I can't sleep.
I have troubles with insomnia from time to time. It has been going on all week, and I can't seem to find the solution. During the day I am tired enough to feel sick to my stomach, but I still can't shut off the chatter in my head when I hit the sack. I generally resist turning to pills for the answer. I don't want to become dependent on chemicals to solve a problem that has a simpler solution.
I have pretty bad allergies, and I have relied on Allegra to get me through the worst months. When my insurance company stopped paying for the prescription (for a replacement that my doctor says works for 1% of the population), I looked to natural alternatives. I started rinsing my sinuses with saltwater. The theory is that you rinse away the irritants before your body has a chance to react. It isn't the most pleasant therapy, but it is pretty effective. I still had to turn to pills for a couple of weeks this year when the natural approach wasn't enough.
So back to sleep. I have turned to Tylenol PM the last couple of nights in hopes of a good night's sleep. I have used a half dose before, and it has been enough to muffle the chatter enough to drift off. Not this week. It is so frustrating to lie awake at night with random thoughts flying through your head, when you could so easily fall asleep at your desk during the day. If the chatter was worth listening to, it would be one thing. I'd get up and write down the solution to all the world's problems. But too often it is just bizarre segues between worry and random thoughts.
Then you turn to drugs, and it turns out drugs aren't the answer. So tonight - wine. No dependency problems there, right?
August 20, 2009
August 18, 2009
Summer reading list
Too many books, too little time.
I have been in a book club for over two years now. It has been pretty enjoyable meeting every other month to discuss the latest reads. We've read classics, chick lit, short stories, memoirs and even a couple clunkers. We've all been exposed to books we probably never would have picked up otherwise. We've spun off on other topics when we get together, and last month we were laughing 'til we cried.
But it is ironically cutting into my reading time. The stack of books I want to read is getting larger, not smaller. I have a physical pile of books sitting on top of the CD rack, an electronic stack of 40 books on GoodReads.com, and a "Save or Later" file on the Kindle. Plus, several authors have been giving away free Kindle versions of their books as a promotion, and I have been snapping up lots of those as well. I don't know when I'll get to them all.
But I keep adding to the stack. Some are recommendations, books I've seen reviews on, but some just grab me with their titles. #40 and 41 are The Myth of the Rational Market:
and In Praise of Doubt.
Both sound pretty interesting and topical. I'll let you know if they're any good, whenever I get to them.
I have been in a book club for over two years now. It has been pretty enjoyable meeting every other month to discuss the latest reads. We've read classics, chick lit, short stories, memoirs and even a couple clunkers. We've all been exposed to books we probably never would have picked up otherwise. We've spun off on other topics when we get together, and last month we were laughing 'til we cried.
But it is ironically cutting into my reading time. The stack of books I want to read is getting larger, not smaller. I have a physical pile of books sitting on top of the CD rack, an electronic stack of 40 books on GoodReads.com, and a "Save or Later" file on the Kindle. Plus, several authors have been giving away free Kindle versions of their books as a promotion, and I have been snapping up lots of those as well. I don't know when I'll get to them all.
But I keep adding to the stack. Some are recommendations, books I've seen reviews on, but some just grab me with their titles. #40 and 41 are The Myth of the Rational Market:
The efficient market hypothesis—long part of academic folklore but codified in the 1960s at the University of Chicago—has evolved into a powerful myth. It has been the maker and loser of fortunes, the driver of trillions of dollars, the inspiration for index funds and vast new derivatives markets, and the guidepost for thousands of careers. The theory holds that the market is always right, and that the decisions of millions of rational investors, all acting on information to outsmart one another, always provide the best judge of a stock's value. That myth is crumbling.
and In Praise of Doubt.
The answer, according to world-renowned sociologists Peter Berger and Anton Zijderveld, is doubt. Not the stupefying doubt of relativism where we become incapable of any decision because we are overwhelmed by options, but a virtuous use of doubt that allows us to move forward boldly with strong moral convictions without caving in to the fanatic's temptation of seeing everyone who disagrees with you as the enemy. How we as individuals and as a society can find this ideal balance is the subject of this deceptively simple but revolutionary work.
