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Have I failed?

 
whippersnapper
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HA! I knew that subject line would get people to read this thread!
Way back in high school a teacher of mine said that whenever you attend a dinner party you should, at a bare minimum, learn one interesting and memorable thing about each new person you meet and one interesting and memorable thing you didn't previously know about each person you know already -- otherwise you've failed as a dinner party guest.
Now I know that's a bit extreme and dramatic and we here aren't exactly at a dinner party and of course noone is a failure, but I'm looking at a bunch of names on the assignment log and in this forum there're some folks here that I know close to *nothing* about.
So consider this the almost yearly revival of the let's make some noise, folks thread.
So let's hear some stuff about people. And for the people I already know stuff about, tell me something new already already. Make me less of a failed dinner party guest!
Tell everyone about your job (or not!). Your hobbies, your interests, your families. What videos you use to test the servlet assignments.
Here's a rather dispassionate description of me. Here's something you may not know -- that's my passport picture. It happened to be what I had handy when I needed to submit a photo. Well, I have a much better haircut now and I'm 30 pounds lighter these days. The navy merino mock turtle sweater I was wearing has bit the dust. I (hand) washed it in too warm water one time and the torso shrank and the arms lengthened.
They say when you start to look like your passport photo you should stop traveling. But I'm not stopping.
I really like to travel, so if you live somewhere interesting, be careful about mentioning it because you never know when I might be in the neighborhood. Johannes, I understand, lives in constant fear that I'm going to stop by for a visit and never leave.
Speaking of photos and travel, I have done several vacations now without taking a camera. It can be so liberating to travel without having to worry about taking pictures. I think I'm starting to prefer more subjective and fuzzy memories rather than accurate documentation. (It's also fun to annoy people: "What do you mean you went to such-and-such and didn't take any pictures?!) If my memories of a place start to fade, that just means that it's time to go back!
I am on my way to becoming a master traveliter. I can easily travel for weeks with a single small travelpack. I beamed with pride once when this backpacker dude (a New Zealander at the bus station in Singapore) said to me "Man, you are traveling light!" I eventually fessed up that I was on a 3-day side trip an had left the bulk of my stuff behind with my wife. (OK, I secretly want to be the guy at the end of Close Encounters of the Third Kind who goes off in the spaceship carrying no belongings (and wearing a funny jumpsuit) -- hmm, well Jodie Foster at least got that cool headset.)
Now here's the funny thing: just as I start to get everyone all wound up in this thread, I'm sneaking away Thursday for a long weekend (nowhere exciting). Be back in a couple of days!
[ April 29, 2003: Message edited by: Michael Matola ]
 
Ranch Hand
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What you been taking?
Asides: Does he always go like this in the spring?
Personally, I get hayfever
[ April 29, 2003: Message edited by: Barry Gaunt ]
 
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Does he always go like this in the spring?
Nah, he's always charming, just doesn't reveal it all the time.
Personally, I get hayfever
Now *there's* a dinner party topic if I ever heard one. I get that too. (Now Mike has interesting tid bits about both of us.) There's so much pollen around here, the streets get all yellow with it after a little rain. But the itchy eyes and runny nose are well worth the beautiful colors and wonderful smells everywhere, ahhh yes!
 
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I get hayfever too...
I hear its because we grow up ina sterile environment and kids who grow up on farms don't get it.
Not terribly convinced that my house was sterile
 
hired gun
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I don't get hayfever. I was allergic to bee stings when I was younger and poison ivy / oak can still cause me a lot of trouble at times, I did grow up in the country, though not too far out of town.
[ April 30, 2003: Message edited by: John Hembree ]
 
Amy Phillips
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I'm a real city dweller and don't even know what poison ivy looks like........
 
Michael Matola
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Nah, he's always charming, just doesn't reveal it all the time.
Charm at short notice is my specialty.
 
Michael Matola
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hayfever
Um, folks, I was aiming more for revealing and possibly embarassing personal details than for pollen reports. So start some revealing around here!
(Here in souteastern Michigan it's mysterious molds that are the problems -- they're on my list of the hundred or so Utterly Vile Things About Michigan. (And I don't think Michigan is even over that giant fungus that covers most of the midwest and plains. Damn. What is that thing called? Google has failed me.))

--
"I just wanted to get the hell out of Michigan." -- M.L. Ciccone
 
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Is a propensity to join in the audience particippppppation at The Rocky Horror Show more in line with your requirement ? Or is that just too revealing ??
 
Michael Matola
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The Rocky Horror Show
It's a step in the right direction.
(Take a step to the left...)
I've been an audience-participator in TRHPS a number of times, but not for 10 years or so.
[ April 30, 2003: Message edited by: Michael Matola ]
 
John Hembree
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Originally posted by Michael Matola:
Um, folks, I was aiming more for revealing and possibly embarassing personal details than for pollen reports. So start some revealing around here!


Michael it sounds like we're almost neighbors, I live near Cincinnati, Ohio. As for embarassing facts, and this may not be all that embarassing here, but I have half my basement filled with 7 computers for nothing more than for me to play with, 3 of them are in an old server rack that I bought off e-bay. I do tell my wife that some of them are for my three kids, which are in grades 8, 6, and 2.
I work as a computer consultant and was asked recently to go both ways in the programming arena, hence my involvment here. I have a lot of MS experience, MSCE, MCSD, and MCDBA and would also be in the "near old fart" SCJP2 category as Barry puts it.
[ April 30, 2003: Message edited by: John Hembree ]
 
John Hembree
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Originally posted by Amy Phillips:
I'm a real city dweller and don't even know what poison ivy looks like........


