So a co-worker who’s opinion I respect is reading my blog. He caught up to me at a recent ‘all hands’ meeting and mentioned that I don’t talk about my work here.

Hmmm..

I suppose that there are a lot of reasons for that. First and foremost, by the time I get around to blogging, I’ve logged of the corporate net, and have had some time to re-acclimatize to real life. Real Life is that spot in the universe where bullshit is called bullshit to it’s face.

Second, I live with a woman who has no filter when she is with me, one-on-one. When I’m full of shit, she’ll call me on it. When she even gets a remote whiff of bullshit, I’m called to account.

And she’s a red head.

Don’t fuck with a red-headed woman when she’s called you out. That way there be dragons,

and pain,
and scars.
Trust me.

Finally, I work for a well known Fortune 50 company, and as full of shit as this company can be, it still provides me with the opportunities that the vast majority of people in this world will never know. Further, at the end of the day, this company seems to do the right thing when it matters most. Which is a big reason I work there, and not somewhere else.

It may be selfish to keep who I work for to myself. So be it. If you want to cover my nut with a liberal sponsorship (Bombay Gin would get special consideration) then I’m all ears. Until that time, you either have to know me really well, or have to guess, or just skip it all together. In the grand scheme, it’s not all that important anyway.

But my friend and co-worker has a point. I really do need to use this forum, limited though it may be, to toss-off about work related stuff that is cool, or interesting, or makes me think. I spend an awful lot of time at work, thinking about work or otherwise honing my craft. At the very least, I should use this site to brain dump.

So here’s the first item. I’m attending a two day off-site meeting next week. It’s my first opportunity to ‘announce my presence with authority’ (2 pts)

I’ve got the corporate template, and I’ve made up my PPT deck. Then I re-read nifty bit an I’m thinking that I’ll totally change my presentation to talk to the article, with an infosec spin.

Without telling my boss. My NEW boss…

Whaddya think?

Just a note to those who think that the 2004 election was fair and impartial and represented the will of the people

prison boss: Drunken orgies tainted system – CNN.com

Do you REALLY want Florida civil servants deciding a national election?

Been really busy lately. Started a new role as the cross-organizational CISO. This gets me out of the madness of the safety organization, and allows me to craft strategy and influence IT direction. Good news.

My Aunt passed away this week, after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. The family is having a memorial service for her today in Florida, then another one in Minnesota with all the rest of the family and friends. We’ll probably go up to MN for the 2nd service. I have very fond memories of summers with my aunt & uncle and cousins in SoCal and MN. And my aunt & uncles marriage is a testament to love and longevity celebrating over 50 anniversaries.

Sheldon Brown also passed away this week. It’s been covered in a lot of other blogs & web sites, but Sheldon’s encyclopedic knowledge of bicycle mechanics, ability to explain the complex and dry humor will be missed. If you have never heard of Sheldon, take a trip to his web site: />
Big training week last week. I’m way behind on my cycling, so I’m trying to get in some extra miles by commuting at least two days of week. I was able to get in on Monday, but Wednesday it was far to foggy for safe riding. Next week will be a big challenge as well, with wind chills below 0 tomorrow, and rain/snow on Wednesday.

I did get almost all the rest of my workouts completed, and I’m suffering today with a really sore body. The week looked like this:

6650 yds swimming, avg pace 1:45/100 yd
76.5 miles, 16.1 avg mph
35.6 miles running, avg pace 9:20/mile

Total time 12:14, 115.9 miles
2 weight workouts, 1 pilates session (2:00 weights, 2:40 pilates & stretching)

I’m pretty tired.

The whole “Michael Vick” story sickened me.

A seemingly intelligent and undeniably gifted athlete at the top of his game is the ringleader of a despicable and loathsome criminal enterprise. In a contrite and altogether unconvincing performance, admits his guilt and is sent to prison for 23 months, possibly ending his career. (VA state animal cruelty charges are forthcoming)

But what happened to the dogs? There is some good news. Here is Hector’s story

fighters to friends, Vick’s pit bulls learn new life – CNN.com

Priceless video:

A quick trip to Tampa FL on business, and now I’m back home. Somehow a quick change of location is all it takes to tilt the universe back into your favor. To whit:

• My driver got me to the airport in 20 minutes.
• There was NO ONE at EWR security. I was at my gate within 10 minutes of arriving at the airport.
• The business end of the trip went very well. We even got to see the server farm where Wikipedia lives.
• We had a great sushi lunch at a restaurant that also served Conch Fritters.
• While waiting on my flight home tonight, I was able to reserve a room at the Alpine Air Motel for IMUSA, less than 2 miles from the Olympic Oval (thanks Kurt!).
• I was able to catch an earlier flight home
• My return flight hit the ground 45 minutes early. Meaning I landed at EWR before I was originally scheduled to leave Tampa.
• The snowstorm that was supposed to wallop NJ skipped us by completely.
• The goodies I ordered from Jenson were waiting for me when I walked in the door.

I suppose I could say that all this was balanced out by the Cowboys loss to the Giants. But I won’t blame the cosmos for that. My team sucked ass…

Sometimes I think that Scott Adams sits in a cube or office near me. In fact, I’m pretty sure that the empty office two-doors down is his secret lair. I never actually SEE him there, but I know he has to be watching me.

Some career changes may be coming soon, so work may become technically challenging, interesting and fun once again.

Ever since I donated the GT Karakoram to BB’s church project, I’ve missed having an ‘urban assault vehicle’.

I’ve been eyeballing various ‘cross bikes, and finally found a deal on a Surly Cross Check. After waffling on the purchase for a couple of weeks, I finally decided to pull the trigger.

The bike arrived on Monday, while Weazer was at home for lunch (lucky me!). I put it together last night, but did not get a chance to test ride the bike.

Today I threw on a tail-light, strung up the old halogen Jet Lites and headed out to the YMCA for swimming. I ended up having to make TWO round trips to the pool (w/out ever getting in the water — don’t ask). I think that I’m really going to like this bike. It’s plush, with the fat tires and steel frame, handles well, but not twitchy. It’s not light, but not all that heavy, even after hanging the seat bag, battery, lights and full water bottle. The ‘Cross gearing makes it pretty easy to pedal, and once up to speed, it cruises nicely.

I’m going to have to get used to bar-con shifters again. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve used them. If I really hate them, I’ll swap them out for the old 105-STI from the Cannondale.

I’ve got a new seat and some fenders on order. The old Trek rack doesn’t fit this frame, so I’m going to have to replace it, but I should be able to salvage the panniers. My goal is to bike-commute 2-3 days a week.

It’s not easy being green!

I’m not sure if this kid ever wants to have children

– Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

’cause if he keeps this up, he’ll break something off…

I’m a big RR fan, and I always make time to read his blog. This latest post is an excellent example why I like his stuff

Reich’s Blog: Thank Me For My Patience

Best quote:

I’m stuck because I’ve already committed myself to their service, flight, hotel room, or table for two. What I’m really being thanked for is not going ballistic.

Amen.