Quickie post
Don’t have a lot of time.
Spring fever continues, as does the in-house vacation, and my motivation is nowhere to be found. I have plenty to keep me busy, but the days are just dragging. “Busy” and “slow” aren’t supposed to be in the same phrase, but that’s how this week has been so far.
My in-laws arrived today from NC. Most people dread the time their in-laws come to stay with them. I love having them here. I love the both of them and get along with them very well. We’ll be having our Easter dinner with them this weekend. D is happy they’re here while he’s on spring break from school.
Hope to have more time to post tomorrow. Survivor will be on, and everyone but me will be watching. I should be able to use the PC then. Until then, g’night 
Blogger up, Blogger down
Don’t know what’s up with Blogger’s server – I’m having difficulty getting anything to respond tonight.
I lacked serious motivation today. Another beautiful day, sunshine, 70′s, and a bonus in-house vacation day (due to illness; forgive me for being cold). As much I have to do at work, I’m losing interest in the job fast. Need to get on the ball if I want to move on.
I finished reading Ren’s blog today on his holiday travels in Southeast Asia. Wonderful stuff with excellent pictures to accompany them. It’d be even better if I could hear him tell the stories himself. Could make a great podcast, eh? Hmm, don’t know if he’d get into that.
FM99 WNOR, Norfolk VA. Living in Virginia Beach as a teen, and later as a student at Old Dominion University, I would tune in to 98.7. The greatest rock station I ever listened to. I was happy to discover they’re now streaming live on the Web! The music ranges from Zeppelin to Metallica to Linkin Park. It’s great to listen to them again. I like KSHE in St Louis, but the music just doesn’t consistently rock like it does on FM99. I’m probably biased being from Hampton Roads, but who cares?
Pepsi/iTunes promotion – Free songs to date: 66. I’ve stalled big time with my caps. The last 6 have come from donations (thank you again!). Everything else I come up with are losers. The other downside: contest ends on 4-11, and the shop that I buy my Pepsi’s from are no longer selling bottles with the contest caps. I don’t really know why I’m complaining; I’ve got $66 worth of songs. It must be the caffeine bitching.
Gonna hit the sack – til the next time!
Spring fever
Sun shined today for the first time in maybe a week. Company volume was nice and low. People were smiling and in good spirits. More free songs came my way (thanks to Lou and Marlin!). It was steady and busy, but all in all, it was a decent and productive day.
Received an e-mail from my cousin Ren in SF. It was great to hear from him. I got him to create his own blog today. Check it out – “pigs in space” (of particular interest – check out his travel fotos, and eyedentity).
Final Four is set. Michigan St takes on UNC, while Louisville battles Illinois. I see UNC taking it all (against ILL), but I wouldn’t mind the Illini taking the championship. All this basketball is making me antsy – can’t wait to get outside to shoot some hoops.
Gotta go … 24‘s almost over … night!
Crabby
Saturday, and it wasn’t a great day. Very blah and chilly outside with no sunshine. And I was crabby. I was busy reorganizing my side of the bedroom. CL seem to give me the silent treatment; D tried to get me to hang with him (I did play a game with him). I pushed everyone away. Didn’t mean to be that way. I just wanted to get my project done.
Watched Louisville advance in OT against West Virginia (who had a 20 pt lead). Also saw Illinois come back from 15 down to beat Arizona in OT as well. Was disappointed with both results, with WV being a Big East team and the Illini being the top dog all year. Not that I don’t like Illinois; I just like to root for the underdog. I will say Illinois did play the role of the underdog, having been in a deficit against the Wildcats.
Just discovered how to change the look of my Links field. So I added new sections, including podcasts I listen to and buttons for the software I use. As I get more time, I’ll add more.
It’s late, and it’s cold down here. I’m gonna hit the sack.
Good Friday
It’s early this morning. It’s cold, and I don’t want to go to work. It is Friday, and an in-house vacation day, so that should be plenty of incentive for me to get going.
A note/reminder to those who read this (particularly those I work with):
This blog is my journal. It is a means for me to communicate, speak my mind, and vent my frustrations. Because it can sound depressing at times, I try to talk about things I have interests in – fun stuff for me (and maybe for you too). Only a select few have access to this. I am discreet when I discuss the workplace, and I will only talk about things that happen in my presence (no hearsay). I please ask for discretion from you as well. Thank you.
I haven’t been watching college basketball (what is wrong with me????). Here’s the updated bracket. This weekend, I’d like to pack up the winter clothes and rearrange my dresser; I’ll try to watch as I work on that.
