Last snowshoe trip of 2005

There are huge storms forecast for No Cal and it's been raining almost non-stop for all of December. It's all been a warm rain, so there's not too much snow yet and it's mostly above 6000 feet.

I went last weekend to Yuba Pass and it was okay, not great. With a few more feet of snow the boulder fields and clear cut areas will be fun. Also, there was still plenty of liquid water in the meadows so until they freeze over, access is denied.

This weekend I went up to the snow park on Highway 88 where the Mormon Emigrant Trail road meets 88. There's plenty of snow, maybe 3-4 feet and it's wet and packed. Unfortunately, it was raining fairly heavily. I went for a short hike, but it's not as fun when all you can hear is the patter of rain on your hood.

I will give props to my gloves. I bought them at the end of last year in Soda Springs and they are great! They aren't too puffy so I can do some work with them (like fastening my snowshoes), although I can't operate my car key buttons with them. My one hand was aching with cold and both gloves were pretty wet just from getting ready. Within about 10 minutes, my hands were warm as toast...almost so warm I was tempted to take my gloves off. I think the brand is Seirus or something like that. Great buy!

I'd like to go up again and probably will, but it's more fun when it storms during the week, leaving nice fresh snow for the weekend. Also sun, don't forget to mention that the sun is nice too.

Holiday coffee art

Once again, Infusion makes my day.

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Drain going the opposite way

Apparently my drain is having some gender identity issues because instead of draining, it's spewing. Well, that's a tortured metaphor, but I like it anyway.

I'm sitting at home waiting for Roto-Rooter to arrive and flush all of my troubles away.

Ha, ha, ha. Geez, I'm cracking myself up here!

"Terrorism" bad

I was driving home from work last night around 6 pm-ish. I'm approaching an intersection which is very small retail on one corner, a small office building on the other corner, a park, and an office duplex with some kind of medical office. There's a big white delivery truck (like a UHaul) in front of me. He pulls to the curb and I find it a little irritating because he's blocking the right turn lane which means I might have to sit through the light waiting for the left turners. It's a small street so there's no left turn lane.

I sort of wonder about the truck because it's a little late to be making deliveries. The driver gets down out of the cab and hurries around the front to the medical building. I'm right next to the truck, to its left.

Suddenly I get this bizarre thought. What if the truck contains a bomb and the driver is getting away before it goes off? I realize that it's a stupid idea because there's really no one to kill here and no particular infrastructure damage to be done. Still, I actually feel a rush of fear and (it's safe to do this) I immediately turn left into the small retail parking lot and then out the other side to the cross street.

No explosion, just some guy trying to make a late delivery.

Sigh.

I'm not even sure what to think. Was it stupid to have turned left? Isn't it a good idea to act on your gut instinct? I read other stories about people panicking because of some "stupid" fear and I think they're lame. Of course, usually they're still frightened days later. I had a rush of fear that left almost instantly when there was no big bang.

Still. Was I stupid? or did I demonstrate good survival skills?

Snowshoe at Donner Summit Redux-dux-dux

There's finally enough snow on the ground to snowshoe so I geared up and headed up 80.

I stopped at Cisco Grove again but the road was too bad for my little sedan. A higher clearance vehicle (and maybe one with snow tires) would have been fine.

I looked briefly at the Lola Montez trailhead, but I just wasn't up for a steep climb.

So I drove to Donner Summit and did my usual route from the sno-park to the entry to the Florence and Aloha lakes area. Castle Crags were fabulous with a dusting of white snow in the sun.

I didn't even really need the snowshoes for most of the trip because the trail was so packed. Still, I hate falling through a hole and the grippers kept me from slipping on some of the icy sections.

I also wore my new water proof overalls from Cabela's. They were great! I was toasty on the bottom for a change and it was nice to be dry at the end of the trip. I could have used an extra sweater on the trail (I had one in the car) but as long as I kept moving it wasn't too, too cold.

