<sigh>

As I type this I am waiting for my corporate PC (my company issued laptop) to take the latest Symantec updates, engine version 10.1 and updates. The banner message stated that if we tried this on a dial-up connection, it could take 2 hours. We have a T1 coming to this building on the corporate net and so far the update has been running 56 minutes and is about 1/2 done. What that means is that our high speed line is reduced to the speed of a dial-up connection. What a waste of time.

Now the problem could be that the servers providing this update are overloaded. However, our T1 is notorious for being slow. I personally think that a T1 for 60 people is not enough, but it is all we get at this remote site.

This remote site also has a connection (3 T1's) to the company we support...this is why I can update this in normal time. Even thought they cut our bandwidth by 2/3's, it is still faster than the corporate net. Heck, my broadband connection at home, connecting via VPN is faster.

While this update is running, I am not able to do anything. I tried to VPN into the corporate net via the other network connection (the company we support) but that is acting up again. Many guys who work at out customer site have to use the VPN into our network but for some reason they have many issues. It could be anything, but it really makes life tough.

I am supposed to help watch the Quick response queue for Canada this morning but if I do not get access soon, I will miss my chance to help.

My back pain is all but gone (but I am still taking generic Aleve every day. The "sharp pain" in between the back part of the hip and the pelvis is still there...but at least it is not as sharp and the pain can be controlled with proper movement. I am hoping it ends before the summer does. I would like to have most of my mobility back, but that is entirely up to God.

Speaking of God, I heard a minister today (actually a Bishop from Louisiana) state that he was once called a "bigot". He responded with a, "Thank You". In his eyes, "bigot" means:
Believing In God's Outstanding Truth. I liked it so much that will be my new sig in my e-mails :).

The stock market took a beating on Tuesday and rebounded a little on Wednesday. While it is still early, the market shows mixed results so far. Long slow gains are the best. This gaining 100, then loosing 150 is hard on my nerves. I am trying to develop a little nest egg so can retire someday and not have to live in a shack eating Ramen noodles for every meal.

Care group was more of a "round table" discussion last night. While there was prayer and prayer requests, we focused on the summer and summertime activities. We decided to meet once a month during the summer instead of every week. This will allow the host family/home to get a breather. The host family we have is a very hospitable one. They both teach martial arts (they have multiple black belts in many disciplines) and have 3 kids living at home.

Well, it looks like my PC is responding well enough to at least work some tickets, so that is what I will do. More updates later...