Videoblogging?

I have been working on pictures from my Atlanta trip, and as I ran through some of them, I realized that I really wish I had taken some video while I was at some of the places. My digicam has the ability to take video so the capability is there, however, is it worth the time and effort?

Hence the latest poll question on my blog page, if I were to shoot video like when I'm playing tourist or even making whole blog entries as a video rather than text, would you watch it?

Getting Better

These past few days at work, things got crazy for me. I had a major deadline for a survey I'm currently developing, the final test for a survey about to go into the field for the first time, and I was receiving "change requests" (reports that the sponsors want us to change something in the survey, includes updates and bug reports) to a current survey and these changes have to be ready for June.

Ultimately I ended up missing the deadline for the developing survey and the change requests were pushed back for the June survey. The reason for that was because during the final test, there were some issues that came up and of course they have to be examined, priority designed, and ultimately a work-around or fix must be developed if it is a showstopper. As it was, my boss flat out said to me, "You do not work on any other surveys but this one, it takes priority." So of course that has put other things back.

However, as of today, I am nearly caught back up to where I should be. I did complete the tasks for the developing survey and put it on our testing platform for the sponsors to test, and the other survey will be ready to go tomorrow morning for internal testing.

I bitched quite a bit about all of this going on in this blog and to JH, but honestly, I find that when the heat is on, it's when I can be at my best at times. My boss has been rather impressed that with the issues that came up during the final test, I was able to diagnose them quickly and come up with solutions. He still feels confident that we have put a good product out and that these problems that have appeared are problems that only happen in extreme cases, and most of them will go away. There is one that looks like it's a bug in the software itself, so of course we'll have to file our own bug report with the developer, but that's what happens when you're working with the newest versions.

After this week is over, the stress goes back down, and then I can just watch and see. Thank god for people like JH in my life for putting up with it, and for taking me out of town this past weekend, I needed the relaxation.

After This Weekend...

I have now visited 30 states in the US



create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.


I have also ridden 56 rollercoasters in the world overall. I have some work to do this Summer as JH is about 3x ahead of me.

There will be blog entries about it, in the next few days, there will be reports about my trip to Atlanta, Six Flags Great Adventure, New York City, Coney Island, and now Six Flags New England.

Yeah, I've been well traveled for the past month.

Curses!

Never again will I say a word about how I'm expecting everything to go right during the final test of any software I've worked on.

Actually for what it's worth, our software works beautifully...except that part of the data that's supposed to be transferred from the listing to the questionnaire is not being copied. Since it's data that is optionally captured during the listing, it's not going to destroy data, but it is going to be annoying unless we can get to the bottom of why it's not doing what it is supposed to do.

So I'll just keep my fingers crossed that we know sooner rather than later.

After 795 Days...

It has taken a lot of work, but after 795 working days, I finally released to the field my parts of the new revision to the Survey of Construction that is used to measure residential home construction in the U.S. On May 1, it will go into production and be used across the country :-D

Since day one of my career this has been my main project. I was to take the listing portion of the survey, which is used to capture a list of building permits issued for residential homes, and update it from the DOS-based Clipper software to the Windows-based Blaise survey software. I was the trailblazer for this project because it meant proving that I could make it work in version 4.7 of Blaise, which had just been released, so I was on the bleeding edge of what we could do. From then on, I worked to prove that yes, a field rep could do a listing of up to a few thousand permits and run a sampling program on them to determine which of the listed permits would be followed up with a questionnaire about the characteristics of the home being constructed. I proved it could be possible, so from then on it was full steam ahead.

Along the way I basically created a bunch of our new screen standards, I got to show off the new features of 4.7 that are now being implemented in other surveys that are used by the Census Bureau, and I even co-wrote a paper on this project, which was presented at an international conference of Blaise users.

This project also gave me a crash course in Visual Basic. Another piece of this project is a database program that is to assist the field reps in making their contacts to follow up on these sampled permits. After most of it was written, the programmer left for another job, and it was handed off to me. I had never worked in Visual Basic, but I was able to adapt and quickly learn what to do. Thankfully because I had experience in college with working with ODBC for database connections, that part of the code was very familiar. This will be knowledge I can use in the future, especially as other projects call for using external programs, and as Blaise moves more towards a .NET core.

I have learned so much from this, and quite frankly, I'm proud of what I have done and that we have made it to this point. I was able to take a very basic prototype in Blaise, prove it worked, then take specifications for the survey revision, and make them work. I couldn't have done it without the help of those on our software testing staff who tested it, some of my co-workers who would sit and we'd bounce ideas on how to make it all happen, and those field reps that we would bring in to hammer away at the software and give us feedback. I thank all of them for the work they have put in as well.

