Ravens Fire Billick
I'm honestly not surprised by this, the Ravens had a horrible season. A big factor was simply because most of our key players were injured. However, Billick made some really boneheaded decisions in who continued to play. Kyle Boller was nowhere near ready to be a starting QB, and yet Billick put him in every single time, and continued to play him even after he would throw turnover after turnover in a game. After watching Troy Smith play the last two games, he should have been in there for most of the season, then maybe we wouldn't have had a 5-11 record and a 9 game losing streak.
I admit it's a real shitty game that Steve Bisciotti is playing by first saying he had confidence in Billick, and then turning around a month later and firing him, but considering that at least half of the city of Baltimore wanted him gone, I guess he may have caved in. Rumor has it that all of the coaching staff has been fired except for Rex Ryan, but I haven't found proof of that one. Of course, their offensive coordinator did just take a job to be the head coach for UCLA...
December 31, 2007
Mini-Vacation
I have to admit, one advantage of dating a guy who manages a hotel is that when he has to be the overnight manager on the weekend, he ends up staying on the property in one of the rooms. Be nice to the boss, and he scores the presidential suite if no one else is using it.
That was where I got to spend my weekend, hanging out with JH in the presidential suite at his hotel in Baltimore. If you take a look at the photos I posted, you can see the taste of luxury I got this weekend. Believe me, when you've basically stayed in Motel 6's and Super 8's your whole life, this is a big treat.
I went up there Saturday afternoon and got to chill out in the room before JH came off of shift. We had an early dinner down in the restaurant before he took a nap and I went looking for a jewelry store to see if a bracelet could be repaired. Unfortunately that was a failure as the two addresses that I pulled from Google Maps were dead ends. One place was actually an estate buyer, and the other had gone out of business. On my way back I passed a place on Charles Street that would have worked...if they weren't closed already. I'll just have to search locally I guess, or go back later.
Got back in and we hung out for a bit, including using the jacuzzi tub, before going out to the Mt. Vernon Stable and Saloon for dinner. I had the thai wrap, and it was decent, but could have used more spice. We headed over to the Hippo and had a drink before all the smokers drove us out. God I can't wait until the statewide ban takes effect.
Back at the hotel we talked for a while before heading to bed, but the minute that we crawl into bed (2 AM), the phone rings and JH has to go downstairs and take care of a crisis. He would not come back until 7 AM, where he would crash out while I got up and headed to church.
Sunday morning was the Lessons and Carols service, I was doing a reading as well, and was thanked for it. I got to hear from Rose about how much Carol was enjoying the new Wii, and apparently Carol now thinks of me as sneaky since I managed to slip that one right by her. Gotta thank Costco for being able to even find one to slip to Rose in the first place! A few of us had a discussion about the upcoming NYE party in Greenbelt, but that's not where I am going to be tonight.
I headed back to Baltimore in the early afternoon and woke JH from his nap. We went down and grabbed lunch before coming back up to relax. Since the Ravens vs Steelers game was coming on that afternoon, there were plans to watch it. However, JH decided to ask if I would be willing to watch the game at his parents house in Pasadena. I agreed without hesitation because I know that they have been asking about me, and meeting parents does not make me nervous.
So I got over there, met the parents, we watched the Ravens beat the Steelers, which was a great way to end the season, but to make up for how the game went on JH and I's first date. The first time we went out was when the Ravens and the Steelers played this season, and the Ravens got stomped. Still, the Ravens won, and that was freaking awesome because Pittsburgh sucks.
After dinner and the game, we headed back to Baltimore and crashed out at the hotel. The next morning we got up, JH went to work, and I got myself cleaned up and headed back home to Greenbelt. Today I used this time to catch up on picture uploads, DVD's from Netflix, and of course, blogging.
Tonight I will be in Philadelphia watching Artie Lange perform for NYE. 9th row baby, can't wait! I'm sure tomorrow will be spent recovering from that show. Too bad that I can't take a camera, something tells me there will be something photo worthy happening.
Aquarium Photos
The photos I took from the Baltimore Aquarium are up on Flickr. There were only a few that turned out well due to the fact that I was not using the flash. My favorite part has to be watching the guy feeding the fish inside the tank. The porcupine fish you see in that photo was a pig, he kept hanging around trying to get more and more food.
December 29, 2007
Can I Go With You?
Now that was a question that caught me off-guard Sunday night. JH describes in his own blog that my jaw hit the floor and I had trouble picking it back up, and he's not far off in that description.
The reason for this question was because JH asked if he could go with me to the Christmas service at St. Georges. I was expecting to go by myself, namely because I have been going by myself to church for the last year and a half. I also knew that JH describes himself as an atheist, he was raised Catholic, but he is not into going to church. I should know that quite well as I didn't go to church much for about 12 years, part of that being that there are no Unitarian Universalist churches in Hellhole, AZ, and when I could start going again, I just didn't get back into being a UU, but now I'm an Episcopalian. It's something I find I enjoy for a number of reasons. I'm also not one to force my views on others, in fact, I like discussing other people's religions just so I can get a different perspective and see what's similar and what's different. So I had just figured I was going on my own and that JH was going to be with his family anyway.
The other reason for the jaw-drop? JH is the first boyfriend who has actually expressed an interest in the fact that I go to church. I had thought the only way I was going to find a man that would care about me going to church would be if I started dating a fellow churchgoer. Mike did everything he could to avoid going anywhere near the place, and Joshua is Jewish so that would be really offensive for me to ask him to go. JH considers it a non-negotiable with me, it's important enough that I'm going to go, with or without him. Even if he did not ask to go, or decided he doesn't want to go again, I wouldn't hold it against him. I believe everyone has their own path when it comes to spirituality. What I will not put up with again from anyone is if I ask them to go and they say "Yeah, sure, I'll go" and then the day of service, or of a social event at St. Georges arrives and suddenly it's "Oh I don't feel like going" or "I'm too tired." It's a cop-out, and it's bullshit.
Anyway, so I'm glad JH came with me because I think it gave him a good idea on why I like going, because it's not like anyone is waking me up and making me go on Sunday mornings. Hell, I still like to sleep in once in a while :-)
The reason for this question was because JH asked if he could go with me to the Christmas service at St. Georges. I was expecting to go by myself, namely because I have been going by myself to church for the last year and a half. I also knew that JH describes himself as an atheist, he was raised Catholic, but he is not into going to church. I should know that quite well as I didn't go to church much for about 12 years, part of that being that there are no Unitarian Universalist churches in Hellhole, AZ, and when I could start going again, I just didn't get back into being a UU, but now I'm an Episcopalian. It's something I find I enjoy for a number of reasons. I'm also not one to force my views on others, in fact, I like discussing other people's religions just so I can get a different perspective and see what's similar and what's different. So I had just figured I was going on my own and that JH was going to be with his family anyway.
The other reason for the jaw-drop? JH is the first boyfriend who has actually expressed an interest in the fact that I go to church. I had thought the only way I was going to find a man that would care about me going to church would be if I started dating a fellow churchgoer. Mike did everything he could to avoid going anywhere near the place, and Joshua is Jewish so that would be really offensive for me to ask him to go. JH considers it a non-negotiable with me, it's important enough that I'm going to go, with or without him. Even if he did not ask to go, or decided he doesn't want to go again, I wouldn't hold it against him. I believe everyone has their own path when it comes to spirituality. What I will not put up with again from anyone is if I ask them to go and they say "Yeah, sure, I'll go" and then the day of service, or of a social event at St. Georges arrives and suddenly it's "Oh I don't feel like going" or "I'm too tired." It's a cop-out, and it's bullshit.
