Oorgo

Wow

Just had a big project thrown on my lap. I've been with this new company for 1 month and I'm writing a user manual and a training manual for a new module. It's exciting and stressful all at the same time: exciting because they trust me with this and because it's a great opportunity, stressful because up to this point I've written mostly tech documents, not full manuals.

Oh, and I've realized that even though I'm making more money, I barely am. After considering the increased expenses of paying my own healthcare and gas for my car, it comes out just above what I was making at Slave*****. Luckily if I do well here, come September I should see a significant increase, this my friend, will be a good thing. Oh, and thank god for being booked up almost all summer for gigs.

Congrats Karen and Michael

Congratulations to Karen and Michael on the birth of their baby girl Audrey!

It's wonderful news and I wish the best for them, Alexander and their very spoiled cat. Here's to a quick recovery for Karen, and some nights of sleep for them both :)

Woot! It's very good news.

Well finally someone has a little sense

Apparently an L.A. federal judge ruled that File-sharing software makers are not responsible for the files that are being made available or downloaded. Seeing the software packages very much like the Canadian judge saw them, like photocopy machines, or videotape recorders. Did they put Sony or RCA up on trial when they found out you could record (good lord) movies! off of tv!?

I like this little quip "Debt-ridden media conglomerates are now considering sales of their music divisions even as they begin to test paid online music services intended to compete with free file-swapping networks and turn the tide." BEGIN to test ... what in the flying hell have they been doing the past 7 or 8 years? The software and p2p community told them back in the times of Napster that they needed to get some sort of less-expensive online music system set up, because they would not be able to stop the tides of peer-to-peer, and file-sharing.

Of all companies, Apple was the first to walk up to the plate with iTunes, and it's very successful, oh-boy-oh-boy, I wonder WHY? Maybe it's because people actually don't mind paying 1$ or so for a track, or $10 for an album. And there are actually law-abiding citizens that use the internet for purchasing things.

Truthfully, in my mind what's partially hurting the music industry is the industries own perception. The idea that the total # of mp3's downloaded = total # of money lost is prepostrous. That's like saying that if pirating wasn't around, every person in a less affluent country who currently has an unlicensed version of Windows would have gone out and purchased that copy. If you don't have the money you will not buy the software / music, it's as simple as that. I would take a guess that 75% of the folks currently sharing music can't afford to buy it.
And then when you add the publics current perception of organizations like the RIAA, well then you add the people who are now downloading/sharing out of sheer spite.

Bachelor weekend

Well A and X-man are gone to her fathers for the weekend, and I'm home to "fend" for myself. Not like I'll have much time for anything with the gig tonight and tomorrow night, and rehearsal on Sunday. Maybe the monster that is my computer area will be tamed, or I'll find my randomly strewn forms for may taxes and start those....
Or maybe I'll stay glued to newsfilter.org all night.

Oh- and I got sick of the Jack Handy quotes, so I threw them at the bottom of the page, and replaced them with Albert Einstein. And if you will scroll down a bit you'll notice there are a couple of RSS newsfeeds.

Wheee...

Well I went through most of the javascript tutorial at W3schools and as a little project made up the new addition on the right ( I know it's overdone, Jack Handey is kind of passe' now). It automatically spouts out random quotes from JH when the page is loaded. (And no, it's not stolen, well, the script isn't anyways).

In X land, Xavier has been very difficult, willful, defiant and sometimes violent in the last few . He also has at least 2 molars coming in, that can't be too pleasant. Here's the general progression of his actions : Happy, friendly, huggy, nice kid, and gradually as the hour progresses he starts doing things he knows he shouldn't, whining, crying, tantrums, throwing stuff, and if you're in range, he may smack you.
Needless to say by the time I come home A is at her wits end, so she goes and hides while I take care of the little guy.

W3Schools

Fun with Javascript.

Hey, I found this great online resource for programming tutorials... and free ones at that. Surprisingly well written and quick... I like 'em ...
You should check them out.. I'm serious.

http://www.w3schools.com/

Car update?

Well I took the car into another mechanic on Sat., a guy I've had work on it before, nice guy, and lots busy (so he doesn't need to "make" work for himself).
ANYways, he took a look at it, test drove it, and said that all it may need is a wheel alignment. He suggested watch the tire wear, and if it starts wearing uneven bring it in for an alignment.

Needless to say, I was pretty happy, although I do think it will need an alignment, it seems the front tire is noisier than it used to be. Not so much a growl, but a mild howl.... well... noisier than usual anyways.

This whole thing gives me another reason to hate cars, and reconfirms the fact they are a money pit. I can't wait until we have tube transportation like on Futurama; just cross your legs and arms and hold tight to your belongings, wheeee!