I'll be back though because this is a pretty hike.

NBA Kings and SPCA Dogs

Last night took 3 dogs to the King's game for one of our very popular mobile adoption events. This evening was special because it was hosted by a very generous Adriennne Maloof and her Camp Kindness sponsorship.

I must confess I'm not much of a basketball fan but the Kings do put on an exciting game and the fans are always generous when we attend a game.

So, it's all good!

See the photos of the pups in the posts below.

Soko

Soko is a 6 year old rottweiler mix male who is shown here in his favorite pose...lying down getting a belly rub from adoring humans. He's relaxed and mellow and gets along well with humans and canines. He needs a home so hurry to the SPCA if you need a furry couch companion!

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Rocky

Rocky is a 3 and 1/2 year old german shepherd chow mix. He is shown here wondering when I'm going to give him the treat in my hand while simultaneously enjoying some ear stroking by a smitten human. He's waiting to be adopted and lots of people were ready to take him home!

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Besse at the King's Mobile

This is my favorite picture. This is Besse, a 1 and 1/2 year old female boxer. She's looking up hopefully waiting for me to give her the treat I'm using to get that soulful look from her. She's lively without being too hyper and she just might be going home with a lucky guy on 1/4 acre who was very, very interested. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

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Lola Montez Again

Drove up 80, took the Cisco Grove exit, crossed over the Yuba River and turned left at the Forest Service road. There was about 2 inches of snow everywhere with some mud and runoff. The road was good and my Jetta had no problems except when I had to stop on an uphill for some ATV riders. I just canted the front wheels and kept spinning till I got traction and then was on my way again. There's a turn off to Lakes Sterling and Fordyce and I parked there. The road to LM was just not as good as I could have like and I decided I'd dared the elements enough.

I hiked up the S and F road and up is the operative word. Still, I love snow and the elevation. I just took it slow and stopped often. The ATV riders passed me twice as did a white pickup. I hiked for only about an hour and a half and that was it.

Very relaxing, cleared my head and reminded me how satisfying I find the outdoors.

Interesting ideas

One of the things I like about blogger.com is the header which clicks through to a random blog. Here are some interesting thoughts I ran across today:

Comparison of Che Guevara and Osama Bin Laden--They're very similar, yet Che is revered as a leftist icon while Osama is reviled. (written by Gaurav Sabnis from Mumbai, India).

He makes an excellent or interesting point. I would also add, how do we properly respect those who fight for a cause we support, even if their methods aren't good? Or perhaps the method is everything?

More about Pineros

Well, I've done two things. I've sent some email to a forester at and sent email to the reporters at the sacbee.

It seems like a boot, or first aid kit, or safety goggle drive could help. There might be acceptable boots hanging around (people who decided that hard work wasn't for them) or safety goggles or money for first aid kits. I could contact the contractors who hire the workers and distribute the proceeds.

We'll see if I get any responses and if they think it's a good idea.

What's the Spanish word for work boot?

Pineros

The sacbee story about the guest workers who clear and replant our national (and state?) forests is pretty compelling.

I do a lot of hiking, kayaking, snowshoeing and camping in those forests and I like to think that the humans who make them happen are treated well. Apparently not.

I'll have to do some thinking about what my response will be.

Computer problems and frustration

I've been having a few computer problems lately...lost my website cgbikes.com...accidentally erased my internet settings and couldn't log on...installed new antivirus software and now have some lingering bad memory or hard drive sectors that means it sometimes takes 30 minutes to boot up. I usually respond to frustration by quitting. In this case, I kept pig headedly moving forward and now all of the problems seem to be fixed.

Dr Kerzner Best Practices in PM

BP-Stop light control
Earned Value-Difference between managing a project and just monitoring a project. EV is the tool.
2008 PMBOK-Are you managing a single project or a core part of the core business.

How would ADP define project success?

BP in methodology is based on forms, templates, and checklists not policies and procedures.

