<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Monday, December 27, 2004

Books, check em out......2004 

Here is a list of the books I read this year. You can check them out at Amazon or where ever you satisfy your book buying needs.

1) Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book: Jordan Raphael & Tom Spurgen

2) Best American Non-Required Reading 2003: Dave Eggers (ed.)

3) Flyboys: James Bradley

4) A Drink Before the War: Dennis Lehane

5) Four Past Midnight: Stephen King

6) Of Mice and Men: John Steinbeck

7) The Terminal Man: Michael Crichton

8) Darkness, Take My Hand: Dennis Lehane

9) Best American Non-Required Reading 2002: Dave Eggers (ed.)

10)Eragon: Christopher Paolini

11) Coraline: Neil Gaiman

12) Sacred: Dennis Lehane

13) The Poet: Michael Connelly

14) Song of Susannah: Stephen King

15) Sabriel: Garth Nix

16) Speaking with the Angel: Nick Hornby

17) Amulet of Samarkand: Jonathan Stroud

18) The Hobbit: J.R.R. Tolkien

19) The Dark Tower: Stephen king

20) Insomnia: Stephen King

21) Dragons of Autumn Twilight: Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

22) Gone Baby Gone: Dennis Lehane

23) The Road to the Dark Tower: Bev Vincent

24) Faithful: Stuart O'Nan & Stephen King

It was a year of Stephen King and Dennis Lehane. I only read three non-fiction books this year, it is usually a little higher then that. Lots of fantasy type stuff. I guess I am on a fantasy kick right now. It looks like that will carry into the next year.

Well that is my list for this year. Some good, some OK and some fantastic stuff. At least I think so.

Peace out.




Thursday, December 23, 2004


Blast from the past Posted by Hello

Who can help me? Who is the kid right behind Jeff? Anyone?

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Zen. Zen's dead baby...... 

My Zen is having a problem. It will not turn on. Can't listen to it if the thing won't turn on. I have not used it in a while so the other night I plugged it in to charge so I would have it for the next morning. I unplugged it when I woke up and put it in my bag for my ride to work. When I got to the station I took it out and pressed the power button and much to my surprise nothing happened. Needles to say I was slightly annoyed.

When I got home after work I plugged it back in, just to see maybe I didn't plug it in all the way last night and the Zen just never charged. Plug it in and comes on automatic like and there is even a little plug symbol in the corner to remind me that the power is coming from the adaptor. It wasn't flashing though like it usually would when it is charging. I unplug it and it goes dead, just like that. I plug it back in again and turn it off to see if I would get the flashing charge plug symbol. Nope nothing.

My next step was to look at the Creative website for help. I ended up sending the tech guys an e-mail explaining the situation. This is the response I got the next day

"Dear Jim,

Thank you for contacting Creative Technical Support.

Could you try the following method to enter Rescue Mode on the player to
see if the player will be able to power up?

Press and hold the Play button, while inserting a pin or paper clip into
the Reset button on your player. The Reset button is near the Volume
buttons.
The player should start up in Rescue mode.

A screen with the following options should appear.

1. Clean Up (Performs a scan disk on the HDD)
2. Format All (All contents will be lost, including pre-installed
content)
3. Reload OS (updates the firmware for the Zen)
4. Reboot (Reboots the Zen)

Select option 4 to do a Reboot if it powers up."


I didn't like the idea of losing all the content on my Zen so I brought it to Cambridge Soundworks because they sell them there. I just wanted some info maybe they had an idea of what to do. They were no help at all, they just told me to contact Creative.

I just tried to do what the Creative Tech told me to do and nothing happened at all. I replied to the e-mail letting them know what the deal is so far. Waiting to here back from them.

What a pain in the Zen.


Peace out

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

Limbo 

Here is a little story for you. Here at The Company, review time is in
Oct. I received my review and it was OK not great but not terrible either. I was given an idea of some areas to improve on, things I needed to start to do or at least do better. I put some effort and thought into my work (or so I thought)

Then in Nov I guess there were still things that I wasn't doing or at least not doing the way my boss wanted. Things were not getting done in a timely manner. A little of this a little of that, yadda yadda yadda. So they put it in writing. Yes,I got a written warning. It listed the areas that were a problem some of them were accurate and some in hind site were kind of bullshit. If things don't improve I could be terminated. I picked up the work effort really made an honest effort
to do better. I like working for The Company, good people (mostly), good benefits all that jazz that you look for in a work place.

Last Thursday I get a call from my boss asking my if I was busy and if not
could I meet her in the head of H.R.'s office. I know right away
this can't be good news. If you get called to HR to meet with your
boss ...well it usually isn't for tea and biscuits.

I make my way to HR and I have this nervous tingling down my spine, up and down and then it goes down my arms right to my already sweating palms. I see my boss sitting in the office with the head of HR I go in and closed the door (when asked). So it turns out what they tell me is that the job I am in right now isn't the right job for me. It isn't working out. I am not doing the job required of me. I asked if there has been any improvement since my last talk with my boss. She said yes but not enough, and she thinks that this is as good as I will get and sorry but it will not be good enough for this position.

Starting on Monday I report back to my old boss, the head of operations. He was my boss when I was in the mailroom. Now they say they aregoing to try to find me another position here at The Company that better suits me. There is nothing open right now. So I guess my old boss has projects for me to do or something. I'll be helping out in my old capacity of the mailroom. Back to my roots you could say. In three months if nothing has come up The Company and I "will part ways" as HR put it to me.

So right now at work I am in Limbo.

Peace out

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Christmas Spirit...Where are you? 

Normally I love this time of year. I enjoy the giving of gifts I like to see the looks on my families faces when they open their presents. I want to see if the time and effort has paid off. It usually does, I put the time in to get things that people want. Thoughtful gifts, practical ones and nice things. I won't kid you either, I like the getting of gifts too. That is just as much fun as the giving. I normally like the whole process. Going out shopping doesn't bother me. I might get somewhat aggravated but it passes quickly. I try to have the Holiday spirit. (Which I think people should do year round). I know there is more to this time of year than the presents. Peace Harmony good will towards people, all that. I am for that too. I like the lights on peoples houses and the way the cities light up the parks and all that. It is usually a feel good time of year.

I am having a hard time this year getting into the Christmas spirit. I don't have any idea why. It is more than "It just doesn't feel like Christmas" because of the weather. It is nothing I can put a finger on. It is just blah. I feel blah. I don't really know what to get people. I have some ideas but they are just vague notions of what might be a good idea. It is right around the corner. 17 more shopping days until Christmas. Where the fuck is time going? Is that it? Getting older? Time goes faster and faster? Am I getting to be cantankerous? ME? I hope not. I hope this is just a funk. I momentary lapse into blah-ness.

Come find me Christmas Spirit, I am waiting.

Blah!

Peace out and Happy Fucking Holidays.

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

HELP!!!!! 

Do you know what movie this is from?

"It will be like shooting fish in a barrel. City is the fish, people
are the barrel. Fish in a barrel."

or something close to that.

Peace out.

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?