again.
i'm hating ups so hard right now. two delivery notices when someone was home at the time, no knocking / calling my phone, and my package is being stored outside of montreal so i'd need to travel on a weekday to go pick it up. what the hell is their added value? how is their delivery strategy not a waste of *their* time???
Thursday, February 28, 2013
life goes on
de vrais mensonges might be a romantic comedy, but it's entertaining, amusing, and an excellent way to practice listening to french :)
i walked in to an apartment that's that much more home, and the news that pg and her mom will be travelling nepal come april and i won't see her for about a month and a half all told. that's gonna be tough.
having said that, it seems like we're almost settled on a wedding date before then (or should i say marriage date? there won't be a ceremony)... and i guess meeting her in amsterdam after her trip will make a decent honeymoon.
i feel the hours of this week flipping by like the sheets of a wall calendar in a movie montage.
i walked in to an apartment that's that much more home, and the news that pg and her mom will be travelling nepal come april and i won't see her for about a month and a half all told. that's gonna be tough.
having said that, it seems like we're almost settled on a wedding date before then (or should i say marriage date? there won't be a ceremony)... and i guess meeting her in amsterdam after her trip will make a decent honeymoon.
i feel the hours of this week flipping by like the sheets of a wall calendar in a movie montage.
already long
[originally this post was supposed to be published around 2pm]
1. cam2. it took two hours and four repeat explanations to get him to send an email outlining the plan i'd given him. after that last time, the time he finally managed to see it through, i was taken aside to be informed that my tone needed control.
this man holds a master's degree. what am i missing?
2. half an hour in line at the bank, twenty questions to confirm it's my account and they still wouldn't let me make a withdrawal because my driver's license isn't registered as valid id with them.
1. cam2. it took two hours and four repeat explanations to get him to send an email outlining the plan i'd given him. after that last time, the time he finally managed to see it through, i was taken aside to be informed that my tone needed control.
this man holds a master's degree. what am i missing?
2. half an hour in line at the bank, twenty questions to confirm it's my account and they still wouldn't let me make a withdrawal because my driver's license isn't registered as valid id with them.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
missing highlight reel
from wednesday through sunday (the worst being sunday, trapped on a bus for eight hours) i suffered horrible sinusitis. i've still got it, but coldfx inexplicably seems to help. ginseng? maybe it's a placebo thing?
moonlighter's got us all by the short and curlies; we seem to be okay (after my last post concerning him), but i'm now desperate to extract as much knowledge as i can and as soon as possible. both thursday and monday had five of us in the office until late because he has different priorities.
robocop: still a great film. why does he leave his helmet off??
on thursday i sat cam2 down for an evaluation. military style. i made sure everything was clear - in particular the "very poor" issues - and he seemed genuinely grateful for the feedback. i'm still not seeing much change, though.
i still haven't signed my contract, because there are a couple of issues. i will not sign a non-compete clause that would prevent me from working in an entire industry.
my bank in israel just doesn't let up; we couldn't get them to send us the report that they were only too happy to print and charge us for, containing data that should be available online. assholes.
on that note, i'm happy to report that my first payslip arrived just in time for me to leave that account in the black. nice!!!
dr who (the first episode): okay, it's not SO bad. but certainly not exciting.
greyhound buses are easy to find and relatively cheap, but traveling sick is no fun. lots of staring out the window, reading wired or playing penny arcade games. the prelude to on the rain-slick precipice of darkness went by too quickly for my liking.
stepping up to american immigration was inexplicably terrifying. pg and i were separated and that made me even more anxious.
two idiots talking loudly for half the trip made me think of one of my first flatmates when i immigrated to israel. dodgy, dodgy fucker.
one shouldn't order more than a single tofu dish in a chinese restaurant.
the freedom trail is kinda boring.
boston by day may be pretty, but it's not a patch on boston by night in the soft rain. empty streets with occasional and sometimes surprising neon reflections.
my first slurpee ever was delicious even though it was cold.
pg and i had a huge fight on saturday night, and everything was very dramatic until we figured it all out around 4am. that was when pg woke me up from a dream in which we were still arguing; my mumbling had woken her up. the two realities were confused there for a while.
south station lends itself to my new sense of the essence of america; such a wide open space, each protagonist errant in the wilderness, simply bumping into other errants for better or worse.
clif bars: if it's vegan, healthy and delicious, it's the shits!
