Smackdowns

As I think I've mentioned before, I like to do smackdowns at work. These have traditionally been Spelling Smackdowns but due to popular demand I had put together a Smart Smack as well which is like a trivia game, but based on what I was interested in. The following are the write ups for potentiall the last of both of the games ever.



From an email sent 11/10/08, RE: Smart Smack Results



I know you’ve been dying to find out the results of the 1st Annual So you think you’re smart Smackdown from last week.



Since it was the first Smart Smack, the first round was of medium difficulty to allow the contests to get their feet warm in our time of global warming. We had a good showing and from right to left we had:

- Brian: one of the brian interns, not to be confused with “not brian” intern david, actually no one knows his real name, I just made up the david part.

- Siobhan: for those of you still not in the know, it’s pronounced “sh von”. I’m petitioning the high court to get the spelling changed. She engaged in a quiet game of smack talk.

- Marie: it was evident by some of the other contestants that they weren’t aware of the level of smack Marie brought to the game. Be for warned future contestants, Marie is all about the smack portion of Smart Smack (not that I’m saying she doesn’t bring the smart portion either, just more smack).

- Andrea: again, if you’re not in the know, Andrea’s secret passion is to play trivia games like these as a full time job. Until there is such a profession, she concedes to playing a role, like the rest of us, in saving the earth.

- Dawn: calm and quiet, not swayed by the smack, Dawn and Annie were the anti-smack twins choosing to focus on the Smart component of the Smart Smack.
- Annie: calm and quiet, the smack being thrown from the other side of the room fell by the wayside as the Dawn and Annie force held their own.

- Danielle: new to the smackdowns of GRT, Danielle was a welcome addition, proving that youth still had a firm hold on the smart component of the Smart Smack.



Round one (5 questions): Composed of standard issue questions based around energy and the environment, people felt fairly comfortable. The multiple choice format allowed individuals to fly through the questions quickly. Everyone knew that Mexico City is considered the most polluted city in the world. While only Andrea knew which country produced the most energy in the world. And Marie and Danielle were the only ones who knew what the leading source of energy is in the US. By the end of the first round, it was still anyone’s game, with no one taking a serious lead.



Round two (8 questions): Lulled into a false sense of feeling pretty smart, round two brought the random questions as promised by the genius moderator. Composed of a mix of multiple choice and fill in the blank questions, it was surprising to find that no one knew what a “perfect” number as defined mathematically was from the multiple choice list. However, Brian proved a strength in science that no one else had, correctly identifying what Europa was. Dawn and Annie were the only ones to correctly identify the correct city for the birthplace of the American stoplight. Apparently no one knows cockney rhyming slang. And Siobhan was the only one to know how many Platinum NC buildings there are in MA. (Marie!!! You could have had it.)



Round three (11 questions): Entering into the arena of current events, questions were structured around key issues in the recent election: war, energy, prop 1, and Sara Pallin. Contestants were all over the place in identifying where Iraq and Pakistan were located geographically in the middle east. Most people knew at least one or two states of the 9 that don’t have personal income tax (answers that included states that taxed dividend and interest income were counted). No one knew Tina Fey’s birth name. And in the end, the winner was determined by their ability to correctly match up the green building rating system and the relevant country (BREEAM, GREEN STAR, HKBEAM, HQE, PROMISE, GBAS, AQUA).



During the entire Smart Smack, score was kept on the white board. At certain periods, bonus questions were thrown out. These questions were not rewarded with points, but instead the recipient was awarded a “tie breaking” advantage. In the final round, it was pointed out by Andrea, that one of her correct answers was not recorded. The comment was noted by the moderator who stated that it would be addressed at the end of the game if needed.



By the end of round three and the end of the game, everyone’s score was close, but it was Andrea and Marie tied for first place, with Marie having a “tie breaking” card. Therefore, after the game, the moderator and the two contestants in question went through all the answers to verify the accuracy of the score. In the end, it proved that indeed a point was missing from Andrea’s tally and instead of Marie breaking the tie and winning, it was Andrea who came through victorious.



