How perceptions change

Last week, as The End was approaching, I assumed that I would have a lot of time for blogging.  Silly me.  I've been busier this week than before my termination date.

It hasn't just been Stuff Around The House, although there has been plenty of that.  Cleaned some drains, changed some shower heads, made some inquiries re: equipment rentals, been more actively involved in household chores.  I hate housework but I can't say I'm too busy with work anymore so I have to chip in.

Nope, working like a mad dog, and I've been studying my arse off.

Background: in July of 2010 I began an MBA/IT program through Western Governor's University. I'm enrolled in a 2 year program that I intend to finish in 18 months (3 terms).  While I was working, I was putting in about 15 hours a week on classes. Since Monday, I've spent over 20 so far. This is on top of the other things I've been up to.  It is now early Thursday, and I plan to put in at least another 10-15 in the next two days.

I've also spent the last few days actively cramming on C# - the heir apparent to VB, which I last coded seriously in ~2001 or so.  I'm not at all familiar with the .Net architecture and at this point I haven't really delved in to the nitty gritty.  There are things I could do in VL that the last time I coded in µSoft was a pain (the µSoft equivalent of layout managers) that are now pretty easy. I won't get to data handling for several days yet but I have thought of some potentially useful applications re: my current coursework that I will be able to write after that time.  I will have turned in my paper which includes simulations, but the tools provided.don't cover the scenarios we for the final paper (which includes a Monte Carlo simulation of inventory ordering scenarios).  All this C# has taken up another 10-15 hours this week.

Oh, and of course I've applied for unemployment (yippee...?) and set up an initial appointment for the outplacement service the ex-company was kind enough to provide.  Note - that I'm not being snarky about the "kind enough" bit. From all accounts, this particular service is well known and respected and other folks part of the recent layoffs say it is a very good thing.

So unlike the "man of leisure" I expected to be for at least a few days, I've been having a manic few days.  When I'm not looking for jobs (and yes, I put in a hour or so of looking a day - currently Lansa but hope to expand that to include .Net soon).  The closest I've come to "relaxation" is taking a few bike rides (I need to do that more often - clears my head which is full of Stuff with Bits in it).

My first day as a man of leisure(?)

...or T plus one in NASAeze...  The weekend doesn't count because I don't work weekends anyhow.  The countdown is over so now I'm on the count up.

You'd think that this would have been a day off.  Instead it was a bit hectic, crazy, and filled with too many things.  Yes, I've added to my Things To Do (stuff around the house mainly) and I'm upping my study time (MBA student).  I've also added learning C# to my "need to accomplish" list because it seems that everyone wants .Net developers, and no one wants Lansa developers.  I've also decided I need to force myself back on the bike (I haven't ridden since the first week of April, I think because this whole process took a lot out of me).

As I stated in my previous post, I'm just feeling out of sorts today.  I'm not going to post much about the day because there was too much and none of it interesting to anyone other than me.

Um... wow. A reaction

I stayed away from news of any sort most of the day yesterday.  Which means I was late to the Osama Bin Laden Is Dead party.  I did catch it late (after about 9:30p local time) and I'm still trying to process it.

Yes, I'm glad we found the bastard.  And yes, I'm glad he's gone.  I don't know how he's stayed alive this long with the hounds of nations hunting him.  Heck, he's supposed to be hooked up to a dialysis machine, and those things hain't exactly portable so I'm not surprised they found him where they did.  The kinds of medical requirements he had meant his was not living in a cave somewhere.

Part of me - the part of me that is morally opposed to what amounts to an assassination - feels queasy at what has been done in my (our our country's) name.  Even if OBL was largely irrelevant (and many sources say beyond bankroll, he was),

But a rational part of me says that it is for the best.  Our hunt for OBL has cost us thousands of lives, millions of refugees, and billions (trillions?) of dollars.  Maybe with the man gone we can finally see past his target and get done what needs to get done.

What I'm finding amusing (in a very un-funny way) is that there are already people out there that are saying it is a hoax.  Or that he's been on ice for 8+ years (?? really?? you think Dubya wouldn't have crowed this to rooftops?) and was just rolled out to distract us from the birther bozos.

What I find annoying is that to a person (and I'll be more than happy to correct this if someone can prove me wrong) not a single Republican is acknowledging that this is an Obama win.  They say "great, The Big Bad is dead" but won't even give a nod to the president.  We've gotten a treasure trove of additional intelligence as a result of the raid and not one Republican can utter the words "good job Mr President."


I'm feeling a bit disjointed tonight.  Wish this was better written but my mind is in too many places.  So, y'all will have to forgive my rambling and at times unintelligible gobbledygook.  (color me amused - google spell checking recognizes "gobbledygook" as a word.)

Crazy Whovian Spedulation

You'd think my first "post job" post would about about angst and agony, wouldn't you?  Nope, save all that for later.  Too much to do before I get all Mr Angst (as opposed to Mr Snark - there's always time for Mr Snark).

