Literally, what a pain I had this morning. Not in my back (where I would expect it) but in my head. I had a very painful sinus headache. I still have traces of it now, along with a slightly upset stomach. Actually, I think it is getting worse...at least worse than an hour ago.
I woke up in the early morning hours hurting, but since I had not eaten it 18+ hours (I skipped dinner), I did not want to take anything in fear of making me puke. I tried to sleep but the pain kept waking me up. When it was time to get up, I walked little man as fast as I could so I could get something in my stomach and take some sinus meds.
I fed little man, and started the coffee pot. He ate most of his food and I just dumped the few kibbles that were left. I started packing my lunch and when the coffee was done I headed in to check mail. My first sip was an eye opener. I put way too much flavored creamer in and it was like a dessert. Oh, choking that down was not fun.
I popped a couple of sinus pills and went to read my bible and check e-mail and news. After about 30 minutes or so, I felt better so I grabbed a shower, some breakfast and returned to the PC to finalize a blog entry I was working on.
When 7 AM rolled around I brushed my teeth and kissed my wife good bye. I was hoping it would be an easy day. I hate busy Friday's! As I was walking toward the garage, the Golden looked at me and I knew she needed to go outside to do her business. So after a quick trip outside with the big dog, I was on the road.
The drive to work was stress free and I made it before 7:30. When I logged on my PC, I saw a ton of new tickets (simple stuff, but a lot of it) as well as the escalation mgr asking to speak to me. My mailbox only had a few items in it and I still needed to call TSB and let her know I was not going to be able to meet with the CoGers tonight. There is a church function that my wife and I need to attend and it would not be wise to miss it.
After a frantic morning, I called TSB back and let her know. I had already e-mailed the others so they were aware I would not be attending. I really wish this would have worked out. It is nice to meet new people.
I am finally caught up with all my work. Next week we have people here full and part time, but it is not going to be as bad as I had first expected. I am thankful for that!
Friday, June 30, 2006
Clarification of a Post
An earlier post listed a few things I learned while watching season two if Farscape. I need to clarify that a bit...it has cause some confusion.
If you have never watched Farscape, or only saw a few epi's of season one, then this list may not make much sense. Allow me to elaborate just a bit:
Farscape is/was a series on the Sci-fi channel. The premise is an American astronaut (John Crichton) is in Earth orbit in an experimental space ship testing a theory he has when a chain of events opens up a wormhole and he is sucked into a very far off part of the universe. A chain of events puts him on a space ship with several aliens all of whom are excaped prisoners. Even though they each speak a separate language, they can communicate via a microbe that translates language into something each can understand. Crichton is injected with the micro and begins to explain his plight.
The show on it's own is good. Like all sci-fi shows, they are throwing an element of sexuality to attract more viewers. It is difficult to find entertaining shows that do not exploit sexual behavior.
I am almost afraid to see what season three has in store for me...
If you have never watched Farscape, or only saw a few epi's of season one, then this list may not make much sense. Allow me to elaborate just a bit:
Farscape is/was a series on the Sci-fi channel. The premise is an American astronaut (John Crichton) is in Earth orbit in an experimental space ship testing a theory he has when a chain of events opens up a wormhole and he is sucked into a very far off part of the universe. A chain of events puts him on a space ship with several aliens all of whom are excaped prisoners. Even though they each speak a separate language, they can communicate via a microbe that translates language into something each can understand. Crichton is injected with the micro and begins to explain his plight.
- Everyone learned to frelling swear very well -- Season one was rough and gritty, but enjoyable. While it is still science fiction, it was still believable. Swearing was done with common English, and it was mild. Season two took that in a different direction. EVERY one was using the word "frell", which is Farscapese for the "F-word" in English. The first couple of times I really did not pay attention, but by the end of the season, it was used just like the "F-word" is today: far too frequently and as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc. It was like watching Battlestar Galactica with their word, "Frack".
- The crew likes leather...a lot -- The wardrobe for the two humans (ok, one is Sebacean but she looks human) in season two turned very leather based. Season one had John and Aeryn wearing their pilot suits most of the time. Now they (as well as season two villain, Scorpius) all wear leather. I guess they wore the old uniforms just wore out...
- Chianna is a whore -- Chianna is the latest character to join. She is a blue skinned Nebari, a race that is trying to weed out aggression and eventually conquer a big part of the galaxy. She is young (she is called child many times in season two), but she is also a little floozy, fornicating with anyone that will get her what she wants. While her behavior is not well liked, it is not condemned, either. She has a small build, but wears a very tight and restrictive top that gives her artificial cleavage.
- D'argo is a whoredog -- D'argo is a Luxan. Luxan's are warriors who are big and powerful and somewhat frightening/comical to look at. They are humanoid with tattoos and tentacle like things on their heads. The have burst of hyper-rage that is very erratic. D'argo and Chianna are bed mates in season two. D'argo has had sexual relations with at least three different races in 2 seasons (Chianna, his former wife (a Sebacean), and another race early in season one). While the first mate was his wife and his second he was drugged, his relationship with Chianna was his choosing.
- Aeryn's top must be shrinking -- Aeryn is a former Peace Keeper, sort of a black clad stormtrooper in this section of the universe. She has been rejected by her order and has to stay with the other members to keep alive. The Peace Keepers are actively hunting her down. The top of her leather outfit shows more skin in each episode of season two. It looks like a black leather vest that zips from the top and bottom and in each episode, the zippers get closer together. By the end of the season, the bottom zipper is in the normal position and the top one is low enough to show cleavage. The vest has obviously shrunken some, since Aeryn appears bustier almost overnight.
The show on it's own is good. Like all sci-fi shows, they are throwing an element of sexuality to attract more viewers. It is difficult to find entertaining shows that do not exploit sexual behavior.
I am almost afraid to see what season three has in store for me...
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Things I Learned Watching Season Two of Farscape
- Everyone learned to frelling swear very well.
- The crew likes leather...a lot.
- Chianna is a whore.
- D'argo is a whore.
- Aeryn's top must be shrinking.
El Gee, You EEEEEEEE-diot
E-mail from my boss:
El Gee,
Can you install the performance software on the ambiguously named UNIX R&D server in North Carolina?
Preface: We have a naming conventions on our servers. Without giving out too much info, we tend to use a pattern for all the servers of a particular type. If we were talking about a Unix Server in NC that runs R&D software the name would hypothetically be location.type.platform.state.country.region.company_name.com
Now, my boss did not give me the full name of server, just a part of the name and the site. I missed the site and began installing the software on the server on OUR site. It took 30-40 minutes because some dependencies needed to be met and I am still green at this and it always takes me longer to do simple stuff in Linux and Unix.
After all that, I start to respond to his e-mail and see the site (NC) and hang my head. I had installed and configured the wrong box. I logged on to the NC box and soon found out the software was already installed (I did this about 2 months ago).
On the plus side, when it comes time to install the performance software on the R&D server on OUR site, I am ahead of the game.
/sigh
El Gee,
Can you install the performance software on the ambiguously named UNIX R&D server in North Carolina?
Preface: We have a naming conventions on our servers. Without giving out too much info, we tend to use a pattern for all the servers of a particular type. If we were talking about a Unix Server in NC that runs R&D software the name would hypothetically be location.type.platform.state.country.region.company_name.com
Now, my boss did not give me the full name of server, just a part of the name and the site. I missed the site and began installing the software on the server on OUR site. It took 30-40 minutes because some dependencies needed to be met and I am still green at this and it always takes me longer to do simple stuff in Linux and Unix.
After all that, I start to respond to his e-mail and see the site (NC) and hang my head. I had installed and configured the wrong box. I logged on to the NC box and soon found out the software was already installed (I did this about 2 months ago).
On the plus side, when it comes time to install the performance software on the R&D server on OUR site, I am ahead of the game.
/sigh
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
I Was Not Expecting This...
I don't do as much in depth support in our department as the other guys do, simply because I do not have the experience and I most likely would cause more problems than needed. So tend to do a lot of junior sysadmin stuff as well as ticket dispatching and report generation. I also am the SME (Subject Matter Expert) on our processes, though I am not as much of an expert as I would like to be.
With that in mind, I periodically need to ask for help or guidance on certain tickets we get. One such case came in yesterday for one of my customers on the east coast. He was having a problem with a server in Canada. We do not administer the servers in Canada so we normally leave those cases alone so the team in Montreal can work them. This case was a little different since the customer was mine. That being the case, I e-mailed 2 of the admins who appeared to have the lease on their plates, the info regarding this customer/ticket. The e-mail was short, polite, and to the point. One of the admins, a female, e-mailed me back a longish note. The note dripped with ire and sarcasm, with a line near the end of it saying something along the lines of, "I am sorry if I appear curt..."
I responded and apologized for the intrusion and began to explain why I sent her the note. My customer was having trouble with a Citrix server and I needed someone in Canada to look into it. In the US, all of our Citrix servers are Unix and naturally since we work for the same company, I assumed the Canadian servers were the same. I was mistaken. The servers in Canada were owned my the Windows team.
To which she responded to me again in a similar manner as the first time. She did not seem to have my read my last e-mail, so I decided to elaborate a bit more, in very polite tones. She responded a final time (did she *have* to have the final word?) with a half-hearted apology saying something akin to not being so rude to me in the future and I she hoped I would continue to ask questions in the future.
While I am not vindictive, I do not plan on asking her anything unless no one else is available. If I had truly done something bad/wrong, I would expect behavior like hers. However, I humbled myself and asked her for information and she was far from polite.
"El Gee, we are supposed to turn the other check, aren't we?" Yes we are and I am turning it...away from her and more abuse.
With that in mind, I periodically need to ask for help or guidance on certain tickets we get. One such case came in yesterday for one of my customers on the east coast. He was having a problem with a server in Canada. We do not administer the servers in Canada so we normally leave those cases alone so the team in Montreal can work them. This case was a little different since the customer was mine. That being the case, I e-mailed 2 of the admins who appeared to have the lease on their plates, the info regarding this customer/ticket. The e-mail was short, polite, and to the point. One of the admins, a female, e-mailed me back a longish note. The note dripped with ire and sarcasm, with a line near the end of it saying something along the lines of, "I am sorry if I appear curt..."
I responded and apologized for the intrusion and began to explain why I sent her the note. My customer was having trouble with a Citrix server and I needed someone in Canada to look into it. In the US, all of our Citrix servers are Unix and naturally since we work for the same company, I assumed the Canadian servers were the same. I was mistaken. The servers in Canada were owned my the Windows team.
To which she responded to me again in a similar manner as the first time. She did not seem to have my read my last e-mail, so I decided to elaborate a bit more, in very polite tones. She responded a final time (did she *have* to have the final word?) with a half-hearted apology saying something akin to not being so rude to me in the future and I she hoped I would continue to ask questions in the future.
While I am not vindictive, I do not plan on asking her anything unless no one else is available. If I had truly done something bad/wrong, I would expect behavior like hers. However, I humbled myself and asked her for information and she was far from polite.
"El Gee, we are supposed to turn the other check, aren't we?" Yes we are and I am turning it...away from her and more abuse.
New Shiny
The other day at work my TL announced that we would be getting new Sun workstations. While they are not "new", they are much better machined than we are used to seeing. The new machines are Sunblade 1500's with XVR-600 video cards. Also included were HP's 19 inch 1955 LCD monitor. I am beginning to love my desk now.
The only drawback is the OS. I had to load Solaris 8 on my box (corporate load) to support our customers, since they have that image. Which means no Gnome Desktop (I really do not like Open Windows or CDE) for me on this station. My last station was a Sunblade 100 and it had Solaris 9 on it, fully tweaked by the previous owner. It was nice, but slow. As you can see it was new in 2001 (not 1991 like I had previously and erroneously had posted...thanx for pointing that out!) and was the newest desktop in the building until these arrived.
I managed to add the new machine to the domain and install the image via boot net with only one hitch, which I corrected on my own. After the image was loaded, I had to install the proper drivers for the video card/frame buffer, but that was pretty easy. One reboot and she was running fine.
The only drawback is the OS. I had to load Solaris 8 on my box (corporate load) to support our customers, since they have that image. Which means no Gnome Desktop (I really do not like Open Windows or CDE) for me on this station. My last station was a Sunblade 100 and it had Solaris 9 on it, fully tweaked by the previous owner. It was nice, but slow. As you can see it was new in 2001 (not 1991 like I had previously and erroneously had posted...thanx for pointing that out!) and was the newest desktop in the building until these arrived.
I managed to add the new machine to the domain and install the image via boot net with only one hitch, which I corrected on my own. After the image was loaded, I had to install the proper drivers for the video card/frame buffer, but that was pretty easy. One reboot and she was running fine.
Seems Like Old Times
Almost. Junior spent the night with us last night. Since he took all his stuff with him and we have not bothered setting up that room yet, he slept in a sleeping bag on the floor, but I do not think he minded.
We got a call from him last night at 10:30ish asking us for a big favor. Knowing the kind of trouble I got into at his age, I figured he was drunk or maybe he was arrested for God knows what. He said he had been sick and throwing up all day and did not want to go back to drive all the way to Frisco sick. I told him to come on over, unless he needed a ride.
He arrived about 15 minutes later. He said he has been plagued with the severe headaches just like he did when he was a kid. We set him up with a few things and he went to bed. Before going off to bed, he came up to me as I was sitting at the keyboard and said, "Night, dude." He gave me a hug and he hit the hay.
Before he went to bed he talked about his choice of two missions he had: Border Patrol (2 years) or Iraq (8 months). As a parent, I would like to see him safe, but he is 1) A soldier, and 2) his own man. He has to make his own choice. He said he is not liking civilian life and would rather prefer regimented life in the Army.
I prayed again for him as my wife and I went to bed. She looked so normal trying to baby him...odd since she is not his bio-mom. She is however, the best female role model he could possibly have since his bio-mom abandoned him, then foolishly fought to regain custody of him.
Time to finish my kaffe and read some news. More updates later.
We got a call from him last night at 10:30ish asking us for a big favor. Knowing the kind of trouble I got into at his age, I figured he was drunk or maybe he was arrested for God knows what. He said he had been sick and throwing up all day and did not want to go back to drive all the way to Frisco sick. I told him to come on over, unless he needed a ride.
He arrived about 15 minutes later. He said he has been plagued with the severe headaches just like he did when he was a kid. We set him up with a few things and he went to bed. Before going off to bed, he came up to me as I was sitting at the keyboard and said, "Night, dude." He gave me a hug and he hit the hay.
Before he went to bed he talked about his choice of two missions he had: Border Patrol (2 years) or Iraq (8 months). As a parent, I would like to see him safe, but he is 1) A soldier, and 2) his own man. He has to make his own choice. He said he is not liking civilian life and would rather prefer regimented life in the Army.
I prayed again for him as my wife and I went to bed. She looked so normal trying to baby him...odd since she is not his bio-mom. She is however, the best female role model he could possibly have since his bio-mom abandoned him, then foolishly fought to regain custody of him.
Time to finish my kaffe and read some news. More updates later.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
I Am a Man, So Yes I Smell
But I smell good. I like to smell good, mostly for my wife. I am picky to a degree about what I wear that makes me smell good and my wife is equally as picky. She tends to pick scents that smell good on me...to her. In fairness, she would not make me wear anything that I did not approve of. She knows my criteria very well and sticks by it without failure.
My current scent of choice is "Woodland", which can be purchased at Bath & Body Works . I found this scent quite by accident. My ex-wife, (my son's bio-mom) purchased (well, I hope she did paid for it!) the cologne for my son one year for Christmas. I should be able to remember which year since presents from her area rarity, but I cannot. I saw it in his room and asked him if he liked it. He asked me if I wanted to try it and I agreed. I was very impressed with it. It was just what I was looking for. Earthy, clean, fresh, not perfumey at all. I have been using it ever since.
Every now and then my wife will pick me up a bar of the Woodand soap. It has a pumice / exfoliant and really invigorates my skin. I am glad my wife saw it and buys it for me a few times a year. It really feels good when you are very dirty from yard work.
As a secondary scent, I like Polo Crest, by Ralph Lauren. It is not an earthy fragrance, but more of a soap and water fresh, which is something I want in a fragrance. I am amazed at the number of compliments I get on my scent from females and (straight) males alike. I am careful not to bath in the stuff, only using just enough to emit a faint smell that is appealing.
Well, I need to finish up and get ready for work. It could be a fun day...yesterday was!
My current scent of choice is "Woodland", which can be purchased at Bath & Body Works . I found this scent quite by accident. My ex-wife, (my son's bio-mom) purchased (well, I hope she did paid for it!) the cologne for my son one year for Christmas. I should be able to remember which year since presents from her area rarity, but I cannot. I saw it in his room and asked him if he liked it. He asked me if I wanted to try it and I agreed. I was very impressed with it. It was just what I was looking for. Earthy, clean, fresh, not perfumey at all. I have been using it ever since.
