People I know
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Monday, April 12, 2004
Beth S.
I just learned that I share a quality with my mom – the inconsistent keeping of journals. My family tends to keep lots of Stuff. The Stuff accumulates until it is boxed and stored in the basement. There it stays for many a year. In one of my boxes I found a datebook belonging to mom. It is titled:
It is really a lovely databook, with a weeks worth of entries per page and facing photos of arrangements and Bonai plants. The book has only three entries:
- 1/23 - Richard & I went to Harris & Son (jeweler) - picked out my engagement ring. Looked for china and silver at Woody's
- 1/29 - Richard proposed!
- 4/13 - Surprise party at Lois's for both mothers. Drove up to Phila. in Richard's car.
So two revelations: First, I didn’t know that they shopped for rings before getting engaged. Second, the 4/13 event is an often retold event in family lore. It is fun to see documentation.
Friday, February 27, 2004
Steve S
Steve is a guy who's seen a lot in his life. He's a combat veteran with crazy stories and also a grizzled veteran of the Computer Security field. Today Steve served as elder statesment for a working group -- there are four of us researching some theoretical ideas about the governance of computer security programs. You have to understand that Steve has a reputation for speaking his mind and sometimes appears to stir the pot just for the heck of it. I figure that a guy with his background should be able to do whatever the hell he wants.
I've decided to stop working with Jeff A. One reason was that our house isn't yet ready for sale. I need to take care of that before I can buy something. I almost wrote a contract for one of the houses that he showed me. Un/fortunately I discovered the landfill half a mile away.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Meighan O
On Monday afternoon, Meighan gave notice. She's been here for about eight months with me as her direct supervisor. Of course here that doesn't necessarily mean I would work with her. I did initially, but then we matrixed her out to other opportunities. But I guess the other opportunities were either not as interesting as she hoped or the job is not as lucrative as she wants. She does have a Master's degree in public policy so perhaps the job really wasn't the right fit? We made some offers to encourage her to stay, but no dice. She and I are having lunch today -- maybe I'll learn more.
5:00 pm -- Nope, I didn't learn any more.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing
Like all good Washington DC natives, I love the panda bears. Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing arrived at the National Zoo in the year I was born and while I can't claim to have spent a lot of time with them I still think they were great and was sad when they passed away without even one surviving offspring. I was so happy when the Chinese lended us a couple more pandas. I do think that their names are a not so subtle snub on the USA -- Mei Xiang means fragrant flower and Tian Tian means more more.
Today, the Washington Post announced a second round of public art, centered around Panda sculptures. Each will be decorated by a different artist. I can hardly wait for the PandaMania to begin! The previous Party Animals display was very appropriate for the city and spurred several court cases. My other favorite was Arf Neuvo, the public art display in Bryn Mawr, PA. The painted dogs were fun, but I mostly enjoyed saying "Arf Neuvo."
Monday, February 23, 2004
Kris O
This weekend Hilary and I found three houses that we'd be happy to move into. We increased our price threshold and are now finding amazing options with plenty of space inside and out, nice big kitchens, comfortable master baths, and plenty of closet space. I couldn't sleep after finding the best house Saturday night . I spent hours wide awake, surfing for more information about the neighborhoods and reviewing all the house data. It was part excitement, and part anxiety over the price.
Yesterday afternoon we attended a play with my colleague Kris and his wife Melissa. I love that Kris is a true liberal. He has been supporting Dennis Kucinich in the Democratic primary and was a supporter of Ralph Nader last time. I continue to point out that Nader cost the Democrats the election in 2000. He challenges that assertion but I think he may be swayed this year.
The Crucible is a well-known Authur Miller play. It concerns the Salem Witch trials in 1692 and is said to be historically accurate, with a basis in documentary evidence. The play was written during Senator McCarthy's Committee on Un-American Activities. The playwright was called before the committee and called upon to "name names". He refused and was cited, fined, and given a 30-day jail sentence (suspended).
The play was extraordinarily well-acted by an amazing cast. This is the second production of the Keegan Theatre that I've attended. The first was a stage production of "12 Angry Men". I recommend the Keegan to anyone who enjoys small productions.
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Jeff A
Jeff is helping us find a new house. He helped me buy my current digs. The guy is very nice and very weird. I had to explain to him firmly that if he wouldn't stop honking at every speedbump, then I wouldn't ride in his car. He has an issue with being punished for the crime of speeding before he even speeds. After lengthy discussions with a mortgage broker, I find myself shopping for a price much higher that of my first house. Its a combination of having two incomes and four years appreciation on my first house.
I wonder if the realtor business will eventually go away. With so many people in the market, can a home be more of a commodity? We don't use an agent to buy a car or select a college. I know we are talking about the next order of magnitude in cost, but so what. I can search for homes on the internet, print standard forms, even list my home solo. Maybe next time. They do have that nifty lockbox key to get us into all the houses.
Amy R
Amy is pregnant. Yet another cool couple our age that has gotten pregnant. I was wondering why she seemed so tired. Just hearing about her and her husband's experience before and now raised the hairs on the back of my neck. There was nothing obviously frightening, but it felt all too familiar. As she put it, she thought she was prepared but nobody is fully prepared until it happens.
Ok, not the most eloquent entry but you get my point.
Was I on vacation recently? It doesn't feel like it.
Friday, February 13, 2004
Brian B
My officemate is a really bright guy and I think a very different personality type. If we were to talk Myers-Briggs, I'd say he is a strong "S" where I'm a strong "N". He mentioned a goal of his: to have three certifications by age 32(?). I thought, "hmmm, not a bad plan." Having just finished my CISSP certification, I'm determined to take a break for a few months. Next on my list is either the Project Management Institute cert, the Certified Information Security Auditor cert, or an academic program such as the University of Maryland MBA.
It's time to have lunch - 250 calories just isn't what I'm used to, but that's the price for gorging myself on the cruise.
I haven't found anyplace to find usage statistics for this blog. Maybe I can insert the HTML for a web-based counter. I haven't chosen to actually tell anyone about this so I'm just wondering if people will find it and how. So if you find this, please email me and say 'hey'.
Rachel B
Hey look, a second posting. But don't get your hopes up. It is common for people to post more frequently in the beginning. I think I read that most blogs dry up after eight months?
So why does Rachel rate such a prominently early posting? Well, cause she is the first and only person I know to maintain a blog on this site. I've followed a few people's casual musings on vanity sites, but there seems to be more meaning on a formal blog site. Don't ask me why. Oh, so Rachel used to live in DC and work at NPR. She is a very wacky and hard to figure gal. She'll pout at my characterization of her, but I figure I'm safely out of range. But really, she's a very nice and eclectic chick who is currently seeking herself in Argentina.
Thursday, February 12, 2004
Hi, its me.
Since this is probably going to me my one and only posting, I'd better make it good. So what's new? Hilary and I have returned from the cruise I won at work. We've spent the last week and a half dieting to lose the cruise weight, plus more.
Since returning to work, I've had little billable work. Nevertheless, it has been a producting period. I'm knocking out numerous administrative tasks that have been laying about for a while. I'm actually feeling a little pressure to finish these quickly because I know real work is just around the corner.