Anyway, so I'm glad JH came with me because I think it gave him a good idea on why I like going, because it's not like anyone is waking me up and making me go on Sunday mornings. Hell, I still like to sleep in once in a while :-)
December 28, 2007
Where Have the Days Gone?
I think this blog is an inverse reflection of how things go in my life. If things are going well, I tend to be busier and I have longer time gaps between postings, if things are not going so well, I have more posts.
Then again, you look at the content and know that this rule falls apart based on what I talk about.
Anyway, this past Christmas was the first Christmas that I did not spend with my immediate family, nor with the family of a boyfriend, so things were different, but they were also the same in a lot of ways.
It all starts on the 23rd, my cousin Josie has her son and his family over for Christmas dinner, and as I experienced later, her daughters and their families showed up as well. So there's about four generations of folks there, fourteen people in all at this one-bedroom condo in Hyattsville. It was chaotic, but it was an organized chaos, especially since the little ones do know how to behave. Dinner was good, the usual kind of "Christmas" dinner (we were holding this early since her son and his wife had to work on Christmas day and they live up in Hagerstown) with ham, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and such. Most of the afternoon would be spent watching the Redskins and Vikings play.
Late Sunday afternoon I headed back home to Greenbelt and was picked up by JH to head up to Hershey, PA to visit one of his friends. We got to Hershey and talked for a bit before hitting Red Robin for dinner. Since the park was right there, we headed over to see the Christmas lights on display at Hershey park. First we started out with a ride inside their "Chocolate World" building that detailed how Hershey makes their chocolate, complete with singing animatronic (sp?) cows! It was so freaking cheesey, but cute.
We walked through the park and looked at Christmas lights, along with taking in a few rides and seeing reindeer. I'm still trying to figure out how donner became donder according to their signs, maybe it's an old-fashioned spelling that I am not aware of. It was fun, and now I have a preview of what the park will be like when I go there next summer to actually ride their rollercoasters.
Shockingly enough President Bush did something right for once and gave Federal workers the day off on Christmas Eve, so I spent part of the day hanging out with Joshua. He invited JH to dinner so he came by and we enjoyed a meal of chicken, stuffing, green bean casserole, biscuits, and pie before JH and I headed over to the Christmas Eve service at my church. This is significant in its own right, but that's a whole separate topic.
The service was very nice, it ran like a Sunday service except with a lot more hymns. JH kind of stood back and watched the proceedings, but eventually got into it. There was a reception afterwards and he really seemed to enjoy meeting some of the other members. When we talked on the way home he said he could see himself going with me about once a month, which was jaw-dropping for me. We got to my place and exchanged our gifts. I got him a Baltimore Ravens winter pack, which was a knit hat, gloves, and a scarf with the Ravens logo on it. He got me a Ravens throw, some candy, and Ravens beer bottle cozies. I am so set for the game on Sunday. Eventually he had to head home as he had to work the next morning.
Christmas day was one place where I did not have to break with traditions in a sense, they just changed context a bit. I went up to Columbia, MD to spend the day with Josie and her daughters and their families for dinner and such. I get there and learn that Santa somehow had a direct line to Nintendo and brought both families Wii's this year, and when I mentioned I owned one, guess who got to go downstairs and be the P2/3/4 while they were learning the games? Besides that, I did also help get the remote control helicopters together, so they were enjoying that. All the girls got webkins this year and immediately ran off to register them, but of course, every other kid and their mother across the US was trying to do the same thing, so there was some frustration since that website was slow.
Dinner was excellent, there was ham, a turkey casserole, a veggie dish that I need to get the recipe for, and a choice of peanut butter, chocolate, or pumpkin pie. Believe me when I say that I didn't starve this whole weekend. Of course the afternoon was spent with the kids all over the place playing with toys, and getting pictures taken. The cutest story was related to me by Josie, she had gone upstairs and my leather jacket was hanging up nearby one of the girl's rooms, and Josie asked who it belonged to, Michelle responded "That's Uncle Mike's, but he's really my cousin" So apparently I've been nicknamed Uncle-Cousin Mike. What can I say, they're family, and I give points for creativity in how I'm related.
I got home and fired up the webcam to open up presents with my own folks. This year I received some fiestaware dishes, a keychain that counts down when Bush is out of office, good sandals, a very nice shirt, a Nintendo DS stylus pen pack, and some home DVD's. From me my mom got Hairspray on DVD, my dad got a Costco membership, one bro got Contra 4 for DS, and the other bro got some Hot Wheels so he has something to do when he needs a study break. We all will enjoy the gifts we got. I spent the rest of the evening watching some episodes of Ghost in the Shell before heading to bed, because unlike many folks in the office, I did not take the whole week off :-P
Then again, you look at the content and know that this rule falls apart based on what I talk about.
Anyway, this past Christmas was the first Christmas that I did not spend with my immediate family, nor with the family of a boyfriend, so things were different, but they were also the same in a lot of ways.
It all starts on the 23rd, my cousin Josie has her son and his family over for Christmas dinner, and as I experienced later, her daughters and their families showed up as well. So there's about four generations of folks there, fourteen people in all at this one-bedroom condo in Hyattsville. It was chaotic, but it was an organized chaos, especially since the little ones do know how to behave. Dinner was good, the usual kind of "Christmas" dinner (we were holding this early since her son and his wife had to work on Christmas day and they live up in Hagerstown) with ham, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and such. Most of the afternoon would be spent watching the Redskins and Vikings play.
Late Sunday afternoon I headed back home to Greenbelt and was picked up by JH to head up to Hershey, PA to visit one of his friends. We got to Hershey and talked for a bit before hitting Red Robin for dinner. Since the park was right there, we headed over to see the Christmas lights on display at Hershey park. First we started out with a ride inside their "Chocolate World" building that detailed how Hershey makes their chocolate, complete with singing animatronic (sp?) cows! It was so freaking cheesey, but cute.
We walked through the park and looked at Christmas lights, along with taking in a few rides and seeing reindeer. I'm still trying to figure out how donner became donder according to their signs, maybe it's an old-fashioned spelling that I am not aware of. It was fun, and now I have a preview of what the park will be like when I go there next summer to actually ride their rollercoasters.
Shockingly enough President Bush did something right for once and gave Federal workers the day off on Christmas Eve, so I spent part of the day hanging out with Joshua. He invited JH to dinner so he came by and we enjoyed a meal of chicken, stuffing, green bean casserole, biscuits, and pie before JH and I headed over to the Christmas Eve service at my church. This is significant in its own right, but that's a whole separate topic.
The service was very nice, it ran like a Sunday service except with a lot more hymns. JH kind of stood back and watched the proceedings, but eventually got into it. There was a reception afterwards and he really seemed to enjoy meeting some of the other members. When we talked on the way home he said he could see himself going with me about once a month, which was jaw-dropping for me. We got to my place and exchanged our gifts. I got him a Baltimore Ravens winter pack, which was a knit hat, gloves, and a scarf with the Ravens logo on it. He got me a Ravens throw, some candy, and Ravens beer bottle cozies. I am so set for the game on Sunday. Eventually he had to head home as he had to work the next morning.