"The primary benefit of NOT planning is that failue will then come as a surprise rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression." Slide 89 page 45.

How to calculate ROI for PM training classes.

Estimates of report cost per page: 800 to 1200 dollars.

Should the PMO help to set corporate culture? For example, what about ADP's somewhat laissez faire attitude to completing assignments on time.

Email PM best practices

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PMO Forum-Portfolio Mgt

Portfolio Project Ranking
Even big companies do “nice to have” projects instead of strategic projects
At initiation you've spent less money and resources so this phase is most important. If you can kill a non-essential project here, you’ve saved the most (or avoided spending the most).
Cute reference to the Alice in Wonderland Cheshire cat scene where he asks her where she’s going and she says she doesn’t care and he says well then it doesn’t make any difference what direction you go. That’s an excellent reason for planning!

Mo Kanaan was the speaker and he was engaging and VERY passionate about his subject. It was particularly noticeable because his focus was mathematical and we could have all been snoring through the presentation as he presented the matrixes.

There was an interesting question and I’m not sure that Kanaan really had a good answer to it. I’m sure he’s not really naïve, but people can be evil and manipulative. Q what about people gaming the system? A Assume there's consensus
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Fall Bike Ride Home

It's finally turning to fall here in Central California. It's been hot for the past few days and today was cooler. On the ride home the wind was swirling around, coming from the south and then from the west. When I turned onto my street, the wind was at my back and I rode with a yellow leaf stampede to home. Git along little doggies!

Brother Andy and the 18-34 demographic

Andy is down in LA working at LTN TV (Local Television Network) and they've just launched their site. I was disconcerted to note that my poll answer was the least favorite. And by the way, what's an "ab?" If it's what I think it is, I haven't seen mine since I WAS 34.

Congratulations Andy!

Pumpkins aweigh!

This looks like too much fun!

Bark in the Park-Cheyenne

This is Cheyenne, a 1 and 1/2 year old staffie available for adoption at the Sacramento SPCA. She's a sweet, loveable lap dog who did enjoy her day at the mobile adoption in El Dorado Hills. She definitely wanted to be in the center of everything! I took her for a little walk in a quiet area nearby and she kept looking off to the music. She walks very well on the leash too, even when she wants to go somewhere she doesn't pull at all.

This was a fun mobile with lots and lots of dogs to see. I didn't manage to get a picture of the "pink poodle" or the shepherd in a grass skirt. We raised some good money here which was also very nice. One VERY generous donor gave us $100. That will buy some good kibble, especially with the Katrina (and Rita) dogs.

Plus, I just love saying "bark in the park, bark in the park, bark in the park!"

I hiked the PCT yesterday!

Well, I hiked about 4 miles of it anyway, from Highway 80 near the Boreal Ski area to Donner Summit. I was (once again) trying to hike the route I did last winter on snowshoes so I could get a sense of the topography without 10' of snow.

It was late in the day when I started, so when the PCT diverged from my route, I stayed on it. The PCT will be impassable once snow hits (at least for me) as a lot of it goes across steepish faces. Once buried in snow, the PCT looks like an avalanche waiting to happen. I haven't found that snowshoes are very good at traversing steep slopes, although again, it could just be me.

It was a great fall hike. I saw almost no one on the trail. It was crisp and clear and cool. I could see Donner Lake from many places and the granite cliffs are always looming. The leaves had turned on the underlying brush (most of the trees are evergreen) so the forest was carpeted in yellow and red.

I will have to go back before it snows and do "my" trail again.

Bike to work

The NY times has an article about it, seems that more people are trying it to combat high gas prices. I've been biking, or walking, or taking the bus, or taking the cable car, or even driving for some time. It helps to live within 4 miles of work, although I know one guy who has an 11 mile one way trip. Another friend was roller blading until she changed jobs and her work is now too far away (and not very easy to get to without a car).

