Life is complicated. So much is going on- we're going to Hawaii next Tuesday (YAY!), Judah's birthday is this week, I'm working on several new projects at work, we have a flea problem at home, I've got acid reflux disease, I'm trying to eat healthier, I'm playing in a fun tournament at work for league of legends, my son is asking deep questions that show he is grappling with understanding the whys of life, our garage door is broken, our vacuum popped a hose, we have a new vet bill, I'm trying to play drums for my uncle's church but it's not helping anything, and about 30 more things. It stresses me out to no end when I Ping-Pong back and forth between various tasks, issues, problems, and trains of thought. The only way I find a semblance of serenity is when I structure things and approach them in a methodical way- this is why computers probably calm me, why I enjoy techno music, why I chart and graph my monthly budgets, and why I love looking at stat sheets on my favorite football team, my performance in my computer games, and so on.
I don't have solutions lined up for all of the above problems, but when I segment them out and come up with a plan, it relieves a lot of the related stress for them. Finances, for instance- I'm pretty much always stressed about finances in the 3rd and 4th week of the month, because I sit down and write out my bills, look at my income to operating cost, etc in week 1. So week 1 and 2 I feel stress-free about my finances. Ask my wife- she gets frustrated at me about two weeks every month regarding finances, because I will say we don't have money for this or that, even though the first two weeks we went out to eat twice and I bought some books and $40 worth of flea repellent gear. :) Probably not going to change a whole lot in the foreseeable future, besides the usual one month respite during bonus season where we buy all the things.
I need to work on plans for the things that are still stressing me out... I need to sit down and make decisions on the garage door, on playing drums at church, the vacuum, and so many other things. Maybe I can take some time while I'm in Hawaii and think about them while I'm more removed from the situation and thinking a little more clearly. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea- boom, just made a plan. :)
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
80s music, and awesomeness.
When I was about 7 years old (or around there), I started falling in love with music. Not just "ooh, this is a good song, cool" but really, listening to the music, understanding the lyrics, and finding the passion that was in each line. I had a little portable tape player, and just one or two tapes that I'd listen to over and over. My mom took notice after a few weeks, sat me down in her bedroom, closed the door, and gave me a stack of over 20 tapes. Things like Whiteheart, Petra, U2, Bryan Adams, Richard Marx, and tons of other great rock anthem type 80s stuff. She explained the passion behind some of the songs- most of it was Christian, and all of it was very interesting to me. I got stuck on "This Means War" by Petra for about a month after that.
Fast forward 20 years, my son is in love with a couple of really interesting songs. He is singing them every day, and showing lots of interest. I started to try and explain to him the passion behind the music, and I gave him a CD to listen to, but... maybe it's just me and my poor attempt at it, but you just can't compare to that 80s music that drew me in.
I've been listening to the 80's station on Pandora recently, and the most incredible music from my early years pops up and has me passionately re-living a lot of those early years- Some really great songs from Journey, ACDC, Bon Jovi, etc. Man, those guys knew how to deliver passion on a platter. Singing their hearts out about the briefest of encounters with a woman, or a brush with fate- anything they could get their hands on.
I'll keep trying with Judah, I'm hoping I can really show him this kind of stuff, but I have a feeling that it'll just naturally happen, with how interested in everything he is. Judah is eager to learn and discover *everything.* There isn't a hobby, topic, or job he doesn't want to have in the world, and that love of life and passion inside his little 4 year old brain is mesmerizing. One of the best side effects for me is that it gives me something to really treasure and appreciate about life right now, amidst the mundane that I've talked about in previous blog posts.
Listen to some 80s music for me and relive the rock 'n roll era! It's amazing! (Sure beats Justin Beiber and Rihanna garbage)
Fast forward 20 years, my son is in love with a couple of really interesting songs. He is singing them every day, and showing lots of interest. I started to try and explain to him the passion behind the music, and I gave him a CD to listen to, but... maybe it's just me and my poor attempt at it, but you just can't compare to that 80s music that drew me in.
I've been listening to the 80's station on Pandora recently, and the most incredible music from my early years pops up and has me passionately re-living a lot of those early years- Some really great songs from Journey, ACDC, Bon Jovi, etc. Man, those guys knew how to deliver passion on a platter. Singing their hearts out about the briefest of encounters with a woman, or a brush with fate- anything they could get their hands on.
I'll keep trying with Judah, I'm hoping I can really show him this kind of stuff, but I have a feeling that it'll just naturally happen, with how interested in everything he is. Judah is eager to learn and discover *everything.* There isn't a hobby, topic, or job he doesn't want to have in the world, and that love of life and passion inside his little 4 year old brain is mesmerizing. One of the best side effects for me is that it gives me something to really treasure and appreciate about life right now, amidst the mundane that I've talked about in previous blog posts.
Listen to some 80s music for me and relive the rock 'n roll era! It's amazing! (Sure beats Justin Beiber and Rihanna garbage)
Monday, July 01, 2013
Hawaii...
Can't wait for Hawaii to get here. 23 days...
We had such a great time in Hawaii two years ago, we're basically just going to do the same thing again. I remember it was weird, without the kids- like, when I woke up, I didn't haveto immediately get up and clean, feed, or comfort something. You can actually just sit there without feeling guilty that there's a million things that need to be done.
Mostly, I feel like our lives are a little mundane lately. I guess we're just in a season of our lives where practicality reigns supreme, and we're just so busy running around doing errands and taking care of children that it's pretty hard to stop and smell the roses and write poetry about our lives or anything like that. I feel that way not just in my personal life, but also in my church life. So many times people talk about how God is leading them to do this or that, to not drink that milkshake, or to change your oil, or whatever- and part of me skeptically thinks these people are full of hot air, and the other part just acknowledges that I'm not at that kind of a place right now. Everything is in dollars and cents, or hours spent, and my only recourse is generally just to do something physically fun and entertaining.
I took Rosemary to the track last weekend, and that was a blast. I went with Papa John and the kids to a BMW E30 picnic yesterday, also quite fun. I feel like I'm just hopping through life trying to do enough fun things so I don't check out and just go all Lando Carlissian's aide LOBOT. That might sound unfair to my wonderful wife and kids, but I know Rosemary is going through just about the same thing as well. I just find my fun in really fleshly entertainment like video games and driving fast and working on things.
I'm sure one day I'll have the time and energy to really dive back into a more philosophical & thoughtful style of living... but until then, I guess I'll keep just trying to make sure my kids are fed, changed, and learning, while getting as many reasonable breaks as I can.
We had such a great time in Hawaii two years ago, we're basically just going to do the same thing again. I remember it was weird, without the kids- like, when I woke up, I didn't haveto immediately get up and clean, feed, or comfort something. You can actually just sit there without feeling guilty that there's a million things that need to be done.
Mostly, I feel like our lives are a little mundane lately. I guess we're just in a season of our lives where practicality reigns supreme, and we're just so busy running around doing errands and taking care of children that it's pretty hard to stop and smell the roses and write poetry about our lives or anything like that. I feel that way not just in my personal life, but also in my church life. So many times people talk about how God is leading them to do this or that, to not drink that milkshake, or to change your oil, or whatever- and part of me skeptically thinks these people are full of hot air, and the other part just acknowledges that I'm not at that kind of a place right now. Everything is in dollars and cents, or hours spent, and my only recourse is generally just to do something physically fun and entertaining.
I took Rosemary to the track last weekend, and that was a blast. I went with Papa John and the kids to a BMW E30 picnic yesterday, also quite fun. I feel like I'm just hopping through life trying to do enough fun things so I don't check out and just go all Lando Carlissian's aide LOBOT. That might sound unfair to my wonderful wife and kids, but I know Rosemary is going through just about the same thing as well. I just find my fun in really fleshly entertainment like video games and driving fast and working on things.
I'm sure one day I'll have the time and energy to really dive back into a more philosophical & thoughtful style of living... but until then, I guess I'll keep just trying to make sure my kids are fed, changed, and learning, while getting as many reasonable breaks as I can.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
The Imagery of a Parent
As I rolled to a red light a few blocks away from work, a mother and her daughter caught my eye walking along the sidewalk. The girl, in a black raincoat with pink, purple and yellow polka dots smattering it, intently trying to walk while clutching her plastic bag of goldfish- the mother, guiding her away from the edge of the sidewalk that she was so intent on walking right off.
You could see the innocence of the girl- she was using all of her might to walk without falling over, while intently trying to open the ziplock bag. As her mother redirected her away from the sidewalk, she glanced up to see the crosswalk button- you could see her posture immediately change as this new object entered her consciousness. She raced for it, hand outstretched, only to wind up on the ground, having lost her concentration needed for walking. She picked herself up, gingerly lifting the prized goldfish crackers with one hand while reaching up to proudly hit the crosswalk button- and as soon as she did, it was promptly forgotten, as she turned her full attention now to opening this bag of goldfish. Her brow furrowed, she picked at the seam, with her mom keeping an eye on her to see if there were any repercussions from the aforementioned fall. My light turned green, and I carried on my way, being struck by the whole situation- not because of it's uniqueness, which there is none, but because of the innocence of the daughter, and the guiding force of the mother.
Often times, we jump from goal to goal in our lives- seeing only what is just in front of us. A bag of crackers, in this case, might be an example of the next meal you plan on enjoying- whereas the button you press might be the next activity you are determined to accomplish. All the while, struggling just to stay upright and off the ground, as your attention zips from goal to goal. The innocence of the human mind in this interaction is astounding- as we are just bouncing from one thing to the next, finding satisfying interactions that give us bits and pieces of meaning.
Aren't I just like that little girl, with my Father guiding me and keeping me from falling off the sidewalk? Even as the girl was truly unaware of her mother tugging on her hand to keep her from walking into an intersection, is not my Father also holding my hand and keeping me from walking into insurmountable danger without my knowledge? Isn't he looking down at my furrowed brow as I attempt to hit that crosswalk button, or open my bag of goldfish, making sure the fall I just had didn't set me back? Isn't he watching, every time I fall? Isn't he the one that gave me the goldfish in the first place, or held my hand as we walked down the sidewalk, or even provided the raincoat for me?
He is. Every step, every furrowed brow, every cheesy delicious cracker, every fall- He is there, as I am also there for my own children, as this mother also was for hers.
Look around- He is everywhere, in everything, looking on with love and concern over us all.
