Well today I got the call from the boss man back east, chatted about the meeting they had yesterday, got the skinny on everything - and I mean EVERYTHING, I think there were some concerns which could of been generalized, but straight out I now know how everyone in admin thinks - but a lot of it truly as he said it “perceptions” folks don’t ask me what I am doing, what I am working on, they just assume standing somewhere other than in my office means “playing around”. I am not going to lie, there are times I have had a friendly chat, but simple, quick, casual - not unheard of in an office.
But we discussed quite a bit, not the 2hr conversation from last week, but a hour long conversation which actually taught me some more of the inner workings of their system, as I really didn’t ever have much training on things - so got the skinny on working out some possible new functionality, and getting things up to par with the reports they used to have generated - which no longer work for me - got a budget of $500, got things sorted with “Personal” vs “Work” and also clarified my laptop use here at work, as it was questioned “Why” was I using it all the time, well it was part of the original agreement to allow me to keep my own business, because honestly if all I was making was the money from here? I’d be on one tight budget - but in conjunction with my business, it ain’t too shabby.
So things are mellowing out, and I imagine they will continue to do so, worked some on their “newsletter” and it is starting to look good I think, I am going to layout some things in Illustrator to import for the back page, but it should come out pretty nice and really allow them to have a product sent out that folks actually READ for once, good stories, eyecatching promos, etc. So I hope it will be well received, and if at all possible ready to go by this Friday.
Anywhoo - long day ahead, going to be sorting more of the programming they have in FoxPro, and see if I can better export these data dumps to Excel and maybe into Access or MySQL, and go from there, just need a clean customer list, and a clean OE file - but if I can do that, I can write a PHP app to import the data from the dumps, and a PHP app or two to generate the reports, so busy busy. Thanks for the continued prayers, I’ll post more on the event last night later, still quiet, but who knows if that’s good or bad. Time will tell.
Well I got some mini-details on the meeting this morning, things went well, I got a budget, some things sorted, and apparently I am not fired - so positive, I will get a more complete run down tomorrow I guess, so I should know more then.
I got a call mid-day from a sales person @ NaviSite - which knew absolutely 0 about me, my company, etc. kid really didn’t do his homework and just kept ignoring what I was saying, funny really, not the best pitch I have heard, I’ll give cold calls a few minutes to grab me, and in the past I have gotten some good hookups with Ensim and such - so it can be a nice thing, but to come in and not even ask me needs till the 5th question, at which point I was already done, finally I had to just hang up, everything I said “No Thank You” to, it was just grinding it in - I am happy with my current solutions for customers, they work, they are affordable, and the companies I am working with a respectful, so not about to change anytime soon, but they really didn’t give me any reason to even want to at this point lol.
But things are going good today all things considered, hope to hear more on tomorrow to hear what the entire rundown is, and go from there.
Anywhoo - 10 minutes left, backup is almost complete, getting the last bits of projects around here done - so home soon, then possibly off to OfficeMax and snag a paper shredder, and possibly a color laser printer… maybe. 
Time will tell!
So today I figured I’d be pulled into the morning meeting to discuss things, which I figured could possibly lead to a few things like me leaving this job, while not the “greatest” thing that could happen in the world, at some level it’d be easier on my brain lol - but nothing happened, not fired, no updated draft of my job description, as always less and less respect for someone who’s supposed to be in charge of a company’s IT infrastructure (I think).
But the day goes on, I have held off on my media rig until things settle down here, which they may well do - but time will indeed tell, but I figure if I haven’t heard anything about the job by tomorrow, I’ll go ahead and get the parts coming, and look more serisouly towards getting an appartment - I have scaled the rig down some to save money, and simply recycle some parts, namely Memory, TV Tuner, and Vista, so under $1000 for a system, but still should be a nice setup for the time being, and as things continue to settle down, might get something more to add-in down the line, but for now it’ll do.