Christmas day was one place where I did not have to break with traditions in a sense, they just changed context a bit. I went up to Columbia, MD to spend the day with Josie and her daughters and their families for dinner and such. I get there and learn that Santa somehow had a direct line to Nintendo and brought both families Wii's this year, and when I mentioned I owned one, guess who got to go downstairs and be the P2/3/4 while they were learning the games? Besides that, I did also help get the remote control helicopters together, so they were enjoying that. All the girls got webkins this year and immediately ran off to register them, but of course, every other kid and their mother across the US was trying to do the same thing, so there was some frustration since that website was slow.
Dinner was excellent, there was ham, a turkey casserole, a veggie dish that I need to get the recipe for, and a choice of peanut butter, chocolate, or pumpkin pie. Believe me when I say that I didn't starve this whole weekend. Of course the afternoon was spent with the kids all over the place playing with toys, and getting pictures taken. The cutest story was related to me by Josie, she had gone upstairs and my leather jacket was hanging up nearby one of the girl's rooms, and Josie asked who it belonged to, Michelle responded "That's Uncle Mike's, but he's really my cousin" So apparently I've been nicknamed Uncle-Cousin Mike. What can I say, they're family, and I give points for creativity in how I'm related.
I got home and fired up the webcam to open up presents with my own folks. This year I received some fiestaware dishes, a keychain that counts down when Bush is out of office, good sandals, a very nice shirt, a Nintendo DS stylus pen pack, and some home DVD's. From me my mom got Hairspray on DVD, my dad got a Costco membership, one bro got Contra 4 for DS, and the other bro got some Hot Wheels so he has something to do when he needs a study break. We all will enjoy the gifts we got. I spent the rest of the evening watching some episodes of Ghost in the Shell before heading to bed, because unlike many folks in the office, I did not take the whole week off :-P
December 22, 2007
Merry Christmas to Me
Today has been a day of errands, I picked up packages at the UPS store and went shopping for JH. I tried Modells because I heard they were having a sale, but they didn't have the items I wanted. So I was heading for the parkway to go into Baltimore when I decided to try the Sports Authority to find what I was looking for. I found what I was looking for, and I know he will like it, I'm not saying what it is here since he reads this blog ;-)
If you're a Baltimore Ravens fan, the Sports Authority in Laurel (and probably other ones as well) have a 30% off sale on all Ravens merchandise, including jerseys, from what I saw, you're looking at being able to buy an authentic for $70 and a replica for $52.50. The sale runs through Jan 1, so if you need a last minute gift, or you just want something for yourself, consider buying in the next week. I may see if I can score a coupon from them for after Xmas for even further savings.
Anyway, so I then dropped by the Bottom Dollar because I knew they had a sale on frozen veggies, 1lb bags for 50 cents so I stocked up since I should be eating more veggies anyway. I grabbed a few other staples and headed out the door.
I decided to make a stop at REI to check out prices on a Coleman stove. First of all, I need a gas burner so I can use my wok; second, I love camping, and I grew up with my parents always using their Coleman propane stove, in fact, they still have it 25+ years later because those things are meant to last. My only criteria was that it has to be Propane, I will not use one of those "dual fuel" stoves. Target had a Coleman propane stove for $43, and it was pretty nice, in fact, REI had the same one for $46. However, they also had a different model stove on sale for $39, guess which one I picked up? The best part? The Coleman website is selling this particular stove for $64.49. So I scored a deal and as soon as I get my hands on a new tent and sleeping bag, I'll be all set to camp again.
Now that the dishes are done and the steak is ready to be turned into a burrito, it's time to finish here. Tonight I'll be seeing JH for dinner and then going to a holiday party. Tomorrow I'll be visiting my cousin and some of her kids and grandkids.
If you're a Baltimore Ravens fan, the Sports Authority in Laurel (and probably other ones as well) have a 30% off sale on all Ravens merchandise, including jerseys, from what I saw, you're looking at being able to buy an authentic for $70 and a replica for $52.50. The sale runs through Jan 1, so if you need a last minute gift, or you just want something for yourself, consider buying in the next week. I may see if I can score a coupon from them for after Xmas for even further savings.
Anyway, so I then dropped by the Bottom Dollar because I knew they had a sale on frozen veggies, 1lb bags for 50 cents so I stocked up since I should be eating more veggies anyway. I grabbed a few other staples and headed out the door.
I decided to make a stop at REI to check out prices on a Coleman stove. First of all, I need a gas burner so I can use my wok; second, I love camping, and I grew up with my parents always using their Coleman propane stove, in fact, they still have it 25+ years later because those things are meant to last. My only criteria was that it has to be Propane, I will not use one of those "dual fuel" stoves. Target had a Coleman propane stove for $43, and it was pretty nice, in fact, REI had the same one for $46. However, they also had a different model stove on sale for $39, guess which one I picked up? The best part? The Coleman website is selling this particular stove for $64.49. So I scored a deal and as soon as I get my hands on a new tent and sleeping bag, I'll be all set to camp again.
Now that the dishes are done and the steak is ready to be turned into a burrito, it's time to finish here. Tonight I'll be seeing JH for dinner and then going to a holiday party. Tomorrow I'll be visiting my cousin and some of her kids and grandkids.
December 21, 2007
A Fun Mental Break...And News
After all the crap I put up with on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday, I was so freaking glad that my AWS day came along. Whoever came up with the idea of the flexible schedule hit upon a good thing because there are days where my AWS become mental health days, and I don't have to spend any leave to get that.
So Tuesday night after work I went out to see JH, and finally got to see his house. We went out and had dinner at Annies, and saw the Christmas lights display at the Capitol building. After Annies we went over to D.I.K. and I met a few of Joe's friends. It was also karaoke night and there were lots of holiday songs, so I decided to sign up and sing my favorite song, "Sleigh Ride." I actually don't consider that song a "holiday" song, it's really a "winter" song since there's no reference to holidays so it could be sung at any time in the winter. Anyway, I certainly got the bar going as JH can attest. Eventually we headed home since I was pretty worn out, and so was he.
Wednesday we were up late, and headed over to the Baltimore Aquarium. I have to give Baltimore credit for having good pricing on their light rail system and a decent schedule. If I need to go into the city and it's not to visit Rob and Dan, I'll just take that instead of driving in. I have never been to the aquarium in Baltimore, so I wasn't sure what to expect. JH has been there in the past, so he could see a difference in exhibits; he had not seen the Australia exhibit, so that was something new for him. After a few hours (and plenty of pictures to be posted later) we headed into Little Italy for dinner. We shared calamari and I enjoyed a pesto pasta while he had a sampler trio of dishes.
As we headed back to the light rail, we decided to cut through the indoor mall at the inner harbor when some sale tags caught JH's eye at the local sports store. They were discounting a number of Ravens jerseys so we went in, since I was looking for a more authentic jersey. There was one that was a steal (Marked down to $60 from $100) and it was a mix of replica and authentic (numbers were sewn on, etc.), but it was too big for me. However, they were selling replica jerseys for $65, so I ended up picking up a Todd Heap jersey, which I wore to work today.
