N'awlins at heart

Saturday, February 23, 2008

What a week I tells ya!

I'm glad it's the weekend is all I can say. Lots going on. It's nice to get a chance to relax. Especially before going back to work Monday to tell my boss I'm an idiot. Coworker D is going to be off next week so overtime of 3 hours a piece was offered. My response was "I'll be off next Friday to go to Dallas for a wedding so I'll probably be short a few hours myself." All was good until i realised last night, the wedding is the following weekend. So, hopefully he hasn't given my hours away or the 3 extra OT hours.

I was the last one to leave work Friday and went into Katrina mode. They are cutting the power at work over the weekend and we have a refrigerator in our lab. I had flashbacks of the rotten stuff in the ones I cleaned after Katrina, so i went to town. Brand new cottage cheese, gone. Coffee creamer, gone. Lunch meat, gone. The only thing that I didn't want to throw out was someones lunch box. It had Tupperware with beans, and leftover BBQ. So I stuck it in the freezer. I figured, that would give it 12 hours, before the power was cut, to freeze. Hopefully that'll be long enough to keep it from getting funky.

We also made a trip to Wal Mart today, because I don't want to be "that guy". As you read earlier, one of my hub caps is missing. (Which brings me to the question, when did the name change from "Hub Caps" to "Wheel Covers"? I searched online at Wal Mart, and Auto Zone for hub caps and came back with nothing.) I found the original ones online at a cost of $30-$45 plus shipping. At Wal Mart, I found these for $14. Sounds like a good deal. Except we were at Wal Mart, so although we went in for "Wheel Covers" we left spending about $125 with so much stuff we had to lay down the back seats in W1's Scion to fit everything. (Whatever, don't judge, you like to shop too!)

Oh yeah, "that guy". The whole point of that was due to our house hunting. I didn't want to keep putting off replacing the "wheel cover" and go to see a house, or move in, and be the 3 hub cap having, there goes the neighborhood, guy. I want to be there for a while before they realize indeed, there went the neighborhood.

One last thing I learned this week. Sugar Bear is no longer politically correct, or whatever they call it today. Since they have decided sugar is not good for you, I guess he's just plain old "Bear". Who knew? (Don't answer that.)

Friday, February 22, 2008

Why do they still feel they are special?

Here is a story that expands upon what I have been saying all along.

I'll do a real post soon. I promise.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Sometimes Karma isn't swift...

Instead you get pounced on, when you least expect it.

There was a guy on the Motorcycle Forum I frequent, with a pretty checkered past. He has been banned and let back in a few times. Currently, he is once again banned. Not just the Forum I'm on, but at least 2 other Motorcycle Forums just here in Houston. He joined ours, after he was banned from a different one. I swung by there to see what the deal was, and found all sorts of dirt. Now from what I can tell, this guy is a predator. He preys on the kindness and trust of other people.

The information I got (which he admits to, but has pages of excuses and stories of how he has changed) was that he had been convicted of selling stolen car parts. I googled his name, and apparently he was into sports cars before motorcycles. He is banned on a few of those sites as well. For collecting the funds for parts but not delivering the goods. When I found out the data, I forwarded what I saw to the administrator of our site. Not passing judgment, just giving a heads up. The administrator said he knew that and had a long conversation with this guy about his past. That was fine with me, as I have no plans of giving this guy money for anything.

The new leaf looks like it has not turned over. Once on the Forum he started with the peddling. First it was parties with strippers, then free Hooters wings, and so on and so on. I would assume this was his way of setting his trap. Gaining peoples trust. It did not take long before he was advertising the Phantom Tracking System. Now mind you this thing sounds bad ass, and I want one when I get a new bike, but it runs around $1000, with a monthly monitoring fee. From what I read today he apparently took down payments and never provided the systems. On our forum there was an issue with sunglasses. Apparently someone sold him some $50 sunglasses, and he would pay them the next time they met up. Well, the next time they met was at a Hooters meet, and some people "skipped on their bill". So he had to spend the money covering that. Then this and that came up. When it reached the point the guy had to post on the forum about it, the response was long and stunk of BS. It finally came to "Do you want them back?" and the response was "If I wanted them, I would not have sold them. I want my $50."

I'm sure that was eventually resolved, but was also a clue that this guy had not changed. One of the girls on the forum took his side, and she got screwed too. He moved in with her as a roommate, and was working on a track bike. It was a Repsol that he wanted to sell the plastics from, because he was buying another bike. One thing he didn't have money for, was his part of the rent. He was finally kicked out, and I don't think she ever got paid.

I could go on and on about this guy, but I think you all get it. So he is banned from our site, but still has friends on there. One of them posted some info that proves karma will get you in the end. Apparently, last night, someone stole his camaro. I couldn't help but chuckle as I read it. You get what you give people.

Monday, February 11, 2008

"Can I get a Whoot Whoot?"