With the end of Lent coming, I am so ready to add more music to the iPod! I have 63 free songs from iTunes, and I don’t know where to begin! A very special “Thank You” to everyone who has contributed their winning caps! I greatly appreciate them!!!
Gotta get ready for work – blog at ya later – Happy Easter!!
Too tired to think of a title for this post …
Not much to say today. Accomplished two things at work – the minutes for yesterday’s staff meeting (I hate doing minutes) and charges. I never got to scans, and my planned database maintenance was postponed due to lack of cooperation (it happens).
Pepsi/iTunes promotion – Free songs to date: 63!
It’s late for me, and I’m tired. We went out to eat for dinner, then stopped at Target to pick up a few things. I hope tomorrow lives up to its name. Good Friday begins the Easter weekend.
I wish everyone a Blessed Easter
Too tired to think of a title for this post …
Not much to say today. Accomplished two things at work – the minutes for yesterday’s staff meeting (I hate doing minutes) and charges. I never got to scans, and my planned database maintenance was postponed due to lack of cooperation (it happens).
Pepsi/iTunes promotion – Free songs to date: 63!
It’s late for me, and I’m tired. We went out to eat for dinner, then stopped at Target to pick up a few things. I hope tomorrow lives up to its name. Good Friday begins the Easter weekend.
I wish everyone a Blessed Easter
Happy hour
Had a great time at Severs this evening! I was very happy to see those who made it after work. Those who could not, we missed you and hope you can make it the next time we get together (to be determined, of course). It is so nice to hang out, chat, catch up, and vent all while we grab a bite and drink a few.
A few notes about blogs and blogging. The term “blog” is short for “weblog”. It’s basically an online journal. A blog will show posts as they are published, with the most recent on top. Older posts are archived (I think you get the idea). I’m still learning how to do this as I go, but I am enjoying the process. I hope others enjoy reading it.
I tinker with the templates to change how the blog looks. What you see now is its third incarnation. I’m considering doing an audio blog or podcast of some sort. I have to do some research on what gear I’ll need to accomplish this. I wouldn’t mind doing a soundseeing tour, like Adam Curry does. I’ll probably use my MiniDisc player for recording instead of the iPod (better sound quality).
Pepsi/iTunes promotion – Free songs to date: 61!
As for work, well … to be honest with you, nothing new to say, and I’d rather escape from it. Until tomorrow, g’night
My playlists
The job search has been difficult. I’ve found another technical apprenticeship in Southern IL that I applied for (cross your fingers). I may have to start looking for “assistant” type jobs instead of techie ones. I certainly need to go back to school.
I mentioned yesterday that the playlists on my iPod were gone. I noticed when I got into the car that there weren’t any, and it made me think my home PC wiped it clean again. The music and podcasts were on it, but not a playlist was to be found. Once I got to work, I plugged it in. Thankfully, they reappeared!
I don’t just listen to songs or albums anymore. The beauty of using an MP3 player is the playlist feature. You’re basically creating your own mix. I like to use random playlists, so you never know what you’re going to hear (sort of like listening to my own radio station).
- What’s on Teny’s iPod
- Pepsi/iTunes promotion – Free songs to date: 60!
- The Scribbler – if you like to draw, try this out
Spoke to Sandy this evening. She’ll be at Severs tomorrow evening after 5! Hope to see you there!
"Tenyrsgon"
I thought I’d discuss the origin of the name “Teny”. When I first ventured online nearly 9 years ago, I was really into chatting. Particularly in chat rooms on AOL. I made lots of friends in a 2-year span. I don’t really chat anymore. It got old pretty fast.
Instead of the usual JSmith0704 format, I created a different screenname. Seeing all the different names people had, I couldn’t come up with anything real creative. I decided on taking my favorite Led Zeppelin song and making it my name. Ten Years Gone was the song, but due to the character limit imposed by AOL at the time, my name was Tenyrsgon. My profile was another play on Zep tunes (Name: Poor Tom, Location: Over The Hills And Far Away, you get the idea).
When chatting, people tend to cut your name short if it’s too long to type. Instead of calling me “Ten”, it was “Teny”. And it stuck. A circle of friends knew me by that name, and it spawned various screennames: TenysBack, TenysHere, and CL’s favorite, TenyBear. After moving to the Midwest, I couldn’t use TenyBear (at the time AOL had restrictions with using names on different accounts). So Teny jr was created and is still used to this day.
Next time, I’ll tell you how Teny met CL.