They don't like me a bit...
 
Barry Gaunt
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I ask: What you been taking?
Mike says:
Here in souteastern Michigan it's mysterious molds
Ok he's on the mushrooms then, that explains this outburst of springtime (you enter your word here).
 
Amy Phillips
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I think the most upsetting thing about the ranch for me (rapid conversation switch) is that you lot are all asleep when i'm bored at work! Can we not arrange for one of you to sit through the night so I don't have to chat to myself all day?
 
John Hembree
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Originally posted by Amy Phillips:
I think the most upsetting thing about the ranch for me (rapid conversation switch) is that you lot are all asleep when i'm bored at work! Can we not arrange for one of you to sit through the night so I don't have to chat to myself all day?


I think at least Barry and Rachel Andrew are both over on your side of the world so they should be near your time zone, possibly others...
 
Chicken Farmer ()
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By the gods, I remember when Pauline and I used to moderate this forum, it used to be a respectable place... well, when Pauline was away *snickers*
Heck, even Matt was better than this... *runs and hides*
Have a new horse on the way, hopefully momma will be having it in the next few days, but she's just now really developing an utter, so it may be another week.
And Amy, I have one thing to say -- Baaaaaah
 
Sheriff
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Originally posted by John Hembree:
Michael it sounds like we're almost neighbors, I live near Cincinnati, Ohio. As for embarassing facts, and this may not be all that embarassing here, but I have half my basement filled with 7 computers for nothing more than for me to play with ...



I grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, just outside of Akron, Ohio.

Golly, I only have three computers and my husband is upset.
 
John Hembree
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Originally posted by Marilyn de Queiroz:
Golly, I only have three computers and my husband is upset.


That's just the working models, I have a closet full of old cases w/ motherboards, video cards, modems, etc. where I've upgraded to the newer machines and couldn't re-use the parts. I keep thinking I'll list them on e-bay one day and get rid of them but then again they're so old I don't think I'd get anything for them. Maybe I can set up an small linux farm to play with / learn that technology.
 
Barry Gaunt
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Originally posted by John Hembree:

I think at least Barry and Rachel Andrew are both over on your side of the world so they should be near your time zone, possibly others...


Yup Pauline and me are on GMT+1 + 1 (Summertime).
 
John Hembree
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Barry does this quote (1997 timeframe) relate to you...

NEWS FLASH
Dear Readers!
Thank you very much for your personal feedback that we received from you for our SunMonthly - after evaluating all your inputs we are sure that we will meet your requirements even better in the future!
Further on we draw lots for 10 beautiful Java TM Leather Jackets.
Here are the 10 happy winners:
H.P. Bregnard - Solo SA, 2900 Porrentruy
Timothy Comben - UBS, 8021 Zurich
Peter Eigenmann - SEGA, 8022 Zurich
Ren� Fehr - Telekurs, 8021 Zurich
Barry Gaunt - CS First Boston, 8070 Zurich
Stefan C. Jordi - ABB PTI AG, 5401 Baden
Silvio Menzer - Siemens Nixdorf, 8302 Kloten
F. Perrot - EPFL, 1015 Lausanne
Martin Rothauser - Swiss Re, 8022 Zurich
Urs H. Surber - Matra Datavision AG, 8105 Regensdorf
We congratulate all the winners and do hope that you will enjoy wearing the brand-new and exclusive Java TM Leather Jacket of Sun Microsystems!


[ April 30, 2003: Message edited by: John Hembree ]
 
Barry Gaunt
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Exactly, so long ago? I've worn it 5 times or so. Looks good with pink and blue bermudas, green socks and transparent plastic sandals.
In fact, I only wote the other day

JdeJ:My problem is that I wore my JavaRanch shirt once to often to work & that they think I'm this ace Java programmer
Wow, so I'll have to start strutting in my leather Sun java bomber jacket (I won it five years ago) and sporting my newly earned SCJP pin?
Must take another look at those shirts too... maybe they are ghastly enough to draw the desired attention


[ May 01, 2003: Message edited by: Barry Gaunt ]
 
John Hembree
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The internet is an amazing thing you can find all kinds of stuff out there.
I use to work for a company that purchased distressed debt, they used all kinds of tools on the internet to help them filter which accounts they should pursue first for collection.
 
Barry Gaunt
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Originally posted by John Hembree:

I use to work for a company that purchased distressed debt, they used all kinds of tools on the internet to help them filter which accounts they should pursue first for collection.


Based in Sicily?
 
John Hembree
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Cincinnati - Unifund (and I had nothing to do with their web site)
 
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<bold>
Speaking of photos and travel, I have done several vacations now without taking a camera. It can be so liberating to travel without having to worry about taking pictures. I think I'm starting to prefer more subjective and fuzzy memories rather than accurate documentation. (It's also fun to annoy people: "What do you mean you went to such-and-such and didn't take any pictures?!) If my memories of a place start to fade, that just means that it's time to go back!
</bold>
I agree totally. I find being an amateur photographer tends to take you out of the experience. Your trip is scene only through your viewfinder. And its expecially bad if you don't have a wide angle lens . Plus lugging all my cameras and lenses was a drag, especially through Yosemite. So, I too, have decided to <bold> NOT </bold> take my equipment on some trips so I could enjoy it.
Dan
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