Okay, I'll warn you right off the bat that this is going to be bragging. Sorry in advance.
My boss called me into his office today and told me that I got a promotion. I'm not supposed to be able to get a promotion yet because I have only been there two years. The minimum is supposed to be three to five years before consideration. However, my boss told me that the folks from him on up through the ranks thought that I was performing well enough to get an early promotion. Awesome!
Now, if that wasn't cool enough I've also been given one heck of a raise. A couple weeks ago we got our annual raises and I think I got the highest in the group. The average was just under 3% and I got 4.07%. We've got a bunch of older guys so they've been around long enough to have big salaries built up. That means there's a little more in the pot for us lowly young workers.
The great thing is that I also got a raise with my promotion. My boss figured I'd get around 4% but they ended up giving me 7.06%. That's a total of 11%! Wow!
Okay, so there's my bragging. To pay for my pride it looks like I'll be working pretty darn late tonight. Oh well.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Monday, March 21, 2005
Weekend
I got to see a couple of friends this weekend that I hadn't seen in quite a while, almost since my wedding. I drove to Angola to pick up Pat Knox and then we went to MSU to see Vern Moore. Pat is working in Edgerton (sp?) and Vern is finishing up his B.S. in Agricultural Engineering at MSU.
It was nice to see those guys. Pat is getting married this summer (July 9) and he asked me to be a groomsman. I thought that was pretty cool. After Pat the only holdouts from marriage will be Vern & Rob. Who would have thought that any of us idiots could have found women to marry us. Weird.
It was nice to see those guys. Pat is getting married this summer (July 9) and he asked me to be a groomsman. I thought that was pretty cool. After Pat the only holdouts from marriage will be Vern & Rob. Who would have thought that any of us idiots could have found women to marry us. Weird.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Google Adwords
You might have noticed that on the right side of the page I've displayed some ads from Google. Google has a service where they scan your site & post ads relevent to what they find. This, of course, is a blog so most of the ads tend to be along those lines. The ads are usually pretty interesting.
Anyway, Google pays me anywhere from $.10 to $1.00 (and sometimes more) every time someone clicks on one of the links. So if you feel like giving me a present go ahead and check them out from time to time.
I know, I'm begging for money. Give me a break though, I'm trying to save up for a new TV. :^)
Anyway, Google pays me anywhere from $.10 to $1.00 (and sometimes more) every time someone clicks on one of the links. So if you feel like giving me a present go ahead and check them out from time to time.
I know, I'm begging for money. Give me a break though, I'm trying to save up for a new TV. :^)
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Our hyper cat
I noticed that my blog was getting a little boring lately due to lack of pictures. I also noticed that I haven't taken any fun pictures in a while. So I whipped out the camera this morning and captured some up-to-date pics of our little furball.
Mosby has been flying around the house this morning playing with some paper towels he has absconded with. He's also done a few flips on the stairs. I could tell he was going to be hyper today because he woke me up this morning by meowing for 15 minutes outside of our bedroom door. Of course, that's after he already got kicked out of the bedroom last night at 4:00 am for some ill-advised face licking. Yuck!
So here are some picks of the hyper little furball.
The lump of fur that is Mosby.
Mosby loves to play on the stairs.
Mosby has been flying around the house this morning playing with some paper towels he has absconded with. He's also done a few flips on the stairs. I could tell he was going to be hyper today because he woke me up this morning by meowing for 15 minutes outside of our bedroom door. Of course, that's after he already got kicked out of the bedroom last night at 4:00 am for some ill-advised face licking. Yuck!
So here are some picks of the hyper little furball.
The lump of fur that is Mosby.
Mosby loves to play on the stairs.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Thoughts on management
Those of us who have worked in the corporate environment have a unique perspective on management and the bureaucracy of a large corporation. It's what makes the comic strip Dilbert funnier for us than for other "normal" people. You just don't understand the humor until you've worked in a cubicle with a plethora of managers looming overhead.
One thing that always baffles the worker bees is how particular people ever make it into management positions, especially upper management. There's always that person or persons that just doesn't seem to have a grip on how to lead or run a group of people. It follows the Peter Principle: The theory that employees within an organization will advance to their highest level of competence and then be promoted to and remain at a level at which they are incompetent.
Well, through my ECHP (Early Career High Potential) experiences at work I've been exposed to some situations that clear up the issue. I was labeled as a "fast-tracker" in the ECHP program because I excel at my job and exhibit leadership qualities (fools!). The idea is that young people can be groomed into becoming tomorrow V.P.'s & CEO's. I've been provided with trips to headquarters, special training opportunities, special project & job opportunities, and fantastic support from management. It's great, I've got to say. I've been very impressed with the level of commitment from the company.