There are challenges: safety (all of us have been damaged), getting the right gear together at the right time (damn I forgot my damn nylons is not a good feeling at the work end), and staying dry during rainy season (nothing like wet, dank, clothes at the end of the workday to really fill you with joy--forget the shower, put in a dryer!) are the main ones. The beauty of it is, you don't need to do it everyday, if it's cold or hot or you're late, you can drive instead. Also, the buses have bike racks and that can cut some time if you're in a hurry too.

Oh, I forgot to mention route planning. That's important too. I want quiet, residential streets with either 4 way stops (I can run them when there's no cars) or stops for the other way and not mine and lights at major intersections. My roller blading friend also wanted less leaves and sticks and potholes.

Some good Sacramento biking sites:
http://www.sacbike.org/sacbiking/ (the best really)
http://citybicycleworks.com/site/intro.cfm (great, great, great service)

Clark Kelso Strategic planning notes

Strategic plan draft
Best of CA on 12-15
Mission and Goals the same

55 Action items

Web services best practices State of WA ATOM is a model. Applications Template and Outfitting Model

DOJ working on how to share common info with other stakeholders. Is ADP one of them?

New GIS officer

Include privacy considerations as a matter of course.

ORP, DRP are important

Is this a good idea? Require everyone to take a class on laptop security before they get to use one. Yes, it is a good idea.

IT Succession Planning

By June 2006 have a PM center of excellence (there were others but I'm a PM)

More editing needed and it will be implemented late in 2005.

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Private sector Q&A

Q: Does IT still provide competitive advantage?
No, it's a commodity. We just expect it to work. Why is it so expensive? (fits with Susan's efforts). May be yes with recruitment. Younger workers will want access everywhere. Yes, reduces complexity.

Q: Other than savings and simplicity what is the benefit of CSSI?
Closer relationship without competitive fears. Go from refresh mentality to change mngmnt mentality.

Q: Pitfalls of CSSI and how to avoid them?
It's not a panacea.
Hardware is only 30 percent of the cost. More training (wow, sounds like he's hinting we're not qualified)

Q: Hype of service oriented architecture SOA?
old wine new bottle
reusable code. Interoperability. Layers workflows and ID common entities. There are new tools. Web xml.

Q: Can SOA help with legacy code?
Yes. It depends. Why? Augment the existing working system, wrap it with SOA.

Q: Where can key efficiencies occur in asset management?
Bar code. Save staff time. Equip tracked as it's logged on the network automagically.

Q: Open source?
Open office. JAVA. Star office. They work.

Audience questions
Q: What is the state going to do about open source?
Explore the options. Some departments are already experimenting.

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Q&A

Will we have to switch hardware too soon when the contracts expire?
3-5 years

Why can we buy any type of UNIX server but only one type of PC server?
PC servers are more of a commodity.

Is Verizon ready for thousands of state employees signing on?
Yes. It's ok to stick with the existing contract. You can keep your existing phone number.

Are the efforts coordinated?
Yes. Although it's somewhat informal.

Who were the beneficiaries of the data center rate reduction?
Mainly HHSDC customers.

CSSI has saved 20 percent for one department. What about leasing?
Existing programs, also there will be some leasing contracts.

CSSI pricing available for state employees?
No. It's not legal. Companies can just offer discounts. (Hmmm, is this legal?)

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21st Century J Harrigan SCO

Improve state's HR systems. YES!

SAP is the software.

May cost around $100 million

They're planning to implement Phase 1 in early FY07-08

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CSSI T Butler

Almost 100 million saved?

No additional quotes. No maximum dollar limit although there are other limiting factors (FSR, DOF)

Can subscribe to get updated information.

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Roundtable discussion

Bob Austin: DTS Consolidation, NOT just a bigger data center, Necessary because they are competitive not because it's mandated to use them.

There have been 10 million in rate reductions. Round of applause generated by C Kelso. (Does this mean BOE can have PSM2 back?)

