This week, the "big" girls went out of town for a little mommy-daughter fun at Disneyland. Maggie had no idea what was happening, just that she and Mommy were going on an adventure. With every discovery - parking at the airport, getting on a plane, taking a taxi, checking in at a hotel, seeing the Disneyland brochures - Maggie became more and more excited.
In the meantime, I am staying home to play Mr. Mom to Gavin and baby Katie. As with anything, routine becomes monotony and leads to boredom, but for now, this has been the most fun I've had in a while. I'm sure part of it is the fact that I don't have to go into the office, or keep up with emails and other crazy-ass requests that my boss sends my way. But having such complete autonomy is something I have never known. To have a "job" that is completely independent of someone else's direction, I almost don't know what to do. Of course there are my two little managers directing where I need to spend my time - change a diaper, play on the floor, make a meal, clean something up, get them to bed, get him to school and soccer practice - but it is such a different dynamic than a corporate desk job. I feel happier. Free.
What's kind of funny about it, is that I have been checking my BlackBerry at times, and kind of keeping an eye on email. I have been thinking about work some, and mentally going through various checklists of things that need to get done, trips I need to plan for, slide decks I need to build. But I am doing it without the same feeling of dread that I would normally have. So much of my unhappiness and dissatisfaction clearly comes from having to go to the office and work in such a shitty little cubicle. The other part is that feeling - some of it a little self-imposed - that I am chained to the desk and to my email. The reality is that I could probably have a little more autonomy in my job if I worked on it. I mean, my boss is in NJ for crying out loud! As long as I answer my phone, respond to critical emails, and demonstrate that I am productive, would it really matter that much that I wasn't in the office?
I'm sure after two days of this, my perspective will change a little. I won't be so happy staying home with the kids. I'll get bored, tired of diapers and meals, frustrated with driving back and forth to events (and don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate that having two kids to care for is a lot different than having 3), but for now, I love it, and plan on enjoying every second of it. Right up until I have to check into that crappy-ass cubicle again on Thursday.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Thinking outside of the box, yet keeping in the loop during the entire paradigm shift
One of my colleagues at work got me thinking today about some of the really stupid language and "concepts" within corporate America. It may be limited to my industry (telecommunications), but I seriously doubt it. Why do we do this to ourselves? I think it is just an attempt to make ourselves sound more important or more intelligent than we really are, but it really ends up sounding so asinine.
So I sent her an email about something, ending with the (admittedly VERY lame line) - "I just wanted to keep you in the loop on this". So she replies, "in the future, please include me on emails about this. It is VERY important that I be kept in the loop" Really. (Or as Seth and Amy might say, "REALLY?!") First of all, the whole "kept in the loop" statement really makes no sense. Or rather, if it does make sense, it doesn't speak well to corporate efficiencies. Going back to my days learning programming languages (or for anyone who has driven in Europe), getting in and staying in a loop is not exactly a good thing. A loop is a series of redundancies - think the Griswalds in "European Vacation". Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament. So the asinine statement is that I want to get and keep you in a loop - never really advancing the topic forward. And yet, that is so unbelievably accurate at a large corporation. All we seem to do is spend time going round and round, never really making the necessary progress to actually accomplish anything. Again, maybe it is my industry, and I have worked at a few companies in this space, all with the same practices.
The other asinine part of that reply is that what the hell does she think I was doing if not keeping her in the loop. I mean REALLY?! One could read the email and note that, yes based on the fact that I copied you, and called your attention to the issue at hand, I was trying to "keep you in the loop". But then, I actually said LITERALLY, my intent was to "keep you in the loop"! She then saw fit to take the time, and the digital resources necessary to reply that I needed to do something that I was already doing. And I wonder why I have these dents on my forehead that align with similar dents on my desk!
But back to my original point, there are so many statements, such as "keep in the loop" that are just lame, if not wholly inaccurate or otherwise unintelligent. Maybe they meant something at some point, kind of like the Appendix. But, like the appendix, they are no longer of use and are in fact nothing more than a ticking timebomb (to your sanity, not necessarily your intestinal health). Why do we do it to ourselves? Again, do we feel so insecure that we have to use these words/phrases to somehow sound more intelligent? Do we not have a simpler, or at least less lame, way of saying it? Or is it just a matter of being blind followers - somebody else said it once, and we figure it must be THE thing to say? I don't know, but either way, I'm tired of them and think one of two things should be done about it.
One option, banish them forever from our vernacular. Quit, cold turkey. No longer use the words and phrases that are so incredibly lame that they never should have existed in the first place.
Or...
The other option is to go ahead and use them at every possible opportunity, even when they don't come close to fitting the given situation. I think that is the option I choose. To use them early and often. Try to be the first to throw them out in the conversation, and then combine them in as many random permutations as possible. Maybe that will lead to their demise.
