The tax mans taken all my dough,
And left me in my stately home,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.
And I cant sail my yacht,
Hes taken everything Ive got,
All Ive gots this sunny afternoon.
Save me, save me, save me from this squeeze.
I got a big fat mama trying to break me.
And I love to live so pleasantly,
Live this life of luxury,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.
In the summertime
In the summertime
In the summertime
My girlfriends run off with my car,
And gone back to her ma and pa,
Telling tales of drunkenness and cruelty.
Now Im sitting here,
Sipping at my ice cold beer,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.
Help me, help me, help me sail away,
Well give me two good reasons why I oughta stay.
cause I love to live so pleasantly,
Live this life of luxury,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.
In the summertime
In the summertime
In the summertime
Ah, save me, save me, save me from this squeeze.
I got a big fat mama trying to break me.
And I love to live so pleasantly,
Live this life of luxury,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.
In the summertime
In the summertime
In the summertime
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Things to do
1) get dynamips configured and working properly on my MBP. I need to get studying and completing labs for the CCIE next year.
2) investigate if I really want that 24" LED monitor made specifically for the Mac laptops. I'm operating my 15" MBP in lid-closed mode using a 19" Dell plasma. It works well enough but for labs where I have to have half a dozen Cisco images booted and running the extra real estate would be a welcomed advantage. I'm also considering the 30" Apple monitor but I don't think the MBP can push the 30" to high resolutions.
3) Figure out what in the world is wrong with my 2 meter radio. I can't send or recieve a signal for poo in this place. I refuse to believe I've moved to a giant faraday cage in Durham. There's got to be something wrong with the power supply, radio or antenna.
4) Fix my Apple TV, perhaps upgrade the HD for a solid state drive. I'm bummed I can't stream my music and watch all my movies as I am accostomed.
5) Send Time Warner a thank you letter (see following graphic). As always the upload speed could be better but I can't agrue with the download speed. No sir, I sure can't do that (and the time is way off on the graphic - I was not surfing at 3:22 AM though it could have been that time somewhere around the globe).
2) investigate if I really want that 24" LED monitor made specifically for the Mac laptops. I'm operating my 15" MBP in lid-closed mode using a 19" Dell plasma. It works well enough but for labs where I have to have half a dozen Cisco images booted and running the extra real estate would be a welcomed advantage. I'm also considering the 30" Apple monitor but I don't think the MBP can push the 30" to high resolutions.
3) Figure out what in the world is wrong with my 2 meter radio. I can't send or recieve a signal for poo in this place. I refuse to believe I've moved to a giant faraday cage in Durham. There's got to be something wrong with the power supply, radio or antenna.
4) Fix my Apple TV, perhaps upgrade the HD for a solid state drive. I'm bummed I can't stream my music and watch all my movies as I am accostomed.
5) Send Time Warner a thank you letter (see following graphic). As always the upload speed could be better but I can't agrue with the download speed. No sir, I sure can't do that (and the time is way off on the graphic - I was not surfing at 3:22 AM though it could have been that time somewhere around the globe).
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Haven't been writing
First and foremost I'm interested to learn Apple may (*MAY*) be brining a data center to the area, or somewhere in North Carolina. Personally I hope they host their IPv6 apps from here but that's just me, and probably only me. Regardless I'm sure the data center will be managed by Apple employees and day-to-day operations and what-not outsourced to ACS or someone else. Johnson Controls will probably manage the building and grounds. Still it is interesting and it would be nice to see Apple's footprint increase beyond the local Apple Stores, remote sales staff, etc.
I haven't been writing much, mostly because I haven't felt like it. This whole thing has been a larger kick in the gut than I anticipated. In short, it sucks. From what I understand it gets better with time and that's welcome news, let me tell you! I don't want to be so down, after all, it could be sooooooo much worse.
