I <3 Skrocki
Congratulations to Linda Skrocki for being named as one of the seven leading Social Media Evangelists!
Some other reasons why I <3 Linda:
- She peer pressured me to blog and got me addicted to Twitter
- We share a love of animals, expensive coffee drinks, and baseball (ok, I'm still working on that third one)
- During business trips, she does her best not to close her eyes or use the imaginary passenger brake when I'm at the wheel of the rental
10 Mar · Mon 2008
Do you expense or capitalize your intangible assets?
I have a giant exam tomorrow night for one of my MBA classes, Financial Accounting & blah blah blah. I need to know how to do some of the standard methods of depreciation, bonds valuation, lease calculations, bad debt estimating, etc. Just when I was about to give up and use the fingers crossed study method, the professor said we could bring in a sheet of paper. In my opinion, any exam for MBA students should be open book/open notes, as that is how the real world is... but I'll certainly settle for a single 8.5x11 piece of paper as a cheat sheet. So, like any good middle school student would do, I spent most of last night taking my 5 pages of critical hand-written notes and putting them into a word processing document. The results: 5 pages hand written notes equals 1/4 of my sheet of paper. On the agenda tonight: Figure out how to do bond and lease problems.
I have a giant exam tomorrow night for one of my MBA classes, Financial Accounting & blah blah blah. I need to know how to do some of the standard methods of depreciation, bonds valuation, lease calculations, bad debt estimating, etc. Just when I was about to give up and use the fingers crossed study method, the professor said we could bring in a sheet of paper. In my opinion, any exam for MBA students should be open book/open notes, as that is how the real world is... but I'll certainly settle for a single 8.5x11 piece of paper as a cheat sheet. So, like any good middle school student would do, I spent most of last night taking my 5 pages of critical hand-written notes and putting them into a word processing document. The results: 5 pages hand written notes equals 1/4 of my sheet of paper. On the agenda tonight: Figure out how to do bond and lease problems.
07 Mar · Fri 2008
Registering for classes
I was online super early this morning to register for classes. When I checked last night, were 4 seats left in the business negotiations class I wanted to take. I hit the register button the minute that registration opened up. I remember there is no way to browse and select from the open courses. Search is the only option. I search for, "negotiations," in the course field. No luck. I try it in the keyword search. No luck. I'm losing precious time. I finally try searching by the course number. Bingo. I select the class and am met by giant red letters that the class is closed. Errrrrr. I quickly select my backup class and the other class I was planning on taking. Now, I'm sitting here wondering if I should contact the registrar's office to explain to them how unfriendly their course search is.
I was online super early this morning to register for classes. When I checked last night, were 4 seats left in the business negotiations class I wanted to take. I hit the register button the minute that registration opened up. I remember there is no way to browse and select from the open courses. Search is the only option. I search for, "negotiations," in the course field. No luck. I try it in the keyword search. No luck. I'm losing precious time. I finally try searching by the course number. Bingo. I select the class and am met by giant red letters that the class is closed. Errrrrr. I quickly select my backup class and the other class I was planning on taking. Now, I'm sitting here wondering if I should contact the registrar's office to explain to them how unfriendly their course search is.
18 Feb · Mon 2008
Yellow Dog
My golden retriever, Riley, retired from the Northeast to Florida three years ago. No, he didn't pack up and decide it was too cold up here. When my parents retired, they took him with them. Sometimes, when I called my parents, I'd ask how Riley was doing before I asked how they were. Oops. I missed my dog terribly but Riley really loved Florida. He didn't care that there were more ticks living in my parents lawn than in the entire state of Massachusetts. All that he cared about was how the thick grass would scratch his back every morning. He enjoyed the cool tile floors. He would become excited, yet ticked off, when golfers were on the course just beyond his back yard.
Riley turned ten a month ago. I probably shouldn't admit that I called him to wish him a happy 70th birthday. Even at age 10 (or 70, depending on how you look at dog years), Riley still had his puppy like moments. He'd steal a pillow off the couch or bring you a shoe if you weren't paying enough attention to him. When I saw him this past Fall, he tripped over his own feet in sheer delight when I picked up his leash. (That same FL trip was also when my Dad, who was channeling Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer, told me I was ruining years of doggie training because I was somehow walking the dog incorrectly. Ha.)
Rumor has it that Riley was named by one of my sisters. I thought the name was ok. I actually didn't care. Once I got over the shock of my younger sister unexpectedly bringing home this new puppy (that her short-lived boyfriend had bought her), I was so excited to have a puppy that I didn't care what his name was. I always called him my Yellow Dog. He was a dog and he was yellow. Yellow is the color of sunshine, which is warm and bright and brings happiness. Yellow Dog suited Riley perfectly as a nickname.
