Hope is renewed (random thoughts about the election of Obama)

It is amazing how a single election can restore ones hopes and dreams for a country, a planet and the future.

Not that I think there was a lot riding on this election or anything.

The process works. Real leaders can be elected in this country. Leaders that bring with them the potential for change, not just for the United States but for the World.

More importantly it demonstrates a key feature of the Democratic experiment. A nation can have dramatic change without violence.

Now lets see what we can do when a smart leader that works to bring different groups together is in charge. And what we can do to help.

meme of the week from taokodr

Your result for The 4-Variable IQ Test...

Visual

10% interpersonal, 45% visual, 10% verbal and 35% mathematical!

Your strongest type of intelligence is Visual. You thrive on spatial thinking, shapes, patterns, and form. You're unlikely to be blind. You can probably think in 3D very easily. You are very likely to be attractive, based on only my most rudimentary anecdotal evidence. And you are likely to appreciate a good body in a lover.

Your specific scores follow. On any axis, a score above 25% means you use that kind of thinking more than average, and a score below 25% means you use it less. It says nothing about cognitive skills, just your interest.

Your brain is roughly:

10% Interpersonal

45%Visual

10%Verbal

35%Mathematical

Matching Summary: Each of us has different tastes. Still, I offer the following advice to the world.

1. Don't date someone if your interpersonal percentages differ by more than 20%.

2. Don't be friends with someone if your verbal percentages differ by more than 25%.

3. Don't have sex with someone if their math percentage is over 50%.

Take The 4-Variable IQ Test at HelloQuizzy

halloween preview

This year it is Batman. He had so much fun playing with the mask at a cousins house that we bought it months ago. A black long sleeve shirt, pants, sneakers, $1.50 worth of fabric for the cape and felt for the emblems and there you have it.


At home, refusing to stand still and captured in the process of running up to see what is on the camera.


At the YMCA halloween party, starting in on the candy early. He went thru the Haunted House twice! At least three other Batmans, all different versions. A Superman, Indiana Jones, Power ranger, Policeman and a smattering of vampires rounded out the party.

slowly coming back to reality

The summer is my busiest time at work. That is when there are the least number of people using the network, so that is when there are more opportunities for me to make major changes. And the period in the summer that is the busiest is the three weeks before the student arrive to start the fall semester. The rest of the summer is generally prep for those three weeks. Students moved into the dorms in various waves starting the week before Labor Day. Naturally the three weeks or so prior to that were more than a little crazy with late nights at work and long days over weekends inaddition to the regular work schedule. This years changes to the network were among the more ambitious plans I think we have ever attempted, and while it all worked out, it was not without its craziness along the way. I was in New Hampshire for a two day training class on a product we bought six weeks earlier, that was going live two days after I got back. Happily I did not find anything out during the training that caused us to have to make any changes to our plans. That waited until I returned and found a major bug in the product, or at least a major bug from our point of view. We bought a NAC, or a product that does Network Access Control for thos not up to speed on their network TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms). This product was bought to replace an aging home grown set of labor intensive processes that achieved a limited form of the same effect. We are also planning on using this with the yet to be bought next generation wireless product. The NAC steps in when a computer first connects to the network and makes sure it is up to date on its operating system patches, has a required antivirus product and that the virus definitions are up to date. It can do much more than that simple list, but that is enough of a start for us. This a major step for us. It brought to light a problem with one of the antivirus products we support, which was a major time sink for our helpdesk staff. They had lines going out the door during the move in week.
Once we worked out that the new NAC was not the source of the problems, and that it was doing what it was supposed to do, my life got a bit simpler. I did loss a week repairing data jacks that were damaged over the summer but I am slowly starting to get back to regular hours and being able to focus on new projects. Or at least on those projects that got back burnered over the course of the summer.
I hope everyone else is having a less busy time of it and are able to enjoy the last vestiges of the summer season.

Back in the country, with loads of pictures

Howdy, to the two of you that read this blog. We made it back without incident. I had a good time visiting for their last week. And here are loads of pictures taken during their almost three month visit.


How Mom spent her visit. *grin*


Just taking a breather in the bus stop while holding a bucket of baby pears. No reason to be concerned, just move along officer.


A frame from an upcoming music video of the blues song titled "Down by the River"


I am ready for my close-up.


uh... "Yo"


umm, was that supposed to happen?


I made this for you.


and you believed me!


I need to think about this for a bit and nothing helps me think like a good carrot.


Some fool gave this child a hat full of candy.


Don't tug on that, you don't know what it is attached too.


This is how you water a garden.


Nothing funny to say. Just a great shot of him running down a road.


Eating a fresh picked tomato in the garden... in my undies. You know you wish you were me!


You handle the peddles and I will stear.


Cruising for smooches!


Were you sleaping?


A whole new meaning to the phrase "Surfing Dad."


I saw this one on a wrestling show.


I think it goes here.


Son, I really hate to tell you this, but this is, mostlikely, the last time you will get to hang out in a pool with four cute blonde sisters.


Meeting the family pet.


Nothing says you are done with a post like a child riding a goat.

Loads of pictures of the cute one

Here, let me help you with that bag, Grandpa.


Taking the dolls out for a walk.


Playing in the pool.


A budding thespian.


Leave me alone, I'm licking my lollipop.


Cruising with Grandpa.


Hiding in the hammock, sorta.


See, Mom, I did too eat my vegetables.

Memorial Day 5k results

It is that time of year again. Our little borough had their 2nd 5k run and I took part. 240 people took part in this years run. There was some concern about whether or not I would be able to run this year. Earlier posts went over the process of recovering from the injury after the Thanksgiving Day 5 miler. And as recent as yesterday I was limping from having pulled something on my hip. Happily this did not cause any problems and I was able to finish running. Since my training was interrupted these last few months I had very modest expectations for my performance. Just getting out there was a victory. That said, I did better this year than last! My time this year was 31:06 minutes, more than two minutes faster than last year. My average pace was almost exactly 10 minutes a mile. This is very encouraging for my hopes to continuing to improve my times. If the aim to improve a few minutes year over year is modest when compared with the results of the top runners in this race. The first place mens was almost exactly half my time. The top finishers in my age bracket are ten minutes faster. So I have a ways to go before my name has a chance of showing up on those lists. Wish me luck!