I often talk about my Grandfather as my mentor even though my Dad was the one who actually executed all of the theory I received from my father. At a very early age he started to show me by example and I never really had to question the whole “do as I say, not as I do” thing. One of the things I remember he told me is that the bad part of a clique is not to be inside it… he was being cynical about it because even though he had friends he was someone that just did not trust people. I became the total opposite.

When you are part of a group of people there is a certain level of community that starts forming as you get together more and more. I love having friends over to my place for a fun night of board games, or video games or just good food. I enjoy this even more when friend of mine that meet for the first time click as I did with them individually and get along. However groups start to form exclusivity and no matter how hard you try there will always be outsiders for one reason or another. Even if you don’t want to pick sides in situations you end up doing it because loyalties form whether you want them or not.

When I first moved to KC I did not know there was a big group of people that met in a regular basis. It took a while for me to actually get out there and I sometimes regret not doing it earlier. I had heard from other people that this was a very cliquey group of people, but I chose to just ignore the opinion of someone else and formed my own. I happened to like the group and enjoy some of the people enough to begin to form friendships from some of them. There are inside jokes like when I say the “T” word and Spyder chases me around trying to hit me, to Chimpo and I being told some day we are going to karaoke. It is a fun group of people and I like them more and more as we spend time together.

Then there is the white elephant in the room that we don’t discuss because, well it is a great elephant. Even though this person is someone that has used their web space as a creative outlet he has chosen satire as the medium. When you apply satire to politics or celebrity we all seem to be able to laugh and swallow the harsh words with relative ease… but what happens when those words touch us at a personal level. Is being a blogger and putting your thoughts out in the internet the same as being a published author? are we all fair game?

I find that a little funny since most journalist think that every day bloggers are not real writers. I have read how they pick apart people that blog about their cat or what they ate for breakfast. Well I happen to find it interesting if Meesha had captain crunch in the morning vs potato pancakes… btw Meesha, what do you eat for breakfast. So if we are so not worthy to be considered media… then why are we to be subjected to criticism and ridicule just because we have formed a group? Are we really fair game?

I am glad I am part of the group of local bloggers, I have met great minds and I am pretty sure made great friends. I use my blog as a way to organize my thoughts and present a glimpse into my point of view, but to truly get to know me you have to meet me in person. Also our group of bloggers is not a clique since anyone that wants to can show up to the events… then again, like I have always felt about respect and another lesson I learned from my Dad, I don’t like those close to me to be disrespected even in the name of satire.

Work was crazy last week, we had so many things to fix it almost smelled of sabotage. It was not, but it sure felt like it. Bea is finally getting used to the routine and she is not as tired as she was before. Since she started working this was the first weekend she did not have to go into the office. That was great.

Had a dinner with a lawyer friend that I am doing some consulting for, think of it I am like her IT department, but its working out very well. I am learning tons about that field and I am going to be able to help her business.

Having my wife around this weekend was so great, I miss her now that she is at work. I think that she will change schedules this week so we actually get to spend another hour together a day and that will make it all worth it. We are still trying to plan a trip to Colombia some time this year, but it might be later on than we expected.

So what did you end up doing this weekend?

Yes, I do this because I am lazy on Fridays…

Appetizer
Name something you would categorize as weird.
That people don’t understand that hating something is actually putting tons of effort towards something that does not deserve it.

Soup
What color was the last piece of food you ate?
Multicolor… it was pizza from the Shoppe Sausage and Bacon… Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, nom, nom, nom.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?
1 I like having people around me… never cared for a lone or quiet time much.

Main Course
Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______.
I will certainly vote for OBAMA in the next election… and I used to be a Republican

Dessert
Describe your sleeping habits.
I like to not be disturbed while sleep… the end… hehe. I guess this question wants more… I try to get about 7 hours… maybe 8 is all my body wants. I wake up pretty early and without an alarm most days

Ever since I moved to Chicago I heard that for a while the Sears tower was the tallest building in the world. Actually to be exact, it was the tallest building from 74 to 98 when the Petronas Towers in Malaysia took over. The title is currently held by Tapei 101 in Taiwan, but there are plenty of buildings coming down the pipe that are gunning to take the title. Not to be anticlimatic, but a Dubai building is going to just be almost Babel tower like and dwarf everything by a long shot… the building is called Burj Dubai but I think it already looks too inspired by the Sears tower. It might just be Chicago pride.

It seems unfair to just dismiss the building because it is going to be gigantic, a word often used the right way. I blame marketing types. However two engineering marvels are being built in Chicago that will be spectacular.

