Sweep the Elevator

Alright...I found this rather ridiculous...

I'm trying to leave work last evening...I was stuck in here a little later than I would prefer but that's par for the course lately...and I catch the ol' elevator on 9 and start down. So, I'm cruising down and I hear a vacuum running. Hey, at least the cleaning staff is vacuuming...good deal.

Well, the vacuum gets louder and elevator slows...and I notice that the elevator has now stopped on the second floor. And, of course, that is where the cleaning person is sweeping. And, next thing I know, the vacuum enters the elevator. He is sweeping out the elevator. With me in it.

Next thing I know, vacuum is revving at my feet...he wants me to move. So I speak and receive no response...so I move to the right and he sweeps where I had previously stood. Then the vacuum is at my feet again and I move to the left and he sweeps where I stood. And then the vacuum leaves the elevator and I continue my downward journey.

Other than a brief "hey" from me, no words are spoken. The man just vacuumed and went about his way. It was rather surreal. I wasn't very happy because he could have easily waited for another minute to vacuum while the elevator was empty but decided to do it while I was on there. And in a bit of a hurry to leave. No matter...I guess at least he was sweeping?

I personally believe...such as and so on...

I don't believe our youth are this dumb...I just don't. I can't. I just can't figure out where she is going with this response. South Africa? The Iraq? What?

I think the video speaks for itself...and it's just kinda sad really. She must be nervous or something. And, if the question is true...that 1 in 5 can't find the US on a map...well, that's just as disturbing as her answer.

Miscellaneous Stuff

So yesterday I head to my bank to deposit my paycheck (don't ask why I don't use Direct Deposit). And, of course, all 5 drive thru lines are backed up 3-4 deep. And it takes forever. My first reaction is to blame the tellers. How many are in there? Can't they work a little faster? Yada yada yada. But, after watching the folks in front of me for a bit, I figured out that the problem is actually the people doing the banking. Can they not fill out the deposit slips or whatever before they get to the window? Can they not be prepared instead of having to talk to the teller for 5 minutes about what they want? If your request is that complicated, why do you not go inside?

I just don't get people who actually use the bank pen...or, worse, have to request a pen through the little bank canister...to fill out whatever paperwork they need. When I pull up to that window, I am prepared. It's the least I could do. I just don't see why it's that difficult to be prepared.

I previously mentioned that East Fairmont won their home opener against Elkins. What I failed to mention was the new addition to East Fairmont footbal...a giant EF Bee to act as a tunnel. I honestly had no idea that it was coming so it was a surprise and the crowd really seemed to enjoy it. Personally, I think it's a very nice addition to the game. And it's one mean looking Bee.

Lastly today, I read in the paper today hat Mannington is going to hookup to Fairmont for water. Now was it not just 5-6 short months ago that Fairmont ran out of water and poor Grant Town was without water for like 2-3 weeks or something? Did anyone explain why Fairmont ran out of water? And was there ever a resolution as to who was paying the nearly $1 million dollar tab for trying to find the source of Fairmont's water issue? And now Mannington is going to hook up to Fairmont for their water supply? Something about that just doesn't make sense to me...but, hey, there's a lot of things in this city that don't make sense to me...just put another one on the list.

It's Time for Football

Well, high school football season kicked off last night as East Fairmont beat the Tigers of Elkins. It wasn't exactly a battle that Michael Vick would enjoy...he would have put down the Tigers after East returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. East dominated most of the game but Elkins made a little run in the second half to make it a respectable 32-20 East Side victory. And, for today anyway, East Fairmont is the #1 team in the state...which is always nice.

The only downer was the 90+ degree weather. I can't remember a game so hot. It definitely wasn't the kind of football weather we've come to expect. I had more than one sweaty handshake...and there's nothing worse than the dripping sweat handshake. It's just uncomfortable as two wet hands meet for a slippery shake...you can't get a firm grip because both hands are slipping apart. You know what I'm saying? Of course you do...

Anyway, the game was good and there was an excellent crowd despite the weather. Unfortunately the stadium continues to look rather poor. I figured there would have been some summer improvements but I didn't notice them. The steps at East/West Stadium are just completely unacceptable. Hopefully something will be done about that in the near future.

Will probably go watch the Fairmont Senior game tonight. Once again, it will be a hot one...perhaps hotter than last night. But it's still a good time...I'll just try to avoid the handshakes.

Upgrade Update

Well, for those who are curious, the upgrade at work is progressing on-schedule. We currently have domain controllers distributed to the 6 offices...so AD is available for us to work on. We have located the drivers for all devices for our 8 models of PCs and laptops that are currently out and all our Vista compatible. Unless a major hiccup occurs within the next week or so, we will be rolling out Vista to all user beginning in November.


