8:23 pm, I walk through the door and introduce myself to the two people inside, both dressed in all blue. As I fill out some paperwork, one of them copies my ID for their files and to make sure I am actually me. Then, down the hall, second door on the left, strip down to shorts, sit in the chair and wait for them to be ready.
8:48 pm, Red marks drawn in strategic places on my head, they start attaching electrodes and wires. They start at my legs, having me route the wires inside my shorts, two on each leg, three surrounding my heart, then my head. One on my throat, two on my chin, one outside each eye, and 6 or 7 surrounding my brain. Next a chest strap just above my man nipples and another by my diaphragm (I guess this one is more of a belly strap).
9:13 pm wires routed over my shoulder and made into a ponytail of sorts and patched into their data acquisition system they have me lie down and put one more device on my finger. So here I am, all taped and glued up with wires routed all over me, and I “get” to sleep with them watching on the cameras. Surprisingly, I actually sleep, until….
12:31 am a light knocking on my door, and in they come. About an hour later I have yet another device on my, this one forcing air into my nose at a constant pressure. And, go figure, they had to troubleshoot their data system and re-glue a few electrodes down. Then, back to sleep. It’s a bit fitful, but not horrendous with the breather unit on.
4:58 am another light knock on the door and in he comes, the other has gone home. “Ok Stuart, we are done.” Light on, sitting on the side of the bed, he is RIIIIIIPPPPPING the electrodes from my body and skull until finally I am free of the machines.
This was my adventure last night, a sleep study to determine if I need a CPAP machine to help me. I definitely have some form of sleep apnea, and the machine should help me sleep better and feel rested, etc. each day. This could really help me feel better in general.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
Well?
So today is the first day in the office without Canadian work to do. They have set up a desk for me, in a shared office with my compatriot from Canada who returns in 2 weeks. I hear there is some paperwork I need to fill out before I start work on project X, but have not seen said paperwork yet (as of 12:30). I have worked on my laptop to ensure it is "clean" before putting it on the internal network. Due to ITAR restrictions, since I was taking it to Canada and back, it could not be on that network before now. So, the computer is ready, but no one is available to help me get in, ensure I have the right paths to folders, passwords for the internal wifi, or some hardware so I can string a hardline to my docking port to make it all work. So, I am feeling exceptionally useless, not getting anything done, etc. All at a time when I know money for the company is tight, so having me on overhead charging is not ideal.
Maybe if they would take a little time to treat me like the new employee I essentially am, and get me set up, tell me what I am working on, get me the paperwork, etc. then I could feel useful again. But, instead, everyone is too busy and absorbed in what they are doing that it does not happen. My "boss" who should take ownership of it and get it done, live in CA, so he is never really here to help with this stuff anyway. Grrrrrrrrr..... Frustrating return!!!
Maybe if they would take a little time to treat me like the new employee I essentially am, and get me set up, tell me what I am working on, get me the paperwork, etc. then I could feel useful again. But, instead, everyone is too busy and absorbed in what they are doing that it does not happen. My "boss" who should take ownership of it and get it done, live in CA, so he is never really here to help with this stuff anyway. Grrrrrrrrr..... Frustrating return!!!
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Single Digits
Counting the days ....... My last day of work here in Winnipeg is in 9 days. Not 9 working days, 9 calendar days, woohoo! My motivation is waning as I try to clean a few things up, back off the level of support to one group that has started relying on my too heavily, and transition a project to a new project manager. The catch, I still don't know who this other project manager is, so in 9 days the project will just sit on the floor for a while, then start to move a little while someone new tries to get up to speed, and finally get moving again. They will have to go through getting a contract together and paying my company if they want real support from me on it from afar. Me thinks they need to get on the ball and assign someone the project if they want any of my time to transition. No real vesting in the project for me once I leave, it either completes or it doesn't, thus is the life of a contractor at the end of his contract.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Endless Cycle of Enabling
Oh dear readers, I try to find happy subjects to write about, but alas, my mind needs to be cleared, and this is a good method for me to spew this out so I can move on.
For the last four to five weeks I have been performing an experiment at work, aside from my normal duties and assignments. Let me set the stage by saying that for a company to succeed in the satellite business it needs to be process driven, and the processes need to be established such that they work and can be trusted. For example, a process here is that when hardware arrives from wherever it needs to come from, it has to go through the inspection team before it is officially received and placed in stock to then be issued out for use. This, among other things, ensures we can trace the heritage of the hardware all the way back from piece parts to sub assemblies to full on systems.
