Seen and Not Heard

Competent people

2009-02-26T21:21:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I wonder if I really am somehow more competent than almost everybody else … I usually conclude I’m just conveniently forgetting my own mistakes or else the specific person I’m comparing myself to really is just less competent than most. Like the other day when I got a call from a co-working explaining he was at a users computer, logged on as them, and getting a message that they did not have permissions to run the program… “Do they have write permissions to the program folder and the registry key?”

“Well… I haven’t checked… I’m logged on as them right now… so I can’t see permissions… do you think I should log on so I can check that?” The ellipsis (…) are to show how slowly the man talks… each ellipsis is a long pause… during which, I’m pulling out my hair, because my phone is ringing, I have phone messages I haven’t had time to check yet, and I have people (plural) waiting in my office to speak with me. Keep in mind, this person makes more money per hour than I do, and after getting a permissions error message from a Windows application, he hasn’t bothered to check or test any Windows permissions.

Even people I do think are usually competent, sometimes I have to start pulling my hair out over… I’ve got a big project right now, but I’ve also got about 10 other pretty big projects that I can’t let slide. So sometimes a group of us are working on the big project and I get called away to work on something else. When I get back, some problem we had been having is suddenly solved. “So, we know what that problem was?” I ask the people present at the solution… “We know how to get around that in the future?” They assure me they have everything under control… until we try to do the same thing again… where I manage to not yell at these people (I thought I was being big, even though I knew I just wanted to bitch out), until I manage to figure out how to make it work (so much for them being responsible for this part). Naturally, after I had my light from the heavens and made the problems disappear, we discovered other problems with someone else’s work. *Still not going to bitch out.*

I know it isn’t actually this bad, but sometimes it really seems like anything I’m trusting other people to do falls apart. When something I am doing falls apart, it’s almost always someone else who specifically did something they should not have. If I screw something up (cause, it’s not like I don’t make mistakes sometimes), I always seem to see them faster (and/or ask for a second opinion faster), than anyone else.

I’d really like to know people who can actually do that they say they can do.

Learning New Stuff

2009-02-07T00:59:00.006-07:00

About two years ago I was given the task at work to take files already created by the county, modify them to work with the Sheriff's Department system, and create a map that would display in our system for dispatchers and deputies in the field. This map would display calls as they came in, and show the location of deputies once we got AVL working in the vehicles. Naturally I had to get the AVL working too.

Keep in mind, I knew nothing about any of this stuff before I was tasked with making it work. I've never taken any classes in Geography, and I'd never worked with GPS before. I was told to make it work, so I set out to do so.

As soon as we had a semi working map, and could test with a vehicle, I looked up all the documentation on how to program our GPS devices, the modems in the cars, and found out what protocol was needed, where the packets needed to be sent, everything... except it didn't seem to work.

Finally, the guy working with me from our provider asked me, "Stupid question, but do you have a GPS antenna attached to this modem?"

I paused a moment. "Stupid answer," I told him, "but of course not."

I now tell this story to the people I'm trying to teach how to program these modems. I figure it makes me a little more human when I hand them pages of written instructions, including carefully scripted AT commands that need to be typed in, and I can do it and explain it, and troubleshoot, and deal with and explain any issues that come up, without ever looking at any notes (we're talking a half hour procedure here, assuming all goes well).

This Sunday I'm flying to Houston to take a week long class on HP Blade PC's. I've been working with the blade's since December. We have HP writing a special fix for us. At this point, I'm half expecting to be correcting the instructor... "Sorry, but actually, unless you have the fix, which HP is still working on, that feature doesn't work with XP SP3."

I'm just hoping that by the time I come back I'll at least know enough to not have the "stupid answer."

Conversation with a Coworker

2008-12-30T23:05:00.004-07:00

Me: We really have to teach them to just use telnet.
B: Telnet... it's the technology of the future.
Me: Of the future maybe 20 years ago.

It sucks having to use telnet with special display properties. (B was being sarcastic)

Skinny People

2008-12-27T20:51:00.009-07:00

When I was a college student, I loved Fiona Apple. Since then I've come to realize she had an eating disorder. At the time I loved her, I was just under 20 years old, about 5'11" and weighted about 115lbs (the lightest pictures you will see of me here was at 125-130lbs). Since collage days, I've gained about 30lbs (most people can't tell where it would be except what's affectionally called the JLo ASSet, and that I don't fit into my size 4 jeans anymore... something to do with that ASSet). Now that I'm 145lbs and I look at myself I can see minor things that I could maybe work on (though I don't much mind the ASSet part)... My thighs acually meet now (I'm not happy about that, but I don't think it's somthing unusual for a woman over 30).

I'm curious what women think is actually normal now. I see women on tv now that have ribs showing when they show cleavage. I can breath in and show rib, but I don't think it should be normal to see with a low cut shirt. What's normal weight now for a woman 5'10", 5'11"?

Any feedback?

I Love My Job, But...

2008-12-12T13:41:00.005-07:00

I really do enjoy my job very much. I get to do so many very different things. I'm one of two primary people for supporting the modems we have in our 400+ patrol cars (I have a depressing number of AT commands to communicate with these modems totally memorized at this point, and I came up with the current programming). I'm one of a very small team that supports the Mobile Data Computers (MDC's) that use these modems to get criminal history data from our system remotely. I'm one of a slightly larger team that supports our 600+ desktop computers (I really started in the industry being Microsoft Tech Support for Windows XP, I can do basic troubleshooting on Windows issues without conscious thought). I'm part of an even larger group that supports the criminal history database for our department, used by at least 6 other agencies as well as our own. I deal with user issues and server issues on this application. The server that runs this application is Unix, so I've also learned many Unix commands, even a little VI. I am a certified Administrator on this application (there was a test and everything). I am THE person responsible for maintaining a map of the county which is displayed for dispatchers in their communications center, and deputies out in the field. It displays the location of calls that are recorded by 911 call takers and also the location of the cars that have GPS antennas for their modems that we’ve set up to work with our application on the Unix server (all that modem programming and Unix knowledge is for a reason). I've also been handed the role of helping manage Windows servers, Exchange, Active Directory, file shares, and the domain in general. I’m the person to ask Excel questions, even though most questions I get asked are basic formulas or formatting issues. I can make data in Excel sing and dance to any tune you want… just name the tune (macros, advanced formulas, conditional formatting, pivot tables). I even know some basics about networking, though mostly from a home networking perspective. Personally I wouldn't class my networking knowledge above basic desktop support (in this day and age, if your computer is not connected to a network of some kind… you won’t be reading this). If you ask me to configure your firewall, switch or router, I won't know where to start without hitting the web (even then, I'll probably assume you could probably get better advice from someone who actually knows what they're doing). If you ask me to fix your network connection, I will get you connected, or I'll be able to tell you exactly where the connection breaks (so hopefully how to fix it). Which leads into the "but..."

We're working on a huge project right now. We're rolling out 230 HP Blade PC's. I'm working quite closely with the contractors helping us set this up (I’ve left work well after 7 most nights this week, at 9:30 one night... I usually leave at 3:30). When we had the first meetings with these contractors, they were a little confused as to what I was doing there. Other people were being assigned all the primary roles (yet oddly I was doing the most talking from our side). They finally asked what my roll was supposed to be... my boss responded, "Tam's my SWAT Team" (I got a warm fuzzy feeling). So far my SWAT duties (other than learning as much as I can about the whole process, and doing anything else that needs to be done when there's no one else handy to do them), have been pretty much keeping things going when we come up against something we did not foresee. We started off with a networking problem. We were planning on using dynamically assigned DHCP groups for all of our blades. We soon came to realize that because of certain special requirements of our Criminal Database software and security requirements by the state and federal governments that we would have to reserve IP’s based on MAC address in DHCP (I should have forseen this, but our Networking Guy didn't either). We didn’t think of this until after the fact, because our entire network up until now has had statically assigned IP’s. That’s how our Networking Guy set things up. Which leads into the “but…”

I had never personally messed with setting up DHCP before this project began. I knew the very basics of it, because it’s used in home networking all the time, but I knew nothing about setting it up and administrating it. Tuesday evening, after the person who we expected to be in charge of the DHCP had gone home, I was telling the consultant how I’d never done anything as far as setting up DHCP , as he walked me through setting stuff up. Thursday morning I was telling them how I’d already reserved an IP for all the available MAC addresses we had up on the subnet in question, before the meeting, so they’d be ready for whatever we were going to do after. I now appear to be the DHCP person. You’ll notice that DHCP person is somehow not the Network Guy, which leads into the “but…”

Our Networking Guy is a Pro-Unix/Pro-Linx/Anit-Windows Guy. Every single networking problem I go to him with, his first response is, “It must be a Windows problem.” Never mind that I was originally a Windows tech… if it was Windows problem, by the time I call the Network Guy, I think it should be kind of assumed I have done a reasonable job in fixing any kind of Windows problem. When I worked as a front line Windows Tech Support person, there were consultants, the people the front line called for support, who cringed to see my name flash on their phone, because they knew I’d already done everything they could think to tell me. There will be times when I forget something I should have tested, or should have gotten some information I didn’t, but that’s the exception to the rule. I don’t mind too much if you ask me what I’ve checked/done (I would probably even ask people to do it again as a troubleshooter), but I HATE it when, without even asking any real questions, or asking only basic setup information, it’s passed back as a Windows problem (Static IP, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, DNS is set right, must be a Windows problem). If I call and say your stuff don’t work, there’s a very good chance it doesn’t. Which leads to the “but…”

And here’s the “but…” Today, I explained for the third time to Network Guy, who keeps his DNS server in a VI file on a Unix server (is this really just a shared host file? Or am I missing something), that DHCP meant DYNAMIC IP assigning. He thought it should mean if the IP changed the computer name should too… or how would DNS keep up? I can’t count the number of times he’s said that to me this week and I’ve tried to explain how it actually works, keep in mind, I’m not a networking person. I almost had the person in my unit who’s job it is to train new recruits try teach him what the word DYNAMIC meant ("As in what the first letter stands for in DHCP?"). This is the THIRD time during the main push of this project, which has lasted a week so far, that I’ve explained that Dynamic assignment though DHCP will mean that a computer name might have a different IP the next time it logs on (we already know the important ones to the state, which will be statically assigned though DHCP). If he tries to bring it to my attention again, I think I may snap.

Puppy in I Am Legend

2008-10-06T17:06:00.002-07:00

I started Watching I Am Legend a few nights ago. In the movie, Emma Thompson discovers the cure for cancer, which is a mutated measles virus... naturally there are some Very Bad side effects. This isn't a review of the film or anything, I just want to know if I can finish watching it.

There's a wonderful German Shepherd in the movie named Sam... If you haven't seen the movie and want to, you may not want to read... but if you have a soft spot for dogs, you may want to find out if he survives.

Now... I thought I was being very brave... and managed to keep watching the movie through the part where Sam runs into a tunnel (there are bad things in the dark). Sam survives his foray underground, but about three quarters of the way through the movie, infected dogs attack. Sam defends his master, but we've already been told he's susceptible to contact transmission of the virus, so he's probably infected.

My question is... does Sam survive? If not, I'm not going to finish watching the movie. I spent 30 minutes hugging my wonderful puppy, and telling her not to attack zombie dogs as it was. If Sam survives I'm interested in how the movie ends. If Sam doesn't make it... I'm going to make up my own happy ending.

The sad thing is that I don't really care if Will Smith survives. If he dies, if his family died, I don't care. Just tell me the dog makes it though. Then I can watch the end of the movie.

Just Brilliant

2008-07-20T19:22:00.001-07:00

When I was a child in Scotland, there was a saying that made things more than just the orinary... Pure Dead Brilliant!

http://www.drhorrible.com/

Some Days...

2008-06-25T20:13:00.004-07:00

5:00am: Alarm goes off. Hit snooze.

5:09am: Alarm goes off again, Get up, go pee, pull on a pair of cargo pants and a baggy tee. Walk Puppy.