You could see the innocence of the girl- she was using all of her might to walk without falling over, while intently trying to open the ziplock bag. As her mother redirected her away from the sidewalk, she glanced up to see the crosswalk button- you could see her posture immediately change as this new object entered her consciousness. She raced for it, hand outstretched, only to wind up on the ground, having lost her concentration needed for walking. She picked herself up, gingerly lifting the prized goldfish crackers with one hand while reaching up to proudly hit the crosswalk button- and as soon as she did, it was promptly forgotten, as she turned her full attention now to opening this bag of goldfish. Her brow furrowed, she picked at the seam, with her mom keeping an eye on her to see if there were any repercussions from the aforementioned fall. My light turned green, and I carried on my way, being struck by the whole situation- not because of it's uniqueness, which there is none, but because of the innocence of the daughter, and the guiding force of the mother.
Often times, we jump from goal to goal in our lives- seeing only what is just in front of us. A bag of crackers, in this case, might be an example of the next meal you plan on enjoying- whereas the button you press might be the next activity you are determined to accomplish. All the while, struggling just to stay upright and off the ground, as your attention zips from goal to goal. The innocence of the human mind in this interaction is astounding- as we are just bouncing from one thing to the next, finding satisfying interactions that give us bits and pieces of meaning.
Aren't I just like that little girl, with my Father guiding me and keeping me from falling off the sidewalk? Even as the girl was truly unaware of her mother tugging on her hand to keep her from walking into an intersection, is not my Father also holding my hand and keeping me from walking into insurmountable danger without my knowledge? Isn't he looking down at my furrowed brow as I attempt to hit that crosswalk button, or open my bag of goldfish, making sure the fall I just had didn't set me back? Isn't he watching, every time I fall? Isn't he the one that gave me the goldfish in the first place, or held my hand as we walked down the sidewalk, or even provided the raincoat for me?
He is. Every step, every furrowed brow, every cheesy delicious cracker, every fall- He is there, as I am also there for my own children, as this mother also was for hers.
Look around- He is everywhere, in everything, looking on with love and concern over us all.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Cars, cars, and more cars.
This blog post will be about cars. I apologize in advance.
So I have decided, the time has come, to part with my beloved 2003 yellow WRX. I've had this car for 8 years, dumped tens of thousands of dollars into it, and generally loved it like a family member. I have had this car my entire adult life, and it is my 2nd car. And I'm 26. :P
The real reason is, I've got a 2013 Subaru BRZ on order, and... I don't really need 2 sports cars I guess. I could keep the WRX and use it as my commuter car, which actually isn't a bad idea, because it's a nice 4 door AWD vehicle. But it's pretty harsh and noisy, rattley, and has lots of turbo lag. I maintain the car absolutely meticulously, and I figured hey, maybe I could sell it and buy a nice BMW 3 series for a daily driver. I've always wanted a 3 series, they are smooth, comfortable, and fun to drive, and my wife would love it too. That way I can still have a commuter car, like I've always wanted, in order to keep my sports car fresh and clean by keeping it in the garage and out of the outside parking lots at work where sap, dents, dings, and rain happen every day.
So I decided to post the WRX for sale at a pretty high value, thinking, hey. I'll sell it in the next 6 months, no pressure, I won't budge on price, and if I can't get a really great offer for it, I'll just keep it. That was my line in the sand, if I couldn't get $11k for it, I'd keep it. With 11k, I could go out and spend 10k on a BMW (saving 1k for tax) and have a pretty nice 325i.
BAM, a few hours after I posted it on craigslist, I got an e-mail with someone that said they were very interested. Then they e-mailed me again, just to remind me that they are very interested. They came and saw it the next day, and put a full price offer on the car. Sold... within 24 hours.
I was shocked. Not just at getting that much cash out of the car (I bought the car for 20k 8 YEARS ago, and I sold it for 11? WHOA...) but because... my baby would be gone. The first few days without the car, my life felt weird. I hadn't woken up without that car as part of my life in nearly a decade. Like a part of me was missing. I wasn't that sad, just... like when you don't have your wallet on you.
I had planned to sell the car after I had the BRZ, so I could drive that for a few days while I found a good BMW. Well that plan was all shot to pieces, so I had to find a BMW in the next few days so I had a car to drive to work. I took a few days off, and with the help of my brother in law, I went and checked out roughly 9 325i's. All of them sucked in some way... argh. There were 3 really promising ones, but each time, some huge issue stopped me from buying it. I knew my cousin had a really nice white 3 series, although it was the 330i, not the 325i, but I figured... hey, if she wants to sell it, maybe we could work something out that is good for both of us. Two days later, I had her car. It could really use around 4 grand in maintenance, but I'm looking forward to doing a lot of it myself. I can shave that cost down to about a thousand if I do everything myself, and have a really well maintained 330i, which would be really great. The car is bulletproof overall, and with new plugs, fluids, and belts, it should last for a very long time.
Now, here I am, the week after all this has happened. My BRZ is coming in any moment now- other cars with the same date have been showing up at dealerships all over the area yesterday and today, and I'm pretty excited. This entire episode has been because of this little BRZ, and because I want it to be my weekend and track car. I look forward to getting the car soon, maybe today, maybe next week, and immediately getting it clear-bra'd and tinted. Then the week after, it will be getting a full set of custom made parts for it with dyno tunes, and it will be my full on track car. I hope to hit 3 track events this year, that's my personal goal. I am really excited to learn how to really, truly drive a RWD sports car- how to slide it and regain control, how to heel-toe, how to really race the car on a track.
I'm very excited.
So I have decided, the time has come, to part with my beloved 2003 yellow WRX. I've had this car for 8 years, dumped tens of thousands of dollars into it, and generally loved it like a family member. I have had this car my entire adult life, and it is my 2nd car. And I'm 26. :P
The real reason is, I've got a 2013 Subaru BRZ on order, and... I don't really need 2 sports cars I guess. I could keep the WRX and use it as my commuter car, which actually isn't a bad idea, because it's a nice 4 door AWD vehicle. But it's pretty harsh and noisy, rattley, and has lots of turbo lag. I maintain the car absolutely meticulously, and I figured hey, maybe I could sell it and buy a nice BMW 3 series for a daily driver. I've always wanted a 3 series, they are smooth, comfortable, and fun to drive, and my wife would love it too. That way I can still have a commuter car, like I've always wanted, in order to keep my sports car fresh and clean by keeping it in the garage and out of the outside parking lots at work where sap, dents, dings, and rain happen every day.
So I decided to post the WRX for sale at a pretty high value, thinking, hey. I'll sell it in the next 6 months, no pressure, I won't budge on price, and if I can't get a really great offer for it, I'll just keep it. That was my line in the sand, if I couldn't get $11k for it, I'd keep it. With 11k, I could go out and spend 10k on a BMW (saving 1k for tax) and have a pretty nice 325i.
BAM, a few hours after I posted it on craigslist, I got an e-mail with someone that said they were very interested. Then they e-mailed me again, just to remind me that they are very interested. They came and saw it the next day, and put a full price offer on the car. Sold... within 24 hours.
I was shocked. Not just at getting that much cash out of the car (I bought the car for 20k 8 YEARS ago, and I sold it for 11? WHOA...) but because... my baby would be gone. The first few days without the car, my life felt weird. I hadn't woken up without that car as part of my life in nearly a decade. Like a part of me was missing. I wasn't that sad, just... like when you don't have your wallet on you.
I had planned to sell the car after I had the BRZ, so I could drive that for a few days while I found a good BMW. Well that plan was all shot to pieces, so I had to find a BMW in the next few days so I had a car to drive to work. I took a few days off, and with the help of my brother in law, I went and checked out roughly 9 325i's. All of them sucked in some way... argh. There were 3 really promising ones, but each time, some huge issue stopped me from buying it. I knew my cousin had a really nice white 3 series, although it was the 330i, not the 325i, but I figured... hey, if she wants to sell it, maybe we could work something out that is good for both of us. Two days later, I had her car. It could really use around 4 grand in maintenance, but I'm looking forward to doing a lot of it myself. I can shave that cost down to about a thousand if I do everything myself, and have a really well maintained 330i, which would be really great. The car is bulletproof overall, and with new plugs, fluids, and belts, it should last for a very long time.
Now, here I am, the week after all this has happened. My BRZ is coming in any moment now- other cars with the same date have been showing up at dealerships all over the area yesterday and today, and I'm pretty excited. This entire episode has been because of this little BRZ, and because I want it to be my weekend and track car. I look forward to getting the car soon, maybe today, maybe next week, and immediately getting it clear-bra'd and tinted. Then the week after, it will be getting a full set of custom made parts for it with dyno tunes, and it will be my full on track car. I hope to hit 3 track events this year, that's my personal goal. I am really excited to learn how to really, truly drive a RWD sports car- how to slide it and regain control, how to heel-toe, how to really race the car on a track.
I'm very excited.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Time to turn around
I love my wife dearly. She is truly the heart and soul of our family, the caregiver and healer.
It's so important to constantly make life meaningful and matter, and her constant "discomfort" in that matter spurs us on, and is critical. For when you are uncomfortable in your walk with God, or in your daily life, you are convicted to change it for the better. This is wonderful. It's probably funny for most people to think of it like that, but I love it. Rosemary wants us to fast movies & TV again for a while, and I openly accept it and take it as my own conviction, because she is half of me. Already in the last few days, just from removing the movies & TV on a daily basis, I have began awakening my soul again. Not that I've been "dead," necessarily- but definitely more of a status quo type situation.
For the last six months or so, I noticed I'm having trouble even getting anything out of music. That's a first in my life, as music has always been a way to tap into my soul and feel alive or convicted. Thanks to my mom, I found that Air 1 has a new station in the area, and even though I don't get reception of it very well, I started listening to it on the internet. In combination with the media fast, it feels great. I've already noticed a heightened awareness of my spirit, my need for my savior, and an increase in humility when it comes to my job. (as always, I just got re-orged and got a new boss, which I'm not too thrilled about)
I could talk about a gajillion other things, like my job situation, the kids, the work I've been doing on my WRX lately, or the next car I'm going to buy, but it's all so trivial and gray compared to my savior, who puts the spring in my step, the smile on my lips, and the hope in my heart. Even when I have bad days, my Savior is there for me to lean on and to remind me why I am here on this earth.
