for most people, friday is a cause for celebration because the day is the last workday before the weekend. normally, i am one of those people.
today, however, i suck at enjoying friday. of course, i may be somewhat biased today because i had to work extra late today, only to have to immediately book it to my part-time job at the south shore ymca, which then doesn't get me home until well past nine o'clock to have dinner. so it's only natural that i am a little perturbed today.
i have been working on a social networking application project for months now. this project has been dreadful from the beginning as the specification document used to build the application has been non-existent. this lack of specifications unfortunately increases the chance of what is called "scope creep" where things just keep getting added or tweaked to the original proposal.
according to my friend wikipedia:
"Scope creep (also called requirement creep, feature creep, and sometimes kitchen sink syndrome) in project management refers to uncontrolled changes in a project's scope. This phenomenon can occur when the scope of a project is not properly defined, documented, or controlled. It is generally considered a negative occurrence that is to be avoided."
regardless, the project was temporarily put on hold for a while while the stakeholders thought more about the application as a viable product. naturally, the social networking project was greenlighted. the only problem was... i was given a couple of weeks to build an application based on... well... whatever i could pull out of my butt.
it's a good thing baby got back. after numerous days of long hours where i was just downright grumpy, i finished building the application today. unfortunately, the project then had to be in "alpha" by the end of today. "alpha" refers to the state of development. for this project, "alpha" involves only allowing people within the company to tinker with the application in a live environment.
as any developer knows, pushing code on friday is never a good idea (because of the possibility that things can go wrong during the weekend). unfortunately, i had no choice. so, i had the envious duty of staying late today to not only push the code to alpha, but also to test it. and again, as any developer knows... testing your own code is also not a good idea (because the developer knows how the code works and not necessarily the normal user work flow). needless to say, this was not fun. it's also not fun to then be late for the part-time job afterwards and work on an empty stomach until 9.
but i suppose there are some good things that came out of today. for starters, today was the last day that my friend (kelley) will be working at her dreaded job. she got a new job in cambridge. congratulations kelley! so unfortunately, she will not be around for lunches anymore with me. oh well; the train ride home was nice and empty so i got to have a seat. of course, the subway train after the normal rush hour probably is empty more often than naught; and lastly, the stupid social networking project is finished (although not completely because it then has to move to the "beta" stage and there will inevitably be things to change or add then). so hopefully i won't have to work long hours for awhile.
i feel like drinking a lot of booze right now...
Friday, April 4, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
I Suck At Going To Miami
today my friend (hot amy) went to sunny miami. besides basking in the sun and picking up the hot latino men, she went to visit two of her friends who live in florida. (she also went to snort a kilo of cocaine too. after all, ever wonder why hot amy sniffles a lot? just kidding.)
anyway, i suck at going to miami. i have never been to miami. i've always imagined miami to be like how it is on tv with shows like miami vice, golden girls and silk stalkings. someday i'd like to go. the closest i've ever been is orlando.
thinking about miami makes me want to getaway right now and enjoy a relaxing vacation. work has been frustrating lately with the social networking project i'm building, its constantly changing requirements, and the "i need it yesterday" deadline as provided by the people who keep me employed. i've worked so many long hours the past couple of weeks that i think i am getting burnt out. so needless to say, any thoughts of a break or vacation are nice.
miami also makes me think of my friend (anna) who lives in the orlando area. anna banana, as i sometimes refer to her as, moved down there a little over a month ago. (i don't know how or why i started calling anna "anna banana". it could have been the fact that the words rhyme... or the fact that... like a banana, she is asian... who knows?) anyway, it would be nice to visit her down in florida. someday i'll take that vacation.
anyway, i suck at going to miami. i have never been to miami. i've always imagined miami to be like how it is on tv with shows like miami vice, golden girls and silk stalkings. someday i'd like to go. the closest i've ever been is orlando.
thinking about miami makes me want to getaway right now and enjoy a relaxing vacation. work has been frustrating lately with the social networking project i'm building, its constantly changing requirements, and the "i need it yesterday" deadline as provided by the people who keep me employed. i've worked so many long hours the past couple of weeks that i think i am getting burnt out. so needless to say, any thoughts of a break or vacation are nice.
miami also makes me think of my friend (anna) who lives in the orlando area. anna banana, as i sometimes refer to her as, moved down there a little over a month ago. (i don't know how or why i started calling anna "anna banana". it could have been the fact that the words rhyme... or the fact that... like a banana, she is asian... who knows?) anyway, it would be nice to visit her down in florida. someday i'll take that vacation.
