Monday, December 29, 2008

Firefox 3.1, Color Profiles and that Darn Yellow Tint

This isn't supposed to necessarily be a blog about technology, but it doesn't hurt to go there if the information may be helpful to others. If the title of this post doesn't capture your attention, then there is no reason to read any further.

There, I saved ten minutes of your time. You're welcome. Talk with you later.

If the title to this post means something to you, then please read on.

I use the Firefox web browser on several platforms, including Microsoft Windows XP and Vista, Mac OS X, and Ubuntu. It is my browser of choice for a number of reasons. However, I was a bit dismayed when I recently noticed that certain graphic images were displayed with a 'yellow tint' when viewed using Firefox 3.1 under the Windows operating systems. I have heard of entire screens appearing discolored with a yellow or brown tint, but this was different; it was just certain, select images and only under Firefox 3.1 on my Windows XP and Vista machines. The following three images provide an example of the yellow-tinting that I was seeing.



When what I should have been seeing were the clean images that follow.



So what was causing this discoloration? The answer was not as obvious as I expected it to be. Most of my attempts to research the problem kept leading me down the path of entire screens being tinted yellow or brown, or for the problem to be related to a specific application (e.g. Windows Photo Gallery under Vista - KB939395). However, it was reading about these other problems that led me to further investigate Windows Color Profiles and how Firefox deals with them.

Color Profiles allow devices such as monitors and printers to define how colors are displayed. Images may have metadata associated with them as provided by the original capture device (e.g your digital camera or scanner). Hence why only certain images appeared discolored.

It seems that the software for the Samsung SyncMaster LCD monitors used with my Windows machines had also installed a specific Color Profile that was now in-use. You can see if a certain profile is associated with your monitor by navigating to Display Properties / Settings / Advanced / Color Management.

During my research I also discovered that Firefox 3.1 comes with color management support enabled by default; meaning that the browser will look to the Windows Color Profile to tell it how to display certain images.

Whew! Now we're getting somewhere.

This led to me two possible solutions to resolve the discolored tinting associated with my configuration. I believe that either one will fix the problem, but I made both changes on my systems.
  1. Remove the monitor specific Color Profile assigned in Display Properties / Settings / Advanced / Color Management. A specific Color Profile does not need to be assigned, as Windows has information to use as a default. This is a reasonable solution if your configuration does not require the use of a specific Color Profile, which is the case for the majority of computer users. Notable exceptions may include graphic artists or design professionals.
  2. Disable Firefox color management support by changing the Firefox about:config value for gfx.color_management.mode from 2 (enabled for tagged images only) to 0 (disabled). For the curious, a setting of 1 enables color management support for all images. This solution leaves your Color Profile intact in case it is needed for other applications, but tells Firefox to ignore it.

Changes made. Obligatory re-boot finished. Presto! The yellow-tint issue has been fixed.

If you are experiencing a similar problem, I hope that this information is helpful to you.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

A Lesson From Charlie Brown

As a kid, I always loved watching the Charles M. Schulz Peanuts characters celebrate holidays. The shows were always entertaining with Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang. It was also a special treat to be able to view a cartoon on prime time television when the adults usually ruled the airwaves. These shows originally aired in the 1960s, long before the 24/7 animation overload of Cartoon Network! I recall as a child that our family television only received five television broadcast stations in the Chicagoland area: ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and independent WGN. None of them offered much in children's programming outside of the usual Saturday morning cartoon fare.

Watching these Peanuts shows now as an adult I realize that they are also full of great life lessons. I have come to greatly admire Charles M. Schulz for bravely creating shows for children that didn't back away from tough issues related to religion and society. We are all fortunate that these classics were created during the era they were, as I doubt few producers would touch these topics in the same manner today; it wouldn't be politically correct or Hollywood hip to do so.

'A Charlie Brown Christmas' in particular reflects Schulz's strong Christian faith when Charlie Brown, confused by the blatant commercialism of Christmas, questions if he really knows what the holiday is about. His friend Linus comes to the rescue by quietly quoting Scripture from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 8 through 14:

"'8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Hearing this, Charlie Brown realizes that he does not have to let commercialism ruin his Christmas. I hope that this lesson from Charlie Brown can also be a lesson for all of us during the busy holiday season...

Slow down, watch the Peanuts' Christmas special, and don't forget what Christmas is all about.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

New Year Resolutions and My Inbox

It's that time of year again. Time to make resolutions about being a better person and improving our lives... only to forget about them a month or two later. Have you thought about what your resolutions will be this year?

