May 2008 - Posts
It has been a rough week or so for Kim and I recently. It started a week or so back with Kim's car. I took it in to get the oil changed and found that the car needed a bunch of expensive fluid changes. I spent a bunch of money on that, took the car home, and the next day it wouldn't start. We called AAA to come out and jump the car in the garage and I drove it back to the mechanic where we determined that the battery was completely dead. A new battery later and this morning the car wouldn't start again. This time AAA came out and got the car started. The problem now appears to be something to do with the fuel line. Who knows what that repair will eventually cost me, although it appears not to be an emergency as Kim now knows how to get the car to start if it's being stubborn again.
Last Friday a terrible storm blew through the area and for 30 minutes or so we had what felt like gale force wind gusts blowing rain sideways. During the storm we had a significant water leak through one of the window frames in the kitchen, a minor leak through another window frame in the kitchen, and at least two and perhaps up to four leaks in the roof. Part of the roof is under warranty and will be fixed for free, but the roofing company was so busy they couldn't even estimate the costs to repair the rest of the roof. The roof is covered with cedar shake shingles and is going to be expensive to repair. I went into the attic and found and "fixed" one of the leaks but it had already damaged the ceiling drywall, which had actually just been repaired and repainted. Now there is a nice little hole which needs to be patched in the kitchen and I think that the ceiling in our master bathroom is about to need to be replaced.
Monday, Memorial Day, I went outside and did five hours of yard work - mowing and trimming all things green. When I came back in, I noticed that the A/C was making funny noises. Downstairs in the basement, I noticed ice on some of the lines coming out of the furnace and the motor running the blower in the furnace was not able to start, although it kept trying. I managed to get a repair guy to come out and look at the unit. He declared the blower motor dead and in need of replacement. Of course, he didn't have a part to fit and getting a replacement would be hundreds of dollars. Kim and I knew when we bought the house that the furnace was over 30 years old and the air compressor outside was over 20 years old. It didn't make a lot of sense to cobble it back together so we just bit the bullet and replaced the entire set. Now we have a nice new Lennox furnace inside and quiet new air conditioner outside, both of which should be WAY more energy efficient. Even so, the cost was enough that I could have purchased a Toyota Yaris.
Kim and I have decided that my mother is the jinx and she's probably not going to be allowed back! She's been staying with us for these past few weeks and has been helping us with the baby. The baby who is now sitting comfortably in efficiently conditioned and cooled air. When he turns 16 I'm sure he'll wish we'd bought him a Yaris instead...
If you do know your Microsoft Evangelists you have probably attended events in your area, but if you don't, make sure to read up on the Microsoft support teams in your area.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/events/bb905078.aspx
I am sure they would love to hear from you as much as you would like to talk with them.
If you want to know what is going on with Microsoft in Georgia and the Southeast Region, make sure to sign up for the
MSDN Flash Newsletter.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/flash/default.aspx
It now has three of our DEs on pictures on it. Can you name all of them?
<From Brendon>
Today it is with a sad heart that I inform you of news I found out yesterday. Eric Engler, an awesome person, passed away last week. He was an amazing member of the Atlanta Microsoft User Group Community and will be missed dearly. It is sad to know I just saw him at the Atlanta Code Camp recently and will not have the opportunity to let him know how great of a person he was. You might have seen him at one of his many in depth and wonderful talks on many subjects, including ASP.NET 2.0 and AJAX in which he also tech edited a book for Wrox press. He leaves behind a wonderful family and friends. If we have any more information on how you can help his family we will post it.
<From Matt>
Just this morning we learned some sad news. Our friend Eric Engler passed away last week after a tragic heart attack. Ironically, his heart is what I remember best about my friend Eric. I only knew him through our association at the Atlanta area .NET User Groups and Code Camps, but I’ll remember him as a personable and friendly man who was happy to share his knowledge with his peers via public presentations, blog posts, and editorial efforts.
Please leave your thoughts for his family and show the support of our Atlanta Microsoft Community.
Parker Sean Ranlett was born on May 7th at 5:29 pm. He tipped the scale at 6lbs and 14oz. He's gorgeous, has a full head of hair, and can currently be seen sporting a pair of bluish-grey eyes. Check out more photos on my Flickr photostream. Parker is named after Kim's father and my grandfather, both of whom we miss terribly.
Parker is doing fine at home and Kim is recovering a lot faster than either of us expected. I'm already back at work thanks to the constant presence of family members helping us out. Kim's sister has been helping us with that initial transition from hospital to home and my mother is going to come in and help out for three weeks. I've been back at work one day and I've already had to run home just to pinch those cheeks!
I wanted to give a public thanks to everyone who has been helping us out over these past several days and for the help which continues to pour in. Thanks everyone! We appreciate it more than you can imagine.
The user group community in Atlanta does many events with our other southeastern states such as Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Mississippi. As you can tell we align with the Microsoft Regions a little bit. That is because the DE that covers Atlanta also covers other areas and plugs us into other events.
The big news out of Mississippi is that a new user group, the Hub City .NET User Group is being created by some friends of ours.
If you are in Mississippi and close by check out the full details here: http://hubcitynug.org/announcements/first-net-user-group-in-mississippi-forms-in-hattiesburg-ms/