Congratulations to Andrea for being the first official Smart Smack champion. She proved that she had some smarts and some smack to beat out everyone else. Thanks to all that participated and may we all be just that little bit smarter.



And by the way. I believe I only received one correct answer to the qualifying question (which I luckily forgot about or else there would have been no one to compete). The correct answer is War Time, which only Dee responded with (I think).



What was Daylight Saving Time originally called when it was first instituted year-round?

A. Sunlight Time

B. Summer Time

C. War Time

D. Conservation Time

Best of luck and see you in November!







From an email sent 11/14/08, RE: 4th Periodic Spelling Smackdown Results



The fourth periodic Spelling Smackdown was just completed and in record time (I think in just a half hour). And this time around there were a lot of patterns. Well at least one big one. There were six contestants this time round, with one observer/smack talker/back-up pronouncer (Colleen). In order, we had:

- Aaron: This marked his inaugural Spelling Smackdown and he chose inadvertently the first chair which allowed him to kick off each round.

- Dee: A past participant who showed potential, often making it into the near final rounds in past games and known for her wordsmything (yes, I apparently made the word up as Outlook won’t tell me the correct spelling).

- Annie: The defending champion and Birthday girl. It was agreed by all that instead of giving her some sort of pity win through second chances, that whoever won would owe her a gift. With the understanding, of course, that if Annie was able to retain the championship title, she’d owe something to herself.

- Dawn: One of the original participants, and I believe a spelling bee champion from grade school.

- Britt: The only individual who has participated in all four of the GRT Spelling Smackdowns located at Nexus. A diehard contestant.

- Jacob: The newest hire of GRT. This marked his inaugural Spelling Smackdown.



The first round went fairly quickly, knocking Dawn out of play early in the game with one of the few official spelling words that is an acronym: laser. For all those interested, according to our trusted source Wikipedia, the word laser originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.



Second round, at the medium level, showed everyone strong and able to move onto the third and final level with no sweat (showing). This strength was short lived by everyone but two individuals at the third level, hard. The letter ‘i’ proved a stumbling block for all in some form or other. Once the dust settled, Aaron and Jacob were left standing (well sitting and on opposite sides of the table – the first and last contestants of each round) to duke it out. It was Nexus versus TA. Who would come through victoriously? Would Aaron do Nexus proud and maintain dominance on the Spelling Smackdown’s for Nexus (Game 1 & 2 winner: Paul, Game 3 winner: Annie)? Or would newbie to the company, Jacob, prove a force to be reckoned with and break out his, until now, unknown spelling prowess.



First pass, both correctly spelled very challenging words. Second and third pass proved rewarding for both as well on slightly easier words. Fourth pass proved too challenging. Aaron misspelled his word putting the pressure on Jacob to correctly spell the final word. It proved to be too much and Jacob misspelled his word as well which allowed Aaron to reenter the game and have another chance. It was still anyone’s game. Again, Aaron misspells his word leaving it all up to Jacob to determine the fate of the game. And this time, after collecting himself (and having a bite of his salad), he came through and correctly spelled the final word.



The torch, well rather the hand, has officially been transferred. Jacob is our latest champion and indefinite holder of the hand. After great sportsmanship showed by all (lot’s of handshaking and congratulations and very little smack, Marie would have been disappointed) folks started breaking down the game and the largest pattern was found. It appears, although it has not been validated, that every winner of all four Spelling Smackdowns have been the newest hire of GRT. Paul, we believe was the latest addition to the team and perhaps this was why he was able to win two games – we hadn’t hired anyone new (that was participating). Annie goes down in history for participating in the largest recorded GRT Spelling Smackdown on her very first day. And now Jacob, has won. Will the pattern continue? Only time will tell. Cheers from your wonderfully poor speller and Spelling Smackdown moderator!

See you later

And perhaps never again. Last week was my first week working both jobs. In theory it should have worked. I had already started wrapping things up at the old job so there really didn't seem like that much more to do. And new jobs always have a warming up period, especially when you're working part time. The other strange thing is that the two offices are one block apart. I had scheduled two and a half days at each place. It was all nice and organized. In theory.