---
tuesday:
interviewing: french level up
our columbian developer's cousin wasn't as fortunate with the CIC as we were... we talked about david eddings and anime.
linux coaching until very late.
moonlighter's got us all by the short and curlies; we seem to be okay (after my last post concerning him), but i'm now desperate to extract as much knowledge as i can and as soon as possible. both thursday and monday had five of us in the office until late because he has different priorities.
robocop: still a great film. why does he leave his helmet off??
on thursday i sat cam2 down for an evaluation. military style. i made sure everything was clear - in particular the "very poor" issues - and he seemed genuinely grateful for the feedback. i'm still not seeing much change, though.
i still haven't signed my contract, because there are a couple of issues. i will not sign a non-compete clause that would prevent me from working in an entire industry.
my bank in israel just doesn't let up; we couldn't get them to send us the report that they were only too happy to print and charge us for, containing data that should be available online. assholes.
on that note, i'm happy to report that my first payslip arrived just in time for me to leave that account in the black. nice!!!
dr who (the first episode): okay, it's not SO bad. but certainly not exciting.
greyhound buses are easy to find and relatively cheap, but traveling sick is no fun. lots of staring out the window, reading wired or playing penny arcade games. the prelude to on the rain-slick precipice of darkness went by too quickly for my liking.
stepping up to american immigration was inexplicably terrifying. pg and i were separated and that made me even more anxious.
two idiots talking loudly for half the trip made me think of one of my first flatmates when i immigrated to israel. dodgy, dodgy fucker.
one shouldn't order more than a single tofu dish in a chinese restaurant.
the freedom trail is kinda boring.
boston by day may be pretty, but it's not a patch on boston by night in the soft rain. empty streets with occasional and sometimes surprising neon reflections.
my first slurpee ever was delicious even though it was cold.
pg and i had a huge fight on saturday night, and everything was very dramatic until we figured it all out around 4am. that was when pg woke me up from a dream in which we were still arguing; my mumbling had woken her up. the two realities were confused there for a while.
south station lends itself to my new sense of the essence of america; such a wide open space, each protagonist errant in the wilderness, simply bumping into other errants for better or worse.
clif bars: if it's vegan, healthy and delicious, it's the shits!
tuesday:
interviewing: french level up
our columbian developer's cousin wasn't as fortunate with the CIC as we were... we talked about david eddings and anime.
linux coaching until very late.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
perspective doubt
i suddenly registered something important that i brushed off at the time...
as we left late last night one of the interns said, in wonder: "i don't know how you do this. i mean, we're young, we can handle these kinds of hours."
what?! when did i become "not young"??
as we left late last night one of the interns said, in wonder: "i don't know how you do this. i mean, we're young, we can handle these kinds of hours."
what?! when did i become "not young"??
moonlighter down
another (relatively) quick post:
1. moonlighter
yeah, i'm not sure we're friends any more. for the second time - the first being on thursday - he delayed a build all by himself and kept five of us in the office late waiting on him. all this while the executives were stressed and pressured to deliver a presentation with it, and they had to wait until we were finished.
his response, when i fired him an email apologizing for my tense tone and explaining the reason, was
2. training
i'm managing less and coaching more. i really feel like i'm teaching these guys from scratch, and what i'm teaching them is very simple: plan before diving in, be methodical (in development and testing), and don't leave anything to chance or possible human failing. with these three things you can be a decent developer with no experience or formal training.
