Everything is based on price and, as I'm finding, the internet does not favor searching for discount chains. The search pages are geared towards luxury accomodationis so you get high end hotels at a couple hundred dollars a night. Not what I'm looking for. Thus my search is frustrating. I need a better way to do this.
Toodles!
I'm no sooner back from the Dominican Republic and I'm already into planning mode on the next trip I want to take. I would like to go watch the Montreal Expos play baseball this summer, in Montreal. The problem I'm having is, I can't find a hotel. Its hard to search for a hotel when your criteria is, proximity to a facility. Everything is based on price and, as I'm finding, the internet does not favor searching for discount chains. The search pages are geared towards luxury accomodationis so you get high end hotels at a couple hundred dollars a night. Not what I'm looking for. Thus my search is frustrating. I need a better way to do this.
Toodles!
Monday, February 24, 2003
I am back from the Dominican Republic!
What does this news mean for you, the blog reader? Well, for one thing, I'll be writing in my blog again. I was going to do an entry from Punta Cana but when I had internet time, I had another problem that took me away from the computer. Oh well, I didn't really have much of note to say at that time anyway. I'd only been there one day.
The real shock that I've experienced coming back is the weather. Holy Moly is it cold! Last week at this time I was in +30 C weather, with high humidity that made hot seem even hotter. I was roasting on the beach, getting a sunburn that turned out to be fairly nasty. Now its this week, and I drive back to -38 C on my truck thermometer as I rolled into Watson. That's a 70 C difference! Yikes! That's nearly the difference between freezing and boiling water! All I can say is, wow. Its been a wild transition.
I'm glad to be home though. I think the value of a vacation was kind of lost on me, with all the travelling I've done since Christmas. The trip was good. I loved the beach, the warm weather, and the new people we met there. Hopefully some lasting friendships will endure, and the memories will linger for some time. But when a week was up, I was ready to come home. Its actually comforting to be back at my desk, some work in front of me, to engage my mind. The cold is but a minor annoyance.
Have a good day people. Toodles!
What does this news mean for you, the blog reader? Well, for one thing, I'll be writing in my blog again. I was going to do an entry from Punta Cana but when I had internet time, I had another problem that took me away from the computer. Oh well, I didn't really have much of note to say at that time anyway. I'd only been there one day.
The real shock that I've experienced coming back is the weather. Holy Moly is it cold! Last week at this time I was in +30 C weather, with high humidity that made hot seem even hotter. I was roasting on the beach, getting a sunburn that turned out to be fairly nasty. Now its this week, and I drive back to -38 C on my truck thermometer as I rolled into Watson. That's a 70 C difference! Yikes! That's nearly the difference between freezing and boiling water! All I can say is, wow. Its been a wild transition.
I'm glad to be home though. I think the value of a vacation was kind of lost on me, with all the travelling I've done since Christmas. The trip was good. I loved the beach, the warm weather, and the new people we met there. Hopefully some lasting friendships will endure, and the memories will linger for some time. But when a week was up, I was ready to come home. Its actually comforting to be back at my desk, some work in front of me, to engage my mind. The cold is but a minor annoyance.
Have a good day people. Toodles!
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Well, this is the last day before I leave. I thought I'd jot down a quick blog entry while I had a minute. Funny, I'm not excited. I'm actually nervous and tense. I believe I'm having a small panic attack. Which sucks because these aren't fun. :-s
I don't really have anything to say this morning. I've been kind of lost in a fog the whole time I've been awake. I was kind of in a fog while I was sleeping too. I had a continual night of sleep, but it wasn't relaxed. I have a vague recollection of hazy, disconnected dreaming. I guess that doesn't matter much. I tend to ponder my dreams though, and I'm always discombobulated when they won't fit into some kind of pattern.
I'm at once happy to be going on vacation, and sad at leaving so much behind. Life's been pretty chaotic for the last year, and as much as I want to get away from it, there is a sense of comfort in knowing your circumstances, even if you percieve them to be lousy. I will actually miss coming to work, even though its been causing me grief lately. I'm going to miss talking to my friends on the computer. I'm going to miss my routine on weekdays, and my frenetic weekends in Saskatoon. And I'm going to miss Tara. Lots of missing. It almost doesn't seem like the fun of a vacation is going to replace it.
One thing that might be causing my trepidation today is the realization of what happened last year. I went on vacation, came home, and promptly lost my job. I hadn't considered that particular angle until just this moment. I hope that's not what's preying on my mind.
I guess the only thing to do is throw aside all my cares and just embrace the coming experience. I will take some pictures, collect some stories, and come home with lots to write about here, in this blog. Miss me people, because I'm going to miss you.
Toodles!
I don't really have anything to say this morning. I've been kind of lost in a fog the whole time I've been awake. I was kind of in a fog while I was sleeping too. I had a continual night of sleep, but it wasn't relaxed. I have a vague recollection of hazy, disconnected dreaming. I guess that doesn't matter much. I tend to ponder my dreams though, and I'm always discombobulated when they won't fit into some kind of pattern.
I'm at once happy to be going on vacation, and sad at leaving so much behind. Life's been pretty chaotic for the last year, and as much as I want to get away from it, there is a sense of comfort in knowing your circumstances, even if you percieve them to be lousy. I will actually miss coming to work, even though its been causing me grief lately. I'm going to miss talking to my friends on the computer. I'm going to miss my routine on weekdays, and my frenetic weekends in Saskatoon. And I'm going to miss Tara. Lots of missing. It almost doesn't seem like the fun of a vacation is going to replace it.
One thing that might be causing my trepidation today is the realization of what happened last year. I went on vacation, came home, and promptly lost my job. I hadn't considered that particular angle until just this moment. I hope that's not what's preying on my mind.
I guess the only thing to do is throw aside all my cares and just embrace the coming experience. I will take some pictures, collect some stories, and come home with lots to write about here, in this blog. Miss me people, because I'm going to miss you.
Toodles!
Tuesday, February 11, 2003
I've done it again. No, no, not that! Geez, you guys have sick minds! :-P
No, I wrote something that's not going to see the light of day. I wonder some days why I even bother putting this stuff on page. Of course I know the answer to my own question. I need the catharsis of committing stuff to some kind of reality, since I will, in all probability, never act on the things that I can so easily put on a page. I wish I had more confidence in myself. Any time I have the guts to let someone read something I've written, I always get mostly positive feedback. They always have suggestions, which is good, but for the most part they think its good. Still I'm mired in self doubt. I hate rejection. That's my biggest failing, and probably the one single factor that limits me most as a human being.
Anyway, what I wrote. I wrote a caustic pilot report yesterday afternoon and into this morning. We got a set of comments about the first revision of the original report. (For you keeping score that means this is the third iteration of the pilot report) Most of them were valid, from the point of view that the information wasn't there. However, the information wasn't there because there was none to give. Really, they didn't need to ask the questions that were asked. It shouldn't matter to them. Bottom line, do we think can provide the quality of water asked for in the contract? We said that we think we could. That should be end of story. So, being the type of person I am, wrote a very politely worded report where the veiled response was for them to sod off. I gotta break myself of this habit! 8-(
Toodles!
No, I wrote something that's not going to see the light of day. I wonder some days why I even bother putting this stuff on page. Of course I know the answer to my own question. I need the catharsis of committing stuff to some kind of reality, since I will, in all probability, never act on the things that I can so easily put on a page. I wish I had more confidence in myself. Any time I have the guts to let someone read something I've written, I always get mostly positive feedback. They always have suggestions, which is good, but for the most part they think its good. Still I'm mired in self doubt. I hate rejection. That's my biggest failing, and probably the one single factor that limits me most as a human being.
Anyway, what I wrote. I wrote a caustic pilot report yesterday afternoon and into this morning. We got a set of comments about the first revision of the original report. (For you keeping score that means this is the third iteration of the pilot report) Most of them were valid, from the point of view that the information wasn't there. However, the information wasn't there because there was none to give. Really, they didn't need to ask the questions that were asked. It shouldn't matter to them. Bottom line, do we think can provide the quality of water asked for in the contract? We said that we think we could. That should be end of story. So, being the type of person I am, wrote a very politely worded report where the veiled response was for them to sod off. I gotta break myself of this habit! 8-(
Toodles!
Someone actually called this the worst joke of the day.
I'm a single Mom. I had minor surgery and while I was recovering and spending most of the day in bed, my seven year old son asked me why I didn't have a boyfriend.
I told him the television was my boyfriend, he entertained me all the time.
The only problem was the television set was old and would just shut off for no reason. But, I would just give it a few hard wacks on the side and it would come back on, which was no big deal...
A couple of days later the pastor stopped by to check on my recovery.
I was trying to get the television to come back on so, my son answered the door.
The pastor smiled and asked "Is your mother busy, son? My little one looked up at him and replied, "No, sir, she's in the bedroom banging her boyfriend!"
I'm a single Mom. I had minor surgery and while I was recovering and spending most of the day in bed, my seven year old son asked me why I didn't have a boyfriend.
I told him the television was my boyfriend, he entertained me all the time.
The only problem was the television set was old and would just shut off for no reason. But, I would just give it a few hard wacks on the side and it would come back on, which was no big deal...
A couple of days later the pastor stopped by to check on my recovery.
I was trying to get the television to come back on so, my son answered the door.
The pastor smiled and asked "Is your mother busy, son? My little one looked up at him and replied, "No, sir, she's in the bedroom banging her boyfriend!"
Monday, February 10, 2003
Just for the record, I hate greensand filtration. Its stupid and pointless, in most instances as a membrane system will deal with dissolved iron and manganese in water just fine. If either is oxided there is a problem but typically that's not the case. I fail to see the point of purposely oxidizing the iron and manganese, to remove it with greensand filtration, when if you leave it alone its not a problem for a membrane. Its the logic of it that escapes me. Convert it to the form that is problematic for you, so that you can use a different process to remove it? How is that logical?
It's another one of those days. I'm glad I went with the approach to this week that I did. Just sit back and wait for the fires to flare up. One did, this pilot report I am re-doing again. If I ever get it into my head to be a consulting engineer will someone please shoot me? No, I'm serious. Please shoot me.
Its snowing here in Watson. Really snowing. I looked out the window a few minutes ago and you couldn't see the train tracks just down the street anymore. That's pretty intense. We haven't had a good blizzard here in Saskatchewan in awhile. At least not anywhere I've been at the time. This would be a good time for one. It would make me grin at being able to leave for the Dominican Republic in the middle of it. :-)
Toodles all!
It's another one of those days. I'm glad I went with the approach to this week that I did. Just sit back and wait for the fires to flare up. One did, this pilot report I am re-doing again. If I ever get it into my head to be a consulting engineer will someone please shoot me? No, I'm serious. Please shoot me.
Its snowing here in Watson. Really snowing. I looked out the window a few minutes ago and you couldn't see the train tracks just down the street anymore. That's pretty intense. We haven't had a good blizzard here in Saskatchewan in awhile. At least not anywhere I've been at the time. This would be a good time for one. It would make me grin at being able to leave for the Dominican Republic in the middle of it. :-)
Toodles all!
