My good friend, Dennis Derobertis, the owner and creator of Office Power and D2Stuff, got a small measure of satisfaction the other day when his cousin called him and told him his Action Pack for FrontPage software was actually in stock at Amazon.
He's developed the software, designed the packaging, got the CD's pressed and packaged and got a distributor. He got his product listed on Amazon, but with a label of "out of stock or discontinued on it." All he needed was someone to make some phone calls and get a case sent to Ingram or some numbers entered in some inventory DB for the product to be listed as something people thought they could actually buy.
Whatever it was my buddy agonized for 1.5 yrs waiting for that final step to happen. I hope its not too late and that maybe some sort of relationship can be created between FrontPage and his product - one of those "in addition to" recommendations on Amazon might do a lot to drive business.
Anyhow, I am happy for him and sad because the cavalry is arriving a little late. :-(
If you use FrontPage to any sort of web work at all, check out his products at D2Stuff.com. They are big time savers and well worth the cost. And of course, check out the ActionPack.
Friday, June 25, 2004
Rolling baby yeah.
Yesterday, I got to "roll" (lingo for sparring / freestyle) for the first time. Of course, I didn't do very well at all. Oh, sure there was a glimmer of hope here and there where I got a dominant position or had a good choke or arm lock for a little bit, but my more experienced partner got out of each of them and submitted me a bunch of times - mostly with arm bars. Its to be expected and I don't feel bad about it one bit. Like golf, those few techniques that I managed to pull off are enough to jazz me up and encourage me to come back and try again. What was really cool in a way is that I pushed myself harder than I have pushed myself since I left the Army way back in the day -- to the point where my whole body just kind of gave out. I'd forgotten how fast you can run out of gas, juice, energy or whatever you want to call it, but when it happens its like someone pulled a plug on you - everything just melts.
So today, Advil is my friend. Tomorrow, the school is hosting a seminar by Helio Gracie, followed up by a party. Since I'm so new, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to absorb, but when you have the opportunity to meet a master and learn from him, I figure its a good idea to do it.
Quick aside about the train ride home yesterday. Usually, its a quiet affair with the train packed with people that work late. Just normal worker folk. A few folks here and there might have a beer or two on the way back to unwind, but its casual and no one gets out of hand. Not last night though. Some mid 50's balding slightly overweight corporate guy had gotten himself falling down drunk. I'm not even sure how the hell he managed to walk to the train. He could not or would not pay his fare and kept passing out. Rather than risk confrontation, the conductor just shrugged it off and let him sit there. As we approached our stop at White Plains, the guy tried to get up and promptly crashed to the ground. He struggled up, fell down again. At this point some guy was trying to get him back to his seat - telling him to sit down and take it easy. The drunk guy was waving keys around - so I guess he though he was going to just cruise home. Talk about a homicide waiting to happen. Ultimately the guy refused any sort of help, the cops were called and picked him up at the train station. What happened after that, I have no idea.
I wonder what made him get that way and if it was a good time or maybe he had gotten a call from his wife telling him she had left him for the pool boy she had been banging for the past six months. Who knows. What I do know is that winding up in jail is generally on the "don't want to do that" list.
So today, Advil is my friend. Tomorrow, the school is hosting a seminar by Helio Gracie, followed up by a party. Since I'm so new, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to absorb, but when you have the opportunity to meet a master and learn from him, I figure its a good idea to do it.
Quick aside about the train ride home yesterday. Usually, its a quiet affair with the train packed with people that work late. Just normal worker folk. A few folks here and there might have a beer or two on the way back to unwind, but its casual and no one gets out of hand. Not last night though. Some mid 50's balding slightly overweight corporate guy had gotten himself falling down drunk. I'm not even sure how the hell he managed to walk to the train. He could not or would not pay his fare and kept passing out. Rather than risk confrontation, the conductor just shrugged it off and let him sit there. As we approached our stop at White Plains, the guy tried to get up and promptly crashed to the ground. He struggled up, fell down again. At this point some guy was trying to get him back to his seat - telling him to sit down and take it easy. The drunk guy was waving keys around - so I guess he though he was going to just cruise home. Talk about a homicide waiting to happen. Ultimately the guy refused any sort of help, the cops were called and picked him up at the train station. What happened after that, I have no idea.
