Strange Days
I’ve been working too much… again.
The gig over at the non-profit is either wrapping or beginning to start for real. My review of their current solution is pretty much complete. I need to write up one final matrix detailing the pros and cons between three different database options. This goes to the steering committee next week. It’s up to them to follow my recommendations or not. If they do, I might be at the beginning of a two-year complete rebuild of their entire software system. It’s a huge amount of work and a huge opportunity. I really do prefer working at non-profits. The mood is so different from the cut-throat business world. There are a lot of ‘Ifs’ in all of this. I’d really like the gig, but I’m trying to not think about it too much at the moment. One huge plus is that the office would only be about 20 -25 minutes from home. My commute times would drop by half. More sleep!
My current gig at a certain chip maker is going fine. My biggest problem is the driving distance. I spent about 2 hours on the road every day. The work itself is OK. I’m learning new stuff here and there. My co-workers are cool enough. I think my struggle is more with fatigue than anything else. I’m not sleeping enough and then I just want to go home as early as possible.
I’ve got another ear infection. Wonderful. I am finally starting to feel semi-human. I took last Friday off. Monday was a holiday. And I didn’t manage a full day yesterday. Today, I managed to hang until 5.
Obviously, I pushed too hard, yet again. The plan had been to head to Victoria for the V-Day/Presidents Day weekend. I had been making another push to get everything done so I could leave without worrying about I and… I pushed too hard. I woke up Friday morning with fluid in my right ear. Gross.
We still went north, but things were much more mellow. I slept a lot. Since we returned, I’ve been going to bed at 9:30. I feel old. It is rather strange for me to feel so content when I’m at home. It is a real paradox. I’ve got soooo much code to write for clients that it is very hard to turn it all off and rest. I run at 90 mph all of the time, but there is no place I’d rather be than at home when the woman and all of the pets are there. There is calm in the middle of my stormy life. It is up to me to stop and enjoy it, in the present.
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My moto-lust has kicked up a couple notches lately. I’ve been drooling over a ’09 Hypermotard S. Add a 2-1 racing exhaust kit, the comfort saddle and I’m ready to roll out. I’m talking to a couple dealers about pricing. MotoCorsa want freight and prep on top of retail. MotoCorsa is a nice place, but you always have to keep in mind that they are fundamentally owned by a car dealership chain, Tonkin. The car dealer mindset seems to filter through everything they do and not always in a good way. I mean come on. They’ve got a pair of Lotus Elise on the floor, close to a Desmosedici. Guess which one costs more. No idea? The desmo of course: $72K vs $40K. The game of buying a new machine is such a drag. I always buy my cars through fleet sales, so I usually avoid the whole dance about car pricing. This is what it costs.
So, I’m talking to dealers. The one in Bend (BendEuroMoto.com) seems to be saying the things that I want to hear. I have a couple things that I need to get worked out like the non-profit gig before I can convert un-cashed paychecks into another two-wheeled beastie. Maybe something will break free sooner rather than later. I guess that depends on several unrelated factors.
The FRJ is being recalled (for the second time). There is a problem with the starter wiring. It could catch fire or some such nonsense. The bike is still in pieces from my tune-up activities, so I can’t ride it even if I wanted to. But knowning I can ride the FJR even if I wanted to is very frustrating. I know I could spend less than an hour buttoning things back up and be ready to go. Oh well… I am forced to wait.
Is this the moment of convergence?
These are strange days indeed…
