February 2007

February 2007

Tuesday, 2-27-7

I have gotten a couple of responses to the new "Music Quiz" page. No one has guessed the correct answer yet, maybe it's too hard? Maybe it was a shitty idea? I don't know. I'll let it run for a little while and see what happens.

I always believed 'Home Depot' and 'Lowes' were the same company. Now I am positive. They build them across from each other so when they need parts to build the HD they just get them from Lowes and the other way around. Yesterday and today I had to make trips out to get parts for the install I am working on. They only had the customer service desk and the self-checkout lines open. I had a 4x4 sheet of plywood and some loose bolts that don't have barcodes on them so I had to go through the customer service line. 28 minutes later (I timed it!) I'm out the door and free from the bitchy housefrau that has no idea what plywood is. I'm not upset that she didn't know the PRICE for the plywood was, she didn't know what plywood IS! How do you work at Lowes and not have any clue at all?! She kept telling the guy on the phone I had a 4 foot board. When he asked how long, she said it was 4x4. Now she's ringing up a post. 28 minutes!
So, today I had to get some 3/4" conduit, hangers and beam clamps. I decided to try my luck at Home Depot. They had everything I needed but the beam clamps. They had these HUGE 1/2" and 3/8" ones I could hang a truck from but the bolts were too big for my strap hangers. I needed 1/4" beam clamps and the guy I asked was a dick. His only help was, "Hey, if it's not on the shelf, I ain't got them". Rather than stand there and wish hateful things on him, I bought what I needed and grudgingly went back to Lowes. They had the 1/4" clamps but I noticed they didn't have the 1/2" or 3/8" ones. See? They do this on purpose. Somewhere there is a master list of "All things hardware". They split the list in half, Home Depot carries half, Lowes carries the other half. Just to throw us off, they both have the empty boxes for the stuff they don't carry. I'm on to them.

Sunday, 2-25-7

I was told (by many people over time) that I should have a "comments" page on the website. Truth is I don't know how to do that. That is why my website looks so boring and dull. Not from lack of desire but lack of know-how. I would LOVE to have a flashy site but I don't know how. I have picked everything up by trial and error and I have no idea on how to begin a comments page. So, if anyone out there can help me by telling me how or sending me instructions, I would love the input and apparently, so would everyone else.

On another note, here at the house the three of us came to a point in our paths that led away from each other. Teresa and I walked on one road while Zephyr has taken another route. We all knew it was coming but when it finally arrived, it was hard to say goodbye. So through the tears and with hugs and kisses we turn the page and begin the new chapter of our story, knowing we'll meet up with our loved one again.

It has only been a few hours but we already miss you Zephyr and we trust you will find your bliss... We love you.

Friday, 2-23-7

And miles to go before I sleep...

Driving home from North Carolina. I finished my work at 3:30 this morning but now I have to drive back to the airport to turn in my access badge to the day crew. 45 minutes in the wrong direction. Good thing though, on the way back I can stop by the hotel and pick up my coffee mug. I know exactly where I left it, right by the coffee pot. I'm usually not so forgetful but the sleep deprivation is really getting to me right about now. I'm coming off of a 74 hour work week with several hour and a half round trips to the airport that I don't charge time to. Basically, I worked and nodded off. Never really slept this week. After the work, the drive and the paperwork, I'd finally lie down and close my eyes only to open them ten minutes later worried that I overslept the next maintenance window. I'd say I got a solid seven hours of sleep since Sunday. I feel like fuck pie and now I have an eight hour drive home. The majority of my senses are hoping that I make it, some small part of me hopes I don't. If I crash and burn, at least I'll get some sleep.

Monday, 2-19-7

Tired. Oh sure, physically I'm exhausted but that's not what I meant. Been up since 2:30am so I can leave bright and early (dark and early?) for North Carolina. Raleigh/Durham. I haven't seen the city yet because I'm holed up in the hotel room still working at 10pm. They're gonna shit when I put down an 18 hour day for today...

