Anonymous Cryptographic Dissemination

Sent to me today via email....

2009-04-15T11:15:00.001-04:00

In a Seattle Washington college classroom, they were discussing the qualifications to be President of the United States. It was pretty simple the candidate must be a natural born citizen of at least 35 years of age.

However, one girl in the class immediately started in on how unfair was the requirement to be a natural born citizen. In short, her opinion was that this requirement prevented many capable individuals from becoming president. The class was taking it in and letting her rant, but everyone's jaw hit the floor when she wrapped up her argument by stating, 'What makes a natural born citizen any more qualified to lead this country than one born by C-section?'

Yep, these are the 18 year olds that just voted for the President of the United States. These are our future leaders,

I think our asses are in deep trouble.

Ywan... Stretch.... Type....

2009-04-15T09:36:00.002-04:00

Well, well, well... it has been awhile. So whats going gone these days, let's see...

Philly lost a great man yesterday when Harry Kalas passed away. I guess if we're going to go, we should go doing what we love doing. I guess that means someone will find me hunched over in a datacenter somewhere someday.... fabulous. At least the cold air will keep me from stanking up the joint too quickly.

The twins are twins... and they are now starting to get mobile. Life is a constant chase...

Politics... WTF... I went to buy some ammo the other day.. nothing out of the ordinary, just your run of the mill 9mm... $18.50 for 50 rounds! Demand is through the roof on all things second amendment and it shows! I guess there is a bit of fear that the lefties are going to take our guns away and we'll be left with sticks. It's also nice to know that my kids are now starting out life about $32K in the hole. Thanks O, thanks for that. This spending is really out of control. At what point do we worry about inflation, because noone in the administration is talking about that. I guess they wouldn't since they are in CONSTANT campaign mode. you won, get over it. Take a few risks, let the new dog shit on the lawn, and actually let some of the companies fail. It's called life. You can't save everyone; people need to save themselves sometimes.

Life at SG is interesting. Lots of procedure and policy, but none of the European attitude that went with GL. Big cert test in May and then some potential changes...

Oh yeah.. I almost forgot... Yesterday I officially switched from Comca$t to FiO$... GREAT f'n move. What a difference... better picture, better customer service, faster internet, and a lower price. Today is the day I tell Comca$t to go F themselves. I love it.

dusting off the ol' puter...

2009-02-03T15:14:00.003-05:00

So here we go... It has definitely been too long:

We're headed towards socialism - eventually - if this clown can find nominees that don't have tax problems. doesn't ITIL say to do basic background and integrity checks? time to receertify, Obama.

The kitchen... adventures continue. Paint is on the walls, replaced the 30 year old slider with some nice french doors, wall cabinets are hung, the floor it tiled (except for the part I had to rip up last night after seeing grout lines merge where they were not supposed to - it happens). This week we get the template made for the countertop (assumming I finish the base-cabinets installation tonight and tomorrow), and the gas line run for the stove. After that it's simply hooking up the dishwasher, rolling in the new fridge, and tie in the sink. The end is near. Never again will I do a kitchen on my own. I'd rather wath Romo.

Twins... they are little monsters - eating, crapping, pissing little monsters. 6 months old and they have great sleep schedules. Can't ask for more at this point.

Work: What can I say... we continue the integration fiasco (I mean project) with Ball-of-fire-in-the-sky-Gard. It sucks, but at least I'm not reporting to the frenchies anymore. F them and their fries.

Adventures also continue on the employment front... some new might be a brewing... more details on that later.

Project Holiday Remodel

2008-12-22T08:38:00.002-05:00

So things are progressing nicely. All of the new electrical was completed and roughed in by Friday - 7 new circuits to the kitchen replacing good old knob and tube. Saturday was all about drywall - ceiling and walls are done along with the first coat of tape and mud. Progress... today - second coat, Friday - third coat. Weekend I'll tile the floor and put in the high hats. Then we wait for the cabinets to arrive.... tic toc tic toc....

I know.. pictures...

Yet Again...

2008-12-22T08:36:00.002-05:00

Yet agin, the Birds let me down.

Yet again, Fat Andy decides to change the gameplan and not do what works (15 rushing plays? thats all???)

Yet again, McNabb can't come through in the clutch.

Yet again, a pending game against Dallas that could have had great meaning, will most likely mean nothing.

I hope the pending QB controversey takes place in April, and not August.

WTF Was I thinking...

2008-12-08T11:35:00.003-05:00

A Kitchen renovation is huge.. I know. But what I should have known, after being through this before, was that doing a reovation on any room in a 90 year old house is going to get messy. You're also going to find things from previous "projects" including questionable wiring, random brick walls, random old doorways, and of course, a dead critter or two. Good times.

Needless to say that Friday and Saturday were spent not only doing demo, but doing a lot of cleaning up every few hours. The final result is a nice starting point, and a jam packed dumpster. The second dumpster arrives Friday and the demo of the lanudry/bathroom begins - should be much easier and quicker. Then we get to put it all back together again!

Onward

2008-12-05T10:43:00.003-05:00

So today I return... I return a man on a mission - several missions actually. First and foremost is to maneuver through this rediculous job market and find a new home. It's moving along nicely with some potential hits. This is the time of year where business find ways to squeeze money out of their customers for the year end numbers - I understand. See you guys in January I guess.

Secondly, we decided to pull the trigger on a major renovation - the kitchen. Or, should I say our "very Brady kitchen" from the late 60's. Actually, it's the kitchen and the laundryroom/bathroom on the first floor. Why did we decide to start this right before the holidays? What not!? Yes, I'm doing it myself as well. The goal is to get it done by the third week of Feb...

The 20 yd dumpster arrives this afternoon and hammers start swinging first thing tomorrow morning. I'll post some before and after pictures.... maybe... if I get around to it.

Hope all is well with everyone. I should really post more often....

Today I'm sad

2008-11-05T08:21:00.003-05:00

This country, desperately in need of a change, went WAY to far to the left in my opinion.

How the F does a guy like Murtha get re-elected? What a douchbag. Way to go Pittsburgh.

Thank GOD the dems didn't the the 60 seats...

If Monday morning quarterbacking is worth anything, I think McCain was the wrong choice. I was a Rudy fan from the beginning, but that didn't happen. Palin will be around... hopefully polishing up her act a bit before attempting to get back on the stage.

So be it... this is what we have to work with so let's hope for the best. You betchya!

Oh My....

2008-10-27T08:10:00.003-04:00

Just one win away... just one more win and all is right with the world (ok, maybe just this city). What a sports weekend it was... PSU goes into Columbus and pulls off a great win. The Eagles pull off a win, the Phillies win two, and are set to win the World Series. This city might burn... but it will burn with love...

I might head to Cottman and Frankford right after work, and not leave until the last drunken brawl ends. F U Santa Clause... you're yesterday's news. It's time.

Go Phillies!

From a blog....

2008-10-23T09:54:00.001-04:00

"To go into the Orangina SunnyThunderDome ... that stupid bubble, that dumb turf, its monster truck rally lighting, those kickball rules, that Little League World Series camera angle, the "ring your bell if you've been a fan for 15 minutes" crowd ... to go there and stop the buzzsaw the way Hamels, Madson and Lidge did. Unbelievably clutch."

Crazy Dream

2008-10-16T08:19:00.001-04:00

Last night I had this crazy dream that a Philly team actually won a championship...

Weird...

