ye110wbeard's Land of Silly Un-Official Funny Fridays Site: General

The Year in Reflection.

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 05:18:59 GMT

Well I should look back. Look back in retrospect.

But I hate to dwell on the past.

Yes. Remember the past and learn from your mistakes. But look into the future. Look forward to it. Anticipate it.

I'm looking very forward to this year. Why not?

My New Year's resolution was "Join Microsoft." Sure sure. Money, fame, fortune. Right right!

You know what? Setting a high goal and missing it still feels amazing! Why?

I opened up, met people I was dying to meet. And you know what? They're just as bad as me.... :) GOOD!

I had an exciting summer as I began to drop my fears. I began to "Blog". I twittered. I did things I never considered.

All of them legal too!

What does the year hold for myself and my family?

There will be trials and tribulations. There will be things I must overcome.

There will be things I am looking forward to and hope to achieve, things I will achieve.

I look forward to the future with hope, not dread. I must seek out and take down my challenges, not avoid them.

Time is not my ally, but effort is. And in the coming year all of my resources and abilities will come together.

I will achieve my one goal, without fail.

I will not only achieve it for myself but for my family.

Look out world, here I come.

A lost soul finding peace

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 12:19:13 GMT

I am sitting here. It is 4:00am.

All around the house I can hear silence. What a strange phrase. I can "Hear" silence.

But it's true. When all you hear is nothing that is a special sound all to itself.

I can hear my thoughts as well. For the first time in ages nobody is asking me anything. No dragged out debates over who took the good fork. The battle over the bathroom has not occurred.

There is no comments about why the dog did what it did in the bedroom. Nobody is smattering about how their new shirt was devoured by an over eager rodent.

And for a few moments nobody is yelling at me to pick up that shirt I really should not have left in the middle of the kitchen. For whatever reason I did that.

But there are other noises I am not hearing.

The shouts of joy from someone who has finally gotten pulled off and passed a test they studied all night for.

The cries of victory from the heat of battle during a heavy online game.

The sound of laughter during playtime outside. The simple sounds of my spouse saying "Hello" to me as I walk in the door.

The sounds of life.

And it is at that point I sit down and think, think for a good long time. How empty and useless my life would be if it were not for them. For the good times and the bad, they are my family. I would be incomplete without them.

I see people, peers, men and women I look up to. They are only having children in life much later than I ever started. Should I have concentrated on my career? Should I have saved up money instead? Should I have bought a house first?

But then I think of the good times and the bad from our lives so far. Would I have changed it? Would I have have given up even ONE of my children's lives to be further than I am?

The answer bursts from my lips. It is without hesitation, it is without fear. I would rethink some decisions I made, many errors in life. But the tapestry is so tightly wound that I think to myself.

I would not have changed anything in that respect.

But that little voice cries out "RICHES! You could have had RICHES and WEALTH!"

I think about my children, sleeping peacefully upstairs. My spouse quietly laying down.

I realize for the first time.

And it is then that I realize, or maybe an epiphany has hit me finally.

I am the richest person in the world.

I have what movie stars aspire to have, some of the richest people in the world don't have.

I have a family and no amount of money, no diamonds, stock, riches, fame.

Nothing can ever buy that.

And so I make myself a glass of warm milk, have a cookie and quietly go back upstairs. I lay down for a few minutes and doze off. Work will call in a short while. The day will begin crying me back to battle.

But for the moment I will enjoy my quiet serenity as I do everyday. I will use it to carry me forward to push myself each and every day. I will take the worst from everyone and I will listen to everyone else complain without fail.

When the fires burst loose from the customer and that little voice says "Tell them off" I will think twice.

I will not give up in my endeavors each and everyday for one reason.

My family.

Dealing with change, moves, life!

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 23:09:47 GMT

Change is something we all need to embrace, fear or run from at one time (or many in our lives).

Sometimes change can go smoothly, and sometimes big pointy spikes come along the road and jab you in the foot.

For this Funny Friday guy, change may possibly come in a both wonderful and scary way. A potential move.

Wonderful, for the job of my dreams if it all goes through (IF IF IF!)

