This post is really just for Pete, but this is the guy that I think local Rapper/Spoken word artist Cecil Otter looks like. It's the guy that played Skip Muck in band of Brothers, among other parts.
Thursday, February 11
This post is really just for Pete, but this is the guy that I think local Rapper/Spoken word artist Cecil Otter looks like. It's the guy that played Skip Muck in band of Brothers, among other parts.
Sunday, October 11
Peru has been fantastic so far. I've seen buildings, statues, farms, and town squares unchanged since the 17th century, flown at 300 meters above mysterious lines etched in the desert hundreds of years ago, walked in the local market and saw fresh fish, squid, alpaca, llama (both the meat and dried fetuses of varying ages), strange fruits and much more. I've seen and sampled tea and candy made from the leaves of the coca plant, ate a bit of guinea pig, andwatched as people strapped themselves into a parachute and then paraglided on warm updrafts off of the ocean. We asked the bartender in Lima our first night there if he could recommend some local music, and he did. He wrote some names of a piece of paper and the last one on the list was Arturo "zambo" cavero. He is the single biggest name in Peruvian folk music (actually 'creolle' music to be specific). When we got to nazca the next day we went to an open-air 'chifa' restaurant (what peruvians call Chinese food), where they were all watching the TV. Arturo had died that morning and flags across the country were
being flown at half mast. Strange timing. Anyway, I found a few of his albums on iTunes and picked one up...not bad...not entirely different from typical mariachi music, but soulful and rhythmic. Today we are in araquipa and tomorrow we go to see colca canyon, possibly the deepest canyon on the world. Despite it's depth, the altitude as about. 10000 ft. At the top. So we have to start yo worry about altitude sickness...for which they recommend more coca. Hope there aren't any drug tests coming up :)
more to come!
being flown at half mast. Strange timing. Anyway, I found a few of his albums on iTunes and picked one up...not bad...not entirely different from typical mariachi music, but soulful and rhythmic. Today we are in araquipa and tomorrow we go to see colca canyon, possibly the deepest canyon on the world. Despite it's depth, the altitude as about. 10000 ft. At the top. So we have to start yo worry about altitude sickness...for which they recommend more coca. Hope there aren't any drug tests coming up :)
more to come!
Monday, August 17
Wednesday, August 12
Friday, July 24
Tuesday, May 5
Time for my bi-annual blog Update!! Exciting. Well, what's new...Rachel and I are buying a hobby farm and moving out of the beautiful mobile home community where we currently live. We...are...excited. Now, of course, the task of cleaning up and getting things ready to move out begins, which is both a blessing and a curse. There is to ba e a lot of hard, physical work, which is unfortunate because seriously, who likes that? However, when you want to lose 800 pounds and get in a generally better condition, there's nothing better you can ask for. I don't have to go anywhere like the gym or the park to get my sweat on, my life will become the gym. My hope is that by the end of this fiasco i'm down about 15 pounds (a good start), but more importantly, I hope I just get my body used to getting up and doing rigorous things. My lifestyle is relatively sedentary lately, and I want to be much more active. I don't ever need to be a marathon runner, but I'd love it if a mile walk didn't leave my calves cramping up.
Anyway, still working at Verizon Wireless, doing more or less the same thing as I have done for the past 4 years, only now much, much less of it. The stores that are not being divested to another party are already all converted to VZW and don't often need our assistance. The stores that ARE being divested number less than twenty, and have become relatively self-sufficient. We still try to make it to all of the South MN area stores a few times a year or when we are needed for a technical matter, but most of our support can be done in the mail or over the phone. Over the next few months, we will be reduced in number from six 40-hour-a-week employees to four, the night shift may very well be eliminated, and if ticket counts remain where they are, we may lose another, bringing us down to three employees. I luckily enjoy both senority and a general sense of being appreciated and needed here, so i know I'll be among the last to leave this place, and when I do, the transitional VZW/Unicel Tech team willbe no more. The remaining question is whether that general sense of being liked and wanted will spread, not unlike the much discussed swine flu, to the powers that be at VZW. If the Benno=plague infects the minds and hearts of those in power at my new employer, I may indeed be able to join the ranks of the 68,000 full-time Verizon Wireless employees and not end up looking for a job in Alexandria, MN in the worst economic times since the great depression.