Friday, February 07, 2003
Today should be considered a good day. First and foremost, HIGH SPEED internet is now alive and running in the Central Water Conditioning office. I set up our router this morning, and get everything working in about half an hour or so. Stupid thing. The default IP address that the router uses I had already programmed into the computer we were using for the satellite internet. So, I wasn't able to connect to the router because my idiot computer had learned the 'Server' was 192.168.0.1. I'm suffering from insomnia right now so I'm not fully on top of my game and it took me awhile to get this little incongruity figured out. {for all you that like to upbraid me for my loquaciousness, I'm still alert enough to use the words incongruity and loquaciousness :-P} Long story short, I unplugged the 'Server' computer so only the router was using 192.168.0.1. Oh yeah, since I'm using Microsoft software, I also had to reboot my computer. WTF!!!!
The other piece of really good news for today is, it would appear our shop drawings have FINALLY been approved. There is a massive pile of paper on my desk that I'm much too fatigued to want to look through. I've scanned a few pages from it and it appears to be approved shop drawings. Hallelujah, holy, !!! I truly did not expect this day would ever arrive. As astounding as it seems to me, I think we can finally move on to the next phase of the project and actually order some materials. I refuse to take responsibility for this outrageous delay. According to the original schedule, we were supposed to be starting construction already. They just approved the shop drawings. I pass nearly all the responsibility for this delay onto the consulting engineer. Yes, they had some questions and concerns about the package we submitted. Why didn't they address those specific questions with me in October, instead of waiting until December? And then taking 6 weeks after that to approve the package? Yes, they had some legitimate concerns but most of the wasted time was their fault, not ours. Bygones.
Toodles!
The other piece of really good news for today is, it would appear our shop drawings have FINALLY been approved. There is a massive pile of paper on my desk that I'm much too fatigued to want to look through. I've scanned a few pages from it and it appears to be approved shop drawings. Hallelujah, holy
Toodles!
Tuesday, February 04, 2003
Sorry I didn't get a blog entry in yesterday. Its kind of a work thing I do, and I toasted my computer yesterday around 10:00. I didn't have the internet for the rest of the day and into the morning until, coincidentally enough, 10:00. I now have a brand spanking new computer and it works super slick. There's more stuff I want to install. 'Non-standard' stuff :-D that I'll put those things on as I want/need them.
Now that I have real high speed at home, this satellite connection at work is really chapping my ass. I will be so glad when we have real high speed here too. That's supposed to happen while I'm gone. I'll set it up first thing when I get back and then the horses of war can really be unleashed! :-D (That's my favorite emoticon for the day.)
I better get going. I'm off to Edmonton for a conference for two days. I don't expect there'll be a blog entry until Friday. Toodles!
Now that I have real high speed at home, this satellite connection at work is really chapping my ass. I will be so glad when we have real high speed here too. That's supposed to happen while I'm gone. I'll set it up first thing when I get back and then the horses of war can really be unleashed! :-D (That's my favorite emoticon for the day.)
I better get going. I'm off to Edmonton for a conference for two days. I don't expect there'll be a blog entry until Friday. Toodles!
Friday, January 31, 2003
It would appear I'm going to do the insomnia thing again. ...sigh... I don't really want to do that right now but for whatever reason I'm having trouble sleeping. This is night three of being awake most of the night. I went to bed early, about 10:30, because I was tired. Head nodding to the side tired. I go to bed, crawl under the blankets and bling!, I'm awake. I really hate that. Maybe I should start sleeping on the couch, with my contacts still in, to remove the, trying to sleep, aspect. If I'm just tired I can fall asleep but if I try it doesn't work. I woke up a bunch of times over the course of the night. I didn't bother looking at the clock because I could tell from the radio not being on that it wasn't time to get up. So I lay there, and rolled from side to side, and didn't really sleep. What a frustrating thing!
There was a car accident near here this morning. We heard a bunch of sirens wailing and then news filtered back that there'd been a crash. I didn't participate in any conversations about it but everyone tends to congregate at the cash register, which is just outside my door. Consequently I hear most of these conversations. There was heavy fog this morning. Some woman pulled out to pass a car and slammed into oncoming traffic. It makes you wonder about the mentality of someone that would try passing in such heavy fog.
I'm printing manuals here this afternoon and my latest batch of print jobs just ended. I'd better queue up another set. Toodles!
There was a car accident near here this morning. We heard a bunch of sirens wailing and then news filtered back that there'd been a crash. I didn't participate in any conversations about it but everyone tends to congregate at the cash register, which is just outside my door. Consequently I hear most of these conversations. There was heavy fog this morning. Some woman pulled out to pass a car and slammed into oncoming traffic. It makes you wonder about the mentality of someone that would try passing in such heavy fog.
I'm printing manuals here this afternoon and my latest batch of print jobs just ended. I'd better queue up another set. Toodles!
Thursday, January 30, 2003
Sorry about yesterday. I totally forgot to do an entry when I got home last night. I was in Souris for a meeting yesterday. That was a big waste of time. It was a site meeting; an opportunity for prospective bidders to examine the water treatment plant and ask any questions they might have about the tender package. We didn't need to be there. Our presence was not utilized and we just stood around for 1-1/2 while contractors went around tape measuring things and taking pictures. I examined the pilot plant. That was my biggest contribution to the day. Then we went to lunch and listened to the problems of the project engineer. Considering all the grief I've been put through over this project, I don't feel particularly sympathetic to their plight.
I have some ominous news. Ominous for me really, not that much for anyone else. I'm not sleeping. This concerns me because with my medication I always sleep. Last night was the second night in a row that I did not sleep well. I woke up at 2:30 last night and never really got back to sleep after that. I dozed, but ended up rolling over to check the time, again and again. I'm really hoping this does not settle into a pattern of no sleep. I need it, quite desperately in fact. I feel just awful right now. The plan is to go home at lunch, lie on the couch, and maybe snooze for a few minutes, if I can. Not sleeping only leads to further bad situations, for me.
I wanted to start the next chapter in my book today. I've been putting it off and putting it off, waiting for divine inspiration on where to take the story in this next chapter. I've decided that type of epiphany is not likely to occur. I know how I want things to open, in this chapter, so I'm just going to start, and see where my typing takes me. That usually a pretty good method for me to get from point A to point B when I write. I don't know if this book is any good but I'm enjoying writing it, when I sit down with it. I just wish I could devote more than an hour a day to it. I just get into the narrative again and its time to go back to work. I'd write in the evenings but then I watch TV, chat with people, play games, and so on. I wonder how some other people make a living at doing nothing but writing?
Toodles!
I have some ominous news. Ominous for me really, not that much for anyone else. I'm not sleeping. This concerns me because with my medication I always sleep. Last night was the second night in a row that I did not sleep well. I woke up at 2:30 last night and never really got back to sleep after that. I dozed, but ended up rolling over to check the time, again and again. I'm really hoping this does not settle into a pattern of no sleep. I need it, quite desperately in fact. I feel just awful right now. The plan is to go home at lunch, lie on the couch, and maybe snooze for a few minutes, if I can. Not sleeping only leads to further bad situations, for me.
I wanted to start the next chapter in my book today. I've been putting it off and putting it off, waiting for divine inspiration on where to take the story in this next chapter. I've decided that type of epiphany is not likely to occur. I know how I want things to open, in this chapter, so I'm just going to start, and see where my typing takes me. That usually a pretty good method for me to get from point A to point B when I write. I don't know if this book is any good but I'm enjoying writing it, when I sit down with it. I just wish I could devote more than an hour a day to it. I just get into the narrative again and its time to go back to work. I'd write in the evenings but then I watch TV, chat with people, play games, and so on. I wonder how some other people make a living at doing nothing but writing?
Toodles!
Tuesday, January 28, 2003
Its been kind of a weird day. Why do I say that? I don't really know. Today has just felt weird. Mostly this afternoon has felt weird. There has been this sense of disconnection for that going on around me. Its kind of like floating but not really. I see everything but its just . . . not . . . quite . . . real. I get this feeling from time to time. Its somewhat disconcerting. I think I have to get things straightened around if I want this type of thing to stop happening. I'm not entirely sure how to accomplish that goal though.
On the good news front, my camera is now IN stock with TechData. What I fail to understand is, why a computer distributor for the whole country would only get pick up on their packages at the end of the day. Let's take a minute and think about it. Maybe I only think they get picked up at the end of the day because the courier company doesn't issue tracking info until the end of the day, when their driver brings the package to the depot. That explanation makes a lot of sense. Of course, it does nothing for me sitting here, waiting desperately for tracking info so I know my camera is in route. Okay, I admit, I have a problem. I should not want something THIS bad! I accept and acknowledge that its a problem. What I have yet to figure out is, how to change the situation.
Another piece of good news is, Murray okayed the purchase of a new computer for me. Its a very good system and while I had no complaints about my computer at work, this is going to be a kick ass machine! I'm looking forward to getting it now. I'll probably build it on the weekend. Over the course of one day, yesterday, Orange Computers went from cash lite and stock heavy, to stock light and lots of sales. Funny how business can be like that. Hopefully things can be slow but steady all year. I like doing the computer thing but not at the exclusion of everything else. Here's to hoping we can have a good year!
I spent last night keeping Tara company. She left me a Yahoo! message from yesterday morning saying she was really sick. I was deeply worried about her the minute I finished reading it. Luckily she came online soon after that and I got to ask her how she was. She wasn't good but at least it was okay enough that she could smile when I made jokes. I kept her company for a couple of hours and hopefully made a difference. I hope she's feeling better today. I probably won't get to find out because I'm going to Souris after work for a meeting in the morning.
That's been my day, since yesterday's entry. I may not make one tomorrow because I don't know if I'll be home. I guess you'll just have to check back.
Toodles!
On the good news front, my camera is now IN stock with TechData. What I fail to understand is, why a computer distributor for the whole country would only get pick up on their packages at the end of the day. Let's take a minute and think about it. Maybe I only think they get picked up at the end of the day because the courier company doesn't issue tracking info until the end of the day, when their driver brings the package to the depot. That explanation makes a lot of sense. Of course, it does nothing for me sitting here, waiting desperately for tracking info so I know my camera is in route. Okay, I admit, I have a problem. I should not want something THIS bad! I accept and acknowledge that its a problem. What I have yet to figure out is, how to change the situation.
Another piece of good news is, Murray okayed the purchase of a new computer for me. Its a very good system and while I had no complaints about my computer at work, this is going to be a kick ass machine! I'm looking forward to getting it now. I'll probably build it on the weekend. Over the course of one day, yesterday, Orange Computers went from cash lite and stock heavy, to stock light and lots of sales. Funny how business can be like that. Hopefully things can be slow but steady all year. I like doing the computer thing but not at the exclusion of everything else. Here's to hoping we can have a good year!
