September catch up
2012-Oct-05, Friday 16:28![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
texxgadgetMy present client is a well known internet based company.
They take remarkably good care of even the contractors.
They have bought my loyalty several times over for this.
I come in and have breakfast and then head off to my cube after a visit to the coffee barrista.
Lunch is also provided and recently dinner added to the list.
Outsiders look up on this as one of those silicon valley perks.
There is a business case to it as well.
Eating on campus eliminates travel time to meals and having dinner makes it more likely that you will go back to your cube for a bit more work after.
Its also nice to get a "to go" for those days when you are snowed under and need a "pick me up" before delving back into your project.
There is yet more method to the madness.
Free meal service brings people together.
Many times Ive been with people from other groups and we share our problems.
Many times, Ive gotten help from another department with something that was driving my whole department mad.
THAT is the REAL reason they feed us.
I need to log more time in the gym, Im gaining weight.
Wall Street Journal etc talk about the foozeball tables and again, they dont get the point.
There is a large handy white board nearby for times when inspiration strikes, the game is forgotten and 8 engineers viciously attack said white board with colored markers and someone else snapping pics with a cell phone to archive the session.
Theres a girl with indigo blue hair who juggles on the lawn during lunch.
There are usually a couple lunch basketball games.
When I leave at night, theres usually a volleyball game in progress.
The vibe is that of a college campus.
The shuttle flight was great.
I came in early, had breakfast & headed over to the top floor balcony of "E".
People were lined up on top of the hill of the Sunnyvale dump.
It was like the natives singing to the UFOs in Close Encounters.
I got a few pics with a cell phone when it got down to me.
I was monitoring the NASA channel but sightings from ham radio operators on the Stanford Repeater were the most help.
Most poingient was the shot of the shuttle on its last flight passing over the old blue cube.
Highland games in Pleasanton were great.
Niece Alison & I presented ourselves to Clan Hay & were invited to march with them in the parade. As we left the clan tent, I was handed the chiefs broadsword to carry.
I guess I need to get a proper kilt in the Hay tartan, likely "Hay Modern".
Claymores weigh a lot!
I spent much of the weekend hanging out with Ali & Keeping an eye on "LD".
"LD" is a whole new topic. One of the kiltmakers i wanted to see the most wasnt there.
In fact she seems to have shut down the business.
She had a unique design that I was ready to order from.
I saw several people I know from Cons & even Grand Central Starport.
Tear down was fun. I brought a trailer spotting dolly.
The booth I was officially working for was Lodema Pottery.
While waiting for "drive on" pass, LD & I took the dolly off to the vendors trailer storage lot and hitched up the utility trailer.
Because we were on foot, we could pull it by hand across the grounds without a pass.
By the time we got out drive on pass, we had the pottery wheel towed out next to the building and the rest of the booth in the trailer also parked next to the building.
In fact we pulled the utility trailer right inside the building by hand.
We just hitched up the trailers to the 2 SUVs and we were off.
Dreadfully handy those dolly are!
In late Sept, Ali & I took in the Dixon Highland games, a much smaller event.
The clan tents were arranged around the outside of the athletic field.
This mean we could sit in the clan tent & watch the sports.
The "Youth Cabre Toss" was the most fascinating. The age group was 8 to 16.
I learned a LOT about scottish highland sport as well as working the clan tent.
There were only 4 of us there from our clan, only Ali & me marching.
We got an award of distinction for our tent too!
The fall out from all this is that I originally thought I got "the gift" from Moms side of the family and was pretty sure sister Margaret had it too but didnt use it.
Well, thats not quite it.
It turns out she uses it more than she lets on and both nieces are starting to realize this.
It also appears both nieces have it and probably got some of it from their Dads mother.
Now we are finding out that Tome next older brother has it too.
I was teasing Ali last week "You know that 400 years ago you probably would have been burnt at the stake by now..."
I seem to be surrounded by witches these days. Halloween might be a real trip this year.
Last weekend, Dad & I spent Sunday at Clear Lake with the Nor Cal chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society. Bert has a retirement home on the water built around this hulking electronic organ that sounds so good, its the only one that ever fooled me.
The whole pizza & pipes thing started in Hayward with Ye Olde Pizza Joint which was a good restaurant on its own. The food brought people in.
The organ was for fun and maybe to get you to buy a 2nd round of drinks.
(Beverage markup is spectacular!)
Many places tried to copy it but they always tried to do it on the cheap and expected the music to bring people in.
Ultimately, they failed.
Bill played at Pizza Joint at least 30 years and after several other gigs, retired to Clear Lake near Bert.
We had "open console" after an hour and a half concert by Dave Heggarty who plays at Stanford, Castro & Palace of the Legion of Honor.
Around dinner time, Bill, who last year was barely walking due to Parkinsons took a turn.
He lost track of time and we were in no mood to remind him.
He started out on the bottom keyboard of 4.
Eventually he started using them all and he found the stop that coupled the grand piano into the organ.
It was like watching someone come back to life after death.
Pacificon, the ham radio convention is coming up next week.
I didnt get either of the special kilts made in time so Ill be in the usual Utilikilt.
Melinda seems to have shut down and the other one, we are waiting on the fabric I need.
