Car Crash

Some guy pulled out in front of me last week. Totally hosed up my routine, since the rental car doesn't like my iPod, and I don't want to install my XM radio in it.

Quote off?

When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always be worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad that they have to get better.

Malcolm Forbes

October 22

"When I am abroad, I always make it a rule never to criticize or attack the government of my own country. I make up for lost time when I come home."

- Sir Winston Churchill

Busy Body

Has it really been that long since I wrote? Wow.

I haven't even read all that Andy wrote so far. Sorry, Andy.

This new job is crazy. I get to drive to nearly everywhere in Georgia. There isn't much time for writing or schoolwork, but I think I'll manage. Days like today are blessings. Today happens to be Columbus day, and state offices are closed. I don't know why, I just know that I'm not going to work today.

I've only been employed for ten days, so it must sound odd that I feel very relieved to have a day off. Let me explain:

• Anika started at a new daycare a week ago.
• I started this job the same day.
• The day before (Sunday, October 2) I began online classes for my BS degree.
• Monday I traveled to orientation.
• Tuesday I went to Atlanta.
• Thursday night I got back.
• Friday I went to Valdosta for the afternoon.
• The first assignments were due that day.

So I'm a little tired from traveling and new things. Sure, you can call me a wussy, but I'm still tired. I'll just have to adjust to this level of activity. It's back to Atlanta tomorrow night, and then again for three days next week. Maybe when this rush of initial training is over I can get a grip on my actual duties and get some work done.

Interesting quote today (you may have to read it twice. I did.):

Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.
- Albert Einstein

I would elaborate, but I haven't the desire. Just think 'G.W. Bush.'

Later.

Andy's Back

AndrewOlmsted.com is back, and I hope he's there to stay. That's about all for today, with the exception of it being my last day at the current job. I also got a tablet computer from the state for this new job, and it's pretty cool. Just not sure about what to do with all the paperwork it came with.

Google has an interesting quote of the day on my home page:
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction." -Blaise Pascal

I think that is partially true, and only partially because I am not very religious and have known people to do evil things quite easily without religious conviction. I'm not getting into that. I'm working on something else.

Where is your church?

I ask this because I think a lot about religion and politics. That fact is usually disguised in my writing, but believe it or not, it is true. Scott over at Poetic Leanings wrote this yesterday and got me thinking.

I do not consider myself a religious person. Much like I believe that communism is a good idea ruined by people, I feel that religion is going along the same lines. Too many people are trying to be middlemen between God and us. It is occurring in all the major religions. People who are far less than honest are telling others what God would want.

I am a spiritual person who is a Christian and still consider myself a Catholic even though I don't attend church. I was unable to continue going to a building for worship when most people seemed to just go so that others could see them there. I think God knows if you are there for the right reasons and probably even knows if I choose to pray or reflect at home.

While I was in the shower last night, I was thinking about church and what would be my church. More precisely, where is my church. I decided that the golf course could probably be considered a place where I worship. It is like my Zen place. When I am golfing, I usually am relaxed and just able to think.

I also think that I find my bed a place of worship. Before you think about the wrong things, I often just lay in bed and listen to jazz or Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen and ponder life. I occasionally read the Bible or Qu'ran there and just think. Isn't that really what spirituality is? Reflecting on God, your relationship with God, and your relationship with the rest of the world?

I have also been trying Yoga and meditation. I am not very good at blocking everything out of my head yet though. I can relax and block out the outside well enough, but occasionally a thought pops in like "I wonder if M*A*S*H is on?"

Off to Atlanta

I got a slew of e-mails last night detailing next week's training. I haven't started the job yet, but I do know that on day two I'll be in Atlanta overnight. I'm a bit excited about all of this, except for the fact that we will be using SouthernLinc telephones. Cheap ones.

Anyway, things are heating up. My online classes open in two days, and I have only the weekend to get everything in order. Plus, Scott wants me to write a column for his blog, I think.

Twenty-Seven

What happened on this day in history no one cares about. I haven’t read anything astonishing yet, so I’ve made up a few facts of my own to commemorate my twenty-seventh birthday:

• I’m half my father’s age now.


• September 11, 2001 was a Tuesday, too. (for my Republican readers, of which there are none)


• John Mayer and I are the same age for about the next 20 days.


• I don’t feel any different from yesterday, when I was twenty-six.

Enough of my birthday. I had better get back to caring for my daughter who will be going to another daycare facility next week. The day I start school online will also be the first day of my new job, also next week. Forget how old I am; I haven’t the time to think about it.

Update: I will also point out that I share a birthday with Google, Inc. Today is Google's seventh birthday.

