Enough is Enough

Posted on by Todd Osborne

Let me preface this blog by saying that I am not a racist, not at all. I don’t care what color you are, what your ethnic background is, your religious beliefs (as long as you keep them to yourself), etc. Now, with that little disclaimer out of the way…

What the hell is up will all the Indian call centers? I had to call Capital One to update my address. Indian call center. Then I called HSBC to do the same. Indian call center. Then it was CitiFinancial’s turn, since they financed my truck. Indian call center.

Now I wouldn’t have a major issue with this, if these people could freakin’ speak English. Maybe it’s me, but I cannot understand hardly anything they say, and have to ask them to repeat things over and over again. If you are going to be working in a call center answering calls from American’s, you need to speak fluent and clear English, or Spanish. But what they hell do they speak? And why do all of these companies think it’s such a great idea to have their call centers there? Yeah, I know the answer, it’s cheap.

So that is what Capital Once, HSBC, CitiFinancial, Dell, Microsoft and all the others think we as customers deserve. Before I open my next credit card or take out a loan, I am going to call the potential creditor’s customer support number. If I cannot understand them saying hello, I will look elsewhere.

And that is not something wrong with India, that is something wrong with America.

The Real Reason for Global Warming

Posted on by Todd Osborne

See the problem? It is almost 1AM and it’s sunny outside, at least according to Yahoo! Weather 🙂 I just looked. It’s dark.

I have worked about 40 of the last 48 hours on getting my online ePrescribing software running well. We have just over a week to go until we start certification, and I am excited, but also have a lot more to do. Everyone at Workflow is working some serious hours these days getting a lot of new features written. We are doing some great work, but it is starting to take its toll on the developers too. But we are a resilient and talented bunch, and will make it through this push just fine.

I can only work about 10-12 hours at a time, and then I need a break. Not to sleep, I am quite good at avoiding that, but to grab a bite to eat and put 30 minutes or so into my basement project. I think it helps clear the mind to do something totally unrelated to your work every now and then.

I usually take these breaks when I get to a point where I am stuck, a mental block brought on by frustration or fatigue. It’s funny, but I take a break and pick up a paintbrush, or run more electrical wire, and I start thinking about the problem at hand. I almost always come up with the solution when I am doing something other than sitting in front of the computer.

I am sure there is a scientific explanation for this, same for when you wake up at 4:15AM out of a dead sleep and know how to solve a problem. The brain works in mysterious ways.

I did a short break last night and watch Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. I enjoy hearing him, he is inspirational and a joy to listen to. Imagine what it would be like to have a president that is smart and personable. Sounds like a great idea to me. Plus, I just don’t think I can handle any more old white guys. It is time for a change.

I am impressed by the Packers new 2nd/3rd string quarterback Matt Flynn. We went 1-3 in the preseason, but I don’t put much weight into that. It was obvious the coach was trying some new things, it just didn’t work out that well. Flynn looked rough in the first games, but in game 4 he really shined, and threw a couple of incredible passes and scrambled like mad. I guess he got tired of getting leveled. He sort of reminded me of another Packers quarterback… What’s his name… Number 4… Broke every record known to man… 38 years old… Retired and then wanted to come back… Oh well, it will come to me.

Seriously, this kid has a long way to go before I even consider putting him in the same league as Favre, but he was impressive. Much more so than Aaron Rodgers. All the media talks about Flynn competing with Brohm for the 2nd string. Don’t be too surprised to see Flynn getting some serious field time this year while Rodgers sits on the bench, he looked much better than Rodgers.

So I am guess I am done rambling. It has been a long week, and will be a long weekend. I am hoping to score a block of about 6 hours somewhere, I think I can get my office almost ready to move in if I do. But work matters are pressing, so some things in life may just have to wait.

Spelling Matters (NOT)

Posted on by Todd Osborne

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Happy Birthday Delaney!

Posted on by Todd Osborne

Wow, I cannot believe it has been 10 years since my first daughter was born. I know everyone says that, but it literally seems like last week I was holding her in my arm (one arm) and napping with her on the couch.

We have been through a lot in these 10 years, including our move to Wisconsin in 2000 and the divorce of Janelle and me in 2003. I know this was, and still is, very hard on you, but you were conceived in love and truly are the pride and joy of both of us.

The changes in our family are also a blessing, because now many more people have gotten to know and love you. Missy loves you just as I do, and Halle is a best friend as well as a sister.

It has been truly amazing watching you grow up. I see so much of myself in you and am very proud of the sweet young lady you have become.

You are even more beautiful today than you were on your second birthday, and I don’t even know how that is possible.