Thank you Rosemary, you inspire me, and you make me a better person. I don't say this to flatter you, but I say this because- truly and honestly- this is why I married you. Because you have conviction, you have heart, you have a desire to matter. Just like I do. You really are my soul mate.
Ricky
It's so important to constantly make life meaningful and matter, and her constant "discomfort" in that matter spurs us on, and is critical. For when you are uncomfortable in your walk with God, or in your daily life, you are convicted to change it for the better. This is wonderful. It's probably funny for most people to think of it like that, but I love it. Rosemary wants us to fast movies & TV again for a while, and I openly accept it and take it as my own conviction, because she is half of me. Already in the last few days, just from removing the movies & TV on a daily basis, I have began awakening my soul again. Not that I've been "dead," necessarily- but definitely more of a status quo type situation.
For the last six months or so, I noticed I'm having trouble even getting anything out of music. That's a first in my life, as music has always been a way to tap into my soul and feel alive or convicted. Thanks to my mom, I found that Air 1 has a new station in the area, and even though I don't get reception of it very well, I started listening to it on the internet. In combination with the media fast, it feels great. I've already noticed a heightened awareness of my spirit, my need for my savior, and an increase in humility when it comes to my job. (as always, I just got re-orged and got a new boss, which I'm not too thrilled about)
I could talk about a gajillion other things, like my job situation, the kids, the work I've been doing on my WRX lately, or the next car I'm going to buy, but it's all so trivial and gray compared to my savior, who puts the spring in my step, the smile on my lips, and the hope in my heart. Even when I have bad days, my Savior is there for me to lean on and to remind me why I am here on this earth.
Thank you Rosemary, you inspire me, and you make me a better person. I don't say this to flatter you, but I say this because- truly and honestly- this is why I married you. Because you have conviction, you have heart, you have a desire to matter. Just like I do. You really are my soul mate.
Ricky
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Devilish Dilemma
So... my work situation has really gotten crazy. That big re-org that I talked about in the last blog entry happened last week, and I am left in this group doing PM work, along with 3 other people. over 70% of the team moved to various operations groups, including all of my employees, which is where I would have preferred to go- seeing as I enjoy doing build and deployment engineering. I even fought for it- I talked to my manager, then the next manager I had, then my skip level manager, and all had the same feedback- ok, we will keep that in mind, but also realize that we might not be able to move you very easily depending on various other variables, such as budget, headcount, and retaining talent. Well that was the case, as they wanted to keep me pretty badly. I went and talked to the operations team I work with, and apparently they made a pretty big push to try and get me, but were rebuffed quite thoroughly. Seems like both teams wanted me.
Well, in the meantime, I have been doing a decent job managing very, very large projects for the current team- just last weekend we had a datacenter maintenance that took over 10,000 servers down to upgrade switches. I managed the whole thing for my division- communications, smoketest, representing our division on the war room bridge, and so on. So... I feel successful here, but. I don't really enjoy being a PM. I wasn't hired to be a PM. I have pretty good impact, and work on things that span very large groups at Microsoft, but it holds little long term growth for me. Now I'm in this dilemma- if I start looking and find a great position and leave this group, I am leaving a team that loves me and that regards me highly, and I leave big broad work that I am completing with a high level of competency. I'd probably be giving up a promotion if I leave. And I might even find myself on a worse team with bad management or crummy team mates. My current team doesn't have much drama or politics, which is somewhat rare here at MS. But... long term, I'd love to be working on a product or in a group that I am passionate about. I am decidedly not passionate about IT patching or infrastructure. It's commodity work, albeit highly complex commodity work.
So there you have it. stuck between a rock and a hard place. No idea what to do, besides pray and fast.
Well, in the meantime, I have been doing a decent job managing very, very large projects for the current team- just last weekend we had a datacenter maintenance that took over 10,000 servers down to upgrade switches. I managed the whole thing for my division- communications, smoketest, representing our division on the war room bridge, and so on. So... I feel successful here, but. I don't really enjoy being a PM. I wasn't hired to be a PM. I have pretty good impact, and work on things that span very large groups at Microsoft, but it holds little long term growth for me. Now I'm in this dilemma- if I start looking and find a great position and leave this group, I am leaving a team that loves me and that regards me highly, and I leave big broad work that I am completing with a high level of competency. I'd probably be giving up a promotion if I leave. And I might even find myself on a worse team with bad management or crummy team mates. My current team doesn't have much drama or politics, which is somewhat rare here at MS. But... long term, I'd love to be working on a product or in a group that I am passionate about. I am decidedly not passionate about IT patching or infrastructure. It's commodity work, albeit highly complex commodity work.
So there you have it. stuck between a rock and a hard place. No idea what to do, besides pray and fast.
Monday, September 19, 2011
And just like that, summer is gone.
Here I am sitting in my office at work, shivering. Like I always do, unless it's August. I need to remember to wear coats every day again, unfortunately. This summer was interesting, in that it held a lot of different experiences than a normal summer does. Some due to the weather, some due to normal life progressing for us at this stage.
First off, my daughter has learned to walk. This of course is a blessing and a curse, as she follows me around constantly whenever I am home. I like it when she's happy and wants to see me, and of course it's not very fun when she just clings to my leg and cries and yells at me for extended periods of time. We have a lot more bonding time now, with rough housing almost every morning on the bed and evening on the couch, and she can *finally* call out "dada" around the house when she's looking for me (yeah, that only took months longer than Judah, hah). She's very sweet when she's in a good mood, and very melodramatic at the inverse.
We did manage to get over to the monroe state fair and watch the car races this summer. That was great, because we've been trying to do that for the past 4 years to no avail. It was exactly as I hoped- Judah cheered and yelled for his favorite cars all night long, while explaining in detail to us exactly what was happening, or asking us what was happening. We kept him awake with greasy fries and ice cream, and lugged his tired form back to the van, all the while sleepily asked questions about race cars streamed from his mouth.
In the past three months or so, I've taken up flying RC Airplanes. It's been a fun adventure, if not something of a patience builder. My first month was mostly a disaster, with flight after flight of catastrophic results, the longest of which lasted for all of 30 seconds. I rebuilt my first plane about 4 or 5 times (thank goodness it's made of foam that glues back together) and finally picked up a smaller plane that was a little easier to get off the ground and could handle crashes a little more gracefully. It wasn't really any easier, but the percieved psychological difference of flying a much cheaper and smaller plane helped get me my confidence back. Once I started getting full flights on the little plane for a few weeks, I put my first plane back into the air, and it was far easier. Finally, I was over the learning curve of maneuvering aircraft in 3 dimensional space. Lord knows I had enough gaming experience to fly from a 1st person perspective, but it's quite different looking at the plane from the ground and knowing what direction you need to steer it. Well, after I got the hang of flying the simple trainer planes, I stepped up to more maneuverable planes. That was about two weeks ago. I've had about 20 successful flights on my two new planes, a T-28D Trojan and a Xtra Slick 3d plane, with absolutely zero crashes. I feel like I'm getting the hang of it quite a bit better, and most all of my crashing is behind me. It sure is a joy to put a plane into the air and putz around, and do some fun dogfighting manuevers or just do laps around the field near my house. Helps me sort of forget about work sometimes.
I've also been learning how to smoke meat. I've always been interested in the idea, since a few co-workers of mine in my last job had been pretty avid fans of smoked meats. Well, the whole project sort of fell into my lap when we stopped by a garage sale of my in-laws, and I saw my father in law's smoker sitting there. The sticker read "$25" and the darn thing looked completely un-used. Rosemary pointed it out to me, (I'm not sure if she was entirely serious) and within a few minutes, it was loaded into the back of the van, with a gracious "no, I won't let you pay for that thing" from John. Well, the journey started by converting the smoker over to electric, and then I started off with some simple ideas, like smoked hot dogs, smoked bacon, and so on. After a few attempts of varied success, I tackled some smoked salmon. From what I hear, it tastes very good and came out well. We did smoked ribs over the weekend, and I must say, they were quite good. If I keep figuring this out, I might haveto invest in a better smoker! haha. I have this desire to throw a bit of a smokers party and smoke a bunch of ribs and salmon and have the family over to all try it, because it's just so much fun to smoke foods for people. I guess that's a bit of my servants attitude sticking out there.
Work... well, work has been interesting. The whole package of "work" in my mind gives me feelings that oscillate back and forth between disaster and resounding success. Half of my immediate team has quit to work somewhere else at Microsoft in the last two months, mostly due to an impending re-org that has been announced for the last six months but is still extremely vague in detail. We know that our team will be split in half and doled out to a half dozen seperate teams at Microsoft, which would hurt most everyone's careers. Hence the high turnover. Two of the casualties were my boss, and my skip level boss. So now my team has no real leadership, and we are considered "self-managed." It has it's pros and cons- lack of real leadership, but also freedom to make impactful decisions. Especially leading into this potentially career impacting re-org, it has a heavy price. I am now managing a half dozen division wide projects that sort of "fell" to me due to lack of any sort of management chain. I'm happy to do them and be valuable, but I really don't enjoy Program Management work. I am a tech at heart, with management aspirations, and the PM work is good experience, but not something I thoroughly enjoy. The odds are for me to continue working on this team in that PM capacity, something I'm not looking forward to. So this is where the whole "disaster" feeling comes from, with regards to my work. To talk about the other side of the coin, the resounding success, I'll just tell you that I've gotten more visibility at much higher levels than ever before, with one of the best review scores I have ever recieved. In addition, there is a very strong possability for a promotion within the next few months. An option to consider would be to look around within the company after my promotion, and see what sort of position I could land. Maybe somewhere in one of the new cloud computing teams. It's very unfortunate that for the second time in one year, I've had my career sidelined. God is good though, and he has brought me more success through these situations so far. I trust he will continue to do so.
So that's my summer recap. :)
Ricky Ochs
First off, my daughter has learned to walk. This of course is a blessing and a curse, as she follows me around constantly whenever I am home. I like it when she's happy and wants to see me, and of course it's not very fun when she just clings to my leg and cries and yells at me for extended periods of time. We have a lot more bonding time now, with rough housing almost every morning on the bed and evening on the couch, and she can *finally* call out "dada" around the house when she's looking for me (yeah, that only took months longer than Judah, hah). She's very sweet when she's in a good mood, and very melodramatic at the inverse.