The integrators are currently working on a Desktop Deployment strategy and packaging our "Core Applications" for distribution. The Document Management System guru is making progress although we are having a difficult time securing a final release date for a beta we are currently running with Office 2007. But, things are moving along in a positive direction. Our biggest DMS issue is whether to consolidate into a single library or continue a distributed approach. It appears a single library will win.


We are increasing bandwidth dramatically to keep up with the new burdens. It appears that is on-schedule and should resolve any issues we are running into with a centralized approach to a majority of our applications.


If I could get out of meetings and conference calls, I think we would be moving along a little better. I have spent two days in "training" on a product that I really don't care about at all. The hardware side is the only thing I needed to know about but had to sit through two days of instruction on it because that's how it was organized. Horrific. Same thing happened last week. I have vendors calling round the clock and they're driving me crazy. Ummm...and the 3 weekly status meetings are beginning to get old.


This is definitely a new experience to have all these schedules and deadlines. Usually we run everything on a small scale...try it out and push it out. Make it work...work out the bugs with users. Now we have test environments and project managers, etc. It's pretty crazy really...I feel like I sepnd as much time explaining my work as I do working. And it's not necessarily a good thing. But that's how it is and I'll continue doing whatever is required to get this thing done. The sooner the better...

The Collar Stay

You know what I really, really dislike? Collar stays for dress shirts. Don't get me wrong, they serve a very important purpose in life. They make my collar stay relatively firm instead of bowing or curling. But, man, are they a pain in the butt.

I really can't tell you how many collar stays have been washed and dried. And once that happens, they are ruined. There's no going back. So, you have to go out and buy additional collar stays. And they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. So you have to find one to find the shirt you are currently getting ready to wear. If you go to short, it gets loss in the collar stay abyss. If you go too long...well, it just doesn't work out well because the collar will never go down properly.

The other problem is that I have a cup of collar stays. And, of course, only a few are marked with a brandname so I have to search through a cup of collar stays to try to find the one that matches the shirt I am attempting to wear. Again, I have to find the right size and a matching pair. It is just insane. There has to be an easier way...

Of course, the shirts that come with the permanent, built-in collar stays are even worse because, eventually, they kinda stop working. But that's another story. I just don't like collar stays much...give me the button down any day of the week over the collar stay.

Pre-Season Rankings = Waste of Time

In the pre-season AP poll, USC is ranked #1 and WVU is ranked #3...in the Coaches' Poll, USC is #1 and WVU is #6. But does it really matter? What impact does that have on the season? None.

The fact is pre-season rankings are a complete joke. Steve Spurrier always ranks Duke as #25 in the pre-season polls despite the fact they are more likely to not win a game than finish in the Top 25. And some people get mad about his loyalty vote. But it's not like it matters.

In my opinion there should be no ranking out until at least week 5 of the college football season. Until you actually see USC or WVU or Michigan perform, how can you rate them? Obviously, there are expectations. But generally expectations hurt teams more than anything. I just don't like the pre-season hype.

It is nice for WVU to get this recognition and honor of sitting at #3 and #6 in pre-season polls. But the fact is that is doesn't mean a thing to anyone at the end of the season. It's that final record that matters and I'm not getting caught up in the pre-season hype. I want to see the Mountaineers perform before I crown them one of the best 5 or 6 teams in the nation. Until then, they're just another one of the I-A teams that remain undefeated and are looking for a BCS berth.

Slow Down...It's the 5-0

Aside from talking on the elevator, few things annoy me more than people slamming on their brakes every time they see a police vehicle. Today I am driving into work on beautiful I-79, crusing around 72 MPH. Out my rearview mirror, I see a State Trooper driving along in the passing lane, gaining ground. No big deal to me...I pull over into the slower lane to allow him to pass...it's just the right thing to do.

Well, anyway, the guy in the slow lane in front of me apparently saw the police vehicle about that time and decided to slow down a bit. He went from 72 MPH to 70...then to 68...64...62...60. He finally felt comfortable at about 58 MPH. Needless to say, I was not very pleased. Of course I couldn't just whip around him as much as I wanted to because I had a State Trooper now racing towards us since 76 or so is much, much faster than the whopping 58 I am currently traveling. Obviously, as soon as the trooper passed, I went to pass the slow offender only to have him speed back up to 75 or so...basically stranding me in the passing lane beside him. However, I did angrily complete the pass and obviously the trooper never paid any attention as I sped to 78+.

