Author: sean

The more things continue on, the more frustrated I get about being proved correct. I really didn’t want to be, but…

Not a ton of movement on what I’ve been hinting about the past few days. Fingers crossed.

Reality exists. Despite some people’s willingness to try and distort people’s perception of it, ultimately, the facts do come out.

Professionally, and personally, I’ve given up trying to hide who I am, or what I am. It’s just exhausting.

I also find the people who most try to live lives of deception are the most skeptical of others’ motives. Projection? Perhaps.

What has been the biggest disappointment in your life that turned out to be a blessing in disguise?

Not getting a call-back on a job I really wanted. I ended up with the last job I had. I have nothing bad to say about that company, or my experience there. Not a thing. Yes, I bitched a lot while I was there. But, then, that’s part of what I do; I never thought they weren’t being straight with me, and I appreciate that.

Maybe I’m a sucker for being “so trusting.”

Or maybe I just think that people aren’t inherently evil?

If that’s a character flaw, so be it.

Burning sick leave this afternoon to go see the doc. Why? Um, because better safe than sorry.

“Are you having problems with xxxx, and yyyy?”
“Yes.”
“Well, which one?”
“Both. Depends on the hour, really.”
*quizzical look*
“I have MS.”
“Oh.”

For the other things, can I do a LeBron James-style decision presser soon?

Maybe.

(And it’d be awesome in its own, special, way. We’ll set aside LeBron’s overbearing douchiness for the moment……)

As I said a few days ago, it’s a good thing to have me on your team. I do screw up. A lot, sometimes. But I’m trying to help you do whatever it is you’re doing the best way it can possibly be done. When I disagree with you about something, I want you to convince me that your way is the right way. I’m not going to harp on it forever after I’m convinced.

I haven’t mastered the expert systems engineer trait of being able to lose an argument with myself. Most days. Or maybe it’s the other way around….

Regardless, I want to churn out something quality. It may not be exactly what I’d originally envisioned in my scarred-up brain. So be it. If it makes sense, I’ll defend it until someone shows me why it isn’t the right thing.

The big question I have, unlike LeBron, is, “where can I be fulfilled?” I have far too little energy to spend on things that won’t be ultimately satisfying.

What job would you most like to have? What keeps you from getting it?

It’d be a real shame for me to blow such a meaty question.

(Real answer: see above. I want to do whatever I can creatively to make something that’s ubiquitously-simple. Too bad Tom already came up with the Jump-to-conclusions mat…..)

Interesting conversation on Twitter this morning with a fellow MSer from the UK. She was wondering who else in her office would pause at 11. It’s somewhat incredible to me how little people today know about why Veterans’ Day is 11 November. (And, for the locals, what the significance of the Victory Arch is…or that it even exists.)

Obviously, World War II gets the attention simply due to the number of Americans who served. Pretty much everyone has someone in his/her family who served. Unless you’re very young, you’ve probably spoken to that family member.

Vietnam gets a lot of attention, simply because of the combatants’ generation (it’s all about the Boomers!). It was a big deal, and lasted across four presidents’ administrations.

So many younger people seem to know next to nothing about World War I. My great-grandmother would tell stories about how my great-grandfather came home after basic training, and married her. This was despite his drill sergeant’s explicit instructions not to go and get married during the week they had off before they shipped out to Europe.

Seems pretty much everybody else in his class did exactly the same thing he did. I was very young when he died; I don’t remember him at all. Googling reveals little; I don’t even know his middle initial, much less his name (or even if he had one, as lots of folks from that generation didn’t….).

He came back, reunited with his young wife, formed lots of babbys, and lived to see several great-grandchildren.

People also don’t know much about Korea. Both of my grandfathers were naval reservists after World War II. By the time they’d have been recalled for service in Korea, they were both married with expectant wives (my parents were both born in 1951) — not exactly draft/deploy material. I did have a couple of great uncles who fought in Korea — one Navy, one Army. (They also both were in Vietnam.)

A few months ago, when Kim Jong number Un was flexing his minuscule muscles, along with something else where I started reading up on LTC Page, I realized how little people, myself included, actually understand about the ongoing situation in Korea. That war never ended. An astounding number of people were killed in a very short time (over 30K Americans KIA in just over three years of fighting).