We did manage to get over to the monroe state fair and watch the car races this summer. That was great, because we've been trying to do that for the past 4 years to no avail. It was exactly as I hoped- Judah cheered and yelled for his favorite cars all night long, while explaining in detail to us exactly what was happening, or asking us what was happening. We kept him awake with greasy fries and ice cream, and lugged his tired form back to the van, all the while sleepily asked questions about race cars streamed from his mouth.
In the past three months or so, I've taken up flying RC Airplanes. It's been a fun adventure, if not something of a patience builder. My first month was mostly a disaster, with flight after flight of catastrophic results, the longest of which lasted for all of 30 seconds. I rebuilt my first plane about 4 or 5 times (thank goodness it's made of foam that glues back together) and finally picked up a smaller plane that was a little easier to get off the ground and could handle crashes a little more gracefully. It wasn't really any easier, but the percieved psychological difference of flying a much cheaper and smaller plane helped get me my confidence back. Once I started getting full flights on the little plane for a few weeks, I put my first plane back into the air, and it was far easier. Finally, I was over the learning curve of maneuvering aircraft in 3 dimensional space. Lord knows I had enough gaming experience to fly from a 1st person perspective, but it's quite different looking at the plane from the ground and knowing what direction you need to steer it. Well, after I got the hang of flying the simple trainer planes, I stepped up to more maneuverable planes. That was about two weeks ago. I've had about 20 successful flights on my two new planes, a T-28D Trojan and a Xtra Slick 3d plane, with absolutely zero crashes. I feel like I'm getting the hang of it quite a bit better, and most all of my crashing is behind me. It sure is a joy to put a plane into the air and putz around, and do some fun dogfighting manuevers or just do laps around the field near my house. Helps me sort of forget about work sometimes.
I've also been learning how to smoke meat. I've always been interested in the idea, since a few co-workers of mine in my last job had been pretty avid fans of smoked meats. Well, the whole project sort of fell into my lap when we stopped by a garage sale of my in-laws, and I saw my father in law's smoker sitting there. The sticker read "$25" and the darn thing looked completely un-used. Rosemary pointed it out to me, (I'm not sure if she was entirely serious) and within a few minutes, it was loaded into the back of the van, with a gracious "no, I won't let you pay for that thing" from John. Well, the journey started by converting the smoker over to electric, and then I started off with some simple ideas, like smoked hot dogs, smoked bacon, and so on. After a few attempts of varied success, I tackled some smoked salmon. From what I hear, it tastes very good and came out well. We did smoked ribs over the weekend, and I must say, they were quite good. If I keep figuring this out, I might haveto invest in a better smoker! haha. I have this desire to throw a bit of a smokers party and smoke a bunch of ribs and salmon and have the family over to all try it, because it's just so much fun to smoke foods for people. I guess that's a bit of my servants attitude sticking out there.
Work... well, work has been interesting. The whole package of "work" in my mind gives me feelings that oscillate back and forth between disaster and resounding success. Half of my immediate team has quit to work somewhere else at Microsoft in the last two months, mostly due to an impending re-org that has been announced for the last six months but is still extremely vague in detail. We know that our team will be split in half and doled out to a half dozen seperate teams at Microsoft, which would hurt most everyone's careers. Hence the high turnover. Two of the casualties were my boss, and my skip level boss. So now my team has no real leadership, and we are considered "self-managed." It has it's pros and cons- lack of real leadership, but also freedom to make impactful decisions. Especially leading into this potentially career impacting re-org, it has a heavy price. I am now managing a half dozen division wide projects that sort of "fell" to me due to lack of any sort of management chain. I'm happy to do them and be valuable, but I really don't enjoy Program Management work. I am a tech at heart, with management aspirations, and the PM work is good experience, but not something I thoroughly enjoy. The odds are for me to continue working on this team in that PM capacity, something I'm not looking forward to. So this is where the whole "disaster" feeling comes from, with regards to my work. To talk about the other side of the coin, the resounding success, I'll just tell you that I've gotten more visibility at much higher levels than ever before, with one of the best review scores I have ever recieved. In addition, there is a very strong possability for a promotion within the next few months. An option to consider would be to look around within the company after my promotion, and see what sort of position I could land. Maybe somewhere in one of the new cloud computing teams. It's very unfortunate that for the second time in one year, I've had my career sidelined. God is good though, and he has brought me more success through these situations so far. I trust he will continue to do so.
So that's my summer recap. :)
Ricky Ochs
Monday, June 27, 2011
Vacation.
Well, that was one of the best vacations I've ever had. We just got back from Kauai a few days ago, and boy was it fun.
We did three "outings" during the vacation. First, we cruised up the Na Pali coast and saw the cliffs, as well as lots of amazing beaches, most of which are inaccessible by land. Some of them are pretty famous from movies, too, like pirates of the carribean, six days seven nights, and others... it was cool, we saw a military installation for shooting down missiles, and snorkled off the reef. Followed a big sea turtle around for a bit, too.
Second outing was kayaking up the Wailua river, hiking a mile inland, and enjoying lunch and a swim at "The Secret Falls." a 110 foot water fall. It was pretty cool, and we have some pictures of us under the waterfall. Apparently fish and sticks and rocks fall pretty often, so you can't stay under too long. heh.
Third outing was a Luau, and that was interesting. I'm glad we did it, but the whole thing was a little hokey- they had almost a cafeteria like feel where they put 500 people to eat a buffet, then you watched a hawaiian dance show that had pretty awful musicians and not the most pleasing to the eye dancers. haha :) We had seen a free public show earlier in the week that was better. The fire dancers were cool though.
We rented a convertible mustang, and that was sort of neat, driving around with the top down and enjoying the breeze and smell of the ocean. We snorkled 4 times, saw some of the most amazing, brightly colored fish you'll ever see, and attempted to body board several times as well. I say attempted, because on 10 foot surf, it's very very difficult to body board well. We got the hang of getting out there and positioning, but we rarely were able to catch a good wave that brought us in. It was a ton of fun though, and great excercise. AND, booze is about a quarter the price there. So we came back with some of that. Not that we drink a lot, but man, why not stock up a bit when it's that cheap?
We came back extremely happy and relaxed. Of course, the kids are already driving us up the wall, but it's OK. We had a great vacation, and life is good.
We did three "outings" during the vacation. First, we cruised up the Na Pali coast and saw the cliffs, as well as lots of amazing beaches, most of which are inaccessible by land. Some of them are pretty famous from movies, too, like pirates of the carribean, six days seven nights, and others... it was cool, we saw a military installation for shooting down missiles, and snorkled off the reef. Followed a big sea turtle around for a bit, too.
Second outing was kayaking up the Wailua river, hiking a mile inland, and enjoying lunch and a swim at "The Secret Falls." a 110 foot water fall. It was pretty cool, and we have some pictures of us under the waterfall. Apparently fish and sticks and rocks fall pretty often, so you can't stay under too long. heh.
Third outing was a Luau, and that was interesting. I'm glad we did it, but the whole thing was a little hokey- they had almost a cafeteria like feel where they put 500 people to eat a buffet, then you watched a hawaiian dance show that had pretty awful musicians and not the most pleasing to the eye dancers. haha :) We had seen a free public show earlier in the week that was better. The fire dancers were cool though.
We rented a convertible mustang, and that was sort of neat, driving around with the top down and enjoying the breeze and smell of the ocean. We snorkled 4 times, saw some of the most amazing, brightly colored fish you'll ever see, and attempted to body board several times as well. I say attempted, because on 10 foot surf, it's very very difficult to body board well. We got the hang of getting out there and positioning, but we rarely were able to catch a good wave that brought us in. It was a ton of fun though, and great excercise. AND, booze is about a quarter the price there. So we came back with some of that. Not that we drink a lot, but man, why not stock up a bit when it's that cheap?
We came back extremely happy and relaxed. Of course, the kids are already driving us up the wall, but it's OK. We had a great vacation, and life is good.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Great proverbs
Proverbs chapter 9 & 10 are especially good for me with my current challenges that God has given me. I need to be very consistently reminded of certain truths, in order to keep a level, sane head. Proverbs does the trick nicely, because it's almost like reading laws of common sense. Each of these proverbs is like a "well duh" statement, but to see it written and endorsed by God is... good, and encouraging for me, as I attempt to follow on this path laid before me.
Here's a few excerpts:
7 Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.
Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
8 So don’t bother correcting mockers;
they will only hate you.
But correct the wise,
and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise,
and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous,
and they will learn even more.
4 Lazy people are soon poor;
hard workers get rich.
8 The wise are glad to be instructed,
but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.
17 People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life,
but those who ignore correction will go astray.
18 Hiding hatred makes you a liar;
slandering others makes you a fool.
19 Too much talk leads to sin.
Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
25 When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away,
but the godly have a lasting foundation.
32 The lips of the godly speak helpful words,
but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words.
Here's a few excerpts:
7 Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.
Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
8 So don’t bother correcting mockers;
they will only hate you.
But correct the wise,
and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise,
and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous,
and they will learn even more.
4 Lazy people are soon poor;
hard workers get rich.
8 The wise are glad to be instructed,
but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.
17 People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life,
but those who ignore correction will go astray.
18 Hiding hatred makes you a liar;
slandering others makes you a fool.
19 Too much talk leads to sin.
Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
25 When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away,
but the godly have a lasting foundation.
32 The lips of the godly speak helpful words,
but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Funny, how
Funny, how disasters sort of wake people up. What's happening in Japan right now is crazy, thousands dead, millions without power and water. A lot of people on the preparedness discussion alias have been talking about it, but what's funny, is how many of them are commenting that a lot of their friends and family are contacting them for preparedness advice since the quake hit. For instance, all local sources of the radiation pill are sold out, since the reactor shutdown that happened in Japan. One person even said they had an emergency neighborhood meeting around preparedness, where people were on the verge of panic.
I'm glad for things like this- not for the loss of life or well being, but that it opens peoples eyes, and makes them see what's important in life. Living day by day, status quo, seems good and feels good, but life gets interrupted all the time, and should be expected and planned for. The person too comfortable in their own little box in society is the person that will stand to lose the most when anything happens.