You are certainly getting older and the number of years that you and I can go Trick-Or-Treating dressed up as dalmations (some thought we were cows) is getting fewer. But I will always have these memories and pictures to remind me just how special you are.

You definitely got my whacky sense of humor, and have had it for a long time. I have never laughed so hard in my life as when you came down the stairs in February 2001 with a bowl on your head and Mickey Mouse ears around your waist yelling “Buzz Lightyear, To Infinity and Beyond!”

I hope that you will always love your daddy as much as you did in March 2001.

You have always been a little daring, willing to try new things. That is something that I love about you and something you got from me.

Like father like daughter.

At 3 years old, I knew I was in trouble!

Halloween 2001 sure was a fun night too.

You probably don’t remember this day, but we visited Zenith Aircraft company in Mexico, MO in February 2002. That was the first time you sat in a small plane. I remember that day well, and was impressed by how well you flew the little Cessna 152 last month when I let you have the controls for the first time. You definitely have your fathers DNA. And yes, one of your birthday presents from me will be an hour flying around Madison so you can show off your Red Baroness skills to me!

And then life got really hard for a while, but you were a real trooper. When I moved into my own apartment, even though it was just down the street, I felt very alone. I loved the nights you and your sister would spend with me. You were only 4 and Haley was just 18 months when this picture was taken, but you helped me out a ton taking care of her. And even today, though you may fight and Haley sometimes may drive you nuts, you are still a wonderful sister and an even better daughter.

We didn’t have much in 2003, but we still had each other. The love we shared was the only thing that got me through this terrible year.

From Eminem: “Have you ever loved someone so much you’d give an arm for? Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for?”

I tell you girls everyday how much I love you. Sure, this tattoo is kind of silly, but it’s what I felt I needed to do at the time, a constant reminder to myself that there is much more in this life than me.

And then you turned 5, the age I told my grandpa I never wanted to leave. That was half your life ago, and yesterday to me.

And since you were 5, it was time to start school. You were very brave that day, but I was a basketcase. I put on a smile, and didn’t let the world know, but I just could not believe my little baby was getting on a school bus for her first day.

Most of 2003 you were my best friend. I mean, you were always my “bestest buddy”, but especially in 2003. Even though times were very tough, we still managed to hang out a lot together, and get into just a little trouble too!

And then “POOF”, all of a sudden you turned 6.

Definitely not a baby anymore, though you will always be my baby.

And when did you learn to sucker me into everything? I mean seriously, 2 ferrets, 2 lizards, a couple of cats, a dog and 2 guinea pigs? Yeah, you have your daddy wrapped all around your little fingers.

What? Did something scare you? It sure surprised me, you went and turned 7!

It was sometime around then you developed your love of horses. I don’t know where you got that from, it certainly was not me. But you love all animals, even the creepy kind, but I guess horses are still your favorite.

A year later, and now 8 years old, and still have horses on the brain!

This picture was taken July 4th, 2006, around the first time you met Halle. Who knew she would become one of your best friends? Could you have imagined that just a little over a year from this date, she would be your sister? Me neither 🙂

So here you are, almost 9 years old, reading to dogs. Yes, life was getting much better now. The family was coming together nicely and everything just felt more like home.

Yep, everything is coming together real nice.

And then came the big day. Just a month shy of your 9th birthday. You were so beautiful in your dress, and performed your job of helping your dad and Missy get married flawlessly. My little girl was becoming a young lady then, and I could not have been more proud of you than I was on this day.

And we sang and danced “We Are Family”. And we are, and it is very good.

And then you turned 9, and apparently into a cowgirl!

And you still loved horses. By now you were taking real riding lessons. I am always amazed when I see you ride, you really do know what you are doing, and it is great that you have something like this that is uniquely “Delaney”.

Here is the latest picture I have of you, taken on August 1st, 2008. What! We have owned this home for less than 24 hours and you are covering the walls with graffiti! You are so punished little Munch! 🙂

But back to being serious one final time. I cannot express in words how much I love you. I do try to be the best dad that I can be, but you kids don’t come with owners manuals. So far you have been easy, a downright delight to raise. I sure hope this does not mean you are saving up all your bad mojo for your teenage years!

I guess when I wake up in the morning you will be about 16, 21 by lunch time, and married by dinner. Or at least that is how it will feel to me. I do hope you have a wonderful birthday and enjoyed our little shopping spree last night. I love you more than words and pictures can say, and wish you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Time Flies

Posted on by Todd Osborne

I used to be so good at keeping my blog up to date, but things are still crazy around the new house. I am still managing to work about 55 hours a week on my normal job, while slowly tackling the ever-growing “Honey Do List”.

