one more

Figured I'd throw in one last post before the end of the year.

Christmas was fun. The cold weather is not. I may never be completely satisfied with the temperatures. Either too hot or too cold. In the winter, I find myself pining for the spring. And in the dead of summer, I cannot wait for the fall. Maybe I should relocate to somewhere with a moderate climate.

This week I went to the doctor for the first time since Jan 2001. Whatever I caught just won't go away (and apparently still isn't). It was interesting trying to think back to the last time I had gone to the doc, but I distinctly remember being sick that year. I missed the first week of spring semester, freshman year at USC because of it. I slept and slept in my top bunk in dorm while friends brought me OJ and chicken noodle soup, and finally convinced me to go to doc. I could barely walk outside because the cold air hurt to breathe. Luckily, I got better within the week, but I still remember missing my first geology field trip because of it.

Ready for a new year to begin. And not a new decade. We're still in this decade for one more year, contrary to the news hype about it ending. Right? I have a feeling I've had this discussion before.

i mean, really

This announcement was posted on our intranet homepage at the very top this morning. I have taken the liberty of taking off the names to protect the innocent. Put on your geography helmets because this is going to be a bumpy ride.

Hopefully you've spotted what's wrong here. Or else, show me where the snow-capped Mt. Rainier is in DC? Now.

let me break it down for you

at work, we have an updated system for the thousands of employees to check their paystubs, w-2s, where their money is going, why it's not going into their pockets, and so forth.

a month ago we received an email explaining new security features were forthcoming. last week, we received a follow-up email repeating the first email and predicting doomsday.

today the features were implemented. what used to be a simple log-in with your social security number and 4 digit password has now turned into a guessing game. the new log-in page:


let me break it down for you:
1) enter your log in (but do not enter your SSN)
2) are you confused by the simple instructions to not enter your SSN? then click the "I'm confused--do I enter my SSN?" link.
3) why are you confused? it says not to enter your SSN. why are you clicking this? don't do it.
4) ok, so you're still here, you're not further confused, and never clicked the first link? well, we put a 2nd link under that one just for people like you! simply click "why aren't I entering my password/pin?"
5) now question the bad grammar of the above step. really? "why aren't i?" [sigh]
6) because you're still here and haven't entered anything, we have now provided you with an "OR" option below all of those other steps. and to make this more difficult, there is now a box to simply enter your SSN--even though we said not to earlier. it'll be ok. don't worry.
7) WHY DID YOU ENTER YOUR SSN?!
8) ok, you've somehow managed to see 4 options for you to click/enter and yet you haven't done anything? ok, then click this handy link "forgot your login id". after all, it's really not related to anything else you could have clicked earlier.
9) i don't understand. you're still here. if you have no idea what you're doing in life and you've still not clicked anything because you don't click links, well, we're also going to provide you a button. please click for a "new password." really. you have no other choice. but please wipe any memory of your SSN from your mind and never use it ever again. until the next time we ask you so we can verify it's really you.

FAIL!

the passenger

this should definitely be 7 minutes worth of your day.

cloudy with a chance of pain

I know it's going to be a good day when the day starts with this forecast:

Seems painful. And when did 'sleet' leave our vernacular? Is the weather going PC these days too? Yeesh.

peppermint and pepper

sometimes it's the little things..

like trader joe's peppermint joe-joe's. and coffee with pepper in it.

tis the season, huh?