So, on to my experiment. A variety of items I need for my project have been shipped from the suppliers and sub-contractors and are waiting for inspection per the above process. I decide to see if the process actually works and go completely hands off. I don't call the inspectors' boss, I don't go down and talk to them, etc. I let the process work. Or, to my dismay, not work. All of these items are still sitting and waiting. The paperwork is there, clean, and ready. The hardware is sitting within view of the inspectors and where they do all their inspections. But at least one item has been there for over five weeks now. The process is broken.....period. What it takes to get anything through this process is someone to go tell the inspectors that item 1, 17 and 23 are a priority and get them moved ahead of any others in the queue. But, then, engineer 2 has different priorities and says items 3, 26 and 49 are the priority. Then engineer 3 does the same. Hmmmmmm, no wonder my stuff can't get through.
The same goes for other items of work at this place. The managers of each project have daily standup meetings to assign daily priorities to each person. Yes, you read right, DAILY priorities, the essence of micromanaging in its worst form. So I am managing a project, and the way I manage is to set expectations (here is the schedule, here is what I need you to do, meet the deadline). But, since everyone is working on at least 2 different projects, and the other managers are giving them daily priorities, my stuff falls by the wayside. By micromanaging to this level, the expectations of each team member are lowered, and they are then enabled in an attitude of no one told me I had to do it so I won't. I'd rather see them striving to meet high expectations because they will be held accountable to them. But, alas, the culture of the company does not allow for it.
So, my experiment was a success in that it has laid open a giant flaw in the system, but it has also failed in that my project is behind schedule and I still don't have the hardware in hand. Go figure.
For the last four to five weeks I have been performing an experiment at work, aside from my normal duties and assignments. Let me set the stage by saying that for a company to succeed in the satellite business it needs to be process driven, and the processes need to be established such that they work and can be trusted. For example, a process here is that when hardware arrives from wherever it needs to come from, it has to go through the inspection team before it is officially received and placed in stock to then be issued out for use. This, among other things, ensures we can trace the heritage of the hardware all the way back from piece parts to sub assemblies to full on systems.
So, on to my experiment. A variety of items I need for my project have been shipped from the suppliers and sub-contractors and are waiting for inspection per the above process. I decide to see if the process actually works and go completely hands off. I don't call the inspectors' boss, I don't go down and talk to them, etc. I let the process work. Or, to my dismay, not work. All of these items are still sitting and waiting. The paperwork is there, clean, and ready. The hardware is sitting within view of the inspectors and where they do all their inspections. But at least one item has been there for over five weeks now. The process is broken.....period. What it takes to get anything through this process is someone to go tell the inspectors that item 1, 17 and 23 are a priority and get them moved ahead of any others in the queue. But, then, engineer 2 has different priorities and says items 3, 26 and 49 are the priority. Then engineer 3 does the same. Hmmmmmm, no wonder my stuff can't get through.
The same goes for other items of work at this place. The managers of each project have daily standup meetings to assign daily priorities to each person. Yes, you read right, DAILY priorities, the essence of micromanaging in its worst form. So I am managing a project, and the way I manage is to set expectations (here is the schedule, here is what I need you to do, meet the deadline). But, since everyone is working on at least 2 different projects, and the other managers are giving them daily priorities, my stuff falls by the wayside. By micromanaging to this level, the expectations of each team member are lowered, and they are then enabled in an attitude of no one told me I had to do it so I won't. I'd rather see them striving to meet high expectations because they will be held accountable to them. But, alas, the culture of the company does not allow for it.
So, my experiment was a success in that it has laid open a giant flaw in the system, but it has also failed in that my project is behind schedule and I still don't have the hardware in hand. Go figure.
Monday, August 04, 2014
Time for a Rant
As my dear readers know, I am a very patient person and beyond tolerant, but occasionally one thing or another can set me off, the biggest of which is someone not doing their job well.
Sunday around 12:30 pm, nice day, food stuffs running low in the ole fridgeroonie so I head to my local grocery store that shall remain nameless (rhymes with Schmafeway). I do my thing, fill my cart, and head to checkstand number 1. All good so far. Now as a customer, I expect the person running the checkstand to actually know how to do her job (scan-beep, scan-beep, not so hard).