Do I live in fear? Absolutely not. That's why I have prepared, so I do not haveto. Same answer when people ask me why I carry a gun- am I scared? Nope, I'm not- because I'm carrying a gun. (duh)
Just like anything in life, resources are a tool. A means. They can be used for whatever you want- more TVs, cars, sound systems, and so on, or you can live a simpler life, and still have your happiness, while having some extra food in the garage and a few supplies stored away. After every major quake around the world, several very, very smart geologists come out of the woodworks and remind us that the pacific north west has it's very own fault line all to itself, and it's due for a magnitude 9+ earthquake any year now. People nod and go "yeah, pretty scary!" and continue on their day. Helllllooooo... pay attention folks. I know it's not fun to think about scary stuff, but there's pretty much zeroooo downside to being prepared. Oh, so you have an extra few hundred dollars of gear? Perfect for going camping! Too much food? Ha. Just eat it. :P
So, I am glad that a few people are waking up. CNN had a funny poll, which asked, do you trust the government's disaster response is good enough? and the response was pretty funny. 80% said no. Just why I can't expect a cop to be around every time a crime is committed, I carry a gun- I can't expect the government to protect me from everything in life. I am responsible for me and my family, and I will protect and care for them to the best of my abilities at all times.
I'm glad for things like this- not for the loss of life or well being, but that it opens peoples eyes, and makes them see what's important in life. Living day by day, status quo, seems good and feels good, but life gets interrupted all the time, and should be expected and planned for. The person too comfortable in their own little box in society is the person that will stand to lose the most when anything happens.
Do I live in fear? Absolutely not. That's why I have prepared, so I do not haveto. Same answer when people ask me why I carry a gun- am I scared? Nope, I'm not- because I'm carrying a gun. (duh)
Just like anything in life, resources are a tool. A means. They can be used for whatever you want- more TVs, cars, sound systems, and so on, or you can live a simpler life, and still have your happiness, while having some extra food in the garage and a few supplies stored away. After every major quake around the world, several very, very smart geologists come out of the woodworks and remind us that the pacific north west has it's very own fault line all to itself, and it's due for a magnitude 9+ earthquake any year now. People nod and go "yeah, pretty scary!" and continue on their day. Helllllooooo... pay attention folks. I know it's not fun to think about scary stuff, but there's pretty much zeroooo downside to being prepared. Oh, so you have an extra few hundred dollars of gear? Perfect for going camping! Too much food? Ha. Just eat it. :P
So, I am glad that a few people are waking up. CNN had a funny poll, which asked, do you trust the government's disaster response is good enough? and the response was pretty funny. 80% said no. Just why I can't expect a cop to be around every time a crime is committed, I carry a gun- I can't expect the government to protect me from everything in life. I am responsible for me and my family, and I will protect and care for them to the best of my abilities at all times.
Friday, March 11, 2011
My conservative day
Last friday, I took the day off from work to get a bunch of errands done that couldn't easily be done on a weekend. I set out at about 10 am, in a pretty good mood. Some of the things I had set out to do were things Rosemary and I had been thinking about doing for some time, so I was excited to finally get some of our goals taken care of.
First I went to BECU, and took out the money I would need for the next few stops in my trip. It was a pleasant experience. I gotta say, BECU is quite a bit better than chase, and I'm glad we switched- I was pulling out a large sum of money, and they didn't give me any troubles at all, like Chase always does. Quick and courteous, and the teller had a beautiful new engagement ring on. She glowed when I complemented her, and it's cool to see happy people that are good at their jobs. :)
Second, I went down to Federal Way, to Northwest Territorial Mint, and picked up a gold american eagle coin, and some silver coins. My dad has been pushing me pretty hard to get some precious metals to help hedge against inflation, due to the entire united states economy hanging by a thread of debt. (of course, my opinion is food and supplies first, money second) I was surprised by the huge number of people in the lobby of the mint, waiting to buy or sell precious metals. Seems sort of weird to me, because I didn't think buying and selling gold/silver was that popular to the common population, but I guess it's getting more popular. The sales lady that helped me with my metals purchases also had a beautiful engagement ring on, and she also glowed after I complimented her on it. Again, another great service experience overall.
Third, I went all the way down near mcchord air force base, to a really cool shop called Surplus Arms & Ammo. This place... was completely awesome, in a guy sort of way. The shop was small, but packed out with tons of cool gear. Not junky old surplus stuff, everything was new, wrapped, and super cheap. I managed to pick up all the ammunition I had on my list, at a significantly lower price than I had priced out originally from their website. Quite shocking, when the website pricing was already some of the best I'd ever seen. I even managed to pick up a rear sight for one of my weapons, and still stay several hundred dollars under budget. :) They had cheap magazines, ammo, reloaded ammo, guns, gun parts, and more. So cool, I could spend all day in that little place.
Fourth- I went and got a burrito from Taco Time. A man's gotta eat, right?
Fifth- I dropped off some of the ammo at my parent's place, talked to my dad and Grandpa for a little bit. My dad tried to steal my new gold coin... and he denied all allegations. Liar.
Sixth- I went home and enjoyed spending the rest of the day with my lovely wife, and my son, who after seeing the gold coin, told me it was his, and that he was going to go put it in his piggy bank. I guess it technically is his- if it really does help us secure our future, it's all for him anyways.
I felt like I needed to bash Obama on facebook or something to round out my right wing crazy nutjob day. :) I refrained, of course, in good taste.
First I went to BECU, and took out the money I would need for the next few stops in my trip. It was a pleasant experience. I gotta say, BECU is quite a bit better than chase, and I'm glad we switched- I was pulling out a large sum of money, and they didn't give me any troubles at all, like Chase always does. Quick and courteous, and the teller had a beautiful new engagement ring on. She glowed when I complemented her, and it's cool to see happy people that are good at their jobs. :)
Second, I went down to Federal Way, to Northwest Territorial Mint, and picked up a gold american eagle coin, and some silver coins. My dad has been pushing me pretty hard to get some precious metals to help hedge against inflation, due to the entire united states economy hanging by a thread of debt. (of course, my opinion is food and supplies first, money second) I was surprised by the huge number of people in the lobby of the mint, waiting to buy or sell precious metals. Seems sort of weird to me, because I didn't think buying and selling gold/silver was that popular to the common population, but I guess it's getting more popular. The sales lady that helped me with my metals purchases also had a beautiful engagement ring on, and she also glowed after I complimented her on it. Again, another great service experience overall.
Third, I went all the way down near mcchord air force base, to a really cool shop called Surplus Arms & Ammo. This place... was completely awesome, in a guy sort of way. The shop was small, but packed out with tons of cool gear. Not junky old surplus stuff, everything was new, wrapped, and super cheap. I managed to pick up all the ammunition I had on my list, at a significantly lower price than I had priced out originally from their website. Quite shocking, when the website pricing was already some of the best I'd ever seen. I even managed to pick up a rear sight for one of my weapons, and still stay several hundred dollars under budget. :) They had cheap magazines, ammo, reloaded ammo, guns, gun parts, and more. So cool, I could spend all day in that little place.
Fourth- I went and got a burrito from Taco Time. A man's gotta eat, right?
Fifth- I dropped off some of the ammo at my parent's place, talked to my dad and Grandpa for a little bit. My dad tried to steal my new gold coin... and he denied all allegations. Liar.
Sixth- I went home and enjoyed spending the rest of the day with my lovely wife, and my son, who after seeing the gold coin, told me it was his, and that he was going to go put it in his piggy bank. I guess it technically is his- if it really does help us secure our future, it's all for him anyways.
I felt like I needed to bash Obama on facebook or something to round out my right wing crazy nutjob day. :) I refrained, of course, in good taste.
Friday, February 25, 2011
New experiences
So I had to "let someone go" a few weeks ago. It ammounted to me letting their vendor company know that their contract was going to expire on a certain date. I felt like I sort of cheated the system a little bit, because I didn't actually haveto do the entire "can I see you in my office?" bit, with the long hard talk about how their services were no longer needed. I just told the vendor company, and that was that. I felt relieved. :) I gave this guy a few weeks to ease his transition, find a new position, so on.
Enter today. This guy swung by my office about 30 minutes ago and asked if he could talk. Fortunately, I was a tad busy, and told him I'd come collect him in a few minutes (secretly hoping he had a work related question, and not seeking a question about why his employment was nearing it's end).
He swung by a few minutes later, and there was a lul in my work, so I invited him in. This guy is a diminuitive 4 foot 11 indian guy, maybe 90-100 pounds. When he got back from india a few weeks ago, he told me he had just secured enrollment for his children into the most prestigous school in all his city. So, he nervously asks me "My vendor company has come to inform me that my contract is ending soon. May I come to know why, what the reasoning is behind the contract being removed?"
Pretty articulate, for him, actually- one of the reasons we decided to let him go, was that no one really understood him very well. I want to hire someone to really strengthen and bolster my team's abilities and help me achieve some of my goals for my team.
So after he asked the question, I had to explain. Well, the application you work on doesn't have enough hours of work to justify a full headcount. My other two vendors are currently working on in-flight high profile projects with a full workload. I made a mistake here, and I told him that there were also budgetary issues, too, which isn't true. I regret saying it, but I was sort of stammering to provide him with answers that didn't make him feel bad. I don't want to lie like that, and I will try not to do it again. Just sort of slipped out when I was thinking of how else to let him down easy :( One of the issues was his vendor company only told him a week ago, which is unfortunate, because I wanted him to have several weeks of time to look for new positions and get ready for the change. I apologized to him about that, and told him his vendor company was responsible for helping him find a new position and place him correctly, and that his resume is strong enough that he shouldn't have too much of a tough time finding new work. I sort of believe it, but I honestly can't recommend him to any team asking me for info on him. He's just not strong enough technically and personally, and I haveto be a good steward of Microsoft's money.
Business is hard sometimes. It's these sorts of decisions, where I need to do the right thing for the company and my team, that cause all sorts of "companies are evil" type crap talking. I'm not an evil person, and I'm doing my best to have a great build team that does great work. I'm sure situations like this all over the world cause people to get angry and hate companies and not understand intentions. Such is life, I guess. The anti-business rhetoric is extremely high right now, and I guess I'm part of that big business machine now.
Enter today. This guy swung by my office about 30 minutes ago and asked if he could talk. Fortunately, I was a tad busy, and told him I'd come collect him in a few minutes (secretly hoping he had a work related question, and not seeking a question about why his employment was nearing it's end).
He swung by a few minutes later, and there was a lul in my work, so I invited him in. This guy is a diminuitive 4 foot 11 indian guy, maybe 90-100 pounds. When he got back from india a few weeks ago, he told me he had just secured enrollment for his children into the most prestigous school in all his city. So, he nervously asks me "My vendor company has come to inform me that my contract is ending soon. May I come to know why, what the reasoning is behind the contract being removed?"