I wonder what made him get that way and if it was a good time or maybe he had gotten a call from his wife telling him she had left him for the pool boy she had been banging for the past six months. Who knows. What I do know is that winding up in jail is generally on the "don't want to do that" list.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Lost Time. Lost Keys.
I could not find my keys for the past couple of days. About five minutes ago, I found them, right where I left them outside on our deck. However, for the life of me I could not remember that until very recently.
Memory is a funny thing. We block things. Forget things. Remember things. And we do so all for myriad reasons that I don't think we understand for the most part. The ability to suppress and the ability to recall memories are very powerful tools and ones we wield blindly, driven by circumstance and mindset. Sometimes its a survival mechanism (suppressing) but forgetting shit -- well that can just be dangerous.
While I may or may not have suppressed memories (don't ask me what ahahhaa) I've always been forgetful. Its not bad like it used to be when I was a kid and would lose my head if it was not attached, but bad enough to be a pain in the butt and bad enough for me to stop doing something few people ever even get a chance to do - fly helos for the Army.
I know people think I left my gig flying helicopters in the Army because of my marriage. While the two of us had our own troubles right off the bat, it had nothing to do with me deciding to leave flight school. The reason I left is that I did not want to kill anyone by making a mistake I felt was inevitable.
I would just forget things flying instruments. I'd forget which way the wind was blowing and make my initial holding pattern turn wrong. I'd forget if I had made that turn at a marker, etc. It never happened enough that I failed a flight or failed a checkride. But it happened enough to make me sick to my stomach as I flew. It affected my confidence and I could not help but wonder what would happen if I forgot in combat or forgot with other lives on the line.
Does that sound like a copout? To some maybe it does. But I tell you what, I'm sure some Sgt. in Iraq would be happy to know I lost my keys and not his life.
One of the keys to not being forgetful is mindfulness. I've been working on that lately as part of my interest in Buddhism. Its something you always work on I guess, but its helped me realize the importance of the inconsequential. Everything is important. Nothing is important. Just pay attention!!!
Memory is a funny thing. We block things. Forget things. Remember things. And we do so all for myriad reasons that I don't think we understand for the most part. The ability to suppress and the ability to recall memories are very powerful tools and ones we wield blindly, driven by circumstance and mindset. Sometimes its a survival mechanism (suppressing) but forgetting shit -- well that can just be dangerous.
While I may or may not have suppressed memories (don't ask me what ahahhaa) I've always been forgetful. Its not bad like it used to be when I was a kid and would lose my head if it was not attached, but bad enough to be a pain in the butt and bad enough for me to stop doing something few people ever even get a chance to do - fly helos for the Army.
I know people think I left my gig flying helicopters in the Army because of my marriage. While the two of us had our own troubles right off the bat, it had nothing to do with me deciding to leave flight school. The reason I left is that I did not want to kill anyone by making a mistake I felt was inevitable.
I would just forget things flying instruments. I'd forget which way the wind was blowing and make my initial holding pattern turn wrong. I'd forget if I had made that turn at a marker, etc. It never happened enough that I failed a flight or failed a checkride. But it happened enough to make me sick to my stomach as I flew. It affected my confidence and I could not help but wonder what would happen if I forgot in combat or forgot with other lives on the line.
Does that sound like a copout? To some maybe it does. But I tell you what, I'm sure some Sgt. in Iraq would be happy to know I lost my keys and not his life.
One of the keys to not being forgetful is mindfulness. I've been working on that lately as part of my interest in Buddhism. Its something you always work on I guess, but its helped me realize the importance of the inconsequential. Everything is important. Nothing is important. Just pay attention!!!