Both sound pretty interesting and topical. I'll let you know if they're any good, whenever I get to them.
August 17, 2009
Let the garbage be your guide
My friend Matt wrote/tweeted/posted the other day: "U know how sometimes U have so much to do that U just freeze up and don't do any of it and instead just sit there bored with nothing to do?"
Yes, yes I do. I have a very large list of things to do, and sometimes it is difficult to pick a place to start. It is easy to find a semi or non-productive distraction instead of tackling the stuff I should be doing. So on the weekends, I've been letting the garbage man be my guide.
The garbage man comes each Monday, and each week he alternates between yard waste and recycling pick up. And no, I'm not going to call him a sanitation engineer. Since there is such a backlog of things to get done, each weekend I need to make sure the bin is filled for the Monday pick up. So Sunday I spent a few hours in the garage going through boxes and making piles of: keep, give away, toss or recycle. By the end I had filled both the 30 gallon trash can and the 90 gallon recycling bin.
The list of thing to get done is still very large, but at least I have a no-brainer starting point each weekend. The rotating pickup schedule gives me some structure, and the 90 gallon bin gives me a nice target each weekend. A future target is how much crap I can fit in the truck for a trip to the dump.
Yes, yes I do. I have a very large list of things to do, and sometimes it is difficult to pick a place to start. It is easy to find a semi or non-productive distraction instead of tackling the stuff I should be doing. So on the weekends, I've been letting the garbage man be my guide.
The garbage man comes each Monday, and each week he alternates between yard waste and recycling pick up. And no, I'm not going to call him a sanitation engineer. Since there is such a backlog of things to get done, each weekend I need to make sure the bin is filled for the Monday pick up. So Sunday I spent a few hours in the garage going through boxes and making piles of: keep, give away, toss or recycle. By the end I had filled both the 30 gallon trash can and the 90 gallon recycling bin.
The list of thing to get done is still very large, but at least I have a no-brainer starting point each weekend. The rotating pickup schedule gives me some structure, and the 90 gallon bin gives me a nice target each weekend. A future target is how much crap I can fit in the truck for a trip to the dump.
August 15, 2009
August 14, 2009
My kind of offer
Luxury Resort Offers $19 room - sans bed
By Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) - A luxury resort in San Diego is offering rooms for $19 a night - if you don't mind sleeping in a tent.
The Rancho Bernardo Inn boasts three pools, a spa and golf course. It typically charges more than $200 a room. But business is down. So from Aug. 16 to 31, guests can get a "Survivor Package" that charges them less for each amenity they give up.
For $19, guests give up breakfast, air conditioning, lights, sheets and even the bed. Staff will remove the mattress and headboard and leave a small tent instead.
Oh, and bring your own toilet paper.
General manager John Gates says the hotel hopes people who try the promotion will return at full price.
Here is the graduated list of the savings you get with each thing you give up.
Camping in luxury, in San Diego...I'm on my way.KOMO news story
Link to resort
August 12, 2009
Thanks Big Brother
I received a call from "Unknown" on my cell phone this afternoon. I don't typically answer my cell phone at work, and rarely answer calls from unknown numbers no matter where I am. I must have been itching for a distraction.
It turned out to be someone from my bank. Of course I was suspicious of someone telling me they were from my bank. I waited for the questions fishing for my personal information.
She said she was calling because there was some suspicious debit card activity, and she wanted to see if the charges were legitimate. She said someone had made charges yesterday to PayPal, Yahoo Personals, Skype and PC Shield. Not me. She said she would cancel the card, send me a new one, and remove the charges from my account. The only information I gave her was verifying the street address she had was correct.
After the call was over, I jumped online to check out my account. There were indeed seven bogus charges totaling about $210. Not sure how they got a hold of my information. The card they used isn't even the one I am currently using. For some reason I have two different debit card numbers. The numbers alternate with each new card I receive. It actually works pretty well because I get the new one before the old one expires, and the new one shows up about the time the magnetic strip gives out on the old one.
I'm not sure if it was the different card number that tipped them off, or if it was just the rapid online charges (four to the same company). Whatever it was, I'm glad someone (besides me) was paying attention.
