So I am sorting out my meeting schedule now, but it is looking like Monday - Friday on the road this week. Not my ideal scenario, but I am spread across 2 IS groups and 3 client groups so until that is sorted out, I am guessing this sort of thing will be happening. Time to call the travel agent and update plans again. I will be spending most of my week in Connecticut, which is not as convenient or entertaining as New York, but it will give me some time to look around possibly. Anyone have suggestions for things not to miss in New London / Groton Connecticut, keeping in mind that I will be in meetings all day and only have part of the evening free (after dark) so no suggestions for the sweeping panoramas or anything ;).
Thanksgiving was a success
My sister and her family came down for Thanksgiving this year - a great thing about which I am very happy. I rarely get to see them, and Tommy, her husband, is who my youngest boy is named after. Seeing them here was a perfect gift, even if we missed our sister Beth and her family and our parents, all of whom were in Michigan celebrating the holiday.
We started the cooking the night before and since the babies were up anyway, I got the turkey going at around 5 am, though it didn't make it into the oven until over an hour later. It was good to see the kids together. As they all grow up and head off to college, I hope we can continue getting together but I will enjoy every bit we have now! Jimmy worked but I got off early so I picked him up before they got here and we had the whole gang together again - a day worthy of Thanksgiving.
Black Friday Shopping
So we did it - we went out black Friday shopping! We typically go to Sams Club first since they usually have a few things we want, are WAY less crazy then all the other stores and have a free breakfast and coffee for the members. We got the items on our list plus my impulse purchase of the iPod touch for myself - merry Christmas me! We even avoided the larger impulse purchase of the flat screen for the basement, preferring to wait on that until after we remodel. I'm sure at some point we will cave and buy it, but let's at least get the new stand built and some reconfiguring done.
I filled my usual role at the other stores with deals - going to the checkout line to hang out and chat up all the other suckers there with me while Jess shopped for bargains. All in all, the morning was a success I suppose and we made it home in one piece with all our loot for the kids. We are really looking forward to watching the babies open their presents this year! The sense of wonder they have when they open things is amazing and such a joy to see.
On a loosely related note, (to the shopping, not the babies) I hit upon a business opportunity. A roving bar that sets up outside womens dressing rooms for the men. I think it would be a hit and we even figured out the equipment setup while shopping. Now to get a "Roving liquor license". hmmm - I think I found a snag in my plans.
Kindle repairs...
So who knew - the Kindle 2 cover from Amazon seems to be causing breakage when opened incorrectly or dropped from a low height. The day before Thanksgiving I was out and about and had my Kindle with me when surprise - it fell. Now, it only fell from waist height and onto a wood floor, safely ensconced in the leather cover. No worries, right?
This is where I was surprised to find out that I had lost the top inch or so of the display. Completely surprised and suitably dismayed, I promptly tried the go-to remedy of reboot / restart with no luck. This was followed my a flurry of internet research leading to the discovery of the common problem and the fact that Amazon seemed to be offering repairs but sometimes charging 180$ of rthe service. Sweating the situation a bit, but comforted by the pattern I found of the cover as the culprit + cover sold by Amazon = some Amazon liability, I contacted support. After an email and then follow up phone call, they are shipping me a replacement at no cost, due in the 30th along with a mailing label to ship the broken one back at no charge. Way to go Amazon! additionally, the content will transfer to the new device with no problem and in the meantime, I can read where I left off using my iPod touch and the Kindle application. Sweet integration of technolgy.
Living and dying
It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living. (quoted) I am finding that the living and the watching can take on a much deeper meaning when considered in the context of dying or the review of the living in memory.
As I look back on what I have lived, I have felt again the cut of poor choices and the joy of positive experiences, once lived and then relived again and again in memory. It is with this in mind that I feel sadness over this personal chapter, knowing this will be a cut I will relive time and again. It is important to salve the memory with positive balance. Time to go find the babies and see if they are up to causing some chaos and being themselves.
Really?
The athleticism is not in doubt, it's the bug costumes, I mean seriously? You have to admire the determination (I think)!
