USMB Coffee Shop III

[Ernie S.]

Another image from about 10 miles North of here:

 

[alan1]

Today was the second (and last) day of our training. It was a 16 hour course on Root Cause Analysis, which means figuring out why something isn't working, or what broke a process that used to work. Yesterday, we got through all the material in six and half hours (it's supposed to be eight hours). Today, we got through all the material in five and half hours (again, it's supposed to be eight hours). Much of the class was us breaking into teams of 5-6 people and solving actual case studies that have occurred in real companies. Each time, all three groups came to the same (and correct) conclusion of the root cause of the problem. The professor was blown away by our success, and how rapidly we progressed through the material. He said that in the five years he has been teaching the course he has never seen a group of people that could get through all the material (not to mention 100% successful for each group) in only 11.5 hours

Now, I must admit, every one of us in the class works for the same company, and most of us know each other a little. That means that many of us have the advantage of already knowing personalities and thought processes of our classmates. Most of his classes have people from more than one company in them, so that would change the dynamics of working in 5-6 people groups where people don't know each other.

There were a few other dynamics that the professor pointed out at the end of the class, things not always present in his previous classes.
He's never had a class before that was all IT people.
Even though we are all IT people, we represented multi-facets of IT, including engineering, business analysts, technical analysts, infrastructure, developers and application support.
Nobody dominated in any group. Typically, in group settings, an alpha personality takes charge and steers things towards their thought process. He was surprised that no group let an alpha take control.
Every person in every group gave ideas, expressed opinions and made arguments, even the scribe. He said the scribe (person recording things) usually doesn't provide input, they simply write things down.
We didn't deviate from the process and rely on old habits as a group. When a person deviated from the process, the rest of us reined them in and returned to the process.
We challenged each other on opinions/ideas and nobody got butthurt (yes, he used that term) or offended because our thought was different than the thoughts of others.

My job at work isn't to fix shit that is broken or failing, it is to enhance stuff that already works or put in new stuff. But, since I know the systems, I get called often when stuff fails, they want my knowledge and experience to figure out what the heck happened. After this class, I have a new tool to both problem solve and prevent future problems.

 

[Darkwind]

So, yeah, today's been going by a bit slowly. Today I awoke at 6am, and realized I didn't need to get up so early. Went back to bed, yet couldn't sleep, so back up to take a shower around 6:20am. Clothes were being washed and dried in the meantime, and I gave myself a nice shave. ;-) We usually take these things for granted because we're young.

Left for work at 7:30am, and arrived in 1st client's driveway at 7:40 am. It's out in the boondocks, about 5 minutes from me. Farm crops, highways, and wide open spaces as far as the eyes can see. An elder man and his wife live in a deceptively modest little house; they have a massive downstairs. He used to be a milker of cows, and ran the equipment; usually he'd get around a ton of milk each day. One time he had to deal with a bull, and it was furious with him for some reason; he mentioned that he threw a rock at the bull because it was getting ready to charge, and it snapped the bull out of it, and it walked away. I find it hard to believe, but in those times, well, that was decades ago.

The general routine is to help give him a shower, and get in all the cracks and crevices, lol. That includes helping him get his dirty clothes off, rinsing and drying him, and helping him put on clean clothes. After that we go into the living room so he can watch some Perry Mason. Sometimes he'll want tea, too. Other general cares include vacuuming, dishwashing, polishing the wooden framework, etc. It's pretty easy work, once you're comfortable caring for people in the most personal of ways. I used to have a shell when it came to communicating with people, but caregiving's been the practice or, uh, exposure(!) I needed to get comfy with people in general. His wife makes a damned good squash bread, too, so I bake with her at times after my shift ends.

After that I'm off to McDonald's for some Wi-Fi and documentation. Maybe a bite, too.