A week ago, Riley was diagnosed with cancer. Today, he went to the big doggie park in the sky. I'm engulfed with sadness and my heart aches. I don't know what it is that a dog can do to you. Their unconditional love. Their desire to please their owner. Riley did that to me. He brought light, happiness, and yellow to my world.
My golden retriever, Riley, retired from the Northeast to Florida three years ago. No, he didn't pack up and decide it was too cold up here. When my parents retired, they took him with them. Sometimes, when I called my parents, I'd ask how Riley was doing before I asked how they were. Oops. I missed my dog terribly but Riley really loved Florida. He didn't care that there were more ticks living in my parents lawn than in the entire state of Massachusetts. All that he cared about was how the thick grass would scratch his back every morning. He enjoyed the cool tile floors. He would become excited, yet ticked off, when golfers were on the course just beyond his back yard.
Riley turned ten a month ago. I probably shouldn't admit that I called him to wish him a happy 70th birthday. Even at age 10 (or 70, depending on how you look at dog years), Riley still had his puppy like moments. He'd steal a pillow off the couch or bring you a shoe if you weren't paying enough attention to him. When I saw him this past Fall, he tripped over his own feet in sheer delight when I picked up his leash. (That same FL trip was also when my Dad, who was channeling Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer, told me I was ruining years of doggie training because I was somehow walking the dog incorrectly. Ha.)
Rumor has it that Riley was named by one of my sisters. I thought the name was ok. I actually didn't care. Once I got over the shock of my younger sister unexpectedly bringing home this new puppy (that her short-lived boyfriend had bought her), I was so excited to have a puppy that I didn't care what his name was. I always called him my Yellow Dog. He was a dog and he was yellow. Yellow is the color of sunshine, which is warm and bright and brings happiness. Yellow Dog suited Riley perfectly as a nickname.
A week ago, Riley was diagnosed with cancer. Today, he went to the big doggie park in the sky. I'm engulfed with sadness and my heart aches. I don't know what it is that a dog can do to you. Their unconditional love. Their desire to please their owner. Riley did that to me. He brought light, happiness, and yellow to my world.
30 Nov · Fri 2007
Vultures
When someone finds out that I'm going to school to get my MBA, I tend to get three distinct reactions:
A. "You are getting your MBA? That's great!"
This usually comes from a person who is either just plain nice or has completed their graduate degree a long time ago and is secretly thinking, "Better you than me." Hence, the enthusiasm.
B. "Oh, that is nice."
This is from the person who has no idea what an MBA is.
C. "That sucks."
This is typically said by another student who is also pursuing their MBA.
Lately, I have been listening to music while I'm doing work work or school work (and not in a meeting for one of those). My recent favorite is this.
When someone finds out that I'm going to school to get my MBA, I tend to get three distinct reactions:
A. "You are getting your MBA? That's great!"
This usually comes from a person who is either just plain nice or has completed their graduate degree a long time ago and is secretly thinking, "Better you than me." Hence, the enthusiasm.
B. "Oh, that is nice."
This is from the person who has no idea what an MBA is.
C. "That sucks."
This is typically said by another student who is also pursuing their MBA.
Lately, I have been listening to music while I'm doing work work or school work (and not in a meeting for one of those). My recent favorite is this.
06 Sep · Thu 2007
How many times a day do you say....
Typical conference call. Typical Thursday afternoon.
Me: Blah blah blah. John Doe, do you agree?
John Doe: [silence]
Me: John Doe?
John Doe: [silence]
Me: John Doe is on mute.
John Doe: Sorry about that. I was on mute.
Me: No problem.
John Doe: What were you asking me?
Typical conference call. Typical Thursday afternoon.
Me: Blah blah blah. John Doe, do you agree?
John Doe: [silence]
Me: John Doe?
John Doe: [silence]
Me: John Doe is on mute.
John Doe: Sorry about that. I was on mute.
Me: No problem.
John Doe: What were you asking me?
24 Jul · Tue 2007
Share your bike?
Would you share your bike?
Yes, I think it's a cool idea.
Yes, it brings me back to a traumatic part of my childhood where there was a big ole orange flag on my bike, similar to the pink ones in the photo. My parents finally stopped replacing it when they got the hint that I mysteriously kept "accidentally" breaking it.
Would you share your bike?
Yes, I think it's a cool idea.
