Category: Work (RSS)

Above Ground

( ) 02/15/06 7:58 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

Here's what my new office desk looks like. We just moved in today. Everyone thinks it's a big improvement from the underground office where I was working before, but I never minded it, even though there were other reasons that I had to move.

Maybe the windows will do Keith and I some good, but I'm just happy to have slipped into the office feeling  comfortable and productive within an hour or two.

As usual, despite the small space, there's room for Lauren to nap on days when I need to pick her up from school. I told her that we wouldn't be visiting the "underground" any more. She was sad, but eager to see the new office. It may be almost a week before she gets to visit the office, but I bet she'll like it.

  1. Comment by ajb - 2/15/2006 9:21 pm

    Is that a window?
    Tech people don't get windows! Some project manager was asleep at the switch on that one.

    Next, you'll be telling me that it opens.

    -ajb

  2. Comment by Samuel - 2/17/2006 7:03 pm

    Although I believe you to be an utterly useless automaton with no soul, I'm glad that you have a window. Perhaps now you can be utterly useless and also look out the window.

Risky things to tell your boss

( ) 01/27/06 8:55 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

After recently suggesting changes at work, I'm pleased about the company's vision and upcoming changes in my job.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

  1. Comment by Jeff - 1/27/2006 10:54 pm

    Have a cigar, you did just fine - I hope, Michael!.

  2. Comment by ajb - 1/28/2006 1:34 am

    18 years.
    For service and devotion
    I would think that you would deserve a fair promotion..
    =)

    Seriously though, good deal, it takes a lot of guts to do what you did.

    -ajb
    (Now, where did I put that resume..)

  3. Comment by Gabe O'Brien - 1/30/2006 2:21 pm

    MM,

    That took some guts for sure. Way to stand up for yourself and your job. From the little time I spent working with you I can say you are worth [it].

    Good luck ...

    gO'

  4. Comment by Don Saar - 1/30/2006 6:38 pm

    Mike! You sure are demonstrating an enormous amount of good 'ol fashioned American independence!! I am curious to know what type of work this all involves but only if you are willing to say in a most generic way. In any event, best of everything to you! Don, drdonzi@crocker.com

  5. Comment by Katherine - 2/1/2006 5:00 pm

    This made me laugh out loud because I could TOTALLY SEE that. ;) Good luck! I hope you get what you want...only partially for selfish reasons. (Because as you know I have need for a fairly big project soon, and it would be nice to have some folks available to work on it.) =)

Things are looking up

( ) 01/18/06 8:58 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

I finally made some decisions about my job. Oh, and I got Phillip, our favorite handyman, to come by and fix the leaks in our roof. Hopefully, his $50 of work will have our house totally dry and comfortable. Oh, and Lauren and I finished reading "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" and are now on to the next book in the Chronicles of Narnia, "The Horse and His Boy", which is a good book.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

  1. Comment by ajb - 1/18/2006 10:48 pm

    You could always hire (me) as an assistant.
    =)
    -ajb

All night long

( ) 01/06/06 7:25 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

I took a trip to Portland overnight for unexpected work.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

  1. Comment by Debi - 1/9/2006 7:03 am

    Sorry, Michael, did not know you were up all night long when I asked for help. Yes, I do and many of us know you have a daughter, a family and responsibilities there, as well as us here. Families are to be cherished as I am sure you do yours. Again, sorry my request for help came at a low moment for you, unbeknownst to me.

What's up with this job?

( ) 01/05/06 7:59 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

A situation at work comes up suddenly.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

I'm Upgraded

( ) 01/02/06 12:28 AM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

Tossing aside my usual "Following Edge" mindset, I upgraded to WordPress 2.0 less than a week after it was released. Of course, I am a member of the Wordpress "testers" mailing list, so I've known about some of the issues and concerns about the new version. I was also very careful in comparing the upgrade to the old (1.5) version.

Even as careful and informed as I was, my impression is that most people could switch to WordPress 2.0 using the simple upgrade instructions, without my careful methodology, and have no trouble at all. In fact, despite people's concerns and talk of unresolved bugs, I think this upgrade from 1.5 to 2.0 was not as significant and difficult as the upgrade from 1.2 to 1.5.

