I am out of work and looking for new work again.  I'm getting over a stress-related respiratory infection.  All considered I'm doing well.  It was an intense experience.  I learned a lot.  I went the extra mile for them every time.  I worked long hours, including usually arriving early.  I spent lots of my own money.  I had an old cell phone that wouldn't accept long texts, so I purchased a top-of-the-line Android phone with tethering so that I could do remote 24/7 support from anywhere.  During the 3 weeks that my lead was in Spain, I did round the clock support every day.  I updated my computers at home so that I could duplicate much of the infrastructure at work and have a sandbox in which to test stuff out.  I'm finishing it up now because any tech business of about the same size, that uses Linux, will be using the same or similar software.  I'll be ready for my next job. 

I checked my work email at least 3 times daily from home.  I processed email while I was on the bus to work.  Then they migrated from Exchange to Gmail, which made phone email processing more difficult.  I still did it, although not as effectively.  I satisfactorily closed an impressive number of tickets.  I set up Enterprise QuickBooks on Linux.  I voluntarily assisted in a weekend-long Datacenter Migration that consisted of 15 consecutive hours of work, a 4-hour sleep break and another 10 hours of work.  I was never compensated for that; neither with comp time nor pay; nor did I ever receive a proper "thank you" acknowledgement.  When I asked for business cards so that I could more easily make contacts for the business at tech conventions, my request was denied.  There was enough going on that I wasn't happy there and I told them, and I got let go.  Subterfuge has never been my strong suit, and they displayed an agenda that didn't mix well with me. 

All that time I put work first including cancelling a dental appointment because it conflicted with an upcoming issue.  My home is a mess because I would get home late and exhausted.  I wasn't responding to personal emails nor going to visit friends.  And I haven't even started my garden this year yet.  Now I have a little more time to do those things. 

The upside of that experience was that not only did I learn a lot, I also got to see that I still have the energy to excel in a fast-paced environment.  I enjoyed the excitement, and if they had been making different choices, I would have even enjoyed leading.  I'm glad I did it and I'm glad it's over.

This blog is new.  Now I can get back on track and do some of my maintenance.  Turns out that when I updated my web pages last time (took out the old IP address and replaced it with my domain), I didn't check them into my versioning system.  I was working in a hurry because work was taking up so much of my time.  Fortunately I have a log of what I did and I'll be updating my versioning system today.

I'm enamored of my new rooted NookColor, including that it is being marketed to women (smart cyber-librarian types).  It is exciting that women are buying it and rooting it.  I'm thrilled that Barnes & Noble is encouraging rooting.  It is a great way for women to learn to feel technologically empowered. 

The audio quality of the speakers in the NookColor is better than the speakers in the Ipad.  The latest update, 1.2, allows NookColor to render flash.  Nook also runs youtube videos and has at least a couple of web browser choices. 

I predict that that NookColor is going be the most popular tablet due to being marketed to women:  provided that B&N can accommodate the additional feature requests - which are starting to come in.  Barnes & Noble originally created Nook to be a book reader, but the rooted NookColor, with its mini-usb port and slot for a micro sdcard, and headphone jack, and long battery life can be extended to be a thinking woman's best assistant. 

Here's what I'm doing with MY rooted NookColor:  reading pdf documents related to my work (tech), reading books I've purchased, watching youtube tutorials (with or without headphones), listening to music for a pleasant break, reading and responding to web email, tethering to my Android phone if there is no other wireless available so I have wireless almost anywhere, watching (internet) tv, reading news, text chatting, playing games, using maps.  Also, I installed a text editor so I can have shopping lists, take notes from the study material I'm reading and viewing, and keep a longer list of phone numbers than what I want in my cell phone.  The book purchase cost me money in addition to the Nook itself, but since I already had the Android phone, the rest cost nothing (free apps) in addition to the Nook. 

The top of my wishlist for the Nook is GPS capability; externally attached would be okay.  I don't think that tablets have the right form factor for being cameras or phones, but they have a functional size for reading maps that can zoom out and in.  Also I'd like to see the documenting software enhanced:  spreadsheets as well as more text editors:  for shopping and phone lists, and for taking notes.  I'd like to be able to attach a Bluetooth external keyboard to my Nook.  Small factor folding Bluetooth keyboards are almost ready for commercial marketing, and it would be great to use one of those with a Nook.  And finally, (this one should be easy because the I had one before the upgrade) I need an ssh client app that will let me ssh out.  The ssh client should also have a way to get the functionality of a pipe (command add on) and a Ctrl-c (interrupt break kill). 

Tom and I made a strawberry hanger for the front yard.  We've had many one night sleep-overs on the boat because we didn't have time for more over the past 6 months.  But those sleep-overs have been wonderful.  While I worked downtown, I was running on the track at the gym.  I was running a consecutive mile.  Now I need to find a new running route. 

I bought a lot of berry plants at Raintree Nursery two weeks ago and I haven't been able to plant them due to not feeling well.  In another day or two I should be able to get outside again.  It was great to visit there!

It is a very cold spring.  We are averaging more than 10 degrees colder than our normal for this time of year, and have been since February.  I haven't seen the Douglas squirrels in our backyard since January.  I have seen hummingbirds, chickadees, nuthatches, pileated woodpeckers, flickers, finches, junkos, towhees, and crows.  Our clemetis and camellia did not bloom this winter, but our sarcococca did, although more than a week late.  The cherry and apple blossoms have bloomed and fallen, now the fruit is in its earliest stage.