Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in talorgen's LiveJournal:

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Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
11:12 pm	Computer Security I'm tired of working with folks in computer security. At least, with the folks at my place of employ. It should be possible to consider the user when designing a security system. If the system is overly complex, or gets in the way too much, it will either be circumvented or turned off. But those options are worse than the problem that we're trying to resolve. I think it's a failing of the current thinking in general - just because we _can_ make a system so secure that is impossible to use, we _must_ do so. There's a ton of rhetoric about risk-based security, but I don't see it coming to anything - everything is treated as a maximum risk environment, even if I have no customer data and no access to company confidential data from a system. Enough grumbling... (1 Comment |Comment on this)
10:37 pm	The heat wave's gotta end It's hot down here. Which isn't that big of a problem, except... The works's gotta get done, or we're going to do pennsic chez shabby this year. Can't have that! Have to mend the pavilion this Sunday. Need to paint it first, so that it can dry. That means finish the lawnmowing (mower broke the other day). have to get started putting everything that's going in one place, so that I can figure out how to fit it into/onto the vehicle. Looks like it's Rosie that's gonna be getting us there. Good thing we don't have to pack kitchen stuff this year. 7 days to departure. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 1st, 2006
9:28 pm	Where's the comedy? OK, so I need a couple of really funny movies. We're not ding too well of late trying to find any that we haven't seen. I can find the in-your-face stupid variety of movies, or I can find stuff that looks like it might be funny but invariably isn't, really. What happened to decently funny comedies? I even just picked up a Jackie Chan flick that I'd never heard of, 'New Police Story' - and it's not the kind of thing we were looking for at all. It's one that was made in Japan, and while OK, it's not all that funny. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, July 27th, 2006
10:31 pm	Trying to get back to logging I'm trying to get back to this. Who knows if I will succeed - but I reckon it's worth a shot. I sometimes think that I must work in Dilbert's cubeville. The re-org continues to drag out, and the critical path items to complete it are taking a very circuitous path to getting accomplished. C'est la vie. Its been a good day. Listening to Redwall in the car on the way to work is a good thing. Started chatting with my brother and his family again - need to do more of that. I'm also looking into using more organizational tools. Mebbe this time they'll do some good. Not long til Pennsic! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, May 22nd, 2006
10:24 pm	I haven't slowed down since getting home from seeing my kids the weekend before last. Hi, Danny & Emily - sorry I haven't written yet. I'm going to try to get better about it. I missed calling you tonight, too - by the time I looked up, the sun had set and it was almost 9. I will call tomorrow on my way home from work. It was a truly lovely weekend that I got to spend in Buffalo. I enjoyed playing with Danny while Emily was rehearsing for her dance recital. I also enjoyed the recital - you did a lot of hard work to go out there, and I am very proud of you. The day at the ballpark was good, too. I hope that you both enjoy playing this year. The rain wasn't even all that bad, either... I love you! -Daddy (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006
12:04 am	Gym Yup, looks like all of the Roanwoulfes are going to the gym. I've at least 80 pounds to lose and need serious strengthening of my core muscles. I went today, and got in a good upper body workout. I'm happy that the abs and lower back stuff were workable and didn't tear me up - it took bending over the idiotic car for an hour to manage that. More on that momentarily. I'm not happy with the fact that it took a lot out of me to do the last 10 minuts of cardio. I'm supposed to build up to 20 for the beginning workout, though. I hope I never meet anyone who claims that they designed any part of a vehicle which I have owned. I've worked on every one I've ever owned and generally find them all to be annoying in one way or another. I don't want to see another 'interesting' way to mount an alternator, and whose bright idea was it to put the battery mount under a stiffener for the unibody? It's also no fun to have to go find new tools simply because the designer had never seen that particular style of fastener used there before. 10 standard bolts, 3 in impossible positions, and they had to put in a torx head screw as well - for what purpose? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, March 20th, 2006
9:42 pm	Erratic and boring I haven't written a thing in a while; I suppose that I should try to get back into it. Work's hectic - I have 2 weeks to finish up getting our next quarterly patchset out for our Linux systems, and of course everything else wants to break at the moment, including me. I was on neurontin last week, and while it bought me some relief from the back and the skin neuroses, it also got me extreme exhaustion. I haven't slept 18 hours straight in a while, but I did last week, and lost another half day at work because I was too sleepy to concentrate so I just came home. Hopefully I'll wake up for more than work, soon. Just another boring journal entry... (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 11th, 2005