I'm Voting Democrat

2008-10-08T15:00:00.000-04:00

I'm voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I'm voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

I'm voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as THEY see fit.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe three or four pointy headed elitist liberals need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would NEVER get their agendas past the voters.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that when the terrorists don't have to hide from us over there, when they come over here I don't want to have any guns in the house to fight them off with.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 8% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.

Makes ya wonder why anyone would EVER vote Republican, now doesn't it?

Are You Kidding Me?

2008-10-02T10:11:00.002-04:00

First.. I am against this baliout. Let the poorly run businesses crumble and let the little guy pick up the pieces. It's going to hurt, but it's the way things should work. You fail? You failed on your own. You succeed? You succeeded with hard work.

but, what happened to the notion of voting for something because it might help the country? Why is it that what started out as a three page "solution" turned into a 460 page role of TP loaded with MORE earmarks that are going to cost MORE money? WTF are these people doing? How about standing on principal - for once in your phucking live - rather than standing on the idea of "whats in it for me". A$$$Holes... every one of them. Time to hit the reset button.

http://www.bucknuts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31950

Part Two....

2008-09-30T07:57:00.002-04:00

So Saturday came and went. Comcast arrived, two cablecards in hand, and they were activated within 15 minutes. I know... surprising.

HOWEVER... Once things were setup and ready to go, I found myself in a battle with Dell. HEre's the deal:

HDTV Recording is only available on OEM machines that are "certified" for use by CableLabs (douchbags). The XPS 420 is one of those machines. What Dell doesn't tell anyone, and what apparently nobody inside Dell really knoes, is that the OCUR capability ((or on/off switch) Google it) is disabled on machines that are ordered through a partner channel, or business account. Consumer machines have it enabled.

Yes.. the same exact hardware configuration gets two different BIOS images based on how the machine is ordered. The second part is the Vista Ultimate COA is also different for Digital Cable machines. So I basically needed a new bios, and a little sticker with a number on it. What does Dell do? The set up a full system return, reprocess the order, and now the new machine is again in the queue to be delivered in about a week.

Can you just email me the correct BIOS image, and mail me the additional COA key? No. Apparently not. That would be too easy.

Idiots. This seems to be a clear cut case of wasting money and resources... maybe someone should point this out to the guys who created ITIL, Six Sigma, or some other BS set of processes... I think Dell needs to Ideate on this one a bit longer.

Comca$t and my adventure...

2008-09-26T10:34:00.002-04:00

So my XPS 420 arrived complete with the dual ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable adapters. vista Media Center recognized the right away. Basic cable channels all came in right away as well. So far so good. All I need to do now is call Comcast and find out when I can pick up the two cablecards, right? Wrong.

"Hi.. I just want to know what time the office closes... I need to swing buy and pick up two cable cards."

"Cable Cards? For what?"

"For my windows Media Center PC... I need two cable cards for the digital tuners."

"Oh... you need to buy those cards from your PC supplier.. we don't sell tv cards. We only supply the cards for a TV that can accept them..."

"Stop... Listen to me. I need two CableCards.. the credit card things that you are talking about... they work in the PC as well."

"Sir... you need to buy them from a computer store. We don't...."

"Shut your pie hole and listen to me... I don't need TV Tuner cards. I need the CableCards... the same ones you are talking about for TV's also work in PC's with the appropriate equipment. Just assume I already have the tuner in the PC and all I need is the card... the little credit card thing that you are telling me about."

"I"m going to transfer you to my supervisor. He worked in that department and knows that you need to buy them from a computer store."

"Hello Sir.. this is xxxx... 'dumbphuck's' supervisor. You need to buy the tuner card from a computer store...."

"Sir... I don't think you understand me. The TV cards that you give out are the same ones I need...."

"Sir, they won't work in a PC... you need a TV tuner..."

"Dumbass STFU and listen to me. I already have the tuners. These tuners accept CableCards. Do you understand that?"

"You don't need to swear at me Sir.... You say you have tuners cards and they take cablecards? Really? I didn't know that existed. Are you sure?"

"If you have access to a computer... look up this URL...."

I pointed him to ATI's site for the TV Wonder Digital Cable tuner...

"Oh I get it now... You need to schedule a tech to come out to install it for you."

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're send a truck out to my house to deliver two credit card sized devices, and call in the numbers on them?"

"Yes... at a $20 dollar charge for the trip."

So I set up the appointment... Saturday between 11 and 1. We'll see what genius has to come out for this one. More to come, I"m sure....

Let 'em Fall

2008-09-25T13:43:00.003-04:00

Seriously... why are my tax dollars going to help bail out the idiots? They took a risk, they failed, let the little guy come and mop up the mess... Capitalism!

The latest load of crap we're being fed is that the govt. is now basically buying the pools of risky loans (most of which have not defaulted yet - they are just risky) and manage/hold them until their vaules increase - thereby making money on the deal.

-Tax payers' money used to buy the pool of risky loans.
-Risky loans eventually make money.
-Tax payers' get a check for the profit made?

OR...

-Tax payers' money used to buy the pool of risky loans.
-Risky loans eventually make money.
-Government spends "profit" on more government programs, increasing the size of government, cost of government, etc, etc... Socialism grows.

I wish our government had a RESET button... all of these clowns need to walk. ALL of them. Douchbags.

Tech Monopolies

2008-09-23T07:25:00.002-04:00

Ok.. I get it.. I think. M$ has such problems with releasing new software (or even new features of existing software) that bugs are a way of life - almost expected. So they want to be careful... right? Case in point is this new TV Pack for Windows Media Center. They're being so cautious that they're only making it available to OEM's. What?

Part two... ATI FINALLY comes out with the TV Wonder CableCard device allowing you to get high def programming using a cablecard on your Media Center PC. Sweet! Only problem? It's only available through OEM's... on "certified hardware." What???

Yes folks, this is DRM for your TV programming. Microsoft software, and the long-awaited ATI hardware, is only availble if you purchase a new machine from one of the big OEM's that have a bundled (or certified) set of hardware and software on it. It's kid of BS because anyone who builds their own PC - using the same 0r even better hardware, can not get this ATI device. Monopoly anyone?

I think I found a loophole though... I ordered a sweet new rig - XPS 420 with Dual ATI tuners a few days ago... but I called them back and said "If I want to order a third tuner, can I do that?" They said "No, that device is only available with a new machine"

Oh yeah?

"I was messing around a broke my tuner... I dont think it's covered under warranty since I hit it with a hammer. Can I buy a replacement one?"

"Oh, well then Yes!"

Ebay here I come...

This Week In Sports....

2008-09-19T08:18:00.003-04:00

So this week we have PSU taking on a Temple football squad that looks less like the high school team of years past, and actually resemble a div 1AAA team. Go Owls! But, we'll still have to beat the living snot out of you one national television. Check out the Quezreport for the skinny on the Lions...

http://www.quezreport.com

the Phightin' Phils remain up a half game on the douchbags from NY... Gotta love that.

The Birds... Who knows... what a great f'n game on Monday night against the douchbags from Texas... this week it's the douchbags from Steel town... Shitty beer and all. Definitely a tough game this week. Birds by 6.

Other than that, it's just SSDD... just less sleep than I would like. but hey, their little miracles, right? I"ll just keep telling myself that as these little miracles continue to piss on me just as the diaper comes off.... Thanks kids, thanks...

New Tech Toy

2008-09-09T20:29:00.004-04:00

So it's been awhile since I posted about tech... mostly because I haven't had time to play. But this past weekend I picked up a new rig - Dell Precision M4400, 4GB, 512MB Video, big battery, Vista Business x64. What a fantastic machine.

