Rorschach.net

We just got back from a great wedding and mini-vacation in Vegas. It was both a fun – and beautiful ceremony. I have only a few pictures but you get the general idea. I wish I got a better picture of Zoe’s train – it was red beads and satin that wrapped from the front and was pleated down the back. I was to busy having fun and forgot to take as many photos as I would have liked to.

Vegas was hopping this weekend. Planet Hollywood had there grand opening and the red carpet was unfurled for Alex and Zoe along with the other A-listers. I did not see anyone famous but Abigayle got her picture taken with John Stewert, Paul’s Dad saw Gene Simmons and others saw Samuel Jackson. The Democrats were there along with a convention for casino gaming. For the pre-wedding festivities, the bachelorettes went to a piano bar in the Paris that turned into a group karaoke event. It was a blast. The guys went off to parts unknown and un-postable on a family friendly site. You’ll have to ask them in person to share.

We didn’t win any cash but scored in other areas. First – I made my flight. I was stuck on the bay bridge in San Francisco behind a car accident that clsoed half the lanes at 6:00 trying to may a 7:25 flight. I pulled into the rental car lot at 7:00 and paid the counter girl who was getting off shift $20 to drive me to the airport so I didn’t have to take the shuttle to the train to the airport. I passed through security at 7:15 and they shut the doors behind me before taking off. Paul arrive from San Diego an hour before me and we took a cab to the MGM Grand Signature where we found our room was not ready. It took them a while to figure out what happened and to fix it and get us in, we got a free upgrade to a 1 bedroom suite. Sounds weird but the room was amazing. It had 3 tv’s (one hidden in a desk in the bedroom on a lift), a full kitchen and two bathrooms. It was a major bonus for our trip. Did I mention the jet tub?

We spent a lot of time catching up with family but did get some shopping done (scored a great jacket) and went to see KA with everyone Saturday night after a perfect dinner – you know, good food, good conversation, good wine. Adam, Abigayle, Paul and I went to the piano bar afterwards – equally funny as the guys tried to get them to play Black Hole Sun and settled for War Pigs by Black Sabbath. They actually did a really good job.

We’re back in the real world this afternoon. It went so fast but we’ll see everyone soon enough since we’re heading home to Kansas for Christmas.

It’s time for holiday lockdown. My birthday coincides with the most celebrated holiday of the year (i.e. I was born on Christmas Eve). Although birthday parties were shuffled around in my earlier years I do appreciate it now because even half a country away I still wind up being with family on my birthday. But that also means that around the time my friends and family are looking for presents for me (and they learned long ago a HappyBirthayMerryChristmas present is patently unfair compared to the gift giving opportunities other people get) it’s the big release time for videogames. I am banned from buying games at a certain point because I’d wind up getting them right when they come out (I still try to convince my wife a regular influx of $50-$60 games is cheaper than a drug habit) and would wind up with a bunch of socks for presents.

Lockdown usually starts around Thanksgiving, so I figure I’ve got one more game I can get and after much deliberation that game is going to be Assassin’s Creed. It was a close call with Mass Effect and Rock Band coming out soon as well, but AC has a very interesting background (the 3rd Crusade) and some gameplay and art direction that I’m sure can hold me through the next 6 weeks. Now that I’ve gotten that blatantly materialistic decision out of the way I can focus on the true meaning of the holidays. To spend time with friends and family and reflect on life and the celebration… and play some videogames.

Starting today all non-management employees in my IT department (about 200 people) have been reclassified as no longer exempt from the California labor laws. That means that all the developers, analysts, sysops, engineers, etc. get paid for 8 hours of work a day and 40 hours of work a week. Anything over that is overtime. We also provide $6/hr. to carry a pager and automatic time-and-a-half rate if you have to answer a page after hours. Everyone has the same base pay rate as before the change and no one lost their job because of the change.

It’s an interesting concept, getting paid for the work that you do. I’m management so I’m still exempt but I benefit indirectly with additional data on how my team is working. The biggest problem I see is that being under the labor laws opens a company up for more liability to be sued under those laws. So the response is to be very careful and conservative in how you enforce the laws. This can potentially be stifling for a group of professionals used to some flexibility.

So what do you think, fellow IT people? Would you like to work hourly?