Friday, March 27, 2009
Accuracy in Dilbert
Today's Dilbert accurately describes my attitude this week. Only problem is I can't throw a coffee cup at people in meetings. I can only fantasize about it.
Earlier this week, I gave a presentation on an effort I've been working on for about 4 years to senior management. Apparently, they didn't know just how much work I've been doing, and how much progress I've made, because they were astonished at the results I was showing them. Now they want high level talks with our corporate masters as to whether or not we want to be doing the effort anymore.
I apparently threw a hand grenade in their henhouse when I pointed out that the effort made good technical and business sense, and showed them why not doing it would be a bad idea.
Don't get me wrong. Everyone from the local VP on down is telling me what I've done is great, but it goes beyond what the policy I was working under asked for. I call it exceeding the standard. Others may differ. But at least it's got people talking about something I care about.
Thank goodness I go on vacation for the next few days. By the time I get back, all of this should be decided, one way or another.
Earlier this week, I gave a presentation on an effort I've been working on for about 4 years to senior management. Apparently, they didn't know just how much work I've been doing, and how much progress I've made, because they were astonished at the results I was showing them. Now they want high level talks with our corporate masters as to whether or not we want to be doing the effort anymore.
I apparently threw a hand grenade in their henhouse when I pointed out that the effort made good technical and business sense, and showed them why not doing it would be a bad idea.
Don't get me wrong. Everyone from the local VP on down is telling me what I've done is great, but it goes beyond what the policy I was working under asked for. I call it exceeding the standard. Others may differ. But at least it's got people talking about something I care about.
Thank goodness I go on vacation for the next few days. By the time I get back, all of this should be decided, one way or another.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Overheard in the office
CoWorker # 1: "How do you explain the difference between 32 bit and 64 bit OS's to someone?"
CoWorker # 2: Several lines of technical explanation that can be confusing.
CoWorker # 1: "OK, I got that, but what if you had to explain it to one of our customers?"
DaddyBear: "When a daddy bit likes a mommy bit a whole bunch....."
CoWorker # 2: Several lines of technical explanation that can be confusing.
CoWorker # 1: "OK, I got that, but what if you had to explain it to one of our customers?"
DaddyBear: "When a daddy bit likes a mommy bit a whole bunch....."
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
I want to see a pic with her Galil
Miss Israel 2009 is a corporal in the IDF, and she's quite the cutie.
Martial Law in New York
Saw this linked to over at the Agitator
Basically, a mayor in New York feels that the police department in his city is out of control, and is trying to decide on a strategy for improving things. This may include disbanding the police department and bringing in the state police and National Guard.
I'm not sure how I feel about that, and others who are better orators and writers than me have and will continue to comment on it.
What struck me was this quote from a local politician:
The emphasis is mine.
At least he's being honest about it. The state has a need to provide services that keep the civil peace and order. But they have no real obligation to do so. You would have a real problem suing the county because the sheriff didn't send out a patrol car in time to catch and stop someone about to commit a crime.
Remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. And they have no obligation to come and do anything in the first place. Take care of your own, noone else has to.
Basically, a mayor in New York feels that the police department in his city is out of control, and is trying to decide on a strategy for improving things. This may include disbanding the police department and bringing in the state police and National Guard.
I'm not sure how I feel about that, and others who are better orators and writers than me have and will continue to comment on it.
What struck me was this quote from a local politician:
Schenectady's Corporation Counsel John Van Norden said, "If you abolish the police department you still have a need - not an obligation - but a need to police the community. You would need something in transition. Declaring martial law would be one way to bridge the gap."
The emphasis is mine.
At least he's being honest about it. The state has a need to provide services that keep the civil peace and order. But they have no real obligation to do so. You would have a real problem suing the county because the sheriff didn't send out a patrol car in time to catch and stop someone about to commit a crime.
Remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. And they have no obligation to come and do anything in the first place. Take care of your own, noone else has to.
Taken
Took myself to the movie on Sunday afternoon.