I spent last night keeping Tara company. She left me a Yahoo! message from yesterday morning saying she was really sick. I was deeply worried about her the minute I finished reading it. Luckily she came online soon after that and I got to ask her how she was. She wasn't good but at least it was okay enough that she could smile when I made jokes. I kept her company for a couple of hours and hopefully made a difference. I hope she's feeling better today. I probably won't get to find out because I'm going to Souris after work for a meeting in the morning.
That's been my day, since yesterday's entry. I may not make one tomorrow because I don't know if I'll be home. I guess you'll just have to check back.
Toodles!
Monday, January 27, 2003
I'm glad I waited to write my blog entry for today. I thought about writing something this morning but, there wasn't really anything I wanted to say. I would have been just filling in space. I figured today was going to be a pretty big write-off.
I GOT MY HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTION TODAY!!!!
It was 2:13 in the afternoon when I got the call. I was sitting at my desk here in my office when my cell phone rang. WTF!?!?! I thought. Why would I be getting a call on my cell phone? At first I thought maybe it was Greg. But that was silly. Greg had phoned me in the morning, on my office phone. Why would he call me on my cell phone now.
So I answer it. Its someone I don't know. I checked out the number before I answered. It was a Watson and area number. That had me even further mystified. The person asks if its me. I say yes. The guy asks if he can hook up my high speed internet a day early. Would that be a problem. HELL NO!!! I can be home in five minutes, how long until you'll be there. He tells me 15 minutes. I race home and rip EVERYTHING in my office apart. I had that satellite modem out of there, and all the cabling tore apart in record time. He shows up and the install takes only a few minutes. There are some issues because its Windows 2000 but a simple reboot fixes that and soon I'm surfing on high speed. The SaskTel guy leaves and I put in my NEW router and hook everything up. I check my living room computer, its on high speed. Everything is golden..
I'M ON HIGH SPEED!!!! I don't know if I could be more enthusiastic about anything today.
KICK ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Toodles!
I GOT MY HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTION TODAY!!!!
It was 2:13 in the afternoon when I got the call. I was sitting at my desk here in my office when my cell phone rang. WTF!?!?! I thought. Why would I be getting a call on my cell phone? At first I thought maybe it was Greg. But that was silly. Greg had phoned me in the morning, on my office phone. Why would he call me on my cell phone now.
So I answer it. Its someone I don't know. I checked out the number before I answered. It was a Watson and area number. That had me even further mystified. The person asks if its me. I say yes. The guy asks if he can hook up my high speed internet a day early. Would that be a problem. HELL NO!!! I can be home in five minutes, how long until you'll be there. He tells me 15 minutes. I race home and rip EVERYTHING in my office apart. I had that satellite modem out of there, and all the cabling tore apart in record time. He shows up and the install takes only a few minutes. There are some issues because its Windows 2000 but a simple reboot fixes that and soon I'm surfing on high speed. The SaskTel guy leaves and I put in my NEW router and hook everything up. I check my living room computer, its on high speed. Everything is golden..
I'M ON HIGH SPEED!!!! I don't know if I could be more enthusiastic about anything today.
KICK ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Toodles!
Friday, January 24, 2003
I found an interesting internet site. Its called www.picturejudge.com. You can pick from different categories of pictures, and you look at them, and give them a rating. There doesn't seem to be a limit on the number of pictures you can rate. I tried another one, www.rankmypix.com (I think) and you could only rate 10 pictures before they hit you with a plug to subscribe to a pay service. I miss free stuff on the internet. This is is a neat way to pass the time but its not so much fun that I want to pay $10 US a month for the privilege. I don't the internet works as a revenue pool. If you deliver good, original content then maybe you can make money at it. There are so few people putting out original content though. Its certainly not worth the subscription fees most sites want to charge. There have only been a few that I would consider getting a membership to and I've resisted the urge every time. I guess someone must be paying up because these sites do exist, and must be making money, otherwise they'd fold.
That's just my two cents worth.
Toodles!
That's just my two cents worth.
Toodles!
Thursday, January 23, 2003
I'm feeling nervous this morning. I ordered my digital cameras from TechData on Tuesday night. I didn't get confirmation on the order being shipped until this morning. That was a relief though because 80% of the order has now shipped. I don't think anything will be here for tomorrow but, the camera's I ordered for customers will definitely be here next week and I can give them to them, and they can be happy.
What is making me nervous is the third digital camera, for myself. I split the order between Mississauga and Vancouver because they had 2 in stock in Vancouver but Mississauga had an earlier ETA date on the next shipment. TechData and their ETA's always make me nervous. I love the ability to order stuff online as it makes things really simple. But, not having a person to talk to, when you need something that isn't in stock, is very frustrating. On the TechData site they post ETA's but the information is nearly useless because they change them, move them back, and sometimes the stuff never ships. I ordered a CDRW drive from them once and the ETA kept going back and back and back and I never did get the drive. I'm worried about that with this camera. According to the site they have 150 on order, to be delivered on January 30th. But, earlier in the week they were supposed to be getting 16 in on the 21st. What's the truth? Will I get my camera before my trip? I hate all this uncertainty. I'd feel loads better if the damn thing was in shipment already.
So, its a nervous morning.
Toodles!
What is making me nervous is the third digital camera, for myself. I split the order between Mississauga and Vancouver because they had 2 in stock in Vancouver but Mississauga had an earlier ETA date on the next shipment. TechData and their ETA's always make me nervous. I love the ability to order stuff online as it makes things really simple. But, not having a person to talk to, when you need something that isn't in stock, is very frustrating. On the TechData site they post ETA's but the information is nearly useless because they change them, move them back, and sometimes the stuff never ships. I ordered a CDRW drive from them once and the ETA kept going back and back and back and I never did get the drive. I'm worried about that with this camera. According to the site they have 150 on order, to be delivered on January 30th. But, earlier in the week they were supposed to be getting 16 in on the 21st. What's the truth? Will I get my camera before my trip? I hate all this uncertainty. I'd feel loads better if the damn thing was in shipment already.
So, its a nervous morning.
Toodles!
Wednesday, January 22, 2003
You know you are living in the year 2003 when:
1. Your reason for not staying in touch with family is because they do not have e-mail.
2. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
3. Your grandmother asks you to send her a JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.
4. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.
5. Every commercial on television has a web site address at the bottom of the screen.
6. You buy a computer and 3 months later it's out of date and sells for half the price you paid.
7. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go get it.
8. Using real money, instead of credit or debit, to make a purchase would be a hassle and take planning.
9. You just tried to enter your password on the microwave.
10. You consider second-day air delivery painfully slow.
11. Your dining room table is now your flat filing cabinet.
12. Your idea of being organized is multiple-colored Post-it notes.
13. You hear most of your jokes via e-mail instead of in person.
14. You get an extra phone line so you can get phone calls.
15. You disconnect from the Internet and get this awful feeling, as if you just pulled the plug on a loved one.
16. You get up in the morning and go online before getting your coffee.
17. You wake up at 2 AM to go to the bathroom and check your E-mail on your way back to bed.
18. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. ; )
19. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
20. Even worse; you know exactly who you are going to forward this to...
1. Your reason for not staying in touch with family is because they do not have e-mail.
2. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
3. Your grandmother asks you to send her a JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.
4. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.
5. Every commercial on television has a web site address at the bottom of the screen.
6. You buy a computer and 3 months later it's out of date and sells for half the price you paid.
7. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go get it.
8. Using real money, instead of credit or debit, to make a purchase would be a hassle and take planning.
9. You just tried to enter your password on the microwave.
10. You consider second-day air delivery painfully slow.
11. Your dining room table is now your flat filing cabinet.
12. Your idea of being organized is multiple-colored Post-it notes.
13. You hear most of your jokes via e-mail instead of in person.
14. You get an extra phone line so you can get phone calls.
15. You disconnect from the Internet and get this awful feeling, as if you just pulled the plug on a loved one.
16. You get up in the morning and go online before getting your coffee.
17. You wake up at 2 AM to go to the bathroom and check your E-mail on your way back to bed.
18. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. ; )
19. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
20. Even worse; you know exactly who you are going to forward this to...
It's been a pretty productive day. I've completed two projects that needed doing. The last set of shop drawings for the Manitoba project went out on the courier this morning. When they phoned Monday, they had no changes left they wanted, just the last two copies. So, all things being equal, we should get them APPROVED!!! by the end of the week and maybe we can get paid the outstanding amount for delivery of the shop drawings. What an ordeal this process has been. I wonder if I'll relax any, having achieved this milestone? Somehow I'm doubting it. I still have lots of other stuff bugging me. It would be nice though if I could relax just a little. I feel tense. I've been having stomach troubles again since late last week. I'm reducing my diet accordingly, to try and mitigate the number of trips I must make to the facilities. What a pain in the ass this process is.
On the good news front, Murray took me and Kim for lunch today. That was really nice of him, I thought. Actually, there was no real plan to it. We all left the building at the same time. Kim was going to the Esso restaurant anyway, since she didn't want to drive back to Englefeld when it was this cold, and Murray was going there too. I don't think he had any lunch waiting for him at home. So he invited me along and he paid for all of us. That was really nice of him. I'm always free for lunch because all I ever have is a muffin or bun or something. All lunch is, for me, is a chance to get out of my office for awhile. That is a needed respite too.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. Without the big project looming like an axe over my head, I don't know what I should do. Its kind of odd to sit here and realize that they are finally satisfied. I almost feel like I should celebrate. That, along with getting high speed Monday, has made this a pretty kick ass week. Even the cold weather can't get me down.
Have a good day everyone. Toodles!
On the good news front, Murray took me and Kim for lunch today. That was really nice of him, I thought. Actually, there was no real plan to it. We all left the building at the same time. Kim was going to the Esso restaurant anyway, since she didn't want to drive back to Englefeld when it was this cold, and Murray was going there too. I don't think he had any lunch waiting for him at home. So he invited me along and he paid for all of us. That was really nice of him. I'm always free for lunch because all I ever have is a muffin or bun or something. All lunch is, for me, is a chance to get out of my office for awhile. That is a needed respite too.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. Without the big project looming like an axe over my head, I don't know what I should do. Its kind of odd to sit here and realize that they are finally satisfied. I almost feel like I should celebrate. That, along with getting high speed Monday, has made this a pretty kick ass week. Even the cold weather can't get me down.
Have a good day everyone. Toodles!
Monday, January 20, 2003
I know, I know, I just got back from a week in Tampa Bay. I should have plenty of material for a blog entry. Unfortunately for you, dear reader, I am much to excited to remember anything about my trip. Today's blog entry will be very short because there is just one thing on my mind right now.
I GET HIGH SPEED INTERNET ON JANUARY 28!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I GET HIGH SPEED INTERNET ON JANUARY 28!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Hello from Florida everyone! This is your intrepid reporter bringing you the scoop from the sunny Sunshine State!
I don't have much good news to report, unfortunately. The business portion of the trip is going well enough. We had our first class today and it was good. I got some useful help from it. The part about how a membrane unit is put together was very informative and filled in some wide gaps in my understanding, from how I'd tried to visualize it from the book I read.
