Need Tivo I have caught two really fine PBS specials this week (if I was really clever, I would of told you about this BEFORE they aired - alas). The first was the American Experience documentary about Malcolm X featuring lots of great archival footage, childhood photographs, and interviews with his siblings.
The other was last night's Dirty War, which was produced by HBO but is initially being aired on PBS via some cool deal they came up with. Sad, frustrating, tragic, frightening - all the qualities you'd expect from a movie about a dirty bomb going off in a metropolitan area. Not really spoiling anything here, but I can sum it up this way: We're screwed.
(I guess for any of my readers who have access to a time machine, you can go back and watch these without any issues.)
Oh, and this deal with HBO will also include PBS airing a movie about Rwanda and another about the AIDS crisis. Neat.
Geonocide on Broadway Did I mention that when we were in London last year that we saw a play about geonicide?
8:13 Barreling across the countryside.
So, this is Jeresy I am spending some this week in New Jeresey. Why? Possible, but not true reasons include: 1. My love of waking up early and riding NJ Transit trains 2. The F train is really F'd up 3. Sleepwalking 4. Something about drinking scotch 5. Hijinxs involving a monkey
My only keen observation? They sure got a lot more snow than we did. I am spending some time with a particular company that I loathe, yet have to work with from time to time. It's one of those companies that is way too big for their own good and everyone has these very specific job descriptions. I suspect that when we all do our introductions, it will be something like this:
Loathesome company employee: Hi. I am lead for the sign-in piece of this website.
Me: Hello. I am the lead IT contact for this project on our end. I am also the business lead, as well as the lead developer. And a member of the steering committee. And the content manager. And the liason between the business and IT (both departments, by the way, are represented by me). Also, I am wearing my favorite smashing brown slacks - dig em!
5:42 Barreling out of Jersey Are the houses next to the train tracks always really big? How did that happen? My day with Loathsome Inc went fine - except for getting to the actual office...
I arrive at the train station and call the vendor's office where we are meeting to inquire if they have a cab service or anything to come fetch me. The nice lady says that actually the office is really close and proceeds to give me directions. The problem, I quickly find out, is that the sidewalks run out half a block into my trip. It was just goofy. Here I am tromping down the side of a street, fighting for position with cars. Did I mention the snow was pretty deep? The walk across their vast expanse of a parking lot was fun as well.
They didn't provide lunch, which isn't huge (actually, strike that, it is), but when you have people coming in from NYC via train, and your office is in the middle of an office park - somehow I think you should plan for this. Considering the amount of money involved in the whole endeavor, it was really crappily done.
Somehow Complaining about a stupid meeting is pretty stupid. But, that's what I have been doing this week. It's all mergers and acquisitions here in cubicle land (as well as in cuticle land). Today, the head boss guy will come by my desk and ask me to meet with him for a few minutes.
My heart will skip a beat or two. What is planned is that he will give me an offer letter that officially states that I will work at the new company. We'll talk about any increase in salary and any benefits change. I suspect we'll shake hands when all is done. He's a nice enough fellow with a fun European accent.
Granted, he could just say, "Yo. Your ass is out on the street."
See, that would suck. Not that I am in love with my job, but I am content with the fact that I have a job.
Soup?
Blogs There's a guy here in Cubicle Land who's a bit of a dork. The other day at our daily office party, he mentioned something to the effect that he had just heard about these cool things called "Blogs". Everyone has one!!
If he wasn't a IT person, I might forgive him.
Stay strong grammy My grams isn't too so well. I spoke to her the other day, and she said she felt, "fair". She's 90-something, and up until maybe a year ago, she was still doing her own yardwork and wrestling neighborhood toughs for change. "Fair". Her spirit is still intact. She's quite spunky and irked at her condition. Stay strong grammy.
