Tacomaless in Seattle

Off the side of a box

2010-03-09T12:54:00.001-08:00

I would have to say, some of the best new meals we've made have come off the side of a box or can. My 10-minute chili recipe came off a can of diced tomatoes, and last night we had roasted Turkey Sausage, peppers, tomatoes, and onion served over spaghetti noodles.

Definitely some tasty eating, and the left overs are good too.

I know we've had others too. I am always amazed at the wonderful flavors and delicious meals we've gotten from the side of the box. Heck rice crispy treats come from the back of the box, as do Grape Nut bars.

OK, now I'm hungry, I wonder if there any boxes around here.

Auto Repair Weekend

2010-03-07T17:24:00.001-08:00

This weekend was an interesting experience in the auto repair department. And I have to say my loyalty to auto part stores and auto services is newly restored. I am not ashamed to admit that I am not a car guy. I appreciate a well built car. I like to drive. But when it comes to fixing them I'd rather someone else do it. I am sure that I have spent hundres if not thousands of dollars for repairs that would have cost me $10 to do myself, but seeing that I don't know the difference between a transfer case and an oil pan.. well yeah.

So the battery in my truck (Which is for sale BTW, $3500 O.B.O) kept dying. I've gotten really good at using jumper cables. But having a battery that is dead when someone comes to look at purchasing your vehicle isn't a good thing. So I was going to purchase a new battery and pulled into the local AutoZone because they had a big sign FREE BATTERY TEST, FREE BATTERY CHARGE, FREE ALTERNATOR TESTING. I figured all those things were related and it was free, so in I drove, and 45 minutes later I had a fully chrged battery that tested GOOD. AND I had fixed the positive cable and post connector that pulled apart when removing the battery. Total cost $0!

Then there's my sister-in-law's car which has been idling really rough this week, then last night started revving up to 3000 RPM when in neutral. I mentioned this to the Jiffy lube guys, who popped the hood, shoved their hand in the engine and made the car run beautifully, until they pulled their hands out. It was a finger sized hole in a vacuum tube. So off to Shuck's, where the guy through the scrap hose box in front of me and said to take what I need. Back to J-Lube and an oilchange later, my hose was magically repaired. Total cost $40... for an oil change.

All in all not a bad weekend in care repair.

Dealing with "Children"

2009-03-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

It's been several months since posting to the blog, I don't know if that's because I spend most of my time on facebook and what little I have to say I do via twitter and facebook status, or what. But the blog is long neglected, and apparantly I still have issues I need to get out, and if the world reads then, so be it.

Last week was one of the hardest in my professional career. It was teh first time I ever had to deal with lay-offs at my place of work. And I must admit I was scared about the possibilities. I like to think I'm indispensible and have made myself such, but then again I do recognize that I am a bit narcisistic in some cases, and being laid-off would have knocked me down a couple of knotches on the ego ladder.

That being said, the lay-off announcements are now nearly two weeks into the past and I am still here. I did not come through unscathed however, infact I came through with a heavier burden in that I now share responsibilities between two positions. The adjustment has been laborius for me, partly because of my grief for the departed co-worker who I cannot bring myself to contact, part for the adjustment in balancing the responsibilities of two positions in separate units with separate supervisors, and part because of a stomach bug I had earlier this week that knocked me down for two days.

As if that isn't enough to get the stress levels up, I completely lost my composure yesterday due to a well executed prank on my supervisor who sits in the cube next to mine.

The set-up:
About a week ago this beeping started coming from somewhere in two of the supervisor's cubes in our office. Normally when I hear a shrill beeping sound I investigate and attempt to find the source, because it usually means there some piece of hardware that is asking for attention. Last week, I was in emergency mode trying to get up to speed again on things that I hadn't had to be aware of for more than a year, so the beep got shoved to the back of my mind as I focused on higer priorities.

The tipping-point:
I'm out of the office on Monday and Tuesday of this week remembering why I can count the numbers of times I drank to excess on one hand, and thinking it cruel that there is an actual illness that causes the same gut reaction. Tuesday, was more of a recovery day to make sure food stayed down, as I tried to work from home. I say try, because of the younger generation is at home when I am home trying to work, I tend not to get much work done as they demand my attention, and there's only so much you can do to fend them off. So needless to say I didn't get much done. Wednesday arrives and I am somewhat happy to return to work because I'll be able to get things done, or at least make good headway into catching up on my double-workload. But the beeping has not ceased, and it's becoming a distraction for those who work in the spaces where the beeping has occured.

