Busy weekend for us, and it's still only Saturday.
I had a software release last night - we have had several recently, but we test them very well before we release them, and we're confident this latest update will eliminate virtually all of the problems we've had in the past. The good news about the problems is that the users of the software will not have noticed them, but they required us to do some work behind the scenes, which was sometimes tiring.
This morning we met dad (aka Grandpa B) at the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum at the Ham radio station. The AAHOM has some equipment available to send Morse code and the more mundane speech to other Hams around the country. While we were there, the operator made contact with someone from Tennessee, who gave him the weather report and told him what equipment he was using. The boys learned how to use Morse code to spell their names, and were happy to see Grandpa for a few minutes.
After lunch, M and I went to Veterans Park in Ann Arbor to do some sledding. We've never been there to sled before, and it was a great hill. We ran into a few people we knew, including M's flag football coach and his son, who is on the team. There was a very large bump (jump?) in the middle of the hill, but M and I didn't notice it until we accidentally went off it. That was a surprise for both of us. I'm old, so I didn't want to go over it again, but M is young, and made some late efforts to hit it full on.
We've been having problems with one of the outlets in the house, so I bought a replacement for it last week and installed it today. When I was finishing up, J told me the computer was freezing up when it started, just like it did a few months ago. I knew what to do this time - take off the cover, remove all the easily-removable parts, and put them all back in. That fixed it again. I hope that doesn't happen again.
The boys and I have been playing poker lately. We're not betting real money, just the plastic coins they have in the basement. Both like all kinds of games, and they picked up the rules pretty quickly. They're having fun with it, and are learning the Texas Hold 'Em variation, which is a lot more fun than the basic Five Card Draw.
Anyone else watching as much Winter Olympics as we are? We were talking about how dangerous so many of the winter games are - all the flips, and going 90 miles per hour in a bobsled, and jumping off a ski ramp and spinning through the air. Even the relatively safe events like ice dancing can be very dangerous if the man drops the woman or someone gets sliced with a sharp skate blade. I'll stick to the summer-type games, like running or beach volleyball.
A few fun links:
A submarine built from PVC pipe and pumps. Awesome.
Bionic Feet
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I'm Younger Than I Look
A few weeks ago I turned 42, as some of you know. I was at the doctor's the other day for a checkup, and I told him that one of my fingers was starting to bug me - if I put pressure on it, like opening a bottle, it hurts so much I have to stop and grip the bottle differently. He looked at it, and the corresponding finger on the other hand, and said "Well, this is one of those things that happen as you get older. You're what, in your late forties?"
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Recognize the kid in this picture? It's from two summers ago. Unbridled enthusiasm! (Is "unthusiasm" a word?)
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I like these clock designs. More art than function, and what's wrong with that?
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Ann Arbor schools have the next week off for Winter Break. Employees at my company do not.
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Have a great weekend!
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Recognize the kid in this picture? It's from two summers ago. Unbridled enthusiasm! (Is "unthusiasm" a word?)
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I like these clock designs. More art than function, and what's wrong with that?
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Ann Arbor schools have the next week off for Winter Break. Employees at my company do not.
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Have a great weekend!
Exercise News, and The Return of AmeriCredit
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For exercise I've been trying to get outside more, and three times in the last few weeks I've gone out running. I have previously been worried about hitting some ice or hard snow and hurting myself, but so far it's worked out well. I've had to step in a few snowpiles or two in places that weren't completely shoveled, but it's not a big deal. It's great to get some fresh air and look at something while I'm exercising besides the west wall of my basement, which is what I see when I'm on the treadmill.
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We took our taxes to our CPA last week, and picked up the results today. We are getting a refund, as usual, but not enough for me to retire on. So I'll keep going to work. When I have enough money to retire, I'll let you know.
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M and K continue with their usual school routines - they have homework that I could never have done at that age. K is doing plenty of hard stuff in second grade, and M's fourth grade class is doing some pretty advanced math. I haven't been able to visit their classrooms as much lately as I could earlier in the school year, and I hope after tax season I will have more time to stop in.