No, I'm just tired of this road. I'm burning out fast and running at a wall. This sucks. For all the traveling I've done, all the scenery is through a windshield and all the airports look the same. This morning I saw a flipped truck on the side of the road. I wondered how long before that's me down there. All these miles I've put on the road and not so much as a flat tire? It's just a matter of time. And when it happens, it'll be big won't it? A few miles down the road, a coyote ran out in front of me and I was that much closer to dying in a ditch, alone on some stretch of highway.

I haven't posted in a while. I've got stuff in my head to write but no NRG to type it out. I've got some expense reports to fill out and activity logs to write up. I'm not going to get to them tonight. I've done enough. Going above and beyond only gets rewarded with more bullshit. I wish I were wired differently, I wish I had it in me to just... give... up.

Monday, 2-5-7

Yes, I'm working in town all this week so, I COULD be working on eliminating the pile of junk behind me. I promised Teresa I would throw away a lot of the stuff I rat-holed away and I have, but there's so much more to go. I could be doing that. I COULD be writing. I COULD be creating a few more interesting website ideas.. I SHOULD be doing something productive. BUT when I ordered the new external drive, I also threw in the WarCraft 3 game with it. It's not quite "World" addictive, but I am still playing it like a fiend. The bad news is that they also included a "W.O.W." trial CD with my set so after I complete W3, I may be a new convert to WOW. No updates for you, no clean house, no writing; just orcs and elves and undead, Oh My!

"Work Complete!"

Thursday, 2-1-7

Just an example of how unorganized this place is:

I have been waiting on the phone for two hours now for the ZJX (Jacksonville) guys to get on the line so we can test these last two circuits. They said they had a cable to finish and would join the bridge in five minutes. That was at 8:30, it is now 10:30. My SAC tech finally gets a hold of them and they say that they finished the cable a long time ago, but they also got word that we couldn't test any circuits today. Well thanks for telling us this little nugget of information.

Why can't we test today? Because the FAA has put a lockdown on all circuits in the ZJX and ZMA (Jacksonville and Miami) airspaces due to the freaking Super Bowl! Because of a stupid football game, I can't get my work done. I'm pretty sure the place, time and date of this game was set up and known a long time before this morning. I mean, it's not like a rave party or a cock fight and you don't know where it will be until a few hours ahead of time is it? No, this FAA moratorium was set up ahead of time but no one thought to schedule around it. I could have gone home last night. I could have gone to another site and gotten something done. What's worse is that now that we know about it, I'm still stuck here while they hash things out and try to squeeze these two circuits in. I have dealt with the ZJX manager (he's strict but very nice guy) and I know that we will not be able to test. But still, I have to sit here.

Sure enough, as I typed those words, I got the word to stand-down on all Florida circuits. Go home. Damn it, I wanted to get those last two done and then Myrtle Beach would be done for now... Oh well. I'm on the road home and happy to be gone.

I've been taking I-95 to 386 into Myrtle Beach. One of the other techs said he tried US17 but it was too slow. The hotel clerk told me that 17 was a nice drive and about the same travel time of going up to 386. I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did, it was a nice drive. The rain was coming down and it was cold out, the new scenery was nicer than the same old stuff. There was a part of 17 that really impressed me. It was the chunk just south of Charleston. It turned to a two lane road and normally that means following the slowest driver for thirty miles but not this time. It had signs telling you that there was a passing lane two miles ahead. When the lane opened up, there was a sign telling you that the lane ended again in three miles. There were plenty of my favorite highway signs, "Keep right except to pass". I don't know who built that highway but I hope they do some work here in Florida.

They also had speed limit signs that had a smaller sign attached that said "New". Some of them had orange flags on them too. Cool, so they lowered the speed limit and made sure everyone saw it but the question that I had is, "How long is 'new' considered new?" The orange flags on these things were tattered and weather-beaten. Have these "New" signs been up for more than a year? I always hated it when the radio station Teresa listens to called themselves, "The NEW 95.1" for something like six years! The word New should have limitations.

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