Jack’s Blog

Well I was off to the week with a somewhat shitty start. Not feeling particularly well, and feeling even less well about school obligations. After today, I think I am back to my normal chipper self. Got quite a bit of work done, and also got some school work underway. It feels good to be writing code again. Lame, I know.

Worked out this afternoon with the boot camp crew, and feel absolutely wonderful. Came home, and now I gotta go pack up a few lunches for the next few days. Health is good for you!

Let me know how you peeps is doin. Hope all is well!

Jack

So I haven’t posted in a few days.  Firstly, I took a trip to Salt Lake City.  It was definitely a very good time!  I definitely will return on of these days.  Had a really great time with Phil and Mercedes, and Mercedes’s little girl Ripley.  Here’s a link for you guys if you are interested in checking out some of the picks:

http://www.flickr.com/gp/15054290@N04/788jW9

On another note, I have been having a bit of trouble getting my head wrapped around school.  Tonight I finished the first lab in one class, and a quiz in another.  I think I am on top of things at this point, but  things are really just about to get crazy.  It has lead to a bit of a depressive state, but I think things will get better once I gain some momentum.

Anyway, I hope all yall are doing well.  I don’t have much else to report at the moment.  Oh. BEA is going to be acquired by Oracle, pending all the approvals and such.  Awesome huh? We shall see….

Jack

Well it’s been an interesting day. Interesting in a good way.  I feel like we’ve got some great traction and direction on our initiatives.  I believe that things have gotten and are continuing to get a lot better.  I am excited again.  Work could be fun again!  I wish I could type more, but I’m off to boot camp.  If I have anything else to report, I’ll chat at you when i get home.

Lata!

Yes, caring hurts.  But does that mean that life without something to care about is less painful? I don’t know if it’s possible for someone like me to find the answer to that question.  Reducing the scope of what one cares about to the areas of which they have control is the solution.  I am going to have to find a way to make that happen.  I doubt it will be easy, but will hopefully be well worth the effort.

In general, while my net caring will stay the same, I need to re-focus the caring to personal goals, and some very specific work related tasks. We will see what happens.

Very cryptic, I know.

Jack

Well, true to my word, I am continuing to regale you, my faithful readers, with the daily goings on. Today began the winter season of boot camp, and let me tell you, I was ready. Previous sessions Jay, the instructor, always joked about prepping me to take over teaching the class. I dunno if he’s kidding, but I would actually love that opportunity. I love the group dynamic, and I love the idea that I might be able to help someone reach their own fitness goals. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that I was not in any position to run a quarter mile, much less help someone else!

It feels good that someone else believes I could reach those heights of physical health. I know I can do it, and external validation is definitely not necessary. But it still feels good.

So after getting my ass home and taking a quick shower, I find myself here at Adi and Kanika’s. Kanika is making some samosas, and a really delicious lime/coriander/cumin chicken dish. I always love the ethnic preparations I enjoy with these folks. It is a really good feeling to have such great friends so close. Its kinda like a little family.

On the work side of things, there is not much to tell. I continue to fight against what I perceive as poor management decisions. One thing that definitely works to my advantage is my decided lack of fear. I know in my heart that this is just the preparation for something MUCH bigger. Regardless of these little struggles something good is gonna come. Something great in fact!

I miss all you guys, wherever you are. Even if I saw you today. You are all in my heart. I hope you will be there forever!

Talk to you soon (tomorrow)!

Jack

So I didn’t actually take any pictures when I went to the Whole Foods with Salina.  There just wasn’t anything all that interesting to record. It does amuse me that every time I go to that store, one of the cashiers is all talkative and militant in their mission to provide friendly, engaging service.  I really do believe the folks at Whole are WAY WAY more friendly than Rainbow. Everybody at Rainbow is some kind of vegan hipster hippie warrior.

I think that everyone in the world needs to have a pressure cooker.  I used mine to cook some black eye peas over the weekend, and they were the best durn black eyed peas I think I’ve ever had.  I found this really awesome site that has a lot of seemingly accurate and useful information about using pressure cookers:

Miss Vickie’s Guide To Modern Pressure Cooking

Well that’s it for now!  Hope you are well!

Jack

Yes!

Oh what a glorious day to not have to do much of anything. I did walk to the store this morning and damned if my umbrella didn’t just about invert on me. Here’s a pic of the view of the weather from my window:

In other news, I have taken some pictures from my Thanksgiving trip off of my camera, and there are some really great ones! You can take a look at some other highlights by clicking HERE!

Here’s a sneak preview:

Hope you are all doing well! Talk to you soon!

Jack

Hello All!

The week started out on a bit of a frustrating note, but it has actually drawn to a very productive and happy conclusion.  Without getting into much detail, which most would find extremely boring, I feel like I nailed a work project.  Illuminating a cavern of disinformation with real truth; that is what being a good QA engineer is all about.

We’ve had a major storm today as well, and as usual I have been glued to weather.com.  The winds were so blustery this morning before I got out of bed that I (kind of) felt the house shaking a bit!  The windows were rattling, the rain was falling.  It was a very cozy feeling until I walked my ass to the train station.

I hope to get some exercise done this weekend, but no matter what the case, I’ll be getting my ass whupped at boot camp on Monday.  That makes me happy.

We are also going to Voda after work for some cocktails.  Exciting!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jack

I think that one of the best things I can do for myself this year is to limit the amount of stress that i expose myself to.  One of the things that sux about caring about stuff is the stress associated with it.  While I am not and do not want to be an apathetic person by any stretch of the imagination, I need to learn to pick my battles.  Work, while important, cannot be at the top of my priorital hierarchy.  Yes I made that word up. I think that one of my issues is picking up too many responsibilities.  I feel that I am the best person to tackle many different things in my professional life, as well as my personal life, but trying to do everything ultimately means you do everything with the same degree of mediocrity.  Mediocrity is not acceptable to me.

I think that part of my plan for self discipline will be minimizing responsibilities, so that I can really focus in on what is important for my personal growth. Just because someone might be disappointed is no reason to adjust my priorital hierarchy, just for their sake.  This life is about you, or in this case, me.

Its starting to rain.  I love those moments before the storm.  I kinda feel like that’s a good metaphor for my life at the moment.  Talk to you tomorrow.