The software... my first Vista experience was a quick purchase when it first came out - installed it on my home gaming rig. It was a pig to boot, but eventually (after SP1, etc) ran like a well-hung racehorse. I ran Vista on a Dell D620 and 630 for awhile... sucked. I had 2GB on both machines and they were a dog. Both were downgraded back to XP. Now this new rig is FINALLY showing me what Vista was supposed to be when it was released. The extra memory, faster hard drive, and no doubt extremely capable video card let me crank out the emails, diagrams, documentation, and Call of Duty 4 frags all on the same portable box. Finally...

It's no mac-book, but then again, I'm not gay. It's black, it runs hot, and needs a 130 watt power supply - Definitely a right wing nutjob machine. Props to Dell for finally putting out a (relatively) affordable desktop-replacement laptop with great multimedia capability. Props to Microsoft for finally getting it right on the OS (2 years late... dicks...)

Sports...

2008-09-08T10:28:00.002-04:00

Well a great weekend for SE PA sports fans... PSU wins big. The BIRDS win big. The Phils split the series... which basically means nothing - it's a wash. I won both of my fantasy games this week (Nope, I didnt have Brady in either).

So a few things... Sleep isyet to be found. the twins eat - constantly - every 2 to 2.5 hours. So that sucks. I should look like a racoon by now given all of the sleep I am missing, but I don't - yet.

Upcoming: F U Marlins! F U Big D!

Also a good chat with CB - my southern, turned northern, turned southern again techno friend. Too bad he doesn't get it politically! :-)

Two quick things...

2008-09-03T08:17:00.001-04:00

Who is "PINKELEPHANT" - I have that repost article you wanted, but I dont know who you are... my bad.

Second...

http://www.waziristantouristsfortruth.com

Quick Hits

2008-08-25T10:48:00.002-04:00

So the critter guy came... the attic is fine. The bat got in through a gap in one of the old windows (Notes... all of our windows are the "old" ones - wood with crooked storm windows). So now we have window contractors coming to give estimates - another project.

The twins are home finally. The came home on Thursday, and let me tell you, sleep is a thing of the past. Trying to get these twon on the same schedule is like trying to like Nascar. No matter how hard I try, it just gets more painful. (Thats for you, CB!)

The side business has been growing nicely as well... hopefully soon, I can be "the man" and tell my curren "man" to stick it up his french a$$. So ready for self-employment....

And FB, if you happen to read this, and if you happen to get the latest blast from MAS, did you notice the name in there?

What are the odds????

2008-08-20T08:23:00.003-04:00

So here is the story - keep in mind that the two new additions have not yet come home from the hospital - today or tomorrow.

Monday morning I get up to get ready for work... I hear nothing out of the ordinary - the dog is snoring, but thats about it. I get in the shower, I get out of the shower. I get dressed and hear some noise - some high pitched squeeking, and some general banter. I go out to the hallway and what do I see? I see an injured bat flopping around and both of my cats tormenting the thing. If it moves, it gets slapped with paws of lightening. So, I grab a piece of cardboard, squash the bat on the floor (not enough to make it go splat) and scoop it into a brown box for the trash. Game over, right? Not even close.

I head into work and call my vet. I say "We had a bat... I want to make sure my dog and cats are up to date on the shots". The dog is good... the cats - nope. Shit. "Ok.. so I don't think they were bit, but what do you recommend?" "Call the Health Department and get the cats in for a booster shot asap."

So I call the Health Department and immediately they ask me where the bat is, was anyone bitten, where were we in the house, etc, etc. None of out bedroom doors were closed 100% so according to the PA Dept and Health, we were all "possibly exposed" to this bat and it should be tested. After telling them it in my trashcan and they are welcome to it, they send a courier over to pick it up.

Fast forward to Tues morning and the cell phone rings... "blah blah words word... positive for rabies..." WTF???? Ok... so now what. I really think that if I was bitten, or my wife or my son, we would have known, right? "Not necessarily.... you should go to the ER and get a rabies vaccine immediately. You should also call your vet to discuss "options" for the two cats.... WTF!

Fast forward again to Tuesday evening... me, my wife and our 2.5 year old son sit for three hours in the ER until the docs go through the riggermarole with the state health department... the end result? a lot of shots over the next 4 weeks. Apparently the shots are based on weight - so I got 5 last night, three for the wife and two for the little guy. My ass hurts. Now we all get to go back 4 more times over the next 3 or 4 weeks for a single shot each time.

Did I mention the new pair are supposed to come home today or tomorrow?

Today's assignments? Call the local critter folks to "bat proof" my atic. Get the cats in for their check and shots... f'n bats...

My ass hurts...

What D.R. Plan?

2008-08-14T10:18:00.002-04:00

So if you take a look at our former next-door neighbor, you would see we had a bit of a scare yesterday (and continuing to today).

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6325577

The only thing that saved our building was the wind. It blew the other direction destroying a few hundred apartments instead of our direction, destroying several businesses.

I know.. it's a right-wing conspiracy destroying the small folks homes, rather than corporate establishments.

It's amazing how quiet things get when the datacenter goes dark... 1 hour of battery backup for that room just isn't enough I guess...

Early Arrivals

2008-08-08T16:39:00.002-04:00

Well.. so much for house projects. At 33 weeks on the nose, we had a emergency C. James Reagan and Ella Rose are now part of the world - at least the Nic U. Mommy and babies are doing well and recovering. It's going to be a few weeks before they come home, so that wait will suck. Such is life... better safe than sorry.

In other news, the transition from Middle East oil to Russian Natural Gas has been completed with the new furnace for the house heat. No more dealing with oil deliveries. Oil tank under the driveway? What oil tank? Prove it.
Also, the first floor SpacePak is installed and running... All I can say is SWEET and GOODBYE to the window units. HV A/C is the bomb... greatest home improvement move ever. Wait... it's only going up to 81 tomorrow... Shit.

Another Aquisition...

2008-08-01T10:54:00.002-04:00

So here we go again... more than two years ago I came into this place knowing the we were being aquired - actually worked out very well. Now, we find out that it's happeneing again... A company, known to all 7 people who read this blog, who we'll call "Flaming Ball of Fire in the Sky-Gard" is now aquiring us.. or at least 65% of us in the next 30 to 60 days. The reset probably some time in Q1 of 09. Not sure what this means because FireGARD Co. tends to be in the business of global datacenters and consolidation... However, they also tend to act like a portfolio company - letting all of it's minion companies compete and make money. We'll see. If nothing else, it would be nice to answer to folks in English rather than Fren-Glish.

So.. anyone hiring?

And then he returned...

2008-06-30T16:24:00.002-04:00

So what the hell. After a stink in the hospital, house projects, a quick vacation, a few deaths, and a quick run-in with the Phillies, life seems to be returning to normal - or as normal as it can get.

What to say other than it sucks when life catches up with you and beats the living snot out of your body. Over this past month, I learned one very important lesson - I am not invincible. The other important lesson? Don't wear your wedding ring in the ocean when playing ball... it gets lost - fast.

So how the hell is everyone? I hope your summer is a bit better than mine. The two paragraphs above are simple a touch of the 75 stories that I could go into but won't right now. Anyway.. drink and be merry... more blogging to come.

LET'S GO FLYERS!!!!

2008-05-01T10:12:00.000-04:00

"When things are going good, people want to give you flowers. When things are going bad, heads up. The vase is coming."

- Martin Biron

Quickie....

2008-04-21T15:50:00.001-04:00

It's one of each... one boy and one girl. Both seem healthy at the 18 week mark.... on to summer...