So without further adieu, here is my ongoing list of completely asinine corporate words, phrases and concepts that need to be banished forever:
So I sent her an email about something, ending with the (admittedly VERY lame line) - "I just wanted to keep you in the loop on this". So she replies, "in the future, please include me on emails about this. It is VERY important that I be kept in the loop" Really. (Or as Seth and Amy might say, "REALLY?!") First of all, the whole "kept in the loop" statement really makes no sense. Or rather, if it does make sense, it doesn't speak well to corporate efficiencies. Going back to my days learning programming languages (or for anyone who has driven in Europe), getting in and staying in a loop is not exactly a good thing. A loop is a series of redundancies - think the Griswalds in "European Vacation". Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament. So the asinine statement is that I want to get and keep you in a loop - never really advancing the topic forward. And yet, that is so unbelievably accurate at a large corporation. All we seem to do is spend time going round and round, never really making the necessary progress to actually accomplish anything. Again, maybe it is my industry, and I have worked at a few companies in this space, all with the same practices.
The other asinine part of that reply is that what the hell does she think I was doing if not keeping her in the loop. I mean REALLY?! One could read the email and note that, yes based on the fact that I copied you, and called your attention to the issue at hand, I was trying to "keep you in the loop". But then, I actually said LITERALLY, my intent was to "keep you in the loop"! She then saw fit to take the time, and the digital resources necessary to reply that I needed to do something that I was already doing. And I wonder why I have these dents on my forehead that align with similar dents on my desk!
But back to my original point, there are so many statements, such as "keep in the loop" that are just lame, if not wholly inaccurate or otherwise unintelligent. Maybe they meant something at some point, kind of like the Appendix. But, like the appendix, they are no longer of use and are in fact nothing more than a ticking timebomb (to your sanity, not necessarily your intestinal health). Why do we do it to ourselves? Again, do we feel so insecure that we have to use these words/phrases to somehow sound more intelligent? Do we not have a simpler, or at least less lame, way of saying it? Or is it just a matter of being blind followers - somebody else said it once, and we figure it must be THE thing to say? I don't know, but either way, I'm tired of them and think one of two things should be done about it.
One option, banish them forever from our vernacular. Quit, cold turkey. No longer use the words and phrases that are so incredibly lame that they never should have existed in the first place.
Or...
The other option is to go ahead and use them at every possible opportunity, even when they don't come close to fitting the given situation. I think that is the option I choose. To use them early and often. Try to be the first to throw them out in the conversation, and then combine them in as many random permutations as possible. Maybe that will lead to their demise.
So without further adieu, here is my ongoing list of completely asinine corporate words, phrases and concepts that need to be banished forever:
- keep in the loop
- paradigm shift
- ecosystem
- think outside of the box
- spend a lot of cycles
- slide deck
- synergy
- touchbase
- take something offline
- parking lot (a topic of discussion)
- PowerPoint (ok, not a word or phrase, but seriously, we have got to eliminate PowerPoint forever. The LAMEST application ever.)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Pitter Patter of Little Feet
It is time to take the baby-proofing to the next level. Katie, at 8.5 months, is able to walk now. She has been pulling herself up on two feet and walking with the help of furniture for a few weeks now. Last week she started taking a couple of steps without help. Sunday night (11/8/09) she walked about 15 feet with no help at all, trying to get to her sister her was offering her a princess fairy wand with lots of little choking hazards attached. Oh, the things that will motivate a kid! So now she is able to just pop up on her own and start walking.
The older kids were both closer to 1 years old before they started walking. Obviously, having two active older siblings makes a huge difference! This just means that we have to lock things down sooner than we had hoped.
I forgot how awesome it is to watch a little baby learning to walk. The smile on her face as she comes rambling to you. The awkwardness of the steps, kind of like a little drunk man stumbling along. And Katie, always with that giant sweet smile. Such an angel.
The older kids were both closer to 1 years old before they started walking. Obviously, having two active older siblings makes a huge difference! This just means that we have to lock things down sooner than we had hoped.
I forgot how awesome it is to watch a little baby learning to walk. The smile on her face as she comes rambling to you. The awkwardness of the steps, kind of like a little drunk man stumbling along. And Katie, always with that giant sweet smile. Such an angel.
Friday, July 24, 2009
#seattlerentalcars
So I had to make a trip to Redmond, WA to meet with a customer. Every time I fly into the Seattle Tacoma International Airport, I get pangs of regret that I never made the move to the Seattle area. I lived here for months back in the mid 90's, staying in a corporate apartment, and making it my home base for about 6 months. It was such an awesome experience. I was young, in my first professional job, and living/working on my own in a whole new town. I made friends, went out, played tourist. So much fun.
