It was Friday, a while ago

 It was just Friday, what happened to it.. I drafted this early Saturday morning and now it's afternoon and it is still not finished. Anyway, Friday was a wet-morning rush. Cabbie was short-tempered, easily upset, I sensed a hint of African heritage, as I alit from his cab, I told him, "take it eay, it is not worth the effort to be upset", he smiled and made some excuse, I think, he will be okay and will have a wonderful day haha.

The reason for this mad-dash to work, is because I had a 10:00 meeting with my boss about my performance review, not that there is much to go on,I was only halft time billable, it was a bad year. (that's why you gotta get a-clickin'my dear, I have to have options ha ha). He said he is happy with my work and that I am on top of the list, not sure how I am rated with my peers because I am the only one who has flexibility.

All these made me look at what I really want to do with the rest of my life.  Well, I went as far  as what I will do for lunch, which was a chinese pork with spinach with a side of rice fare at the Bay Fung Tong Restaurant near my work place.


A little salty, otherwise good, completes the food pyramid requirement

 

Of course, there has to be diet coke in the mix

1916 Franklin St
(between 19th St & 20th St)
Oakland, CA 94612

Obviously, not my first visit, but this place is efficient, cleaner than most Chinese restaurants. There are more choices too.

I am guessing that to make this, use the following ingredients:

     garlic (minced)
     spinach
     pork cut into thin strips
     corn starch
     black beans (salted)

Boil the pork in a small pan, water just enough to cover the pork, slow fire so that the pork is cooked without drying the water too soon. Set aside in the corner of the pan, heat a little oil (olive or vegetable) once heated, put the pork back, black beans, a little water, and the minced garlic.  Notice that the garlic was not sauteed, it is to avoid that bitterness caused by over frying. The spinach goes in last. It is cooked, when the spinach is wilted. Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch in water add a little soy sauce then put in the mixture in the pan.

Enjoy!

Friday, is also the last day of one of our GIS experts, he is moving to another consulting company, one that we also use to comply with the MBE/WBE requirements. Anyway, we were suppose to meet at this new bar on Grand Avenue, called Era, I said I will go, but decided at the last minute not to..

Friday evening on the next post...

Word of the wise, don't worry about the small stuff, you are responsible for your actions, your words as they are with theirs. Let your actions and your words bother you, not theirs.

In the cube farm

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As I said before, I have been working like crazy these past months, but look at me; I am unwinding with a puter. Despite that it is a little sad, because we had a few folks who left the firm, voluntary and involuntary, and another one who went to Lordy-that’s another post.

So yes, we had a few separations from the firm this month; three left of their own accord-one to work with the competition and the two to set up their consulting firm, the last and the youngest was a victim of this economy. Because he didn’t have that much experience, he didn’t have that expertise to work on other projects in other locations without a mentor.

The first left after almost 20 years of service, he grew up with the firm from one office to another until he landed in the Bay Area and eventually left. He was a little jaded with the way that the office is heading, not realizing that it is reaction to the evolving market. He asked me, what he needs to change about the way he was at work.  Note that technical people have a different way of looking at things; they are pretty driven into getting the results, expecting more grey matter and less of the people-y issues.

Told him that maybe, it is better to relate more to people, compassion, and respect are important, a happy employee, makes a happy worker therefore a better worker. He realized that we do think alike, told him that it is generational ha ha ha.  He was having mixed feelings not wanting to leave, with the idea that he is leaving his family.

The two who were going to set up shop with their names on the letterhead was a little apprehensive and excited about what lies ahead. They were also sorry to leave-when the bossman said, “it’s business as usual and the two week notice is waived”, they didn’t feel so bad after that. I reacted a little negatively, I would have wanted him to be a little gooey, but no he was worried am sure of the revenue, they were 100% billable, ha ha.

Then the last one sits next to me, we review the day’s events was telling him to hang in there, it will get better.  It didn’t, then, he had to go. He can say, “Better to have it happen, early on in my career.”

Oh, there is another one, a satellite in the North Bay closed, the technical folks can telework but the admin staff has to go and she was even working part time.

I am again being reminded that no matter how much we prepare for tomorrow, His will shall prepare. See, you may have a lot of money in the bank at the wrong turn of the economy it will be gone.

Oh gee, I am just babbling here without a point a forced clobut sing.

Swine flu and other uncertainties..

So I had lunch with the hole makers and others for efforts unrewarded and we got to asking everyone, "who is gainfully employed today".  There were 2 responses on a table for 10, one was slammed as his project is going on construction.  The other is on a missed deadline on a website she is rebuilding, because the original programmer forgot to insert a single line script that will automatically back up the database.

The rest of us were saying, oh we don't mind waiting, nothing is waiting for us.  Somebody mentioned about Mexico the swine flu and the earthquake, that it is double whammy - if the patients are quarantined but have to be evacuated because of the earthquake.  Then somebody said, hmmm if there is an earthquake here in NorCal, the SoCal folks will have a lot of projects and vice versa. See how idle minds work.

Then another group will probably be sold, because they are getting expensive and therefore uncompetitive a lot of things will have to be satisfied if a project is solicited from a consultancy firm. A lot of things going on, too much pressure for the soft hearted. The boss lady is moving to Chicago to follow her love who is on TDY there. The group is shrinking what's going to happen to what's left of it.

Change is indeed imminent.

The cube farm is quiet...

The cube farm is quiet, even the glass tower.  My little corner at work has very little traffic.  There are at least 4 global employees, some transients, and a few regulars like me who have our own disappearing acts too.  There is one who after 2 weeks of negotiating, his project got cancelled, is on his way to Abu Dhabi for a 3 month TDY and maybe looking at SFO or SEA for a longer term, one is in Atlanta, 2 on separate trips to Australia, and the rest I don't know.  I get emails and phone messages with no indication of their whereabouts I thought that they are still around.  The office set up these days, does not leave room for privacy, I can hear their music, their sighs, smell their lunches, and still not be connected on  a personal level.

I like to maintain that thing that they call professional distance, being proper. I thought I was doing that.  Not seeing this PM in a long time, we have written a lot of work plans and safety plans together for his project, for which we earned an Army coin.  When I saw him last week,  we hugged like old friends, updated, the proud grandpa telling stories of his grandchildren, his project ending at the end of the year. As we walked away, smiling, I realized whoops, that was not a business handshake, when I was not looking somehow the detached business persona has transformed into the friendly neighborly association.  I'm not complaining..