Now to wait until the field reps start using it and be ready for anything that can happen. However, my boss feels confident that there will be no major problems in the field, and I do as well.

Seeing Margaret Cho

Earlier this month, Margaret Cho had a show in DC, and it featured Liam Sullivan (Most famous for "Shoes"). Originally the plan was for JH and I to go, but since he was still in pain and on Percocet, it would not have been a good idea for him to drive from Pasadena to DC, period. So I invited Brian to go with me since I figured he might be interested in the show.

We met up and had dinner at Chef Geoff's in Downtown DC, which was basically right next to the Warner Theater. We both did the prix fixe theater menu, which featured salad, salmon, and creme brulee. The food was good, and this restaurant actually knows how to cook salmon right so that it ended up very tender and flaky, not dried out at all.

We get to the theater and basically it's just one big gathering of the homos. Let's be honest here, Margaret Cho has a biiiiiiiig following of the gay fans. She would joke a lot in her show about being a "fag hag" and especially being a "goldilocks" (Definition 4). I chatted with a friend of Brian's before we went to our seats. As we were waiting for the show to begin, I joked that there probably wasn't going to be a show, this was really a trap set by the Republicans and the religious-right to capture all of us homos and send us off to "re-education camps" so that we could become good little straight Christian Republicans.

The show started with "Aunt Susan" singing a song about her double-headed dildo, then it moved on to a video of Dr. Ulee, who has to be the worlds worst sex therapist ever. Finally we saw the video for "Let me Borrow that Top" before "Kelly" came out and performed "Shoes" live.

After that, it was all about Margaret. I thoroughly enjoyed her show, mainly because it was all new material. Yes, she did do impressions of her mother, but it was not the entire show thankfully. Like I mentioned before, she talked a lot about being friendly to the gays, and she has come up with what has to be the greatest marketing idea for DC. She speaks the freaking gospel when she talks about "Dick o'Clock" coming around, which means all the gay men out in the bars go hunting for dick right about that time, and that leaves all their female friends in the dust. She suggested that there needs to be a shuttle service that goes and picks up all those straight women and takes them to a "safe house" where they get to watch the Sex and The City Movie before anyone else. I wonder how much it would cost to purchase a charter bus and start that shuttle service...

I think what I thoroughly enjoy most about watching comedy shows is that I can actually see the facial expressions when jokes are being delivered, which makes them ten times funnier than just hearing them. Margaret is a pro at this, especially when she shows complete and utter shock at something someone told her, like the woman at the front desk of the museum who told her "I'm just letting you know now there is no photography allowed in here, I know how you people are!"

Anyway, so if you're a fan of the Cho, I advise you pick up tickets to go see "Beautiful" since it's all new content, and I promise you'll be rolling in the aisles.

To Paraphrase My Friend Serena

If I didn't know you*, I'd dislike all lesbians.
*KS and KW

--Thought that came to mind after reading an E-mail this morning

Visiting the Patient, and New Opportunities

I spent a few evenings and my day off hanging out with JH at his parents house up in Pasadena. His surgery had gone better than expected but of course he was still having pain since they basically had forced the inside of his nose to be wider. At least they didn't have to break his nose to correct it.

So I got to keep an eye on him while we watched Simpsons episodes and Orioles games as well. It was kind of like a vacation in a way because I pretty much just sat back and went along with whatever was going on. It also helped put JH's parents at ease because I was there in case of a problem and they didn't have to leave him alone in the house.

At one point JH and I ran a few errands for him, including the big one of dropping off his two week notice to his current job. JH was offered a job at another hotel in Baltimore, which means better pay, a promotion, more opportunity to move up, and being able to work with someone he knows well. All around it looks to be like a great opportunity for him.

Eventually later in the week he would go to the doc and they would take out the tubes that were holding his nose open, he couldn't believe the size of what they stuffed in there. However, they're out now, he's healing up nicely, and no more pain.

Damn, 12 Days Already?

I just logged into Blogger and it noted that I haven't updated since April 9th.

Here's a summary of what has happened in that time:

--JH had surgery on his nose, which meant he was basically resting for a week. I spent some time hanging out with him and we watched lots of Simpsons.

--I finally released the production version of the housing construction survey

--I traveled to Atlanta for three days last week to observe training on the construction survey, and observed an interview of the consumer survey. There was also sightseeing done.

--JH and I spent the past weekend in NJ and NY, going to Six Flags, Coney Island, and visiting some of his extended family.

--I am going through final testing of some of my programs before they hit production, and I can just say that I freaking ROCK as a programmer.

