Ponderings and Musings

Motivation.


I have been spending a lot of my downtime reading the biography of Steve Jobs. This book is very well written and I’m having a hard time putting it down when I need to move on to something else (like sleep or eating, for example). I’m reading it on my iPad since I pretty much have the iPad with me all the time, but I also bought the hardcover edition so that I could honor the evolution of technology. Actually, I thought it would make a good coffee table book.

My, it’s a big book!

Even though I’m a pretty rabid Apple fanboy, I didn’t know a lot of the details of Steve Jobs’ life. I know that he could be very cranky in his interaction with others and that this was a result of his quest for perfection and/or reaching a certain vision that he had. Many describe him as a visionary. I don’t dispute that in the least.

I am surprisingly finding this book inspiring. I have mentioned before that I am working on The Big Project at work and there are some folks that want to make the software implementation “good enough”. I’m not willing to settle for that. I want to make this conversion to the new software, to borrow a phrase from Steve, “insanely great”. You see, I don’t think that I should be wasting my time doing something halfway when I can invest just a little more time and go all the way with it. It bugs me when a new version of Windows or iOS or OS X or whatever comes out and it is missing a feature or something doesn’t work, only to be told that it’ll be fixed on an update. I’d rather delay the implementation and do it right the first time than let the user down on the initial experience and sour their feelings on what should be insanely great with a bunch of error messages and the like.

As I make my way through this book I am discovering that I share a trait with Steve and that’s what I call my “extreme binary thinking.” Earl helps me keep this trait in check, but I have a tendency to say judge things on a scale of awesome to miserable without addressing the fact that the subject could actually be somewhere in the middle. As I said, Earl keeps me in check on this and I know that I can always do better in toning down this tendency of mine. Now I don’t go into group meetings telling folks that whatever they’re presenting in a pile of crap but I am visibly disappointed when I feel expectations aren’t met due to laziness. This, in turn, leads me to be rather harsh on myself when I feel that I haven’t met my own standard of perfection. I then get cranky when folks out in the everyday world don’t live up to my vision of the way people should be (for example, not knowing what you’re going to order after standing line for 10 minutes blabbing on your phone or worse yet, going up to the Panera counter and asking for fries.)

Reading Steve’s biography is helping me keep all of this in perspective and it’s actually forcing me to look at myself, my behavior and how I conduct myself both in the business climate and in the real world. Because I have seen the same tendencies in Steve, I am forcing myself to look for the positive and how we are headed in the right direction for the vision that I have, instead of dwelling on the negative and making people miserable. My progress can probably be measured in baby steps, but at least I think I’m headed in the right direction.

I’m looking forward to continuing this book. I highly recommend it to both fans and non-fans of Apple.

7 November 2011 by Geek Ponderings and Musings 2

Weekend.

So it is shortly before 5:00 p.m. and it is getting quite dark out. This is what happens at this time of year. I like it. A lot. But I can hear the whining from other folks that wish the daylight was around farther into the evening.

It has been a good, relaxing weekend. So good, that last night I decided that I would try to freeze time.

Hats off to those that know why I was trying this particular method in my efforts to freeze time.

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Earl and I enjoyed a relaxing ride yesterday, too much food, a walk along Onondaga Lake and a wonderful visit with my sister.

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We even made it to the North Country, where we ended the night with a wonderful dessert at a locally owned truck stop near the main gate of Fort Drum. My choice of dessert was homemade strawberry shortcake, which was made properly using homemade biscuits instead of sponge cake. Earl had apple pie a la mode that curiously cost $4.44.  The strawberry shortcake was $4.95. As far as I’m concerned it was worth its weight in gold.

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6 November 2011 by Fun and Games Dept Ponderings and Musings 3

Pzizz.

Yesterday morning I woke up naturally at 6:30 a.m. This excited me aside from the fact that I was waking up at such an early time on a Saturday morning, because it meant that my circadian rhythm was in sync with my schedule again, because if it was Monday morning, it would be standard time instead of daylight saving time and it would be 5:30 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m. and I need to get up at 5:30 a.m. to get to work on time.