It turned out to be someone from my bank. Of course I was suspicious of someone telling me they were from my bank. I waited for the questions fishing for my personal information.
She said she was calling because there was some suspicious debit card activity, and she wanted to see if the charges were legitimate. She said someone had made charges yesterday to PayPal, Yahoo Personals, Skype and PC Shield. Not me. She said she would cancel the card, send me a new one, and remove the charges from my account. The only information I gave her was verifying the street address she had was correct.
After the call was over, I jumped online to check out my account. There were indeed seven bogus charges totaling about $210. Not sure how they got a hold of my information. The card they used isn't even the one I am currently using. For some reason I have two different debit card numbers. The numbers alternate with each new card I receive. It actually works pretty well because I get the new one before the old one expires, and the new one shows up about the time the magnetic strip gives out on the old one.
I'm not sure if it was the different card number that tipped them off, or if it was just the rapid online charges (four to the same company). Whatever it was, I'm glad someone (besides me) was paying attention.
August 10, 2009
A few updates
On the job front, I didn't hear from anyone this weekend. I headed into work hoping that my key card would still work and I had a desk to return to. No alarms went off, so Monday started pretty well. There were four less of us than on Friday, and it sounds like they were the only ones that got a phone call. Apparently no news is good news.
On the computer front, I spent the weekend reinstalling programs. It took several tries to get my Outlook files to install correctly. I initially imported e-mails separately so as not to tie things up for hours. When I imported the calendar later, two different profiles showed up, and every entry on the calendar was doubled. Several tries later (with a little bit of swearing) I finally had it working. I had to dig into the registry which is above my pay grade. It was a similar fight with the program that had all my workout information.
Tonight it was great to have everything running again. While I was checking e-mail, Windows update loaded a service pack for Office. After restarting, the computer is stuck once again. It boots up but all I get is wallpaper and a pointer. Nothing else.
I tried using system restore - no dice. Then I tried the repair tool from the Windows installation disc. I walked away while it was running, and when I came back it was reinstalling Windows. It is probably wiping out everything my brother and I did over the weekend.
And now after doing the reinstall, it is stuck again on a "please wait" screen. Is there a cash for clunkers program for computers?
And it is raining for the first time in 26 days. It is actually a refreshing change in this unusual summer. With this long of a break, it was wonderful to smell the air cleansed by rain again.
On the computer front, I spent the weekend reinstalling programs. It took several tries to get my Outlook files to install correctly. I initially imported e-mails separately so as not to tie things up for hours. When I imported the calendar later, two different profiles showed up, and every entry on the calendar was doubled. Several tries later (with a little bit of swearing) I finally had it working. I had to dig into the registry which is above my pay grade. It was a similar fight with the program that had all my workout information.
Tonight it was great to have everything running again. While I was checking e-mail, Windows update loaded a service pack for Office. After restarting, the computer is stuck once again. It boots up but all I get is wallpaper and a pointer. Nothing else.
I tried using system restore - no dice. Then I tried the repair tool from the Windows installation disc. I walked away while it was running, and when I came back it was reinstalling Windows. It is probably wiping out everything my brother and I did over the weekend.
And now after doing the reinstall, it is stuck again on a "please wait" screen. Is there a cash for clunkers program for computers?
And it is raining for the first time in 26 days. It is actually a refreshing change in this unusual summer. With this long of a break, it was wonderful to smell the air cleansed by rain again.
August 8, 2009
A fresh start
I finally pulled the trigger and wiped the laptop clean. The only way it would boot up was in safe mode, and I ended up barely using it for a month. I stopped putting anything new on the computer, since I would only be adding more things to back up or lose. I think I copied everything important, but there may be a few surprises down the road.
I was fortunate to have my own Geek Squad to help me - my brother. He even pulled up in a VW Bug to complete the package. He has done this sort of computer overhaul multiple times personally and for work, so I just stood back and read off the 25 digit product keys when needed. So far the thing is running just fine. Tonight will be about reinstalling programs and moving important documents back to the laptop. I am currently waiting on Service Pack 3 to install. When I get Outlook back up, there will be a flood of e-mail coming my way. Sorry about any month old responses you may receive.