Scary because like so many things in life it costs money to do. I'm certain we've all had a few of these.

Moves.

What shall I take? Who shall I take? Is it worth spending the money to move this box of crap? Can I fix ANY of this in my car/truck/bicycle/skidoo? Can I sell most of this off and just not take it?

What will it cost if I do that?

Then you start to look at numbers, time, sleep. Keeping things going with the present homestead and job while trying to figure out the new yet nonexistent one yet.

Boy this is a doozy!

Should I take a Uhaul? Truck or Van? If I tow a trailer will my clutch survive? What will the car need done to it to survive this journey? Will it make more sense to spend $2000 on a giant gas guzzling Truck vs my very fuel efficient car?

Should I drive across the border or fare the TransCanada highway. Where are the gas stations? Are there ANY gas stations where I am going?

What if my credit won't let me get an apartment? What if I screw up at the new job and severely ruin myself in doing so?

Will the kids do ok at the new place? Is there any chance we will all freeze to death? Will my family run away from me and leave me for dead?

What am I going to do with my pets? What ones SHOULD I take? Can I conceivably cook the leftover ones? Will my family believe the cat ran away but this new meaty fondue was a special meal I cooked up from nowhere?

Could I walk it? Can I nudge my future employer to pay for some of it if I take a cut in pay? And could I afford it if I did?

Can I ooze money out of some mystery pot? Maybe I could auction myself off on eBay! that could work!

As you can imagine, change; even a great change that for the long term will improve your life is scary.

I can't imagine ANYBODY has ever had to deal with a move... ;)

So to those who have preceded me. A cold and frosty if this goes through. And if not this time I am prepped.

Now I wonder if they still pay for blood donations....

Learning a Lesson

Sat, 11 Aug 2007 12:58:35 GMT

I've sat down and re-examined why things went off with my interview.

He was right. I was weak in the areas he mentioned but more importantly, he didn't get a chance (because of my over enthusiasm and maybe a bit overconfident, not quite sure how that part came out) of the professional that deals with customers on a daily basis.

Now I understand why they might be calling me.

Enthusiasm and raw ability are great.

But it's professionalism that will count in the end for one simple reason. You need to deal with people, customers worldwide. There is a VERY high probability you will be needing to interact with executives and non-computer people who's very lives rely on the solution you're working on.

And if you can't convey that solution across to them, or communicate it to them, you're dead in the water.

The ability to learn technical information is all fine and great, but on some levels guys like us are a dime a dozen.

It's my professionalism they'll need to see. I have to remember (no matter how much it means to me!) that it is an interview. Still. Be professional. Don't leave too many "uncomfortable silences" but be the professional, rather than the enthusiast. (Let a teeny bit slip out that if you're asked to be candid)

To my Technical Interviewer from Microsoft, my most full and sincere apologies. I was so intent on being a technician (Being that it was a technical interview) that I forgot that the person I was speaking with was most likely my future boss who would be involved in any training. It was really important to him to see a person that could be professional even if the technical skills were a little on the weak for Enterprise level.

It may take me more work and effort to pull off a third interview. But I have learned from this. It will also mean that WHEN the Redmond interview happens, I will make the job. You will be able to finally see all facets balanced in a smooth equation.

Thank you for your time in the meantime Microsoft. I will be worth the effort when the time comes...

Alert down

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 22:58:12 GMT

The lights die down.

A sense of calm.

"Chief?"

"Ballmer here boys, what's the call?"

"All clear for the moment. He was far too enthusiastic on the phone, hid his professionalism. Bad move."

"Ah I see, so safe for the moment."

"Yes but..."

"But?"

"Apparently he would have done whatever it took, even shown more professionalism than most people would ever have expected. It almost feels wrong..."

"Well, if he's persistent he won't actually give up."

"No. No he won't, that's what he said over and over. That and he extends his sincere apologies to the tech interviewer. He didn't know what was expected. He does now. He does learn..."

"Good, learning is good...."

Amber Alert continued...

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:48:35 GMT

"Chief!"

"Balmer here, what's the problem?"