On the down side, my face hurts. Or more specifically, my left eye. To the point, it feels like someone punched me in the eye. Its not comfortable. I hope it gets better, or at least doesn't get any worse. I do NOT want to have to look for medical help here in the USA.
My most interesting note from yesterday's travels would be the enormously poo-bomb that was getting through US Customs. That was the biggest screw up I've ever seen. There had to have been 600 people in line, trying to get through Customs and onto their planes. They ended up having to delay a bunch, including mine, because they couldn't get people through. Someone needs to have a talk with the Americans. If they want all that security, you gotta pay for it. There were 20 aisles available for people to be processed through. They had six agents available for putting people through. That is not performance. If anyone in a position of power is reading this, FIX THAT SITUATION!!!
To my family, I hope they read this, lots of love.
Toodles!
I don't have much good news to report, unfortunately. The business portion of the trip is going well enough. We had our first class today and it was good. I got some useful help from it. The part about how a membrane unit is put together was very informative and filled in some wide gaps in my understanding, from how I'd tried to visualize it from the book I read.
On the down side, my face hurts. Or more specifically, my left eye. To the point, it feels like someone punched me in the eye. Its not comfortable. I hope it gets better, or at least doesn't get any worse. I do NOT want to have to look for medical help here in the USA.
My most interesting note from yesterday's travels would be the enormously poo-bomb that was getting through US Customs. That was the biggest screw up I've ever seen. There had to have been 600 people in line, trying to get through Customs and onto their planes. They ended up having to delay a bunch, including mine, because they couldn't get people through. Someone needs to have a talk with the Americans. If they want all that security, you gotta pay for it. There were 20 aisles available for people to be processed through. They had six agents available for putting people through. That is not performance. If anyone in a position of power is reading this, FIX THAT SITUATION!!!
To my family, I hope they read this, lots of love.
Toodles!
Monday, January 13, 2003
Today is a total non-day. Nothing is happening, at all. It is at once both disappointing and comforting. How odd.
I took a spare power supply home at lunch today, to confirm my worst fears. They were confirmed. The computer known as the Linux box is dead. I threw in a new power supply and the computer did nothing at all. It is a complete boat anchor. Thus ends my foray into dual processor computing. :-( I'm fairly sad about this because they motherboard that I had in that computer was one I bought off eBay for a fairly respectable sum of money. I spent that much because its a dual processor motherboard. I could have put two Pentium II processors on it. (I never did get around to buying another one) Now that particalar dream is dead. I would guess I've lost at least the motherboard, and probably the chip and RAM as well. I guess it doesn't really matter since the stuff is old and I can't salvage it into another machine. Nontheless it is still disappointing to have your equipment go up on smoke.
Today is my one and only day in the office for the week. Tomorrow is a travel day, and then the rest of the week is my conference on reverse osmosis water treatment in Tampa. I've kind of lost my enthusiasm for this trip. I had some last week but a series of minor setbacks, all happening one on top of each other, has dampened my enthusiasm. I need to find an outlet for my emotions in situations like these. I bottle everything up and wind up depressed. Its not a good situation. All answers point towards spending money that I don't have, leading to further depression. I need another job.
Toodles!
I took a spare power supply home at lunch today, to confirm my worst fears. They were confirmed. The computer known as the Linux box is dead. I threw in a new power supply and the computer did nothing at all. It is a complete boat anchor. Thus ends my foray into dual processor computing. :-( I'm fairly sad about this because they motherboard that I had in that computer was one I bought off eBay for a fairly respectable sum of money. I spent that much because its a dual processor motherboard. I could have put two Pentium II processors on it. (I never did get around to buying another one) Now that particalar dream is dead. I would guess I've lost at least the motherboard, and probably the chip and RAM as well. I guess it doesn't really matter since the stuff is old and I can't salvage it into another machine. Nontheless it is still disappointing to have your equipment go up on smoke.
Today is my one and only day in the office for the week. Tomorrow is a travel day, and then the rest of the week is my conference on reverse osmosis water treatment in Tampa. I've kind of lost my enthusiasm for this trip. I had some last week but a series of minor setbacks, all happening one on top of each other, has dampened my enthusiasm. I need to find an outlet for my emotions in situations like these. I bottle everything up and wind up depressed. Its not a good situation. All answers point towards spending money that I don't have, leading to further depression. I need another job.
Toodles!
Friday, January 10, 2003
I think everyone's life needs to have a describing theme. Mine has one. Its 'clown shoes'.
So I go home for lunch today, the same way I do every day. I had in tow a stick of RAM that I'd brought to work, to test Kim's computer. I knew this stick of RAM was good so I put it in her computer because I suspected the RAM in that machine was faulty. Lo and behold I was correct, it was faulty. I subsequently discovered that power supply was also bad but that's a story for another time. Back to the main story. I go home for lunch, and I take this stick of RAM with me. I put it back in the computer I'd taken it from, and I turn it on to make sure everything is groovy (since I'd swapped in and out of several machines) The computer comes on with a fearsome SNAP! from the back. A poof of brown smoke follows the sound which itself is trailed by a disgusting, acrid smell. Another Techtronics power supply bites the dust, and with it, probably all the parts in that system. :-( I'm holding some hope (very minor hope) that maybe the power supply alone went. When Dean was in Watson to came in the spring, his computer blew a power supply and he didn't lose all his system components. I don't expect to be that lucky but I might as well hope, right? I was so demoralized by this that lunch did not taste too good, and I really didn't enjoy my Tang. ...sigh...
Clown shoes.
Toodles.
So I go home for lunch today, the same way I do every day. I had in tow a stick of RAM that I'd brought to work, to test Kim's computer. I knew this stick of RAM was good so I put it in her computer because I suspected the RAM in that machine was faulty. Lo and behold I was correct, it was faulty. I subsequently discovered that power supply was also bad but that's a story for another time. Back to the main story. I go home for lunch, and I take this stick of RAM with me. I put it back in the computer I'd taken it from, and I turn it on to make sure everything is groovy (since I'd swapped in and out of several machines) The computer comes on with a fearsome SNAP! from the back. A poof of brown smoke follows the sound which itself is trailed by a disgusting, acrid smell. Another Techtronics power supply bites the dust, and with it, probably all the parts in that system. :-( I'm holding some hope (very minor hope) that maybe the power supply alone went. When Dean was in Watson to came in the spring, his computer blew a power supply and he didn't lose all his system components. I don't expect to be that lucky but I might as well hope, right? I was so demoralized by this that lunch did not taste too good, and I really didn't enjoy my Tang. ...sigh...
Clown shoes.
Toodles.
Wednesday, January 08, 2003
I just remembered a dream I had, a few minutes ago. The strange thing is, I can't remember when I had this dream. Nor can I recall enough of the details for me to write down an account of it, so it might make for a decent narrative. The gist of it was, I was in this huge game. It was like a board game, but on city wide scale. There were different zones, and you had different missions, or tasks, to complete to move on to the next one. It was not like I was in a video game though, even though the mission aspect is a video game concept. Everything was live, and the people in the dream human, and not video game constructs. As you can expect, I was playing the game, completing missions and moving on. I had this general sense of dread about not finishing a mission, like I would physically die or something if I did not finish it successfully. I was never told that I would die though. The last mission I was involved in was searching around this big park for a priestly artifact. I found it on top of a giant stone sculpture that was very cube-like. It was a bizarre dream.
Toodles!
Toodles!
Tuesday, January 07, 2003
You know what I don't get? Why is it that all the responses I've gotten off these internet dating sites, have been on this obscure little site that I've never seen advertised anywhere? That Cupid.com thing is on the radio all the time, or was back when I used to listen to the radio. I naturally assumed that if I ever got a response it would be through that avenue. Not even a sniff. I don't even remember how I found this Heart Detectives site that I keep getting messages on. Maybe its all a racket and its just a dupe to get guys to sign up. I suppose that is possible. Some of the responses I've got were kind of head scratchers. Illinois? Why would a woman in Illinois want to chat with me, out of the blue? That one kind of mystifies me. Most of them are from Saskatchewan though. I can look up profiles for free but not read the emails. That's how they get you. You know that you have messages, you just can't read them. Unless someone knows a way to hack it that I don't know. I suppose that is possible. I really don't care enough to attempt hacking a web site to read emails. :-)
Toodles!
Toodles!
Monday, January 06, 2003
I have two jokes today!!!
The CIA had an opening for an assassin. After all of the background checks, interviews and testing were done, there were three finalists, two men and a woman.
For the final test, the CIA agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun. "We must know that you will follow your instructions, no matter what the circumstances. Inside of this room, you will find your wife sitting in a chair. Kill Her!!!"
The man said, "You can't be serious. I could never shoot my wife."
The agent said, "Then you're not the right man for this job."
The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and went into the room. All was quiet for about five minutes. Then the man came out with tears in his eyes. "I tried, but I can't kill my wife." The agent said, "You don't have what it takes. Take your wife and go home."
Finally, it was the woman's turn. She was given the same instructions, to kill her husband. She took the gun and went into the room. Shots were heard, one shot after another. They heard screaming, crashing, banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow, and said "This gun is loaded with blanks! I had to beat him to death with the chair!"
A guy visits his doctor complaining of a really sharp headache along the left side of his brain.
"Hmmm," the doctor says, ruminating on the problem. "Let me ask you this - do you masturbate?"
Somewhat taken aback the guy replies, "Uhhh, well . . . uhhh, yeah."
The doctor grins and says, "It's great, isn't it?"
The CIA had an opening for an assassin. After all of the background checks, interviews and testing were done, there were three finalists, two men and a woman.
For the final test, the CIA agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun. "We must know that you will follow your instructions, no matter what the circumstances. Inside of this room, you will find your wife sitting in a chair. Kill Her!!!"
The man said, "You can't be serious. I could never shoot my wife."
The agent said, "Then you're not the right man for this job."
The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and went into the room. All was quiet for about five minutes. Then the man came out with tears in his eyes. "I tried, but I can't kill my wife." The agent said, "You don't have what it takes. Take your wife and go home."
Finally, it was the woman's turn. She was given the same instructions, to kill her husband. She took the gun and went into the room. Shots were heard, one shot after another. They heard screaming, crashing, banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow, and said "This gun is loaded with blanks! I had to beat him to death with the chair!"
A guy visits his doctor complaining of a really sharp headache along the left side of his brain.
"Hmmm," the doctor says, ruminating on the problem. "Let me ask you this - do you masturbate?"
Somewhat taken aback the guy replies, "Uhhh, well . . . uhhh, yeah."
The doctor grins and says, "It's great, isn't it?"
Friday, January 03, 2003
Uh, oops.
I've got two things to apologize for today. One, I wrote an entry on Christmas Eve and then haven't added a thing since. That wasn't very good. I didn't have anything to say over that period of time. Nothing notweworthy happened, and I had no interesting stories to tell. It was a quiet, reflective time that I needed even if I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. The least I could have done is post a joke or something that. I apologize. That was bad manners on my part.