Now I'm at my 2nd client's home. He is in the beginning stages of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). The brunt of my experience was with ALS sufferers in the late stages, and it's one of those diseases that get me angry. All you can do is be there for them, give them the care they need, and respect them... and let them know they matter. He's able to walk and exercise etc, but we both know how this will end, and he knows I'll be there to carry him through it. Why ALS exists is beyond my comprehension, but it is ugly, cruel, and merciless. You have to... really adapt and change yourself in order to care for various clients, situations, and emergencies. If my mother were to develop the disease, I don't think I would be able to bear it.

Does anyone here have any experience with caregivers or ALS?

Yes. See My PM...

 

[Ringel05]

Burger King?

5 Guy's then?

We had many in the DC metro area, one was a couple of miles from the house a few shops down from Lucia's, the best Italian food and pizzas in the Reston area. The closest 5 Guys to us is up in the northern Colorado springs area..... We ate there two weeks ago then went a few doors down to the only Cold Stone in Colorado Springs.
Here in Trinidad there's a couple good restaurants but all the chains are Mcsomethings......

 

[Darkwind]

even bee air traffic control is suspect

Thats actually quite fascinating to watch.

The one bee actually comes in too low. I wonder if its a Korean bee?

 

[Sarah G]

Another image from about 10 miles North of here:

So did you ever make it back home?

 

[Jughead]

What's the brown stuff under the salmon? I really don't eat salmon that much but it's ok.

I like the freshwater fish, I could eat it everyday except for the mercury. I love tuna but don't eat it frequently for the same reason. It's too bad, you find something that could be very good for you but have to watch out for something like that.

Wild Alaskan Salmon is quite tasty when grilled, and very healthy. It's high in Omega 3. Good news is it's mercury risk is very low. I stay away from farmed salmon as I don't trust what they feed them.

As you can see from our four level rating system, wild-caught salmon achieves our "very low" mercury rating provided that they are caught in waters outside of Alaska or along the Pacific coast of the United States (offshore from California, Oregon, and Washington). Wild-caught Atlantic salmon achieves the next best rating of "low." We only recommend farmed salmon if they have been organically farmed. Even though we have not yet seen data on the mercury content of organically farmed salmon, we are confident that this type of salmon will achieve our "very low" mercury rating.

How safe is salmon with respect to mercury?

Considering Fukishima, I won't eat anything out of the pacific right now.

I was concerned about this as well, after the nuclear disaster in Japan three years ago. I did a little research, and it appears that some radiation may be present in fish, but not just the Pacific, also the Atlantic ocean. It's unavoidable if consuming seafood, however exposure to related radiation is insignificant (very small). I don't want to give up seafood outright, so I only have it once, maybe twice a week.

A recently published study by Kanisch and Aust of the Thünen Institute of Fisheries Ecology in Hamburg reports that Fukushima sourced cesium (Cs) has been detected in fish collected in the north Atlantic Ocean. Like fish sampled thus far in the north Pacific the contribution of Cs to overall exposure of human consumers to radiation by consuming these fish is very small.

Fukushima Cesium in North Atlantic Ocean Fish

 

[Sherry]

 

[Derideo_Te]

My friend, Otis, is dying. Will be leaving shortly to go sit with him. Prayers up for God's mercy for a peaceful passing.

Peace to be with you, Otis and your loved ones, BBD!

 

[Ringel05]

Wild Alaskan Salmon is quite tasty when grilled, and very healthy. It's high in Omega 3. Good news is it's mercury risk is very low. I stay away from farmed salmon as I don't trust what they feed them.





How safe is salmon with respect to mercury?

Considering Fukishima, I won't eat anything out of the pacific right now.

I was concerned about this as well, after the nuclear disaster in Japan three years ago. I did a little research, and it appears that some radiation may be present in fish, but not just the Pacific, also the Atlantic ocean. It's unavoidable if consuming seafood, however exposure to related radiation is insignificant (very small). I don't want to give up seafood outright, so I only have it once, maybe twice a week.

