On office politics

The game of office politics is a strange game. The only winning move is not to play. Sure, you can get one (or a few, or many) of your enemies fired. But you will eventually fall victim to your own game. This isn't simply a matter of karma. It's a matter of if you play the game, then you're going to get played yourself.

Make peace with your enemies. And if your enemies are your coworkers, then perhaps you should re-think your contribution to the office dynamic.

Play the game, and you'll end up played yourself.

To my former boss (who I actually still work for on occaision).

Ok, so the Raiders won last night. Big deal. It just means their second and third stringers are better than ours. Besides this is pre-season. It doesn't count. When the Seahawks starters take the field, the only place the Raiders are going is down the toilet.

Flush.

ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਅਧਾਰ ਸਾਡੇ ਨਾਲ ਸਬੰਧਿਤ ਹਨ.

Another cover that is better than the original…

It is well-known that Shakespeare and opera are done best in Klingon. But did you know that pop songs (especially Sixpence None The Richer) are also even better when perform in Klingon?

I still got the skills…

I just finished rebuilding/reinstalling my system last night. I started this in July. Once upon a time, I would’ve been able to do this start to finish in 2 1/2 days. And that was a dual boot system with WinME and WinXP. Add an extra day, and I could get Linux working on it as well… Now it’s almost 2 months for one OS. Maybe it’s because I can do so much of what used to do online on my phone and my tablet. The only reason why I even run Windows on my tower is because of Flight Simulator. The only drawback is when I rebuild my Windows system is I also have to wipe the Linux side of my tower as well.

So, the next question, is OpenSuSE, Fedora, or Debian?

So They Won Last Night...

They lost to Denver. They won vs. San Diego. And last night, it wasn't a football game. It was a massacre. Somewhere in the third quarter, Mills Lane ran into the field and tried to stop the game. It was that kind of blowout. The Seahawks punter didn't take to the field until well into the second half. Abd the Bears punter fielded more snaps the Jay Culter.

And I missed most of it. I had to open at $dayjob (which means being there at 6, which means up and at 'em @ 1:30 in the morning). Now that usually means that I'd be home in time for the game, but my firmer employer wanted me to come in and cover the shop for a few hours. So I did. Didn't get home till well after 9 last night. and then I had to run errands at my mother's house. But I did get home in time to sit down in front of the 60" and watch the third quarter....

I bought a coffee maker a year ago, and I have set where it is needed the most: in my room. So when I get up, I can hot the button, and have it ready by the time I scrape myself out of bed. But I didn't use it today. 10+ hours of sleep is a passable substitute for caffeine. And you do have to use caffeine responsibly. After all, The Underpants Gnomes have no place in the workplace.....

Birthday misadventures and e-commerce…

My birthday was yesterday. I received lots of well-wishes from my friends on Facebook. But the actual celebration was this past Friday (my brother planned it). My sister gave me a Russell Wilson jersey, and we promptly watched the pre-season game where the Seahawks dismantled the San Diego Chargers. This was a complete surprise, as tradition dictates that my birthday never gets celebrated by my family. And I’m usually happy with it. Normally, I’ll take the day off, and enjoy a quiet day to myself. Actually I should correct myself. The past two birthdays, my brother has made sure that dinner was provided (I’m always happy with pizza or Chinese take-out). My father gave me a Spamazon gift card, which has all been used up. About this time, I had also been making some purchases (I’ve long since figured out that if I really want something, I’m going to get it myself).

Long story short, this is what I got:

With the Spamazon gift card:

• A Samsung BD-F5900 / BD-FM59B 3D Wi-Fi Blu-ray Disc Player. It has Wi-Fi on it, so I can play Netflix on my 60” TV. There was some initial difficulty in setting it up, as it initially thought that it was still in Mexico (I saved a few dollars and got it refurbished). But I got it reset, so I can now use Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video. Though I currently don’t subscribe to either (that’s probably going to change, though…)
• 300: Rise of an Empire. I liked the original 300, but I’m not going to pay movie theatre prices.

And I then got some other items on my own:

• It was time I retired both Gateway EV700 monitors that I had been using for the past 14 years. So I got an ASUS VN279Q 27-Inch Screen LCD Monitor. Replacing 2 17” CRT’s with a 27” LCD. I should’ve done it soomer. I really like the HD display. And playing FS is going to be a blast with a 16:9 aspect ratio display. I no longer have to use my tv if I want a widescreen display (which is good, as it only has one hdmi port, and my Blu-Ray player only connect through HDMI)… And with the retirement of the EV700’s, I now am no longer using any component from my original Gateway computer that I got in November 2000.

