Month: April 2019

Again, traffic…

Posted on by backuphill

accident action auto automobile

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Well, I am late again today. I guess maybe I need to do a better job planning ahead and get some blog posts ready on the weekend.

Anyway, there was a huge accident on the highway this morning and blocked all southbound lanes. Unfortunately, I found out about it too late and ended up getting on the highway at a stretch behind the backup where there was no way to get off the highway for about miles…so traffic crawled for an hour before I could exit and go around.

It looked pretty bad. Heard there was one fatality.

People were impatient and even blocking the shoulder this morning, making it tough for emergency vehicles to get to the scene.

Come on people. Drive safely and stop being stupid. It really isn’t worth it.

Sound the alarm!

Posted on by backuphill

red carlton alarm clock

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Everything is behind today. Everything, including this blog.

Alarm missed.

Backup alarm resounded.

Rush, rush rush.

Can we start over?

I woke up an hour and fifteen minutes late this morning. I generally don’t miss my alarm but I guess I must have been tired. I used the silent, vibrating alarm on my Fitbit and it usually is enough. As a back up, I have a DEAD AWAKE alarm set for “just in case” times. It got used this morning.

I was up about an hour and a half before the alarm was supposed to go off because the dog needed to pee. I went back to bed with the knowledge that there was still a decent amount of time for some sleep. Apparently, I needed more than a decent amount.

I got to work on time. Traffic and all.

 

System malfunction

Posted on by backuphill

computer content control data

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I work in software support. I am an analyst. I solve problems. I train people on the software. I make suggestions for improvement.

Yesterday, I discovered a major issue with the new product that could potentially put the brakes on software migration from the old version to the new version. It won’t stop it, but it has the potential to slow the process drastically until it is fixed (which could take months).

Needless to say, I am not on everyone’s “happy list” today.

I love my job.

 

What the heck, WordPress?

Posted on by backuphill

WP menu

Are you like me and logged in this morning to find something different with your WordPress account? Maybe the layout is different? The Sidebar on the left is missing stuff?

Looks like WordPress has made change to the organization of the sidebar and I DON’T LIKE IT!

In the “cleaning up” process, they actually created more clicks for users to start a post. It went from one to three because an “Add Post” button is now buried in the menu.

This sucks. Stop changing stuff and put it back!

Thanks, but no thanks on this one.

Freeloading

Posted on by backuphill

people high aerial jump

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You know that song by Tom Petty called “Free Fallin'”? In case you aren’t familiar with it, you can see and hear it here.

It’s a good song. Catchy and all.

However, someone is missing the boat by not rewriting the lyrics to “Free loadin'”. I am sure it would be a huge money maker. Ok, maybe not huge but it probably would make some. I am not that musically inclined, or poetic, so I am not sure I can do it. There has to be someone with a gift for this sort of thing.

Why, you ask? Well, because we live in a society that has a whole bunch of people who are free loadin’ off of the rest of us and it kind gets a little irritating. Those free loaders should have a theme song. At least we would know what they were really up to or we could see them coming before they get here.

Oh, and while we’re at it, it looks like the 2020 presidential race is going to have a few people running for the office that could also use the song as their campaign theme song as they promise to give people everything for nothing. A whole society of free loadin’! Good golly, Miss Molly, won’t that be a utopia worth singing about?

Perhaps Tom, if he were still around, could be convinced to rewrite it himself.

Maybe he would be into that sort of thing, social commentary and economic systems. Seems like a hit to me.

What other songs do you think could be rewritten so that it more accurately reflected the current events?

Let’s hit pause

Posted on by backuphill

dark darkness loneliness mystery

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Anyone want to hit pause for the day? Like just take a break from everything and just be?

Julia Roberts, as Vivian, said they could “lay like broccoli” in Pretty Woman.  Adam Sandler had a movie called “Click” where he could just pause everything.

I am sure there are books out there about this. I am sure they could be helpful, if you wanted to read while you took a pause.

A deserted island. Maybe that would work. Preferably some place warm but not hot.

Maybe a day in an isolation pod would be good.

I just need a pause.

Old curmudgeon

Posted on by backuphill

basket colourful decoration easter

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Maybe I really don’t have a heart. Maybe it is just a dark spot in my chest. A black hole of emotion, if you will.

I am sure you are all aware it was Easter over the weekend. There are two sides to the holiday – a Christian celebration or the commercialized side. Most people pick one or the other, or there is some kind of mingling of the two.

Sometimes celebrations bring out the curmudgeon in me. I don’t know why. It just does.

As I was wandering the yard and the grandkids, nieces, and nephews were hunting for candy and change filled plastic eggs I realized this is a really stupid practice. The whole dying eggs, or filling plastic ones, hiding them (or dropping them in plain sight) and then “finding” them – what a dumb ritual.

OK, I can hear the groans and eye rolls from here. “C’mon, it’s fun for the littles!”you say. It might be and their smiles might be a sign of the enjoyment. But I still don’t like it or enjoy it. I did it for my daughter when she was really little, but I didn’t especially enjoy it.

I know. I am an old, un-fun fogey. A grump. A curmudgeon.

Anyone else have a strong dislike for this Easter Egg hunt thing?

I can do without

Posted on by backuphill

beautiful bloom blooming blossom

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There is an old saying out there…”April showers bring May flowers.”

Yeah, I could do without the flowers. Just saying.

Wet, wet, and more wet.

Does it rain a lot in Washington? That is a question I get a lot when I travel and people find out where I am from. Yes. It rains a lot.

I don’t need flowers. I don’t even really need May.

Let’s just get to summer already.

Fridge freakout

Posted on by backuphill

woman wearing pink knit top opening refrigerator

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I walked in to my cube this morning and there was a dark spot on the carpet, coming directly from the mini-fridge I have…This is not good…

My immediate thought is that my fridge has pooped out. It’s happened before. This isn’t my first rodeo with a mini. I have had them for years in my classroom and I brought this one with me when I moved out of teaching. However, the building maintenance guy was less than thrilled when he learned of it but let me keep it since my manager gave me special permission.

Anyway, I start the clean up process. Everything inside was still cold, but obviously the little freezer portion had mostly gone through defrost. My garbage can is half full of paper towels and then my cube neighbor says, after she has just arrived, “Hey, I don’t have any power to my monitors. Do you?” Honestly, I hadn’t even started my computer as I had gone straight into clean-up mode. I then looked at the power strips in my cube, none of the lights were on.

OK, good, this isn’t a fridge issue it’s a power issue. PHEW!

The fridge is now clean again. Guess that doesn’t hurt it. It has been reloaded too.

I don’t think I could handle another appliance going out. In case you are following along, the coffee maker is DEAD. New one will be delivered on Friday. There may be more grumpiness than usual in the morning…

Got an appliance disaster story? Tell me about it.

Coffee disaster

Posted on by backuphill

professional coffee machine restaurant

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If you have followed the blog long, or gone back and looked at the past writings, you’ve got some idea that I have a need and desire for coffee – and my complaints about the office coffee maker are frequent.

Anyway, I am not too picky when it comes to coffee. Thus, I can drink just about anything. So, at home, if there is leftover coffee in the pot I just make sure the thing comes on early and the coffee is warmed up while I get ready, thus it is hot when I leave for work.

This morning, that first sip of hot coffee on the way out the door was barely lukewarm…I double checked, the pot was one and had been for a little over an hour…so I think maybe the burner on the pot may be going out. This is not a good situation. It may, in fact, be an emergency. I am not panicking yet, but it may come down to that.

Oh, BTW, I drank the lukewarm coffee anyway – because coffee is life!

Now, let’s see about hot coffee from that office coffee maker…