3. shopping
now that i have some money in the bank, i've wasted no time spending it on what i've been dreaming about! i sorted out the wrap1200 this morning, which was shipped in the afternoon, and i've just come off the best buy website. after much reviewing and comparing, i've settled on a projector that sounds like a good deal (benq wxga 3d dlp), a playstation 3 (the ps4 comes across as pretentious and unnecessary, and not worth the wait) and a fairly cheap but highly praised soundbar (philips).
i think i'm all shopped out. how bizarre that the projector, the piece that puts it all together, will only be delivered a week later than everything else :S
4. snowboarding
we have a reservation for this weekend ^_^
1. moonlighter
yeah, i'm not sure we're friends any more. for the second time - the first being on thursday - he delayed a build all by himself and kept five of us in the office late waiting on him. all this while the executives were stressed and pressured to deliver a presentation with it, and they had to wait until we were finished.
his response, when i fired him an email apologizing for my tense tone and explaining the reason, was
just don’t take my indifference as mocking. i can’t just be that intense.i was thinking that we desperately need more good developers, but now i'm thinking that this man just might be a liability.
2. training
i'm managing less and coaching more. i really feel like i'm teaching these guys from scratch, and what i'm teaching them is very simple: plan before diving in, be methodical (in development and testing), and don't leave anything to chance or possible human failing. with these three things you can be a decent developer with no experience or formal training.
3. shopping
now that i have some money in the bank, i've wasted no time spending it on what i've been dreaming about! i sorted out the wrap1200 this morning, which was shipped in the afternoon, and i've just come off the best buy website. after much reviewing and comparing, i've settled on a projector that sounds like a good deal (benq wxga 3d dlp), a playstation 3 (the ps4 comes across as pretentious and unnecessary, and not worth the wait) and a fairly cheap but highly praised soundbar (philips).
i think i'm all shopped out. how bizarre that the projector, the piece that puts it all together, will only be delivered a week later than everything else :S
4. snowboarding
we have a reservation for this weekend ^_^
Monday, February 25, 2013
-post
i have a long list of notes since wednesday, and i can't be arsed to look at them right now. i've been sick - sinusitis or a cold, i don't know - and i've been crazy busy, i've essentially been promoted, and pg and i finally visited boston. boston is a beautiful city, but more than that i can't really say.
everything pales in comparison to that feeling as we were called up to pay the fees for pg's work permit. the sleepless night, the seven hours on the bus and the half an hour of waiting and answering questions faded as a great sense of relief washed over me.
pg's response was something along the lines of "yeah, i don't think i would have had the energy to return to burlington and buy myself a plane ticket back to israel."
everything pales in comparison to that feeling as we were called up to pay the fees for pg's work permit. the sleepless night, the seven hours on the bus and the half an hour of waiting and answering questions faded as a great sense of relief washed over me.
pg's response was something along the lines of "yeah, i don't think i would have had the energy to return to burlington and buy myself a plane ticket back to israel."
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
maturity
zomg so much fun with the new itunes store and kindle books!
i won't spend too many words on electronic books costing three times the price of a new hardcover...
it's really late, and i've got to go to bed, but not without a word on the most beautiful snowstorm that began as i left work and has rendered montreal silently shrouded once again. attempting to express the experience of waiting for the bus with pg, it not being very cold and everything magical, lets me know how inept i am with words. it's like being wrapped up in blankets on a cold night watching a perfect three dimensional movie about exploding marshmallows raining down on dark streets. i guess.
i won't spend too many words on electronic books costing three times the price of a new hardcover...
it's really late, and i've got to go to bed, but not without a word on the most beautiful snowstorm that began as i left work and has rendered montreal silently shrouded once again. attempting to express the experience of waiting for the bus with pg, it not being very cold and everything magical, lets me know how inept i am with words. it's like being wrapped up in blankets on a cold night watching a perfect three dimensional movie about exploding marshmallows raining down on dark streets. i guess.
in all the excitement...
