The New Lab Is Here...
...part of it anyway. There's (2) 3620s, (2) 3640s, (2) 1900s (junk), (1) 2523, and (1) 2511-RJ. Oh, yeah...and an ISDN simulator (even though I think they took ISDN out of the CCIE Lab...). Pretty cool. I stayed up late last night setting up different labs...I know...GEEK! I have a 5505 on its way. I keep getting outbid for the 3550 on eBay...might just have to purchase one outright...I'm also looking on eBay for some cheap laptops for the lab....GEEK!
This article makes you think...made me think anyway...Heavy NFL players twice as likely to die before 50Man. I read that during my only short break of the day. Promptly, I put my coat on and walked around for 1/2-hour. Lunch was salmon, brown rice, veggies, and fruit. Can't wait for the elliptical machine to come in... Now, I'm nowhere close to the size of NFL linemen or anyone in the NFL for that matter...it's reading in between the lines...besides, just by looking at (and sitting next to) people on buses and airplanes, Americans in general are getting bigger - me included....
"
heredity, sedentary lifestyles, eating habits, as well as size -- contribute to heart disease." How much more sedentary can you get than sitting at a desk all day, sitting on a bus for 2-1/2 hours each day, and sitting around all night...?
"Give me a fruitful error any time, full of seeds, bursting with its own corrections. You can keep your sterile truth for yourself." ~Vilfredo Pareto - economist, socioligist, and philosopher. Most well known by the Pareto Principle - also known as the 80-20 rule....
What I'm listening to right now:
Stricken - Disturbed
Just when I think things are getting easier with the kids...
...we have a weekend like this past one.
Friday evening, we were both tired and the kids were clingy... No big deal. We played with them until bath time. That's about the time Mitch decided to have a blowout. He screamed and cried through cleanup time and the bath until book-reading time. Man, talk about being frazzled....
Saturday, we went to the mall. We split up - Aly & mom, Mitch & dad. Remembering Friday evening, I forgot about shopping for me and made sure that Mitch was occupied. We went to KB Toys where he picked out a fireman's hat. I'll post pics later. We met up with mom and Aly for lunch. I guess they had enough of the mall by then because they were squirmy, wouldn't eat, and generally ornery. We quickly packed up and took them home for a nap. After the nap, they played but were very clingy. Neither of them wanted to eat their pizza for dinner either.
Sunday, we packed up early and headed into downtown Seattle. We took the kids to my office in the Columbia Tower. The kids were in awe of the tall buildings and enjoyed the view from dad's office. Then, we headed over to the Space Needle. This is when the clingyness began. Mitch wanted to be held the whole time and Aly wanted only momma to hold her hand. We went up to the top of the Needle but only stayed for about 15-minutes - that was a quick $26. Good thing the kids were free.... Afterwards, we took the kids to the arcade (too bad it was raining - none of the outdoor kids rides were running...). Then, we took them for lunch at one of the restaurants. This restaurant had the worst food...it was awful (well...my chicken sandwich wasn't bad but everything else was terrible). This did not make the kids happy. They started fussing right away. We had to quickly scurry out of there and head home (thank goodness for the DVD player we installed in the van...).
During their nap, I went to the mall to pick up some of the things I was supposed to get on Saturday (including an eliptical machine - more on that when we pick it up next Saturday...). I also got my haircut. When I got home, I was prepared for another difficult evening. But wait...! The kids were playing by themselves and mom was cooking their dinner. They ate well and didn't make much of a mess. After dinner, mom and I cleaned up and sat on the couch and talked while the kids played (we sat on the couch and talked while the kids played? who's kids were these...?). They took a bath, mom read them a few books, and they went right to sleep. Well...you never know what to expect with kids...and I guess it was still a pretty good weekend...
Quote of the Day
"Children are unpredictable. You never know what inconsistency they're going to catch you in next." ~Franklin P. Jones
What I'm Listening to
Nothing - my iPod batteries are dead. Why couldn't they make them with batteries that last more than a day or two?
Checking out the house...
I got off work at noon today so we could go over and met the inspectors at the house. The house is about 10-years old but in excellent condition. It has a cedar shake roof which, like several houses on the cul de sac, has been very well maintained and treated. The inspectors indicated that we'd get another 15-20 years out of it if we treat it every 5-7 years. He was surprised at the thickness of the shake too. He said too many builders use the cheap stuff that only lasts 15-years. He was also very happy that the original LP siding had been removed and replaced with fiber cement siding that was recently painted. We won't have to paint again for 10-15 years (cement fiber doesn't shrink and expand so the paint doesn't peel like it does on wood siding). The only thing we have to do on the outside is replace a poorly installed side light, do a little landscaping, get some of the pine bark away from the house (needs to be below the siding), and fix the gate on the fence - all easy stuff...
