a113n’s daily dose

I lost a great mentor and friend this week, Elbert Johns Jr. He was many years my senior, but I consider him one of the few defining influences in my life. At TheArcLink, he and I handled significant progress in developmental disability programs and applications. We made a perfect duo, building on one anothers strengths. The thought that he will not be there to guide me into the future is indescribably horrifying, but just as indescribable is how grateful I am to have worked under him and gained the insight he passed on to me. I now head the helm of our organization, his vision burned into my mind, and though I know I won’t be handling the reins alone for long, I have no doubts that he laid the groundwork for me to rise to this challenge. You will be always remembered for the man of strong will and kind words Elbert.

I’ve decided Mama Bear and I will follow through with the trip to New York to The Last Hope. I believe Elbert would have wanted me to continue with these plans, it is something I have been looking forward to for a very long time. It is difficult for me as I will miss his memorial, but I will return a great deal smarter and re-energized to handle the new load that weighs upon me. I made no progress today on the various tasks I aim to complete; the day was filled with administrative duties.

No time is a good time to lose someone such as Elbert, but this is about the absolute worst. We were handling most of the registration information on a national conference, SABE 2008, and today was the last day for registrants to get a reduced rate. There are strict policies in place with our organization, as defined by our Board of Directors, that can really handicap someone. I was not even authorized to open mail. The simple things that I always took for granted because they were his duties have been laid in my lap to ensure the highest priority duties are carried out. We were developing a plan to handle his extended absence, but even these details are still in development. Indeed, the road ahead is both uphill and dreary, but I will walk it the same and emerge from a higher vantage point as a result.

I will make HOPE a memorable experience; Mama Bear and myself will enjoy ourselves and take advantage of everything we can in this new experience. Though I know his permanent absence will weigh on me from time to time, his memory makes me optimistic about what the future holds for me, my family, and the organization.

On a lighter note, my 2.0GB SD card with all of my most important passwords and documents got washed in a pair of pants. Though I was sure the SD connections would not work after being washed and dried, I thought the USB connections (I have a SD Plus, the best kind of SD card) would work. The first connection gave me the dreaded “Unknown USB Device”, but I followed the standard device uninstall/reinstall, and VOILA!, the card was recognized. I then copied all the files to the local hard drive for safe keeping and tried the card in the SD slot. It’s still kicking, though I won’t expect it to for very long, but I’m in need of an upgrade anyway.

• Current Location: Couch
  

So tonight I got some pizza from Mother Bear’s, bought pen styli to replace the one Mama Bear lost, and got a movie to watch, King of Kong. When I went to to pick up the movie, there were a couple of store clerks (and one of their friends) standing around discussing the movie and its taglines. Evidently we’re in for a good treat. Speaking of treats, I picked up some Starburst and Laffy Taffy. I LOVE Laffy Taffy. In the recent copy of MakeZine, I learned how to build a crude yet effective taffy pulling machine. This one I really want to follow through with, because it’s easy to build and a great way to make homemade taffy. The hard part is just picking my first recipe.

It’s funny how the really simple things make a difference between a boring night and a really fun night. Mama Bear & I don’t have to go out and spend lots of money to have a good time, we enjoy a cup of tea and a game of Tiger Woods at home. I think that’s one of the reasons I love being around her so much, I can really be the closest to the “real” me as it’s going to get. Speaking of which, great xkcd comic that is hilarious and so very true. That site is possibly the best comic on the net, nuff said.

This night is just what I need after a day like today. I spent 3 hours in a courtroom for my 30 seconds in front of the judge where I was told to return two months later. I get back to the office to deal with a crashing email issue on our server and then try to get various other websites and email clients migrated. It just seemed like one slap after another today where I try to get something productive done only to be held back by a single minute detail, derailing my whole plan. I do so much impromptu work, it just isn’t funny, but as a plus I really pushed myself to get on with the PowerShell stuff. I am currently uploading our copy of VS to the server for installation, then I can do some new, exciting code-work. Interesting enough, these VS templates I found for PowerShell require the Vista SDK, which is a multi-gigabyte download. If this SDK is needed on Vista/Server 2008, skip the DVD download and use the web-based install because its less of a network-hog & using that link you can bypass MS genuine crap. I have valid copies of my OSs, but the genuine validation process for Firefox users (of which you should be one) is far too complicated even with my tricks to shorten the process.

So come to me sweet relaxation, for this weekend is DTS catchup time (with some makeout time for Mama Bear and play time for Baby Bear thrown in).

• Current Location: Living Room
  
• Website: http://www.xkcd.com
  
• Website Rating:
  
• Website Description: Web comic of romance, satire, and nerd stuff
  

This should be an eventful week, with lots of tasks being finalized and taken off my plate. However, that is not the case. It seems that every thing has a minor detail beyond my control–waiting on approval for module purchase, waiting on confirmation that user emails have been downloaded, etc. My work is typically structured so that one task precedes another out of necessity, so holding up on task being finalized holds up the next and the next and the next. This really makes things drag on as I not only have to switch gears to handle a completely unrelated task, but at any moment I may be called into action to take care of one of the aforementioned, incomplete tasks when the bottleneck is resolved. Everything is so much more efficient if I just take care of it all myself, but that’s not always feasible when you are dealing with clients and users across the country.

I am really enjoying the new work with the new server, but in the back of my mind, I harbor doubts. Not in my ability to handle whatever may happen, just doubts that my next course of action is appropriate. I still believe that I can handle the various issues that arise much better and quicker than our hosting company, but my inexperience with the new range of applications on the server makes me second-guess my decisions. However, this is the extra edge I had been looking for, and I take it all in as valuable experience.

Mama Bear and I went to a carnival last night and had a great time. The only downside was that Baby Bear did not take too well to our having a night out, and she ended up fussing for the whole hour we were gone, only quieting down 10 minutes prior to the call where we informed the sitter we were coming back. At least she does take beautiful pictures. Now if I can only to remember to bring in my boss’ copy…

• Current Location: Office
  

I try to plan my tasks in advance, which is a great way to start a new day, but there is this vicious cycle where something is always added in. Today, my boss’ PC is down for an unknown reason and must be taken into the shop that built it for repairs. I spent 5 minutes to see if it was something trivial I could fix, but given the symptoms I think the motherboard or power supply is shot. It’s rather annoying because I wanted all power connectors to be covered, not open like they are. However the technician who put the computer together contradicted my assertion that exposed power connectors could potentially scrap against the metal case and cause electrical damage, so there are no covers. And now we have a machine that will not turn on, only a slight whirring noise. Of course my boss is out of town until Wednesday and needs remote access to the machine, so the burden of getting it fixed falls squarely on my shoulders. This is on top of the various other tasks I had planned to finish today that sets me up for the work to finish for the remainder of the week. Perfect Monday.

• Current Location: Office