Weather Permitting

I can do a lot of things. How well I can do them right this second is another story. My resume shows how my skill set has evolved over the years and in an effort to prove that, lists certain accomplishments from my past jobs. To show prospective employers how versatile I am, I have things on my resume that I’ve done in the past but perhaps am not as good at now. Information Technology is a funny business in that you can be highly specialized and evolve with the new tech but still be expected to remember the old stuff. Maybe it’s just me and my Winnie-the-Pooh brain, but I don’t remember everything.

Because I’m a software engineer, people assume that I know quite a bit about computers. I do, but only on the software side. Sure, I can install a new hard drive, add memory, and swap out a few PCI cards, but I’m not a hardware fix-it guy. I remember my trips home to visit my parents a few years ago and invariably my mother would say something like “Mrs. So-and-so’s PC is broken. I know you’re in the computer business and so I told her that you’d fix it for her.” I’d patiently try to explain (again) what I did and that although it involved computers, I was not a repair man. Most people, including my mother, didn’t see the distinction. Computers are computers, they thought. I suppose doctors get this all the time in regards to various aches and pains that their friends have.

I had an interview the other day and was asked about some of the projects and technology that I used a few years ago. This company preferred Microsoft tech over the open source and Java world that I’m more familiar with now. I was asked a lot about my Visual Basic and SQL Server experience. At one time, VB was all I did and I used to know it well. Had I been aware of the interview ahead of time, (it was a phone call out of the blue) I could have brushed up on the recent changes and sounded a bit more knowledgeable. I think the interview went okay but they haven’t offered me a job yet.

Given the chance and little research time, I can code just about any application. I probably won’t amaze you with my speed and I’m not a low level programmer (OS stuff) but I’ll craft you a great business application and support to go with it! Gimme a shot, you won’t regret it.

Yesterday, I rode the “L” downtown to have lunch with a friend. I got off at the Red Line’s Chicago Avenue station. Even though it’s still the “L” (as in elevated), this station is underground (as in subway). There are two ways back up to the main station level from the tracks, stairs and escalator. Because the stairs were right by where I exited the train, I used them. There are only about twenty-five steps up to the main level, so it’s a quick climb. I watched with amusement as most of the other passengers walked an additional fifty yards to ride the escalator.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’ve spent the last year and some working as an equities trader. Now that I’m looking for a job with a bit more security, I’m taking inventory of my skill set and have determined that an update is in order.

In my past life, I was a software engineer, something which I enjoyed greatly. My reasoning for becoming a trader was not that I no longer enjoyed programming but rather, I wanted to try something different and that I was a bit tired of the bureaucracy at the large telecomm firm I was with.

Now that I’m jumping back into the “real” world and most likely back into information technology (IT), I feel I need to refresh my programming skills. This is not to say that I abandoned them oh so many months ago, but like most things, if you don’t use them you’ll lose them. Along with my trading, I did some tech consulting, and being somewhat of a computer/gadget addict, I was never too far from my geek roots during my hiatus.

My primary focus during my last few years in IT was on things Java. I’ve always liked the language. Heck, even the name is cool! Java… It feels good on the tongue, both in verbal and liquid forms. Lately, however, I’ve been hankerin’ to learn Objective-C and Cocoa. I’m a Mac guy and in the back of my mind there’s a little voice that keeps whispering “real programmers use Objective-C". I’ve been reading Programming in Objective-C by Stephen G. Kochan. It’s a good book and I think I’m slowly picking up the language. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since I’ve written any C code and some of the nightmares are returning . Gulp! Pointers… Noooo! (Objective-C is a super-set of C.)

Mac jobs are hard to find and opportunities for Objective-C developers seem to be even rarer, especially for an Objective-C newbie like me. So, as much as I want to be a real Mac programmer, I’m going back. No, I’m not giving up on Objective-C, but perhaps I should focus for a bit on the skills that may land me a job. Java… Say it with me, Jaaaavvvaaaaaa…. Doesn’t that feel good?

