Performance Appraisals

In message , dated Fri, 1 Sep 2006, Spehro Pefhany writes

Not me, it was one of the six other 'John Woodgate's in UK. In any case, the result was unexpected.

You had him executed by the Spanish Inquisition, didn't you, Mr. WOOD of GATE?

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

In message , dated Fri, 1 Sep 2006, fpga snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com writes

I remember sitting in a British Standards meeting while pairs of pigeons were busy mating on the window sill of the committee room.

In message , dated Fri, 1 Sep 2006, fpga snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com writes

-- OOO - Own Opinions Only. Try

John Woodgate, J M Woodgate and Associates, Rayleigh, Essex UK

In message , dated Fri, 1 Sep 2006, Joerg writes

Same here, but this is a new client, about 64th in the pecking order of the contract. So I agreed a fixed price, instead of an open estimate and an introductory discount.

In message , dated Fri, 1 Sep 2006, Joerg writes

I KNEW that would happen! It's a rather nice (and inexpensive) red, not beer, so no pints.

Hello John,

But you don't wear them to an interview ;-)

And if he or she uses one in an RF mixer I get "uncomfy" :-)

Our drill sergeant used to say that the day has 24 hours and when that ain't sufficient then there is still the night.

Funny, I actually prefer fixed bid. Generally causes clients to think about what they want, rather than giving me a short list of what they want, asking for an "estimate" of how long that will take, and then being disappointed when the schedule slips because they keep adding additional requirements/refinements to the project.

Hello John,

If you come to the Western US try Killian's Red. Pretty good but I prefer stouts and IPA. However, tonight it'll be margaritas.

We also have a local brewpub where they can refill your growlers with some of these:

That the police actually *did* something? Yes, that would be unexpected.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

For my present position, I of course interviewed in a coat and tie, even though I knew the usual dress was casual. It is part of knowing what impression you need to leave. When I came back the next day for some follow up questions (mine, not theirs) I just wore a tie.

Then, for my first day, I came in full three piece suit, mostly as a joke. I told my co-workers that I would dress a little more causually each day, so that by Friday I would be in t-shirt and cutoffs...

Also on that first day was the companies annual meeting. Since I was new, and didn't have any other duties, the boss took me along. As we walked in, and sat down, several folks were wondering "Who's the new banker?" 8-)

Charlie

In message , dated Fri,

That's right; it's how consultants get to work 170 hours a week.

In message , dated Fri,

Is that a wine or a beer?

H'mmm. Possibly SFO in October for the Audio Engineering Society Convention. Would one get Placerville beers in SFO?

In message , dated Fri, 1 Sep 2006, Charlie Edmondson writes

I bet THAT made an impression. Where did you wear it?

Are you QUITE sure about the 'b' sound? (;-)

Hello Charlie,

Sometimes it's good to be prepared at all times. Once I wore a tie, just for the heck, don't remember why. Then our V.P.Quality came up to me with a pain-stricken face. Gave me a CD, pointed at me, then at the board room, a was promptly whisked away to emergency dental surgery. He had just broken a molar in half. Ouch. I had to do his presentation to all the guys in the expensive suits. Whew...

Hello John,

Una cerveza. A beer from WA state. That's where the micro brewery trend started although I am certain Win will disagree.

Not really. They have their own good stuff. Try Gordon Biersch, a huge brewpub right where the Bay Bridge lands at the S.F. side. Give John Larkin a ring, it should only be a short hop from his biz to there. Plus he'll certainly know a lot more good places. Anchor Steam is another good beer in S.F.

Doesn't work for me, but my Dutch grammar isn't quite what it ought to be - I failed the Dutch as a Second Language exam on my written Dutch with a score off 499 against a pass mark of 500, after comfortably passing the tests of mmy capacity to read. hear and speak Dutch.

And I did have one dyslexic symptom when I was learning to read, in that I'd read "was" as "saw"and vice versa. My parents picked this up very early and gave me extra training every evening for a bit which completely sorted the problem. In fact I spent most of my primary school career bored silly by the reading lessons, where I was couple of years ahead of the rest of the class.

And I am left-handed, like one of my two brothers. My father would have written left-handed if he'd had the choice.

Hello Bill,

Did they make you do that test for citizenship or something? I lived there over 6 years and never took any tests. Now about 20 years later it's mostly gone but my Dutch comes back after 2-3 pintjes of Grolsch. However, as with you only the read-hear-speak portions of it. Writing is definitely gone.

It's hard to practice out here in the west. Except for Radio Nederland Wereldomroep plus one friend who was born in NL there isn't much of a chance.