The Life and Times of Jim
Hi, there. I'm Jim. Welcome to my phlog!
This site was written for Las Vegas, then LouisVille. Now, it seems to be about anywhere. In these phlogs, you'll see a lot of my personal notes and pictures. I like to post my observations here to remember life and celebrate it. I'm not religious. I don't pray for good fortune. I'm ecstatically grateful for the gift of life and I think our time should be remembered and not taken for granted. I'm not a writer. I think pictures tell stories so much better than words. I love just about everything in this life, and, I guess that would have to include you. So, if you've seen me, don't be surprised if your picture is in here somewhere. Of all the critters, people are absolutely the most interesting. 
<< 06/2008 < 05/2009 Calendar 07/2009 > 06/2010 >>Sign InView Other Logs
Thu 
06/18/2009 18:35:12
 jim  Westview, Pa - Bella Rias
Sat 
06/13/2009 20:54:30
 jim  Sparta Nascar Race
Sat 
06/13/2009 19:17:02
 jim  Nascar Race Intro
Sat 
06/13/2009 18:44:08
 jim  Pat Green Concert
Sat 
06/13/2009 16:26:22
 jim  Nascar Group
Sat 
06/13/2009 13:16:26
 jim  Sparta Girls
Sat 
06/13/2009 11:44:36
 jim  Sparta Campsite
Sat 
06/13/2009 08:01:44
 jim  Bam
I usually don't tell stories, but this one touched my heart. This one is about a deer named Bam. She was found alone in the woods, assumed to be orphaned from her mother during hunting season. My wife took her in, went to the feed store, bought some cow nipples and powdered milk, and we nursed her.
We called her Bam.
Bam loved playing with our kids and she became as much a member of the family as any of us, but Bam was growing fast.
There came a time one spring, Bam was out in the barn, just going crazy to get out. I told my wife, you have to let her go. You'll have to believe she'll come back, but you have to let her go. My wife, with tears in her eyes, opened the door, and Bam ran off into the woods without looking back. 
Weeks had gone by. We weren't sure if they'd ever see Bam again, but my wife would go out everyday calling "Bam, Bam!" while holding two full bottles of milk.
It was on a beautiful spring day, a day much like today, she went out and called out to Bam. The bushes rustled and Bam came running out of the woods with her little tail wiggling. Bam hadn't forgotten us. Everyone came out, Bam drank both bottles and we all played. She was such a pleasure. That was years ago. The kids have all gone now. Bam would continue to pop in from time to time, and we'd have our bottles waiting for her in the fridge. We haven't seen Bam for quite some time, but every now and then, we'll see a fawn, up on the hill side, looking down at us, and we'll smile. And that, is my story of a much missed fawn named Bam. - Told by a retired couple at the campround in Sparta Kentucky.
Sat 
06/13/2009 00:07:30
 jim  Nascar Campsite - Night
Fri 
06/12/2009 19:26:14
 jim  Sparta, Ky - Skies
Thu 
06/11/2009 00:00:00
 jim  Camping near Cincinatti
WE will be camping with the gang at Kentucky Speedway Jun 11-jun 14th Busch nascar race on Saturday!
Its just south of Cincy on Highwya 71
Translation: Hwy 35 Rt 1, Sparta, KY‎ - (859) 567-3400‎
June NASCAR Nationwide Series Racing!
Mon 
06/08/2009 20:32:30
 jim  Down by the Creek
Mon 
06/08/2009 06:47:28
 jim  Two apartment weekends have gone by.
We've spent two weekends at home. I guess this weekend was a good one because I wrote a Yatzee program on Saturday. It was fun to do. Writing games is always fun. In my spare time, I can usually write one program a day. We're taking the neighbors out Tuesday, camping in Kentucky this Friday during the Nascar races. Jennifer will be coming to stay for a month on the 20th. We'll pick her up in Buffalo, NY. After that, every weekend will be spent traveling and having fun. I'm hoping we'll see Niagra Falls, New York City, Washingon DC, Kennywood and Ohio Pyle.
