It Is Not I Who Am cRaZy, But Me Who Is iNsAnE!!!

Help Save A Life!!!

2011-06-21T19:10:00.001-04:00

If you, or your child, were about to die and needed a kidney, you better believe you would be begging for a stranger to step up and offer one.

Allison Lennon in New York city is in need of a kidney. A kidney donor to be specific. Somebody, between the age of 18 and 70, somewhere out there is a suitable and willing match. So far ONLY A SCANT FEW in a country of some 320 million-odd have stepped up. Black, white, yellow, pink, purple, it doesn't matter your skin color. You as a human being are a potential donor.

Becoming Allison’s donor, as I understand it, will cost you nothing. Except a kidney. But you have two and you can live great with one. In fact, my mother in-law gave my wife (her daughter) a kidney. My mother in-law is doing great!

Medical technology has really come a long way. If you get to be the donor, the surgeon will remove your kidney laparoscopically. That means you'll spend, on average, two nights in the hospital and back to work in three weeks. How's that for some time off and away from The Man?

Follow this link. It will take you the website for New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center's Department of Surgery. It gives you more information on becoming a donor and has a link to the questionnaire you will need to fill out to get started. Just filling out this form and faxing it makes you a hero!

If the experts like your answers, they will mail you a kit that you will need to take to your doctor or nearest hospital or LabCorp office where they will draw your blood. It will then be shipped to New York for study. This will only cost you a few moments of your time. And a couple of ounces of blood. Trust me, you’ll make more.

I just received my kit today. I'm getting my blood drawn tomorrow morning and shipping it back Overnight via a pre-paid FedEx shipping label. Not costing me a thing. Except a few ounces of blood.

Spread the word, people. Somebody's daughter, somebody's friend needs your help. Widest dissemination possible. Help save a life: be a living organ donor.

I Know What I Saw

2010-12-04T10:38:00.002-05:00

On December 2, 2010, sometime between 1:30 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time I saw something in the sky. I was facing a southeasterly direction in my backyard. It was a very clear sky; no haze, no clouds. Just me and the stars.

I had already finished one glass of wine and was working on my second. I decided to go out the back door to have a smoke. It was tobacco, by the way. I'm always looking at the stars. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash. Nothing spectacular, but it caught my attention. So I looked in that specific direction expecting to see an airplane passing over high up. Since the lights on airplanes flash about every one to two seconds, I was already curious when it took longer to see the light a second time.

For reference, while facing southeast, there is a star in the top of the constellation Monoceros, just below the left foot of the left sister in Gemini. At the time of this blog, I do not know this star's name or designation.

So after a period of more than two seconds I begin to think I just imagined it when I see the flash again. It was at 10 o'clock from this, as yet, unnamed star. I kept my eyes on that part of the sky. I see the flash again and I begin measuring the time intervals by counting 1-one thousand, 2-one thousand, 3-one thousand, etc. I counted 8 seconds and then another flash. It was more brilliant than Betelgeuse, which was close by and to the right, but no brighter than the marker lights on an airplane. I kept measuring the intervals and found that they were between 8 to 12 seconds apart; and the light source was NOT moving; it was stationary in the sky, fixed at 10 o'clock from the same star.

I watched this phenomenon for about 5 minutes. I see a shooting star to my left, and shortly after, another to my right. Okay, I think I just ruled out any sort of meteorite. I'm pretty certain it's not a satellite because I've seen plenty of those over the years. Satellites are usually seen within a few hours after sunset. We're way past that time frame. And this light source is still NOT moving.

Now, I don't necessarily "believe" in UFOs, and I'm not the kind of person to categorically neigh-say, but a lot of people are experiencing something. That being said, my next thought was "Okay, so maybe we're dealing with a UFO"; in the truest sense of the acronym, only I can't rightly use the word "flying" since the object is not moving. But let's go down that path. UFO enthusiasts, hunters, and supposed contactees have said that, in a lot of cases, using a flash light is an effective means to get a UFO's attention and to get them to come in closer. So, I get a flash light.