Every now and then my wife will pick me up a bar of the Woodand soap. It has a pumice / exfoliant and really invigorates my skin. I am glad my wife saw it and buys it for me a few times a year. It really feels good when you are very dirty from yard work.
As a secondary scent, I like Polo Crest, by Ralph Lauren. It is not an earthy fragrance, but more of a soap and water fresh, which is something I want in a fragrance. I am amazed at the number of compliments I get on my scent from females and (straight) males alike. I am careful not to bath in the stuff, only using just enough to emit a faint smell that is appealing.
Well, I need to finish up and get ready for work. It could be a fun day...yesterday was!
Monday, June 26, 2006
A Walk in the Park...Right.
After I inhaled my lunch today, I decided that I would actually take my lunch hour and leave the building. When I got outside, I realized the weather was GORGEOUS. It was in the low 80's (27 C), a nice wind blowing and no clouds at all. Forget a nap in my truck...I am going to walk at Huffhines Park.
The park is only a few blocks away, but I decided to drive rather than walk. I parked the Dakota in a shady spot and began my walk by heading towards the lake side (it is really a pond, but the locals call it a lake). I walked about halfway down the lake side when something reflecting in the water caught my eye. It looked like a sun/moon roof on a car/van, but I could not be sure. I looked at it for a while and then I moved on.
A few minutes later, I spied the number of the Parks and Recs office and decided to call it. "Martha" answered the phone:
Martha - Parks and Recs office, Martha speaking.
Me - Martha, my name is El Gee, and I know this may sound kinda strange, but I think that there is a car in the bottom of the lake at Huffhines Park, near the intersection of St Johns and Syracuse.
Martha - Oh my, are you sure?
Me - No, not 100%, but it sure looks like a sun/moon roof of a car or van. Are there access points in the lake that can be opened to allow you to go under it? (These are man made 'cement ponds'...so I thought it could possibly be an access point)
Martha - No, not that I know of...let me call someone over there.
We hung up and I began to survey the area a bit more. I noticed tire tracks on the slope leading down to the lake and a scuff in between the tire tracks. No skid marks, no torn grass. It was placed there on purpose.
I called "Martha" back and told her and she said, "Oh, my. Bobby should be right out."
I hung up and waited. "Bobby", the asst Parks and Rec supervisor introduced himself and I pointed to where I thought the car was. He took one look and said, "Yep, that's a car. Let me call the police dispatch."
He called the dispatcher and they sent out a female officer right away. A minute before she showed, 2 plain clothes detectives started walking down the hill to where "Bobby" and I were standing.
The female officer started to ask me some basic info and I obliged. She then asked me for my drivers license:
Female Officer - "You must not take your license out much. You are having trouble getting it out of your wallet."
Me - "I would think that would be a good thing, eh?"
Female Officer - "True"
After about 15-20 minutes they told me I was free to go, so I headed back to my truck and to work. I wanted to blog this before I forgot the details.
I plan on keeping up with the news to see if this was just a stolen car or if there was a body. I really hope it was just stolen.
Observations:
* The oldest officer at the scene kept muttering, "Gawd, I sure hope there ain't a body in there...that means a whole mess of paperwork. Thanks a lot, Mr. Gee."
* The asst parks super was even more cheery, "D@mn, if there *is* a body, we gotta call the health dept and the morgue. I bet the wrecker ends up ruining my lake."
* The female officer took some rather unprofessional comments quite well. One of the officers on the scene asked if she was going to strip down to her skivvies and swim on over to the vehicle to check it our. She just replied, "Yeah, sure, let me go find my Charlie's Angels wet suit."
* Telling your boss you were late coming back from lunch because you were being detained by the police can be fun. If you phrase things just right, you get all kinds of priceless looks.
* When the police (jokingly) ask you where you were last night, "You probably have not been to that crime scene yet" is not a good answer.
So yes, I had a fun lunch hour. Amazing that one phone call can ruin so many people's day. Gosh, I am so sorry.
The park is only a few blocks away, but I decided to drive rather than walk. I parked the Dakota in a shady spot and began my walk by heading towards the lake side (it is really a pond, but the locals call it a lake). I walked about halfway down the lake side when something reflecting in the water caught my eye. It looked like a sun/moon roof on a car/van, but I could not be sure. I looked at it for a while and then I moved on.
A few minutes later, I spied the number of the Parks and Recs office and decided to call it. "Martha" answered the phone:
Martha - Parks and Recs office, Martha speaking.
Me - Martha, my name is El Gee, and I know this may sound kinda strange, but I think that there is a car in the bottom of the lake at Huffhines Park, near the intersection of St Johns and Syracuse.
Martha - Oh my, are you sure?
Me - No, not 100%, but it sure looks like a sun/moon roof of a car or van. Are there access points in the lake that can be opened to allow you to go under it? (These are man made 'cement ponds'...so I thought it could possibly be an access point)
Martha - No, not that I know of...let me call someone over there.
We hung up and I began to survey the area a bit more. I noticed tire tracks on the slope leading down to the lake and a scuff in between the tire tracks. No skid marks, no torn grass. It was placed there on purpose.
I called "Martha" back and told her and she said, "Oh, my. Bobby should be right out."
I hung up and waited. "Bobby", the asst Parks and Rec supervisor introduced himself and I pointed to where I thought the car was. He took one look and said, "Yep, that's a car. Let me call the police dispatch."
He called the dispatcher and they sent out a female officer right away. A minute before she showed, 2 plain clothes detectives started walking down the hill to where "Bobby" and I were standing.
The female officer started to ask me some basic info and I obliged. She then asked me for my drivers license:
Female Officer - "You must not take your license out much. You are having trouble getting it out of your wallet."
Me - "I would think that would be a good thing, eh?"
Female Officer - "True"
After about 15-20 minutes they told me I was free to go, so I headed back to my truck and to work. I wanted to blog this before I forgot the details.
I plan on keeping up with the news to see if this was just a stolen car or if there was a body. I really hope it was just stolen.
Observations:
* The oldest officer at the scene kept muttering, "Gawd, I sure hope there ain't a body in there...that means a whole mess of paperwork. Thanks a lot, Mr. Gee."
* The asst parks super was even more cheery, "D@mn, if there *is* a body, we gotta call the health dept and the morgue. I bet the wrecker ends up ruining my lake."
* The female officer took some rather unprofessional comments quite well. One of the officers on the scene asked if she was going to strip down to her skivvies and swim on over to the vehicle to check it our. She just replied, "Yeah, sure, let me go find my Charlie's Angels wet suit."
* Telling your boss you were late coming back from lunch because you were being detained by the police can be fun. If you phrase things just right, you get all kinds of priceless looks.
* When the police (jokingly) ask you where you were last night, "You probably have not been to that crime scene yet" is not a good answer.
So yes, I had a fun lunch hour. Amazing that one phone call can ruin so many people's day. Gosh, I am so sorry.
ETA, 11:00 AM Central Time
Our main ticketing/monitoring/reporting system is down until 11:00 AM, according to the internal support web alert board. Since we have almost all of our eggs in one basket...I can do literally nothing for 3.5 hours...right before lunch time. So I will again work through my lunch just so I can get caught up. Joy.
AAA is back to blogging (at least I hope she is...I miss her posts). This was posted Friday and I am surprised I missed it since I have been actively blogging this weekend. I guess I suffered from tunnel vision.
Since I have already blogged about Friday and Saturday, I only have to note Sunday's activities. Sunday always starts with my normal routine, with the addition of updating www.mistergeek.com. I had a Sunday School Class, but it was a no-show again. I spent most of that time chatting with the business administrator of the church. He is a good guy who also happens to be in my care group. We chatted about all sorts of things, including my willingness to give another shot at teaching a Sunday School class. I agreed, since this was not very productive and I want to contribute. I still have to give an answer to my wife's boss regarding my acceptance as a church trustee. I need to look over the requirements and see if that is something I want/need to do.
Church was educational and interesting. We had a guest speaker, Gary Fisher from the Lion of Judah Ministries. He is speaker who focuses on "end times" prophecy and bible prophecy in general. My wife enjoyed it and it appears that many in our church did as well.
After church I stayed a few minutes to help put up chairs for the evenings children's workshop, which my wife would be assisting in. It went quickly with several of the men, women, *and* children helping. After saying a few good-byes, we headed to downtown Wylie for a home style meal at the Ballard Street Cafe and Grill. I was pleased overall with the meal and service.
The Good: Fair prices, small cafe atmosphere, good service (waitress was excellent), good food medium portions that were just right in size. Very tasty pies!
The Bad: The tables are a little close for my taste. Had to send back chicken fried chicken (it was pink in the center) and my wife had to send back her mashed potatoes because they were drenched in milk gravy (which is normal, but my wife is not a gravy person).
My wife and I came home and let out the dogs who were overly excited to see us. My wife wanted to take a nap, but I was not tired. I opted to watch part 1 and 2 of a 3 part Farscape. One of the better episodes in the second season so far. I am still disappointed in the overly sexual nature the show has taken on. It is good enough to stand on its own without the overtly sexuality. Not all of us sci-fi geeks are pervs.
After that was over and my wife got up, we chatted for a while. Mostly small talk, but it was the sort of things that women (at least my wife) appreciates. I really need to stop and take time to do that more often. I do not want to take her for granted.
My wife went to the church to assist with the Creative Arts Camp that she promised to help with earlier on. She did not get back until 10 PM or so (she had to stay an clean up then run by the car wash to clean the bird poo from the van. I spent the time she was gone by talking with my mom, washing dishes, grabbing a bite to eat, walking the dogs, and watching another episode of Farscape. I also checked the news to see what was going on but nothing seemed pressing, so I went to bed...I felt like I needed the sleep.
AAA is back to blogging (at least I hope she is...I miss her posts). This was posted Friday and I am surprised I missed it since I have been actively blogging this weekend. I guess I suffered from tunnel vision.
Since I have already blogged about Friday and Saturday, I only have to note Sunday's activities. Sunday always starts with my normal routine, with the addition of updating www.mistergeek.com. I had a Sunday School Class, but it was a no-show again. I spent most of that time chatting with the business administrator of the church. He is a good guy who also happens to be in my care group. We chatted about all sorts of things, including my willingness to give another shot at teaching a Sunday School class. I agreed, since this was not very productive and I want to contribute. I still have to give an answer to my wife's boss regarding my acceptance as a church trustee. I need to look over the requirements and see if that is something I want/need to do.
Church was educational and interesting. We had a guest speaker, Gary Fisher from the Lion of Judah Ministries. He is speaker who focuses on "end times" prophecy and bible prophecy in general. My wife enjoyed it and it appears that many in our church did as well.
After church I stayed a few minutes to help put up chairs for the evenings children's workshop, which my wife would be assisting in. It went quickly with several of the men, women, *and* children helping. After saying a few good-byes, we headed to downtown Wylie for a home style meal at the Ballard Street Cafe and Grill. I was pleased overall with the meal and service.
The Good: Fair prices, small cafe atmosphere, good service (waitress was excellent), good food medium portions that were just right in size. Very tasty pies!
The Bad: The tables are a little close for my taste. Had to send back chicken fried chicken (it was pink in the center) and my wife had to send back her mashed potatoes because they were drenched in milk gravy (which is normal, but my wife is not a gravy person).
My wife and I came home and let out the dogs who were overly excited to see us. My wife wanted to take a nap, but I was not tired. I opted to watch part 1 and 2 of a 3 part Farscape. One of the better episodes in the second season so far. I am still disappointed in the overly sexual nature the show has taken on. It is good enough to stand on its own without the overtly sexuality. Not all of us sci-fi geeks are pervs.
After that was over and my wife got up, we chatted for a while. Mostly small talk, but it was the sort of things that women (at least my wife) appreciates. I really need to stop and take time to do that more often. I do not want to take her for granted.
My wife went to the church to assist with the Creative Arts Camp that she promised to help with earlier on. She did not get back until 10 PM or so (she had to stay an clean up then run by the car wash to clean the bird poo from the van. I spent the time she was gone by talking with my mom, washing dishes, grabbing a bite to eat, walking the dogs, and watching another episode of Farscape. I also checked the news to see what was going on but nothing seemed pressing, so I went to bed...I felt like I needed the sleep.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Not a Bad Day
The alarm went off at 6 AM...I had forgotten to reset it to the normal weekend wake up time of 7:00. After turning it off and resetting it for 7:00 (I think...) I got another hours sleep. My wife was already up, but unlike last weekend she did not walk the dogs. Instead she was watering the foundation on the north side of the house...something I did the night before. I was still very asleep and snapped at her, something I apologized for immediately. I then gathered both dogs and headed out. I have not walked both of them together in quite some time. The Golden cannot go more than half a block and little man has to have a long walk on the weekends. We compromised and did the extended walk, but not the long one. The Golden was bushed when we got back and I was frustrated at both of them for misbehaving while I was trying to sleepwalk them.
This photo was taken in the fall of 2003 at Lake Texhoma, on the Texas-Oklahoma border. It is only about an hour and a half or so from our house.
After my walk I apologized to my wife again, telling her that I was just groggy and I was really sorry. She forgave me for being me (like she always does) and I brewed a small pot of French Roast coffee with vanilla toffee cream while I fired up geekbox to check mail.
After a quick check of e-mail (only a couple...the spam filter at the server is doing a good job) my I stripped the bed and tossed the sheets into the washer. I knew my wife had stuff to add so I did not start it.
My wife was going to aerobics and I wanted to get started with my weekly vacuuming. It takes about 2 hours to do it the way my wife likes it (including cleaning the unit when I am done) and was finishing up just as she came back. After a quick lunch of sandwiches and green peppers fresh from our neighbor's garden, we shook out the comforter and the sheets so I could finish making the bed. The timing was perfect...my wife felt she needed a nap. So while she napped, I checked some mail, did some bill paying, wrote my Sunday school lesson for tomorrow, and blogged a bit before I trotted to the store to pick up steaks for dinner. Krogers is right next door (outside our sub-division) so I walked. It was 95 but it did not feel hot until I got in the store. I savored the A/C while I searched for a couple of steaks and some frozen baby lima beans. Since I was thirsty, I grabbed a Fuze White Tea to drink on my way back.
After I got back, I marinated the steaks in soy and Worcestershire sauce and rubbed mine down with a Mexican spice mix my wife picked up for me. After the steaks were in the fridge, I started on the living room electronics (see previous blog) and finished shortly after dinner.
The steaks were fantastic. I got a 16 ounce (453 grams) T-bone for my wife and a 6 ounce (170 gram) bacon wrapped tenderloin for me. 8 minutes on each side over medium heat and they were *perfect* . We use a gas grill only because it is quicker, cleaner, and easier with our schedules. I would prefer charcoal, but we cannot do it at this time. I will throw some mesquite chips on the grill to give it a smoky flavor when I think about it, but I had forgotten this time. Nonetheless, the meal of steak, lima beans, and Parmesan noodles hit the spot. A cold Shiner Bock would have gone well with it, but we opted for water (my wife) and a Diet Cherry Coke (for me). We both joked that a hunk of cheese cake would have been perfect with the dinner, since neither one of us stuffed ourselves. My wife only ate half her steak...as planned. Needless to say we skipped dessert.
When the meal was done my wife went back to working on the touch up work around the living room windows while I finished on the entertainment center. When I was done I walked the dogs again (one at time please!) and chatted with a very good friend from WV who is visiting some of his friends here in Tejas. I prolly talked with him for about an hour. I hope he and his wife have time to spend with us before they go back in 2 weeks.
My wife wanted to watch A DVD that she ordered from Lamb and Lion Ministries regarding animals in Heaven. Being the pet person (and a Christian), this is important to her. BtW, Dr. Reagan is a member of our church.
It had been so long since she used the DVD player, I had to give her a tutorial on it. As soon as she was up and running, I came in to watch an episode of Farscape. Last night, the episode I watched was called "They are Out of Their Minds" It was the funniest one yet. The characters had their minds switched to each others bodies. Chianna in D'Argo's body was the best...if you have not seen that particular episode, think a gay D'Argo and you have it. Crichton as Rigel was pretty funny as well.
Tonight's episode was call "My Three Crichton's". It was pretty good...one of the better in season 2. I am still not hooked on season 2, but it is getting a bit better. I still prefer Battlestar Galactica.
Well, I am getting tired and I need a shower. I have not gone anywhere today (except when I walked to the store to get steaks) so I skipped my morning shower, but I am not getting on clean sheets until I get a good hot shower.
This photo was taken in the fall of 2003 at Lake Texhoma, on the Texas-Oklahoma border. It is only about an hour and a half or so from our house.
After my walk I apologized to my wife again, telling her that I was just groggy and I was really sorry. She forgave me for being me (like she always does) and I brewed a small pot of French Roast coffee with vanilla toffee cream while I fired up geekbox to check mail.
After a quick check of e-mail (only a couple...the spam filter at the server is doing a good job) my I stripped the bed and tossed the sheets into the washer. I knew my wife had stuff to add so I did not start it.