11:28 pm	Inn on the Road I'm getting excited about the bid for Inn on the Road '06. Because of the way we wrote the Canton policy, official financial approval cannot occur until our January meeting - the first official discussion of the bid will be next month. But we have a ton of energy behind the concept, and a lot of great ideas for how to make it a memorable and fun event for everyone. For a theme, we're going with an actual Inn and the activities of those around it and the travelers who come through. This allows for a remarkable spread of events while still keeping a solid theme for the event to center upon. We're looking to have activities from site open on Friday evening until site close on Sunday noonish, in late April. I've Spiked the event, using one of the candidate sites. We'll keep looking, as we haven't found the perfect one yet, and the best candidate we thought we had was far too expensive to be useful. That's it for now, it's getting rather late and I need to sleep sometime. Current Mood: excited (Comment on this)
Thursday, September 29th, 2005
9:46 pm	It is done I've just sent in a letter of intent for the upcoming Baronial Polling for Sacred Stone. Baroness Arnora Olafsdottir has agreed to serve with me, should the Crown be so pleased as to name us to the position. We both agree that this is a job, not a position. It's also a choice of the Crown as to whom to name, not a race to win - and we intend to treat it that way. Too many Baronial Pollings in our collective experience have turned into backstabbing political fests, and we hope to avoid that if possible this time around. Of course, we've heard that before, too... Current Mood: chipper Current Music: the whine of the air conditioner (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 22nd, 2005
11:41 am	Back from the chiropracter I'm very happy with this chiropracter/ART practitioner. I've been to see him 7 times now in the past 3 weeks. That's fewer visits from initial to maintenance level than any of the other guys I've gone to see over the past 5 or 6 years, and better results. I'm now able to get back to my normal activities, including fighting, so long as I pay attention to my muscles and ease into them. He was tickled to write 'advised patient to put on armor and try fighting movements' on my chart as I left today. I go back to see him once a week for probably a few weeks. Dr Duffy of Greenapple Sports Medicine, on Park Avenue @ Woodlawn in Charlotte. If you're not nearby and you're having back issues, consider finding yourself an ART specialist. They're usually chiropracters as well, and the difference between having someone just adjusting the bone and having someone adjusting the musculoskeletal structure is like night and day. Find a practitioner at http://www.activerelease.com. Current Mood: chipper (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 13th, 2005
11:03 pm	There be dragons here! You're a dragon. You're smart and cunning, and enjoy taking risks. Your need for independence is an advantage, but sometimes it alienates you from others. As far as *good* and *evil*, you're pretty neutral--but you may have something of a wicked streak. What mythical beast are you? brought to you by Quizilla (Comment on this)
Sunday, September 11th, 2005
5:11 pm	Happy Birthday, Sacred Stone rozsa did a great job this weekend when she ran Sacred Stone's Baronial Birthday event. Everyone that I know of at the event had a lot of fun. The bardic on Friday evening was grand, and the majilis on Sat was a resounding success even though I didn't get to spend much time there. Way to go, asim! I am the Bard of Sacred Stone for the fourth straight year. I suppose I'll have to do a better job this year, and get some other folks to sing so that whomever Their Excellencies are have better choices next year. We sold a ton of Scotch Eggs in the tavern. I'm glad we put them on the menu. I've got photos to go through and post later, of course. 700 or so exposures... Current Mood: tired (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 8th, 2005
10:34 pm	I don't like quizzes, but Complete sincerity: You believe in being straightforward with others, and you expect the same from them. People would consider you a good listener, and one who is calm and mostly serious. Which Characteristic From the Samurai Code Matches You Best? (You may find out your best trait) brought to you by Quizilla Current Mood: happy Current Music: Dead Zone (1 Comment |Comment on this)
12:44 pm	Another day, another forty-seven cents Had my second chiropractic/ART appointment for this week. Seems to be doing pretty well; at this rate next week when I go back I'll be asking him to take a look at the muscles surrounding my lower back instead of the lower back itself. Work's going along pretty well, I suppose. I'm in one of those phases where I can't point to concrete accomplishments and that makes it tough to justify to myself what I'm doing. But it should all come together soon, and then it will be worthwhile. All in all, life is good - very good. My kids talked to me for more than just 10 seconds at a time on the phone yesterday. Even Danny, who was very difficult to understand. If they talk longer, it makes it much more rewarding for me to call them, and makes me feel more like it might mean something to them for me to do so. Here's hoping that's the start of a new trend. Back to the grindstone Current Mood: cheerful Current Music: Pink Floyd (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 6th, 2005
10:35 pm	Mostly done The benches, that is. I've got to get another 1x4 to make the last crossbar. The rest are all cut, and just need sanded and delivered. The doctor today was pretty useful. For the first time I can remember, I don't have pressure points on the vertebrae that have degenerative disks. And that's just after one soft tissue adjustment. Aside from that, just another day in the neighborhood. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, September 5th, 2005
