Happy 2009!!!

 I got to work about 8:40 or so and opened my email to see my boss had called a 8:00 meeting- rats!  I sent a reply that I had been working on something and just read the email..OOPS. Although I have been complaining that the email is wacky since they moved my home drive from the server at headquarters to the worksite server (which I spec'd, authorized the order, and oversaw the installation of thank you...as part of a $236,000 infrastructure build I supervised

So I had to zoom back over to HQ, smooth ruffled feathers, and review a stupid multipage excel workbook naming all the business crtical systems we have...fun..As my office there is on the front of the building, basically over the enterway 4 floors below, I started noticing the flow of people out of the building at 2. I joined them at 3, to go back to the worksite, and in the elevator a guy started a conversation about New Year and all, and said he was glad the executives had decided to let people go home early and all....WHAT? Nobody told me.

The division I am working for, as their IT project person assigned from HQI T Division, I was a little disappointed that all the management at the division had decided to take a vacation day today and Friday...essentially leaving me as the highest "ranking" person at the facility I am working at. Yet I have no authority to tell people to go home, yet they all think I do...so I did. I said finsih up what you are doinng and go home; freinds and family are important..see you next year. It was a few minutes after that when it occurred to me that the security guard and I were the only ones still there, and he had to be...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy 2009!!!

I got to work about 8:40 or so and opened my email to see my boss had called a 8:00 meeting- rats! I sent a reply that I had been working on something and just read the email..OOPS. Although I have been complaining that the email is wacky since they moved my home drive from the server at headquarters to the worksite server (which I spec'd, authorized the order, and oversaw the installation of thank you...as part of a $236,000 infrastructure build I supervised

So I had to zoom back over to HQ, smooth ruffled feathers, and review a stupid multipage excel workbook naming all the business crtical systems we have...fun..As my office there is on the front of the building, basically over the enterway 4 floors below, I started noticing the flow of people out of the building at 2. I joined them at 3, to go back to the worksite, and in the elevator a guy started a conversation about New Year and all, and said he was glad the executives had decided to let people go home early and all....WHAT? Nobody told me.

The division I am working for, as their IT project person assigned from HQI T Division, I was a little disappointed that all the management at the division had decided to take a vacation day today and Friday...essentially leaving me as the highest "ranking" person at the facility I am working at. Yet I have no authority to tell people to go home, yet they all think I do...so I did. I said finsih up what you are doinng and go home; freinds and family are important..see you next year. It was a few minutes after that when it occurred to me that the security guard and I were the only ones still there, and he had to be...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

December 28, 2008

Christmas...once the gifts have been opened, the laughter and joy shared, the food eaten...then what?
We decided to go visit the daughter and her hubbie, who were going to go to Portland to see his parents the weekend before, only to have their flights canceled. She said they would have been stuck at the mid-way point for three days, waiting to go on...

The weather was a brisk 20 something the other morning when we left, and a balmy 52 near the ocean where they live, on the north part of the Monterey peninsula. They just moved to a more spacious two bedroom apartment, which honey estimates to be about 900 sq ft compared to the 477 sq ft they lived in. I still cant see how that small a space was renting for 1600 a month, especially since it had been built in the 1920's..and looked it.

Their new place (same rent, just bigger) is further away from the ocean, which doesnt bother them since they never go to the beach anyway.
We had a good time, and thankfully now they have a place big enough for us to stay over at, honey said we might come down to visit them more often. When we went ot see them before, it was so cramped we would rent a hotel room, usually for about $200 a night, so extended stays were a little expensive...and so they came to see us more.
I think from now to the new year I am not going to be so busy online, and catch up on some things...

Have a happy NEW YEAR, hope your Christmas was joyous!!!

Entry for Christmas EVE, December 24, 2008

I am a determined person, usually. I was determined to have a great Christmas even if our daughter and husband had made some goofy determination to ALWAYS spend Christmas with his parents, and alternate Thanksgivings with us and them. So when the weather turned on them and forced them to stay home this year, I was glad they were traveling, but also was a little smug about the fact that they would not be able to keep their plans to never have Christmas with us again...
But then what is Christmas if not for being with family?
In talking to her the other day, I asked if she wanted us to come there for Christmas, and after we discussed the incoming storms, decided we would go visit them the day after Christmas and the weekend. Post Christmas in the mountains, overlooking the Pacific...
Merry Christmas!

Entry for December 19, 2008

Couple of things...I went home early today, since there was not a lot going on, and when the evening rolled around, I was watching the news, and found out our Governor is proposing to layoff state employees, and require the ones still working to take a 10% pay cut. Many people I know think government workers all make too much money, so it would probably surprise them thaty where i have been working at a state facility many of the machine operators make about $16 a hour, while their private industry counterparts make around $22 an hour. Its a trade off for a stable job versus more money. Still, i dont think California is going to make a dent in their budget shortage by doing this...California is about $7 BILLION in debt right, so if state workers could balance that, it would mean each of them taking a 100% pay cut for about a year....good thinking Gov.