You'll probably notice that things look identical, which I think is a good thing. The "behind the scenes" stuff is quite a bit fancier, with a what-you-see-is-what-you-get editor, easier image uploading, etc. I don't know if that's a good thing, since I didn't mind the old way. I know that a number of local Eugene bloggers use WordPress (even though my friend David has long forsaken WordPress for TypePad). I suppose the upgrade could be fodder for real blogging discussion at an upcoming Eugene Weblogger Get-together.

I didn't really upgrade for myself. First, I wanted to be sure that my Efficient Recently Commented posts plug-in appears to work fine with WordPress 2.0. In fact, all of the plug-ins I use seem to be having no trouble.

The second reason is that there's a new project afoot at work that will probably use WordPress 2.0 for managing articles and other content published on our various web sites. I had previously started the project with the older version, but put the project on the back burner after the person that was going to use it left the company. Now, there's renewed interest, so if someone new is assigned to use it, I'll probably get it set up for the company in the next month.

  1. Comment by Tvindy - 1/2/2006 4:13 pm

    Unfortunately, the upgrade still hasn't resolved that pesky issue your site has with IE in which line breaks don't occur in the comment box.

Pajama Day

( ) 12/20/05 9:27 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

Despite how many imagine the lifestyle of the telecommuter, I don't believe that most spend all of their time working in their pajamas (or underwear) as many wisecrackers like to suggest. Today, however, I spent almost the entire day in my pajamas bent over the computer still trying to plow through my backlog of work, support calls and emails, and an online timeclock project which should have been completed weeks ago.

So, dinnertime arrived and I was still in my pajamas, so I decided I'd stretch the pajama day to bedtime. Anne Marie and I made cookies and Lauren watched a movie and decorated cookies. The picture here is from when we decorated the tree earlier this week. Hard to find Lauren, as big as the tree is.

  1. Comment by Tvindy - 12/22/2005 11:04 am

    lol, Lauren is almosr big enough to be an ornament on the tree. Maybe next year.

Cursed

( ) 12/18/05 7:22 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

Recently, my work activities have me thinking about creative solutions.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

  1. Comment by Burl - 12/20/2005 7:39 pm

    Michael---I just want to wish you the best Holiday. I hope you receive everything you deserve in the coming year.

    Burl

Redmond

( ) 12/14/05 10:16 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

I visited Redmond for work, things went well with Keith's help, and I'm looking forward to returning home to the family.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

The whole legacy story...

( ) 12/08/05 8:59 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

A project I recently completed for work involved the compexity of integrating in two directions with a "legacy" computer system. I'm spending some time with Lauren and anticipating a visit from my dad.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

Need... Sleep...

( ) 12/07/05 2:07 AM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

I'm pleased to be done with a project for work.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

  1. Comment by Dave'ola - 12/7/2005 7:24 am

    I haven't done an all-nighter for work since mid-2000, and that was enough to convince me that such nonsense was not for me. At least, not without hazard pay ;-)

  2. Comment by Jeff - 12/7/2005 8:47 am

    True, Davy! I've been pulling ALMOST all nighters here on article research for a newsletter. Tough work, but worth a challenge - unless the dog, beats me to the door for his daily rounds, again.

8 Days of Crashing

( ) 11/27/05 8:05 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

Unexpected technical trouble has kept me busy over the Thanksgiving holiday, which we spent in Portland.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

  1. Comment by ajb - 11/27/2005 8:31 pm

    I wonder what they're going to put where the Market of Choice is now?

    On a side note, that parking lot is one of the worst in Eugene, I think the cheese trays in Market of Choice affect people's motor skills in some way...

    -ajb

Back on Top!

( ) 10/26/05 8:30 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

Hey! Feeling much better today. I can't be sure what changed yesterday to improve my mood. Here's how it went: Spent half the day sitting in a room on jury duty. I was assigned to a group of jurors called "the mutts", which I guess is better than being in "the poodles" or "the labradoodles". I got a haircut from Tia. Gave her a big tip for doing such a nice job. Got my cell phone bill, so I can send off for my cell phone rebate. Love that paperwork! Got some good love from Anne Marie and slept well. Or maybe it had nothing to do with love or rebates or jury duty and was just a fluctuation in hormone levels. In any case, I'm feeling much better.

Now I can get on with things I'd put aside:

Eugene Weblogger Get-together planning. Hmmmm... cancelled for this month. Hey, that was easy planning. :-) I'll set up a date for November as soon as I coordinate with Kinsey, who may be able to join us while visiting Eugene.

Catching up with work. I reduced my pending emails from 12 to 4. Mostly by deleting. :-) Hey, that was easy too.