Then we throw her the curve ball. An item that is on sale (regularly $17.99, now $12.99). Scan-boop, Hmmmmm, that didn't sound right, she hits her cancel button and tries again. Scan-boop. I can see, right there on the screen that it is in the system, has calculated the sale, etc. all good, let's move on. But, noooooooo! Next thing I know she's got the microphone in hand, "Price check on one please." Thank goodness she kept scanning the next items while we waited the 30 seconds or so for dude number 1 to twaddle by. She shows his the item, he twaddles off to aisle 14, at least he is going to the right aisle right away, good sign. This aisle is literally 15 feet away (sorry, 5 meters away, we are in Canada after all). Five minutes later he comes twaddling back, she has finished scanning everything else, he says "twelve-ninety-nine" She puts that in, then can't decide if there is tax on it or not.
Microphone in hand, "Manager to checkstand 1 please." The line has built up behind me and I just stand there with a look of "are you f--ing kidding me?" on my face. a minute later, she wanders off to another checkstand to ask another checker. Once she's back I ask her to please check BEFORE she hits total, to ensure I am not charged twice for the item (since I did see it earlier in the day, but it has been hours since she started, and I am trying to not make her feel too bad.
"Your total is $139.56." She says
I repeat, "Did you check to make sure it is not on their twice?"
Three minutes later she has finally figured out how to scroll up and low and behold, lookie there, the item in question, normal price $17.99, sale price $12.99. But now we've done it, she has to void the item and has already hit total. "Manager to checkstand one please." Oh dear GOD! At this point I am beyond livid at her lack of skills, but I REFUSE to pay for the item twice.
Finally, about 2 minutes later dude number 2 twaddles up, he must be the manager, swipes his card, listens to her long winded explanation of what went wrong, and finally a new total.
Not once did she actually check to see if the item had scanned correctly, she just heard a different tone and dove down the rabbit hole. WOW! If she had taken literally 2 seconds to LOOK at the screen all the rest would have been moot, and I would still be mute on my blog. Food prices in Canada are already so crappy that I truly hate shopping, add ineptitude and I am just done.
Sunday around 12:30 pm, nice day, food stuffs running low in the ole fridgeroonie so I head to my local grocery store that shall remain nameless (rhymes with Schmafeway). I do my thing, fill my cart, and head to checkstand number 1. All good so far. Now as a customer, I expect the person running the checkstand to actually know how to do her job (scan-beep, scan-beep, not so hard).
Then we throw her the curve ball. An item that is on sale (regularly $17.99, now $12.99). Scan-boop, Hmmmmm, that didn't sound right, she hits her cancel button and tries again. Scan-boop. I can see, right there on the screen that it is in the system, has calculated the sale, etc. all good, let's move on. But, noooooooo! Next thing I know she's got the microphone in hand, "Price check on one please." Thank goodness she kept scanning the next items while we waited the 30 seconds or so for dude number 1 to twaddle by. She shows his the item, he twaddles off to aisle 14, at least he is going to the right aisle right away, good sign. This aisle is literally 15 feet away (sorry, 5 meters away, we are in Canada after all). Five minutes later he comes twaddling back, she has finished scanning everything else, he says "twelve-ninety-nine" She puts that in, then can't decide if there is tax on it or not.
Microphone in hand, "Manager to checkstand 1 please." The line has built up behind me and I just stand there with a look of "are you f--ing kidding me?" on my face. a minute later, she wanders off to another checkstand to ask another checker. Once she's back I ask her to please check BEFORE she hits total, to ensure I am not charged twice for the item (since I did see it earlier in the day, but it has been hours since she started, and I am trying to not make her feel too bad.
"Your total is $139.56." She says
I repeat, "Did you check to make sure it is not on their twice?"
Three minutes later she has finally figured out how to scroll up and low and behold, lookie there, the item in question, normal price $17.99, sale price $12.99. But now we've done it, she has to void the item and has already hit total. "Manager to checkstand one please." Oh dear GOD! At this point I am beyond livid at her lack of skills, but I REFUSE to pay for the item twice.
Finally, about 2 minutes later dude number 2 twaddles up, he must be the manager, swipes his card, listens to her long winded explanation of what went wrong, and finally a new total.