With the fresh start, I am going to do my best to load only important things back on the computer. There was so much junk clogging up the system - programs I barely used, leftover parts of things I thought I uninstalled, and 7 or 8 years worth of pictures and music. When I bought the laptop three years ago, the 80gig hard drive was four times what I was used to, but it didn't take long to cram it full of important and trivial stuff.
I am about to go through a purge of household things as well. Stuff that has been piling up for decades, and has taken over the house. It will feel good when I'm done I'm sure, but the pile is intimidating. I'll be digging through 20 years worth of things and deciding what is still important enough to hang on to. I need to set the bar pretty high, so it may be a painful trip down memory lane.
The first step is always the most difficult. The laptop was a small one in the right direction. I just need to keep moving forward, one box at a time.
I was fortunate to have my own Geek Squad to help me - my brother. He even pulled up in a VW Bug to complete the package. He has done this sort of computer overhaul multiple times personally and for work, so I just stood back and read off the 25 digit product keys when needed. So far the thing is running just fine. Tonight will be about reinstalling programs and moving important documents back to the laptop. I am currently waiting on Service Pack 3 to install. When I get Outlook back up, there will be a flood of e-mail coming my way. Sorry about any month old responses you may receive.
With the fresh start, I am going to do my best to load only important things back on the computer. There was so much junk clogging up the system - programs I barely used, leftover parts of things I thought I uninstalled, and 7 or 8 years worth of pictures and music. When I bought the laptop three years ago, the 80gig hard drive was four times what I was used to, but it didn't take long to cram it full of important and trivial stuff.
I am about to go through a purge of household things as well. Stuff that has been piling up for decades, and has taken over the house. It will feel good when I'm done I'm sure, but the pile is intimidating. I'll be digging through 20 years worth of things and deciding what is still important enough to hang on to. I need to set the bar pretty high, so it may be a painful trip down memory lane.
The first step is always the most difficult. The laptop was a small one in the right direction. I just need to keep moving forward, one box at a time.
August 7, 2009
Wait, what?
At time the job has felt like shoveling dirt out of a pile while dump trucks kept making the pile bigger. Or maybe like the classic "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy and Ethel were working the production line at the chocolate factory. No matter how fast you go, it is coming in faster than it is going out.
For much of the time, we were working on files that had come in 30 days ago. Then we had it down to two weeks. Then in a matter of a day we were begging for someone to send something in. We were all caught up and out of files to work on. Yesterday we were working on a different pile, but it was apparent there wasn't enough work for us through the end of the month. They'll be letting us go in groups to cut down on staff.
Companies often wait until Friday to let someone go. Somehow easier that way. This one is going one step further. We are supposed to get a call this weekend to find out if we made the cut to come in on Monday. Enjoy your weekend, and you should probably clear your desk just in case.
For much of the time, we were working on files that had come in 30 days ago. Then we had it down to two weeks. Then in a matter of a day we were begging for someone to send something in. We were all caught up and out of files to work on. Yesterday we were working on a different pile, but it was apparent there wasn't enough work for us through the end of the month. They'll be letting us go in groups to cut down on staff.
Companies often wait until Friday to let someone go. Somehow easier that way. This one is going one step further. We are supposed to get a call this weekend to find out if we made the cut to come in on Monday. Enjoy your weekend, and you should probably clear your desk just in case.
August 4, 2009
August 3, 2009
Again to the woods
I headed to Eastern Washington to go camping this past weekend. Some friends had headed over mid-week and staked out a prime spot shaded by trees and a short walk to a cold river. Just the thing after a week of record-breaking temperatures.
We went to a campground called Salmon-la-Sac on the Cle Elum River. It is in area we've been going to for 20-odd years. (always makes me feel odd/old to be able to say I've been doing something for 20 years). When we first started camping in this area, the roads weren't even paved. In the early 90's, nearby Roslyn was the filming location for Northern Exposure so we'd get to see The Brick and KBHR in person. The reader board advertising a snowmobile in the shows intro was an actual for-sale sign in Ronald the next town over.
