Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy.
Eik graced us Minnesotans with her countenance last weekend. We went to the Barnes & Noble in the old Chateau Theatre, ate some good food, went to Wisconsin (and bought clocks! and beer).
Oh, and played Rock Band. A lot. Like it played the same two songs every set list alot ("Roxanne" followed by "Buddy Holly"). Like 4am a lot.
Good times.
Then curling started at Dakota County Curling Club on Sunday. I was very nervous. I haven't curled since last July when the instructional league ended. Practice was rough. I couldn't find my balance, my throws were all over the place, I couldn't hit the broom. Yuck. Then we decided who played what position and I was nomitated skip (the captain). The skip directs the other members of the team and throws last to (hopefully) score more points or prevent the other team from scoring. Anxiety abounded.
Then the game started. Let's just say I found my groove. We scored a five point end(!!) and after seven ends we won 11-4. I think it was 11-4, I only remember our eleven points. :-).
Unfortunately I'm sore as hell from using those forgotten muscles. I forgot how much hard work sweeping is. But it's worth it. Thirteen days until our next match!
League Standings
It's been a while
It was a rock lobster!
Tomorrow is the true due date for the lab. Last week was a warm up. I have the lab done and am currently proofreading it. I will not have gone through the lab per-se, but I've done all the steps I've written down at some point in time. Let's up they like it.
Also, this.
Yeah, that's going to kick some serious ass.
Back to proofreading. Oh, and writing a set of PowerPoint slides (they're "due" in the same way the lab was "due" last week).
I live a pretty avant-gard life.
I hate Microsoft Office
and it hates me. Labs are due in two days and fsckin' Word freezes every time I open it.
Green Thumb
Yet another hobby: Gardening.
That's right. As if home brewing, steeping, infusing, curling, mixology, photography, etc. weren't enough.
What plants do I have so far?
- Areca palm (small)
- Areca palm (medium)
- Peace Lily
- Norfolk Pine
- English Ivy
- Rosemary
- Christmas cactus (it's just a little baby)
- Pineapple
- Meyer Lemon (germinating as I type)
- Cinnamon basil
- Lime Basil
- Peppers
- Meyer Lemons
- Ruby Red Grapefruit
- Mexican (key) lime
I'll post progress as appropriate.
I expect I'll have extra lemon/lime/grapefruit trees so if you want your very own citrus tree drop me a commnet or email.
Sign me up!
At the caucus, someone thought we need a new state flag and thought the party should support this resolution. There was very little discussion and went to vote. I was the only dissenting vote. Idiotic. There's nothing wrong with the state flag. Personally, I think it's way better than South Dakota's.
Discuss in the comments.
Today's been a career day...
...futures made and fortunes lost.
One of the joys about working at the biggest of ceruleans is that first quarter is re-org time. The first week back from Christmas break was filled with news of new directors, moved VP's, resignations, promotions, etc. The team I work with moved down the totem when a new VP inserted herself between the directors and the "main" VP (that's what she said). No big deal. Things like that don't matter in the grand scheme of things. Less than a thousand people were affected.
Luckily no re-org for my department.
Maybe.
I found out yesterday that the team I work with is "moving." They're not physically going anywhere but they/we are moving to a new reporting structure with a new mission. What's this new mission? What was the old mission? What the hell does Zeke actually do? I don't know where I am. There's blood on my knife. I think I killed someone. :-) very inside joke of me.
Our team focused on getting things to work for the first time. We create intellectual capital (a fancy way of saying documents) that fellow works and/or customers use to get their own setup running.
This new org focuses on a word that isn't even a word: consumability. <-- Not a real word! HA!
Instead of focusing on depth we're moving to breadth. Cross-product interaction. Integration. e-buisness. SOA. SaS.
This may or may not affect me. The VP who's leading this charge and taking the team under his wing will visit the lab tomorrow (Jan. 31). I don't know how or if this will affect me but I'll know more tomorrow morning. Maybe I'm leaving my lofty position in the department of product architects. My manager kept me in the dark so far so who knows.
More at 11 (and after some Office Space).
Nothing's Going to Touch You in This Golden Year
Sorry Bowie, I couldn't resist.
This year I celebrate my golden birthday. It begins in precisely T-15 days.
What's my plan for the year ahead?
- A trip, in April, to Las Vegas for work.
- A second trip, in May, to Vegas for work.
- Another trip to the BWCA this summer
- A trip to Germany sometime this coming fall/winter. Either Oktoberfest in September or the Christkindlesmarkt in November/December.
- More Camping!
- Exercising more
- Getting Outside
- Watch less TV (the WGA strike makes this easy)
- Not working so much
- Reading more
- De-clutter
- Play with Tyson more than I have over the past year
- Not worry
- Save $$
- Enjoy life!
Lucky you...
you get two posts today! Yay!
So now I'm hooked on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s. There are some gems:
- Hootie and the Blowfish: Only Wanna be With you
- Collective Soul: Shine
- Marky Mark (need I say more)
- Jewel: Who Will Save Your Soul?
- Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit
- Weezer: Buddy Holly
- etc...
...and what's the deal with muffins?
They crumble and leave big messes in your workspace. Oh, and they're freakin' huge. Where's that dog when I need him?
That's it for today's topic of "muffins."
I'm putting off writing my Personal Business Commitment results for the year 2007. "They" use that information to determine how I performed over the past year, which, in turn, determines how big a raise/performance bonus I'll receive in March.
I know I should write them but it's Christmas time; there's next to no one in the lab, we're waiting for conference acceptance emails, our products hit the streets Friday, and really there's nothing much to do.
However, I fill my days with food and drink blogs:
I just finished the first draft of my PBCs. Whew. Supid muffins.
Conferences!
I just found out that two of the abstracts I'm attached to have been accepted to Impact 2008! April 6-11 in Las Vegas baby!
I'm waiting to hear back from two other conferences; Tecnical Leadership Exchange (April 6-9 in Orlando, May 19-22 in Rome) and WebSphere Services Technical Conference (May 5-9 in Las Vegas). Yes, there is an overlap between TLE and Impact. If I'm accepted to TLE we have enough people where we can send some to Orlando and others to Vegas. Also, if they accept the TLE abstracts there's a 50% I'll get to go to the European TLE in Rome! Hopefully I'll know before Christmas. :-)
Mmm, accidental lambic
I love pleasant mistakes. For example, I made a Scottish 80/- (eighty shilling) about this time last year to enter in the "Eis-anything" category at the Upper Mississippi Mashout Homebrewing Competition. Unfortunately I didn't make the deadline so the bottles sat in my beer closets for the past year. Also unfortunately the beer was infected Brettanomyces when it was outside freezing (that's why it Eis-Scottish).
So the bottles sat. And sat. And Sat. AND SAT.
Until today.
Tomorrow I meet with some of my fellow Rochester Area Zymurgy Enthusiasts (R.A.Z.E) to discuss brewing. Naturally there's beer involved and I need something to bring. Of course I'll bring some kickass oatmeal stout. I'll also bring some 1+ year old Bourbon Vanilla Porter. But I needed something more. Did I mention I forgot to label all the beer I made over the past year? Oops.
So I had to figure out which bottles were which beer: Bourbon Vanilla or Eis-Scottish. I was apprehensive when I opened what I thought was the Eis-Scottish. It was a gusher. I knew it was Eis-Scottish. But instead of throwing it out I decided to give it a try.
Man, it's gooood. Really good. I love me some sour beer and this hits the spot. It's tart, fruity, clovey, acidic, and complex. I may let it age some more and see where it is in another year.
What about the Bourbon Vanilla? Some are flat and lifeless. Others taste like medicine. Not a winner.
Trying something new.
While driving home last Wednesday I listened to an interesting story on NPR about Partial Fasting and what happens to the body throughout the fast. I decided to give it a try and today's the day.
Up until about 2pm I was feeling like I do on a normal day, except for the caffeine withdrawl. After that I started to slow down and right now, 5:30pm, I feel like I'm a little bit drunk from light-headedness. It's a little hard to concentrate, but I did kick Dorn's ass at Set yet again. Oh, and there's the constant peeing. I've drank like 50 oz. of water so far today and there's more to come before the end.
And the cravings, boy I could go for some pistachios right now.
Food time: 8:30pm
Food: Spaghetti & Sausage & OLIVES
Musical, anyone?
I have my eye on Sweeny Todd. Anyone else want to go?
| Show | Date/Time | Venue | Sign-up deadline | Price | Seat Location | Quantity of tickets |
| Sweeney Todd | 02/09/08 2 p.m. | Orpheum | 12/20/07 | $58 | MF3-4 F-M |  |
| My Fair Lady | 03/01/08 2 p.m. | Orpheum | 01/10/08 | $65 | MF3 F-N | |
| The Drowsy Chaperone | 03/29/08 2 p.m. | Ordway | 02/28/08 | $58 | Orch Right J-M | |
| Jersey Boys | 04/19/08 2 p.m. | Orpheum | 01/10/08 | $80 | MF1 Q-S Balc5 D | |
| Jesus Christ Superstar | 05/03/08 2 p.m. | Orpheum/ State | 03/28/08 | $60 | MF1 A-Q | |
| Cabaret | 05/18/08 2 p.m. | Ordway | 04/16/08 | $54 | Orch Right L-R | |
Writer's Guild of America Strike
Well, if you didn't think the WGA strike affects you, you're wrong.
Especially if you love The Office or Family Guy.
This Thursday is the last new episode of The Office until after the strike ends. The reason: Most of the writers also star in the show! Oscar (Oscar Nunez), Angela (Angela Kinsley), Kelly (Mindy Kaling), Toby (Paul Lieberstein) and Ryan (BJ Novak) are all striking. Steve Carell and Jenna Fischer won't cross picket lines.