Pretty articulate, for him, actually- one of the reasons we decided to let him go, was that no one really understood him very well. I want to hire someone to really strengthen and bolster my team's abilities and help me achieve some of my goals for my team.
So after he asked the question, I had to explain. Well, the application you work on doesn't have enough hours of work to justify a full headcount. My other two vendors are currently working on in-flight high profile projects with a full workload. I made a mistake here, and I told him that there were also budgetary issues, too, which isn't true. I regret saying it, but I was sort of stammering to provide him with answers that didn't make him feel bad. I don't want to lie like that, and I will try not to do it again. Just sort of slipped out when I was thinking of how else to let him down easy :( One of the issues was his vendor company only told him a week ago, which is unfortunate, because I wanted him to have several weeks of time to look for new positions and get ready for the change. I apologized to him about that, and told him his vendor company was responsible for helping him find a new position and place him correctly, and that his resume is strong enough that he shouldn't have too much of a tough time finding new work. I sort of believe it, but I honestly can't recommend him to any team asking me for info on him. He's just not strong enough technically and personally, and I haveto be a good steward of Microsoft's money.
Business is hard sometimes. It's these sorts of decisions, where I need to do the right thing for the company and my team, that cause all sorts of "companies are evil" type crap talking. I'm not an evil person, and I'm doing my best to have a great build team that does great work. I'm sure situations like this all over the world cause people to get angry and hate companies and not understand intentions. Such is life, I guess. The anti-business rhetoric is extremely high right now, and I guess I'm part of that big business machine now.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The story below was about a zombie. I'm thinking about changing it a little bit to reveal the fact that he was a zombie at the end, so it sort of "pops" in your mind and makes more sense. I'll haveto try it...
I'm sitting here in all day training about a really terrible application we all haveto use quite a lot at work but that everyone hates. So I'm not paying too much attention, since I know most of it.
Lately, it's been a bit of an emotional rolloercoaster at my house. We have a new person staying at the house, a friend of mine, who we decided to try and help out by offering him a room for relatively cheap so he can get back on his financial feet, and get some accountability to help him out. Well, he's a nice guy, but he hates the idea of accountability, and he values his freedom a lot, so it's quite the strain. He's never home, which isn't an issue in my opinion, but he's not a man of his word so it's very difficult to nail him down on anything, and he feels guilt tripped all the time whenever we ask him *anything*. So it's a tough situation, and maybe the best is just for him to move back out, I'm not sure. It's a strain on all of us, and maybe he doesn't understand that living with people is a sacrifice and hard work, not all roses. Before he moved in, he was excited about what God was doing in his life, and we were meeting weekly to read the word and talk about repentence and other Kingdom principles. After he moved in, every time we talk about these things he feels like I'm judging him or measuring him against a list of things he needs to meet to live with us. It's partially true, as well- he drinks too much for my liking in my house. He feels like it's an acceptable level, and I do not. He gets offended when I talk to him about it, in any manner.
It's exasperating. I love him to death and would help him in any way possible, but man, it's not real effective if he's running scared from me. He's got the same complaints luke did... "you guys are constantly judging me and looking down on me" which is so exasperating to hear. First off, Luke was off being a druggie while living in our house, and earned all the "talks" he got, which wasn't even that many. Second off, our new house mate is extremely sensitive. I can also be sensitive, which makes it harder, because when he gets so easily offended it sort of hurts me, too, when he obviously doesn't trust me or my intentions, when the whole goal of this entire arrangement was to help him and give him a home.
He doesn't feel comfortable in our home... so, ok, if the heat gets turned up and you are being sharpened by iron, it hurts. Get over it, humble yourself, and do what you can to stop being offended and work together to fix issues. That message goes for me, and everyone else.
I'm sitting here in all day training about a really terrible application we all haveto use quite a lot at work but that everyone hates. So I'm not paying too much attention, since I know most of it.
Lately, it's been a bit of an emotional rolloercoaster at my house. We have a new person staying at the house, a friend of mine, who we decided to try and help out by offering him a room for relatively cheap so he can get back on his financial feet, and get some accountability to help him out. Well, he's a nice guy, but he hates the idea of accountability, and he values his freedom a lot, so it's quite the strain. He's never home, which isn't an issue in my opinion, but he's not a man of his word so it's very difficult to nail him down on anything, and he feels guilt tripped all the time whenever we ask him *anything*. So it's a tough situation, and maybe the best is just for him to move back out, I'm not sure. It's a strain on all of us, and maybe he doesn't understand that living with people is a sacrifice and hard work, not all roses. Before he moved in, he was excited about what God was doing in his life, and we were meeting weekly to read the word and talk about repentence and other Kingdom principles. After he moved in, every time we talk about these things he feels like I'm judging him or measuring him against a list of things he needs to meet to live with us. It's partially true, as well- he drinks too much for my liking in my house. He feels like it's an acceptable level, and I do not. He gets offended when I talk to him about it, in any manner.
It's exasperating. I love him to death and would help him in any way possible, but man, it's not real effective if he's running scared from me. He's got the same complaints luke did... "you guys are constantly judging me and looking down on me" which is so exasperating to hear. First off, Luke was off being a druggie while living in our house, and earned all the "talks" he got, which wasn't even that many. Second off, our new house mate is extremely sensitive. I can also be sensitive, which makes it harder, because when he gets so easily offended it sort of hurts me, too, when he obviously doesn't trust me or my intentions, when the whole goal of this entire arrangement was to help him and give him a home.
He doesn't feel comfortable in our home... so, ok, if the heat gets turned up and you are being sharpened by iron, it hurts. Get over it, humble yourself, and do what you can to stop being offended and work together to fix issues. That message goes for me, and everyone else.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
He awoke with a groan, feeling throbbing pain throughout his body. Slowly, he pulled himself up off of the floor and glanced around. Nothing unusual, but the abandoned library was usually pretty quiet. He decided to go off to the city center and see if anything interesting was going on. He noted the rumble in his belly, and decided it was probably best to keep an eye out for anything to satiate the insane desire to eat.
As he arrived at the commons near city center, he noticed a commotion already starting. There were several other people crowding around something he couldn’t quite see. He tried to peer through the bodies into the middle of the commotion, but all he saw was flesh and clothes. As he neared the situation, he saw what it was. Someone had found a wild animal and, as expected, the throng of people were all attempting to rip it from his grasp. The animal was clearly dead, even half torn apart, but that didn’t stop anyone. He sauntered off, knowing that he really didn’t have any chance at any of the meat.
As he slowly made his way around in the morning light, he studied the buildings around him. They always felt so familiar, yet he couldn’t quite place it. Sometimes, he’d have quick moments of remembrance from a particular bench, street, or field, but they always seemed to flee before he could wrap his consciousness around it. He found one such park bench and decided to sit and see if anything interesting would come along. He repressed the urge of hunger, knowing that he probably wouldn’t have much luck anyway.
As he sat there watching the trees sway, he felt the inexorable draw towards a certain building. Just like most everything, he couldn’t identify the reasoning behind the draw, but he picked himself up and made his way over to the structure. There were glass doors at the front of the building, and it looked like lots of small colorful objects inside on shelves. He made his way to the front, and started hammering at the doors, not quite sure how to enter. Eventually, one of the doors wiggled a little bit and he pushed at the edge and it swung wide open. He made his way down one of the many aisles, keeping his eyes darting about for any potential danger.
He heard a scream and a large boom from outside. He quickly turned around and narrowed his gaze out the front doors, near the bench he had previously occupied. There- someone was being murdered! He saw a diminutive woman with a piece of wood with some metal sticking out of the end, standing over the body of some unfortunate person. She glanced around and quickly moved away, not wanting to draw more attention to herself than necessary. There seemed to be a few other people with her, but they were far more stealthy, not wanting to attract attention either. But it was too late.
As he got near the front doors, he saw a growing group of people forming as they made their way down the street, towards the body that was still leaking fluids, and ultimately, the girl and her companions. One of them shouted, and fire spouted from the wood and metal stick he carried, towards the oncoming group of people. He saw some of them fall, but that only enraged the survivors even more, as they picked up speed. Slipping out of the front doors, he decided he might be able to stop some of these people from being senselessly murdered- and he also noticed the rumble in his stomach growing louder. He eyed the wood stick with trepidation, knowing that it had felled many a fine person.
Instead of rushing straight on towards the group of stick-wielding murderers, he loped in behind them. It was almost too easy, with the throng of folks rushing at them taking most of their attention. He neared the first girl that he saw, the one that committed the first murder. As he got closer, he picked up speed and started roaring as the adrenaline and hunger for vengeance stirred within him. She turned around just as he arrived at her- only to take a fist to the stomach and have a bite taken out of her shoulder. She screamed to try and alert her companions, but it was too late for her- the blood gushing from her shoulder was too much. Several of the others looked back and saw the situation. As they reoriented their sticks of fire, they were overtaken by the large group of people from behind. But not before one of them got a shot off.
As he lay there in a steadily growing pool of blood, he remembered his name. Joe.
As he arrived at the commons near city center, he noticed a commotion already starting. There were several other people crowding around something he couldn’t quite see. He tried to peer through the bodies into the middle of the commotion, but all he saw was flesh and clothes. As he neared the situation, he saw what it was. Someone had found a wild animal and, as expected, the throng of people were all attempting to rip it from his grasp. The animal was clearly dead, even half torn apart, but that didn’t stop anyone. He sauntered off, knowing that he really didn’t have any chance at any of the meat.
As he slowly made his way around in the morning light, he studied the buildings around him. They always felt so familiar, yet he couldn’t quite place it. Sometimes, he’d have quick moments of remembrance from a particular bench, street, or field, but they always seemed to flee before he could wrap his consciousness around it. He found one such park bench and decided to sit and see if anything interesting would come along. He repressed the urge of hunger, knowing that he probably wouldn’t have much luck anyway.
As he sat there watching the trees sway, he felt the inexorable draw towards a certain building. Just like most everything, he couldn’t identify the reasoning behind the draw, but he picked himself up and made his way over to the structure. There were glass doors at the front of the building, and it looked like lots of small colorful objects inside on shelves. He made his way to the front, and started hammering at the doors, not quite sure how to enter. Eventually, one of the doors wiggled a little bit and he pushed at the edge and it swung wide open. He made his way down one of the many aisles, keeping his eyes darting about for any potential danger.
