Remember when milk came in a carton? It really makes sense, doesn’t it. A carton is completely biodegradable, it’s easier to ship square containers, and there’s a cleaner manufacturing process for a box.
I’m happy to see boxed water all over the city of Chicago. I hope it’s catching on in the rest of the world. We don’t need smart water, we need this water.
So I don’t talk about work a lot here on this blog. I usually speak in the vaguest of terms so that nothing can be held against me in the future. But the truth of the matter is, I work for a Fortune 500 Technology company. Said company has its roots in traditional telecommunications; at one time it would have been called “the telephone company” (but it’s not THE telephone company that Ernestine worked for).
I’m the Lead Developer and Staff Manager of a team of nine very capable individuals. Seven of them work for the company and two of them are off-shore contractors working on projects along with the core team through the end of the year. Our official team moniker includes “Tools and Automation”. We write web-based applications to bring a cohesiveness to very dissimilar software applications in use throughout the company. Our tools touch all parts of the company: service and support, order processing, order entry, and communicating with third party providers. It’s a very challenging position with some wonderful opportunities. Our automation and tools make an impact to literally thousands of employees in the company, which in turn improves the customer experience. Writing this makes me realize that I indeed feel like I’m making a difference.
The company has endured its ups and downs over the years. Budgets are occasionally leaner at point A on the timeline versus what we can do at point Z. However, the company tries to make working a pleasant experience within the confines of budgets. We now get an extra week of vacation at three years instead of the traditional five. Tech start-up niceties have been installed in the offices; nicer cafeterias, ping pong tables, and the like. Many have an option to work from home. There’s a strong “remote employee” culture as well; I’m one of the folks who’s official office is actually at home. The company also focuses on Employee Engagement.
Every quarter, a handful of employees are recognized as “MVP Employees”. With the award comes a cash bonus and an extra day of vacation. I was selected as one of the MVPs for this past quarter.
It’s nice to be recognized for the work I’m doing as well as the work my team is doing. For all the extra hours that are worked, for the moments of accomplishment and the moments of frustration, it’s a nice feeling to be recognized by the leadership team. In a particularly pressing time in the realm of deadlines and expectations, it was quite nice to receive the recognition.
It was the morale boost I needed. I once again feel like I can conquer the world.
Everyone has their own journey. One of the cool things about being human is we are each unique. No one else in the entire universe will experience a moment the same way you do. We may see the same things, but we don’t feel the same things. Only you truly know your own feelings.
I was watching TED Talks while working today. Most of my TED Talk viewing selection is based around the responsible use of technology, especially when it comes to Internet Privacy. I enjoy educating myself on how much we compromise our privacy when we opt to go for the latest and greatest gadget experience. Education makes us better. I had finished a video when another was suggested. The cover snap included a tall, smiling woman who had a positive energy emanating from the screen. The title was intriguing, “I’ve lived as a man and a woman — here’s what I’ve learned”. The speaker was Paula Stone Williams. I’ve included a locally hosted link to the video at the top of this blog post.
As the title suggests, Paula speaks to her experiences as a trans woman from the perspective of not transitioning until later in life. She has plenty of first-hand knowledge to compare how society behaves towards men and women, specifically white men and white women. Her candor, storytelling style, and honesty made this a fascinating video for me to enjoy.
I consider myself fortunate that my soul feels mostly comfortable in this vehicle I’m using for this round of incarnation. Not everyone has that experience, and it’s important for us to educate ourselves about the journey of others, at least as far as it can be shared through storytelling. Learning about others gives us insight and perspective.
In a time when many are content to live within borders and their own little silo, perhaps it’d be better if we stepped outside and learned a bit about those around us.
I love the new “Behind The Mac” ad campaign popping up all over the place. My Twitter ads are filled with stories, the ‘L’ stations feature ads. They look classy to me. As an Apple Enthusiast I find them quite enjoyable.
Using Apple products sparks creativity in me. Other experiences make me think too much of corporate work.
I’m a free spirit. I need to recognize that more often.
Some days you just need to relax and idle the brain. Apparently I’ve gone off the gay end. I’m having a glass of red wine and binging “Hot In Cleveland”.
That’s just one step away from a Bea Arthur marathon.
Flipping through YouTube while writing code today, a scene from “A Very Brady Sequel” came up as a suggestion. I took a peek and faster than Roy Martin could eat Alice’s spaghetti I realized the Brady’s have the very same clock Grandma City had for very many years.
And then there was happiness.
I’ve started this blog entry three times. At first I was going to write a rant about the latest idiocy from Trump but then I decided it wasn’t worth my time. How any American citizen can still support this idiot is beyond my comprehension, but then again, I don’t understand how people enjoy giving an time to a Kardashian, so I’m often out of step with those around me.
I then thought I could write something witty about the latest idiocy from Trump but we are way beyond any of this being a laughing matter. Recently, when asked how much I enjoyed age 50, I quipped that I was happy to be halfway through my life and that lingering damage done by this administration may screw up only half my existence. The first half was a great run. I hope there’s a country, even a planet, for the second half of my life. And quite frankly, there’s nothing funny about that.
Trump’s little flip-flop maneuver on the word “would” vs “wouldn’t” this afternoon, after he realized that the majority of intelligent Americans were freaking out about his remarks in Helsinki yesterday, is just another example of how stupid too many in the United States really can be. Anyone accepting his explanation that he “misspoke” yesterday, albeit one word, which is completely out of character for the entire theme of his remarks yesterday, née, his entire presidency, is an unabashed idiot.
I can’t believe how stupid people have become. I can’t believe this guy is still in office. In an alternate timeline, Hillary has secured healthcare for everyone and we are now working on getting the homeless fed and off the streets.
The Netflix series “Easy” is filming in our neighborhood this week. Earl and I couldn’t recall the series when we saw the signs posted along nearby streets, but then we looked it up at home and realized we had watched some episodes back when we lived in Central New York.
We started watching season two this evening.
I remembered enjoying the series when watching season one last year (before our move), watching season two is extra fun because we live in the same city as where the series takes place and was filmed. This never happened when we lived in Utica, because after all, the only thing that took place in Utica was the first episode of a Jenny McCarthy flop, and that wasn’t even filmed in Utica.
If you want to see what it’s about, here’s a link to the show on Netflix.
“Easy” on Netflix. The “new” content channels are so much better than the traditional networks.
“Easy” is on on our binge list for the month. We’ll have to check out the filming going on later this week.
The two tourists sitting in front of us on the Brown Line, pointing out landmarks as we went along, inspired me to snap this photo from the moving train. I feel a love for this city that others find unbelievable. Chicago gets a bad rap, and there are small pockets of bad places in the city, but overall I love it here and moving here was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. Seek your happiness so you can find it.
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!