Resolutions to live healthier (loose weight, exercise, etc.) probably should not count, as these are things that we ought to be doing anyway. There's no good reason to wait for the New Year to start living healthier, but if the magic of the New Year helps to inspire you to make a positive change in your lifestyle, I say go for it!

Last year I resolved to do better at staying in touch with friends. I'm not so sure that I have been very successful at that, but if credit for effort counts I should at least receive an honorable mention.

This year it's all about managing my email better. Kind of a scary thought, eh?

My overflowing email inbox (both at work and at home) has inspired me to tackle this matter, and I've already made some good progress. Merlin Mann has a great 43 Folders series called Inbox Zero where he discusses email overload in a very entertaining presentation. His concept is simple; only look at your inbox periodically and when you do, be prepared to do one of the following five things (my interpretation is added):
  • Delete (trash the message since there is no action required)
  • Delegate (pass the message on to someone else for their action)
  • Respond (reply with a brief message only if necessary)
  • Defer (decide that action needs to wait; use this sparingly!)
  • Do (take action)
It's a great concept that I started to implement several weeks ago. My first step was to reduce the volume of email that I receive. So much of my email is rather useless information from senders that 'may' have something valuable to tell me now and then. Good examples are frequent flyer statements, on line merchant notices, and club newsletters. I created a free account with OtherInbox.com. The service is currently in beta, but it has performed well enough for me to decide that I can rely on it.

OtherInbox.com helps you manage your email by dynamically creating a new email address for any service that you need. Let's say that the DMV requests your email address; simply provide one such as DMV@[account].otherinbox.com. Then when the DMV sends you a message, it will automatically be in a folder named DMV under your OtherInbox.com account. Once you use this a few times, you begin to see how rather brilliant the idea is, and much easier than managing email filters.

Since implementing OtherInbox.com, my email traffic has been reduced significantly and the filtered messages can be reviewed at my leisure instead of clogging-up my inbox. The next step is to become more disciplined at following Merlin Mann's Inbox Zero process for the messages that I still receive in my regular inbox. Seeing the number of messages being held in my inbox slowly decline over time has been great inspiration.

I hope that this is a resolution that I can keep, as I believe it could go a long way towards making me more productive and less stressed. Good luck with your own resolutions!

Friday, December 12, 2008

Can You Hear Me Now?

I am having trouble understanding something.

What compels people to have private telephone conversations in public restrooms?

I mean really. Who is so important that you cannot 'finish business' before taking their call?

This may only be a male-thing, as I don't make a habit of hanging-out in women's restrooms, but there's a sub-group of men who seem to have no problem talking on their mobile phone while standing at the urinal or spending time on the toilet.

I find that it's extremely rude to the other restroom patrons, and I am embarrassed to audibly use the facilities while the guy next to me is talking to his mother. I don't feel the need to broadcast the sounds of my bodily functions beyond the restroom walls, especially via a stranger's mobile phone.

Are we Pavlovian conditioned to answer a ringing phone regardless of our situation? Why can't we let a ringing phone wait? I have always worked on the belief that if the phone call's that important, the other party will leave a message or call back later.

Based on the one-sided conversations that I had heard, the calls are often business related. I can only imagine being on the other end of the conversation... "Yeah, we can [PHFFFFT!] get that order of [TINKLE... TINKLE...] widgets out to you [FLUSH!] next week."

Gee thanks buddy; you have taken the phrase 'Nice doing business with you' to a whole new level.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Holiday Spirit - Is There Hope?

"November 28, 2008 - NEW YORK - Police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the Wal-Mart doors before its 5 a.m. opening. The impatient crowd knocked the employee to the ground as he opened the doors and trampled him to death. Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers stepped over him and became irate when officials said the store was closing because of the death, police and witnesses said."

Is this what we have become as a society? Monsters who succumb to the call of retail savings? We can rationalize stepping on an injured man in order to save a few dollars on a video game for our spoiled children?

It is depressing to read these types of stories.

I love Christmas and the Holiday Season. I really do. However, I find American society's adoption of the holiday more depressing and confusing each year. Inflatable yard displays with flashing lights and blaring music. Umm... yeah. Happy Holidays.

Even if you do not lead a Christian spiritual life that calls you to honor the birth of Christ, holiday spirit is so much more than boosting the earnings of retailers who hawk cheap, useless gifts that clutter our lives, our minds and our homes.