Friday. I rode into work. I guess my hair was still wet when I put my helmet on. That's okay though, I keep a hair brush in my tank bag. So I take my helmet off when I get to work and look in the closest mirror (i.e. someones really dark tinted windows). I notice some hair sticking up on the right side of my head. I immediately pull out the hairbrush and go to town. By the time I was done, it was ALL sticking straight up. It was the worst case of helmet head ever. That was when I decided it was once again haircut time.

Saturday was the start of a better day. We went riding to Mission Burritos (kind of like Kokopelli's). We rode through Memorial Park which was pretty nice. Then when we returned home I decided to get a haircut. So we rode to the barber shop. After a brief stint in Supercuts, we were on the bike again. After we returned home, I knew I had to try one more time. But this time would be different, this time I would do it right. After W1 hopped off, I pulled into the neighbors spot. I stood up, grabbed a handful of front brake, twisted the throttle, and slowly let out the clutch. Normally this is where the front tire stays stationary, but the whole bike slowly slides forward. But without my weight on the seat the bike stayed in place, with the back tire spinning. Woo hoo! I was finally able to do a burnout on MY bike. *Note: do not try this at home, and if you do, remember to turn off your ipod first. It's hard to know exactly what's happening when your music is blaring.

When we got inside the house W1's friend had left a message saying she saw us riding while she was out running an errand. In a city of 6 million + it's funny that someone we know would see us out and about.

So you are all familiar with my current 3 hub cap predicament. This morning it got better. I had not been in the truck since Thursday Night when I drove home. I am OCD and check my tires every morning for flats or bottles, etc... Whatever! You got quirks too! Anyways, I notice today one of my valve stem caps is missing. I guess they wanted it to match the hubcap. The worst part is it didn't match the other 3 anyway. About a year ago I got a tire patched, and the place didn't pit the cap back on. So I took a slightly different one (That came in the 4 pack for the bike) and put it on there.

Lastly, (like for reals though) Co-Worker D got a bit of good news today. So he asks our boss, "Can I get a Whoot Whoot?". The response he received, "No. You can not.".

Diarrhea of the mouth, or fingers I should say.

Co-worker rants, because I know they're your favorite and mine.

Oh where to begin? Last week was pretty hectic. When I left off we got new phones. Awesome! They work very well, even (get this) inside the apartment. They sound better inside than the Vonage phone. When I get to work, the particular place I park doesn't get a signal, but 2 feet from the truck, all is good. Weird. I also messed up transferring the phone numbers. When I looked last night, it seems I missed a few, even though I remember typing them in. Once again, weird. Oh well, life goes on.

Last week had it's ups and downs. It seems that I already knew the lady on the bright side of the lab. I mean, I've known her ever since I started working in this lab, but apparently I already knew her and didn't know I knew her. Ya know? To protect the innocent, I will call her Jeannie. That is not her name, but she is definitely a reincarnation. Same age, height, build as my past arch nemesis. With the same issues. I don't understand why companies hire these people who can't do their jobs.

Let me give you a little background. This lady is 49 (as she tells me repeatedly) 105 lbs (once again I have been informed of this repeatedly) and she has to be about 4'9". She is the hardware person. Why would any company hire a "hardware person" who is too tiny to lift the hardware? I mean, come on. Now, much like the Jeannie of old, she is apparently under the impression that she is my boss. Also, she has the same "smile in your face, stab you in the back" mentality. Since we moved over here, she has decided we should "help" (and by help I mean do it all) move a bunch of old junk hardware that has been in the lab for years. Luckily my current boss has a spine. When she asks me to do things, I tell her to clear it with my boss as we are very busy (hence hiring 2 more testers). I need one of those signs that say "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine".

Now, J2 is known for running her mouth. NON STOP! She comes in at 7:00 AM and immediately gets on the phone with her mother for 2 hours. EVERY MORNING. On the few occasions (Mondays) that she is not immediately on the phone, she drops off her stuff, then heads to the local grocery store. She commences to make groceries for this weeks lunches etc... (This is all on the clock mind you.) Then, around 10:30 she goes on her 5 mile walk (no exaggeration) around the campus with friends. EVERY DAY! Once again, on the clock. Upon returning, she eats lunch (which she purchased earlier) then goes off to BS with people. Around 3:00 (1 hour before she gets off of work) she stresses, running around bitching about how she is so damned busy. I imagine so if you are only gonna put in 1 hour of work a day. She also has no understanding of personal space, inside voice, or just manners in general. No home training. It has reached the point where I put on my headphones at work. I don't listen to music, I just wear them. That way when she calls my name repeatedly and I ignore her, she assumes I can't hear. I even go as far as to "jump back" when she gets right up beside me, as if I didn't realize she was there.