So as I was driving to my hotel on this most recent trip, I got to thinking about all the rental cars I've had on my many trips to the area. Bizarre, I know, but that's the way my mind appears to work. On this trip, I got a brand new Ford Fusion. It is a little small for my tastes, but is actually a pretty neat little car. It handles well, and has a surprising amount of pickup. I had to test it because on my way from my house to the Sacramento "International" Airport, I tried to beat a woman in an Acura MDX off the line in my 1999 Toyota 4Runner and got SMOKED. Pathetic. I love my 4R, but sadly, it is no race car. Not like driving my wife's Volvo with the big V8, or even this little Fusion.
But I digress... my trip down memory lane led to me trying to catalog all the rental cars I had in Seattle since 1996. I did so using Twitter, with the hash tag #seattlerentalcars.
I'm on the road for a night, away from the kids, this is what I do. I play silly Twitter games.
I wonder if I'll ever make the big leap and finally move to the Seattle area. I think Elle would be game. It isn't too far from her roots in CA. The weather is the one issue. I personally love it, especially since having lived here for a couple of seasons, I know that the "always rains in Seattle" bit is a scam to keep Californians away. Everything is green and lush. So much water everywhere. And I don't think it has ever gotten above 100 degrees here (you listening Roseville!).
The problem I always have with daydreams such as this is that reality always gets in the way. If I am going to live up here, I want to really live in the heart of it. Get a cool house on Mercer Island, or a loft in the city. Live on Bremerton in a bungalow, and ferry into Seattle for work. The reality is that I would work in Bellevue, way out I-90, and I would have to live in the 'burbs - Anywhere, USA - because the price of things is ridiculous. Maybe it would still be worth it. Seattle is a great city, I love Bellevue. The lakes are great, close to mountains, lots of nature. Nice people. Plenty of coffee.
Maybe some day...
So as I was driving to my hotel on this most recent trip, I got to thinking about all the rental cars I've had on my many trips to the area. Bizarre, I know, but that's the way my mind appears to work. On this trip, I got a brand new Ford Fusion. It is a little small for my tastes, but is actually a pretty neat little car. It handles well, and has a surprising amount of pickup. I had to test it because on my way from my house to the Sacramento "International" Airport, I tried to beat a woman in an Acura MDX off the line in my 1999 Toyota 4Runner and got SMOKED. Pathetic. I love my 4R, but sadly, it is no race car. Not like driving my wife's Volvo with the big V8, or even this little Fusion.
But I digress... my trip down memory lane led to me trying to catalog all the rental cars I had in Seattle since 1996. I did so using Twitter, with the hash tag #seattlerentalcars.
I'm on the road for a night, away from the kids, this is what I do. I play silly Twitter games.
I wonder if I'll ever make the big leap and finally move to the Seattle area. I think Elle would be game. It isn't too far from her roots in CA. The weather is the one issue. I personally love it, especially since having lived here for a couple of seasons, I know that the "always rains in Seattle" bit is a scam to keep Californians away. Everything is green and lush. So much water everywhere. And I don't think it has ever gotten above 100 degrees here (you listening Roseville!).
The problem I always have with daydreams such as this is that reality always gets in the way. If I am going to live up here, I want to really live in the heart of it. Get a cool house on Mercer Island, or a loft in the city. Live on Bremerton in a bungalow, and ferry into Seattle for work. The reality is that I would work in Bellevue, way out I-90, and I would have to live in the 'burbs - Anywhere, USA - because the price of things is ridiculous. Maybe it would still be worth it. Seattle is a great city, I love Bellevue. The lakes are great, close to mountains, lots of nature. Nice people. Plenty of coffee.
Maybe some day...
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
My Taxes Are Paying for *This*?
I've been listening to NPR a bit lately in an attempt to get more "objective" information and news. While I haven't been able to fully vet the objectivity, I am finding that a lot of their reporting is ill-informed and just plain stupid. The most glaring and frustrating example was during their "All Tech Considered" report yesterday. The "reporter" made the claim that on-demand movie services are not as easy to use as one would hope.
Now this position may be a valid one, maybe these services really aren't that easy to use yet, and maybe they are great for early-adopters, but not yet for the casual user. That seems fair and even likely to me, this is a new market, there are no clear standards, and there are a lot of service providers, each trying to differentiate themselves and offer compelling solutions. Apple iTunes is geared towards Apple TV and iPod users. Netflix is geared towards subscribers and PC/laptop users - as well as working with emerging solutions like Xbox and Blu-ray players. Amazon has their solution, and I'm sure there are myriad others in the space - all trying to find their niche. I have used Netflix to view online movies and it works well, assuming you have the appropriate browser and a fast enough broadband connection. I haven't tried Apple or Amazon, but I assume they have similar limitations.