I support the writers' strike. They don't receive any income from the "new media", the Internet. The writers, actors, directors, producers, hair stylists, grips, etc. don't see a dime of that ad money.
For a list of how many episodes are left for each show, check Wikipedia.
I'm walking on sunshine...
*bark bark!*
Friday and Saturday were were well-deserved respites after a hellish two weeks. Becky visited the Roch. Friday night we played some cards, went ice skating, played some more cards.
Saturday Melissa and Becky made monster cookies while we watched The Office season one. Then we went to Hobby Lobby where I picked out two frames and some matte board (you'll have to visit to see the completed project). Then we went back to Chris & Melissa's for more Office, drinks, and games (500, Speed Solitaire, In a Pickle, Pit). A good time was had by all.
Now I'm back at work, attempting to but the finishing touches on a demo for my manager. He leaves tomorrow for Toronto and New Jersey. Unfortunately we don't know if he needs another demo for the following week. I pray he doesn't (especially since next week is U.S. Thanksgiving [already!?]).
Now it's time to branch into two separate threads.
Thread the First
Next weekend I plan on staying in Rochester and making beer. Anyone is more than welcome to come learn the craft, eat some food, watch some movies, play some games, etc. But that's what I'm going to do.
Thread the Second
The rest of my family is leaving the Friday after Thanksgiving for a wedding down in Davenport, IA. I, however, will not join them. The decision becomes, "Do I stay in Podunk, MN or do I come home to the Roch?" I'm not averse to either.
Ahhso
Last night was a relatively good night. I say relatively because the garbage collector (Veolia for those interested) is trying to screw me out of $76.70. I paid way-way-way back in September for yearly trash service. Unfortunately they don't believe me. Unfortunately for them I have a bank statement to prove they accepted payment.
*wrings hands with evil excitement*
Monday: Dunn Brothers - Dark Mocha Latte (awesome, as usual)
Tuesday: Starbuscks - Mocha Latte (not that good)
Wednesday: No coffee so far today
Thursday: No Coffee. :(
Friday: Kona from the Sundry Shop by the Cafeteria
I'm not as impressed with the 'bou as I once was. Their "Wild Drinks" leave chocolate/flavor sludge at the bottom of the cup. Their saving grace is regular coffee. But barely.
Tonight or tomorrow I'm going to take some time for myself and go see a movie. I want to see Dan in Real Life but I think I'll go to The Rape of Europa instead; a documentary about the pillage of Europe during WWII.
*EDIT*
For those interested in the alcoholic concoctions I create...the blueberry melomel ferments away (finally). The four day lag time scared the crap out of me but I'm happy to report the airlock is bubbling. The reason for a lag: I re-used a yeast cake from another batch of mead.
How's the "parent" mead? I added three pints of raspberries (from the farmer's market) giving the mead a b-e-a-utiful shade of red. When I went home for lunch the raspberry pulp was pushing into the carboy neck. I'm thinking I need some citrus to go with the raspberry, but what kind?
- Lemon
- Lime
- Orange
- Tangerine
- Grapefruit
- Ugli frui
- Kumquat (hehe)
- Lemon grass
Oh, and melomel is mead (honey wine) with fruit added.
Today is a Dunn Bros. Day...
...or maybe it's a Dunn Bros. Week.
Ugh.
I like to treat myself when work is hellish.
At work we're fast approaching our release date (December 21; it's announced so I can talk about it). Now, my manager's the technical bigwig for the product line (he's chief architect) and as such he gives pitches to conferences and customers telling them what's great about the new release. Usually he gives a PowerPoint and a VMWare demo. The last few weeks two co-workers and I have created the demos. What a pain.
Seventy-hour weeks, working a regular day on Saturdays (and sometimes Sunday).
Time to vent/rant. I'm stressed out, exhausted, and burnt out. The only vacation I have left is the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas eve, and the day after Christmas. I can't leave early any day this week because we have another demo due next Monday. By the time I get home at night I have just enough time to feed the dog, eat some food, and go to bed before I do it all again. If I do leave work early I need to log on from home and do some work there, too. I didn't sign on at all yesterday and now I'm paying the price. There are approximately 30 emails from my manager and one of my coworkers discussing problems, workarounds, possible fixes, broken features. Argh. I'm starting to wonder if this is what I want to do for the next few years. I haven't been to a movie in months. I rarely have time to go grocery shopping. I eat out all the time (that's what she said). I've put on the ten pounds I lost a few months ago. I like being busy but this is extreme.
We just finished creating a demo Saturday for my manager to take to Vienna. We're performing triage and answering his questions. Then we have seven days to get a new version ready for next week when he's off to give the demo to some customers in Canada and New Jersey.
We're gonna need a miracle.
And I'm gonna need some more coffee.
And I better get a hella bonus next year...or some kickass compensation time off in December.
*EDIT*
The first demo is away!
The demo my boss gave in Vienna today worked like a charm (after some hand holding late last night). Whew. That feels goooood.
I don't know if I approve of this
A second "Office?" Hmm.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34619