Light railed back to North Linthicum, and then a ride back to Greenbelt. It was there that a serious discussion was had and some decisions were made. I've been dating JH for the last seven weeks, and I've enjoyed the time I spent with him. I've been taking things slow with him and really working to get to know him because I wanted to see very clearly what he was like. I have had a bad habit of moving too fast into getting serious before I really got to know the person, and I paid for it big time. This time I decided I was going to keep things casual and if it panned out, great, if not, move on. Well JH is still here, he respected the fact that I wanted to take things slow, and he has not put any pressure on me. He's cute, we have things in common, and he's pretty easygoing, so really, the last seven weeks have gone well. We see one another about every five to six days and that works for us, we like being with one another, but we also like having our own time and space. I'm saying all of this because I've decided to make things a bit more serious and be his boyfriend. That's right dear readers, I'm off the market. I like him, he likes me, let's see where it goes :-)
So Tuesday night after work I went out to see JH, and finally got to see his house. We went out and had dinner at Annies, and saw the Christmas lights display at the Capitol building. After Annies we went over to D.I.K. and I met a few of Joe's friends. It was also karaoke night and there were lots of holiday songs, so I decided to sign up and sing my favorite song, "Sleigh Ride." I actually don't consider that song a "holiday" song, it's really a "winter" song since there's no reference to holidays so it could be sung at any time in the winter. Anyway, I certainly got the bar going as JH can attest. Eventually we headed home since I was pretty worn out, and so was he.
Wednesday we were up late, and headed over to the Baltimore Aquarium. I have to give Baltimore credit for having good pricing on their light rail system and a decent schedule. If I need to go into the city and it's not to visit Rob and Dan, I'll just take that instead of driving in. I have never been to the aquarium in Baltimore, so I wasn't sure what to expect. JH has been there in the past, so he could see a difference in exhibits; he had not seen the Australia exhibit, so that was something new for him. After a few hours (and plenty of pictures to be posted later) we headed into Little Italy for dinner. We shared calamari and I enjoyed a pesto pasta while he had a sampler trio of dishes.
As we headed back to the light rail, we decided to cut through the indoor mall at the inner harbor when some sale tags caught JH's eye at the local sports store. They were discounting a number of Ravens jerseys so we went in, since I was looking for a more authentic jersey. There was one that was a steal (Marked down to $60 from $100) and it was a mix of replica and authentic (numbers were sewn on, etc.), but it was too big for me. However, they were selling replica jerseys for $65, so I ended up picking up a Todd Heap jersey, which I wore to work today.
Light railed back to North Linthicum, and then a ride back to Greenbelt. It was there that a serious discussion was had and some decisions were made. I've been dating JH for the last seven weeks, and I've enjoyed the time I spent with him. I've been taking things slow with him and really working to get to know him because I wanted to see very clearly what he was like. I have had a bad habit of moving too fast into getting serious before I really got to know the person, and I paid for it big time. This time I decided I was going to keep things casual and if it panned out, great, if not, move on. Well JH is still here, he respected the fact that I wanted to take things slow, and he has not put any pressure on me. He's cute, we have things in common, and he's pretty easygoing, so really, the last seven weeks have gone well. We see one another about every five to six days and that works for us, we like being with one another, but we also like having our own time and space. I'm saying all of this because I've decided to make things a bit more serious and be his boyfriend. That's right dear readers, I'm off the market. I like him, he likes me, let's see where it goes :-)
Up...and down
Work this week was an interesting case in patience.
Tuesday was our department's holiday party, we went over to Kobe's Steak House in Largo. God it's been years since I have gone to a tepanyaki style restaurant, and boy are they worth it. By the way, if you're ever in Albuquerque, NM, check out The Japanese Kitchen, it is one of the places you should make a stop on vacation. Anyway, so the food was great, they put on a good show, it was a great time. I couldn't quite catch the piece of shrimp in my mouth, but it was fun.
However, then I get back to work and around 3 PM there's a crisis again with one of my surveys. This time one of the questions that I had fixed way back in August didn't seem to be working again. After doing some testing and then looking at the input data, it turned out that the data had not carried over to the current quarter because it had been collected way back when the setup program was referencing the wrong variable, and since the next two interview attempts were coded as non-interviews, the data was not collected again. So it wasn't the instrument this time, thank goodness. Still, it was rather frustrating to go through this cycle of thinking that something else was broken.
Wednesday I was off, in that time, one of my co-workers found a potential "solution" to fix the problem of the instrument throwing the red X of death, but we still wanted to know what broke it in the first place. Thursday morning I sat and made one change at a time between the December and January instrument and tested to see if it broke. I was finally able to break it, so now we know what broke it, but we still can't explain why. The current theory is that we crossed some previously unknown memory threshold. But at least we have finally isolated the problem and can fix it. The final test will be to put this thing on a laptop and hammer away at it to make sure it always works.
Tuesday was our department's holiday party, we went over to Kobe's Steak House in Largo. God it's been years since I have gone to a tepanyaki style restaurant, and boy are they worth it. By the way, if you're ever in Albuquerque, NM, check out The Japanese Kitchen, it is one of the places you should make a stop on vacation. Anyway, so the food was great, they put on a good show, it was a great time. I couldn't quite catch the piece of shrimp in my mouth, but it was fun.
However, then I get back to work and around 3 PM there's a crisis again with one of my surveys. This time one of the questions that I had fixed way back in August didn't seem to be working again. After doing some testing and then looking at the input data, it turned out that the data had not carried over to the current quarter because it had been collected way back when the setup program was referencing the wrong variable, and since the next two interview attempts were coded as non-interviews, the data was not collected again. So it wasn't the instrument this time, thank goodness. Still, it was rather frustrating to go through this cycle of thinking that something else was broken.
Wednesday I was off, in that time, one of my co-workers found a potential "solution" to fix the problem of the instrument throwing the red X of death, but we still wanted to know what broke it in the first place. Thursday morning I sat and made one change at a time between the December and January instrument and tested to see if it broke. I was finally able to break it, so now we know what broke it, but we still can't explain why. The current theory is that we crossed some previously unknown memory threshold. But at least we have finally isolated the problem and can fix it. The final test will be to put this thing on a laptop and hammer away at it to make sure it always works.
Friday it's just been more testing, at least I should be ready to move forward, plus start focusing on other projects as well. I have a production release coming up soon for my conversion project, and I can't wait.
December 17, 2007
Changing up Exercise
Let's be honest, it's too damn cold to be outside running when it's dark, especially when you come home and it's 34F.
I've been slacking a bit about the diet and exercise but I'm climbing back on the wagon in some creative ways at least. For the diet I'm just making sure to push up the vegetable consumption. Lately for breakfast I've been on a kick of eating a toasted bagel with organic peanut butter. The reason for the organic stuff is because it doesn't contain any hydrogenated oils in it. Actually I find I like the natural stuff better.
I'm still working with the boot camp DVD's, which are helpful, but since I can't run, I need something to do for cardio. I'd consider a gym but I am waiting on that until I have more of the discipline to stick to a routine of exercise, because clearly with the fact that until tonight I hadn't done any major exercise for about a week, I am not there yet.