5:50am: Back from the walk, a new record. Feed the puppy a treat, check her food and water, and prepare coffee. While the coffee is brewing, brush teeth and shower. 6:20 to 6:45am: Relax in front of computer, drinking coffee.

7:05am: Already dressed, hair brushed and braided another cup of coffee and two bottles of water in hand. Pulling out of garage on the way to work.

7:15am: Still less than a mile from home, waiting for a train before getting on the freeway.

7:36am: Late again. We're doing an upgrade to software system at 8:00am.

7:55am: Finish checking overnight emails and phone messages. Open Mapping program and prepare to work on my main project.

7:59am: Get told I'm needed.

8:00am: Get stopped by deputy in hallway. Explain I've been summoned and ask for a few minutes.

8:01am: Find out the testing I specifically stated had to be done over two months ago (testing upgrade process as a limited user), has never been done.

I feel the need to specify here. About 6 months ago, the last time we were going to upgrade, I spent two days figuring out what permissions needed to be granted for a limited user to complete an upgrade of client software after connecting to the server and being prompted to upgrade. That upgrade ran into server side issues, and we rolled back (although the client side upgrade, and then downgrade, worked perfectly). For the next upgrade attempt, I was never consulted about the client upgrade process. Unasked, I still brought up that we needed to test the upgrade process again, but at that time the server was not yet prompting for the upgrade, so it could not be tested as the end user would experience it. I explained more than once that this needed to be tested, under a limited account, before we could consider an upgrade. I heard nothing else, and was very busy with other important projects I am responsible for.

9:30am: I call off the upgrade I'm not involved with, and explain to my boss that the updated client can't install under a limited user account. I'm asked why this was never tested, and choose to ignore the question.

11:30am: Have worked out a way to manually push out the update, but the method has some issues such as users needing to reboot computers, and software installed in this way not behaving the same as software installed from the server prompt (blame the software manufacturers for that one, nothing I can do overnight).

12:00pm: Explain issues to boss, and get asked what I'm planning for July 4. "Probably not relaxing at home anymore."

12:30pm: Deputy who asked for help at 8:00 comes back.

12:35pm: Deputies problem fixed. Now Sheriff's Auxiliary Volunteers need my help.

2:00pm: We're trying to find out if there's an alternate method of upgrading that doesn't have the bad side effects, and also doesn't involve me going around to over 1500 computers, logging on as an admin, login onto software, and letting it upgrade.

3:00pm: We have been giving an alternative, but on trying to install get the wonderful message of "Magic number does not match."

3:30pm: Time to go home, and realize I haven't made a single update to my map. Maybe tomorrow.

4:05pm: Arrive home and let the puppy out of the bathroom. Promptly let her outside so she can pee.

4:10pm: After changing into shorts and tank top, go outside with puppy, and wait in heat for her to pee.

4:15pm: Decide puppy may have peed while I was changing, we both go back inside, though I'm keeping close watch as I play computer games.

4:30pm: Game crashes, I have to reboot computer.

4:35pm: I realize puppy has moved, find she has already peed in the guest bedroom, and is chewing my makeup bottle.

5:00pm: Let puppy back inside the house.

7:30pm: Scrounge something up for dinner

8:00pm: Walk puppy

8:01pm: Discover it's raining, but walk puppy anyway

8:07pm: Puppy gets attacked by a big blond chow mix, lots of yelping but no blood.

8:12pm: Puppy gets mobbed by two friendly loose dogs.

8:20pm: New record for walk.

9:00pm: I think I might have a beer before bed.

Still Riding

2008-05-09T06:05:00.002-07:00

I am still riding most weekends. Hawk was sold (to a 10 year old girl who also rides there). He's still there, I just don't get to ride him anymore. Instead, I've been riding Night, a 20 year old Arab mare. She's a sweetie.

The Route to Work

2008-05-08T21:14:00.006-07:00

View Larger Map

So that's basically my route to work... It takes me 5 minutes to get to the corner of Camino De Oeste and Ina (that would be "A"), and has taken as much as half an hour to get from there onto the freeway (there's traffic, and a train track). At worst it's taken an hour to get home on the freeway... When I tried to take surface streets because the freeway was backed up, it took an hour and a half. So there's not really any other route that makes sense. :)

Fun on the Freeway

2008-04-25T22:16:00.005-07:00

Tucson is doing some construction on the freeway that runs through town. Basically, the main exits through town are all closed. 8 miles of freeway (that used to be 3 lanes in both directions), is down to 2, with concrete buttresses on either side, no off ramps, and virtually nowhere to pull off the road... for eight miles. I live on one side of the construction, and work on the other, so every day I get to drive it.

The very first day they closed the exits and brought it down to 2 lanes, someone got a flat a couple miles in. Since then I've seen all sorts of interesting things one does not want to see on a freeway (especially a freeway with NO WAY OFF). Vehicles with flats, vehicles stalled, vehicles going 25 for no apparent reason, parked cement trucks, pitchforks (plural, that's right, 'cause one wouldn't be challenging enough)... The pitchforks story gets even better, as someone in a truck hit one, driving over the middle of the shaft, breaking it, sending the shaft spinning towards me, and the end with the tines spinning into the other lane of traffic... Just what a freeway needs... flying pitchforks. I'm pretty sure that had to end badly for a lot of people.

I've even managed to be the problem vehicle on one occasion, when my back tire shredded, but I managed to limp along far enough to find one of the few places to pull off the road. The city has hired tow trucks to patrol the construction zone, to try clear up problems before they get too bad. Luckily for me one came by, and since he couldn't tow me (because it was the back tire that shredded), he changed my tire to the donut, and let me drive off to Discount Tire to get things replaced.

Short version is that there's excitment almost every morning around here... and the construction is only supposed to take 3 years. Think of the fun.

April

2008-04-05T11:00:00.002-07:00

She's still 100 times cuter in person, but check out the spots, patches and freckles.

New Puppy!

2008-04-02T20:59:00.005-07:00

The Fat Man and I adopted a puppy today from the Humane Society of Southern Arizona.

She's even cuter than this in person, and check out those eyes! I'm sure more pictures will follow.

She's at least part Catahoula Leopard Dog. She gets to be spayed tonight, so we'll be bringing her home tomorrow evening.

New Computer

2007-10-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting a new computer. FedEx tried to deliver yesterday, but no one was home. They actually want me to sign a piece of paper so they can leave a $2000 computer out in front of my house. Now, my neighborhood seems pretty good, but that does NOT seem like a good idea to me. Thankfully the FatMan is ok with going in to work late. I only hope they deliver early. Yesterday was around 9am.

To give some idea of why I'm excited... lets compare my current computer with the new one.

Old Computer:
Dell Dimension 8200
Ship Date: 9/18/2002
Processor: P4 2.4GHz
RAM: 512MB (upgraded to 1GB)
Video: 64MB Nvidia GForce 3 (upgraded to 256MB Nvidia GForce 6200, but still only AGP)
Monitor: 17" CRT
Hard Drive: 80GB

New Computer:
Dell XPS 410
Ship Date: 10/9/2007
Processor: Quad Core 2.4GHz (the same, GHz, isn't that funny?)
RAM: 4GB
Video: 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
Monitor: 22" Widescreen LCD
Hard Drive: 350GB

Lunge Lesson

2007-07-22T09:58:00.001-07:00

This morning I rode Hawk again. Given that there is some hope that at some point I may be interested in half leasing him (and that he's the largest of the horses available for non-advanced riders), I think it's safe to say that I will always be riding him unless he's off at a show or otherwise unavailable.

Today was a lunge lesson, so I could concentrate on my position without worrying about steering.

The reason Hawk is considered suitable for advanced beginners and not real beginners is that he tends to go rather fast, and is difficult to slow down. I've been told I seem to have a calming effect on him, as I can barely get him to go, and there's no trouble with slowing and stopping. That's not a high energy trot in the picture above.

We did get to canter, although I had a very hard time keeping him in a canter (and apparently he normally loves to canter).

Heel is not down here. In my defense, my legs are rather long, and Hawk wasn't listening to my legs, so that's me trying to use my heel on him without losing my stirrup.

I've been trying to organize my Flickr photo's a bit, so pictures of my latest lesson should always be available here. And all my riding lesson photos are here. At least, I think that should work.

Distractions and Stirrups

2007-07-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was a trail ride again, and I rode Hawk. It was 114° and humid, as we're just starting our Monsoon season here in Southern Arizona. As we were tacking up, it began to pour. Five minutes later, when we were in the saddle about to head out, it stopped raining, but had cooled down by about 30°. It was beautiful.

It hasn't rained in this area since that night, although the monsoon officially "started" at the end of last week. Since there's no rain, all that really means is we're getting highs around 110°, and have high humidity (it's not a "dry" heat during the monsoon season). Check the picture, those gray fluffy things in the sky are known as clouds... we don't get to see them too often in Southern Arizona.

The owner of Mystic (the Halflinger I rode in the middle of June), was there today. She competes in Combined Driving. Unfortunately for me, the one thing in the world that Hawk doesn't really care for is a carriage. He really, really just wanted to stand still and keep an eye on what they were doing.

After the carriage was off on the road again, we tried some canter. While I finally got a some speed in the trot, Hawk just didn't think I was doing well enough for canter (might be the leaning forward, I'm not supposed to be doing that). Coupled with my total inability to steer while asking for canter, Julie decided to get the lunge line again.

While being lunged, I was able to get into a canter.

But it didn't last long, so obviously we need to try something a little different... how about taking away my stirrups?

Apparently my seat is much better without stirrups. The arc in my back all but vanishes, and everything lines up pretty much as it should. Both the sitting trot and canter without stirrups went much better than with, though I'm pretty sure there are going to be new muscles unhappy with me by tomorrow.

We ended with me just walking around, without stirrups, practicing steering with my seatbones. I need more practice at that too.

Steering is Hard

2007-07-01T10:10:00.001-07:00

Last week I rode Hawk on a trail ride, so no pictures. Another rider joined us, John riding a large mare, Blue. John started Wild Thing when she was just a baby. It was very laid back, just walking in the wash behind Julie's house. But it was a lot of fun.

This week I rode Hawk again, and worked on steering and transitions. We started by trotting 20 meter circles and serpentine's.

We also worked on my positioning. I tend to drop my hands when trying to slow down or stop, and also cross the rein over Hawk's neck when I'm trying to steer. I'm especially bad with the left. I lean forward when I'm asking for something (more speed or slow down), which helps my heals come up, and my stirrups to shift. When I am sitting straight my back has too much of an arch to it, I look down more than I should. I also tend to get a little more sloppy when I start getting tired. At least my heals are down here.

We also worked on canter! I decided (wisely apparently) that there would be too many things to remember to try and do, so I took Julie up on her offer of a lunge line, so I could focus more on where my body was and let her worry about where Hawk was. That turned out to be a good idea, as sitting trot, while sitting up straight (pelvis under shoulders, back not arched), with the inside leg on the girth, outside leg just behind the girth, looking forward, heels down, toes pointing up and ahead, hands relatively steady... I think I tend to oversimplify the important parts. Butt on saddle, everything else as I think of it/realize I'm not doing it.

But I did finally get into canter (it helps that Hawk is pretty good understanding voice commands, he sometimes does what Julie is telling me to do, just by her saying it, now if I can just get him to recognize the letters we'll look great).

Here I am being told I'm leaning forward during canter, which is probably why Hawk wouldn't keep cantering for long... But look how nicely he's standing.

Ok, leaning forward a little bit, and looking down, and does that count as "behind the girth"? But hey, the heel is down, the butt is on the saddle... lots could be worse.

After the cantering, I was pretty tired (so sloppy), so we worked on transitions more. Trot at E, back to walk at A, back to trot at B, walk at C. Keep hands in place, heels down, toes forward so I use calves, not heels to ask for trot (unless I don't get it, then heels are ok), sit up straight, pelvis forward so my back isn't arched, shoulders back, look forward, hands are all over the place again... I fix one thing, I forget about another... too much to remember all at once. Obviously I just need more practice. :)

Next week I'm going on Thursday evening again.