Inside the house was in very good shape too for a 10-year old house. That's because the floors were recently refinished, the downstairs walls recently painted, and, I believe, the carpets are relatively new. So, the only things to do inside are: replace a toilet seal, do a little repair on a couple of the kitchen cabinets, and replace the a couple of the bathroom sinks (they're the standard metal ones that come with the house - the overflow is welded to the sink, which causes rust more easily). We probably need to seal or replace a couple of broken bathroom sink tiles. Finally, we're probably going to replace the linoleum in the laundry room with tile before we move in...
The garage is in good shape. We'll probably texture and paint it before moving stuff in. The ceilings in the garage are very high so I'm probably going to install some overhead storage. The Furnace is Lennox and in very good condition. There is a good airflow return system too. The water heater is only 40-gallons and is the original one. So, although it is in very good condition, we'll probably replace it with a larger one within 2-years. Some of the insulation below the house (in the crawlspace) has fallen down but is dry and in good condition. We'll have the owner get it back up....
I learned a lot from the inspectors. They really knew their stuff (they even fixed a few things while they were there - things we thought were broken...). This is the 3rd house that we bought and these inspectors were, by far, more thorough, helpful, and knowledgeable than the others that we dealt with. They even had their workstation set up in the back of their van. So, they wrote up their report - with color pictures and everything - and provided a copy to both us and our realtor. I am very impressed...
Afterwards, we went to BJ's Barbeque for dinner. We heard about this place from our house cleaner. She told Lisa that it was the perfect place for kids - and for mom and dad. Outside, it resembled a little diner. We were a little skeptical. Inside, it looked like a little diner - except that it had a 20x20 area in the back for kids. Little tables, a couple of toys, crayons and paper, and a TV set on cartoons. The kids loved it. There was also a 55-inch TV in the back set on ESPN. Dad loved it. They had beer and wine. Mom loved it. They had the typical kids menus and barbeque menu. I got a ribeye. Lisa got a top sirloin. Good food, good drink, and entertainment for the kids...we'll be back.
Studying, working out, and...
Buying a new house...
BTW. Go 'Hawks. Seattle vs. Pittsburg in the Superbowl!!
Quote of the Day
"My idea of exercise is a good brisk sit." ~Phyllis Diller
What I'm listening to right now: I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) - Michael McDonald
Casual Friday....
Wow!! Even these short weeks seem long...TGIF...
I had been commuting and working remotely since late August. I always traveled back on Fridays. So, I wore jeans to work and left at 1 or 2 in the afternoon. However, now that I'm up here full time, I noticed something different about casual Fridays in the financial district...casual Friday means you get to wear your older Dockers...It'll take some getting used to.
I'm still getting used to the "normal" attire the rest of the week too. My work attire usually consists of Dockers or casual slacks and a Polo shirt. The norm here (apparently) is button down... We'll see if I go that far...
Quote of the Day
"I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday." ~Author Unknown
No Excuses!
It's time to study and work out!
Throughout my life, I've tried to set attainable goals. This has been especially true with professional goals. Sometimes my goals are measurable, such as reaching a certain position or earning a specific amount of money. Sometimes they are perceivable, such as being the most technical or indispensable person in one of the companies that I've worked for.
I've also set personal goals which are sometimes to make a big purchase such as a house, a car, or a boat. Other times they are family-oriented, such as to take a cruise or be a good father and husband.
No matter if they're professional or personal, I usually achieve my goals. I say usually because there are three goals that I set within the past 5-10 years that I have not achieved. One of them is monetary - and I won't get into specifics. Another is to get back into the shape I was in during my late 20s and early 30s. I won't get into specifics there either but it's going to take a lot of working out...
The last goal, which I set in the summer of 2001, is to become CCIE certified. For those who don't know, the CCIE is considered one of the highest and most well-respected networking certifications. There are currently
12,862 CCIEs worldwide, 5020 in the Americas, 4220 in the US. I have started down this path twice already only to get sidetracked - once to get my CISSP certification and the other just because I was burned out.
At this point, I'm going to concentrate on the Routing and Switching CCIE. After that, I may look into the Security, Service Provider, or Voice depending on the state of the industry at that time.
