My list

Here goes but this is not easy for me... I am not one to usually think about these things - on any scale....

Name one thing you do every day

Masturbate... hahahah just kidding... no seriously... not.. hmmm... I really don't think there is anything I do every day....

Name five things/people that make you feel good:

Riding a bike - be it road or mountain...even a motorcycle - riding always puts me in a good place mentally

Head Scratching - I LOVE to have my head scratched... big time!! The wifey can can scratch it for hours and I am like a dog getting it's ass scratched....

Helping my kids learn - I think I get more excited than they do when they get A's or 100%'s on their tests. I really feel good when I can see the results of OUR hard work.

Music - could not live my life without it

Friends and Family - I have some 30 year friends, work friends, even blogger friends that can always lift my spirits. Kids rule and of course the wifey... I always say about her - when she is mad at you - you know it and feel it but when things are good and she loves you - you will never feel more loved by a person... ever.

Name four things you love to eat but rarely do:

Creme Brulee - mmmmmmmmmmm

Chocolate Pop Tarts - I plead with the wife and kids to not bring this in the house... I cannot control myself

Filet Mingon - .... to damn spensive buy yuumyy!!!

Cream Corn from Summit House - the absolute BEST!!

Name three things that remind you of childhood:

BMX bike - my kick ass all red mongoose with anodized everything, red snake-belly tires and my front number plate with - BOLT-ON - numbers!!!

Queen - my favorite band before I got into punk.... and became supercool!!

Riding in the back of pick up trucks - all summer long. Truly one of life's greatest pleasures that has been lost.

Name two things you wish you could learn:

How to really graphic design stuff with photshop etc.

Build a room on a house - I so suck at building anything... my bro got all the mechanical skills (he sucks at school stuff)

Well - that is about all I got and it was not easy......

On Vacation

Wrider... that is why I have not been posting. Enjoying a few days (week actually) of total relaxation. Well here goes my super long Wrider type post:

Got a lot of work done on Saturday and Sunday (lawns, wash both cars, oil change, etc) then off with some neighbors to Santa Ynez valley for some wine tasting.

Now of course, I did not wine taste (well I took a few sips of the swill) as I cannot stand wine and still don't but it was so beautiful up there. On Monday, we drove up and took the back way into Solvang so that we can stop at a winery called Gainey that our friends are members of. We got to go back to this room, past the wine barrels, for members only and that was cool. I do gotta say for me, the dark oak, deep leather chairs, etc. made me want a scotch and a cigar rather than wine but it was still very nice. We also past a small airport out there and someone was flying their P-51 which was bitchin. One of my favorite fighter planes ever.

From there we went through Solvang and to our kick ass Best Western in Buelton right next to Anderson's Pea Soup. Pool, Jacuzzi.. and about $70 a night... I love it!!!!

Kids loved the pool (ours and theirs - thank god they are all girls and all friends) and we adults loved the jacuzzi. If I had a jacuzzi I would never leave it..

Got up on Tuesday morning - free breakfast (woohoo) and off to more wineries. First stop was called Babcock (hahaha). This was the first winery our friends went to together 27 years ago so I thought that was cool. Next was off to Melville - very beautiful building (see building in photos - link below) After this, the wifey is not only buzzed but now seriously liking wine. UGHHH.. this is gonna cost me - damn wine people!! hahaha

Now we are off to another winery called LaFond. I loved this one as it was tucked away in a small valley on Santa Rosa Road which in many places barely fits one car. It was green quiet and remote and this is where we had our nice picnic lunch. Wine, cheese, crackers, meats, fruit etc. I felt like a yuppie I tell you but it was so good and relaxing and as our friend puts it "bucolic". (see picnic photos)

There was also a lot of bike riders - gonna bring the bike next year - such an awesome place to ride.

Now we were off to the miniature horse farm. Kids loved this. Wrider, check out the photo of the baby mini - not even two week old and this girl was running and bucking etc. you would have loved it!!!

Finally - off to the Lavender Farm. SOOOOOO relaxing. I am telling you - live there and no need to ever get stoned.... you are beyond mellow.

Back to the hotel, more swimming and jacuzzi - a few beers at Firestone Brewery (way overpriced - not worth it) and some sleep.

On Wed. we did a little walk around Solvang then home. We all had a great and relaxing time..

Here is the link to the photo's - finally another use for Dropshots.

Finally - it seems YOUR MOM was upset I removed her from the list so she is back but you better blog damn you!!!!

Work and Supercross

Strange things seem afoot. Not sure but get the feeling some bombs will drop.. Our project leader guy (#2) is being removed from the project entirely - and now I heard they already hired a replacement - another person from the outside... and that is what sucks - all new hires are from the outside and mostly mortgage... a-holes could destroyed their own industry - now ours too.... nah not that bad but much uneasiness... I don't like it....

Anywho,

here are a few cool vids of two yamaha professional riders - helmet cams - three from supercross and one from a test track

I think you will like the birds-eye view (see what I did there)

Vids

I know I should be happy.......but...