What I've noticed through all of this is that the 16 of us designated to be in this program can't really go wrong. You'd just about have to burn the place down to ruin your career. That's not to say that you can't opt out of things, but if you want to advance you can.
Therein lies the problem. There are 16 young people who have been fast-tracked to be leaders. There is no way all 16 of us would make good managers. There are many things that go into being a good manager that just haven't been seen in us yet. Unfortunately, no matter what we're all guaranteed to be a manager if we want it.
Take myself for an example. I'm a techy and I'm pretty darn good at being a techy. I can write computer programs and do math for just about anything you want. I'm actually decent (for an engineer) at giving presentations and talking to people as well. However, being a good techy doesn't mean that I would make a good manager of people or the business. I could be a complete goon when given the reins on the company. Who knows?
What's my point? Well, it's just becoming clear to me how bad managers make it to their position. It really is a manifestation of the Peter Principle. I don't mean to say that my managers are bad. Actually, I've been really impressed with our North-American leadership as well as our leadership here in Indy. I think it's kind of interesting, that's all.
One thing that always baffles the worker bees is how particular people ever make it into management positions, especially upper management. There's always that person or persons that just doesn't seem to have a grip on how to lead or run a group of people. It follows the Peter Principle: The theory that employees within an organization will advance to their highest level of competence and then be promoted to and remain at a level at which they are incompetent.
Well, through my ECHP (Early Career High Potential) experiences at work I've been exposed to some situations that clear up the issue. I was labeled as a "fast-tracker" in the ECHP program because I excel at my job and exhibit leadership qualities (fools!). The idea is that young people can be groomed into becoming tomorrow V.P.'s & CEO's. I've been provided with trips to headquarters, special training opportunities, special project & job opportunities, and fantastic support from management. It's great, I've got to say. I've been very impressed with the level of commitment from the company.
What I've noticed through all of this is that the 16 of us designated to be in this program can't really go wrong. You'd just about have to burn the place down to ruin your career. That's not to say that you can't opt out of things, but if you want to advance you can.
Therein lies the problem. There are 16 young people who have been fast-tracked to be leaders. There is no way all 16 of us would make good managers. There are many things that go into being a good manager that just haven't been seen in us yet. Unfortunately, no matter what we're all guaranteed to be a manager if we want it.
Take myself for an example. I'm a techy and I'm pretty darn good at being a techy. I can write computer programs and do math for just about anything you want. I'm actually decent (for an engineer) at giving presentations and talking to people as well. However, being a good techy doesn't mean that I would make a good manager of people or the business. I could be a complete goon when given the reins on the company. Who knows?
What's my point? Well, it's just becoming clear to me how bad managers make it to their position. It really is a manifestation of the Peter Principle. I don't mean to say that my managers are bad. Actually, I've been really impressed with our North-American leadership as well as our leadership here in Indy. I think it's kind of interesting, that's all.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Caswell Surgery Updates
I talked to dad last night and it sounds like Grandpa Caswell is doing really well after getting his pace-maker replaced. He should be chasing Grandma around the house any day now.
I'm doing pretty well after my surgery, too. I'm still a little achy in the bones but it's slowly going away. At this point it doesn't look like I will get dry socket. I'll let you know when I've returned to full eating capacity. :^)
I'm doing pretty well after my surgery, too. I'm still a little achy in the bones but it's slowly going away. At this point it doesn't look like I will get dry socket. I'll let you know when I've returned to full eating capacity. :^)
Friday, March 04, 2005
Grandpa
My Grandpa went in yesterday to get a pacemaker put in. It sounds like everything went well for him. He should be out running laps around the house any day now. :^)
Jen and I will be praying for his healthy recovery. We've got to keep our favorite Grandpa nice and healthy!
Jen and I will be praying for his healthy recovery. We've got to keep our favorite Grandpa nice and healthy!
The wisdom is lost
I went yesterday to get my wisdom teeth out. It wasn't too bad. To tell you the truth, the worst part was getting the shots in my mouth in the beginning. I don't mind needles or cuts or anything unless it is in my mouth. Then it gives me the heeby-jebbies. My heart rate went up and my body got all tingly when he started poking around in there. At first I thought it was some sort of reaction to the medicine, but then I realized I was just being a wus.
The top teeth came out just fine. They probably took only 20 or 30 seconds a piece. He just reached in there with a little lever and pushed around until they broke. Then he put some pliers in my mouth and yanked them out. No big deal. The only discomfort I had was pressure on my jaw bone. It felt like it was going to rip out of socket or something. Which was interesting because in my consent forms there was a line that said "Fractured jaw is possible". What!? This made a me a little touchy on the jaw-bone discomfort, but it was fine.