Essential household chores. I did the laundry. Easy.

Fixing the broken TV and terminating our renters' lease. Oh, drat! Not done yet. Maybe tomorrow.

It's nice when I'm feeling better. Thanks for staying tuned during my technical difficulties.

  1. Comment by Dave'ola - 10/27/2005 8:32 am

    Ever considered outsourcing? ;-)

  2. Comment by ajb - 10/27/2005 9:10 pm

    Speaking of the meeting.
    I vote for Flying Dog.
    Went there this evening, and noticed they're advertising free wireless.
    Couple that with decent food, root beer on tap, and a location close to campus, and it's miles better than the pizza joint.

    -ajb

  3. Comment by Jeff - 10/27/2005 11:07 pm

    1. David outsourcing?

    2. What's this new flying dog pizza place on campus, can I get a photo with the famous WWI ace, SNOOPY?

    3. Michael's gotta lotta work to do and catch up with.

    4. Blu and I having duck and beaver's fight over on da Chase blog!

    5. Rain - pricesless!....

  4. Pingback by thebucks.net » Blog Archive » Flying Dog(s) CafĂ© & Deli - 10/28/2005 12:29 am

    [...] I noticed they have a big banner advertising free wireless. I’ve suggested it for the often cancelled meeting. [...]

TGIF, I suppose

( ) 10/21/05 7:51 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

My work has been busy, with interesting technical hurdles, and looks to be busy in the near future.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

Happiness in completion...

( ) 10/17/05 6:32 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

I'm experiencing depression, maybe related to being sick for 11 days, worrying about the Eugene Weblogger Get-together, needing to write an eviction notice, and work stress.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

A crisis at every turn

( ) 10/01/05 4:51 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

I've been managing crises at work, running out of gas, and having conflicts with our rental tenants.

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  1. Trackback by And So It Begins... - 10/2/2005 9:31 pm

    Crisis, Part Deux (4,156 Miles)

    "We're running out of adjectives to describe our situation. We had crisis, then we went into chaos, and now what do we call this?" -- The Washington Post, February, 1988 Sometimes you have that blood-curling, crisis-oriented kind of day. Some

  2. Comment by ross - 10/13/2005 4:47 pm

    I think it must be time to take up serious drinking or recreational drugs!
    as an alternative, i'd suggest trying some bouldering, as lauren seems to have a proclivity for. it's a decent stress reducer and pretty fun as well.
    ~r

Work: Frustration resolved (or relocated)

( ) 09/23/05 6:42 PM RSS Leave a Comment »
by Michael

A reorganization has resolved an issue at work and I am now addressing interesting technical challenges, while enjoying recently increased Apple stock prices and plans for a weekend at the coast.

(This post has been briefly summarized for you due to possibly sensitive content.)

  1. Comment by Burl - 9/23/2005 10:27 pm

    Good to hear! Hope you have a great weekend.

  2. Comment by Dave'ola - 9/24/2005 7:46 am

    Hopefully one of the 500 bugs to be fixed in Mac OS X 10.4.3 will include this. Always worth wishing!

  3. Comment by ajb - 9/26/2005 2:03 pm

    The obvious solution being, of course, just letting people use their chat client of choice.
    No borked Apple "solutions" needed.
    =)
    -ajb

  4. Comment by Michael - 9/26/2005 7:48 pm

    ajb- We're actually working on customizing the open-source Adium Instant Messenging client to get the features we're after. The issue with iChat is that so many of our staff will use it as their "client of choice", since it's got a "slick" interface and is pre-installed on their Mac. Slick interface? Bah!

  5. Comment by wesley wright - 10/20/2005 10:24 am

    I feel your pain. Went through similar exercise yesterday.

    Our university (of Vermont) uses "NetIDs", which in LDAP terminology amount to UIDs. Nothing on our LDAP scema corresponding to any IM service.

    Using Directory Access, I confgured LDAPv3 to use our university's openLDAP server (rfc 2307). In People mappings, mapped local IMHandle to LDAP uid. Shows up in Address Book as you would expect. Unfortunately, this is interpreted ONLY as AIM info, so if you lookup "Smith" in iChat AIM buddy window, it grabs the persons IMHandle, which is never anyone's AIM screen name ; if you lookup "Smith" in Jabber buddy window, get right Name, Address, and email, but leaves Jabber ID blank. Grrr.

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