Lemme Get a Count

How many readers do I have? Please comment one time on this post. I'd hate to think that 1200 of the current 1246 hits to this site are from me checking to see if anyone is reading.

Getting Close

First, the quote of the day:

"Saying what we think gives us a wider conversational range than saying what we know."
- Cullen Hightower

Calls came in pretty steady today, but no immediately solvable problems were left without resolution. This VoIP thing is certainly becoming a pain in the ass since it's provided by a third party. I personally think we should have put more thought and money into providing our own VoIP service locally. It would have taken a couple more years, but I think we'd be better off with local control. I realize that comes from a technical support perspective rather than a logistical one, but I really hate depending on people I've never met.

I've got one more day on call before I leave my current position, and I am admittedly anxious. I'm also a bit nervous about starting a new job, but I am sure I'll do well. I have a pretty easy time explaining computers to people over the phone (though I do not enjoy the telephone), so doing it face-to-face should prove to be easier.

A friend found a background image that should show up in Windows Vista next year, and I put it on my Linux machine for kicks:




Maybe the folks at Microsoft will be happy to know that all computers are welcome on the Internet, and can do almost as much. Linux is getting better every day, and it will soon catch up to popular technology. Market share won't change much, but I will do what I can to bring the public's attention to this alternative.

Good night.

You Should See Us Now

As long as Google doesn't go anywhere, this blog will be here forever, and I plan on writing to the world for a long time. If you look often, you'll see my daughter grow! If you wait too long, she'll be off to college before you see her again.

From the Desk of Anika Jade

She loves this computer for some reason. She even helped me type the blog tonight.
I should teach her some more of those hot typing skills. Maybe one day pass on my legacy.

I'm on call this week. Being on call makes me wonder if I'll miss the place. I really feel like I'm speaking too soon, but I'm looking forward to another job. This one only lasted about five months, and I wasn't exactly active in looking for the one I got, but the change is surely welcome, as is the salary. Beth and I are pushing for a house, and this will certainly prove to be a catalyst in that venture.

I will enjoy the challenge of something new. Teaching will be a new experience for me, but if I am passionate enough about what I teach, there should be no problem. I love technology and what it can do. I don't necessarily appreciate what humans have become due to its automation of nearly everything, but I like it. We have become more efficient, some richer, some poorer, and most everyone else lazy. That's for another discussion.

While I'm rambling, the Blogger for Word toolbar disappeared from Word this evening. I think Anika uninstalled it while she was working her magic.

Never mind. I closed and restarted Word and it appeared. There's your tech tip for the night.

Interesting Quote of the Day

“The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern.”  - Lord Acton

And it begins...

The grudge.  I’m already getting the cold shoulder from the upper echelon.  Just for the record.

Blogger for Word

I always wanted something that I could use to write in and push-button publish to this (or any, for that matter) blog.  I was looking into Moveable Type, but I think that costs money, and this is primarily a hobby.  Like golf, except for free.

So I got this new plug-in for Microsoft™ Word™ and this is the first article I published, to test the software.  This will give me a good chance to write longer, thought-out stuff like why Bush hates midgets and drools at Fran Drescher*.

But for now I’ll play with one of the latest cool toys from the Google closet and enjoy my time punching keys.

*Name chosen at random, but really – have you seen her teeth?

John Mayer Trio

iTunes has a couple of singles out from the John Mayer Trio debut release (I think it's due in December, but don't quote me. I'm too lazy to look it up.) The first song, the one I favor, is a 50's-60's blues style song called "Come When I Call." I love it. It sounds like a blues hall recording in a way, and it sets the mood for the lyric. Great job.

The other one, "Who Did You Think I Was," is a Lenny Kravitz-style workout about how John is actually different than everyone thinks he is, proving he's a bit confused about it himself. It is a great beat with a lot of energy, and I must like it, too.

I especially like the "Stitched Up" John did on the new Herbie Hancock CD. You should get it (the song, not the album. I can only speak for one track on it.)

Enjoy yourself, and drink some coffee while listening to some good tunes.

Update:
The John Mayer Trio will release a live recording November 13 along with a DVD.

Got the Job

I got a call late this morning from the guy who interviewed me two weeks ago. I returned his call to discover a job offer. I happily accepted and will be on my way to a new occupation in sixteen days.

I [think I] will be teaching proper computer usage to people in a rather large portion of Georgia, for the purpose of keeping a low call volume in the Technical Support department. My job will be not to fix problems, but to prevent them. I hope to create knowledgeable workers who can work efficiently and therefore help those in need in better time.

That is my aim.

I will also be responsible for managing the roll-out of large software applications, and training the users in those applications. I plan to do my best to keep the questions at a minimum when I am done.

