blah, blah, blog.....

= ^ } !!!!!!!!

SorenKC — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:09:13 GMT

http://blog.tribe.net/thread/1cb35177-387c-4f26-8f93-1a2debbe617a

Update on Our Nephew

SorenKC — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:39:17 GMT

This is Soren's wife, Rowan. Joseph is my sister's son. I just received word that he is now at home. He gets dizzy and has headaches, but is hanging in there. He will be seeing the neurosurgeon and the ear doctor a lot in the weeks to come. His last cat scan showed less air inside the skull, so I guess that is an improvement. He is at high risk right now for meningitis also. His mom is still holding up, trying to figure out how to keep the little guy down & calm - no playing, running, jumping, yelling, etc. and keep his little sister occupied. Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers. I really believe you made a difference. Soren here ---- Thanks from me too. Love to you all!

Family Crisis

SorenKC — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:13:00 GMT

Our 7 year old nephew had an accident yesterday. A TV fell on him at home. He has broken temporal bones on both sides of his head and a severe concussion. Not sure what's going to happen yet but we're hoping it won't have to involve a trip out of state..... His name is Joseph and he lives in Illinois. Healing prayers and positive healing energy would be appreciated.

To All You Burners

SorenKC — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:30:18 GMT

Have a great and safe Burn!!!! Wish I could be there with you. Maybe next year.........

Patience People!!!!

SorenKC — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:10:30 GMT

This is from someone's rant on the "Bug Reports" tribe, and Darren's (Our SysAdmin and Tribe-God) response to it: Ranter: Well I hate to join the rant bandwagon but unfortunately after not being able to log on last night even once during the hours of 5 p.m. and midnight, consistently got the servers busy error message or page can't be found, same issue again this morning and pretty damn consistenly I am burning out on patience. Darren's response: That happens when I have to restart the entire site -- which I did last night, it usually takes about an hour for the grapher to recalculate all the degrees of separation and repopulate that module. Some days I don't think anyone listens to me AT ALL. Most of the problems with tribe.net are BUILT IN. The backend is flawed, the software is flawed. I am not a Java programmer, and it is prohibitively expensive to hire a Java programmer, so we are rewriting and re-architecting everything. Until then, the site is going to fall down and go boom under the following conditions: 1) More than 1000 requests per second 2) failure of the grapher daemon (calculates degrees of separation) 3) MySQL queries locking up 4) Breathing heavy. On number one, it's made worse by people not being able to hit the site and then hitting the "reload" button. I don't know how else to explain to people -- this application DOES NOT SCALE past what we have, and to make it scale would require oodles and oodles of money that we don't have -- so I am rebuilding the site in something we CAN afford. I don't know how to put it any plainer than that. I am fine with people leaving, because I am pretty damned sure that once the rewrite is live there will be a lot of people either coming back or discovering tribe because it'll run so well. Back to Soren's Blog: Have faith in the Darren...Trust in the Darren... and all will be well. The new launch is coming.

Found it!!

SorenKC — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:04:02 GMT

My all-time favorite short story: Dwar Ev ceremoniously soldered the final connection with gold. The eyes of a dozen television cameras watched him and the subether bore throughout the universe a dozen pictures of what he was doing. He straightened and nodded to Dwar Reyn, then moved to a position beside the switch that would complete the contact when he threw it. The switch that would connect, all at once, all of the monster computing machines of all the populated planets in the universe - ninety-six billion planets - into the supercircuit that would connect them all into one supercalculator, one cybernetics machine that would combine all the knowledge of all the galaxies. Dwar reyn spoke briefly to the watching and listening trillions. Then after a moment’s silence he said, “Now, Dwar Ev.” Dwar Ev threw the switch. There was a mighty hum, the surge of power from ninety-six billion planets. Lights flashed and quieted along the miles-long panel. Dwar Ev stepped back and drew a deep breath. “The honour of asking the first questions is yours, Dwar Reyn.” “Thank you,” said Dwar Reyn. “It shall be a question which no single cybernetics machine has been able to answer.” He turned to face the machine. “Is there a God ?” The mighty voice answered without hesitation, without the clicking of a single relay. “Yes, now there is a god.” Sudden fear flashed on the face of Dwar Ev. He leaped to grab the switch. A bolt of lightning from the cloudless sky struck him down and fused the switch shut. ‘Answer’ by Fredric Brown. ©1954, Angels and Spaceships

Promotion!!