Not once did she actually check to see if the item had scanned correctly, she just heard a different tone and dove down the rabbit hole. WOW! If she had taken literally 2 seconds to LOOK at the screen all the rest would have been moot, and I would still be mute on my blog. Food prices in Canada are already so crappy that I truly hate shopping, add ineptitude and I am just done.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Last Night
I had just finished eating dinner last night when a nagging headache got the better of me. It was one of those right behind the eyes kind of headache, very much not pleasant. I had nothing else on my agenda, I had already done the dishes, eaten, etc. so I decided the best way to beat the headache back was to lie down for 20 minutes with my eyes closed, to allow a small handful of Advil to run its course. It is light pretty late here, so I figured, it was 7:30, take a short nap, then there is still time for a nice exercise walk. The next thing I know, it is dark and the red numbers beside my bed say 12:37 .......20 minutes planned; 5 hours achieved, hmmmm, me thinks I napped a little long. It took exactly 4 milliseconds for me to decide to just roll over and call it a night.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Good News for a NOT Good Reason
I am coming back to Colorado, this weekend, for anywhere from over a week to a month or so. Linda's dad is doing very poorly post cancer surgery and she needs to be bedside with him in CA. As such I need to come back and be a parent to the boys while she is gone. They did great for the extended time she was just away, but that situation is not ideal and they need a parent present as they are just teenagers. So, not a good reason, we are continuing to pray for Richard and his recovery, but I am happy that I get to spend some more time with my sons instead of up here in Winnipeg, so far away and so out of touch with their lives.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Time to Brag
I am truly sorry I could not be at the AHS Performing Arts Awards Ceremony last night. Even more so now that I know Danny received five awards. From his peers he was chosen as Top musician-wind ensemble and Top musician-jazz band; from the staff he was chosen for the Directors' award; he was chosen for the Woody Herman jazz award and received a plaque for this one, and finally as an All State Band participant.
WOW! As his dad I get to have a bias, but the recognition from the director and staff and his peers brings it all home. GREAT job Danny!! Proud Dad here!!
Below is the photo of the awards that he sent me.
WOW! As his dad I get to have a bias, but the recognition from the director and staff and his peers brings it all home. GREAT job Danny!! Proud Dad here!!
Below is the photo of the awards that he sent me.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
A Schedule?...
The phrase used often in Aerospace Test is once a schedule is printed it is obsolete. Once again we are proving this to be the case. One of many tasks I have these days is to coordinate with outside test laboratories to ensure we have a time slot for the box we are building and testing. On the cover, not a big deal. But, after the 4th or 5th email saying, here are new dates, ones credibility flies out the window. I guess part of the problem is that the project managers push with optimism, and see with schedule driven glasses, and those of us doing the work find it takes a bit longer to put the paperwork together, gather the materials, do the work on the box, and close out the paperwork. This is NEVER a two hour process, not even the paperwork part. Oh Well.
So I updated my schedule this afternoon, based purely on speculation since we are not actually into the first test yet that is supposed to be completed tomorrow (not going to happen), and somehow, magically, I came out with the same test dates at the remote facility. How did I do that?!?!?! It was actually pretty easy, I put some realism (and weekend work) into a schedule that was not mine to maintain until this week. Now I control it, and I can track it better. Also, the drive time that HAD to be 3 days a couple of months ago when we started planning, is actually a 26 hour drive. a two driver team and BAM, one day trip, amazing how quickly I can use that time. :-), let them load the truck and drive on the weekend, and BAM BAM, schedule still works. woohoo!!
Once again I am proving that what I do is not rocket science (nor rocket surgery) BUT having a history of experience doing this a number of time sure does help.
So I updated my schedule this afternoon, based purely on speculation since we are not actually into the first test yet that is supposed to be completed tomorrow (not going to happen), and somehow, magically, I came out with the same test dates at the remote facility. How did I do that?!?!?! It was actually pretty easy, I put some realism (and weekend work) into a schedule that was not mine to maintain until this week. Now I control it, and I can track it better. Also, the drive time that HAD to be 3 days a couple of months ago when we started planning, is actually a 26 hour drive. a two driver team and BAM, one day trip, amazing how quickly I can use that time. :-), let them load the truck and drive on the weekend, and BAM BAM, schedule still works. woohoo!!
Once again I am proving that what I do is not rocket science (nor rocket surgery) BUT having a history of experience doing this a number of time sure does help.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
I'm Back in the Saddle Again...
Ever notice how we could document our lives with short snippets of song? With extra effort we could probably stick to a single genre and make life a musical in the process. Please, let's not though :-)
As my flock of readers already knows, I am back in Winnipeg. I got out of Colorado just before the snow storm hit this last weekend, whew! I have had more than my fill of snow, so I was happy to not encounter ANY on my very long drive back here.
