160-0 in the buckle of the bible belt. First they all agree to keep their womenfolk in line and next they'll bring back slavery. What the fuck is going on over in Georgia? Someone send those guys a calendar and remind them what century we're in...
In the reshoot, I definitely got a better angle and light, but as you can see... the depth of field is a little insufficient. I'll probably go back to reshoot this flower once more while it's in bloom. I hope the wind isn't up tonight.
"A little bit of cinnamon might spice up your health. The aromatic bark can lower blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol levels, as well as improve insulin functioning, particularly in type 2 diabetics, researchers have found."
Nifty.
Traffic was almost non-existent this morning. The office is quiet. One of my coworkers (and a good friend) is out of the office today because he was in an auto accident. He is thankfully okay, but unfortunately his vehicle is not. Another good friend of mine was laid off this morning... a complete and total shock to me because he was probably the best thing his office had going. Corporate bullshit prevails. I also heard this morning that despite my department coming through these long winded hard time and surviving toward a better future, one of the guys here that I work with is planning on resigning anyway. Curveball. For it being just 8:00, it's been a busy morning. The office is eerily quiet.
One thing of note about that Columbine photograph... I don't care for it much. It's more of a photo-illustration than a photo. The wind was blowing fairly hard last night and when enough artificial light was used to get shutter speeds to a point where motion blur was not an issue, the yellow channel would get blown because of the harsh contrast. The shot turned out ok, but I just don't like the way it looks. This morning, I went back before the heat from the sun stirred up the atmosphere. I'll post a shot when I get a chance to look at them.
More coffee!!! (with some cinnamon)
Yellow Columbine from the edge of the driveway.
"chance favors the prepared mind" - Ansel Adams
A quarter million dollars in firewall parts and a Diet Coke. My office is a cluttered mess. I had my old office all decorated with nifty stuff to look at on the walls and miscellaneous diversions for visitors to tinker with if I was busy. It's an echo now. The only comfort items I have are the photos of EL stuck on the walls with conference room magnets. Now that things appear to be settling a bit, I can start redecorating... making it my personal space again. I think I may be moving floors soon, so we'll see where I land before I start carpet swatching my Extreme Makeover: Office Edition. Anyhoo, the day is winding down and I'm spent. I've been crazy busy (again) today. A glass of wine and a quiet evening sounds fabulous.
Funny, but I know people that could check off most of these...
You know you work in corporate America in the 2000's if...
1 Your resume is on a diskette in your pocket.
2 You get really excited about a 3% pay raise.
3 Your biggest loss from a system crash is that you lose your best jokes.
4 You sit in a cubicle smaller than your bedroom closet.
5 You see a good looking person and know it is a visitor.
6 It's dark when you drive to and from work.
7 Dilbert cartoons hang outside every cube.
8 "Communication" is something your group is having problems with.
9 You're already late on the assignment you just got.
10 Free food left over from meetings is on your mind to bring home at the end of your shift.
11 Being sick is defined as can't walk or you're in the hospital.
12 Art involves a white board.
13 You work 200 hours for the $100 bonus check and jubilantly say "Oh wow, thanks!''
14 Your relatives and family describe your job as "works with computers".
15 Your supervisor doesn't have the ability to do your job.
16 Your boss' favorite lines are "when you get a few minutes", "in your spare time", "when you're freed up", and "I have an opportunity for you."
17 You've sat at the same desk for 4 years and worked for three different companies.
18 When you go home after a long day at work you still answer the phone with your company's name.
This is a cool idea. Dorky looking... but very cool. It sounds like an invention my wife would think up. She's a genius like that... kinda like the female version of MacGyver.
Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.
Wake up - sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead. She's gone where the goblins go,
Below - below - below. Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.
Let them know
The Wicked Witch is dead!