"That troublemaker that was bugging the Mississauga team? Well..."

"Well what?"

"He didn't exactly bomb on that phone interview. Didn't smoke it but this sucker wouldn't just Crash and Burn."

"So what you're saying..."

"Hang on for a bit boss... We're still analyzing the data..."

To be continued.... WE HOPE!

Amber Alert

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 11:17:59 GMT

Klaxons and Alarms are going off all over Redmond. Trouble is a strring up.

"Balmer here! What's the problem?!"

"It's that nut from Canada, the one that's been roasting the Canadian team?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"He's got a phone interview today. He gets past that and we're doomed!"

"No no no. Not going to happen."

"Odds are it will sir. And once he's here for the Redmond interview, I'm not sure what we're going to do. Once he smells all the technology up here, we'll never be able to get him to leave."

"All right then. I'll alert security. Bolt down the bunkers. Warn the staff. There's a storm on the horizon... Balmer out."

Oh this is a nervous day!

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:18:24 GMT

That's right... a serious post.

I'm more nervous than the day I got married.

More jittery than the night before I got to meet the guys from Microsoft Canada.

More unable to sleep than the time before the President's Breakfast at Microsoft Canada and EnergizeIT 2007!

WHY?!

Because after today... after today... after this interview (if all goes well!) I get to fly to Redmond to interview!

The one interview that does it all! The one that can cement me into the ranks of Microsoft!

I mean it's 3:17am. I can't GET back to SLEEP!

Good grief!

Well who would have thought!

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 16:42:16 GMT

Media Center Edition 2005 kept crashing with the TV / Recorded TV option. Turned out after a bit of digging and googling (one fellow had the answer) it Didn't like the Intervideo WinDVD. I think I know why. I have a Hauppage TV Tuner. In the Add/Remove it looks like Hauppauage provides a decoder from Intervideo. I'll bet the version from Hauppage meshed with the original WinDVD version.

Easily solved. PowerDVD was suggested (or any other compatable DVD decoder). Downloaded Cyberlink PowerDVD 7 as a trial. That did the trick.

Can't wait to get the Vista Upgrade!

I'm dying to see what the "Vista Media Center" runs like!

Only bad part was the part crapped out yesterday while it was recording Star Trek. An episode I was dying to watch.

Time to buy an Extra UPS. APC has a nice one out there for under $200 that you can assign an IP address to. That is actually nice if I want to restart certain power outlets or devices remotely.

The Gerbil Revolution has BEGUN!

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 02:12:06 GMT

It was only last Christmas I managed to find two Gerbils!

"Ooooo Ahhhh" The crowd goes wild. Why is anything like this so amazing?

Because for about a year and a half I would wander into pet stores, looking for the silly things. Little animals more hyperactive than me on 12 cans of Jolt and a whole bag of sugar!

But nowhere could they be found!

Hamsters.. Check.

Rats....Check.

Mice....Check.

Chichillas...Check.

Three Headed Orangutans...Check

Anything and EVERYTHING except for Gerbils. All across the GTA.

Well victory was mine. I found a pair. A male and a female. One light brown and one black. "Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum" (The male got nicknamed "DumDum". Don't even ask!

I now have a small growing army of Gerbils. Soon they will be act your front door collecting old 6502 chips and Jim Butterfield Articles. Afterwards in the next phase the growing surplus of articles from the Bastard Operator from Hell will be used to train them in all the best techniques of network administration.

Be wary world. The Gerbil revolution has begun! Nyeah hah hah hah hah.

Close to a dream!

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 01:47:10 GMT

Dear diary.

It was only about 2 months ago I felt a glimpse of the dream touch my life.

Microsoft emailed me about a potential job interview.

My life paused. Shock awe panic!

What if they say yes?

What if they said no?

What happens if I have to move?

Eeek! The random thoughts that raced through my mind!

Although this time I didn't get the job, I am counting this as a small blink into the future.

I have tasted the concept of Microsoft hiring me. The scent is too strong to ignore. I want more.

As such I resolve to redouble my efforts! Microsoft or BUST!