Meme

taken from Darren's Blog:

Caterina started an interesting meme...

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions

The nearest book is Dilbert "Still Pumped from Using the Mouse".. and the fifth frame is Catbert saying to Dilbert " For a small fee I'll accompany you on dates and translate between Male and Female language".

Grrr... gahdam wedder

Well ... it's heavy snowfall warning day today in Edmonton...

This morning I left at 8... it took me 30 minutes to get 40 blocks. 66 street was a parking lot.. people driving at 15 kph, for good reason, because it was a skating rink.

Anyways, I made it almost all the way to work, but then about 2 blocks away I tried to turn a corner, failed, and slid into a big fucking curb. Got to work, looked at the wheel and the tire was almost completely flat, and the rim is bent pretty bad.

Hopefully the tire isn't shot, it looks like the seal has been broken, but I'll most likely need a new wheel. While they're at it I'm going to get them to rotate the tires (something I should have done 6 months ago). The worst thing is, I'm going to have to go out in the snow at lunch, with a shitty-assed jack and change my tire, put on a donut, and lug the flat tire over to a shop.

Well I took the car to Tire Warehouse, didn't have to change the tire after all, it didn't deflate. I would say the rim is bent about 1/2 - 2/3" at the point of impact, so it made for an interesting drive.

The very polite man at TW said that it is a good thing the rim is so bent, that means it most likely took the brunt of the impact. That's good, I don't need any bills for front-end work ... I can't afford that. Also a good thing is the fact the tire should be fine.

All in all it looks like it's going to cost me about $110 after tax. I guess that's not bad, since I believe that rim was the cause of another vibration ( I hit a curb to avoid an accident earlier in the winter).

Daddy-O

Monday monday

I started this blog to vent frustration and anger about my past job. Fortunately now with the new job that same crap doesn't exist, but unfortunately now my postings are not interesting.

I guess I could go down the road of talking about politics... but no, I'm really not that "in-the-know" so ... I won't do that. I could talk about my kid all the time... or the cats or dog ... or the freak neighbors next door. But that's been done a bit too much too...

gonna have to re-think this thing.. maybe at the same time as I do that I'll redo the look'n feel.

Or maybe I'll do like Pommie and just do random postings about stuff ...

Well

I know now, why I don't regularly go drinking with the gang... asthma, and allergies. The next day after drinking I had a chest cough, and I still have it, and a bit of a runny nose. I've gotten bad chest infections before from being engulfed in a smoking environment, and this is threatening to be one also. I think my inhalers are keeping it at bay though, so that's hopeful.

No offence to my friends, but smoking sucks and I hope the legislation goes through soon where it is not allowed in bars also.

Excuse the drunkenness

wow... first time I've gone out with the gang on a friday night in probably a year.

Good times, and lots of booze... memories of ten years ago flooding into our brains, friends, good times, bad times, sad times.

I miss it, you know, I miss going out with the gang and bullshitting, drinking a bunch of beer, speaking in stupid accents, talking of old times. It's fun.

It amazes me that when I was 24ish I used to do this all the time, and no worries, no mortgage, nor kids, no huge debt load. Just drink and good times.
Maybe that's where I went wrong... maybe I shouldn't have stopped....

I don't know... I'm still more than half drunk, so I can't be held accountable for what I type. .. really I can't...

Catalyst

After the recent drama at my last employer, some of you may have perhaps wondered what was my inspiration or catalyst for shaking things up and for standing up to be heard. I'd say a big part of it was a couple of great songs by Incubus, one called "Warning" and the other "Megalomaniac".

I included the lyrics for Warning, mostly because they are so pertinent to myself and my life perspective these days. And also because I listened to the song on my NetMD this morning :)

Incubus - "Warning"

Lyrics:
Bat your eyes girl
Be otherworldly
Count your blessings
Seduce a stranger
What's so wrong
With being happy?
Kudos to those who
See through sickness
Yeah

Over and over
And over and over

She woke in the morning
She knew that her life
Had passed her by
She called out a warning
Don't ever let life pass you by

I suggest we
Learn to love ourselves
Before it's made illegal
When will we learn
When will we change
Just in time to see it
All come down

Those left standing
Will make millions
Writing books on ways
It should have been

She woke in the morning
She knew that her life
Had passed her by
She called out a warning
Don't ever let life pass you by

Floating in this cosmic Jacuzzi
We are like frogs oblivious
To the water starting to boil
Now I flinch and
We all float face down

She woke in the morning
She knew that her life
Had passed her by
She called out a warning
Don't ever let life pass you by
Pass you by