That said, had the reporter focused on any of this kind of information, the report may have been useful. She chose instead to miss the point completely. Her conclusion was that these services are not ready for the masses, but her entire argument was built on the fact that she and her husband, her household's Chief Technology Architect, could not find the movie "City of God" on any of these services. Seriously? You can't find one title - even if it is an Oscar nominee - and you ascert that this solution is not ready for the masses? How about you focus on using the solution to watch a movie. The availability of a title is due to the studio's distribution deals, not the services themselves. When I used to walk to the local video rental shop when I was a kid to rent VHS tapes, I didn't whine that VHS was a poor solution, or that video rental stores were not ready for the casual renter! I was just bummed that it took so long for "Hardbodies 2" to get released (and that the store owner wouldn't rent an R rated flick to a 13 year old!). This NPR reporting is a waste of time! My local Safeway doesn't carry "Marshmallow Fluff", does that mean grocery chains just aren't ready for the masses? Is this the normal depth and focus of NPR reporting?
What really set me off is the "victim" type reaction to the results they found in their search for a lame-ass movie - and this is what I am finding to be pretty indicative of the NPR set: According to the husband, "We've given Hollywood four different ways to give us the movie that we want," he said, "and they've decided that we're not worthy." WTF? Hollywood gave you 1 way to get that particular movie, and you are swimming up stream. This isn't them against you, this is them limiting and protecting, as they see fit, their intellectual property. There are plenty of other options. And honestly, is the story that nobody gives a crap about watching "City of God" online, or that these on-line rental services don't work?
I am trying to keep an open mind about it, and will continue my experiment a little longer, but more stories like this and it is back to pop music for me in the mornings. At least then I'll know to expect idiocy.
Now this position may be a valid one, maybe these services really aren't that easy to use yet, and maybe they are great for early-adopters, but not yet for the casual user. That seems fair and even likely to me, this is a new market, there are no clear standards, and there are a lot of service providers, each trying to differentiate themselves and offer compelling solutions. Apple iTunes is geared towards Apple TV and iPod users. Netflix is geared towards subscribers and PC/laptop users - as well as working with emerging solutions like Xbox and Blu-ray players. Amazon has their solution, and I'm sure there are myriad others in the space - all trying to find their niche. I have used Netflix to view online movies and it works well, assuming you have the appropriate browser and a fast enough broadband connection. I haven't tried Apple or Amazon, but I assume they have similar limitations.
That said, had the reporter focused on any of this kind of information, the report may have been useful. She chose instead to miss the point completely. Her conclusion was that these services are not ready for the masses, but her entire argument was built on the fact that she and her husband, her household's Chief Technology Architect, could not find the movie "City of God" on any of these services. Seriously? You can't find one title - even if it is an Oscar nominee - and you ascert that this solution is not ready for the masses? How about you focus on using the solution to watch a movie. The availability of a title is due to the studio's distribution deals, not the services themselves. When I used to walk to the local video rental shop when I was a kid to rent VHS tapes, I didn't whine that VHS was a poor solution, or that video rental stores were not ready for the casual renter! I was just bummed that it took so long for "Hardbodies 2" to get released (and that the store owner wouldn't rent an R rated flick to a 13 year old!). This NPR reporting is a waste of time! My local Safeway doesn't carry "Marshmallow Fluff", does that mean grocery chains just aren't ready for the masses? Is this the normal depth and focus of NPR reporting?
What really set me off is the "victim" type reaction to the results they found in their search for a lame-ass movie - and this is what I am finding to be pretty indicative of the NPR set: According to the husband, "We've given Hollywood four different ways to give us the movie that we want," he said, "and they've decided that we're not worthy." WTF? Hollywood gave you 1 way to get that particular movie, and you are swimming up stream. This isn't them against you, this is them limiting and protecting, as they see fit, their intellectual property. There are plenty of other options. And honestly, is the story that nobody gives a crap about watching "City of God" online, or that these on-line rental services don't work?
I am trying to keep an open mind about it, and will continue my experiment a little longer, but more stories like this and it is back to pop music for me in the mornings. At least then I'll know to expect idiocy.
Friday, April 03, 2009
The Good Stuff
This is why we put up with all the crap in our lives - jobs, car trouble, bad economy. At the end of the day, when your little girl falls asleep on your lap. All the crap stops mattering.
Uploaded by www.cellspin.net
Thursday, April 02, 2009
F'ing Cars!
Cars are going to be the death of me. I often wish I had gone to a votech to learn auto mechanics. I can do the basics like an oil change, but when it comes to major issues like the transmission I am at the mercy of the service manager. And I HATE that!
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