Yes, it brings me back to a traumatic part of my childhood where there was a big ole orange flag on my bike, similar to the pink ones in the photo. My parents finally stopped replacing it when they got the hint that I mysteriously kept "accidentally" breaking it.
10 Apr · Tue 2007
Scheduling meetings with lots'o'people
Doodle is a tool that can aid in finding a good meeting time for multiple people. I just heard of it and I'm sure others exist. I like this one b/c no registration/authentication is required.
Don't forget to take time zones into account. Nobody wants to work outside their business hours, right?
Doodle is a tool that can aid in finding a good meeting time for multiple people. I just heard of it and I'm sure others exist. I like this one b/c no registration/authentication is required.
Don't forget to take time zones into account. Nobody wants to work outside their business hours, right?
22 Mar · Thu 2007
How technology brightened my day
Puma sent me an email that my new sneakers shipped. They will arrive today. I can't wait to get home and see my bundle of joy on the front steps. (Actually, I'm going to get an automated email from the shipper the moment they touch down at my address.) Just a couple years ago, we'd order something and "just wait" until it showed up. Now, I can watch my sneakers' journey home to me. Ah, the miracle of life.
Puma sent me an email that my new sneakers shipped. They will arrive today. I can't wait to get home and see my bundle of joy on the front steps. (Actually, I'm going to get an automated email from the shipper the moment they touch down at my address.) Just a couple years ago, we'd order something and "just wait" until it showed up. Now, I can watch my sneakers' journey home to me. Ah, the miracle of life.
14 Mar · Wed 2007
balancing work and school
I had a break through tonight in my never ending struggle to balance work and school. No, I'm not (well, no longer) an intern. I'm about a third into my MBA. Most nights, I end up sitting at the computer asking myself work or school? Yeah, there's really no need for me to do a full day of work and then come home and do more work, right? Not with the current workload we're all pushing out. Typically, both work and school each have an important and semi-urgent item that I really *should* do that night and I normally try to do both. Since I'm currently taking two classes, school is screaming louder tonight. the solution? Close all work applications. Email, IM, browsers with wiki pages, etc. You would think hitting that red x in the upper, right hand corner would be easy. Not so much.
I had a break through tonight in my never ending struggle to balance work and school. No, I'm not (well, no longer) an intern. I'm about a third into my MBA. Most nights, I end up sitting at the computer asking myself work or school? Yeah, there's really no need for me to do a full day of work and then come home and do more work, right? Not with the current workload we're all pushing out. Typically, both work and school each have an important and semi-urgent item that I really *should* do that night and I normally try to do both. Since I'm currently taking two classes, school is screaming louder tonight. the solution? Close all work applications. Email, IM, browsers with wiki pages, etc. You would think hitting that red x in the upper, right hand corner would be easy. Not so much.
23 Jan · Tue 2007
Hug your help desk staff today
Nobody ever submits a ticket or calls a help desk b/c they are happy. They have an issue. Sometimes (most of the time?) they are ticked off. Who always answers the phone on the other end? Your help desk technician.
People who man help desks have a rough job, one that I don't think I could have the patience for. Those folks are also completely unappreciated. I spent an hour this morning with a Sun internal help desk technician, who worked with me to resolve my printing issues. This guy was so incredibly patient with me, especially as I trekked back and forth to the printer. He was also very friendly. I wondered how he could have such a positive attitude. I need to start drinking whatever he drinks.
On a good note, I probably don't have to work out today because of this printer issue and all the running back and forth. We recently had a printer consolidation across Sun and my new printer is no longer right outside of my office. It's for the best. I sit at this screen far too much anyway.
Nobody ever submits a ticket or calls a help desk b/c they are happy. They have an issue. Sometimes (most of the time?) they are ticked off. Who always answers the phone on the other end? Your help desk technician.
People who man help desks have a rough job, one that I don't think I could have the patience for. Those folks are also completely unappreciated. I spent an hour this morning with a Sun internal help desk technician, who worked with me to resolve my printing issues. This guy was so incredibly patient with me, especially as I trekked back and forth to the printer. He was also very friendly. I wondered how he could have such a positive attitude. I need to start drinking whatever he drinks.
On a good note, I probably don't have to work out today because of this printer issue and all the running back and forth. We recently had a printer consolidation across Sun and my new printer is no longer right outside of my office. It's for the best. I sit at this screen far too much anyway.
10 Jan · Wed 2007
Best gift of 2007
Just received this from a coworker. Since awards season just kicked off (People's Choice Awards, SAG awards, Oscars), I'm nominating this as the best gift in 2007. Everyone needs one.
