9/25/06: We're booked
It's been a amazingly busy last few weeks. Every night seems to be filled with something different from BBQing with friends, to the Brian Regan show, even threw in a wedding last weekend. Tom and Donna got married and it was a good time. We got to use some of our ballroom dancing skills, but not too much being that NOBODY ELSE was dancing. We were like the weird couple that could have walked in off the street for all anybody knew. We just bought tickets to the Blue Man Group for next month when Mom, Dad, Jason, and Sara Sheehan fly into town. Mrs. Donna Razzano is flying in to take Dana out on the town for a few days... and before any of that we will be flying into NY this coming weekend to visit and do some traditional "Fall in NY" activities. We are learning to love these flight benifits, and getting much more comfortable with using them. Sorry again that I have been a bit lax on the updates but I am trying to fit as much as I can in one. We just got back from playing some Tennis so off to the hottub for us! OH! And last weekend was my first on call for Continental and I have to say... as much weight as you get to carry on your shoulders, it wasn't all too bad.
9/13/06: Let the construction begin!
So the word is out! After much deliberation over the past month or 2, and much local research, we've made the decision to get a house. Well not just purchase one, but have one built from the ground up. We are very excited about this whole experience, and can't wait to get into the customization period. I promised to pass on some info/pics to my parents, but being that our lot is just a pile of dirt right now, they will have to be pictures of plans, and similar houses.
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So far we just know the brick color and cabinet style. The builder is throwing in a stainless steel fridge, stainless steel dishwasher, stainless steel stove and a stainless steel microwave. We plan on going with a black granite countertop to match the appliances. This weekend we make the majority of our choices on tile's, door style, and all the details. I'll try to post more pictures once I actually get some.
9/05/06: House is back
Steve Irwin passed away!?!? Rosie Odonnel is back on TV!?! I do believe the end of the world may soon be upon us. Just in time for our baby fish to come into the world. Besides waiting on them, we have been up to a bunch of stuff, mostly indoors because it's still in the high 90's and humid. According to the locals this has been a mild summer... god help me.
We went back to Kemah Boardwalk the other night and had a gourmet seafood feast at Babin's in celebration of our one year anniversary. We had a great time as always, and just enjoyed the beautiful day. Then Monday we had a bunch of friends come over for a labor day BBQ. A bit exhausting but well worth it to hang out with everyone again. Not many pictures sadly but we did get one of Dana's fruit platter before it got devoured.
8/30/06: Hump Day!
So I just got back in from the pool, and have a request to put up a few pictures. There are only a few, but it works. Flowers, pregnant fish, and a new tank.
8/26/06: Back in TX
Yes I'm back in Houston after a whirlwind trip back to NY. 5 flights over two days.. from Houston to Newark, Newark to Albany, Albany to Cleveland, Cleveland to Dallas, and Dallas to Houston. It was well worth it though. I got to go home and see family and friends including quite a few people from SI Group. I did miss my girl, and next month she will be going with me. It's either NY, Cancun, or both possibly. Soon we will be getting our passports so we can experience scuba diving in Belize. We now have a wedding to go to here in Houston, Tom and Donna are tying the knot the end of September. Sept 9th was already a great day, but now we have tickets to see Brian Regan downtown. It's going to be a busy month from the looks of it, but that's just how we like it.
8/18/06: Sorry!
Yeah I've certainly forgotten to put much of anything up here, but I do have excuses naturally. Work has been keeping me busy, and happy as can be. I most recently wrote a VB application which will cut the troubleshooting time down 75% from what it was with one of our applications. The managers certainly got very excited and made me feel more then appreciated.
Other then that, Dana and I have been dealing with the heat as best we can. We had some friends come up last weekend for some fun and games. Tonight I am headed out fishing with Brack, and it's been a while so I hope I remember how. Being that they still didn't catch the alligators in our lake, it's still off limits.
Greg took this picture from our floor.
8/05/06: Picture update
We made a stop at my office today and took a few pictures from the 12th (top) floor of the parking garage. It will be a great place to watch the fireworks from come 4th of July. Click here for the pictures.
