Anyone know how big a cubit is?????

Let's see...more than a foot of snow in less than two days. Add warm temperatures and rain for a few more days. Then dump 3 plus inches of rain on top of that, mix thoroughly and you get Ark building weather. Even schools are closing due to flooding, power outages, and the like. I never remember this happening when I was a kid....going to school in a blizzard, up hill, both ways, without shoes or a coat. But I digress...again.

I should have started this blog off when we bought our house a couple of years ago. It would have made for some nice reading and even some good therapy for me after having to do all the work we did on the place. Now we are waist deep in a bathroom remodel. Thank goodness we have another bathroom in the house or all of this rain we are getting might have been the only way I was going to get a shower. The bathroom remodel is technically not a remodel due to the fact that a toilet leak has caused all of the recent headaches. The good side to this is that the money is being footed by our homeowners insurance due to the leak. So the bathroom will get its much needed updating and fixing and we will only need a small percentage of the money. The bad side is that we are finding all sorts of things that need to be done to this bathroom and I have now memorized my insurance agents phone number.

More to come as things progress.....IF they progress.

Woa...its been a LONG time

At the urging of my wonderful wife, I have decided to try this blogging thing again. Maybe I can stick with it this time, maybe not. I was actually, sort of, motivated by an ex-coworker of mine that also has a blog around here somewhere. Congratulations Rick!!!!! He was someone that I did not envision having a blog but then the last time I spoke to him was almost 10 years ago. People change as life moves on. One thing this slighty middle aged guy has learned.

Some of the things that have changed with me over the last 11 months since my last post? I have continued down the Information Security path. Got my CISM certification. For those of you who might not know, that is Certified Information Security Manager. Added to my CISSP I think I am done for a while. Continuing down this technology path I have also started up a small comsulting firm called RDB Consulting and we specialize in Home Based and Small Business Information Security consulting. Providing affordable security services to firms who otherwise may think its not affordable or attainable. This is very early in the startup stage but it is going very well, thanks for asking.

From a personal standpoint, things are a-changin there as well. My oldest son is pushing 16 and will be asking that all important question...Can I have keys dad? Another summer of baseball quickly approaches as my youngest son has already started practicing at an indoor facility. A few other things have changed as well. I have started back into photography as a hobby. I have made the all important switch (finally some would say) from film to digital. Once I feel that I have gotten a handle on this new fangled digital thing I might even post a pic or two. We also now have 2 wonderful little puppies, Buddy and Suzi. Not spoiled at all, mind you.

Check back soon...if you like....and I will post some more info. For now....later.

Getting back on track

Well, I know I was hoping to get back into the blogging saddle and update this thing a bit more frequently than once or twice a year and I have met that goal...as lowly as it is. I have successfully signed up for another Cert...the CISM. I have the book and have started studying...the test is in June. I am also so slammed at work that I am going to be lucky to study at all except for maybe reading late into the night every night.

Hopefully I will be back on tomorrow with a better update....I know you all are on the edge of your seat holding your breath for it....

A new day is dawning....

I know its been a coupla days especially since I sort of vowed to renew my posting regimen but things they are a-changin around heya...as they say. I accepted a new position with a company in town. A better position for me, yes, money and all others aside. Funny thing is that when I first was approached about this particular position I struggled with the decision for some of the right reasons and a few very wrong ones, although my heart was in the right place when I was thinking about it. I actually was basing my decision on guilt. I felt bad that the guys here would be short handed for a little bit. My wonderful wife quickly reminded me that that particular reason was not a good one to stay. And she was right (as usual). Making this decision was hard on many levels. I really like the guys I work with. I have not been totally unhappy in my job. But within the last 5 years I have made a concerted effort to focus myself in a particular field of geekdom and this opportunity lent itself to that arena. In other words, an offer I couldn't refuse. But that did not waylay the guilt and sadness at parting ways with working closely with these guys that I have grown to respect and in some cases actually like. I know now why changing jobs is one of the most stressful things you can go thru. The search is ok, almost exciting in a way. Knowing that someone out there wants your skills enough to pay for them is nice...flattering. And keeping up on the interview skills in necessary in my book. So overall, this process has been good and bad. Not like I am gonna lose contact with anyone, I will be literally 2 blocks away...but the daily interaction will be missed.

Rhymes with S#!Tworks

Let me first say that this post is going to be a bitch-fest. I intend to gripe, whine and complain about a certain Fitness company that has a few gyms in my little burg here. First, they purchased the OLD gym that I belonged to and quickly (the ONLY thing they have done quickly) closed most of the neighborhood gyms including the one that was most convenient to my domicile. Then they proceeded to tell me that they wouldn't honor the contract that I had with the old company. I complained, loudly of course, and got them to bend some on the terms or renewal. Which is ok since I had a contract with the old gym that guaranteed me a nice low renewal rate but sucks because they should have honored the signed formal contract that I had presented them. And now that my 3 year term is up and I wanted to renew it, at the rate quoted by THIS company after I had negotiated it less than 2 years ago, they tell me that the yearly rate has DOUBLED. So of course I asked to talk to someone about it and all I got was the phone # of the home office in Northern Ohio. I called them the next morning and got a phone monkey that didn't care why I was upset he just wanted to tell me how I can send an EMAIL to cancel my renewal. No, you can't do this over the phone to a real person, you have to send an EMAIL!!!!!!! Huh??!!!?!?!!? I absolutely cannot believe that they actually do business this way.

Well...its about time

Almost a year in between posts. Looks like a long time, seems like it was only a month or two. Sounds like every other person telling the world that time just flies by. I wish I could say that I was exaggerating or that I just say that but it really does fly by. Anyway, back to the point at hand...its been almost a year. The blogger site is no longer beta...I still need to check it out and see whats what (I am a geek after all). A year....what has happened in that year...I passed the CISSP, not sure if that is on last year's posts or not. Still at the same job. New house, loving that. The kids are another year older (more of that time flying thing). Gee...middle aged man telling you time flies and not much has changed. Talk about stereotypical.

Oh well, maybe I will have something interesting or a muse that will inspire people to stop and think about life on the next post.....but probably not!

All WAS quiet

All was quiet on the exam front. I took it. I thought I had failed miserably. I read and re-read all of the post exam quotes that said that you come out of the test feeling like you have no idea how you did. I was 80-20 that I had failed. I was wrong. I got the confirmation email yesterday. Why I didn't post yesterday is due to one of the worst headaches in recent memory. I was barely functional for most of the work day.

Now comes the fun part. Getting someone to vouch for my professional and moral character. How hard is that gonna be? I wonder if there is a time limit on finding someone and begging, errr I mean asking them to send in the appropriate paperwork.

2-3 more weeks and it will be official, as long as no one decides to back out on the sponsorship.

Waiting....

I hate waiting....