It's Only One Game

2008-04-01T09:38:00.002-04:00

But WHY do the Phillies continue to hold onto Trash Gordan? Why? Sometimes, I wish he would step in front of a Septa bus...

Working from Home Once Again

2008-03-25T09:39:00.003-04:00

In my current adventures, I tend to get directly involved in all tech - Domino, Cisco, Sun, and even phones. I was determined to return to the days of Duffco and build an infrastructure that actually made it as easy to work from home as when I"m in the office. Several projects began about a year ago bringing applications and contect to the far reaches of the internet without having to sit in a cube in PA. The wonders of VPN's, virtual desktops, and Sametime collaboration were now a reality. Go me. (Correction: It wasn't technically easy to work from home at Duffco, it was only easy to "work from home" at Duffco.

Now it was time for the phones... VoIP baby. I spent most of December 06 upgrading and moving out corporate phone system to the new datacenter. During the procurement process, I pushed and pushed for the IPT cards of the Toshiba system...

"But why? Why do we need IP phones? Everyone is in the office." cried the old managers.

Now, the fruit of my arguments (and hidden purchases) are finally showing. About a half dozen managers now have the ability to sit at home and work comfortably with their office extension right next to them. A few sales guys (road warriors) also have the softphones on the laptops... Local extensions with them at all times and no more expensing home phone bills. All is right with the world.

Flashback and Nostalgia

2008-03-25T09:29:00.004-04:00

So it's Friday night and I get a text message from the Big Ragu:

"we're picking you up at noon tomorrow"
"who? and where are we going?"
"Me, my brother, and B-Mac... Star Wars Convention at the Franklin Institute"
"Umm.... ok"

Now far be it from me to not enjoy the classics - right now as I blog I am listening to a playlist containing most of Cindella's Long Cold Winter. But a Star Wars convention? Ok... I'll go.

Every stereotypical image you have is true - the teens who dont bathe, the adults who dress up in gear so realistic you would think you were "in the movie", the milfs who are with them, and then there was us... sticking out like sore thumbs... like a bunch of white guys hanging out at an Al Sharpton speech we trecked araound this place checking out the toys, gadgets and "tech" that went into the world of Star Wars. It was interesting to say the least.. and since it was free, I figure why not?

We were there by 1:00, and at the bar by 1:45; home at 4 with a nice buzz and one thing I can check off of my death list - attend a Star Wars convention.

Bring on the.... performance? Part 2....

2008-03-25T09:23:00.002-04:00

Ok...

So this second post is about three days late, but never the less, I was surprised. After almost two hours of updating and rebooting, I had a machine that actually performed like I had expected it too when Vi$ta first came out (if I believed the hype. I'm no Micro$oft pusher... far from it. But I must admit I am impressed. Vista's SP1 didnt really add any new functionality that I was looking for, but the performance improvements across the board are noticable and welcome. Now if M$ would have released it's fluffiest of OS's in THIS form, I think the fanfare would have been warranted.

And yes... I took the next step and upgraded two of my "techy" users in GL-Co. They are a bit confused, but everything works - well. Odd.

Bring on the pain.... Part 1

2008-03-19T09:01:00.004-04:00

So this morning I decided to download and install SP1 for Vi$ta on my work laptop. Do I have nothing better to do today? No. But Every time some new whizzbang article comes out about Vista, Mr. CEO and company keep hinting that "they should upgrade to Vista one of these days." No, you shouldn't. Don't touch anything. Notes, Office, and your web browser will not benefit from the fluffy resource-hog of an operating system.

So here starts my journey through the presumed hell that is the installation. Lets start with forgetting the fact that it took about 60 days to really get my machine back to the way it was supposed to be running with all of my apps and tools under XP when I initially installed this pig. I've had it for a year now and have been doing ok after the initial beatdown. Apps that run well include Notes 8, putty, HP Data Protector, Firefox (2.x and Beta 3), Office Pro 2003 and 2007, iTunes, McAfee, Xming, Sun Identity Manager, Cisco VPN client 5.0.00.0340, RealVNC, Blackberry Desktop Manager. These are my main items for work. The home beast also runs Vista, but is strictly used for blowing shit up after a hard days work. It's a gaming rig and nothing more.

So the SP1 upgrade has been going for about 20 minutes now... according to the window, "The installation might take an hour or more". Interesting. It should read:

"We are changing so much shit on your PC that it's going be be awhile before you can even think about be productive today. Fixing all of the crap in our bloated OS really takes a long time!"

Let's have a look at my system resources during this "patch" process...

Ok... so theres really nothing wrong with using more than 80% of the cpu and 2GB of memory to perform an update., right? Oh wait... I almost forgot the 847 MB of swap being used. WTF?

I know I know... I'm blogging while this is happening. That must be it.

Here's hoping I have a running machine when this is all over.

A cheat is a cheat

2008-02-22T11:50:00.002-05:00

Pete Rose... banned from baseball for cheating, betting, whatever.

Why is Coach Bill Belichick not banned? If he was a losing coach would be have been banned from the league? Probably. Money talks....

Snow and such

2008-02-22T09:24:00.004-05:00

a few inches of snow finally fell over night... and the office is open. So here I sit, blogging away in the office while most of my co-workers either called out or decided to just com in hours later. All is well.. I got here in no time and have nobody bugging me so I can actually get some work done.

Picked up a new ride this week in preparation for the twins. We're now the proud owners of a GMC Acadia.. black on black with all the bells and whistles. The AWD is nice too.

Also I just read on Drudge that the Secret Service told the Dallas PD to stop searching people for weapons as they entered an Obama ralley yesterday. Not that he's my man or anything, but WTF are they thinking? Conspiracy Theorists of the world, unite!

Viewing Pleasure

2008-02-20T09:36:00.002-05:00

Who needs BluRay when you can go out and buy 4K technology? F that, I want hi-res 3-d holographics walking around my lving room. I figure all I have to do is buy BluRay, wait two years, but 4K, wait two years, then sell my old "antique" LaserDic player and Commodore64 for some cash and buy my 4K equipment!

Seriously, I'm glad I waited until this fight was over, but how long will BluRay last? 5 years? And will 4K be backward compatible? Probably not... a-holes.

I'm going to start a new format... it's called InfiniRes. Yes... no limit on resolution because it's real life. You want to watch boxing in InfiniRes? Great! I'll come to your house and beat the shit out of you in living color. You want to watch "DieHard part32: Still Kicking"? Great! I'll bring my G23 over and shoot up your house in several live action scenes. No need for players, speakers, wiring, or anything else!

Now back to reality... I'll be buying my BR player in the next week or so... probably a PS3...

Quickie....

2008-02-13T09:28:00.002-05:00

Again - more Snowrain. I hate this stuff.

The feti are doing well... getting ready to prep a dual-nursery and spend lots of cash on twice as much crap.

Work is, well, work.... the good thing about the summer? I'll be spending it doing "security" work in the Diamond Club. For all the Phillies fans out there... I"ll see you at the ballpark bitches!

And for Mr. F.B.... drop me an email. I tried to send one through your blog, but there is no contact info. I"m at:

FirstInitialLastName at Com....net

Gotta Love Youtube

2008-02-06T08:29:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2triiYXSY8

Kids....

2008-01-31T10:32:00.000-05:00

Well... there really isn't anything more to say.... Twins... yes Twins... two hearbeats this morning... I'm f'd. This is going to be two girls, I just know it...