I Still Suck At Weighing In
week four of my high intensity interval training ended today. thus, i am at the halfway point of my workout experiment. as much as i dread performing the high intensity interval training, i must say i do love the challenge it provides.
anyway, i got to hang out with my friends (marc and kelley) tonight. we ordered out at this place called "the food club" (they always have good food) and basically hung out watching things like vh1's one hit wonders, "naked" cops, and the worst criminals part 4. it's tough when the best show on tv ("lost") is not on. so, even though i still suck at weighing in, i was able to resume my normal weigh-in process using their scale.
well, the magic number today is 183.6 pounds. thus, i have lost 1.6 pounds since my last weigh-in last week. in case anyone is curious, the percentage of weight loss from last week is a measely 0.86%. even though the percentage is low, i still managed to beat the two brothers and stay above the yellow line (theoretically speaking in comparison to the "biggest loser" show of course).
as for my food intake, despite my one day of consuming close to 4000 calories (hey, the food was good), i averaged about 2500 calories per day for the entire week. i'm guessing i should be reaching a plateau soon. but i guess we'll see how the second half of the high intensity interval training goes.
anyway, i got to hang out with my friends (marc and kelley) tonight. we ordered out at this place called "the food club" (they always have good food) and basically hung out watching things like vh1's one hit wonders, "naked" cops, and the worst criminals part 4. it's tough when the best show on tv ("lost") is not on. so, even though i still suck at weighing in, i was able to resume my normal weigh-in process using their scale.
well, the magic number today is 183.6 pounds. thus, i have lost 1.6 pounds since my last weigh-in last week. in case anyone is curious, the percentage of weight loss from last week is a measely 0.86%. even though the percentage is low, i still managed to beat the two brothers and stay above the yellow line (theoretically speaking in comparison to the "biggest loser" show of course).
as for my food intake, despite my one day of consuming close to 4000 calories (hey, the food was good), i averaged about 2500 calories per day for the entire week. i'm guessing i should be reaching a plateau soon. but i guess we'll see how the second half of the high intensity interval training goes.
I Still Suck At Sharing My Blog
i find that the more i post to this blog, the lazier i get when it comes to telling people what i did on a given date. thus, rather than actually explain what i did, i have been referring people to this blog.
case in point happens to be a couple of days ago when the car broke down. don't get me wrong, i still suck at sharing my blog. my favorite sister-in-law (janine) sent me an email and asked about the car. because i was too lazy to actually retype everything, i sent her the link to my driving post.
needless to say, i am slowly increasing the readership of this blog. i don't know if janine shared this blog with her husband pj, but as of right now, here is the list of people who i have shared this drabble known as my blog.
1. aimee (and her sister angela)
2. hot amy
3. karen
4. kerry
5. jen (although i hear she refuses to read my garbage, which is probably a good thing because i wouldn't want to read my own stuff either and i write it...)
6. andrea
7. janine
maybe there are more people than i know who read this. i was actually surprised when angela mentioned she read my stuff. who knew? today, there's only a handful of peole... tomorrow... the world! [insert diabolical laugh] just kidding.
case in point happens to be a couple of days ago when the car broke down. don't get me wrong, i still suck at sharing my blog. my favorite sister-in-law (janine) sent me an email and asked about the car. because i was too lazy to actually retype everything, i sent her the link to my driving post.
needless to say, i am slowly increasing the readership of this blog. i don't know if janine shared this blog with her husband pj, but as of right now, here is the list of people who i have shared this drabble known as my blog.
1. aimee (and her sister angela)
2. hot amy
3. karen
4. kerry
5. jen (although i hear she refuses to read my garbage, which is probably a good thing because i wouldn't want to read my own stuff either and i write it...)