I think I’m a competent Java programmer today. But since I haven’t been coding too much lately, I’m going to get certified. Yup, become a SCJP (Sun Certified Java 2 Programmer). I should’ve done it before but when you already have the job who really wants to spend additional cash on a certificate (suitable for framing) to hang on your wall? Studying for the test should bring me back up to speed and, heck, may even teach me a new thing or two.

Java… Mmmmmmm….

A friend sent me this quote and I think it’s a damn good one. I Googled it for an author but found none. But I did find that, like me, there are a great number of folks who like the quote.

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly
proclaiming… ‘Wow! What a ride!’

My goddaughter is nearing two and learning to talk. Her newest word is “clock".

In church today, excited by her new vocabulary and wanting to share it with the congregation, she yelled “COCK” three times for all to hear.

I was feeling a bit hungry and since lunchtime had come and gone without my participation, I decided to head over to Costello’s for a sandwich. I ordered the Italian Grinder, a heated sub with the usual assortment of meats. The sandwich comes with a bag of Jay’s potato chips and I bought a soda to wash it all down.

The Italian Grinder was good but not as good as they used to be. Last year, or maybe longer, this sandwich had a slice of pastrami on it. It sounds a little odd perhaps but I think that’s what made it unique. For some reason (economics?), they’ve changed the recipe. Too bad. Though it’s a good sandwich, it used to be better.

I made what many call a “suicide” at the drink dispenser. Today, it was a mixture of Barq’s Root Beer, Coke and lemonade. Tasty.

In my bag of chips, their was one with a green edge. I’ve cut plenty of potatoes at home and have never found any with green edges and yet every bag of potato chips I’ve had has always contained at least one. And just like when I was seven, I didn’t eat it.

Wow!… Where have I been? It looks like it’s been well over a year and a half since my last entry. Time flies even when you’re not having fun.

Not to say that the last twenty months have been bad. Oh sure, there have been bad days (like the time I had to eat a sandwich with mayonnaise on it) but overall, I’d say there has just been quite a bit of change. I no longer work for the phone company and have spent the last year as an equities trader. Just like the market, I’ve had my ups and downs and am now contemplating getting a new job. Although trading has been okay, I’m not making enough to support my family. Since the birth of my son in January (say WHAT!?!), my wife is now a stay-at-home mom and so we’re down from being a two paycheck family to whatever the trading gods throw my way.

The BIGger news is (and the grand event of the year), in cased you missed the hint in the last paragraph, I’m a dad! And I have the greatest son ever! Yup. I know, some of you think that you have a mighty fine lad and I’m sure you do. But there’s none better than my boy and that’s all there is too it. (spoken like a very proud papa)

I was excited. Somewhat excited, anyway. And even though it wouldn’t start until 10:20 pm, I decided to go. Sure, it was out in Schaumburg and for a guy who hates to leave the City, I needed a very compelling reason to travel west. I thought that 100 minutes with the Cat would be it.

I arrived a few minutes beforehand to a huge swell of enthusiasts. I thought that perhaps a few others like myself might show. Maybe even a couple hundred. But thousands? Wow!

I found the back of the line as it snaked through the mall. From my position, I couldn’t even see the venue. As 10:20 came and went, the line barely budged. The event was supposed to be 100 minutes of fun activities. From 10:20 to midnight, we were to be treated to theater demos, free gifts, hands-on try-outs and celebrated as the first to bring home the final release of Jaguar, the latest version of Apple’s new operating system, OS X.

The 100 minutes came and went and I was still nowhere near the front of the line. It moved s-l-o-w-l-y. Only the fiercely devoted or deprived substance abuse addicts would wait this long to purchase something that they could buy the next day at a normal hour without a line. More than once I questioned my sanity. Obviously numb from the neck up, I inched forward, finally spotting the glow of the Apple store 250 yards ahead.

Progress. Now there were only a few hundred people in front of me. The minutes crawled on while the line appeared to stand still.