I ended up working on things for both jobs every day and running back and forth between the two offices most days. Thursday night I got hardly any sleep as my mind just would not turn off. Remembering to do this little thing or that little thing for the old job and whirling with new ideas for the new job. I just couldn't get to sleep. And then once I did, I had to get up really really early for a training the next day that I was doing. By friday afternoon I was spent. And I still had too much to do left. But the weekend had arrived. And I slept and slept.



Saturday night a friend had a lovely party to celebrate the elections. A friend had brought their little baby who had the cutest onsie. It had "I'm ready for a change" on the front. And the next day I went down to New Bedford with friends to see the Phantom Tollbooth. It was a children's production so there were little kids everywhere. I was able to get some knitting done in the dark and am using the age old approach that a mistake is no longer a mistake if you repeat it. So am copying what I did on the first sleeve with the second. No one will be able to tell the difference. I'm working on another Peapod sweater for another baby born this fall.



By the time we got back Sunday night I was tired enough to go home, but too hungry to make it. My blood sugar had dropped. So in the end we had a girls night at A's where she taught me some make up tricks as she gave me a make over.



Which brings me to Monday morning when I had to enter back into the world of work. I realized, it was just too difficult so I got on the phone and ordered internet (and cable while I was at it). The cable guy just came yesterday afternoon to do the hook up and here I am with all these new toys.



There are so many channels. And so many shows I had no clue about. I watched a few Top Chefs that a friend loves. I think my favorite discovery from last night was Whatever Martha. It's this brilliant show where these two women just sit and watch old Martha Stewart shows and just tear them apart. It turns out one of them is Martha's daughter who comes across like a Carrie Fisher. Kind of tough and sarcastic. Not what you'd expect. It's the only way to watch Martha Stewart.



Well, I just wanted to say farewell as I don't think I'll ever see anyone again. I'll work remotely at home watching the endless entertainment I now have. Cheers!

Time: Daylight and Zones

Two posts that I wanted to write I realize have a common thread - the elusive subject of time. Today is my second day at my new job. It was strange this morning as it was the first time where I went directly to the new office (yesterday I put in an hour at the old office first). So I get up like usual. I get ready like usual. I wait for the bus and transfer to the subway as usual. I even get off at the regular stop and use the same escalator as usual. Except now I turn left instead of right. The two offices are just one block apart (their backs abutt each other). It was so familiar and yet so different.





Now I am facing the wonderful task of getting up to speed while still juggling the old job. It's keeping me busy which is good. But you know how new jobs go, no matter how easy or difficult, you just have a mild headache at the end of the day from absorbing so much new information, no matter how mundane or complex. Today I'm finding my head swimming with the simple task of time zones. My big project I'm working on first is in Abu Dhabi. Except the current team is in the UK. Coordinating meetings and figuring out when to email and talk is crazy. Plus there are some folks I need to engage that are on the west coast as well. So I'm desparately trying to remember 3, 4, and 5. Five hour difference between UK and here. Three hour difference between SF and here. And four hour difference between UK and UAE. Then there's all the math. Needless to say, I've been using the good old stand by of counting on my fingers. Plus on top of all that, my office computer was set up in military time.

Benefits of Being Bored

It's crazy! My search may almost be over. I stress the word almost as nothing has happened yet. Let me back up. The scene is me, at work, bored. It's really hard to keep going on stuff you're not interested in and are no longer really responsible for. I've begun to disengage a bit, to move on. Understandable. To deal with this, I work for a little and then reward myself with a break. But I was running out of ideas for my breaks. Until I remembered I hadn't done a search lately on ravelry (awesome place) and low and behold, someone updated their stash and their was the yarn I needed. Di.ve Cotone Egitto, colorway 815! Two balls.

