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I figure with the state of the market right now... what the hell!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

so, apparently there are additional layoffs going down this morning. I wish those bitches would finish this treachery up once and for all. I was running a little late this morning because of a scheduling conflict. EL scheduled sleeping in and my office scheduled getting up early. I hate that shit. I did a little wardriving on the way to work. I sniffed SSID's along my normal route to the office and found at least 11 networks on access points with the manufacturers default out-of-the-box settings. Easy cheese. Of the 75 or 80 more that were unencrypted, at least a dozen of them provided me enough packets to reveal their IP subnet. There were probably another 25 or so that were cloaked and encrypted. You'd really be surprised how many people just don't realize how insecure their wireless networks are... it's crazy. I'm not a hacker. I have no mal-intent. I was just curious. Besides, I can locate rogue Starbucks locations by tracking their "tmobile" access point identifiers. What's really cool is, if I could get a PCMCIA GPS card working on my linux laptop, I could triangulate the AP location by signal strength and then map it. Technology fucking rawks. What's that? More coffee? Great idea.

It amazes me that every single weekend I find myself on Sunday evening in awe of the passage of time. How does it slip by so quickly? I think I'll never get used to it. EL and I had an interesting week end before the weekend. My ex wrecked my car which precipitated repossession. The layoffs on Friday kept us on the proverbial seat's edge until the end of the day. Fortunately, I survived this round... employed to fight another day. Friday night we grilled out on the patio and ate at home before making a brief appearance at the tail end of a party at Blanco's. We missed the action (which was ok with me) and ended up chatting with Pat and Joe for a bit before retiring early. I was exhausted from that most stressful of weeks I was glad to see fade in my rearview mirror. Yesterday we did various this and that about town before enjoying the Asylum Street Spankers show at McGonigel's Mucky Duck. I love those guys. They had a new member and some new material this time around, but were just as excellent as they've always been. Of course, the ultimate Spankers experience is when Guy reunions with them, but this is an extremely rare occurrence. Today was a little bit of bad and a lot of good. EL helped me with my amended return from 2001... nothing short of hellish, but she is a whiz at that stuff and managed to calm and explain to me that it wasn't so bad after all. The verdict is out on the validity of that statement, but I'm grateful and indebted because of her patience and understanding. After we bogged through the countless forms and adjustments, we headed off for a quick snack. Someone should have told me that I didn't really need the three cheese one pound Fuddrucker's burger with fries. It was good... but there was sure a lot of it. I guess that makes a lot of good? Anyhoo, we perused some bridal shops here and there only to confirm our original supposition that most brides-to-be (no offense intended for those fitting that category) have little to no taste in gown design. I think it might be safe for me to say that I hate ninety-nine out of every one hundred wedding gowns I see. EL is just as finicky and our tastes are similar enough to make planning this wedding a true challenge. We did find a fabulous dress that we both love, but it costs about $3000 more than I'm willing to spend... heh. I think she's decided to have someone make a custom dress from scratch. I've been sitting here with a glass of red wine and my laptop in an attempt to study for my test on Friday. It isn't working. My mind is wandering from topic to topic and I just can't focus. I think I've just given up... for today. More wine and spending the evening with EL is decidedly my destiny. Why fight it? I am sinking into cram mode at work everyday this week. Everyone else can take a number.

Internet Explorer sucks.

Man... people are dropping like flies around here. The rumored layoffs started around nine this morning. One guy that got cut had been with the company 27 years and his wife had just died about 3 or 4 months ago. This doesn't surprise me since the last time they laid people off, they cut a guy that had been with the company close to 30 years... on his birthday. Happy Birthday muthafukka... don't let the door hit ya in the ass on the way out. It just isn't right. I knew quite a few of the people that were laid off this morning. I am not sure if it is done for the day or not. I heard that this is "round 1" of several and that more will be coming in the months ahead. Oh joy... just what we need around here... more bad atmosphere. I had lunch with Sam and Dwayne at Khyber on Kirby. It's northern Indian cuisine and excellent. Things are quiet around the office. Partially due to the vacuum left by exiting bodies and partially because no one knows if it's over for the day. The axe could be just around the corner. I have a headache... again. Oh well... back to work.

I have a headache. Thank God tomorrow is Friday. I feel pre-postal.

Other Axis of Evil Wannabes
by John Cleese Andrew Marlatt

Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the Axis of Evil, Libya, China, and Syria today announced they had formed the "Axis of Just as Evil", which they said would be more evil than that stupid Iran-Iraq-North Korea axis President Bush warned of in his State of the Union address. Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the new axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are Just as Evil... in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. "Everybody knows we're the best evils... best at being evil...we're the best." Diplomats from Syria denied they were jealous over being excluded, although they conceded they did ask if they could join the Axis of Evil. "They told us it was full," said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "An Axis can't have more than three countries," explained Iraqi President Saddam Hussein." This is not my rule, it's tradition. In World War II you had Germany, Italy, and Japan in the evil Axis. So you can only have three, and a secret handshake. Ours is wicked cool."