The payoff:
After the "lunch hour," the hunt begins. Forst the laptop is shut-down, then unplugged, then the monitor, then the laptop and monitor are moved a distance away, then the car keys, the encryption fob, the desk lamp, the power adapters... still the beeping continues in the cube. Drawers are emptied, the emergency disaster kit under the desk is dumped out and the cube panels start to come off. The 'instigator' comes in several times during all of this and offers sympathy and suggestions as to other items that may be beeping... This all has taken over an hour... and now involves not only the two victims, but a Director (for a time), a programmer, and myself.

The Explosion:
Finally, while the supervisor is under his desk removing yet another wall panel he hears the beep again in his ear and finds the magnetically attached chip-board with watch battery and beeper, stuck to the bottom corner of his storage unit. Now that we know what we are looking for, we soon find another in the other cubs that have been experiencing a weeks worth of beeping. The 'instigator' now fesses up and reveals the location of additional 'beepers' hidden in the same cubes.

At this time, my initial laughter turns to frustration as I realize that the project I had hoped to wrap up shortly after lunch is going to take several more hours of work, and the suggestions I'm receiving for corrections revolve a complete redo of the code. People are still milling about talking and laughing about the prank for another 20 minutes, and the stress boils over. The project I am working on is a roll-back of code because the forward progress of the project had stalled due to another project receiving priority over mine, additional work I had been requested to perform didn't even get thought about because of the lack of focus on the coding project and the nearly 2 hours spent looking for a practical joke, that had been taken too far... the instigator should have relented when 4 high paid people were dismantelling a cubical for over an hour... when not a week earlier we had to lay people off...

Did I mention that the instigator has turned in their notice several weeks ago too? I smell a bridge burning.

No Win, but Free Press!

2008-11-01T23:08:00.000-07:00

I participated in the final FPCC for 2008 today. Didn't win, didn't even get a vote, but that's OK, I got the Flikr Pic of the Day on the Weekly Volcano Website.

Edit: I previously mentioned this was posted on the Tacoma Weekly website. That is a different paper than the Weekly volcano. Thanks Tacoma Chickadee.

Am I heartless?

2008-10-09T09:43:00.001-07:00

I ahve found that when it comes to dealing with death that I become disconnected and unemotional. I suppose it's my mechanism for not wanting to think about it. However, when I get into stressful situations I tend to shut down emotionally and only concern myself with those things that are within my control.

There are many people around me that are dealing with terminal illnesses, and I feel like I should be doing something about it. I am supportive and I'm available should they need me, do I need to be doing more? I don't even talk to my grandparents on oneside and both of them are dealing with matasticized lung cancer. I get all my updates and information through my mom and my sister, who live on the other side of the country. I live 30 miles away.

I have a couple of friends who are struggling with some personal issues right now, but it's not me, and I don't have a solution to their problem. I can't even empathize with them because I haven't even come close to experiencing anythin g like what they are going through. I am supportive and I'm available should they need me, do I need to be doing more?

I've been looking at other job options and I've applied to a few and have heard back from a couple. One is with an NPO that is doing some tough work in pseudo-stable nations helping them operate and improve their government based health care. I feel excited about the potential of working with this organization because I feel like I would be participating in something that is accomplishing something. But is it a workaround for what I should really be doing?

Mr. NEAL Goes to Washington

2008-09-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

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Frost Park Chalk-Off XXII

2008-09-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

I participated in my second Frost Park Chalk-Off today. In case you missed it, and you probably did since I didn't post about it, I first participated two weeks go during Episode XX

Love/253 - Frost Park Chalk-Off XX

That original piece was based on the Pop-Art style of Andy Warhol, the pop-art "Love Sculputure" by Robert Indiana, and The "Loyalty 253" designed by Daniel Blue.

This week I tried something different. The idea came from an old PBS program called "The Secret City" hosted by "Commander" Mark Kistler. Every week at the end of the show Commander MArk would tell his viewers to remember to "Draw! Draw! Draw!", "Keep Drawing", and "Practice Every Day!" I really enjoyed that show, and through the different discussions about Frost Park, so did some of the other Chalkies. So I payed homage to Commader Mark today by turning Tacoma into it's own "Secret City".

I want to especially thank "Darkain" for the awesome pictures he took this week. He was a really nice guy and I had te chance to chat with him a bit on the Light Rail after the event. He took some fantastic details of my work this week, which actually made me feel a lot better about it in the end.

The Secret City

Stanley & Seaforts/Narrows Bridge

Hover Kalakala

Museum of Glass

The Tacoma Light Hover

Washington STate History Museum (with Fence)

The Secret City (complete)

Does Tacoma have a "Field Office"

2008-08-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

Everyone at works thinks I had a job interview today. So I wore slacks, dress shoes and a shirt.. and Ok I had a sports coat on for a little while... but I was wearing my UW lapel pin, doesn't that count for something?