Snowrain

2008-01-17T21:42:00.000-05:00

Well, happy new year, and all of that crap. The new year. What is it really? Merely another way for Big Calendar to force you to upgrade to the new version of their tree-killing products. I wonder who's campaign Big Calendar has a grip on this election cycle.... perhaps McCain... Big Calendar must be telling him "Too Old? No Way! Look at how many years you have left to do some good as a Lib... I mean Conservative!"

Anyway, today we had our first Snowrain of the year. Yes, snowrain. It's that big fluffy snow that falls out of the sky around lunch time and builds up just in time for the commute home. Every jackass with a license now thinks he's either 1) A stunt driver able to handle anything, or 2)A Pussy that must drive 3mph the whole ride home. But I digress... Snowrain. Once home, and finally eating my (now cold) dinner, the Snowrain turns into a mushy sloppy mix as it melts away. Before bed time, it's gone. Tomorrow morning, I"ll be driving to work on dry roads. F'n snowrain...

Work on the stang continues at a slow pace. Almost a stop. No, not because of the weather, but because I broke my clutch cable. The car's almost 20 so I guess it is time for a new one. It's actually a $100 kit that should take about an hour or so to replace... Such is life when you shift gears like a mad man...

From SVT 3:16:
"And the dynos rumbled, and God spoke 'Take thine camshaft and heads upgrade, install it upon thine car, and own the many ricers!' And thus Mustang, son-of-Ford, begat of the Carroll and the Shelby began his reign in the rear-wheel-drive world. And God looked down upon it and saw it was all that and a bag of chips."

Why? Why do I bother?

2007-11-26T09:26:00.000-05:00

Why do I even bother to watch my beloved/hated Birds? Why, when I know that at the end of the day, disappointment and "almostness" (my new word) are going to prevail? Why is it that when the spread is a ridiculous 24 points, do I even consider the fact that maybe, just maybe, the Green can pull one off?

Because I am a Philadelphia sports fan, thats why. Another game, another disappointment.

If nothing else, last night's game against the Pats proved a couple of things. There is now yet another QB controversy in Philly. But, it's not about McNabb vs Feeley, it's about McNabb - and anyone else. Has we in this town become so expectant of mediocrity that a mediocre QB such as McNabb gives the impression of being a top notch superstar? Should we just cut-bait and bench this "never was" for the Feeley/Kolb duo? If nothing else, we get more mediocrity - but a fresh face to the game.

Oh Well.... Let's Go Fly-Ers!!!!!

Whaaaaat?

2007-11-19T09:19:00.000-05:00

In our last house, and also in this new (old) house, we start the fall/winter seasons with headcolds. I think we can thank the laws of physics - radiator heat has a tendancy to dry the crap out of the air in your home - but it's so nice and toasty! Once you adjust, you're fine for the rest of the heating season.

So last night at 9:45 PM I need to run out to the local Acme - I need nothing more than Tylenol Flu, bananas, and milk.... a simple quick list of items. I'm dressed like a bum, and really have no desire to talk to anyone. I'm in the store about 2 minutes and get to the register - a nice express lane with a lady holding 16 items instead of the posted 15. Whatever.

My stuff is scanned, I get ready to pay, and everything comes to a halt: "Do you have your Acme card?" "No." I reply with cashing waving in her face. "Would you like to fill out this form and sign up? It only takes a minute and you will save 30 cents on this purchase alone...." "No. I just want to pay and go home.. maybe some other time." "OK Sir, but you will save money and...."

At this point, I have a flash of several ideas. I could duct tape her mouth shut and hand her the money - maybe even just leave a 10 on the counter and leave.... keep the change just so I can get out of there. I could interrupt her and tell her that No means No in many more ways than just the sexual way...

I finally said "I'm sorry, but I can't read. So that form you're asking me to fill out would just cause more problems. Can I just pay and leave?"

She turned bright red and just gave me my change.... bye bye.

Pant Suits and nice hair...

2007-11-16T08:48:00.001-05:00

So last night was a Dem debate.... Zzzzzz.... Same shit. Obama looked good - for a lib. Hil won't ngive straight aswers, Dennis Kucinich sounded like an idiot, Edwards had nice hair, and then there were some other guys... Looks like it's going to be Hil or Obama.

Now, how a lefty can vote for that witch when a guy like Obama is up there is beyond me, but many of you will. It's not going to matter though, cause RUDY will be the president. The man with a plan.... and a ton of notches on his bedpost!

RUUUUUU DEEEEEEE !!!!
RUUUUUU DEEEEEEE !!!!
RUUUUUU DEEEEEEE !!!!
RUUUUUU DEEEEEEE !!!!
RUUUUUU DEEEEEEE !!!!

CALs

2007-11-14T08:49:00.001-05:00

What a great scam... sell server software, then sell individual rights to "access" said software. Finally, develop 10 other pieces of "Server Software" and sell individual licenses to access each of those - even though they all run on the underlying original OS....

F U Bill...

Nastyness

2007-11-14T08:46:00.000-05:00

Two things that almost made me vomit over the last two days:

1) Two Girls, One Cup.... google it, but beware...

2) The new Dunkin Donuts Gingerbread Latte... What an awful creation. someone should be fired for this one... dirka dirka...

Holy Shit!

2007-10-02T16:00:00.000-04:00

What a crazy past few days....

The Phillies won their division!

Duffco got sold! (Not really a surprise)

Penn State blew their load! The season is now meaningless...

The Eagles blew yet another opportunity to win - McNabb is NOT looking good.

BZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-09-17T10:42:00.000-04:00

F'n nature...

This weekend was my first opportunity to do some primping of the outside of my new place - mow the lawn, trim some hedges, etc. All the while I had some of my new neighbors walking by and saying hello, welcome to the area, etc, etc. It was very much like a scene from Leave it to Beaver.

So there I am, ready to start trimming some evergreens. The trimmer goes on, I trim a few branches, and what happens? about a hundred angry bees come flying out of the bush and swarm me. "Fuck!" I yelled. (At this point all of the neighbors probably rescinded their welcomes to me) It turns out I had about 12 or 13 stings from these angry little monsters - and all of the symptoms that go with it. A few anti-hystomines and a sandwich later, things were better. I still have the welts all over me this morning, but the pain is gone. Little fuckers.

Settled.... and Tired....

2007-09-10T10:56:00.000-04:00

Whew... moving SUCKS... I NEVER want to do that again; unless, of course, I get a great paying gig like some people I know (cough! cough! CB! cough Dallas Sucks! cough!) Then maybe I would consider it.

But seriously... what a debacle. It took us 1 week to pack everything up, and looks like it will take us 1 year to unpack. F that. But we're in and settled. The dog has a new lawn to crap on, and I have some new projects to start.

And how 'bout dem Lions! Go suck a fat one, Notre Dame. Granted, your team blows this year and is certainly nothing more than a shadow of last year's team, but who cares. It's time to gloat. WE ARE!!!!! PENN STATE!!!!!

Eagles... WTF?!?!?!?! Catch the F'n punts!!!! Oh wait, thats right, we put two returners in the game who don't even return punts. Great move ANDY you fat prick! How do you lose to a team as terrible as the GB Packers???? Brett "I"m Old" Favvveraa

September - Finally!

2007-09-05T10:23:00.000-04:00

Ok, so now that labor day is over, two things are official:

First, it's no longer respectable to wear white pants.

Second, College football season has started!

I must say, being a PSU alumni, that the first game looked fantastic. Although The opponent was a lack-luster almost community-college team from Florida, the Lions looked great. Morelli needs to hold things together throughout the season and a BCS bid is a real possibility. I know - it's only week 1 - but here's hoping.

Mighigan - WTF? You lost to a 1AA team and made the Big10 look SO weak! This is why you guys should just stick to making cars and stay out of the way... WTF....