But I digress. I don't understand why this moron in the car in front of me felt it necessary to travel 12 miles per hour below the speed limit because a trooper was going to pass us. If he was going 90 I would understand why he needed to slow down...but going 72 isn't much and I would say "cool" if he just slowed to 70 or even 68. But 58? Come on. Give me a break. Had the trooper wanted to bust him, or I, for going 72, he would have done so. Slowing down to 58 doesn't cancel out the previous disregard for the speed limit. So why slow so much? It doesn't make it better.

Secondly, why speed back up just because the trooper has completed the pass? If you're that nervous, then continue traveling at 70. I don't want to have to speed to pass you but you were cruising at 58 MPH...stay there. Why speed up to 75 now? It was...and is...absolutely ridiculous. Some people...well, most people...should not be allowed to drive. Seriously.

Football Season Approaches

Well, must be about that time of year again. Football season is rapidly approaching and I couldn't be happier. First, West Virginia should be stout. If they don't win 10+ games, something bad happened. Really, they should be in the running for another Big East title and a shot at a national championship. Obviously, Louisville and Rutgers will have other ideas. Full breakdown coming next week.

On a more local level, East Fairmont will be looking to backup their first playoff appearance in 30 years with another successful season. Should be an interesting season. First game is next Thursday against Elkins. I can't really say too much until I actually see them play...I am hopeful however.

Steelers will be playing under a new coach. Some reports say Tomlin can right the ship...others are a little more skeptical. I will be anxious to see what Big Ben can do. Obviously, the NFL has been overshadowed by the dog-loving Michael Vick. I am sure Roger Goodell can't wait for actual games that count to distract from Vick's impending plea bargain or trial and jail time. I believe Vick will never play in the NFL again.

In other sporting news, Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's record...which sucks. I think Aaron's congratulatory message was forced at best. Aaron was very careful with his words and obviously wasn't overly pleased with Bonds using steroid assistance to break the homerun record. Aaron's didn't even bother to stay up to watch the game...I think that says a lot.

I guess that's about it. Oh, lastly, Elvis died 30 years ago today. For those who don't know, apparently Elvis was pretty popular back in his day. Elvis had a whopping 18 Number One Hits in the '50s and '60s and many remain popular today. He was truly an amazing musical figure...and he might still be alive according to some accounts.

And I think that's about enough for today...

A Nation on the Brink

Do you ever get the feeling we're one bad day away from major, major troubles? That the economy could plummet like a stone through a lake tomorrow or that the United States could be dragged into a war that will destroy the country in a matter of weeks? Do you feel like the Earth is dying because of Americans and that global warming...or cooling...or whatever could destroy us in a matter of months? Do you fear uncontrolled inflation or maybe a food shortage because corn is being turned into ethanol? If you do, welcome to today's America: A Nation on the Brink.

Personally, I'm not that pessimistic. There have been a few instances, especially in recent history, that I worry about all these things that I have no control over. What if the economy collapses under its own weight? What if a nuclear device goes off in DC or New York? But it's usually a fleeting moment that I won't...and can't...devote too much time. I don't like to think that way. And I won't. The only time I think that way is when I watch the so-called news...and they have made their living recently preaching doom and gloom twenty-four/seven.

Despite what the media might have you believe, America is still a great country and is not as fragile as some might think...or wish. Health care is not in a crisis state. While the military is stretched thin in an admittedly ill-managed fight in Iraq, the country remains secure. Obviously Iran remains a huge threat...and China a growing one...but, for the most part, we continue to handle those situations through diplomatic means and, hopefully, a full-scale war will not ensue. And should it, I believe our troops are prepared to handle the task in a professional manner as we always have.

Let's face it, it's not as bad as many have predicted. For six years now, forecasters have been predicting a complete recession, a housing market collapse, uncontrollable inflation, etc. But it hasn't happened and that's because people smarter than Katie Couric or Matt Laurer handle the economy. And despite the repeated warning that attacks are imminent, there have been no terrorist attacks on American soil since 9/11. Personally, I think that's pretty good.

What I am getting at is that I am sick of the completely pessimism that dominates today's media and the people who buy in 100% to that outlook. What made America great was the optimism of its people to look beyond today's troubles and forward to tomorrow's solutions. It would be easy to give up and sit back and let world events dictate your life...but I don't think that's the right ticket. I would prefer to stay positive and look forward to tomorrow...and if that means I can't watch the news, even more the better.

Your PCs May Be Damaged

First of all, I'm not blaming anyone for what you are about to see below. We had to ship out computers for someone to do some work on and the guy who shipped them (who no longer works here) did a very poor job in packing the PCs. He wanted to put all four computers in one box...luckily, he decided two to a box would work. Not a great idea.

