Well, let's get the big news out of the way first, we have joined the grandparents' club!
Rob and Amanda have a happy healthy son born in late May. Nathan Robert is (of
course) an extremely gifted child as well as remarkably handsome. We are so pleased that
he is a healthy and generally good-natured child…..a joy to have around, a joy which Sue
experiences every Friday when he visits for the day.
The cats, contrary to Grandma's joy on Nathan Fridays, find the child to be VERY
SCARY. There are two theories: 1) They are convinced he will immediately learn to run
and be chasing them at any second, or 2) They have extrasensorarily perceived that the
child has the ability to morph himself into a full sized rotweiller and will do so at any
second. The cats go to ground when the baby arrives in the same manner they do when
Rob brings his actual dog over.
Last year we announced our plans to rip out the old kitchen and rebuild it from the inside
out. New oak floors and baseboards, new red birch cabinets, fresh new paint, and
beautiful granite counters. We put up with the old one for a long time before we could see
clear to do this project. We are most pleased with the end results.
Jim & Sue took a week and travelled to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia this fall and we
had a ball. Williamsburg has a very large living history museum….took us three full days
to come anywhere close to having it covered. We took another day to see Jamestown,
where English settlement of North America began and yet another to see Yorktown,
where the Revolution ended. We sandwiched in a half-day canoe trip on the York River
estuary, which was beautiful, and got to experience effects of tides while paddling. There
was still more we did; suffice it to say we had a full week.
At the first of the year Laura, who still camps out at our place, was hired into the full-
time position of Assistant Production Manager with the Noble Fool Theatricals (for
which she had worked several show-to-show gigs the prior year.) She seems to have
settled in well. Often she works more or less regular-people hours, but then there are
times we won't see her for days on end….just depends on the particulars of the shows
that pass through her theaters. If you want more details, you'll have to ask her and she
can tell you herself.
Rob and Amanda are of course busy with being new parents. Both are working, so
Nathan goes to day care 4 days a week and to Grandma's on Fridays as mentioned
before. I haven't seen much of any new woodworking projects from Rob as he's lately
been tied up with a major project that a friend commissioned and which Rob had kept
putting off while preparing a furnished nursery.
Sue loves the Grandma business. It's a lot of fun to watch her with Nathan. I'm sure glad
garage sale season is over for this year as she has to stop and minutely examine anything
that looks like a good find for a baby boy. She still works her same library job full time,
but has a schedule that allows for Nathan Fridays.
While Rob continues to hang in at Sara Lee, Sara Lee and I had a parting of ways in
February. They have struggled greatly over the last couple of years, in fact I just read
today that they're closing yet another major plant at the end of the year. I was given a
very fair severance package and then was lucky enough to land new work even before the
severance benefits had run out…just 9 weeks from finish to start. I now work for Bay
Valley Foods (not a household name company, I know), a company that is profitable and
growing instead of losing money and shrinking. I like the job (mostly) and the people
(mostly). I have enough work to do without feeling like there's no end in sight, I'm good
at what I do and I'm appreciated for it. Bay Valley makes a lot of store-brand foods:
every thing from coffee creamers to canned soups to pickles to salad dressings. When
Keebler was acquired by Kellogg's a few years back, the former Keebler exec's got
together and made a new company. A nice place to work. I can run into the President of
the company in the hall, and he'll greet me by name. Pretty neat for a publicly traded
company with $1.5 billion in sales.
This Christmas we pray for peace. We pray for those who remain unemployed or
underemployed. We pray for those suffering illness. We pray for all our family and
friends.
God bless
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
A blessedly quiet Thanksgiving
We had a really nice day.
As things worked out, Rob, Amanda, and Nathan arrived about 6:00 p.m. That left us with a well-planned menu and lots of time to get it all put together. Everything was done and ready to serve except for the gravy failure. We just did without the gravy.
Rob brought his new camera.....and Ebay acquisition. Like me , he has tired of the short comings of the point and shoot digital cameras and sought to get a good SLR camera. Unlike me, he got serious and went after one. He found a used unit through the WWW that cost only and arm and not both an arm and leg. He tells me that's his Christmas present...Amanda's is a TV that hangs over the fireplace mantel.
Laura has no big news; at least none she's shared with her dad. She has given up two boyfriends in the last several months, but was spending time with the one before them again (I think; at least that's what I think I've pieced together.) Poor kid wasn't feeling good today (Friday). Sounds like the 24 hour crud I had not long ago...let's hope it's the 24 hour crud.