Merry Christmas

My daughter called to say it was really snowing the other morning at her house, overlooking Santa Cruz CA...about 3 miles from the ocean!

My brother is working a lot of overtime with his new job as plow maintenance supervisor in the mountains...I might give him some of those artic boots for Christmas.. It has been COLD here in our valley, high 20s at night, low 40s in the day...

Dec 19, 2008 10:15 am US/Pacific

Blowing Snow Making Sierra Travel Difficult

SACRAMENTO (CBS13/AP) ―

Crews repaired downed power lines, motorists cursed and skiers rejoiced Friday as another winter storm raced through the Sierra with more snow and strong winds, including one gust of 142 mph over a mountain ridge west of Lake Tahoe.

Interstate 80 over Donner Summit, a major artery into northern California, was closed for nearly six hours before reopening at 6:30 a.m., said Donna Jones, a California Department of Transportation supervisor in Kingvale, Calif.

"The blowing snow caused zero visibility. So for safety reasons we closed it," Jones said.

Chains were mandatory later Friday on all three highways linking the Sacramento, Calif., and Sierra areas: I-80 over Donner Summit, U.S. 50 over Echo Summit and Highway 88 over Carson Pass.

Winds in Reno gusted up to 79 mph early Friday, said Gina McGuire, a National Weather Service forecaster in Reno. To the south, she reported gusts of up to 162 mph on White Mountain Summit in Mono County, Calif., and up to 82 mph in Washoe Valley north of Carson City.

EXTRA! One week to Christmas - December 18, 2008

I look forward to Christmas. I really do. I think because its the one time of the year people have an excuse to be nice to each other and giving of themselves. Why we need to have an excuse is beyond me.

Our lawn care guy is a retired guy with a beat up old pickup, and equipment that looks like he hobbled it together in his garage. Tonight he came by to collect his fee, and greeted honey "Merry Christmas"...honey went to get the checkbook, and wrote two checks and asked for a Christmas card, and quickly stuffed one of the checks inside> and then opened the door , went out the door to the porch, handing everything to our guy.

I could hear them: "Thanks for the card"

"You better look inside"

"Man, thats mighty nice of you. Better put that in my pocket before my wife sees it...she's int he truck"

Merry Christmas.

Scottish people do have some interesting customs and traditions. It is believed that if the fire goes out on Christmas Eve, the household will suffer bead luck in the coming year.

Mischievous elves climb down the chimney and cause troubles in the family. However, a raging fire can scare them away. On Christmas day, people lit big bonfires, play bagpipes and dance around the bonfire. Traditional oatmeal cakes known as Bannock are eaten on this day.

Entry for December 16, 2008

Sad to say that at quarter after 10 PM, I am not in bed sleeping, but thinking...and not about anything in the news, because I have consciously ignored the news as much as possible lately.

I think about work even when i am not there. I have a lot to think about. Dont get me wrong, I am not bragging about how self important I am, I was raised to eschew that sort of behavior. Maybe that's part of my problem- when i do get credit, i can't handle it. I was complaining this weekend about why is that when you find a job you seem to be good at, you hate it?? I have done this IT project stuff for nearly 10 years, so i guess i am bound to know a thing or two, and yet I hate it...the reports, the hassle of dealing with the contractor vendors, of keeping our own budget people from paying unapproved bills, and trying to convince management that spending a half million dollars now in a bad budget cycle makes sense... because the vendor is also in a down turn and is will to sell nearly a million dollars of hardware, software and services for half...

Today i had several vendor meetings, and finally met this woman I had talked to several times on the phone. I had imaged her a middle aged career woman, average build etc...I mean what do i know. I come back from lunch and there is the human Barbie doll, who smiles and says are you Canice? I acknowledge that and she tells me she is my appointment. Afterward, the managers I work with (all women) and I discuss what we are going to do to follow up, and I blurt out "and when the hell was anyone going to tell me we were meeting the human barbie doll??" Hilarious laughter, and then the commentary, which seemed warranted at the time...I swear she had the smallest waist I have ever seen, and we decided she had her clothes spray painted on, to match her black snakeskin 4 inch heels...and her chest was obviously man made, as evident by the looks form the men in the place...and worse, we think she uses botox, since her face was frozen the entire meeting, even though I (apparently) was staring at her mouth... how do you talk without any facial movement???

Now I am thinking about the meetings i have tomorrow, but Alas, honey and the dog are going to bed, and I should follow... and think about Christmas being only 9 more days