The office and new hallway are coming together nicely, I think I am finally ready to paint and am planning to do the primer coat this evening. I have never sanded so much drywall mud in my life, and I sure won’t miss that job! God is laughing hysterically at my original plan of 3 days total 🙂

We had to buy a lawnmower and found a sweet deal at Sears on a lightly used Snapper self-propelled. My grandpa used one of those for many years so I am hoping for the same luck.

I stumbled upon an even sweeter deal Saturday. I had planned to take the girls garage saling for a while to kill time while Missy was at work, and had not planned to buy anything myself. That was until our first stop. A lady was selling a pillowtop Sealy Posturpedic California King mattress, box springs, and frame for $25. It had only been slept in a few nights, she did not like it, and they put it in storage for 2 years. Missy and I needed a new bed very badly, our queen size bed is only a year old but we both wake up with back pain and it sags in the middle. The girls and I decided this would be a nice surprise for Missy and we brought it home. The lady I bought it from warned me that the frame might not be the right one, and she was right. But rather than buying a frame to fit it, I just modified the existing one using left-over 2×4’s from the office project. An hour later we had the most awesome bed we’ve ever owned, and yes, Missy was very surprised and very happy with us.

I installed a new garbage disposal this morning, at 7AM. The cats woke me up around 5:30 and I could not get back to sleep, so I made a Menards run very early and bought a new GE disposal, made in China of course. Dang, even GE makes their stuff in China. So $69 and a pretty nasty cut on my finger later and we can now shove all kinds of crap down the sink.

I bought a cat door, which is still in the box waiting for me to install. I have a plan for making a “cat house” in part of the basement. Their litter pans and some toys will go in there, and it should be sufficiently sealed off from the basement that the smell is contained. If they wake me up tomorrow at 5:30 AM, their dead rotting carcasses can also be found there.

On August 9th we attended the first annual GulliFest, honoring the memory of Halle’s dad, Mike Gullickson, who was killed in a snowmobile accident February 20th. Everyone had a great time and there were no problems at all. The bands 4 Below and 4xDaily performed until late in the evening. We are all looking forward to next year!

So that’s what we’ve been up to lately. Painting, removing wallpaper, eating and breathing drywall mud and dust, mowing the grass, and putting stuff away. We still have a solid day of work to get out the duplex and that will have to happen this coming weekend. We are hoping to get a good chunk of our security deposit there back to put up a fence for the dogs. I say that will only take 1 day 🙂

We Are Outta Here!

Posted on by Todd Osborne

This was a very busy weekend. Missy and I finally got all of our stuff out of the old duplex and over to the new house, and that was a lot of stuff! We are both wiped out and worked very hard and long hours, but we are officially moved out now. I wonder how long it will be until we are moved in?

I am down to 2 days from having the office and new hall complete, I think. I have to cleanup from all the sanding, primer the hall and touch up the office, paint everything and install the floor. If I can grab some hours this coming weekend I hope to get it done, and post some pictures of course.

Holy Cow!!!

Posted on by Todd Osborne

Today is August 7th, 2008 and the last week is a blur. It seems like we closed on the house a few hours ago, but it has already been an entire week since that day. I have never had time go by so quick in my life, but I have the battle wounds to prove we all had a very busy week. This blog entry will probably be long, since I will summarize everything we have done, and try not to forget too much.

As expected, we did in fact close on our home last Thursday at 2:00 PM, right on time. It took about an hour and a half, and other than a very minor typo on one of the many forms we had to sign, everything went very smooth (the typo was corrected within a few minutes). Once we were done with the closing, we headed back to the old duplex and started moving things we would need right away to the house, like tools, etc. My dad made it into town about 5:30 or so and we all went to Shelton’s for dinner. The calm before the storm 🙂

We went to bed pretty early Thursday night, and I awoke first just after 6AM and got my truck loaded with more tools. We headed over to the house around 8AM to start our work. The girls started by painting in the bedrooms.

The hard work was starting downstairs 🙂 My dad and I started with the wiring. We had to pull several new runs of coax and ethernet cable, as well as the high voltage 12 gauge wire for the new office and computer closet (aka the brain center).

Not too long after this, Uncle Pat (the electrician) came over to lend a hand as well. I thought we would be done with the framing and rough electrical at this point, but reality was we had barely just begun. He did move a poorly located air conditioning switch and doorbell wire for us, as well as prepped the overhead light for what will become a ceiling fan.