I've been wanting to see Taken since it first came out, and I seemed to scoot in just before it gets pulled out of the first run theaters. There's nothing like being the only one the theater for a movie.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It's not going to go down as a classic in cinematic art, but it was a great way to spend a couple of hours, and it got me thinking after the movie was over, so it must have something on the ball.
I'm not going to spoil it for those of you that want to see it, but I'm going to talk about it. I may put a few minor details in this, but I hope I won't ruin it.
Basically, Bryan is the divorced father of a 17 year old girl that he loves dearly. His ex and he don't get along. He's spent years away from home working for the government in some kind of secret organization, but is now retired. His daughter and ex talk him into letting the daughter go to Europe for the summer, where she is kidnapped. He then flies to Paris and proceeds to kill and beat people like the price was about to go up on beatings. One thing I liked is that he didn't get into fist fights with someone and come out unscathed. He left each fight with a new bruise or limp. That's more realistic than watching Stephen Segal beat up people for 2 hours and look like he just stepped out of a shower.
Two things that touched me:
1. At one point in the movie, the daughter and father are discussing the ground rules for her trip to Europe, which are mostly about making sure that Mom and Dad know where she is and who she's with, and checking in with them on a very regular basis. The daughter quips that Mom thinks that Dad is paranoid because of his previous line of work. Dad makes the observation that his work made him aware of how bad the world can be, not paranoid about it.
In a lot of ways, that's how I feel about my outlook on the world. Remember, I was as far from being a badass when I was in the Army as you can get, but since I was 18 I've been in a lot of places and done a lot of things that I either can't or don't want to talk about. I've seen people act badly in slums, mansions, jungles, deserts, and mountains. Basically, I'm aware that no matter where you are, you're only a walk of a few paces away from strangers stripping your naked corpse of anything of value.
I don't walk around expecting that every person I meet will try to hurt me, but I'm aware that any person could. I'm not ready to wall off my family in a compound, but I'm not naive enough that I don't lock my doors and watch who's close to me when I walk down the street.
If you've ever read this piece about sheep and sheepdogs, you'll start to understand my worldview.
2. When Bryan and his ex are disagreeing about the trip to Europe, she throws the fact that he was away from home and not in constant communication during their marriage and his daughter's life in his face. It was a low blow, and it obviously affected the father character.
Been there, done that. My first wife said almost the same thing a lot during the last year of our marriage.
Sometimes a person, be they a soldier, policeman, or whatever, needs to make a choice between the duty they signed up when they started their profession and staying home with their family. Until very recently, being deployed meant your communications to and from home were the same as they were in World War I: snail mail. Occasionally, you might be able to make a call home, but that was unpredictable and infrequent.
Luckily, it appears that has gotten better. With VOIP, email, and chat, communications with home are better for those away from home. But you're still not physically there. I spent the majority of Junior Bear's first few years away from home, and I know he and I missed out on a lot of things. But sometimes things that we don't want to do have to happen. People who get bitter about these things fail to take joy from the time they have with their loved ones, and focus on the negative of them being away.
I've been wanting to see Taken since it first came out, and I seemed to scoot in just before it gets pulled out of the first run theaters. There's nothing like being the only one the theater for a movie.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It's not going to go down as a classic in cinematic art, but it was a great way to spend a couple of hours, and it got me thinking after the movie was over, so it must have something on the ball.
I'm not going to spoil it for those of you that want to see it, but I'm going to talk about it. I may put a few minor details in this, but I hope I won't ruin it.
Basically, Bryan is the divorced father of a 17 year old girl that he loves dearly. His ex and he don't get along. He's spent years away from home working for the government in some kind of secret organization, but is now retired. His daughter and ex talk him into letting the daughter go to Europe for the summer, where she is kidnapped. He then flies to Paris and proceeds to kill and beat people like the price was about to go up on beatings. One thing I liked is that he didn't get into fist fights with someone and come out unscathed. He left each fight with a new bruise or limp. That's more realistic than watching Stephen Segal beat up people for 2 hours and look like he just stepped out of a shower.