The EVIL Bug Army

2007-06-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

I hate bugs. I realize my fear and hatred is mostly irrational, but that doesn't top it from being real as I leap across rooms, bouncing against walls, when I see a spider or cockroach on a wall. That's why this post is so amusing to me.

I could never live in Florida.

Mystic

2007-06-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Today, I got to ride Mystic. She's a 14.1 hh haflinger. This means she's technically a pony, but she's "stocky".

Today Julie walked me through a beginner dressage test. Test A here. The hardest part was getting on the centerline to end (I kept overshooting). And halting with Mystic straight.

I also learned to turn on the forehand. This involves getting the horse to pivot her hindquarters with the front legs as the pivot point. It's easier to avoid moving forward when there's something in front of you, like the picture below.

Mystic's favorite part was the free walk. She certainly enjoyed stretching her neck out. In fact, I think she knows what the words mean, as she'd pull on the reins and snort as soon as Julie said it.

Thursday evening next week as Julie is busy over the weekend. Not sure who I'll be riding.

Overheating

2007-06-10T11:20:00.001-07:00

This morning started with me interrupting poor Hawk at breakfast.

At least I was nice enough to clean his feet for him.

Then there was a trip down Julie's driveway to the dressage arena.

Hawk didn't really want to go where I was telling him, although we're not doing too badly here.

Standing beside Julie in the middle was vastly more enjoyable than walking or trotting around the outside of the arena in his opinion, so Julie put us on a lunge line and we practiced trotting. Posting trot, sitting trot, around, and around, and when we finally stopped, I got to find out just how out of shape I really am right now. My body let me know that it was planning on passing out unless I took a break.

After a few minutes of sitting with my head between my knees, and most of a bottle of water, I was ready for more. Hawk is being very patient with me here.

For the rest of the lesson we worked on geometry. Unfortunately, this isn't the kind I was good at in high school, this was the type where Julie asked me to make a circle, and Hawk and I managed an odd star shape. Hawk apparently doesn't like turning to the right (he was bought as a jumper, not a dressage horse according to Julie). Going the other direction I was able to make a much better approximation of a circle.

Next week (on Saturday as Julie isn't giving lessons on Sunday), I'll probably be riding one of Julie's ponies. She decided that while I am tall, my legs aren't overly long, so it will probably be ok.

I also found out that Hawk's owner is looking for someone to half lease him. Someone to pay half his expenses who would be able to ride him 3 times a week or so. Apparently half his expenses would probably work out to about $200 a month (Julie wasn't sure how much his shoes were). While I'm not ready for something like that at the moment, it was good to get an initial idea of how much something like that would cost me... Now I just need a raise... a really big raise...

Riding Again!

2007-06-03T10:09:00.001-07:00

That is Hawk, a very nice horse owned by a girl named Hilary. Hilary is probably half my age, which certainly made me feel old.

Hawk is quite a bit smaller than Anna's horses, but was the only horse big enough for me that my new teacher had available for less advanced riders.

Despite the slouch here, my instructor, Julie, did actually praise my posture.

Yup, trotting is still much harder than it was when I was a kid. Though a lot easier than when I started with Anna.

Anyway, I'll be going back next week.

Can't end without a picture of the dog. This is Chaos.

I get to go riding again!

2007-06-02T06:46:00.000-07:00

Trying to get started horseback riding again. Going to be riding at 8am this Sunday, June 3rd. I'll be riding Hawk. Hopefull I won't have forgotten too much in a year and a half.

Edit: The link for Hawk doesn't seem to be working anymore, so this one does, and search for Hawk.

I'm WHAT Size?!?!?!

2007-06-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

I've gained a little weight in the past year. No one seems to notice, and it actually puts me securely into the "Healthy Weight" zone of any BMI chart (I was hovering at just a little underweight on most before). The problem is, I don't fit into my size 4 jeans anymore.

This weekend my mother took me shopping for my birthday. I knew my butt and thighs had grown, so I figured I'd try a size up... 6 wasn't about to cut it.

So I now have several size 8 pants going home with me to Tucson. It does make me feel a little better that in high school I was wearing size 7 or 9 depending on the cut... so I'm back to where I was in high school... just ignore the smaller sizes in between.

Scary Things

2007-03-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

My mother has a tumor. More than one actually, but she hasn't told me about the other. The one she's spoken to me about is on her adrenal gland, which is why she's been so tired lately (she’s been sleeping 14 or more hours a day). She's scheduled for surgery on Friday the 13th of next month, but she’ll probably reschedule… since she actually noticed it was Friday the 13th. I did tell her that was silly… but now hardly seems the time to put up much of a fight about these kinds of things.

My boyfriends mother has been told about the other tumor, I assume my mum is trying not to worry me (she does that, drives me crazy), or maybe my boyfriends mom is wrong… could happen.

My First Christmas Tree!

2006-12-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

My first Xmas where I put up my own tree. Yes, it's a fake tree, but it's MY tree.

Who Rules the World?

2006-09-19T06:27:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Utah next week. A conference of Law Enforcement Database users and admins, in a Mormon town. What could be more fun?

I have always hated checking bags. Putting everything on carry-on is like a personal challenge for me. Unfortunately, things have changed... so I was checking online to see what is still banned from carry-on.

Liquids and gels are still banned, so I'll have to check my bag. I was rather amused by one of the things NOT banned however... Things like baby formula, liquid prescription medicine (if the name on the prescription matches the name on the ticket), KY jelly...

Now, either KY has more uses than I'm aware of... or the Mile High Club is the organization that secretly runs the world! Screw the Illuminate and the Stone Masons, the Mile High Club are the one's with the real power! "Gel-filled bras and similar prostethics" being on the allowed list just cinches the deal for me...

Ok, I'm being silly, but it's really early in the morning, and I was amused.

Are Your Parents Home?

2006-08-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

A man came to my door to give me a flier for new windows. He asked if I was the owner of the home... as a renter, I told him no.

"Oh, well are your parents home?"

Made me smile.

Saturday Morning Swim

2006-08-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

The new place has a community pool. Last week, and again yesterday morning, we've managed to get up early on Saturday, and go for a swim.

At 7am, it's nice and quite, and comfortably cool out. Last week the water was quite warm, yesterday it was a little chilly for the first plunge.

After our swim, there's a nice hot tub to relax in. It feels so good. But I did have to chuckle at the No Diving sign.

How Do They Function?

2006-08-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have to deal with people professionally that do and say things that make you wonder how they manage to function at all without your assistance. Yesterday at work, virtually everyone I had to interact with was causing me to wonder at this.

I am being asked to coordinate a project that I should not really be involved with at all, simply because the other parties apparently can't communicate with each other. I'll probably have to actually show up on the day, and stand around while the work is done too... not that there is anything that could possibly come up that would require me to do anything. But these people will freak if I'm not there.

I'm also being asked for information on another project, which is fine, because I am actually going to be involved in this one. But I'm being asked for information on a part of it that I'm not going to be handling and know nothing about, by the guy who IS going to be handling it. I had to find out this information from HIS coworker, and give it back to him.

But the one that takes the cake for yesterday, was the guy who called for help, because he couldn't find something he'd been asked to do. He's looking for "PYP" on an alphabetical list...

"It's not here... it goes straight from N to O."

Coyote Zone

2006-08-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

The desert out behind my house. Note the many limbed saguaro cacuts... It takes many years (i.e. hundreds) for them to get that many branches.

Photo's of the New Place

2006-08-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

My very own computer in my brand new (to me) office. This is the most important place (to me) in the house after all. :)

The bedroom. The cat and bed (and teddy bear) came with us, the rest of the bedroom furniture came with the house. That dresser, a full chest of drawers, two bed stands, and a full sized bed that'll be going in the guest room once our roomate gets to move into his house.

A corner of the kitchen. Ok, this is actually most of the kitchen... the stove is just off to the left (with the pan handle sticking into the picture, which is why I tried to leave it out). There's a little more storage behind the camera, and past the stove, and the dining area too.

Yes, that's a plant. Basil to be exact. The reason I had to take a picture is because this is what my mother brought after being specifically told that we hadn't found space for our own stuff yet, things were not unpacked because there was no room for them, and she was not, under any circumstances to bring anything with her... She also brought bowls.

Moving in the Rain

2006-08-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

I've moved! Pictures soon. It also happens to be the wettest Tucson has been since the flood of 1983 (apparently, there's more water now than then, but we're better prepared after the millions of dollars in damage done by water in '83).

I'm still renting, but at least it's a real house and not an apartment. The previous occupant of the house is still living here. The house he's buying was supposed to be finished this week, but 2 weeks ago they let him know it wouldn't be finished till the end of August. So we have a roommate for a month. Luckily The Fat Man works with the guy, and I went to college with him, so it's not that weird.

My cat is getting to become an inside kitty, as behind the small subdivision we're in (read: over the back wall which is an easy jump for Orion the Mighty Hunter), there's nothing but desert for a quarter of a mile. In Tucson, that means there's nothing but cacti, rattlesnakes, javelina, and coyotes, waiting to eat kitties.

So... he's a little restless inside... Anyone know if these work?

Email from My Mum

2006-04-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Tam,

Okay, so I was asleep on the sofa. Dad was talking to you it seems and said for me to talk to you which I seemingly started to do only I was talking to the sofa and wasn't on the phone. So dad put me on the phone but I was still asleep. Seemingly I did talk to you but I can't remember. So I woke up and looked at the time and panicked and told dad we had to call you as it was Sunday & dad said it's a bit late now you already spoke to Tam on the phone and you were a bit abrupt. I adamently told dad that I hadn't talked with you at all this weekend hence I was going to call you now and again dad said I had already talked to you so we got into a bit of an arguement as I'm never wrong but eventually this time dad did get through to me and I am so sorry !!! I was sound asleep when I seemingly spoke with you and I have no memory of it at all. I was dreaming however that I had a little pet bunny rabbit with a purple back and a pet worm. A little boy stole my pet worm and while I was panicking and looking for it the baby rabbit ran of. This was all on an old steam train and I was terrified they would (my pets) get of the train somehow and I'd lose them forever. I was screaming at everyone on the train coach I was on to look for the pets but nobody was bothering so I grabbed the little boy by his collar and made him go down on his hands and knees to search under the seats. He found a worm but it wasn't my worm. Meanwhile the baby rabbit had gotten into another coach and a stupid woman saw it and started screaming so everyone there was looking for it to chase it or catch it and throw it of the train. Anyway the dream got worse and worse. This bears no relevance to the fact I can't remember talking to you. I am so sorry. I will try & speak with you tonight (Monday) if you are in. Again Tam - I am so sorry.

Love, Mum

Is insanity genetic?

Worst. Support. Ever.

2006-04-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

My officemate's husband's all-in-one (printer, copier, scanner, fax), is scanning yellow, I took a look at it, but I couldn't make it not scan yellow (without making it black and white), so after getting some info from downtown, I called HP.

Naturally, the number provided by downtown was the sales office, and they tell me to call tech support.

Tech support is a nice man in India named "Carlos", who troubleshoots a printer issue with me for 2 hours. I keep interrupting to explain that it's a scanner issue. The printer works fine, no problems, it's only when scanning or copying we have the yellow issue. He acts confused, says it's an all-in-one, one unit, and continues troubleshooting it as a printer issue.

Finally he finds the problem! It's scanning yellow because I'm low on ink… at which point I lose my temper. Before I continue, I should probably explain what I mean by "scan yellow". I mean, anything that should be white, is canary yellow. Putting nothing in the scanner is canary yellow. A blank sheet of paper is canary yellow... if I scan, if I copy (which automatically prints a copy without the computer even being involved), it's all Canary Yellow. Of course I'm low on ink now, I have three sheets covered in yellow ink in front of me, in addition to numerous regularly printed test pages. Thinking back, I maybe should not have used so many big words… "inconceivable" may have been beyond "Carlos".

After I yell at him, he's ready to send me a replacement (after lecturing me that I will just have the same problem unless I replace the ink), but wants my credit card as collateral, in case I don't send back the unit.

I have to interrupt him to say, "Yeah… That's NOT going to happen, I have a Purchase Order Number."