Saturday, May 29, 2004
Martial Arts Redux: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Last week I joined a Jiu Jitsu club - NYC Machado Jiu Jitsu, the the official East Coast representative of the Machado brothers and the premier Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy in Manhattan. Overall, the tone and attitude of the school is professional yet relaxed and humble. The bit of informality is refreshing and not something I saw when I took Tae Kwon Do or Aikido.
I've been to four classes so far and I know I am going to love this more than I ever did Aikido or Tae Kwon Do or Judo. The instruction by Prof. Marcos is fantastic. He is very knowledgable, patient and concerned about his students. The other lead instructor, Marcos' brother, Marcio, carries himself in the same way. The one assitant instructor I have met, Rene, is also a great guy. In other words, its a fantastic environment to learn one of the more effective arts out there. Its a family and I look forward to becoming a part of it.
Its funny how you can just feel comfortable somewhere and with certain people. Instantly, you feel accepted and welcomed and like that you can fit in. In my younger years, I certainly learned what it was like to not feel accepted. So, when I get such a positive vibe from a place or a person, I really appreciate it.
Travel wise, its easy to get there - just a short 30min train ride from White Plains to Grand Central and a 10 minute walk to the school. Its cool to get down into the city again, even just for a little bit and get to soak up the energy down there. I get to see the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Grand Central and the New York Public Library on my short walk and the lighing at 5pm in June in NYC just makes everything look better.
Why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)? Why not go back to Tae Kwon Do or Aikido. Well, for one thing I'd seen first hand how effective BJJ could be in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and later on in Pride. All the really good strikers -- people skilled in kicking and punching got eaten alive by grapplers. The attitude of most traditional martial arts is also a bit backward for me. At Fordham, they used to teach their students to spar with their lead arm up, exposing their ribs "to present a target" for their partner. Those were the same guys that I looked forward to fighting back in 1988 at the WTA National Tournament at West Point. It was too easy. Of course, as fate has it I wind up at Fordham and suffering through their classes. I was actually told not to go after brown belts (as a purple belt) very hard because I needed to show them respect. I was like -- WHAT?!!? Oy. Suffice it to say that my time at Fordham Tae Kwon Do was short lived. Too much attitude, not enough skill.
Aikido is super, but its a very difficult art to learn. I suppose from a self defense perspective you could master a move or two for all the different types of attacks in a realatively short time, but then getting them to work in a combat situation with a person not the same size you are used to is again --- difficult. Nothing against Aikido, I love it and respect it but I am looking for something that is a better workout and trains closely to what a street fight situation might be like. That's the benefit of BJJ, you train against people struggling very hard, and you do so on the ground where most fights wind up by chance or by design. Get a great workout, lose weight, get in shape and learn to defend yourself. Sounds good to me.
Naturally, when I told my mother about this she was a little apprehensive. She was asking if it was like Tae Kwon Do. I told her it was more like wrestling. Of course, her mind lept immediately to people jumping off of ring ropes and hitting each other with chairs and all things WWE. Oy. After that I could not really get her to grasp the idea of it. Oh well, in the meantime she can think I am donning a mask and cape and calling myself the "Masked Maruader". Sheesh.
Weight: 204 Resting Pulse: 73
I've been to four classes so far and I know I am going to love this more than I ever did Aikido or Tae Kwon Do or Judo. The instruction by Prof. Marcos is fantastic. He is very knowledgable, patient and concerned about his students. The other lead instructor, Marcos' brother, Marcio, carries himself in the same way. The one assitant instructor I have met, Rene, is also a great guy. In other words, its a fantastic environment to learn one of the more effective arts out there. Its a family and I look forward to becoming a part of it.
Its funny how you can just feel comfortable somewhere and with certain people. Instantly, you feel accepted and welcomed and like that you can fit in. In my younger years, I certainly learned what it was like to not feel accepted. So, when I get such a positive vibe from a place or a person, I really appreciate it.