The other day I came in later than usual. I called "the people who matter" to let them know I would be late. (She was not on that list.) I came in and as soon as I set foot in the door I got her "Oh, you finally decided to come in." About 45 minutes later I headed down for my morning smoke. She saw me heading out and I got the "You just got here and you're already taking a break?" Once again, her comment was ignored. I brought in some left over BBQ for lunch so maybe 1/2 hour later I walked to my truck to get change for a soda. Guess who I ran into in the hall as she was doing her 5 mile walk. That's right, J2. This time I guess she wanted to act big to her friends and I got the "Damn, you're going on another break". That was the line. The response she recieved was "Nope, going to get soda money out of my truck, not that it's any of YOUR business".

I thought that would do it. I was wrong. When she returned from her walk she walked right up to my desk (where I was eating) and said "Wow, now you're eating lunch?" WTF? I mean for real. Now she is literally in my face looking at my food. Then she says (and here's where home training comes in) "Oh my God those mushrooms look so good. I have to try one." Before I can even stick one with the fork to give to her, she reaches into my dish with her grubby hands and grabs one. It was disgusting. And the icing, apparently after I ate and went to smoke (as smokers tend to do) she walked up to my desk and looked at coworker D as if asking "He's gone again?" He ignored her as he hates her more than I do. Now mind you, the lady who spends half the day walking, shopping, talking on the phone, or just out in the hall BSing but is worried about what I am doing. At the end of the day (while I was working) she came and sat/leaned on my desk right in front of the keyboard and mouse of the test computer I was working with. And she spent 1/2 hour complaining about how busy she is. I was informed, by her, there were originally 4 hardware people and all the work has dwindled to her since she is the last one left. I wish I had that job, work 1 hour a day and have 3 other people originally helping you. That had to be the best.

So as time has gone by it's gotten better. I think she has taken the hint to mind her business and leave me alone. Plus every request she has I tell her to clear it with my boss. And trust me, if he is okay with it he will come ask me to do it.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Work is work, and home is home.

So, today I'm at work. At my new desk. Not bad, not bad. It's been rather quiet. Being on the bright side has a few good points. I am more aware of my coffee drips and other such messes. So it feels better to keep my area a clean environment.

As you read last time we are switching to T-Mobile. Our new phones should be here tomorrow. The way I understood it is we get the phones, do some magic abracadabra crap and voila, numbers are transferred. Apparently that is not the case. I spoke with W1 at around 4:00 PM. A few hours later (6:00 PM to be exact) I called her back. To my surprise, someone let Sprint in on our rouse. So it looks like our numbers have already been transferred. Unfortunately the phones do not come charged, and if you call one of our cell phones it goes straight to voice mail. If you try to call from one of our cell phones, you get a message stating you are not a Sprint customer and need to contact your service provider. Either way is fine. The phones will come when they come (tomorrow I'm sure).

Looking forward to the wedding. It will be nice to see people we have not seen in ages. And in H2's case, we get to meet friends we have never met.

Well kids, considering it is a school night I guess this is all you get. Until next time...

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Movin on up!

Much like Chia, I also got to move yesterday. We have 2 new testers coming in, and our half of the lab was full, so coworker D and I got to move to the hardware side. That was the new guys would be near more experienced testers. The side we moved to is a little brighter. As in, the lights are kept on, our old side was pretty dark. The hardware side is pretty messy, but I got my desk cleaned off pretty well. Also, I am no longer directly in front of the door. Where I was I would hear the door click, and in less than a second someone was immediately standing behind me. So when I was reading the news, or blogging, etc... Busted!

I am definitely in the mood for a weekend of Homemade ChiaPizza and Crawfish. I can't wait. We'll definitely be setting up a trip soon. It has been a while since we've been to NOLA. I wish we could have made it in for Mardi Gras. The is the first one we've missed in many many years. It sounds like other than a cold and rainy beginning, it has been a good time for the family.

Lastly, on Tuesday we are saying goodbye to Sprint. We are sick of no reception inside, my phone turning itself off and needed the battery reseated, having to call 2 to 3 times before the other person's phone rings, and so on and so on, (I could go on for pages.) We got a new plan through T-Mobile and are able to keep the old numbers. We got some pretty nice phones too. Our bill is about half what we were paying, and hopefully we'll be able to get rid of Vonage, saving another $35 a month.

Lastlyer, the tech stuff. I have 2 green neon rods by the feet in my truck. (They match the green LED's on the bike.) About 2 1/2 weeks ago, the one on the passenger side went out. I took the dash board apart last weekend and figured out the bulb was fine but the DC/AC converter was bad. So we picked up a new one today. Being the bright guy I am, I took the old one and tied the end of the wire to the new one. Then I pulled the wire out, essentially running the new wire exactly where the old one was. Then it was a matter of bolting the ground, and running the positive to the radio fuse (the way it was originally ran).

More lastlyer, we love and miss you all. I can't wait to see everyone again. Thank you all for posting and emailing us pictures. It "keeps us in the loop". Ha ha.