But he couldn't find that purchase order, so wouldn't do it without my credit card. Long story short, after checking with downtown that the purchase order was correct, I did manage to call back and get someone in Canada, who laughed at the ink theory of my problem, and didn't even need any additional numbers to find the account (though he did ask how to spell "Pima").

Guess if you get a Canadian they might not be the worst support ever… but wow that guy was bad. Sadly, I'm pretty sure he worked for the same company I was laid off from 6 months ago.

And here I thought I was done being mean to poor Indians... I really don't have anything against them.

Update on horse lessons

2006-03-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't heard back from Anna yet. I should really try contact her again (I tend to procrastinate... there I go again). I did talk to a woman where I work who's daughter rides, so she has "horsie" friends.

She's supposed to be asking where her friends get their lessons and let me know if there's an opening... so hopefully I'll be able to start up again sometime.

Here's hoping...

In the Backseat

2006-03-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on an evaluation of some new computers for the cops to use in their cars. Yesterday I was at the shop, waiting around as all the new hardware was installed for the guy who's going to be testing this particular unit. As I didn't really have anything to do while I was waiting, I got to check out their new SWAT tanks, the undercover traffic car, and what was in the backset of the patrol car that was being worked on.

When I first glanced through the back window I could see the case of Milwaukee's Best sitting on the floor. I chuckled, thought it was a little odd, and then realized there was a choice... there was also a six pack of Red Stripe Jamaican Lager sitting on the seat (hard plastic seats... it is where the bad guys get to sit). Now quite obvious in my peering through the window, I found to my surprise, that what I had first taken to be a 2 gallon bottle of water, was in fact the largest bottle of Smirnoff vodka I have ever seen.

"Wow," I said as the deputy walked past. "You have the makings of quite a party back there."

He turned around, saw what I was looking at and said, "Did you see the bong?"

I think my jaw dropped.

The Woman is Incredible

2006-03-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

So my mother was back in the hospital yesterday. She waited until my father left for the store, then tried to climb onto a foot stool to hang something up outside... she fell off and tore ligaments in her knee. Now she's back at home, recovering from her pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, valley fever, with her leg in a cast, totally immobile... Oh well, at least she can't go get cigarettes...

Even if the knee wasn't enough to keep her from driving, my old neighbors from Scotland are visiting, and on their trip up to the grand canyon, someone ran a red light while they were making a left turn. Thankfully no one was hurt, but they were driving my parents mini-van, which is probably totaled. I wonder what else could possibly go wrong.

Out of the Hospital

2006-03-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

I was able to bring my mother home from the hospital today. She apparently had pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, and valley fever. No wonder she was in there so long.

She had to get 10 separate medications and a nebulizer. I really hope I'm never on so many medications.

At least she's getting better now, although she still insists that it had, "nothing to do with the smoking." Yeah... whatever.

I'm Allergic to What?

2006-03-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

That would be the question after this past weekend. The Fat Man cooked a delicious meal on Friday night for us and a friend. Shortly after finishing the meal, I began to feel like I had a bug bite on my back... I silently hoped my cat did not have fleas again, although I thought it was a little early in the year for that. Soon my arms began to itch too, and I noticed what looked like a bug bite on my wrist. I shifted to another chair, but the lumps kept growing... Finally I asked The Fat Man if I had some bites on my back, at which point we discovered it wasn't bites. My entire back was swollen with lumps all down my sides... I was having an allergic reaction. But to what? There was nothing in the meal we had not eaten before, and I find it hard to believe I was having a reaction to a new brand of chicken stock.

The next morning the lumps went down, but came back again in the afternoon. Luckily they were totally gone Sunday, or there would have been a trip to the ER. I just wish I knew what I shouldn't ever eat again.

Mother

2006-02-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

Not this past weekend, but the one before, we went up to visit my parents. Apparently my mother came down with the flu right after we left, and after three days of getting treated for the flu, was admitted to hospital with pneumonia. My mother gets pneumonia like other people get colds, but I don't like her being in hospital.

Her health isn't great... She's been a smoker since she was 12. She's already lost a third of her lung capacity to a blood clot (not even smoking related, she has a genetic condition that causes her blood to clot too quickly, the opposite of a hemophiliac). She was actually one of the miracles to get someone sainted as a child... which would be a much cooler story if I could remember the details. I'll try get those next weekend... but it's time for work now.

What I've been doing

2006-01-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

I'm a Sergeant now! Go to the Moonrunner PvP faction page, and search for Gealach. I'm currently ranked 1,836th!!! Now I only wish it was easier to get into Warsong Gulch in the 30 - 39 battle grounds on my server... Over the weekend the average wait was well over an hour during the afternoon, and I waited four and a half hours on Sunday morning without getting in before giving up in despair.

Other than playing WoW, I'm working, still practicing karate, playing WoW (I do that quite a bit), and trying to find a new apartment with two bedrooms, AC, a dishwasher, and a washer/dryer. And once I actually get off my butt and find one that's available, we gotta actually move!

Oh the fun!

Tales from the County: Camel Toes

2006-01-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

A nice elderly deputy on the Animal Cruelty Prevention Task Force got a call about a maltreated camel. The caller knew the camel was not getting proper care, because its feet were deformed. The poor deputy had no idea what camel feet were supposed to look like, so he decided to do some research on the internet. He opened his browser, and did a search for camel toes...

Then came downstairs to explain that he was NOT looking for porn! :)

Barenaked for the Holidays!

2005-12-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

On Monday night I got to go to my first concert ever. I saw Barenaked Ladies in their Barenaked for the Holidays tour. I think it was a very good first concert. :)

And yes, I realize I've been terrible about updating... that's what too much WoW does to someone.

My Job is SO Cool!!!

2005-11-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

Today I helped someone at the FBI get some software installed.

Someone from the FBI actually showed up at my place of work to ask for me, and they were told that there was no Tamara who worked there (damn front desk, I put their computers on our new domain last week!). Eventually I was found, and was able to hand over the software required (by the FBI!!!).

My job is SOO cool!

Tales from the County: Things Overheard

2005-11-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

Person #1: So, the shotgun is in the closet with the guy and his girlfriend?
Person #2: No, the shotgun is in a different closet.

PvP!

2005-11-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

I had my first WoW PvP experience. I took my 19th level Night Elf Hunter, Gealach, to Warsong Gulch (I started my characters over on Moonrunner). The battlegrounds are split into different level groups. At 19, I was one of the high level characters in the 10 - 19 group. Warsong Gulch is a game of capture the flag. The game is over when the first side captures three flags.

My first experience was highly unorganized. It played fast, and the Horde beat us in under 10 minutes. The Alliance didn't even score. But as a hunter the experience was fun. If I came upon a group already engaged in combat, I could start shooting, and it really felt like I was turning the tide in several skirmishes. So I decided to give it another try.

The second time, the battle raged for well over 30 minutes, and by the end of it I was apparently known to the enemy. There was a 19th level Orc Warrior, who would charge through a whole group of my alliance friends, just to attack me. A 19th level Tauran Hunter would have his lion pet attack me every time he saw me. There was also a 19th level Troll Shaman who really didn't like me after I killed him as he tried to carry the Alliance flag over to the Horde side, and a few others who seemed to like to attack me over any of my teammates. By the end of the battle, I was ranked 2nd. I had dealt 32 killing blows, participated in over 70 kills, and had died 11 times myself. Oh, and the Alliance won, 3 to 1.

I would just like to say, that was FUN! Now I just need to figure out where the flags actually are, so I can do more than just shoot people. Unfortunately for my PvP Battleground days, I managed to level to 20 later that day, so the next time I go will be in the 20 - 29 group, and I think I'll try get to at least 25 before trying that. Or I could just try it with a different character... both my Gnome Warlock and Human Paladin are still 18.

No More Riding Till December

2005-11-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

Last lesson (almost two weeks ago now), I got to ride Gretsky again, and canter! We had some issues keeping going, and I have some issues keeping a good seat when the trot got faster. But I did get to canter, and it was lots of fun.

The bad news was, Anna is probably moving stables. She's retiring two of her horses (Ikarus and Smokie), giving one a month's vacation (Wild Thing), and splitting up the other two for the month (Gretsky and Domino).

She should be contacting me in December, when I will be able to start up again, possibly at a new location, which will hopefully not be too much further away.

Tales from the County: The Printer that Hated Me

2005-10-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

I got a call, someone had a printer issue. The issue was, the printer was dead. No lights came on, it didn't do anything, it was like there was no power getting to it. This printer was up on the third floor (in the bigwig area, I have to ring a doorbell to get in), so up two flights of stairs I went, to verify it was actually plugged in.

The printer was plugged in, and the power strip was turned on, and the printer was getting no power. I happened to have the exact same model of printer on my desk downstairs, so I decided to take the printer down, verify downstairs that it was truly dead, and replace it with my printer if it was.

I carried the printer down the two flights of stairs. When I plugged the problem printer in in my office, it lit up instantly. So I figured, maybe the problem was the power cord.

I took the power cord from my printer, and the problem printer, and carried them back up two flights of stairs. When I got back to the bigwig office, and plugged the printer back in with the new power cord, the one that had just worked downstairs, the printer was dead again.

After trying several different outlets, it was clear that the printer was not going to turn on. So I took it back down two flights of stairs, and plugged it in again in my office. It stayed dead this time. So my printer then made the trip up two flights of stairs, where it got plugged in and worked fine.

The problem printer didn't get to take any more trips upstairs. I took that out to the trash in the parking lot. Teach it to lie to me like that! Least I got lots of exercise...

Tales from the County: It Wasn't True

2005-10-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

Around here, we like to send our old people to live in a nice little town called Green Valley. Because there are a lot of elderly people there, it does have it's own unique issues...

During my defensive driving class, the instructor shared with us the story he had heard about a little old lady in Green Valley. Her vision was so bad, that whenever she approached a traffic light, she would come to a complete stop, and pull out binoculars to check the color of the light, so she would know if she could continue through or not. He did not believe this story, and decided to check it out.

He was correct, the little old lady had not been using binoculars to check on the traffic lights... They were opera glasses.

Tales from the County: Job Security

2005-10-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

Once I've passed my 12 months of probation, it will be very hard for the county to get rid of me. Take for example the following true story I heard at the County Orientation. Keep in mind, this man kept his job.

In Waste Water Management, there was a bay where employees were not permitted to park their vehicles. Our hero decides to park his motorbike there anyway, to keep it out of the sun or something. At some point through the day, the bike gets knocked over. The bike is missing it's gas cap, and gas spills onto the ground. Part of the reason vehicles are not permitted in this bay, is that work is being done... work that creates sparks. A spark hits the gas vapors, and it ignites.

Our hero see's that he's going to be in trouble, and runs for a fire extinguisher. He grabs hold of the fire extinguisher and tries to pull out the pin. Except he's holding tight to the part the pin is there to keep apart, so he can't pull it out. After some trying, he grabs another fire extinguisher, and has the exact same problem. He can't pull out the pin. Since these devices will not work for him, our hero does the next obvious thing. He grabs a water hose, and sprays the gas fire.

This man was not fired. Once I'm through with my 12 months of probation... I don't think they can get rid of me.

Lesson 18

2005-10-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

The dogs need to be leashed now. Poor Pia... at least she found a good place to dig.

Today I got to ride Gretsky again. But no canter. The morning was actually quite cool, I was even wearing a little jacket to start!

Today we were working on half halts. I started with trotting a serpentine through the arena, and when I passed through the chairs, I was supposed to slow to a walk, then trot on again. Once I got that, we went to halting between the chairs, and then trotting on. Unfortunately, Gretsky decided my telling him to stop actually meant he should just walk really, really, really slowly (I think he thought he might get carrots if he got to Anna, she was not of the same opinion). So it took quite a while to convince the horse that stop did in fact mean STOP! Once I could actually get the halt, we moved on to asking him to stop, and when he started to, asking him to go again (which is a half halt?). By the time we were done with that, Anna's next lesson was arriving.

I don't know if you can make out what's going on in these pictures, but this is what I saw when leaving. That's Domino and (I think) Ikarus. They're both holding onto a rubber ball, and they were walking around in circles. It was just a very odd sight.