Some of you might laugh at what I now do for cardio, but it seems to be working. I dance, in this case, using DDR: Mario Mix. I was able to find a copy that came with the pad on Ebay and picked it up. Take about 20-30 minutes on that and the game calculates that I burn at least 200 calories, I think it's a bit more since they're basing it on the number of arrows I hit, but I'm doing more than just standing there and tapping the arrows with my foot. Once I've mastered this game, I'll pick up the new DDR for the Wii since my old pad is compatible with it, plus if the game allows for both types of pads at once, it could mean some friendly competition around here *evil grin*
What I can say is that I've noticed that my body is being re-shaped, and that's what I'm going for, to drop some of the fat off and flatten some areas out. The resistance training is helping with my arms, and I know once I am more disciplined, I'll move on to weight training, but for now, this is what is working.
Besides, it's nice when your pants feel loose :-) I'm debating if I will go as far as to run a half marathon just yet, I may push it back until later in the year, when I've had more time to train.
I've been slacking a bit about the diet and exercise but I'm climbing back on the wagon in some creative ways at least. For the diet I'm just making sure to push up the vegetable consumption. Lately for breakfast I've been on a kick of eating a toasted bagel with organic peanut butter. The reason for the organic stuff is because it doesn't contain any hydrogenated oils in it. Actually I find I like the natural stuff better.
I'm still working with the boot camp DVD's, which are helpful, but since I can't run, I need something to do for cardio. I'd consider a gym but I am waiting on that until I have more of the discipline to stick to a routine of exercise, because clearly with the fact that until tonight I hadn't done any major exercise for about a week, I am not there yet.
Some of you might laugh at what I now do for cardio, but it seems to be working. I dance, in this case, using DDR: Mario Mix. I was able to find a copy that came with the pad on Ebay and picked it up. Take about 20-30 minutes on that and the game calculates that I burn at least 200 calories, I think it's a bit more since they're basing it on the number of arrows I hit, but I'm doing more than just standing there and tapping the arrows with my foot. Once I've mastered this game, I'll pick up the new DDR for the Wii since my old pad is compatible with it, plus if the game allows for both types of pads at once, it could mean some friendly competition around here *evil grin*
What I can say is that I've noticed that my body is being re-shaped, and that's what I'm going for, to drop some of the fat off and flatten some areas out. The resistance training is helping with my arms, and I know once I am more disciplined, I'll move on to weight training, but for now, this is what is working.
Besides, it's nice when your pants feel loose :-) I'm debating if I will go as far as to run a half marathon just yet, I may push it back until later in the year, when I've had more time to train.
Could Wednesday Just Get Here?
The last few days have been a roller coaster, and not in a fun way.
Friday afternoon one of the software testers comes to me and says that they have a problem with one of the instruments I released earlier this month. Apparently when they exit the survey, they get a red X of death that states there's a memory access violation. Last month's survey release did not do this, but something about this month's has. I spent the afternoon with my project manager hammering away at this issue, trying to figure out what was going on. We were unable to figure out what was going on that would cause this error, yet even though this error was going on, it did not seem to be dropping data out of the instrument either.
Eventually I left and met up with some friends to go out to dinner. It was nice, had to leave early though because I was under the mercy of the Metrobus system, and I was thinking they were going to close up shop around 10 or 11.
Saturday was nice, I accomplished a major task of shopping thanks to Costco once again. I spent the afternoon puttering around, doing some cleaning and such. Talked to my cousin Josie and there's an offer on the table to go up and visit with her and her kids and grandkids for Christmas day, I may take her up on that. I really don't know what I want to do in all honesty. Part of that is just that I am still in that bit of self-denial about the fact that I am not going home this Christmas, but that's just how it goes when your life is in upheaval at the time you should be buying plane tickets.
Saturday night was split between two Christmas parties, one with some friends from church in Bowie, great spread and lots of good conversation. The second one was in DC, and it was being hosted down at the 17th Street Cafe by a friend of mine from New Mexico that I had not seen since I had moved out here. He just moved to Arlington so it was my chance to re-connect with him, which I did. As usual I don't consider the fact that it's a party in DC and show up underdressed, but I didn't care, I wore that nice T-shirt with a whole lotta confidence.
Yesterday was the usual morning service at church, this time discussing the gospel lesson of John the Baptist sending out his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the one, and being told to observe and report back to John about what they saw and heard. I actually participated in the sermon by reading the part of John in a small skit that imagined the conversation between him and one of his disciples about what they saw and heard.
I went down to Joshua's house that afternoon and got to meet his new boyfriend. He's a pretty nice guy and Joshua's pretty devoted to him. We went to a Christmas party down in Accokeek thrown by a mutual friend of ours, Chet. The party was fun, mostly spent the afternoon shooting the shit with people and playing pool as well. One thing I did notice (and so did Joshua and Bryan) that a lot of the guys looked the same, basically shaved head and goatee, I think that says something about the host's preferences in men.
Anyway, so we got back and watched The Simpsons and Family Guy and American Dad as well, and what I will say about all of the rest of that night is that I love Joshua to death, but he was being a bit overprotective of me in regards to my relations with J. However, he did admit that he really doesn't want to start drama over it, he just wants me to be happy.
As for today, it was basically spent hammering away at this program, and still no success on figuring out what was wrong. So we're going to roll back to the last month's survey release (no content changed so it's a bit more transparent) which gives me some breathing room to figure out what the hell I did to break the damn thing. Actually, this survey is sorely in need of having it's code re-written, and perhaps this situation will make a case to our sponsors to spend the dough to have it done, but we'll see.
Friday afternoon one of the software testers comes to me and says that they have a problem with one of the instruments I released earlier this month. Apparently when they exit the survey, they get a red X of death that states there's a memory access violation. Last month's survey release did not do this, but something about this month's has. I spent the afternoon with my project manager hammering away at this issue, trying to figure out what was going on. We were unable to figure out what was going on that would cause this error, yet even though this error was going on, it did not seem to be dropping data out of the instrument either.
Eventually I left and met up with some friends to go out to dinner. It was nice, had to leave early though because I was under the mercy of the Metrobus system, and I was thinking they were going to close up shop around 10 or 11.
Saturday was nice, I accomplished a major task of shopping thanks to Costco once again. I spent the afternoon puttering around, doing some cleaning and such. Talked to my cousin Josie and there's an offer on the table to go up and visit with her and her kids and grandkids for Christmas day, I may take her up on that. I really don't know what I want to do in all honesty. Part of that is just that I am still in that bit of self-denial about the fact that I am not going home this Christmas, but that's just how it goes when your life is in upheaval at the time you should be buying plane tickets.
Saturday night was split between two Christmas parties, one with some friends from church in Bowie, great spread and lots of good conversation. The second one was in DC, and it was being hosted down at the 17th Street Cafe by a friend of mine from New Mexico that I had not seen since I had moved out here. He just moved to Arlington so it was my chance to re-connect with him, which I did. As usual I don't consider the fact that it's a party in DC and show up underdressed, but I didn't care, I wore that nice T-shirt with a whole lotta confidence.
Yesterday was the usual morning service at church, this time discussing the gospel lesson of John the Baptist sending out his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the one, and being told to observe and report back to John about what they saw and heard. I actually participated in the sermon by reading the part of John in a small skit that imagined the conversation between him and one of his disciples about what they saw and heard.