Nathan is getting big. I over heard Sue working on his Mom about setting a christening date....she has gotten a gown for him, but it will soon be too small. I didn't hear whether there was consensus for the date.
No big news from me. I have no idea what Sue wants or needs for Christmas. Maybe I'll do some online shopping when I finish up this note and find some inspiration.
As things worked out, Rob, Amanda, and Nathan arrived about 6:00 p.m. That left us with a well-planned menu and lots of time to get it all put together. Everything was done and ready to serve except for the gravy failure. We just did without the gravy.
Rob brought his new camera.....and Ebay acquisition. Like me , he has tired of the short comings of the point and shoot digital cameras and sought to get a good SLR camera. Unlike me, he got serious and went after one. He found a used unit through the WWW that cost only and arm and not both an arm and leg. He tells me that's his Christmas present...Amanda's is a TV that hangs over the fireplace mantel.
Laura has no big news; at least none she's shared with her dad. She has given up two boyfriends in the last several months, but was spending time with the one before them again (I think; at least that's what I think I've pieced together.) Poor kid wasn't feeling good today (Friday). Sounds like the 24 hour crud I had not long ago...let's hope it's the 24 hour crud.
Nathan is getting big. I over heard Sue working on his Mom about setting a christening date....she has gotten a gown for him, but it will soon be too small. I didn't hear whether there was consensus for the date.
No big news from me. I have no idea what Sue wants or needs for Christmas. Maybe I'll do some online shopping when I finish up this note and find some inspiration.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Work stuff today
Things are moving forward mostly, but a few setbacks that are frankly staggering.
Found a flaw in the way the new forecasting software is handling one scenario. Our software provider is in denial about the issue. We think they are violating a basic premise of the business they sold us to support. It will be interesting to watch this play out.
On the other hand, as a whole we are making progress and improvement. So, over all I'm pleased with where we are....but the software problem we found will not go away by itself, it will only compound with time.
Also at work, we will be installing SAP to run the business....a really big deal. Both my boss and his will be assigned to the project full time. I will be tapped to be a "subject matter expert" supporting the implementation while seeing that my every day duties are performed as well. This is a project that will take two years to complete and which will literally reshape how the entire company does business.....like I said, a really big deal.
In the more mundane vane, I need to schedule to use up 4.5 days of vacation before the end of the year. I've agreed to cover the week between Christmas and New Years when nearly everybody else will be gone. I'll probably work a series of 4-day weeks.
Found a flaw in the way the new forecasting software is handling one scenario. Our software provider is in denial about the issue. We think they are violating a basic premise of the business they sold us to support. It will be interesting to watch this play out.
On the other hand, as a whole we are making progress and improvement. So, over all I'm pleased with where we are....but the software problem we found will not go away by itself, it will only compound with time.
Also at work, we will be installing SAP to run the business....a really big deal. Both my boss and his will be assigned to the project full time. I will be tapped to be a "subject matter expert" supporting the implementation while seeing that my every day duties are performed as well. This is a project that will take two years to complete and which will literally reshape how the entire company does business.....like I said, a really big deal.
In the more mundane vane, I need to schedule to use up 4.5 days of vacation before the end of the year. I've agreed to cover the week between Christmas and New Years when nearly everybody else will be gone. I'll probably work a series of 4-day weeks.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Internet Phone
Well how 'bout that?!
Early results show that this technology is actually for real.
I have tried out Magic Jack with an extra phone we had laying around. It sends, receives, voice mail works, caller ID shows incoming phone #'s, etc. etc.
There was a tinny quality to the sound, but when I hooked up a better phone that went away. Cheap phone = crummy sound. Better phone = sounds just fine. Called a few long distance friends, enjoyed the visits and everybody heard everything just fine. No skips, jerks, pauses, stutters, echoes. Nothin' The only stuff to complain about at all went away when I removed the cheap phone.
Magic Jack will support 911 calls from home....that's part of the painless initial setup. Opening the package was harder than performing the installation. There's some advertising during the install process that's mildly annoying, but easy to ignore and get on with life.
In order to work, one needs high speed Internet (we already had that) a reasonably powerful PC that wasn't already maxed out on other stuff (already had that too). Therefore, why pay AT&T for service at $40 a month? Beats me.
Magic Jack will not work when the power is out; so a second phone source is a good thing (cell phones....we already have those too)
So, early results all positive.
