Training Denied!!!

Don’t you hate it when your management tells you that you need to take a class – get training in something that would make you more marketable and really increase your opportunities – then, after you do all the research, find a class and get ready to take it, they so: “What? Travel? Sorry – we can’t pay for travel to take a class.” I guess it’s off, then. I wouldn’t have minded except that they got my hopes up. So, I’m feeling a bit down today. I had hoped that I would have the opportunity to grow my skills in a highly specialized area, but it looks like that won’t happen. Sometimes, I hate my job.

Tucson, It Is

2012-01-08 23:28:55

For now, I will be working in Tucson, Arizona. A nice place, really… at least in Winter or Spring. Today was really nice. I got off a nice short [read: less than 3 hour] flight and took a slow drive to the customer site with the windows down. It’s odd, really. I can tell I really live in a big city when places like Tucson seem… well… quiet. I asked the receptionist in the office if today it was really quiet outside and she looked at me like I was insane. Aparently, this time of year is quite loud and busy for Tucson. Summer is when it’s really quiet.

Hmm… Don’t know if I could handle THAT much quiet. I guess I just get used to a certain background ‘hum’ that seems to be present in all of the larger cities I go to. I don’t get close to the ‘open range’ on most projects. It’s good to breath cleaner, drier air once in a while.

Project: Limbo

I think that’s what I’ll call this project from now on. When people ask my what I’m working on, I’ll say: “I’m working in Limbo right now.” I will go to Tucson next week for the second half of the week and all of the week after. After that I hear whispers about Australia and “other international sites” but nothing concrete. I wish I could actually MAKE PLANS!!! I think I need a new job. One where I can go home every night.

This seems to be the ongoing rant on my site. I guess I should have something more interesting to complain about…

Psychotic Laptop

Don’t you hate it when your computer begins to think for itself? It often develops a personality of it’s own – somehow, the whole is greater than the parts of the installed programs. Can self-awareness arise from having too many applications on one’s computer? I think it might happen. A sheer coincidence of random data producing what could only be defined as “attitude”. In fact, I think it has happened to my laptop.

Now, many others have seen the phenomenon, but I have always scoffed. This time, though, I know they did not lie. Nor were they mistaken. Computers are as stubborn as mules and fickle as teen-aged girls. I know this. I have seen it. After months of struggling with my computer, it finally dawned on me that I had given it too much information: that it had learned to think on it’s own. In my final effort to maintain superiority over the machine, I have wiped out my previous installation of Windows. I now have a clean, fresh machine.

One hopes that this one will not learn the habits of it’s virtual predecessor. If it does, I am in for more trouble.

Spam Is Evil

Every once in a while, some dolt leaves some ‘comment spam’ on my site. This makes me angry. Most especially when it’s vulgar and inappropriate. So, I have implemented a blacklist. Comment will now be filtered for keywords and URLs containing inappropriate content. If you post, post nicely.

The Ever Changing Face…

I like to change things every once in a while. At present, I am toying with web styles. I like to change the colors and feel of the site periodically. This look is nice and clean, but I’m still looking for a distinctive “me” look. I am trying to learn more and more about CSS and how I can use that to make the page look spiffy and stylistically consistent. So, if you happen to be browsing to my site and see it look hideous or illegible, then I might just be in the process of testing a new look. Or, I might just have very bad taste! If you see something that is truly hideous, please let me know… leave a comment or something… I love comments… at least comments from people and not SPAM generating machines…

San Francisco It Is… For Now

But all I know is that I’ll be there two more weeks. After that is still a toss up. The projects are fighting over me. It’s kinda nice to be wanted. However, I still don’t know much past 2 weeks. That seems to be the magic number on this project. They will probably keep me until the end of April [note: last time it was March] if they had their way. So, I have adopted the attitude that it doesn’t matter to me anymore. If I stay on this project, I will get to go to some exciting places, like Puerto Rico and Australia. If I go to the new project I get to go to Kentucky… but the work will be challenging and exciting.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Well, not that it’s my decision to make, you understand… I just work here.

Where Oh Where Will I Be?

2012-01-08 23:28:54

I have no clue as to my whereabouts past next week. I know I will come to San Francisco again next week, but after that my destiny is rather unclear. First – on this project, I may or may not go to Tucson… or Australia… or San Juan, Puerto Rico… or maybe even come back here [to San Francisco]. That’s all up for grabs. Second – I’m wanted on another project and they will transition me as soon as they can get someone to take my place. If they’re fast, then I’ll transition off next week and the week after, I’ll be in Kentucky. Yep. Kentucky. I don’t think I’ve ever worked there. Driven through, yes. Worked? No.

My work life is a bit confusing to me. I’d like some structure, please!

I’m torn about my choices here – not that I have much of one. I have to go where they send me. While the work on this current project puts me to sleep in 30 seconds flat, I get to travel to some awesome places. However, this new project would keep me in Kentucky for a while (not real exciting) but I would get to use my higher-level design skills. The work would be much more exciting and more of what I’m trained for.

City By The Bay

I am now enjoying my suite in the hotel in San Francisco. I could see the bay and the ocean from my window if it weren’t for the very poor weather. It has rained the whole time I have been here today. In fact, the flight here was delayed because of rain and fog here. Through the clouds I have caught glimpses of the Bay Bridge. I haven’t wanted to leave the hotel – the night is so dreary. But leave I did. I found some good sushi right down the street. This city is more expensive, but I found some fairly moderately priced sushi. I had to walk in the rain, though. But for good sushi, I’ll walk through rain and then some!

Tomorrow, I hope to get up early and enjoy my free breakfast. I’m usually on such an odd schedule (like I will be next week) that I sleep too late and miss the free breakfast and come back too late to get free snacks in the lounge. Not this time, though. This will be (mostly) a regular work week. I think I could get used to that… not working at night. Sleeping late is fun, but after a while, it’s not really sleeping late… it’s just shifting your hours around. I still need an alarm clock.

One day soon, maybe I’ll change this part of my life.