I went down to Joshua's house that afternoon and got to meet his new boyfriend. He's a pretty nice guy and Joshua's pretty devoted to him. We went to a Christmas party down in Accokeek thrown by a mutual friend of ours, Chet. The party was fun, mostly spent the afternoon shooting the shit with people and playing pool as well. One thing I did notice (and so did Joshua and Bryan) that a lot of the guys looked the same, basically shaved head and goatee, I think that says something about the host's preferences in men.
Anyway, so we got back and watched The Simpsons and Family Guy and American Dad as well, and what I will say about all of the rest of that night is that I love Joshua to death, but he was being a bit overprotective of me in regards to my relations with J. However, he did admit that he really doesn't want to start drama over it, he just wants me to be happy.
As for today, it was basically spent hammering away at this program, and still no success on figuring out what was wrong. So we're going to roll back to the last month's survey release (no content changed so it's a bit more transparent) which gives me some breathing room to figure out what the hell I did to break the damn thing. Actually, this survey is sorely in need of having it's code re-written, and perhaps this situation will make a case to our sponsors to spend the dough to have it done, but we'll see.
December 13, 2007
Awesome seats
That was my view of the field last Sunday. No zooming from the camera, that is what I got to see while enjoying the game :-D
December 11, 2007
I'm Not Normally a Betting Man...
Anyone who knows me knows that I cannot stand it when there are organizations that seem to be offended at every single little thing that doesn't quite jive with their little world. One of the guilty parties of this was GLAAD after their reaction to a commercial for a Snickers bar that aired during the Superbowl.
If you don't remember, check out YouTube. Besides the one that aired, there were three alternate endings on the Snickers website that you could vote for, and they would show the winner at the Daytona 500. Well GLAAD freaked the fuck out over the ads, charging that they were completely homophobic. Eventually Mars Inc. pulled the ads down from their website, and I think they showed an alternate ad.
Thing is, the ad was pretty freaking funny, I was at a superbowl party, and every single one of us were on the floor laughing. Did I mention that the room had about five gay men and one bisexual man there as well? No one was in the least bit offended by it. However, I was more offended over GLAAD and how much they freaked out over it, and that they only wanted the ads completely wiped out. Okay, so there was one ending that I think crossed a line, and that was where one of the mechanics hit the other in the nuts and slammed a car hood on him in order to "do something manly." But I would have been fine with just that ending taken down, and letting people vote on the other endings.
Enough bitching about that. I think this year I'm going to start a pool with my friends after the superbowl on which commercial will be most likely to offend GLAAD. The beauty of it is that we could easily create a few different pools, each with the name of an organization, person, or subject that has been known to land in the media for their overreactions. I will guarantee that whichever commercial manages to piss GLAAD off this year, it will be one that has me holding my sides from laughing so hard.
So, anyone else interested in starting pools on which commercials are likely to offend?
If you don't remember, check out YouTube. Besides the one that aired, there were three alternate endings on the Snickers website that you could vote for, and they would show the winner at the Daytona 500. Well GLAAD freaked the fuck out over the ads, charging that they were completely homophobic. Eventually Mars Inc. pulled the ads down from their website, and I think they showed an alternate ad.
Thing is, the ad was pretty freaking funny, I was at a superbowl party, and every single one of us were on the floor laughing. Did I mention that the room had about five gay men and one bisexual man there as well? No one was in the least bit offended by it. However, I was more offended over GLAAD and how much they freaked out over it, and that they only wanted the ads completely wiped out. Okay, so there was one ending that I think crossed a line, and that was where one of the mechanics hit the other in the nuts and slammed a car hood on him in order to "do something manly." But I would have been fine with just that ending taken down, and letting people vote on the other endings.
Enough bitching about that. I think this year I'm going to start a pool with my friends after the superbowl on which commercial will be most likely to offend GLAAD. The beauty of it is that we could easily create a few different pools, each with the name of an organization, person, or subject that has been known to land in the media for their overreactions. I will guarantee that whichever commercial manages to piss GLAAD off this year, it will be one that has me holding my sides from laughing so hard.
So, anyone else interested in starting pools on which commercials are likely to offend?
First NFL Game
I love dating a Ravens fan :-D
Friday I get a text message from J, asking if I had any plans on Sunday night. I didn't so he told me to make sure the calendar was clear because he had two tickets to watch the Ravens play the Colts. I had never been to an NFL game live, so this was an exciting experience.
We drove up to North Linthicum and caught the light rail into Baltimore. Got off at the stadium and walked around watching the tailgaters as they were out there with their vehicles done up, the grills were cooking, and the beer was flowing. We walked around some of the vendors that were out there as well. J bought a knit cap since it was a cold enough night (39 F) that wearing a hat was going to be a good idea. I looked around at some of the replica jerseys, but the vendors wanted way more than what I could pay at Modell's, so I think I gotta go to Mo's.
At first we hung out at the Dunkin Donuts lot. It's off to the southwest side of parking, and there's the donuts there, but we went there for the $2 24-oz cans of beer. Eventually J called one of his buddies and they were over at another lot tailgating, so we headed that way. Met a few of his friends, they were talking about how they were heading to watch Baltimore play Miami next weekend, including J, those lucky bastards.
Eventually we headed into the stadium. The tickets that J got were club level seats so there was a nice set of inside bars, concession stands, and bathrooms that we got to hang out at before the game started. Eventually we went to our seats, great view of the 50 yard line, you did not need binoculars to see the action. I got some pictures of the pre-show before the game started to show where we were at.
So if you followed the game, you know it did not go well for the Ravens. Eventually it started to rain, and so we went in and watched the game for a while inside, then went under one of the covered areas and continued to watch the game until about halftime. By then it was Colts 44, Ravens 7, so it wasn't even worth considering staying for the game. Like most of the fans, we headed outta there. Got back to J's car, listened to the game on the way back down towards DC, and got back to my apartment.
Even though the Ravens basically got their ass kicked, it was still great to be able to go to the game. I had fantasized for years about being able to go to a Ravens game, and it finally got to happen, thanks to J (and his mom :-) ). I would totally do that again in a heartbeat. We have been joking that maybe next time we want to see the game but can't get in, we'll fork over the $35 and just park and tailgate, since someone will probably be down there that will be tuned in to the game. I think that would be a lot of fun. It gives me incentive to look for a camping stove now ;-)
Friday I get a text message from J, asking if I had any plans on Sunday night. I didn't so he told me to make sure the calendar was clear because he had two tickets to watch the Ravens play the Colts. I had never been to an NFL game live, so this was an exciting experience.
We drove up to North Linthicum and caught the light rail into Baltimore. Got off at the stadium and walked around watching the tailgaters as they were out there with their vehicles done up, the grills were cooking, and the beer was flowing. We walked around some of the vendors that were out there as well. J bought a knit cap since it was a cold enough night (39 F) that wearing a hat was going to be a good idea. I looked around at some of the replica jerseys, but the vendors wanted way more than what I could pay at Modell's, so I think I gotta go to Mo's.
