Is an uneventful year a successful year?
Is a boring year a good year?
It wasn't a bad year I suppose.

• I managed to stay employed for most of the year; I started the year as a contract project manager for Sun Microsystems and will end the year as a professional services project manager for Thomson NETg. I was only unemployed for 6 weeks....compared to 2003, I did better this year!
  
• I didn't lose the 8-10lbs I wanted to...but I didn't gain anything either...not bad, I guess.
  
• I didn't sit the PMP certification test, but I know more and I'm closer to getting the certification.
  
• I didn't make as much stained glass this year, but I did dabble in mosaics and ended the year melting glass and making dichroic glass earrings.
  

I'll be 101010 in binary next year.
That will be exciting :-)

Happy St Andrew's Day

Happy St Andrew's Day - I'll be having a wee Laphroaig this evening.

It's cold and snowy outside, just like home. The house is warm and cozy...not like home :-)
I have a lot of traits from my parents. I learned a lot from them but I prefer to heat the house a little more than they did. I talked with my brother at the weekend and he takes after them, we calculated that I spend 3 to 4 times more per month on heating. I truly am a chili willy (like the Walter Lantz cartoon).

So, in my spare time I continue to melt glass...my latest creations are really cool dichroic glass earrings, the only problem is I want to keep them all. Today, I plan to check out a Coomers store and see if they have any space left so I can sell some stuff. I really need to clean out the basement...and making some money would be nice too!

Interview

Had an interview yesterday in Scottsdale. I flew down for the day and had a blast. The company was wonderful; great products, great people. It reminded me of a couple of places I had worked before, they were small companies with very creative hardworking people. Everyone cared about what they did, no laziness or complacency. I had wondered if those type of companies still existed...until yesterday!

Then I got a call this morning saying they would like to offer me the job, whoohoo!

I start in the middle of December, so I have a couple of weeks to play - bonus!

On Sunday night I came down with flu! This was my first contact with flu...on Monday I thought I was going to die of dehydration. I'm starting to keep fluids down, but I have a really bad case of sleeping sickness. I can't stay awake for more than 3 hours without needing a 2 hour nap! I hope this means I will be protected for the rest of the winter.

Si-O-Si Designs

Have kiln - Will use!
I have made 4 glass candy dishes, 19 earrings and 2 brooches made of melted glass and 18 glass labels that can also be used as Christmas ornaments. One of the guys I went for lunch with this week said he could help me set up an e-commerce website. At the time I was polite and thanked him for the suggestion....but now I'm really thinking it might be worth doing.
I'm generating inventory at an alarming rate.

What would I call my business?
Since I would be selling warm and cold glass products (melted and stained) I need a name that covers both. Years ago when I had thought about selling my stained glass I went through some creative sessions using the word glass combined with color; opal, spectrum, rainbow....Nothing got me excited. So for now I am using the name Si-O-Si, the chemical structure of silica - the main component of glass; Si-O-Si Glass Creations, Si-O-Si Glass Designs, Si-O-Si Art...

Job hunting

The job search continues....Week Two

So far my updated resume is on 4 websites, I have sent it out to 5 friends and contacted 2 recruiters I have used before. I have also applied for 4 jobs, one of which I was rejected in less than 6 hours! I am signed up on 5 daily e-mail blasts that send out jobs and contracts to bid on. My resume, cover letter, portfolio and references docs are all up to date. I have had lunch with 5 people this week. This has all filled my week pretty well, but I am concerned about how I will fill my time next week, and onward, before I get another job.

Sorry to post an e-mail - but this sums up my feelings today.

It is very tough to be a Republican in 2004, because somehow, you have to believe concurrently that:

1. Jesus loves you, but shares your deep hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.
2. The United States should get out of the United Nations, but our highest national priority is enforcing U. N. resolutions against Iraq.
3."Standing Tall for America" means firing your workers and moving their jobs to India.
4. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all humankind without regulation.
5. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a Conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers foryour recovery.
6. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.
7. Group sex and drug use are degenerate sins, unless you someday run for Governor of California as a Republican.
8. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.
9. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our longtime allies, but then demand their cooperation and money.
10. HMOs and insurance companies make profits and have the interest of the public at heart.
11. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.
12. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.
13. It is okay that the Bush family's "Carlisle Group" has done millions of business with the Bin Laden family.
14. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him and Rumsfeld reassured him he was our buddy, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, but then a bad guy again when Bush junior needed a prop for his re-election campaign as the "war president"
15. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying about WMD existence, to enlist support for an unprovoked, undeclared war and occupation, in which thousands soldiers and civilians die, is, somehow, solid "defense" policy in a "War against Terrorism".
16. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which should include "banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet".
17. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's Harken Oil stock trade should be sealed in his Daddy's library, and is none of our business.
18. What Bill Clinton or John Kerry did in the 1960s was of vital national interest but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.
19. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a "spirit of international harmony".
20. Affirmative Action is wrong, but it is OK for your Daddy and His friends (here and in Saudi Arabia) to get you to graduate from Yale without studying much, to dodge the draft in the Texas Air National Guard, to bail out your companies Harken Oil and the Texas Rangers, to get the Governorship of Texas, and then to have the Supreme Court appoint you President of the USA.
21. You are a conservative, but it is OK to spend like there is no tomorrow and run up deficits that your grandchildren will have to pay, while at the same time refunding as much tax money as possible to rich people who do not need it.

This illogical behavior can take a toll on a healthy mind. So if a friend of yours has been acting a bit dazed and confused lately, be nice: he or she may be a Republican!

Get a job!

I've just spent an hour playing solitaire on my PDA - I think I'm addicted. Wonder if there is a 10 step program? I thought about removing it, but then I'd just play Freecell. I used to think I was addicted to Freecell, but I don't play it so much now. They say Freecell is more difficult that Solitaire because you can see all the cards so it's game of skill, not chance. My Freecell win-rate is over 50%, so I moved to Solitaire because of the chance...my win rate is only 7% :-) but I'm working on it!

I had an iPod moment earlier...found myself singing at the top of my voice to Ultravox - it made me laugh. I thought of the marketing advertisement to the baby boomer crowd. It's an 80's song, the silhouette is slightly overweight and wearing relaxed jeans. The image is not cool like Bono in his iPod ad, the dancing is awkward and more Gary Newman-like...and after 30 seconds they have to sit down and wipe sweat off their brow. The final scene shows them flinging their arthritis pain killers across the kitchen counter...the final caption "Better than drugs" or "don't forget your vitamins" or "get your own"....

Guess I should send out some resumes and get a job!

Last Day

Today is my last day contracting for SMI. On Wednesday we got the word that the department had lost funding, so Shari (the other PM) and myself were out at the end of the week.

I'll miss the people, the routine and the money :-)

Slow day

It's a slow day. I'm working from home, but I've still had time to check my personal e-mail, apply for a job (8 month contract) and make some cookies. And it's only 1:30pm.

It's weird how spam trends change, I have almost stopped getting smut, viagra and lonely housewife e-mails. I would guess that 70% of the spam e-mails (that slip through my 3 filters) now assume that I am desperate for a Rolex; Genuine Replicas Watches, Swiss Watches, she told me you wanted a watch, Rolex is forever. From sex to watches... strange progression.

I know I shouldn't get political on this blog, but today I just can't help it. I have a question for Bush. So Bush says that he answers to a higher power, his decisions were made with help from God. Well, no matter how you reason it we're in Iraq basically to secure oil for the US, er, not to fight terrorism. So, what I want to know is why hasn't Bush's God told him about wind power, solar power and tidal power? These resources are feely available in the US, will always be available and don't pollute the environment. How many quillions of US dollars could be saved by having less pollution clean-up, less health risks and deaths? No oil slicks, no exhaust induced asthma attacks, no brown clouds, fewer oil refineries....

What happened to September, or part of October for that matter?
It came, I was busy and it went. Work has been crazy busy, I'm working on more projects than I ever have. I'm working on more projects than is comfortable. If my job is like juggling plates, I feel it's just a matter of time before I break a plate; tight ecconomy, company saving money, resources stretched, whatever - it's not going to change.

Compared to August, I'm not so sure about working from home. It's okay for the most part, but work is a little lonely. I can go for days without leaving the house, and with Chris studying, life is lonely. I miss human contact. I keep telling myself, they're paying me pretty well (even if I can't claim the hours I work over 40), I don't have to deal with a 40min drive, I don't have to fuel my car so much, I don't have to buy office clothes (actually that's not agood one, I miss dressing up), I can be with the cats (they're so cute, especially when I'm on conference calls), I'm not tempted by the candy machines (damn those jelly beans) and I get to work in a purple office.

Working at home rocks!