Wait, I skipped some parts. Let me back up. The scene is me, matching some yarn in the stash to a new pattern. I begin to knit, one my few cotton sweaters. And I'm loving it. The yarn is the perfect weight for the cables. And the color is wonderful. It's grey, but yes, it's wonderful. It has a nice sheen to it and with the cables, it just plays with the light. As you can see, I'm falling in love with the pairing. And, as with all great love stories, there is the obstacle to overcome, to test the love and dedication. The yarn in the stash was bought at one of my very first forrays to Webs in Northampton. I bought a bag of 10 balls probably about 5 years ago. They were on sale, and I knew I'd find some pattern eventually. Of course, the yarn was on sale because it was discontinued.

Fastforward to this year. I've now learned that, yes, quite often, I can knit a sweater for myself using 10 balls of yarn, sometimes even less. However, this is not always the case as certain parameters need to be taken into account. Is it thick yarn or thin yarn? It makes a difference. Is the sweater pattern long and bulky or a turtle neck? And I'm starting to think color might even play a role.

So about half way through, not even, I realized, doing the math on this cardigan, that at the rate I was using up the balls, I just might not make it. Of course this made me knit really fast at times and at other times just completely abandon the project (if you don't finish it, you don't have to face reality). Some of my friends have named it the "doomed" sweater. And yet I keep knitting. The back is done, one front side panel is done. Even both the sleeves are done (and no, I will not make this a 3/4 sleeve sweater - it needs to be extra long sleeves, that's just the way it goes). But still, I have the other front side panel and the collar. I keep wavering on whether I'll make it or not. I think I only really need one ball, but then again, I'm really bad at estimating. I hope it's not something ridiculous like 4 balls.

Now comes the tricky part. I've scoured the internet for one ball of the same yarn. And nothing. I thought I found one stash at the very beginning of the search on ravelry but it disappeared before I could make note of it (which makes me question my sanity - did it even exist or was I making it up?). I've checked all the stores, even the ones that specialize in discontinued yarn. I've carried the yarn label with me in my wallet for 9 months now. I even brought it with me on my trip to europe - just in case. I've given the label to friends in case they come across a potential match. And nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I feel like I've been searching for an elusive, rare, endangered animal. And now, in my stroll in the forest of ravelry, I've caught a glimpse of it. It's there, just yards away, almost within my reach. And yet completely out of reach. How do I proceed? How do I make contact but not scare away this rare beast that I need to exist. (Yes I'm determined I need this sweater now and my life won't be complete without it. Below is a picture of it, although it's supposed to have a zipper.)

I figured if I thought about it too long, I'd make a horrible mess of it all - the ask. So I just went for it and below is the message I sent. Fingers crossed.

Hello stranger,
I just found that you have in your stash two glorious balls of Di.ve Cotone Egitto colorway 815. I have been looking for this colorway for some time and was wondering if it's part of your permanent stash or something you'd be interested in swapping/selling? My sad sorry, of my own doing of course, is that I have been working on a wonderful sweater that just won't make it on the amount of balls I have. My friends have named it the "doomed" sweater, and are in awe of my stubborness to not adjust it to 3/4 sleeves or use the yarn for something else. But the yarn and the pattern were made for each other and I know it'll be my favorite sweater once done. It's just a matter of finding the additional balls needed. I can ramble on, but rest assurred I've started seeing someone about my reoccuring problem of not buying enough yarn for projects, especially for discontinued yarn. And this is my problem, not yours, so no worries if you weren't planning on parting with the yarn. I'm convinced there are several extra balls out there somewhere for me. We'll be united eventually. Thanks for your time!
Sukeyknits

Moving on!

It's official. I just got done giving my notice at work, although I realize as I write this I still need to put it in writing for them to make it official and everything.



That last sentence was written 4 hours ago. Crazy how busy things can get. I had the normal friday lunch at work. Even smaller then normal as everyone is in and out this week with things. Last summer I started friday salads at work mainly as I was getting way too much lettuce from my food share. It's a great way to bring folks together - everyone just brings a minor something and in the end you have a rich and bountiful lunch. The other thing I'm a big advocate of is the wonderful game of Pounce. So this afternoon I took a bit longer lunch and taught some new interns lunch while playing with some veterns. And, of course, it doesn't hurt that I won 5 of the 6 games. I had to loose one, you know :) So nice and warm fuzzies which is why I think I'm not super excited about the new job.