Each time I see the flash I do the same in return with my flash light. The 8 to 12 second intervals do not change. After doing this a few times, I give two flashes for every one that I see. Again, no change in the object's intervals.

After working my flash light for several minutes, I do notice a change: the light flashes in the sky begin to get dimmer and dimmer with each subsequent occurrence. Eventually the object dims and ceases to flash.

For the record I have considered the idea that I could have seen a pulsar, but with the naked eye? Maybe. But I would also think that pulsars would be more consistent in their timing, not that I had a 100% consistent method for measuring time during my experience. But then, pulsars are not fly-by-night events. They last for a very long time, like eons.

For the past two nights, I've gone into my backyard looking at the same point in the sky hoping to see it again. And I find nothing. So, I never saw any flying triangles, circles, or cigar shaped craft. And definitely no little green men. But I did see a light in the sky that I have yet to come up with a reasonable explanation for. I'm open to any suggestions.

Thanks for reading

My Thoughts On Proposition 8

2010-08-04T22:08:00.002-04:00

Proposition 8, the law banning homosexual marriage in California that was voted into law by the people, was overturned today by a court ruling as unconstitutional. The fact that a person's right to choose whom they love or marry is being debated as LAW is still confounding to me. At first, my issue with this was not homosexual marriage being made legal, but that a judge was overturning the desires of the people. I thought that was scary. But then, after talking with my wife, I realized how wrong I was.

The United States of America, contrary to popular belief, is a republic; a rule by law. Most people think it is a democracy; a rule by the people. In fact, we are a republic by a democratic process. To prove this I will state two words: Judiciary Branch.

The courts interpret our laws and, hopefully, bring clarity to their meanings. The courts are the only thing that keeps our beloved democratic process from becoming an angry mob. The people may want one thing, but if the Constitution says another, we need to go with the Constitution. The United States is, after all, a republic.

What's more, the judge, that sits on the bench, is there to, in essence, protect us from ourselves. The judge was either voted into office (democracy), or he was appointed by a governor or the president (democracy by proxy). We then have to trust that the judge on the bench is honoring the true will of the people by upholding the Constitution of the United States.

With that said, I trust that the overturn of Proposition 8 in California, was indeed, performed by a judge that put all his/her bias aside and weighed the evidence against the letter, and the spirit, of the law (republic).

I am a conservative (I'm a LIBERTARIAN, not a Republican) voter. I am also a follower and believer of Jesus the Messiah. I believe in freedom; the free will of the individual to make his or her own choices, so long as they fit within the confines of these words:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Macaroni and Cheese REDEFINED

2010-06-08T20:53:00.002-04:00

When I cook, I seldom measure my ingredients. The measurements listed below are approximations. Even still, I'm sure you will enjoy it!

1 lb cooked and drained rotini pasta (I prefer whole wheat)
1/2 cup mozerella cheese
3 slices American cheese
1 -8 oz package (2 cups) shredded Monterey/Colby cheese
1 jalapeno diced (seeds removed)
1/2 medium yellow onion (NOT VIDALIA) diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (feel free to add more)
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp red curry powder
1 tsp garham masala
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk???
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk as needed for later

You'll need a small stock pot by the end of this, so I suggest you start with one. It will make it easier.

Melt the butter over medium to high heat and then stir in the flour. You're making a roux, like you would for gravy. When you get a bubbly paste, add the milk while stirring and brink to a boil. When boiling reduce heat to low.

Once thickened, add jalapeno, pepper, onion, garlic, and spices. Once thoroughly stirred, all three cheese products.

When all the cheese is melted and you have a good cheese sauce, add about 2/3 of your cooked pasta. I say this to err on the side of caution, because I don't want you to end up with too little sauce. At this point, you may want to add about another 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk. Once the pasta and cheese is well mixed, continue to add more pasta until you are satisfied with your preferred consistency. Now, enjoy the worlds best mac and cheese.