It was a GREAT visit to Colorado!! I got to see Danny perform two different nights. I got to help honor the outgoing senior band students and see a few tears flow down faces of parents (that will be me next year). I enjoyed taking both my sons to dinner and a movie, dinner other nights, and a bout of 3 handed hearts. The weather cooperated and I was able to add a little color to my arms and legs during a round of golf one fine Sunday, and I was pleasantly surprised at the seeming quality of my game.
I had a little time to see a few of my friends, but, as expected, there is never enough time to see all of them that I want. I ran into a past coworker and heard some of the horror stories that made me feel much better about having left "that" place and program.
But, now I am back in the Saddle, back in Winnipeg, providing as much value as I can to the company I work for here, and my parent company back home as well. I will say without reservation that I will be truly happy the day I leave here with all my stuff, to never have to live here again. I would say never visit, but work may require some business trips back, but short ones I think I can deal with.
As my flock of readers already knows, I am back in Winnipeg. I got out of Colorado just before the snow storm hit this last weekend, whew! I have had more than my fill of snow, so I was happy to not encounter ANY on my very long drive back here.
It was a GREAT visit to Colorado!! I got to see Danny perform two different nights. I got to help honor the outgoing senior band students and see a few tears flow down faces of parents (that will be me next year). I enjoyed taking both my sons to dinner and a movie, dinner other nights, and a bout of 3 handed hearts. The weather cooperated and I was able to add a little color to my arms and legs during a round of golf one fine Sunday, and I was pleasantly surprised at the seeming quality of my game.
I had a little time to see a few of my friends, but, as expected, there is never enough time to see all of them that I want. I ran into a past coworker and heard some of the horror stories that made me feel much better about having left "that" place and program.
But, now I am back in the Saddle, back in Winnipeg, providing as much value as I can to the company I work for here, and my parent company back home as well. I will say without reservation that I will be truly happy the day I leave here with all my stuff, to never have to live here again. I would say never visit, but work may require some business trips back, but short ones I think I can deal with.
Monday, May 05, 2014
THAT was a GOOD Day!!
I can feel it in my sore muscles today, and I am sure John can feel it in the tendonitis thing he has going on, but despite the pains of the aftermath, yesterday playing golf was awesome. My game was fairly solid, considering how long since I last played and how seldom I really do play, I am pretty happy with 5 or 6 pars on the day and only two real bad, blow up in my face, holes.
The day started with an overcast sky (tee time at 0849 hrs) but the sweatshirt was off before teeing off on number 1. We picked up a forth in Jeff, a nice gentleman who put up with our antics and had fun right along with us. Overcast skies and some wind hit us about hole 6 through 8 or 9, then the sun burned through and the wind died off and Oh My, what a day. It was a little slow going with the group in front of us holding us back. We had to wait for them to clear our landing zone on almost every hole before John or I could tee off.
We had the pleasure/displeasure of watching John boom a long drive to the left side rough, then blast an 8 iron to about 14 feet from the pin on a par 5. His eagle put missed by less than an inch for a tap in birdie (ouch, that eagle would have been nice). I was pretty happy being on in 3 and 2 putting for par with that one, considering my errant second shot that ended up pin high but 40 yards left of the green.
The sunscreen did it's job on this Canadian White skin I am wearing, so just a little color on the exposed areas, but no real burn. A few short naps through the afternoon, dinner and then by 9 I was falling asleep watching whatever it was that was on the tube. After nodding off 8 or 10 times I gave up on the fight (not sure why I was fighting it) and then CRASHED into bed.....Ahhhhhh.
THAT was a GOOD Day!!
The day started with an overcast sky (tee time at 0849 hrs) but the sweatshirt was off before teeing off on number 1. We picked up a forth in Jeff, a nice gentleman who put up with our antics and had fun right along with us. Overcast skies and some wind hit us about hole 6 through 8 or 9, then the sun burned through and the wind died off and Oh My, what a day. It was a little slow going with the group in front of us holding us back. We had to wait for them to clear our landing zone on almost every hole before John or I could tee off.
We had the pleasure/displeasure of watching John boom a long drive to the left side rough, then blast an 8 iron to about 14 feet from the pin on a par 5. His eagle put missed by less than an inch for a tap in birdie (ouch, that eagle would have been nice). I was pretty happy being on in 3 and 2 putting for par with that one, considering my errant second shot that ended up pin high but 40 yards left of the green.