The media, trying to please the audience they’re trying to serve (you know, the ones who are really interested in the ED and Low-T meds advertised during the nightly news), are worried about the Norks’ nukes.  (Duck-and-cover drills throughout your childhood will do that to you.)

I’m worried about the hundreds of thousands of people who’d die in a very short time if they opened up with their conventional weapons.  Yes, we are able to effectively stomp them, but a lot of people would die while we’re getting things into place.

Who is the most influential person in your life and why?

My wife. She is everything to me, and the reason I haven’t quit on a lot of things.

A third of the way through this.

Am I really satisfied with what I’ve done so far? Why do I ask myself these sorts of questions?

I do it, because I do care about getting something out of it, personally. I care about the work being quality, whatever that means.

Is this? I don’t know. Scant few readers might tell me it is to stroke my ailing ego, but…

Or maybe this is more about commitment — getting into a routine?

Yesterday’s prompt asked about what excuses I’ve used to avoid responsibilities or commitments. I didn’t have many. Even though I have far more legitimate excuses than I used to have (or than most people have), I’m still hesitant to use them.

What was the last thing on your mind as you fell asleep last night?

Going to bed before the SNL rerun even starts? Man, I’m lameold.

(Admittedly, amazing food plus half a bottle of wine probably didn’t hurt.)

It’s early on a Saturday morning. I woke up somewhat unexpectedly, hit the head, took my morning cocktail of pills, then tried to fall back asleep. Fail.

The cool weather makes me sleep more soundly. When I do wake up, however, I’m awake.

I suppose that’s okay, because there’s some things I want to do online today.

There’s also some folks I’d like to get in touch with; I hope to do that over the next couple of weeks in my rapidly-dwindling spare time.

Do I absolutely need to talk to these folks? No. Do I just want to catch up, see what’s happening? Yes.

It’s incredible how much things can change in a year’s time. And, as I’ve said many times, just doing the same broken things faster doesn’t make them any better. Professionally, I’m seeing a lot of biggerfasterhardermore. What I’d like to see is smallersimpleeffectivedifferent.

Bigger and harder yield better gross profits. If, and only if, the market is static or growing. In my field, it’s actually getting smaller.

So doing it faster will mean it’s better, right? No, not necessarily.

(Aside: I really have gotten fed up lately with the sales gerbil language. Adding, “right?” to the end of a questionable statement doesn’t make it any less questionable.)

So, the prompt…

What was the most creative excuse you’ve come up with to get out of a date, an appointment, or doing a task?

I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now, and don’t really have a good answer. I try not to make commitments I know I’ll have trouble keeping. My mother has myriad stories of what I’d do as a little kid.

I’m not that little kid, anymore.

Progressing along with whatever else it is I’m working on….. I’m exhausted, but excited by the prospects.

Just like what I’ve managed to do with users.757.org.

One of those, “Really? I’m not completely worthless?” times. I do still have things to offer. And doggone it, people like me. (Okay, so maybe that’s a stretch….)

I’m excited for the weekend. Relaxing tonight. Birfday dinner at a great restaurant tomorrow. Football Sunday. Working from home Monday, thinking of the Veterans on Armistice Day. (People now so little about World War I….it’s kinda shameful.)

Prompting.

Write about a mistake you made once (or more than once) that you never want to make again.

It involved exhaustion, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, dancing, and Dutch beer. I think I was about 21.

I am incredibly busy, though I’d rather not talk about what I’m doing, aside from being rude to people I care about. I am a horrible person, husband, panda, Candy Crush player, etc..

Things are going to change soon, and I’ll discuss with those interested after it happens. In the meantime, I’m going to continue doing whatever it is that I do.

And will never be satisfied with shoddy work.

Maybe that’s another of my personality flaws.

What is on your bucket list? (A bucket list is a list of things you want to do before you die)

I don’t have one. Something about not knowing the time or place…

Are there still things I’d like to do? Certainly. Are most of them in the realm of possibility? No idea. My horizon’s changed quite a bit last few years.

If I died tomorrow, I don’t know what would be really a regret for missing.

My goal for a long time was to live long enough to see Halley’s Comet again, but, considering my genetics, health, etc., I don’t really think that’s going to happen.