Mon 
06/08/2009 06:38:13
 jim  A Perfect Smile
Becky gets fitted for her new smile today. I've thought of her as lucky. She has a beautiful smile. I always wanted dentures. My Mom had dentures. She said she loved them.
Being a smoker and a coffee drinker almost all of my life, I have had a No Awards winning smile. On the flip side, I still have most of my teeth, which should count for something. I can still strip wires with my front teeth, which is darned handy.
Mon 
06/08/2009 06:14:30
 jim  Dealing with a bad brain
I don't remember when my memory went bad. har har
All I know is, I've always had to struggle with ways remember things all of my life.
Take for example: when 
I was a waiter at Mgm.
I worked the Exec Station. That meant that I couldn't refer to Clint Eastwood as 'Mr'. I had to say, 'Good evening, Mr Eastwood. May I offer you something to drink?'.
I remember Seigfried sat on my station once singing Framptons "I'm in You, You're in me". I had to think about that one for awhile.
I also had the floor execs.
One was Mr Green who was white, another was Mr White who was black. So, Mr White was black and Mr Green was white. That seemed like a memory grabber.
Then there were the show people:
they would cram 8 in a booth designed for 3.
They'd order their hearts of lettuce salads, their tea with the bag on the side, and so forth.
They never tipped more than 50 cents. I guess in England, food servers don't get tipped. We were lowly scullions.
But that was okay because occassionaly I'd date one of the show girls.
I remember, I offered a showgirl a nickel for her thoughts, and she ripped me off. She had NO thoughts, I mean NONE, but the girl sure could dance.
See now, I forgot what I was talking about.
Oh yes, memory.
These days I have an IPhone. I can just take someone's picture, then email it to myself with their name.
And if someone is talking about something I know nothing about, I google it. If someone is throwing abbreviations around, I can look that up too.
Take for instance, my title these days. I'm a CE in BISD representing ADI for FI. I can't find those in Google, but I can ask and take notes on my IPhone for these things.
I think it's pretty cool. In the current world, you don't need a good brain, all you need is an IPhone.
Sun 
06/07/2009 14:29:37
 jim  Check out my Yatzee Game
Look down on the bottom right.
It took about 8 hours to write a Yatzee game from scratch.
I love programming. It's a passion of mine.
I used four langauges to create it. I would have liked to use just one, but thats the way things have become of the last decade.
We were talking about new languages that have cropped up over the last 10 years or so.
I'd think most of them are passing fads. Many new languages promise to ease programming woes.
They hope to eliminate programmers.
All systems are simple in the beginning. 
Enhancements make them become complex.
When a new language is adopted, the systems have to be rewritten.
Its not the language that makes them simpler, its the rethinking about changes done after decades of time.
And it doesn't matter what language the systems are written in, ALL systems become complex. 
Programming isn't about knowing a language (I know quite a few).
Programming is about thinking logicially.
To create a system you must be able to hold a line of thought.
So I have to laugh at the people who more-or-less run to Best Buy and purchase packages that promise to eliminate programming !
Imagine how that might work:
A manager clicks a picture of an ATM and drags it over to a new Bank, and the programming is done. Maybe that will work someday. LOL!
Imagine now that the manager wants to trade stocks on the ATM, or add a donation, or whatever, and there isn't an option for it in his package.
Its the same old story. You can't update the package by simply hiring a programmer.
EVERYTHING has to be written from scratch, or the manager will have to pay extraordinary amounts of money to get the package enhanced.
What I'm saying is, you can't create a system without thinking.
A lot of places I've contracted with have off the shelf packages that they've forced on their workers.
We may deal with 10 packages, just to accomplish a simple task, like adding time to our time sheets.
And I think this may be where America has gone wrong.
Greatness doesn't happen by simply throwing money at something.
You have to plan and you don't need a plan for how to plan. You simply have to think.
Tue 
06/02/2009 18:30:23
 jim  Cranberry Fun Center
Mon 
06/01/2009 20:07:14
 jim  Brusters Ice Cream...
Mon 
06/01/2009 20:03:40
 jim  Allegheny
One of the things that really fascinates me about West Allegheny is that it has the second best view of downtown Pittsburgh, and the buildings are falling apart. I'm surprised the wealthy people haven't discovered its vista and rebuilt this area into something very spectacular. I saw people sitting two couches suited for the dump, houses falling apart, and the only business seemed to be a place to buy lottery tickets.
