Preparing to Drop the NQ from the EW!

So, I went to court this week for the big D. It had all the makings of an ugly, drawn out fight, with lots of mud slinging and hearsay.

As it happens, though, I was able to the settle with the NQ-EW (note the hyphen). I think I made a good deal, and Little One and are poised for bright futures, I think.

Thanks to all who have supported me through this terribly long process.

It's Official - Fall is (almost) Here

There are several seasonal points that I can use to make my argument:
1) Little One has returned to school.
2) Football dominates the idiot box and the water cooler talk, and all of the yahoos at Wal-mart are wearing their team colors, even though many have never matriculated at the university they support.
3) Little One has brought home a slew of new germs and viruses that are having a hey-day with our innards.

Let me focus on #3 for now. I have a fall (later summer) cold. It is annoying. I have been congested, tired and achy. It would be one thing if my minor illness and lack of energy only impacted me, but it doesn't. Little One, who has been under the weather to a lesser degree, has been bored over this holiday weekend. I haven't had the energy to keep her entertained, even to the normal level of activity that we have.

The state fair is in town and Little One wants to attend. We had thought that the NQEW would take her next weekend, but we have learned that plan will not come into action. Little One really wanted to go yesterday, but I lacked the will and the energy to go. Today, will I still don't have the will, I might have the energy. I am grateful that it is raining and my resolve will not be tested.

Our state fair is not a "great state fair" famed in song and story. It is more a collection of carnival rides and vendors of unhealthy foods gathered together in the parking lot of an outdoor music venue. I have been to state fairs in places where there are animals on display, contests for baked goods and such, and big name musical acts.

From the web site, it appears that one day there will be sheep at the state fair, but I think that these critters may be there to keep the lustful urges of the carnies sated. There are 3 musical acts scheduled, but we don't even rate big name has beens or almost weres. These are some no name folks. Well, hopefully they are being paid in cash and not in game tickets and ride passes.

There is also a safety concern with the transportable rides. My state is one of roughly a dozen in the US with no regulations of amusement rides and no safety inspection staff. That is probably just as well, as our state government has a long and colorful history of bribery and corrupt public officials so at least we don't sleep under the blanket of a false sense of security.


And now, I have hauled myself and LO into the office. We needed to get out of the house for a bit and I am a sucker for bad office coffee and hanging out with temp workers with H1B visas who don't celebrate US holiday.LO has thus far drawn pictures on copy paper, made a long chain of paper clips, eaten a snack, fetched me some coffee, and has now withdrawn to a conference room to play with markers and a white board.

Enough for now....enjoy your holiday.

Preparing for Labor Day

I am reminded on an old BC comic by Johnny Hart on the subject of this holiday:
Labor Day, Labor Day, what a dumb day.
You hire some jerk, then send him away
To celebrate work by playing all day.



Little One and I haven't made any plans, yet. We are trying to finish getting settled into the new place. We need to purchase some new dishes. We had our old plates for 3 years, and they had taken a beating. We have thus far been using the fine china (and are both growing weary of the hand washing) and paper plates. 

So we will be doing some shopping. Little One needs a few more outfits for school, and as the saying goes, "Daddy needs a new pair of shoes." A trip to the library is also in order, and there is always ice skating.

i hope you enjoy the holiday weekend.

They call it a dry "heat"

My mother called that "roasting." The thermometer in the rental car displayed 115 as it greeted me at 1647 as I left one meeting and headed to another. The official temperature in PHX may not have been that same number, but I am pretty sure it was close. It was hot. As I gingerly held the steering wheel, I chastised myself for not remembering to cover it with a hand towel from the hotel. Rush hour traffic wasn't too bad, I was early and my drive was only a few miles. I logged back into the network as my coworkers drifted out of the office and headed home. I had to review a few documents, look at some customer account information (which I prefer not to do from the hotel, even with VPN security), and send some emails. Now, I am sitting at the bar of the hotel restaurant, sipping a glass of the McCallan and waiting on my tuna steak to be kissed by the grill and brought to me. There are some benefits to business travel.

Yeah, working late!

Banker's hours. That's what people often speak of when referencing cushy white collar work. I am sure that this is true for some bankers. For me, though, it is 0134 Sunday morning, And I am at work, babysitting systems and waiting for the mainframe to come back online so validations of converted data can continue.

I am also hopping a flight for a business trip to the desert Southwest in a few hours. Wheels up time is slated for 0625. I should be at the hotel by 1200 local time, and then I will log back into the computer and get back to work. And it will be hot. I know that a good part of the US of A is sweltering this summer, but I am not looking forward to being there, especially when the rest of the county may be getting a respite from the heat.

I should be home in ten days or so, "Lord willing and the creek don't rise." Until then, I hope you are finding ways to enjoy your summer.

Another 4th of July

Another 4th of July has come and past. I went to see Mom O' Jud who lives about 90 miles away. Little One was with me, and away we went.

A lot of the extended Hoosier family was in town. Apparently some 3rd or 4th cousin who has been in college here in town where I live is getting married. I wasn't aware she was studying here, and I wouldn't have known her if she served me coffee at the Waffle Hut.

It was nice to see them, though, in a surreal way. While they are family, often they seem like acquaintances, some even like strangers. But we chatted, ate, and generally let the time slip by as we watched the next generation play on the floor.

I excused myself in the early evening and headed home. I made it back just before the local fireworks were to start and the gawkers were jamming up traffic as I tried to make my way back to Casa del Jud. When I arrived home, I settled in with the iPad and looked up sailboats on the web. Not a bad way to spend a mid-week off day I suppose.

Tired....

I had been on the road for about ten days and made it home yesterday. Most of the plants faired poorly, as it had been hot and relatively dry in the Deep South. The jasmine seemed to fair well, and some of the herbs may bounce back, but the flowers Little One planted are quite brown and withered. The domicile was a bit untidy when I left, and since my return I have had little will to spring into action and to get everything ship shape. I need to find the energy. Little One and I are moving across town on the 25th of this month, and we need to pack. But not just pack, but to evaluate the flotsam and jetsam of our life and hopefully cull any number of never or seldom used items and sell or donate them. But tonight I am tired. The work project that has consumed my professional life these last three years is finally in pilot. We have to convert the rest of the enterprise in three successive ways, in July, August and September. For me it will get busier before it gets calmer. For me this means another summer without much of a holiday. Little one will spend a lot of time with Mom o' Jud, and has been there for the past two weeks. It will be another week before Little One comes home, and then she is headed to the ex-laws for some time with them. I am excited that she is staying busy and enjoying her time out of school connecting with family. My personality is such that with prodding of a job or significant other to prod me into social interaction I am largely content to isolate myself from society most of the time. I fear I am rambling. Time to seek some rest.