8/05/06: Lovin' it
Week one at the new job is officially complete, and I couldn't be happier. The people are great to work with and the family/team like atmosphere is great. I haven't heard anyone say "C'mon buddy!!", and I know I won't. With all the paperwork and accounts needed to be set up I spent a lot of time reading documentation and writing a script to monitor services on one application they are having problems with. I lied on one of my last posts, it's the 47th floor not the 42nd. The view of the city is amazing, especially from one section of window that jutts out into a 'v' shape so you are surrounded by nothing but glass. Kinda makes you dizzy. Overall, I am quickly finding out why Continental is always in the Fortune top 100 companies to work for. I do miss some of the fella's I worked with at SII and hopefully will still hear from them when they come down to Freeport. Maybe we'd get out and catch a fish or 2.. or 25. Speaking of which, Brack is going fishing tonight and I'm not. I know.. be amazed by my self control.
7/29/06: I'm sore
So Dana and I figured before starting up at Continental, we should take a bit of a vacation somewhere, and what better local place then Schlitterbahn. For those of you who don't know what it is, it was rated the top water slide park in the world by the travel channel... and we found out why. From slides that go up like a rollercoaster using water jets, to the worlds longest tube chute lasting 45 minutes total. We had a great time and it was a beautiful day to go. Here is a link to some pictures. (Only a few, water+camera=no good)
7/26/06: Uno Mas Dia
One more day as a SI Group employee, then it's off to the 42nd floor at Continental. (as I pray for no fire drills).
Brack, his step dad, and I went fishing this past weekend and had one heck of an eventful night. We brought home 20 fish including my first Spanish Mackrel. I also caught a sting ray and had the pleasure of taking one of those off the hook. The largest fish of the night was my first caught early in the night, a speckled trout at 22.5 inches. Steve accidentally threw back a lil fella he thought was taken off the hook, but in the end Brack's new Shimano Curado went over the railing with it. In the end it took 3 hours to clean the fish the next day, but 40 filets will certainly last quite a while.
7/17/06: Valet? $5
So we had a bit of a fun filled weekend here in 100 degree Houston TX. Friday night we checked out Club Crome, and had a great time regardless of the $5 to have them park a car, which we had already parked.. and the $9 well drinks... and the $250 for a "private area" including a bottle of vodka (which there was no way in hell we were going to pay for). Dana and I went with Brack, Lindsay, Tom, and Donna to watch Lindsay's cousin DJ. The girls ended up on stage natrually (Pictures still on their way).
The rest of the weekend was relaxation. Dana and I headed to Surfside beach for the day yesterday to lay out and do some swimming in the 85-90 degree waters. Although throwing a football around for 15 minutes in 100 degree weather makes any water feel refreshing. So now back to work, and the countdown till Continental!
7/15/06: Lazy Eyed Rasputin
This is a good one for anybody who has ever called for customer support, and had the case handled by some outsourcing company in Mumbai or something similar... The subtitles and pictures are great.
7/13/06: Sooper!
So we went to see Superman Returns last night, and I wasn't dissapointed. Great action, great storyline, and it's Superman... how can you go wrong? Although, being that the movie is mainly based in Metropolis (AKA New York *wink wink*), and part of it is based in Houston Tx... I have a feeling that people might start catching onto his true identity. Maybe I should start wearing glasses...
My office here at work is nicely setup just in time for me to leave. Here's a picture of it recently.
7/11/06: Virtual cellulite
What isn't virtual these days? Dana and I had a deep conversation the other night regarding the current "family" situation in America, and how technology and entertainment are ruining several key threads in the fabric of that life as we know it. For instance, instead of going out and playing basketball with friends, or riding bikes, the majority of children would much rather sign onto myspace for hours on end while chatting on AIM, shopping on Ebay, and eating a bag of Doritos without ever realizing they did it. Now I come across this new instant messaging program... It's like a cross between the Sims and mIRC, two drugs mixed into one. Now dont get me wrong, I have done my fair share of time on the computer, especially working in an IT department, but our conversation was closely based on the lives of children, or lack thereof. The social deficiencies we now see so prevalent in the youth are obviously caused by something which has changed drastically within the last 20 years... and what has changed more then technology? I realize this soapbox doesn't reach more then 12 people and 11 of which I am probably related to... but I enjoy a rant once in a while to be honest. So in the end, what did I get out of thinking about this social vs techno epidemic? That when I have children, I will not make their lives devoid of computers, but using a bit of technical knowledge any parent can set their internet router to cut off internet access between the hours of 8pm and 8am to a specific Mac address, hence limiting this addiction... because too much of a good thing, isn't always a good thing.
7/05/06: It's official!