More to come!
Benno
Anyway, still working at Verizon Wireless, doing more or less the same thing as I have done for the past 4 years, only now much, much less of it. The stores that are not being divested to another party are already all converted to VZW and don't often need our assistance. The stores that ARE being divested number less than twenty, and have become relatively self-sufficient. We still try to make it to all of the South MN area stores a few times a year or when we are needed for a technical matter, but most of our support can be done in the mail or over the phone. Over the next few months, we will be reduced in number from six 40-hour-a-week employees to four, the night shift may very well be eliminated, and if ticket counts remain where they are, we may lose another, bringing us down to three employees. I luckily enjoy both senority and a general sense of being appreciated and needed here, so i know I'll be among the last to leave this place, and when I do, the transitional VZW/Unicel Tech team willbe no more. The remaining question is whether that general sense of being liked and wanted will spread, not unlike the much discussed swine flu, to the powers that be at VZW. If the Benno=plague infects the minds and hearts of those in power at my new employer, I may indeed be able to join the ranks of the 68,000 full-time Verizon Wireless employees and not end up looking for a job in Alexandria, MN in the worst economic times since the great depression.
More to come!
Benno
Wednesday, November 5
So anyway, I'm sure nobody's reading this yet, due mainly to two factors. First, I haven't made a blog post in over a year. Second, if I had have made a blog post, blogger would have had no site to update since I let my old site: benno.nordquist.com lapse due to boredom, and now my old host and owner of the nordquist.com domain apparently no longer does domain registration or hosting or something, and my new host told me that my old domain was available, but then ended up saying that unless I could buy all of nordquist.com, they couldn't host the site. oh well, bennonordquist.com and benno.nordquist.com are about equally memorable and easily typed. The Swedish music site at benno.com finally relinquished that site, but it was quickly scooped uo by stupid buydomains.com, which is holding my perfect website for 5400 dollars ransom. Benno.com is great, but not 5400$ great. So anyway...what's new with the Benno...not all that much.
RCC was purchased by Verizon wireless and the sale went through (finally) in August, so now I work as a "Technical Analyst - Technical Services" for VZW, which is really just the title given to a large number of "technical" jobs in the interim period between RCC and VZW. I have reason to believe that I'll be here, in this desk, doing more or less the same job, for another 2 years. Most positions here have at least the vague sense of being temporary, but the one I find myself in now will be needed for some time, since I support the billing systems, servers, terminals, network, and systems necessary for the smooth functioning all parts of RCC, divested or otherwise, and these systems will be needed pretty much as they are until all sections of divestiture are settled and gone, which won't be for quite a while. The job environment will likely change as other departments, or sections thereof, no longer needed after the completion of their part of the transition completes, will either be absorbed into VZW proper or cut. Regardless, I believe I have a place in the VZW IT department through the entirety of this lengthy transition process as well as continuing with Verizon after RCC has been completely assimilated (resistance is futile), and I enjoy my job despite the fact that i know I am capable of much more. I'm hoping the position I might be able to get with Verizon after the transition will allow me to take on some additional responsibilities, get off the phone, and be a little more independent.