It's going to be a little spicy, and may have an Indian Curry/Southwest US taste to it. Serve it as a side to Mexican dishes, steak, salmon, or enjoy a small portion as a midnight snack! I'm open to CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so let me know!

My Little Pony???

2010-05-18T12:02:00.000-04:00

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

2010-05-07T07:11:00.001-04:00

You saw it on Twitter. Now you can eat it at home

1 pkg devil's food cake mix
1 Lg chocolate instant pudding
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups for batter, 1 for icing)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Greased bundt pan. You may grease and flour if you wish

Combine cake mix, pudding, water, oil, and eggs in a mixing bowl, then beat for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in 2 cups of chocolate chips. Pour batter into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes. Turn over onto your cake plate and let cool.
Combine 1 cup chocolate chips and the whipping cream. Slowly melt in small sauce pan. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minues. Drizzle sauce over cake.
I have learned that you can also put your chips and whipping cream in a microwaveable dish and microwave on high for 1min 30 seconds and stirring every 30 seconds is another to make your sauce/icing.

Flooding in Nashville, TN

2010-05-05T17:32:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you've heard about the flooding in Nashville, TN. Here are some shots from the Bellevue Work Center and Central Office in Nashville.

Nomenclature of a Warrior

2010-04-01T10:53:00.001-04:00

Thanks, again to Game Informer for this image.

Will You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse?

2010-03-26T11:37:00.000-04:00

Whether it be video games or movies, zombies are a recurring threat. But will you survive in a real zombie apocalypse? Game Informer was kind enough to provide this flow-chart to prepare you for that day.

The Obama Package

2010-03-25T23:07:00.001-04:00

Super-Simple Pan-fried Fillet

2010-03-11T12:18:00.000-05:00

The following recipe does NOT have exact measurements, as I have never exactly measured this stuff out so the measurements are approximate. If you're adept in the kitchen, you will understand where I'm coming from.

Also, some of you may think it is heresy that I am not GRILLING a fillet. If you feel that way, then you can get lost, NOT use this recipe, and deny yourself a new and rich experience! Without further ado, I'm going to write this out as a dinner for two; so here goes:

- 2 beef fillets of your choice (Sirloin fillet is cheaper than Mignon and a little tougher)
- 2 tbsp Flavored/seasoned olive oil. (best if you can find some with the herbs/seasonings still in the bottle. Check your grocer's salad dressing section where all the fancy dressings and marinades are)
- 1-2 tbsp chopped shallot
- 1/2 cup Cream
- Splash of dry white wine
- 1 tbsp chopped Rosemary (fresh is best)
- 1 tbsp flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooking thermometer

Before you start, I recommend you go ahead and chop your shallot and rosemary

Put about 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet and put it on medium-to-high heat. Once hot, add your fillets. LIGHTLY salt and pepper them. SEAR them on all sides.

When all sides are well seared, reduce temperature to medium-to-low and cover. At this point, they're going to be pretty bloody with a cold center. If that's what you want, then your good to go. Otherwise, keep them covered and cooking, flipping them every few minutes to keep them from burning. I usually cook them until the core temperature is somewhere around 130 - 140. This will give you a nice pink center.

When the fillets are done to your liking, remove them from the skillet onto a small plate. Make a tent over them with aluminum foil and place them in the oven on your lowest "warming" setting.

To the drippings and oil in your skillet, add your rosemary, shallot and flour. Turn the heat up to medium.

Use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits off the bottom of the skillet, and stir all this together until all lumps of flour are broken up. Add about 1/2 cup cream, and a good splash of your white wine. Stir constantly. When it comes to a boil, it should start to thicken up. Reduce heat to low. Salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle the cream sauce over your fillets, and enjoy.

