My Crazy Life

What am I doing?

Ξ August 18th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Uncategorized |

I’m driving into a hurricane.

One of the ducks is leaving

Ξ August 16th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Work |

I was informed this afternoon that Guitar Hero duck, the one from yesterday, will be leaving in the morning. I’m not really surprised, to be honest; and this is part of the overall plan. I guess the thing that really irks me is that there is a lot of drama on the back end going on in his life that I don’t think that he wanted to let others in, and I think there are a few decisions deep down he doesn’t like that he made but feels responsibility to them because he doesn’t understand fully that he has choices in his life.

Plus, he’s only 20.

I see a lot of me in him, both good and bad. In five years, he’ll have the potential of being something extraordinary - whether or not he will admit it to himself and do something about it is something that only time will reveal to us all.

Farewell Mr. Wells. I hope that in life, you find the potential within yourself that we know that you have. My offer still stands, I’ll take you around the world with me.

At 35 years old, I am a parent.

Ξ August 15th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Stupid stuff I should delete, Work |

HA!!!!!!

I got you. I’m sure my mom has more than likely fainted from the title of this post, and Amante must be going back and forth between confusion, and wondering where the good knives are. It isn’t what you think though.

It’s my ducks.

Last night I was informed that Guitar Hero duck (a.k.a. Nerd Duck, a.k.a. the child prodigy a.k.a. my network engineer) was getting evicted from his condo because the duck’s girlfriend brought some people into the place that they were renting, and those people completely trashed the place. The management company found out and gave them until next Thursday to get a new place. That coupled with the news from yesterday didn’t sit well.

As it appears, the duck was just going to settle for getting some place in the ghetto, and when Raider duck told me that, I flipped out. Guitar Hero duck wouldn’t survive a day there, and would end up hooked on crack by month’s end. I can’t have that, not just personally, but because that will ruin the team. It just isn’t an option.

So when he came in today, I grabbed him by the ear, threw him into Bruno and we drove up to one of my contacts that I’ve made while I’ve been up here. We walked into the place sat down, and started looking at their offerings. We went and visited one and I told my contact - 80’s Pop singer/shopping mall crooner Tiffany, that Guitar Hero would bring his girlfriend and then they would decide if it could work for them. I also told them, that we need to make this work, and make it work soon.

Driving back, we started going over the cost of this place to see if he could afford it. One of the things I asked him was how much his current electric bill is… which landed at between $100-$150 a month.

I nearly caused an accident from slamming on my brakes. My bill up here is high when its $75 a month.

“What temperature do you keep your thermostat set?” I asked him.

“62″, he replied blankly.

I almost, God only knows how I managed restraint, beat him right there.

It was then that I really realized that I am a parent.

Taking the good with the bad

Ξ August 14th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Work |

Good news, bad news, or rant first?

I’ll let you choose:

Good News: I managed to rescue an interview/case study with HP from the fiery depths of never being able to happen, and now have them coming to the Park on the 28th and 29th. Apparently I was so well liked in my phone interview last month, that they felt that it was a good idea to come to the park and film it. Bonus score: I’m going to get all of the ducks in front of the camera too, so that they can have that added to their CVs. If there is anything that I’ve learned in this whole “looking for a new job” thing is that if you have the potential for having a unique way to market yourself, then take it. I really need to thank Peter for this if it pans out to something because I know he more than likely had a lot to do with this behind the scenes.

It gets better. Yesterday I got an email from Cisco (the networking people) and they want to interview me for what they call their Physical Security Division for their Global Sales Meeting (woopie!!). I had to get permission from Charlie Brown, and figured that I’ll just completely avoid King Henry since he nearly torpedoed the HP thing from lack from communication. Reading the email closer, they want to do it either the 28th, or Sept. 4th. Well, since HP took the 28th, I guess it’s Sept 4th for Cisco. Oh, and they’re going to “take care of travel” for me.  Rock Star Accomodations for me thankyouverymuch.

Bad News: Charlie Brown hit me up with the next round of the “diet plan” today. Though, this isn’t unexpected, it just sucks to go through. To make it all even worse, there is just no real rhyme or reason to it, just trimming off to get us to the end of the year, when we receive a whole new influx of cash, and get to ride this roller coaster (no pun intended) all over again. So, knowing what I know from my ducks, I could offer up Yankee Duck because I know that he has a couple of offers for more money, and I went to Charlie Brown with that. One of his first things he did (which is what REALLY scared me), was look at the org chart and ask me, “Where else can you cut?” Looking at who is left, I told him that honestly his options are either myself, or Raider duck (as we’re managers). Everyone else who is left, is someone who is critical to the operations of the Business (not the park). His response was quick, and a surprise (which in a weird way gave me some comfort) “You and Raider Duck are off of the table”. We then spent a few minutes going over why it makes sense (at least to me) to keep the rest of the ducks. It’s more expensive to outsource them, and chances are that if we lay them off, they aren’t going to stick around waiting until next year without a job; and with the deal that I’ve scored on them (I got my ducks REALLY cheap), next year it will be even harder.

But then, why should I be looking at the future? No one else is? Idiots!

The rest is clear. I’m going to more than likely loose Yankee Duck at the end of the month. The storm clouds are gathering again. Oh, and when this is all over, I’ll now have the largest department, at 6 (including me). That is really scary.