The sunscreen did it's job on this Canadian White skin I am wearing, so just a little color on the exposed areas, but no real burn. A few short naps through the afternoon, dinner and then by 9 I was falling asleep watching whatever it was that was on the tube. After nodding off 8 or 10 times I gave up on the fight (not sure why I was fighting it) and then CRASHED into bed.....Ahhhhhh.
THAT was a GOOD Day!!
Saturday, May 03, 2014
The Weekend
The weekend is finally here. The one thing about these trips to Colorado is that the get really really busy and it gets hard to actually get everything in that I should. For example, I haven't set up an appointment, therefore I haven't gone to the Dr since I left for Canada in September/October.
This morning John and I get to babysit the maid service they have hired to come clean the house. This evening, there will be 10 or more of us gathering to feast on finger foods, drink adult beverages and lose at poker, or at least everyone else will be losing at poker :-).
Then there is Sunday. We will start our outdoor church service at approximately 8:49 with the ceremonial flipping of the peg followed promptly with a white dimpled ball sitting on said peg. Moments later, following a waggle or two, said ball will be forcefully presented to the thin air and made to fly and roll about 250 or more yards in the intended direction. What better way to worship than spending time with family outside in God's beauty, enjoying the sunshine, and chasing the orb around the field.
My God does not take attendance, does not require one to sit silently on uncomfortable seats for hours on end listening to interpretations of a book or to hear someone tell me over and over that I am wrong. Instead, I choose to look for beauty and love and life outside, on the golf course or elsewhere. My beliefs are my own, and since they are my own and personal, I do not need to convince others to change to be more like me. Occasionally I am sure my parents wonder where they went wrong since I do not believe the same as they do. My response is that they did nothing wrong. That somehow, through all the thoughts and ideas thrown at me in various "churches" over the years I learned to think for myself. I will live life here today to the best of my ability.
This is one of those rare moments where Stu shares his beliefs. It does not happen, ever. Why? because it is really none of your damn business, it is personal and mine and I like to keep it that way. Stu Out.
This morning John and I get to babysit the maid service they have hired to come clean the house. This evening, there will be 10 or more of us gathering to feast on finger foods, drink adult beverages and lose at poker, or at least everyone else will be losing at poker :-).
Then there is Sunday. We will start our outdoor church service at approximately 8:49 with the ceremonial flipping of the peg followed promptly with a white dimpled ball sitting on said peg. Moments later, following a waggle or two, said ball will be forcefully presented to the thin air and made to fly and roll about 250 or more yards in the intended direction. What better way to worship than spending time with family outside in God's beauty, enjoying the sunshine, and chasing the orb around the field.
My God does not take attendance, does not require one to sit silently on uncomfortable seats for hours on end listening to interpretations of a book or to hear someone tell me over and over that I am wrong. Instead, I choose to look for beauty and love and life outside, on the golf course or elsewhere. My beliefs are my own, and since they are my own and personal, I do not need to convince others to change to be more like me. Occasionally I am sure my parents wonder where they went wrong since I do not believe the same as they do. My response is that they did nothing wrong. That somehow, through all the thoughts and ideas thrown at me in various "churches" over the years I learned to think for myself. I will live life here today to the best of my ability.
This is one of those rare moments where Stu shares his beliefs. It does not happen, ever. Why? because it is really none of your damn business, it is personal and mine and I like to keep it that way. Stu Out.
Friday, May 02, 2014
So ....
- So much of what I do is NOT rocket science
- So many of those I interact with at work could not rocket science their way out of a paper bag
- So much of rocket science is really sales and communication, not engineering
- So, I am not really a rocket scientist..........I do satellites, not rockets, but I still do space stuff :-)
- So many independent reviewers that have never actually done the work
- So much for meaningful reviews that truly help the product and the success thereof
- So true what they say .............. Who? and What do they say? I don't know
- Sew ---- A needle pulling thread (sing it like Julie Andrews)
- So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999 (actually tomorrow night)
- So, a horse walks into a bar.........
- So-so
Thursday, May 01, 2014
What to Write Today??
Winding up my work day today I am thinking, hey, I should take a few minutes to write in my blog. Then the blank white paper stares at me as I think, "but what to write?" Hmmmmm, what to write.
Think, think, think, think, think...........
Oh look a spider
think, think, think, think, think ..............
I've got nothing..........
Dear reader, this blog post has been cut short due to lack of inte.........
Think, think, think, think, think...........
Oh look a spider
think, think, think, think, think ..............
I've got nothing..........
Dear reader, this blog post has been cut short due to lack of inte.........