At first we hung out at the Dunkin Donuts lot. It's off to the southwest side of parking, and there's the donuts there, but we went there for the $2 24-oz cans of beer. Eventually J called one of his buddies and they were over at another lot tailgating, so we headed that way. Met a few of his friends, they were talking about how they were heading to watch Baltimore play Miami next weekend, including J, those lucky bastards.
Eventually we headed into the stadium. The tickets that J got were club level seats so there was a nice set of inside bars, concession stands, and bathrooms that we got to hang out at before the game started. Eventually we went to our seats, great view of the 50 yard line, you did not need binoculars to see the action. I got some pictures of the pre-show before the game started to show where we were at.
So if you followed the game, you know it did not go well for the Ravens. Eventually it started to rain, and so we went in and watched the game for a while inside, then went under one of the covered areas and continued to watch the game until about halftime. By then it was Colts 44, Ravens 7, so it wasn't even worth considering staying for the game. Like most of the fans, we headed outta there. Got back to J's car, listened to the game on the way back down towards DC, and got back to my apartment.
Even though the Ravens basically got their ass kicked, it was still great to be able to go to the game. I had fantasized for years about being able to go to a Ravens game, and it finally got to happen, thanks to J (and his mom :-) ). I would totally do that again in a heartbeat. We have been joking that maybe next time we want to see the game but can't get in, we'll fork over the $35 and just park and tailgate, since someone will probably be down there that will be tuned in to the game. I think that would be a lot of fun. It gives me incentive to look for a camping stove now ;-)
December 09, 2007
Eight Years...
Time moves on, but the memory remains.
Eight years ago on this date started out as a rather typical day, I went to school, I came home, I was preparing for a choir concert that night when my mom called home from work to relay a rather disturbing message. A police officer had been shot and the roads for her to get home were blocked while they were searching for his killer(s).
I don't know what it was that day, but somehow I knew who had been shot. Two hours later there was another phone call, and my father came in to tell me the tragic news. Tenny Gatewood Jr, a tribal police officer, had just died of gunshot wounds.
He had been investigating a burglary of a store over on one of the fishing lakes, someone had broken in and stolen some beer. He tracked down the suspects, a father and son, and proceeded to attempt to place them under arrest. There was a struggle between the father and Tenny, as Tenny gained the upper hand, the father called to his son for help, the son proceeded to get involved, he pulled Tenny's service revolver and shot Tenny. A life, tragically taken because some people did not want to pay for their desires or the consequences of their actions.
That night and the next few days were brutal for me and for my mother. Tenny had been a friend of hers since she always saw him when he would bring people in who needed treatment (she's an ER nurse). I had dated his daughter off and on for a few years so I knew him and his family quite well. So to know that a friend of ours had died such a senseless death just made it that much worse.
The rest of his family were taken to a safe place for their own protection, even after the killers were caught the next day. It was a small community in the area where he worked and lived, and things could have gotten ugly, especially if someone took it on themselves to get revenge either for Tenny's death, or for the two men now in jail.
I attended his funeral a week later; it was hard to sit through, especially at the end, watching as police officers from all over the state came up to salute the coffin. There was no reason for him to die, he was one of the nicest and kindest men. I probably should have been afraid to date his daughter since her dad was a cop and he would have protected her if I had ever done anything to hurt her, but he knew he didn't have anything to worry about when she was with me. I respected him, and he respected me in turn.
It's hard to believe it's been eight years since all of this happened. I think about it now and it still hurts to remember. I went to the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial today in DC. It's a very raw feeling to know that you're going there to find the name of someone you know on that wall. No one should ever have to go searching for the name of a family member or friend that is inscribed on a memorial. Unfortunately that is not reality. It was surreal to tape the note I left today, and then notice people stop to read it.
If it still hurts for me to think about the fact that this was the day he died, I can only imagine what his wife, his daughters, and his son are feeling. I haven't heard from them for a few years, but I hope that wherever they are, they are safe, and they are happy in their lives, even if today is not a happy day for them.
December 06, 2007
Innocence Destroyed
There's something about being an adult that makes you decide to try and find ways to make something that should be completely innocent into something dirty.
I recently picked up Luigi's Mansion from Gamefly to try out, and I'm playing along and I realize that whenever you make Luigi search something like a table, he pulls on the item and says either "Oh yeah" or "Unh" while gritting his teeth and pulling back a bit. Basically he looks like he's humping the item. I realize this, and I'm going "Oh my god, I can't believe that I just made Luigi do that!"
Then I do it again...and again...and again...and again, laughing the whole time.
I'll never be able to look at one of my favorite Nintendo characters the same way again. I really wonder if this was intentionally done.
I recently picked up Luigi's Mansion from Gamefly to try out, and I'm playing along and I realize that whenever you make Luigi search something like a table, he pulls on the item and says either "Oh yeah" or "Unh" while gritting his teeth and pulling back a bit. Basically he looks like he's humping the item. I realize this, and I'm going "Oh my god, I can't believe that I just made Luigi do that!"
Then I do it again...and again...and again...and again, laughing the whole time.
I'll never be able to look at one of my favorite Nintendo characters the same way again. I really wonder if this was intentionally done.
First Snowfall
DC finally got some snow today, and it's about time. Too bad there could not have been more though.
I had a very productive yesterday and today. Yesterday I released the final test of one of the pieces of my survey project that will go into production in 2008. The next few weeks will be exciting as three parts of the project will be released to the field for production. I'll probably be on pins and needles, especially during the month of February since that is the first month that will use these new instruments for data collection. I'm sure the tech support office will have my team on speed dial in case of any problems reported in the field. After that, May will be another time I'm likely to be walking on eggshells, as the most complex part of the project will go into production as well.
After work I met J at The Old Siam nearby Eastern Market. I love Thai food in general and I had never been to this place, so I jumped at the chance when he had made the suggestion. I had the Duck Basil, which is a rare treat for me because it is not often I have duck. Anyway, so the food was good and so was the conversation. If there was anything I wanted to have different, I would want it to be a bit warmer outside since temperatures last night were not great for walking. I failed to mention this previously, but the Sunday before last, J and I went walking around the monuments at night. It brought a whole new perspective to the monuments, especially the Korean War monument as just having the spotlights on the statues made it very haunting. I like walking around anyway, but as I said before, it was just not happening last night.
Today was my day off, and I used it to finish Christmas (and Hanukkah) shopping. Got a copy of Fiddler on the Roof for Joshua, and a soft toy in the shape of a dreidel for Aiko. I'm also on the hunt for a Wii for one of my friends, so I went through a few stores today. I know it's a long shot to find one this time of year, but I'm willing to try, ya know?
I had lunch as well with Dan and Chandra. I swear, I need to work in their office, if only so I can witness some of these stories that I hear. The conversation got even funnier when we talked about some of the things we did to siblings in childhood, and how they would get us back. For those who know Dan, ask him about when his little bro declared war on his Smurfs. I thought I was going to pass out from laughing so hard.
In the afternoon I wrapped gifts before shipping them out. I also called Sirius about a problem I was having with my headphones for my Stiletto. I qualify for an exchange on the Stiletto, but one problem is that I can't find the slim battery for the thing anywhere (I only use the extended one), and of course they will want every single piece back. So I'll have to hunt it down, worst case scenario I try to locate a pair of the headphones on Ebay.