In the picture above, I have staged 8 books that I plan to read cover-to-cover to prepare for the written exam (I have a few more that I may or may not re-read - Comer's, Stevens', and Perlman's. I also may need to brush up on a few other topics such as IPv6.). This weekend, I plan to look into labs. I have two options: 1) purchase a home lab - which is available anytime but could get pretty pricey or 2) purchase online rack rental - which is shared, could be less expensive or still pricey depending on how much I use it, and doesn't give me the benefit of troubleshooting as much as owning the equipment. Right now, I'm leaning towards the purchase but I want to get an hour or two in on an online lab just to see what they're like.
Here goes...they're written down, they're specific, and I'm committed (or should I be committed to an institution?). I'll keep ya posted...NO EXCUSES!
Oh, man...
We finished up with the change at 8am. I jumped in the shower, had some more coffee, and wrote a short communication to my boss. Then, we headed out to meet with a realtor and look at a few houses in Lakeland Hills and one in Auburn.
I'll tell ya, I was tired! We got to the first house and I was alright. We walked around. It was a pretty nice house - 4 bedroom, den, living room, family room, and a huge nice kitchen with a huge island. 3 car garage too, which is mandatory because the gym will likely be moved to the garage again...brrrrrrr....
The second house was nice too but it was $15K more and we didn't like the floor plan as much
The third house was a mirror image of the first. There was a little more wood flooring but, for some reason, we didn't like it as much as the first.
The fourth house was in Auburn (the first 3 were in Lakeland Hills - I fell asleep in the van during the 15-minute ride). The house itself was HUGE - 3500 sq ft. With all that square footage though, the kitchen was very unimpressive - no counter space and not much cabinetry...linoleum too..., the living rooms and family rooms were OK. Upstairs was impressive. Four bedrooms, each with its own walk-in closet. The master bedroom walk-in closet was about the size of the dens at the other houses we looked at. The upstairs loft was huge too. The area was suspect though - could be why a 3500 sq. ft. house could go for >$400K. Besides, the whole house was carpet and lino...
We got back home at around noon. Lisa went into the kitchen to make lunch and I was out like a light on the couch. Lisa woke me at 1:00 and had me go to the bedroom. I slept until about 4:30 - not enough, but it'll do for now...
The kids were angels tonight. They pretty much played by themselves allowing Lisa and I to lounge on the couches and talk...amazing. We probably haven't done that in almost 3 years...
I'd write more but I didn't get a chance to watch any of the playoff football today. So, I need to get moving on to espn.com....
Oh, Geez....
...a change that my team is implementing went south. I got called right before going to bed. It's now 5:30 and things are escalating even more... Looks like we're going to have to replace a piece of core network equipment... not cool...
The good news is that my coffeemaker starts brewing coffee at 5:00...the bad news is that I haven't slept a wink and the morning coffee is done.....
Go 'Hawks!!!
No, no, no... I'm not giving up on the Oakland Raiders. However, since they're about as far away from the playoffs as possible this year, I figure I might as well root for the local team...
House HuntingWe went out to Auburn and Lakeland Hills today looking at houses. The day didn't start out well... The first two "new developments" were nowhere to be found. We did find ourselves in some not so good areas though... Finally, we ended up in Lakeland Hills. I looked at this area when I came up here during Labor Day weekend. Real nice California-style housing area. Big houses...I think they went from 1500-3500 square feet or so... I think we're going to need at least 2200 or we're going to have to downsize a lot (mostly my stuff...I have a bunch of tools and enough weights to fill a good-sized room). Plus, I guess we're bookworms... That's what the movers say - people with as much weight as we have usually have a lot of books...
Workout?Yes! Finally...did some shoulder and back work. Then, Lisa and I did some obliques/trunk work with a 12-pound medicine ball. I would feel a lot better about myself if I hadn't eaten all that Mexican food for lunch...
Turns out I was wrong...
It was actually 24 days straight with rain yesterday. Today was the 25th - tied for 2nd most. It's not supposed to let up either. We're going for the record!
I'm tired...can't think of anything more to write (I had a million ideas earlier...)...night, night...
Quote of the Day
"Citius, Altius, Fortius" [Faster, Higher, Stronger] - Henri Martin Didon
OK...
...so maybe it does rain a little here. 23 days straight, in fact. Some days it's a nagging sprinkle. Other days (like this morning) it's really coming down. It cleared up this afternoon though and we actually had a sunny afternoon.
Work, work, work...Wow! I have been slammed at work. It's non-stop from the time I get there until sometime in the evening. I worked through lunch all last week and all but one day this week. 50% of the time, I'm catching a late bus too. One of my new engineers started this week. So, I'm trying to help him get situated too. Also, I'm still trying to fill another position so I'm reviewing resumes, interviewing, etc. Eventually, I'll have the new engineer do technicals, which should free me up a little (actually, I hope that, when I fill the positions, we'll have some stability for awhile...shouldn't be a problem because it's a pretty cool network to work on). The days sure fly by when you're busy though... I'm looking forward to the 3-day weekend (although, I'll probably have to work during some of my free time...).
