Going to U/Saint Thomas, to pick up the Cap and Gown, etc. Been more than a few months (December) since I was last on campus. I'm not an easily excitable guy, but I'm getting "Kinda excited" right about now. [Wish my mom was around to watch the graduation ceremony.] … [Read more...]
Photos and Film
May 12, 2016 By
Before i started working on the stuff i have to do today, i wanted to share the following: I have four "rolls of film", sitting on my desk, they're been sitting around for about ten years now (at least). And, two more rolls with the film leader sticking out - i can't tell whether those two rolls were never used, OR, if I (partially) used them but didn't rewind the leader in "all the way" in order … [Read more...]
Dream job??
May 12, 2016 By
I have had a long and successful and diverse career in software development and IT, encompassing more than thirty five years. I wouldn't trade my chosen career for anything. Wouldn't trade it for the world. But, with that said, here are my latest "dream jobs": Orchestra conductor Hollywood film composer Musician in a (successful) Latin Jazz Big Band Software development instructor at the … [Read more...]
Job hunting and Cincinnatti
May 12, 2016 By
yeah, well, i guess i can now share this with all of you. Two weeks ago, a bank flew me out to Cincinnati for a day long job interview (five interviews with five people). Just got the rejection letter after getting home from my U/Saint Thomas errand. It was the same type of software development I did while at USPS and at my final position at Unisys. They chose the other candidate. It would have … [Read more...]
Reading Stephen King’s “11/22/1963”
May 12, 2016 By
As most (if not all) of you know, I'm a huge book reader, have been since at least sixth grade. In high school, I started reading Stephen King and really enjoyed his stuff, and read several of his thousand page novels during that time. Eventually my tastes changed (having stopped reading Mr. King), and started reading mysteries, and other stuff, but also started reading Tom Clancy's 1,000 page … [Read more...]
Memory about the Avalanche “accident”
May 11, 2016 By
t's been a year since my (parked) truck was plowed in by that young girl... Never took the (positive) action I was thinking about taking with regard to the girl that hit the truck. Sincerely hope her life is going better for her than it was a year ago. I've re-read all the comments this post (from a year ago) generated. A lot of you gave me such great feedback, with much to think about. I'm … [Read more...]
Listening to music
May 11, 2016 By
For the most part, I don't listen (much) to Piano music. Sometimes, it's a bit "too slow" for me. However, today, we're listening to music from a disk called "100 Best Film Classics" - this is disc four of a six CD set I received last year via a donation to MPR (MN Public Radio). After listening to this CD, it seems to be mostly piano music - some piano solo's and some with orchestra … [Read more...]
Recruiters and their emails…
May 11, 2016 By
Last week, I received THE shortest job recruiting email I've ever received in my recent experience: "Is this you? • Unisys Clearpath MCP • Database Programming experience • WFL experience • Algol programming experience" ...ending with his name, his title: "IT Recruiter, Division Director, AVP Permanent Placement Services", his recruiting company name ("Robert Half Technology"), and his … [Read more...]
Chocolate…
May 11, 2016 By
Really productive morning/afternoon, but really need some CHOCOLATE now! Don't have any in the house. Must. Go. Out. And. Get. Some. … [Read more...]
Star Trek, Red Shirts, and Lailah
May 10, 2016 By
Almost every episode, a Federation "red shirt" from the Enterprise would somehow be killed, and Bones (Dr. McCoy) would be kneeling by the guy, checking his pulse, then while looking up at Kirk, say the words: "He's dead, Jim". (It really was like clock work) [I taught this phrase to Lailah more than a year ago, and she still says it to me, knowing i will laugh and laugh when she says it.] … [Read more...]
Snow…
February 28, 2016 By
I really, really don't pay much attention to the weather. But, yesterday, I'm told the Twin Cities hit an all time record "high" for the day at being 56 degrees, which is a bit amazing since it's usually in the twenties/thirties. So, I woke up to 99% no snow on the ground, with only a couple of mounds near the street sidewalk. I look outside a few hours later (it sounded like it had been … [Read more...]
IBM Robots, Carrie Fisher, and Watson
February 28, 2016 By
This, made my day (ok, not really, but it's pretty funny!) … [Read more...]
Academy Awards: Joe Biden, and his Special Announcement.
February 28, 2016 By
"Take the pledge and make a personal commitment to help keep women and men safe from sexual assault." THE PLEDGE This pledge is a personal commitment to help keep women and men safe from sexual assault. It is a promise not to be a bystander to the problem, but to be a part of the solution. I PLEDGE To recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault. To identify situations in … [Read more...]
Academy Awards #2
February 28, 2016 By
Sam Smith, winning for "Best Original Song" "...making him the first openly gay man to win an Academy Award." About. Time. … [Read more...]
Academy Awards #1
February 28, 2016 By
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio. Great. Speech. … [Read more...]
Book collecting
February 26, 2016 By
Apparently, without my knowledge, someone took this hidden video when I was a teenager. … [Read more...]
Big Bang Theory…
February 26, 2016 By
I've never actually seen an episode of BBT [big bang theory - BFF Rick is a huge fan though], but based on this scene, maybe I should put it on the "to try" list. … [Read more...]
A note to my good friend “Sam”
February 21, 2016 By
Sam, Either this is a reminder, or maybe the first time I've shared this with you... Sometime, during the 2009-2011 "Great Recession", I somehow came across a story you wrote for a magazine. It was either a sailing mag or a vacation mag. Either way, I enjoyed what you wrote, and, (here is the part I want to emphasize), that story and knowing that you were the person that wrote it, inspired me to … [Read more...]
Buying a book at Barnes and Noble
February 20, 2016 By
Wanted to buy myself a new (techie/geek) book today. It's $10-15 cheaper if I have B&N ship it to me, getting it to me by Tues/Wed, or $10-15 more expensive, if I drive the 5 miles to the local B&N store to have it in my grubby hands today. Tough choice. I was interested in reading it today, but I think I'm going to be patient and have it shipped. On the other hand, now that I "have" to … [Read more...]
Composing music – John Adams
February 20, 2016 By
This is how my mind works. A friend attending a concert tonight posts a picture of a (living) composer giving a talk before/after this particular concert and mentions their name: John Adams. I just happen to know or believe that I vaguely remember there are two composers (living) having that name. One of whom I like and have more than a few CDs of various orchestras playing his music (such as, … [Read more...]
