Mistakes

Stardate 57012.2 (01-22-2004)

The week has been a comedy of mistakes and poor planning on my part, plus some strange failures. The testing cycle was messed up because I put the wrong version of the software on the server. This was combined with problems dialing in over the weekend. Monday was the Enterprise Blood Drive. It was not my turn to drive in the carpool, so I was without a car to get up there. It didn't matter anyway, since there were so many issues to deal with at work I could not have made it.  Wednesday I thought I had put $5 in my wallet, but I didn't. No lunch, or any food until I got home. Today things are looking up.

Tuesday morning I drove myself in because my carpool friend couldn't make it. At 2 am that morning, the humidifier leaked on the electronics of his furnace and shorted it out. He spent the day replacing parts, and got it running again late in the afternoon. He said his house got down to 50 degrees. Given how cold it has been lately, fixing it was a big priority. I really need to try and be a better handyman. I do ok, but there are things I just don't know how to do. I do know that having the right tool makes a big difference.

Girl Scout cookie sales started on Saturday. The troop's goal was to sell 600 boxes. Rachel's cookie sales alone have reached 400, and she might top 500. It's kind of embarrassing now when the other girls ask how many she has sold.

Conflicts and schedule changes abound. Rachel's basketball games were moved from 9 am Saturday (right after Patrick's) to 11. I have to find a way to kill 3 hours between games. I heard a rumor that soccer team pictures will be April 17th. I had planned on being in Denver at that time.

We had an introduction to Oracle 10g by a guy who went to one of Oracle's conferences. He's very pumped about it. It is supposed to analyze and make all kind of adjustments and suggestions. I am skeptical about a computer telling me how to run things. I asked if this could be turned off, and I got a confused look. I have visions of a system trying to change what I am doing, despite the fact I know better. Every corporate executive dream is the M-5 that can replace all the employees. Of course, I don't see a reason for the exec anymore.

I've read some criticism of Bush's space program. It's mainly centered on solving the problems on this planet, instead of going to others. Not a bad point, but my rebuttal is that the problems here never go away, they're just exchanged for others. So if you wait on space exploration and concentrate on the planet, you'll never get into space. Next, I think it would be better for my kids to grow up looking to go to the Moon, Mars, and beyond rather than wonder when Osama Bin Laden will be found. The people who say we need to forget space and concentrate on this planet are a little short sighted.

There's more, but I am out of time for now.

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