“Tenyrsgon”
I thought I’d discuss the origin of the name “Teny”. When I first ventured online nearly 9 years ago, I was really into chatting. Particularly in chat rooms on AOL. I made lots of friends in a 2-year span. I don’t really chat anymore. It got old pretty fast.
Instead of the usual JSmith0704 format, I created a different screenname. Seeing all the different names people had, I couldn’t come up with anything real creative. I decided on taking my favorite Led Zeppelin song and making it my name. Ten Years Gone was the song, but due to the character limit imposed by AOL at the time, my name was Tenyrsgon. My profile was another play on Zep tunes (Name: Poor Tom, Location: Over The Hills And Far Away, you get the idea).
When chatting, people tend to cut your name short if it’s too long to type. Instead of calling me “Ten”, it was “Teny”. And it stuck. A circle of friends knew me by that name, and it spawned various screennames: TenysBack, TenysHere, and CL’s favorite, TenyBear. After moving to the Midwest, I couldn’t use TenyBear (at the time AOL had restrictions with using names on different accounts). So Teny jr was created and is still used to this day.
Next time, I’ll tell you how Teny met CL.
Dark day
Another in-house vacation day. It wasn’t a good one. I was stressed over how to do my job, and even though I was “independent”, I felt I had no control. No matter what I did or where I turned, I felt a “presence”. And it bugged the hell outta me.
I love my co-workers. But they seem to depend on me more these days, and I can’t support them as well as I used to. Each time I hear my name and am pulled in 15 different directions, I get aggravated. I think I can now honestly say, “I hate my job.”
Pepsi/iTunes promotion – Free songs to date: 55
Today was the congressional hearing on steroid abuse in Major League Baseball. Probably the most disappointing thing is Mark McGwire’s continued silence on the issue. I commend him for stating that baseball has a problem, and he certainly wants to help do something about it. But not stating either “yes” or “no” as to whether he has used steriods has placed him under the very cloud he’s trying to help remove.
Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro both denied ever using steroids. Palmeiro did so in convincing fashion. McGwire is sincere in his statements, and he showed great emotion. He’s a Boy Scout to Jose Canseco’s Bad Boy. Because he’s a good guy, I believe he cannot lie. If he’s telling the truth, it should be no problem for him to say “no, I have never used steroids”. But his lawyers tell him not to say that.
If he has used them, his lawyer, and possibly McGwire too, feels admitting it would destroy him. Unfortunately, his refusal to say anything today may already have done the damage.
I will always like McGwire, regardless of whether he has used steroids or not. I’ll take the good guy over the bad guy any day.
Hump day
I received an interesting e-mail regarding a new “patriotic” can that Pepsi is supposedly putting out. The e-mail claims the Pledge of Allegiance is on the can, minus the words “under God”, and the author requests a boycott on Pepsi. Pepsi issued a statement to clarify the issue.
As for my free songs, I’m in a bit of a slump; I’m stuck at 51.
CL was off today, and she stopped in to take me out to lunch. We ate at Jack in the Box (coupon for a free sandwich). We hadn’t had lunch together in a long time, and it was so nice to get out of the office. I need to go out for lunch more often.
Puppy got a bath and a haircut today too. He looks so prim and proper! I’ll upload a pic as soon as I can (he hates cameras).
Reminder – Severs, Wednesday, March 23 after 5 PM. Hope to see you there!
The Ides of March
As I adjusted the date and time on a co-worker’s pager, I noticed today’s date and muttered “Beware the Ides of March”.
I’m not superstitious, but in light of how things have been lately, I was wary of what the day might bring me. It was busy (isn’t it always??); unfortunately, I was not as productive as I would liked to have been.
Communication is still terrible; everything is assumed. It seems as if no one will take the extra effort to find out the answer from another member; they’ll just “assume” it was done (or not, in some cases). There’s always a bigger picture, but that doesn’t seem to matter anymore.
A ray of sunshine did appear – Sandy stopped in to say Hi! It was so nice to see her, and she said she misses everyone. We couldn’t talk long, but we did discuss events that have changed the dept. She plans to go to Severs next week. If you can, come along – we’ll be there after 5 PM Wednesday, 3-23-05. It’ll be good for the mind
Losing control
Pepsi/iTunes promotion – Free songs to date: 51
NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Bracket
Today was a challenge. I thought I had everything under control up until 9 AM. The boss asked the weekly question of “how are things going? Do you need help with anything?” He seems determined to have someone else involved in doing my work.