I guess not.

However, I did not have a job interview today, alas. I had what I termed "residual school." As most of you know, I completed my Master's Degree in June, and today I got to present on my final project from my concentration (Information Assurance and Cyber Security). That presentation took place at the FBI Field Office in Downtown Seattle, an unassuming building as you walk past, an empty lobby (well there is a metal detector in the lobby) some american flags and an armed guard behind thick bulletproof glass. But otherwise unassuming.

The group was made up of Information Security Professionals from across the region (most from the Seattle Area) and there were about 40 or so people. It was a lot of fun and we had some very compelling conversation about the work my class did. The Cybercrime Special Agent agreed that we tackled an extremely difficult subject and that they wished something along the lines of what we tried to do existed... and needs to exist.

I don't know if it's a way to make money, but we also came to agree that there eshould probably be a government agency for this kind of thing. I wonder if they'd have a field office in Tacoma.

Escher in my very own backyard

2008-08-18T14:02:00.001-07:00

This weekend was an interesting one in the realm of home projects, but first a little background.

When we were looking at houses a few months ago and we walked into the backyard of our current house, I squinted through the trees and said, "Hey I thinks that's [so-and-so]'s house!"

Turns out it is, and they have a young lad a few years older than my boy. They've since become best buddies. The issue is this very steep hill between our yard and theirs.

So, I was out doing some yard work one day and asked the neighbor behind if he knew where the property line was, which he indicated by spraying his garden hose in the general direction of a little peak of cement. "Pretty sure that's the corner" he said. "OK"

So this weekend, I went back on said hill with a shovel and dug me some stairs... then on Sunday I dug me some stairs and I have a feeling for the next several days will involve digging the stairs some more... I feel like I've stepped into an Escher Painting. But so far I am happy with how things are progressing and the physical labor is good for me... or so I keep telling myself.

When distance is an issue

2008-08-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

It was a long hour train ride home knowing that what awaited at the other end was a police report and probably a lot of fingerprint dust... oh and the ongoing discovery of the little things that I know longer have. Like my nice watch... and my XBox.

HAL 9000: Sounder Conductor

2008-08-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's probably been more than a year since Sound Transit began using the automated conductor to make announcements aboard the train. Those of us who have ridden the train for a while have dubbed the automated computer voice "HAL".

What we've been learning lately is that HAL has a much more extensive vocabulary than the standard announcements. Usually we are greated in the morning and afternoon with such gems like:

The train to Seattle will depart in [five] minutes.
Doors Closing

It's beautiful, it really is. Especially with a dramatic pause between each word.

So what have been some of the new things HAL has been telling us? Well, it's only in Tacoma and I'm pretty sure only on the 6:45 AM departure:

Never take shortcuts across the tracks
Riders without valid fare are subject to citation and fines
Please, don't take chances
Please remain calm
Thank you, and have a safe day

Thanks HAL! He has more, but this is the wisdom he imparted on us today, I'll let you know when we learn more.

This happens everytime

2008-08-04T17:18:00.001-07:00

I have good intentions... really I do.

I have started a "blog" for the third time now, there are remnants of one on livejournal and another on MySpace, but really they aren't much more than what is listed here. (Not that anyone reads it)

I would like to make an interesting blog that my friends come and read, but I just don't know what to share, which any of them would tell you is odd coming from me as when I have a conversation I can't seem to stop talking, or take over the conversation. God forbid I try and tell you something simple without giving you the fully detailed backstory first. I usually forget what my original point was by then.

Anyway, I've read a bunch more James Bond which I intend to talk about, and even saw a Movie!!! Well, it was a DVD borrowed from a friend, but even that is rare these days.

I also just returned from a vacation.. "Staycation?" doubt it I drove about 600 miles each way.

More on those later.

Score 1 for McDonalds

2008-07-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

...or as the son calls it "Old MacDonald's"...

But the neighbor boy had a transformer from McDonald's and it's all the son has been able to talk about for the past few days. So the family was out doing an evening errand when we decided to forgo making dinner at home. I was almost certain that the toy du joir was going to be from "Kung Fu Panda" but I was pleasantly pleased to see the Transformers logo on the toy display in the lobby.

Now considering the son has been only able to talk about Bumblebee I was surprised that he pointed in the case and said, "I want that one" which was not Bumblebee but Megatron!

He was so happy, he almost forgot to eat his ice cream at Baskin-Robbins afterwards. And he even was cooperative (to a point) in getting ready for bed. "Can I take Blacko in the shower?" (Blacko being his name for Megatron) "Can Blacko read books with us?", "Can I play with Blacko a little longer?"