After a conversation tonight with me4president2008, I should teach people in such a fashion that they learn how to think for themselves, so they can complete more of their jobs without consulting others for help.

Maybe I'll be asking for too much, but if someone as simple as I am can think for himself, anyone can do it. At my current job, I go to customers' houses and fix their problems. After that, if there's anything I can show them that may enable them to correct or avoid the same problem, I am sure to teach them how to do so. I enjoy that part of my job, and usually the recipient is quite grateful. And they rarely call back with the same problem.

Enough for tonight. I'm sure I'll be expressing my anxiety here in the coming days.

Everything I need to know about politics,

I learned from a very famous philosopher and poet, Marky Mark. It was a stroke of political genius when Marky Mark and his Funky Bunch pronounced that "I'm a get mine so get yours." Ahh, the insight and inspiration this has provided many a politician.

I had been trying my hand at political vacations when the vision of Marky Mark came to me and uttered that moving phrase. I even cut my vacation short when I heard that my fantasy team was getting it's ass kicked and flew in to check the carnage for myself.

I partly joke, but it sounds like a political statement to me. All the President's men started White House damage control before they focused on hurricane damage control. The president remained quiet for a couple days and made it sound like a huge sacrifice to cut his vacation short. Democrats jumped on attacking the President and offered little true support for the victims for several days. They were all getting theirs.

In Supreme Court nominations, weak liberals and Democrats are getting theirs handed back to them. They didn't think of the ramifications of losing the election for the country. They were only thinking about getting theirs. They wanted to win or some Dems voted for Bush because they wanted to be safe. Neither got what they wanted and we are all getting shit on because of it.

Supporters of the Right to Choose deserve to have Roe v. Wade overturned.

Liberals and Progressives also deserve to see wealth redistributed to the top and away from those in need. Make no mistake that is what Bush's and conservative tax plans are. They say they are opposed to redistribution of wealth, but that is exactly what they do. They think that if the wealthy can get theirs, then the poor can also. Why not help out those who have gotten theirs so that those who haven't become inspired to do so. It is not a logical argument, but many Americans buy the every man for himself philosophy.

Politicians also talk about the ownership society. They just get it wrong. They think that people who have managed to become owners of property and wealth should have a larger say in what goes on.

I also believe in an ownership society but I see it as owning some of the responsibility for the society. I figure that if we all take responsibility for the society as a whole, we will all benefit. Goes along with my "blow up" economics theory of giving tax breaks to the poor and it working it's way through the markets to the wealthy or "owners".

I think that is enough thinking and philosophizing for the day. I have to slowly work my brain out of vacation mode and don't want to go too fast and get a cramp.

Two New Words

I have heard two words lately that I have never associated with the United States. Since the landing of hurricane Katrina, many things have happened. many people are dead who, if it weren't for those responsible, would quite possibly still be alive.

I never would have called all the people who fled New Orleans refugees. The thought never occurred to me to think of a hurricane escapee in the same manner of someone escaping a harsh government or war in an underdeveloped country. This is America, isn't it?

Taken directly from Houghton Mifflin Company via Answers.com

ref·u·gee (rĕf'yʊ-jē') pronunciation
n.

One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution.

ref·uge (rĕf'yūj) pronunciation
n.

1. Protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship.
2. A place providing protection or shelter.
3. A source of help, relief, or comfort in times of trouble.

Hmmm... Were the radical Islamists right in saying that this was punishment for being Americans? Something to think about. I guess that by definition, these people were refugees, and many still are since they've nowhere to go. They're homeless, tired, sick, and dying. And it's not their fault.

The other word I heard today on NPR as they were telling me that the President was to address the nation tonight, and he may name a czar of the recovery effort for the area affected by hurricane Katrina. Czar.

Czar? Lemme look that up.

Taken directly from Houghton Mifflin Company via Answers.com

czar (zär, tsär)
n.

1. also tsar or tzar (zär, tsär) A male monarch or emperor, especially one of the emperors who ruled Russia until the revolution of 1917.
2. A person having great power; an autocrat: “the square-jawed, ruddy complacency of Jack Farrell, the czar of the Fifteenth Street police station” (Ernest Hemingway).
3. Informal. An appointed official having special powers to regulate or supervise an activity: a racetrack czar; an energy czar.

I guess the people at NPR were being informal, but it was odd hearing that word used in reference to an official in this country. I'm not saying it's bad, but one doesn't on a normal day hear "czar" used very often outside of history class or international news.

These are my thoughts, and yes, they are random.

1069

Congratulations to me!

I guess I wasn't there when I broke 1000 hits the other day, but I happened to notice this morning that I had gone over the top. I shall now revel in my glory and wait for Scott to bow.

Or maybe I'll just go to lunch.