Travel wise, its easy to get there - just a short 30min train ride from White Plains to Grand Central and a 10 minute walk to the school. Its cool to get down into the city again, even just for a little bit and get to soak up the energy down there. I get to see the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Grand Central and the New York Public Library on my short walk and the lighing at 5pm in June in NYC just makes everything look better.
Why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)? Why not go back to Tae Kwon Do or Aikido. Well, for one thing I'd seen first hand how effective BJJ could be in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and later on in Pride. All the really good strikers -- people skilled in kicking and punching got eaten alive by grapplers. The attitude of most traditional martial arts is also a bit backward for me. At Fordham, they used to teach their students to spar with their lead arm up, exposing their ribs "to present a target" for their partner. Those were the same guys that I looked forward to fighting back in 1988 at the WTA National Tournament at West Point. It was too easy. Of course, as fate has it I wind up at Fordham and suffering through their classes. I was actually told not to go after brown belts (as a purple belt) very hard because I needed to show them respect. I was like -- WHAT?!!? Oy. Suffice it to say that my time at Fordham Tae Kwon Do was short lived. Too much attitude, not enough skill.
Aikido is super, but its a very difficult art to learn. I suppose from a self defense perspective you could master a move or two for all the different types of attacks in a realatively short time, but then getting them to work in a combat situation with a person not the same size you are used to is again --- difficult. Nothing against Aikido, I love it and respect it but I am looking for something that is a better workout and trains closely to what a street fight situation might be like. That's the benefit of BJJ, you train against people struggling very hard, and you do so on the ground where most fights wind up by chance or by design. Get a great workout, lose weight, get in shape and learn to defend yourself. Sounds good to me.
Naturally, when I told my mother about this she was a little apprehensive. She was asking if it was like Tae Kwon Do. I told her it was more like wrestling. Of course, her mind lept immediately to people jumping off of ring ropes and hitting each other with chairs and all things WWE. Oy. After that I could not really get her to grasp the idea of it. Oh well, in the meantime she can think I am donning a mask and cape and calling myself the "Masked Maruader". Sheesh.
Weight: 204 Resting Pulse: 73
James Draws For A Bit.
I went through a drawing phase a few months ago. Its stock paper and pencil and the model is from a Polo print ad. I don't have a scanner (ack) so I took a picture of it. Later on I colorized it in Photoshop. I had to "cheat" a little bit to get the proportions of the head right, but what the heck, I drew this for me and I am ok with it.
The drawing phases never tend to last too long. Usually its in some attempt to recover some part of my youth that I think I need back. If it gets really intense I start thinking of trying to go back to art school, get a career in advertising and so forth -- but the reality of it the money and the time are not really there. And neither is the drive or I suppose I would be drawing everyday. I like to dabble though. So, dabble I do. Pick things up, put em down is the way I seem to work.
Posted by Hello
Friday, May 28, 2004
Westcon Haiku
Being a systems analyst at Westcon is a lot like working for the fire department. You need to stay prepared, stay aware and just wait wait wait for something to go wrong. Inevitably, something always does. So, in the spirit of making dealing with tickets a bit more palatable, a few of us here have taken to writing and including haiku in or about our ticket responses. Without further adieu, here are a few:
tickets are like fish
for they have no sense of time
they will still wait there
Notes will not open.
Tickets are there waiting now.
They will wait longer.
Patiently I wait.
Tick Tock Tick Tock its Friday
my home beckons me
"I click the button
The page it is not there now
I will shop elsewhere"
I cannot log in
The problem is not my own
ticket needs new home
tickets are like fish
for they have no sense of time
they will still wait there
Notes will not open.
Tickets are there waiting now.
They will wait longer.
Patiently I wait.
Tick Tock Tick Tock its Friday
my home beckons me
"I click the button
The page it is not there now
I will shop elsewhere"
I cannot log in
The problem is not my own
ticket needs new home
Friday, May 21, 2004
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