The second thing I should apologize for is, no entry yesterday. I was back at work, and thus I should have been back into the routine of making a daily entry. I just forgot. Which is no excuse but it is a reason. Again, I didn't have anything to say which is probably why nothing gotten written. Yesterday was a slow day.
Which brings us to today. Thus far today is not going well. I had an atrocious night of sleep last night. That was the worst night's sleep I can remember having in a very long time. Reason? Well, I think I kind of know why. I had no computer last night. I left it in Saskatoon, at Greg's house, for this weekend's gaming extravaganza. I thought I could go for one night without a computer. I may have been in error on that. It would appear I can not go a night without a computer. Last night was quite horrible and this morning has, thus far, been uncomfortable. I've been having bowel problems all morning. I have a problem and this is going to need to be addressed, sooner rather than later.
Thanks for listening people. Its still early so I will take the opportunity to wish everyone a great coming year. Personally I'm looking for improvements over a lousy 2002. Until later!
Toodles.
I've got two things to apologize for today. One, I wrote an entry on Christmas Eve and then haven't added a thing since. That wasn't very good. I didn't have anything to say over that period of time. Nothing notweworthy happened, and I had no interesting stories to tell. It was a quiet, reflective time that I needed even if I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. The least I could have done is post a joke or something that. I apologize. That was bad manners on my part.
The second thing I should apologize for is, no entry yesterday. I was back at work, and thus I should have been back into the routine of making a daily entry. I just forgot. Which is no excuse but it is a reason. Again, I didn't have anything to say which is probably why nothing gotten written. Yesterday was a slow day.
Which brings us to today. Thus far today is not going well. I had an atrocious night of sleep last night. That was the worst night's sleep I can remember having in a very long time. Reason? Well, I think I kind of know why. I had no computer last night. I left it in Saskatoon, at Greg's house, for this weekend's gaming extravaganza. I thought I could go for one night without a computer. I may have been in error on that. It would appear I can not go a night without a computer. Last night was quite horrible and this morning has, thus far, been uncomfortable. I've been having bowel problems all morning. I have a problem and this is going to need to be addressed, sooner rather than later.
Thanks for listening people. Its still early so I will take the opportunity to wish everyone a great coming year. Personally I'm looking for improvements over a lousy 2002. Until later!
Toodles.
Tuesday, December 24, 2002
It's Christmas eve folks! The wait is finally over. In a few short hours we'll all be awake, and opening the presents we've dreamed about for weeks. I know I'm looking forward to it and I'm sure you are too!
But more importantly, for me, I get to take a well needed break. I will be away from my desk in the office, and away from having to think about all the difficulties that have been plaguing me. The rest already feels good. About 2 hours ago I finally felt the tension begin to seep out of my body. It felt good.
I don't know how many entries I'll make during my vacation. I'll try to jot down anything worthwhile, like interesting dreams and such. Have a good Christmas vacation.
Toodles!
But more importantly, for me, I get to take a well needed break. I will be away from my desk in the office, and away from having to think about all the difficulties that have been plaguing me. The rest already feels good. About 2 hours ago I finally felt the tension begin to seep out of my body. It felt good.
I don't know how many entries I'll make during my vacation. I'll try to jot down anything worthwhile, like interesting dreams and such. Have a good Christmas vacation.
Toodles!
Monday, December 23, 2002
It seems everyone went to the Fox & Hounds for wings tonight. Everyone that is but me. I don't know how to feel about that. I suppose I made my choice when I agreed to work out here in Watson. Its nights like this though that I really question the decision. Yes, I can go back to Saskatoon on the weekend and hang out with my family, and friends, but I'm missing out on the little things. I can't go for wings on a Monday night. I miss cheap night at the movies. I'm not there for weekday gigs at Sask. Place. I suppose maybe I should try to not dwell on the negative so much. For some reason my mind always seems to want to go down that darker road.
On the up side I sold a digital camera this morning. It was pretty easy, my boss just came into my office and said, I want to buy a digital camera. Its hard to mess up a sale like that. :-)
Toodles!
On the up side I sold a digital camera this morning. It was pretty easy, my boss just came into my office and said, I want to buy a digital camera. Its hard to mess up a sale like that. :-)
Toodles!
Friday, December 20, 2002
I must not be sleeping well. I had another vivid dream last night that I could still remember when I woke up. That says to me that I'm sleeping fairly close to consciousness. I went to bed at a reasonable hour, 11:15, and stayed there until 7:52. I'm having a lot of trouble getting up in the morning. Even more than usual. I can't decide if its just because of the time of year, and no hint of sunlight when I need to get up, or if its something more sinister I'm hoping its just seasonal.
I was going to tell you all about my dream. It was a fairly vivid dream, with a good, cohesive story to it. It was like a movie. I wish there was a way to capture dreams and replay them for others as movies. If someone could invent that they would make a fortune. Maybe I should bend all of my considerable talents towards developing this invention. Or maybe I should just play more video games.
I was going to describe the dream for you. Of course that was 2-1/2 hours ago when it was still real fresh in my mind. I've forgotten all of the really important stuff that pinned the dream together and is necessary for it to make sense to all of you. The random images that I can pull from mind, still make sense to me, but I don't have enough of my dream in my head anymore to describe it to you. If I did, I'd be making up new stuff to fill in the gaps and that doesn't really suit the purpose I intended.
I'm disappointed I can't describe it for you. It was a really good movie. It was entertaining. It started out much different from how it ended. It began as a bank heist. I, as a character not as me, was helping this guy that looked like Drew Carey, rob a bank that somehow was situated in Central Butte school. The grade nine room specifically. That melted into a dream where me, and now a character played by Jason Lee, were evading the police who didn't really know we'd been responsible for the bank heist, but there was one detective that had strong suspicions and was on us like flies on honey. That went on for awhile and then the dream morphed again and there was another new character, a girl this time. She was kinda of like Tyra Banks, or Beyonce Knowles but not completely. I suppose it was a composite of attractive, exotic women. The detectives that were chasing us weren't regular cops but a group of people huntiing supernaturally talented people, like me, Jason Lee, and the exotic girl (I forget her name). To evade them we went back in time. My character kind of lost his sanity, and started doing all kinds of impossible things (which were possible given his mental abilities) and the girl character was hunting me down to send me back. She turned from an ally to a friend character trying to save the people of this time frame. This part of the dream was really good but I can't nail down any details for you. It was a chase type dream, with all these people out to capture me, and return me to my own time, with me evading them while simultaneously losing more and more of my sanity. In the end I got away.
I apologize for having lost the details. I should have written this dream down earlier. But I got to work and my keyboard wasn't working, so I fussed with that. Then I wanted to finish a set of drawings so that we can go into production on the unit over Christmas and maybe ship the unit out early in the new year. Then I got back to chasing phone calls on the big project I'm doing. All of this combined to put me behind schedule on documenting my dream. Thus I forgot the details. :-( Again, my apologies.
I hope everyone is having a super fantastic day. Toodles!
I was going to tell you all about my dream. It was a fairly vivid dream, with a good, cohesive story to it. It was like a movie. I wish there was a way to capture dreams and replay them for others as movies. If someone could invent that they would make a fortune. Maybe I should bend all of my considerable talents towards developing this invention. Or maybe I should just play more video games.
I was going to describe the dream for you. Of course that was 2-1/2 hours ago when it was still real fresh in my mind. I've forgotten all of the really important stuff that pinned the dream together and is necessary for it to make sense to all of you. The random images that I can pull from mind, still make sense to me, but I don't have enough of my dream in my head anymore to describe it to you. If I did, I'd be making up new stuff to fill in the gaps and that doesn't really suit the purpose I intended.
I'm disappointed I can't describe it for you. It was a really good movie. It was entertaining. It started out much different from how it ended. It began as a bank heist. I, as a character not as me, was helping this guy that looked like Drew Carey, rob a bank that somehow was situated in Central Butte school. The grade nine room specifically. That melted into a dream where me, and now a character played by Jason Lee, were evading the police who didn't really know we'd been responsible for the bank heist, but there was one detective that had strong suspicions and was on us like flies on honey. That went on for awhile and then the dream morphed again and there was another new character, a girl this time. She was kinda of like Tyra Banks, or Beyonce Knowles but not completely. I suppose it was a composite of attractive, exotic women. The detectives that were chasing us weren't regular cops but a group of people huntiing supernaturally talented people, like me, Jason Lee, and the exotic girl (I forget her name). To evade them we went back in time. My character kind of lost his sanity, and started doing all kinds of impossible things (which were possible given his mental abilities) and the girl character was hunting me down to send me back. She turned from an ally to a friend character trying to save the people of this time frame. This part of the dream was really good but I can't nail down any details for you. It was a chase type dream, with all these people out to capture me, and return me to my own time, with me evading them while simultaneously losing more and more of my sanity. In the end I got away.
I apologize for having lost the details. I should have written this dream down earlier. But I got to work and my keyboard wasn't working, so I fussed with that. Then I wanted to finish a set of drawings so that we can go into production on the unit over Christmas and maybe ship the unit out early in the new year. Then I got back to chasing phone calls on the big project I'm doing. All of this combined to put me behind schedule on documenting my dream. Thus I forgot the details. :-( Again, my apologies.
I hope everyone is having a super fantastic day. Toodles!
Thursday, December 19, 2002
So I listened to the new Sum 41 album today. All in all I didn't mind it. The music is the type that I like. If I had a complaint after a single listen, I'd say that all the songs sound the same. Which is to be expected, I suppose. I guess songs by the same artist would be the same. That's not really what I noticed though. I had the album playing in the background while I worked. It got to the end and I didn't even realize that the first song had ended. It was like one, great, big long song. I suppose that could be attributed to my focusing on my work but I have trouble with that theory. There is way too much on my mind right now for me to concentrate on anything. Turmoil surrounds me. Which kind of sucks because I don't thrive in turmoil. I actually tend to sink in it, like a stone sinking in quicksand. The Christmas break can not get here too soon for me. I won't go into the whole sordid story in this very public forum because frankly, its not the right venue for that. But I will be so glad when I can get back to Saskatoon, sleep in my familiar room, and forget about everything
Toodles!
Toodles!
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Sorry about yesterday. I just didn't get around to typing anything in here. I didn't really have anything to say either, which is part of why there was no entry. Another day of pounding at the project. Then I went home, late, and had to fix a computer. I was only online for a couple of hours and totally forgot about my plan to add a blurb to this blog. You didn't miss anything. I was zoned out yesterday.
Does anyone remember the old cartoons they used to show on CBC and CTV on Saturday mornings? For some reason I have those shows in my head this morning. The theme song from that cheesy 'Wizard of Oz' cartoon is repeating in my head. I could sing the whole thing for you right now.
The World of Oz is a very funny place,
Where everyone makes a funny, funny face.
All the streets are paved with gold,
And no one ever grows old,
In that funny place of the Wizard of Oz!