5:54 pm	Measure twice, cut once These benches are a pain in the tookus. It's not that they are difficult to make, particularly. It's that I waited entirely too long to work on them and keep making foolish errors. I've now got 2 seats that are hopelessly mangled, one crossbar that is. One complete bench is finished, and 2 more seats have been cut. The rest of the legs and crossbraces have to be done yet. Hopefully, I'll be doing better tomorrow. It was a good weekend. Had a bit too much to do with work on Fri, but that's life. Sherra & allegranza picked me out a watch and they did a great job. I'm now wearing a Casio WVA 105 atomic time watch. It looks sharp and I'm very happy with it so far. Went up to Hillsville, VA, to a flea market with the family, and had a good time. Current Mood: tired Current Music: The Closer (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 1st, 2005
9:32 pm	Running the show OK, so sometimes running the show isn't all it's cracked up to be. At work today, the boss headed out and left me on point for my team. At 10, a supposedly highly available database failed - the product that was supposed to ensure that it came up on the backup system actually prevented it from coming up cleanly, and it is one of those $k/minute type of deals. Recovery took entirely too long, and kept me from my chiropractic appt. Now I have to be on the phone at 7 am to continue with supporting this issue, too. Still, it's not that bad. Just a long day, mostly dealing with customers who don't understand the technology that they are using, and whose design decisions reflected that fact - I suppose we're lucky that the impact was as limited as it was. still, days like this are part of this career, and I do truly love the work in my career field. That's it for today, I guess. Looking forward to a fun weekend with the family, though it looks like we're likely to curtail our travelling a bit in light of the gas situation. Current Mood: tired Current Music: The Evening News (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 31st, 2005
10:02 pm	Considering the job of Baron SCA-wise, I've been thinking a lot about the jobs of Baron & Baroness of Sacred Stone. I'm considering putting my name into that ring, but only if I find someone to run with me. It's a job that I care about a lot, and one way to reverse the affect of some of my choices lately. There is a likely set of candidates for the job who will probably be the new titled heads, but it's also a job that I would truly like to have - this time or another time - and I guess it's time to make that known. It's a job that I've given a lot of thought to. What makes a particular Baron or Baroness or pair 'good' royalty is also something that I have tried to give thought to. My earliest role models in the SCA were Barons & Baronesses. I had the good fortune to join in Attilium while Fern & Robyyan were running Windmasters Hill. Mistress Ceridwen was made a Baroness for her contributions during that time. Bran was running Sacred Stone and the events that I attended here showed a strong Baronial identity. Right now, I don't see much of that going around. It's not just that Sacred Stone doesn't have a strong identity right now, it's that almost nobody does. Hawkwood is a notable exception, which is great - and they're new, and have put a lot of energy into making their Barony have an identity. I'd love to see that kind of energy realized in a positive way here. But I digress... I also saw Connor and Rosamund and then Donnchad and Ailionora lead the Barony of the Rhydderich Hael in AEthelmearc. These people were some of the hardest working people that I knew, and helped to create that magic about this game that keeps bringing me back to this day. I think the job of the titled heads of an area is to bring some of that 'magic' that most of us are looking for in the SCA to each and every person in their realm. I think that's the real job of any Royalty in the SCA. And I think that it involves hard work, cheerleading for your area, a bit of instigation, and a lot of diplomacy. I'm not sure that I'm ready to do the job, but I'm also not sure that anyone really is until they step into the role and do it. I thought I had more to write on this subject when I started. I reckon I probably will, after I post it. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Neverwinter Nights (3 Comments |Comment on this)
8:11 pm	Another good day I rode my bike to work today. I'm pretty happy because I haven't had to take anything for my back, and I rather expected to have to. Looks like I'm going to be taking it again tomorrow - Rosie is still in the shop, though we hope that she'll be back to us after that. Tomorrow I'm going to see a new chiropracter - Cathy told me that I should check out a technique called Active Release Therapy because it's really helped her. I'm going to see a local practitioner tomorrow afternoon. Work continues to be moving in a positive direction. It'll be nice if that pans out. Current Mood: content Current Music: T.A.P.S. on SciFi (Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 30th, 2005
1:42 pm	Flight of the Falcon pictures released 101 photos from Flight of the Falcon, a newcomer's event held by the Canton of Aire Faucon in Atlantia, have been released on talorgen.smugmug.com . Most are taken by Tal, but all of the archery pictures were by Laura Leedy. I'm also pretty happy with this photo that I took this morning. The rosebush was run over a couple of weeks ago, but is blooming from the broken limb. We're going to move the plant later this week, I think. Current Mood: cheerful Current Music: Michael Longcor's 'Drunken Angel' album (3 Comments |Comment on this)