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Dong zhi, whatever the holiday; they all call us to serve each other. To do good deeds that enrich our lives. To make someone's life better. To make a sacrifice for the benefit of another person.

My wish to you is that you find true holiday spirit in your life. That we can become a society who honors and respects life, instead of trampling it on the threshold of Wal-Mart.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Politics, Religion, the Press, and You.

Don't worry. I am not going to waste this space or your time with a rant telling you who you should vote for, or against. This is much more importent than that. It is safe for you to read-on...
Are you tired of hearing about the upcoming presidential election yet?

Living near Washington DC, it seems as though we have been the victims of a media blitz for a couple of years now.

News radio, talk radio, television, magazines, newpapers, billboards, bus signs, on line news, blog sites and the bum on the corner all provide a constant barrage of opinions. They inform us of the candidates' work history, personal life, family life, political positions, religious beliefs, underwear color, shoe size and elementary school report cards. It is information overload. The media pumps us full of so much data that it is almost impossible to digest it all.

The information comes at us so fast, that we no longer take the time to really 'listen.' We no longer take the time to determine what is fact and what is fiction. We no longer contemplate on what we have heard to determine how it impacts our lives, or even if it is really important enough to be an issue. We no longer think for ourselves.

Yikes!

Let me say that one more time.

We no longer think for ourselves.


I am often saddened to hear friends, neighbors and complete strangers simply echo political opinion published by the media, or worse yet by a Hollywood celebrity (What in the world makes a person in the entertainment industry believe that they are an authority on global political matters? You host a day time talk show, or you win an Emmy for supporting actor in a comedy series, and somehow you have earned the right to spout some political garabage to a captive audience? Oops. I digress.)

When it comes to politics and religion, I have always believed that everyone should carefully consider all of the issues and make up their own mind.

It's fine to listen to the talking heads on the television, but use your own head to discern what is important.

We all seem to remember that the freedoms we are so very blessed with as United States citizens allow us to form our own spirtual beliefs. To have a choice in how to practice our faith. To have a choice not to believe in God at all if you so desire.

Well, don't forget that you also have the freedom to make your own decisions when you vote. Use media resources to gather information. Don't believe everything that you hear or read, but take the time to consider all sides of the story. Take the time to find out the truth and to avoid getting caught-up in the media frenzy that feeds off irrelevant hype that has no real bearing on the candidates' suitability for the office.

Practice the freedom to think for yourself.

Think for yourself.

Then be certain to vote on Election Day.

See you at the polls.

Monday, August 11, 2008

The Social Networking Phenomenon

I have to admit it.

I've become somewhat addicted to social networking. Or at least the concepts behind it all.

And it's not just me. My wife, daughters and son all participate in on line social networking in one way or another.

Web sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and of course Blogger really intrigue me. What is it about these web sites? What is it that makes them so popular? What draws people of all ages from around the world and all walks of life to them?

I've thought about this for a while. Well, not for 'really' long, but long enough to develop a hypothosis.

I believe that these on line communities (in one form or another) have become a substitute for the close knit families and neighborhoods that have disappeared during the last few generations.

Friends and families are often dispersed across the country or even around the world. This is much different than in years gone by when multiple generations of a family would live in the same city, neighborhood, or sometimes even in the same house!

In the last few decades, our modern societies have lost their connection to family and friends. I really think that we miss that, and that it has adversely affected our society and culture.

Social networking is really nothing other than a mechanism for people to communicate with each other again. Family and friends are finding each other; catching up on years of missed events and news; reconnecting with people that they really love, people that they have missed.

We are also making new connections. We are finding new friends and developing relationships without actually meeting each other in the physical sense.

I believe that social networking makes technology truly personal, almost in a human way. We are connected again.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Returned FROM Carriacou!

Our family has returned from our 12 days and 11 nights on Carriacou, and we miss the island already.

It was a great trip made during an interesting and historic time, as the National Democratic Congress won the election to lead Grenada while we were there.

I kept a blog of our trip and have published each day as a separate entry on my blog site...
backtocarriacou.blogspot.com/

The blog is a mix of entertaining trip report, useful travel information, and minor commentary. You may or may not agree with my point of view, but being able to publish these comments is one of the benefits of being the author.

We hope that you enjoy reading the blog posts and that in some way it helps you make a trip to our favorite Caribbean destination... Carriacou!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Airplane Passenger Etiquette - Top Ten List

Airplane Passenger Etiquette.

I believe that these words create an oxymoron.

I consider myself a patient traveler. Which is a good thing, because most everyone else traveling by air these days seems to have a real issue.