after all that anticipation, finally receiving my credit card was so exhilarating that i didn't mind the (presumably outsourced) operator trying to convince me to purchase credit insurance instead of just activating my card. then i tried to attach my new card to my paypal account.
hello
i am a victim of bad policy on paypal's part, and before i up and leave your services i would like to attempt a resolution. i, like many other people whose stories i have read about in the past hour, have moved to a different country and now hold two credit cards. i have one email address and had no intention of creating another, but as you have locked my account to my previous home you leave me no choice.
your policy is absurd; it is completely legitimate to have made this move and i find myself penalized for it? why should i continue to use your services, convenient as they may be, when your treatment is so narrow-minded?
i got that far before remembering that i have an alias email account, so sod them and the horses they ride about on, i registered a new account and that should hopefully be the end of the story. they're bloody stupid about this, that's what they are.
hello
i am a victim of bad policy on paypal's part, and before i up and leave your services i would like to attempt a resolution. i, like many other people whose stories i have read about in the past hour, have moved to a different country and now hold two credit cards. i have one email address and had no intention of creating another, but as you have locked my account to my previous home you leave me no choice.
your policy is absurd; it is completely legitimate to have made this move and i find myself penalized for it? why should i continue to use your services, convenient as they may be, when your treatment is so narrow-minded?
i got that far before remembering that i have an alias email account, so sod them and the horses they ride about on, i registered a new account and that should hopefully be the end of the story. they're bloody stupid about this, that's what they are.
officiality
instead of messing with the interesting stuff, i spent my afternoon configuring our new server that's finally arrived, failing another of cam2's code reviews (this time with moonlighter by my side), and helping newk'd with an urgent correction of a half-a-patch he made last night.
i discovered that he had ignored my "rule number one" regarding svn checkout policy, and was gifted with no less than four opportunities to say "that is why you need to listen to me". sheesh. everyone thinks i'm being a hard-ass because i'm a bureaucrat, not realizing that my methods are the ones that i've discovered are the shortest, easiest paths. it's like these guys aren't registering my words each time i tell them that they're working too hard.
...
when i called the translators this morning i was informed that the work could be done by thursday afternoon. when i got the quote - a cheap $780 for approximately one page of text all told) - i was told that it would take at least five business days.
how professional! i asked how long and costly certifying my own translations would cost, as i'm perfectly capable of doing it myself. i wonder if they'll get back to me.
hmm. i think i just found a niche market that needs to be exploited.
...
i'm glad pg went to the israeli embassy without me today. apparently they're completely useless.
i discovered that he had ignored my "rule number one" regarding svn checkout policy, and was gifted with no less than four opportunities to say "that is why you need to listen to me". sheesh. everyone thinks i'm being a hard-ass because i'm a bureaucrat, not realizing that my methods are the ones that i've discovered are the shortest, easiest paths. it's like these guys aren't registering my words each time i tell them that they're working too hard.
...
when i called the translators this morning i was informed that the work could be done by thursday afternoon. when i got the quote - a cheap $780 for approximately one page of text all told) - i was told that it would take at least five business days.
how professional! i asked how long and costly certifying my own translations would cost, as i'm perfectly capable of doing it myself. i wonder if they'll get back to me.
hmm. i think i just found a niche market that needs to be exploited.
...
i'm glad pg went to the israeli embassy without me today. apparently they're completely useless.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
feedback
yesterday was all about babysitting. the lowlight was dealing with the technical writer, whose bat-shit insane and gets really intense when she doesn't understand - and i'm beginning to consider the possibility that she might not be possessed of much wit, never mind her wits. also, her daughter has strep throat and my own throat began griefing me just after i got through a particularly aggressive questioning. no real connection, perhaps, but that's not how the psyche works :P
the interesting phone call was regarding moonlighter: apparently he has so much trouble working collaboratively that he's essentially been pulled out of the team "to explore other projects". i wouldn't be very suspicious if i didn't know how much deadline pressure we're under and that we can't afford to have a capable member not directly contributing.