When my opportunity to enter finally came, I sprinted for the seemingly endless supply of Jaguar. I needed my fix! Ahhh, relief. With box in hand, I went to checkout and return home.

Another forty-five minutes passed before it was my turn to pay. That’s right. After waiting in line two and a half hours to get my copy, I had to spend an additional three-quarters of an hour to pay for it!

The event was billed by Apple as “100 Minutes Of Jaguar". For me it was “205 Minutes Of No Sleep Standing In A Closed Mall In The Middle Of The Night Waiting To Buy Something That Would Be Readily Available To Everyone The Next Day".

But hey, I got a free t-shirt!

“These diamond earrings are from my first husband and this diamond ring was from Henry, my second", said Mrs. Farber.

She seemed like such a kind, endearing woman that I found it hard to believe that she had been married and divorced a couple of times. But before I could give it much thought, she finished with “God rest their souls.”

“They weren’t rich men or much prone to giving gifts, but we had some good times. Who would have ever thought that I’d become a double widow at my age?”

“Do you know that between the two of them, I never got more than a birthday card? Oh, but don’t feel bad for me, they were kind and loving and had a certain… sparkle! So, I took what they left me, er, what was left of them and turned it into this beautiful jewelry.”

Huh? Don’t believe it? Check out LifeGem and turn your deceased into something you can cherish for years to come. Since diamonds are made from carbon and humans are carbon based, why not transform one into the other? Alchemy lives!

Oh, and it works with departed pets too.

I was walking by a Caribou Coffee outlet yesterday and out on the sidewalk was a sign promoting their new Calamari Cooler. Whoa. Calamari? As in squid? Was this perhaps a new seviche offering for the lunch crowd? The picture on the placard, however, looked more like a frosty thick ***achino than a seafood salad. I read the sign a little more closely. Ahhh. Caramel Cooler. In the bright sun, the script font was difficult to make out. Maybe. Or perhaps it was just wishful (fishful?) thinking.

Could a squid shake be good? Mmmmmaybe on a dare.

Back in the early days of Saturday Night Live, they ran a commercial for the Super Bass-o-matic ‘76 which pureed the “whole bass". And I once went to a party where they served Cheez Whiz Daiquiris.

Calamari Coolers may be the next-big-thing.

I work for a rather large telecommunications company. Part of what I do involves coding and support of various software applications. Pagers have been part of my life for many years, waking me up in the middle of the night to restart some server or help someone through an issue in a different time zone. Annoying as they are, pagers are a useful tool when trying to provide good system support and keeping your customers happy. Being able to send and receive text messages wherever you are is worth a few lost zzzz’s.

In their infinite wisdom, they (you know who they are, don’t you? They run everything!) have decided that my pager (and those of the rest of my team) was costing the company too much money. Like every other company in the world, our profits have been down this year and so to save a little on the bottom line, our pagers have been eliminated. Pagers, of course, were what notified us when our users were in trouble.

This morning, one of our systems went down leaving 200 people stranded without access to an application that they use and depend on every day. Since I no longer have a pager (remember, we’re saving money), I didn’t hear about the outage until I arrived at work. And since the users are in an earlier time zone, they had been stuck for several hours.

Nine hundred hours of lost productivity.
But hey, since I turned in my pager, we’re saving thirty-six dollars a month.

The best part? The company’s new slogan is Infinite Service.

I saw it on a flyer for a polka/mariachi band. Of course, I’d seen it many times before - garage sales, newspaper ads, picnics, festivals - but this time, for some reason, it stuck in my head.

Weather Permitting

Even when we don’t pay attention to it, weather can affect many of our daily rituals. It is one of the common yet uncontrollable forces in our lives. Weather touches everyone on dear ole earth. And when we run into an old acquaintance or meet someone new, it is the weather that we often talk about when other subjects elude us.

I chose the name Weather Permitting, not to talk about weather but rather as a metaphor for the events that surround us and shape us and lead us in directions previously unknown.