For a side I recommend a spinach salad with your favorite trimmings and this most delicious substitute for mashed potatoes:
=========================================================================
White Bean Mash
2 - 19 oz cans Cannellini Beans
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp minced garlic (the kind out of the jar. I don't use fresh for this recipe)
1-2 tbsp butter
Fat Free Half and Half
Salt to taste
Tools - Masher or Mixer

Drain and rinse the beans in a collander and put them in a medium sauce pan or pot. Add lemon juice. Mash the beans, and mash'em GOOD!

Put sauce pan over low heat. Add garlic, thyme, and butter. Then gradually add and stir-in the half-n-half until the mash is at your desired consistency. Stir often to prevent sticking and burning on the bottom of sauce pan. Salt to taste. Remove from heat and cover when mash is at desired serving temp.

FYI, no matter how well you mash the beans, this dish will be a little more coarse than potatoes, but WON'T have the calories and WILL have fiber....which more Americans NEED! But it won't give you gas like pintos will.

New Work Schedule

2010-03-04T16:21:00.001-05:00

I think I'm going to like these new hours

Charlie the Unicorn

2010-02-25T12:20:00.001-05:00

I'm a fan of Charlie the Unicorn. Here are all 3 episodes, back to back!

Don't EVER Jump To Conclusions

2010-02-25T10:21:00.003-05:00

Random Shots @ Duke UPDATED

2010-02-24T20:20:00.003-05:00

The entrance to the cafeteria. Yeah, kinda nice. That's the sushi cooler in the foreground. Mmmmmmm, suuuu-shi

A bake sale going on to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Aaron on the left has had two double-lung transplants and is doing quite well. Will, on the right, is a nurse on this floor, and is in school here at Duke to eventually become a Parish Nurse; allowing him to work as a nurse and to counsel in lieu of chaplain, if need be.

The BROWN patch on the roof below was one of Duke's attempts to "go green". To help offset their carbon footprint AND to insulate the roof, they decided a year ago to grow a patch of grass on the roof. A few months later, it was DEAD. Instead, they have "gone brown". I laugh at this.

This was Christy's dinner. Meatloaf with steamed broccoli. The meatloaf had the texture of formed and cooked wet dog food. Surprisingly, it was quite tasty.

Dinner!

2010-02-22T19:12:00.003-05:00

All American Outhouse

2010-02-21T13:15:00.000-05:00

I saw this on the roadside in Vale, NC.

...a NEW CAR!!!!

2010-02-12T16:46:00.000-05:00

The Cavalier is my old ride. The Astro van is my "new" one. Yeah, sure, I know. It's a hand me down from a outside tech. But check out the tinted windows and the TOTALLY rockin' rims!

My Ears Are Pierced

2010-02-11T14:08:00.000-05:00

I want to put my manly hoops in. Until then, I have these manly studs

Walmart, REALLY?!

2009-09-30T08:03:00.000-04:00

A Chocolate Cookie House Kit. For HALLOWEEN!? Com'on. Really?

WRITE YOUR CONGRESS CRITTERS!!!

2009-08-19T07:32:00.000-04:00

Below is the message I emailed to my U.S. Senators and Representatives for North Carolina concerning the big health care debate. I am totally against it. There was so much more I wanted to say, but when you write them, you need to keep short and to the point. I may have failed on the "short" part.

To find your state Senators, visit this link
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

To find your state Representatives, visit this link
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

Feel free to use it if you agree:

Please, say NO, to this health care reform that is being forced on us. Yes, we have an imperfect system. But putting in the hands of the government will make it worse. I see it like this: if the proposed health care plan ends up being ANYTHING like North Carolina's Alcoholic Beverage Commission, then we can forget about getting the best stuff there is!