i find that sad. and as i said to him, i find it sad that he's been so disconnected that the only contact we've had has concerned the urgent and the negative. i wouldn't be surprised if that's coloured his perceptions of me somewhat.
israeli documents: at least some of them have arrived already, even if they require translation. it turns out that our bank has a montreal branch, but that they can't help us because the branch in israel isn't an international one (like my mum's). and of course mine doesn't give me any way to contact them other than a non-personal fax :/
i suffered a surprise belly-ache yesterday that's lasted, initially accompanied by a massive headache, a sore throat and a cough. this is not the time, inferior biological organism! we have boston and border officials to encounter this weekend!!!
on an entirely unrelated note, i hate the office toilets. i absolutely abhor auto-flushing, the sensors activate arbitrarily and a lot of water gets wasted.
i left late after doing some serious wiki-ing, and hurriedly gobbled down some toast before rushing off with pg to hit the wall of awesome: what a pity real life accomplishments are mostly gradual, because i've concluded that my level is at least 5.8 and i don't *feel* like i'm in a montage :P
i don't know what the deal with all the extra static is, i'm shocking and shocked a ridiculous amount of times per day now. pg and i decided it was my synthetic sport shirt in particular*, and being shirtless was quite liberating. i always find that. barefoot too.
* hmm. now that i think about it, my polyester shirts might have something to do with it. i've asked pg to buy me some more cotton ones anyway.
the problem with the wall being open so late is that one can find oneself arriving home after midnight. after discovering that my protein consumption is woefully insufficient - i apparently need at least 100g per day - and scanning documents, it was almost 2am and i went to bed.
...
my stomache's still not good and i was a little snotty this morning, but the day started with relief that certified translators aren't too difficult to find and so far a day reviewing moonlighter's code is no less than pleasant.
ah! i was so busy with getting up and finding out about translations that checking my work mail slipped my mind: my contract should be ready for examination soon. while being informed of that, the boss let me know that i can expect a little extra something in my payslip this month - they seem to really appreciate my hanging around so long :)
the interesting phone call was regarding moonlighter: apparently he has so much trouble working collaboratively that he's essentially been pulled out of the team "to explore other projects". i wouldn't be very suspicious if i didn't know how much deadline pressure we're under and that we can't afford to have a capable member not directly contributing.
i find that sad. and as i said to him, i find it sad that he's been so disconnected that the only contact we've had has concerned the urgent and the negative. i wouldn't be surprised if that's coloured his perceptions of me somewhat.
israeli documents: at least some of them have arrived already, even if they require translation. it turns out that our bank has a montreal branch, but that they can't help us because the branch in israel isn't an international one (like my mum's). and of course mine doesn't give me any way to contact them other than a non-personal fax :/
i suffered a surprise belly-ache yesterday that's lasted, initially accompanied by a massive headache, a sore throat and a cough. this is not the time, inferior biological organism! we have boston and border officials to encounter this weekend!!!
on an entirely unrelated note, i hate the office toilets. i absolutely abhor auto-flushing, the sensors activate arbitrarily and a lot of water gets wasted.
i left late after doing some serious wiki-ing, and hurriedly gobbled down some toast before rushing off with pg to hit the wall of awesome: what a pity real life accomplishments are mostly gradual, because i've concluded that my level is at least 5.8 and i don't *feel* like i'm in a montage :P
i don't know what the deal with all the extra static is, i'm shocking and shocked a ridiculous amount of times per day now. pg and i decided it was my synthetic sport shirt in particular*, and being shirtless was quite liberating. i always find that. barefoot too.
* hmm. now that i think about it, my polyester shirts might have something to do with it. i've asked pg to buy me some more cotton ones anyway.
the problem with the wall being open so late is that one can find oneself arriving home after midnight. after discovering that my protein consumption is woefully insufficient - i apparently need at least 100g per day - and scanning documents, it was almost 2am and i went to bed.