It was a good way to start the day.

I was so excited by this revelation that I had a hard time trying to sleep in, since it was Saturday and all, so I grabbed my iPhone and read some email that I really need to respond to. Amongst the email messages was a comment from my friend Erik on a previous entry about insomnia. His comment included the suggestion of Pzizz, an app available for the iDevices.

Well his comment reminded me that I already had Pzizz! I promptly found the app on my iPhone, donned a pair of headphones that would be easy to sleep in and fell promptly asleep for two hours. I used it again last night and aside from some mayhem with the school clock collection in the house during the time change (more on that in a moment), slept like a baby. I feel great this morning.

There is further information about Pzizz on their website. I am finding that the iPhone app works great for me, especially when coupled with a really good set of earbuds.

As I have mentioned many times before, our house has a collection of school clocks wired in every room. These clocks advance once-a-minute with the familiar two-click sound that has been heard in classrooms around the world for more than a century. All of the clocks are made by The Standard Electric Time Company, the company that made the original clocks in my elementary school, which of course was the first time I was exposed to such a thing.

The clocks are run by a server in the basement which is controlling relays via a program that I wrote (to provide the electrical impulses required to close and then open the magnet-driven mechanisms in each clock). This was a cheaper alternative to buying a master clock like what would be found in the main office of a school today and something that I’m rather proud of. The program keeps track of what times the clocks allegedly say at any given moment and if they’re behind, will send out extra impulses to catch the clocks up to the right time. I had also written in a routine that would stop the clocks at 01:59 daylight time the first Sunday of November and have the clocks sit there for 62 minutes before resuming at 02:01 standard time.

Except the pause mechanism didn’t work.

So at 02:00 daylight time it became 01:00 standard time. Except the clocks thought it was still 02:00. So they decided to start advancing the 11 hours required to get them to 01:00. Two clicks per minute, 60 minutes in an hour, eleven hours “behind”.  That’s a glorious 1320 clicks in the middle of the night. It took the clock system about 15 minutes to advanced that far.

Except a certain geek wrote the program to consider military time. So the server actually thought they were 23 hours behind.

I made it downstairs in no time once I saw the clocks advanced further then they should have. I disconnected the power to clocks, stopping them when they said 01:43. And there I sat, rewriting the program to avoid future mayhem and waiting for real time to catch up with the clocks. I started them back up at 01:46 when they then advanced the three minutes they were behind.

That’s when I went back upstairs and fired up the Pzizz again and had a wonderful night’s sleep.

 

6 November 2011 by Geek Ponderings and Musings 1

Remember.

So last night, during a fit of insomnia, I wrote a blog entry. I didn’t remember this until I was getting breakfast together and I saw my entry sitting on my laptop. Apparently I also did some work, because I scheduled a meeting for Monday morning involving several members of the team. Everything on the meeting request makes complete sense and it was something that I had intended to do anyway, but having actually done it but not remembering it until I actually saw the calendar entry was a little weird. It isn’t like I have some weird amnesia thing going on, but rather, I just remembered that I had done these things once I saw them, but didn’t remember them beforehand.

I remember being awakened around 2 last night and then falling asleep around 4 after reading a bit.

I’m a bit tired today, apparently since I was active last night, but for the most part the mood is pleasant and the day is good. I’m very happy that it is Friday. Earl and I have a date to watch “The Wizard Of Oz” tonight at home. I have promised him popcorn. We have altered our plans for the weekend and will be keeping it local. Sometimes a little rest and keeping it local keeps the positive energy in perpetual motion.

4 November 2011 by Ponderings and Musings 1

Awake.

It is currently 3:54 a.m. in the Eastern Time Zone and I am wide awake. This is just lovely. I actually just did some work because I had some work things on my mind and I wanted to get them off my mind. I think I’m nuts.

