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Update

With all thats been going on in the world, and there has not a peep from me about it.

Seems odd, doesnt it? Well theres a reason for it.

Well, this years "Project from Hell" finished at 10:00 am this morning. Despite its very best efforts to kill me, I'm still alive at the end of it to talk about it. Yea!, I Win!

I've had 2 hours sleep in three days and to cap it all off as a parting gift, a 6:00 am departure out of Austin this morning.

People always ask me "So, what do you think of Austin?" Frankly I didnt see any of it; except for the airport, the rental car agency, the hotel and the place where I worked, which is in a windowless wearhouse-like basement in a leafy suburb outside of Austin. So, for all I saw of Austin, I could have been in Sioux Falls. I wouldnt have known the difference.

The glamorous life of a software tech places you in close proximity to really great cities and cultures that you often find are just out of your reach because the nature of your work is more akin to a sort of corporate death march than any sort of luxurious congressional fact finding junket.

In the end, what you see of all cities is the same.

Airport. Car. Hotel. Restaurant. Hell Hole.

Nowadays, You could be anywhere in the US and its all the same. Regional cuisine died when Krispy Kreme crossed the Mason Dixon Line. It doesnt matter where you go anymore, theres a Taco bell a McDonalds and a Starbucks within three miles of your current location. Target is next to Best Buy, Chilis is next to Bennigans which is next to Macaroni Grill which is next to Johnny Carinos and if there isnt, there soon will be and Dennys is always open.

I'm not whining. This business is not exactly like coal mining, no one shoots at you, you dont go home smelling like greasy food, but there are moments when you begin to question your career choices; like when you realize that the vending machines in the copy room are your primary source of daily nutrition.

Anyway...

It was a great project and we accomplished more than we hoped. Someday I might talk about it, but not today and not here. This blog is not about what I do for a living, except at the very periphery.

I am going to take some time in the next few weeks and rest up. The Reno Air Races are next week and I've stopped accruing vacation, so I need to get that cleared up in the best possible way, so there might be some major road trips in the near future.

So dont assume that just because I havent said anything that I dont have anything to say, its just that there are times when if you touch another keyboard you think you might go into anaphylactic shock.

Blogging will continue at "normal speed" next week.

Posted @ September 09, 2006 05:05 PM | Current Affairs

Comments

Frank you have been an inspiration to me ever since you started blogging. I have 'somewhat' patterned my writing 'style' after yours. From me, that is a compliment of the higest order. Please read my Blogger site some time. daflikkers.blogspot.com some time when you have time away from your hectic schedule. My most recent blog posting has a trip you may have already taken and enjoyed. I wish you well my friend, and hope to meet you in person some day as I want to meet my mentor. I found you on a link from Bill Whittles site. Keep it up Frank. I cut and paste your varifrank.com often in my em's. We are of the same political orientation and as it seems, interests.

Posted by: Ernest F Andreas at September 9, 2006 09:16 PM

thanks, Frank..we'll be waiting.

Posted by: rws at September 10, 2006 01:20 PM