Missy’s brother Josh also came over, delivered to us by his sister Kris, who also lent a helping hand. Josh had planned to stay one night, but we needed him and he stayed until Wednesday. Thanks Josh!! We would never have gotten as far as we did without him, and it was a lot of fun having him around as well. We started the framing.

And around 2 or 3 AM, day one came to a close. Saturday started for us about 9AM, and we kept on framing.

It doesn’t seem like it should take as long as it should, but because of tons of tiny little problems, they add up to kill a lot of time. Smoke breaks also cut into your time 🙂 At some point, Saturday ended and Sunday began, but I don’t remember exactly when. So these pictures were taken at some point on Sunday, probably in the middle of the night. The framing was completed and we started hanging the ceiling drywall.

We didn’t think Sunday would ever end. Dad had to get to bed around midnight, Josh and I stayed up until about 3:30 AM completing the framing of the hall. There was not supposed to be a hall, it was originally planned to be a foyer. But there were just too many pipes, vents, wires, and other stuff hanging around in our way to make this practical. We decided to build a hall instead, and the existing “stuff” was positioned just right to allow this to happen.

Monday began about 4 hours after Sunday ended, and we started the bulk of the drywall hanging work. We tried to each do our own thing, Josh and I would cut and hang the drywall and my dad would tape and mud it. Sometimes this worked out well, but the office is small and we were often in each others way. But we managed to make good progress.

Monday ended very late too, and Tuesday was my last day off work. It was obvious to me at this point that my previous schedule was just a dream. This was not a surprise to me, I knew my self-imposed schedule was very optimistic to the point of being humorous, but a boy can dream, right? So Tuesday was all about drywall and mud, and hanging the final door.

Even pushing 40, you can still learn a lot from your dad.

Papaw teaching Halle too about the finer points of drywall mudding.

So there it is, the last week in a nutshell. I also wired my server closet yesterday and managed to get everything back online in pretty short order, no thanks to Charter, they sent me a bad cable modem and I had to drive to the other side of town to get a new one. Murphy’s law was always present on this project with gas lines and other plumbing being in the way, outlets that refused to sit flush against the drywall no matter how many times we moved them, a nail gun that tried to kill us, “standard” door knobs that don’t fit our “standard” doors, electrical wire that arrived as underground wire which is a total PITA to work with, cuts and stab wounds, and a bunch of other stuff I am trying to forget.

Lack of sleep and the feeling of being beat up constantly took its toll on us, but we still had a lot of fun doing this. As rough as it was, this is what good family memories are made of. I cannot express how thankful we are to my dad and Josh. You guys were real troopers and we very much appreciate all the time and effort you put into this project. THANK YOU!!!

And our friend June too, don’t think I am going to forget about her! She helped Missy out a ton with the upstairs painting and wallpaper removal, and I am sure a bunch more stuff. She was around as much as she could be and her hard work is also appreciated!

A special shout-out too to Uncle Pat for stopping by to check my electrical work and get everything properly hooked up. I did not get shocked even once this week, even though I did manage to grab a hot wire.

On Monday, Two Men and a Truck also moved a majority of the household goods. They should be sued for false advertising, they actually sent 3 men 🙂 Seriously though, they did a fantastic job and all of the guys were terrific.

So that’s it, back to work now… I am actually working now in the unfinished part of the basement next to my office. Once it is complete, in a month or so, I will move in there. Even this is far better than the duplex!

4 Hours Until Closing…

Posted on by Todd Osborne

But who’s keeping track? 🙂 Today should be a very good day, we are buying our house in just over 4 hours. Nothing can wrong at this point, right? I thought I would not be able to sleep last night, but thankfully I was wrong and slept like a rock. I feel good this morning, better than I have felt in a week and energized, ready to tackle the construction and moving. I have a few loose ends to tie off at Workflow.com this morning and will then have until next Wednesday off work to do our stuff.

My dad should be on his way up here from Western Kentucky, tools in hand. Our friend June and her daughter Renee are coming over after work and Saturday to help, and Missy’s brother Josh is also going to come down Saturday to help, presumably with the drywall. All of the cables, wiring and computer stuff I needed did in fact arrive yesterday from CablesForLess and NewEgg. I got the cashiers check for closing, the $100 for Lucille to buy the pool table from her, and Bug and I went to the hardware store to pick out a few last minute things last night. Knowing my access to my computer and Internet will be limited, I already paid all of the upcoming bills and made sure the checkbook was in balance. We had so much time to spare, we even went swimming for 30 minutes last night.