6. andrea
7. janine
maybe there are more people than i know who read this. i was actually surprised when angela mentioned she read my stuff. who knew? today, there's only a handful of peole... tomorrow... the world! [insert diabolical laugh] just kidding.
I Suck At Personal Training
this week is the first week of the ymca's "mad dash". the "mad dash" is the ymca's version of the biggest loser, just without the weekly weigh-ins, the reward challenges, and the $250,000 grand prize. it's basically a competition to see who can lose the most percentage of body weight while exercising and following a sensible nutrition plan.
anyway, my favorite sister-in-law (janine) asked me to help her with the strength training aspect of the competition. usually, when friends or family ask for my help with certain things, i am somewhat skeptical because i tend to push and challenge people (which is probably why i am sometimes labeled as an "instigator"). what inevitably happens is that they end up doing whatever they want regardless of whatever i suggest. and that's fine. i have no problem with that. in my opinion, i have always found that it is better to have people you do not know push you in achieving your goals because there is a comfort level with friends and family that a person can sometimes "get away" with.
needless to say, i agreed to help janine. unfortunately, i suck at personal training. janine called last night and had some questions about a routine i suggested for her. her strength training routine involves using the workout machines at the ymca. now, the south shore ymca protocol for working out is doing 1 set of 8-12 repetitions on each machine. (now, the ymca has reasons for that protocol. the reason is because there was "research" saying that the particular routine yielded the best results in terms of strength gain. unfortunately, i disagree with that research for a number of reasons. some of those reason include the sample population, the methodology, etc. which i have been privy to because i work there as an instructor.)
anyway, janine felt comfortable using the ymca machines for her strength training, so i suggested a routine for her that was different from the ymca protocol. the routine i suggested is called "super slow" and it involves (as the name implies) very slow controlled movement of the weights during the repetition. the slower movement reduces momentum and keeps the tension within the muscles longer. the workout is a form of high intensity workout.
well, i had suggested that janine try that routine while she worked out during the day. i'm actually quite proud of her too. little did i know, however, she was doing the super slow workout in addition to the regular ymca standard workout. i assumed she would do either/or, not both. oops! i'll need to work on my communication skills some more.
anyway, my favorite sister-in-law (janine) asked me to help her with the strength training aspect of the competition. usually, when friends or family ask for my help with certain things, i am somewhat skeptical because i tend to push and challenge people (which is probably why i am sometimes labeled as an "instigator"). what inevitably happens is that they end up doing whatever they want regardless of whatever i suggest. and that's fine. i have no problem with that. in my opinion, i have always found that it is better to have people you do not know push you in achieving your goals because there is a comfort level with friends and family that a person can sometimes "get away" with.
needless to say, i agreed to help janine. unfortunately, i suck at personal training. janine called last night and had some questions about a routine i suggested for her. her strength training routine involves using the workout machines at the ymca. now, the south shore ymca protocol for working out is doing 1 set of 8-12 repetitions on each machine. (now, the ymca has reasons for that protocol. the reason is because there was "research" saying that the particular routine yielded the best results in terms of strength gain. unfortunately, i disagree with that research for a number of reasons. some of those reason include the sample population, the methodology, etc. which i have been privy to because i work there as an instructor.)
anyway, janine felt comfortable using the ymca machines for her strength training, so i suggested a routine for her that was different from the ymca protocol. the routine i suggested is called "super slow" and it involves (as the name implies) very slow controlled movement of the weights during the repetition. the slower movement reduces momentum and keeps the tension within the muscles longer. the workout is a form of high intensity workout.
well, i had suggested that janine try that routine while she worked out during the day. i'm actually quite proud of her too. little did i know, however, she was doing the super slow workout in addition to the regular ymca standard workout. i assumed she would do either/or, not both. oops! i'll need to work on my communication skills some more.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
I Still Suck At Not Your Average Joes
last night, my bff kerry came over and we went out for dinner. we ended up at not your average joes again. that restaurant seems to be our new hangout. what can i say? the food is good there (especially the bread). why... i could even make the comparison that not your average joes is to me what blue 22 is to hot amy.