My main focus now is to make sure my employer knows my value. If I were to lose my job right now? Oh dear, that would not be good at all. So I'm working a lot and that helps to keep my mind occupied plus I'm volunteering for extra projects outside of my normal area of expertise. This forces me to learn something new and meet new people in the process, both pluses.
I'm finding Durham to be a fine little town through this adventure in fact a great little place to live and work. Years ago I was afraid of Durham and that is just so unnecessary. Sure, the city has some problems but not many. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. My area of town is spot-on wonderful. I have not yet made as much use of the new Durham Bulls stadium as I would have thought but these lonely, boring weekends will be much less so I hope, partly due to the fact that I intend to attend and *follow* the Bulls. Heck, they are right next door, I feel getting to know them should be as natural as getting to know any new neighbor.
With that I think I'll try to set up my HAM radio once again. So far I've not received *ONE SIGNAL TRANSMISSION* in my apartment building. Could I be living in a giant faraday cage? Time will tell (and I hope not). I'm going to see if I can get on ARES/RACES net tonight at night. But first, to reorganize the desk!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Please, a moment of silence
It appears my Apple TV passed away sometime last night or today. The Apple TV worked tirelessly traveling thousands of miles between Youngsville and Rodanthe for several years. Perhaps a future stuck in Durham for the next year or more was too much for the old man to take and he simply gave up the digital ghost.
I can't say this was good timing, though, as I'll probably not be able to get another Apple TV for some time to come. I have many, many DVDs encoded for Apple TV that formerly resided on said appliance and I don't think they will play full-screen on a television attached mini hence I'm kind of at a crossroads.. do I go with the TV attached mini or an Apple TV. The Apple TV had a couple of cool features such as being able to use the unit as a remote speaker set for iTunes computers on the same LAN. It doesn't sound like much and you can do the same with a set of speakers and an Apple Airport Express but that's just one more thing on top of all the other things to find a home for.
Not that it matters, it will be a couple months before I get adjusted well enough to my new financial situtation to feel comfortable dropping hundredes of dollars on any new gizmo. Still, I've had the feeling for a long time that Apple was going to let this one die on the vine much like the Apple Hi-Fi that I loved so much.
If I could fix the Apple TV I probably would. I had been thinking the disk was going to die as the movies played "stuttered" quite a bit but now it won't even power up. That's obviously bad, especially with a unit that has an internal power brick. If put plug the unit in it won't boot and the power light on the front will not illuminate. So I think it's good and dead. Surgery coming soon (this weekend?) will confirm the status.
Goodnight, Apple TV. We had some great times together.
I can't say this was good timing, though, as I'll probably not be able to get another Apple TV for some time to come. I have many, many DVDs encoded for Apple TV that formerly resided on said appliance and I don't think they will play full-screen on a television attached mini hence I'm kind of at a crossroads.. do I go with the TV attached mini or an Apple TV. The Apple TV had a couple of cool features such as being able to use the unit as a remote speaker set for iTunes computers on the same LAN. It doesn't sound like much and you can do the same with a set of speakers and an Apple Airport Express but that's just one more thing on top of all the other things to find a home for.
Not that it matters, it will be a couple months before I get adjusted well enough to my new financial situtation to feel comfortable dropping hundredes of dollars on any new gizmo. Still, I've had the feeling for a long time that Apple was going to let this one die on the vine much like the Apple Hi-Fi that I loved so much.
If I could fix the Apple TV I probably would. I had been thinking the disk was going to die as the movies played "stuttered" quite a bit but now it won't even power up. That's obviously bad, especially with a unit that has an internal power brick. If put plug the unit in it won't boot and the power light on the front will not illuminate. So I think it's good and dead. Surgery coming soon (this weekend?) will confirm the status.
Goodnight, Apple TV. We had some great times together.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Got to get back on the airwaves
It's been far too long since I've been on the HAM radio airwaves. In fact I think I'll remedy that tonight. I need to drop by the office and pick up a metal file cabinet so I can properly use my 1/4 wave mag mount antenna - no more pizza pan for me! If anyone seems me I'm taking the cart back I borrowed for the move. Yeah, that's the ticket.