SorenKC — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:16:33 GMT

I'll be getting the official "offer letter" today. > - D The corporate entity that I work for does a lot of different things, but their primary business is insurance. Insurance for cellphones, specifically. I've been lucky enough to work for a tiny little division of the company that has nothing to do with cellphones OR insurance, but that gave me the opportunity to make great bonus money every month. That particular account is ending at the end of July though, so that's left me with a couple of choices: either laterally transfer to another department and make equal base-pay but without bonuses (translation: big pay-cut) or try to promote before the account ends and hope that the increase in salary will come close to equaling what I used to make in bonuses. I applied for an intermediate position in a department that deals with insurance claims hoping to gain some experience that might lead to a higher-paying position down the road. The supervisor of that department contacted me and she suggested that, based on my experience, performance and recommendations from my past supervisors and people that I had listed as references.... that I apply for a much higher position in a different department but within the same division of the company. So I did. I met with that supervisor yesterday and he told me that, based on my performance in the company, my reputation, and recommendations from my past supervisors and people that I had listed as references... he offered me the job without a real interview!! Short term - I'm going to spend two weeks going through basic new-hire training for the wireless division so that I have an understanding of what we do from the bottom up. Then I'm going to go through two weeks of intensive training and testing to get my Missouri Property & Casualty license. Then I'll go through two more weeks of intensive training and testing to get my Adjuster's license through the state of *Texas. (*don't ask me why....I have no idea.) That means I'll actually have real credentials that will open doors for me down the road. Now here's the tough part: That testing is supposed to be REALLY tough. Many people don't pass those tests on the first try. I'll have to spend a LOT of time studying over the next several weeks. I'll also have to work evenings for a few months, so I'll have to spend time away from my family and friends, both in real life {sorry drummers.... but this will work out for the best I think} and on Tribe (*sniff*) but within six months, I'll be back to working really good hours and I'll be making much better money! I should be able to finally get a decent computer and internet at home and life should get a whole lot easier. *whew* Finally!!!

So... I logged in this morning to find THIS:

SorenKC — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:12:13 GMT

1099 profile views 96 since 06/06 ROFL!!!!! (that's 99 hits in 3 days)

Quick - somebody hit me

SorenKC — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:14:56 GMT

999 profile views 3 since Today, 10:09 AM

The Sexed Generation

SorenKC — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:49:27 GMT

Slippy posted this link {and pic} on her blog. You rawk Slippy! It' s one of the funniest things I've ever seen so I had to spread the love. Enjoy..........!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReOw_2f4lpY

I'm Officially Obsessed.....