Early results show that this technology is actually for real.
I have tried out Magic Jack with an extra phone we had laying around. It sends, receives, voice mail works, caller ID shows incoming phone #'s, etc. etc.
There was a tinny quality to the sound, but when I hooked up a better phone that went away. Cheap phone = crummy sound. Better phone = sounds just fine. Called a few long distance friends, enjoyed the visits and everybody heard everything just fine. No skips, jerks, pauses, stutters, echoes. Nothin' The only stuff to complain about at all went away when I removed the cheap phone.
Magic Jack will support 911 calls from home....that's part of the painless initial setup. Opening the package was harder than performing the installation. There's some advertising during the install process that's mildly annoying, but easy to ignore and get on with life.
In order to work, one needs high speed Internet (we already had that) a reasonably powerful PC that wasn't already maxed out on other stuff (already had that too). Therefore, why pay AT&T for service at $40 a month? Beats me.
Magic Jack will not work when the power is out; so a second phone source is a good thing (cell phones....we already have those too)
So, early results all positive.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Trying out an Internet phone
At the risk of promoting a product...
Giving a trial to Magic Jack. Tired of paying AT&T nearly $50 a month. It wouldn't be so bad if they gave you an honest rate, but they quote a rate and then tack on a gillion mysterious fees and taxes. I think it's bull.
So, gambled $40 on Magic Jack after doing research. If it's not what it's cracked up to be, we're not out much. If it's good, we can pocket cash we've been giving away.
Installation on our end is done very painlessly. I'm supposed to get an email within an hour from Magic Jack with a confirmation to get stuff working.
.....supposed to give us unlimited local and U.S. long distance. I invested $40 for the first year (hardware and service). $20 next year.
Will keep you posted.
Giving a trial to Magic Jack. Tired of paying AT&T nearly $50 a month. It wouldn't be so bad if they gave you an honest rate, but they quote a rate and then tack on a gillion mysterious fees and taxes. I think it's bull.
So, gambled $40 on Magic Jack after doing research. If it's not what it's cracked up to be, we're not out much. If it's good, we can pocket cash we've been giving away.
Installation on our end is done very painlessly. I'm supposed to get an email within an hour from Magic Jack with a confirmation to get stuff working.
.....supposed to give us unlimited local and U.S. long distance. I invested $40 for the first year (hardware and service). $20 next year.
Will keep you posted.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
At the risk of boring the world
I have to get something off my chest. I need to thank one of my high school teachers; one I didn't properly appreciate all those years ago.
I have hated studying mathematics since I was in 4th grade. That was when they came out with 'new math' and something about new math and I never ever clicked.
We would get reading assignments in math classes, and no matter how hard I tried I could never make any sense out of the text explanation of the math concepts. Didn't matter, grade school, high school, college...math text books might as well have been written in any number of foreign languages, but not English.
I hated math.
I had a little fun with geometry, shapes were cool. Trig, on the other hand was absolute nonsense.
In college, I passed two pre-calculus classes, another in "intuitive" calculus, and other mathematically oriented courses in statistical analysis (oh, I hated that one) , and chemistry, physics, even ecology classes that required strong mathematical skills.
Most of the credit for my surviving those belongs to a high school teacher of mine, Orville Keith Miller. OK or Keith Miller was someone I knew through the church where I grew up before I had him for class. Keith was not the most adept at social skills (sorry Keith) and that was apparent even to a high school junior.
Yet, he turned my life around, partly because he was direct, honest, caring, and forthright, if not polished and tactful.
When a junior at Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs Iowa in 1970, OK was my algebra teacher. I was bright enough to slide by and was doing just that. One Sunday during coffee hour after church, OK said to my mother (her words to me, I don't know what Keith actually said), "It's a crying shame that Jim isn't as smart as your other boys."
Now, if you wanted to get my Mom riled, the best way was to criticize one of her cubs. But, this momma bear was bright enough to know that going directly into combat with the criticizer was not going to get anywhere. Rather, she sat me down, and said, "Are you going to let him get away with that?"
It's just occurred to me that those two, the teacher and the parent, may have cooked up a plot to get me to actually put forth some effort and learn. (Mom was a pretty good applied psychologist in her day.) One way or the other, whether by accident or whether in collusion with Mom, Keith Miller made me learn math whether I liked it or not.
I never have learned to like mathematical studies. But guess what I make my living doing?...working with numbers.