It was "raise" time at the Merc and although in Merc terms my raise was good - I am not happy. I worked way harder on more difficult things and more hours than the year before yet my raise % was less..... go figure... and the worse part which I may actually complain about to HR.. I still have not gotten my review. Got my raise % and it is on my check and all without the actual review... WTF?? It just removed the point of the review. How can I argue my points and try to negotiate more (or maybe a g-damn promotion) before anything is final. Really stupid.... but I will bring up all this when I actually have my review....it should be interesting.

I also know (cause they told me) other people got higher %'s than me yet more than once by different people I have been told I am the most important person on the project... yet no where is this reflected. I love having the respect of my co-workers, including many consultants and I stay late etc. as I take pride in my work but that will only go so far. I do admit I do balance this out with a 7 mile drive and the knowledge I aint gettin fired.. but still......Plus due to "sources" I do know some complete idiots who are making way more than me (our jack-ass project managers.) and that just eats at ya a little. We could do their job but they could never do mine or developers yet they make more.... how to address this is difficult.

On the good front, AVman was in a big dev team meeting with our overall boss and he and my favorite brit developer let it fly in the meeting - which is awesome. Best part... they are talking about creating BSA's which as I mentioned in another blog is a more technical job - and someone said -"no one in the company is doing anything like a BSA right now" and AVman said -" not true - BIRDMAN (not my real name. hahahha) does" and the brit backed him up.. It's nice to have a good friend like that !!!!!

Finally, since MAMA has been liking my music to much lately here is a video for ya from the early 80's of the Virgin Prunes. I f'in love this song..... if Mama likes this.........the world is ending.

VIRGIN PRUNES

Later

Breathing Room

First -WELCOME BACK WRIDER!!! we missed ya!!!

OK, well we got (more on this) a 3 day weekend - no work at all and man did I need it. I was the walking dead - always tired, my mind just not wanting to think... mental tiredness sucks..... I would rather be physically tired. Seems what we have been saying all along (delay the project - push back the go-live date) was finally realized by the PMO.... only months to late. So now while they all eat chit (at least in my mind) we get to slow down a bit.

Now, word got out that other departments were getting a 3 days weekend.. QA heard on Wed. Night... and my QA buddies of course tell me. So we wait on Thurs. for our turn. Dev comes out - they get the same deal.. still nothing for us few BA's. Finally about 3:30 Thursday, we get the come to my office call.. COOL!! so we get in- talk about the date and he (our current super...not a BA) say no weekends for a little while so take it off... and that was it..... nothing... so one BA then says "long weekend??"".. . to which he says,, "Well other teams are taking off tomorrow so we can explore that.." Can you believe it ... he was not going to say anything or offer it to us unless we brought it up... I of course said "OH LET'S EXPLORE!""" I like my super but he lost some respect with me with that move.

So mowed the lawns. cleaned the house, bike ride with the girls, helped wifey move some work stuff as they are moving to a bigger place... and watched a lot of FREE Showtime... Direct TV free movie weekend... love that shit!!! I also got some sleep... it was needed. Best part. with the date pushed, I am still maxed out on vacation hours (200) and they owe me three comp days for working a holiday and missing my vacation last month. (I was maxed out and they asked me to work.... in return for comp days in the future) so I am seeing a week off this month... that will be dealt with tomorrow.....

Was cruzing the net for news of the new Disturbed. They has a mini-view with them in Guitar World so I thought I would see if anything leaked - nope but went to Amazon and saw that in the next month or so new Counting Crows and new REM... and ........Amazon has mini videos of new songs by both... that was cool - did not know they had. Check out your bands and see what is there.

Bonuses sucked this year.... I will still take it but when you get a really good bonus one year and not the next you become an ungrateful bastard I swear! ahahahhaha

Finally, the new FLOGGING MOLLY (click to link to their site) came out. I am a big fan of their stuff.. Irish folk/punk/pub music.. just kicks ass and makes you want to down a few pints! Will be getting it my next trip to Best Buy.. I say you cannot go wrong - impossible to not like.... go for it!!

Peace out for now.. y'all!!!

artifical light and cubicle

That has been my existence.... working on day 10 in a row and if you look at it... I will have about 2 days off in about 20 - totally blows......

Let's see - I hate most of QA... jackasses don't know chit...... I hate most of the PMO - jackasses really don't know chit... sorry audio... but your lady over in the PMO sucks balls and not in a good way.... waste of money......wish I could just land a solid left (cause I am a lefty all you tards out there...:-)

I wish you were still there audio... the builds sucked for a while - we finally got a good guy and it has gotten better... for the rest of the CM stuff.. don't know but be thankful........

other works news.,. they finally hired a ba/bsa manager.. they will be splitting up the group into business analyst's who do mostly true business and project narratives and then business systems analyst's who will be more IT and do the use cases , sequence diagrams and maybe some data modeling... I will pick the BSA route if forced to choose - more challenging..... I guess I am not ready to get past the stress if IT just yet.....it's like a drug and I am smokin it hard.....hahahaha

For go-live and the week after - I as usual - get asked to do the 4 am to noon shift. (NY users) of course I do i but I will be with DK (developer) and Robbin (QA) so we will have some fun I am sure

Watched 30 Days of Night ... kicked ass and took Maddy to see Jumper.... decent flick for what it is....of course I would jump into the showers of hot women.....and yes, the women would actually be in the shower... hhahahha

and..... I like the Vampire Weekend song - a punk..

later

I still hate most everyone......