My girlfriend’s phone number gets lots of spam calls. I didn’t have anywhere near this number when I had my old number. I registered her on the national do-not-call list yesterday.
Hopefully that will minimize the calls.
Apr 302008
Apr 292008
Packing.. done.
Moving.. done.
Internet.. done.
Critical boxes unpacked.. done.
Relaxing and getting settled.. in progress.
Apr 262008
If you happened by the blog on April 26, today I am moving. Today I move south from Dublin, CA to San Jose, CA to live with my girlfriend. Yes, it’s pretty serious. Wish me luck with both moving and the other.
)
Apr 222008
A few cool links regarding Nortel products at the Tolly Group‘s website. Tolly has been doing product evaluation and testing for over 20 years (I don’t know the actual length, they don’t say on the website). They are independent and claim to be unbiased. I see their reports being used by a variety of people. Sometimes a commissioned test will not go as planned, and you’ll see the same company re-commission the same report several months later after they made changes to their equipment.
[link] Nortel ERS 8600 beats Cisco 4500 showing between 75%-301% higher fowarding rate and 12% greater power efficiency. Nortel has been working heavily on becoming a “Green IT” manufacturer.
[link] 2008 Test Summary: Nortel Performance, Resiliency and TCO Comparison to Cisco/HP ProCurve Across Network Classes
[link] Nortel’s “Green IT” beats Cisco (summary notes: Cisco has a higher up-front investment and double the recurring power cost of a comparable Nortel data switch)
[link] 2006 Advertising insert for the Tolly Group showing various winners. 3 of the 5 products listed are Nortel products.
The recent unpleasantness in my new job has nothing to do with my current employers: Instead it has to do with a 3rd party company that manages the telecom orders for one of our customers. This customer put in a ticket for us to answer questions for this 3rd party, so I called to ask what they wanted to know, and she barked at me because apparently there was some project in progress of which I was not aware. Needless to say, I thought her barking at me was highly unprofessional and said something to the effect of “hold on a second, let’s back up here. Hi, my name is … I just received a ticket in the general remote engineering queue to answer some of your questions, how can I help you.” She continued to act like I should have some clue as to what she was talking about. Unfortunately, since this was an add on task to an unrelated project, I didn’t find the project notes, someone had to point me to them. Anyway, the point is that it’s good to remember how bad it has been in the past. It greatly helps bouy my spirits in times of recent challenge. (Not to mention, it’s much easier to deal with the stress of moving because of a recent ordeal at my previous job… 160 hours in one week… blech. Compartively speaking, moving is stress free.)
:0)
Apr 212008
Two jobs back I had a really horrible boss for several years. When I left, she had previously been fired (the exactly facts that I’m aware of is she “took 2 weeks of vacation” and then gave notice that she would not be returning to work at Heller Ehrman having found a job… since she went from a Manager of Telecom Operations for the entire company to a Project Manager at Google… I surmised she was fired.)
As I pack for my move I found the notebook I used to keep for reviewing with the HR department. One of the entries from that notebook is dated February 19, 2004 at 2 PM: I had an argument with her over RightFax Support: We had been providing the local IT team for the San Francisco office (our groups responsibility was to the entire company so each office still had it’s own IT department.) We’d recently been having problems with the RightFax device. (Footnote: RightFax is a fax device that allows you to run multiple Fax lines over a T1 line and convert those faxes to Adobe PDF format and delivered via Email. It’s a significant upgrade to having multiple fax machines, since you need neither paper nor multiple bulky devices…)
Anyway my boss asked me to send an email to her boss, the Director of IT for the corporate entity, to outline our support (probably to make her look good to her boss, I didn’t record my assumptions regarding her motivation.) But from the notes, I surmise that it would not reflect well upon the local IT Manager because I sent an instant message to the IT Manager to give her a heads up out of professional courtesy. For some reason (again, not recorded) the topic came up with my boss.
My notes say my boss asked why I had done that. I responded “to be nice.” She repeated her question, I repeated my answer. She asked “but why?” I responded “because I have to work with these people and I think it’s important try to be nice.” To which she answered, “You don’t have to be nice to anyone but me. You need to remember who’s important here.”
Needless to say, it was one of the worst jobs I had ever suffered in while she worked there. Once she left, I still suffered some and felt isolated from my coworkers, but I found myself some measure in happiness in my work. I debate whether to keep the notes, but will hold on to them for now. If nothing else, it helps remind me of how bad it can get and helps me continue under the weight of occasional unpleasantness.
Edit: many typos.
Apr 202008
The link to recover your password, should you need it, is:
http://www.datarave.net/forums/profile.php?mode=sendpassword
Apr 192008
Eric popped by my blog recently and commented on my use of his material. He offered additional material to contribute (Copyright Eric Odegaard, posted with permission):
Just Awakened
Water settles
into pools on the driveway:
glass beads in a broach.The idle sun drifts
from behind clouds,
its slanted light washinga plain row of rocks
garnished with wildflowers,
trickling through birch branches,making that haze, that murky, thick
yellow against the stucco of the house.
Magic collapses into majestyor low density dreams,
the ones we return to for security
or warmth, the way a baby needs swaddling.A return to the dense patchwork of skin,
skeins of yarn, the spun weight
of fibers or pores densely ladenwith the memory of touch.
I watch the way your nails curve,
mysteriously, over your fingers,the bright, halogen pink
of your skin against the white, fragile,
like a crocus stem, a sparrow’s wing.
Apr 182008
We visited Napa for a weekend in February. I took photos as always and we drank wine. What else do you do in Napa?
Apr 172008
Listed on Craigslist
Listed on our property manager’s web site;
And our property managers;
Matusich-Raich Property Management
Terrace Villa 1 bedroom, 1 bath, upstairs end unit condominium. Tastefully remodeled gleaming kitchen with new cherry cabinets, granite tops, stove/micro combo, refrigerator ice/maker. Vaulted ceiling, wood burning fireplace, ceiling fan, central air, inside laundry room with washer/dryer. Carport parking, pool/spa, pet friendly under 30lbs. Close to 87, 85, & 101, parks and Santa Teresa Hospital. Ready to move in 5/1/08!!
| Bedrooms: | 1 |
| Bathrooms: | 1 |
| Kitchen Description: | Oven/range Refrigerator Ice maker in fridge Built in dishwasher Microwave Sink disposal |
| Laundry Description: | Electric dryer Inside laundry |
| Approx Square Feet: | 690 |
| Dwelling Type: | Condo |
| Floor Coverings: | Carpet Ceramic tile Vinyl tile |
| Window Coverings: | Mini-blinds Vertical blinds Screens |
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| Pets: | Dogs under 30 lbs |
| Parking: | 1 car carport Detached parking Street parking |
| Furnished: | Unfurnished |
| Fireplace: | One fireplace Fireplace in family room |
| Heat: | Gas heat Forced air heat |
| Cooling: | Central air |
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