My wife is a sufferer of Cystic Fibrosis and a double-lung and kidney transplant recipient. She requires many high-dollar medications, and VERY specialized treatments from some of the best and brightest our country has to offer. She has had to watch many friends in Canada and in the UK die from C.F. because they were on waiting lists just to be assessed for a transplant. Why was that? Because a government run system, in essence, puts a salary cap on doctors. Why would someone want to become a neurosurgeon after 14-16 years of post-graduate study, only to end up being rewarded as much as a general practitioner? It will create a shortage of specialists and will put people like my wife on a waiting list to see them. And the government, which is in a deficit, will determine which drugs they will provide for her. Unacceptable.

There is ONE thing I can stomach; one law I could stand behind: making insurance companies step up to the plate and look after their fellow-man and cover pre-existing conditions. Yes, that MAY raise premiums for everyone, but everyone WILL be covered.

Greed, more than anything has ruined this system. Patients and lawyers suing for millions in "damages" for "malpractice". Something has to be done about that. This cause put into effect higher insurance premiums, higher rates for malpractice insurance for the doctors.

Lastly, a government run health care system is already in place and it does just enough to keep most of its patients alive: Veterans Affairs hospitals. Walking down the halls of one you would think you were in a third-world hospital. My wife, and the many other chronic sufferers in the U.S. would not survive that.

Say NO. We do not need a deficit any bigger. We don't need a VA style medical system for our country. We don't need what is being proposed by the President. Please help stop this madness.

Super Burger, Indeed!

2009-08-14T10:51:00.000-04:00

If this is an indicator of our local economy, then we're in trouble.

That is one expensive burger! WoW

AT&T Central Office (pt. II)

2009-06-09T01:49:00.001-04:00

Before reading this, if you haven't already, I suggest you read AT&T Central Office (pt. I).

Behold, the old AT&T logo. The Doonesbury comic, back in the 80's, once made a joke about this logo being the Death Star; suggesting that AT&T was the evil galactic empire. Funny idea, but NOT the case. I've got a great job.

As mentioned in my previous post about the Central Office, every line, or phone number, comes from a point in the switch. The majority of those points go to your basic phone line in your home. We refer to those as POTS (Plain Old Telephone System (that's what it really stands for)). Fortunately for our high-tech 21st century world, not every switch point is a POTS line.

Some of these are Special Services circuits. Special Services could be anything from an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) line, Foreign Exchange (FX) line, dedicated 56/64/128 Kb circuit, or a dedicated radio circuit. These circuits go from the switch to a D4 bank where special circuit packs, or channel boards, are seated to carry out these special services and tasks (see photo below). For more details what these types of circuits do, leave your comments and I will respond in kind.

Once the Special Services circuit is wired up to the D4, it is then combined, or multiplexed, into four T1's (we'll discuss T1's in the next post). The T1's are trasported out of the CO to another D4 location somewhere outside the office, near the customer. The T1's are demultiplexed into their individual circuits to the customer's premises. Ta-daaaa! You now have your ISDN line.

And we have aisles and aisles and shelves and shelves of these D4 and SLC thingys!
"What's a SLC?", you say. Keep reading.

Other lines, that are not Special Services go to SLCs, or Subscriber Line Carriers. SLCs are systems that save AT&T money on infrastructure, which in turn saves you money. SLCs also help extend the reach of the Central Office. Distance matters greatly in the telecommunications business. There is electrical voltage and current on your phone line. The farther the copper wire has to go, the more voltage has to be put on the line. This raises the cost of service and could turn phone lines into an electrical or fire hazard.

I don't remember the exact distances but I'll try to make this easy to understand. Customers in "Group A" live within "X" miles of the CO. Their lines go directly from the switch to a cable leaving the CO. Customers in "Group B" live outside the radius of "X" miles and are too far away from the office to get a loud and clear connection on their line. "Group B" get their connections through a SLC.