My wife was going to aerobics and I wanted to get started with my weekly vacuuming. It takes about 2 hours to do it the way my wife likes it (including cleaning the unit when I am done) and was finishing up just as she came back. After a quick lunch of sandwiches and green peppers fresh from our neighbor's garden, we shook out the comforter and the sheets so I could finish making the bed. The timing was perfect...my wife felt she needed a nap. So while she napped, I checked some mail, did some bill paying, wrote my Sunday school lesson for tomorrow, and blogged a bit before I trotted to the store to pick up steaks for dinner. Krogers is right next door (outside our sub-division) so I walked. It was 95 but it did not feel hot until I got in the store. I savored the A/C while I searched for a couple of steaks and some frozen baby lima beans. Since I was thirsty, I grabbed a Fuze White Tea to drink on my way back.
After I got back, I marinated the steaks in soy and Worcestershire sauce and rubbed mine down with a Mexican spice mix my wife picked up for me. After the steaks were in the fridge, I started on the living room electronics (see previous blog) and finished shortly after dinner.
The steaks were fantastic. I got a 16 ounce (453 grams) T-bone for my wife and a 6 ounce (170 gram) bacon wrapped tenderloin for me. 8 minutes on each side over medium heat and they were *perfect* . We use a gas grill only because it is quicker, cleaner, and easier with our schedules. I would prefer charcoal, but we cannot do it at this time. I will throw some mesquite chips on the grill to give it a smoky flavor when I think about it, but I had forgotten this time. Nonetheless, the meal of steak, lima beans, and Parmesan noodles hit the spot. A cold Shiner Bock would have gone well with it, but we opted for water (my wife) and a Diet Cherry Coke (for me). We both joked that a hunk of cheese cake would have been perfect with the dinner, since neither one of us stuffed ourselves. My wife only ate half her steak...as planned. Needless to say we skipped dessert.
When the meal was done my wife went back to working on the touch up work around the living room windows while I finished on the entertainment center. When I was done I walked the dogs again (one at time please!) and chatted with a very good friend from WV who is visiting some of his friends here in Tejas. I prolly talked with him for about an hour. I hope he and his wife have time to spend with us before they go back in 2 weeks.
My wife wanted to watch A DVD that she ordered from Lamb and Lion Ministries regarding animals in Heaven. Being the pet person (and a Christian), this is important to her. BtW, Dr. Reagan is a member of our church.
It had been so long since she used the DVD player, I had to give her a tutorial on it. As soon as she was up and running, I came in to watch an episode of Farscape. Last night, the episode I watched was called "They are Out of Their Minds" It was the funniest one yet. The characters had their minds switched to each others bodies. Chianna in D'Argo's body was the best...if you have not seen that particular episode, think a gay D'Argo and you have it. Crichton as Rigel was pretty funny as well.
Tonight's episode was call "My Three Crichton's". It was pretty good...one of the better in season 2. I am still not hooked on season 2, but it is getting a bit better. I still prefer Battlestar Galactica.
Well, I am getting tired and I need a shower. I have not gone anywhere today (except when I walked to the store to get steaks) so I skipped my morning shower, but I am not getting on clean sheets until I get a good hot shower.
Some Degree of Progress
W00t!
I just finished putting the TV, VCR, DVD, and stereo system (including) speakers back into the entertainment center (the cables have been cleaned up since I posted this). My wife finished touching up the paint and I am very pleased with her work. She is not finished with all the living room, but she is close.
I know that it looks a tad weird having a 27 inch (68.5 cm) TV where a 45 inch (114 cm) one should go, but we are not TV people and the distance from that wall to the one opposite it is pretty short, about 14 feet (4.25 meters) and with a couch opposite the TV, it is even closer.
We are using all Sony equipment except the tape deck. It has not worn out/broken yet and it 15 years old. The TV is 9 or 10 years old and the speaker system is about 15 years old. The DVD player is a 5 disc carousel and is 3 years old and the receiver is about 4-5 years old. I bought it used from a colleague for a very good price. The speaker stands are 5 years old and the TV stand is less than a year old.
The rest of the area will be filled with books, pictures, and candles. I hope to publish photos as son as my wife finishes touching up the rest of the walls and trim. We need new furniture but that is not in the budget any time soon. We have too many repairs to do first!
Here are a few pics of the house after we had a few things done outside. This one is of the 8 foot (2.4 meters) cedar fence we had put in last summer. It is about 155 liner feet (47 meters) long.
This one is of the back patio with the Rubbermaid building. The building is setting on the new patio extension. The yard is not flat and we liked the shed being near the house. We want to eventually cover the patio so we can keep the heat off us and actually *sit* outside sometime. It is very hot in Texas without shade.
Here is the front of the house, circa last year (all the photos except the entertainment center are from last summer). The fence goes around half way around the house then towards in. I had considered extending the fence closer to the front, but I did not want it to look like a fortress. I would not have such a high fence if we did not have neighbors so close to us.
For nostalgia sake, I had to include a photo of our old house in North Carolina. We lived about 5 miles (8 kilometers) outside the city limits, 8 miles (12.8 kilometers) from the closest grocery store. Country living with city convenience. While the house did not look like much, it was our first home and we miss it and all the little quirks it had (the shape being the oddest. It literally was a huge cube without anything to give it shape).
It sat on a sloping lot (common in NC), was pier and beam (no slab foundations like in Texas) and had a 2 story storage shed in the back. Since it was in the country, we had a well (it was very deep...something like 250 feet) and had the best tasting cool water all year long. We also had a septic system that was grandfathered in. It was a "flow through" system that was consisted of multiple chambers to hold the waste, one of them being a "sanitation" chamber that we charged with chlorine tablets every month.
Interesting comparison to the 'burbs in Texas, eh?
I just finished putting the TV, VCR, DVD, and stereo system (including) speakers back into the entertainment center (the cables have been cleaned up since I posted this). My wife finished touching up the paint and I am very pleased with her work. She is not finished with all the living room, but she is close.
I know that it looks a tad weird having a 27 inch (68.5 cm) TV where a 45 inch (114 cm) one should go, but we are not TV people and the distance from that wall to the one opposite it is pretty short, about 14 feet (4.25 meters) and with a couch opposite the TV, it is even closer.
We are using all Sony equipment except the tape deck. It has not worn out/broken yet and it 15 years old. The TV is 9 or 10 years old and the speaker system is about 15 years old. The DVD player is a 5 disc carousel and is 3 years old and the receiver is about 4-5 years old. I bought it used from a colleague for a very good price. The speaker stands are 5 years old and the TV stand is less than a year old.
The rest of the area will be filled with books, pictures, and candles. I hope to publish photos as son as my wife finishes touching up the rest of the walls and trim. We need new furniture but that is not in the budget any time soon. We have too many repairs to do first!
Here are a few pics of the house after we had a few things done outside. This one is of the 8 foot (2.4 meters) cedar fence we had put in last summer. It is about 155 liner feet (47 meters) long.
This one is of the back patio with the Rubbermaid building. The building is setting on the new patio extension. The yard is not flat and we liked the shed being near the house. We want to eventually cover the patio so we can keep the heat off us and actually *sit* outside sometime. It is very hot in Texas without shade.
Here is the front of the house, circa last year (all the photos except the entertainment center are from last summer). The fence goes around half way around the house then towards in. I had considered extending the fence closer to the front, but I did not want it to look like a fortress. I would not have such a high fence if we did not have neighbors so close to us.
For nostalgia sake, I had to include a photo of our old house in North Carolina. We lived about 5 miles (8 kilometers) outside the city limits, 8 miles (12.8 kilometers) from the closest grocery store. Country living with city convenience. While the house did not look like much, it was our first home and we miss it and all the little quirks it had (the shape being the oddest. It literally was a huge cube without anything to give it shape).
It sat on a sloping lot (common in NC), was pier and beam (no slab foundations like in Texas) and had a 2 story storage shed in the back. Since it was in the country, we had a well (it was very deep...something like 250 feet) and had the best tasting cool water all year long. We also had a septic system that was grandfathered in. It was a "flow through" system that was consisted of multiple chambers to hold the waste, one of them being a "sanitation" chamber that we charged with chlorine tablets every month.
Interesting comparison to the 'burbs in Texas, eh?
Fast Facts
If you are wondering how my area of Texas compares to where you live, here is your chance. This is the demographic info that was mailed to everyone in our fair city. When me moved here 5 years ago, it had 20 thousand less people. It is amazing how much it has grown.
This was scanned with XSANE and cleaned up with The GIMP...all in Linux.
This was scanned with XSANE and cleaned up with The GIMP...all in Linux.
Friday, June 23, 2006
A Postcard
Yesterday we received a postcard from a friend of ours who is visiting her native Sweden for a few weeks. I thought it was a very nice gesture. While I do not know her as well as I may know other people, "Yvette", a former colleague, has always kept in contact even though she has moved from Texas to Florida after she was laid off.
The postcard was taken across from The Grand Hotel, in Gamla Stan (Old Town) in Stockholm. It meant a lot to me because I have had dinner there and enjoyed walking around that area when I visited Sweden 8 years ago. I really would like to go back sometime...when it is warm! The last time I went it was near Christmas and while it was very pretty (fresh snow and *tasteful* decorations), it was cold. I have been told summer (August) is great there. Maybe I can even go to Gotland Island.
Back to work!
The postcard was taken across from The Grand Hotel, in Gamla Stan (Old Town) in Stockholm. It meant a lot to me because I have had dinner there and enjoyed walking around that area when I visited Sweden 8 years ago. I really would like to go back sometime...when it is warm! The last time I went it was near Christmas and while it was very pretty (fresh snow and *tasteful* decorations), it was cold. I have been told summer (August) is great there. Maybe I can even go to Gotland Island.
Back to work!
Coming Home
We received a call from our soldier boy last night. I almost missed the call, but he called until I picked up. The phone was charging in the kitchen and I was in the office watching Farscape (I still do not like season 2...season 1 was much better) with the headphones one so I would not disturb my wife.
Soldier boy is graduation from AIT today (I had my dates wrong). We did not attend since we could not afford to go this time. We went to his graduation from basic training last year. He graduates at 9 AM, loads on a bus for the airport and waits until this evening to fly out. He has asked my wife to pick him up and I am sure I will go with her unless something comes up. During his call to us he stated over and over again how he cannot wait to get back to Texas.
When he gets back, he will chill with us for a few hours and then go out with friends. He plans on living with a family he knows for a few weeks until he can get a job. He as an interview lined up with Raytheon in few days. He says he is going to be very busy when he gets back, at least for a week or so, but he welcomes it.
I miss soldier boy. He has a good heart. He wants to be a servant and he believes that God has called him to do that in the military.
Soldier boy is graduation from AIT today (I had my dates wrong). We did not attend since we could not afford to go this time. We went to his graduation from basic training last year. He graduates at 9 AM, loads on a bus for the airport and waits until this evening to fly out. He has asked my wife to pick him up and I am sure I will go with her unless something comes up. During his call to us he stated over and over again how he cannot wait to get back to Texas.
When he gets back, he will chill with us for a few hours and then go out with friends. He plans on living with a family he knows for a few weeks until he can get a job. He as an interview lined up with Raytheon in few days. He says he is going to be very busy when he gets back, at least for a week or so, but he welcomes it.
I miss soldier boy. He has a good heart. He wants to be a servant and he believes that God has called him to do that in the military.
Vector Linux Verdict
I played with Vector Linux for a few hours last night...not long...just long enough to see how it works and I have my verdict on it. It is light and fast. It is based on Slackware (if I remember correctly...I only used Slackware once about 9 years ago) and it appears very stable. I rather nice install was only 1.1 gig and that included 4 kernels, 4 window managers, and a lot of software. It uses a package system similar to Debian (Debian uses apt-get, and Vector uses slapt-get) and both have GUI package managers. However, here is my beef. I never could get the GUI package manager to work. A look on the forums stated this is a known bug...how odd that it has not been fixed.
I did an update and upgrade and things got WORSE. I was using XFCE (my WM of choice) and after the upgrade, I could not log on to XFCE, only the other WM's. Since I am not a fan of the other "lite" WM's...I was disappointed.
I liked the install. Geeky enough to get hardcore and it had enough defaults newbies could get a running install in 30 minutes. It was FAST and slick and had a lot of tools. There was no bloat. Even an Xubuntu install was bigger and it had less kernels and WM's.
I still have it on my laptop and may go back an good off with it, but I am glad I tested it on it rather than megaserver. After a little while, I was not happy. Also, the support is a lot lighter than Ubuntu's support is, but the audience is different, so that stands to reason.
Well it is Friday, I am quasi-awake, my coffee is almost finished, and I need a shower. My mind has been racing around many church issues that I am struggling with. I also am contemplating buying more soaker hoses and some connectors to allow me to cover all the foundation and the fence foundation as well...currently I have about 3/4 's of the foundation covered and about 1/3 of the fence, do to the layout of the spigots and the fence. Buying a "T" connector and 2 more sections of hose would give me complete coverage at a cost of about $25. Not bad, but that brings my total to $50 for hoses and connectors that I should not have to use since I have a sprinkler system...but we cannot use it because of watering restrictions. I guess I should not complain. My wife was talking to someone in the southern part of Texas that has reached "stage 4" restrictions and they cannot use *any* water outside at all. Ouch. Goodbye lawn and foundation.
Okay, I am not so mad now. Really.
I did an update and upgrade and things got WORSE. I was using XFCE (my WM of choice) and after the upgrade, I could not log on to XFCE, only the other WM's. Since I am not a fan of the other "lite" WM's...I was disappointed.
I liked the install. Geeky enough to get hardcore and it had enough defaults newbies could get a running install in 30 minutes. It was FAST and slick and had a lot of tools. There was no bloat. Even an Xubuntu install was bigger and it had less kernels and WM's.
I still have it on my laptop and may go back an good off with it, but I am glad I tested it on it rather than megaserver. After a little while, I was not happy. Also, the support is a lot lighter than Ubuntu's support is, but the audience is different, so that stands to reason.
Well it is Friday, I am quasi-awake, my coffee is almost finished, and I need a shower. My mind has been racing around many church issues that I am struggling with. I also am contemplating buying more soaker hoses and some connectors to allow me to cover all the foundation and the fence foundation as well...currently I have about 3/4 's of the foundation covered and about 1/3 of the fence, do to the layout of the spigots and the fence. Buying a "T" connector and 2 more sections of hose would give me complete coverage at a cost of about $25. Not bad, but that brings my total to $50 for hoses and connectors that I should not have to use since I have a sprinkler system...but we cannot use it because of watering restrictions. I guess I should not complain. My wife was talking to someone in the southern part of Texas that has reached "stage 4" restrictions and they cannot use *any* water outside at all. Ouch. Goodbye lawn and foundation.
Okay, I am not so mad now. Really.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
ITS ALIVE!
Well, I got my new HD from the repair center today and I installed it. It was not as configured as they told me it would be, but no worries. It is however a 5400 rpm laptop drive (where many are 4200 rpm) and it is a Hitachi. It is running pretty well. I installed most of what I wanted/needed in between the work I did today.
It was busy. My project data came in so I spent most of the morning configuring installation files for the field people. When that was all done, I had to test some new scripts that were made to make our life easier. They worked very well. Good job, "Hans"!
It was busy enough I worked through lunch and did not check any personal e-mail until 4:00...I usually leave at 4:30. With the projects, testing, meetings, returning the old HD to the repair center, and my regular work..the day went by very fast.
I stopped to get gas at Kroger (I got it for 2.65 a gallon...10 cents cheaper than most places in the area) on my way home. It was not very crowded, but people were getting full tanks. When I got home I let the dogs out (Great...now I have that song stuck in my head), grabbed the mail, and fixed a couple of cheese burritos for dinner. I had no idea if my wife was coming straight home or if she was stopping anyplace, so I ate alone. When she did get home, she did not appear to be hungry.
My wife did me a big favor and got some soaker hoses yesterday, so at least our foundation will not suffer with all the heat and the water restrictions. I was beginning to worry. I have been watering them by hand and that is not very efficient.
Well, time to help my wife shear the dogs. I figure I can let Vector Linux install run while I am helping. Vector is supposed to be great for older hardware. I was made aware of it by "Lars" at work. He is looking for a light Linux distro to put on an old 400 mhz laptop I gave him.
It was busy. My project data came in so I spent most of the morning configuring installation files for the field people. When that was all done, I had to test some new scripts that were made to make our life easier. They worked very well. Good job, "Hans"!
It was busy enough I worked through lunch and did not check any personal e-mail until 4:00...I usually leave at 4:30. With the projects, testing, meetings, returning the old HD to the repair center, and my regular work..the day went by very fast.
I stopped to get gas at Kroger (I got it for 2.65 a gallon...10 cents cheaper than most places in the area) on my way home. It was not very crowded, but people were getting full tanks. When I got home I let the dogs out (Great...now I have that song stuck in my head), grabbed the mail, and fixed a couple of cheese burritos for dinner. I had no idea if my wife was coming straight home or if she was stopping anyplace, so I ate alone. When she did get home, she did not appear to be hungry.
