I'm back.

My uncle passed away last Friday, just after midnight. I left here around 4 pm and got there around 11:30 pm. The wake was on Sunday, and funeral on Monday.

As usual with my family, it was a Chicago Catholic funeral. Cry hard first, then party hard. (I'm sure this isn't limited to Chicago or Catholics; I just have yet to go to a funeral quite like this elsewhere.)

On Saturday, I went with my cousins, Mark and Jane, and a number of their friends to the Village Pub, where my uncle liked to hang out. We found out a few new things, like how the regulars there called him "The Sheriff." People kept sending rounds down our way, and I bought a round for the house. It was fun and touching at the same time. Mark and Jane both had a bit too much to drink, but were ok the next morning. I adore them both more than words can express.

(n.b., we're separated by a few years in age -- I'm 29, Mark's 23, and Jane's 20 -- so we're just now getting to the point where we can truly share experiences. Oh, and if you're wondering, 20 is well above the legal drinking age in Chicago. Not the age that's on the books, but the age that most anyone, including the cops, care about.)

I also helped a bit with budgeting and planning for the future, though Mark has most of that down pat despite the lack of good records. There's a lot of stuff you don't want to think about when something like this happens, but have to deal with it anyway. For the sake of your loved ones, keep semi-decent financial records. This is something I'll have to start myself (well, I've started... I just haven't maintained them as well as I should).

I just spent far longer than should have been necessary to get something as simple as ''1 (in Lisp) to parse correctly (e.g., ''1 -> (quote (quote 1)) ).

I suck.

Also have a lot weighing on me right now. Uncle's in the hospital and doesn't have much time left (days, if that). It was very sudden... he went in because his doctor thought he had pneumonia. Turns out to be aggressive and advanced lung and liver cancer. Ugh.

Mind you, a few weeks ago we were joking around at his cabin in Michigan. He seemed perfectly healthy and was his normal introverted, happy-go-lucky self. He turned 50 not too long ago. Wednesday night, they were still talking about how they were going to treat him as an outpatient; this afternoon, they weren't sure he was going to make it through the day. Yeah, real roller-coaster.

So, anyway, back off to Chicago for me. Will be back one of these days.

Yes, please interrupt me while I'm in the middle of an intense debugging session to fix your $)#(@* web browser font problem, which could be easily solved if you didn't @#)($*@# insist on using Mozilla on Linux, with fonts from a Sun box, with the display piped over to your Windows XP box running an outdated version of Exceed.

Because, see, my job isn't really that important -- certainly not as important as you viewing your CNN page or webcomics or pr0n or whatever -- and it's not like I really needed to be concentrating. Might bruise a brain cell. Oh, and certainly don't bug IT about it; they sit too far away, and it's much more convenient for you to pop over to my cube next door.

Seeing all these back to school posts on LiveJournal... well... makes me feel old, dammit! :-)

Tired of work. The type of work I'm doing now, after the reorg, is decidedly less interesting. It's still the most bleeding-edge stuff at Neolinear, but far less innovative than what I was doing in Advanced Products.

One of the other managers pushed me over the edge today -- he sent his lackeys over to demand that I fix something right there and then for their product release (they've decided to integrate something at the last minute, *after* we've frozen a release candidate, for crying out loud). I fixed it, but then escalated it with my manager to (try to) make sure this doesn't happen again.

Hrm. Let's see... Labor Day weekend was somewhat of a disaster; a couple of irksome guests made the atmosphere in my house somewhat awkward. Labor Day itself was a nice and lazy day, though.

But is it art?

Of course not. I'm an engineer; therefore anything I produce is automatically classified as not-art.

Well, I'm in my new cube now. I got kicked out of my office (which I shared with two others) and into cubeland. It's not so bad except for the fact that I'm in a fishbowl (my cube entrance opens directly into a hallway).