...
my stomache's still not good and i was a little snotty this morning, but the day started with relief that certified translators aren't too difficult to find and so far a day reviewing moonlighter's code is no less than pleasant.
ah! i was so busy with getting up and finding out about translations that checking my work mail slipped my mind: my contract should be ready for examination soon. while being informed of that, the boss let me know that i can expect a little extra something in my payslip this month - they seem to really appreciate my hanging around so long :)
Monday, February 18, 2013
coconut charms
in spite of what appears to be an enculturated and almost exclusive reliance on meat and dairy in this country (our supermarket has a constant stream of ads in french and english trying to convince shoppers to give vegetables a try), we have found something special: coconut-based ice cream! totally vegan-friendly and delicious. a perfect excuse to stream an episode of community ;)
legitimacy
today was weird. the morning was the epitome of what a sunday should be. then i got into sorting out our documents to prove that pg and i are sufficiently together to satisfy canada; between the websites of the bank and my life insurance provider, i ended up having a mini-anxiety attack. i calmed myself by putting together a bedside table, we went shopping and settled in to discover the new world: netflix.
1. i don't know what the deal is, because while everyone i've talked to has complained about the lack of content i was so occupied with adding movies and shows to my list that we almost didn't watch anything! and it's already enough stuff that i'm sure i'll never see half of it.
2. how weird to have a legitimate, inexpensive way to watch things! very, very cool.
3. shakespeare in love is a fun movie. there's, like, one thing that my i-know-better function got irritated about (his sonnet writing), but by and large it's either faithful or innocuously fictitious. i'm glad i've watched it.
1. i don't know what the deal is, because while everyone i've talked to has complained about the lack of content i was so occupied with adding movies and shows to my list that we almost didn't watch anything! and it's already enough stuff that i'm sure i'll never see half of it.
2. how weird to have a legitimate, inexpensive way to watch things! very, very cool.
3. shakespeare in love is a fun movie. there's, like, one thing that my i-know-better function got irritated about (his sonnet writing), but by and large it's either faithful or innocuously fictitious. i'm glad i've watched it.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
après-ski
i never thought i'd describe -13 as "warm", but yesterday was bright and sunny and absolutely fantastic. the entire area was almost unrecognizable, actually: i'm not used to being able to identify much under all the snow, and a lot of it has melted.
i hadn't really woken up by the time we left for the ski lifts; it was in a dream state that i stared at the fantastic scenery and in a dream state that i made my first couple of runs. i felt... disconnected.
a part of that might be that "full speed" was somewhat slower than i'm used to - i noticed that on other people too. so either something was different in the conditions (the surface, the wind) or my nervous system has become used to crazy speeds. i'm inclined to assume the former.
pg had a really tough day, she's finally at that magical point of actually snowboarding*, but she's not clearing it. it was only on our second-last run that i noticed what i suspect may be hindering her: she's spent more time working goofy than regular, so she's uncomfortable with taking control with her stronger leg. either i'm wrong and she's goofy, or she's a masochist! we'll see if she can fix that next time, if there is a next time because she found an entire day of struggling to be quite disheartening :(
* when the nose of you board is down and you're switching between your front edge and back edge to control your motion / speed.
i didn't do too many runs without her - not only was i desperately trying to help her, but going slowly was an excellent opportunity for me to learn to switch. and i got it! i'm not 100% when i'm going fast, but even at low speeds getting it right is thrilling. and the wipe-outs are spectacular :P
by the end of the day neither of us really had energy to go out; between the late night, early morning and long hours on the slopes we both could have just passed out in the cafeteria. but it was such a lovely afternoon! so we agreed to go out and take it easy, like a sunday stroll sort of a thing.
it was magic. it was so intensely beautiful, there was a moment where i sat down to stare at the mind-boggling view and was content, every fibre of my being happy to just be in the moment.