I'm not quite certain what the problem is. Are that many air travelers 'first-time' visitors to the airport, or has our culture created a simply rude public.

Regardless of which group they fall into, here are some rules of the road (or should that be air?) that can make life easier for ALL of us who must travel by air.
  1. Get to the airport on time and schedule connecting flights with adequeate time between flights. Here's the deal folks; traveling by plane takes time. Assume that your day will be shot making the trip by air. Once you accept that, it's a lot easier to schedule your time correctly. You have to expect the worse: A lack of parking spaces at the airport; Broken ticket terminals at the check-in area; Long lines at security; Delayed incoming planes; Gate changes. Having to wait an hour for a flight is much easier on your nerves than running late to catch the plane.
  2. Pack bags to meet airline rules. Know the weight and size limits; then follow the rules for checked and carry-on bags. There are no exceptions.
  3. Listen to the TSA staff at security. These poor folks repeat the same message over and over (and over) again. "Take your computers out of your bag... No liquids, gels or lotions... Hold on to your boarding passes... ", yet again and again (and again), people don't listen. It's not that tough. Geesz!
  4. Flight delays due to weather are for your protection. How entertaining to hear travelers complain about the airline delaying or canceling flights because of weather conditions. Do you mean that you would rather be up in the air flying THROUGH that thunderstorm? Yeah. Okay.
  5. Board the plane when your row or group is called. Again. Not too tough folks. If you are there at the gate, the plane is not going to leave without you. Sit your anxious self down and wait your turn. Stop running up to the agent or crowding the line for those of us who may be boarding before you. We will all get on the plane. I promise. Just relax.
  6. Be patient getting through the jetway / plane aisle. The other passengers can only get in the plane and sit down so fast. Again... We will all get on the plane. Relax.
  7. Don't try to cram a too-big bag in the too-small overhead space. Look. If you are going to pack THAT much stuff, please check your bag. If it looks too big to fit in the overhead, it is probably too big to fit in the overhead.
  8. Respect the privacy of fellow passengers. It's always nice to greet your seat mates. However, if they are not obviously interested in having a conversation for the duration of the trip, then please let then travel in peace. They may be tired, stressed, or just not in the mood to hear about your problems.
  9. Keep your carry-on food to yourself. With the lack of airline food, many travelers like to bring their own meal on-board. That's great. Unless you are sitting next to someone with a smelly or sloppy meal. Understand that the whole plane does not want to smell your double garlic, onions and peppers sandwich. And that pork barbecue sandwich is fine, but not when it get's splattered on my suit.
  10. Depart the plane in an orderly manner. I've saved my biggest pet peave for last. What makes people think that they are going anywhere as soon as the plane stops at the jetway. So many passengers jump up, grab their carry-on bags and wait to sprint off the plane. One catch. The door's still closed and there are a bunch of people in front of them. Here is where true etiquette is lacking. Why not demonstrate some humanity and depart the plane row by row, taking turns instead of rushing ahead of everyone else and pushing granny out of the way to get off the plane before her.
Traveling by air does not need to be stressful. Do yourself and the rest of us a favor and relax... slow down... and please follow these ten air travel tips to improve airplane passenger etiquette.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Three Things In Life

I receive a lot of email. Too much email. A portion of it is junk mail (although my email program seems to do a good job of catching most of that). A lot of it gets deleted after reading the first sentence or two. Some of it never even gets read, but simply deleted once I see who sent it to me (sorry Mom!).

The messages that make me cringe are those that insist I forward the contents or I will be doomed to bad luck forever. Hmm... what if they are right?

There's also the guilty conscience messages. You know, "You don't love Jesus if you don't forward this to ten friends in five seconds!"

For some reason, I opened a note this week that I normally would have just canned. I thought that the message was somewhat profound. With just a couple of edits to improve the readability, I present here "Three Things in Life". I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

There are three things in life that, once gone, never come back.
- Time
- Words
- Opportunity

There are three things in life that are invaluable.
- Unconditional Love
- Self-Confidence
- Real Friends

There are three things in life that are never certain.
- Dreams
- Success
- Fortune

There are three things in life that define a person.
- Work Ethic
- Sincerity
- Commitment

There are three things in life that can destroy a person.
- Substance Abuse
- Selfish Pride
- Uncontrolled Anger

There are three things in life that, once lost, are difficult to recover.
- Respect
- Trust
- Friendship

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Twitter

Have you seen Twitter yet?