I have noticed that when I am awake in the middle of the night and struggling with a bout of insomnia, I tend to write in a little more rambling style. This blog entry is an example of that. The words easily find their way to the keyboard after being formulated in my head, but it’s my brain that is thinking in more staccato terms.

I know why I’m awake right now. It’s because I fell asleep on the couch after supper. Earl likes “The X-Factor” and I sat down to get away from the computer and I promptly fell asleep. That was around 8:00 p.m. Possibly 8:30, so naturally, I woke up at 2:10 this morning and tossed and turned until coming down into my office and doing some work.

In reality, I need to get up in 94 minutes and get ready for the workday, because the work that I have done during this bout of insomnia doesn’t really count in the grand scheme of things. This kind of makes me sad, because I believe that outside of conference calls and meetings, I should be able to work whenever I feel the need to, as long as I am meeting my commitments and getting the things done that need to get done. It’s like a warring of paradigms; the old corporate rigidity that has been ingrained in many generations through the use of school “bell schedules” as children versus the more creative folks that think nothing of eating a roast beef dinner for breakfast, showering at 5:00 p.m. and doing their most creative, productive work when the rest of world is asleep per the schedule that has been dictated to them.

Such complexity in this increasingly complex world.

4 November 2011 by Ponderings and Musings 2

Different.

So it has been all over the news that Kim Kardashian is getting a divorce after 72 days or something like that. This is the “reality” television “celebrity” that spent millions of dollars for a ridiculously lavish wedding, received some sort of payment through her “reality” ventures for having the wedding and now she is getting a divorce. The fact that this is news is ill-making to me.

I am so glad that hate-based organizations such as the National Organization for Marriage is saving us from the terror of same-sex marriage, because the heterosexual folks are doing such a cracker jack job at maintaining the sanctity of it all. In reality (without the quotes), I wish these folks would find something better to do. Truth be known, like Kim Karadashian and people of her ilk, I wish these folks would just fade away back into their banal, mundane lives.

Before New York State legalized same-sex marriage I was only mildly interested in the topic. I was happy to see other states recognizing the rights of all of their citizens, and I hoped that New York would do the same thing, but there was a part of me that figured that since Earl and I had been together for 15 years and we were fully committed to staying that way until we passed on from this life, we didn’t really need the validation associated with marriage.

My gods, was I dead wrong on that.

I was playing Words With Friends with our friend Matt from Toronto the other day. He recently married his partner, Anthoney, in a ceremony in western Ontario. Words With Friends has a little chat feature built in and a simple message bubble popped up:

It feels different, doesn’t it.

You know what? I didn’t think it would feel different to be legally married but it does. It really does. There is a part of me that can’t believe that I am married. I am still floored when people at work, folks that I rarely talk to or know, come up to me and congratulate me when they hear the news on the grapevine, even in this small, rather conservative little town that I work in.

My day is a little bit brighter in the morning knowing that my in-laws are not just “in-laws” but they’re really in-laws. My existence has improved ten-fold knowing that I am legally married to the man that bounces around in the bed so much when he’s sleeping that I need a permanent supply of Dramamine. The fireworks are brighter, bigger and louder than ever before. I feel like a little kid again, discovering love all over for the first time. My world changed the moment I uttered the words “I do” in front of the wonderful group of family and friends that witnessed the moment. I still tear up when I picture the joy my sister had when she read her reading at the ceremony or I think of the words my brother-in-law Dave said in the toast at dinner.

The woman that conducted our ceremony, Emily VanLaeys, has said some beautiful things about our wedding ceremony and what she saw in the bond between the Earl and me. Many have said over the years that it’s obvious that we have a love that will last forever. Earl and I agreed to that long ago. And now we have the legal backing to prove it.

