Here it be: http://joan9.wordpress.com/

In the end, things went all right. By the afternoon of the second day, they got the power on the server working, so it was ready for me to install. I finished with the installs by the evening, and started with setting up clients. I got one in, and then we called it a day.

The third day, was the best day. We installed on actual production client machines, and were able to successfully make a connection to the application server. The application server seemed to be running fine, so Dan decided to take us to get crabcakes. It was Maryland, so I suppose I had to have one before I left if possible! He took us to a place called Riverside Pizzeria for crab cakes and they were pretty good!

Dan also gave us a mini-tour, which I really appreciated since my coworker had the rental signed out in his name, and didn’t like exploring. Every day we’d get out, and it was dark, and we’d eat and then go back to the rooms. I saw no taxis or busses, so I felt a little trapped and bummed about it. Not many pictures were taken either due to the darkness and lack of transportation on my part. So Dan’s mini-tour was the most fun I had on the trip, I think!

Dan also gave me a diagram of the overall GIS system there, and showed where the piece I installed fit in. That was one of the nicest things anyone’s ever given me in all my time working in IT. It was framed in this little clock/dry-erase board thingy you can keep on your desk. It was awesome.

The trip itself was interesting at the very end. The taxi driver was named Butch, and told me stories about his wife being gone, and him and his dog being together.. and how his dog saved him from killing himself… and he also told me a story about how he saw a woman killed up in New York by a bunch of teens walking by who happened to shove her off the platform, onto the tracks… weird and morbid stuff. But I appreciated him talking to me. Nice guy.

In the end it was a good experience. Messed up my marathon a bit, I’m sure… but that’s another post.

I’m on my very first business trip. I’m all the way in Maryland, which is a far way from Hawaii. I am supposed to implement my company’s system for a customer. Unfortunately, the application server wouldn’t turn on today. It sorta died out. Apparently it worked on Friday, but not today. I also attempted to set up our client workstations, but… I can’t really go into detail about my work so I’ll leave it at that.

I ate at Chipotle Grill, and it was pretty good. I had a fajita thingy with steak. ono. That was dinner.

For lunch, I ate a grilled cheese sandwich at Waffle House with a coke.

It is 20-something degrees out. And it gets so dark early here. I’m not used to it at all. I’m eating vitamin C’s and zicam chews, trying to keep from catching a cold. I’m staying in the Ramada Conference Center, and made the mistake of picking a room on the second floor in the back. There is nothing at all to see out here but parking lot and an empty pool. And there is no elevator. kinda sad.

I tried to take a photo tonight of waffle house and my hands and camera became so cold, I hurried back into the room right after.

I had posted about updating desktop alerts in outlook 2003 for IMAP, and it was pointed out to me that it wasn’t helpful.. so i removed it.

Whoever you’re voting for, this is certainly an unprecedented election year.

I cast my early ballot last Friday, and a part of me wishes I’d waited for the excitement of today… but I wasn’t sure how it would be voting for my newish job at my current company, so I did it to get it out of the way in case…

Usually I vote against the ‘worse’ candidate, and feel no real passion about the person I do support… but this is the first time I’ve ever truly wanted my candidate to win or felt any kind of connection to a politician. You can probably guess who I voted for… I chose Obama /Biden for Pres. and VP.

In the end, whatever happens, happens. But a lot of people fought for my right to vote, and I was more than happy to exercise it this time around.

There were things I wish I did – like Bingo at the Plaza… and maybe cruise on the strip a little more, but overall it was a great time. My first time gambling, ever. I broke even, which was pretty cool. I used the money from my stimulus check since I’d never cashed it so it didn’t feel like I was spending my own money anyhow. 25 and 50 cent slots, and the keno machines saved me. I wasn’t gutsy enough to stick with roulette but won $20 off the number 29.

There’s something lonely and crowded about Vegas. I took a lot of pics in the downtown area and met a lot of interesting people there with whom I had random conversations — never to meet again. It was that kind of place.

On the last morning there my mom and i decided to split up to do our own thing until dinner time. I tackled the blackjack table, and lost $100 in a little over an hour. And it hit me that I missed my mom. I felt suddenly lonely, but also relieved she didn’t witness me losing $100 cause that woulda freaked her out!

It was this epiphany that made me realize what a great mom she is. I felt like a small kid wanting their mommy, like I almost wanted to bawl. Kinda weird, I know. Suddenly sad, I called a few hotels I knew she liked and had her paged but no answer. I spent a coupla hours trying to find her in the downtown area. I finally found her in front of a slot machine at the California Hotel in the early afternoon. I don’t think she knew how glad I was to see her. We gambled a little and then went back to the room and started packing a bit. We had dinner together, and it was a good ending to my trip.

On the flight home I was sad that I’d have to go back to work the next day since I didn’t win enough money to quit. But I was happy to have experienced Vegas for the first time as an adult, and with my mom.

Blip.fm is a recent fun site I’ve been frequenting, and wondering if it’ll get shutdown sometime. I’m enjoying it while I can. if you like music a lot, maybe you should give it a try… it even integrates into my twitter and last.fm!

my blip.fm:
http://blip.fm/joan9

liltree’s blip.fm:
http://blip.fm/liltree
(Lori, host of Suffragette Station)

http://babytoupee.com/

i now see the light. why didn’t i think of this? is this person making money? Can someone just shoot me for choosing a job in IT? and give me a baby toupee?

p.s. just kidding about the shooting part. i’ll just take the baby toupee without a bullet, thanks.

there’s rain outside.
gone are the days when karen and i would run in it.

like school kids, though we were in high school and a little old to be playing in the rain.
but,
we didn’t care.
life was simpler then.

Now, i stay inside when it rains.
and wonder when i’ll find the time to go outside
and feel it.

Vegas baby!! I haven’t been there since I was 12… can you believe that? Especially considering the fact I’m from Hawaii. Here, everyone goes to Vegas. Many go more than once a year. The package deals are just so damned reasonable.

I’ve worked since I was 16 years old and never took a vacation outside of Hawaii because of the cost. I feel content just staying home from work. I live in paradise, and love cruising with friends, so it’s never seemed lacking. I’m easily amused so the good times just keep coming.

But this year I realized I should go someplace since I’m finally debt-free, and also because my mom was diagnosed with cancer last year and I want to spend more time with her. And it’s Vegas!!

Of course I have the dream that I will pull on the handle of the slot machine that gives me the jackpot of a lifetime … and come back home and quit my job, and buy my mom, sister, and closest friends some cool shit and bum around while trying to figure out how to invest the cash so I never have to work again. Real estate might be a good investment here in Hawaii… (It really is a buyer’s market right now, but sheesh. I still can’t afford anything out here with my pay).

More than anything, I hope my mom has fun. She’s been saying things about her mortality… This is the first time she and I will go on a trip together in over 10 years. If you have any suggestions for stuff me and my mom should check out, please feel free to comment! Casinos of buffets or shows… anything. Keep it G-Rated please! Even if I lose all my money, all that really matters is that mom has a good time.