International reaction to Bush's Axis of Evil declaration was swift, as within minutes, France surrendered. Elsewhere, peer-conscious nations rushed to gain triumvirate status in what became a game of geopolitical chairs. Cuba, Sudan, and Serbia said they had formed the Axis of Somewhat Evil, forcing Somalia to join with Uganda and Myanmar in the Axis of Occasionally Evil, while Bulgaria, Indonesia and Russia established the Axis of Not So Much Evil Really As Just Generally Disagreeable.

With the criteria suddenly expanded and all the desirable clubs filling up, Sierra Leone, El Salvador, and Rwanda applied to be called the Axis of Countries That Aren't the Worst But Certainly Won't Be Asked to Host the Olympics; Canada, Mexico, and Australia formed the Axis of Nations That Are Actually Quite Nice But Secretly Have Some Nasty Thoughts About America, while Scotland, New Zealand and Spain established the Axis of Countries That Be Allowed to Ask Sheep to Wear Lipstick. "That's not a threat, really, just something we like to do," said Scottish Executive First Minister Jack McConnell.

While wondering if the other nations of the world weren't perhaps making fun of him, a cautious Bush granted approval for most axes, although he rejected the establishment of the Axis of Countries Whose Names End in "Guay," accusing one of its members of filing a false application. Officials from Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chadguay denied the charges. Israel, meanwhile, insisted it didn't want to join any Axis, but privately, world leaders said that's only because no one asked them.

Some things said ring so true that they need to be repeated... over and over again. I was reading my brothers most recent entry and thought I'd share for those whose mouse clicks don't take them there:

"Last night I downloaded The Ultimate Toadies, a fan produced collection of bootleg and non LP released tracks. These bits of treasure are almost like finding new chapters of the Bible. But they wet the appetite for more. God damn Interscope for their hand in the destruction of the greatest rock band you've never heard of. God damn them to hell. And I really mean that. I curse them every time I turn on the radio and hear yet another cookie-cutter, manufactured, bubble gum single factory. Third verse, same as the first. No lead guitar havin', no truth in lyrics havin', no passion growlin', limp dick, four-minutes-or-less, pseudo rock. Damn them."

A-fuckin-men. I too grabbed these tasty nuggets yesterday and listened to them last night while I was working in my office. I love the Burden Brothers and everything that Vaden has done with them, but if the fucktards at Interscope hadn't put a lid on his creative genius for the six-fucking-years they made him wait to release Hell Below, Stars Above, then Sean and I wouldn't be scrounging in dumpsters in dark, smelly alleyways for the Toadies bootlegs and bits of pre-Vaden Todd to cling to in this barely musical sea of utter shit that is on the radio these days.

Have a taste, sheep.

In case you didn't get the word about a couple of different bloggers under fire in Iraq, check out The Primary Main Objective and L.T. Smash: Live from the Sandbox.

(note: old L.T. Smash stuff can be found here, but he moved servers due to traffic load)

I slept terribly last night. I left work early to work in my home lab and other than dinner, was busy with mundane operating system upgrade until about 9:00 last night. I'm putting all the routers on higher GD code and focusing on IP since the desktop protocols won't be on my recertification. There are about 15 recertification exams to choose from right now. I picked the IP recertification not because I thought it would be easier, but because it limits the scope of what I need to refresh before the test. The CCIE R&S exam is just too damn broad for me to cover all the topic areas in a couple of weeks. I upgraded my switches to current release code as well. EL made some yummy enchiladas for dinner and we talked about wedding decorations. I never realized there was so much to do. She has some cool ideas and I'm excited about helping her. I think I'm going to end up being in charge of the cake. Oye!! There are just a few days left in the week and the weight of the air at work is suffocating. Everyone is worried about layoffs. Everyone is fearful of losing their jobs... jeopardizing their career. It's really stressful having to work in that environment. I don't think the folks that wield the axe understand that most people would rather have one deep cut and be done with it than a series of nicks and scratches over a year or so... it is unbearable. Personally, I'm ok. If they lay me off, it will be their loss. I (gladly) work my ass off for my company and feel as though there is little appreciation. I don't mind so much about the lack of pats on the back as long as I am stably employed, but if I get lumped in some chump move to save the company a few bucks, I would be disappointed in my employer. Of course, there are a few of us there that would cost them a pretty penny in contractors to take over the work load once they realize how busy we actually are... which brings up another point that I think I've mentioned before. I really feel as sorry for the schmucks that keep their job as I do the ones that pack sand. Because, given our current reduced-force workload, we wouldn't have time to sleep if we lost many more. Welcome once again to Corporate America. Anyone want to start a mountain community and live like Amish? The roads are wet this morning. It must have rained on and off last night because I don't ever remember hearing rain during the many times I woke up mid-toss-n-turn last night. I talked to the driver that was commanding my METRO bus day before yesterday and he remembers no camera. Alas. Goodbye my sweet little camera. We had some good times together. *sniff* I honestly think I'm more upset at my loss of the wonderful pictures of mine and EL's trip to Austin than I am the 450 bones worth of hardware. By the time I talk myself into getting another digital camera, I'll probably be able to get the same model for half the price. Ha! It seems that a lot of my friends these days are buying houses. I'd love to be able to afford a house right now. I like the idea of EL and I picking a house together or having one build. I think our tastes in architecture and home decor are similar in enough ways that we'd find the perfect place for a purchase. The problem is down-payment cash. Now, that's a bitch. Maybe I'll start playing the lotto? I have had this rumble in my tummy all morning. I think I'm going to find food before I find my office today. Besides, this might be "the last supper" or err... breakfast... so to speak. If these layoffs are to happen, I really hope they are over with today. I miss the days when my coworkers smiled.