My wife did me a big favor and got some soaker hoses yesterday, so at least our foundation will not suffer with all the heat and the water restrictions. I was beginning to worry. I have been watering them by hand and that is not very efficient.
Well, time to help my wife shear the dogs. I figure I can let Vector Linux install run while I am helping. Vector is supposed to be great for older hardware. I was made aware of it by "Lars" at work. He is looking for a light Linux distro to put on an old 400 mhz laptop I gave him.
Mr. Miser
I have been trying to find ways to save a few dollars here and there around the house...trimming the fat so to speak. Attempts to get my wife to buy gallons of bottled water to drink instead of single servings has failed...she is willing to pay for convenience. We have raised the temp on the A/C to 76 in the day and 78 at night (which I may raise again) and we have ceiling fans running on low to circulate the cool air even more. We have put UV window film on the patio doors to reflect back some of the heat (our patio doors when the sun was shining through them made the kitchen/dining area 10-15 degrees warmer in the summer), we keep the blinds closed in the summer (on the south, east and west sides of the house), I try to not let geekbox run 24X7 and turn on megaserver only when I want to update it or download stuff. We have stopped carpooling since we cannot get to work when I like to and the stress on getting my wife up and ready at 7 AM is just too much for her. I use a dish "wand" to wash small amounts of dishes instead of running a sink full of water to do them. Also, not being allowed to water our lawn much will help our water bill a fair amount, but most likely kill the yard in the process.
I was listening to Dave Ramsey the other day on local Christian talk radio and he had some ideas that we are already doing. I wish I could convince my wife to take the plunge and really cut back, but I know that is not something that would go over very well. If you have never listened to him, try it and see if what he says does not make sense to you. Also find his "7 Baby Steps" plan to get out of debt. I have used his plan when I was single (before I knew who he was) and it worked. "Debt Snowballing" is a great plan that not only pays down debt, but it builds your confidence.
I was listening to Dave Ramsey the other day on local Christian talk radio and he had some ideas that we are already doing. I wish I could convince my wife to take the plunge and really cut back, but I know that is not something that would go over very well. If you have never listened to him, try it and see if what he says does not make sense to you. Also find his "7 Baby Steps" plan to get out of debt. I have used his plan when I was single (before I knew who he was) and it worked. "Debt Snowballing" is a great plan that not only pays down debt, but it builds your confidence.
Rest, Work, Repeat
I got a very good night's sleep last night. I am sure I will need it today...the work I am expected to will arrive in my mailbox this morning. I am to have it done by end of business tomorrow. It should be enough time providing my normal workload is...normal. Murphy, where are you?
My HD should arrive Friday or Monday. The whole process seems odd to me. I am glad I only have 1 password to change. We us a single sign on here and if I get my PW changed in one place, it is changed for good.
I have Google Earth Beta 4 running...ON LINUX! Yep, native running Google Earth. As long as your machine is high(erish) end and has a high(erish) end video card, you are set. Did I mention you had *better* have current drivers.
I am rethinking the reload of my Linux machine, geekbox. It seems to be running ok for now. Faster, and stable. I will eventually reload it, but not yet. I may do it the same time I end up reloading Windows to keep it simpler.
I burned my first CD in Linux last night (with Gnomebaker) but I do not know if it worked. The CD could read it, but that means nothing...Murphy is always hiding in corners. The CD I burned was an ISO of Vector Linux...something designed for lower end boxes. It is marketed as faster and more stable. I think it is based on Slackware, so this will be a new experience for me. I am going to try it on my laptop (a real challenge) and see how it goes, since I am not using it for anything yet...
Well, I have finished my coffee so it is time to get ready for work.
My HD should arrive Friday or Monday. The whole process seems odd to me. I am glad I only have 1 password to change. We us a single sign on here and if I get my PW changed in one place, it is changed for good.
I have Google Earth Beta 4 running...ON LINUX! Yep, native running Google Earth. As long as your machine is high(erish) end and has a high(erish) end video card, you are set. Did I mention you had *better* have current drivers.
I am rethinking the reload of my Linux machine, geekbox. It seems to be running ok for now. Faster, and stable. I will eventually reload it, but not yet. I may do it the same time I end up reloading Windows to keep it simpler.
I burned my first CD in Linux last night (with Gnomebaker) but I do not know if it worked. The CD could read it, but that means nothing...Murphy is always hiding in corners. The CD I burned was an ISO of Vector Linux...something designed for lower end boxes. It is marketed as faster and more stable. I think it is based on Slackware, so this will be a new experience for me. I am going to try it on my laptop (a real challenge) and see how it goes, since I am not using it for anything yet...
Well, I have finished my coffee so it is time to get ready for work.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
This Does Not Bode Well
I just got a call from PC support regarding my failing hard drive. They were supposed to come over to swap out my failing hard drive and reimage it with the company loaded OS/software build. The tech said he could not come over to my building to do the work and was shipping me a new HD, pre-imaged. OK, not problem. I ask why he cannot come by and he says, "You do not work in a $company building, so we are not allowed to enter it." He said the building is not on the map. I wonder if this was the same guy who shipped me Windows 2ooo CD's once when I asked to have my non-compliant machine imaged with the company load. That was funny. When the install did not go as planned I called him back and his boss told me that this was not procedure and promised to fix the issue himself, which he did in record time.
I work in $company building. It was turned over to my $company when the lease was up when the $company we support vacated it. I use my $company's badge to enter the building, have a $company phone, use the $company LAN, and use the $company's computers. I have not used any of the old company's stuff in almost 3 years, when we were all switched over to the $company.
He then told me all I needed to do was back up my data and when the new drive came in, I could just swap it out, power up the PC and pull down all my data to the new drive. Ok. No problem. Will I have admin rights to the PC? His answer, "Well, you should..."
Then he tells me after I get the new drive, I need to call a number and give them my password so they can synchronize my new HD with the LAN. I do not like that at all.
The tech said I should be getting the new HD in a couple of days. I am not sure my laptop will last that long. Nonetheless, I am not switching it off for anything until the new drive shows up.
Pray for me. I think I am going to need it.
I work in $company building. It was turned over to my $company when the lease was up when the $company we support vacated it. I use my $company's badge to enter the building, have a $company phone, use the $company LAN, and use the $company's computers. I have not used any of the old company's stuff in almost 3 years, when we were all switched over to the $company.
He then told me all I needed to do was back up my data and when the new drive came in, I could just swap it out, power up the PC and pull down all my data to the new drive. Ok. No problem. Will I have admin rights to the PC? His answer, "Well, you should..."
Then he tells me after I get the new drive, I need to call a number and give them my password so they can synchronize my new HD with the LAN. I do not like that at all.
The tech said I should be getting the new HD in a couple of days. I am not sure my laptop will last that long. Nonetheless, I am not switching it off for anything until the new drive shows up.
Pray for me. I think I am going to need it.
My Spin on Something I Read This Morning
I read a few blogs from time to time. The reasons I read each blog differ, but it is usually because what that persons blogs about interests me to some degree. I have even been known to read blogs that go way against my way of thinking, just so I know what goes on outside my little sphere of existance. One blog that I have been reading a bit more of lately is "The AnarchAngel". Now this blogger and his wife are not people I would normally spend copious amounts of time with, (his interests are a bit different than mine, so I doubt he would want to spend much time with me, either) but I respect his opinion, his thoughts, and his insight on more than one topic. he seems like a good enough guy, so my time on reading his blog is not wasted.
This morning I noticed a new post about changes in his lifestyle that have occurred over the years and it got me to thinking. His post made me think about some of the same things and how he an I are alike and how we differ.
He is not a Christian blogger (from what I can tell, no offense intended to him or his family) so you will see some language (some, I think from his military service, of which I applaud). However, there are no adult images on the site that I have found. If some rough language will not offend you, then stop and read his blog sometime. YOu may find it refreshing.
OK, his list:
1) Showers: I have preferred showers over baths since I was a teen. I tend to shave in the shower, but I only shave 1-2 times a week. My skin is very sensitive and I really suffer when I have to shave every day. I cannot stand being sweaty, so in the summer I shower frequently.
I too, prefer hot showers, although I like them warm in the summer and hotter in the winter due to my cold nature. I tend to shower for about 7-10 minutes.
2) Change and Keys: I prefer to clip my keys on my belt or my belt loop and hardly ever carry change in my pockets. I do not like to jingle, either. I carry my wallet in the front pocket for medical reasons and because it is hard to pick that way. I hate bulging pockets and carry as much on my belt (looking geeky a lot of the time) as I can and now carry most of what I can in my backpack. I like my keyring to be as minimal as I can get it.
3) Shorts: I wear shorts anytime I am not at work (although I have worn them on Casual Friday on the hottest of days). I have 2 types of shorts, NICE khakis and workout shorts. Unless I am working or working out, I wear nice khakis. I like to be comfortable. I have always preferred shorts as long as I can remember. The clothes I chose to wear to work make me look like a Blockbuster or FedEx/Kinko's employee. I like khakis and polos and only wear jeans when they are relaxed fit, slightly baggy. Tight jeans on men are disgusting.
4) Sneakers and Shoes: I wear casual shoes to work, but I never polish them. I generally just wipe them down. I wear sandals around the house, yard, and when I walk my dogs because I prefer my feet get plenty of air. I do not wear them outside of that area, except the beach. I wear sneakers the remainder of the time. I have been known to be very hard on shoes.
5) Shirts: At work/church I wear Polo / knit crew shirts. At home I almost always wear printed tees. I have a drawer for "nicer" tees that I wear in public when I am being ultra casual and a drawer for my yard/house work tees. These usually are the freebies I get from vendors or "nice" tees that are worn out. At one point, I was getting so many vendor tees that I did not have to buy any for about a year. I have been known to wear nice sweatshirts with shorts since my uppoer body is what gets cold and my legs tend to stay warm.
6) Answering the Phone: I have ever since I became white collar answered the phone (even my home phone) with my first and last name. At work (when required), I answer with department and first (and last when required) name. Yes, people think I am weird for that. I think it is really stupid when I answer the phone First_name, Last_name and the person calling asks me who they are speaking to. Pay attention!
7) Clean Plate: Being raised poor, you learn to eat what is on your plate. This can be a bad thing (especially when trying to lose weight) if you tend to order the amount you can eat and your wife only eats half of hers and wants to trash the rest rather than take it home. I never leave food unless it is of VERY poor quality, then I tend to question why I was eating it in the first place. I tend to order less than I know will fill me up and wait to see how much my wife will eat and whether or not she will take it with her. I can get dessert if she takes it with her or if she manages to eat it all in one sitting. While this is rare, it does happen, and usually with ribs.
8) Huah: While not my phrase of choice, I do us it from time to time when I talk to my son who graduated AIT tomorrow from Fort LostintheWoods, Misery. I tend to understand military types (My dad, half-brother, and son were/is in the military) and talk their talk (when I know how/when) when interacting with them. This same behavior shows when I work with those outside of this country. I tend to use words / phrases / terminology they use and this continues even when I am away. I once told a server at a restaurant "tack" (Swedish for thank you) when she refilled my drink. My colleagues just laughed a bit.
9) Hair: My hair is always a week or two too long. The older I get, the shorter I wear it. While I doubt I will ever wear a high and tight, I am sure I will get in buzz very short in the next few years.. My hair grows much faster on top than it does on the side, so I can get a mop-top pretty quicky, even though I am going bald :)
10) Sir or Ma'am: I have been doing this ever since I can remember...which is most of my adult life. It is a respect thing for a persons seniority, station, skill set, age, etc. I call my manager, Team Lead, and those with much greater skillz than I have Sir or Ma'am. I even call my son Sir from time to time, although he prefers, "soldier". My wife is ma'am to me as well.
There are others, but I thought to mirror AnarchAngel's list. It is a good one and does not need changing. His tendencies partially reflect his military affiliation where mine is a culmination of everyone I interact with. Both have merit, IMHO.
This morning I noticed a new post about changes in his lifestyle that have occurred over the years and it got me to thinking. His post made me think about some of the same things and how he an I are alike and how we differ.
He is not a Christian blogger (from what I can tell, no offense intended to him or his family) so you will see some language (some, I think from his military service, of which I applaud). However, there are no adult images on the site that I have found. If some rough language will not offend you, then stop and read his blog sometime. YOu may find it refreshing.
OK, his list:
1) Showers: I have preferred showers over baths since I was a teen. I tend to shave in the shower, but I only shave 1-2 times a week. My skin is very sensitive and I really suffer when I have to shave every day. I cannot stand being sweaty, so in the summer I shower frequently.
I too, prefer hot showers, although I like them warm in the summer and hotter in the winter due to my cold nature. I tend to shower for about 7-10 minutes.
2) Change and Keys: I prefer to clip my keys on my belt or my belt loop and hardly ever carry change in my pockets. I do not like to jingle, either. I carry my wallet in the front pocket for medical reasons and because it is hard to pick that way. I hate bulging pockets and carry as much on my belt (looking geeky a lot of the time) as I can and now carry most of what I can in my backpack. I like my keyring to be as minimal as I can get it.
3) Shorts: I wear shorts anytime I am not at work (although I have worn them on Casual Friday on the hottest of days). I have 2 types of shorts, NICE khakis and workout shorts. Unless I am working or working out, I wear nice khakis. I like to be comfortable. I have always preferred shorts as long as I can remember. The clothes I chose to wear to work make me look like a Blockbuster or FedEx/Kinko's employee. I like khakis and polos and only wear jeans when they are relaxed fit, slightly baggy. Tight jeans on men are disgusting.
4) Sneakers and Shoes: I wear casual shoes to work, but I never polish them. I generally just wipe them down. I wear sandals around the house, yard, and when I walk my dogs because I prefer my feet get plenty of air. I do not wear them outside of that area, except the beach. I wear sneakers the remainder of the time. I have been known to be very hard on shoes.
5) Shirts: At work/church I wear Polo / knit crew shirts. At home I almost always wear printed tees. I have a drawer for "nicer" tees that I wear in public when I am being ultra casual and a drawer for my yard/house work tees. These usually are the freebies I get from vendors or "nice" tees that are worn out. At one point, I was getting so many vendor tees that I did not have to buy any for about a year. I have been known to wear nice sweatshirts with shorts since my uppoer body is what gets cold and my legs tend to stay warm.
6) Answering the Phone: I have ever since I became white collar answered the phone (even my home phone) with my first and last name. At work (when required), I answer with department and first (and last when required) name. Yes, people think I am weird for that. I think it is really stupid when I answer the phone First_name, Last_name and the person calling asks me who they are speaking to. Pay attention!
7) Clean Plate: Being raised poor, you learn to eat what is on your plate. This can be a bad thing (especially when trying to lose weight) if you tend to order the amount you can eat and your wife only eats half of hers and wants to trash the rest rather than take it home. I never leave food unless it is of VERY poor quality, then I tend to question why I was eating it in the first place. I tend to order less than I know will fill me up and wait to see how much my wife will eat and whether or not she will take it with her. I can get dessert if she takes it with her or if she manages to eat it all in one sitting. While this is rare, it does happen, and usually with ribs.
8) Huah: While not my phrase of choice, I do us it from time to time when I talk to my son who graduated AIT tomorrow from Fort LostintheWoods, Misery. I tend to understand military types (My dad, half-brother, and son were/is in the military) and talk their talk (when I know how/when) when interacting with them. This same behavior shows when I work with those outside of this country. I tend to use words / phrases / terminology they use and this continues even when I am away. I once told a server at a restaurant "tack" (Swedish for thank you) when she refilled my drink. My colleagues just laughed a bit.
9) Hair: My hair is always a week or two too long. The older I get, the shorter I wear it. While I doubt I will ever wear a high and tight, I am sure I will get in buzz very short in the next few years.. My hair grows much faster on top than it does on the side, so I can get a mop-top pretty quicky, even though I am going bald :)
10) Sir or Ma'am: I have been doing this ever since I can remember...which is most of my adult life. It is a respect thing for a persons seniority, station, skill set, age, etc. I call my manager, Team Lead, and those with much greater skillz than I have Sir or Ma'am. I even call my son Sir from time to time, although he prefers, "soldier". My wife is ma'am to me as well.
There are others, but I thought to mirror AnarchAngel's list. It is a good one and does not need changing. His tendencies partially reflect his military affiliation where mine is a culmination of everyone I interact with. Both have merit, IMHO.
Of Dogs and Laptop Repair
Hmpphh...the dogs are acting finicky again. Little man ate, but the Golden did not. The Golden has not eaten for me in a few weeks. Do not get me wrong...she is eating when my wife feeds her...just not when I feed her. She will trot over when I get out her bowl and act like she is going to eat, but then she just looks up at me, lays down and sighs. All the while little man is eyeing her food like he is starving.