Monday, April 28, 2014
Efficiency
The contract between the company I work for and the company I do work for is explicit in that I am supposed to be in Winnipeg about 80% of my time, and working remotely for the Canadian company from Colorado the remaining 20%. So I am in Colorado for the next two weeks.
But what does this have to do with the title of this post, you ask? Well dear reader, allow me to get there eventually :-). To ensure there are no proprietary nor ITAR concerns, my computer is not allowed on the internal network of the company I work for, rather I am on the guest wifi whenever I am here. Using this account, I then remote login to my desktop machine in Winnipeg to do work, while also keeping local items up and running on my laptop in parallel.
So, to efficiency...........finally..........the refresh rate on documents, email etc. is so so so so so slow that what could often be done in a few seconds, take minutes instead as I click and wait, reformat because i clicked too soon and now it's messed up, etc. Top it off with having to beg for work that can be done remotely, makes Stu a far less efficient work machine.
Oh well, it beats being there. I love Colorado and would sure love to not have to go back to Canada, but alas that is where the work really is right now.
But what does this have to do with the title of this post, you ask? Well dear reader, allow me to get there eventually :-). To ensure there are no proprietary nor ITAR concerns, my computer is not allowed on the internal network of the company I work for, rather I am on the guest wifi whenever I am here. Using this account, I then remote login to my desktop machine in Winnipeg to do work, while also keeping local items up and running on my laptop in parallel.
So, to efficiency...........finally..........the refresh rate on documents, email etc. is so so so so so slow that what could often be done in a few seconds, take minutes instead as I click and wait, reformat because i clicked too soon and now it's messed up, etc. Top it off with having to beg for work that can be done remotely, makes Stu a far less efficient work machine.
Oh well, it beats being there. I love Colorado and would sure love to not have to go back to Canada, but alas that is where the work really is right now.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
The Adventure
I awoke 40 minutes before the alarm was set to blare after a fit-full partial night. It was 1:20 am and I had a long day ahead of me. I had loaded most of my gear in the truck the night before, so after a quick cup of coffee, teeth brushing and bathroom break, I was out the door. My first surprise of the trip hit me as I opened the door to outside and saw my truck. It had snowed over night, I had about an inch of the white wet stuff to brush off the truck before I could get underway.
Truck engine warmed up, snow brushed, and seat belt fastened, I was on the road, backing out of my parking spot at 2:06 am. Up one main street for about 10 minutes, around the beltway for 2 miles then South on the highway toward the border. First I had to get through the residential areas, before real speed could be attained. Finally, I'm rural and can accelerate.....But, NO! Now I have snow falling, it looked like I was accelerating to Warp Speed through the stars, streaking white into my face, glaring off the headlights. Low visibility so I slowed down.
About 10 miles from the border, no more snow, finally.....a quick stop to enter the states, recycle some coffee and I was back at it. The speed limit in North Dakota was 75 mph so I set the cruise control at 80 and sped through the dark, leaving miles behind, until, wait for it.......FOG~!! Oh Crap! I hit the breaks and slow to about 60 and feel like I am crawling along. I can only see 5 dashes in the street, so I am keeping in slow. Finally, after about an hour of fog, it clears up and I resume my speed. This was not how I had planned this extended drive day.
I made it through North Dakota, then South Dakota, then a sliver of Iowa and into Nebraska where I finally turned from South to West and raced the sun toward the Rockie Mountains. Through Nebraska, I had to turn off the radio as I was decidedly tired of listening to crying cowboys and cold not find other satisfaction. By the time I had made it through Nebraska, I was pretty sure I had taken out ALL of the bugs in the I80 corridor, bug butts through bug brains, smeared on my windshield......nasty.
The trucks were thick through Nebraska as well, and decidedly not respectful at all to other vehicles' speed nor closure rate, and I had to stand on my brakes a few too many times for comfort to avoid rearending them as they took over my lane and proceeded to take 5 to 6 miles to actually pass the other truck.
Finally into Colorado, I76 is much less crowded until I hit suburban Denver and had to slow again. But, finally, to I70, the C470 then 285, then surface streets and finally, at 7 pm after an hour time change, I am done driving. Eighteen hours digging a hole the size of my butt in the seat of the truck. BUT, no real issues and I am here. Only to do it in reverse in about two weeks, but probably with an over night stop along the way.