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Speaking of tax season, and the software I've been working on, things are going pretty well. Our software is running on servers in Atlanta, and users from all over the US are sending information to us to process. It's a little disconcerting, because we don't know exactly what will happen day to day, but so far the system has held up well. We have had some problems, things that we never predicted would happen, and we've had time to make changes and update the servers. When we update them, we have to do it at night so we don't interrupt our customers' work. Our last software release was 10 pm on a Friday night, and the next one may have to be later, like 12 midnight on a Saturday or Sunday night, now that we're getting more users at all hours of the day. We had some users logged in around midnight (Eastern time) last night; there are users on the west coast, and possibly Hawaii or Alaska. During tax season, we can expect CPAs to be logged in at virtually any time of the day or night, so we are all on call in case of problems.
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Speaking of being on call, you'll be happy to know that AmeriCredit called me again right after I posted my last note that I was starting to think they forgot about me. I asked the person who called if he would remove my phone number from his records, and he said "I'll do my best." In other words, no.
I went to the AmeriCredit website and filled out an online customer service form, asking them to take my phone number off the records of Robert (the former owner of my new cell phone number). I received this reply today:
The telephone number has been updated as invalid in their database. Notice that she did not say I would not be contacted again, and she did not say the phone number would be removed from their database.
Anyone want to bet I get more calls? If I do, I think it will be time for me to either pretend to be Robert, or to be completely annoying and not answer any of their questions.
Possible transcript:
AmeriCredit Phone Harassment Representative: "Hello, I'm calling for Robert ________"
Me: Who is this?
APHR: This is AmeriCredit. Is this Robert?
Me: Who is this?
APHR: This is AmeriCredit. Robert?
Me: Have you been watching the Winter Olympics? Wasn't that snowboard final terrific? I'm so proud of the Americans.
APHR: Robert, I need to talk to you about your car loan, for your Toyota Prius with the faulty accelerator. It seems your last payment...
Me: Oh, right, well, I lent that car to my roommate who is somewhere in Oregon with it right now. Or Connecticut. I'm not sure. Didn't the Chinese really show the west how to figure skate? Best pair I've seen in years.
APHR: Well, yes, Robert, but your last check bounced and we need you to send us some money.
Me: Who is this again? Is this my accountant with my tax refund?
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It's snowing out a little right now, and it's very serene. I hope everyone gets a chance to get out for a walk around the block soon and enjoy it.
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For exercise I've been trying to get outside more, and three times in the last few weeks I've gone out running. I have previously been worried about hitting some ice or hard snow and hurting myself, but so far it's worked out well. I've had to step in a few snowpiles or two in places that weren't completely shoveled, but it's not a big deal. It's great to get some fresh air and look at something while I'm exercising besides the west wall of my basement, which is what I see when I'm on the treadmill.
------
We took our taxes to our CPA last week, and picked up the results today. We are getting a refund, as usual, but not enough for me to retire on. So I'll keep going to work. When I have enough money to retire, I'll let you know.
------
M and K continue with their usual school routines - they have homework that I could never have done at that age. K is doing plenty of hard stuff in second grade, and M's fourth grade class is doing some pretty advanced math. I haven't been able to visit their classrooms as much lately as I could earlier in the school year, and I hope after tax season I will have more time to stop in.
------
Speaking of tax season, and the software I've been working on, things are going pretty well. Our software is running on servers in Atlanta, and users from all over the US are sending information to us to process. It's a little disconcerting, because we don't know exactly what will happen day to day, but so far the system has held up well. We have had some problems, things that we never predicted would happen, and we've had time to make changes and update the servers. When we update them, we have to do it at night so we don't interrupt our customers' work. Our last software release was 10 pm on a Friday night, and the next one may have to be later, like 12 midnight on a Saturday or Sunday night, now that we're getting more users at all hours of the day. We had some users logged in around midnight (Eastern time) last night; there are users on the west coast, and possibly Hawaii or Alaska. During tax season, we can expect CPAs to be logged in at virtually any time of the day or night, so we are all on call in case of problems.
