Apathy Reigns
30 January 2007 - 14:07.
Yup... I'm turning into the apathy poster child these days.
There have been some... developments... on the work front that I can't discuss, but which lead me to think that change will come sooner rather than later. So now work = meh. Jury duty is starting to look like a really cool option.
And I'm so burned out from working out that I don't want to look at another rowing machine for a few weeks at least. I miss riding a bicycle to work, or going to the weight room. For the past month it's been all rowing machine all the time, and I actually feel pretty blasé about rowing now because of it.
I need a nap.
Upgrade Step 1 Complete
27 January 2007 - 12:07.
The first stage of this is done, and so far I'm pretty happy with the results. I may or may not end up changing the stylesheet I use. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. And if you come across any bugs or anomalies, please let me know.
New features in the latest version include the ability for users to self-register, so that their info gets rememberd differently (seems a waste to me, still trying to figure out how to turn the feature off); a better java hash to protect email addresses, and improved comment spam detection that lets me enable the feature only for entries over n days old
For those of you who bog, or techy types who might care, this site is driven by a program called Pivot.
But wait! There's more!
Spam, Spam, Eggs, and Spam
25 January 2007 - 09:43.
This comment spam bullshit is starting to piss me off in ways I can't properly describe. I'd rather not cave to it, but at this point I feel I have no choice.
At some point between now and Sunday night, I'll be upgrading the software for the blog engine. When I do, I will be turning on either commenter registration, or comment moderation. Not sure yet which. Or maybe a captcha. Something... anything... to staunch the flow of garbage. This morning alone I deleted some 30 comments.
But while I'm at it, I may end up changing my template as well. We'll see if I can find something I like.
Conflicted
24 January 2007 - 12:13.
I'm really kind of at odds with this one... I've been summoned for jury duty next week. The problem is that I'd really like to perform that role (especially since the Pickton jury is already selected), and participate in the whole judicial process thing. But I don't know if it would cause undue hardship, since it would leave me as completely inflexible regarding caring for my grandparents.
After all, it's not like I can stick up my hand in court and say "Ummm... Judge? Can I go so I can take Grandma to the doctor?"
Figuring Things Out
22 January 2007 - 13:29.
I like the fact that I can self-analyze. Saves me a ton of money in therapy bills.
This week's revelation is that I'm bored. Not just with work (although I am) but with a number of areas in my life. I haven't learned anything really cool in the past while. Or anything really dull either, for that matter. This epiphany came to me on Saturday while I was driving back from Seattle, and the songs on the MP3 player were starting to seem slightly repetitious. And it triggered the whole 'been there, done that' train of thought, which rapidly spread to include a number of areas of my existence.
So I'm going to find something to learn in depth, likely starting with photography as this is something I've been toying with for a few months. But I'd also like to find some new music to listen to. Most of what's on the radio just doesn't do it for me, and Vancouver's live music scene is woefully lacking. Suggestions are most welcome.
There will undoubtedly be more requests for suggestions on different topics in the next little while.
Done Like Dinner
19 January 2007 - 15:24.
That's it. I'm done here. I need a new job.
Vis A Vista
18 January 2007 - 12:44.
I'm in Seattle again, and this week's trip is brought to you by the letters M and S. As in Micro$oft.
The company I work for is an authorized replicator, which means that we create Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) packages and sell them to system builders. And today is the launch of the new operating system, Vista. So of course we're shipping out, literally, tens of thousands of licenses for this product today. The boss's quote of the week was "I don't care if you're standing around with your thumb up your ass, I want you there in case something goes wrong".
So does this all mean you should run out and upgrade your operating systems? Speaking as a geek, I would say most certainly not. The new structure of the OS variations is such that it's difficult sometimes to know whether or not you have the right options. Business, Business Premium, Ultimate, and so on... it's a bit confusing. And it's untested technology - ever buy the first model year of a new car? Most IT pros I know are going to wait till SP1 before deploying in a work environment.
Besides... all the pretty new features that Vista has? They've been around in the Mac OS for years already.
Go Outside and Play
14 January 2007 - 20:37.
While I was going to visit my grandparents this afternoon, I saw the most beautiful sight, on the side of Highway 17 no less.