It is funny to me how dogs act. Little man has *always* been the finicky one. My wife would have to sit with him to get him to eat...something I refuse to do. Now that he is eating more than his share (he raids the Golden's bowl when my back it turned), she refuses to eat for me...only for my wife.
Well, my work laptop gave me the official S.M.A.R.T. BIOS warning that my drive is dying. I feel so glad that I had HDD Health installed, since it gave me a warning *before* the BIOS did. I had already did a complete backup and scheduled the desktop guys to pick up and repair my machine the day before. All I have to do is work via Citrix (joy!) today then I can have my laptop back tomorrow (if all goes well).
Also, ever since Dakboy started adding links to my page on his blog, I have been seeing a minor increase in traffic to the blog. I don't mind at all, but it an was unexpected by product. I rarely check out links to other blogs when I find them. I limit myself on which blogs I read. Speaking of which, I need to add that change to my main page. I need to add a blog roll.
It is funny to me how dogs act. Little man has *always* been the finicky one. My wife would have to sit with him to get him to eat...something I refuse to do. Now that he is eating more than his share (he raids the Golden's bowl when my back it turned), she refuses to eat for me...only for my wife.
Well, my work laptop gave me the official S.M.A.R.T. BIOS warning that my drive is dying. I feel so glad that I had HDD Health installed, since it gave me a warning *before* the BIOS did. I had already did a complete backup and scheduled the desktop guys to pick up and repair my machine the day before. All I have to do is work via Citrix (joy!) today then I can have my laptop back tomorrow (if all goes well).
Also, ever since Dakboy started adding links to my page on his blog, I have been seeing a minor increase in traffic to the blog. I don't mind at all, but it an was unexpected by product. I rarely check out links to other blogs when I find them. I limit myself on which blogs I read. Speaking of which, I need to add that change to my main page. I need to add a blog roll.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
My Wife Loves Me, But I think She is Trying to Kill Me
I say that in jest because when I got back from doing my last module for One to One Discipling with my wife's boss, I noticed she had bought me goodies. IN the fridge was a half gallon of GOOD chocolate milk, 4 Sobe Green Teas and in the freezer was a pint of Hagen Daas Caramel Cone ice cream. It was so rich I could only eat a few spoonfuls...but was it good. I washed it down with a small glass (4 oz or so) of chocolate milk. That was pretty rich as well and wished I had used white milk!
My meeting with my wife's boss went well and we are both happy that he has finished the modules. He was a little slack on the memorization, but he is a rather busy man running his own business and taking care of church issues.
We had planned to have dinner at a little Italian place at the corner of Bethany and Greenville, but it was closed. The sign said that it was now closed on Monday's. No big deal...we headed towards another little place a few miles away at the corner of Angel and Exchange Pkwy. It was closed, too. The sign says that it will be closed on Monday's as well. What is this, an Italian food conspiracy?
We ended up going to Mimi's Cafe. We both ordered sandwiches and enjoyed a good dinner and conversation. They have a new Ciabatta Meatloaf sandwich that is very filling and very good. The fries were soggy, but I did not eat them all anyway.
After that we headed for one of the parks in our town and completed our lesson. We had to compete with a free concert that was being given, but we hardly noticed. We finished up about 8 PM or so and I took "Jim" back to his car. I went home and walked both dogs and washed the dishes. I was getting tired and realized that my wife was not home yet. I logged on the PC and paid a couple of bills and when I was finished with that, I figured I would watch another episode of Farscape while I waited on her. I can safely say that after 4-5 episodes of season 2, I am not pleased. They are showing more skin on Claudia (Aeryn Sun) and really making Gigi (Chianna) into a little whore. I hope all this changes...soon.
My wife came home about 10:15 and we chatted but I was falling asleep. I still had some personal stuff to do (e-mails and the like) so I did not get to bed until 11:00. I am still feeling the effects of several days with only 6 hours sleep each night. My back hurts, so I had to take a couple of Aleve to ease the pain.
The extra work I thought I would have on my plate has not shown up yet and I getting a tad nervous. Let's get this party started!
My meeting with my wife's boss went well and we are both happy that he has finished the modules. He was a little slack on the memorization, but he is a rather busy man running his own business and taking care of church issues.
We had planned to have dinner at a little Italian place at the corner of Bethany and Greenville, but it was closed. The sign said that it was now closed on Monday's. No big deal...we headed towards another little place a few miles away at the corner of Angel and Exchange Pkwy. It was closed, too. The sign says that it will be closed on Monday's as well. What is this, an Italian food conspiracy?
We ended up going to Mimi's Cafe. We both ordered sandwiches and enjoyed a good dinner and conversation. They have a new Ciabatta Meatloaf sandwich that is very filling and very good. The fries were soggy, but I did not eat them all anyway.
After that we headed for one of the parks in our town and completed our lesson. We had to compete with a free concert that was being given, but we hardly noticed. We finished up about 8 PM or so and I took "Jim" back to his car. I went home and walked both dogs and washed the dishes. I was getting tired and realized that my wife was not home yet. I logged on the PC and paid a couple of bills and when I was finished with that, I figured I would watch another episode of Farscape while I waited on her. I can safely say that after 4-5 episodes of season 2, I am not pleased. They are showing more skin on Claudia (Aeryn Sun) and really making Gigi (Chianna) into a little whore. I hope all this changes...soon.
My wife came home about 10:15 and we chatted but I was falling asleep. I still had some personal stuff to do (e-mails and the like) so I did not get to bed until 11:00. I am still feeling the effects of several days with only 6 hours sleep each night. My back hurts, so I had to take a couple of Aleve to ease the pain.
The extra work I thought I would have on my plate has not shown up yet and I getting a tad nervous. Let's get this party started!
Monday, June 19, 2006
I Think the Hard Drive is Dying, Kiptain
I have been havening problems with my work PC for a few months. It is slow, overheats, and crashes frequently. For the longest time, I had no idea what was wrong, then I installed HDD Health from www.panterasoft.com on it. HDD Health is a diagnostic tool that will give you an idea how much life you have left on your hard drive. After installing this and allowing it to run for a few months, I have been able to determine that the hard drive in my work laptop will go tango-uniform in less than a year.
While HDD Health is a good tool for giving you raw data, if you do not know how to interpret the data, you will have no idea what is wrong with your drive. My particular drive has sector allocation problems and is running out of usable spare sectors. This prompted me to call the Help Desk and request a new hard drive to be installed. I also initiated a full back-up of my HD data so I will have all I need when it is time to have the drive replaced.
HDD health is a pretty good tool, but only if you have time to research the raw data. I run it at home and it shows my drives are quite healthy. I run it at work and it shows me that the beast is ready to keel over any day. I hope I can get a replacement soon!
*** UPDATE, June 20, 2006 ***
I got to work and checked the laptop to see how the back-up went and it appears all went well. I looked at HDD health and it now shows the driving in VERY CRITICAL condition. I actually think that if I reboot it, the laptop may not come back up.
While HDD Health is a good tool for giving you raw data, if you do not know how to interpret the data, you will have no idea what is wrong with your drive. My particular drive has sector allocation problems and is running out of usable spare sectors. This prompted me to call the Help Desk and request a new hard drive to be installed. I also initiated a full back-up of my HD data so I will have all I need when it is time to have the drive replaced.
HDD health is a pretty good tool, but only if you have time to research the raw data. I run it at home and it shows my drives are quite healthy. I run it at work and it shows me that the beast is ready to keel over any day. I hope I can get a replacement soon!
*** UPDATE, June 20, 2006 ***
I got to work and checked the laptop to see how the back-up went and it appears all went well. I looked at HDD health and it now shows the driving in VERY CRITICAL condition. I actually think that if I reboot it, the laptop may not come back up.
Money, Part Two
I did some more thinking about my money post after reading Dakboy's comments. In Dak's post, he assumed 5 million dollars was after taxes, where as I figured 5 million before taxes. I also do not want to have to work ever again.
If I had 5 million after taxes, there are certain things I would want to do:
* Pay off home, van, and misc debt.
* Remodel our home or build a custom home.
* New furniture for the entire house (except our bedroom. That is new and NICE)
* Buy my dream car , a 1963 Chevy Corvette.
* Travel to places that I have always wanted to see outside the US: Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, The Netherlands, Finland, and Sweden.
* Let my wife go on a real shopping spree. I will even let her buy me some clothes.
* Pay off the mortgage on our church.
* His and hers laptops.
I have pretty simple tastes...
I liked Dak's list...he has his heart in the right place. I too, would set up college funds for nieces and nephews, but I don't think that it would be wise for us.
If I had 5 million after taxes, there are certain things I would want to do:
* Pay off home, van, and misc debt.
* Remodel our home or build a custom home.
* New furniture for the entire house (except our bedroom. That is new and NICE)
* Buy my dream car , a 1963 Chevy Corvette.
* Travel to places that I have always wanted to see outside the US: Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, The Netherlands, Finland, and Sweden.
* Let my wife go on a real shopping spree. I will even let her buy me some clothes.
* Pay off the mortgage on our church.
* His and hers laptops.
I have pretty simple tastes...
I liked Dak's list...he has his heart in the right place. I too, would set up college funds for nieces and nephews, but I don't think that it would be wise for us.
Money...
I was browsing through some blogs this morning and a couple caught my eye because they were pondering what life would be like with a million dollars. I have had similar "what if" chats with friends before and while many of the conversations are very "pie in the sky", a fair amount have been pretty realistic. Many people that I have chatted with said paying off debt and buying homes were the first thing on their list while others stated they would give gifts to those who meant a great deal to them.
In my pondering of "what if I had a million dollars", I have come to the conclusion that one million is really not that much money. Please, hear me out.
Pretend you are Joe Employee at a medium to large company. Let's say you earn 50,000 a year and are buying a small home. In 20 years you would earn one million dollars, providing you never received a raise and you made that 50K each and every year. Could you stop working and live on that one million dollars? I seriously doubt it.
I am of the school of thought that it would take five million dollars for a 40 year old man to be able to quit working and live AT HIS CURRENT quality of life, more if he wants to "better" himself. While I understand that this is not exact, the concept is sound.
Let's go back to the first part of this...you are a 40 year old man who makes $50,000 a year, You are buying a home and have wife and one child. While you are not wealthy by any means, you can live (frugally) on your $50K a year. You win a 5 million dollar lottery and decided to take the lump sum payout, which is usually about half of the money, in this case 2.5 million dollars. In your first year, you will have to pay the IRS their share (roughly 1.25 million) and then you have the rest to live off of for the rest of your life.
Now the next part considers the very real possibility that all the money you have paid into Social Security is no longer there. With that in mind, you have to ration the money you have to last you and your wife for the next 40 years. 1.25 million divided by 40 years equals $31,250 per year. Now you are no fool, so you invest $500,000 into mutual funds that historically give you 10% yield per year. You decide to live off of the $750,000 for 20 years and use the Mutual Funds to retire on. $750,000 divided by 20 years equals $37,500 a year for you to live on until you are 60. Assuming that your mutual funds give you 10% and you invested $500,000, you could get about $5,000 a year profit to take out to augment your $37,500 to about $42K / year...still below your 50K you live on now. The $500,000 you invested would remain at $500,000 (if it always returned 10% per year and you withdrew that 10% each year) so you could use it to start living on when you reached 60, but that money would only give you 10 years at 50K a year to live on (not counting the interest accrued during from ages 6 to 70). If you live to 75, you are 5 years broke and if you live longer...well you get the picture. Taking a lump some of a 5 million dollar lottery at age 40 would not guarantee an easy life if you stopped working. Again I am not accounting for Social Security and any pensions you may have built up.
I ran the model allowing for the 5 million to be distributed over a 20 year span in equal YEARLY payments. With this model, I can get 250,000 a year, give half to the government every year and have$125,000 to live on each year for 20 years. Out of that 125K, I would invest 50K every year for the 20 years I received my yearly payment into a mutual fund. That fund would make 10% (conservative estimate) and I would not have to touch that money until I reach 60, the same time my checks stop. At that point, I would have one million dollars in Mutual Funds that I could withdraw 50K at time to live on and be OK for 20 years NOT COUNTING INTEREST.
Taking a lump sum is a tricky move, since most lotteries stop paying if you die. If you were older than 45-50, I would take the lump sum. Under that age in reasonably good health I would take the payments.
Taking 50K and investing it and leaving 75K to live on a year is great if you are used to living on 50K a year, since most of us would like to get out of debt. I personally would not rush to pay off my house, but make extra 5K payments each year to pay it off sooner, allowing the bulk of my money to earn interest since the 10% return that is common in Mutual Funds is greater that the 5.25% interest I am paying on my mortgage. If I had an annuity calculator, I am sure that I would be pleasantly surprised on the money I would have to live on using this model.
So using my thoughts as a loose guide...how would you spend $5 million?
In my pondering of "what if I had a million dollars", I have come to the conclusion that one million is really not that much money. Please, hear me out.
Pretend you are Joe Employee at a medium to large company. Let's say you earn 50,000 a year and are buying a small home. In 20 years you would earn one million dollars, providing you never received a raise and you made that 50K each and every year. Could you stop working and live on that one million dollars? I seriously doubt it.
I am of the school of thought that it would take five million dollars for a 40 year old man to be able to quit working and live AT HIS CURRENT quality of life, more if he wants to "better" himself. While I understand that this is not exact, the concept is sound.
Let's go back to the first part of this...you are a 40 year old man who makes $50,000 a year, You are buying a home and have wife and one child. While you are not wealthy by any means, you can live (frugally) on your $50K a year. You win a 5 million dollar lottery and decided to take the lump sum payout, which is usually about half of the money, in this case 2.5 million dollars. In your first year, you will have to pay the IRS their share (roughly 1.25 million) and then you have the rest to live off of for the rest of your life.
Now the next part considers the very real possibility that all the money you have paid into Social Security is no longer there. With that in mind, you have to ration the money you have to last you and your wife for the next 40 years. 1.25 million divided by 40 years equals $31,250 per year. Now you are no fool, so you invest $500,000 into mutual funds that historically give you 10% yield per year. You decide to live off of the $750,000 for 20 years and use the Mutual Funds to retire on. $750,000 divided by 20 years equals $37,500 a year for you to live on until you are 60. Assuming that your mutual funds give you 10% and you invested $500,000, you could get about $5,000 a year profit to take out to augment your $37,500 to about $42K / year...still below your 50K you live on now. The $500,000 you invested would remain at $500,000 (if it always returned 10% per year and you withdrew that 10% each year) so you could use it to start living on when you reached 60, but that money would only give you 10 years at 50K a year to live on (not counting the interest accrued during from ages 6 to 70). If you live to 75, you are 5 years broke and if you live longer...well you get the picture. Taking a lump some of a 5 million dollar lottery at age 40 would not guarantee an easy life if you stopped working. Again I am not accounting for Social Security and any pensions you may have built up.
I ran the model allowing for the 5 million to be distributed over a 20 year span in equal YEARLY payments. With this model, I can get 250,000 a year, give half to the government every year and have$125,000 to live on each year for 20 years. Out of that 125K, I would invest 50K every year for the 20 years I received my yearly payment into a mutual fund. That fund would make 10% (conservative estimate) and I would not have to touch that money until I reach 60, the same time my checks stop. At that point, I would have one million dollars in Mutual Funds that I could withdraw 50K at time to live on and be OK for 20 years NOT COUNTING INTEREST.
Taking a lump sum is a tricky move, since most lotteries stop paying if you die. If you were older than 45-50, I would take the lump sum. Under that age in reasonably good health I would take the payments.
Taking 50K and investing it and leaving 75K to live on a year is great if you are used to living on 50K a year, since most of us would like to get out of debt. I personally would not rush to pay off my house, but make extra 5K payments each year to pay it off sooner, allowing the bulk of my money to earn interest since the 10% return that is common in Mutual Funds is greater that the 5.25% interest I am paying on my mortgage. If I had an annuity calculator, I am sure that I would be pleasantly surprised on the money I would have to live on using this model.
So using my thoughts as a loose guide...how would you spend $5 million?
Ok, Back to Work.
I have to admit this weekend was not a bad one at all, other than the obligatory, "I was too short" comments.
Saturday started with our monthly men's breakfast. I was called the night before and asked if I could help cook because the guy who is in charge had not confirmed he was showing up. I agreed and was ready to go to bed so I would get enough sleep before my 6:00 AM arrive time. 30 minutes later "Bill" called me back and told me not to worry, he finally got in touch with "Mick". With that in mind I informed "Bill" that the photos he was requesting were sent to him.
After the men's breakfast, I stayed back and washed the dishes (something I do a lot of at home anyway) and chatted with "Bill" while I did so. After the dishes were finished, we joined the others for our semi-annual church work day. I worked on hedges and when those were finished and cleaned up, I helped (a little) with parking lot patching. I really did not do much "work" since the bags of patch weighed 50 lbs and the guys really did not want me to reinjure myself. I split the bags open with a shovel, let the guys empty them, then I piled up all the garbage and helped spread out the patching. When that had been completed, it was about noon or so and was raining very lightly. Though it did not rain a lot, what we did get was very much welcomed.