Moving tomorrow, settle on the old place on Friday. A busy week, but things panned out. Finally....

Worky Work ! Busy Bee! Randomness....

2007-08-22T08:39:00.000-04:00

So things have gone from a stop, to a chaotic scramble. The good news is that the current house sold, and we already closed on the new place as of a week ago. That was supposed to give us about 3 weeks of working in the new place before we moved in. There was also an additional two weeks before we had to settle on the current place. Nice and relaxing, right? No. It turns out that the overzealous buyers of our current place want to settle the day after we move out.... meaning the few projects that had to be completed, now must be done in the next couple of weeks. F'ers. At least it sold and we made some nice cash on the place. In this market, I think we should be thankful that it sold at all. At the time of this writing, there are a total of 5 houses for sale on my street - 3 on my block alone. Talk about competition. Oh well.... we sold. See ya!

And it's been in the 50's at night - 70's by day - for that past few days here in the city of brotherly love-to-shoot-you. Global Warming? Not here.

Oh yeah... wallpaper sucks. Removing it sucks. And the lazy people out there who decide to paint over wallpaper? F you!

Oldness: The "new" place is really 86 years old - but built like a fort. The only problem so far (other than the overgrown landscaping) is that they NEVER had cable service in the house. Do you know what it's like trying to have a union worker come out to the house to run a new line from the pole to my house? I mean wtf, it's $20 worth of cable and I'm going to be paying you guys cash each month.... run the F'n line! Union rules state that new service can only be setup after 13 union breaks, 27 pieces of paperwork are filled out, and 19 phone calls are made asking why nobody came out to "survey" the area - "Yup... there's no line. you need one. I'll have to submit a work order... that could take a couple of weeks." WTF?!?!?!

Hello, DirecTV? Yeah, about your moving package....

Home Sweet Home....

2007-07-12T14:14:00.000-04:00

No not the Motely Crue song - although that IS a classic hairband ballad.

We finally found a place, AND had it inspected, AND worked out some final details. With a settlement date on 8/16, it appears that the only thing left to do is sell the current residence. This weekend's open house should help the cause - hopefully.

The new place isn't exactly new. Its an 85 year old brick colonial in a very quiet neighborhood. It needs some updating, but no repairs (unlike our current place when we moved in). The good thing is that its huge - 4000+sq feet. Not that I NEED that much space, or was even looking for that much space, but having it can't hurt. We really lucked out. The woman was elderly, and had already moved in with her one daughter in another part of the country. She just wanted to sell the house and collect the cash. So we did what any self-respecting republican would do. We offered her 55K under the asking price. Done deal!

At least now I can have some people over for a true poker tourney instead of a small game. Now to figure out the new budget.....

Bye Bye Vernon!!!

2007-06-29T10:18:00.000-04:00

HAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!! HAAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!

It's about time.

Good luck to those remaining. Your luck has changed!

The Curse Continues

2007-06-20T14:40:00.001-04:00

Not that I'm very optimistic these days, but just so you all are aware:

The Curse

The Man

2007-06-20T14:21:00.000-04:00

So here we are, in the middle of one of the most aweful processes this country has to offer - selling and buying a home. I hurt from just thinking about it.

The process started out ok - clean the place up and finish any projects that were winding down. The latter eing a new concept for us since we've been in constant "project mode" since we bought the place 4 years ago. Step two - meet with our realtor, sign some disclosure forms, and wait to have the one picture taken of the fron of the house by the local company we will refer to as "trend-co". Trend Co send out some baffoon make a few bucks an hour to take a picture of our house - just the front of it. What does he do? He takes a picture of my neighbor's house two doors up - that is also for sale but with a different realestate company. Thanks.

No problem - I send them a different picture the next day and they upload it that afternoon. For the next 5 days, I look online at Trend Co's site, as well as other realestate site - none of which have the correct picture. A few phone calls later and Trend Co tells be it takes time for the picture to get from their internal servers to the web servers. What? Are they walking to the we servers? Are they waiting for a bus? Fix my phucking picture you dumb POS!

This goes on for another coupld of days - the house now on the market 11 days and finally the correct picture is propogated through all of the little systems. I hate technology.

On the buying side, it still sucks as well. We found a nice place out in the sticks of this fine city. We place a bid a bit under asking and the seller accepts. All is well. Then comes the appraisal. This is where tings start to suck again. 40K under the price we bid - 50K under sticker. "WTF?" Exclains both realtors involved. "WTF?" Exclains me. Long story made short - the seller - in this piss-poor housing market - over improves his house for the area. We offer him 20K over the appraisal. He cries and says no. We walk away in search of a better seller.

I find out a few days ago that the appraiser and the seller's agent used to work together. They didnt get along well and apparently had some sort of falling out. Now they meeet up again for the first time in two years to apprais my possible future home. What kind of luck do I have?

So after several weeks of BS, I am back to square one. Ah well... such is life.

WTF?

2007-06-11T08:08:00.000-04:00

After 9 f'n years of watching the show, this is what I left with? Another artsy-fartsy ending making me think? The Sopranos is nothing more than a mob flick extending over alomst a decade. The least they could have done was made the final episode resemble such. Give me a mob war, a shootout on the street, an innocent bystander getting caught in the crossfire - something to quell my mob fix. No... they had to go out with some lame ending - again. F this show. I'll have to get by with my DVD's of Goodfellas, Casino, and The Godfather.

Back in Black

2007-05-08T10:36:00.000-04:00

Wow... it certainly has been awhile since I posted anything. In some waysm it's a good thing. I get to summarize months worth of events in one posting. The downside is that I have to sit here and try to remember it all.... such is life.

To start off, the past 4 months have been crazy. Here is the summary: Two miscarriages, house for sale, find a new house, bought a car, drank some wine, heading to vacation, politics, politics, and more politics...

Yes - two of them - in the last 4 months. No, we're not rabbits. The second one was not planned, but it was also a blessing - that is until it all went wrong last week. For some reason, the 8th week has sucked. But enough of that...

The house is going up for sale this week. I have spent the last 6 weeks prepping, repairing, painting, etc. It's not fun becuase it's all work that I would normally do at my own pace. The latest project is completing the concrete floor in the basement. It needed a nice inch or two coat of sanded concrete. Easy enough except for the fact that I had to pick up and mix all of the bags by hand. F this ever again.... I'm almost done though..

In the mean time, we're also in the process of finding a new place. The housing market in this area is rediculous. We're definitely fans of the 100 year old houses - character, big materials, last forever (if maintained), etc, etc. The problem we're seeing is that some of the 100 year old houses around here have not been updated in 50 years. It's as if Mrs. Brady is cooking dinner for the Bunch each night. WTF... And you want how much 600K for this POS? No thanks. So yes we ventured into the new construction arena as well.... but taxes are insane - 7K to 8K for starters and up from there.

I picked up a classic (to some) - a 1989 Mustang 5.0. 5-speed. This is my 4th ford 302 in the last 10 years or so... I've had a ball with them and should continue the tradition with this addition to the stable. Although the tired pony needs some TLC work, the overall condition is very good - all original except for the exhaust. Plans are to drop in a new longblock - most likey a 347 stroker straight from Ford Racing. More to come on this adventure. I think it's on hold until the house situation is resolved.

I also ran into the old Duffco crew at the latest wine-making extravaganza - always a good time. It seems as though things still are not changing for the better over there. More good people found their way out of that hole. There really isn't much to compare it to other than this:

My dog shits in the yard - I clean it up. If I were to just take his pile of shit, and move it to another area of the yard - it's still just a pile of shit. Clean up the shit - don't shuffle the shit around. Not only will the yard look better, but you will actually have some usable space to enjoy!