Well, I can finally say I am a new employee at Continental Airlines! After much deliberation their offices called with an offer and I decided it was a good career move. Even the people here at SII agree (Most anyway). My new office will be located downtown Houston in the Continental Center, so i will have to get used to driving in the city fairly quick. The position itself is a Senior IT Specialist, which will certainly involve quite a few new responsibilities but nothing I am not excited about taking on. Working at Schenectady International has been great for me, and I have met a ton of great people here... but in the end it is a career move that is too good to pass up. I know Dana and I are both looking forward to free international flights too. For now I am going to continue with my duties here at SI Group and prepare for the transfer into my new role. Thanks again to everyone who has supported me with this whole situation, it's not always easy to make big moves in life, and without a strong support system it would be quite tough.
6/26/06: Elementary my dear Watson
It flew by way too quickly, but what a weekend. The hilight certainly was going out to celebrate Lindsay's birthday with her, Brack, and a whole bunch of people who I will fail to mention by name because of my terrible memory when it comes to stuff like that. Lindsay also recently completed quite a bit of coursework, and is soon to be a 2nd grade teacher... so there was much to celebrate. Here are some pictures from the night out at "Sherlocks".
6/20/06: Your seat, is also a flotation device
for those of you who are wondering, no we did not get flooded out anywhere near our place. Just north of us got hit the worst with about 10 inches of rain, and a lot of the problems seemed to be caused by morons trying to turn their cars into boats. So yes, all is well!
Dana came back from NY saturday night, and we celebrated with Brack, Lindsay, Tom and Donna with some Irish car bombs, Jello shots and good conversation. Good times , good times... Now this weekend is Lindsay's birthday so we'll be heading out downtown H-Town... not sure where yet but fun shall be had by all.
Back to work!
6/14/06: Tell me I'm slacking will ya!
Oh so I have been, but I have been a bit busy working on stuff here. Just completed a script that edits default Outlook formatting settings, then pulls in user information from Active Directory to create personalized signatures for the company. I guess the fellas in NY were looking into purchasing software to do it, but I figure why spend thousands when you can try and do it "in house". So far mine works well, but they may still pay for the commercial version. What can ya do!
I have been busy occupying my time the last few weeks with fishing, going to the gym, swimming in the pool, and watching sports with Brack. This weekend Dana comes back into Houston, and hopefully brings some of the cooler weather with her. I cant complain too much as I sit in this air conditioned office, but the hour drive home would be a bit easier.
The mosquitoes here take steroids or something. Last night I had one fly in front of me, point at my shirt like there was something on it, then flicked me in the nose when I looked. Then the jerk flew off laughing. They are relentless too. You can bat them away and they come back like "Oh yeah?!". I'll be investing in some stronger bug spray very soon.
6/8/06:
Umm, is it bad that I have done this many times before?
Save up your tax dollars, Iran is taunting the US as usual.
Russia's newest plot to mess up... A space hotel. Terrible room service and pee in the pool I'm sure.
6/5/06: The last place in the world..
I so do not want to be at work today! I am exhausted still regardless of any sleep I got last night. I guess it should be a bit expected due to the fact Brack and I went fishing from 7pm to 7am Saturday night down at the pier. This time, lady luck worked with us and we ended up with 12 Speckled Trout and one Sand Trout. We had to throw back a few Specks that were 14.5" or so, being that they have to be 15" to keep. Either way we came home with a few meals. I will post some pictures in the link below, along with one of our personal movie theater in our apartment, and the two plates Dana and I painted last week... mine is the cartoonish one, go figure. (Keep in mind we were both up for about 21 hours when the pictures were taken... we were a bit exhausted)
5/30/06: I love being administrator
So I came in this morning and one of the fellas thought it would be a good day to bust on me during our morning chat. Nothing too bad, but I simply smiled and said "So that's how it's gunna be?", and he returned with "yep... that's how it's gunna be". Of course we are just playing but I took the opportunity to use my network administration capabilities to play a few subtle jokes on him... and since the occurrence his mouse has inverted motion, and random websites (brokebackmountain.com , and the US figure skating website) have been popping up fo all to see when he walks away from his PC. I am considering making his volume turn up and play "It's Raining Men" after lunch.
5/25/06: Symantec does not drug test
So what's new? Well...
A 10'4" alligator was found the other day in our area by some Mexican day laborer who was... working I guess.
The weather is heating up to 95+ and HUMID. and with the beginning of hurricane season starting the first of June, the meteorologists are pointing out "slight swirlies" in the clouds threatening a hurricane, and telling us to "STAY TUNED TO CHANNEL (insert number here) for updates on the swirl.