When we started camping in the area, we wouldn't stay in the campgrounds. We just headed into the woods and found an open spot. As the area became more popular about 10 years ago, they started putting portapotties in the area and charging $10. As long as they didn't start installing picnic tables and concrete fire pits it still seemed like we were roughing it. Of course we were long past roasting hot dogs, so it wasn't so rough. Several lines have been crossed including bringing a blender for margaritas (Matt).
The area became more and more popular, and one of us would need to head up by Wednesday to get a good group spot. Then a few years ago they made it against the rules to have a camp fire outside the designated campgrounds. We figured that portapotties made them designated campsites, but a $70 ticket later, we found out we were wrong. Camping without fire is wrong, so now we're camping in sites with picnic tables, paved parking spaces and quiet hours.
It isn't quite the same, but I suppose we aren't either. Now we're keeping track of small children instead of dogs. I actually didn't bring the pooch since she would have to be on a leash the whole time, which also seems wrong. And the camping kitchen set up continues to grow. The latest addition is Andy's drip coffee maker that you put on top of the stove. I'm trying to stay retro, still using the camp stove my parents received as a wedding present 50 or so years ago.
It is a slippery slope though. I'm reading Walden again, and it seemed a perfect book for the weekend in the woods. Reading it on a Kindle kind of clashes with its message of living simply, though. Of course without cell service, I wasn't getting my Seattle Times delivered to the Kindle. Talk about roughing it.
We went to a campground called Salmon-la-Sac on the Cle Elum River. It is in area we've been going to for 20-odd years. (always makes me feel odd/old to be able to say I've been doing something for 20 years). When we first started camping in this area, the roads weren't even paved. In the early 90's, nearby Roslyn was the filming location for Northern Exposure so we'd get to see The Brick and KBHR in person. The reader board advertising a snowmobile in the shows intro was an actual for-sale sign in Ronald the next town over.
When we started camping in the area, we wouldn't stay in the campgrounds. We just headed into the woods and found an open spot. As the area became more popular about 10 years ago, they started putting portapotties in the area and charging $10. As long as they didn't start installing picnic tables and concrete fire pits it still seemed like we were roughing it. Of course we were long past roasting hot dogs, so it wasn't so rough. Several lines have been crossed including bringing a blender for margaritas (Matt).
The area became more and more popular, and one of us would need to head up by Wednesday to get a good group spot. Then a few years ago they made it against the rules to have a camp fire outside the designated campgrounds. We figured that portapotties made them designated campsites, but a $70 ticket later, we found out we were wrong. Camping without fire is wrong, so now we're camping in sites with picnic tables, paved parking spaces and quiet hours.
It isn't quite the same, but I suppose we aren't either. Now we're keeping track of small children instead of dogs. I actually didn't bring the pooch since she would have to be on a leash the whole time, which also seems wrong. And the camping kitchen set up continues to grow. The latest addition is Andy's drip coffee maker that you put on top of the stove. I'm trying to stay retro, still using the camp stove my parents received as a wedding present 50 or so years ago.
It is a slippery slope though. I'm reading Walden again, and it seemed a perfect book for the weekend in the woods. Reading it on a Kindle kind of clashes with its message of living simply, though. Of course without cell service, I wasn't getting my Seattle Times delivered to the Kindle. Talk about roughing it.
July 31, 2009
Every day is a turning point
What you are is what you have been.
What you'll be is what you do now.
- Buddha
What you'll be is what you do now.
- Buddha
July 29, 2009
Quote of the day
Fly, fall, be prepared for it all.
You can't go wrong if you can just hang on.
- Iron Wil from the Get Your Geek On podcast.
You can't go wrong if you can just hang on.
- Iron Wil from the Get Your Geek On podcast.
July 28, 2009
Oy!
85 degrees in the house when I went to bed last night, 81 degrees when I woke up, 10 degrees cooler outside for my morning run.
The house was 90 degrees when I got home tonight. Miserable for me, but I can't imagine how the dog feels. The house is like a big car I left her in with only a few windows cracked. Is that happy panting or delirium?
Temps are supposed to tickle 100 tomorrow. I'll have to hose the pooch down before I go to work. I'll try the Linden water dish in the freezer trick too.
Tomorrow should be bring your pet to (air conditioned) work day.
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