New Year, New Season, New Hope?

2007-01-02T09:02:00.000-05:00

Few things bring as much euphemistic joy to a native Philadelphian than a home team in the post-season. Yes kids, the Birds are in the playoffs!!!

And to make it that much sweeter, we won the NFC east. I know, the NFC east is a roller coaster of a conference this year, but still, to win 5 straight games with a backup QB is pretty impressive.

And how can I forget to mention that Dallas (sucks) and NY both took headers in the second half of the season this year! HAHA!!!! I guess things don't always work out the way you think they are going to! T.O. Who? Hey Shockey, cut that mullett!

And so the new year is here with a renewed hope - the Eagles bandwagon is moving along with a rather large crowd on board these days. I must admit that I left them for dead after McNabb went down - but who didn't? All I can do now is sit back and enjoy the ride.

Dallas STILL Sucks!!!

Turkey Day!

2006-11-22T12:42:00.000-05:00

In my opinion, Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year. Football, Turkey, Beer, Turkey, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, etc, etc, etc.... Good times, good people. And this year, I'm having it at my house so I get to pick the beers, as well as the games. Plus, I don't have to drive anywhere afterward!

This year, I'll be deep-frying my turkey in 2 gallons of peanut-oil. If you have never had deep-fried turkey, go to any football game and look for it. It's the best turkey around. Last night we picked up Tom - a modest 16 pounder. He got his bath and has ben injected with various spices. Today I'll pick up the oil. Tomorrow - the eary part. Heat oil to 350 and cook for 48 minutes - 3 minutes per pound. Easy stuff.

I get to sleep in on Friday while thie wifey goes after the pre-dawn deals. F That. An afternoon of poker - again at my place - is the perfect "leftovers" activity.

Have a great Thanksgiving! Dallas still sucks.

Sunday Blues

2006-11-20T13:24:00.000-05:00

So, here is the real-life timeline of a typical Philadelphia Sports Fan's Sunday afternoon....

12:00PM - Flyers lose - again...

12:30PM - Sixers lose - again

1:00PM - Eagles game starts

1:01PM - Eagles begin the game with crappy playcalling and penalties

1:30PM - It's announced the the Phillies top off-season prospect is headed to Chicago. F U Soriano!!!

1:45PM - Mcabb goes down.... I proceed to hold my breath....

1:46PM - McNabb is carted off the filed - Garcia comes into the game....

1:47PM - Garcia's first play concludes.

1:47PM - I realize the season is over. '08 isn't looking good either at this point...

Tax this!

2006-11-17T08:45:00.000-05:00

It's bad enough that I can no longer buy my gas in Jersey on a regular basis (The only really good thing about Jersy, by the way), but now I have to learn that the PA Gov is about to raise the gas tax - again. This time for improvements to "roads and bridges."

Driving around in PA is like driving around on an obstacle course. Even the "good" roads are suspect. We have two of the most dangerour intersections in the nation less than 2 miles apart. If you have never been to Philly, take a tour of Roosevelt Blvd. Imagine taking the Autobahn, breaking it up to 12 lanes, and adding traffic lights and potholes. It's fabulous - and not for the faint of heart.

So now we will get to pay even more in gas taxes to fix these roads? F'n politicians. Get me a crew of illegals and half of last year's budget - I'll get the roads fixed.

Blue State Blues

2006-11-09T08:26:00.000-05:00

So here we are, headed down the road to higher taxes, unlimited numbers of social programs, amnesty for illegals, and the dreaded pull-out strategy. It's time to negotiate with those who don't negotiate, talk with those who lie to your face, and embrace Welfare as an acceptable career for many of today's poor - and lazy. What the F....

Also last night I realized something else - ripping up the floor in your master bedroom is messy. Trying to level the settled floor of over a century of geo-movement is also more difficult than one might imagine. Yet, alas, I contribute to the revenue of Home Depot, which helps the stock price, which I own. So it all comes 'round in the end, right?

Duffco friends - Holy crap. WTF is going on there? Get out. Run. I'm not one for advocating jumping off of the bandwagon, but holy shit. I realized that it isn't leadership that's missing, it common sense!

And - Mr. Palavere - That "Atlanta" rant is classic.... definitely a bookmark in my book!

Certified Letter

2006-11-02T09:15:00.000-05:00

So we get a certified letter in the mail from the property owner behind us - which will for the time being rename nameless. Basically, it says "Leaves are blowing on my parking lot - please trim your trees because your leaves are blowing into my lot." 4 homeowners got the same letter.

Holy crap! Leaves! Those dangerous things! He left his name and phone number. The response went something like this:

"Hi! I'm so and so.... I own property x. I don't have any trees that border your property, so go F yourself. By the way, how about fixing your old-ass fence that is almost falling down into my yard? Remember I asked you last summer about it?"

His response was classic:

"Well, I didnt really look at which trees the landscapers were talking about, so maybe I'll have to get over there and look for myself. As far as the fenece goes, I didn't know it was broken. I don't get over to the property very often. I'll look at it this weekend."

Good idea, jackass. Collect your rent and neglect the property.

The Parade

2006-11-02T08:26:00.000-05:00

Well, rumor has it that the Duffco Parade (out the door) continues. I can't say that I'm surprised. To be honest, I've been keeping my ear to the ground not because I would actually like to go back there, but because there are people there I would like to work with again some day. Yes, believe it or not, there are good peeps at Duffco.

I wish you good luck at the Super Secret Probation Meeting on Friday.... I'm sure you will all finally get the crystal clear vision of what's going to happen.

Pull the trigger already! The only ones left will be the mice and the sloths.

Endies....

2006-10-24T13:39:00.000-04:00

In my new role, I am now in the inevitable position to deal with the Endie - or End User. The Endie can be a complex, yet very simple-minded fellow. Sometimes they lie dormant in their cubes or remote retreats, and other times they appear out of nowhere with a blank stare. I want to help all Endies - I truely do. They are helpless creatures who have been given two very difficult tasks in life. First, they are being asked to use technology. I know... I know.... Second, they are being asked to understand simple concepts - nothing too technical or challenging - but just simple concepts so they can get by.

No matter how hard I try, I feel like I need to procuce a picture book and video for the Endies. I mean, honestly, will the Earth begin to rotate the opposite direction if I were to only supply words, and not colorful screenshots? Will the deserts flood, and the rainforests dry up because of a simple change that might impact 2.5 seconds of their day? Possibly. But for the sake of the Endie, I produce. I produce procedures and colorful diagrams that a fetus could understand. Oh the poor, poor, Endie. Will their journey ever end?

Sanford and Son

2006-10-20T14:36:00.000-04:00

A wise man once said: "That server is 10 f'n years old - replace it!!!"

I definitely understand the importance of getting long term value and use out of hardware. But, there comes a time, when the old trash needs to be replaced. I will never understand why some companies assume it's better to keep something running as long as possible, even when it hinders progress. For example: Ultra 5's - Throw them in the dumpster! Solaris 7? (and 8 for that matter) - Dumpster! DDS1's? Any drive under 20 GB - Dumpster! Anything yellow - Dumpster!

Funny thing is that I actually called a junk man and he's coming next week to haul a lot of crap away. The bad part is that this development shop (CompanyX) continues to buy used equipment. That's fine - but let's learn this equation: used should not alwasy equal OLD.

Today's nightmare? A v1280 - I love 15 minute POST/Boot times....