We are cranking up for Dickens Faire.
They take remarkably good care of even the contractors.
They have bought my loyalty several times over for this.
I come in and have breakfast and then head off to my cube after a visit to the coffee barrista.
Lunch is also provided and recently dinner added to the list.
Outsiders look up on this as one of those silicon valley perks.
There is a business case to it as well.
Eating on campus eliminates travel time to meals and having dinner makes it more likely that you will go back to your cube for a bit more work after.
Its also nice to get a "to go" for those days when you are snowed under and need a "pick me up" before delving back into your project.
There is yet more method to the madness.
Free meal service brings people together.
Many times Ive been with people from other groups and we share our problems.
Many times, Ive gotten help from another department with something that was driving my whole department mad.
THAT is the REAL reason they feed us.
I need to log more time in the gym, Im gaining weight.
Wall Street Journal etc talk about the foozeball tables and again, they dont get the point.
There is a large handy white board nearby for times when inspiration strikes, the game is forgotten and 8 engineers viciously attack said white board with colored markers and someone else snapping pics with a cell phone to archive the session.
Theres a girl with indigo blue hair who juggles on the lawn during lunch.
There are usually a couple lunch basketball games.
When I leave at night, theres usually a volleyball game in progress.
The vibe is that of a college campus.
The shuttle flight was great.
I came in early, had breakfast & headed over to the top floor balcony of "E".
People were lined up on top of the hill of the Sunnyvale dump.
It was like the natives singing to the UFOs in Close Encounters.
I got a few pics with a cell phone when it got down to me.
I was monitoring the NASA channel but sightings from ham radio operators on the Stanford Repeater were the most help.
Most poingient was the shot of the shuttle on its last flight passing over the old blue cube.
Highland games in Pleasanton were great.
Niece Alison & I presented ourselves to Clan Hay & were invited to march with them in the parade. As we left the clan tent, I was handed the chiefs broadsword to carry.
I guess I need to get a proper kilt in the Hay tartan, likely "Hay Modern".
Claymores weigh a lot!
I spent much of the weekend hanging out with Ali & Keeping an eye on "LD".
"LD" is a whole new topic. One of the kiltmakers i wanted to see the most wasnt there.
In fact she seems to have shut down the business.
She had a unique design that I was ready to order from.
I saw several people I know from Cons & even Grand Central Starport.
Tear down was fun. I brought a trailer spotting dolly.
The booth I was officially working for was Lodema Pottery.
While waiting for "drive on" pass, LD & I took the dolly off to the vendors trailer storage lot and hitched up the utility trailer.
Because we were on foot, we could pull it by hand across the grounds without a pass.
By the time we got out drive on pass, we had the pottery wheel towed out next to the building and the rest of the booth in the trailer also parked next to the building.
In fact we pulled the utility trailer right inside the building by hand.
We just hitched up the trailers to the 2 SUVs and we were off.
Dreadfully handy those dolly are!
In late Sept, Ali & I took in the Dixon Highland games, a much smaller event.
The clan tents were arranged around the outside of the athletic field.
This mean we could sit in the clan tent & watch the sports.
The "Youth Cabre Toss" was the most fascinating. The age group was 8 to 16.
I learned a LOT about scottish highland sport as well as working the clan tent.
There were only 4 of us there from our clan, only Ali & me marching.
We got an award of distinction for our tent too!
The fall out from all this is that I originally thought I got "the gift" from Moms side of the family and was pretty sure sister Margaret had it too but didnt use it.
Well, thats not quite it.
It turns out she uses it more than she lets on and both nieces are starting to realize this.
It also appears both nieces have it and probably got some of it from their Dads mother.
Now we are finding out that Tome next older brother has it too.
I was teasing Ali last week "You know that 400 years ago you probably would have been burnt at the stake by now..."
I seem to be surrounded by witches these days. Halloween might be a real trip this year.
Last weekend, Dad & I spent Sunday at Clear Lake with the Nor Cal chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society. Bert has a retirement home on the water built around this hulking electronic organ that sounds so good, its the only one that ever fooled me.
The whole pizza & pipes thing started in Hayward with Ye Olde Pizza Joint which was a good restaurant on its own. The food brought people in.
The organ was for fun and maybe to get you to buy a 2nd round of drinks.
(Beverage markup is spectacular!)
Many places tried to copy it but they always tried to do it on the cheap and expected the music to bring people in.
Ultimately, they failed.
Bill played at Pizza Joint at least 30 years and after several other gigs, retired to Clear Lake near Bert.
We had "open console" after an hour and a half concert by Dave Heggarty who plays at Stanford, Castro & Palace of the Legion of Honor.
Around dinner time, Bill, who last year was barely walking due to Parkinsons took a turn.
He lost track of time and we were in no mood to remind him.
He started out on the bottom keyboard of 4.
Eventually he started using them all and he found the stop that coupled the grand piano into the organ.
It was like watching someone come back to life after death.
Pacificon, the ham radio convention is coming up next week.
I didnt get either of the special kilts made in time so Ill be in the usual Utilikilt.
Melinda seems to have shut down and the other one, we are waiting on the fabric I need.
We are cranking up for Dickens Faire.
