Wow, my page is blah (and some updates)

How Can We Identify oUr owN Selves Without Anyone Else To Compare To?

It took me way too long to format that text above.

Anyways, I was just browsing some other bloggies when I realized how lame mine is... so far. I really need to spruce things up a bit with some pictures. Only reason I haven't is pretty much because my pictures are stored on my PC in the basement and I usually end up writing new blogs while I'm on my wife's laptop.

Why does that make a difference? Well because my PC is set up on the floor and my monitor and keyboard are on the coffee table, so it's relatively uncomfortable to use. I need to get a computer desk (a small one) so I can be more comfy when I'm down there.

I do kinda like it where it is though because we can watch TV, listen to music, play on the PS3, and/or check things out on the PC - all without having to get our asses off the couch. It's very lazy-friendly down there, which can be both good and bad.

In other news, work has been keeping me busy as usual. The school semester is almost over (finishing with an A again - woohoo). I guess it's not too hard to get when you're only taking a class at a time. I figure I'm pretty secure in my job right now, plus I have over 5 years of IT experience so all I need to do is catch up my on my education eventually.

And speaking of work, it's been going great actually. I love my job - couldn't be happier really. I'm very grateful.  I am part of a four person team (including my boss) and everyone is very laid back and we all get along pretty well. I get a lot done though - I'm a bit of a workaholic, especially since I like my job. Right now I'm working on and almost ready to release a "Self Service" mode for our ticket tracking system. This will be a first for the Cleveland Clinic. Eventually, all users from across the health system will be able to log a problem (a computer-related problem ticket) ticket using self service without needing to call the help desk and wait on hold forever.

And that's not my only project. My other project is also nearing release. I've designed a way for IT users (primarily the help desk) to store troubleshooting knowledge for reuse (aka I've built a knowledgebase). I've been working on this knowledgebase stuff for a good three years now, changing from a PDF library, to a program called FLS, to Sharepoint, and now maybe to ITSM (our current call tracking system). I've built all of our previous knowledgebases but had minimal success with the implementation piece since I never really had management to back me up. Now with the new help desk  manager things are starting to look up.

Fun fun fun. Well I think I've blabbed enough for now. I mostly write these for myself - pretty much just because I like to write.

- Peace

It's the Thought That Counts

Sometimes in my alone-time I find myself… stuck. Usually it’s stuck on the couch, but not necessarily doing something. It’s strange really. Typically I’m staring at something or just staring off into space – not really noticing the thing I’m staring at, such as a wall.

Maybe I’ll start thinking about what it is I should be doing. Sometimes it’s simply recapping the day’s activities (usually work-related). Sometimes I think about what the perfect thing to say would have been – only it’s five hours after the fact and what’s done is done. “But it would have been so much better had I said _____ instead.” Oh well, what was or wasn’t said was meant to happen that way and the only thing we can do to make that experience more productive is to understand why we said or did what was said or done. Self-realization can lead to self improvement. Of course, people can likewise go down the other path where self exploration and realization can lead to depression which can lead to a nasty cycle and chain of events. It all depends on your whole outlook on things. It depends on what YOU decide on determining the results of your self-analysis.

Carrying on…

If I’m not thinking about something that happened in the recent or distant past, I sometimes think about future (hypothetical) events – near or distant. It’s almost like I go into the zone and since no one’s around – I’m usually content with just staying there for a while. Sometimes I’ll even go as far as having (in my head of course) a full-fledged imaginary conversation with someone I know (or don’t know, in some cases). Sometimes I wonder where it is that I’m getting the questions or answers from. Sometimes the answers or outcomes to these “conversations” are enlightening and sometimes, completely pointless.

I enjoy thinking. I tend to think I’m pretty good at it – not that it really takes all that much skill to be good at it though, maybe… . Sometimes I am dumbfounded about how many people these days apparently don’t think – or they don’t seem to anyways. Or maybe they do, but just don’t pay attention to what they know . Take right and wrong for example. I think that inherently, most people already know what the “right answer” is, but what can tend to happen is their desire get’s in the way and clouds their judgment.

[…]

It appears that my engine has lost its drive and I’m starting to fumble with words. I have removed my last paragraph and on that note, I think it’s time to eat some food (food for thought?).

:-)

Oooo lookey - I'm Blogging!

So does this make me feel special, or more special than I already feel? No. It’s a blog. Okay?

Sometimes I might write some deep and profound meaningful (at least to me) stuff, while other times (or most of the time actually) I may just write whatever pops into my head, like right now for example. (And what in the world is going on with MS Word?) I’m sitting here on my couch typing from my wife’s laptop and keeping an eye on the dogs. I’m using MS Word for the automatic spell checker function, and when it goes to a new line, it’s automatically indenting my writing. Weird. Sometimes I think “normal.dot” is anything but normal. Maybe this is just the way she set it up since she's always writing for school or class.

Moving on….

So a note about my writing: I’m not necessarily going to be strictly following any guidelines here regarding grammar, sentence structure, etc. etc. Now if I’m at work or if I’m writing something for school, I’m more than happy to double, triple, quadruple, and sometimes even quintuple-check my writing (so I can get a little OCD sometimes; it’s quality control right? Right??). So when I’m composing these random “splats” of thoughts here, this will be my method of sending my writing OCD to vacation, so that I can get a break for once, and maybe get a chance to re-enjoy writing. I just recently finished a technical writing class, so at the very least I can look up some writing rules and guidelines if I absolutely feel the need to. For now though, those books are in the basement and I’m feeling way too lazy, err, I mean relaxed, to get up and get them. Even if I was sitting right next to them I don’t think I’d look at them – not worth my time for just a simple blog.

And we’re moving on some more….

So I had to do this presentation thingy today (delivered live, and web-based) and I think it went better than I expected. Boy am I glad that’s over with… at least until I have to do it again next Friday. If anyone really knows me, they know I’m really not that big of a talker, especially when I’m in or around a group of people. We’ll blame that on my personality, habits, and uh… my social (or lack thereof) upbringing. So anyways, I’m gonna back up a few weeks and move on from there.

About a month or so ago I got this “suggestion” in an email from my boss asking if I might be interested in doing this presentation. The presentation was to show people how to do certain customizations with a certain feature in the application I’m the administrator for (QuickActions for ITSM). So I thought to myself, “Well hell, if anyone knows anything about QuickActions I’d definitely be one of those people, so why not?” I know speaking in general isn’t exactly one of my strong points, so being the type that learns how to rollerblade by using the sidewalk (true story), I figured what better way to work on one of my weaknesses than by attacking it head on.

Now don’t get me wrong, even with that attitude I still was not looking forward to the whole ordeal, but I knew that maybe I could learn something from it, and if not, well then at least I could teach some other people about QuickActions. So that’s what I did, and I think it went well. I have another presentation to do on the 5th, so hopefully I learned a little something today that I can use for my next one. I think I might add a few things since I had a half hour left over.

And ending….

Well, I think that’s about it for now. Kinda boring for a first blog entry, but hey, I like to write, and I’m not necessarily writing for anyone else really, so there ya have it.

“And that’s the way the cookie crumbles”
- Quote from Bruce Almighty