First Day

2005-10-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

First day at my new job (yesterday was a holiday). Wish me luck!

Lets see if I can find the right hallway...

Lessons 16 and 17

2005-10-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

I'll start with last week. I got to ride Domino, and I got to canter! Domino's canter, much like his trot, is big and springy. The movement of canter is easier to sit though, so as long as I kept my back loose, and moved with him, it was really fun.

Was still having steering issues though. Apparently, when I want to go right, I should be pulling the left rein more. If that makes no sense to you, join the club. If you understand, please share. It seems very counter intuitive to me.

This week I got to ride Gretsky again. After Domino, Gretsky's trot seems very small and stunted. He's also much harder to keep moving. But still a fun ride.

See his neck there? That's not what it's supposed to look like, and that's what we were working on the whole lesson (canter on Gretsky comes next week). The picture below is a little blurry, but that's closer to how he should be looking.

Next week I should get to canter on Gretsky, and work on getting him give me his head... This week every time he looked like he does above, it was instantly followed by him tossing his nose in the air. Oh well, I'll get there.

Unemployed

2005-09-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was laid off, which makes today my first day of unemployment... I did have some stuff to do though. There was a dentist appointment in the morning, then I dropped off my paperwork to get severance (which was better than I thought it would be, so yay, but no insurance starting tomorrow, so boo). Then I came home, changed into PJ's, and expected a nice quite day, perhaps with some moping about being unemployed.

After about 30 minutes of WoW, I got a call from personnel, they'd been told I got laid off yesterday, so wanted to get moving ASAP! I went down to pick up the info for the drug test, got fingerprinted, got some hair cut off (the drug test), and have an appointment to pee in a cup on Monday.

If everything is done on time, I should have orientation next Thursday, and start the Monday after that (October 10). Except there's a rumor that Monday is a holiday, so I would get the day off with pay, and start on the Tuesday... I'm LOVING this County job thing!

Malfunction

2005-09-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

So, on my last day, I get to sit here while the managers from the new project complain (right outside my cube) that there is a "Minor malfunction... there seems to be someone sitting in one of our cubes."

So they stand there and glare, cause I'm not supposed to be here. At least I'll have some company soon, my coworker who is getting to stay a couple more months was moved yesterday, but her phone hasn't been hooked up yet, so she's going to have to use mine.

I have to be here all day, since the HR person is too busy to see me till this afternoon. So I get to have people glare at me and complain about me all day long, while I wait for the pleasure of being walked out. This is FUN!

Don't Worry, Be Happy.

2005-09-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

I really need to stop worrying myself sick over stuff I can't do anything about right now. I'm so stressed about this possible new job (they haven't called back yet, but my personal references just got forms to fill out and mail back), I'm all sore and stiff and haven't been sleeping well.

Today I was thinking about it, and I figured out that after I get all my severance and PTO for my current job, I should have enough money to live as I am for an entire year. That's without paying for health insurace, so no horse riding or anything too exciting. But I can pay my half of rent, utilities, and food, pay my car insurance for the next year, and have about $1000 left over for gas and clothes... ok, so it would be tight to go the whole 12 months, but if I haven't found another job by then, I'll be ready to move back in with my parents, or be committed, or whatever.

Point is, I need to chill out for now. I'm going to get laid off tomorrow, and will have an undetermined amount of time before I get a new job. If things work out as planned, that time should only be a week or two, but if things don't work out as planned, it'll be close to a year from now, with no income, that I actually start running out of money. That's insane amounts of security.

Deep breaths. No worries. Everything will be fine.

Lesson 15

2005-09-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

There was a schooling show today. I didn't take part, but it did mean there were lots of strange horses and people for Domino to pay attention to rather than me. We were kicked out of our regular small dressage arena, as that was a warmup area or something, and ended up in a large jumping area. We had to share this area with a teenage girl and her jumping instructor (they stayed mostly in the other half of the area), and also the guy who rides his grey horse every Saturday (token male rider as Anna called him once), he came in and rode around in the arena periodically.

I was having major steering issues today. Domino was much more interested in the other horses than what I was trying to have him do. At the beginning of the lesson, when the jumping girl walked through our half of the arena to get to the other side, Domino was quite convinced that he should be following the other horse. It took a lot of effort to keep him from doing so.

Even after that, we were trying to keep to a circle around Anna, but Domino didn't seem to like my idea of circling. When I was able to concentrate only on keeping him on the circle, it wasn't too bad. But when I was trying to concentrate on my position, or sit the trot, suddenly we were doing weird shapes with right angles into the fence...

It got so bad, that at the end of the lesson, Anna jumped on to make sure Domino did it right a few times. It wasn't like I was completely out of control or anything. I was never in danger of Domino running away with me, he would always stop when I wanted... he just didn't always go where I thought I was pointing him.

Good news is, Anna did say that next week I'd probably get to canter. Something to look forward to! :) Although that was before the worst of the steering issues... so she might want to fix that first.

To Woot! or not to Woot!?

2005-09-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

Took my polygraph today. Seemed really short, the lady crossed off a lot of questions before she even hooked me up to the thing. When it was over, she said she didn't see any problems, but someone went over her charts at the end of the day, and my potential employers would be in touch with me. So... probably Woot!, but not certain till I actually hear from them.

The way it worked. First I got to fill out a questionnaire. Lots of questions asking if I'd used drugs, if I'd stolen anything, if I had driving tickets, if I gambled. The gambling one I didn't really get...
Q: Have you ever gambled?
A: Yes
Q: How much money per year do you spend on gambling?
A: $0

When the lady went over the questionnaire, and asked about my gambling "habit" I explained, I had put a quarter in a slot machine when in the airport in Reno, Nevada about 6 or 7 years ago... I got $5 back, and was done. She looked a little disappointed, and asked if I'd ever bought lottery tickets (the questionnaire made it clear the lottery counted as gambling). "Nope." She crossed off all the gambling questions at that point.

She got to cross off all the driving ones too.
Lady: "You say you've never gotten a ticket?"
Me: "I've never even been pulled over."
Lady: *cross off all the traffic violation questions*

I have to say I was a little surprised how much she asked me about drugs... I don't see how it really matters what I say at the polygraph about drugs, that's why they're gonna make me pee in a cup, and cut off a chunk of hair... and I got LONG hair. They should be able to go back YEARS on me if they really want to (unless what they're looking for decays or something?). Point is, I'm not worried about passing that at all!

So now I probably get to wait till next week to actually hear for sure... This is going to be a long weekend.

WoW Update

2005-09-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

My three main characters are all level 25 now. Brigh the priest is in dire need of new pants, her current ones have big holes in the hips, and when paired with her halter top vest... well, if she was wearing heels, and was standing on a street corner, she wouldn't stand out much.

Some WoW related funnies, first one that's been around a while... Roleplaying realms rule. *Tries to disguise herself as a tree and makes crow nosies*

Then there was the kid who got caught posting on the boards at 3:30am by his mother, who wrote:

Pardon me for hijacking the thread, here..
But, Brion - if you don’t want your mother to know you were up and on the computer at 3:29 in the morning - DON’T post on a forum that she reads.
Busted.
Grounded.

The actual thread doesn't seem to be around anymore, or I'd link it. She punished him by making him watch a chick flick with her instead of going on the raid. :)

Next a new one... a plague sweeping the worlds.

And lastly, it's Leeeeeeroooy Jenkins! There's even an interview with the guy behind the character.

Ctrl-A, Ctrl-C, and Ctrl-V. How hard is that?

2005-09-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Arun Roy says:
In the KPI Instructions file we see Leave [Location] selected for India Transportation...
Arun Roy says:
what do u mean by that?
Arun Roy says:
do we need to leave [Location] or select it?
Tam says:
there is a location, [Location] is the default
Tam says:
it should already be selected
Arun Roy says:
do we need to take the data for [Location] or not...
Tam says:
yes, you need the data for [Location]
Tam says:
it is the default, so you should not have to do anything to it. I just put that in in case anything changed

How hard was that? I mean really? Were my instructions to "leave something selected" unduly convoluted? Because I'm not seeing the room for confusion there... But wait, it gets worse...

Arun Roy says:
Tamara how do we paste the data in the KPI?
Tam says:
Ctrl-A to select everything, Ctrl-C to copy, and Ctrl-V to paste it onto the correct tab...
Arun Roy says:
Its not working for us Tamara:(

*blink* Wow. Nothing I can add to that.

Polygraph

2005-09-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

The job I want, and have a tentative offer for, requires I pass a polygraph test. I see this test as one last thing that can stand between me and the job, but whenever I tell anyone I am nervous about it, they ask if I'm planning to lie.

Allow me to explain... Polygraph tests can't actually tell if you are lying or not.

Is there any evidence that the polygraph is really able to detect lies? The machine measures changes in blood pressure, breath rate, and respiration rate. When a person lies it is assumed that these physiological changes occur in such a way that a trained expert can detect whether the person is lying. Is there a scientific formula or law which establishes a regular correlation between such physiological changes and lying? No. Is there any scientific evidence that polygraph experts can detect lies using their machine at a significantly better rate than non-experts using other methods? No. There are no machines and no experts that can detect with a high degree of accuracy when people, selected randomly, are lying and when they are telling the truth.

So whether or not I intend to lie on the test really has very little to do with anything. And NO I don't intend to lie! I have nothing to lie about!

Pictures of Domino!

2005-09-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

It's Domino! With glowing eyes... and trying to untie himself with his teeth... And he's the sweet horse.

Next week we're pushing the lesson back an hour, as the sun is only just rising at 6:30 in the morning now, and it was even a little chilly this morning. It is beautiful though.

Obviously, I got to ride Domino again this morning. Our first time around the ring this week, we were going to walk over these poles, and then Anna was going to pull them off to the side... Domino almost tripped on them though, so we got to walk over them another 8 or 9 times.

Domino's big trot may not look so impressive here, but Anna jokingly asked if the camera had motion capture, to catch the air time. She told me I was looking a lot better this week (I'm glad there's no pictures of the first time I rode Domino).

Pia had found a golf ball somewhere... She was playing with it, and begging everyone to throw it for her all day.

More pictures of today can be found here.

Life is good

2005-09-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

Unless my background check shows something interesting in my past (and I'll want to know where the hell I was when that was happening), I've got the job I wanted.

WOOHOO!!!

Just gotta get the paperwork done, and let them get the background check done, and by the time they make their formal offer, I should be laid off already. It's all so perfect, it's making me worried.

What lesson is this one?

2005-09-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

Maheshwar says:
Hi Tamara how do we get Routed to Correct Group data in CC_Ind Tab?
Maheshwar says:
do we calculate it manualy from routing accuracy file?
Tam says:
the macro pulls it... the Macro for CC Quality
Maheshwar says:
but it didn't come for this time...
Maheshwar says:
so when we sent the KPIPreview, we received a mail from [someone] about it...
Maheshwar says:
nd i'm looking into routing accuracy file at the moment...
Maheshwar says:
nd i see the dates like 7/1/2005, 8/1/2005, 9/1/2005 etc...
Tam says:
why didn't you ask me if it didn't work?

So, they had a problem, and didn't ask me how to fix it, they
didn't tell me there was an issue, they waited until someone complained
about it, and then wanted to know what to do... because if no one
complained, there's not a problem, right?

Tam says:
ok, we can calculate it manually
Tam says:
alright, you said you have the file?
Maheshwar says:
yes...
Tam says:
first thing we want to do, is drag CreatedByWorkgroupInClarify to the column, just to the right of Data works
Maheshwar says:
nd that is cc-consumer phone support-cvg-in i guess
Tam says:
so now in the Pivot table column area, we should have KCRP By Clarify Workgroup, then Data, then CreatedByWorkgroupInClarify
Tam says:
there are two workgroups for each of the consumer locations
Maheshwar says:
yes i think I got it...
Tam says:
CC India uses [Lable 1] and [Lable 2]
Tam says:
there may not be data for both all the time
Maheshwar says:
ok..
Maheshwar says:
total number surveys I find is 390 if i'm not incorrect for the month of sep
Tam says:
I never did receive the KPI you sent out today... could you forward me that?
Maheshwar says:
for cc_ind
Maheshwar says:
oh it seams Arun didn't add u in the distro list..