Two things that touched me:
1. At one point in the movie, the daughter and father are discussing the ground rules for her trip to Europe, which are mostly about making sure that Mom and Dad know where she is and who she's with, and checking in with them on a very regular basis. The daughter quips that Mom thinks that Dad is paranoid because of his previous line of work. Dad makes the observation that his work made him aware of how bad the world can be, not paranoid about it.
In a lot of ways, that's how I feel about my outlook on the world. Remember, I was as far from being a badass when I was in the Army as you can get, but since I was 18 I've been in a lot of places and done a lot of things that I either can't or don't want to talk about. I've seen people act badly in slums, mansions, jungles, deserts, and mountains. Basically, I'm aware that no matter where you are, you're only a walk of a few paces away from strangers stripping your naked corpse of anything of value.
I don't walk around expecting that every person I meet will try to hurt me, but I'm aware that any person could. I'm not ready to wall off my family in a compound, but I'm not naive enough that I don't lock my doors and watch who's close to me when I walk down the street.
If you've ever read this piece about sheep and sheepdogs, you'll start to understand my worldview.
2. When Bryan and his ex are disagreeing about the trip to Europe, she throws the fact that he was away from home and not in constant communication during their marriage and his daughter's life in his face. It was a low blow, and it obviously affected the father character.
Been there, done that. My first wife said almost the same thing a lot during the last year of our marriage.
Sometimes a person, be they a soldier, policeman, or whatever, needs to make a choice between the duty they signed up when they started their profession and staying home with their family. Until very recently, being deployed meant your communications to and from home were the same as they were in World War I: snail mail. Occasionally, you might be able to make a call home, but that was unpredictable and infrequent.
Luckily, it appears that has gotten better. With VOIP, email, and chat, communications with home are better for those away from home. But you're still not physically there. I spent the majority of Junior Bear's first few years away from home, and I know he and I missed out on a lot of things. But sometimes things that we don't want to do have to happen. People who get bitter about these things fail to take joy from the time they have with their loved ones, and focus on the negative of them being away.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Father Daughter Dance
Took Girlie Bear to a Father-Daughter Dance on Friday night. A good time was had by all. She got me to dance a couple of times, and I had a good time talking basketball with a couple of her friends' dads.
However, here's a note to parents out there: It's not stylish to dress your 5th grade daughter in something slinky, low cut, and backless for a father-daughter dance. It's creepy. Stop it.
However, here's a note to parents out there: It's not stylish to dress your 5th grade daughter in something slinky, low cut, and backless for a father-daughter dance. It's creepy. Stop it.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Interesting restaurant
The Irish Woman and I decided to go out to lunch today.
I drove downtown and met her at 4th Street Live, which is one of the efforts to get people to use downtown Louisville as something other than an open air drug market.
We decided to try something new today, so we went to a sports bar we hadn't tried yet.
We made our way up to the place, and got a booth.
The place had a bar area, several tables, and two banks of booths. Between the booths was a platform about 8 feet wide, with a mirrored column and two poles rising up from it to the ceiling. We took a booth so we could talk in some peace and watch the basketball game.
We ordered our meals and watched some of the Tennessee/Oklahoma State game. As we were finishing up, I looked over and noticed that one of the brass poles needed polishing. I then noticed that it was a brass pole, and had circular smudges from hands and other body parts on it from its base up to about 8 feet.
My guess is that it's a normal bar and grill during the day, but during the evening it's a bit more, shall we say, risque in order to draw in a larger crowd.
I mentioned my observations to the Irish Woman, who declared that she hadn't noticed, but now that I mentioned it, it did look like a stripper pole.
Guess we won't be taking the kids there for dinner.
I drove downtown and met her at 4th Street Live, which is one of the efforts to get people to use downtown Louisville as something other than an open air drug market.
We decided to try something new today, so we went to a sports bar we hadn't tried yet.