SorenKC — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:29:04 GMT

...With this Song. I have an earplug in my ear while I'm at my desk all day, every day. Sometimes it's plugged into my jambox, sometimes it's yahoo!music, sometimes it's cd's. Yesterday, I must have hit "replay" for this video on youtube like 40 or 50 times throughout the day. I watched it a few times but mostly I just kept listening to it while I was working. I love many different kinds of music. It's almost easier to mention the few kinds of music that I DON'T like. (gangster rap, old country, big band, 50's - 70's oldies, etc) But THIS. This right here. This is my all-time favorite type of music. If you can successfully take a really heavy rock song with lots of changes, (speed up / slow down / louder / softer / vocals / instrumental parts, etc) Throw in a driving beat that's almost danceable, add in good harmony and a chorus that's so melodic you can call it "pretty..........." You end up with this: My personal idea of the "perfect song." http://youtube.com/watch?v=HIRNdveLnJI I almost forgot to mention that it tells a really intense story also. Here are the lyrics: "Afterlife" by Avenged Sevenfold Like walking into a dream, so unlike what you've seen So unsure but it seems, ’cause we’ve been waiting for you Fallen into this place, just giving you a small taste Of your afterlife here so stay, you'll be back here soon anyway I see a distant light, my girl this can't be right Such a surreal place to see so how did this come to be Arrived too early And when I think of all the places I just don't belong I've come to grips with life and realize this is going too far I don't belong here, we gotta move on dear escape from this afterlife ’Cause this time I'm right to move on and on, far away from here A place of hope and no pain, perfect skies with no rain Can leave this place but refrain, ’cause we've been waiting for you Fallen into this place, just giving you a small taste Of your afterlife here so stay, you'll be back here soon anyway This peace on earth's not right (with my back against the wall) No pain or sign of time (I’m much too young to fall) So out of place don't wanna stay, I feel wrong and that's my sign I've made up my mind Gave me your hand but realize I just wanna say goodbye Please understand I have to leave and carry on my own life I don't belong here, I gotta move on dear escape from this afterlife ’Cause this time I'm right to move on and on, far away from here Got nothing against you and surely I'll miss you This place full of peace and light, and I’d hope you might Take me back inside when the time is right I don't belong here, I gotta move on dear escape from this afterlife ’Cause this time I'm right to move on and on, far away from here Got nothing against you and surely I'll miss you This place full of peace and light, and I’d hope you might Take me back inside when the time is right

Yay!! IF '08 Video

SorenKC — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:45:33 GMT

It's short, but now we can relive a little of the burn any time we want!! (and you can hear a little of our drumming in the background if you listen carefully....) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYI7eqN-5Rs

Padme was right...

SorenKC — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:40:52 GMT

After about 4 days my nose and forehead were pretty much done with the whole peeling thing. I thought I was done! But nooo.... Then my scalp started so I looked like I had a fierce case of dandruff for a few days. I thought it was over! Til yesterday. Now my arms are shedding...... and again, no amount of lotion or loofah-ing seems to make a difference. *sigh* My co-workers are going to have to contend with the floating trail of arm dandruff in my wake as I walk by today........Sorry!! (am I sharing too much.....??) ; - )~

Beginning the a-peel process

SorenKC — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:46:30 GMT

I knew it was going to happen. I actually remembered (shock) to put on my sunscreen out at Interfuse.... but it must have rubbed off or just not been strong enough. I knew I was in for it when I woke up sunday morning and my face had that "tight" feeling. Then of course there was that moment when looked in the mirror and realized that my face was somewhere between red and purple..... Yesterday afternoon, when I went to raise my eyebrows and it felt like my forehead had dried elmers glue all over it.... I knew. This morning I'm looking scary. Despite scrubbing my face with apricot scrub and numerous applications of moisturizer... my forehead an nose are peeling like crazy. yick.

Concern for Interfuse Family

SorenKC — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:53:31 GMT

So, I'm a little concerned about the fam...... There were 3 confirmed tornadoes in the surrounding areas of Kansas City last night. One of the actual suburbs of Kansas City, called Gladstone was hit during the night with either a tornado or tornado-velocity winds. Many homes were totally destroyed (gone, half-gone, roofs gone...) and over 40,000 homes are without power this morning. What really concerns me is that these storms were heading east...... toward Boonville where Interfuse is being held. I haven't been out there yet (heading out in about 8 hours - yay!) but I'm told there's no phone signal. One of my friends says that he'll have Wi-Fi and will be online if possible. Sending good mojo out there!!

Going to IF After All!!