Study mode.

So the cat is out of the bag. Now, the $64,000 question is: Will they fuck this up like they did 8.0?

Gawd, I hope not. The more Red Hat sells their soul to the devil, the more I'm tempted to focus on Mandrake.

I had a meeting filled afternoon. Not filled like a cream filled donut or a deep fried apple pie from McDonalds, but filled like dots on dominoes or ice in a glass. I'm tired and I want to go home. Today was a series of disappointments. First the camera, next the rumor of layoffs darkens to a hit closer to home, then meetings (which I dislike immensely), and now the layoffs have begun. I just received word that they started before lunch. I wouldn't mind some cold beer right now... or a sexy ass martini and a good cigar. I haven't been outside today, but the view from my cage is nice. It appears to be pleasant and sunny. That may just be an image projected onto the glass though... you never can tell. I dug some dimes (no, not dime bags) out of one of my desk drawers just now. They are begging to be bartered for a Diet Coke. I don't have anything against dimes... I'd like to make them happy... so I'm heading for some DC and some fresh air. Maybe I'll be abducted by aliens while I'm outside and they'll give me the cure for corporate stupidity. I'll lace the Houston water supply with it and save all my colleagues from this ridiculous ebb and flow.

FAST (Fast Active queue management Scalable Transmission Control Protocol) is for me.

This weekend was pretty cool. EL and I had a quiet evening together on Friday before heading out early for Austin on Saturday morning. We stopped and spent the afternoon antiquing in Brenham. They were having some kind of town festival. There were hundreds of people in the town square with all sorts of food and merchandise booths set up. I wanted one of those pigmy baby goats for the yard. She said no. Anyhoo, we skipped past the city of and continued on to Austin's Lake Travis for sunset at The Oasis. We spent the evening around the lake before settling in closer to town for the night. The hotel sucked, but it's all good. Yesterday was gorgeous and we spent most of it outside as we went from site to site reviewing appropriate wedding locations near the lake. We wanted to plan something near the water. What we eventually decided on is definitely near the water. Heh. It's going to be so fun. We rolled back to Houston last night... exhausted. It's really amazing how the weekends fly by! On a darker note, I am a complete and total idiot. I got off the METRO this morning and left my digital camera sitting on the seat beside me. I guess the glass-is-half-full part of me should be happy that I was awake enough to remember getting off at the correct stop, but it's still hard to swallow. I loved that camera. Yesterday, when EL and I were at the Lake way Inn, I found the key to a Mercedes, a nice cellular telephone, and a $1500.00 TAG Hour... all of which I turned in to lost and found. Maybe I have a karma check in the mailbox and someone will turn in my camera. Maybe. There was a time in my life when I would look at this as God's way of saying, "You! Clayton! You needed a better camera anyway, so I hooked you up! Here's your excuse!" These days, I try to be a little more of make-do-and-be-thankful-for-what-you-have and less of grass-is-always-greener. It must be the grey hair. It looks like today is going to be a beautiful day. I would love to be back on the lake. We ate lunch at Carlos and Charlie's yesterday and everyone was in and out with their sexy ski boats. It took me back to when Rob and I were kids and we would be in the sea water everyday after school... skiing, sailing, jet skiing, swimming... barefoot and without a care in the world. I sit in this corporate prison and question if any of that really happened sometimes. Welcome to the Matrix. You think that's air that you're breathing? Oh well, I'm off to the coffee pot to drown my lost-camera sorrows in that black liquid love that I've come to cherish as one of life's most precious simplicities.

Would everyone please just shut the fuck up!!?

Not that it matters, but as human beings, I believe we all have the right to an opinion on this conflict... good or bad, justified or not, etc. etc. blah blah blah. However, I also believe that Americans that have never served in the military need to sip on a tall glass of shut-the-fuck-up about their fellow citizens in the military. Your sweet desert served on CNN doesn't give you enough insight to speak free about someone whose watch rotation gives them a couple hours of broken sleep every couple of days or has bullets zinging past their head.

Have an opinion. Embrace it. Debate pros and cons about it with yourself on the shitter. Hell, even pull your first amendment card out of your back pocket and talk to your friends about it... but please don't come off as the high and mighty know-it-all that has the answers... because believe me, unless you've been there and done that, you have no fucking clue.