A recently published study by Kanisch and Aust of the Thünen Institute of Fisheries Ecology in Hamburg reports that Fukushima sourced cesium (Cs) has been detected in fish collected in the north Atlantic Ocean. Like fish sampled thus far in the north Pacific the contribution of Cs to overall exposure of human consumers to radiation by consuming these fish is very small.

Fukushima Cesium in North Atlantic Ocean Fish

I guess I can't eat enough to glow in the dark. Damn! I'll have to find another way.

 

[boedicca]

I'm still not convinced lachs is something I want to eat. But I love trout, catfish and tuna--unfortunately with tuna you have to balance the health benefits against the possible mercury contamination. We do eat a lot of eggs and use canola oil pretty much exclusively. Can't afford lamb. Goat and grass fed beef is pretty hard to come by around here. So we all just do the best that we can.

Lachs are SALMON! Who doesn't love that?

I could eat salmon everyday....but that's my inner Viking speaking.

I don't love it. There aren't many who really know how to prepare it. It can very easily be a dry piece of fish. I really don't care for it usually. I never got an answer on what the brown stuff is under the salmon.

If your salmon is dry, it's not cooked properly. Grilled salmon that is moist is divine. I just ignore the brown stuff next to the skin.

 

[Statistikhengst]

A couple of weeks ago, Foxfyre and I had a jesting conversation about Lachs (Salmon), because I told her I like to eat Lachs for breakfast, for instance:

What many people might not know is that Lachs contains a good amount of Omega-3 fatty acid, which is a pretty amazing substance: it actually helps to burn fat already stored in the body. Fat is stored in our body in, well, essentially, mini-cubes, and each of those cubes has a protective sheath around it. It's not easy to burn away this sheath, but there are enyzmes in Omega-3 fat that literally bore holes into that sheath, making it a lot easier to released stored body fat into the system and use that fat as energy. Omega 3 also helps to regulate blood clotting.

If you are looking to drop a pound of two and want more energy at the beginning of your day, I can recommend trying some stuff with Omega-3 fat in it, in moderate amounts.

Here are some good Omega-3 options:


meat from animals who are grass-fed (goats, sheep, some cows)
Egg yolk
Lachs, also Carp, Trout, Flounder, Catfish, Eel, Sardines, Herring, Mackerel and Tuna-Fish.
Edamame (green soybeans)
Wild Rice (which is not a grain, but rather, officially, a grass)
Walnuts, Walnut oil
Canola oil
Flax

Among the fish listed, Lachs has the 4th highest amount of Omega-3 fatty acids, Tuna has the highest. This is part of the reason why trainers call Tuna "Bodybuilder-Bible Food".

About 10 years ago, I moved away from sugary breakfasts to really hearty breakfasts and I think it really helped me.

If you read up on it, you will probably see the word "moderation" alot. Stuff with Omega-3 is not to replace an entire diet, but just to enhance it.

So, I'll stick with my love-affair with Lachs!!!
[MENTION=42916]Derideo_Te[/MENTION]

I'm still not convinced lachs is something I want to eat. But I love trout, catfish and tuna--unfortunately with tuna you have to balance the health benefits against the possible mercury contamination. We do eat a lot of eggs and use canola oil pretty much exclusively. Can't afford lamb. Goat and grass fed beef is pretty hard to come by around here. So we all just do the best that we can.

Lachs are SALMON! Who doesn't love that?

I could eat salmon everyday....but that's my inner Viking speaking.

There you go, that's the spirit.

Salmon lovers of the world, UNITE!!!



(I suddenly have this irresistable urge to swim upstream)

 

[JakeStarkey]

So, yeah, today's been going by a bit slowly. Today I awoke at 6am, and realized I didn't need to get up so early. Went back to bed, yet couldn't sleep, so back up to take a shower around 6:20am. Clothes were being washed and dried in the meantime, and I gave myself a nice shave. ;-) We usually take these things for granted because we're young.