So, they warned me that when they received the PCs, they were a little banged up. When I received them back, they looked like this:

When you see boxes like that, you know there can't be anything real good inside. Also, let me reiterate that these boxes came from a vendor, not CDW. I have never received anything from CDW in this bad of condition.

And, as for the Vista readiness, some of the machines were ready to go...a few they had concerns with. And a couple they didn't even try because they didn't have DVD-ROMs...but they never contacted me with any of these issues. I am a bit infuriated today. That's really all I have to say about it.

Celebrities are a Mess

Not that I pay attention...but last night I happened to have Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood...or one of those odd-ball celebrity chasing shows on and, man, there are some messed up people out there. That Lohan girl is getting busted for drunk driving and cocaine possession...nice. Britney still can't care for her babies...and somehow makes ex-husband K-Fed look half way normal. Two more people have claimed to be James Brown's children (brining the total to 5,438 now). Eddie Murphy may or may not have had a scary baby with Scary Spice of Spice Girl fame. Ving Rhames' dogs may or may not have killed some guy on his property.

It just goes on and on. I really don't know how many people keep track of this garbage but, considering the longevity of Entertainment Tonight, I'm guessing it's a lot. I'm not sure I get the fascination. I really didn't care about any of that stuff...I was just amazed by the fact ET had some many people on staff to track down information on all this stuff while we can't get good reporters to cover real news in this country.

Anyway, it's about 5,000-degrees outside and I think I am going to attempt to walk out there. Hopefully I won't combust immeditately when I do so. If I do combust, this will likely be my last entry. If I don't...well, I'll make sure everyone knows.

Upgrade Update

Well, I guess I should give an upgrade update. First of all, things have been absolutely crazy, which is why I haven't been updating. From the moment I walk in the door to the moment I leave, I don't have time to do anything but work. I suppose that is the way it should be but I haven't even had time for lunch. I will get to that in a minute...

Anyway, the earliest I have gotten home this week is 9:30 p.m. except for today. We have had integrators on-site all week. They left today at 11:00 a.m. and then I caught up on all my regular work once they left. So far we have placed domain controllers in three of six sites...which is a start. They are up and running and are working with one another. Switches have been upgraded in three of six sites as well. We have imaged all 27 servers and sent them to their destination sites.

On a software side, our Document Management System ("DMS") is being tested on the new SQL server with test libraries. So far it does not work with Office 2007 and Vista...yet. But there is hope we will have a breakthrough next week. We still plan to upgrade our workstations to Vista.

Next week our desktop deployment integrator will be on-site. So, that leads to a quick story. Beginning last week, I had asked our reseller for quotes for our new imaging software. In an effort to help us, he setup a conference call, etc., to discuss our needs and software. I e-mailed him earlier this week and said I appreciated his offers but regardless of my personal opinion of the software we would need to purchase it this week and I would need a quote. Well, today rolled around and still no software. So, at 4:15 this afternoon, I received an e-mail from the project manager of our integrators asking me to confirm the purchase of the imaging software. Oops.

So, I immediately got on the phone with the reseller and he got the imaging company on the phone and in a matter of minutes we hashed our a quote and order. And I was able to confirm to the project manager that indeed the software had been purchased. Whew. I can honestly say I was a bit panicked because I had been persistent about our need to get the software but I wasn't making headway. I was afraid that the failure to procure this software by Monday could delay the entire project. And that would be horrible considering we're currently 4 days ahead of schedule on infrastructure. If applications slowed it down, I would never hear the end of it. Luckily, we made it work...at least for today.

As for lunch, it's been at weird times all week. Today, I finally went to get lunch at 2:30 p.m. with a co-worker. We both got 2 slices of pizza to bring back to the office so the shop put the pizza in a regular pizza box. So, I set the pizza box on a table in my co-workers office while I answered an e-mail. About that time someone from upstairs showed up in my office to relay some information. During the course of his talk, he mentioned the pizza and I told him where we got it. Next thing I know, he was eating a piece.

Well, I let him go...thinking "man, there goes a piece of my pizza...at least I have one left." I didn't mind...but then he proceeded to eat another piece. So, he ate my lunch and I just watched. He offered to pay but I told him we'd square up later. It really wasn't his fault because he assumed we had ordered a whole pizza and ate it around lunch time. But, that wasn't the case. But, that's about par for the course really. No pizza for me...

So, anyway, that's the update on the upgrade. Week 2 of 34 is now complete and no one has been shot yet. But there were a few evenings I was starting to wonder. Should remain interesting...can't wait to see what our desktop deployment guy has up his sleeve. And hopefully the software will arrive. I'll keep everyone up-to-date as much as possible...