Why Do I Bother?

It was an eventful Christmas Eve and Christmas morning for us. I got a call at work last night to let me know that Dad was in the hospital again. He had gone in early yesterday evening with chest pains. It turned out that it was not a heart attack after all, but it was still worrisome. It seems that pain like this is going to be a recurring problem for as long as his heart condition persists, and his heart condition will persist as long as he has this heart.

So this morning instead of heading to mom and dad’s for Christmas, I headed to the hospital. On the way there, mom called me to tell me that dad was being released and asked if I would pick him up and take him home. I was relieved.

It was a happy ending after all, but it still leaves a lingering feeling of concern and aprehension. Dad worries about it too, but he is more worried about how the rest of us are feeling than his own problems.

Tags: Christmas, Family, Holidays by Jeffrey
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My Aunt Louise sent me this. I thought I would share it with you.

Thanks for visiting, Louise!

Twas the night before implementation and all through the house,

Not a program was working, not even a browse.

The programmers hung by their tubes in despair,

With hopes that a miracle soon would be there.

The users were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of inquiries danced in their heads.

When out in the machine room there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a super programmer ( with a six-pack of beer ).

His resume glowed with experience so rare,

He turned out great code with a bit-pusher’s flair.

More rapid than eagles, his programs they came,

And he cursed and muttered and called them by name.

On Update! On Add! On Inquiry! On Delete!

On Batch Jobs! On Closings! On Functions Complete!

His eyes were glazed over, fingers nimble and lean,

From weekends and nights in front of a screen.

A wink of his eye and a twitch of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

Turning specs into code; then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger upon the “ENTER” key,

The system came up and worked perfectly.

The updates updated; the deletes, they deleted;

The inquiries inquired, and closings completed.

He tested each whistle, and tested each bell,

With nary a bomb, and all had gone well.

The system was finished, the tests were concluded,

The users’ last changes were even included.

And the user exclaimed with a snarl and a taunt,

“It’s just what I asked for, but not what I want!”

Tags: Christmas, Computers and The Internet, Family, Holidays by Jeffrey
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Just a quick follow up. I interviewed yesterday for that parole/probation job and it went pretty well. I knew 2 of the people on the interview panel so that helped to make me more comfortable. They will be making a decision in about a week or so. I’ll let you know. Keep your fingers crossed!

Tags: Work by Jeffrey
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Tuesday night Bryan, Chris, and I went to Spirit Mountain Casino to blow some money. Actually, we went to win some money, but it didn’t work out that way.

I think that I am ahead overall, if you add up all the times we have gone. It’s probably that belief that keeps me going back. The sad part is that belief is probably wrong. The last couple trips have been expensive, and this trip fits right in with the latest trend. I took home $100, but I went in with $300.

Christmas is a bad time of year to be throwing away $200. I feel a little guilty. It’s not that we don’t have the money, it’s just that there are so many things we could have done with $200.

So there’s a lesson learned. I sure won’t do that again. I have finally learned the value of a dollar. From now on, it’s responsible choices for me, buddy.

… until I get another itch …

Oh well, it’s only money, right?

Tags: Family, Friends, Just For Fun by Jeffrey
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Here’s a site for you cat lovers. www.stuffonmycat.com

Tags: Computers and The Internet, Just For Fun by Jeffrey
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Wednesday morning I have an interview for a new position within my agency. I applied for a rotation as a Parole and Probation Officer for Marion County. If you have been reading my blog for long, you remember that I was in an underfill position a couple months ago that came to an end when our facility had an upper management change. This new position is a little different.

A rotation is like an underfill in that I would be working “out of class” or in a job classification other than that to which I am permanently assigned. The difference is that an underfill means that there is an opening that for one reason or another they are not ready to hire someone to fill permanently, but it still needs to be filled on a temporary basis. Underfill’s can end at any time. A rotation becomes available when someone else vacates thier job to perform some other essential duties (they may be on a rotation to another position themselves). This creates an opening that must be filled. It is still temporary, but it is usually defined by a specific time frame and will not end until that time has completed.

As a Parole and Probation Officer I would no longer be working inside the facility except to visit youths on my caseload that were incarcerated. It would be a nice change for a while and it might renew my energy and committment to my job. I think it would be funny if I ended up with some of the youths I am currently working with on my new caseload.

So think happy thoughts for me at 8:30am tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes.

Tags: Work by Jeffrey
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