He heard a scream and a large boom from outside. He quickly turned around and narrowed his gaze out the front doors, near the bench he had previously occupied. There- someone was being murdered! He saw a diminutive woman with a piece of wood with some metal sticking out of the end, standing over the body of some unfortunate person. She glanced around and quickly moved away, not wanting to draw more attention to herself than necessary. There seemed to be a few other people with her, but they were far more stealthy, not wanting to attract attention either. But it was too late.
As he got near the front doors, he saw a growing group of people forming as they made their way down the street, towards the body that was still leaking fluids, and ultimately, the girl and her companions. One of them shouted, and fire spouted from the wood and metal stick he carried, towards the oncoming group of people. He saw some of them fall, but that only enraged the survivors even more, as they picked up speed. Slipping out of the front doors, he decided he might be able to stop some of these people from being senselessly murdered- and he also noticed the rumble in his stomach growing louder. He eyed the wood stick with trepidation, knowing that it had felled many a fine person.
Instead of rushing straight on towards the group of stick-wielding murderers, he loped in behind them. It was almost too easy, with the throng of folks rushing at them taking most of their attention. He neared the first girl that he saw, the one that committed the first murder. As he got closer, he picked up speed and started roaring as the adrenaline and hunger for vengeance stirred within him. She turned around just as he arrived at her- only to take a fist to the stomach and have a bite taken out of her shoulder. She screamed to try and alert her companions, but it was too late for her- the blood gushing from her shoulder was too much. Several of the others looked back and saw the situation. As they reoriented their sticks of fire, they were overtaken by the large group of people from behind. But not before one of them got a shot off.
As he lay there in a steadily growing pool of blood, he remembered his name. Joe.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Glasses.
Hi all.
So my vision has been getting blurry earlier and earlier in the day, as the years have gone by. I attribute most of it to staring at really superbright LCD screens all day every day. They used to get blurry at around 4pm, and then 3... and then 2, and now it's down to like 11-12am. Not good! I was just guessing it's eye strain and fatigue, so I checked into some LCD glasses. But Rosemary helped and schedule me an appointment with an eye doctor.
So I went. And they told me I have a small astigmatism... argh. Frustrating, because I feel like my eyesight is perfect in the morning. But she had me try on some glasses, and... I could see perfectly, without straining or squinting. So I guess she knows what she's talking about. She told me my eyes were probably focusing harder and harder to counter the astigmatism, and they get tired as the day progresses, and have trouble keeping focus. So I should wear the glasses all day. I'm sort of expecting to only wear them when I'm at my desk, to be honest. I'm hoping that relieves enough eye strain so that my vision remains clear for the rest of the day.
Anyways. That's my glasses post.
I get them tomorrow.
So my vision has been getting blurry earlier and earlier in the day, as the years have gone by. I attribute most of it to staring at really superbright LCD screens all day every day. They used to get blurry at around 4pm, and then 3... and then 2, and now it's down to like 11-12am. Not good! I was just guessing it's eye strain and fatigue, so I checked into some LCD glasses. But Rosemary helped and schedule me an appointment with an eye doctor.
So I went. And they told me I have a small astigmatism... argh. Frustrating, because I feel like my eyesight is perfect in the morning. But she had me try on some glasses, and... I could see perfectly, without straining or squinting. So I guess she knows what she's talking about. She told me my eyes were probably focusing harder and harder to counter the astigmatism, and they get tired as the day progresses, and have trouble keeping focus. So I should wear the glasses all day. I'm sort of expecting to only wear them when I'm at my desk, to be honest. I'm hoping that relieves enough eye strain so that my vision remains clear for the rest of the day.
Anyways. That's my glasses post.
I get them tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
So...
I have a new job, and I start on the 21st. It's just an internal transfer to a new group, but it should be very good for me and my career. God is good, he provides all that I need. I have been job searching for something like 9 months now, and it's been getting more and more desperate the longer it goes on.
My current group has decided to completely move away from support and build engineering, and focus on being a standard development and test group, which left pretty much no place for me. Sort of unfortunate, but I was being "managed out," to use the polite term. I had probably two dozen informal interviews... and most of them got nowhere. My resume and experience caters very specifically to a certain type of work, and it does not line up with the traditional roles at Microsoft: Development, Test, PM, or Operations. It more aligns with an invisible group that ties all of them together and brings the code from one team to another. Every group handles that work differently, some ignore it, some use testers to do it, some use ops people to do it- but, rarely to people hire specific people just to do that one job.
I managed to find a group that is dedicated to doing code transition from development into production environments. Basically, the absolute most perfect fit I could ask for, as this is what my group used to do before it was cannibalized for other things.
I know that doesn't mean much to most of you readers, but... to me, it means that I have an opportunity to shine and be successful yet again. The first five years of my career were lit on fire, with constant promotion and increase. The last year has fallen off dramatically in that regard, due to the team getting away from what I do best. So this is an opportunity to continue growing and increasing my influence.
I had talked to every group within the xbox and games division about every single possible position I might be good for in the last 9 months. It was a dead end, unfortunately. But God knows where I would fit best, not me.
In other news... Life has been pretty darn good. Sure it has it's bumps and hills- Rosemary had her wisdom teeth out recently, Judah is having a hard time with discipline on some nights, and Taylor cries a lot. But overall, I think Rosemary and I are figuring out on a daily basis how to be better parents, and how to also focus on eachother more. My parents have been kind enough to offer to babysit every other week, which has let us have more alone time, which is darn critical. We've had some pretty fun dates recently. The food isn't always the best, or missing a showtime here and there, but just being alone with my best friend feels so relaxing and invigorating. I love her to death, and she needs this time just as much as I do, with those two little life suckers always taking their daily toll on her. :) We had some out of town family over this weekend, and it was a ton of fun. It's so good to have sane, nice family visit. People that share your ideas about life, and enjoy your company. Rosemary also got to go to the craft and gift fair with her mom a couple weekends ago, and I was so happy to let her get out of the house without the kids. It wasn't easy(for me), but it always gives a much needed perspective on how Rosemary's daily life is, when I haveto live it just a little bit. My respect and awe of her increases every time I do.
Our finances are really starting to come together now, too. Our car insurance just went down dramatically, and we've got a refinance coming. Being debt free really helps- most couples are too busy paying large corporations crazy amounts of interest, instead of keeping that money for themselves. I wouldn't say we live real lavishly or anything, but it's so important to have the option to GIVE our extra money away, instead of needing to constantly pay off debt or handle the next crisis, which everyone has. In the early church, right after Christ died, the church was described as a group of people that supported eachother fully, and helped provide for eachother whenever someone was in need. I want to be like that. I want to humble myself and give money to people that need help, instead of always spending it on myself. I hope I've achieved that, and I hope to continue to. Life is so much more important than money, and praise God for letting us live a life where we can embody those core beliefs.
I'm sort of just rambling on different topics, but I needed to blog. :) So enjoy.
I have a new job, and I start on the 21st. It's just an internal transfer to a new group, but it should be very good for me and my career. God is good, he provides all that I need. I have been job searching for something like 9 months now, and it's been getting more and more desperate the longer it goes on.
My current group has decided to completely move away from support and build engineering, and focus on being a standard development and test group, which left pretty much no place for me. Sort of unfortunate, but I was being "managed out," to use the polite term. I had probably two dozen informal interviews... and most of them got nowhere. My resume and experience caters very specifically to a certain type of work, and it does not line up with the traditional roles at Microsoft: Development, Test, PM, or Operations. It more aligns with an invisible group that ties all of them together and brings the code from one team to another. Every group handles that work differently, some ignore it, some use testers to do it, some use ops people to do it- but, rarely to people hire specific people just to do that one job.
I managed to find a group that is dedicated to doing code transition from development into production environments. Basically, the absolute most perfect fit I could ask for, as this is what my group used to do before it was cannibalized for other things.
I know that doesn't mean much to most of you readers, but... to me, it means that I have an opportunity to shine and be successful yet again. The first five years of my career were lit on fire, with constant promotion and increase. The last year has fallen off dramatically in that regard, due to the team getting away from what I do best. So this is an opportunity to continue growing and increasing my influence.
I had talked to every group within the xbox and games division about every single possible position I might be good for in the last 9 months. It was a dead end, unfortunately. But God knows where I would fit best, not me.
In other news... Life has been pretty darn good. Sure it has it's bumps and hills- Rosemary had her wisdom teeth out recently, Judah is having a hard time with discipline on some nights, and Taylor cries a lot. But overall, I think Rosemary and I are figuring out on a daily basis how to be better parents, and how to also focus on eachother more. My parents have been kind enough to offer to babysit every other week, which has let us have more alone time, which is darn critical. We've had some pretty fun dates recently. The food isn't always the best, or missing a showtime here and there, but just being alone with my best friend feels so relaxing and invigorating. I love her to death, and she needs this time just as much as I do, with those two little life suckers always taking their daily toll on her. :) We had some out of town family over this weekend, and it was a ton of fun. It's so good to have sane, nice family visit. People that share your ideas about life, and enjoy your company. Rosemary also got to go to the craft and gift fair with her mom a couple weekends ago, and I was so happy to let her get out of the house without the kids. It wasn't easy(for me), but it always gives a much needed perspective on how Rosemary's daily life is, when I haveto live it just a little bit. My respect and awe of her increases every time I do.
Our finances are really starting to come together now, too. Our car insurance just went down dramatically, and we've got a refinance coming. Being debt free really helps- most couples are too busy paying large corporations crazy amounts of interest, instead of keeping that money for themselves. I wouldn't say we live real lavishly or anything, but it's so important to have the option to GIVE our extra money away, instead of needing to constantly pay off debt or handle the next crisis, which everyone has. In the early church, right after Christ died, the church was described as a group of people that supported eachother fully, and helped provide for eachother whenever someone was in need. I want to be like that. I want to humble myself and give money to people that need help, instead of always spending it on myself. I hope I've achieved that, and I hope to continue to. Life is so much more important than money, and praise God for letting us live a life where we can embody those core beliefs.