anyway, kerry came over to spend the night again. it's a good thing that karen has been around when kerry has spent the night. otherwise, my neighbors may think i'm having an affair with kerry.
needless to say, i still suck at not your average joes. not your average joes offers these "sweet petites" which are mini versions of their desserts. these mini versions are served in a tiny martini shaped glass. naturally, that got me thinking. i started to think about my pilfering expertise because i thought it would be cool to use that tiny martini shaped glass as part of a trophy for the next "event series"... which is supposed to be martini night, that i have not had the time or opportunity to fully plan out yet. i thought about building a base and attaching the martini shaped glass on top.
unfortunately, i did not swipe the glass. it was recommended that if not your average joes was becoming the local hangout, that it would be better if i did not swipe the glass from that location. rather, i should either swipe the glass from another location, or else have someone swipe one for me who doesn't frequent the restaurant. (as i write this, i am thinking of my friend jen who would have no problem swiping the glass. but if anyone else wants to swipe one of the glasses for me, please don't let me stop you.)
regardless, we had a great time at the restaurant and kerry ended up spending the night afterwards. (in case anyone is curious, we may be having a "veronica mars" marathon soon which i'm excited for. yay!)
anyway, kerry came over to spend the night again. it's a good thing that karen has been around when kerry has spent the night. otherwise, my neighbors may think i'm having an affair with kerry.
needless to say, i still suck at not your average joes. not your average joes offers these "sweet petites" which are mini versions of their desserts. these mini versions are served in a tiny martini shaped glass. naturally, that got me thinking. i started to think about my pilfering expertise because i thought it would be cool to use that tiny martini shaped glass as part of a trophy for the next "event series"... which is supposed to be martini night, that i have not had the time or opportunity to fully plan out yet. i thought about building a base and attaching the martini shaped glass on top.
unfortunately, i did not swipe the glass. it was recommended that if not your average joes was becoming the local hangout, that it would be better if i did not swipe the glass from that location. rather, i should either swipe the glass from another location, or else have someone swipe one for me who doesn't frequent the restaurant. (as i write this, i am thinking of my friend jen who would have no problem swiping the glass. but if anyone else wants to swipe one of the glasses for me, please don't let me stop you.)
regardless, we had a great time at the restaurant and kerry ended up spending the night afterwards. (in case anyone is curious, we may be having a "veronica mars" marathon soon which i'm excited for. yay!)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
I Still Suck At Driving
this morning, karen and i picked up our car at the mechanic's garage ("dana's" located at the intersection of furnace brook and newport in quincy... dana and his staff are very nice).
apparently, the problem with the car was its water pump. according to WikiAnswers, a water pump
"Circulates a 50/50 mixture of glycol (or some form of) and water through the engine block and cylinder head and back through the radiator. In the radiator the mixture is cooled when air passes over the fins of the radiator. This is accomplished by driving or a mechanical/electrical fan when stationary. The water pump also circulates the mixture through the heater core giving the car heat."
anyway, because the water pump failed, the coolant that is normally circulated through the engine began to leak (which was the red fluid the car left all over the mean streets of quincy) through the bottom of the pump. thus, without any coolant the engine will start to overheat.
needless to say, dana fixed the water pump and karen and i were able to drive the car again... yay! so it goes without saying that i still suck at driving.
apparently, the problem with the car was its water pump. according to WikiAnswers, a water pump
"Circulates a 50/50 mixture of glycol (or some form of) and water through the engine block and cylinder head and back through the radiator. In the radiator the mixture is cooled when air passes over the fins of the radiator. This is accomplished by driving or a mechanical/electrical fan when stationary. The water pump also circulates the mixture through the heater core giving the car heat."
anyway, because the water pump failed, the coolant that is normally circulated through the engine began to leak (which was the red fluid the car left all over the mean streets of quincy) through the bottom of the pump. thus, without any coolant the engine will start to overheat.
needless to say, dana fixed the water pump and karen and i were able to drive the car again... yay! so it goes without saying that i still suck at driving.
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