This is why I can't get ahead in life. I always have stupid, useless stuff rattling around in my head. Its a serious problem. I think I need professional help.
I also think about the Smurfs. Tara and I talk about the Smurfs occasionally. She actually still gets the show on some channel, on her TV. I miss the Smurfs. Now there was a quality program. The early ones. When they started doing time machines and stuff it got stupid and I quit watching. The classic battles between the Smurfs and Gargamel were very entertaining though. I should try and find my stuffed Smurf doll and put him on my desk with my other toys. My desktop is a real toy box. :-)
How about that Frankenstein show that would come on really early? The exact name of that one escapes me right now. It was a live action show, and not a cartoon. It was cheesy as hell but I still got up at 6:00 in the morning to watch it. Am I alone in this?
You know what? When I was about 6, I wrote a letter to CKCK TV in Regina, asking them about their cartoon line-up. I'd go to Osler to visit my cousins and they had Bugs Bunny, and back home in Coronach all we got was stupid, crappy cartoons that I didn't enjoy half as much. So I wrote them a letter asking them what was up and why couldn't they get the cool cartoons like they had in Saskatoon. I actually got a reply, which I had for the longest of time. They had a plan for a new cartoon lineup which would be announced soon. Not long after we started getting the Smurfs, and other shows. We never did get Bugs Bunny but at least the cartoons did improve.
Toodles!
Does anyone remember the old cartoons they used to show on CBC and CTV on Saturday mornings? For some reason I have those shows in my head this morning. The theme song from that cheesy 'Wizard of Oz' cartoon is repeating in my head. I could sing the whole thing for you right now.
The World of Oz is a very funny place,
Where everyone makes a funny, funny face.
All the streets are paved with gold,
And no one ever grows old,
In that funny place of the Wizard of Oz!
This is why I can't get ahead in life. I always have stupid, useless stuff rattling around in my head. Its a serious problem. I think I need professional help.
I also think about the Smurfs. Tara and I talk about the Smurfs occasionally. She actually still gets the show on some channel, on her TV. I miss the Smurfs. Now there was a quality program. The early ones. When they started doing time machines and stuff it got stupid and I quit watching. The classic battles between the Smurfs and Gargamel were very entertaining though. I should try and find my stuffed Smurf doll and put him on my desk with my other toys. My desktop is a real toy box. :-)
How about that Frankenstein show that would come on really early? The exact name of that one escapes me right now. It was a live action show, and not a cartoon. It was cheesy as hell but I still got up at 6:00 in the morning to watch it. Am I alone in this?
You know what? When I was about 6, I wrote a letter to CKCK TV in Regina, asking them about their cartoon line-up. I'd go to Osler to visit my cousins and they had Bugs Bunny, and back home in Coronach all we got was stupid, crappy cartoons that I didn't enjoy half as much. So I wrote them a letter asking them what was up and why couldn't they get the cool cartoons like they had in Saskatoon. I actually got a reply, which I had for the longest of time. They had a plan for a new cartoon lineup which would be announced soon. Not long after we started getting the Smurfs, and other shows. We never did get Bugs Bunny but at least the cartoons did improve.
Toodles!
Monday, December 16, 2002
There will be no entry today full of frivolity and merriment. I am in the office, in the evening, again. We got our shop drawings back this afternoon, and after a frustrating several hours of reviewing them, I'm back at the process of trying to fix what is wrong. Some points were good, and we were in error. Those have been fixed, for the most part. Some on the other hand were farcical. How do you install a screwplug heater? Hhhhmmmm, I don't know, perhaps you SCREW IT IN!!?!!?!! Its that kind of insanity that is giving me a permanent, stress induced, migraine. It would not hurt my feelings at all if something large and heavy fell on certain people. In fact, I'm saying a silent prayer for it. I am so looking forward to the next GameFest. I will definitely be playing on whatever team lets me kill Russians.
From my office, I remain. Toodles.
From my office, I remain. Toodles.
Friday, December 13, 2002
Further to yesterday's post, it was Sean that suggested I post the joke. There you go buddy! :-)
I want to write this down before my memory of it degrades any further. I've already lost much of the substance of the dream I had last night so I'll commit what I do remember to the cyber world for posterity.
I went to Toronto for some reason. It had to do with business because I had on business clothes, and I took a laptop. I arrived by plane but the plane ride was not part of the dream. The first thing I remember was being in Toronto, in this very fancy terminal building. It looked more like an expensive bank lobby than an airport terminal. It was a long hallway, with a massive glass panelled canopy overhead. It was cloudy and dull out though, so it wasn't bright inside the building. The floor and walls were all of gleaming marble. Everything shone, and the marble was a kind of creamy/gold color.
The first order of business was securing a ride to wherever I was going. That was the thing though, I didn't know where I was going. I had a bunch of meetings and stuff that I had to attend, but that was for later in the week. I had today free, so I was going to do some of my own stuff. So, I wanted to go watch the Toronto Maple Leafs play. I hailed a cab and said, 'take me to the stadium' because I couldn't remember the name of the hockey arena in Toronto. (I remember now that its the Air Canada Center) So this taxi driver takes me all over the place, down streets, through markets, then stops in front of a building. I get out and wander through this building. Its not the arena I want, because the Toronto Blue Jays are practising behind some mesh in one part, the Toronto Argonauts are practising on the field in the Skydome and the hockey arena is just part of this massive complex. You can wander all the way through this building, but a series of glass panels take you in a corridor to the small amount of seating around the hockey ice. It turns out this is a minor hockey game, which is not what I want. But the exits from the hockey arena part are not to the street but a train platform for a train that never will arrive for me.
Cut to me in a hall of some kind. There are row upon row of tables set out, and hundreds of people are seated at these tables. I don't really take the time to study the crowd at first, but later on I realize that most of the people are middle aged to senior citizens. Why am I here? Kevin is doing the sound for the performances that take place awhile after I arrive at this place. Some guy, who actually sings pretty well, even if its not my type of music, is belting out a song as I flag Kevin down. I chat with him and see if he's free to tour Toronto with me. He can't go, because he has to do the sound for this event, and he's also responsible for the sound at other events in this festival thing that is going on in Toronto. But he can get me a ride to Toronto to see the sights I want to see. It turns out I'm not in Toronto at the moment but I'm actually in Markham, Ontario.
So I get in this taxi cab with a girl. It takes me a couple of minutes to realize its Amanda Marshall. She was performing in the show we just left but had been on before I arrived. She was going back to Toronto anyway so I'm tagging along. I mostly just sit there and listen to her because she talks, a lot. One of the nuggets of information I get out of this conversation is that, she has to drive this taxi cab to make enough money to pay her bills. Apparently being a Canadian artist does not pay as well as it should. Eventually we get back to Toronto and she takes me into this less densely packed area of the city, with lots of hills. We pull up to a hotel, and I get out. I think she came too, but I didn't see her anymore in the dream.
I'm back in that marble lobby again, only know its the shopping plaza lobby of the hotel. I meet my parents there, who I didn't expect to be in Toronto at this time. I also run into my aunt and uncle, who I again didn't expect to see in Toronto. My cousins are also there. We all have rooms in this hotel, and our rooms are on the 17th floor. The elevator system is kind of funny. You can only go up to the 15th floor on the first elevator, then you have to get out and switch elevators or take the stairs. I ride the elevator to the 15th floor, then walk up the stairs. But I don't get out on the 17th floor. I end up on the roof, along with all the family I just mentioned.
Somehow being on the roof only puts me three floors above the ground. I really don't understand this. There's a mugging, or some kind of rugby scrum going on, on the roof, and I stand for awhile watching this. Then I jump down from the roof, to ground level again, and drive away in a taxi. I circle the area trying to solve this conundrum of how I could go up 18 floors and be only 3 floors off the ground. The dream ends somewhere around this point, as I never satisfactorily figured out the mystery of the hotel.
My brain can concoct some weird stuff at times. And I didn't even eat anything weird last night! Toodles!
I want to write this down before my memory of it degrades any further. I've already lost much of the substance of the dream I had last night so I'll commit what I do remember to the cyber world for posterity.
I went to Toronto for some reason. It had to do with business because I had on business clothes, and I took a laptop. I arrived by plane but the plane ride was not part of the dream. The first thing I remember was being in Toronto, in this very fancy terminal building. It looked more like an expensive bank lobby than an airport terminal. It was a long hallway, with a massive glass panelled canopy overhead. It was cloudy and dull out though, so it wasn't bright inside the building. The floor and walls were all of gleaming marble. Everything shone, and the marble was a kind of creamy/gold color.
The first order of business was securing a ride to wherever I was going. That was the thing though, I didn't know where I was going. I had a bunch of meetings and stuff that I had to attend, but that was for later in the week. I had today free, so I was going to do some of my own stuff. So, I wanted to go watch the Toronto Maple Leafs play. I hailed a cab and said, 'take me to the stadium' because I couldn't remember the name of the hockey arena in Toronto. (I remember now that its the Air Canada Center) So this taxi driver takes me all over the place, down streets, through markets, then stops in front of a building. I get out and wander through this building. Its not the arena I want, because the Toronto Blue Jays are practising behind some mesh in one part, the Toronto Argonauts are practising on the field in the Skydome and the hockey arena is just part of this massive complex. You can wander all the way through this building, but a series of glass panels take you in a corridor to the small amount of seating around the hockey ice. It turns out this is a minor hockey game, which is not what I want. But the exits from the hockey arena part are not to the street but a train platform for a train that never will arrive for me.
Cut to me in a hall of some kind. There are row upon row of tables set out, and hundreds of people are seated at these tables. I don't really take the time to study the crowd at first, but later on I realize that most of the people are middle aged to senior citizens. Why am I here? Kevin is doing the sound for the performances that take place awhile after I arrive at this place. Some guy, who actually sings pretty well, even if its not my type of music, is belting out a song as I flag Kevin down. I chat with him and see if he's free to tour Toronto with me. He can't go, because he has to do the sound for this event, and he's also responsible for the sound at other events in this festival thing that is going on in Toronto. But he can get me a ride to Toronto to see the sights I want to see. It turns out I'm not in Toronto at the moment but I'm actually in Markham, Ontario.
So I get in this taxi cab with a girl. It takes me a couple of minutes to realize its Amanda Marshall. She was performing in the show we just left but had been on before I arrived. She was going back to Toronto anyway so I'm tagging along. I mostly just sit there and listen to her because she talks, a lot. One of the nuggets of information I get out of this conversation is that, she has to drive this taxi cab to make enough money to pay her bills. Apparently being a Canadian artist does not pay as well as it should. Eventually we get back to Toronto and she takes me into this less densely packed area of the city, with lots of hills. We pull up to a hotel, and I get out. I think she came too, but I didn't see her anymore in the dream.
