August 28, 2003
Sweating To The Oldies
Yeah, I am old. At least compared to all the little kiddies running around the university.
The weather is way too warm for long sleeved shirts. Will not do that tomorrow. Or any other days through the next month at least. Ugh.
August 26, 2003
New Web Site Design
Made some changes to my web site last weekend. Of course, some things are now non-operational. Hope to correct them in the near future. When I have time.
Career Change
My job no longer makes me happy. To me that means it is time to look towards doing something else. Other people may be happy working at something they do not like. I invest a lot of my being into my employment. For over a year, I have been looking at how I like this less and less.
There are some really great aspects to my job:
- Great cowrkers and clients.
- Interesting things to learn, problems to solve, and goals to reach.
Should I be able to freeze everything and finish all the things that require attention without more being added to my plate, I might be able finish in a little over a month. New things get added to my plate faster than I can finish the previous ones. Have attempted to cope by both working too much. That was a dismal failure. The foundering projects are becoming more and more numerous. I know it makes me look incompetent.
The only solution to is to say "No" to some of these projects. Unfortunately, I have not found the right projects to decline. They get added back to my list by someone higher up the ladder. Budgets get tighter, my work becomes more complex and in demand, and people come to rely on the unneccessary miracles we perform..
August 23, 2003
Long Look Back
Did something really stupid... Changed the password and forgot it. Had to rebuild my computer at work during the most hectic time of the year for me. Was able to get a drive with Windows XP already installed on it, retrieve my data from my system partition, move it to my data partition, and install Windows XP to my system partition. Installing the obvious software was pretty easy. Installing the other software may take quite some time.
Making up for some of the lost time on a Saturday afternoon. Luckily, I have The Fellowship of the Ring to entertain me.
August 17, 2003
Work Too Much
I'd hate to attempt to calculate how many hours beyond those for which I have been paid, I have spent working. It is not something solely to do with my current job on in the past few weeks. My habit of doing too much dates back to my first real job.
Probably I wanted to make a good impression. Perhaps I did because they allowed me to grab extra hours a few months later while others were gone for the Summer. For the pay of 2 students I did the work of 3. In the end, I got to choose which of the positions I wanted in the Fall.
Skip forward 8.4 years and I am doing the same thing. I am here on a Sunday, working my tail off to catch up on things before classes start tomorrow. It sux, I know. Would rather be here working to get things working than to be home or elsewhere thinking that I could be getting these things done.
As long as I throw in the extra hours, I doubt there will be any forthcoming assistance. Should I stop the extra hours things will pile up and things will fall through the cracks. For 2 weekends in a row, I insisted on not doing the extra work I try to do to keep up. Things got so bad, I decided to end that approach.
Should I be able to stick that out, I would be overwhelmed without any forseeable end to the piles. Wait... I am almost overwhelmed now. Just struggling to keep my head above water. Letting things go would drown me work.
August 14, 2003
Aliens Are Watching Me
Suz's post on fears made me remember this...
There was this cartoon when I was little that scare the s--t out of me. Of course, I watched it several times to conquer my fear. I think it only solidified it.
There was this cute alien. Little child adores the cure alien. Of course, there are these mean aliens. They were able to just look into people's houses and watch them. That really freaked me. For years I would not be completely naked except while taking a shower and even then I took really quick ones.
Years later... I still get nervous on occasion at being unclothed in the total privacy of my own room. A cute little cartoon scarred me for life.
New Word
Solestion def: A solution stated in the form of a question.
- Mr. Courtyard
Phone Volume
This is an observation and not a criticism about anyone.
I find that miss parts of conversations because I have to adjust the phone volume while people are trying to talk to me. Some people talk so quietly that I have to adjust the volume to max to hear them. Others talk so loudly that I have to reduce the volume to almost nothing to prevent my eardrum bursting.
Some of it is the phone, I guess. Some of it is the person on the other end.
August 12, 2003
Assumptions, Mallrats, and Too Many Questions
Seems like Xanga has been down for a while. My assumption was that the problem is on my end. Apparently that is not the case. Would be irritated in the case that I had paid something to use their service. This is not a short time for the service to be down. They have had "growing pains".... maybe it has just gotten too much for them? Anyway, I am glad that I have this alternative outlet under my own administration.
