February Family Update

1) On a scale of 1 to 10, how was your FEBRUARY?

It was good.   Give it an 8.   I can barely remember it anymore.  This is fun, I'm typing this and watching the NCAA basketball tournament at the same time!  My excuse in case you see any typos!

2) What did you do last weekend OR what are your plans for this weekend?

Hmm, let me check my cell phone ... Friday night - kids have a movie night at school.  They are watching "Kung Fu Panda".  It's a fundraiser for our school.  While the movie is going on, adults bid on silent auction items.

3) How is the extended family?

Sheri' sister, Lisa is doing well after cancer surgery.  Her prognosis looks good.

4) How is job?

I'm really at a crossroads right now.  There is an opening on a team that manages one of the largest databases at General Mills.  It keeps track of all the point-of-sale data for what gets sold at Walmart.  We know for any given day, what our sales were like at any store.  So, I would be working on ways to make it easier for our business analysts to use the data.

There will eventually be an opening on a team that creates software to manage conference rooms, payment systems, automate the set up of security on web sites, and many other numerous applications.  This is a a very eclectic group.  You have to know a little bit about a lot of different technologies.

So, do I want to gain more depth in database technology or do I want to work as a tool-developer?  I'm having a hard time deciding.

5) How is health?

I've been better.  All week long I have been feeling sore.  The head hurts, the back hurts.   My skin feels like it's been sunburned.  I don't know what the deal is. 

6) Did you go anywhere cool?  

Sheri and I went to the Acme comedy club in Minneapolis last weekend.  I know the head-liner, and he invited us to go.  He was very funny.

7) What made you frustrated?

Watching the Gophers lose to Texas tonight.  They just couldn't put the ball in the basket.

8) What made you happy?

Sitting here comfortably in this couch, watching basketball and writing this blog.

9) Anything surprising?

Madelyn's car won the pinewood derby again!  Two years in a row, 4 out of 5 years.  Absolutely amazing.  There isn't enough room for all the trophies.

10) Movies/TV shows you watched?

American Idol.

11) Currently reading?

Tuning Oracle (database) Performance, Un-Christian, A Guide to Tea, and the Book of Second Chronicles in the Bible.

12) Something you made:

Two pinewood derby cars.

13) Do anything cool?

It was fun to use Nathan's dremel to carve out James' car.  It sort of looked like the blue Hot Wheels Ferrari car that he has.  Certainly, it was the nicest looking Pinewood derby car I have ever made!

14) Anything bad happen?

Gophers lost, but I expected that.

15) Any cool people you've met/reconnected with?

Derrick and Jane.

16) Any big purchases?  Nope.

17) Something that inspired you....

Over coffee, I talked with a very bright computer person who is very much a visionary.  He is researching better ways we can gain strategic insights from the sales-related information we collect.  Talking with him helped me understand that it's not about the software development tools that we use, but it's about what kinds of problems can we solve with those tools.   And I need to figure out the types of problems that I want to help solve.

18) What are you looking forward to in the month of March?

March Madness.  I'm in three different pools.  I picked Louisville to win in one pool.  In the other, I picked Duke.  We drew teams in the other pool, and I got Connecticut.  

Recitals for our spring performance, "The Thorn".

19) Not looking forward to?

Looking at all the March blah, dirty snow, goofy-looking grass, etc.

20) Complete the phrase: In February I had dreams about being on a different team at work.  It was weird.