I got home and ate a quick bite before I started on my home chores. My wife was going to help a divorced woman from church start packing for her move and would be gone most of the day. That allowed me the time to do the things I needed to do with a minimum of distraction. I vacuumed the house, stripped and made the bed, mopped the kitchen floor, washed the dishes collected up the trash and recycling, and fed and walked the dogs. I was rather tired when that was done. I worked a little on geekbox, trying to get it back to 100%, but I soon realized it will need reloaded. All the new features of the new "Dapper Drake" build are not working with my apt-get dist-upgrade, so I will need to back up my configs and my home folder and do a fresh install when my CD's arrive. Now worries, it still functions, I just do not have all the eye candy that compwiz and XGL offer with the current botched install.
When my wife got home, she was very tired but she wanted to give me the low down on her activities for the day. Like a good husband, I listened and we talked a bit longer until we were too tired to talk and then fatigue took over. We both were out pretty quickly.
Sunday was about as busy as the day before. I had my Sunday School class (I actually had a student show up...) and many hallway conversations before I made it into the sanctuary of our little church. They had a special presentation and message about hero's in our church for Father's Day. It was nice to see the women acknowledge the men in such an uplifting way. I had a tear in my eye once or twice.
After church, we went to Fuddrucker's for burgers. While not the best I have ever had, it was far from the worst. My wife enjoyed hers, and that was good enough for me. I can eat anyplace, usually.
When we had completed our meal, we drove to down town Dallas to make a PC house call. It did not take quite as long as I had thought and would have been shorter if my client would have done 1-2 things on his own BEFORE I arrived, but it still went quickly. My wife dropped me off and headed towards a nearby shopping center until I called her to pick me up.
By this time it was 4 PM and we were both pretty hot and thirsty, so we stopped at a gas station and grabbed a couple of cold drinks...water for my wife and Sobe Green Tea for me. I am trying to drink at least 1 green tea every day for the health benefits. My wife hates the after taste of tea, so she never drinks it.
We got home around 5 PM and I chatted with my mom until my already low phone battery gave out about an hour later. I was tired and so was my wife, so we grabbed a 1 hour nap. We got up and piddled around until 8 PM or so then I took little man for a walk. The rain over the past few days and low clouds made the air very humid, so the walk was very taxing. One thing I noticed was that my back did not hurt at all on Sunday. That was a very nice gift from God. I mad sure to thank him more than once for it.
We stayed up until 11 or so...my wife watched TV and I watched a couple of episodes of Farscape, season 2. I do not like this season so far much as I liked the end of the last season, but it is still early on. My goal is to have all of season 2,3,4, and the The Peacekeeper Wars" done by October so I can begin with Battlestar Galactica and Farscape Season 5 when they begin.
Tonight I have my last One on One Discipling module with my wife's boss. We are going out for a bite to eat then to the library to finish up. Once this is done, he can disciple on his own. This 10 week course has taken more than a year to complete due to scheduling and illness. I am happy that we can close this chapter and move on.
I did not get a chance to move all the living room electronics back into place, but that is not a huge issue yet. I will have a few things I need to do this week (finish a little book I am reading and give it back to its owner and do a new Sunday School lesson for next weekend) and work will be more demanding with the new Unix Workstations being rolled out. So if I concentrate on those tasks, the week should be OK. I may have to mow grass, depending on the weather and if I do, that will be a good thing...I could use the money. Every little bit helps!
Saturday started with our monthly men's breakfast. I was called the night before and asked if I could help cook because the guy who is in charge had not confirmed he was showing up. I agreed and was ready to go to bed so I would get enough sleep before my 6:00 AM arrive time. 30 minutes later "Bill" called me back and told me not to worry, he finally got in touch with "Mick". With that in mind I informed "Bill" that the photos he was requesting were sent to him.
After the men's breakfast, I stayed back and washed the dishes (something I do a lot of at home anyway) and chatted with "Bill" while I did so. After the dishes were finished, we joined the others for our semi-annual church work day. I worked on hedges and when those were finished and cleaned up, I helped (a little) with parking lot patching. I really did not do much "work" since the bags of patch weighed 50 lbs and the guys really did not want me to reinjure myself. I split the bags open with a shovel, let the guys empty them, then I piled up all the garbage and helped spread out the patching. When that had been completed, it was about noon or so and was raining very lightly. Though it did not rain a lot, what we did get was very much welcomed.
I got home and ate a quick bite before I started on my home chores. My wife was going to help a divorced woman from church start packing for her move and would be gone most of the day. That allowed me the time to do the things I needed to do with a minimum of distraction. I vacuumed the house, stripped and made the bed, mopped the kitchen floor, washed the dishes collected up the trash and recycling, and fed and walked the dogs. I was rather tired when that was done. I worked a little on geekbox, trying to get it back to 100%, but I soon realized it will need reloaded. All the new features of the new "Dapper Drake" build are not working with my apt-get dist-upgrade, so I will need to back up my configs and my home folder and do a fresh install when my CD's arrive. Now worries, it still functions, I just do not have all the eye candy that compwiz and XGL offer with the current botched install.
When my wife got home, she was very tired but she wanted to give me the low down on her activities for the day. Like a good husband, I listened and we talked a bit longer until we were too tired to talk and then fatigue took over. We both were out pretty quickly.
Sunday was about as busy as the day before. I had my Sunday School class (I actually had a student show up...) and many hallway conversations before I made it into the sanctuary of our little church. They had a special presentation and message about hero's in our church for Father's Day. It was nice to see the women acknowledge the men in such an uplifting way. I had a tear in my eye once or twice.
After church, we went to Fuddrucker's for burgers. While not the best I have ever had, it was far from the worst. My wife enjoyed hers, and that was good enough for me. I can eat anyplace, usually.
When we had completed our meal, we drove to down town Dallas to make a PC house call. It did not take quite as long as I had thought and would have been shorter if my client would have done 1-2 things on his own BEFORE I arrived, but it still went quickly. My wife dropped me off and headed towards a nearby shopping center until I called her to pick me up.
By this time it was 4 PM and we were both pretty hot and thirsty, so we stopped at a gas station and grabbed a couple of cold drinks...water for my wife and Sobe Green Tea for me. I am trying to drink at least 1 green tea every day for the health benefits. My wife hates the after taste of tea, so she never drinks it.
We got home around 5 PM and I chatted with my mom until my already low phone battery gave out about an hour later. I was tired and so was my wife, so we grabbed a 1 hour nap. We got up and piddled around until 8 PM or so then I took little man for a walk. The rain over the past few days and low clouds made the air very humid, so the walk was very taxing. One thing I noticed was that my back did not hurt at all on Sunday. That was a very nice gift from God. I mad sure to thank him more than once for it.
We stayed up until 11 or so...my wife watched TV and I watched a couple of episodes of Farscape, season 2. I do not like this season so far much as I liked the end of the last season, but it is still early on. My goal is to have all of season 2,3,4, and the The Peacekeeper Wars" done by October so I can begin with Battlestar Galactica and Farscape Season 5 when they begin.
Tonight I have my last One on One Discipling module with my wife's boss. We are going out for a bite to eat then to the library to finish up. Once this is done, he can disciple on his own. This 10 week course has taken more than a year to complete due to scheduling and illness. I am happy that we can close this chapter and move on.
I did not get a chance to move all the living room electronics back into place, but that is not a huge issue yet. I will have a few things I need to do this week (finish a little book I am reading and give it back to its owner and do a new Sunday School lesson for next weekend) and work will be more demanding with the new Unix Workstations being rolled out. So if I concentrate on those tasks, the week should be OK. I may have to mow grass, depending on the weather and if I do, that will be a good thing...I could use the money. Every little bit helps!
Saturday, June 17, 2006
RAIN!
It rained very early this morning (1 AM local time) and we could not be happier. While it does not look like much, I am happy for whatever the amount. Free water!
I am on my way to the Men's Ministry Breakfast and then the semi-annual church work day. It is cloudy and more rain is predicted. Work may not get completed, but the rain is more important at the moment.
Praise be to God for the rain!
I am on my way to the Men's Ministry Breakfast and then the semi-annual church work day. It is cloudy and more rain is predicted. Work may not get completed, but the rain is more important at the moment.
Praise be to God for the rain!
Friday, June 16, 2006
Working for the Weekend
Actually, it is working *all* weekend:
* I need to find some soaker hoses, but every place seems to be out. I guess I will manually water unless we get some serious rain this weekend.
* Men's breakfast and church work day Saturday -- Complete
* House call for PC repair in Dallas -- Complete
* Burn Men's Retreat photos to CD for the Men's Minstry Leader -- Complete
* Attempt to repair Linux install on geekbox (maybe...) -- Aborted
* Normal house cleaning (at least the yard is done) -- Complete
* Church -- Complete
* Move TV / VCR / DVD / Stereo back into place. -- Next weekend?
Monday I have my last One to One Discipling class with my student. We are going to grab a bite to eat and do the study at the new library. It is SHINY!
I think that about covers it.
* I need to find some soaker hoses, but every place seems to be out. I guess I will manually water unless we get some serious rain this weekend.
* Men's breakfast and church work day Saturday -- Complete
* House call for PC repair in Dallas -- Complete
* Burn Men's Retreat photos to CD for the Men's Minstry Leader -- Complete
* Attempt to repair Linux install on geekbox (maybe...) -- Aborted
* Normal house cleaning (at least the yard is done) -- Complete
* Church -- Complete
* Move TV / VCR / DVD / Stereo back into place. -- Next weekend?
Monday I have my last One to One Discipling class with my student. We are going to grab a bite to eat and do the study at the new library. It is SHINY!
I think that about covers it.
I Am Beginning to Sound Like a Broken Record
My wife has not been feeling well. She either has gotten a summer cold or she is having a severe allergy attack. She sounds miserable, but she says she does not feel that bad. She is very congested and is coughing up phlem. She said she was going to call the doctor and see if he could call in a script for her. She asked me if I would pick it up for her on my way home. I told her I would. She then told me that she needed to make a Sam's run. I asked her if it was going to be a big run and she asked me, "What is your definition of a 'big run'?" I told her and she said, "Yes, it will be a big run." I grimaced and she asked me what was wrong. I told her ever since vacation, we have been running very tight on finances. We have had $500 come out of checking that we were not budgeted for and vacation came up about $200 more than I had budgeted for. We also have had about $300 worth of extra vet bills that we just did no expect. So we are about $1000 below where we are supposed to be. Couple that the fact I have had issues with bill payments getting posted on time and I have more coming out of one paycheck than I do the other and it throws things out of balance. She understood and after a few minutes of discussing it, we both were ok.
Still, I hate not having enough money in the bank. We used to have about a $1500 float in our checking account, but that is now less than $500 and with the bills being due right before payday, that is gone. Also, our bank takes out debits before they put in the credits, so payday is a crapshoot. To make things work, I have to pay the bills the day after I get paid, regardless of when they are due. I need to call the companies we do business with and see if we can get that changed. This is going to get bad if we don't do something.
Not listed is what we donate to our church and other organizations. While I could cut that back some (we give 10% of our gross income), I refuse to do so. It tells us in the bible that God wants us to be cheerful givers, and I do not mind at all writing that donation check twice a month. God challenges us to give to him and his kingdom and the blessings of heaven will be showered on us. While we may not be living "the good life", he has given us many blessings we have not counted on in the form of a job for my wife, side jobs for me, and more steady employment. If we are faithful, God will get us through this storm.
Still, I hate not having enough money in the bank. We used to have about a $1500 float in our checking account, but that is now less than $500 and with the bills being due right before payday, that is gone. Also, our bank takes out debits before they put in the credits, so payday is a crapshoot. To make things work, I have to pay the bills the day after I get paid, regardless of when they are due. I need to call the companies we do business with and see if we can get that changed. This is going to get bad if we don't do something.
- Mortgage (including insurance and taxes) - $1225.00 / month
- Van payment (Payoff within 2 years) - $400.00 / month
- Personal Loans (payoff within 2 years) - $450.00 / month
- Utilities (including internet / phones) - $500.00 / month
- Car Insurance - $100.00 / month
- Gasoline - $350.00 / month
- Food (including dining out) - $500.00 / month
- Pets (food, vet visits, medications) - $100.00 / month
Not listed is what we donate to our church and other organizations. While I could cut that back some (we give 10% of our gross income), I refuse to do so. It tells us in the bible that God wants us to be cheerful givers, and I do not mind at all writing that donation check twice a month. God challenges us to give to him and his kingdom and the blessings of heaven will be showered on us. While we may not be living "the good life", he has given us many blessings we have not counted on in the form of a job for my wife, side jobs for me, and more steady employment. If we are faithful, God will get us through this storm.
Rain?
If my calculations are correct, it has been about 45 days since we have gotten any rain. About 40 days ago we received .03 of an inch, but I am not counting that since I could spit more than that. Since that time, I (as well as all of our county) have had to cut back watering to just 1 hour, 1 day a week. I need to water my foundation, but doing it by hand is a real pain and is not very efficient. Since this restriction is likely to be in place the rest of the summer, I decided to get some soaker hoses at Home Depot. When I got there, I was told they were out and not expecting any for a week. Lowe's was out as well. I tried Target (it was close) but they did not have any either. I will try Wal-Mart and the Target near work at lunch, but I am afraid that they will be out as well. The Home Depot guy was polite and very apologetic. I told him it was not his fault that our county mandates this, not knowing that there are not enough soaker hoses in the area to keep up with demand. All we can do for is pray for rain. In Texas you get rain about once a month in the summer. We had it at the beginning of April and it is the middle of June and we are still dry. But that could change. We have rain in the forecast fore the next 3 days. I would be happy for just one good long soaking...not hard rain, just long. 12-18 hours long. If God sees fit to give us 2 or even 3 days of rain, I will not complain. I will even enjoy walking little man in the rain. We need rain and we need it badly.
Maybe, It Should Be Called "U-BOOM-Tu"
***Geek Warning ***
If you are not wanting to read of my misadventures in Linux, you may want to browse some other blog.
I decided to upgrade geekbox, my main Linux computer last night. I had installed Xubuntu (the XFCE version) on 2 other boxes and upgraded the one at work and all three went very well. The big difference between geekbox and the others is that geekbox is a dual-boot WinXP box that mostly my wife uses and Ubuntu 6.10 Linux which I use. Version 6.06 has been out for a couple of weeks and I was wanting to upgrade geekbox when I had time. Last night, I had time.
I started by backing up my home directory. I figured if all went bad, at least I would have my mail and settings. I then modified my /etc/apt/sources.list to reflect the repositories (dapper instead of breezy). I noticed a few of the repos were not the supported ones, so I rem'ed them out. I then did an apt-get update and then an apt-get dist-upgrade. Things went bad from there.
I am not sure why, but the upgrade started to de-install a lot of apps and a huge chunk of Gnome. Some new files were installed and configured, but not nearly enough to call it an upgrade. The other three boxes took about a hour just to download, install, and configure the packages. I rebooted, hoping that would wake up something. The log off screen (usplash) was there, so I was hopeful. Upon reboot, I got a lot of X errors and was only able to get into terminal mode. I tried starting X and it told me their was no driver. Hmmmm, ok, so I run dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg then dpkg-reconfigure gdm. Same thing. I eventually get to a pseudo-desktop (the little terminal in the corner of a useless desktop) and realize I need to log on to megaserver and start looking on the web for more help. I found a lot of answers here, but not all my issues have been resolved. I finally after about 30-40 minutes of reading and trying little things able to get a usable desktop. A few more changes and I was able to do another apt-get update and apt-get upgrade. Now the packages were beginning to flow. Lots and lots of packages! I sat back and allowed apt-get to do its thing. A reboot and the GUI was back, but I was missing a lot of things on the menu bar.
The "upgrade" removed Firefox and Thunderbird, but not my settings, so I was in pretty good shape. The drawback is that none of the apps work via the menu bar, so I need to command line all of them. My wife was getting antsy so I had to make few changes (removing the outdated, non-bootable kernel) and reboot again to make sure all was stable. After that, I rebooted yet again into Windows so my wife could work. It was 10:30 and I had been at this for a few hours and was not going to play anymore.
When I got finished with walking the dogs and brewing a pot of coffee, I went to check on the condition of geekbox. The more I looked at it, the more I figured I would need to do a fresh install. I am not very happy about that, but I do seem to remember that a couple of times in the past, megaserver had to be wiped and reloaded because of a not-so-perfect upgrade. Once I do this one, I think I will just keep 6.06 until a NEED to upgrade to a higher version. While Linux is my OS of choice, upgrading versions has only been painless once out of 4 times. 25% is not a average.
When I blow away the current Linux install and start fresh, I have a couple of things to keep in mind:
1) I am dual-booting and Windows *must* stay stable so my wife can work. While most of her data is on a completely separate HD, her Mozilla profiles are not. I need to back them up. She only has mail and bookmarks (plus a little tweaking) to worry about.