Rant: So after the meeting with Charlie Brown (who has lost considerable weight in the past three months due to stress), I alerted Raider Duck, Angry Black Duck, and Mohawk Duck to the fact that I’ve been asked to make cuts. Raider duck freaked out like he normally does, but after I told him what Charlie Brown told me, he seemed to calm down a bit. The good news is that he is actively job hunting, but like me, not hearing any replies. I also think that I’ve managed to break his stage fright, and he’s going to get in front of the cameras for HP. He knows the importance of getting himself and the ducks this exposure, and he’s even going to swallow his fear for the better good. Angry Black Duck is mad at the people in charge because of all of this mess, and he hates that there is no communication from the executives, just them hiding and barricading themselves in their office. It’s not a flowery descriptor, they’ve actually put walls up and frosted windows so people can’t see them. He also has CNN on speed dial to see if he can get Al Sharpton down here when he gets laid off. No, I don’t think he’s joking.

(A bit of background, I’m here in South Carolina, and from my initial staff of 10 and two interns, seven of them are black. In the rest of the “office/administrative area” there were like six or seven more black people working there. Now, after the first round of layoffs, there are a total of seven, four of which are my ducks)

Then I have Mohawk duck. He’s unflappable under all of this, and it’s making me freak out. (I think that at its base, it’s a thing where I’m watching someone give up control, willingly, and my reaction is like I’m watching someone walk into a vat of acid). I want him to be actively looking for a new job. But his isn’t.

In the grand scheme of things, if I stop and look back at this, if I make it to the end of the year, it all gets reset and we all have money again. No more freaking out for 8 more months or so. But I don’t want to have to go through this over and over, because no matter how well I plan; no matter how low ball I make my budget, we’ll come back to this point in time every year, and I won’t be rewarded for spending my money correctly and frugally and I’ll have to make cuts. And since I’ll have gone in lean, I won’t have fat to cut. But other departments do the exact opposite - which is a contributing factor to our problem.

Again, idiots!!

Wednesday Weblink #4

Ξ August 13th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Wednesday Web |

Instructables shows off the Self Watering Garden. Something I think is pretty cool

Silence.

Ξ August 12th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Uncategorized |

Amante left yesterday morning and when I got back to the condo last night after work I was greeted with the silence again. It welcomed me back into her bosom, with me kicking and screaming the whole way in. Worse still was that I knew what to expect the moment I had opened the door.

It’s odd, there are times where all that I want is for the entire world to silence itself, so I don’t have to hear a word. Then there are times when I would sell the planet just to hear a voice.

A satisfied customer? Mission Accomplished.

Ξ August 9th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Uncategorized |

I got to do one of my most favorite things today - I got to introduce the Park to a group of new people. In this case, it was a Coucher and his family. This morning, we woke up early to meet them from their trip from Charleston. The kids, all in their High School teens blew right through the gates and were lost in a cloud of dust, leaving us adults to “fend for ourselves”.

It was an absolute blast to take people though the park, because I get to show off something that I helped to create. A creation that I take a lot of pride in. There are few things that compare to a first impression, and I feel almost an obligation to make sure that with anyone that I have the pleasure to meet, that I make the best presentation possible.

It doesn’t hurt that the concept of the park is something that I believe in. Strongly. Zealously.

What made today different than other days? Well, I guess because of all the shit, and drama from the past two weeks hanging over me. It was all erased the moment I saw the smiles on their faces.

It’s true, but it sounds so fake.

Ξ August 6th, 2008 | → 1 Comments | ∇ Work |

No one would believe this, would they?

Over 15 years of experience in Information Technology with the ability and willingness to accomplish what few on this planet can or would volunteer to do. An expert in the design and delivery of cost effective, high performance information technology infrastructures and applications to address complex business problems. Extensive qualifications in all facets of project lifecycle from initial feasibility analysis and conceptual design through documentation, implementation, user training, and enhancement Strong international networking, systems, and telecommunications background with a proven ability to build and manage creative, highly energized, focused teams. Using experience from a diverse range of technologies within multiple industry settings, designed and implemented and then supported the entire technology horizon necessary to build the first theme park in the United States in the past ten years. 

I think it makes me sound like the second coming; which I understand I need to do; but still. Wow!!
I think we as a species would do better if we outlawed adjectives and adverbs outright.

Goodbye Casey. Hello Hollis.

Ξ August 5th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Uncategorized |

So as I noted recently, I’ve finished Pattern Recognition and have moved onto the latest Gibson book - Spook Country, which from wikipedia is described as “The book takes a multilayered approach similar to Gibson’s novels prior to 2003’s Pattern Recognition and treats themes relating to espionage, the nature of media (e.g. locative art), and esoteric martial artistry, as well as familiar themes from the author’s previous novels such as emergent phenomena and the sociocultural effects of technology. During a 2008 European tour in support of the novel, Gibson commented that “If the book has a point to make where we are now with cyberspace, is that cyberspace has colonized our everyday life and continues to colonize everyday life.”

I also saw something to the effect of iPod data couriers, which is quite a novel approach.

And in the Aftermath

Ξ August 4th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Uncategorized |

It’s over. For today atleast, and we have proceeded down the path. I’ve tried to understand it and wrap my brain around it all, but I just can’t seem to describe it. I’ve sat here for a whie trying to put it into words (and thereby explaining it to myself - and to the rest of you), but it just doesn’t come out.

Does this mean that I don’t believe in it? I have no idea.

Could it just be the emotional stress of it all? More than likely.

The Italian Job, by some miracle, made it through to survive the day. Which is good, because I was more worried about him than anyone else. The good news is that we’ve got him on a path looking for things - and understanding how to maintain the balance between prudent and looking for a new job, and to be a good, loyal soldier.

I did loose three of my ducks today. Silent Duck, Strong Female Duck, and Sk8r Duck, with Sk8r Duck taking it the hardest. There isn’t a lot that I can do, but I have offered anything that I have to offer them, and in another example of the rest of my ducks closing ranks and protecting the rest of the family, I know that they have contacted them to offer the same.

We’ve made it through, for the week. I think tomorrow I’m going to call Dubai.