------
Speaking of being on call, you'll be happy to know that AmeriCredit called me again right after I posted my last note that I was starting to think they forgot about me. I asked the person who called if he would remove my phone number from his records, and he said "I'll do my best." In other words, no.
I went to the AmeriCredit website and filled out an online customer service form, asking them to take my phone number off the records of Robert (the former owner of my new cell phone number). I received this reply today:
Dear Mr. Breuy[sic],
Thank you for contacting Americredit.
Your telephone number and/or address have been successfully updated as invalid in our database.
If there is anything else that we can do to assist you at this time, please let us know.
We appreciate your business.
Sincerely,
[Person's name]
AmeriCredit Online Customer Service
The telephone number has been updated as invalid in their database. Notice that she did not say I would not be contacted again, and she did not say the phone number would be removed from their database.
Anyone want to bet I get more calls? If I do, I think it will be time for me to either pretend to be Robert, or to be completely annoying and not answer any of their questions.
Possible transcript:
AmeriCredit Phone Harassment Representative: "Hello, I'm calling for Robert ________"
Me: Who is this?
APHR: This is AmeriCredit. Is this Robert?
Me: Who is this?
APHR: This is AmeriCredit. Robert?
Me: Have you been watching the Winter Olympics? Wasn't that snowboard final terrific? I'm so proud of the Americans.
APHR: Robert, I need to talk to you about your car loan, for your Toyota Prius with the faulty accelerator. It seems your last payment...
Me: Oh, right, well, I lent that car to my roommate who is somewhere in Oregon with it right now. Or Connecticut. I'm not sure. Didn't the Chinese really show the west how to figure skate? Best pair I've seen in years.
APHR: Well, yes, Robert, but your last check bounced and we need you to send us some money.
Me: Who is this again? Is this my accountant with my tax refund?
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It's snowing out a little right now, and it's very serene. I hope everyone gets a chance to get out for a walk around the block soon and enjoy it.
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Let It Snow and Let Me Shovel
Finally - the day I've been waiting for all winter: I got out the snowblower this morning. I used the shovel on all the sidewalks, and almost all of the driveway, because I need the exercise and the fresh air. I used the snowblower on my driveway's apron, and the aprons of the houses on either side of us. I also ended up doing part of the street near the mailbox so the mail truck can get close enough to the box to deliver the usual advertisements and bills. I don't know how my neighbors feel when I fire up the snowblower at 6:00 am, but some of us work for a living...
I decided to do something unusual this week. I like routines and doing the same thing every day, but this week I decided to mix it up, and took a Pilates class on Monday instead of Wednesday. I know - pretty crazy. I better take it easy the rest of the week.
Phone update: Continuing my updates of the people who call my new cell phone looking for someone else, I got a text message last week from Courtney, asking me to add her as a contact on my phone. (No.) And I got a call this morning asking, in a very loud voice, if this was Patricia's office. (No.) Someone called for Robert (the former owner of my phone number), and I tried to listen to the name he gave, but he was mumbling badly (drunk?) and I didn't catch the name. Surprisingly, it's been a while since an Americredit Phone Harassment Representative has called.
I decided to do something unusual this week. I like routines and doing the same thing every day, but this week I decided to mix it up, and took a Pilates class on Monday instead of Wednesday. I know - pretty crazy. I better take it easy the rest of the week.
Phone update: Continuing my updates of the people who call my new cell phone looking for someone else, I got a text message last week from Courtney, asking me to add her as a contact on my phone. (No.) And I got a call this morning asking, in a very loud voice, if this was Patricia's office. (No.) Someone called for Robert (the former owner of my phone number), and I tried to listen to the name he gave, but he was mumbling badly (drunk?) and I didn't catch the name. Surprisingly, it's been a while since an Americredit Phone Harassment Representative has called.