My job involves analyzing data about inventories, projecting inventory consumption, predicting how historic demand patterns will translate into future demands. My responsibilities dealing with math extend into the millions and billions of dollars.
So Mr. Miller, OK, Keith, I want to publicly thank you for the solid grounding I received. I was much too hard on you in my own mind all those years ago. You contributed dramatically to the success of my career.
I've tried finding Mr. Miller on line. He's long since deservedly retired from my alma mater, ALHS. Anybody who can get this post to him....I'd be grateful.
JRE
I have hated studying mathematics since I was in 4th grade. That was when they came out with 'new math' and something about new math and I never ever clicked.
We would get reading assignments in math classes, and no matter how hard I tried I could never make any sense out of the text explanation of the math concepts. Didn't matter, grade school, high school, college...math text books might as well have been written in any number of foreign languages, but not English.
I hated math.
I had a little fun with geometry, shapes were cool. Trig, on the other hand was absolute nonsense.
In college, I passed two pre-calculus classes, another in "intuitive" calculus, and other mathematically oriented courses in statistical analysis (oh, I hated that one) , and chemistry, physics, even ecology classes that required strong mathematical skills.
Most of the credit for my surviving those belongs to a high school teacher of mine, Orville Keith Miller. OK or Keith Miller was someone I knew through the church where I grew up before I had him for class. Keith was not the most adept at social skills (sorry Keith) and that was apparent even to a high school junior.
Yet, he turned my life around, partly because he was direct, honest, caring, and forthright, if not polished and tactful.
When a junior at Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs Iowa in 1970, OK was my algebra teacher. I was bright enough to slide by and was doing just that. One Sunday during coffee hour after church, OK said to my mother (her words to me, I don't know what Keith actually said), "It's a crying shame that Jim isn't as smart as your other boys."
Now, if you wanted to get my Mom riled, the best way was to criticize one of her cubs. But, this momma bear was bright enough to know that going directly into combat with the criticizer was not going to get anywhere. Rather, she sat me down, and said, "Are you going to let him get away with that?"
It's just occurred to me that those two, the teacher and the parent, may have cooked up a plot to get me to actually put forth some effort and learn. (Mom was a pretty good applied psychologist in her day.) One way or the other, whether by accident or whether in collusion with Mom, Keith Miller made me learn math whether I liked it or not.
I never have learned to like mathematical studies. But guess what I make my living doing?...working with numbers.
My job involves analyzing data about inventories, projecting inventory consumption, predicting how historic demand patterns will translate into future demands. My responsibilities dealing with math extend into the millions and billions of dollars.
So Mr. Miller, OK, Keith, I want to publicly thank you for the solid grounding I received. I was much too hard on you in my own mind all those years ago. You contributed dramatically to the success of my career.
I've tried finding Mr. Miller on line. He's long since deservedly retired from my alma mater, ALHS. Anybody who can get this post to him....I'd be grateful.
JRE
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Time for Christmas shopping
Guess what time it is?!
At least it's a Friday night this time.
Before starting this note, I took advantage of the quiet to begin Christmas shopping. Bought a few things online but not via Amazon so far. Some years I've accomplished all shopping via Amazon.
I bought Sue a new laptop for Halloween. Spent less than $400 and it's an awesome machine! It's up and working as our Den system now, but have to put a bunch of our software on it tomorrow. The old Den desktop system was getting too slow for every day use, but we've kept it around as a file server for the home network. The new machine has Windows 7; looks different from XP, but sure was a dream when I went to connect the new box to the network...easiest network install I've ever experienced.
Soggy, gray fall here. Among the wettest Octobers on record for Chicagoland. Also among the coolest. I sure hope this isn't a sign for winter/snow ahead.
At least it's a Friday night this time.
Before starting this note, I took advantage of the quiet to begin Christmas shopping. Bought a few things online but not via Amazon so far. Some years I've accomplished all shopping via Amazon.
I bought Sue a new laptop for Halloween. Spent less than $400 and it's an awesome machine! It's up and working as our Den system now, but have to put a bunch of our software on it tomorrow. The old Den desktop system was getting too slow for every day use, but we've kept it around as a file server for the home network. The new machine has Windows 7; looks different from XP, but sure was a dream when I went to connect the new box to the network...easiest network install I've ever experienced.
Soggy, gray fall here. Among the wettest Octobers on record for Chicagoland. Also among the coolest. I sure hope this isn't a sign for winter/snow ahead.
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