The bottom teeth were quite a pain in the butt. They were both exposed and didn't appear that they would be any more difficult to remove than the top teeth. Unfortunatley appearances were deceiving. The doc said my teeth were really anchored to the bone well. Good for the rest of my teeth, bad for removing these. My bottom right tooth even had two extra roots! So he had to do some cutting and drilling to get it all out. Ugh!
So I'm back now and things are going fairly well. I bled quite a bit and I don't think the blood clots held in there very well. At least some of the clot came out. So that means I might get dry socket. I'll blame mom. She got dry socket with hers so it must be genetic. Right now I'm fine though (thank you Codine). I'll keep you posted.
The top teeth came out just fine. They probably took only 20 or 30 seconds a piece. He just reached in there with a little lever and pushed around until they broke. Then he put some pliers in my mouth and yanked them out. No big deal. The only discomfort I had was pressure on my jaw bone. It felt like it was going to rip out of socket or something. Which was interesting because in my consent forms there was a line that said "Fractured jaw is possible". What!? This made a me a little touchy on the jaw-bone discomfort, but it was fine.
The bottom teeth were quite a pain in the butt. They were both exposed and didn't appear that they would be any more difficult to remove than the top teeth. Unfortunatley appearances were deceiving. The doc said my teeth were really anchored to the bone well. Good for the rest of my teeth, bad for removing these. My bottom right tooth even had two extra roots! So he had to do some cutting and drilling to get it all out. Ugh!
So I'm back now and things are going fairly well. I bled quite a bit and I don't think the blood clots held in there very well. At least some of the clot came out. So that means I might get dry socket. I'll blame mom. She got dry socket with hers so it must be genetic. Right now I'm fine though (thank you Codine). I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Increasing my laziness efficiency
Jen, in her infinite niceness, gave me the go ahead to purchase a new big screen TV with my bonus check from Rolls-Royce this year. I've been whining about getting a new TV for what probably seems like years to her. It looks like my whining has finally paid off.
We get the high-definition TV signals over the air perfectly at our house. The towers are only a mile away. In fact, you can see them from our back deck. We also get digital satellite, although it isn't high-def, that would benefit from a nicer screen. To top it off, DVDs & my Xbox games can be output in high definition as well. With all of this and my desire for a bigger picture I thought it was time to start looking for a new TV. After all, the one we are currently using is what I got when I went to college.
I'm a research junky, so I've been spending the last few months researching the heck out of high def TVs online. There are a bunch of competing technologies out there. You've probably seen the thin, wall-mountable plasma & LCD screens that are available. Plasmas offer the best picture when they're new, but they fade to half their brightness over about a year and are also suseptible to burn in. LCD screens are also nice and bright, but they are very expensive and don't come in larger sizes yet. Plus, they have a low response time to quick picture changes. That means that you can get blurring or "ghosting" during fast moving movies or when playing video games. You can also get a standard CRT (cathode ray tube) . They offer a good picture but they're heavy & huge and pretty expensive when you get the bigger models.
So that leaves me with projection screens. Now, these aren't like the projection screen of old with fuzzy pictures & bad viewing angles. These are bright, crisp, and clear. It's just a question of how bright, crisp, & clear the pictures is. Even within the projection arena there are competing technologies. I won't go into it, but suffice it to say that Texas Instruments makes a system called DLP that is at the head of the field now. Samsung has been using that technology to make televisions for a while now and they are probably the best at it.
Going into more details you probably don't care about, TI makes a variety of chips for their DLP technology. The HD2 chip was the first popular one. Now the "latest & greatest" are the HD2+ chip and the HD3 chip. You would think that the HD3 chip would be better but it turns out that the HD2+ chip is the best right now. Having said that, the new "best on the block" chip will come out late this spring and will be called the xHD3.
Anyway, I've found a great set from Samsung that is based on the HD2+ chip from Texas Instruments. It's a 56" set with all kinds of high-def goodness. Unfortunately, it's a bit pricey right now. I'm hoping that when the new xHD3 chips come out this spring that the price will drop on the set I'm looking at.
What I haven't mentioned yet is the cabinet the TV needs to go in. Jen would like me to purchase a nice wood cabinet for the TV to replace the one we have now. She doesn't really want an awesome TV sitting on milk crates in our living room. I can't blame her for that. Unfortunately, the TV as well as the cabinet and all the peripherals need to come out of the bonus check. That steps the price up considerably. The only thing reasonable we've seen so far is $567 at Oak Express and to be honest I don't really like it that much.