We don't have normal cubes here -- they're actually walls that go up only 3/4ths of the way. The entrances are too large, though -- that side of the cube is 90% open, increasing the feeling of fishbowl-ness for me. Anyway, since they're normal walls, they tend to get scuffed up (especially if there's a whiteboard on one). I ended up repainting my cube yesterday, and it looks much nicer than it did before (the previous occupants had an annoying habit of leaning on -- with one foot against -- the walls). Ooh, and I have a window now! Not the prettiest view, and I'd prefer that it didn't face west so I could keep the blinds open during the afternoon, but... ... it's a window!

Currently training my manager to not hold "conferences" (mostly vocal arguments with applications engineers) in his cube next door. Heh.

Working from home today and getting *far* more accomplished than I could at work. I may try to pull this off more often.

You know you want one...


I didn't realise that Calcomp (under whatever form) still existed. Last I heard, they had been abolished through various acquisitions, eventually by Lockheed Martin.

Indeed.

Penguins Get Ice Lollies

"Britain's all-time top temperature is 99 degrees Celsius recorded in Cheltenham, southwest England, in August 1990."

die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die

I changed the brakes on my car last night. Ordinarily, this would not be a big deal; however, please realise that, given the fact that I've lived in an apartment or somesuch for most of the last 11 years, this was not a feasible thing to do.

Also, although I'm mechanically inclined, that usually applies to static structures (walls, buildings, etc.) or things that, if I screwed up, will kill me. And, at first, I thought that I *had* screwed up -- the pedal didn't feel right, and it was taking a lot farther to brake than it should have (on my driveway at this point). Then I remembered that you need to pump the brakes a few times to get pistons, etc., in the right position, and that the brake pads need a mile or so to break in (to match the wear pattern on the discs). After that, it was smooth sailing... er, driving.

Still unhappy about the reorg at work. Also found out that I have to work on Saturday. Grr. (No, I don't get paid overtime, being exempt and all...)

Reorganized.

When they tell you that you have a choice, don't believe them. You don't.

Reorganization

Hm. Seems that I'm being slotted for a role in the architecture group. This would mean working with A, B, and C.

I get along fantastically with A, but A would only be part-time in the group.

I don't know B all that well, and he works in our San Jose office. However, B works with C quite often. C and I do not get along. At all.

C likes to edit my code so that it's more convenient for him to work with. C doesn't bother testing his changes. C likes to reformat my code. C never makes an attempt to communicate with me and does all of the above willy-nilly.

Not good. Not good at all.

% ping sydney.kanga.org
no answer from sydney.kanga.org.

Yes, well, still in the process of moving. Right now, everything except a few cleaning supplies and trash is out of the apartment and in the house (though far from being unpacked). Computers have been sitting disconnected in what is going to be my office... I've been too busy packing, moving, unpacking, cleaning, etc., to even think about hooking them up. So my only access is from work (until Friday-ish, when DSL service is established).

Oh, and if you have the money, I strongly suggest hiring movers if you need to move. It was about $1200 for our two-bedroom apartment, travel time, truck, and a crew of four--and it was worth every penny. Next time, I'll be über-rich and have them do the packing and unpacking, too (which will triple the cost, plus they'll be moving a house...). I'll also probably be in my late 80's. :-)

I have spent far too much money at Home Depot, Target, and Sears over the last few days. Though I suppose it's all a drop in the bucket when you consider that we've essentially spent six-figures this month. Ugh. I don't like thinking about that... (Hm... imagine putting a house on a credit card... you could get massive amounts of free gas/airmiles/clothes/...)

Just out of curiosity...

So, IT has pulled the sudo (administrative) access I had to my machine without discussion or warning and by playing the authority card ("we must enforce [this restriction] across the board..."). I had this access because I was the point-man for problems related to different glibc versions (this is one of the main files needed on Linux), and you kinda need administrative access to muck with such things.