Watched the most "mainstream" of the Kevin Smith movies, Mallrats, last night. It definitely is not my favorite of the KS movies. Clerks is kewl edgy. Jay and Silent Bob is lame edgy. Mallrats is just... a wannabe. Not say that is bad, just not the edginess one would expect from having seen others.
Overloaded on questions and needs. Need to crash and get lots of sleep. Thankfully, there are people to screen me from the really bad calls that have nothing to do with me.
August 11, 2003
Jim's Visit
Got on the ball and brought my camera while family was here.
Some other msicellanous and recent photos.
August 09, 2003
Went out last night. Ended
Went out last night. Ended up at Loozie's with Eks since he told me he would be there cause Hit-N-Run was playing. School starts up soon so the college crowds are starting to return, I think. Ran into several ladies I know from the university there. Wow... several sounds like a lot. Let's see... saw Ms. Italia, Ms. Germany, Ms. Steak, and Ms. Pizza. So it was only 4. I basically nursed a Pepsi talking intermittently with a great looking lady at one time or another.
Eks seemed bored out of his mind. Tried to introduce him to Ms. Germany. She acknowledge that she already knew him and ran.
Dunno. Bars are not really my scene. Don't drink. Dancing is not my thing. That pretty much leaves music. I really like to hear a good band. Will put up with a lot of annoying things to listen to good music live.
Ms. Italia suggested that I go to Bayou Bills. That is the 2nd invitation to go there in a month. Perhaps they are looking for new blood over there? Dunno.
August 03, 2003
Pick Up Attempt
Not really sure why I went last night. Was in a funk when I decided to go out. Was in a funk during and still in a funk almost 24 hours later.
Anyway, yesterday was Graduation... Commencement to you hardcore academics. Naturally, everyone goes out and parties post-Graduation, right? I knew this and went out anyway. The one place I went was mostly full of people celebrating the graduation of some frat boys.
Put my name on the list for a pool table and hang out at the bar to wait to get my table. This woman comes over and starts asking me questions and stays a after she gets her drinks. Thankfully, a table came open for me just before she could invite me back over to her table. She did anyway. Didn't invite her and her friend to play. Guess that makes me a jerk?
Wasn't really in a pool mood, I guess. I play better against someone than alone. Played for about an hour and hung out with a friend to watch some of the girls attending the frat party dance in the middle of the room.
Not sure why in the funk. TT did help lift it somewhat. She showed me a pic. Have not seen her in years... well, a pic of her. Have a pic she gave me a while back. Was good to see her.
Anyway, I don't think I am pick up-able. Strangers approaching me give me the willies when at bars or clubs. My shields go up and evasive manuevers readied. There are chinks and vulnerabilities in the shields. Don't have the same problem in stores, at work, or just about anywhere else.
August 02, 2003
Keira and Pice Checks
Saw both Bend It Like Beckham and Pirates of the Carribean today. Both movies were better than I expected.
Both had Keira Knightley of just about no fame at all. Apparently she played Sabe, you know... Queen Amidala's double? She's working on a King Arthur movie.
Found Bend It a little hard to follow as I have not been exposed to too much British slang. Think I got enough through context to follow the story. Really fun movie. Its about this Indian girl (not Native American, India) who is really great at soccer, but has a mom whose one dream is that she marry a good Indian man. Playing soccer is not something that will help her achieve the latter in her mom's view.
Pirates is a movie about pirates. I mean really... what do you expect? My one beef? Why do the pirates make a little bell like noise every time their true form is revealed?
Every time I shop in this one store they have a sale. That is the only time I really go into the place. Well, they never seem to mark in the computers the right price. Next time I will take the sign indicating the sale price with me to the cashier to make sure I get the right price. On the upside, the other cashier was really cute and nice and talkative. Think she was on her last legs (20 minutes left of an 8 hours shift during a Back-2-School sale during the sales tax free weekend).
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