The End of Birthday Season
All of the winter birthdays in our Ann Arbor family branch are complete - we had two last week and one the week before. M had a birthday party with some of his friends, and we hired Gordo the Magician to do a show for them. It was a lot of fun. All of the kids had seen most of his tricks before, but they were still amazed at most of them. Some kids tried to guess what was happening ("there's a hidden pocket!") but then Gordo would show them there was no hidden pocket and the kids would ooh and ahh.
All of us and Laurie went to The Real Seafood Company for dinner on Friday. Because it was J and Laurie's birthday, we got a pretty deep discount on our meals. The food was excellent - J and I went there years ago, and were not very impressed. We hadn't been back again until Friday, and we really enjoyed it.
M had his first flag football practice yesterday. He is playing for the same coach as last year. The coach is an assistant football coach at Jackson High, and he's great with the kids. They competed in the championship game last year, and are looking forward to doing it again.
In my quest for more fresh air, I went out jogging around the neighborhood yesterday. It was about 20 degrees and a little breezy; that's definitely the coldest weather I've ever run in. I was cold for most of it (especially my neck!) but it felt good, and I didn't slip on any ice. There are a lot of sidewalks that haven't been shoveled around here, so it wasn't the easiest run I've taken, but it worked out well. I wanted to go out again this morning, but a light rain/snow from yesterday coated the sidewalks, so I decided to stay in. That won't stop the hardcore runners who never miss a day, but it's enough to stop me.
The battleship USS Arizona model I've been working on is almost complete. I put the decals on yesterday and will try to finish it up this weekend. M is still working on his PT boat, and hasn't had as many chances to work on it that I thought he would. But he's busy with lots of things, so he has a good reason. His next model is going to be an airplane, which he's excited about, but he knows he can't start that one until the PT boat is done.
We're getting some sun here today, and I hope you are too.
All of us and Laurie went to The Real Seafood Company for dinner on Friday. Because it was J and Laurie's birthday, we got a pretty deep discount on our meals. The food was excellent - J and I went there years ago, and were not very impressed. We hadn't been back again until Friday, and we really enjoyed it.
M had his first flag football practice yesterday. He is playing for the same coach as last year. The coach is an assistant football coach at Jackson High, and he's great with the kids. They competed in the championship game last year, and are looking forward to doing it again.
In my quest for more fresh air, I went out jogging around the neighborhood yesterday. It was about 20 degrees and a little breezy; that's definitely the coldest weather I've ever run in. I was cold for most of it (especially my neck!) but it felt good, and I didn't slip on any ice. There are a lot of sidewalks that haven't been shoveled around here, so it wasn't the easiest run I've taken, but it worked out well. I wanted to go out again this morning, but a light rain/snow from yesterday coated the sidewalks, so I decided to stay in. That won't stop the hardcore runners who never miss a day, but it's enough to stop me.
The battleship USS Arizona model I've been working on is almost complete. I put the decals on yesterday and will try to finish it up this weekend. M is still working on his PT boat, and hasn't had as many chances to work on it that I thought he would. But he's busy with lots of things, so he has a good reason. His next model is going to be an airplane, which he's excited about, but he knows he can't start that one until the PT boat is done.
We're getting some sun here today, and I hope you are too.
Early February Update
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I haven't been getting much exercise lately because I can't get excited about jogging on the treadmill. It's so boring. No cats hiding behind trees to scare me, no frogs lounging on the sidewalk to almost step on. Tonight, in order to avoid the treadmill but still get some exercise, I took a walk outside. It was snowing and all the street lights were on. I walked through the woods and I saw a family of deer running across the path. I said "Hi" to all the dog owners out for a walk with their pooches. It was very idyllic and Norman Rockwell. I have been running a deficit of fresh air lately, so this did me good.
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Here’s a fun video of a group called “Improv Everywhere”. A man pretends to be lost at a New York Knicks game. Really fun.
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From the "Why Didn't I Think Of That?" file is a website with pictures combining actor Tom Selleck, a waterfall scene, and a sandwich.
