Data Center Operations:

What a fun job. Shipping then un-boxing servers (IBM's, HP's, SUN, DELL, and NetApp servers/equipment, etc, etc) over at Savvis which is right across the street from Great America. After 5 years on the Helpdesk, I finally get the hell off the phones and into a better position installing servers and setting up server cabinets and powering them with Baytech and Cyclade powerstrips (they cost $500 to $600 each). I can reach the powerstrips by IP Address, and powercycle any machine I see in a panic or hung state (this way, the machine will hopefully reboot and be problem free, otherwise we have to troubleshoot what's wrong with it).

I get to drive lots of places, over to our Sunnyvale 2 and 3 buildings, over to Building A or D, and then of course over to Savvis (which is where I spend 85 to 90% of my day at).

I did one fun thing last night. I hooked up our new Comcast DVR box to my HDTV. Regular channels look a bit more fuzzy on the Comcast DVR than with the old box, but HDTV looks amazing!!!!!!!! On-Demand had an outage last night so I could not see any categories or shows that were there. This morning, the outage is still going, I hope it's fixed by tonight. I then took my exisiting Tivo box and hooked it up in the Master Bedroom. I had to run a long telephone line to it to update the program guide info (I forgot my Wireless WEP Password, so the Tivo wasn't updating via the wireless network last night, just through the phone line).

I also programmed the Comcast DVR remote, so now I can power on/off my Sony Receiver, the TV, and the DVR all from the remote! YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

Christmas is coming up soon, but since we had an auto repair bill for new front pads and transmission service on our Van, I don't think we'll be buying too many presents for family members. :( That sucks, cause I always love buying things for my family. I'm only going to buy for the kids now and of course something nice for the wife. ;) I guess it's the thought that counts, right?

Breanna will be going to school full time soon, which is awesome, since she'll then be able to learn Spanish, Computer classes, and Science stuff (which she does not get now, since she's only in the morning half of the school day [they learn their letters, numbers and spelling in this half, plus story time, circle time, and play time on the playground]).

I bought a GeForce 7600 GS with 512MB of DDR2 Memory from Fry's the other night. My Geforce 6600 took a crap, so I needed a replacement. It rocks!!! Been playing Battlefield 2142 when the kids go to sleep after 9:30pm, and it's been a blast to play online with 15 to 20 other players on the same server! I kick ass in the hover tank, and pretty much smoke guys with the SNIPER RIFLE. ;)

OK, that's it for now.

Have a good one,

Brian

2:07pm, December 1, 2006


Depression. At first utterance, it sounds like something you'd do when kneading dough or putting your hand in freshly poured cement. Well, I'm not talking about the act of depressing something (like the doctor depresses your tongue with the "tiny wooden stick, Mommy" LOL
No, I'm talking about Depression that comes over you from a loss of some kind. Every man/woman is different, and what you may find stressful, I may think nothing of . . . but I think depression and or manic "High" feelings hit us all from time to time.

Take last night for instance. It was 11:00pm on Thursday night, 11-30-06. I thought I'd simply hit the pillow and fall fast asleep. Not GONNA DO IT!!!! Wouldn't be prudent at this juncture! :) I had many thoughts of Jeana and good times we had over off of her small one bedroom she rented off of the "Old Man" and his "brat son," as per Jeana. It's hard when I have the flashbacks or think of Jeana or hear a song. I want so badly to move beyond the pain and into my life with my Wife (Tressa) and the kids (Breanna & Logan). Sometimes I just want to scream and say, "Why did this happen to such a good guy? Why God, didn't you take me instead. A child needs her mommy . . . those of us fortunate enough to be raised by a Housewife/Homemaker, need count our lucky stars. I screamed for an hour or two at 742 Santa Rita St. in Sunnyvale, CA. I was inside the house, all the windows shut, It was a trip, cause I did not have time to prepare for Holloween, it was October 31, 2002. The rental house was completely empty. The only thing I had kept there was my black stereo cabinet (which is in use today in # 209 in the Master Bedroom). I kept it so I could pack the last boxes and things up and listen to some great music while doing so . . . rockin' out to Metallica, or The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, whoever. So kids came to the door and asked the usual, "Trick or Treat" request. I had nothing to give them except I remembered in the kitchen cabinet were the candy bars I brought back from Europe called "Kinder Buenos." They are amazing, you should try one sometime. So I gave the kids some Kinder Buenos and shut the door, then shut off the porch lite, so hopefully I would get no more kids asking for candy I did not have. :) I packed up the remaining things, crying at a few steps through the packing process, and locked the front door one last time. I put the last box in my 97' Dodge Stratus ES, turned around to look at the house. It was beautiful; we were so happy there and just starting our lives with little Breanna, who was seven months old.

I have to write this funny event down somewhere, so here goes:
Jeana and I were in her bedroom of this five bedroom house, and we were getting erotic and excited to all get go! We knocked the boots, and dropped a few down, and I gave her a couple Protein Shakes which she loved and wanted more of . . . . then the humorous part happened:
The landlord's son, let's call him Jackass A, knocks on the door and shouts, "Hey could you two keep it down, please!" Jeana and I sheepishly looked at each other, laughed semi-silently and replied, "Yes, we'll try....sorry." We didn't try though, we kept up at it all night and he was PISSED when we finished up 6 other times later. We didn't care, we were young. ;)
Jeana was 38 and I was 28 at the time......the Glory Days. Man, I could last 6 or 7 times in the sack, now I'm lucky if I've got two in me. LOLOLOL, LMAO!!!

Remind me to tell you about Jim Reyes catching us "In the Act" in her rented Bedroom. LOL! OK, I'll tell you now. This is what happened, we were getting "Frisky" and Jeana wanted some Mexi-Melt action, so we went to it. Damn dog, but I loved Purdy, she was soooooo good!!! A beautiful black lab. I wished Purdy would have barked louder when she heard Jim approaching the back door. Because needless to say, I jumped out of Jeana's small full size bed REALLY QUICKLY, and onto the floor so I wouldn't be exposed to Policeman, Jim. Little did I remember I jumped on the side where her closet doors were and what were the closet doors made out of? Well, the were full size MIRRORS, so Jim could see me in all my naked glory, hunched over, trying to use the bed as semi-cover for my nakedness. LMAO!!!! It was embarassing as hell, but thinking back to it, funny as all shit!!! I was completely naked and Jeana was semi naked under the bed sheets. Damn that was a funny story I'll never forget. LOL!!!! The only words that Jim could muster up were, "Uhhhh, OK . . . I have been humbled . . . ." Jeana shouted out, "Jim, I thought you were going to come earlier?!!!" LOL! Nope, Jim had gotten off his beat at 8:00am or 9:00am, whatever time it was and came over to Mary Ave and Fremont Ave in Sunnyvale to feed Purdy and make sure she had enough water.

More to come, you thought that was good?!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Take it easy,

Brian,

Better known as: Valdez Chico, Que no? Pos Si . . . Pos quien sabe?!