Technicalities

September 29, 2005

We Have A House

Yes, we closed on the house today... We won't be moving in until next week, but we now own a house. I really love it - it's quite beautiful. But it is smaller than the house we just left. Soooo - even though we got rid of stuff before we moved, it will be interesting to see how much of what's left will now fit! Should be fun - stay tuned for complaints about my tremendous lack of decorating skills.

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September 20, 2005

Packing Packing Packing...

Sorry I'm so boringly focused on moving... however that is what's going on right now and it rather overrides... even tramples into the dirt... any other subject.

After tonight I won't be online again until Friday. Hmmmm.... I wonder if it will kill me or if I'll only have DT's! You know there will just be an enormous amount of blog fodder that I won't remember because I won't be able to "blog it now".

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September 16, 2005

How Does One Get Off This Merry-Go-Round?

What a week it's been... Calling people about address changes, calling utilities to get final readings, talking to realtors, husband, realtors, work people, realtors... signing papers (I'm pretty sure I signed my life away in there somewhere). Going to banks, finding notaries, signing more papers, talking to realtors, talking to work people, looking at quotes, emailing relo people, talking to realtors, trying to get rid of hazardous chemicals (IL seems to have this well in hand - very nice facility in Naperville), taking stuff to Good Will, packing boxes... unpacking boxes to look for papers for the mortgage people, talking to realtors, talking to mortgage people, calling the 1 800 Got Junk people to come pick up the extras (how the heck should I know how much space that junk will take up???)...

I feel like I've been running in circles - yet I suppose we've accomplished a few things.

At the utilities - I only ran into one person who didn't seem to have much grip at the Gas Company. She sounded pretty young - so maybe she hasn't been there long. She got me mixed up with a different customer and completely confused me when she said the new people had called to have the bill changed over... wha??? Oops - wrong customer - oh well - getting me the bill is their responsibility. I called to have it done.

The trash people - Waste Management - ticked me off because they don't have a single PHONE NUMBER on their web site. If you try to use the contact page - you get an email form! The wankers! I had to dig out a bill to call them. Since they only bill 4 times a year - that was easier said than done. But the man I talked to on the phone was very polite and did his job well.

I was very sad to call Covad to cancel my DSL next week. They have been utterly reliable and excellent to work with. Unfortunately the house we're buying is not yet near enough to a station for DSL... I want them to build stations really quick because I have a feeling that cable modem won't be nearly as trouble free.

Luckily - there is not much that I need to pack - we have movers coming in to do the honors. I'm only packing the stuff we're taking with us.

The worst part? Tomorrow is my last tai chi class. I am going to miss that more than anything else (six years is a long time!)... great class, great people - it doesn't happen that way very often. I'll also miss being near Tammi... Although we will very likely continue to talk on the phone all the time anyway. I would say I'd miss my daughter - but it's likely I'll see her more often once I move than I do now...

Best part? New places, new adventures... and I'm moving up near other friends. There will be so much to do and so much to check out! Living with my husband... always a wonderful thing. Yeah, it's gonna be fun if I don't lose my sanity first!

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September 11, 2005

I Can't Say It Better

Go here.

Remember...

Never Again.

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September 05, 2005

Are You Prepared?

Grau asks... are you prepared for a disaster? Head over to his place and tell him if you are and what you've done. Add your own suggestions.

I have to say that I am definitely NOT. I'll have to work on that... after the move!

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September 04, 2005

School Supplies

A friend of mine writes the following...

Houston Texas needs School Supplies

Houston will soon be signing up thousands of refugee children from Louisiana in their school district after the hurricane. They are still coordinating the basic efforts of getting people situated in the shelters, but soon they will need help. Specifically, I've heard they will be looking for school supply donations. Anyway, here is the website where this effort is being coordinated:

Harris County Department of Education

Monetary or School supply donations can be sent to:
Harris County Department of Education
Attn.: Katrina Relief
6300 Irvington Boulevard
Houston, Texas 77022

They also have a list of various resources on their FAQ.

HCDE resource FAQ

So if you haven't given yet, or you might be able to give a little more in the upcoming months... I'm sure this is a situation that will need to be maintained.

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September 02, 2005

Pondering Options

I've been thinking for a while that I want to go back to school and work on a Masters degree. I have been looking into various options in the computer field from Information Systems as a generic to Information Security as a specific.

Part of Information Security is the work involved in backing up computer information and backing up physical systems in the case of a disaster. There are companies that specialize in this - they have off site areas that businesses can use as a backup in case their own systems are destroyed.

I listened to a presentation by one of those companies post 9/11. The site they had in place in New Jersey was the backup for many customers in the WTC. On 9/11 there were people who WALKED from NY and eventually made their way to the backup site. Some of these sites were "hot" up and ready to go - to continue business. Others were "cold" - needed startup and some loss of information. Some people arrived with nothing - wanting space to work in. They eventually set up an entire lot full of trailers that became temorary offices! But the surprising thing was people showing up - at the door, covered in dust, needing to get systems going - NOW.

Thinking about the logistics involved in such projects has always sounded intriguing to me. The same thing has happened with the hurricane. What backup sites were available - where were they - how much data was lost? Many questions - the answers will take a while. Big companies - with world wide reach likely have processes in place. Some will have been up to date, many will have let things lapse, because we haven't had a disaster of this proportion since 9/11 - taking such a radical toll on companies. We always grow complaisant.

After all this - I am even considering looking for programs that focus on Disaster Planning and Coordination. After all, if I think things could be done better (and I do - there is always room for improvement in any effort of this magnitude!) then I think I should look into ways that I can work to make things better. I don't currently have the expertise, so I will need to look for ways to acquire it.

I have a new goal... should be interesting if nothing else.

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