Big thanks for all the prayers - I am hoping things continue to pan out here, it’s not that it’s a bad job - its just they keep trying to expand it where if I am not careful, I’ll be moping and vaccuming floors soon, and while I know how to do that, it’s not my job, nor am I being paid for it, so we’ll see how it all goes from here - today I get lunch for sure! Missed it yesterday no car, my ride ditched me, could of had Scott bring me some tasty bits, but I failed lol. So today, it will be tasty indeed! I just need to get cash from a ATM somewhere.
Anywhoo - that’s my update, so far so good, really am tired, but it happens 
for now I am off to once again look at these old database formats and see if I can’t get things happy somewhere within the flow.
So barring any major negative press, I think I am going to pickup one of the new Dell Studio Hybrid - as Mac User, and Linux user, I haven’t really spruced up the Windows rig in sometime, and I have been shopping for a system in a similar form-factor, but the kicker, the addition that sold me is the Blu-Ray option coming in a few weeks, even the build I setup today gave me 8/14/08 for a ship-date.
In the coming weeks I will know or not if I get a 3bed/1bath house - if it’s a no again, I think it’s the move to the Apartment that will come, but the house is about the same price range as the apartment so if it is possible, I think I want to lean that way - that and I know the owners, and I think I can get repairs done easy since I am renting and am family
But the computer comes as part of the re-vamp of my computer system, long-term I want to ditch the BIG tower I have for media currently with the Dell Studio Hybrid, then the big tower which currently act’s as storage server extraordinaire - I want to take it’s drives, as well as the old drives from the Media Center and slide them all into a Drobo - but that’s not for a while, I want to give the Drobo 2 a while to brew in it’s new release and get some fixes/patches etc. but with it and the Drobo Share, I can replace my linux storage box, and save more room, more power.
Finally before year end, but hopefully sooner, I would like to retire the iMac 20 for a new iMac 20 New processor, new hardware, 802.11n built in, etc. so it’d be nice to have that all working nice and fancy and everything in-house working on 802.11n where possible, and everything else running off a access point doing a set 802.11g (iPhone, Wii, 360) but I think the plan is pretty solid… thus far
It would scale down the size and energy requirements of my computer army as it is, centralize and secure my storage, and give me some thin-line hardware with lower heat emissions than my current beasts! But the plan is actually cheaper than buying my long-desired setup of a Mac Pro - if I were to get the Pro as I “dream” of it, well over $6000 - and that’s a lot of cake! This configuration all things said and done will come in under $4,000 - nearly $2,000 cheaper, utilize some current hardware (no extra purchases) and get me a complete setup that works wonders.
A lot of this also relies on keeping my day job, while it is nice, and helps bring home the extra bacon I have enjoyed getting to utilize, if I am dead from the stress - it won’t do me that good, so many complexities of my own business I worked for years to simplify and here they can’t even get me simple content for a newsletter! Nor do they seem to have clear communication between the entire staff, what one of the owners says is “Ok” is “Not Ok” with another - no discussion, and my job keeps changing and evolving into a graphic designer / IT manager / Nerd Herd - so if things don’t level out over the process of this coming month, I think I’ll probably put forth my 2 weeks, and search for something else better suited - I have a “thought” on a job, but its one too that I am weary to take on, but could give good results in the end.
Anywhoo - keep me in your prayers, definitely a lot to consider with things, and 2 days of car issues, well maybe it’s a message from upstairs for now though, I am going to keep pushing forward, and see if I can’t get things working all-around. Only 1 more day to go this week, so it can’t get any worse… Right?
So this was a big weekend, for sleeping I think I may be fighting a cold, and hoping to be feeling at least 80% by Monday morning, but as it stands I am happy with my weekend, and excited about a trip soon!
Things kicked off Friday when I got word my Sister in Law had gone into labor, while they are only 2hrs away, I was tired, and a trip didn’t really sound like a good idea, but I recall last birth of my niece and while that was in town - it was busy busy, lots of people, so I didn’t want to crowd as my sister and her husband had gone up, mom and dad were already there, and not to mention they have family living/stayin in the area - so I stayed home to relax and celebrate my cousin’s birthday by going to see WALL*E (Cute Movie).