Truck engine warmed up, snow brushed, and seat belt fastened, I was on the road, backing out of my parking spot at 2:06 am. Up one main street for about 10 minutes, around the beltway for 2 miles then South on the highway toward the border. First I had to get through the residential areas, before real speed could be attained. Finally, I'm rural and can accelerate.....But, NO! Now I have snow falling, it looked like I was accelerating to Warp Speed through the stars, streaking white into my face, glaring off the headlights. Low visibility so I slowed down.
About 10 miles from the border, no more snow, finally.....a quick stop to enter the states, recycle some coffee and I was back at it. The speed limit in North Dakota was 75 mph so I set the cruise control at 80 and sped through the dark, leaving miles behind, until, wait for it.......FOG~!! Oh Crap! I hit the breaks and slow to about 60 and feel like I am crawling along. I can only see 5 dashes in the street, so I am keeping in slow. Finally, after about an hour of fog, it clears up and I resume my speed. This was not how I had planned this extended drive day.
I made it through North Dakota, then South Dakota, then a sliver of Iowa and into Nebraska where I finally turned from South to West and raced the sun toward the Rockie Mountains. Through Nebraska, I had to turn off the radio as I was decidedly tired of listening to crying cowboys and cold not find other satisfaction. By the time I had made it through Nebraska, I was pretty sure I had taken out ALL of the bugs in the I80 corridor, bug butts through bug brains, smeared on my windshield......nasty.
The trucks were thick through Nebraska as well, and decidedly not respectful at all to other vehicles' speed nor closure rate, and I had to stand on my brakes a few too many times for comfort to avoid rearending them as they took over my lane and proceeded to take 5 to 6 miles to actually pass the other truck.
Finally into Colorado, I76 is much less crowded until I hit suburban Denver and had to slow again. But, finally, to I70, the C470 then 285, then surface streets and finally, at 7 pm after an hour time change, I am done driving. Eighteen hours digging a hole the size of my butt in the seat of the truck. BUT, no real issues and I am here. Only to do it in reverse in about two weeks, but probably with an over night stop along the way.
Friday, April 11, 2014
The Masters
It’s gonna be a rough one this weekend. THIS weekend is one
of the few that I wish fervently I had a big high definition TV and cable, and
Thursday through Sunday off work. I would sit and stare (and nap) my way around
Augusta National Golf Course with the best of the best, watching the beauty of
the course and the sport. This is one I generally shut out the world and watch,
almost every minute of coverage. Often recorded (Th and Fr for sure while at
work) so I can pause it and get a break every once in a while, but since
commercials are limited, there isn’t much that needs to be fast forwarded
through.
I don’t think I can go sit in a bar and watch for 8 hours of
coverage without going broke in the process. I am hopeful I can find something
more online than the live showing of Amen Corner, but if I can’t I will settle
for those holes and monitor the leader board I guess. Oh for my house, my TV,
my cable, and time.
My hope is for Rickey Fowler to make a showing,
he usually dies out through the weekend at Augusta. For whatever reason I am
not sure of, I am not rooting for Spieth or Scott, but in reality I am just
rooting for the course and for some golf type drama that brings us to the edge
of our seats until the end wondering if player X will pull it off or if player
Y will hold them off. But, as always, the beauty of the course helps remind one
reason why even us hacks at the game get out and play, and the level of play reminds
us how good we really are not and could never truly aspire to be.
Wednesday, April 02, 2014
Lemonaide??? Not a Chance......
When life gives you lemons, grab a few and chuck them at innocent passers-by so they can have a lemon filled day just like you. Aim for the good spots (e.g. head, crotch, face) and cause as much bruising as possible. If they don’t pick up the lemons themselves, go do it and throw them again and keep at it until they are too soft and gushed up to throw well any longer.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Language Peeves
As Americans, the gross majority of us speak only one
language. I include myself in this bucket, however, I do my level best to speak
(and write) this language well, and just as importantly, with character, unlike
what appears to be so many of my fellow Americans. Following is a list of some
very common American English language screw-ups that set my teeth on edge.
- A mute point (stop talking already you are just proving how stupid you are)
- Something more stronger (um…)
- My friend and me (ah, the pesky use of pronouns)
- Me and my friend will (more wrong than the one above, as if there are gradients of wrong)
- Will you take my friend and I to… (nope, nice try, thank-you for playing)
- I could care less (well I couldn’t)
- Needless-to-say (then don’t)
- I ain't got no (I don't have any either)
- I seen it (you either see it, or have seen it, take your pick; or maybe you saw it)
Got some that bug you? Love to hear them. (Yes those are incomplete sentences, see note on style above).
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