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Intro C Kelso: megatrends

Preserve contingency resources

Megatrends: Baby boom retirement, old people will outnumber young people, world population will grow, immigrants big, west and south will grow, new economy, globalization, convenience, security, privacy, environmental issues, link to sacbee banking article, political polarization, confused governance

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Intro remarks C Kelso

Need to improve state web pages
FTB got a nod for something
DOJ got a nod for their site
Usability! Thank you!!!

DTS: Bob Austin (my old boss) got a nod.

SOSOIT is strong.

Doing IT right is proper risk management. He thinks state does better than average in IT project success.

He's finally gone to slide 2.

Dexterity: rapidly and expertly manage change. Adapt or die. He's prophesying the demise of FEMA.

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Intro remarks Clark Kelso

He's doing an interactive survey and I wish I'd gotten here earlier to get a box.

Survey SAYS...(skipping boring questions)
People are caustiously optimistic. They are most concerned with budget constraints and retiring workforce.

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Linn's lunch

Here's the gang chatting away at Linn's going away lunch. You can't see three of us at my end of the table. Linn and I did nothing for retention and recruitment at our old work because we are both very happy with our changes. Several people had just done some promotional interviews (and one attempting to be a traitor) so we should hear some word soon.

A word on the technical issue of posting this. I took the picture and emailed from my Treo. However, the first several times I tried to email it, it just didn't go through. There was no error message, just didn't go through. Anyway, I resent the picture from the start and bingo, it was sweet as pie.

Let's hope to hear some comments about the results of interviews.

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Great Katrina coverage

BeachAV8R posts on paddling.net, a kayak site not a kinky site. In his real life, he is a pilot and has posted some excellent stories about flying various missions to Katrina. Here is one with Katrina pictures.

Here is what coffee art looks like after I've walked back to my cubicle, sweet cubicle.

"Eagles" and the New York Times

It's Sunday afternoon and I'm resting from a hard ten minutes of weeding with a brief hour long session of solitaire and surfing the internet.

A few months ago I finally managed to play at least one game of all of the possible games. And don't think it wasn't hard to do what with revisiting old friends and re-playing those games. I'm hoping that at some point the game counter for "Waning Moon" will be full and the whole app will crash.

Well, I digress. I'm reading an article about Napa Valley on $250 bucks a day and the traveler is sitting in a winery and observes two "eagles" soaring in a circle over the vineyard. I realize to someone from "new york city" (use inflection from the Pace Picante sauce ad) that the West must be home to many exotic critters and eagles are as common as pigeons...HOWEVER, the birds seen were most likely common turkey vultures or even perhaps red tailed hawks...NOT eagles.

Just to set the record straight because I have another 120 minutes of rest time before I go back to my next 10 minutes of labor with the Bermuda grass in the front "flower" bed.

I wonder if there's an award for the most use of ironic quote marks in a blog?

Lunch

I'm sitting here on J Street waiting for my orange chicken. Work is still going well and I'm meeting rational people with a sense of humor. Lunch is here.

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Laptop version of Wawona camping

Although the Treo is fun, the keyboard is a little small for a really long post.

Our sites were great, probably some of the best we've stayed at. The campground is just not as crowded and we had plenty of space, even for 11 people. The river was right there and we all spent time lying on the granite erratics in the morning to catch some sun. A duck demonstrated its whitewater skills by paddling up and down the current bobbing its head under rocks to eat whatever it is that ducks eat.

We toured Glacier Point first. Wow. Magnificent. Astounding. I've made many visits to Yosemite and according to my mother I've even been at GP, but I just don't remember it. I know I've tried to go, but past trips have been in winter and the road is closed.

I had thought about hiking the Illiouette Trail down to the Nevada Falls and down into the Valley with someone from the group picking us up. You can see the entire trail spread out before you.

