We must give it time.

I am trying to grow a beard. I've never had a beard. I think I'm doing an Al Gore. I had a goatee for a while. But that's not a beard. According to this entry in Wikipedia "In the course of history, men with facial hair have been ascribed various attributes such as wisdom, sexual potency, or high status, but also a lack of cleanliness and refinement, or an eccentric disposition."

I think a beard signifies a change for me. And not all that stuff above. But I'm getting ahead of myself - I've been growing this for 5 days now. We must give it time.

Soon you will be able to buy gifts and baskets online because of my gargantuan efforts to program in .NET. But honestly, do you really want to buy baskets and stuff online? I'd rather buy a book. Or camping equipment.

Speaking of camping, I am sure Jonesing for some camping. I've been falling asleep imagining canoeing, portaging and hiking in to a camp spot. I recall the last thing I thought about last night was arriving at an interior spot and digging a firepit, and making a shelter. I want to create a shelter out of tree boughs, pine brush and leaves.

I read through my old copy of Bradford Angier's "How to Stay Alive in the Woods" a couple of days ago. Made me want to fish and cook that big fat bass over a fire on a green stick. Hot damn. Trouble is, Monty the beagle ain't in the best of health at the moment. The vet's instructions say that he has to go on short walks for 16 weeks. It's been 8 weeks. He's still limpy. Recovering, but not able to go camping. Spring hasn't (yet) been convinced of the value and pleasure of camping. We must give it time.

Speaking of time, it's late and I need to go to sleep.

Busy

According to Walter Pincus of the Washington Post (vis a vis William Arkin):

On May 2, 2003, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz signed a
memorandum (large pdf) directing the military to collect and report "non-validated threat information" relating to U.S. military forces, installations or missions. His memorandum followed from the establishment of the Domestic Threat Working Group after 9/11, the intent of which was to create a mechanism to share low-level domestic "threat information" between the military and intelligence agencies.

It is the military's equivalent of the FBI and intelligence community's post 9/11 shift, and Wolfowitz directed the sharing of reports on ambiguous activity. This new reporting mechanism -- called TALON for Threat and Local Observation Notice -- applies to seven reporting categories:

• Non-specific threats
• Surveillance
• Elicitation
• Test of security
• Unusual repetitive activity
• Bomb threats
• Other suspicious activity

I myself have engaged in some of these domestic activities recently:

Non-specific threats: "Goddamn Taxi Drivers, they should all be thrown in the lake"
Surveillance: "I've been keeping a close eye on this shifty looking figure who keeps appearing in the Music Garden on my walks with Monty - he never seems to have a dog and he is too well dressed to be a homeless person"
Elicitation: "Uhmm."
Test of security: "The neighbour's security alarm kept going off. I thumped on the wall we share and the alarm stopped. 30 seconds later it went off again."
Unusual repetitive activity: "Does biting my nails count?"
Bomb threats: "They haven't managed to track it back to me so... no."
Other suspicious activity: "No, that seemed perfectly normal to me."

Got nothin' else to write about - too frickin' busy.

The Story of Sunday

While Spring recovered from her non-avian flu, Monty and I went for a walk at Cherry Beach.



At Cherry Beach there were trees blown over by the storm last week, clumps of zebra mussels washed up on shore and dogs racing around extolling the joys of the season. Monty met many a friend.

And then we came home and I worked and watched television, Spring read and Monty snored.

Anyone have more exciting stories to tell about their Sunday?

Shhhh.

Okay, shhhh. COPS is starting in less than ONE minute. Man, I love this show.

Interviews and Ear Shaking Dancing

I suppose it might be appropriate to begin writing again. I took a few days off there - have been busy coding and completing a freelance web project, and shuffling around at home taking care of poor under-the-weather Spring... I went to an interview Monday. I'd been for an interview with this company a month ago and had sat in front of the CEO, President and Director of Operations and referred to a particular theoretical aspect of project management as 'sexy'. The President then signalled for me to stop and asked me if I'd just used the word 'sexy' in the interview. I said I had, and that there simply wasn't a better word.

After the interview the Director of Operations pulled me aside and told me that I interview 'very well'. I didn't get the job. Someone else did, no doubt some square who didn't use the word 'sexy' in his interview.

But then I find out from my job agent that the guy didn't work out (wasn't using the word 'sexy' enough, no doubt) and so they called me back in on Monday and I sat in front of the HR lady (it always is an 'HR lady'. Not HR reprsentative, or HR professional. Or HR guy. Just HR lady.) and in front of the CEO and we spoke together for 1 hour and 4 minutes. I more carefully teased out the implicit and explicit responsibilities of the position and I was able to read between the lines that a successful reporting relationship and managing relationship with the President was important - probably why 'I don't say sexy' guy didn't work out.