SorenKC — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:07:38 GMT

My wife, Rowan, has been sick. Very sick, in fact. She has asthma and for some reason it's gone into high gear for the last couple weeks. Then she got some kind of really nasty chest-cold thing on top of it. She's getting better with a LOT of meds (things we usually try to stay away from) but it's still not good. That combined with this weekend being our daughter's senior prom, well, we decided it would be best if she stayed home. We only have one (legally tagged and fully functional) vehicle and she'll need to have that, so....... it was looking like we were BOTH going to have to stay home from Interfuse. But Slippy got ahold of of me and now I'll be taking her car to work on Friday. When I leave work, I'll be heading up to the KCI airport to pick up Distract-Sean and Button from Dallas and Matt from NYC and heading out to OA! It will be late and, admittedly, I'd rather have been able to go out Thursday morning in my OWN vehicle.... but I'm not complaining. I'm glad I get to go and I'm always happy to help out fellow Burners any way I can! Woot! = - ]

Woot!! Yay me! > - p

SorenKC — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:11:13 GMT

From Peter Azanga Sir/Madam, I am Peter Azanga from Cote D ivoire and I am contacting you because I need your help in the management of a sum of money that my dead father left for me before he died.This money is USD 9.5 million American Dollars and the money is in a bank here in Abidjan the capital city. My father was a very rich cocoa farmer and he was poisoned by his business colleagues and now I want you to stand as my guidian and appointed beneficiary and receive the money in your country since I am only 20 years and without mother or father. Please I will like you to reply to this email so that I will tell you all the information so that this money will be transferred to you so that you will get me papers to travel to your country to continue my education there.I am waiting for your urgent email. Thanks and God Bless You. Peter Azanga EMAIL ADDRESS peter_azanga@yahoo.fr PHONE NUMBER 0022506084810 I expect this kind of shit to get filtered into my junk mail folder in my hotmail........... but Tribe? wtf?

Visiting the Lion

SorenKC — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:26:15 GMT

I'm getting more emotional the older I get, I think.... this got to me: Several years ago this woman found a sick, malnourished Lion cub in the jungle. She took the cub home and fed him and brought him up until he was too big to keep anymore. Then she made arrangements with a zoo in Colombia to take the lion. Here's a video of what happened when she went to visit him in the zoo for the first time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnHxmw2HC2o

Cross-Posted from AgniTara's blog (from Vesuvius)

SorenKC — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:43:46 GMT

If you are unable to attend our fundraiser and would still like to donate to keep our volcano erupting, we have set up a paypal account for that very reason. Please send all donations to : shine4tommorrow@gmail.com Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for ALL your support!!!!!!

PASS IT ON!!!!!!!

SorenKC — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:00:35 GMT

These amazingly talented performers ROCK and deserve our support! Come out and hang with them! (Note: They'll be going outside at about 9:30 to show us what they do! ---- and I'll be drumming with them!!)

Promotion? ...........really.