It's a great opportunity and I'm pretty much at my last straw here. The compensation is in a whole other league (yay), the technical work is more challenging and cutting edge, and the scope of the projects I'll be working on a much larger scale (bigger environmental impact) and international. I get to do as much or little travel as I want. There's a bunch of projects over in the middle east as that area is booming like nothing else. Apparently the new place did/does work on the new Doha airport - visiting opportunities maybe! I can even live oversees for a period of time if I want to (several weeks to years). Not sure that I do, but nice to have the opportunity.



I got to meet some of the staff for the new job last night for drinks and I was disappointed. I think it's unfair as most of my good friends in Boston are through work. Work is like a second family which is very rare, so hard for a new firm to compete. To put a spin on it, I've been trying to be good at seperating work and social life, and this will allow it to be easier.



So I'm happy. The change will be really good and reinvigorate me. I don't really look forward to going into work much anymore which means it's time for a change. I'm just a little apprehensive but I think that's due to all the other things that's been going on around me. It seems like the proverbal rug has been pulled out quite a bit lately. Which just means some good times are around the corner. I'll miss the old place but look forward to all the wonderful opportunities of the new place. And as a reminder, I was a little apprehensive when starting here, so it's normal.

I've got news - for tomorrow

I'm trying to be good and do things in the right order, but am itching to tell people. If you know what I'm talking about then the news for tomorrow won't be that big.

(Crazy) Autumn Rush

I'm not referencing the movie - just the craziness of being back. I have to say that the trip to Madrid was amazing, but it's wonderful to come back and enjoy the warmth and comfort of friends and family (family only via phone at this point). I've been fairly busy - work of course, but more importantly on the social front. The week back I ended up getting drinks several nights to catch up with friends. I realized, since I was enjoying the customs of Spain/Portugal, that I ended up drinking for two weeks straight. Crazy considering I don't drink that much. However, it's the good drink - with friends and over good food and in moderation. I'm officially 5 days dry now. The day after I got back, I took off work since I didn't get in until close to midnight, but still managed my way into the city to have some drinks with some close girlfriends. It was great to catch up and share all the wonderful crazy times of the trip while still fresh.

So last week was a bit hazy, stradling the two worlds and juggling many changes. Saturday, I had plans to visit a friend/coworker who lives in NH. I tried to sleep in as much as I could. I had been planning on chilling the whole weekend to recover from the trip but had forgotten about the plans. I was glad to have them as this is the time to enjoy the outdoors. Which I discovered while trapped on I-93 heading north that everyone else thought the same. The traffic was so bad, worse then normal rush hour during the week. But the trees were so vibrant. I haven't seen this bright in years, which I hope is a good sign.

I met Dawn and we went to a highschool football game, well part of one. The main attraction was to see her little sister perform at half time in the band. She's one of the drummers on the left. I was impressed as they were a lot more choregraphed than what I remember my highschool band being. They played several pieces and had all these neat configurations. I don't know how you do it: Be able to play, then carry the instrument at the same time (I was a piano gal) and on top of all that remember all the choreographed steps.

After the performance we headed over to Robert Frost's farm. They had a festival going as the beautiful old tree, that one of his poems is written about, had finally fallen in a storm. They had live music and we got a tour from a guide who really loved her job. Her favorite phrase was, "Oh, and one more thing". She was just so happy to share the stories. I view Robert in a completely different light now. That and I feel closer as I sat in the one seat they can guarantee he sat in - the good old crapper (I kept my jeans on). I was getting a little hungry so got the most wonderful skewer. It was fresh scallops wrapped in bacon, grilled with real maple syrup poured over it. It was so marvelous - everything so fresh and good. I still have fond memories of that food. Well, then we headed off to a local orchid with a beautiful view. It was a day that makes you appreciate being in New England. Having lived in a few places in our fine country, I have to say New England rules - nothing compares. Kids giggling on hayrides and the smell of fresh apple cider while devouring hot out of the oil donuts that melt in your mouth. Glorious!