Just received this from a coworker. Since awards season just kicked off (People's Choice Awards, SAG awards, Oscars), I'm nominating this as the best gift in 2007. Everyone needs one.
03 Jan · Wed 2007
Things not to say on a web launch call
When releasing new functionality or a new site, there are certain things that should never be said.
"It's not working. Oh, wait, I'm on a PC. Let me reboot."
[toilet flush]
"Here Kitty Kitty"
"Oops, I didn't mean to do that."
Any swear word unless it's in the context of congratulating the team at the end of a successful launch. ("You guys kick BLEEP!")
I've heard all of these said on launch calls.
In addition, something I never want to hear myself say again" "It's not working for you now? Did you clear your cache and cookies?"
When releasing new functionality or a new site, there are certain things that should never be said.
"It's not working. Oh, wait, I'm on a PC. Let me reboot."
[toilet flush]
"Here Kitty Kitty"
"Oops, I didn't mean to do that."
Any swear word unless it's in the context of congratulating the team at the end of a successful launch. ("You guys kick BLEEP!")
I've heard all of these said on launch calls.
In addition, something I never want to hear myself say again" "It's not working for you now? Did you clear your cache and cookies?"
02 Jan · Tue 2007
Fun with Wii
With the exception of old school super mario brothers, I don't even really like video games. (I wonder where my power pad went.) In the past few years, I've tried a game here and there on the various playstations, xboxes, etc. The Nintendo Wii is totally different. Ridiculously easy to use. Stupid fun. The controller, which is called a remote in Wii speak, acts as a tennis racket in the tennis game, both a bat and ball in baseball, and my personal favorite, a bowling ball. The remote even vibrates when you hit the baseball. I can completely understand how someone could go nuts and send their remote flying. Speaking of nuts, check out my friend Jon playing tennis.
With the exception of old school super mario brothers, I don't even really like video games. (I wonder where my power pad went.) In the past few years, I've tried a game here and there on the various playstations, xboxes, etc. The Nintendo Wii is totally different. Ridiculously easy to use. Stupid fun. The controller, which is called a remote in Wii speak, acts as a tennis racket in the tennis game, both a bat and ball in baseball, and my personal favorite, a bowling ball. The remote even vibrates when you hit the baseball. I can completely understand how someone could go nuts and send their remote flying. Speaking of nuts, check out my friend Jon playing tennis.
21 Dec · Thu 2006
Technology in the doctor's office
I had to have a mole removed from my hand. It wasn't planned.
Me: "Hey, can you check this mole?"
Doctor: "We're going to take that out and do a biopsy on that."
Me: "Um, now?"
Doctor: "Yeah. Lay back. I'm going to numb your hand."
[numbs my hand]
Doctor: "While we're letting that kick in, I have to get these forms filled out for the lab work."
I then had to watch the doctor fill out not one, not two, but three different pieces of paper. At times, she asked me for some of my personal info, which already must be in their database. Where is the technology to aid her? Why was it super easy for them to schedule my follow up appointment with what seemed like two clicks.... and yet they are back to paper for lab work?
It was more painful for me to wait for the paperwork that it was to get the mole cut out. (It was kind of cool... it looked like someone took a mini melon baller to my hand.)
I can't wait until doctors' offices have patient status. I had to wait for a call for the results of the biopsy (mole was benign). How great would it have been to get the status via my own personal patient page. Oh well, at least they appear to have patient scheduling down.
I had to have a mole removed from my hand. It wasn't planned.
Me: "Hey, can you check this mole?"
Doctor: "We're going to take that out and do a biopsy on that."
Me: "Um, now?"
Doctor: "Yeah. Lay back. I'm going to numb your hand."
[numbs my hand]
Doctor: "While we're letting that kick in, I have to get these forms filled out for the lab work."
I then had to watch the doctor fill out not one, not two, but three different pieces of paper. At times, she asked me for some of my personal info, which already must be in their database. Where is the technology to aid her? Why was it super easy for them to schedule my follow up appointment with what seemed like two clicks.... and yet they are back to paper for lab work?
It was more painful for me to wait for the paperwork that it was to get the mole cut out. (It was kind of cool... it looked like someone took a mini melon baller to my hand.)
I can't wait until doctors' offices have patient status. I had to wait for a call for the results of the biopsy (mole was benign). How great would it have been to get the status via my own personal patient page. Oh well, at least they appear to have patient scheduling down.
![[RSS Newsfeed]](/themes/sotto/images/valid-rss.png)
![[This is a Roller site]](/themes/sotto/images/roller-logo.gif){kind=logo}