And, NO, I'm not STEALING the file cabinet. I need to purchase two of my own and just haven't gotten around to it. I have two in my modest sized cube, totally empty at that. I can simple use these two until I purchase my inexpensive metal file cabinet replacements (very soon). I'd have to be a total idiot to risk my job over a file cabinet!!
But I am borrowing them. That much I am doing. I'm just sayin' is all.
And, NO, I'm not STEALING the file cabinet. I need to purchase two of my own and just haven't gotten around to it. I have two in my modest sized cube, totally empty at that. I can simple use these two until I purchase my inexpensive metal file cabinet replacements (very soon). I'd have to be a total idiot to risk my job over a file cabinet!!
But I am borrowing them. That much I am doing. I'm just sayin' is all.
A lot of stuff needed
Mark Turner was timely to write about ZipCar this week as I have been thinking about signing up for this very service. Today I woke up early and drove the Suburban back to Kelly's house where it will reside henceforth. So, as of today I don't own a car. My home and work are separated by, perhaps, 100 yards at best. Do I really *need* a car? Not really, I mean probably 50 yards at a 90 degree angle from my beeline to the office from home sits the new Durham transit terminal. But.... the bus? Me?
What if I need to, say, go see my physician in Cary? It's hard to get a bus ride there. Still even a cab there and back would be less expensive than making payments on a car I don't use. There is a larger problem at work I'm afraid and that is the just about perfect for me ZipCar service does not extend into Durham. Chapel Hill, yes. Durham, no. The service may be coming to Duke University but we just don't know yet.
So for the next few months I'm paying for and insuraing a friend's 2004 Jeep TJ. She's not using is so why not? In fact she says it would help not having the payment for a while. That's good enough logic for me.
But what about after that? What then? The reason I'm waffling on purchasing a new ride is my boss made the statement flat-out that I can work from any facility where our company has a footprint - including any global office. That's when the light went off in my head.
I could, if I could figure out how to pull it off.. go totally without a permaent address starting the spring of next year when my one year commitment/lease is up. The less payments I have the more I could afford to live (cheaply) on the road. Could it be possible? If I were going to do the global explorer role I'd want to do it right - leave the country and stay out for as long as possible. There are seveal "main" offices that I could visit and stay for a long time, perhaps even a month. The first places I'd want to visit would be the corporate UK HQ in London followed by Poznan, Poland and Malaysia where our "tech centers" are located.
After that anything is possible - Russia, Italy, Czech Republic, Japan and of couse South Korea. Hell we have offices where the Peace Corps dare not tread. I woudn't put myself in harms way intentionally but, yeah, why not Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Isreal, South Africa and other assorted locations?
Travelling about Europe would be easy enough but these other places, I'm not sure about them. But I'm getting well ahead of myself. First and foremost I have to get through this year and save money so I could, if I were able, undertake this oddyssey. I'd be sure to take LOTS of pictures.
I may be staring at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I think it would be doing myself a disservice were I to not at least consider something as insane as this.
What if I need to, say, go see my physician in Cary? It's hard to get a bus ride there. Still even a cab there and back would be less expensive than making payments on a car I don't use. There is a larger problem at work I'm afraid and that is the just about perfect for me ZipCar service does not extend into Durham. Chapel Hill, yes. Durham, no. The service may be coming to Duke University but we just don't know yet.
So for the next few months I'm paying for and insuraing a friend's 2004 Jeep TJ. She's not using is so why not? In fact she says it would help not having the payment for a while. That's good enough logic for me.
But what about after that? What then? The reason I'm waffling on purchasing a new ride is my boss made the statement flat-out that I can work from any facility where our company has a footprint - including any global office. That's when the light went off in my head.