I'm sort of just rambling on different topics, but I needed to blog. :) So enjoy.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Far above the earth, many years from now, a large community ship in geosynchronous orbit slowly rotated around the earth in a purposeless fashion. Aboard, thousands of human survivors live in attached life pods, which made up the hollow, somewhat spherical shape of the community ship. The wide and bright front windscreens faced inward on the ship, and were surrounded by magcon lights that inform all that can see that the occupant is protected from the harsh vacuum of space. With little space, the occupants usually focused on their projected computer screens, which gave them the ability to communicate with eachother as well as options for entertainment. Inside the giant community craft, there was no atmosphere- the designers of the ship had no time or resources to do anything but design the life pods and the connecting brackets that ultimately made up the entire craft. Inside the vast expanse of the ship floated a small craft capable of holding seven- the Executors. These Executors were often considered more powerful than even the Grand Council- not because their influence was more far reaching, but because the real ideas and actions spawned from them, and not from the good looking politicians they served.
Inside the Executor ship, the occupants were hours deep in brainstorming sessions, as they usually were. Chak wearily rubbed his eyes and glanced out of the glass multi-faceted compartment, to the thousands of citizens. Immediately, he noticed the green lights on top of each life pod were not lit. Frantically rising, he craned his neck to see all around- indeed, everywhere he looked, the green occupancy health light was off on all of the pods. All, but one. One of the pods near the theoretical "top" of the craft was still lit. Chak raced to the executor's ships controls, and jammed the throttle full forward and oriented the craft towards the lone projected survivor of what was sure to be some expected cataclysmic event that spelled certain doom for almost all of the citizens. Only the computers knew of whatever would happen, for they controlled the green health indicator lights. Something was seriously wrong. The other executors looked up, weary from their tiresome debating and theorizing, to see what was unfolding. Immediate panic gripped them, and a few of them, understanding what Chak was trying to do, shouted "we'll just crash into him and destroy ourselves anyways!" Chak spun the ship around and went engines first towards the lone green light Just as they were meters away from impact, a beautiful blue shockwave ripped from one side of the ship to the other. The ship started coming apart at thousands of seems, and the magcon lights around each pod started stuttering and winking out.
The moment became a little surreal to Chak. He could see the people writhing in their capsules- no doubt subject to the cold and oxygen-free vacuum of space that assaulted them as soon as the magnetic containment fields collapsed. As he peered around to the aft, he noticed a seem starting to form near their projected trajectory. He deftly aimed the craft for the seem, and silently repeated a quick prayer that it would open enough, or that the impact would be obsorbed by the engine compartment, so that the executors might live. He saw the face of the lone survivor in his pod- he was white with shock, as he saw the events unfold before his eyes. The executor ship was hurtling towards him, and all he knew of life was coming apart in a near instant.
Inside the Executor ship, the occupants were hours deep in brainstorming sessions, as they usually were. Chak wearily rubbed his eyes and glanced out of the glass multi-faceted compartment, to the thousands of citizens. Immediately, he noticed the green lights on top of each life pod were not lit. Frantically rising, he craned his neck to see all around- indeed, everywhere he looked, the green occupancy health light was off on all of the pods. All, but one. One of the pods near the theoretical "top" of the craft was still lit. Chak raced to the executor's ships controls, and jammed the throttle full forward and oriented the craft towards the lone projected survivor of what was sure to be some expected cataclysmic event that spelled certain doom for almost all of the citizens. Only the computers knew of whatever would happen, for they controlled the green health indicator lights. Something was seriously wrong. The other executors looked up, weary from their tiresome debating and theorizing, to see what was unfolding. Immediate panic gripped them, and a few of them, understanding what Chak was trying to do, shouted "we'll just crash into him and destroy ourselves anyways!" Chak spun the ship around and went engines first towards the lone green light Just as they were meters away from impact, a beautiful blue shockwave ripped from one side of the ship to the other. The ship started coming apart at thousands of seems, and the magcon lights around each pod started stuttering and winking out.
The moment became a little surreal to Chak. He could see the people writhing in their capsules- no doubt subject to the cold and oxygen-free vacuum of space that assaulted them as soon as the magnetic containment fields collapsed. As he peered around to the aft, he noticed a seem starting to form near their projected trajectory. He deftly aimed the craft for the seem, and silently repeated a quick prayer that it would open enough, or that the impact would be obsorbed by the engine compartment, so that the executors might live. He saw the face of the lone survivor in his pod- he was white with shock, as he saw the events unfold before his eyes. The executor ship was hurtling towards him, and all he knew of life was coming apart in a near instant.
Friday, October 08, 2010
I'm so angry right now.
Microsoft has just announced that there will be massive health care changes, due to the new obama healthcare legislation, which taxes cadillac health care plans immensely, which will apparently make them extinct.
Right now, at microsoft, if my son needs to go to the hospital, we take him. It's fully covered. Zero costs. Even if I have to take him 4 times a year, or 30 times a year. That's a "Cadillac healthcare plan" and it gives me the safety and security that I know I can get my family treated no matter what. Microsoft cannot afford to continue providing cadillac plans, because it was the Obama administration's plan to tax them so heavily so they could pay for the rest of the obamacare legislation. It looks like they didn't figure in the fact that everyone will abandon these top tier healthcare plans because of the tax, and now their plan for how to pay for their healthcare is now gone. So now obamacare is unfunded, AND it's destroying top tier healthcare plans for middle class hardworking people.
OBAMACARE = SUCCESS! Let's just remove good healthcare from the majority and make EVERYONE have mediocre healthcare plans that cost thousands out of pocket. YAY.
Now I don't have enough of the details to fully understand the new health care plan options, but it seems at around 2013, we will be fully under obamacare plans, with deductibles, co-pays, and so on. Taking my son to the hospital will cost me $1500 up front out of pocket, and 10% of total cost up to $1,000. Well our last hopsital visit costed almost 10 grand, so that's something like $2500 out of pocket. And Judah visits the hospital several times a year.
YAY GO OBAMA! You are a failure as a president and you are destroying healthcare for millions and plunging us into trillions of dollars of more debt.
Microsoft has just announced that there will be massive health care changes, due to the new obama healthcare legislation, which taxes cadillac health care plans immensely, which will apparently make them extinct.
Right now, at microsoft, if my son needs to go to the hospital, we take him. It's fully covered. Zero costs. Even if I have to take him 4 times a year, or 30 times a year. That's a "Cadillac healthcare plan" and it gives me the safety and security that I know I can get my family treated no matter what. Microsoft cannot afford to continue providing cadillac plans, because it was the Obama administration's plan to tax them so heavily so they could pay for the rest of the obamacare legislation. It looks like they didn't figure in the fact that everyone will abandon these top tier healthcare plans because of the tax, and now their plan for how to pay for their healthcare is now gone. So now obamacare is unfunded, AND it's destroying top tier healthcare plans for middle class hardworking people.
OBAMACARE = SUCCESS! Let's just remove good healthcare from the majority and make EVERYONE have mediocre healthcare plans that cost thousands out of pocket. YAY.
Now I don't have enough of the details to fully understand the new health care plan options, but it seems at around 2013, we will be fully under obamacare plans, with deductibles, co-pays, and so on. Taking my son to the hospital will cost me $1500 up front out of pocket, and 10% of total cost up to $1,000. Well our last hopsital visit costed almost 10 grand, so that's something like $2500 out of pocket. And Judah visits the hospital several times a year.
YAY GO OBAMA! You are a failure as a president and you are destroying healthcare for millions and plunging us into trillions of dollars of more debt.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Judah's 2nd birthday
So yesterday Judah turned 2 years old. Quite the milestone. For the last few months, we've been marvelling at how wonderful his language skills have come, telling ourselves surely a 1 year old cannot normally have such a firm grasp of English. I'm sure some of it is just because we think our child is a genius because he is our child. But now we won't be able to say that as much, because he is 2 now. He's getting a grasp on the counting thing now, as well, and he'll properly answer you when you ask him how old he is.
It's a real joy being a father. Judah is such a wonderful little child. He has his fits, like any other kid, but for the most part he is a curious, interesting, fun little boy. I'm very proud of him. He can do and say some pretty impressive things, but most of all- he's my son. I just can't WAIT to take him shooting, fishing, bicycling, hiking, playing video games together, and so forth. We already have a BLAST playing in the back yard and in the play room, and he really loves it. It's so incredibly important to keep him into the physical activities, because look around- childhood obesity is now considered an "epidemic" in our country, and a lack of work ethic is one of the many reasons this generation is having a very hard time finding jobs. Apathy is rampant, and the average toddler watches 4-6 hours of TV a day. That's more than the average face time they get with their parents... yeah.
I'm so very happy that we can afford to have Rosemary stay home and focus on our children's development and family life. Yeah we have less money. But you know what? When I look at Judah, all those concerns melt away, and I just want to be the very best dad possible.
In just one year, he's learned to walk, talk, run, jump, slide, climb, manipulate, beg, empathize, and lie. So Judah, here's to a new year, with even more exciting developments, and more exciting family fun. I look forward to being the best father I can to you, and enjoying your snuggles and punches.
So yesterday Judah turned 2 years old. Quite the milestone. For the last few months, we've been marvelling at how wonderful his language skills have come, telling ourselves surely a 1 year old cannot normally have such a firm grasp of English. I'm sure some of it is just because we think our child is a genius because he is our child. But now we won't be able to say that as much, because he is 2 now. He's getting a grasp on the counting thing now, as well, and he'll properly answer you when you ask him how old he is.
It's a real joy being a father. Judah is such a wonderful little child. He has his fits, like any other kid, but for the most part he is a curious, interesting, fun little boy. I'm very proud of him. He can do and say some pretty impressive things, but most of all- he's my son. I just can't WAIT to take him shooting, fishing, bicycling, hiking, playing video games together, and so forth. We already have a BLAST playing in the back yard and in the play room, and he really loves it. It's so incredibly important to keep him into the physical activities, because look around- childhood obesity is now considered an "epidemic" in our country, and a lack of work ethic is one of the many reasons this generation is having a very hard time finding jobs. Apathy is rampant, and the average toddler watches 4-6 hours of TV a day. That's more than the average face time they get with their parents... yeah.
I'm so very happy that we can afford to have Rosemary stay home and focus on our children's development and family life. Yeah we have less money. But you know what? When I look at Judah, all those concerns melt away, and I just want to be the very best dad possible.
In just one year, he's learned to walk, talk, run, jump, slide, climb, manipulate, beg, empathize, and lie. So Judah, here's to a new year, with even more exciting developments, and more exciting family fun. I look forward to being the best father I can to you, and enjoying your snuggles and punches.