I'm back in that marble lobby again, only know its the shopping plaza lobby of the hotel. I meet my parents there, who I didn't expect to be in Toronto at this time. I also run into my aunt and uncle, who I again didn't expect to see in Toronto. My cousins are also there. We all have rooms in this hotel, and our rooms are on the 17th floor. The elevator system is kind of funny. You can only go up to the 15th floor on the first elevator, then you have to get out and switch elevators or take the stairs. I ride the elevator to the 15th floor, then walk up the stairs. But I don't get out on the 17th floor. I end up on the roof, along with all the family I just mentioned.
Somehow being on the roof only puts me three floors above the ground. I really don't understand this. There's a mugging, or some kind of rugby scrum going on, on the roof, and I stand for awhile watching this. Then I jump down from the roof, to ground level again, and drive away in a taxi. I circle the area trying to solve this conundrum of how I could go up 18 floors and be only 3 floors off the ground. The dream ends somewhere around this point, as I never satisfactorily figured out the mystery of the hotel.
My brain can concoct some weird stuff at times. And I didn't even eat anything weird last night! Toodles!
Thursday, December 12, 2002
I apologize for no entry yesterday. Same goes for today. The SAME damn project is giving me hives. I'm less than thrilled. I'm too angry to come up with a witty entry. So, at someone's behest, I will post the raunchy joke I read this morning.
A waitress walks up to one of her tables in a New York City restaurant and notices that the three Japanese businessmen seated there are furiously masturbating.
She yells, "What the hell do you guys think you are doing?!"
One of the Japanese men explains, "Can't you see? We are all berry hungry!!!"
"So, how is wacking off in the middle of the restaurant going to help that situation?" asks the waitress.
One of the other Japanese men replies, "The menu say, FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED!!!"
A waitress walks up to one of her tables in a New York City restaurant and notices that the three Japanese businessmen seated there are furiously masturbating.
She yells, "What the hell do you guys think you are doing?!"
One of the Japanese men explains, "Can't you see? We are all berry hungry!!!"
"So, how is wacking off in the middle of the restaurant going to help that situation?" asks the waitress.
One of the other Japanese men replies, "The menu say, FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED!!!"
Tuesday, December 10, 2002
Sorry for no entry yesterday. It was another crazy day. Today hasn't sized up as being a whole lot better. More chasing down answers to questions, getting new product information and specs, getting new pricing, and answering calls. I don't know if I've ever used the phone as much as I have in the past week and a half or so. It seems like every hour I'm either phoning someone, or being phoned by someone. Which is a source of frustration for me because I'm really not fond of using the phone. I've often tried to puzzle out where my dislike for the telephone comes from but I've never developed a satisfactory answer to the question. I usually just end up with a conclusion, 'I don't like phones' and I end up leaving it.
I had a joke for you, finally, from yesterday's batch of email. But then I never got around to doing an entry, and so I've lost the joke. :-( I really have to do a better job of staying on top of things. Disorganization is a major enemy for me right now. My usual method of planning, which is to throw stuff against the wall and go with whatever sticks for the longest, is not really saving the day. I'm losing ground on a lot of stuff I don't want to lose ground on. However, I'm among the world's worst at time management. I fart around way too much and usually end up having to make a herculean effort to right the ship. (See last week's endeavours.) I don't know, maybe now is the point where I make the leap to proper time management. I've considered using Microsoft Outlook as my e-mail program and consequently using the other features of the program. But I'm on so many different computers that this solution is problematic. What I really need is to get a PDA but, being the geek that I am, I want one that is WAY out of my price range. ...sigh... I'll probably just muddle through in my usual way.
As a final parting thought I will suggest to you all that you check out www.bored.com. I thought the virtual fireworks, and the story about the guy cashing one of those junk mail cheques, to be very entertaining.
Toodles!
I had a joke for you, finally, from yesterday's batch of email. But then I never got around to doing an entry, and so I've lost the joke. :-( I really have to do a better job of staying on top of things. Disorganization is a major enemy for me right now. My usual method of planning, which is to throw stuff against the wall and go with whatever sticks for the longest, is not really saving the day. I'm losing ground on a lot of stuff I don't want to lose ground on. However, I'm among the world's worst at time management. I fart around way too much and usually end up having to make a herculean effort to right the ship. (See last week's endeavours.) I don't know, maybe now is the point where I make the leap to proper time management. I've considered using Microsoft Outlook as my e-mail program and consequently using the other features of the program. But I'm on so many different computers that this solution is problematic. What I really need is to get a PDA but, being the geek that I am, I want one that is WAY out of my price range. ...sigh... I'll probably just muddle through in my usual way.
As a final parting thought I will suggest to you all that you check out www.bored.com. I thought the virtual fireworks, and the story about the guy cashing one of those junk mail cheques, to be very entertaining.
Toodles!
Thursday, December 05, 2002
Its really hitting me now. Like a train with the throttle stuck wide open, fatigue is crashing into me. I'm sitting here at my desk and its all I can do to keep my head up. This is not a good situation. I stayed up until 3:30 last night finishing the shop drawings. Staying up that late isn't the end of the world but I was working that hold time. From 8:00 AM unti 3:00 AM the next day. All work, at a flat out pace. I'm spent. Tomorrow is a day off for this dude. At the rate I'm going even the rest of today might be taken with nap time. :-D
Still no jokes to include here. This is bugging me a little. Oh, the jokes I'm reading are funny enough. They make me smile. But there hasn't been a good one that made me burst out laughing. I'm disappointed in the internet's jokester's. They need to get more on the ball.
Toodles!
Still no jokes to include here. This is bugging me a little. Oh, the jokes I'm reading are funny enough. They make me smile. But there hasn't been a good one that made me burst out laughing. I'm disappointed in the internet's jokester's. They need to get more on the ball.
Toodles!
Wednesday, December 04, 2002
Today I feel I must rant. And for a change its not about work. I have a new beef and this is something that irritates the HELL out of me! So I'm downloading music. As I'm like to do, I'm trying to get a whole album. Its one of those things where its not an artist that I would in any way ever entertain the notion of buying. The person in question today is Jennifer Love Hewitt. Her music is that bubble gum music that I can listen to, and actually crave from time to time, but wouldn't consider buying. I'll buy a Pearl Jam, Tragically Hip or Metallica CD, but music that I listen to only as a diversion I'm not plunking my $15 down for.
But I digress. Somewhat surprisingly the full roster of songs were hard to find. Granted, Ms. Hewitt is a more popular actress than she is songstress but she's mainstream familiar enough that I thought the songs would be easy to track down. Some yes, but the majority no. The title track, Barenaked, was simple to find and I had lots of choices in bit rate, and available copies. The rest I was usually in the range of 3 to 4 download options and one or maybe two bit rates. And some I had one available copy, with multiple people in the queue already. This is the subject of my ire. Okay, fine, I can deal with being in a queue. If its an obscure song, or something hard to find, I don't mind getting in line and waiting for it. But this is the thing that galls me to the core. You finally get your turn to download and the person has a slow transfer rate. Not a huge deal but you can just guess that this person has a slow rate because they're a bandwidth hog. Fine, so you wait your half an hour or longer to download the song. Then you get to 98 or 99% and the little bastard cuts you off! So you have almost the whole thing but if you want to finish it, you have to get back in the queue and wait again, for maybe hours. That is so irritating! And you can tell they did it on purpose because you do a new search and the only available copy is from the same person. What possesses a person to act like that? That's beyond rude to a place I don't even have a word. It's moments like these when you feel a really strong, powerful urge to choke the life out of another human being. Not because its such a terrible thing to have happen to you, but the act was done with some obvious malice. Some people have no class.
Toodles!
But I digress. Somewhat surprisingly the full roster of songs were hard to find. Granted, Ms. Hewitt is a more popular actress than she is songstress but she's mainstream familiar enough that I thought the songs would be easy to track down. Some yes, but the majority no. The title track, Barenaked, was simple to find and I had lots of choices in bit rate, and available copies. The rest I was usually in the range of 3 to 4 download options and one or maybe two bit rates. And some I had one available copy, with multiple people in the queue already. This is the subject of my ire. Okay, fine, I can deal with being in a queue. If its an obscure song, or something hard to find, I don't mind getting in line and waiting for it. But this is the thing that galls me to the core. You finally get your turn to download and the person has a slow transfer rate. Not a huge deal but you can just guess that this person has a slow rate because they're a bandwidth hog. Fine, so you wait your half an hour or longer to download the song. Then you get to 98 or 99% and the little bastard cuts you off! So you have almost the whole thing but if you want to finish it, you have to get back in the queue and wait again, for maybe hours. That is so irritating! And you can tell they did it on purpose because you do a new search and the only available copy is from the same person. What possesses a person to act like that? That's beyond rude to a place I don't even have a word. It's moments like these when you feel a really strong, powerful urge to choke the life out of another human being. Not because its such a terrible thing to have happen to you, but the act was done with some obvious malice. Some people have no class.
Toodles!
Tuesday, December 03, 2002
I gotta hurry if I want to get this blog entry in, in time to be considered a Tuesday entry. I'm slowly winning the battle against this project I'm on. We had a casualty in the war today. I'm not going on the road to oversee the pilot test. There's too much for me to do in the office yet for that to happen. It's 11:15 and I'm still in the office trying to straighten out the various threads of this effort. Every step forward I take results in a step backward too. For every problem I solve, I create another new one. I end up not moving forward but sliding sideways endlessly. I can't even begin to guess how many times I've revised this schematic diagram, or how many editions of the spec sheet I've editted. I'd pull out my hair if I had any!
One thing I've noticed that has been lacking in my blog entries is jokes. I guess I'm just not finding a whole lot funny from my repository of daily jokes. I get 200 pieces of spam a day, including joke messages and nothing is blowing my skirt up. What does that say about the staleness of the world joke collection? I will continue my search though. I still love my Jesus/chicken joke. Nail him to a chicken. LMAO!!!
Toodles!
One thing I've noticed that has been lacking in my blog entries is jokes. I guess I'm just not finding a whole lot funny from my repository of daily jokes. I get 200 pieces of spam a day, including joke messages and nothing is blowing my skirt up. What does that say about the staleness of the world joke collection? I will continue my search though. I still love my Jesus/chicken joke. Nail him to a chicken. LMAO!!!
Toodles!
Monday, December 02, 2002
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Most of you probably know the reason already. I'm being snowed under by my assignments at work. Its been flat out on projects every day for a week now. I don't even have time to breathe. All areas of my life are suffering. I HOPE with every ounce of my fiber that I'm getting close to the end of this flurry of activity. If things go well tonight maybe I'll be able to take a breath or two over the rest of the week.
While I'm thinking of it, I've got a new pet peeve. What is the deal with convenience stores and their coolers? I've been on the road a lot lately, and I've been stopping in at this little shoppes to get myself a refreshment. A lot of the time its been a search for a caffeine fix to keep my eyes open. But I digress. I'll go into one of these stores, pick my beverage of choice and grab a swish from the bottle. I don't know, maybe I'm alone in this. I like my drinks cold. Perhaps its just me and I'm quirky in this respect. Somehow though I don't think I am. Why the hell is it that you can't get a COLD drink from a convenience store? The damn bottle is always just shy of warm. Its never warm when you buy it but about 5 minutes later it is. That annoys me. Would it be so bloody hard to turn the refrigerator's down a couple of degrees and keep the cold beverages actually cold?