Anyway, enough on that. Obama emerged victorious from one of the most decisive elections in decades last night, and he seems like he'll be a strong leader. I disagree with some of the main principles of his campaign, but I really do prefer him personally over McCain, even though I liked McCain quite a bit. Obama is an eloquent speaker, he's got a presence on stage, and he's going to enjoy a ton of support, at least right away. He's got a tough road ahead, given the economy's current status, the violent instability of a number of regions in the Middle East and Asia, and the fact that the Democratic party that has been letting the air out of tires and barking at the moon about how the Republicans have brought chaos to the world is about to find out that their great unifier and savior, supported by a democratic senate and house, won't be able to flip a switch and make everything right. I'm sure the same people that demanded blood for the actions of the white house during the Bush "regime" will preach patience during the current "administration". I know my sentiments here make me sound like I do not support Obama, or that, god forbid, I am a Republican (which if you ask most of my friends and family, ranks just above "puppy kicker" on the evil scale), but I usually find myself somewhere in the middle. I have just grown disenchanted and in many situations, disgusted with the bile and hate that the Democrats have been spewing ever since Bush "stole" the last two elections. Again, don't get me wrong...I know the Republicans are just as bad, but it's gotten a little crazy lately. It seems the party line for both sides these days is not about what that particular party stands for or believes in, but how bad the "other guys" suck. Both major tickets are relying on the lesser of two evils vote. I don't want to have to pick between evils anymore. At least the candidates themselves were not loathesome people in this race. I liked them both and believe that both Obama and McCain love America and care more about the advancement of their country than they do the lining of their pockets. My only concern is what is considered "advancement".
Anyway...back to the grindstone...welcome back to Benno's Pimp Lounge.
RCC was purchased by Verizon wireless and the sale went through (finally) in August, so now I work as a "Technical Analyst - Technical Services" for VZW, which is really just the title given to a large number of "technical" jobs in the interim period between RCC and VZW. I have reason to believe that I'll be here, in this desk, doing more or less the same job, for another 2 years. Most positions here have at least the vague sense of being temporary, but the one I find myself in now will be needed for some time, since I support the billing systems, servers, terminals, network, and systems necessary for the smooth functioning all parts of RCC, divested or otherwise, and these systems will be needed pretty much as they are until all sections of divestiture are settled and gone, which won't be for quite a while. The job environment will likely change as other departments, or sections thereof, no longer needed after the completion of their part of the transition completes, will either be absorbed into VZW proper or cut. Regardless, I believe I have a place in the VZW IT department through the entirety of this lengthy transition process as well as continuing with Verizon after RCC has been completely assimilated (resistance is futile), and I enjoy my job despite the fact that i know I am capable of much more. I'm hoping the position I might be able to get with Verizon after the transition will allow me to take on some additional responsibilities, get off the phone, and be a little more independent.
Anyway, enough on that. Obama emerged victorious from one of the most decisive elections in decades last night, and he seems like he'll be a strong leader. I disagree with some of the main principles of his campaign, but I really do prefer him personally over McCain, even though I liked McCain quite a bit. Obama is an eloquent speaker, he's got a presence on stage, and he's going to enjoy a ton of support, at least right away. He's got a tough road ahead, given the economy's current status, the violent instability of a number of regions in the Middle East and Asia, and the fact that the Democratic party that has been letting the air out of tires and barking at the moon about how the Republicans have brought chaos to the world is about to find out that their great unifier and savior, supported by a democratic senate and house, won't be able to flip a switch and make everything right. I'm sure the same people that demanded blood for the actions of the white house during the Bush "regime" will preach patience during the current "administration". I know my sentiments here make me sound like I do not support Obama, or that, god forbid, I am a Republican (which if you ask most of my friends and family, ranks just above "puppy kicker" on the evil scale), but I usually find myself somewhere in the middle. I have just grown disenchanted and in many situations, disgusted with the bile and hate that the Democrats have been spewing ever since Bush "stole" the last two elections. Again, don't get me wrong...I know the Republicans are just as bad, but it's gotten a little crazy lately. It seems the party line for both sides these days is not about what that particular party stands for or believes in, but how bad the "other guys" suck. Both major tickets are relying on the lesser of two evils vote. I don't want to have to pick between evils anymore. At least the candidates themselves were not loathesome people in this race. I liked them both and believe that both Obama and McCain love America and care more about the advancement of their country than they do the lining of their pockets. My only concern is what is considered "advancement".
Anyway...back to the grindstone...welcome back to Benno's Pimp Lounge.