This evening I stayed inside because as I drove back from the UPS store around 5 PM, the snow was starting to stick to the roads and they were turning to crap. Besides, there is leftover cheesburger pie to be eaten, which is perfect for a night like this. Hopefully my commute isn't crappy tomorrow, but as long as I can get to work, I'll be okay.
I had a very productive yesterday and today. Yesterday I released the final test of one of the pieces of my survey project that will go into production in 2008. The next few weeks will be exciting as three parts of the project will be released to the field for production. I'll probably be on pins and needles, especially during the month of February since that is the first month that will use these new instruments for data collection. I'm sure the tech support office will have my team on speed dial in case of any problems reported in the field. After that, May will be another time I'm likely to be walking on eggshells, as the most complex part of the project will go into production as well.
After work I met J at The Old Siam nearby Eastern Market. I love Thai food in general and I had never been to this place, so I jumped at the chance when he had made the suggestion. I had the Duck Basil, which is a rare treat for me because it is not often I have duck. Anyway, so the food was good and so was the conversation. If there was anything I wanted to have different, I would want it to be a bit warmer outside since temperatures last night were not great for walking. I failed to mention this previously, but the Sunday before last, J and I went walking around the monuments at night. It brought a whole new perspective to the monuments, especially the Korean War monument as just having the spotlights on the statues made it very haunting. I like walking around anyway, but as I said before, it was just not happening last night.
Today was my day off, and I used it to finish Christmas (and Hanukkah) shopping. Got a copy of Fiddler on the Roof for Joshua, and a soft toy in the shape of a dreidel for Aiko. I'm also on the hunt for a Wii for one of my friends, so I went through a few stores today. I know it's a long shot to find one this time of year, but I'm willing to try, ya know?
I had lunch as well with Dan and Chandra. I swear, I need to work in their office, if only so I can witness some of these stories that I hear. The conversation got even funnier when we talked about some of the things we did to siblings in childhood, and how they would get us back. For those who know Dan, ask him about when his little bro declared war on his Smurfs. I thought I was going to pass out from laughing so hard.
In the afternoon I wrapped gifts before shipping them out. I also called Sirius about a problem I was having with my headphones for my Stiletto. I qualify for an exchange on the Stiletto, but one problem is that I can't find the slim battery for the thing anywhere (I only use the extended one), and of course they will want every single piece back. So I'll have to hunt it down, worst case scenario I try to locate a pair of the headphones on Ebay.
This evening I stayed inside because as I drove back from the UPS store around 5 PM, the snow was starting to stick to the roads and they were turning to crap. Besides, there is leftover cheesburger pie to be eaten, which is perfect for a night like this. Hopefully my commute isn't crappy tomorrow, but as long as I can get to work, I'll be okay.
December 03, 2007
WTF Are They Thinking?!
So the big news today has been that the constitutional reforms in Venezuela that Hugo Chavez was pushing for were narrowly voted down. Considering what the man was planning, this was a good thing.
However, 365gay.com decided to bring up a little known part of the constitutional changes, as if it was some great and wonderful offset to the fact that the man wanted to be able to run for president until he dies and elect all of his buddies to make sure that whatever he says, goes.
I'm all for making sure that sexual orientation is not used in a discriminatory way, but I don't want them thrown in as a smoke screen to make it look like a politician is doing something nice when in reality they're working to take away the rights of all people. I find it very doubtful that even if it passed, that the gays in Venezuela would be treated any better.
So I have to wonder what the fuck 365gay.com is thinking when they report something like this, and it's in the tone of leaning supportive to the changes. Are they that fucking blind that all they see is the carrot being dangled of "protecting the gays" that they miss the man that's about to smash them over the head with the baton of a potential dictatorship?
This is why I really can't stand the gay media or the groups that claim they're working for us, they always seem to put their emphasis on the wrong things, and then we look like a bunch of idiots.
However, 365gay.com decided to bring up a little known part of the constitutional changes, as if it was some great and wonderful offset to the fact that the man wanted to be able to run for president until he dies and elect all of his buddies to make sure that whatever he says, goes.
I'm all for making sure that sexual orientation is not used in a discriminatory way, but I don't want them thrown in as a smoke screen to make it look like a politician is doing something nice when in reality they're working to take away the rights of all people. I find it very doubtful that even if it passed, that the gays in Venezuela would be treated any better.
So I have to wonder what the fuck 365gay.com is thinking when they report something like this, and it's in the tone of leaning supportive to the changes. Are they that fucking blind that all they see is the carrot being dangled of "protecting the gays" that they miss the man that's about to smash them over the head with the baton of a potential dictatorship?
This is why I really can't stand the gay media or the groups that claim they're working for us, they always seem to put their emphasis on the wrong things, and then we look like a bunch of idiots.
I Love My Work, But...
...sometimes people make me crazy over there.
I work on a rather large and complex survey known as Consumer Expenditures, every quarter we make a release of the survey instrument, and it includes revisions made because the sponsors change questions, add sections, delete sections, correct problems found out in production, etc. Since January is the next quarterly release, it has meant over the last month or so I've been busy fixing things up that have been found. It starts with a phone call or e-mail from the sponsor about an issue, I research it, report back what the code is doing, discuss a solution, and make the fix. Occasionally the problem is not with my code, but with their post processing system, it's how it happens at times. Either way, it gets done.
However, sometimes I don't get the pertinent info needed, and then it just makes me crazy. The day before Thanksgiving it was my extra day off. I come into the office on Black Friday to the following voicemail [paraphrased]
"Hi, this is X, we're reviewing the October production data and it looks like there is a problem with some data not being in the right place for processing. Please give me a call if you're in the office today, but if you're out of the office the rest of this week, then call me or Y back on Monday."
Notice that no where is it mentioned what data is off, or even what section could be having a problem. Just, there's a problem we need looked at. Okay, great, now if you had just told me what the problem was, I could have used part of my Friday to research it, rather than have to wait until Monday morning.
Generally things go fine though, and they love me over there, so it all works out. I was able to diagnose the problem on Monday, it was on their end, it will be fixed for next month's production.
I work on a rather large and complex survey known as Consumer Expenditures, every quarter we make a release of the survey instrument, and it includes revisions made because the sponsors change questions, add sections, delete sections, correct problems found out in production, etc. Since January is the next quarterly release, it has meant over the last month or so I've been busy fixing things up that have been found. It starts with a phone call or e-mail from the sponsor about an issue, I research it, report back what the code is doing, discuss a solution, and make the fix. Occasionally the problem is not with my code, but with their post processing system, it's how it happens at times. Either way, it gets done.
However, sometimes I don't get the pertinent info needed, and then it just makes me crazy. The day before Thanksgiving it was my extra day off. I come into the office on Black Friday to the following voicemail [paraphrased]
"Hi, this is X, we're reviewing the October production data and it looks like there is a problem with some data not being in the right place for processing. Please give me a call if you're in the office today, but if you're out of the office the rest of this week, then call me or Y back on Monday."
Notice that no where is it mentioned what data is off, or even what section could be having a problem. Just, there's a problem we need looked at. Okay, great, now if you had just told me what the problem was, I could have used part of my Friday to research it, rather than have to wait until Monday morning.
Generally things go fine though, and they love me over there, so it all works out. I was able to diagnose the problem on Monday, it was on their end, it will be fixed for next month's production.
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