Just something I thought of this week. Toodles!
While I'm thinking of it, I've got a new pet peeve. What is the deal with convenience stores and their coolers? I've been on the road a lot lately, and I've been stopping in at this little shoppes to get myself a refreshment. A lot of the time its been a search for a caffeine fix to keep my eyes open. But I digress. I'll go into one of these stores, pick my beverage of choice and grab a swish from the bottle. I don't know, maybe I'm alone in this. I like my drinks cold. Perhaps its just me and I'm quirky in this respect. Somehow though I don't think I am. Why the hell is it that you can't get a COLD drink from a convenience store? The damn bottle is always just shy of warm. Its never warm when you buy it but about 5 minutes later it is. That annoys me. Would it be so bloody hard to turn the refrigerator's down a couple of degrees and keep the cold beverages actually cold?
Just something I thought of this week. Toodles!
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
Hello world. How's it goin'? I've come to watch your flowers growin'.
I just read a story about genetic engineers trying to create a blue rose. Apparently this is a very hard thing to accomplish. It makes me think about stuff. Which is never a good idea because thinking about things only gets me in trouble. But I've been doing a lot of thinking, about a lot of things, today. My mind is very active today. I have no particular answer as to why.
Anyway, back to the rose. These scientists are trying to create a blue rose. This is difficult because the rose has no gene to allow blue pigment, which should thus make it an impossible attempt. But in strides genetic engineering! As the story went, some geneticists have found a human enzyme that turns stuff blue. They tried it on some bacteria and made it go blue so they figure they might be able to make the rose grow blue too. They have had limited success so far, having only accomplished making some blue spots appear on the stems. But what I can't understand is, why is anyone wasting valuable time on this? And why is it okay to waste time, money and effort on something frivolous like the color of the rose, and yet such an enormous hue and cry is raised when genetic engineering is used to try and improve our food sources. This makes no sense to me. Personally I would rather see genetic engineering create a bigger, juicy apple then make a blue rose. Not that a blue rose wouldn't be pretty. I just question whether there should be people dedicating their careers to this pursuit.
Toodles!
I just read a story about genetic engineers trying to create a blue rose. Apparently this is a very hard thing to accomplish. It makes me think about stuff. Which is never a good idea because thinking about things only gets me in trouble. But I've been doing a lot of thinking, about a lot of things, today. My mind is very active today. I have no particular answer as to why.
Anyway, back to the rose. These scientists are trying to create a blue rose. This is difficult because the rose has no gene to allow blue pigment, which should thus make it an impossible attempt. But in strides genetic engineering! As the story went, some geneticists have found a human enzyme that turns stuff blue. They tried it on some bacteria and made it go blue so they figure they might be able to make the rose grow blue too. They have had limited success so far, having only accomplished making some blue spots appear on the stems. But what I can't understand is, why is anyone wasting valuable time on this? And why is it okay to waste time, money and effort on something frivolous like the color of the rose, and yet such an enormous hue and cry is raised when genetic engineering is used to try and improve our food sources. This makes no sense to me. Personally I would rather see genetic engineering create a bigger, juicy apple then make a blue rose. Not that a blue rose wouldn't be pretty. I just question whether there should be people dedicating their careers to this pursuit.
Toodles!
Friday, November 22, 2002
I hate engineers. I hate engineering. This whole god damn profession is populated by nit-picky little assholes who have nothing better to do than call down your very best effort. I think the concept of the professional engineer should be abolished. Rather that appreciate it as a duty to protect the public, the sanctimonious twits use it as a cudgel with which to beat you into submission. I think engineers should be in the business of getting things done. Their daily efforts should be expended towards improving the lives of people. They should be helpful and courteous, not aggressive and confrontational. Unless someone can give me a good reason why I shouldn't just pack it in, go back to Saskatoon, and pump gas or something, I really think I might. I don't need this aggravation. It makes me sick to my stomach, and I feel like vomiting. I give my best effort, I try to act with dilligence and consideration, and I get told (in implied words because an engineer would never come right out and say what he thinks) that I'm a slacker who isn't trying. I stayed up all night Tuesday night creating a drawing for him because I knew he wanted it right away. Do I get a thanks for promptly filling his request? No, I get told I'm not meeting my obligations. I'm well behind schedule on producing the shop drawings. How is that my fault? You pick apart everything I give you. At the rate with which this is being handled, I could have submitted a drawing package the day of the site meeting, and I still wouldn't have made all the changes he wanted by the target date.
This is so damn frustrating! If I'm wrong, or I've made a mistake, I'll fix it, no questions asked. But when I'm trying real hard and someone finds fault with everything I do, that is hard to stomach. It makes me want to quit. I'm serious, I really want to quit. I don't need the ulcer this is giving me. Anyone know of a good job with low stress? Gas jockey, video store clerk, anything?
Toodles. :-(
This is so damn frustrating! If I'm wrong, or I've made a mistake, I'll fix it, no questions asked. But when I'm trying real hard and someone finds fault with everything I do, that is hard to stomach. It makes me want to quit. I'm serious, I really want to quit. I don't need the ulcer this is giving me. Anyone know of a good job with low stress? Gas jockey, video store clerk, anything?
Toodles. :-(
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
I'm done. I'm finished. I'm kaput. I'm every metaphor you can think of for a person who is too tired to stay awake anymore. You name a way to be tired, I'm that. I don't really even have the ambition to write this entry but I know that if I leave it for later, it won't get done. I anticipate accomplishing little more than sitting erect and breathing this afternoon.
This relates back to my previous entry about the engineer asking for a simpler drawing. I started it Monday afternoon and after a lot of puzzlement I realized that it wasn't going to be as easy to do as anyone guessed. In fact it was going to be damn hard! And it was hard but even I couldn't predict how tough it truly was. Long story short, I stayed up all night (save a one hour nap around 4:00) finishing this low tech, 2D drawing. All told I probably put 12-14 hours into creating it. I thought it was going well enough yesterday afternoon that I could finish it by the end of the day. How wrong I was! Naively I answered, this afternoon, when the engineer called me to inquire about it. He was way more polite to me than he ever has been in the past but it was pretty evident that he wanted this drawing right away. I like to think I'm a man of my word so when I said I'd have it finished that afternoon, I felt obligated to work on it at home, and get it finished for the morning. I finally got it send off about 10:30. We had to have a staff meeting, and a company picture in between. It was mostly done when I came to the office this morning. I just touched up a few final things, and dimensioned and labelled it. I REALLY hope he appreciates that drawing.
Sorry folks but I'm going to have to wrap it up here. My brain has already shut down and thinking is not a process that I'm having any success with. With some luck I'll feel better tomorrow and can write a better entry.
Toodles!
This relates back to my previous entry about the engineer asking for a simpler drawing. I started it Monday afternoon and after a lot of puzzlement I realized that it wasn't going to be as easy to do as anyone guessed. In fact it was going to be damn hard! And it was hard but even I couldn't predict how tough it truly was. Long story short, I stayed up all night (save a one hour nap around 4:00) finishing this low tech, 2D drawing. All told I probably put 12-14 hours into creating it. I thought it was going well enough yesterday afternoon that I could finish it by the end of the day. How wrong I was! Naively I answered, this afternoon, when the engineer called me to inquire about it. He was way more polite to me than he ever has been in the past but it was pretty evident that he wanted this drawing right away. I like to think I'm a man of my word so when I said I'd have it finished that afternoon, I felt obligated to work on it at home, and get it finished for the morning. I finally got it send off about 10:30. We had to have a staff meeting, and a company picture in between. It was mostly done when I came to the office this morning. I just touched up a few final things, and dimensioned and labelled it. I REALLY hope he appreciates that drawing.
Sorry folks but I'm going to have to wrap it up here. My brain has already shut down and thinking is not a process that I'm having any success with. With some luck I'll feel better tomorrow and can write a better entry.
Toodles!
Monday, November 18, 2002
My day has been made. Hell, my whole week has been made, and its only Monday! Christ, this may be the highlight of my career so far. It was one of those moments that just resonate with you, and make you feel good throughout. It reaffirms your believe in yourself and your abilities.
This engineer I've been working with phoned me this afternoon. He'd handed me hat a while back about the lax quality of the shop drawings I'd presented him. I won't go into the details but he poked many, large holes in my submission and to make a long story short, said do it over. Anyway, he phoned me this afternoon and I could hear it in his voice from the first thing he said. He was apologizing to me from the start. I'll paraphrasing because I don't remember the exact text of the conversation. He goes into it and he tells me, I'm sorry but I can't use the drawings you sent me. There's nothing wrong with them. They are very good. They are too good. I don't know how to use them. Can you please redo them in a simpler format?
This just makes me howl. After all the grief I'm going through over my work experience, here I get an engineer coming to me and saying, your work is too good. Can you make it simpler so I can copy and paste it into my drawing? I'm so unfit to be a professional engineer, but the quality of my work surpasses that of one of the people judging me. The irony of that is just too rich.
Suffice it to say, this has made me feel real good. I must have some talent in this engineering field that I've chosen, if the work I'm producing can be deemed 'too good' and requires simplification. A person goes to work every day, and does what they're asked. Its not often that you get praise for your efforts. I'm probably luckier than most because I have a very communicative boss, and he does give me praise often. That is a tremedous help to a guy that's had some trouble with his career. But to have it come from an outside source, and be in the form of 'hat in hand' request, just makes me beam from ear to ear. If anyone needs me, I'll be on cloud nine until further notice.
Toodles!
This engineer I've been working with phoned me this afternoon. He'd handed me hat a while back about the lax quality of the shop drawings I'd presented him. I won't go into the details but he poked many, large holes in my submission and to make a long story short, said do it over. Anyway, he phoned me this afternoon and I could hear it in his voice from the first thing he said. He was apologizing to me from the start. I'll paraphrasing because I don't remember the exact text of the conversation. He goes into it and he tells me, I'm sorry but I can't use the drawings you sent me. There's nothing wrong with them. They are very good. They are too good. I don't know how to use them. Can you please redo them in a simpler format?
This just makes me howl. After all the grief I'm going through over my work experience, here I get an engineer coming to me and saying, your work is too good. Can you make it simpler so I can copy and paste it into my drawing? I'm so unfit to be a professional engineer, but the quality of my work surpasses that of one of the people judging me. The irony of that is just too rich.
Suffice it to say, this has made me feel real good. I must have some talent in this engineering field that I've chosen, if the work I'm producing can be deemed 'too good' and requires simplification. A person goes to work every day, and does what they're asked. Its not often that you get praise for your efforts. I'm probably luckier than most because I have a very communicative boss, and he does give me praise often. That is a tremedous help to a guy that's had some trouble with his career. But to have it come from an outside source, and be in the form of 'hat in hand' request, just makes me beam from ear to ear. If anyone needs me, I'll be on cloud nine until further notice.
Toodles!