I get that there are folks that don’t understand why folks of the same gender would want to be married. These folks are most likely not gay or lesbian, so how would they know what it’s like to be attracted to the same sex? It’s when they try to convince people that something that they don’t understand is wrong is where I take issue. You shouldn’t try to legislate against something that you don’t understand. And you shouldn’t try to take away from the rest of the world that what you failed at or have never found. The world does not need another helping of bitter from these folks. Let’s celebrate happiness and help find those that haven’t found it, find it.

One of the wishes on my short list is that everyone can experience the love that Earl and I feel for one another, regardless of sexual orientation. A newer wish on the short list is that all those people get to feel the feeling of being legally married as I do today, regardless of their sexual orientation or where they are living. Someday, somehow, I know it’s going to happen. During the ceremony, Emily said, “the world is becoming a better place, one small step at a time.” I wish the steps were a little bigger and the destination was a little closer, but I’m going to do what I can to help make it happen.

2 November 2011 by Ponderings and Musings 2

Costume!

So I ended up working late tonight. I got home about 45 minutes beyond my usual time. Earl had asked earlier in the day if I would be interested in going to the movies tonight, I guess the remake of “Footloose” is out, and I declined, knowing that I would be tired from work. Truth be known, I’m not really interested in seeing “Footloose”, especially because it’s a remake and I don’t recall being particularly fond of the original version of the movie. I think the lively sounds of “Holding Out For A Hero” combined with a tractor fight threw me off or something. Anyways, Earl and Jamie went to the movie and Scott is working tonight.

What to do, what to do, what to do on Halloween.

I decided that I was in the mood to throw on a costume and walk through the mall like I mentioned in the previous post. I decided to wear an Army uniform I have from a while back.

Now I have two rules when it comes to wearing a costume: 1. It has to look authentic and 2. it has to be respectful (if the costume lends itself to be respectful). To look authentic in the Army uniform I couldn’t have a beard, so I looked up the regulations about facial hair and shaved my beard into a regulation mustache (wow, they are a pain in the ass to trim without looking like Hitler, no wonder not a lot of soldiers have them). Now to be respectful, since I’ve never served as a soldier and all, I made sure that there was no indication of rank on the uniform since I’ve never earned rank. I guess that was my way of honoring the soldiers that had done their duty.

My first stop was Barnes and Noble to see if Scott was around, apparently he was off doing things that managers do at Barnes and Noble but I did notice that quite a few people in the café looked my way when I walked by. A couple of the other customers were in costume and there was a lovely girl in full wiccan garb working the customer service desk. I hung around for a few minutes before leaving.

I didn’t think it would be prudent to stop at the showing of “Footloose” to show Jamie and Earl my costume, so I opted to go to the mall, where there was trick or treating in progress with a few adults and kids dressed up for the occasion. I went to Subway and picked up a healthy dinner. From there I ate and then headed back home.

And that’s how my Halloween went.

Here’s a mirror shot for your enjoyment.

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Tomorrow is the first of November, which is fund-raising month dubbed “Movember”, an effort to raise awareness and donations for Men’s health issues such as prostate cancer. Men all over the world are encouraged to start the month clean shaven and grow a mustache and garner donations in the process. Now, because of vanity, I can’t bear to be completely clean shaven, but I have decided to foster my support by keeping just the mustache for Movember instead of growing back the beard right away.

If you would like to donate to and/or find out more about Movember, please click here.

31 October 2011 by Fun and Games Dept Ponderings and Musings 2

Pitter Patter.

The other day I noticed something about the new Jeep. Because it has a removable hard top, rain makes a wonderful sound as it taps on the roof. It is a beautiful pitter patter sound that I find very relaxing. I didn’t notice this until Monday or Tuesday morning when I arrived at work and took a few moments to gather my thoughts before going in to install myself in my cubicle for the day. With the motor off, all electronic accessories stowed and seats in their upright position, sitting in the Jeep during a rain storm is actually a calming experience for me.