Yesterday evening was full of (alleged) surprises. In short recap of the last hellish year, the regime of the functionally corrupt senior management chain had driven moral to a record-breaking low and caused many (myself included) to contemplate resignation to save hope toward finding a shred of quality of life in the work place in greener pastures. Many of us held on... waiting for a sign... anything. The CIO was relieved of position after years of opinionated tyranny and that revelation opened the floodgates of change. Shortly thereafter, the Vice President directly below retired early to save himself from the (dis)organization and the Director reporting to him was laid off. I could stop here and describe said Director's professional and personality flaws that caused his widespread hatred and eventually led to his demise, but that's all water under the bridge. The (questionable) Manager that was the byproduct of aforementioned corrupt and egocentric Director lived on to prove his inability to perform in a technical management position and treat his highly skilled professional engineers like Burger King employees because that's the only way he knew to act. Yesterday was the day of deliverance. There is a new command and I like it. The new management is a breath of fresh air and I believe in and support it all the way to the top. The unqualified manager now has a new opportunity to swallow his pride and grow into a productive member of the team. If this is possible, I believe the new Director can guide him to achieve his potential. My new manager is a good guy... smart and fair... the right man for the job. So it is. I have, as of yesterday, a new manager that I respect and am happy to work for... a new Director that I respect and am happy and honored to work for... a new Vice President that I respect and am happy to work for... and a new CEO that I respect and believe in... oh, and am happy to work for. My peers and I are once again being treated as professionals with respect. I have nothing but high hopes for this new environment and once again, for the first time in over a year, I can consider this a career and not a paycheck. Perhaps good things do indeed come to those who wait. I can say this... I'm proud to be a part of this group again because we are, under this new leadership, back together and on the right track. I have not felt this good about coming to work in over a year.
The wheels are rolling on the sailcart driven by the winds of change. Toot toot! T-Minus 10 minutes until the no whammies conference call where the (re)organizational charts will be outlined from high on the mountain. The company had layoffs all day today. Some zigged when they should have zagged, but so far, the damages to my immediate group of colleagues is minimal. I have been busier than a one-legged cat trying to bury a turd on a frozen pond. So busy in fact that my caffeine consumption today has been adversely effected and I'm experiencing serious post-lunch nap syndrome. What is today again? Oh yeah. Wednesday.
Shit.
Look at me! I'm tired and grumpy!
I've been trying to get my cell number ported from Sprint PCS to T-Mobile and it's proving to be a time consuming process. This may be completely understandable for folks that have never touched modern technology, but for someone that puts food on their table living day in and out with the tech, this is unacceptable. Two thousand fucking four. It's like they are chiseling the transfer orders out of stone tablets to be carried by pony express between carriers. Meanwhile, I'm sure my cell service will suffer an extended interruption.
Bowndzonian Theory number 312: "Incompetence in the service industry might be tolerable in small doses, but we shouldn't have to pay for it."
Photo.net amazes me. I haven't been there in some time and thought I'd throw the Indonesian Tiger pic up there because I liked the way it turned out. Not only is it rated low, but over half the prople that rated it have no photos online. Michael and I have discussed this common behavior over there many times, but it used to be maybe 5% or less of the overall raters. It seems that it's become much worse.... or, maybe it's just me. Sucks.
I needed a cold beer and some photo de-stress after what ended up being an incredibly long day. I dug this "negative" out of the archive. I hope you like it.
Word for the day: OMELETTE
"I should pop yo ass fo what you jus did, but omelette dis one slide."
I've had this crazy pain in my neck for the last two days and I'm not sure what to do about it. I know this sounds weird, but have you ever sunburned your eyes? I'm talking about when you have been out in bright sun for a long period with no UV protection (ala sunglasses) and for the next day or two, your eyes just have a dull ache like they are strained and tired. Yeah. It's like that, but in my neck. I know... weird. I'd like to say it's stress, because I've been under a lot of it, but I have no clue. Anyhoo, I have a ton of things to do today in the office and what's even better is I've been shotgun splattered with destined-to-be-useless meetings throughout the afternoon with which to work around. I have the politics that hinders productivity.
The claw(s) of an 8 foot American Alligator.
Sorry. Call me chicken if you like... I just wouldn't get any closer to this guy.