Twitter is a blog site for those if us who are not talented enough to actually "write something" that is meaningful enough to make people want to sit there and read.

I think of Twitter as the CNN Headline News of blog sites. I love CNN Headline News. I can get all of the world news that I need in fifteen minutes with very little fluff.

Twitter users can post up to 140 characters per entry, and can submit their entries via the Twitter web site, SMS or IM. That allows users to make updates from just about anywhere. Pretty darn ingenious.

I have always felt like blog sites were the ideal place for people to author an extensive rant, and well... I just don't rant that much (I have not found it worth the time or effort). H0wever, with Twitter, I can quickly and easily publish just a brief thought or two to share with family and friends.

Twitter could be just what I was looking for to fill the gaps between posts to this site. Check it out for yourself at twitter.com, or to view my entries, browse to twitter.com/yagelski.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Purdue License Plates

I live in Virgina, also known as the land of vanity automobile tags.

Besides displaying their unique talent to spell cleaver words and sayings in "IM-speak", Virginia automobile owners can also easily show their affiliation with a club, group or organization as the Commonwealth's Department of Motor Vehicles offers just about any organization the opportunity to have a special purpose tag.

It seems that literally every major university or college in the country (and some minor ones too) are represented with a special purpose Virginia license plate. That is, every major university or college except my own alma mater, Purdue University.

If you are a Purdue alum living in the Commonwealth of Virginia, show your school pride! Express your interest in obtaining a Purdue special purpose license plate by submitting some basic information at the following address...
http://www.mjparker.com/license

Sunday, March 30, 2008

NCAA Tournament Wrap-Up

Yes, I realize that the NCAA basketball tournaments are not officially over, but the ride has ended for my favorites; the Purdue men's and women's teams.
It was a very good season for both, with the teams achieving a level of success that I did not think possible just a few months ago. However, it's always tough when your hopes for even greater success are dashed.
The Purdue men's team was placed in the West Region, playing their first and second round games in Washington DC. Very close to home for this Purdue fan! I worked through the Purdue athletic ticket office to obtain two seats for the games. Unable to attend the Thursday games because of work obligations, we made them available to some good friends. Fortunately, Purdue beat Baylor, allowing us to make plans for viewing Saturday's game, live at the Verizon Center.
Early Saturday, my son and I trekked to downtown DC to attend the Purdue pep rally at the Penn Quarter Tavern. That finished-up in time for us to enjoy a light lunch and a leisurely stroll to the arena. After picking-up our tickets at the will-call window, we were thrilled to find our seats even with the top of the key and about twelve rows from the floor. Perfect!
After a great start to the day, it kind of went down hill from there. Our cheering for Duke in the first game went for naught as they fell to the Mountaineers of West Virginia. Then, after a clash with Xavier, the Purdue team suffered a tough defeat. My little buddy was a bit teary-eyed watching his beloved Boilermakers drop out of the Tournament, but he has great hopes for the team to come back stronger next year as this squad only loses one player to graduation.
Now we're ready to start getting reports from spring football practice! 

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Back to Carriacou

I've started a new blog to document the planning process for our next family vacation; a trip back to the Grenadine island of Carriacou. If you are interested in making a trip to a Caribbean island, or just want to follow along and laugh at our experiences, follow the link shown in the profile to the right or use this URL in your browser...
http://backtocarriacou.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 10, 2008

ANOTHER Purdue Sports Weekend

Wow!
I'm not certain I know how else to describe the Big Ten Conference Tournament run completed this evening by the Purdue Women's Basketball Team.
Simply incredible.
The wins against Indiana, Iowa and Illinois were simply outstanding.
Congratulations Ladies! We hope that you are able to continue the momentum into the NCAA Tournament.
A big THANK YOU to the Penn State Men's Basketball Team for a stellar victory against Indiana. YES! The loss by the Hoosiers allowed the Purdue Men's Basketball Team to waltz into sole position of second place in the conference.
Congratulations Men! Now show the world how talented you are by going deep into the tourney!  

Friday, March 7, 2008

Great Uncle Ken

On Wednesday my oldest nephew and his wife celebrated the birth of their first child. A boy they have named Evan.
How wonderful new life is.
How precious is this baby boy.
But how in the world did I become old enough to be a great-uncle?!
I had always strived to be a "great uncle", but being an official great-uncle kind of hit me in the face.
Enjoy this photo of my new grand nephew, and congratulations to Matt and Lori. We are all very proud of Evan, right along with you.