One of the things I loved about being a kid was that during my single digits our family lived in a mobile home. It wasn’t particularly large as mobile homes go, even with the addition my father had added with the arrival of my sister but it had a wonderful metal roof that announced the arrival of every rain drop. At least in the original part, where my bedroom was located. Sleeping on the top bunk really put you up close and personal with this delightful sound. I missed it when we moved to the house my father built across the street.

I guess the love for the pitter patter still lingers in this old kid.

27 October 2011 by Ponderings and Musings 0

Change It Up.

I have to change things up once in a while.

First of all, I want to say thanks for the words of support via email and your comments in regards to the lack of equality displayed when it comes to Earl and me sharing health benefits. There is a bright side to the story; the company that Earl currently works for is merging with a bigger company, which has a much more equal benefits package available. In fact, the new company gets high marks on the Human Rights Campaign’s ratings of these sort of things, so we are going to make out just fine. It is quite sad, though, that his current company chooses to look for loopholes so that they can remain ignorantly in the dark ages when it comes to these things.

As I mentioned in the first sentence of this blog entry, I have to change things up once in a while. The Big Project at work has been getting me down and I am finding myself in a rut. Sleep, eat, go to work, Dunkin’ Donuts iced tea, work, drive home, wave to the occupants of the buggy, eat and sleep. Enjoy an opportunity of hanky panky when the big climax isn’t a snore (sorry about that, sweetheart). The lack of light when I get up in the morning, coupled with the increasing stresses of work has put me into a funk that I need to find my way out of. To foster this growth, I change a few little things here and there to make life seem a little more interesting in my own eccentric way. For example, I did not go to my usual Dunkin’ Donuts today for lunch. I made my way to the next town over and went to that one and then I went into that restaurant for the first time instead of barking into the speaker from the driver’s seat. This particular Dunkin’ Donuts is an old bank and still has that basic layout (I think they make the donuts in the old vault, but I can’t be certain). I kind of wish that they would use both lanes of the drive thru so I could see my iced tea woosh down through one of the tube-transport devices that have always fascinated me, but they only opt for lane 1 where the drawer has been replaced by a typical drive thru window.

This morning I kicked off my day by drinking a strawberry Slim-Fast shake instead of going for my usual Wednesday morning breakfast of dry waffles. Calories balanced out for the most part but can I tell you that not only do I dislike strawberry Slim-Fast shakes, but I fucking dislike the strawberry flavor. Pink liquid as a beverage is just weird to me. With the stress of work has come stress eating, a habit that I am not proud of, so I thought that I should shake shake shake some Slim-Fast and remind my body as to who is boss. I guess the McRib I alluded to yesterday will have to wait until the weekend.

I have a few more changes planned in the near future and it is these things that excite me and make me take interest in what’s passing itself off as life. One of the ironies about the Big Project at work is that it is changing every single process, tool and way of doing things that we do at work, but I don’t particularly agree with this so that change isn’t giving me the pep that I need to cope with making the change.

It’s better to start with the little things.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

26 October 2011 by Ponderings and Musings 0

Social.

Last night Earl and I went to “the Loud House”, the Carrier Dome in Syracuse to watch the Orange take on West Virginia. It was an excellent game… the guys played well and we trounced West Virginia 49-23.

When we got to the game, along with 147 (at that time)1 other people, I checked into Foursquare. The latest version of Foursquare lets you check into a particular event (like a game or a movie or a Broadway show). Near the end of the game, I got this email:

Now, many would find this creepy but remember I checked into Foursquare so they had a definitive way of knowing I was there. I understand that it’s a marketing tool and nothing more, but nonetheless I was happy to see this email. It made me feel part of something. And that’s how good marketing is suppose to work: not overly intrusive, make the user feel good and make the user feel like they belong.

I love with when marketing organizations ‘get it’ when it comes to technology.

1 The official attendance at the Dome last night was 45,285. Earl and I bonded even more with the fellow season ticket holders around us. Go ‘Cuse!

22 October 2011 by Ponderings and Musings 0

About J.P.

Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.

Weird? Eccentric!

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