He didn't do a lot with the distro list...

Maheshwar says:
sure i'll do that immediately
Tam says:
for CC India September? I'm seeing 342/396
Maheshwar says:
u've got the file from [abreviated location]?

And that's where I start to lose my temper... See, I'm teaching them how to do this job, and if they don't match my numbers the first time, they suggest I check my numbers. I am of the opinion that it should be assumed the person doing the training is correct, at least until shown otherwise.

Tam says:
I have the correct file
Maheshwar says:
i mean to say [abbreviated filename]
Tam says:
I have [full filename].xls from [full location] and for future reference, I won't be telling you exact numbers unless I'm looking at the correct file
Tam says:
so yes, I have the correct file
Maheshwar says:
yes that's where we've got the file from...
Tam says:
ok, now lets figure out what you are doing wrong
Maheshwar says:
ok...

Whew, got that out of my system... for now...

Tam says:
you have both [Lable 1] and [Lable 2] selected?
Maheshwar says:
can I select both at a time...
Tam says:
if you drag CreatedByWorkgroupInClarify to the column section of the Pivot Table as I told you to do, you can select 2 at a time
Tam says:
or as many as you want
Maheshwar says:
ok let me try...
Tam says:
if you want, I can setup netmeeting so you can see what I mean
Maheshwar says:
Tamara i've saved the file localy could that be a reason that i've not been able to select both at a time...
Tam says:
no, that's not the problem
Maheshwar says:
I've tried harder but still could not select both at a time...

He tried harder? Well... I just don't know what to say to that.

Maheshwar says:
ok lets setup the net meeting then
Tam says:
do you need my IP?
Tam says:
[IP Address]
Tam says:
ok, I just shared out the routing accuracy file
Tam says:
you see it?
Maheshwar says:
yes i do...

I stepped him through what I had done, the problem was the very first instruction I gave him, to drag something. After seeing it, he understood. It took me about 5 minutes to pull all the data with him watching, even with me stopping to explain.

Tam says:
did that make sense?
Maheshwar says:
absolutely
Tam says:
ok, in the future, if you are having an issue getting some of the data, try to let me know as soon as possible, that way I can either show you how, or get it for you, or let the right people know there is a problem
Maheshwar says:
ok np...

Does that sound like no problem to everyone?

Is it two weeks yet?

Lesson 538: Learn when to back the hell down from a lie.

2005-09-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Arun Roy says:
Tamara we are getting some Error Msg. after we send the KPI file
Arun Roy says:
Delivery Failure Report (notice)
=========================
[list of about 15 names removed to protect the innocent]
Arun Roy says:
this the list....
Arun Roy says:
are they still with us... i mean active members
Tam says:
I know that [Person 1], [Person 2], [Person 3], [Person 4], and [Person 5] are gone
Tam says:
the others were probably gone at the same time
Arun Roy says:
i see....
Arun Roy says:
so shall i remove the above listed members from our KPI mailing list
Arun Roy says:
??
Tam says:
aren't we using the mailing list [My Boss] updated?
Tam says:
sent on the 31st of August
Arun Roy says:
yes.. i m ....
Tam says:
you are using the updated mailing list [My Boss] sent?
Arun Roy says:
yes..
Tam says:
that's odd, because [My Boss] removed [Person 1] and [Person 2] from the list... let me check more of those names
Arun Roy says:
ok..
Arun Roy says:
i m sending you the mailing list.. as of now got corrected with one of OM's (with OM's india updates)
Tam says:
instead of doing that, why don't you copy the list [My Boss] sent, and add the people who requested it
Arun Roy says:
yes i added the same... as of now...
Tam says:
ok, cause the list [My Boss] sent, the one you said you used, doesn't have a lot of those people on it
Arun Roy says:
like..in [My Boss]'s list "[My Name]" in not there...
Tam says:
ok, then you can add me... but you didn't add [Person 1] and [Person 2], did you?
Arun Roy says:
yes.. i do..
Tam says:
you do what?
Arun Roy says:
i mailed.. [Person 1] and [Person 2]
Tam says:
ok
Tam says:
I want you to copy the list [My Boss] sent on the 31st, add in me and person who emailed Maheshwar to be added
Arun Roy says:
ok....
Tam says:
there may still be people on that list who are no longer here, like [Person 6], but it should be less than my old list
Arun Roy says:
ok... 'll update the list accordingly....
Tam says:
thank you
Tam says:
do you have [My Boss]'s email? want me to send it out since I have it right here?
Arun Roy says:
yes i 've it ........... & i got the updated list from Mahesh
Arun Roy says:
which is use last time
Arun Roy says:
*used
Tam says:
ok, make sure Mahesh has what you do... the one [My Boss] sent + me and anyone who requested to be added since
Arun Roy says:
yes... he told me...
Tam says:
ok, because that's NOT what you used this time. so if you got that list from him, he's got it wrong...

I am losing my patience...

2005-09-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

I would post the IM log, but there's too much referencing specific files and names relating to my company and the business. So I'll summarize instead.

Maheshwar asked me if a number was correct. When he asked, he was looking at the file the number is supposed to come from, and that number is not what was put into the report last week. So I explain that since it says something different in the file, it's probably not right in our report.

I then point out that all the numbers which are supposed to come from this file are wrong, and they need to redo last week. That's when he explains that the reason they entered the wrong numbers was that the file they needed hadn't been copied over to where they could access it until today. Now... I copied that file over before I left on Thursday, August 25th.

Tam says:
uh... I copied the file into the Working Copy folder before I left
Tam says:
so it should have been available

And he still argued that they didn't see it before today... Isn't that calling me a liar?

Tam says:
ok, but it’s there, and I didn’t copy it over today... I do remember copying it there on the thursday before I left.

Has it been a couple weeks yet?

Interviewed

2005-09-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

The interview is over. I thought I did ok, and at least two of the panel of four or five (I SOO can't remember now), apparently liked me. I also had an advantage over all but one person going into the interview because I did so well on the practical...

In short, it's looking good, but until I hear from them (which could take a couple of weeks), I won't know.

Is it a couple of weeks yet?

How 'bout now?

Attack of the Killer Fleas

2005-09-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

So, my cat has fleas... I already got some horrible chemical to put on the back of his head, and it seems to be working, cause now, instead of HIM having fleas, they're abondoning cat, and my house has fleas...

Any advice on how to get rid of them?

Am I not being clear?

2005-09-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

Tam says:
You have SQL query analyzer installed now, correct? and the PPTP connection set up? We need to test if you can run the call dumping reports...
Maheshwar says:
yes we've SQL query analyzer installed now and the PPTP connection set up so perhaps we might be able to run the call dumping reports...
Tam says:
go ahead and check that you can run the querys on Phonedata as soon as possible... if you can, those reports are now yours and Arun’s
Tam says:
they only need to be done once a week, I usually do them on wednesday or thursday
Maheshwar says:
ok...
Maheshwar says:
ok...
Tam says:
let me know if you have any issues though, so I can get them done if you can’t run teh queries yet
Maheshwar says:
ok...

About 4 hours later...

Tam says:
were you able to run the Call Dumping Query on Phonedata?
Maheshwar says:
honestly speaking we haven't tested it yet becoz we are focusing more on KPI at present, we'll get back to it today only as soon as we clear all our doubts on KPI...
Tam says:
ok, I’ll do them for this week then, but we need to test that today, and let sean and rohit know if there are any issues
Maheshwar says:
sure...
Tam says:
in fact, could you go ahead and check right now... just to see if you can log on and the query will run
Tam says:
you have the template I sent last week, right?
Maheshwar says:
yes...the one u r talking about is short calls.xls and call dumping.xls I guess...
Tam says:
yes, the queries are in the Call Dumping.xls file
Maheshwar says:
ok... we'll check it right now...
Tam says:
thank you... you’ll need to connect to pptp, and then to phonedata using query analyzer

10 minutes later...

Tam says:
are you having problems getting there?
Maheshwar says:
no no we got it...
Tam says:
ok, and you’re able to connect to phonedata and run the query?
Maheshwar says:
oh yes...
Maheshwar says:
we have just checked one of them...
Tam says:
ok, I’ll do it for this week then, but starting next week you guys will be responsible for this report...
Maheshwar says:
absolutely...

First of all, was it not perfectly clear I was asking them to test something in a timely manner in the first part of the conversation? Second... isn't it customary to SAY IF IT WORKS when someone asks you to test something? And lastly, it's "you" not "u" and "are" not "r"... they are three letter words! It really won't slow you down that much to type out the extra two letters.

Addendum: If it wasn't clear that I'm not being understood from the conversation above, allow me to point out that after this conversation, Maheshwar and Arun started doing the reports I'd asked them to do in the morning... now, if you read the conversation, I say twice that I need them to test that they can run a query, but that I will do the work for this week. After I told them I would do the work, that's when they start doing the whole thing.

Training...

2005-08-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be gone for most of next week, so I'm trying to make sure the Indians can do as much of my report as possible...

Tam says:
go ahead and download [file name] from [website]
Maheshwar says:
ok we'll check that...
Tam says:
it has the data for phone and email in there
Tam says:
and with phones, we also report "First Contact Resolution"
Maheshwar says:
ok do u wan't to save it localy...
Tam says:
ya, save it to your hard drive
Tam says:
Arun is there working with you?
Maheshwar says:
ok...
Maheshwar says:
yes he is with me only...
Tam says:
ok
Maheshwar says:
ok we've downloaded [file name] from [website]...
Tam says:
ok, that’s the raw data for both email and phones
Maheshwar says:
ok...
Tam says:
first thing we want to do is get the basic OVS and ODS scores

10 minutes later...

Tam says:
let me know if you have any questions about that...
Maheshwar says:
well we r just checking it nd let u know if we have any problems with that...
Tam says:
ok

20 minutes later...

Tam says:
How’s it going? this shouldn’t take too long, and we have more to cover today...

An hour later...

Maheshwar says:
we r filling in some of the components in the file those were left over, so as soon as that gets over we'll get back with u...
Tam says:
ok... what file? the KPI? were you able to get the quality for MSN?
Maheshwar says:
Yes KPI, We've downloaded the quality file u've mentioned we'll complete the KPI very soon and then look into that quality file...
Maheshwar says:
we would need an hour to complete KPI and then we' ll start working on quality...
Tam says:
ok, the KPI is done for this week, let me know any things you need to go over specifically before next week, but I want to try cover as much as possible before then..
Maheshwar says:
sure...

The KPI is the report that I prepare weekly (the final copy for this week got sent out well before this conversation even started). The work I originally wanted them to do, should take 5 - 10 min. Still don't have what I asked of them... so I might add more to this later...

Testing

2005-08-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

Tested for a belt in Karate on the 18th. It went well, and in about 12 - 18 months I might be ready to test for black. That would mean going up to Phoenix, and impressing this guy.

On the 26th I took the test for the job I'm hoping to get. I did well, so should be hearing from them next week for an interview. I've never had a panel interview before... hell, I've never had to have an interview scheduled... I'm hoping I don't get so nervous I lose the ability to talk...

The Indian's are starting to catch onto how to fill in my main report. Unfortunately, they still don't seem to understand that there are deadlines... Last Tuesday, with an hour to go before the report had to be sent, I contacted them to ask how things were going, and get them to send the report back with the information they had filled in that morning. They were off to lunch. I had to do the entire morning's work in 1 hour to send the file on time, and I don't think they realized that I was actually expecting them to do the work. They returned 10 minutes after the report was sent to say, "it's going fine." Um... beg to differ.

Now granted, assigning the work to them means I'm sitting around doing nothing for parts of my day, but I don't expect to be here much past this time next month, so if they can't do something, they better find out now and ask me.

In WoW, my Hunter is 16, my Druid is 17 (and working on getting the sea lion form), and my Priest is still only 5. I kind of want to level her up as I do enjoy being a pure healer, but I'm having too much fun with the other characters right now.