During the movie I got an update, and since we were the only two people in the theatre, I took it and chatted, was about 930 or so - still no baby, one nurse had said it’d be morning before my nephew would come forth, but he proved them wrong and around 11:30 or so he was born.
Just today I got some pics from my fam on Flickr - some of my brother, some of their family, some of the kiddo, some of the new baby boy, all looks well. So I am hoping in a week or two to head out that way, say hello, get some shots for the kiddo myself!
This weekend though has been productive and relaxing, granted I missed The Hub tonight and didn’t get to take pictures, but life will go on (I think!) but I am going to crash out here soon and really get some good sleep as I know this week has the option to be insanely busy, or simple and calm. So we’ll see what happens! Prayers are appreciated, as I am truly wondering my future at this job, as much as I enjoy it - I am also not liking the fact that I am being dumped on and disrespected - but who knows maybe new doors are being prepared to open, time will tell.
Anywhoo - sleep well people, hope your Monday is mellow!
Well for me anymore a Wild Saturday includes a few things, 1) Progress on organizing my junk, 2) Sleep, 3) Food - or any combo of those options.
Today included the unlock of my 1st Gen iPhone to utilize the Firmware 2.0 but on T-Mobile’s network - being out of contract on T-Mobile, I am actually happy to stay knowing I can now use the line “Well if you won’t fix it, I’ll just leave! boo-hoo!” - and can actually do it AT&T has tried several times now to lure me back to their evil death star alliance, but I have remained strong - the iPhone was really the only option I liked, but I doubt I’d buy a 3G model any time soon, revision 2 in which they get GPS quirks out of the way, battery life sorted, and a 12MP camera, then, maybe then
Currently my first gen is on it’s battery drain, listening to Pandora over WiFi, part of me wanted to leave it on EDGE and see what’d happen, but signal isn’t quality EDGE, so probalby Monday I’ll have that fun at work! But all in all the apps are speedy, the unlock works perfectly, iTunes 7.7 backed up all my goodies, and now I have the big thing to decide MobileMe or Stick with IMAP & SpanningSync for Mac, don’t get me wrong, I love the concept of MobileMe, just $99 a year, not sure it’s going to sit well in my budget for IT, I’d just as soon get Google Apps, or utilize my own IMAP servers.
I am sure there are other things which I could go on and on about, but really it has been a mellow weekend, Church tomorrow should be fun (I hope) followed up with Dinner, but I really want to get a lot more sleep in, I think I am trying to get sick, and the lack of sleep usually leaves me wide open for illness, so sleep is coming up soon here - I am going to fight the urge to skip playing with Apps on the iPhone.
Anywhoo - lots to do in coming weeks, Reunion Website, Photographer’s blog, Wordpress 2.6 upgrades for folks (big kudo’s to WP devs, Gears makes it rockin all the more!) but busy busy - just need to be sure I am rested for it! So I will say goodnight, and wish you all a wonderful Sunday!
Lately it just seems there is not enough time in the day. I get side tracked, phone called, spammed, heck even at work I have different department heads asking for different things, and I have a pile of my own personal business to catch up and get active.
Just seems to be my norm now, I really just want 2 days of sleep, lol a guy can dream can’t he? Still waiting to hear back from the nice folks @ Newegg, going on 4 days with no word back on a laptop, and a co-worker getting anxious as he is out a pile of cash and has no laptop to show for it, so going to give a ring tomorrow if the status isn’t updapted tomorrow.
For now though, I am going to call it a night. I hope tomorrow will be a bit more level, I can hopefully get some things done on various projects (got DBF -> MySQL.. so that’s a good thing) but lots of work yet to be done, if all works as planned, I can skip toying with Visaul Fox Pro and write a bash script to nightly re-generate MySQL tables and have some simple PHP handle generation of scripts and get folks a web interface they can easily use to generate reports instead of calls to me for various things.
Anywhoo - Night all, keep me in your prayers, busy busy, tired tired, sleepy sleepy.