Left for work at 7:30am, and arrived in 1st client's driveway at 7:40 am. It's out in the boondocks, about 5 minutes from me. Farm crops, highways, and wide open spaces as far as the eyes can see. An elder man and his wife live in a deceptively modest little house; they have a massive downstairs. He used to be a milker of cows, and ran the equipment; usually he'd get around a ton of milk each day. One time he had to deal with a bull, and it was furious with him for some reason; he mentioned that he threw a rock at the bull because it was getting ready to charge, and it snapped the bull out of it, and it walked away. I find it hard to believe, but in those times, well, that was decades ago.

The general routine is to help give him a shower, and get in all the cracks and crevices, lol. That includes helping him get his dirty clothes off, rinsing and drying him, and helping him put on clean clothes. After that we go into the living room so he can watch some Perry Mason. Sometimes he'll want tea, too. Other general cares include vacuuming, dishwashing, polishing the wooden framework, etc. It's pretty easy work, once you're comfortable caring for people in the most personal of ways. I used to have a shell when it came to communicating with people, but caregiving's been the practice or, uh, exposure(!) I needed to get comfy with people in general. His wife makes a damned good squash bread, too, so I bake with her at times after my shift ends.

After that I'm off to McDonald's for some Wi-Fi and documentation. Maybe a bite, too.

Now I'm at my 2nd client's home. He is in the beginning stages of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). The brunt of my experience was with ALS sufferers in the late stages, and it's one of those diseases that get me angry. All you can do is be there for them, give them the care they need, and respect them... and let them know they matter. He's able to walk and exercise etc, but we both know how this will end, and he knows I'll be there to carry him through it. Why ALS exists is beyond my comprehension, but it is ugly, cruel, and merciless. You have to... really adapt and change yourself in order to care for various clients, situations, and emergencies. If my mother were to develop the disease, I don't think I would be able to bear it.

Does anyone here have any experience with caregivers or ALS?

A dear friend, a marathoner and fitness freak, died of ALS. Terrible disease. He was also spiritually ill, but as his perfect body began wasting, his imperfect spirit began healing. An incredible metaphor of life: at the end, he was spiritually whole.

He is the most amazing person I have ever known.

 

[Jughead]

My friend, Otis, is dying. Will be leaving shortly to go sit with him. Prayers up for God's mercy for a peaceful passing.

My prayers are with you and your friend, BBD.

 

[gallantwarrior]

I'm still not convinced lachs is something I want to eat. But I love trout, catfish and tuna--unfortunately with tuna you have to balance the health benefits against the possible mercury contamination. We do eat a lot of eggs and use canola oil pretty much exclusively. Can't afford lamb. Goat and grass fed beef is pretty hard to come by around here. So we all just do the best that we can.

Lachs are SALMON! Who doesn't love that?

I could eat salmon everyday....but that's my inner Viking speaking.

There you go, that's the spirit.

Salmon lovers of the world, UNITE!!!



(I suddenly have this irresistable urge to swim upstream)

While the temptation to spawn may be upon you, if you do, it will be the last journey you ever make!

 

[gallantwarrior]

Yay! School is all over now except posting grades. I'll have that done in short order. Perhaps now I'll have a bit more time to visit and keep up here.
Living in the land of wild salmon, I have learned to enjoy them as a culinary staple. Up here, residents can get permits to harvest between 30 and 500, depending on how much work you want to do. I do make a mean smoked salmon and know how to make gravlachs, too. I prefer my salmon fresh, though, it tastes wonderful right off the grill. If it's been frozen, it develops a more "fishy" flavor which I am not a fan of...so, either fresh or smoked for me.

 

[Big Black Dog]

My friend, Otis, passed away this afternoon just before 1600. He died peacefully surrounded by family and friends. He will be missed. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

 

[SFC Ollie]

 

[BDBoop]

My friend, Otis, passed away this afternoon just before 1600. He died peacefully surrounded by family and friends. He will be missed. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

I'm so sorry for your loss, and that of his family.

 

[Sarah G]

My friend, Otis, passed away this afternoon just before 1600. He died peacefully surrounded by family and friends. He will be missed. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Get a good night's sleep, it's been a rough day.