"Don't call it a Comeback.... I've been here for years..."

2006-10-18T08:33:00.000-04:00

Well, it seems as though our little blog-site is a bit busy this morning. It took about 5 minutes to load this page.

So how the 'F' is everyone this fine morning? I know I'm doing well. Why? Well, It's been two months since my last post and there is much to address:

First... no more Duffco. Duffco is nothing more than a mere blip on the resume. Yes, that blip comes with some great people (I know I need to email you guys!!!) but the job and environment sucked. No more!!!

So here I am at my new place... we will call it CompanyX for now. CompanyX is an interesting place. It's a software/solutions development shop - totally different environment. The development servers are actually the important machines here - too bad they are older than dirt. Oh well - I get to replace them, and the network infrastructure, and the firewalls, and the messaging systems (open relay anyone?), and, and, and.

But this is a good thing. Why? Because management listens. What?!?!?! Yes - meaning they digest what you have to say and either agree, disagree, or don't care, but trust you to make the right decision for the good of the company.

Privatly Held... It makes a world of difference!!!! Shareholders? What shareholders? F the markets! Go make money! The mindset here is simple - make money for the business, and you get money back. What an f'n concept!

Downsides? None yet... it's a "purple" server shop. There is some learning curve there - time to dust off the old manuals. However, our products are being migrated to Intel/AMD systems - glad I kept in touch with our friends from Hillsborough, NJ!!!

Oh but what a fantastic few weeks so far... new digs, new laptop, new chair just arrived the other day. It's some combination of leather/pleather and mesh... very comfy.

So what else is going on? House projects have started up again... and this one's a doosey. When we bought the place about 3 years ago, it was a 105 year old fixer-upper. One phrase: Plaster and Lathe. Our latest project was supposed to just be drywalling the "popcorn" ceiling in the master bedroom. It has since evolved into all new drywall in the master bedroom complete with new recessed lighting, flooring, crown molding - oh yea, and lets do the same to the spare bedroom (which is the current office). F.

Stop That!

2006-08-09T07:26:00.000-04:00

Dear Mr. Application Manager:

It has come to my attention that no one knows WTF you do. I agree with that public sentiment. Also, I kindly ask that if and when I am stuck talking to you - usually about nothing relevant, could you please not wink at me. It's wierd; It's creepy; and if it happens again, I just might punch you in the face.

Pocket Kings!

2006-08-04T07:50:00.000-04:00

So the blinds are only at 35/70 - it's early in the game.... I get dealt pocket kings. Not a bad deal. I raise to 300 pre-flop... 5 folds after that, then two calls. Out comes the flop... Ah, Kd, 5c..... sweet. I'm in good shape. I check - trying to slow play the other two guys. Next guys checks.... third guy bets 300. I figure him for at least an A and maybe even that 5, or a Queen. Ok.... "All In." Fold from the first guy.... "Call!" and a quick one at that... from the other guy. I knew what had happened.... He was holding pocket rockets and flopped the set. I was done. The turn and river didn't matter.... Off to Jim's Steaks to drown my sorrows in greasy "meat" on an Amoroso roll.... 9 PM and I'm home already; down 20 bucks plus the cost of the steak.

Luckily the poker league goes until Memorial day 2007 and I have time to get the old average up. Oh well.

Life in the Ghetto

2006-08-02T12:30:00.000-04:00

In the fabulous world of Suburbia, there exists such a thing as "Waste and Sanitation" fees. Apparently I pay them monthly in my mortgage payment - so be it. Now, growing up in Philly, once a week you went through the ritual of placing anything and everything you no longer needed (or wanted anyone to know you had) out to the curb for the big yellow trash truck. It was all taken - no questions asked.

I now venture into my third year of Surburban living. One thing I cannot stand is lazy trash guys - I can says guys, right? Ever see a trash woman? I haven't, so I will say guys. Currently at my curb is the remains of an old Dell server - 4U in size - and stripped down to nothing but the chasis and power supplies. It's rather light. The problem is that my fabulous township believes in "Large Item Pickup" days, where you pay an extra fee to have big pieces of trash picked up. Fine - things like furniture, etc - I get it. But Holy F'n $hit! This is part of a computer. One trash guy actually picked it up, decided it was too heavy, and put it back on the curb! (That was two weeks ago). Last week, it must have been invisible - my bad - I put the invisible coating on my trash. This week I will place the thing into the truck myself.

I did call the "supervisor" - a middle-aged man with a very limited vocabulary, and a poor understanding of logic. I asked this man "What constitutes a large pickup?" His reply? "Anything that's too large to put in the truck." WTF? I said "How about weight? Does that play a part?" Response: "Well, if it's over 35 pounds, then you need to have a large pickup." WTF WTF!!! Idiots.

I miss my corrupt municiple trash men.

Pen and Paper

2006-07-25T08:19:00.000-04:00

"Hi! My laptop is broken. Can you send it out for repair?"
"Sure! It will take a couple of weeks."
"Ok... Can I have a loaner? How about this one that says 'laptop loaner' on it?"
"No... that one is too new and might go out to someone else. We'll get you an older one."

WTF??? Too new??? Since when is an R51 too new?

I don't rank. Just one more item for the list.

Back in the Saddle....

2006-07-23T08:59:00.000-04:00

of this busted up horse. Yes... its been over a month since I posted anything at all, and nothing has really changed. A bit more red tape, and a few more doctor's bills come due, but all in all, nothing has changed.

I just spent a few days at the shore with the family - good times. Nothing like a cold beverage on the beach - without the crackberry. Ok... so it was many more than one cold beverage. In any event, the little guy had his first look at the sand and surf. Again, good times. Kind of makes you think - "WTF Am I doing at Duffco?!?!" I have no idea....

Its nice to see that so many other blogospherians are keeping up with their adventures. And yes - that stuff does happen at Duffco. It's real.

The Jester

2006-05-26T08:45:00.000-04:00

A man looking for work decides he will approach the king. The king interviews, the king muses. At last the king says "You are worthy to work within these walls!" The man is happy.

The man arrives for work on the first day - in uniform and with new shiny low-end laptop in hand (yes, there were laptops in my imaginary kingdom!) The man sits in his shiny new cube and begins what is thought to be the greatest adventure in all the land!

One morning, the man wakes up and has many realizations:

1- The uniform has a funny hat - and is brightly colored. The man realizes he is merely a jester.
2- The jester has many many ideas - but no approval to do any of them. The jester has no authority.
3- The approval process has 5932 parts - each with sub parts. F that.
3- The kingdom runs on outdated platforms. The money neecded to upgrade them is instead used for toys, doggie biscuts, and wallpaper for the kingdom's crapper.

The Executive Smash

2006-05-24T08:12:00.000-04:00

Here's a refreshing local drink a guy once gave me. WOW! What a hangover!

1 Oz. Detatched Decisionmaking
0 Oz. Available funds
4 Oz. Finest Red Tape Vodka

Stir these ingredients together; add 4 Oz of Red Koolaid and chill. You now have yourself a liquified treat served daily.

Note: You may experience heavy vomiting, headaches, and unexplained loss of health benefits after consuming this beverage.

Enjoy!

Writer's Block

2006-05-24T08:02:00.000-04:00

I forget what I was going to say.... something about drinking. Or was it work related? No, it couldn't have been work related - or could it?

Maybe it was something about my family? Friends? Drinking? Wait... I already said that. Maybe I need to start drinking?

In any case, I have a feeling I'll remember what I was supposed to say eventually. Check out this thing once in awhile - I'm sure the stories will eventually arrive!