Lisa's been having to take care of the kids all day since I've been putting in a little more time. So, she's exhausted by the time I get home. I try to distract the kids for the short time before they go to bed. We both chill out for an hour or so then hit the sack. Did I mention that I'm looking forward to the 3-day weekend?
Workout?One of the first things that I did when we move here was put up the home gym. Last weekend, I hit the weights a little. Every day this week, I planned to hit the weights after the kids go to bed. Every day this week, I'm exhaused by the time the kids go to bed. As I sit here on this computer, I'm staring at the home gym thinking...tomorrow, for sure...
Verizon BusinessVerizon's purchase of MCI was finalized this week. My unit will be named Verizon Business. I think this will be a good thing - combining the "speed and agility" of MCI with the financial strength of Verizon...
Qoute of the Day
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." ~Abraham Lincoln
On-Call...
...ugh! It was a fairly busy weekend. Got called at 4am on Saturday and guided a few issues until 8 or 9pm. Sunday was quiet until about 6:30pm. Had a minor issue. Phone went off again after midnight. Stayed on top the issue until 1am. Got a call again at 4am.
Got up at 5am and on the bus at 6:20am. In the office by 7:30. Man, am I tired.
Quote of the Day:
The cardiologist's diet: If it tastes good, spit it out. ~Author UnknownNow I know where my doctor got it...
Christmas all over again...
Well... Since we moved a couple of days after Christmas, we decided not to buy any more things that we would have to pack. So...no presents. We planned to buy presents for the kids after the move. Well...we finally got out and headed to Toys 'R Us. With a little (OK, a lot) of help from the Grandparents, we got the kids some toys that they really liked.
Iron Chef Aly
Aly loves playing with plastic food and dishes. So, we got Aly a new kitchen set, some dishes, and food. She loves it. Mitch likes the barbeque on the back...
Mitch the Builder
Mitch has a great imagination. He can turn anything into a screwdriver or drill...whatever. He especially loves to pretend he's working on things when dad has the tools out and is doing some work. So...we got him some tools and a bench (I'm using the washer for my bench...).
The new toys do have one downfall...they're freaking loud. When the batteries run out on a couple of the toys, I'm not sure that we're going to replace them.
Mom the Cleaner
Speaking of loud...Lisa got a present too. OK, not really a present but something for the house. It's a new Dyson vacuum. I don't know anything about vacuums (or other cleaning appliances for that matter...) but this one's supposed to be the best. I'll admit that it did a pretty good job on our already vacuumed floor....
Dad got to be on call....
Dad the Manager
It's my turn in the manager's on-call rotation. I don't mind on-call as much as I used to because I'm pretty much home anyway. The only drag is getting woken up or getting a call when you're out and about. For that reason, I make sure that I don't stray too far from home. Luckily, Renton and the surrounding areahas pretty much everything - a decent mall, Costco, Home Depot, Toys 'R Us, Fred Meyers, etc. All within 5-miles or so.
I got called at 4:30-ish this morning. One of the call centers was down. No inidication whether it was power, circuit, equipment failure, or what. My job is to make sure that we're doing everything we can to restore the site. Not much to do on this one so I just stayed on top of the status until it came back up. Couldn't get back to sleep though...so now I'm exhausted - too tired to even play a game...
The office is taking shape...
...still need to do some cleanup though....
More of the move...
OK. So...here's some of the pics... While the movers were taking out the boxes, furniture, etc., we had to try to entertain the kids. Luckily, we had some DVDs and a couple computers.... Nanny and Jessica (and Angelina) came over for awhile and helped out too. The hotels that we stayed in weren't too bad. The food we ate was all junk though. We did stop for a sit down breakfast at Shari's on Thursday. That's where we found out that Mitch doesn't like strawberries and whipped cream on his pancakes... I wish I could have taken a picture of the gag reflex that he did when I put the plate in front of him...
All-in-all, it was a long trip but we did OK. We were a little frazzled but not too bad........
Too tired to blog...
...and post pics...
It's been non-stop morning to night unpacking, child-proofing, installing/fixing things, etc. (If you know Lisa, you know that living out of boxes is unacceptable...) We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel though...just in time to be SWAMPED at work - no time for lunch either...
How 'bout a quote...
"Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so." ~Douglas Adams