--I have much love to give to Costco right now.

Details will follow, including lots of pictures :-D

Six Days

It's hard to believe it, but in six days, I will be releasing a major revision to part of an economic survey to go out into the field and be used by field representatives across the country.

New Adventures...

Next week I have to fly to Atlanta to do a field and training observation for work. I've never even set foot in the state of Georgia, so this should be fun.

Any of my readers out there who may have visited the area, what do I absolutely need to go and see, do, or visit in the city because if I don't the world will end?

One Down...

If medical type stuff squicks you out, don't read this entry.

Those of you who know JH or at least read his blog are aware that he had surgery to open up his nasal passages today. I got a call from his mom while I was at work letting me know that the doctor told them that Joe went through the surgery just fine.

I went and saw him this evening, and except for some gauze under his nose that's being held up by a rubber band to capture the nosebleed he's having from this, he looks fine. They didn't have to break his nose, which in turn meant he didn't have any black eyes from it. He has some pain, and he's on a course of erythromycin to prevent infection, but otherwise he's in good spirits. I brought over The Simpsons to watch, and tomorrow night I'll be over there again to hang out with him for the evening and for Wednesday, that way his parents won't have to worry about him while they're at work.

As I was delightfully informed this evening, there will be no kissing for the next few days due to the bleeding from the nose, which is fine because I don't have a kink for blood play, and neither does JH ;-)

I'm just glad he's okay now, and hopefully he'll be breathing better in no time.

Taylor Swift = Homophobe?

Has anyone heard Taylor Swift’s new single "Picture to Burn"? I happened to catch it on Surius Hits 1, the song has to do with a breakup gone bad, the way it is written is the typical crap that high school students pull on one another when there’s a breakup and drama behind it. However, my jaw dropped to the floor when I heard these lyrics:

Lyrics Page

So go and tell your friends that I’m obsessive and crazy
That’s fine I’ll tell mine you’re gay

I couldn’t believe that this was what I was hearing. I know that it may be a song and it’s all about the drama, but damn, that’s screwed up to sing that you’ll go around telling your friends that your ex-boyfriend is "gay" just because you two broke up. The worst part is that I have known people who have done that kind of thing, and in high school when you're in that awkward stage of trying to fit in and such, words like that can be very destructive.

If Taylor Swift is really condoning that kind of behavior, well then she’s several unprintable derogatory words in my book. You can say I'm being overly sensitive, but before you do, think about your own life, I'm sure somewhere someone spread a false rumor about you just because they were mad at you, and I bet you were pretty upset about it.

First O's Game

So JH recently decided to buy a partial season package to Baltimore Orioles games, with the first one being this Thursday. Originally we had plans Wednesday night to take a lantern tour of the cherry blossoms in DC, but when I woke up to 25 mph winds outside, I scrapped that plan and suggested dinner and a movie at my place.

I get home, JH gets there, and the first thing he says to me is "Would you be opposed to going to a game tonight?" Apparently he had driven by the stadium and it was dead (as I would later find out, it was the lowest attendance ever in 17 years) so he knew we could get decent seats for a good price. So we drove up to Baltimore, passed by one parking garage that wanted $20 for parking, then found another parking garage two blocks away that had parking for $7. Walked down, got our tickets, and we were set.

So JH gave me a small tour as we got to our seats, we watched the game, enjoyed some ballpark food, in this case Italian sausage sandwiches and some fries, and got to see a good amount of action. The seats were a little off to the right from home plate in the upper deck so we were able to see every pitch and make our own judgments on the calls (JH is a trained umpire so he has an eye for it). It was fun, yet cold, so after a few innings we walked around and he showed me more of the stadium, eventually we headed into the store to look for a hat for myself and he was looking for a jersey.

Now I admit, it took me a while to find a hat, namely because I wanted to make damn sure it was one I wanted and was going to wear. Of course as this goes on, the O's, who were down by 3 came back and scored 6 runs. I caught some hell from JH for it, but whatever, ya know, how were we to expect this would suddenly happen. However, we did catch the 8th and 9th, so it was alright.

So it was a fun time, but only because I got to see the game live. It was a good thing that we went out last night to the game rather than try to make tonight my first O's game, simply because it got rained out. Instead JH and I met up at a local sports bar and had dinner since I was basically on the road to Baltimore when the game was called. Oh well, we get to exchange the tickets from tonight for another game another time.

BTW, I know some of you want an excuse to go to the new Nats Stadium, I'm considering it in July when the Diamondbacks visit, just be warned that you're going to have to put up with someone who will root for the Diamondbacks, and the games start at 4:10, so leaving work early might have to happen. ;-)