Installing Ghost 10.0 results in headaches and possibly tumors. Issue 1: Dual Nic cards cause ghost to become confused and crap out... solution, disable one NIC card in BIOS. Issue 2: Connection to ghostcast server unable to be made... Solution, shut down Mcaffee On Access Scan on the server. Issue 3: Unknown partition unrecognizable to ghost, UPDSYSID.EXE file determines partition ID is 222... which means nothing to me. Solution, bang head against wall until issue is forgotten. Now I have been on hold for 30 minutes after some girl operator says "Well it's your lucky day... there is nobody else in queue! Hope your luck keeps up!" Their hold music is some weird hippy 70's songs so I am assuming they are all crouched around a hookah instead of answering the phone?
And on top of it all my "Check engine" light came on. in asking some of the "auto-savvy" folks at work I got 20 different resolutions from "loose belts" to "a plastic bag stuck in your radiator"... My theory is that a unicorn is poking holes in my exhaust system. GAH!
5/15/06: Back in action
We are back from the trip to Cincinnati, and it is true, Rob graduated Law school. We had a blast hanging out with the family and eating like kings... literally. I don't think I have ever seen so much Fillet Mignon, Lobster tail, and bottles of wine at one table. The ceremony was great, and the company was even better. Now it's back to the grind here at good ole SI Group. 9 new interns, one new hire, and a bunch of issues piled up from taking one day of vacation. Gotta love it!
Oh! And Mom and Dad have some amazing pictures up from China, and Video.
5/15/06: Payday :¬þ
So I am a day late on posting this video Jay sent to me, but technically every day should be Mothers day... so here goes. Also, Gary is on his way to the "Rolling Thunder" motorcycle gathering in DC, and sent me a image (with sound) of his new hybrid motorcycle. (If you are at work, keep the sound levels low)
Fishing went well, although we didn't catch any keepers this time. Ended up with a bunch of little fellas but there is always next time! Left at 7pm, got home at 7am with nothing but a shower and sleep on my mind. Using my precognitive skills I conjured this image of the next trip to the pass...
Apparently I am going to gain about 100 lbs or so before hand... and we will both have poorly Photoshopped heads.
5/11/06: Ice Ice Baby
James Mayhair sent me this Video... good stuff: The Evolution of Dance
5/10/06: The Aqua-Jog 3000
So Dana and I found a way to beat the heat, yet still get in a afternoon jog by doing so in the pool. It was about 91 yesterday with high humidity so even after going for a 30 minute walk we were working up a decent sweat and decided to relax for a bit. Being that it has been so hot out lately the pool was around 75-80 degrees already, almost to the non-refreshing range.
2 days till the San Louis Pass Pier!
5/9/06: Schenectady is hard to spell
So recently, Schenectady International changed their name to "SI Group", and gave the logo a face lift from the old cloud and lightning bolt to this:
Oooh... we're fancy. I guess I am indifferent to it, but I do know that from letterheads and electronic documentation, to signage and uniforms the complete overhaul is timely and expensive... whether it is all worth it is yet to be seen I guess. But at least now nobody will think it is a Scandinavian company.
I got my Texas license the other day which I am mainly happy about for 2 reasons... the NY license had a god-awful picture on it in which I looked like I was 12... wuss. And now I was finally able to get my Salt/Fresh water fishing license and do some fishin' off the coast. I'm sure there will be some pictures up soon, and I promise I won't photoshop the fish to make them look even bigger then they are.
5/8/06: Patrone and Nutria
I believe the saying goes, that "you're not truly a Texan until you're poking a large stick into a lake at a Nutria your friend caught on a top water lure." Well I am glad to say, I was welcomed into the state with the help of my buddy Brack. Now, as I have mentioned before I didn't know the animal aforementioned, a Nutria, even existed until I moved here. But friday night, cinco de mayo no less, I got a close up and personal introduction with these oversized water rats when Brack proceeded to catch not just one, but two in the same night. Between that, a few shots of Patrone, and Dana and Lindsay dancing around our apartment it was a good time. I have to admit it makes a HUGE difference having friends here, especially when they are truly good people.
Other then that, Dana and I went to on a date to Saltgrass Steakhouse and to see Mission Impossible III. The majority of the movie is based in Shanghai China so I am sure it is something my parents will be interested in renting when it comes out on DVD. Speaking of them, Mom is safe and sound back in NY, and Dad has another week or so before he comes back home. Can't wait to see the photos!
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