I saw people playing shinny. Pickup hockey. Outdoors, on a frozen body of water.
Granted the body of water was nothing more than pooled rain water in a poorly drained field. And the hockey that I saw looked like it was being played by 4 year olds (still very cute). But it was outdoors hockey, on ice, in the winter. In the Vancouver area. The quintessential Canadian experience. It made me miss Montreal a bit, where I grew up, since the conditions are hardly ever right for this to happen in our city.
The City of Montreal used to have all sorts of outdoor skating rinks, every winter. They were free, they were flooded regularly, and they were where I learned to ice skate. My oldest memory of skating involves being at Terrebonne Park, where the summer playground was replaced in winter by a free form skating surface that wound between trees and around jungle gyms. I was about 5 years old, and my grandmother was standing there in her coat, freezing her toes off, while I skated for about an hour. All so I could be a better skater for the hockey game (at the other rink in the same park) in a few days. That's what it was like to grow up back east... you skated, outdoors, whenever you could. Anywhere possible.
I kinda miss it. I haven't been in Montreal since 1989. I should go back sometime soon.
Search Strings
10 January 2007 - 22:50.
One of the links in my sidebar is for a friend of mine named
Donna. And to borrow a theme of hers, I took a look at some of the stats and search strings that brought people to this site. Surprisingly, I rank fairly highly on the fluff scale (go figure).
And so I bring you, dear reader, a list of fluff related items that people search for on the internet...
But wait! There's more!
Technical Genius
08 January 2007 - 09:32.
Obviously, I'm not the technical deity I think I am. I can build and manage systems and networks to drive millions of dollars of business, but I can't press 5 buttons on a keypad to prevent a building alarm from going off.
Back to the Drawing Board
06 January 2007 - 10:53.
I think there's maybe 8 people who regularly read here that knew I had a girlfriend. Although yes, I use the past tense on purpose. She had asked a while ago to not be mentioned here since she was uncomfortable with the idea of her personal dealings being aired, even incidentally, in such a public manner. And so that's all I say about her here - that she was there, and now she's not.
Which means I find myself once again among the ranks of the single. This particular breakup didn't come as much of a shock to me though - I've been expecting it for a few weeks now - so the normal internalizing that I do will probably be short lived. Nonetheless, expressions of sympathy, condolence, or what have you, may begin
now.
New Number
04 January 2007 - 14:18.
Did I mention that my cell phone number is changing? I don't remember....
My cell phone number is changing... if you want to know what it is then please email me.
College Bowl Games
01 January 2007 - 22:59.
I have this long standing habit of spending my New Year's day watching the US college football bowl games, and this year was no exception. But why is this blog-worthy?
I was just watching the Fiesta Bowl, and it was quite possibly the best bowl game I've ever seen. Th 9th ranked Boise State Broncos against the #7 Oklahoma Sooners. This was billed as the ultimate David and Goliath match up, since the Sooners probably have the most wins in all of college football in the last 50 years. Boise only recently joined the elite division (Division 1a), coming up in 1999.
This game was so exciting, and the end was so unbelievable, that I'm still excited about, some 60 minutes later. Watch the news for this one tomorrow night. If you're at all a football fan, this one is a
must see.
After the Cold
01 January 2007 - 20:45.
Well, we made it. Despite the best efforts of the weather deities, Andrew and I along with a couple hundred close friends went for a short swim this afternoon at Centennial Beach in Tsawwassen. Delta's version is called the Polar Bear Madness, and the name seems apt. What the hell possessed us to experience shrinkage of that magnitude? The screams as dozens of men suddenly became mezzo-soprano was truly deafening. Before it all started the conditions seemed rather daunting though...
And even though I was silly enough to make it about 40-50 feet out into the bay, I didn't make it to the marker. The fact that I'd lost contact with my feet kinda brought me back a bit early. It's the second time Andrew and I have partaken of this stupidity. The amazing thing about the swim though is that when you get out of the water, you actually feel really good. Is it fun? In a sick sort of masochistic way, yes it is. But it's completely invigorating though, and I felt utterly alive.
It's a great experience, and I'm glad to have done it. But I'm even happier to have had a friend there to share it with me. Thanks Andrew.