I'm late to the speculation table for this season's Dr Who.  And there are plenty out there that probably already know what is going to happen.  Even more are convinced that they do.  Some think that it will destroy the show (and proclaim it gleefully because they don't like Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and/or Steven Moffat).  Some of the things I've been thinking are likely already out there in the blogosphere but I don't spend a lot of time looking for it.  Spoilers and all that.

However, here is my roundup of thoughts/speculations on this next season, of which the second episode airs tonight.

First:  who is River Song?  This seems to be obvious right now.  I'm guessing it's Amy and Rory's daughter.  She will be the reason (ultimately) that the Ponds will leave the TARDIS.  I doubt that she will wind up being the Doctor's wife or anything like that - but that playful banter?  She gets that from her mom.  She may even carry the torch that Amy did (can torches be passed across generations?  I wonder what chromosome it's carried on).

Plenty of other questions about her - why does she know ancient, high Gallifreyan?  Why does she know the Doctor's name?  I'm currently leaning towards a theory that the Time Lords do return at some point (chastened by their experiences in the Time War?), the Doctor has her brought up there.  Or possibly, just because of his deep loneliness (i.e., no Time Lord return - being the last of his kind - he tries to pass it on to her.
Or of course, they could just be love bunnies and the Doctor had a fling.  Doesn't seem like him, but there are plenty in the "Moffat/Smith hating contingency" that want to believe that is where it will wind up being.

Who did she kill?  My money is on Rory.  It was likely for the right reason (or what seemed like the right reason at the time) but we're hearing one of the characters will get killed this year, Rory is the most expendable (sorry girls...).  Poor guy looked so good in a Centurion suit after being dreamed back in existence, but Time doesn't like those kinds of games.  And hence, he needs to go again.  Properly this time - where Amy does remember and mourns and all that.
If my speculation on River is true, and Rory is killed by River Song, it may well be to her "the best man she ever knew" - her father.

And the Silence (Silent singular)?  The Silence will fall.  And I think we're hearing it wrong - and not understanding what it means.

See, people don't use the word "fall" in regards to say...  descent (as in, to descend).  Perhaps Prisoner Zero meant they will "fall out of the sky" and descend upon us, but that isn't what I hear.  To "fall" usually means defeat, destruction, or some other coming down from a position of importance.  So when I hear "the Silence will fall" I hear that the Silence will be defeated.  And it will not be a Good Thing.  It may have even been the cause of the rip which played such a large role in last year's season.

In other words, the Silence, no matter how evil, are Important.  They serve a function.  And when they are defeated, as all of the baddies in the Whoniverse ultimately are, it will unleash terrible consequences.  Keepers of the Time Lock perhaps?  Whatever the case is, the fall of the Silence will bring about something worse.  And the Doctor, trying to correct this, will have to "run faster than he's ever run" to fix it.  And it has taken him 200 years to do it (hence the age difference).

Of course, Jim The Fish may be the key to everything.  Unfortunately, he was eaten by Dolphins as the left the Earth before the building of the hyperspace bypass so we may never know where he came from.

this is the final post ever from this desk...

Moment of silence (or the singular, silent) please.

And unlike the Silence, I'd like to think people here don't forget me when they can't see me any longer.

Sometimes, time can't be re-written.... 

Ask me what I want, what I really really want...

I just registered at Yet Another Tech Job Site (Dice) and one of the questions asked was "what are you looking for in a job?" 

It's a question I answer to some extent in my resume and cover letter.  It's a fair question, and one that I have to ask myself right now.

Perfect world?  I'd like to go back to a smaller shop.  Even if that means not making as much.  Or someplace where I will have more responsibility than I do now - I'm a coder.  Last job?  I did more, had more responsibility, and people knew what I did/do and appreciated it.  Outside of the office, I'm not a known entity.

I'd also like smaller town.  Denver, I love ya, but I'd be more than happy to see you in my rearview mirror.  Traffic is getting to me and I never really fit the hyperfitness culture here.  That was why a recent job prospect in Burlington VT was so hopeful.  It didn't happen (although the contracting door is possibly open there) but that would be the ideal environment for me.

Anyhow, maybe I'll put together a real wishlist later.  Still fiddling with stuff in the office.

Like fleas deserting a dying dawg

One by one the office clears.  Another body stops by, shakes my hand, says "good luck," and then leaves the office.  I'd be gone by now if I weren't waiting for my wife to get here (probably another hour and a half). 

I've turned in my access card (but the code is still good through the end of the day so I'm not completely trapped) but the habit of swiping my wallet over the reader is ingrained from years of doing it.  I got a bit panicky when I tried the first time after handing in the card because the door didn't "click".  But it was just because of the obvious - no more card means no more reads.

I've got some additional things to do before I leave - nothing company related of course, that stopped this morning (even though I did get a couple of support requests - dutifully ignored thankyouverymuch).

Strange to think I may be the last person here today.  Just... strange.