Another Birthday

Another birthday has come and gone.
It's been forty-five of them for those of you who like to keep count. I generally don't track them too closely.
I'm not too hung up on "having birthdays", although I am not one who feels the need to receive very special recognition on that day. In many ways, it's just another day. Maybe a day to celebrate another year of living, another year of being with those who love you, but not a day that I need to be placed upon a pedestal or treated with some special honor.
The years do seem to be going by faster as life becomes more hectic. I fear that getting to this mid-life age will only cause the time to go by even faster.
I keep a few jars of marbles near my nightstand. Years ago I purchased several bags of marbles and counted-out enough of them to represent the remaining weeks in my life should I live to be 95 or 100 or something of the sort. I have faithfully removed one marble from these jars each week. The "countdown" serves as a great reminder of how short life really is.
Our time here on earth is limited. I believe in living life with no regrets, but within reason. Sometimes it is difficult to maintain that balance. Certainly the responsibility of a family has made "within reason" different than when I was young and single. That standard will likely continue to change through the family life continuum.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

2008 Presidential Election

I have great respect for the democratic election process that is used in the United States and I am very grateful that the Nation's citizens have the opportunity to participate. However...
Doesn't it seem like the 2008 election campaign process has been going on for like three years? I am so tired of hearing about Hillary, Obama and McCain on the radio and television news broadcasts. Enough already!
I fear that this political circus could result in even more voter apathy than normal, although one would think that regardless of who gets the nod coming out of the national conventions, it will bring a record number of voters to the polls. Not to necessarily vote in favor of a particular candidate, but to make certain that votes are cast against a particular candidate. Everyone has someone to dislike in this election.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Air Travel

It seems that all of travel for either work or pleasure results in the use of commercial airlines.
I have a love / hate relationship with air travel. The time saving convenience is wonderful. The hassle of airport security, delayed and canceled flights, cattle car discomfort, rude fellow travelers, crowded airports and uncertain weather causes me pain.
The trick is to learn to "let it go." I try hard to mentally prepare myself for air travel; scheduling plenty of time to reach my destination (and the return trip back home!), and reminding myself to not let the other problems bother me. If only it were always that easy.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Unemployed

Well, I am officially unemployed. But only for the weekend while I am between jobs.
It's an unsettling feeling.
I have been in worse employment situations in the past; however I was much younger, single and without children. Now with family obligations, the idea of being unemployed for any extended period of time is difficult to comprehend. I am very grateful that I do not have to worry about the family missing a meal. 
So when's that first paycheck get deposited...?

Season On The Brink

It is with much amusement that I sit back and watch the Indiana University men's basketball program implode around the NCAA infractions brought upon the program by "cellphone sanctions"...  oops! I mean Kelvin Sampson.
What goes around comes around.
After the IU faithful gave Purdue fans a load of grief about a modest issue related to a recruit receiving a free car ride to his motel during a driving rain storm, it is rather refreshing to see the IU basketball program crumble under some very serious recruiting violations. Violations brought upon the university by a coach who was already guilty of committing similar violations at another school. What idiots. If the athletic director is not fired too, it will be a disgrace to the school.
Thank you to Purdue Coach Matt Painter and Athletic Director Morgan Burke. You two make me very proud to be a Purdue Alum. Keep up the good work and BOILER UP!

Monday, February 18, 2008

A Purdue Sports Weekend

What a great weekend of sports victories for friends, fans and alumni of Purdue University, or at least for me and the sporting events that I enjoy following.
The men's basketball team won their eleventh straight game, beating Northwestern in Evanston, to go 12 - 1 in conference play. They are well on their way to a regular season Big Ten championship with a team of five freshmen, four sophomores, four juniors and one senior. This group of kids could be a force for the next three years.
The women's team beat Iowa at Purdue to go to 10 - 4 in the conference. This team is made of up a bunch of second string players who have stepped-up their game to compensate for the injuries sustained by the original starters.
I am also quite excited about the outstanding performance of Purdue engineer alumni, Ryan Newman, who won the 50th running of the Daytona 500 driving the Alltel Dodge in the NASCAR, Sprint Cup series.
Yep... Good weekend for Purdue athletics.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Changing Careers

It's the last week at my current employer before I start a new career. New, but safely related to my area of expertise. I'm not quite foolish enough, or is that brave enough, to "really" change careers.
If that were a possibility, the interests are almost limitless. Certainly, it would include relocating to somewhere in the Caribbean. Maybe teaching young adults advanced subjects, or helping to improve local economies to make them less dependent upon tourism.
Maybe in my next career change.