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I recently wrote about Robert, the man who formerly belonged to the phone number assigned to my BlackBerry from work. As I predicted, I am still getting regular calls from Americredit. Today I got a call which started this way: "I'm calling for Robert _______, is this the correct phone number?" Does that sound like she knows that this is NOT Robert's phone number, but has nothing better to do than to call it and play dumb? I said that this was not Robert's phone number any more, and that I had told her coworkers that. She said "I'm sorry, I didn't know this was no longer Robert's number." Right! I picture their office full of people who quit every other week, and they keep passing the same contact information around to different people and those people call the same numbers and ask the same questions and then they make a note that Robert is no longer at that number, then someone else gets Robert's file, and the first thing they do is call me and pretend they had no idea. Maybe I'll pretend to be Robert the next time she calls and we'll see what happens. Or I'll pretend that I'm also a Phone Call Harassment Representative from Americredit, and try to confuse her.
On a sadder phone note, I got a message on my voice mail for Elaine. Elaine, if you're reading this, Judy has lost her contact information and was dialing your number from memory. She says you two are playing phone tag, and you're it. Sorry, Judy and Elaine. I hope one of you has the other's number. I mean that sincerely - I wish you the best. Especially because you're not from Americredit, Land of the Liars.
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You know the word cyberspace, right? The internet and the web and cloud computing and all that? Do you know what the opposite of cyberspace is, the location where 3-D objects and beings live and breathe? "Meatspace."
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Hope everyone is enjoying the snow - I know I am. I haven't gotten out the snowblower all winter, which is a little unsettling. Winter isn't over yet or anything, but this has been a pretty mild one. Mother Nature has been holding out on us this year - when she gets back from Disney World or wherever she went, she owes us some real snow.
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I haven't been getting much exercise lately because I can't get excited about jogging on the treadmill. It's so boring. No cats hiding behind trees to scare me, no frogs lounging on the sidewalk to almost step on. Tonight, in order to avoid the treadmill but still get some exercise, I took a walk outside. It was snowing and all the street lights were on. I walked through the woods and I saw a family of deer running across the path. I said "Hi" to all the dog owners out for a walk with their pooches. It was very idyllic and Norman Rockwell. I have been running a deficit of fresh air lately, so this did me good.
------
Here’s a fun video of a group called “Improv Everywhere”. A man pretends to be lost at a New York Knicks game. Really fun.
------
From the "Why Didn't I Think Of That?" file is a website with pictures combining actor Tom Selleck, a waterfall scene, and a sandwich.
------
I recently wrote about Robert, the man who formerly belonged to the phone number assigned to my BlackBerry from work. As I predicted, I am still getting regular calls from Americredit. Today I got a call which started this way: "I'm calling for Robert _______, is this the correct phone number?" Does that sound like she knows that this is NOT Robert's phone number, but has nothing better to do than to call it and play dumb? I said that this was not Robert's phone number any more, and that I had told her coworkers that. She said "I'm sorry, I didn't know this was no longer Robert's number." Right! I picture their office full of people who quit every other week, and they keep passing the same contact information around to different people and those people call the same numbers and ask the same questions and then they make a note that Robert is no longer at that number, then someone else gets Robert's file, and the first thing they do is call me and pretend they had no idea. Maybe I'll pretend to be Robert the next time she calls and we'll see what happens. Or I'll pretend that I'm also a Phone Call Harassment Representative from Americredit, and try to confuse her.
On a sadder phone note, I got a message on my voice mail for Elaine. Elaine, if you're reading this, Judy has lost her contact information and was dialing your number from memory. She says you two are playing phone tag, and you're it. Sorry, Judy and Elaine. I hope one of you has the other's number. I mean that sincerely - I wish you the best. Especially because you're not from Americredit, Land of the Liars.
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You know the word cyberspace, right? The internet and the web and cloud computing and all that? Do you know what the opposite of cyberspace is, the location where 3-D objects and beings live and breathe? "Meatspace."
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Hope everyone is enjoying the snow - I know I am. I haven't gotten out the snowblower all winter, which is a little unsettling. Winter isn't over yet or anything, but this has been a pretty mild one. Mother Nature has been holding out on us this year - when she gets back from Disney World or wherever she went, she owes us some real snow.
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