One SLC system combines 96 customers and transports them over four T1's to another SLC system outside the "X mile" radius. There, the 96 customers are broken down into their individual channels and then to their homes or businesses. A SLC96 system (the oldest system we use) is pictured below. The SLC96 is similar in appearance and function to the D4 system. But if you look closely you can tell they have many differences.

AT&T uses newer types and brands of SLC systems; that put fiber optics to use and better mux/demux technologies. I won't bore you with those details here. We'll do that in another post.

If you have any questions and want to know more, please leave your questions in the comments section and I will get back to you.

Church Signs

2009-06-01T02:40:00.000-04:00

Is this church sending the right message?

More Craziness In Our Crazy World

2009-06-01T02:34:00.000-04:00

As some of you know, my job has me driving around a lot. There is this funeral home in Statesville, NC that I drive by a lot and every time I see it I have to either smile or laugh. So, as you look at the photo below, ask yourself this one question: WHERE is the dignity in this sign?

AT&T Central Office (pt. I)

2009-05-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

I work for AT&T. On Twitter, I often talk about my work and what I am doing. I throw around words like "switch", "T1", "central office" or "CO".

So I have decided to shed some light on what goes on in a CO. What exactly is in there, and what happens when you pick up your phone to call someone. I have difficulty being succinct. Please bear with me, I will try to keep everything simple. When people ask me what I do, I sometimes tell them that my job is like The Matrix: "You can't be told what [it] is, you have to be shown what [it] is."

So here goes:

First there is the conference room:

Okay, I'm kidding. I'm trying to throw in some humor. This is actually the supervisor's office.

Okay, moving on.....

This is the switch. This photo is showing a small portion of the equipment involved in this particular office. It's so big that I could not get it all in one shot. The switch is the heart of the CO. The switch IS the office, so to speak. Thanks to automation, this bad boy does the 24/7 job of over 100 switchboard operators from back in the day. The first automated switch was actually invented by a dentist. He got ticked off over the "criminal" long distance bills and sought to get even with the operators by putting them out of a job. Job well done, I say.

Not counting the area code, the first three digits in a phone number, or "exchange", are specifying a switch. A technician well versed in his region of work can tell what town you live in just by the exchange. However, the advent of the cell phone has made this a little more difficult. With cell phones, the exchanges denote the carrier that you are with. A switch can handle several exchanges, but only one area code. If this office handled two area codes then there would be two switches.

Aside from the Command, Power, and Miscellaneous modules, there are several Switch Modules that have individual channels for each phone line. These channels, or points, must be wired to a cable to get the dial tone to your home or business. This wiring is semi-permanent. Meaning, if you move two streets over and keep the same number, I have to change the wiring to a new cable pair; or if you disconnect your phone, I have to remove the wiring. This wiring is handled on the Main Distribution Frame, or MDF, or just "the frame".

The photo above is the front side to the frame where the technician wires up your phone number to the switch. In the next photo, it looks a little overwhelming, but in our computer systems, every phone number is assigned "coordinates" to direct the technician to the right point. Two wires per line: one blue and one white; Transmit and Receive; Tip and Ring (long story there, but if you wanna know, leave comments).

The next photo is the backside of the frame where the technician wires up the blue/white jumper to the cable pair that will get the dial tone to your home.

Each line has a heat coil that works like a fuse, protecting the switch, or office equipment, from power surges and lightning strikes. The frame allows a technician to test your line when you call to report a trouble with your line. Yes, one can listen in on your phone conversations from here. But because I'm a telephone worker, it's legal for me, and I only do it when it's necessary. Besides, if I divulge anything that I overhear, not only will I quickly lose my job, but I will have committed a federal crime. Not something that I, or my coworkers, take lightly. Your secrets are safe with us. And to assure you further, the line information that I have access to (phone number, switch point, cable pair) DOES NOT include your name or address. This protects you all the more. Again, your secrets are safe with us. So next time you hear a clicking noise on your phone, it may be us working to ensure your satisfaction.