...
we kind-of slept on the bus, but it was uncomfortable. i wanted to go out exploring on a saturday night but by the time i'd had a shower i could barely keep my eyes open... i'm such a fader.
i hadn't really woken up by the time we left for the ski lifts; it was in a dream state that i stared at the fantastic scenery and in a dream state that i made my first couple of runs. i felt... disconnected.
a part of that might be that "full speed" was somewhat slower than i'm used to - i noticed that on other people too. so either something was different in the conditions (the surface, the wind) or my nervous system has become used to crazy speeds. i'm inclined to assume the former.
pg had a really tough day, she's finally at that magical point of actually snowboarding*, but she's not clearing it. it was only on our second-last run that i noticed what i suspect may be hindering her: she's spent more time working goofy than regular, so she's uncomfortable with taking control with her stronger leg. either i'm wrong and she's goofy, or she's a masochist! we'll see if she can fix that next time, if there is a next time because she found an entire day of struggling to be quite disheartening :(
* when the nose of you board is down and you're switching between your front edge and back edge to control your motion / speed.
i didn't do too many runs without her - not only was i desperately trying to help her, but going slowly was an excellent opportunity for me to learn to switch. and i got it! i'm not 100% when i'm going fast, but even at low speeds getting it right is thrilling. and the wipe-outs are spectacular :P
by the end of the day neither of us really had energy to go out; between the late night, early morning and long hours on the slopes we both could have just passed out in the cafeteria. but it was such a lovely afternoon! so we agreed to go out and take it easy, like a sunday stroll sort of a thing.
it was magic. it was so intensely beautiful, there was a moment where i sat down to stare at the mind-boggling view and was content, every fibre of my being happy to just be in the moment.
...
we kind-of slept on the bus, but it was uncomfortable. i wanted to go out exploring on a saturday night but by the time i'd had a shower i could barely keep my eyes open... i'm such a fader.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
nap time
perhaps a little too much rum before getting up super-early. but we made it! it's an absolutely gorgeous, sunny morning and we're on the bus to saint sauveur... with tickets in hand for boston next week ^_^
bircher muesli and rum
it's delicious, and worthy compensation for pg's miscalculation that had us both lugging heavy boxes to and from the bus. still easier (and quicker) than finding a taxi, and it was as good an excuse as any for exercise.
i'm very excited about our new arrangement: on my left, a very cool and simple desk on wheels with enough space for the both of us. being leaned on by me, a matching, tall chest of drawers the perfect height to stand in for a standing desk.
i've been worried about sitting for long periods of time (it's super-unhealthy), and this alleviates a lot of that concern with burning a serious hole in my pocket.
speaking of holes in pockets - vuzix refunded my cash, and that's comforting enough that i'll re-place my order as soon as my credit card arrives. funny thing: i've been expecting the card every day, because i cannot believe that it's only been a week since i ordered it. it feels like at least twice that.
i'm very excited about our new arrangement: on my left, a very cool and simple desk on wheels with enough space for the both of us. being leaned on by me, a matching, tall chest of drawers the perfect height to stand in for a standing desk.
i've been worried about sitting for long periods of time (it's super-unhealthy), and this alleviates a lot of that concern with burning a serious hole in my pocket.
speaking of holes in pockets - vuzix refunded my cash, and that's comforting enough that i'll re-place my order as soon as my credit card arrives. funny thing: i've been expecting the card every day, because i cannot believe that it's only been a week since i ordered it. it feels like at least twice that.
even the building thought it was friday
t'was a long, slow day in the office.
i discovered that one of our star interns had never operated in web paradigms and needed serious coaching; i've assigned him a fair quantity of homework to compensate.
cam2's definitely working better, but we're still not 100% on our big picture understanding. every little success is exciting and pleasing, though.
for the rest, some serious ups and serious downs, but overall the day ended on a very positive note and i'm feeling ready to face monday's challenges. the biggest one will be placing boundaries on moonlighter and performing extraction of some of his secret system knowledge.
i discovered that one of our star interns had never operated in web paradigms and needed serious coaching; i've assigned him a fair quantity of homework to compensate.
cam2's definitely working better, but we're still not 100% on our big picture understanding. every little success is exciting and pleasing, though.
for the rest, some serious ups and serious downs, but overall the day ended on a very positive note and i'm feeling ready to face monday's challenges. the biggest one will be placing boundaries on moonlighter and performing extraction of some of his secret system knowledge.