SorenKC — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:23:34 GMT

So, here's the thing: I'm 41 years old and have been working since I was 15. I have management experience and, since I was 18 years old, I've been the designated-on-the-job-trainer guy at practically every job I've worked at because I seem to be "good with people." I've been with my current employer now for about 3 1/2 years. I was told within my first year that, because of my job performance and years of experience that they "really need people like (me)" and that I would go far. They set me up on a "career-pathing" plan and I supposedly have a couple of management people who are coaching me in my career development within the corporation. I'm supposedly on a "guided-career-path." Hmm. The hell you say. At first I was passed over for a couple of promotions because of "schedule inflexibility." Ok. Fair enough. I was part of a drum group. I do things with the SCA. I was also playing in a band and had practices and gigs to go to. 4 evenings a week I basically went straight from work to other activities. I just simply couldn't work evenings. Don't get me wrong.... if the pay increase was worth it, I would have given up my evening activities to work flexible shifts. It wasn't. Eventually I stopped being a part of that particular drum group. My lead singer moved to Chicago so the band broke up. I still do SCA things but they're infrequent. My current drum group (KC Drum Tribe) only meets one night a week and the events are spread out and planned in advance enough that I can schedule around them. I'm still being passed over for promotions. Why, you ask? yeah. me too. I've been passed over for 8 different supervisory positions and 3 training positions over the last 3 1/2 years. For some of them, I got no explanation whatsoever. For some of them, I was told that I "wasn't qualified." (-wtf?) For some of them, I was told that I was a good candidate, but that another candidate who was better qualified than me was chosen. Those all sound reasonable until you look a little closer. The last 3 "supervisor" positions at my company were filled with people who have worked at the company for less than 2 years. Now ---- Here's the part where I just fucking lost it the other day: The last one, in fact, has only worked at the company for 1 year. And she's 24 years old. really???? I've been one of the top performers on my account since my second month with the company. I'm the go-to-on-the-job-trainer-guy for my department....yet again. In fact, the training department calls me in as a backup trainer when they're short-handed. I was working at my first job before this person was even fucking born. I've got management experience and a wall full of certificates and awards from this company that I'm working for right now..... and they're promoting a 24-year old girl who's been here less than a year over me????!!!!!! yeah. I went the fuck off the other day when I saw the email announcing her promotion. Wanna hear the clincher? I never even got an interview. So now I've applied for a training position. I actually applied for it about 6 months ago. I went through the first interview. I was assigned to put together a training presentation and presented it in front of a group of supervisors, managers and other trainers. I went through a "panel interview" and was told that I was down to being one of the finalists. All I had to do was go through a one-on-one interview with the Training Manager and he would make the final decision........... Then that training manager got promoted to an executive level position over training departments across the country. So, I was told that the NEW training manager would have the final say over who this new trainer would be. That was over a month ago. They finally announced who the new training manager is yesterday. He happens to be one of the trainers that I interviewed with who thought I should have been promoted before. He's been in my corner for a long time and I consider him to be a friend. Is that a guarantee? hell no. I don't know who I'm up against. If they promote someone who, say, spent 8 years as a corporate trainer somewhere else and has 4 years seniority with this company...... then I say congratulations. If they play the same game they've been playing so far....... Fuck 'em. I'm out.

Chicken Fried Bacon

SorenKC — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:31:16 GMT

It's..... Nah. You just gotta see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfbTO0GlONU

Heed His Words.....

SorenKC — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:23:05 GMT

...... or suffer his wrath.