He called me twice afterwards. Wanted a volunteer to help with scans. I asked if the volunteer would be comfortable using a computer. “Oh. You need a computer to scan? Hmm. I don’t think so.” I almost laughed out loud.
The second call was to inform me that the staff director’s secretary would have time to help me with – what else – scans. I told him in order for that to happen, my scanner and software would need to be set up in her office. Boss said he would put a request in to the IT dept (didn’t hear from them today).
So now I have time to do other things, since someone else will be handling the scanning. I don’t really know how to react. I feel somewhat liberated, but at the same time, I feel like I’m losing control over my job. Maybe I’m making more out of it than it really is, but I can’t help feeling … well, helpless.
The day was busy as usual for all of us. I was so unprepared for today as far as assignments went, and because I was clueless, I mishandled some tasks and messed others up in the process. A total lack of communication made for a very trying day.
When team players are not communicating, you get confusion. And there was a whole lot of it today.
Frustrating.
March Madness!
Pepsi/iTunes promotion – Free songs to date: 48
Big East tourney: Warrick, Syracuse hold off UConn 67-63
Win a pair of tickets to the Cardinals’ home opener
I’m late with this post, I guess. Just didn’t have time Friday night.
Friday was busier than normal. The boss and the safety team had an open house for their new office (located just above ours). To be on the boss’s good side, I felt I should attend; besides, they had free food! But I didn’t go. I had a lot to do, and I figured that was a good enough reason not to attend. And I didn’t want to go.
It’s March, and it’s Tourney time! The Madness hasn’t kicked in yet, but I haven’t watched a lot of college basketball this year. My team are the Huskies of the University of Connecticut, or as we fans know them, UConn. They’ve been on from time to time on national TV, but I’ve missed most of them. Finally got to see them in action last week when they blew out Syracuse in the season closer. The two met again in the semifinals of the Big East tournament, and Syracuse got their revenge. UConn has a young team, and they have the ability to repeat as national champions. But they still have some work to do; last night, the Orange dominated the Huskies in all areas UConn excels in.
On a sad note, the mother of Coach Weber of Illinois died last night after emergency surgery. Our thoughts and prayers go to Coach Weber and his family.
Nothing new
Pepsi/iTunes promotion – Free songs to date: 46
Hmm … don’t have much to say. Busy day. Scans were not touched due to other issues (possible denials, making sense out of our assignments, too many calls regarding billing).
CL and I took Stinky to the vet; he gained 3 pounds since last year. They’re concerned about his teeth. We need to have them cleaned this year. He did ok with the shots and blood work but getting him to sit still for them was rough. He did get rewarded with dinner (I won’t get into that now).
Sorry … that’s all I have for now. Tomorrow’s Friday, and I’m so ready for it!
To blog or not to blog …
I read an interesting article today about blog-related firings (thanks to Scott for the tip!). Funny how my last post talked about discretion. Almost like I saw this coming.
As you can see, I’ve changed the title of my blog. I will also do my best to refrain from including any of (what we now know as) the “players”. If an event involves me, I will probably vent about it. Otherwise, everything else is hearsay.
And I need to move on. I archived my previous posts. They will not be accessible to anyone but me. If someone I trust is interested, please e-mail me about it (especially if you’re out of the loop).
Now about my day. Blah. It was busy. I had a ton of online notifications. Did a handful of scans. Almost had to issue a letter at closing time. My partner had a meeting this afternoon, and I actually did a return (boy, was I nervous!!). Got it done, though. Oh, and my Pepsi caps were losers.
The blog article did stick in my mind. Not that it bothered me so much; I guess it just made me try to rethink my approach and my attitude. I really am tired of all that’s gone on. I’m ready to go elsewhere.
On a lighter note, I want to share some pics with you. Here are pics of my niece Jasmine:
Dad is using Shutterfly. There’s no need for you to join; just click on “View Pictures” underneath the image you see.
My sincere apologies to those who were to hang out with me at Severs. Not everyone got my post regarding my cancellation. I will try to make sure everyone is aware when I cannot go. Not that I need to be there! I insist everyone go for a little bit, whether it be for a bite, a drink, or just to talk or listen. It’s good for you I’ll let you know when I plan to go again, and I’ll stick to it!
Til the next time … g’night!
To blog or not to blog …
I read an interesting article today about blog-related firings (thanks to Scott for the tip!). Funny how my last post talked about discretion. Almost like I saw this coming.