Friday, February 15, 2013
early morning travel blues
my credit card statement informs me that vuzix may not have trusted my credit card enough to ship my order, but they were more than happy to take my money. that's comforting - i wonder when the thirty days of my "thirty day money-back guarantee" begin? i've cancelled my order, i'll re-place it when i'm sure i won't be double-charged. that shit's expensive.
--- i spent this morning being harried by bad websites that are supposed to facilitate airline ticket purchases; it was kind almost a relief when pg reversed herself and made the call to spend the weekend in boston instead.
finding a reasonably-priced hotel room downtown wasn't a problem, and the greyhound tickets would have been a breeze... if they could have been purchased online. i tried three times before calling them, running the automated assistant gauntlet and speaking to a man with a terrible accent to find out that we'd need to purchase the tickets from montreal in person. couldn't that be written on the website?
we now have a week to get all of our documentation in order. it had better be enough.
finding a reasonably-priced hotel room downtown wasn't a problem, and the greyhound tickets would have been a breeze... if they could have been purchased online. i tried three times before calling them, running the automated assistant gauntlet and speaking to a man with a terrible accent to find out that we'd need to purchase the tickets from montreal in person. couldn't that be written on the website?
we now have a week to get all of our documentation in order. it had better be enough.
deeply sighing
today was satisfying, although only at the very end. and the end was late.
i've established with everyone short of the cto and moonlighter that we share the concerns and i'm not a single point of failure. we've sorted out payroll issues, i've been given optimistic advice by the lawyer and pretty much confirmed a visit to SxS in florida next weekend. that's so that we can meet his girlfriend and respect pg's visa limitations simultaneously, then apply for her work permit on the way back in.
two of the interns worked through their issues with the builds with my and cls's coaching; the builds were finally ready around 5pm. so was the one i worked through with newk'd: that was a tricky fix that's been a thorn in our side for a while now. i think he's got the message about comment-driven coding now. even cam2 made me happy today, demonstrating that he's taking my last instructions seriously.
the only thing that didn't work involved our web hosting: they're not only expensive, but they're greedy and unhelpful when the tools we're paying fees for don't work. switching from them is now an item on the to-do list.
...
dinner at godmother's was really nice (and pg organized swell gifts), and aside from putting up the curtain rails (we finally have the need) i've ordered myself moo minicards with my canadian number. it's an exciting purchase.
---
my emotions took a dive this week, but i think i'm already back to manic. this delegation stuff is pretty darn cool.
i've established with everyone short of the cto and moonlighter that we share the concerns and i'm not a single point of failure. we've sorted out payroll issues, i've been given optimistic advice by the lawyer and pretty much confirmed a visit to SxS in florida next weekend. that's so that we can meet his girlfriend and respect pg's visa limitations simultaneously, then apply for her work permit on the way back in.
two of the interns worked through their issues with the builds with my and cls's coaching; the builds were finally ready around 5pm. so was the one i worked through with newk'd: that was a tricky fix that's been a thorn in our side for a while now. i think he's got the message about comment-driven coding now. even cam2 made me happy today, demonstrating that he's taking my last instructions seriously.
the only thing that didn't work involved our web hosting: they're not only expensive, but they're greedy and unhelpful when the tools we're paying fees for don't work. switching from them is now an item on the to-do list.
...
dinner at godmother's was really nice (and pg organized swell gifts), and aside from putting up the curtain rails (we finally have the need) i've ordered myself moo minicards with my canadian number. it's an exciting purchase.
my emotions took a dive this week, but i think i'm already back to manic. this delegation stuff is pretty darn cool.
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