ForestMist

There was a time at work, about one year ago, when all seemed mendable. An age of precious 20% time scented with the affrodiasiac of possibilites. Soon to fade along with my hope for an IT department’s redemption during my tenure.

I was saturated with requests but unlike previous years, there was no hope to catch up during typically quiet winter months. Working harder wasn’t the answer either. There is a certain unefficiency and dulling of the mind that comes with inhuman hours. No, the answer would be startlingly similar to a recipe from ”To Serve Man”: add more humans.

Unfortunatly there was a hiring freeze at the time. Volunteers woudln’t cut it either. No, I needed someone who could put in enough quality time to offset the allotment I would surely invest in them. Someone to toil over the horseshoes while I forged a mighty blade in the blazing heat and fierce colds of the server room. An apprentice!

The idea seemed like a perfect fit since I was already fielding web questions and assisting others with various side projects. Surely one of them would be suiteable and have a yearning for learning. So, I drafted a proclamation with an easy challenge and waitied with careful interest to see who would rise to this unique opportunity.

Two weeks later and nary a nibble.

I was ill prepared for the cornucopia of calamity which followed my failed squire search. Lay offs, forced days off , slashed budgets, added duties and more unbearables. This led to the great demoralization of the “survivors” which further shreded any vestigial feelings of hope I still harbored.

Quite some time has passed since the decumbent epoch. I am no longer demoralized, depressed or even depraved (unless it’s a real happening party). No, I’m resolute and proud of all I’ve accomplished. I’m even hopeful for the future again although I know my path lays with another company.

Somewhere out there is a group of free thinkers, hard workers and dress code violators. I hope to join them soon and together we’ll make wonderful websites.

Yes, Odn is alive and well. Many things have happened since the last post. Including…

• Ended the World of Warcraft obsession and freed up 6+ hours each day. I believe I overdosed for quite awhile and finally reached the point where I felt I had experienced everything I wanted in this game. Level grinding to 60, no thanks. Since there is no ending I suggest making up your own (if you are extremely goal oriented like me) or playing very casually and enjoying for a longer period of time with friends.
• Finding out a family member may expire before their numerals reach the answer to life the universe and everything. The optimist in me believes they will come through although those around me are not quite as hopeful.
• Resuming the great VHS escape project. Hundreds of hours of ancient cartoons, old commercials and the occasional Ewok Adventure all in very good condition. The goal is to digitize all of it, ditch the tapes and make a dent in the herculean tasks of cleaning the Odn Stables. Only seven tapes left to convert!
• The realization (through great Parr research) that after two years of hard study and the potential extinction of our savings would leave me looking for a job in an industry that churns out a lot of bad titles, demands 80+ hours a week and pays less than what I’m currently earning.
  • I got married for a reason folks, to be with Parr and believe me, she is infinitely more rewarding than a killing myself for a career. I think I’ll do things on my own terms, make things I want to make and enjoy the experience instead of depending on it.
• Finished the live broadcast of a rather graphic knee replacement surgery. Taking live audio/video streams, encoding them, splitting streams to internal servers and external partners along with many other assignments. I’m damn proud of myself and must say that my realm in this major production went puurfectly. Major, major brownie points at work, especially figuring we have saved many, many thousands of dollars vs. the old style of doing these productions.

I had put off a proper vacation until after the live broadcast and now I find myself drunk with lack of sleep, highly elated at finishing this gauntlet and looking forward to relaxing properly tomorrow night. Life feels slightly reset, as if I can assign new stat points after a major XP gaining quest.

Tonight I sleep good and tomorrow I breathe a sigh of relief, do a bit of work, maybe some lunch off campus and have a night of free thinking. Ah, yes, that will do nicely Mr. Odn.

Nighty!

Hilarious and exactly what I needed after a hard day at work. I really didn’t even expect it to be as good as it was. I mostly bought it because it had Mr. T and the Barbarian Brothers. Wow, the Barbarians would have lured me enough but with Mr. T it was a no brainer!

Speaking of no brainers, sometimes work makes me dull, mentally. Probably because of the lack of creativity needed for certain projects. Actually I think I’m just on some kind of crash period because we recently launched the new website which was mondo fun to put together.

After this short crash period comes a fun media streaming project and then… who knows… perhaps it shall be time to investigate Full Sail.

For now, a bit of World of Warcraft should hit the spot.

Get a job! What, you need some bread? Well get a job in a bakery fool!