Standing On Boxes » My Profession http://neocows.net/blog Just over there Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:36:28 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 And sometimes we get bagels. http://neocows.net/blog/2011/02/02/and-sometimes-we-get-bagels/ http://neocows.net/blog/2011/02/02/and-sometimes-we-get-bagels/#comments Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:49:28 +0000 jacs http://neocows.net/blog/2011/02/02/and-sometimes-we-get-bagels/ We’re not a big company. And the branch office I work in? We would probably fit into a small corner at Google, if they weren’t afraid of getting tainted by our old school software products.

But we always have coffee. And bottled water. And at least once a month it’s someone’s birthday so we get a treat then. And occasionally lunch – for assorted reasons.

And sometimes, like this morning, we get bagels.

Life is good. :-)

]]> http://neocows.net/blog/2011/02/02/and-sometimes-we-get-bagels/feed/ 0 Busy, busy, busy… http://neocows.net/blog/2010/09/02/busy-busy-busy/ http://neocows.net/blog/2010/09/02/busy-busy-busy/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:29:42 +0000 jacs http://neocows.net/blog/2010/09/02/busy-busy-busy/ My plans for the fall just got torpedoed this week. Due to a project at work ( it’s been on the maybe someday list for a while but last week someone finally said “Do It!” ), it looks like I won’t have much time for any serious fic’age for the next week/months. Instead, I get to become the local expert in something so I can work on this project.

Granted, that’s actually how my job works – learning a new ( to us) software platform in a horrifically short amount of time and applying/integrating it with one of our products. If one were to read between the contract lines. It can be exciting, once the initial panic at the scope of the project and what I need to know to do it wears off. And I might even get some prof. Certs. out of this one. If I survive.

But it doesn’t leave much brain power for non- work things.

Although I do plan to finish a couple story parts that are mostly done anyway over next couple weeks, unless I need the stress relief don’t expect to see much from me until at least Christmas.

]]> http://neocows.net/blog/2010/09/02/busy-busy-busy/feed/ 0 Miscellaneous News… http://neocows.net/blog/2008/05/24/miscellaneous-news/ http://neocows.net/blog/2008/05/24/miscellaneous-news/#comments Sat, 24 May 2008 21:46:36 +0000 jacs http://neocows.net/blog/2008/05/24/miscellaneous-news/
  • Gas for the red buggy is now $4/gal around here. Yes, I know it’s more expensive elsewhere in the USA. But that first tank of $4 gas was a shock to the system.
    I’m checking into getting a car with better gas mileage but since the red buggy is paid for and car loans for used BMW’s are hard to come by… I’m not sure what I’ll find that will be worth getting. Especially since I want manual transmission and that’s rare in the model I want.
    Not sure about the color but this is the basic model and price I’m looking for:

    http://www.zibe.com/for-sale/Used-2001-bmw-5_series-530i_sedan-manassas-va-1565857.html

    If they still have it in late June I might have to take a trip there…

  • I’ve paid the site hosting fee for this blog for another year. Assuming “Userland” is still hosting/supporting “Radio” blogs for the next year.
    Next year… I’m thinking of finding a different web host — one that lets me do more than a basic blog.
  • I’m swamped with work… a project I was hoping to have done has gone seriously over time (For assorted reasons — only 1/4 of which I’ll take “credit” for myself. It was a pick-up because the client wanted it done sooner than the original project owner could get to it and I was “free”. Unfortunately, it turned out to be much more complex than I was told/expected and since I’m not the one who did the time estimate on it and I didn’t have anything to do with setting the deliverable date…
    ARGH!! Unhappiness in Mudville….
    And a learning experience… to say the least… ]]> http://neocows.net/blog/2008/05/24/miscellaneous-news/feed/ 0 Almost there… http://neocows.net/blog/2008/04/16/almost-there/ http://neocows.net/blog/2008/04/16/almost-there/#comments Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:00:47 +0000 jacs http://neocows.net/blog/2008/04/16/almost-there/ Unleaded premium… $3.49/gallon today.
    So… my monthly fuel costs… almost double what they were a year and a half a go.
    Starting to get painful… but still less than it would cost me to get a new car with better gas mileage (Now that the red buggy is paid for.)
    With my current salary… I can take it going a little higher… though I’m not happy with it. Especially since the rising gas prices are not because of a gas shortage but are caused by commodities traders getting rich.
    And McCain things repealing the Federal gas tax for the summer is going to make a difference? He’s out of his politically addled mind!
    Not that the Democratic wonder twins (Obama/Clinton) have any better ideas…

    ]]>     http://neocows.net/blog/2008/04/16/almost-there/feed/ 0     Thank you sir, may I have another! http://neocows.net/blog/2008/01/17/thank-you-sir-may-i-have-another/ http://neocows.net/blog/2008/01/17/thank-you-sir-may-i-have-another/#comments Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:15:46 +0000 jacs http://neocows.net/blog/2008/01/17/thank-you-sir-may-i-have-another/ Two weeks into the new year, and what do we have?

    1. My cable (Comcast) bill increased $6/month – most of which was for my HD/DVR services. I actually wandered over to the Comcast web page and… if I tried to put together the current cable services that I have now as a new subscriber — it would cost me $20/month more than I pay now. (Ala-carte channel selection would be nice. I watch less than 1/5 of the channels I get on a monthly basis.)
      Yikes! Not that I have any other/cheaper options since I live in an apartment.
      Oh well, at least I have decent cable service and decent cable internet service.

    2. Gas is $3.08/gal today for the 93 octane stuff my car is supposed to have. And that is with that nasty ‘almost’ 10% ethanol stuff that drives my car’s engine electronics crazy.
    3. The country is apparently Recession-bound, though supposedly we won’t actually know that until it’s over. Or so say the economists.
    4. It’s primary season. Don’t expect any endorsements for a specific candidate from me. Not here anyway. I expect it will be fairly obvious who I might vote for.
      TN’s primary is on “Super Tuesday”.

    5. Apple released an upgrade to the iPod touch firmware on Tuesday to go along with Macworld 2008. The Techno-nerd Entitlement Brats are up in arms because Apple wants $20 to add some new applications to the Touch (ones that came with the iPhone) BUT new Touches will get these apps automatically. I think they’re out of their entitlement-addled minds.
      I could say more – lots more – but why bother.
      Sure, using Google maps, and doing e-mail with my Touch is fun (Yes, I did pony up the $$ for the upgrade) but it’s a PMP (Personal Media Player) not an iPhone or web tablet (like that Nokia thing). Sure, there’s a lot of potential in it but potential != ‘has to have’
      Of course, I also actually pay for software I use. I pay for movies. I pay for other media I consume. Maybe it’s my age?

      TANSTAAFL baby!

    6. One bit of good news :-) . I found a $20 bill when I stopped to fill up the tank and get my bi-monthly Powerball ticket (Someday I’ll win!)
    ]]>     http://neocows.net/blog/2008/01/17/thank-you-sir-may-i-have-another/feed/ 0