2) Do I use the Xubuntu install disk I D/L'ed and burned or wait until the Official CD is shipped to me? Not much difference except except desktop / window managers. Ubuntu uses Gnome as the default but I have become very attached to XFCE in Xubuntu. Coin flip? I have the Xubuntu disk and the "official" disks will not be here for at least a month.
Anyway, I am proud of myself for going to bed and getting sleep. I would normally stay up until the bloody thing was 100% usable (though not 100% tweaked) but God gave me enough common sense to go to bed. That, and my wife needed to use the PC and was I going to disobey my wife? Are you kidding? :-)
One of these days I will have a PC of my own that is powerful enough to be my main machine. My wife wants a laptop at some point and I cannot say I blame her. She could work wirelessly from the bedroom or the kitchen...even outside if needed. However, that is a long time from now.
If you are not wanting to read of my misadventures in Linux, you may want to browse some other blog.
I decided to upgrade geekbox, my main Linux computer last night. I had installed Xubuntu (the XFCE version) on 2 other boxes and upgraded the one at work and all three went very well. The big difference between geekbox and the others is that geekbox is a dual-boot WinXP box that mostly my wife uses and Ubuntu 6.10 Linux which I use. Version 6.06 has been out for a couple of weeks and I was wanting to upgrade geekbox when I had time. Last night, I had time.
I started by backing up my home directory. I figured if all went bad, at least I would have my mail and settings. I then modified my /etc/apt/sources.list to reflect the repositories (dapper instead of breezy). I noticed a few of the repos were not the supported ones, so I rem'ed them out. I then did an apt-get update and then an apt-get dist-upgrade. Things went bad from there.
I am not sure why, but the upgrade started to de-install a lot of apps and a huge chunk of Gnome. Some new files were installed and configured, but not nearly enough to call it an upgrade. The other three boxes took about a hour just to download, install, and configure the packages. I rebooted, hoping that would wake up something. The log off screen (usplash) was there, so I was hopeful. Upon reboot, I got a lot of X errors and was only able to get into terminal mode. I tried starting X and it told me their was no driver. Hmmmm, ok, so I run dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg then dpkg-reconfigure gdm. Same thing. I eventually get to a pseudo-desktop (the little terminal in the corner of a useless desktop) and realize I need to log on to megaserver and start looking on the web for more help. I found a lot of answers here, but not all my issues have been resolved. I finally after about 30-40 minutes of reading and trying little things able to get a usable desktop. A few more changes and I was able to do another apt-get update and apt-get upgrade. Now the packages were beginning to flow. Lots and lots of packages! I sat back and allowed apt-get to do its thing. A reboot and the GUI was back, but I was missing a lot of things on the menu bar.
The "upgrade" removed Firefox and Thunderbird, but not my settings, so I was in pretty good shape. The drawback is that none of the apps work via the menu bar, so I need to command line all of them. My wife was getting antsy so I had to make few changes (removing the outdated, non-bootable kernel) and reboot again to make sure all was stable. After that, I rebooted yet again into Windows so my wife could work. It was 10:30 and I had been at this for a few hours and was not going to play anymore.
When I got finished with walking the dogs and brewing a pot of coffee, I went to check on the condition of geekbox. The more I looked at it, the more I figured I would need to do a fresh install. I am not very happy about that, but I do seem to remember that a couple of times in the past, megaserver had to be wiped and reloaded because of a not-so-perfect upgrade. Once I do this one, I think I will just keep 6.06 until a NEED to upgrade to a higher version. While Linux is my OS of choice, upgrading versions has only been painless once out of 4 times. 25% is not a average.
When I blow away the current Linux install and start fresh, I have a couple of things to keep in mind:
1) I am dual-booting and Windows *must* stay stable so my wife can work. While most of her data is on a completely separate HD, her Mozilla profiles are not. I need to back them up. She only has mail and bookmarks (plus a little tweaking) to worry about.
2) Do I use the Xubuntu install disk I D/L'ed and burned or wait until the Official CD is shipped to me? Not much difference except except desktop / window managers. Ubuntu uses Gnome as the default but I have become very attached to XFCE in Xubuntu. Coin flip? I have the Xubuntu disk and the "official" disks will not be here for at least a month.
Anyway, I am proud of myself for going to bed and getting sleep. I would normally stay up until the bloody thing was 100% usable (though not 100% tweaked) but God gave me enough common sense to go to bed. That, and my wife needed to use the PC and was I going to disobey my wife? Are you kidding? :-)
One of these days I will have a PC of my own that is powerful enough to be my main machine. My wife wants a laptop at some point and I cannot say I blame her. She could work wirelessly from the bedroom or the kitchen...even outside if needed. However, that is a long time from now.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Father's Day a Little Early and The Lawn Ranger
I got home last night after a good day at work. I was only harassed by the SOX team twice and both times there basic things : "What does the "O" in $App_Acronym stand for" and "Do you know or have access to XYZABC account?" I knew the acronym question (it was a logical choice) and the other question was to test my honesty. I was supposed to answer "no" and I did.
When I got home, I found my wife finishing up dinner. She started to fix me a place but I stopped her and told her I would do it, she had done enough (and was going to do more since I had things to do). She smiled, I kissed her and I fixed my plate. While it was a simple throw together (Cheeseburger Mac and pole beans) it really hit the spot. I wolfed it down, drank a swallow or two if Diet Cherry Coke and open up the gift my son sent me. He knows I enjoy medieval items and he went out of his way to get me a sword. It is a version of Excalibur, although not very well made. It is a Pakistani import and the quality is not very high, but it is the thought that counts and it will look great on my office wall.
This is a memorable time for me since my son rarely gets us anything. It is not that he is stingy, he just does not remember to do those things. I guess I was not a good example in that area. I tend to hate holidays and special occasions because it means buying gifts and I am lousy at that.
With Excalibur unpacked and the packing material cleaned up, I changed clothes and headed outside to work on the two lawns (ours and our neighbors) I do every 10 days or so. It was hot out, but not as hot as the previous week, so I figured that I would not overheat. It was still in the high 80's, but 10 degrees cooler than previous days.
The 2 yards were not in bad shape and it only took 2 hours to cut, trim, edge, and clean up. After I finished at 8 PM, I walked little man while my wife gave the Golden some Physical Therapy. I got back, showered, grabbed a Gatorade, and plopped down to watch the season 1 finale of Farscape. 1 season down and 3 to go, plus the Farscape movie "The Peacekeeper Wars". I should be busy until October when Battlestar Galactica starts up again.
After Farscape was over, I went to bed. My wife was watching something on TV but joined me a bit later. I did no realize how tired I was. My mine was very active but my body was exhausted. I kept thinking about how badly I need to get soaker hoses for our foundation since we are only able to water our lawns once per week and the foundation needs watered at least 3 times a week. I also thought about work, bills, and our finances. I pushed as much as I could out of my head finally made it to sleep.
I woke up very sore, so I grabbed a couple Aleve and did the normal morning ritual. I made a mental note to stop by Home Depot and pick up some soaker hoses and couplings to run around the perimeter of our house and fence. Who knows, maybe I will get a surprise! :-)
When I got home, I found my wife finishing up dinner. She started to fix me a place but I stopped her and told her I would do it, she had done enough (and was going to do more since I had things to do). She smiled, I kissed her and I fixed my plate. While it was a simple throw together (Cheeseburger Mac and pole beans) it really hit the spot. I wolfed it down, drank a swallow or two if Diet Cherry Coke and open up the gift my son sent me. He knows I enjoy medieval items and he went out of his way to get me a sword. It is a version of Excalibur, although not very well made. It is a Pakistani import and the quality is not very high, but it is the thought that counts and it will look great on my office wall.
This is a memorable time for me since my son rarely gets us anything. It is not that he is stingy, he just does not remember to do those things. I guess I was not a good example in that area. I tend to hate holidays and special occasions because it means buying gifts and I am lousy at that.
With Excalibur unpacked and the packing material cleaned up, I changed clothes and headed outside to work on the two lawns (ours and our neighbors) I do every 10 days or so. It was hot out, but not as hot as the previous week, so I figured that I would not overheat. It was still in the high 80's, but 10 degrees cooler than previous days.
The 2 yards were not in bad shape and it only took 2 hours to cut, trim, edge, and clean up. After I finished at 8 PM, I walked little man while my wife gave the Golden some Physical Therapy. I got back, showered, grabbed a Gatorade, and plopped down to watch the season 1 finale of Farscape. 1 season down and 3 to go, plus the Farscape movie "The Peacekeeper Wars". I should be busy until October when Battlestar Galactica starts up again.
After Farscape was over, I went to bed. My wife was watching something on TV but joined me a bit later. I did no realize how tired I was. My mine was very active but my body was exhausted. I kept thinking about how badly I need to get soaker hoses for our foundation since we are only able to water our lawns once per week and the foundation needs watered at least 3 times a week. I also thought about work, bills, and our finances. I pushed as much as I could out of my head finally made it to sleep.
I woke up very sore, so I grabbed a couple Aleve and did the normal morning ritual. I made a mental note to stop by Home Depot and pick up some soaker hoses and couplings to run around the perimeter of our house and fence. Who knows, maybe I will get a surprise! :-)
L.A. Times Jab
Nice little story on the Communist News Network this morning involving President Bush, a joke, and reporter with a disability. All's well that ends well. How come more people cannot be as forgiving as Peter Wallsten?
North Carolina Back in Political News
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Another Shotgun Update
I have a few little things I wanted to jot down while they are fresh on my mind.
First thing is that a colleague of mine, "Paul" was fired from his job Monday. I was talking to him just moments before it happened. While I do not know exactly why he was fired, I have my suspicions. In the interest of fairness, I will not blog on what he *may* have been fired for, but after talking to the head of security, I am partially correct. All the head of security would tell me (and he was not obliged to do that) was that if he would have "manned up" to what he did instead of lying about it, then he would not have lost his job. He would have most certainly been reprimanded, but he still would be working.
My TL came into my office yesterday and asked me how comfortable I was with the NetApps filers we use. I was honest and told him the only experience I had was the class 7 months ago. I have not logged on and done anything since. The whole technology is very foreign and I have trouble grasping it.
My TL then said that he hoped that would not be a problem for me. It turns out that the week of the fourth of July, I am the *only* admin working. It seems that all the other techs are taking that week off. I realize that being low man on the totem pole will cause me to draw the less appealing assignments, but I am still a very junior admin. Many of the issues we face are way over my head. Looks like God will be working overtime that week to help me...I will never be able to do it alone.
I like my TL, but he confuses me. I am not sure why he authorized all those people to be off at the same time. He also has an interesting way of "training" people. I received two tickets the other day and I asked him for assistance on them. After I went home, he completed and closed one of them and left the other open...in my name. He did not offer any explanation, nor did he send me an e-mail. I confronted him in the afternoon (he was offsite a bigger part of the morning) and all he told we was that all I needed to know was in the /admin/docs folder. I know where that folder is, I had already read the 'work instructions' but I was still lost. The ticket needed me to do user admin on a Citrix server, something I had never done before. Once I confronted him, he walked me through it. He had to refer to the documentation as well, but he showed me how. I went back to my desk and after a few false starts, I think I did what our customer asked for. I am just waiting on conformation.
While I was walking little man this morning, I noticed a HUGE pile of plastic totes by my neighbor's recycling bin. Many of them were labeled "electronics" and were being sent off to be recycled. I was nosy and sorted through it in the dim early morning light, hoping to find some small item that I could use. Since it was dark, I gave up looking until I was ready to drive to work, when I had more time and light.
When the time came to go to work, I drove by the pile and realized this was a lot of stuff. He had several motherboards and cases (most were not in good shape at all), a large assortment of SCSI hard drives (4.3 gig and smaller), routers, KVM boxes, power supplies, software, etc. He even had a mini rack. I had considered taking that, but it was not exactly what I was looking for.
Reflecting on the huge stack of stuff he was throwing away, I realized he is as big of a packrat as I am...maybe bigger. If I had that much stuff, I would have made a server or three :) and junked the bigger part of it. I have two totes with stuff in it and a spare case. One tote has keyboards, mice, and cables while the other had the pci cards, hard drives, optical drives, floppy drives, and networking stuff. I usually keep 2 of each on hand for emergencies and as I get newer, I junk the older, more outdated stuff. This guy had enough to set up a small lab. There were 4 totes and 3 boxes, plus a couple of monitors and the mini rack. I guess since he is moving that it is time to clean house. If it is still there when I get home, may be I can sort through some of it.
Our Sarbaines-Oxley (SOX) audit is going well. I have been told that things are looking pretty good. I am happy about that. I do not like audits at all. I just do not like being scrutinized when I am doing my work. Human nature?
My boss has made a mandate that we can no longer work from home without prior approval. While I have not had the opportunity to do much of this, I would like to be able to in the future. It seems that some of my colleagues have been abusing this and he wants it to stop. He told me that he had no problems with me working from home if I desired. I really cannot do that too much, but I appreciate the offer, nonetheless.
First thing is that a colleague of mine, "Paul" was fired from his job Monday. I was talking to him just moments before it happened. While I do not know exactly why he was fired, I have my suspicions. In the interest of fairness, I will not blog on what he *may* have been fired for, but after talking to the head of security, I am partially correct. All the head of security would tell me (and he was not obliged to do that) was that if he would have "manned up" to what he did instead of lying about it, then he would not have lost his job. He would have most certainly been reprimanded, but he still would be working.
My TL came into my office yesterday and asked me how comfortable I was with the NetApps filers we use. I was honest and told him the only experience I had was the class 7 months ago. I have not logged on and done anything since. The whole technology is very foreign and I have trouble grasping it.
My TL then said that he hoped that would not be a problem for me. It turns out that the week of the fourth of July, I am the *only* admin working. It seems that all the other techs are taking that week off. I realize that being low man on the totem pole will cause me to draw the less appealing assignments, but I am still a very junior admin. Many of the issues we face are way over my head. Looks like God will be working overtime that week to help me...I will never be able to do it alone.
I like my TL, but he confuses me. I am not sure why he authorized all those people to be off at the same time. He also has an interesting way of "training" people. I received two tickets the other day and I asked him for assistance on them. After I went home, he completed and closed one of them and left the other open...in my name. He did not offer any explanation, nor did he send me an e-mail. I confronted him in the afternoon (he was offsite a bigger part of the morning) and all he told we was that all I needed to know was in the /admin/docs folder. I know where that folder is, I had already read the 'work instructions' but I was still lost. The ticket needed me to do user admin on a Citrix server, something I had never done before. Once I confronted him, he walked me through it. He had to refer to the documentation as well, but he showed me how. I went back to my desk and after a few false starts, I think I did what our customer asked for. I am just waiting on conformation.
While I was walking little man this morning, I noticed a HUGE pile of plastic totes by my neighbor's recycling bin. Many of them were labeled "electronics" and were being sent off to be recycled. I was nosy and sorted through it in the dim early morning light, hoping to find some small item that I could use. Since it was dark, I gave up looking until I was ready to drive to work, when I had more time and light.
When the time came to go to work, I drove by the pile and realized this was a lot of stuff. He had several motherboards and cases (most were not in good shape at all), a large assortment of SCSI hard drives (4.3 gig and smaller), routers, KVM boxes, power supplies, software, etc. He even had a mini rack. I had considered taking that, but it was not exactly what I was looking for.
Reflecting on the huge stack of stuff he was throwing away, I realized he is as big of a packrat as I am...maybe bigger. If I had that much stuff, I would have made a server or three :) and junked the bigger part of it. I have two totes with stuff in it and a spare case. One tote has keyboards, mice, and cables while the other had the pci cards, hard drives, optical drives, floppy drives, and networking stuff. I usually keep 2 of each on hand for emergencies and as I get newer, I junk the older, more outdated stuff. This guy had enough to set up a small lab. There were 4 totes and 3 boxes, plus a couple of monitors and the mini rack. I guess since he is moving that it is time to clean house. If it is still there when I get home, may be I can sort through some of it.
Our Sarbaines-Oxley (SOX) audit is going well. I have been told that things are looking pretty good. I am happy about that. I do not like audits at all. I just do not like being scrutinized when I am doing my work. Human nature?
My boss has made a mandate that we can no longer work from home without prior approval. While I have not had the opportunity to do much of this, I would like to be able to in the future. It seems that some of my colleagues have been abusing this and he wants it to stop. He told me that he had no problems with me working from home if I desired. I really cannot do that too much, but I appreciate the offer, nonetheless.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
One Day, Maybe I Will Learn...
I logged to IRC today, which is something I do not very often. I dislike a couple of the regulars, but I try not to let them bother me. It was one of those days that I just felt the need to chat with people away from work. People you do not really know, people that you can just joke with, talk shop, sci-fi, etc with.