And can I just add, I hurt from yesterday. Domino's trot should be used as torture.

Trail Ride Postponed

2005-08-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

Ikarus, or Mikey as Anna called him, was sick today, leaving Anna a horse short. So no trail ride for me. Gretsky had been promised to the other lady, the father and daughter were going to take turns on Wild Thing, Kaibab is in Alabama for the year, which left me with Domino!

Last week there was no lesson because Anna was off competing on Domino, and this week he had ribbons pinned up outside his stall.

I think Anna was originally planning to work on something specific, but Domino has a very big trot that takes some getting use to. Big like springy... not jarring like Kai, but defiantly not smooth like Gretsky. I mentioned before that I had to actually work to go up in posting trot on Gretsky. Well on Domino, I had to work to try get my butt back down on the saddle. The problem was, with being flung up from the saddle with every step, I felt the need to try hold on with my legs, which Domino figured meant I wanted him to go faster... When Domino's trot gets faster, it gets bigger and springier. I already have bruises forming on the inside of my knees, which I figured was at least a little better than hanging on with my lower legs (and going faster).

Last lesson I worked on getting a good strong working trot out of Gretsky, who was quite happy to shuffle along if I would let him. This week, I was trying very hard to keep the trot reasonably slow and manageable so I didn't grip, but as soon as I did grip, Domino thought I was telling him to go faster, which he was quite happy to do, and with the bigger, springier trot, it was even harder not to grip. By the end of the lesson I was doing a pretty good job, either that or Domino was bored, and doing a low energy trot (for him). But I got to feel like I'd gotten better, so it was good.

Next week I'm out of town, but after that we should be returning to a weekly schedule.

Could be the last update for a while...

2005-08-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

I got WoW. Damn work... want to be at home playing!

"We will be."

2005-08-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

So yesterday at 11:30am I gave my Indians a task. I told them to take lunch, and enter some specific data into the main report I do. This data takes me about 10 minutes to enter, it's mostly selecting specific data from a pivot table, and then copying and pasting that data into the report. There's a little more manipulation, and some simple math (addition) involved, but I figured they'd probably take an hour for lunch, and another 30 minutes to do the work.

The downfall of that plan, was that the task was given to 2 out of the 3 I've been training. The third is going to become the group's programmer, so spent the day working with our current programmer. The Indian programmer, Sharad, seems to be pretty sharp. He seems to be following my training quite easily, and was actually starting to get bored as I was repeating myself. The other two, Arun and Maheshwar, don't seem to be following so quickly. And this task fell to Arun and Maheshwar.

I didn't hear from them at all yesterday afternoon. At 4, I was going to ask if they needed help (although I'd told them to ask me any questions they had), but they weren't on IM anymore. Today I asked if they had managed to enter the data. The reply?

"We will be."

*blink* "Will be?" *blink*

So I did it. Not sure exactly what they were doing from 11:30am - 5pm yesterday... that better have been a damn good lunch.

I hate this place...

2005-08-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

I mean... if you're going to shut down the break room so you could clean the floors... wouldn't you pick noon too? After all, it's not like anyone trying to train Indians on a Sunday would tell them to take an hour, and then head to the lunch room herself... not like this person could possibly be upset at not even being able to get to the chicken she stashed in the refrigerator that morning, never mind actually getting to a microwave to heat it up... No one would possibly want to eat lunch at noon would they?

And it would have been WAY too much to ask for some kind of sign out, explaining that someone putting their chicken in the refrigerator at 8am would not have access to those refrigerators at 12pm. WAY too much to ask.

When do I get laid off?

Addition:
And then I try to go to the bathroom, and suprise a guy coming out of the women's bathroom... And he should have been worried, since he'd just finished peeing on the toilet seats. Yeah... today's gonna be a short day.

Lesson 11

2005-08-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

Gretsky again today. Lots of work on trying to get an energetic walk and trot. I gotta get more comfortable using the dressage whip. Gretsky pays far more attention to my legs if he thinks I'll back them up with the whip. I just have some kind of mental block, where using the whip is like admitting I wasn't good enough. I did finally manage to get a good working trot though.

Today was nice and cool and cloudy, but the flies were horrible. Every time poor Gretsky shook his head, a cloud of flies exploded and then quickly decended back to his face. When we stopped for a water break for me, he took the chance to try scrape the flies off against his leg.

Lets play a game of "Find the Jack Russel Terrier." Pia is in this picture, but don't look on the ground.

No lesson next week. Anna will be out of town again. But the week after, we're going to go on a trail ride!

Worship Me!

2005-08-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

I live about half a mile from this place...

I don't think any further explanation is needed. :)

Mum to Tam Translations...

2005-08-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

So, I emailed my mother about the possible job, and her response really pissed me off, and I know she doesn't mean anything like what I read into what she's written, but that doesn't help.

It sounds great Tam. Fingers crossed (ours are too).

Translation: Good so far.

- Are you still applying for other jobs?

Translation: I think the fact that you sounded excited about the job you told me about means you are going to do something stupid, like stop applying for other positions, before you actually have a job, so when you fail to get this position, you will be unemployed.

Did the construction guy get back to you? Oh, did you hear back from
Pima College yet?

Translation: Instead of being pleased with anything positive, you should be focusing on your failures, because even though "construction guy" said something about trying to schedule interviews "next week," and it's early Monday afternoon right now, by saying no (and there is no way the answer could be yes yet, because you're at work), you're a failure, because I think you should have heard back already.

Love, Mum

Translation: Always here to crush any hope.

Good News on the Job-front?

2005-08-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

The very first position I applied for is looking the most promising. I've passed the initial application screening, and now get to schedule an appointment for a practical test. I happen to know the person who prepared this test, and although they won't tell me what's on it, they assure me I should be able to do fine. Now I just need to remind myself of the specifics I've forgotten in the close to 2 years since I was troubleshooting computers and networks on a daily basis, and try not to cripple myself with nerves... This weekend is going to be such a study session at my house.

If I manage to get this job, I'll be earning just over $7,000 per year more than what I do now. That's about a 30% increase (do the math on that one... told you I was underpaid). I'm a bit nervous about making such a big jump in pay, it just seems a little too good to be true.

I don't know how many people applied for this position originally, but 35 have moved on with me to this next step. The two people on the list that I know already accepted other jobs, so chances are not everyone will bother scheduling their practical test, which will be good, because I'm not sure how well I interview. I've never talked with anyone and NOT gotten a job, but I don't know that any of that actually counted as a real interview. I tend to just get handed things, but then, I don't have a history of being particularly ambitious.

Excuse me now, I have to go study some more.

Day of Reductions

2005-08-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

I'm up to three Indians now, and they even finally managed to get a phone for the last 15 minutes of my 4 hour training session this morning. And then came the reductions.

Apparently the company announced a while ago that there was going to be some restructuring, so if I'd been paying attention, today wouldn't have been a surprise. Well, I still wouldn't have known who would be gone, but I would have expected something. One member of my team is now gone, the one who actually thought we'd last out the year. Not so much... at least in his case.

It's deathly quiet now. Of the 11 cubes in the area I sit, only 3 are now in use. Four have sat empty since my old project was ended, three people got laid off today, and one guy now works from home. Shhh!

Lack of Updates

2005-08-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

I started training the two (2) people in India who will be replacing me when the company lays me off. Training two people in who are in India, while I am in Arizona, and they have no phone... lemme tell you, it's a blast.

There was no karate last week. I was explaining this to my mother...

"One guy's going to be out of town, and the other has a murder trial starting next week."

There is an intake of breath, followed by a loaded silence from my mother. I know there is something wrong with what I've said, and I'm not sure what, so I think for a few seconds.

"He's a lawyer."

"Oooh." The relief is audible as my mother lets out the breath she was holding. Gotta be careful when talking to mom's.

So karate should start back up tonight, and on a Thursday later this month, there will be testing.

There, you've been updated, I gotta get back to my Indians.

Tenth Lesson

2005-07-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Lots of pictures from this week, I'm not going to post them all here, so see them here instead.

I got to ride Gretsky today. The woman who normally rides him showed up when I was just finishing off, and Anna told her she could ride Domino instead. Today was mostly about getting used to riding a horse other than Kaibab (who was picked up at 1:30 am Monday morning... or does that still count as Sunday night?). Gretsky is very curious about what is going on around him. It's a little hard to keep his attention, as he'll see a couple walking their dog down in the river bed, or Pia in a tree, or someone taking pictures, or a bird, and forget to listen to the person on his back.

Apparently I'm quite lucky, as Gretsky only just got used to Pia climbing trees. Although I guess it was her coming out of the tree that really concerned him (it's raining dogs!). He was wary of dogs and trees, especially in close proximity to each other, for weeks after Pia's first tree climbing adventure. I believe the tree climbing pictured above occurred before Pia got to finish off Anna's coffee (that's right, the dog climbs trees, drinks coffee, and even climbs into buckets to sit in the water when she's hot).

The box from last week was still there, though this week we didn't try to do anything other than walk and trot through it.

Speaking of trot, Gretsky's is a dream compared to Kai. He's actually so smooth at a trot, I was noticing I had to work to keep posting. With Kai, your butt hits the saddle, and he's so bouncy, you're half way up again before you realize it. With Gretsky, I think I could have comfortably sat his trot the whole time. Almost no bounce at all.

No lesson next week, as Anna will be gone. Guess I'll have to find something else to do at 6:30 am on a day off... maybe even *gasp* sleep. :)

Boxing Kai

2005-07-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

Kai wasn't in Alabama yet. Apparently everything's done from Anna's end, now she's just waiting on the haulers to call and say they're picking him up. Since that wasn't likely to be at 6:30 am on Saturday, I got to ride him again.

Today Anna made a box out of poles on X.

The first lesson was to walk into this box...

And stop, within the box. Which actually turned out to be quite easy, as Kai is always quite eager to please with his stopping.

Since that went well, we got try the next exercise. We were supposed to trot into the box, slow to a walk within the box, and trot out of the box. I think I was concentrating too much on actually getting at least a stride of walk, as it turns out, this was supposed to be my introduction to the half halt. I don't think the actual walk was important, just that stage right when the horse is going back to walk, as soon as I got that, I should have been trotting again.

And here's Gretsky being ridden by the lady who rides him while I ride Kai. I learned something from her when she walked past us when I was grooming Kai to get him ready. She often has a small treat for him in the morning, and today that treat was a piece of watermelon rind. I had no idea horses liked watermelon!

I'm a Problem

2005-07-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

I was looking around in my company's telephone directory today. I didn't find what I was looking for, but I did find my team. The directory is outdated, and doesn't have the correct titles for people. My peer in Utah and I are now both Reporting Assistants, although we both came from the phones. In the directory, he's listed as a "Customer Service and Problems Rep", and I'm a "Customer Service and Problem."

HEY!

Chapter 1 of The DMV

2005-07-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

In Karate last week, the ex handed me some mail that had come to his address. It was the registration for my car. I don't need to get an emissions test, just pay it. But the registration was addressed to my husband and me under my married name. The car's title is still under those names, and it shouldn't be. So I decided to get that changed before paying the registration, in hopes the registration would be sent to the right address.

Although I spent the morning procrastinating, I did finally go to the DMV yesterday. It's a half hour drive, and I got there at about 1:45. It was busy. I had to wait in line for 15 minutes to get a number. C109. Then I got to sit and wait. The C's actually seemed to move along pretty quickly, they were on C72 after I got my number, and by 3:15 they called C99. At 3:45, the end was in sight, and C107 was called. At 4:00 after close to 10 minutes with NO numbers being called, a guy came out to inform us the computers were down, state wide. They were still trying to get stuff done though. At 4:15 I was called, but the computers would not cooperate.

By 4:45, with the computers down state wide, and no ETA on them coming back, the poor lady at the window I was at suggested I try another day.

"What you need done doesn't take long," she explained.

"I've been here for 3 hours."

"...once you get to a window."