Phobias

SorenKC — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:49:52 GMT

I seriously considered applying for Fear Factor when it first came out. I'm not in that great of shape athletically, but I've always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie and there really aren't that many things that I'm afraid of. I do, however, have a weak stomach when it comes to bad smells and/or slimy textures. So, when they started doing the "let's-make-them-eat-the-nastiest-most-disgusting-things-we-can-possibly-think-of" stunts..... I decided to back quietly away from that idea and let the other victims have all the fun. There are 2 things in my life that I guess you could say were/are mild phobias for me. The first is electricity. I got jolted a few times in my childhood and teens. Each time it was due to my own stupid mistake. One of the most memorable times was when I was 13 and playing in my first band. We were practicing in my friend's basement. On a 1]damp concrete floor. I was barefoot. (Have I mentioned that I pretty much only wear shoes when I'm forced to by the man...?) I had an old keyboard that actually had metal knobs on it. I was trying to adjust the sound on my keyboard. My bass player wouldn't quit playing loudly and I couldn't hear myself. I decided to 2]turn up the volume on my keyboard while simultaneously 3]leaning up against the metal support pole in the basement and 4]reaching over and turning down my bassplayer's amp by adjusting THAT metal knob. When I got up off the floor I realized that both of my arms and hands were aching and tingling and all of my bandmembers were laughing hysterically. If I could have made a fist I'm pretty sure I would have nailed every one of them in the jaw. Since then I've pretty much tried to either avoid or delegate electrical issues. It's for the greater good of mankind. I know this. I actually have a son who has a natural affinity for electrical things that he clearly inherited from his mother's side. He tore apart and fixed his first broken TV (that he carried in from someone else's curbside trash) when he was around 10 yrs old. Yay me. My other near "phobia" is spiders. I don't think I've ever been bitten by one, but I clearly remember the "Animal Guy" visiting my first grade class and showing us a giant brown tarantula, live and in color, just a few feet away. He was nice enough to point out their huge more-than-a-half-inch-long fangs. They looked more like a cross between hypodermic needles and elephant tusks to me. Somewhere around the age of 16 or 17, I decided that it was time to face that fear head-on. I went to my local pet store that boasted an "exotic" department that included, but wasn't limited to, a large selection of tarantulas. I went in, walked straight to the exotic department and told the guy that I wanted to "hold that tarantula right there" while my pointing finger was shaking violently. He looked at me skeptically and asked if I was sure. To which I replied "yes"....... and my voice cracked. He reached in and lifted one out while explaining to me that the Mexican Red-Banded tarantula (or something like that) that I had pointed to were actually very aggressive and likely to bite, but that the brown {much larger} brown tarantulas were are actually quite docile. He coaxed it onto my very outstretched hand and I held it there for awhile. It didn't move. The store guy reached over and lifted one of its legs up to show me how docile it was and it just held it up in the air for a few seconds and then gradually lowered it down. I held it for maybe 3 or 4 minutes and then gave it back to the guy to put back in the aquarium thingy. (terrarium? arachnium?) I walked around the store for awhile feeling pretty bold and proud of myself and then went back and told the guy I wanted to hold it again. He reached in and got another one and put it on my hand. This time I actually held it closer. I turned it around and looked it in the eye. eyes. When I did that, it suddenly occurred to me that the other spider that I held had been facing away from me the whole time. It also occurred to me that those giant pointy things that I had been so afraid of in the first grade were now hovering a few millimeters above my hand. And then it moved them. Like a flex. Or a stretch. Or a yawn. Or a threat. Whatever it was it scared the shit out of me. So I very gently started to move my hand out away from my body and told the guy that he could put the nice spider away now. Right then - someone opened the front door of the pet store. Which caused a gust of wind to blow through the store. Which spiders don't like, apparently. Because the nice, giant, docile tarantula with the needle-sharp venomous tusks decided to run up my arm. I don't really remember for sure what happened in the next second or two, but I'm pretty sure I screamed like a girl and jumped back. I jerked my arm out from under the poor, scared tarantula and it fell. Fortunately for both the spider and me there was a stack of hay bales right under where my arm had been and the spider only fell about a foot and landed on the hay. The store clerk guy quickly gathered up the spider and put it back in his tank and explained to me that they're very fragile and that if it had fallen any further its body would have broken in 2 and I would have had to buy it. At that time, I decided that, from that day forward, I could say that I had officially and finally faced my fear. I would no longer say that I was "afraid" of spiders, but that I have a respect for them. I would no longer feel the need to touch one by choice. I have another son (not the electrical-wizard one) who absolutely loves bugs, spiders, crustaceans, arthropods, etc. I've seen him coax dozens of spiders onto his bare hand to take out of houses or away from harm. That works for me because, well, you know spiders and I have this whole "mutual-respect" thing going on. I also have a daughter who is horribly allergic to even the smallest spider bite so she's usually the first one to raise an alarm and call her brother. Anyway, despite my telling him what a really bad idea it is, I've seem him handle house spiders, banana spiders, all manner of orb-weavers and even wolf spiders. Huge, hairy wolf spiders. yeesh. He tells me that he's even handled a brown recluse or two. Freak. Anyway -yay me, again.

NYE

SorenKC — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 22:00:59 GMT

Recovering from the flu (sinus/throat/chest, aches, pains, etc) so I'll be watching the ball drop from the comfort of my couch, but wishing you all a happy and SAFE New Year's Eve! PS- Finally got my new drum (djembe) out of layaway!!!!!! Can't wait to share it with my drum family next week! < = - D