Thursday, October 16, 2025

On Call : Brian Flowers (for Gordon (for Yudhajit)) - Links Infrastructure 2025

 
Travelport Command Center
Webex Conference Bridge Information
1-866-205-5379 (US)
1-314-888-1153 (US)
0800-279-9140 (UK)
1800-300-25680 (India)
Webex Global Call-in Numbers
 
Conference Code                         Description
803 039 908 (ALL CALL)                  (All Call Bridge)
801 193 748                                      (TSD Bridge# 1)
803 214 995                                      (TSD Bridge# 2)
807 647 296                                      (TSD Bridge# 3)
803 677 919                                      (TSD Bridge# 4)
 
 

Monday, October 13, 2025

On Call : Brian Flowers (for Gordon (for Yudhajit)) - Links Infrastructure 2025

 
Travelport Command Center
Webex Conference Bridge Information
1-866-205-5379 (US)
1-314-888-1153 (US)
0800-279-9140 (UK)
1800-300-25680 (India)
Webex Global Call-in Numbers
 
Conference Code                         Description
803 039 908 (ALL CALL)                  (All Call Bridge)
801 193 748                                      (TSD Bridge# 1)
803 214 995                                      (TSD Bridge# 2)
807 647 296                                      (TSD Bridge# 3)
803 677 919                                      (TSD Bridge# 4)
 
 

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

This Is Obama's Election to Lose

Obama the savior was supposed to win the presidential 'final' hands down. Surely a cakewalk against the despised GOoPers. He still may. But he chose an uninspiring VP pick (yes he's "experienced" but we were looking for change weren't we?) and he's no longer wowing the crowds like he used to.

Along comes McCain. His choice for VP gives us an everyday woman, someone almost everybody can relate to, and steals some of the excitement from Obama. Now, even the electing the Republican party will surely bring some definite change. It's no longer the Democrat's version of manifest destiny through diversity.

His selection has certainly piqued my interest. I'm much less likely to be voting for a Libertarian this time around. She's a true outsider. An unpolished, pistol packing mama, with convictions and who has actually led citizens in an elected government office. I'm sorry, Senators and Congressmen don't "lead". They 'legislate'. Usually to the detriment of our freedoms.

And as far as her 'lack of experience goes'. Look back to Bill Clinton 8 years ago. I voted for him then. I have no problem voting for her now as McCain's backup.

And for that matter, her disfunctional family life? Who's family isn't disfunctional? If you don't have an unwed mother or pregnant teen somewhere close in your family 'shrub', YOUR the oddball. Geez, the bible is full of disfunctional families. Can you imagine the same level of scrutiny (minus the defensive layers of lawyers) leveled at Mr. Clinton's characer eight years ago?

I want a black man as president some day. I want a woman president. I want a black woman president (Baldilocks anyone?) someday. It is time. It will happen someday. It'll happen soon. I just don't want it to be Obama.

Harvey's Mad Rain Dance

Apparently Harvey's rain dance during Fay did wonders. We had a deluge here last week... so bad soccer practices were cancelled for the week, I found a puddle of rainwater in the back passenger seat of the wife's "new" car... Lake Lanier jumped TWO feet and my house is now the high ground for all manner of insects and arachnids.

And now we're bound to get more rain from Hannah and maybe her friends...

So, when you need some rain, call Harvey. He'll get you all wet.

Thanks Harv!

Seen in Vinings

House for Sale
Now Reduced 500k!

In Honor of Labor Day

I voluntarily worked...

Was a nice holiday weekend. The kids were out of school Friday so I took them on a 4-5 hour hike. I drug them up and down all three peaks of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

Took the kids bowling using some of the free game tickets they got from being good students at school.

Got food poisoning from a local restaurant.

Soccer has started so I went to coach practice last night for the two players who showed up on a holiday. Was nice to get some one on one time.

Still haven't mowed the lawn or done the dishes though...

Sunday, August 31, 2008

While the US Fiddles, E. Europe Burns

While America is repeatedly accused of empire building and colonization, even from within, Russia actually annexes parts of Georgia.