The return trip hopefully won't be exciting enough to write about... but there will be one. Probably next Friday... No procrastinating the morning away though. :(

Farewell Kaibab

2005-07-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

No pictures from today. I rode Kaibab again, but he’s leaving on Wednesday to spend a year in Alabama, so I won’t be riding him again for a while. Not sure who I will be riding next week, and someone usually rides Gretsky while I’m on Kai… Oh well, there’s still Wild Thing and Ikarus, and maybe Domino for the other lady.

More work on the 20 meter circle today. I must have been doing ok, because Anna threw in a serpentine change of direction. Two half 10 meter circles through the middle of the 20 meter circle, and you’re back on the bigger circle going the other way. Thing is, at trot, half a 10 meter circle is really small.

“Remember, Cross Your Heart… lift and separate,” was Anna’s reminder to keep my shoulders back. She also pointed out that I was one of the lucky ones, I could have correct posture without leading with my bust... Score for the flat chested women.

When I was done, and giving Kai his post-lesson groom, Anna's next lesson arrived. A little girl, maybe 7 years old. She wasn't even going to ride the pony either, they brought out Wild Thing.

Blonding

2005-07-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

I got my hair from my father's genes. I have the same thick, reddish brown hair as my Dad. He's around 60 now, and still has hair so thick he can't wear a hat. Hats literally pop right off his head.

As he's aged, the reddish brown has gotten "blonder." As white and grey hairs interspersed with the reddish brown, the end result was just a general lightening of his hair to a kind of dull strawberry blond. Now he's finally gotten enough grey (especially in his beard), that it is actually taking on a grey hue... but for a long time we used to tease him that he was blonding.

I'm blonding.

I've always had white hairs. I mean, I can remember at 6 my mother finding my three white hairs. They were placed randomly on my head... one at the front, one on one side, and one somewhere on the back.

As I was getting ready for bed last night, I looked in the mirror and saw a little baby white hair growing in, right at the front. I wasn't too worried about it, until I noticed the other longer one growing right beside it... I leaned in, and there was a third one right there too! I adjusted the spot with my fingers, and a fourth came into view! I have 4... FOUR, white hairs, growing in just above my left temple. FOUR!

I said I'm blonding!

The Jeans

2005-07-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

On July 3, I went up to Phoenix and went shopping with my mom. The original plan was to get "interview clothes" and a pair of shoes, but that morning, I pulled on my favorite pair of jeans and ripped the ass out of them. So, new jeans too.

We went to Express, because that was the first store I ever found jeans that fitted in, first men's pants (back when the men's side was Structure), and finally women's pants when they came up with the BRILLIANT idea of having different lengths of woman's pants. I tried on a pair of jeans, and LOVED them. They were an absolutely perfect fit. Just perfect. I decided to get two pair, and grabbed another pair of the same size, same cut, different color jeans, and bought them, without trying them on. My mother told me to, but I scoffed at her... These jeans were PERFECT.

When I got back to Tucson, I removed all the tags from all the clothes I'd bought, and the next day they all got washed. I wore the pair I'd already tried on before, but yesterday morning I was going to wear the second pair for the first time. And they don't fit... They're the same size and cut as the other pair, but these jeans have a waist so big I can pull them off without unbuttoning. The waist is so big that if I try to belt them, it bunches up and digs into me. The front of the waist is too low, and the back is too high. In short, these jeans are totally unwearable, but I'd already taken off the tags and washed them, so I highly doubt I can take them back to the store.

I HATE it when my mom is right!

Riding Solo

2005-07-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

Today, I was on my own! Check out Kai and me, sans longe line! More pictures from today can be found here.

This lesson had a lot of walk and trot, and transitioning between. Going from trot to walk turned out to be very easy. Whenever I stopped telling Kai to keep trotting, I was back at a walk. Basically, ever time I decided, "I'll ask for walk right up there..." I was already walking.

Lots and lots of trotting today. My calves hate me now. We also did some 20 meter circles... ok, calling them circles may have been a little generous.... how about 20 meter ovals, eggs, diamonds, and various combinations of those shapes.

I do need to work on my posture and position. Every so often I would remember, and correct myself, shoulders back, sit up straight. And 2 minutes later I would be hunched forward again.

At the end of the lesson, I got to walk Kai around the property. Just walking wherever I wanted to go. I got to watch the guy on the grey horse who always has a lesson in the main dressage arena at the same time as I do on Saturday. I got to ride a bit on the trail that circles the stables, and go up and down tiny little hills.

Anna did say I was doing quite well. I was pretty pleased that even with all the trotting, I wasn't pulling on the reins to balance (after all those blisters from pulling on the little strap in front of the saddle, I was a little worried about that).

The World We Live In

2005-07-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has heard by now about the bombings in London. Four bombs, three on trains and one on a bus went off during morning rush hour. See here for the CNN story.

My Irish cousin Vicki lives in London now. Her husband is a London transportation police officer... not sure exactly what they're called, but they are in charge of security for bus stations, train stations, and airports within London. He's the guy who's going to be combing every bus/train/and station in London to see if there's any more bombs. As of 8 am my time, when I called my mother in Phoenix, and she called her brother in Ireland (Paddy... I swear that's his name), and his girlfriend (they've been together for 40 years and have two children together, but they're NOT married). Vicki had been in touch from London, and Ian is fine. He works nights, so should have been getting off about the time this happened... He's not expecting to go home today.

The funny thing is, this is getting more coverage on CNN than it is on the BBC. Terrorist attacks in London aren't unusual. This one is bigger and seems better organized, but it's still a terrorist attack in London, and there have been lots of those in the past, and no one expects that trend to suddenly stop just because Bush has his "war on terror." The top story on the BBC this morning, is how these attacks, and the fact Blair has left the G8 summit to return to London, is affecting that summit. The British live on a little island, and they know it. They also had the largest empire the world has ever seen, both in land size and population, and they know it. They spend a lot of time looking out at the rest of the world instead of looking in. The fact that four bombs went off in London is news, but the fact that it's affecting the G8 summit is the headline.

Screwed again...

2005-07-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Last week at karate, I thought my driver side back tire might be a little low, but The Fat Man didn't think so, and despite meaning to keep checking it, I quickly forgot.

On Sunday I drove up to Phoenix to see my father who's going to be working 12 hour nights for the next 3 months. When I arrived, the driver side back tire was low... very low. My dad pumped some air into it while I was there, and it didn't seem to go down any, so it was decided it would be safe to drive back to Tucson, and take it into Discount Tire Co at the first opportunity. That opportunity was today.

I left work a little early, stopped off at the apartment (which honestly is on the way), to grab a book, and went to Discount Tire Co. I parked, walked in, and was greeted by a worker.

“I appear to have a slow puncture,” I explained, and he led the way back to my car so he could see the problem.

“Back driver side,” he said when we were still over half way across the parking lot.

“What?”

“It’s the back driver side tire that’s the problem?”

I hadn’t told him which tire yet. I looked back at my car. The back tire was a little low, but nothing to really scream at you. It was at that stage (after the refilling on Sunday), where you think it might be low, but can’t really tell yet.

I must have looked confused, because he explained. “There’s a screw in it.”

I look back… sure enough, there was a glint of silver in the tire tread. “Oh… I seem to have a habit of driving over those.”

Anyone know where I could be picking up screws? Cause… I really don’t like them… at least without dinner and a movie first.

I'm WHAT size?!

2005-07-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school, I remember wearing size 8 or 9 jeans. I swear, I remember that. When I went shopping last weekend for "interview" clothes, I clearly remembered that I used to be a size 8. After glancing at a pair of size 8 pants, I decided I must be a 6 now. After trying on a pair of size 6 pants, and being concerned that a strong wind might make them fall down, I decided to go with size 4.

When did they start making clothes bigger? Cause I swear I used to wear a size 8 or 9 when I was in high school...

Riding Lesson 6

2005-07-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

I got to ride Kaibab again today, and next week, Anna says I get the reins. Finally! :)

Pia was back this week, and hard at work ridding the stables of whatever lurks down those holes.

Today I got to stand up a lot... it's a lot harder than it looks. Balancing when you have a moving horse between your legs is not easy.

Kaibab was not too happy with all the trotting today. He eventually decided to go for a little canter instead. Anna complimented me afterwards for having a good seat. Apparently, I hung on well. :)

Totally Legal!

2005-06-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

I finally got my new Permanent Resident Card... I'm totally legal till 2015!

The card arriving last night was perfect timing, as yesterday I found out that we're hiring people in India, which almost certainly means I should start looking for another job. I've got at least a few more months in this job, so can start looking for a good one. Anyone have pointers for writing a good resume... that might actually get me a "real" job?

So, any low level IT jobs open up, or admin/reporting/data manipulation lemme know about it... I'm gonna have a first draft of a resume pretty soon. :)

Wild Thing!

2005-06-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

Today I got to ride Wild Thing... She's actually very sweet. and a LOT smaller than Kaibab or Gretsky.

But there was a catch... That's a bareback pad and a halter instead of a saddle and bridle. Um... I know I said she was smaller, but how' m I supposed to get up?

A leg-up from Anna got me past that hurdle, then it was on to more stretching. It's a little different without the saddle, and my hips were aching by the end of the lesson from hanging on.

Then I got to try steer and stop with my legs and seat (another reason my hips and legs were sore). While doing this, I was also trying to remember to sit up straight, stomach in, don't look down, legs long, toes up, stay relaxed... and who knows how many other things... as you can see, the toes aren't up.

I did get better as the lesson progressed. By the end I was pretty much the one in charge of where we were headed. But Wild Thing didn't give that halt away easily... she wanted to stop beside Anna each time, and if I insisted we stay on the outside of the ring, we didn't stop.

And finally, a shot of the mountains in the background. It really is lovely there.

Story to make you laugh...

2005-06-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

This is the story of the night my ten-year-old cat, Rudy, got his head stuck in the garbage disposal. I knew at the time that the experience would be funny if the cat survived, so let me tell you right up front that he's fine. Getting him out wasn't easy, though, and the process included numerous home remedies, a plumber, two cops, an emergency overnight veterinary clinic, a case of mistaken identity, five hours of panic, and fifteen minutes of fame.

The whole story can be found on Snopes.com. It's long, but it makes me laugh out loud every time I read it.

I'm in the big leagues now

2005-06-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

I now have a big cube at work. An actual cube instead of a tiny section of desk and a half height wall on one side. I have drawers, and cabinets, two sections of desk, and about 5’6” walls all around me, with just a door size section cut out. Yeah baby, I’m in a manager cube!

I also managed to complete a particular leg exercise in karate yesterday, for the first time ever! The exercise is to stand with feet about two shoulders width apart. Keeping your back as vertical as possible, squat down and touch the ground with your right hand, then quickly stand, and kick straight in front of you with the right leg. Repeat with the left. Then repeat another 28 times, alternating right and left.

My legs ARE stronger! Woot!

Floating Horse

2005-06-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

USEF Grand Prix Freestyle 6-18-2005 -- Melissa Taylor Yee and Succes
Originally uploaded by Rock and Racehorses.

Some dressage pictures from Flickr here. Several pictures show suspended horses. It's strange to see them floating over the ground. :)

It's Hot!

2005-06-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

This is Orion trying to cool down. He does this in front of the fan, it's so cute. :)

Still Alive

2005-06-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

I did go riding on Saturday, but didn't feel so good as I'd stayed up a little too late the night before. I am SOO drinking only water, and going to bed at 8 next Friday.

I got to ride Gretsky again, which was really fun when I managed to forget about my pounding headache. I now have two blisters, one on each hand (I'm going to say it was the headache that was making me hold on harder than I should have been). I also have a cool bruise from where my hand got smashed against a metal pole when Gretsky tossed his head to defend his hay from Kaibab. I think The Fat Man is happy his birthday gift is up, and I'll be paying for the lessons from now on. I don't think he wants to feel responsible for any further injuries I manage to give myself. :)

The good news is, my legs are starting to feel a bit stronger, and with karate, riding, and a pilates book (Anna suggested pilates on my first lesson), I'm expecting that trend to continue. Hopefully I'll find trotting a little easier in the weeks to come. Easy enough that I stop getting blisters at least.