We toured the Valley next doing the tourist thing and then it was off to the Sugar Pine railroad for a steak dinner, train ride, and campfire sing-a-long. It's not really my "thing" but it was good and people who do like that kind of "thing" seemed to enjoy it. We were also "robbed" by two gunman on some well trained horses. The white horse had the most adorable red bandana mask on too. The bay horse stuck his head into all of the train cars to make sure and catch all of the booty. I don't know if tipping was supposed to happen, but someone did tip the bay horse rider and he stuck the dollar bill under the headstall by the bay's ears. It was precious!

The next day we went up to the Mariposa Grove and took the tram ride. Those who know me know how much I love the sequoia tree! I abandoned the tram at the museum at the top and hiked the 6.5 miles back to Wawona. I only saw 2 people the whole way and 4 deer. It's a nice trail, 99% downhill, but not too steep. Most of the trail is wooded, the upper mile with redwood forest, then pine, then pine and chaparral. It was probably about 2 miles too far for me, but still, I loved it.

I'm leaving out the campfire conversations...because what happens at camp stays at camp!

We will continue with our meal planning...take LESS food...take MORE coffee (poor Kathleen the coffee queen-may her descendants people the earth-was forced to buy more coffee to satisfy the hordes)...and never, ever have any bylaws!

Final night at Wawona

Great day on the tram at mariposa grove. I hiked back to wawona and donna left my car in the lot. The hike was all downhill so no cardio but killer on the knees.

Fun stories and jokes around the fire. It will probably be the last time I joke about the end of the FY and other reporting basis hijinks.

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Weird things at Yosemite

LB changed shirts in the car at Bridalveil Falls in front of god and everybody. VW was known as Fats as a child.

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First night at Wawona

It's much warmer here at 5000 ft than at 8000 ft. We're next to the Merced river under some anciemt old oaks.

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The Final T.M. Camping Post

Well, another great, great trip. The weather was very cold, dipping below freezing at night. On the second night I had left my towel out to dry and was surprised to find it stiff in the morning...until I saw that the temperature was 33 degrees F.

There were 4 bears that came through camp and we saw two of them. Or perhaps there was some combination of less than 4 bears seen multiple times. The bears we saw were just passing through shortly after it was fully dark but not quite middle of the night pitch dark. We also heard someone calling "bear" to alert other campers and heard some ruckus because a bear had snatched some eggs mistakenly left out by a nearby campsite. I was fast asleep during this latter incident, but Donna heard it all.

We hiked to the top of Lembert Dome. Donna had gone ahead with the kids and was feeling fine until Kayla's hat blew off and she started to chase it risking a 1,000 foot tumble to the bottom of the cliff. Oops. I caught up with them at the base of the highest little knob (9300 feet) and wasn't going to go any further.

Apparently I'm now "saddle shy" after my broken wrist of a year ago because once I started scrambling up the granite parts I was scared! I kept picturing myself tripping and hitting the hard granite like a ton of bricks and breaking my arm or hand or wrist again. Still, I made it almost to the top and enjoyed the magnificent views and the howling wind.

We also had a great, but short hike at Saddleback Lake getting up to about 10,500 feet and viewing only 3 or so of the 20 lakes. Mt. Conness and North Peak were spectacular frames for the whole lake bowl. I would have loved to have seen Conness glacier, but from the map, it looks pretty inaccessible, at least to someone of my physical ability.

We also hiked across Tuolumne Meadows that same night. After our granite climbs earlier, it was a pleasure to walk on soft, level meadow soil. We hiked almost to the Parsons Memorial Lodge, stopping at the scenic bridge over the Tuolumne River to sit and view the peaceful evening river (me) and run around chasing each other and climbing rocks and screaming (the children) until it got a little chilly (me again) so we headed back to camp. Just before reaching camp, we saw a deer in the woods and watched him circle us warily before deciding we weren't a threat. He ambled quietly along, occasionally reaching down to sample a little grass while the girls put sticks on their heads to imitate his horns.