Then the coup de gras, "I just want Blacko to stand here on the bed next to me so I can see him." (after three times of the toy tipping over and falling on the floor...) "Maybe you can just put him on the shelf where I can see him and get him when I wake up on the next day."

No, he doesn't say tomorrow or today they are referred to as 'the next day' and 'this day' respectively.

Book Review: Diamonds are Forever

2008-07-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

Diamonds are Forever - Ian Fleming
copyright 1956

The fourth of Ian Fleming's novels about Agent 007 was my third. I recently have read "Doctor No" and "High Time to Kill" (1999 Bensen) and have noticed a difference between the original author of Bond and the successor. I am grateful to return to the original.

One of the first things I noticed about "Doctor No" was the skillful product placement that Fleming uses in his prose, the subtle mention of the brand of cigarettes that James Bond smokes, to the click of the Zippo Lighter, or what have you. It's subtle enough to paint the picture in your mind. Fleming apparently has done that since the beginning as the same subtle plugs appear in the earlier "Diamonds."

Bensen also uses product placement, but not quite so subtly. There is one point in the book where bond is about to chase a suspected villain up the side of one of the higher peaks of the Himalayan Mountains and returns to his tent for some climbing gear. However, the passage is not as succinct as that. In about the space of an entire page we learn the brand and model of Bond's ECW coat, the manufacturer of the oxygen tank, the maker of his tent, the manufacturer, brand and chemical makeup of each type of climbing rope he uses, and the exact manner in which Bond laces and affixes his crampons to his boots.

With the absence of such detailed product descriptions Bensen writes a good Bond story, but all the marketing really detracts from the story. Not so with Fleming. Diamonds are forever is a fun romp through London and Los Vegas, and I half expected James Bond to bump into Sinatra or Dean Martin as he played the Crapes table.

I still smile with each new character's name "Tiffany Case" and "Shady Tree" come to mind.

All and all I am looking forward to my next adventure with Bond.

Too Chicken to Chalk

2008-07-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

The reason why I have named this blog 'tacomaless in seattle' is simply because, while I live in Tacoma, I have chosen an employment experience that is in Seattle. That means that I leave Tacoma at 6:20 AM and do not return until 5:45PM. With a family at home, that leaves me little time to participate in things Tacoma.

One of the things Tacoma that I absolutely wish I had ready access to is the Frost Park Chalk-Off that takes place on Friday's at Noon. I have been an avid and active fan, but alas only on-line via FeedTacoma. I know several of the artists, and feel like I know even more from reading their blogs.

Anyway...

On the glorious afternoon of Friday, July 4, 2008 the weather cooperated, and being a national holiday, I was actually in Tacoma at the appointed time of the above mentioned event. I had rosen before the sun that morning and participate din what my friend called "The Big 3" which is golfing on one of the major "Golfing Holidays" (Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day). HAving completed that little bit of fun, I arrived home at about 9:45am and began working in the yard experiencing the joy and fragrance of Tagro. At about 11:30 I realized that it was time to get cleaned up and head downtown for a chalking experience sans computer.

I was partially done with my yardwork, and the family was having fun getting ready for the evenings festivities and BBQ. I decided to finish doing my yard work, and stay home with the family because they didn't want to come with me. I also figured on the 4th of July croawd and the throngs of people going to TallShips.. etc. etc, parking difficulties.... [insert excuse here]

Basically, I chickened out.

The good news is that I got to chalk later on the sidewalk infront of a friends house, using the wonderful set of chalk amassed by Elle and create my first chalk masterpiece. I don't have a picture, but I know many were taken, so if anyone has a copy, feel free to post it!

I know see that Friday Chalk-offs may be coming to an end soon, or at least by the end of the summer, so if I'm going to participate, I'm going to have to get my nerve up soon and do it.

So this is blogging...

2008-07-05T22:06:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to start a blog for quite some time now, but I'm never quite sure what it is I want to write about. You see, I am not a writer. I'm an information scientist.

What is an information scientist exactly? It's someone who looks at all the information that is being collected about us in the world and tries to make sense of it. Information Scientists are the people who work with designers to make interfaces intuitive. Information Scientists are the people who find out what exactly it is to do with the Tera-bytes of trivial minutia collected every time you buy a pack of gum at Target. Information Scientists are people who help turn data into information and help to convey that information in a way so that it can be internalized and turned into knowledge. From there it is up to you, dear reader, to take that knowledge and transform it into wisdom.

What's all this have to do with my blog? I hope it means, that I can begin to make heads or tails of all the stuff that is put out there by other Tacomans in their blogs and convert it into an outside perspective of someone who view the world through their "eyes" or words. It'll be a journey, and a conversation, and maybe we'll learn a little something about Seattle and ourselves in the process.