Mon 
06/01/2009 18:57:38
 jim  Allegheny Tavern
Wed 
05/27/2009 09:56:38
 jim  Life in the Jungle
Mon 
05/25/2009 12:01:04
 jim  Cleveland, Oh - Rib Cookoff
Mon 
05/25/2009 08:49:16
 jim  Cleveland-Statues
Sun 
05/24/2009 21:59:58
 jim  Cleveland - Walking Around
Sun 
05/24/2009 21:38:38
 jim  Cleveland - Vampires
Sun 
05/24/2009 20:54:50
 jim  Cleveland, Oh - City
Sun 
05/24/2009 19:54:16
 jim  Cleveland - 4th Street
Once again, 4th Street "Live" is the place to be. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in downtown Cleveland (off of Euclid and 4th Street). I thought it might be a good place to hang because there was a House of Blues near it.
The hotel, ahhhh, it was old, stylish,
and classy. Our room was larger than our apartment. It had a jaccussi bathtub and a very comfortable bed.
Right down the block, on 4th Street, there were maybe six bars. Curiously, and sadly, they were all sports bars, so Becky and I didn't do any dancing (in public that is). We dance a lot, but nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to see us.
Sun 
05/24/2009 19:46:04
 jim  Cleveland LakeErie Dock
Sun 
05/24/2009 19:21:08
 jim  Cleveland - Edgewater Park
This guy just couldn't get it up.
He tried and tried.
I asked him if I could give him a hand.
He said, "Can you cut this grass". 
I've changed my mind about wanting a paraglider. Everywhere I see one of these (San Diego, Seattle, Cleveland), people seem to be struggling to launch.
I think I'll just save my $2,500
and buy a $2 kite.
Sun 
05/24/2009 14:48:12
 jim  Cranberry Ichiban
Sun 
05/24/2009 05:51:42
 jim  The rules for contractors
- If you have a S-Corp, go 1099. You'll have more write offs and will pay almost half in taxes.
- If  you can go W4 and you live out of state, get your contract amended to include Per Diem as part of your wage.
Never fall in love with a contract.
Outsiders usually know whats going on inside your company before you do.
Insiders may know whats going, but will be reluctant to talk about it.
Reviewing Monster and Dice will tell you a lot (query your position and area). Company websites often tell you a lot.
In this information age, truth can be extrapolated from bits and pieces collected through various resources.
In most cases, contractors are frowned upon
It looks like they draw more income, which isn't true.
Full Timers and Salaried Workers may do better than Consulants, even though they make less.
Judging income by looking at hourly wage is a bit bone headed.
A full timer at $30 an hour may end up doing better than a contractor at $40 an hour.
- In most cases, contractors usually don't get paid a vacaton, sick days, employer matched 401k's, and worst of all group health insurance
- 1099 Contractors pay full state taxes, FICA, health insurance (if they can get it) and may have to pay unemployment insurance and workmans compensation.
- The big perk for being an hourly contractor is, you get paid for every hour you work.
Salaried employees often work 60+ hours a week, uncompensated.
I think in general, if you are a programmer, there are no stable positions.
Unless you move up the ladder, you are expendable.
Since outsourcing became popular in the 90's, both salaried employees and consultants have become major targets of budget cuts.
- I've seen situations where almost all of the salaried programmers were laid off, and the contractors were kept.
- I've seen situations where an entire floor of an apartment building was rented to house foreign contractors for an all expense paid contract. 
These foreign contractors make far less in wages. Often, they send most of what they make back to their families. Its almost impossible for natives to compete with that.
However, with the rise of foreign contractors, comes the rise of communication failures. I believe Business Analyst have become popular for that reason.
For these reasons, with management overloading, what used to take a week to impliment, may now take 6 months.
Plus, unlike 10 years ago, when I had one boss, I now have many.
It is important to maintain a network of contacts
Whether salaried, full time, or contracting, everybody is subject to the ax.