Well, we got cooler weather..but I haven't cycled a lot more. We have been doing a weekend 20-25mile ride in the mornings. The plan was to ride a couple of 15milers during the week after work but we have been getting a lot of rain in the evenings. Now, not that I'm afraid of rain (anyone from the West Coast of Scotland can deal with that wet stuff) ...it's the hail and lightning that puts me off. So when I see the dark clouds and hear the tornado warnings I get a glass of wine and plan a slightly different evening.

Did I say that working at home rocks! Working at home rocks! I love it! I love it!
I don't have to iron clothes for work, I don't have to buy expensive office clothes (or shoes). I do shower every morning unlike the stories you hear, and I do get dressed. What I like is sitting in my comfortable purple home office and starting work at 7:30am without having to drive somewhere. What I like is taking a 30min lunch break in my garden watching the birds in the feeder and enjoying the flowers. What I like is being able to work without distractions, being oh-so-more productive and being able to stop at 5pm with my tasks complete and the feeling I earned my keep today.

Hot Head

Cycled 14 miles on Saturday and 20 on Sunday. Both were fun rides on the bike path near Parker; first half up hill, last half downhill. The weather is damn hot these days, this week it's going to be in the 90s which is not good for me as I do not cope too well after 85. I have the same problem as my brother...when we exercise in heat our heads get red, not pink or slightly flushed, but very very red. I'm looking forward to cooler weather.

Tired

This week I'm on vacation due to a forced shutdown, so my next paycheck will be tiny; the good and bad of being a contractor, I guess (I'm just happy to still be working there). I had a lot of plans to get so much done this week - study for the PMP certification, finish the mosaic coasters and stained glass candle holders in the basement then tidy up the basement. It's Wednesday already and I'm getting good at Freecell on my Palm :-/

I'm tired these days. On Saturday we went on a 48 mile bike ride, it was pretty good and our overall average speed was almost 15mph. The only downer was the heat; I got a little dehydrated and took a lot longer to recover. On Monday we went riding with a friend who is training for a triathlon. The riding part was on a very straight road with undulating hills; 30mph followed by 6mph, then 30mph, then back to 6mph. We only did 12 miles at an average of 13mph. The MS150 is this coming week and I don't think I'll ride again until then as I think my poor old body needs a break.

Pet Peeve

Where did "funner" come from? It's not a word.
I am starting to hear it a lot...just now someone on the Today Show described a fashion element as "funner", I could not believe it. Don't they have educated grammatically correct presenters? But I'm an alien, so I thought I'd check just to be sure.
Fun, funny, funnier...there's no funner -- not even in the American dictionary.
So don't use it!
If something is better or funnier it is more fun !
Okay, now I feel better.

Hmmmm

So the rumors are flying that all contractors will probably be released at the end of the month - suck!
They are going through a reorganization and it looks likely that the group I am in will be moved to work under a woman who does not like contractors. I can understand that. I good manager should protect their employees at the expense of contract employees...the problem is there is enough work for all of us. I have no idea how they will cope if they lay off 20 PMs.

Today has been a gloomy day, it has rained almost all day and not helped with my frame of mind. Even the job postings look bleak...where is this economic recovery everyone keeps talking about?

Garlic

So the S.O. came down with Strep last week, probably got it from the kids he teaches. The doctor said I should just go and get antibiotics immediately. Well, I have a problem with that. 1. I hadn't actually got a sore throat, and 2. That's the kind of stuff that breeds resistance. So, this week I decided that I was not going to get Strep throat if it killed me (so to speak). I did the garlic and honey diet to fend off nasty bacteria. Honey is not much of a problem; the fact it is metabolized directly to fat is not good, but it's not unsociable - garlic, however is. I am told I have been extremely unsociable the last two days. I cannot smell a thing, but I have slept incredibly well on my own the last two nights, even the cats stayed away from me. I think today I will try and find some of that garlic that is not supposed to smell, staying away from people is difficult.

Santa Fe

We went to Santa Fe last week, I hadn't been there in years, but it hadn't changed much. Still the same old tourist shops and art galleries. This time we stayed at the Inn of the Governors. The place was comfortable and they had sherry in the evenings. Our room had a wonderful shady patio outside. I sat out one evening and drank a couple..or three glasses of some very nice red wine. I had to cut myself off when I was overcome with an urge to weed the little shoots growing between the pavers.