What I would really like to do is build a new stand using all of my nice woodworking tools. I want to make it look exactly like our cabinet we have now, just adapted to fit the new TV. That would be great! Unfortunately, Jen doesn't think I can do it. She doesn't come right out and say it, but I can tell she thinks I don't have a clue what I'm doing. But I've gone ahead and drawn up plans anyway. I think it would be nice so I'll have to work on her to let me build it. At least that would keep me occupied while prices drop on the TV. I'll keep you posted.
We get the high-definition TV signals over the air perfectly at our house. The towers are only a mile away. In fact, you can see them from our back deck. We also get digital satellite, although it isn't high-def, that would benefit from a nicer screen. To top it off, DVDs & my Xbox games can be output in high definition as well. With all of this and my desire for a bigger picture I thought it was time to start looking for a new TV. After all, the one we are currently using is what I got when I went to college.
I'm a research junky, so I've been spending the last few months researching the heck out of high def TVs online. There are a bunch of competing technologies out there. You've probably seen the thin, wall-mountable plasma & LCD screens that are available. Plasmas offer the best picture when they're new, but they fade to half their brightness over about a year and are also suseptible to burn in. LCD screens are also nice and bright, but they are very expensive and don't come in larger sizes yet. Plus, they have a low response time to quick picture changes. That means that you can get blurring or "ghosting" during fast moving movies or when playing video games. You can also get a standard CRT (cathode ray tube) . They offer a good picture but they're heavy & huge and pretty expensive when you get the bigger models.
So that leaves me with projection screens. Now, these aren't like the projection screen of old with fuzzy pictures & bad viewing angles. These are bright, crisp, and clear. It's just a question of how bright, crisp, & clear the pictures is. Even within the projection arena there are competing technologies. I won't go into it, but suffice it to say that Texas Instruments makes a system called DLP that is at the head of the field now. Samsung has been using that technology to make televisions for a while now and they are probably the best at it.
Going into more details you probably don't care about, TI makes a variety of chips for their DLP technology. The HD2 chip was the first popular one. Now the "latest & greatest" are the HD2+ chip and the HD3 chip. You would think that the HD3 chip would be better but it turns out that the HD2+ chip is the best right now. Having said that, the new "best on the block" chip will come out late this spring and will be called the xHD3.
Anyway, I've found a great set from Samsung that is based on the HD2+ chip from Texas Instruments. It's a 56" set with all kinds of high-def goodness. Unfortunately, it's a bit pricey right now. I'm hoping that when the new xHD3 chips come out this spring that the price will drop on the set I'm looking at.
What I haven't mentioned yet is the cabinet the TV needs to go in. Jen would like me to purchase a nice wood cabinet for the TV to replace the one we have now. She doesn't really want an awesome TV sitting on milk crates in our living room. I can't blame her for that. Unfortunately, the TV as well as the cabinet and all the peripherals need to come out of the bonus check. That steps the price up considerably. The only thing reasonable we've seen so far is $567 at Oak Express and to be honest I don't really like it that much.
What I would really like to do is build a new stand using all of my nice woodworking tools. I want to make it look exactly like our cabinet we have now, just adapted to fit the new TV. That would be great! Unfortunately, Jen doesn't think I can do it. She doesn't come right out and say it, but I can tell she thinks I don't have a clue what I'm doing. But I've gone ahead and drawn up plans anyway. I think it would be nice so I'll have to work on her to let me build it. At least that would keep me occupied while prices drop on the TV. I'll keep you posted.
Losing my wisdom
I called yesterday and set up an appointment to get my wisdom teeth taken out. All four of them. The oral surgeon said that it shouldn't be too bad because all four teeth have already erupted. I'm going in Thursday at 2:00 pm and it should only take an hour. They'll give me local anesthetic only so I should be able to drive home.
Truth be told, I've had all of them for at least 5 years. I had some problems when they first came in but since then they've been fine. Now they're getting cavities though so it was time to take them out. Also, one of them started hurting this weekend. That's what really made me call and set up an appointment.
Wish me luck. I'm hoping it won't be too bad. Of course, whenever people find out about getting wisdom teeth pulled they have to interject their own horror stories. So let's hear 'em in the comments if you feel you must share. :^)
Truth be told, I've had all of them for at least 5 years. I had some problems when they first came in but since then they've been fine. Now they're getting cavities though so it was time to take them out. Also, one of them started hurting this weekend. That's what really made me call and set up an appointment.
Wish me luck. I'm hoping it won't be too bad. Of course, whenever people find out about getting wisdom teeth pulled they have to interject their own horror stories. So let's hear 'em in the comments if you feel you must share. :^)
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