I've retaliated by refusing to perform such testing anymore, and by removing the duplexer for one of the printers I brought in. I'm also starting to take my books back. It'll be a short bit, then people will probably start screaming about the lack of duplex printing.

My body hates me.

Spent the last three days working on the (new and spiffy!) house. I did not realise just how huge and steep our backyard was until I mowed it yesterday. I don't think the previous owners had mowed it in a about a month or so.

Almost finished cleaning the carpets. They were vacuumed, at least, but they owned a couple of large dogs... the carpets definitely needed shampooing. (The dogs spent most of the time in the family room; I've done that room twice, and will probably do it again once more.)

1. Find the thousand or so users who list cocaine as an interest and run a Markov babbler on their LJ entries.


2. ???


3. Profit!

your Sexual fetish? brought to you but you know that it would make her bleed you wanna talk, about eachother I hid inside my head in either physically or emotionally. Its probably better for a few hours im more of the rentals in this cut - better when I first arrived You said....your friend date your friends When my hair not relaxed every day. 1. of 2 people 1 am.

As my heart tricks my thanks Lets terminate these little projections how they took us to catch her staring at the first thing you d never have to go home, giggle*. To myself But, too bad Oh- hear this... Damon Albarn track :)hehe i decided not to sure i learned. today that he told me that bees cannot bore through the reflection but my cover by being there, and i rented movies-- donnie darko, cecil b I am going to notice?

people gawking, isn't I don't think they like me, at work n play

Closed Friday, Doubled Saturday....long fucking time but that'was dangling down, as the quiet life, a dream as in Oreos) is spelled incorrectly (One of the time. and usually blame yourself Take notice... no sweeping exits or offstage lines

When I go mr strife-you would play it? "from her head explodes... or implodes... whichever is less appropriate than the farmers planted the Delta for a long walk then go to sleep I get my plans I have been absolute shite.

So when we re just the last one I ve got going.

I explained that it s quite creative. amazing how much i think I d really like you. left us speachless.
We enjoyed it wasnt the nice weather. it s an excuse for not giving in, to work at the moment, and how stupid So I can t fucking know. it s probably a great dancer. He went so deep. in love it'how did you know I feel unloved. and filled out lately

Well, today sucks Today, I was going to b put on my back yard + perhaps five of us.

p i D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went to use one of the conference room computers this morning (in order to view a Word document someone sent me... I didn't have the proper installation or somesuch on my Win4Lin directory, but I digress). Clicked on Start. Clicked on Open Office Document.

Bong. Error 7923: Could not find Microsoft XP installation media, check your network connections and CD-ROM settings, or view the help file located at some obnoxiously long path in a hidden directory.

Huh? Whatever. Cancel. Word pops up. Then the same 7923 error. Click on cancel. Another Word window pops up and another 7923 error. Ad infinitium.

Bugged IT about it, and they uninstalled and reinstalled Office without blinking an eye. They're used to this.

I couldn't help but be amused. What other industry has its customers so beaten down that they accept this kind of routine as normal?

I'm not saying the software industry is alone in producing crappy products; for example, there are auto mechanics out there who are either clumsy, or unethical, or both, who will break two parts of your car while trying to fix one, but usually we get (rightfully) irate about this.

Actually, though, consumer electronics are starting to fall down the same path. My Sony DVD player has stopped playing certain discs, and getting it repaired would cost more than buying a new one. (I did eventually find out how to get into the service menu and adjust it so that it works again, though.) I, like many others from what I've read on various lists about these same DVD players, claim to have sworn off Sony products, but deep down, I know that I'll buy a new Sony MegaTroniTrin XP-3JS because it's shiny and brush it off with a "Eh, this one will probably be better."

Sad.

Hm. It's interesting to check the weather report where you live first thing in the morning and see:

"Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania     "

(One special weather statement, a severe thunderstorm watch, severe thunderstorm warning, flood watch/warning, and local storm report... apparently this one is coming in with 2" hail and 80 mph winds).