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.

FCC and EPA?

Is anyone else getting the irony of the business friendly Republicans fining Clear Channel for airing the infantile indecency of Howard Stern while refusing to fine mercury polluters in the name of being business friendly? If you don’t want to listen to Howard Stern, and you have my complete support if you don’t, you simply don’t turn on your radio. If you don’t want to breathe or eat mercury…well, you’re kind of stuck aren’t you since breathing is a fundamental civil right.