This time I couldn't get into the jewelry...I really wanted to. I really wanted to buy a new watch. Years ago I bought a silver-inlay watch and wanted to buy another one. Everything looked the same as I remember, but I didn't want to buy something similar....I have evolved since then and wanted something to match the older and wiser me.

I did see a metal table and mirror in Taos that I wanted...I just don't have the cash and can't seem to bring myself to use a credit card these days - I guess that's not a bad thing :-)

Another Year Older

The number is now surreal.
How did I get to be this old?
What am I doing trapped inside this aging body....

Working from home - oh yes!

It's official I will be working from home, yeeeehaa!
They are shuffling people around at work and there is no space allocated for contractors. That's fine, I like my office and didn't want to move to cube-space anyway. Working fron home is definitely okay with me, though I will miss the interaction with people in my work area, I will not miss the drive and look forward to the extra hours at home with the cats.

A bunch of my courses released last week, including the one where I did some voice over. I spoke as slow as I could and I still sounded too fast in places. Somehow, I don't think the local talent agencies will be rushing to sign me up!

I got a hand-me-down 128 meg digi card for my new PDA :-) Well I thought it was worth a mention here. I'm filling it with photos of Butch and Ella (my babies).

It's May already, I'll soon be another year older...

To PDA or not to PDA

I bought a Zire 71 yesterday :-)
I think the upgrade, 72 is due to be released today. I toyed with the idea of waiting and decided to save the $100 and get the older version. My hope is that this will keep me happy until the Treo 610 comes out and the price drops to something that won't make me wet my pants.

The usual stuff....
* The kittens are cats
* I'm learning "Time" for PMP
* I'm 10lbs from my goal :-(
* I cycled 15 miles last night :-)
* My 7 projects release the end of this week

Lost In Translation

My husband said that he thought I was like Charlotte in Lost In Translation. But I don't have a Bob Harris to hang out with.
Apart from that, it's not such a bad comparison.

PMP is going well, Stephanie and I went over Scope Management last night. We did pretty well, and learned a lot just doing questions and checking the explanation of the answers. I'm also only 3 hrs short of the training requirements...it's a pity the 4k extra hours don't make up for that :-)

What a Week!

I'm pooped today!
It's been a whirlwind week. At work I'm currently managing 14 training projects, and this week 7 of them went into final edit and 6 of them had narration voiceovers recorded; 4 on the East coast and 2 here! So there was over 20 hours of voiceover to be scheduled and recorded, I even got to do a small part; Susan, the office manager who needed some help with office software. I'm voice talent, at last!
Wonder if I should send my reel to a local talent agency? Not!

Oh, to work from home

I may get to work from home soon :-D
As part of it's get well plan, the company I am contracted to is consolidating some of it's buildings. As a contractor I am currently squatting in an office, and it seems that non-employees will be the first ones to be moved.
But I must not get too excited....just yet!

PMP is going very slow. I'm learning all about Risk at the moment...it's so dry. I find myself falling asleep while reading - and I thought I had insomniac tendencies; who knew the cure was mandated by PMI?

Time flies, it's March already.
I'm still studying for PMP and plan to take the test in May - I have a good study partner now.
My 6month contract was renewed for another 6 months, so I'm employed until September (hopefully).
Bad news: I'm now 10lbs from my goal :-(
The velociraptors, Butch and Ella are still eating, pooping and scratching, they are 8 months old now and developing very individual feline characters. Ella is such a girl, and Butch thinks he's a tiger; they are very amusing.

So I'm going to try for my PMP. There are 4 other contract PMs at work that want to apply too. We have the book and are going to plough through the 16 chapters in 8 weeks. We'll meet once a week to discuss any issues. This weekend I will be adding up my management hours and not eating....I am 8lbs from my goal!

2004

Happy 2004!

So last new year I wanted to lose 6lbs, well, over the year I got pretty close but ended the year - 6lbs from my goal :-/ At least the number didn't increase. This is so Bridget Jones, but I guess I will continue to try and lose 6lbs!

Yesteraday we made mole, it was rather good. The difficult part was finding the chilis, we had chilis anchos and chilis chipotle, we needed chilis pasillas and chilis mulatos. After searching the nearby Carnicerías (an experience in itself) we found one place that had pasillas, but had never heard even heard of mulatos. Since they are a diferent type of ancho we just did a substitution. I got the job of re-hydrating and de-seeding. The instructions did not mention wearing gloves so I had hot fingers for 20 hours!