And I’ve also purchased some DVDs:

• Henry V. I used to have this before. Then I loaned it to a friend, and never saw it again. Shakespeare always makes a good epic. There are times in my life when I could use Derek Jacobi to narrate my life. We could all use a chorus… Though it is ‘out of production’ so I had to get a used copy….
• The Princess Bride. A storybook story with the Dread Pirate Roberts, Princess Buttercup, and Andre the Giant….
• The Austin Powers Trilogy. I liked all three films, and this was chance to own them all.
• The Naked Gun Trilogy. I remember seeing these many years ago. This was Leslie Neilson at his finest. Play LA’s finest…
• Robin Hood: Men In Tights. My. Favorite. Movie. Of. All. Time. And to think I never owned it on DVD. And somehow Mel Brooks’ retelling of the story is so much better than the Kevin Costner treatment. Rabbi Tuckman is better than Friar Tuck.
• Spaceballs. When it comes to Lord Dark Helmet vs. Darth Vader, you have to go with Rick Moranis. And I even got an extra copy for my co-worker, Pizza the Hutt (see Rene, I did mention you…)
• Top Secret. A spoof of both Elvis films and war epics. And it’s funny. Especially that one scene with the cow…
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Once again, I used to have this version, but I lent it out, and never saw it again. Now that I have it again, I shall grin, and then feast upon the lambs. And sloths. And carps. And anchovies. And orang-utans. And breakfast cereals. And fruit bats. And large… On second thought, skip a bit, brother.
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Collector’s Edition). I have the regular version (along with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan). For another birthday a while back, I got the Director’s Cut of that film, and so I’ve always been on the lookout for them.

Some of these items (like the Blu Ray player and the monitor) were purchases that I had been planning for a while. But most of the DVD’s I got on impulse in a moment of weakness.

I’ll try to be stronger. I promise.

Another trip to the doctor

It's been too long since I've last been here. But I really had no choice in the matter. After my last visit, Aetna denied my claim, and I ended up paying over $600 for a diabetic checkup & office visit. Then United Healthcare decided I didn't need to see a doctor (which I previously wrote about). So I went with Group Health. And it took almost 2 months to get that in order. But today, after numerous phone calls,  I got into my doctor's office.

Health care is good. Getting insurance is a nightmare. But, I went for over 10 years a diabetic without insurance, and any insurance is beget than none....

To the backups go the victory. And hopefully the job.

Ok, with less than two minutes to go in the preseason opener, it looks like the Denver Broncos will win over the Seattle Seahawks. Big deal. It's only a preseason game. It doesn't even count. This is mainly to decide who gets a job fit the regular season. Their backups are better than ours tonight.

When it comes to football season, I've always had a preference for the preseason. Because you're watching people fighting for jobs, fighting for your job period is probably a better motivation than fighting fit a trophy and a ring. I could possibly understand the ring part, but it's not even forged by the Elven-Smiths, so it's not even one of the Rings of Power...

Aren't Virtual Machines Fun?

I use VMWare player on my tower. Because I have really important software (ie games. Really old games) that I still occasionally want to use (play). And it won't run on what I currently use. But thanks to the miracle of the virtual machine, I can have a working copy of WinXP and WinME handy to run them. And since I can run my video card though my hdtv, that means I can run Windows ME on a 60 inch monitor.

But don't worry. I promise to only use my powers for good....

Coffee or computer?

Due to the nature of my work schedule, on occasion I have to be up überearly in the morning. And there are times when I'm too tired to even get to the kitchen & the coffee maker located therein. So last year I bought a new coffee maker. And I put it where I needed it the most: in my room. It was originally placed on my TV cabinet, and it shared the same power outlet. When I got my current TV it had to be moved. The only available real estate in my room is on my computer desk, sharing the same outlet as my computer. Ave knowing how much juice each one pulls,  this choice is presented to me: coffee or computer? This morning I actually realized that I was turning my computer off for a cup of coffee. I guess this is why I have my tablet. So I can blog about my decision of coffee over the computer....

Once upon a time, I had sworn off coffee (most likely an over-reaction to an unfortunate indecent at work, when I ended up tossing my morning coffee and the salami sandwich I had the night before) and drink. I'm giving coffee a try again. But I'm still dry....

A hope for peace....

I'd want I'm setting in the media is true, then Israel is holding to its truce in Gaza. Perhaps it may even be possible for both parties to sit down abd settle their differences peacefully. In this conflict there are no winners. When you deliberately target civilians, you lose period. And that's something both parties are not innocent of.....

Violence. Is. Evil. Period.

Hopefully today will be a better day

Ok, a couple of days ago, I got on the wrong bus, abd I was late to work. Today as I boarded the bus,I made sure to ask where the bus was going.

Moral of the story: You only need to get on the wrong bus once. If at all....