By Erik France on 9/26/2007 10:28 PM

On Tuesday we released the new external web site (www.cacu.com).  It was a good day and I think the site is doing pretty well.  We have fixed a few bugs, but nothing major so far.

But it is because of the site that I feel like I am back in Grad School.  I remember the nights of starting homework at 10:30 in the evening and being up until 2:00 in the morning.  It was not much fun, but I adapted and made it work.

Well, since Monday, I have been staying up and completing our build and deployment schedule to get the latest changes put into the web site.  Again, it is not a thrilling adventure and I have again adapted to it.  But I am starting to tire of this schedule too.  Hopefully everything will have settled by Friday and I can get a few more hours of sleep.

Oh, wait.  I have children who like to get up early too.  So I probably will not get any more sleep unless I fall asleep on the couch in the evenings.  Then again, I have been known...

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By Erik France on 9/21/2007 8:55 PM

Today we received the invitation for Rachel and Steven's wedding.  Inside the invitation was a link to their web site.  Yep, learn all about the wedding at www.skousenandfrance.com.

By Erik France on 9/19/2007 10:42 AM

Case yer did'n hear, it be Talk Like A Pirate Day.  Me fav'rit be the Top 10 Pick-up Lines, found 'bout half-way down the page here.

Have fun sayin' "Arrr!"

By Erik France on 9/18/2007 12:03 PM

The gang at work has been working very hard to complete a web site redesign project.  On one hand, this does not sound too terrible.  After all, it's just a web site, right?  Well, to get all of the security features installed, handle the multiple DMZ locations, build in legacy and new features, this "one site" is really a combination of four new web sites and revisions to fifth, existing site.  So, yeah, a big project.

The good news ... we are almost ready to release this to the public.  The bad news ... I am now beginning to realize how much pressure we have all been under to complete the project.  I had not really planned on this aspect of the project. 

To me, even though there is a lot to do, it is still just a web site.  I have been a bit too sheltered in thinking our changes were just to make the site a bit better.  But within the past two weeks, I have been in many meetings where people are talking about what they want to do in the future with the site.  I now understand how far-reaching this...

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By Erik France on 9/18/2007 11:58 AM

One of the down-sides, in my opinion, to having all of the current Presidential campaigning is that we see too much of it before the elections.  By the time the election rolls around, how many of us will be saying, "Enough already!"

Then I hear an advertisement on the radio this morning as I arrive at work.  It's one that made me pause to listen because, after all, it was for ice cream.  The announcer tells you that this ice cream has two flavors in the carton -- a vanilla on the left and a chocolate on the right.  "Or, if you prefer, rotate the carton around and you have chocolate on the left and vanilla on the right," says the announcer.  I laughed pretty hard at this one.

Here is an ice cream company that has even jumped on the bandwagon of political ads.  But this one was well done, thoughtful, and humorous.  Take note all of you political advisors ... it can be done.

By Erik France on 9/9/2007 8:31 PM

If you have not seen the movie, Wild Hogs, then you really need to visit the local RedBox.  This is a movie which I had thought looked good when I saw the trailers, but I mean, can you go wrong when it has Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, William Macy, and John Travolta?

The basic premise is that these four friends go on a cross-country bike ride.  Sounds simple, huh?  Well, the movie is packed full of one-liners and comedic situations.  I have not laughed so much at a movie in quite some time.

So, get to RedBox, spend your buck, and rent a really fun movie for an evening.

By Erik France on 9/1/2007 7:33 PM

Today we went to Powell Gardens to see their dinosaur exhibit.  This was a fantastic way to spend the morning.  Powell Gardens is much larger than I had imagined and I will recommend it to anyone who asks what they can do for a fun day.

The boys did not seem to care much for the beauty and diversity of plant life at the Gardens.  But I guess you can expect that from the kids.  But they were really interested in the dinosaurs.  These sculptures were so real, you had to check sometimes to make sure the darned thing did not blink at you. 

After about two hours of walking around and looking at the dinosaurs, we went back to the sand boxes where the kids were able to dig for plastic dinosaur toys.  They really had fun playing in the sand.  It was also a great way to wind down.  The sandboxes were in the shade, Hailey had finally fallen asleep, and it was a good time to relax a bit.

Finally, we went to the fountain garden.  What a fun thing to do!  This is a large water fountain which is...

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