We made our way up to the place, and got a booth.
The place had a bar area, several tables, and two banks of booths. Between the booths was a platform about 8 feet wide, with a mirrored column and two poles rising up from it to the ceiling. We took a booth so we could talk in some peace and watch the basketball game.
We ordered our meals and watched some of the Tennessee/Oklahoma State game. As we were finishing up, I looked over and noticed that one of the brass poles needed polishing. I then noticed that it was a brass pole, and had circular smudges from hands and other body parts on it from its base up to about 8 feet.
My guess is that it's a normal bar and grill during the day, but during the evening it's a bit more, shall we say, risque in order to draw in a larger crowd.
I mentioned my observations to the Irish Woman, who declared that she hadn't noticed, but now that I mentioned it, it did look like a stripper pole.
Guess we won't be taking the kids there for dinner.
I must try this sometime
Check this out over at the Fail Blog.
I have been in a running battle lately between a doctor's office and my insurance company. I may have to use this technique next time I mail out a check to them.
I have been in a running battle lately between a doctor's office and my insurance company. I may have to use this technique next time I mail out a check to them.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
More Irish Humor
Found these over at IMAO.
My favorite is:
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
My favorite is:
According to one rather obscure Irish legend, a ringing in your ears means a deceased friend stuck in Purgatory is ringing a bell to ask for you to pray for him/her. Or that you got drunk and passed out in the church belltower again, Father.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
From Riches to Rags
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
This asshat took money from other people, used it to either finance his own lavish lifestyle or gave it away to make himself look good in the public eye.
Now a lot of his victims, who had something when he started in on them, have nothing. And he and his wife try to argue that a $62 million nest egg they've put together shouldn't be considered the fruits of a crime.
Pure balls, nothing but pure balls.
I hope he spends as many years as they can get out of him cleaning portapotties with an old toothbrush. When he dies, I hope they toss his remains into a cesspool so that he can slowly decay into fertilizer. Then I hope they use it to fertilize a swamp somewhere in New Jersey.
Hey, Bernie, welcome to the federal pound-me-in-the-ass! Jerk!
This asshat took money from other people, used it to either finance his own lavish lifestyle or gave it away to make himself look good in the public eye.
Now a lot of his victims, who had something when he started in on them, have nothing. And he and his wife try to argue that a $62 million nest egg they've put together shouldn't be considered the fruits of a crime.
Pure balls, nothing but pure balls.
I hope he spends as many years as they can get out of him cleaning portapotties with an old toothbrush. When he dies, I hope they toss his remains into a cesspool so that he can slowly decay into fertilizer. Then I hope they use it to fertilize a swamp somewhere in New Jersey.
Hey, Bernie, welcome to the federal pound-me-in-the-ass! Jerk!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
I guess
my cooking isn't as good as it sounds.
Scene: A semi-suburban, semi-agricultural neighborhood in Louisville County. A father and daughter are getting ready to leave for the day. Father has put a well marinated pork roast in the crock pot for the day, and the kitchen is beginning to smell of garlic and other spices as it warms up.
DaddyBear: Mmmmm, doesn't dinner smell good?
Girlie Bear: Is that what that smell is?
Daddy Bear: Yes, that's dinner cooking. Doesn't it smell good?
Girlie Bear: I guess so. I thought I just had bad breath.
Nothing like the honesty of a 10 year old to deflate your ego.
Scene: A semi-suburban, semi-agricultural neighborhood in Louisville County. A father and daughter are getting ready to leave for the day. Father has put a well marinated pork roast in the crock pot for the day, and the kitchen is beginning to smell of garlic and other spices as it warms up.
DaddyBear: Mmmmm, doesn't dinner smell good?
Girlie Bear: Is that what that smell is?
Daddy Bear: Yes, that's dinner cooking. Doesn't it smell good?
Girlie Bear: I guess so. I thought I just had bad breath.
Nothing like the honesty of a 10 year old to deflate your ego.
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