As we left Yosemite, we stopped for a short excursion to Pothole Dome (8771 feet). Donna and the kids tried to steep route and were forced back. I went up a more gradual slope and then found my way down the backside and along a little pond back to the meadow. Donna and kids eventually went up a more gradual route and also summited.

We were happy that the kids slept most of the way home. It's always satisfying to know that finally, after 3 days of lack of good sleep, poor food, and lots of physical activity we were just barely able to outlast the kids.

Happy camping to all!

More Tuolumne Meadows fun

We treated ourselved to breakfast at the Lodge. One of our breakfast companions had gone to Saddleback Lake and taken the ferry across to hike the 20 lakes area. We chose that and it was brilliant. Conness and North peaks dominate the view. Except for being at 10000 feet the hiking is not too difficult. We finished later in the meadow.
Tomorrow is our last day.

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Vacation in Yosemite

Right now, Saturday around 6 pm we're having a great time shivering on the sandy beach at Tenaya Lake. Kayla and I swam. No signal will send later.

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Good bye to all at my old job!

Starting in San Jose was great and there are many old GH'ers here in HQ now. Whacking the DPCS on the shin with an aluminum baseball bat during a game of softball (it was an accident!)...Donna and I inviting ourselves on Karen's Hawaii vacation...numerous trips outside the building to vent about something or other (thank you to all of my counselors)...becoming the self-appointed bathroom monitor when our TP supplies kept running out...Numerous happy hours and going away dinners at the Bold Knight and elsewhere...The Administrator (now retired) and my roommate flirting at Kim and Carol's going away dinner.

Then it was up to Oakland and a short stint as a specialist.

Next it was across the Bay to San Francisco and many happy years with various teams there..."if offered assistance at the scene GO to the hospital IN the ambulance"...conflict over the microwave...stalking Victoria on Muni and making people cry on the first day and "aluminum IS a metal" (not me!)...astounding the caller who was trying to sell bathing suits when he called in the 2nd year of no sales (not me!)...purging files...attempting to train Victoria on the "new" registration system...I am not a morning person...camping with Suzanne, Suzanne's oldest boys, and Donna...fighting with raccoons...many Christmas parties...Larry's going away party...Jackie drinking TWO long island ice teas at lunch (not me again!)...stick furniture...the front counter staff letting me "help" Mrs. R who promptly told me about the landlord putting viruses in her food and she couldn't live on rum and coke and cigarettes and could we help her (no windows in the office then!).

Lastly it was up to HQ to work on training for the IRIS project and ending up in TSD. What an exciting ride! Vultures...making Scott and Jodi and Barb travel the state doing demos...Hot list tickets...Technology Governance Group...ITS (data conversion? we don't need no data conversion)...Redistricting 1, redistricting 2, redistricting 3...Production Printer...Y2K and I'm still irked that the agency couldn't provide free parking access in the building for the many business staff here on New Year's Day making sure that the systems would be up and running on Jan 2...many, many lunches with Scott and Shirley and Barbara P...BI reorg...Dolphin Tek...moving to the 7th floor.

And now it's the last hours. My Documents and my personal drive are clean. I'm just going through the last 109 emails in my In Box...the rest are deleted. My cubicle is sort of clean. My Desktop is clean. All the work, the pages and pages of "stuff", the spreadsheets, macros, deleted or saved or sent to someone who might find it valuable someday. I've made notes for all the tasks I'm leaving for someone else to finish.

I'll be keeping in touch and probably attending Christmas lunches, retirement dinners, and BECA events.

It's been an enormous pleasure working with all of you and I wish you the best of everything as I embark on my new adventures!

Treo post

This was too easy too! Maybe I don't need my domain name and website anymore. I posted from my mobile, and now I'm editing it from my laptop.
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First Post

Just created my account. It was very easy, any idiot could do this.

Nothing to say, just want to view everything and see how it works before I start with anything major.