This company is a software and security solutions hi tech firm - up near IBM in Markham. I would be managing the production group and doing project management. They're poised for big things (that's an oft-heard party line in interviews) in the States right now so that sounds fun. I liked the CEO, reminds me of an old boss I had who I liked. I think I'd like to work there - let's see what karmic forces have in mind for me.

On an unrelated note, I was in touch with a freelance client of mine yesterday... His domain name needed to be renewed so I worked on that with him (he's not tech-savvy at all. I am - look I HAVE A BLOG). I had worked with him in July 2004 to get his e-mail account set up for his new domain, i.e. Guy@hiscompany.com. But noticed his e-mails to me yesterday came from some generic ISP account. I asked him to confirm that his guy@hiscompany.com e-mail account was working. It was like talking (I phoned him) to a squirrel, anxious to get away and find an acorn. Finally I pinned him down and he admitted - beneath the interrogation lights - that he wasn't getting his e-mails from his site contact form or even understood what I meant by his own domain's e-mail address. So I took it upon myself to see if he had any e-mails in his account hanging out on the server.

I was dismayed to find 1007 e-mails sitting there in his POP3 box. I downloaded them all, feeling so sorry for this guy who has his own consulting firm - oh the contracts potentially lost, etc... but luckily all but 7 e-mails were SPAM. 1 of the 7 was a request for proposal to do with big machinery fitting consulting stuff - he does a lot of work with power generation companies and pulp and paper companies - which had come in the day before. Astonishing timing you might think. Well, be astonished.

This story ends well. Now he is properly set up and is sending e-mails from a new default e-mail account...

The Tylenol Cold and Flue Nightime relief gell capsule I took 30 minutes ago is causing me to feel woozy. I will have a snoozy. Soon I will be well enough to take care of Spring again. Poor thing.

JTx - please update your site, according to you, you have a gig coming up on October the 4th.
PBx - please tell me stories about your new vehicle.
Rx - please tell me a camping story
NC - please tell me Peter Street stories

Yesterday:

Yesterday at Loblaws I bought 2 loaves of Olive Bread, 1 baguette (for me, I hate olives), 1 cheesecake, 1 box of 12 Nestea Iced Tea cans, and 3 Navel oranges. Yesterday I ate 85% of the baguette. Yesterday I didn't shave, and got the mail from downstairs. Yesterday I ran the dishwasher and put away the dishes. Yesterday I deposited a cheque in the bank. Yesterday Monty spent some time dancing on the floor. He dances around treats sometimes, hopping and skipping and shaking his ears at his treat, until he calms down and eats them. It is very entertaining to watch.

Thud.

Okay - so I just took a little walk outside to get a breath of fresh air.

Then all of a sudden, Thud! I was hit in the head with a snowflake.

IT'S SNOWING.

ARRGGHHHHH.

TASERgate and the whole Valerie Plame circus.

Is it just me or is this whole Valerie Plame Judith Miller Karl Rove Scooter Libby Bob Woodward (as of late this week!) episode really confusing? And I thought I'd read every single newspaper article on the debacle - trying to make sense of it all - because all the big papers tell me it is a big deal. I wish dramatic events reported about Washington Politicos were a little more clear cut:

Dick Cheney steals candy bar. Caught on tape. In fact, caught on a COPS episode as he was stealing the Babe Ruth. Resisted arrest by throwing boxes of Tootsie Rolls at arresting officers. Was TASERED in awesome COPS episode entitled 'Shoplifters TASERED' - continued to resist. Got peppersprayed. Apologised. Admitted his role in the shoplifting and incriminated Scooter Libby, George Bush and Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald found cowering at the back of the store, mouth stuffed with Peppermint Patties. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald perfunctorily TASERED. Judith Miller walks into store and claims total innocence.

Yes. That would be so much clearer. And entertaining. By the way, COPS is one of my favourite and REVERED television programs.

And Ben Bradlee voices off yesterday afternoon (about Bob Woodward): "He doesn't have to disclose every goddamn thing he knows."

Brilliant. Sometimes cursing just cuts through all the shit.

And wow - just browsing through Editor & Publisher - Another 'Judith Miller' imbroglio is threatening to erupt regarding the old Wen Ho Lee affair. Wow - don't you people have better things to do with your time?