Being a citizen of Georgia, I half-heartedly considered picketing the gold-dome in Atlanta with a "No Blood for Oil, Russia Out of GA" sign.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Hurricane Fay Wimps Out

Doing everything I can to attract this hurricane:
Leaky roof - check!
Need to mow the lawn - check!
Washed the cars - ... hmmmm... that's an idea..
It's the weekend - check!

Instead, this hurricane decides to go westward? Here we are in a drought and this overblown tropical storm is just teasing us. The southeast, all of it in truth, depends on hurricanes for much of our 'regular' rainfal. We've been very short in that category (hurricanes and rainfall) for much of the past decade. Other regions at our latitude such as the Middle East (for that matter just go into the American Southwest) are deserts. Without the hurricanes, my beloved pine forests are nothing more than tinderboxes.

I'm enjoying the nice cloud cover at the moment, but the area really needs a slow moving tropical storm filling our resevoirs.

My Wife - the blasphemer

Introduced my kids, yes our kids, to deep dish pizza.

My kids are bread fiends... deep dish pizza - lotsa bread, w/ sauce and cheese on top. Right up their alley. Sheesh.

What's next?

^.^
U

Hello? Is this thing on?

ZZZzzz...

sorry for the cryo sleep.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Oh What a Night

Had a software activation late last night. Was trying to get the kids fed, my boy's hair cut (6 yo Marine), kids bathed and to bed before the planned, after-hours work activity. Time's running short but I can make it.

I'm burning dinner in my boxers when the doorbell rings. It's already late and past the kid's bed time and now someone's knocking at my door? Who could that be? And how much longer till I have to be on the conference call and logged into the system?

Open the door.

It's the preacher.

From a church we're considering transfering to.

And here I am in my bedroom boxers trying to give a decent impression.

Thankfully I had a shirt on too. lol

Chatted with him a bit, sent him on his way, still got everything done and got to my desk with minutes to spare.

You Know You've Got a Good League Admin When

I'm a volunteer sports coach. I pick practice times that are reasonable and fit my schedule. Have a parent on my team that complained about one of my practice times. I explained that that's when they were assigned to me and that after gauging the rest of the team's ability to make practice, I'd look into it. Unbeknownst to me, ConcernedMom complained to the League Admin that I wouldn't alter the schedule to suit her.

Admin says, "How forward of you to ask that the volunteer coach, using his personal time, change his practice times to fit your schedule."
ConcernedMom - light dawning - "Oh. Yeah. You're right."

I do have to say, I didn't get much complaining from her, just her question about practice times. She was nice to me, but I did have to giggle a bit when the Admin relayed the rest of the story to me.

Got a gem of an Admin on my side.

Likely the child will be transferred to a new team which better fits their schedule. Everyone is happy. =)

Thursday, August 23, 2007

"The Moon is Made of Cheese" and Other Stories I've Told My Children"

One of our running jokes in the family is that the moon is indeed made of cheese. In fact, our friends, when we tell them to explain to our children what the moon is made of, unanimously insist it is made of cheese. Despite what our kid's teachers are telling them.

Other stories?

The tooth fairy heard that a penny is worth 1.7 times it's government regulated value and when she flew to our house last night carrying the bags of pennies, got a hernia and couldn't finish the mission. (Actually, it costs about 1.7 cents to produce each penny)

Parents have eyes in the back of their head.

If you kiss your elbow tip, you can fly (or turn into a boy).

Put your coat on. You'r mother is cold.

I lost my hair because as a boy, I liked to ride with my head out the car window.

Before the year 2000, the world was in black and white.

When I attended school, we only had one option for lunch, gruel. And no chocolate milk.

Chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

Mommy and daddy don't pass gas.

You can date when your thirty.

...More sure to follow...

Breaking News

Isn't it sad that hype about news has penetrated to even the most mundane or ubiquitous tidbits of information.

For days, CNN will run 'Breaking News' about the mine tragedy recently even when there is no real, "new", news to report.

So sad in fact, that the ticker at the bottom of the channel has to prefix other, actually breaking news with "Happening Now".