As you can see, I’ve changed the title of my blog. I will also do my best to refrain from including any of (what we now know as) the “players”. If an event involves me, I will probably vent about it. Otherwise, everything else is hearsay.
And I need to move on. I archived my previous posts. They will not be accessible to anyone but me. If someone I trust is interested, please e-mail me about it (especially if you’re out of the loop).
Now about my day. Blah. It was busy. I had a ton of online notifications. Did a handful of scans. Almost had to issue a letter at closing time. My partner had a meeting this afternoon, and I actually did a return (boy, was I nervous!!). Got it done, though. Oh, and my Pepsi caps were losers.
The blog article did stick in my mind. Not that it bothered me so much; I guess it just made me try to rethink my approach and my attitude. I really am tired of all that’s gone on. I’m ready to go elsewhere.
On a lighter note, I want to share some pics with you. Here are pics of my niece Jasmine:
Dad is using Shutterfly. There’s no need for you to join; just click on “View Pictures” underneath the image you see.
My sincere apologies to those who were to hang out with me at Severs. Not everyone got my post regarding my cancellation. I will try to make sure everyone is aware when I cannot go. Not that I need to be there! I insist everyone go for a little bit, whether it be for a bite, a drink, or just to talk or listen. It’s good for you I’ll let you know when I plan to go again, and I’ll stick to it!
Til the next time … g’night!
In-house vacation
In-house vacation. It’s basically a length of time (in this case, a day) at work in which the boss is not there. I could breathe easy today. No pain, no stress.
I feel terrible that my stress is spilling over onto other members of the team. Why do we feel this way? Why don’t we say something? I was told it’s “my choice” to be in the dept. And the words “the company owes you nothing” ring through my head. “You can be replaced.”
So what’s the point?
Like I said, a painless day. I focused on getting as much as I could done at my desk. Scans was my priority, and it took up most of my day. Few interruptions, nothing major.
A reminder to those who read this. This is a means for me to vent and inform. I won’t include much more of what people are hearing; only what I hear. I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable about what’s in this blog. I may not have used discretion in writing my entries, but I will from this point on. I trust those that I’ve given access to this blog, and I would appreciate if it did not go any further.
Thanks for understanding, for the kind words, and for listening.
Free songs!
I’ve been drinking Pepsi since the iTunes promotion began on January 31. I’ve bought between 6 to maybe 10 sodas a week. I’ve won around possibly 12 free songs (out of maybe 30 sodas??).
Including everyone’s contributions and my winnings, to date, I have 41 free songs from iTunes! Last year, I won 14 songs. A very special thanks to everyone who’s been donating their caps from their soda bottles (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Diet Mountain Dew)! I’m only taking caps from people who won’t have any use for the free music, so please, keep them coming!
Unfortunately for me, I gave up putting new stuff on my iPod for Lent. I can download songs to my computer, since I’m not putting them on my iPod. And I do have until May to redeem a free song (but I’m sure I’ll have done that well before then!).
Obviously, I changed the way my blog looks. I thought the other one a bit bold at first site, then more “blah” as you read on. I like the one I have now; it looks a little more organized with an even balance of color. As I said before, I plan to include more links and pictures as time allows.
As for Severs on Wednesday night (3-9-05), I’ll have to cancel my plan to hang out. I will post the next time I plan on being there.
I’m missing 24!! Gotta go …
Beautiful day
It’s Sunday, and it was gorgeous outside! It felt like it was in the 70′s with the sun shining. Stinky and I went for a long walk in the neighborhood, and I think I wore him out.
I spent most of the day trying to fix a leaking pipe in the bathroom sink. I think it’s fixed (after 2 trips to Don’s trying to get the right parts). It was like putting a puzzle together. Either the part was too short or too long. I had to be careful in cutting pieces. It hasn’t leaked yet, but each time I thought it was fixed, it started leaking.
CL made two of her Homemade Gourmet meals this weekend. Yesterday, we had chicken stir-fry, and it was delicious. Today, she made gumbo – it tasted so good! I’m gonna bring some for lunch tomorrow.
I applied for 2 jobs this weekend. They’re both intern-type positions, but in the computer field. They certainly pay more than I get now. One of them is on base, and the other is across the river. I’d prefer the one on base, but I won’t know anything from them for maybe 6 weeks (applying in the civil service is such a long process). I have no idea who the other company is, but the job description was enticing.
In future blogs, I’ll try to include links and pics to interesting tidbits that I come across. I just don’t spend enough time in front of the PC anymore. I can’t wait to have my own (particularly a Mac mini)!