Bug and I also bought a new mailbox and stickers to put our name on it. The mailbox that is at the house now is old and says “Grosse”. Nothing stakes your claim to a place like replacing their mailbox with your own 🙂

I did visit the house yesterday to check on the status of the roof repairs. Something has been done, there was new tar on the roof, but I could not tell if the rotted plywood underneath was actually replaced. I have not yet heard from my realtor about a final walk-through, but at this point it doesn’t matter. If the plywood was not replaced, I will do it myself, I am not that afraid of heights.

We did have a minor scare earlier in the week when I received the final HUD settlement document. The numbers did not seem to add up. In a panic, I emailed our mortgage broker, Jules Stewart at iFreedom Direct, and she immediately called me back. There was actually no problem at all, and we verified this in Excel, just the layout of the form is confusing. She has been absolutely wonderful to work with, THANKS JULES! I highly recommend anyone considering either an FHA or VA mortgage to give her a call (800.891.5785 x6624 or 801.682.9907). Jules is also good for entertaining stories and Zen-like precision and thoughtfulness.

Well, that’s all for now. Missy and I will soon be homeowners and I will be posting updates to the blog as time allows during the construction and move. Kind of like HGTV, but in our own home 🙂

T Minus 24 Hours

Posted on by Todd Osborne

We are just a shade over 24 hours now before we are homeowners! Or to look at it another way, deep in debt 🙂 The optimistic me prefers the former, and Missy and I are both very much looking forward to having our own place, a house we can truly turn into OUR home.

We haven’t even closed yet, and we’ve already spent over $2,000 on “stuff” we need, and we are not done yet. Most of this was on construction materials for my office (which I often slip and call my bedroom) and basement foyer, but some is also for paint, pictures, computer networking, tools, and other items needed to truly turn this house into our home, with our own taste, etc. We will start our journey tomorrow afternoon, right after closing.

My dad will arrive tomorrow, construction will start on Friday, and I will post pictures here of our progress. We lost (literally, it disappeared) our new Kodak camera we bought on Woot a while back, but I scored a nice cheap camera from a guy on Craigslist and bought it this morning. Stuff that I ordered online from CablesForLess and NewEgg are supposed to arrive via UPS later today, and UBC will be delivering all the building materials first thing Friday morning. It is going to get real busy here real quick, but I am ready for it and VERY much looking forward to this work.

At the Workflow.com company meeting last week, I discovered my personality type, ESTJ. Translated that means I am Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging. I am a guardian, a level-headed, do it right, well planned and on time type of person. Let’s see how well that holds up 🙂 Just to prove the test valid, I have created self-imposed deadlines for the construction:

Day 1 (Friday) – Framing and Electrical. Missy’s uncle Pat is an electrician and is going to stop by Friday after work to hook up our wiring to the service, and of course check my work. So the real deadline for this is actually about 5:30 PM Friday, not midnight 🙂

Day 2 – Hang all drywall and mud.

Day 3 – Sand mud, paint everything, hang ceiling fan and light. Start wood laminate floor installation in free time 🙂

Day 4 – Finish wood laminate floor, paint and install all trim. Have a beer, go to Ho-Chunk with dad, etc.

Day 5 (Tuesday) – This is my last day off work for about 2 weeks. Tie off all loose ends, unpack, organize, complete move, wire the network, etc. In bed by 4:00 PM 🙂

So that’s the plan. Hear God laughing?

PS: Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart, Jules Stewart

51 Hours and Counting

Posted on by Todd Osborne

We will be homeowners in 51 hours, but who’s keeping track? 🙂

I made it back from Cleveland, just barely thanks to Continental Airlines. They suck, scaled back so much they had no pilots in Cleveland to fly the plane to Madison and had to fly some in from New York, making me about 4 hours late getting home. After a fun but tiring weekend in Cleveland, I was hardly in the mood for airline delays, but what can you do.

Missy and I purchased almost everything we need to complete the basement construction project yesterday, and will have a huge load of materials delivered by UBC to the house on Friday morning. I had some down-time in Cleveland Sunday waiting for the plane, so I did manage to get all the utilities changed over, or scheduled to be changed.

We are still waiting on the final settlement documents, but were told that they may not be ready until the morning of closing, Thursday. Should be getting real busy here soon, but will be a lot of fun as well. The movers will be here next Monday, so I will be able to concentrate on the office construction with my dad Friday through Monday, which should be enough time.

When I get back to work next Wednesday, it will be major push mode for about 2-3 weeks while a major portion of my code gets certification. Having my new office will make a huge difference I am quite certain, and it will be super nice if we actually get it completed while my dad is here.

Also, don’t drink a huge variety of local microbrewery beers at Rocky River Brewing Company in Cleveland. Don’t ask me how I know, just don’t do it.