Well, on my first attempt at logging on, I noticed my normal nick was banned. Odd. I tried another and it was banned, too. I tried another (which was an awkward spelling of my original nick), and got logged on. I asked the group who banned me... I was curious. I figured it was Flute. She and I went round a round few times and even though I just ignore her now, she still tries to start trouble. "Unbalanced" said that he was pretty sure $female_chatter had my nick banned so I did a stupid thing and said she was being childish and was not being "a man". I know it was wrong and I wish I had not done it.
$female_chatter finally pipes up and asks me what I am accusing her of. I tell her but she denies doing having me banned. One of the other regulars I normally get along with, backed her up. So, I just decided not to press it. Then, $male_chatter unbans my nick. Odd.
I thank him. Then I find out HE banned me.
[08:24]$male_chatter sets mode: +b *el_gee*!*@*
[11:37] ah... why did el_gee get banned?
[11:37] for fun?
[11:38] maybe he hurt $male_chatter feelings...
I then tell $female_chatter that I apologized for my words, and she does not take it very well. Then $male_chatter starts in on me. I told him that I was sorry for my actions. He says nothing back. Typical...one defends the other.
When will I learn my lesson and stop logging on to secular chat rooms? I do like most of these people (and enjoy talking to them), but it only takes a couple of them (usually the aforementioned two) to stir up trouble. I mean $female_chatter and $male_chatter always act like children and I fall right into the trap of responding to their behavior. Why am I so gullible?
After a while I realized that I needed to do some serious praying. I had made some mistakes and I was blessed to be convicted by the Holy Spirit on them. I plan on make a public apology in the chat room, but most likely (with the Lord's help) stay out for some time.
***Update***
I told both $male_chatter and $female_chatter openly (not in a PM) that I was sorry, which I truly am. Neither responded. Well, at least all the chat is logged so they can review it at their leisure.
Well, on my first attempt at logging on, I noticed my normal nick was banned. Odd. I tried another and it was banned, too. I tried another (which was an awkward spelling of my original nick), and got logged on. I asked the group who banned me... I was curious. I figured it was Flute. She and I went round a round few times and even though I just ignore her now, she still tries to start trouble. "Unbalanced" said that he was pretty sure $female_chatter had my nick banned so I did a stupid thing and said she was being childish and was not being "a man". I know it was wrong and I wish I had not done it.
$female_chatter finally pipes up and asks me what I am accusing her of. I tell her but she denies doing having me banned. One of the other regulars I normally get along with, backed her up. So, I just decided not to press it. Then, $male_chatter unbans my nick. Odd.
I thank him. Then I find out HE banned me.
[08:24]$male_chatter sets mode: +b *el_gee*!*@*
[11:37]
[11:37]
[11:38]
I then tell $female_chatter that I apologized for my words, and she does not take it very well. Then $male_chatter starts in on me. I told him that I was sorry for my actions. He says nothing back. Typical...one defends the other.
When will I learn my lesson and stop logging on to secular chat rooms? I do like most of these people (and enjoy talking to them), but it only takes a couple of them (usually the aforementioned two) to stir up trouble. I mean $female_chatter and $male_chatter always act like children and I fall right into the trap of responding to their behavior. Why am I so gullible?
After a while I realized that I needed to do some serious praying. I had made some mistakes and I was blessed to be convicted by the Holy Spirit on them. I plan on make a public apology in the chat room, but most likely (with the Lord's help) stay out for some time.
***Update***
I told both $male_chatter and $female_chatter openly (not in a PM) that I was sorry, which I truly am. Neither responded. Well, at least all the chat is logged so they can review it at their leisure.
Work, Home, Church...Work.
Not the order I prefer, but that is the way it is happening. Yesterday work started off busy, died about noon and picked up again about 3 or so. Mostly run of the mill admin stuff but there were a few things I needed help on. One of those my TL took and closed without giving me any info on what to do, so I need to ask him, again, how to work that particular issue.
Early in the day I received a call from the man I did some PC work for. This was the second call in as many days. Sunday he called me before I went to church with an issue that took all of 30 seconds for me to walk him through. On Monday, he wanted me to get all the updates and patches for his PC. He does not have broadband, so I downloaded the files (Thank you Dakboy) and put them on a USB thumb drive. Ron*, the guy I helped, found a deal on 1 gig thumb drives. He found a 3 pack for $99. Pretty darn good. He dropped one off here at my office and I took it home and downloaded the files to it for him. He wants me to go to his place on Sunday and do the updates for him. He paid me in advance for my time (2 hours). While he has purchased 6 hours of support from me, I have given him about 10 total hours. I do not do this for every one of my customers, he needs the help more than most and he cannot afford the number of hours he needs. I figure if I charge him a discounted rate (giving more hours than he purchased, he will use me more in the future. I only wish he had broadband so I could do this remotely.
After all that bragging about being off naproxen, I woke up yesterday with a stiff sore back. I made it through the day without pain meds but when I woke up this morning the pain (which is just a run of the mill backache...nothing serious) was stronger. I felt a little better after some stretching, coffee, and my walk with little man, but once I got to work, I broke down and took 2 Aleve. That should help a great deal.
I got home and found my wife painting in the living room. The living room project was started last year by my wife and she began to lose interest after a few weeks. They the holidays came around, and then my surgery. She has been very busy with so many things she just did not have the time. We had a long heart to heart conversation about the plethora of unfinished wife projects and I told her I would help her where should let me. Long story short, she wants to finish the projects, one at a time, until they are all complete. I must say I am VERY proud of her.
I attended the trustees meeting at church last night, at the request of my wife's boss and the pastor's brother. It was ok, nothing special. You do get to hear things the rest of the laity does not, but that can be a bad thing. I may join them, I may not...I am just not sure yet. God is nudging me that way, but I do not know how much I should get involved in church business. That side of the shop can get UG-LY.
I came home and was greeted by my wife who said (drumroll please) that we could move the stereo, TV, DVD, and VCR back into the living room when the paint on the built in entertainment center was dry. YIPPEEE! I was very happy and I was looking forward to getting all those things moved and hooked up. With that good news, I took little man (the Golden did not want to go out) for a walk and watched an episode old Farscape and then to bed. I am still in the first season, but it is getting better as the season goes on. I had to stop on the first half of a two parter, but that is ok, I can pick back up without any problems.
Today I have One on One Discipling with my wife's boss, then we can move the electronics. My wife has more to paint (she is very detailed in her work...she is using an artists brush to touch up places along the trim) on the other walls, but she is done with the entertainment unit area. I am going to have to find some way to show her how much this means to me. Ideas? We are on a rather tight budget, but I have couple of bucks to spend...
Early in the day I received a call from the man I did some PC work for. This was the second call in as many days. Sunday he called me before I went to church with an issue that took all of 30 seconds for me to walk him through. On Monday, he wanted me to get all the updates and patches for his PC. He does not have broadband, so I downloaded the files (Thank you Dakboy) and put them on a USB thumb drive. Ron*, the guy I helped, found a deal on 1 gig thumb drives. He found a 3 pack for $99. Pretty darn good. He dropped one off here at my office and I took it home and downloaded the files to it for him. He wants me to go to his place on Sunday and do the updates for him. He paid me in advance for my time (2 hours). While he has purchased 6 hours of support from me, I have given him about 10 total hours. I do not do this for every one of my customers, he needs the help more than most and he cannot afford the number of hours he needs. I figure if I charge him a discounted rate (giving more hours than he purchased, he will use me more in the future. I only wish he had broadband so I could do this remotely.
After all that bragging about being off naproxen, I woke up yesterday with a stiff sore back. I made it through the day without pain meds but when I woke up this morning the pain (which is just a run of the mill backache...nothing serious) was stronger. I felt a little better after some stretching, coffee, and my walk with little man, but once I got to work, I broke down and took 2 Aleve. That should help a great deal.
I got home and found my wife painting in the living room. The living room project was started last year by my wife and she began to lose interest after a few weeks. They the holidays came around, and then my surgery. She has been very busy with so many things she just did not have the time. We had a long heart to heart conversation about the plethora of unfinished wife projects and I told her I would help her where should let me. Long story short, she wants to finish the projects, one at a time, until they are all complete. I must say I am VERY proud of her.
I attended the trustees meeting at church last night, at the request of my wife's boss and the pastor's brother. It was ok, nothing special. You do get to hear things the rest of the laity does not, but that can be a bad thing. I may join them, I may not...I am just not sure yet. God is nudging me that way, but I do not know how much I should get involved in church business. That side of the shop can get UG-LY.
I came home and was greeted by my wife who said (drumroll please) that we could move the stereo, TV, DVD, and VCR back into the living room when the paint on the built in entertainment center was dry. YIPPEEE! I was very happy and I was looking forward to getting all those things moved and hooked up. With that good news, I took little man (the Golden did not want to go out) for a walk and watched an episode old Farscape and then to bed. I am still in the first season, but it is getting better as the season goes on. I had to stop on the first half of a two parter, but that is ok, I can pick back up without any problems.
Today I have One on One Discipling with my wife's boss, then we can move the electronics. My wife has more to paint (she is very detailed in her work...she is using an artists brush to touch up places along the trim) on the other walls, but she is done with the entertainment unit area. I am going to have to find some way to show her how much this means to me. Ideas? We are on a rather tight budget, but I have couple of bucks to spend...
Monday, June 12, 2006
Captain's Log, Star Date...
The weekend flew right by...I feel tired, but happy. I have been off meds for over a week and my pain has not returned. I am still stiff in the mornings, but I expect this.
Friday...let me think...oh yes...my wife went to the Joyce Myer conference and stayed most of the day...she was able to minister to some new friends and have a good time overall. I was so happy she enjoyed herself. All that she had to pay for was parking. Her meal was purchased for her by one of her new found friends.
I stopped at the store on the way home and picked up some things for dinner. I know this probably sounds like a weird dinner, but I had sushi, a small filet mignon, and iced tea. I had a little ice cream for dessert but I tried to keep the portion small. I have been eating a lot lately I need to watch that.
I spent my evening working on the Linux box and watching videos. A quick walk with the dogs (after they had eaten) around 8:00 PM got me moving a bit. I had been sitting a lot and needed to get off my bum and do something.
My wife got home about 10:15 PM or so and we chatted for a while. Both of us were tired so we decided to turn in as soon as things were locked up and put away.
Saturday I had an appointment to work on a PC for a guy who used to work in this building. It was a a basic PC clean virus/spyware call with some software tweaking and installing. He had a lager number of processes running that he was not comfortable with so I investigated it. He had about 20 viruses that I cleaned/removed, a very bloated registry which I trimmed some, and a several spyware issues that I cleaned. It took me about 3 hours to fix it all but I could have been done in about 2 had I been able to work at my normal pace. He had lots of questions and wanted to test things personally at each stage of the process. No biggie. The service call paid for dinner and a movie for me and my wife that night :) .
I got home and vacuumed the house and washed dishes, took out trash, etc to help out around the house. Once we completed that and a couple of loads of clothes, we went out for the evening. We decided on "Cars" as a movie and we both enjoyed it. The voice of "Mater" was played by "Larry the Cable Guy" and was the hit of the movie.
After the movie we stopped over to T.G.I. Friday's for dinner. It had been a while since I had been there and the food as well as the service was great. My wife, the BBQ rib fan, had Jack Daniels Babyback ribs and I had the Jack Daniel's BBQ pulled pork sandwich. Other than being a bit too sweet for my taste, it was very good. Dessert was offered, but I still had ice cream at home.
We got home about 9 PM and realized the dogs had not been fed, so we quickly walked them and then gave them their evening meal. The Golden has not been eating well, but we think it is the antibiotics upsetting her stomach. He stools have not been normal, but she is not acting unusual.
I stayed up and watched a Farscape episode and then went to bed. I have been sleeping very well the past few days, though I have been waking up tired. I need to get to bed earlier.
We had a usual Sunday (morning routine, etc) with Sunday School and church and a quick lunch at a local Chinese place. My morning walk was uneventful until a large woman in an "baby doll" walked out of her front door to let her dog use the bathroom. The dog saw me and my dog and she had to call it back. It did not listen so she had to grab for him, giving me more of a view of her than I wanted or needed. WHERE I MY MENTAL FLOSS?
After lunch we stopped at Wal-mart to pick up some things for the pot luck at church later that evening and ran into some people we knew. We chatted for while as we were checking out and we headed back home. Traffic was heavy and I am glad my wife drove. I hate freeways when there is a lot of traffic.
After we got home, we let the dogs out and I chatted with a neighbor who just had an in ground spa installed. It looked really nice and he is even going have a covering of some sort to keep the concrete cool in the summer sun. He had it installed as part of his therapy after he has his back surgery in two weeks.
I updated www.mistergeek.com and did some PC updates. I made a mistake on my Linux server and hosed my home directory, so I had to recreate that. I lost all my prefs, but that is not a big deal since it was just eye candy and some shortcuts. Nothing I cannot recreate or replace.
The pot luck was ok, but I was not impressed with the dishes. The desserts were great (as usual) but the main courses were starch heavy. I am sure I will pay the price for eating that stuff for days.
We got home and I walked little man and chatted with my mom. I got back to the house, still chatting with mom and laid down on the bed. I started to nod off, so I told mom that I had better go. I brushed my teeth and went right to sleep. I had no idea I was that tired.
Friday...let me think...oh yes...my wife went to the Joyce Myer conference and stayed most of the day...she was able to minister to some new friends and have a good time overall. I was so happy she enjoyed herself. All that she had to pay for was parking. Her meal was purchased for her by one of her new found friends.
I stopped at the store on the way home and picked up some things for dinner. I know this probably sounds like a weird dinner, but I had sushi, a small filet mignon, and iced tea. I had a little ice cream for dessert but I tried to keep the portion small. I have been eating a lot lately I need to watch that.
I spent my evening working on the Linux box and watching videos. A quick walk with the dogs (after they had eaten) around 8:00 PM got me moving a bit. I had been sitting a lot and needed to get off my bum and do something.
My wife got home about 10:15 PM or so and we chatted for a while. Both of us were tired so we decided to turn in as soon as things were locked up and put away.
Saturday I had an appointment to work on a PC for a guy who used to work in this building. It was a a basic PC clean virus/spyware call with some software tweaking and installing. He had a lager number of processes running that he was not comfortable with so I investigated it. He had about 20 viruses that I cleaned/removed, a very bloated registry which I trimmed some, and a several spyware issues that I cleaned. It took me about 3 hours to fix it all but I could have been done in about 2 had I been able to work at my normal pace. He had lots of questions and wanted to test things personally at each stage of the process. No biggie. The service call paid for dinner and a movie for me and my wife that night :) .
I got home and vacuumed the house and washed dishes, took out trash, etc to help out around the house. Once we completed that and a couple of loads of clothes, we went out for the evening. We decided on "Cars" as a movie and we both enjoyed it. The voice of "Mater" was played by "Larry the Cable Guy" and was the hit of the movie.
After the movie we stopped over to T.G.I. Friday's for dinner. It had been a while since I had been there and the food as well as the service was great. My wife, the BBQ rib fan, had Jack Daniels Babyback ribs and I had the Jack Daniel's BBQ pulled pork sandwich. Other than being a bit too sweet for my taste, it was very good. Dessert was offered, but I still had ice cream at home.
We got home about 9 PM and realized the dogs had not been fed, so we quickly walked them and then gave them their evening meal. The Golden has not been eating well, but we think it is the antibiotics upsetting her stomach. He stools have not been normal, but she is not acting unusual.
I stayed up and watched a Farscape episode and then went to bed. I have been sleeping very well the past few days, though I have been waking up tired. I need to get to bed earlier.
We had a usual Sunday (morning routine, etc) with Sunday School and church and a quick lunch at a local Chinese place. My morning walk was uneventful until a large woman in an "baby doll" walked out of her front door to let her dog use the bathroom. The dog saw me and my dog and she had to call it back. It did not listen so she had to grab for him, giving me more of a view of her than I wanted or needed. WHERE I MY MENTAL FLOSS?
After lunch we stopped at Wal-mart to pick up some things for the pot luck at church later that evening and ran into some people we knew. We chatted for while as we were checking out and we headed back home. Traffic was heavy and I am glad my wife drove. I hate freeways when there is a lot of traffic.
After we got home, we let the dogs out and I chatted with a neighbor who just had an in ground spa installed. It looked really nice and he is even going have a covering of some sort to keep the concrete cool in the summer sun. He had it installed as part of his therapy after he has his back surgery in two weeks.
I updated www.mistergeek.com and did some PC updates. I made a mistake on my Linux server and hosed my home directory, so I had to recreate that. I lost all my prefs, but that is not a big deal since it was just eye candy and some shortcuts. Nothing I cannot recreate or replace.
The pot luck was ok, but I was not impressed with the dishes. The desserts were great (as usual) but the main courses were starch heavy. I am sure I will pay the price for eating that stuff for days.
We got home and I walked little man and chatted with my mom. I got back to the house, still chatting with mom and laid down on the bed. I started to nod off, so I told mom that I had better go. I brushed my teeth and went right to sleep. I had no idea I was that tired.
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