The next two photos, and the last I'm going to do for this post, are of the cables and the cable vault that is in the basement of this building. The smaller gray cables up top are connected to the frame. The large cylinders are the splice casings. And the black cables below the splice casings are going to the basement, two floors down.

Once the cable goes to the cable vault in the basement, it then leaves the building and heads out to your home or business. My line of work stops at the frame. I don't work with cables. I can honestly say "that's not my job."

Notice my hand in the right side of the photo below. I figured I would give you a reference for size. I think these cables are 100 pair cables. There are 200, 24-gauge, individual wires in each casing. It may be 26 gauge. I'm not sure because "that's not my job". I do know that the yellow cables in the top of the photo are fiber optic cables. I'll talk more about those in a later post.
I hope you found this interesting. I have a lot more to show, and I'll show it later. Leave your questions in the comments and I'll try to answer them.

Ho Hum

2009-05-17T22:27:00.000-04:00

Haven't posted in a while. My apologies to those who check here once in a while. I'm working on a big post about where I work. It'll be interesting. I promise. Check back soon. I might even get it up tonight!

Giant Mouse

2009-04-29T03:58:00.000-04:00

I just got an email from a friend of mine in our operations center in Charlotte, NC. On April 21, 2009 there was a trouble on a T1 type circuit in Cleveland, OH. The following images detail what was seen, and the notes the technician put on his ticket.

The following is quoted from the email my friend received:

"This was at a [central office] in Cleveland (Ohio) - looks like we have [a] new employee. Check out the WFA notes on the order - you southern folks know the difference between an Opossum and a rat (I'm not making any dinner jokes), apparently us northerners don't know the difference and can't even spell Opossum..."

Friday Night

2009-04-24T22:09:00.000-04:00

The good thing about working the third shift is when I come Friday morning at 9am, I'm done for the week. So I get home, mow the yard, take a 3-hour power nap, get on the playstation, and now my day is spent. Where did the day go?

My wife, Christy, made a very simple, yet VERY delicious dinner with Chicken, onions, leeks, artichokes, and potatoes. If you've never cooked with leeks, it's something you should start doing. They add so much flavor.

Now the lady has me sitting here watching The Secret Life Of Bees. It's a sad/feel-good movie with its fair share of cheese. It has succeeded in lowering my IQ a few points. So here I am blogging.

The downside to working third shift is that come Friday/Saturday night, I'm expected to sleep and function on normal hours. Thus, I'm helping my sister-in-law and her family move into their new house tomorrow. Does the fun ever stop?

...a bit mysterious, maybe?

2009-04-24T06:52:00.000-04:00

Here in the Bible Belt, that is, the southeastern United States, it is not uncommon to see bible verses quoted on every street corner, business card, advertisement, and so forth. Sometimes it works for you and what you're trying to convey; and sometimes it doesn't quite fit. Take this sign for example: for the past year, I've been trying to understand the message the business owner is trying to convey.

Statesville, NC

2009-04-23T07:34:00.001-04:00

The bustling metropolis that is Statesville, as seen from the roof. The George Clooney movie "Leatherheads" was filmed, in part, here in the summer of '07.

The neighborhood crackhouses, next door to the AT&T central office. Yes, on just about any given evening you can watch them conduct their business.

Random Shots

2009-04-23T05:31:00.000-04:00

I was walking around Wal-Mart this morning and saw some things that made me shake my head, "What have we come to as a society?"

In case you crave the LARGE coffe. It's actually a flower pot.

These are pinatas. They're in the shape of graduation caps. Really!?

You Don't Mess Around With Jim

2009-04-23T05:18:00.000-04:00

This is Jim. Co-worker and telecom mentor. Why is his image here? Just because. Besides, I like Jim, and "You don't mess around with Jim".

Day 1

2008-09-22T09:52:00.000-04:00

I'm starting over. I'm doing this right. My depression is being treated and I'm loving life a lot more, now. Stay tuned!