Aqua USA does not look all that impressive when looked at from a distance, but once it is built and we are able to look at it from a closer angle a water effect is going to make the building appear as if it was made out of water. I actually considered architecture as a career path, but back then i did not realize how fantastic the field could be.

There are other impressive buildings being built in China, Russia and these very futuristic building in Penang, but the one that I am looking forward to the most is the drill bit like building called Chicago Spire by Santiago Calatrava. Call it Chicago Pride, or just the fact that this is probably the tallest building I will ever be in, once it is constructed, but I am really looking forward to it changing the Chicago skyline.

I have been writing this post in pieces for quite some time, I could not find the appropriate tone for it because I did not want it to sound like a PSA, or become as sensational as the local news paper. A couple of weeks ago a gang fight broke out at a local arcade, I had not heard about a gang fight since I witnessed many back in high school.

Gangs back in high school were something you just had to get used to. The break down in the family structure, not so much the whole marriage father and mother roles, but the sense of belonging to a family in general, to me is what breeds gangs.

When a teenager feels alone and there is nobody for him to be around, they seek the companionship of a family. You then start learning that that family is to be protected and the enemies became many. While what happened at power play could have been simply some kids that were trouble and had been kicked out of school feeling left out, it could also be something a little more serious.

I don’t think that gangs are going to take over the whole Kansas City area, but when brawls are starting at family places, and malls, girl fights that make it to youtube and could land some teens in life in prison, I get a little worried. I then realized that I have been so disconnected from that world since high school that I have no idea if the gangs around here wear any colors.

Back when I was in high school, your starter jacket identified the people that you associated with. Gold and Black, Blue and Black, Red and Black were all color combination that to me meant something. I had minimal issues with the gangs at school because my best friend was someone that was respected, not because he was a member but because of his size.

I think it is important to learn how to identify gang members, and to promote prevention. I think organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters make the most difference. Even TKC’s mentality of more Xbox is probably a good one.

I have heard that most real gangs around here do not mess with regular citizens, but the string of young people acting stupid and being so violent is really something that should concern us all. If you have any additional information about this subject, please post it.

I dedicate this Fridays Feast to Meesha, because he loves it.

Appetizer
Name a color you find soothing.
Blue and green… the ocean

Soup
Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience.
I put the heavy semi into gear and did not know about the air breaks.

Salad
What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of?
Cotton

Main Course
Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see?
Nobody really… I have been disappointed by listening to acts live, over and over… not a big deal for me.

Dessert
What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)?
D and N are tied.

I dislike the fact that many people think that computer programmers are hermits that like to live in little cubicles under the fluorescent lights. What does not help is that there are plenty of them that do think that computer users are just the enemy trying to break down the precious system.

The reality is that programming is something that requires concentration. To truly solve a problem with good logic you need to use your brain power to make sense of the steps that have to be taken. It sometimes takes time and then peace to be able to translate the thought into actual code.

Some programmers are always coding in their heads. I have actually woken up in the middle of the night with the solution to a problem and if I have remote access I log in and either solve the problem or send an email to myself. Trying to remember the next day is kind of difficult. Some programmers like to walk while they are solving some logic issue in their head so to other it looks like they are in a completely different world. I don’t pace when I think, however I do listen to music a little too loud and the more input the more I am able to work out a problem, but I am not the norm.

I think that this is where the problem with communicating with the mythical creature the programmer is comes from. You see a dude walking down the hall that does not acknowledge the world around him as a rude person. I think both sides feed off each other and the disconnect just becomes greater and greater. I have seen it in several organizations.

One of the most frustrating things as a person is to be ignored. While users would probably think that they are ignored the most on the equation, programmers are also only approached when they are needed for something. Like Milton in Office Space, they are the lasts ones to get the piece of cake if they even get any.

I will never forget the day that a user had a problem at one of my previous employers and I showed up at her desk. She was a middle age woman that I later found out was actually married to a programmer. When I said hi to her and asked her for more details on what was wrong with her report she looked almost scared. She then said, a programmer never talks to us. I later found out who the worse offender was in our department who even refused to talk to the help desk people.

I cannot solve the problem for everyone but I did find out how to make it better, at least for me. Start communication with people on a regular basis. I am not talking about full on water cooler talks with people but just saying hello in the morning when you walk in the office. I have observed that most people do not do this, or don’t like it. A good morning goes a long way into making you look more personable, specially for a programmer.