I could, if I could figure out how to pull it off.. go totally without a permaent address starting the spring of next year when my one year commitment/lease is up. The less payments I have the more I could afford to live (cheaply) on the road. Could it be possible? If I were going to do the global explorer role I'd want to do it right - leave the country and stay out for as long as possible. There are seveal "main" offices that I could visit and stay for a long time, perhaps even a month. The first places I'd want to visit would be the corporate UK HQ in London followed by Poznan, Poland and Malaysia where our "tech centers" are located.
After that anything is possible - Russia, Italy, Czech Republic, Japan and of couse South Korea. Hell we have offices where the Peace Corps dare not tread. I woudn't put myself in harms way intentionally but, yeah, why not Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Isreal, South Africa and other assorted locations?
Travelling about Europe would be easy enough but these other places, I'm not sure about them. But I'm getting well ahead of myself. First and foremost I have to get through this year and save money so I could, if I were able, undertake this oddyssey. I'd be sure to take LOTS of pictures.
I may be staring at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I think it would be doing myself a disservice were I to not at least consider something as insane as this.
Friday, May 15, 2009
got me a brand new key
Two actually, one for my apartment mailbox (looks much like a P.O. Box) and one for my dead bolt of my front door. I'd be moving some stuff into the new place but my carpets are being cleaned at the moment. Tomorrow is the day of the "big move" anyway at a time to be name later, between noon and six. Saturday night and Sunday I'll spend putting beds and tables together and what-not.
Monday it's back to work for the shortest commute I've ever had in my life (100 yards? tops, if that) and back to the apartment to meet the Time Warner guy for television and Internet install. After that it's off to the Apple Store for a new Time Capsule (I'd use my Mac mini with a USB drive except my mini is old and has USB 1.0 only, even if I had a large enough firewire 400 drive can you imagine a restore? Oh, you say, firewire is 400 meg, but the Ethernet connection through which I'll be backing up and restoring is a 100 meg bottleneck. Restores take long enough as they are, no need to increase the time. I'll just "blow" the extra $500 on a 1 TB Time Capsule and be done with it.)
Anyway, I digress. Today I briefly entertained the idea of going back to Kelly's house and taking the futon with me so I could have a place to sleep and therefore spend the night in my new place but I decided against it. I have to go back there tomorrow and I hate saying goodbye to my dogs. For those that don't understand what it's like to really share you life with a dog laugh all you want and call me stupid or insane. But for those that know there are times in life the when only thing you can depend on is your dog, well, imagine having to leave them behind at the same time knowing you're doing the right thing. It is not easy, nor is it any fun.
World's Greatest Dog Ricki-Beep
World's Greatest Dog Mister Boo
Yes, they are co-holders of the title.
Monday it's back to work for the shortest commute I've ever had in my life (100 yards? tops, if that) and back to the apartment to meet the Time Warner guy for television and Internet install. After that it's off to the Apple Store for a new Time Capsule (I'd use my Mac mini with a USB drive except my mini is old and has USB 1.0 only, even if I had a large enough firewire 400 drive can you imagine a restore? Oh, you say, firewire is 400 meg, but the Ethernet connection through which I'll be backing up and restoring is a 100 meg bottleneck. Restores take long enough as they are, no need to increase the time. I'll just "blow" the extra $500 on a 1 TB Time Capsule and be done with it.)
Anyway, I digress. Today I briefly entertained the idea of going back to Kelly's house and taking the futon with me so I could have a place to sleep and therefore spend the night in my new place but I decided against it. I have to go back there tomorrow and I hate saying goodbye to my dogs. For those that don't understand what it's like to really share you life with a dog laugh all you want and call me stupid or insane. But for those that know there are times in life the when only thing you can depend on is your dog, well, imagine having to leave them behind at the same time knowing you're doing the right thing. It is not easy, nor is it any fun.
World's Greatest Dog Ricki-Beep
World's Greatest Dog Mister Boo
Yes, they are co-holders of the title.
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