American Gaijin
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Never Family
No company, organization, or group is ever family. Remember this, and never forget it. I have been in the computer field for over twenty years at this point. I have worked in the public sector, in retail, at tech companies, and at telecom companies over my career. Some companies were better than others (I have…
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My Cat
Nearly twelve years ago, when I was still living in California (glad to be out!), I decided I wanted a cat. As it turns out, the friend of a coworker (whom I not-so-affectionately call Napoleon, the coworker, not the friend) had a bunch of kittens free to a good home. So I went and picked…
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In Memory of my Father
My memories of my father are incredibly conflicted – and as the time since his death recedes they only become more conflicted. Truth be told, he was also a conflicted person, though I don’t think he understands exactly how conflicted he was. He kept his own counsel. I often wonder how much of that was…
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You Can’t Follow the Science
It has become a mantra among many people in this society that they are going to “follow the science”. Anyone who says this is either ignorant or stupid. And I’m going to explain why. Science is a very misunderstood practice amongst many people in this world. They rely on it almost as a savior, and…
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Vaccines
Today I got the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. I had to drive about an hour to get it, as the distribution in my country is still a bit scattershot. They’re getting it to everyone, but the distribution network seems hit or miss – some places get some doses, some don’t, etc., etc. Not…
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He Died as he Lived
Today, I was contacted by the cousin who is executing my father’s will. He told me the story of how he died. I don’t want to get into the nitty gritty details, but the cliffs note version is: it was all avoidable. He had plenty of chances over several weeks to get medical treatment, and…