I read me a book! I read me a.. Oh, nevermind...

• March 20, 2007

So I worked my way through Time Management for System Administrators from Tom Limoncelli. It was a really good read and gave me some great ideas to get things up to snuff. Like anything I tend to come across, I’m finding that I do things half right to half ends and it’s that last little bit that needs some nudging. I’m exceptionally good at setting up routines and not clogging my brain debating which mundane task needs done first. Read More

Colin Hay!

• March 4, 2007

Well, yesterday was indeed a most-cool day. Colin Hay returned back to the Bow Valley Music Club to play another show. Colin is the one reason I own a Palm m125 - tying in the last post of getting Time Management for System Administrators by Tom Limoncelli quite nicely, I hope. The last time Colin played at BVMC I forgot the show was that night and it has remained the only show I missed due to me being an idiot. Read More

I got me a book! I got me a book!

• March 1, 2007

“Note to self: Dear Self, (because what else are you going to say?) Remember to upgrade the LDAP server. Remember to patch the security hole in zlib and every other package that links to it. (On second thought, are there packages that don’t link to it?) Remember to plan for another 10x upgrade in storage capacity. Remember to debug the boss’s Outlook problems or, at the very least, have the necessary goat entrails on hand to begin the process. Read More

Mrs. Doubtfire is not funny.

• February 26, 2007

I’ve debated with myself for literally the full day whether to write this or not. I joke about what it takes to be a blogger. One must have an inflated ego, a view of his own importance in the world that is either greater or lesser than it actually is, a willingness to impose his view on all our fellow inhabitants. In reality, you need a willingness to share your viewpoint of your world at any particular moment. Read More

Six...

• February 19, 2007

When I turned six my cake was a train made from cake made in bread pans. It was the coolest cake I ever had. We played on the front lawn and I made my best friend annoyed because I wanted to run the three legged race with another kid instead. At the end of the day, Rob was still my best friend and the other kid was still my friend. But for the life of me, I can’t remember his name while “Robbie” comes to mind without a second thought. Read More

Joe Sports

• February 15, 2007

Damn it. I’m driving home after work to pick up the kids, just pull out of the parkade, and I find out that Joe Sports (aka Collin Smith) died yesterday due to leukemia.  One of the things that brings joy to my life was listening to the guys on the radio argue and debate sports in Calgary. Joe was very much in-touch with the sports scene in town and always had a grasp on more or less the way I felt on issues. Read More

Attaboy, Gordie!

• February 12, 2007

The radio comes on first thing this morning and I hear there was one (1) Canajun winner at the Grammies. I care so much for the Grammies I’m certain to miss them each and every year. But I’ll certainly applaud the recognition it brings and I have to give a big cheer that Gordie Sampson shared in a bric-a-brac for co-writing “Jesus Take the Wheel” (sung by Carrie Underwood). Now I’ll confess, I absolutely loathe the song itself. Read More

Sunday night shenanigans

• February 5, 2007

So what do you do on a Sunday evening when the kids have gone home and there’s systems to administrate, paper to work and poop to be piled? Ahh, it’s time to crawl into bed with my lady-love by my side, the dog at our feet, a bowl of popcorn ‘twixt and ‘tween and enjoy a rousing, comforting movie together. Now, I’m not one to say my lady-love shares the same taste as myself, heaven perish the trifling thought! Read More

"No honour until you're dead, sucka. Can you dig it?"

• February 1, 2007

From the Globe and Mail: “Charlemagne, Que. – The town council in Céline Dion’s hometown has named a street after her but the Quebec government won’t officially recognize it because she is still alive. The Quebec toponymy commission says someone has to be dead for about a year to qualify.” Please, please forgive the obvious remark, but how ever will we know? We’ll just have to wait for more towns to start naming streets and then we can legally produce a death certificate? Read More

Man, am I glad I don't have to act professionally...

• February 1, 2007

One of the things I do is freelance system administration. Okay, for most of the people I work with, I “fix computers and stuff.“ I truly enjoy doing it - other than the complete and utter hatred of computers I’ve learned to harbour over the years. One of my passions is that someone’s computer should work as expected. Systems shouldn’t be a mysterious pile of non-functional junk, it’s not beyond the realm of expected that they just work. Read More