Whoa! Didja get the numbers off that truck?!?

November 08, 2003 - 9:15 a.m.

Epilogue

Two entries in one. Lucky you.

Adam is out of intensive care and in rehab with all his mental faculties intact. Miss D retains temporary guardianship. Perhaps Adam is just too much trouble for his parents? I would think that near death would put a different spin on things, but I'm on the outside looking in.

Fall is in overdrive this weekend. I'm sitting here typing and enjoying a 50/50 mix of regular coffee and hazelnut creme. It reminds me of fall weekends past, in several other lifetimes. The house is quiet, they're in Spidey's care this weekend.

All the leaves are down, but the sky is anything but gray. I've waited this long to make sure that they are, I only rake them once. I don't have many in my postage stamp sized yard. I have yet to harvest the 18 inch tall crop of snapdragons that line the curved front walk of my house. They might serve a better border somewhere else in my yard next year, they served as a makeshift hedge for my front walk this year, which had a strange effect.

It's that time of year again, rake up the detritus of last year's growing season, mow the lawn one last time, winterize the trusty Snapper. I button up the exterior of my house in preparation for the coming freeze and skeptical snowfall that will be here real soon now (RSN in Corporatespeak.)

It's been awhile since I've heard any Corporatespeak, you know, the jargon that takes place in bigger corporations. Junior engineers and executives have a love of the stuff, they toss it out in smug satisfaction, knowing they're on the fast track because they understand the language. In years past there were Paradigms to consider, and when discussions in meetings got sidetracked, efforts were made to take the discussion Offline. Whew people, speak English.

I actually heard some Corporatespeak last week, a young guy from the Ford Motor Company was in on a project. I am Out Of The Loop as you know, in a smaller company it took me longer to recognize it. He used the phrase By Design. Less connected people would say "it's supposed to do that". To wit: "it makes radio noise because it's a transmitter." I digress. The other term he used is one engineers love, it's a coveted thing. It means success, it means you won't get bitched out by your bosses because the thing you made does what its supposed to do. "Robust" is the Holy Grail of the pocket protector wearing army of eager designers. "It does what it's supposed to do" does not have the weight that is carried by a single term that they fling out with admiration, Robust. Say it, it rolls out with confidence! That design is Robust!

Robust used to be a word that defined a good cup of coffee.

the last one -*- the next one