Busy as that proverbial beaver …
Man, it has been crazy busy lately. The biggest project on my plate at the moment is the Saskatchewan 2012 First Nation Winter Games. Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs (my employers) are hosting the games this year in Saskatoon. Normally, IT wouldn’t be a big part of a sports … thing. But BATC is doing a lot of innovative stuff this time around that involves our little geeksquad.
For example, we’re planning on live streaming a few of the games. We’re also doing online registration of the athletes. So … as I’m sure you can imagine, it’s taking up a lot of our time. Not to mention we still have to do all our regular jobs like making sure the school servers are up, the school computers work, the chiefs’ computers and laptops work, the office computers are running well, etc.
PLUS … our latest project is Deep Freeze on the school computers. Let me tell you guys, DF, in its latest incarnation, is a thing of beauty. I mean, really. Especially if you use the Enterprise version, which is what we have. I looove it like there’s no tomorrow.
Add the LogMeIn software to that, and Sharon is a happy geek. :D
And with that, I’ve noticed how late it’s getting and I really need to get up early tomorrow. It’s actually Reading Week. My kids have the week off so I’ve offered their fathers visiting time with them. I’m not happy with it, because I miss my kids, but I suppose kids should bond with their other parents. And perhaps my boy will see his other mom when he’s there on the rez too. Get the whole family experience.
In any case, it’s a lot of driving for me and driving makes me tired. :P So with that, I bid thee adieu.
*hack, cough, wheeeeeeeze*
First cold of 2012.
I’ve been sent home twice in as many weeks for coming into work sick. Wheeeee. I thought I could do it, but nope.
Soup, tea, copious hours of Netflix and perhaps a touch of World of Warcraft for me today. Hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow, because I have to be at work to attend a video conference. Maybe some lipstick and a pretty hat will cover the scary mess that is me at the moment. :P
And perhaps later, I’ll post more about the awesome changes that have gone over the past week at work, and possible changes coming over the next few months.
Or not. We’ll see. Depends on whether or not I take a nap. *cough*
Ubuntu
I finally got sick of my laptop taking 8-10 minutes to start up, and then taking another 5 minutes to start any program, and THEN crashing. Too many programs installed, the operating system was too old, and just had too much stuff.
So, rather than attempting to uninstall tons of crap (which I doubt I could manage, since it took so long to even boot), or re-install XP I decided to upgrade my operating system (OS) to something new. Unfortunately, I am broke and could not afford Windows 7, not to mention I doubt this old beast of a laptop had the hardware that could run it anymore. I mean, originally it could, but I don’t know anymore. lol The kids have taken it to hell and back.
Since Windows was out of the question, and obviously an Apple OS wasn’t an option (hahahaha), I decided to check out some Linux distributions. After doing a wee bit of research (not a lot mind you), I decided to go with Ubuntu. Mostly because it’s fairly well known as an OS that’s easiest to use for non-programming users, or users who aren’t really tech-savvy. And while my kids are pretty well-versed in computers, they’re still kids. Same goes for my sister. She’s becoming more comfortable with computers, but to be honest, she’s still not the most able of users. :) At least she’s using the Playbook we got for Christmas. Haha
Anyhoot. So I installed Ubuntu. I used a USB stick to boot from and Pendrivelinux to create the bootable USB. Once the bootable USB was created and the Ubuntu ISO was loaded on, I stuck it in a USB port and booted up my laptop. The great thing about this was that I got to try out Ubuntu before installing it.
That’s right, I was able to run the entire OS from the USB stick without changing a single thing on my actual harddrive or affecting my current OS, which at the time was XP.
Which was cool, but as it turns out, unnecessary since I fell in love. lol I ended up installing Ubuntu for realzies!
And yes, I am typing this blog post from my laptop that actually works now, and it takes less than 30 seconds to boot now. Whee! Loves it! There a few glitches here and there, but nothing compared to the horror that this laptop was before. So … no real complaints.
I’d still rather have Win 7, but I’m cheap, and in the end, I’m still happy. :D
Busy Week has been busy!
Here I am.
I am doing my best to keep up with my resolution, albeit nearly a week late. Haha. Ah well. I know I nearly tipped this post into two week territory, but not quite, so I’m going to call it a win. :P
This past two weeks has been very hectic. I’ve been to 3 schools, Saskatoon, updated usernames and passwords on 3 separate domains, attended 4 meetings, and worked on 2 presentations. Of course, that was just at work. Over last weekend, I took my daughter to badminton practice, and during the week, I also took her to guitar and my boy to his soccer game (which I also coach).
To say I’m a bit tired is an understatement. lol
Yes, I got off my holidays and hit the ground running. Next week is even more hectic as my boss is handling a few meetings, so this means I’m taking on a few projects solo. Wheeee!
Now, don’t get me wrong, folks. This is far from me complaining. I’m more than excited to take on all this responsibility. Once things cool down though, I’m going to need a breather. :D
Here’s to a (very) productive new year! Woowoo!
Happy 2012!
This is the time of year most people traditionally make resolutions to better themselves in one way or another. I usually do my best to refrain from making them, but seeing as I did last year, I may as well again this year.
My resolution? Blog more. At least once a week. There you have it.
The reason I’m making this my resolution is that there have been a LOT of changes in my life in the past year, and I feel as though a lot of it wasn’t recorded well. I have a terrible memory, and this blog sort of helps me sort through dates and time. A lot of what I went through this year has been absent in my blog and I’m afraid I won’t remember it all.
For instance: I lost two uncles this year. My mother’s brother and my father’s first cousin. I miss them both, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t post about either loss here. I’ve already forgotten the dates and I hate that about myself. That I can’t seem to sort through events in even my recent past without mixing it up or remembering it incorrectly.
I also lost my own first cousin in February just shy of her 40th birthday. That was really difficult. We weren’t very close, but like all older cousins, she was that mysterious cool cousin that always had a smile on her face.
I don’t want to forget them.
I know intellectually, that I will never forget my family, but emotionally, I already feel like I’m losing something of them. Which sucks.
But it wasn’t just having my relatives pass away that has me thinking about blogging more, it’s that there was so much change in my life. It feels it’s been completely turned upside down. And I missed documenting that change.
I was laid off the job I’d been doing for the past 4 years, and in turn got a new job in the “city”. I had to relocate my entire family as a result; this meant moving from the home we’ve all known for the past 10 years: the reserve. I finally found myself dating, and then not (as I dumped the guy twice). I got a new car in April. My late cousin’s daughter had a son which in Cree reckoning, makes me a grandmother! Again (I have two other older cousin whose daughters had babies.)
So much change all in one year. And that year has seemed to pass by so quickly, I feel as though I missed most of it.
Which is why I resolve to blog more; so I’ll have a better record of everything. I don’t mean to hold on to any sadness, but hopefully to hold on to the good memories better.
So, in closing, this is me wishing all of you a wonderful and happy new year.
CREEHAWK 