Corporate cost cutting
Today was the big day - sort of. We heard the first of many site announcements though these will be the biggest I am sure. Turns out my client base is all on it's way out, making my role as a Business Partner a little redundant. It will be interesting to see how long things take to complete and what the transition will look like. My integration work will shift to more of a transition role I imagine and my other work will take on new importance as that will be the primary focus once the transition work is complete. Good luck all my friends in preclinical / pre-poc!
Creating eBooks
Having an eBook reader is half the fun - to get the full value, you need to be able to create your own eBooks and convert existing content to the correct format. I have spent a bit of time trolling the net to locate the best / simplest way to accomplish this. My main focus was bringing my travel info with me when on the road as well as presentations and pdf docs to review. I have settled on Mobi Pocket Creator though the Reader is a bit more simple to use.
The software allows easy creation of eBooks in multiple format and will even send the book directly to your reader for you with it's integration feature. Converting moderately complex Power Point seems to be messy though converting to pdf first does help a bit. Basically, the device I use most is the Kindle 2 and it is great for text / book format but not so great for presentations. Minor inconvenience since the screen size is small anyway. The trade off between the large size DX and the smaller Kindle 2 or Sony eBook reader we have is mainly screen size and when traveling, form factor is important. It's easier ti pack and use the smaller size, especially on airplanes or trains.
One unexpected bonus for the Mobi set was the database books you can create. Out of the box it is set up with a wine catalog and restaurant guide which is pretty cool since I do travel and enjoy both. I plan to play around with this feature and possibly make a couple of reference guides for future use.
Net-Net conversion is easy and quick with this setup though Amazon offers both a free and a pay service to convert docs with the main difference being the pay version delivers the docs over the whispernet service (very convenient for others to send docs) and the pay version requires a cable based connection and emailing documents to Amazon for conversion. If I am going that route, the Mobi suite is more convenient and offers greater control.
Gadget lifestyle
While traveling this summer, I had a funny realization - my life (especially on the road) has been taken over by electronics. I was in Europe at an airport - I think it was in Budapest on my way out of Hungary, but it may have been Germany - too many airports on that trip. I passed my backpack into the scanner and they kept running back and forth. It turns out, I had it packed too densely with electronics to scan properly. Who knew?
I have learned to rely on a few key gadgets and some new ones as well. Topping the revised new list are my kindle eBook reader and my Zune music player for entertainment, my HP Tablet PC for keeping up with all things internet and such, the Nikon D-90 for capturing a photo record of the fun and my Garmin GPS to help me find my way. My Blackberry Tour keeps me in touch and connected to the internet both on the device and with Tether mode.
Of course, for power, you need the whole assortment - the international travel adapter kit, the power supplies for the notebooks. I usually have 2 there. The charger for the camera and cables to charge the Zune, Phone and Kindle along with a universal plug, an extension cord since hotel plugs are not always convenient. For mobile power, I have an inverter with a plug that adapts to fit the car or plane.
All this gadgetry makes life a little more fun, but takes up space. I typically keep this collection and a little more in my backpack when traveling and have had to learn to pack creatively to make it fit without jamming up the xray machines. The key is modular and layers like a cake or lasagna. mmmmm speaking of food - there needs to be a few goodies in there as well. I am particularly fond of the Starbucks Via packets for a quick pick me up.
May you live in interesting times...
Life in the King household has been interesting of late! A flareup of the nagging illness, little Tommy has Pneumonia (but is recovering slowly), work is chaos and I am banking on a layoff in the near future. Through it all, things are pretty good despite the normal drama added by having teens in the house.
We cut down a bunch of trees today banking the wood against the cold winter days and colder nights. Jimmy will have a good time splitting wood for a while. :) Thanks for your help Jimmy. Ben came over to help and dropped off the splitter, Jeremy and Neil both stopped by to cut in exchange for wood and we got more done then planned.
Neil cut the stump from one of the larger trees into a toilet and was so excited about getting a photo taken with the paper on the tree toilet. I will post one if I remember. I have spent the balance of the last two weeks on the road, preparing for travel, or recovering from travel - it looks like that is the future, short and long term. The upcoming layoff / job situation will drive a bit of that I am sure. More to come on all fronts.
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