In the end, maybe half of the people I've known end up on the street.
The best thing you can do to remain stable is to find a niche.
I think that in the struggle for management to quantify what programmers do
- the cost has been dead paperwork
- documention that no one looks at
- meetings that sometimes involve over 100 people most of which don't have a clue about what is going on
- Constant updates of your status
- Paranoid procedures have been developed. Often, security procedures are created by people who do know the application.
The following is a good story to share.
I made an error, or so it would seem. I wasn't allowed to see productions configuration until implementation day. Its configuration was different than our test system.
I could have fixed the configuration in one minute, but instead, I had to back my programs out and do a workaround. That took 3 months.
I got a black eye for that, but I don't blame myself. I blame poorly designed management procedures and horrible security implementations. To much management means slower responses. Too much security may mean months of red tape to cut through.
Sat 
05/23/2009 10:04:58
 jim  Ground Hog Day at the Apartment
Fri 
05/22/2009 06:41:01
 jim  Another wonderful day in Pittsburgh
It looks like another wonderful day in Pittsburgh.
I can't begin to describe my feelings.
I wake up in the morning and a cardinal is peeping at my door. I toss it some peanuts. Then out comes Scats, our friendly chipmunk, who fills up his ever expanding cheeks with peanut morsels.
Life is everywhere and it seems boundless. From critters the size of a speck, to the bounding deer traversing the mountain slopes, it's incredible.
My contract should end in September.
And when I go, all my memories of this place, and its beautiful people, will be frozen in a place where there's no space, and no time.
So if you catch me sometime,
looking at nothing with a smile on my face, that is where I'll be. These last few years have been the best of my life.
I want to leave this life happy,
in my sleep like my Grandfather, and not like the other people in his car yelling and screaming.
Wed 
05/20/2009 18:27:02
 jim  North Park Hikers
We met John and Bret at the Nature Center where we talked about guns, ghost, UFO's, 2012, and all sorts of things like that. We laughed about it. I told him I'd been looking for ghosts and UFO's all of my life, and have seen nothing, except for what is in my mind. But I told him if I did see a ghost, I would not be afraid of it because, if it killed me I'd be a ghost. Then I could kick its butt! Sounds logical...haha.
Wed 
05/20/2009 17:40:04
 jim  NorthPark Picnic
North Park is about 8 minutes from our apartment. It has lakes, row boat rentals, hiking, horseback riding, a golf course, ice rink, restaurants, and uh, hmmm, picnic areas. Pretty Cool, huh?
Tue 
05/19/2009 21:31:20
 jim  Homestead Stacks
Tue 
05/19/2009 18:45:06
 jim  Homestead Speckled Robin
Tue 
05/19/2009 18:21:04
 jim  Red-Hot-N-Blue
Sun 
05/17/2009 13:20:10
 jim  Beautiful Words
While creating a log called Obits, I came across a letter that is very special.
This letter was written by my Mom after my Grandfather died.
Good Night, Dad.
This message will live in my heart forever.
Thank you, dear God, for my father and for those words Dad never failed to speak each night - to me.
"I love you with all of my heart.
I want us to live together for the good of each other and to work together in peace.
And when I get too old to take care of myself I want you to take care of me
".
On his last night,
Dad smiled, always a sweet smile, and said
"I hate to let you go" (holding my hand)
And he let go and smiled again, and left.

My Mom was a beautiful person.
I remember leaving her hours before she passed on. I kissed her, told her I loved her so much. She waved at me with one of those red, glowing sensors on her finger and smiled so big.
I never thought she was going to die in her sleep hours later. My wife (Ruth) and I had prepared a room for her at my house, for when she got out. Mom seemed to get around just fine.
But I was so busy in those days. I had to reinstall almost all of the applications at Caesars that month.
Maybe I saw, but I didn't notice that my Mom, my best friend in this life, was slipping away.
Mom died 10 years to the day, after her husband (Dave Leblanc) died. Dave, Mom, and my Grandfather died just before their insurance ran out.
Dave was my step-dad, and what a great guy he was.
Almost all of the people I loved from that period are gone now. Only my brother and I are left to honor their memories.

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