That evening I enjoyed more band performances. Over 20 schools performed on the football field and it was quite impressive. Some were small and good. Some were small and needed more practice. Some were big and good. And one was gigantic. Most schools had probably around 80 kids except for Londenery, they have some requirement and had 350 kids. They filled the whole football field. I guess the joke is that half the kids don't actually play the instruments but fake it, and yet you can't tell. I think the secret is in the size, after a certain size, it's harder to suck. I didn't quite make it through all of it as I was really getting tired and still had to drive home. Speaking of which, on my way home, I'm in the far left lane, when I realize there's an ambulance two vehicles back, so I switch lanes and keep an eye on things. It's strange because there's this SUV in front of the ambulance who isn't moving over, and then suddenly does and nearly clips me. I think she was honestly an inch away from hitting me. She must have suddenly realized and just instictively swerved not realizing I was in the way. Needless to say, I was more then wide awake the rest of hte way home.

Sunday I had the benefit of being able to hang out with some close friends while they went through a horrible medical tragedy. I was really happy I could be there for them and do something. These things are always so horrible and you hate it when it happens to such good people. It's of course made me reevaluate the crazy little stuff I focus on instead of hte big important stuff. It was a long day, and I couldn't work on my knitting project as it was a gift for their baby due in Friday - still trying to keep it a surprise. Luckily though I had a tangled ball of yarn that she had given me. I had started detangling the ball before my trip but this one is a doozy. Finger weight, cream and super tangled. On the ride home I had to rush, but I got it done, at least one thing accomplished that day.

Wonderful weekend, but not much catch up on sleep, chores, unpacking, etc. And then Monday. I had put in place a practical joke before I left for vacation. I hand selected about a third of the staff and sent them "the memo". You know how sometimes you and someone show up in similar outfits and someone else says they didn't get the memo about the new dress code or whatever. Well, since we have staff meeting Monday mornings, I thought it'd be a hoot if a bunch of us showed up in similar outfits. We finally agreed on a red top/black bottom combo. I was giddy with excitement. And, long story short, it completely bombed - noone noticed. The following is an excerpt of the email I sent staff afterwards:

I would just like to thank all those who participated in the practical joke today – both the ones who got it and the ones who didn’t and the ones who accidently participated. For those of you who are still unclear on the joke, here it is. Today at the staff meeting, if you looked around at your fellow colleagues you would have noticed that every third person was wearing something similar – red top/black pants. And yet, other than those actually in on the joke, I don’t think anyone noticed. Which leads us to a larger question at hand:

1. Is 10 am in the morning still a little too early and was not enough coffee ingested yet?

2. Are we made up of a group that are so focused on brilliant things like the big picture, we miss the little details?

3. Is Monday just not a day for practical jokes? Would people have noticed sooner on, say a Friday?

4. Is it possible that the there is a large population of color blind people in the environmental sector?

5. Why is it people will notice two people with similar outfits, but not 5 people? Is there some inverse relationship going on?



All good questions that I would like you to ponder as I hatch my next brilliant practical joke. Attached is a picture of those involved, plus Aaron who accidently wore red (and can I point out there was a high percentage of black pants today). Thanks to everyone again for being good sports.

And finally, since I have one more picture, I'll make this post really long. I've been enjoying lunch in the park a bunch since I've been back. Perfect weather for it - crisp fall with the sound of rustling leaves, clear skies, bright colors and eveyone out and about. Yesterday, three of us escaped work and made it to the beautiful Boston Gardens (just west of hte Common). And today, Noah (old coworker) and I hung out and I debriefed him on what to see in Madrid when he visits next month. I tried so hard to find a hiding place for a little gift I had for him, but you try finding a place in public to hide something that will survive the elements, maitenance staff and the general public. I failed. I feel bad. But it was a good idea.