Computer Troubles

I'm an idiot. A couple of weeks ago I was poking around on the web and I ended up on a website with a video that I was trying to watch. I'm not quite sure how I ended up there or where I went from a legitimate site to this one but it was really all downhill from there. A box popped up telling me that I needed a new codec, I wasn't careful enough to determine that this was actually a window pushed by the website rather then my browser. Anyway once that button was clicked there was no stopping the horrible programs that rendered my computer unusable. This crippling spyware also was nice enough to come along with an advertisement for a spyware removal program that could solve all my problems. Interesting little trick, I'm sure had I gone further with this game and actually tried to purchase this software online all sorts of crazy things would have happened with my credit card, luckily I'm only an idiot and not a moron. Anyway after a quick format of the partition which holds the OS and a reinstall of all my software I'm off and running again. It's a good thing that I setup my computer such that this would be an easy thing to do without losing any data.

Rockies Game

We went to the Rockies game this Sunday. They played the Giants. It was a great game. Barry Bonds didn't play but he did pinch hit in the top of the 9th and they struck him out to end the inning. He didn't receive a very warm welcome and it amazes me how passionate people are about him these days. I find the whole situation very interesting but it's pretty obvious to me that he's not the only guy in the major leagues using steroids. The Rockies scored in the bottom of the 10th inning to win the game. I'm still a Twins fan at heart but it's fun to go to the games and Coors Field is a great place to see a baseball game.

NYC

Lauren and I spent a long weekend in NYC this past weekend. We were able to visit a friend of mine from high school and we also saw the sites. The highlights were probably seeing Avenue Q and attending a comedy show at The Comic Strip Live. The best comic by far was a guy by the name of Ben Bailey. There is something about seeing live performances (both the musical and comedy shows) that made them more entertaining then they would have been had they been recorded on TV, a live audience really does enhance the experience.

Last Day At Copper

I spent my last day at Copper for the year April 8th. It was an awesome day. Powder days are great but there is something really nice about spring skiing as well. It's nice to be able to spend some time outdoors in the sun and enjoy the weather. Copper is closing down on 4/16 and I haven't yet decided what type of pass I'm going to get next year so this was a good end to the season and possibly my last time at Copper for awhile.

Where has Erik been?

It's been awhile since I've created some postings here and I apologize for the lack of updates. It seems I've just gotten busy with life and haven't made the time to update the page. After Christmas I spent a bunch of time traveling for work and educating our internal folks about a new product which we were launching that I'm working on called Global Instant Capacity (GiCAP). We were able to successfully launch GiCAP on 3/20 and we'll start shipping it on 6/1. It allows for folks to utilize there server resources more efficiently thus reducing costs without affecting the performance of the machines. In any case I really enjoyed taking the time to educate people about what we have been working on in the product development labs. There is something about being part of creating something that helps people that's really exciting for me. So in short that is where my time has gone and why you haven't heard from me.

Christmas

Here are some pictures of our Christmas decorations this year. Much of these things are new as we have a new house. It's always interesting putting up the lights especially on a new house but this house turned out to be a lot easier to put lights up on then the old house. The Christmas tree is also new and our village grew considerably this year. We've already just about run out of space on the mantle, we'll have to get creative next year. We both really enjoy the season and decorating the house.

Halloween

This year we decided to do pumpkin inside a pumpkin jack-o-lanterns. I think that they turned out pretty good. I didn't get any pictures that are too good but this is the best one that I have.

Gallinger - Helgeson Wedding

On the weekend between being at the HP Technology Forum and being in Dallas for work a good friend from the fraternity was married in Billings, MT. So rather then heading home I made the trek up to Bozeman and then drove to Billings with some friends for the event. It was a very nice ceremony and a great opportunity to see everybody again. The groom is the third from the right in front in the picture below. He and his wife have since moved to Denver so we're hoping to be able to see them frequently.

HP Technology Forum 2005

I've gotten a bit behind with posting so I'll try to get a couple done tonight and get caught up. Unfortunately I haven't done a very good job of keeping my camera near by and getting things recorded here but hopefully that will change soon. If you follow the blog you know that it goes in spurts.

I had the opportunity as part of me job with Hewlett Packard as an engineering program manager this past October to teach a hands on lab course at the HP Technology Forum 2005. It was a really a lot of fun and a rewarding experience. I really like teaching folks about all of the great products that we have been working on and how it can help them to run their IT organizations more effectively. It's really awesome that HP provides opportunities to get out of the labs and out on the front lines with our customers. This event was initially scheduled for New Orleans just weeks after hurricane Katrina, given these unfortunate circumstances it's very fortunate that they were able to pull the event together a few short weeks later in Orlando. I had a lot of fun at this conference and hope that I'll be able to participate again next year. I've included a photo of the equipment that was flown in for my lab.

Bathroom Remodel

I recently completed remodeling one of the bathrooms in my home. It was the first time I had done a project like this and as always there are a few things I would do differently the second time around but overall I'm very happy with the results. It was also fun to do something new and a satisfying project to complete. I've included some before and after pictures below.

Tim and Anne's Wedding

Lauren's oldest brother Tim got married a couple weekends ago in St. Louis. It was a beautiful weekend. Since Lauren and I were both in the wedding we were there for 4 days and it was a nice long weekend celebration.

House Pictures

Sorry this took so long to get posted but I'm finally going to get a few pictures of the new house posted.

Bostrom - Bachim Wedding

I was in Madison last weekend for my cousin Matt's wedding. It was a very nice ceremony and reception. It was also a great opportunity to see family that I haven't seen for awhile. I wish Matt & Jody the best for a long and happy marriage.

I've included a picture of Laura's (Matt's sister) children and the capital building in Madison.

New Home

I closed on the sale of my home in Fort Collins and the purchase of my new home in Highlands Ranch (a south western suburb of Denver). The move was a lot of work but all of the stuff is in the new location now. I'll post some pictures of the new home once we are settled in.

2005 Balfour Leadership Training Workshop

This past weekend I was able to attend my third Balfour Leadership training workshop and my 2nd one as a chapter advisor. The event was held at Ball State University. It was a great 2 and a half day event which allowed for chapters to start developing strategic plans for the upcoming school year. The curriculum this year changed from a focus on the fundamentals for each officer to more time with the chapter team and this was a welcome change as the guys got an opportunity to start working rather then just talk theoretically. It was clear throughout the weekend why this is the largest and most effective training effort of it's type in the Greek world and I very much enjoyed and being able to take part in this event.

July 4th

I was able to spend some time at home on the lake with some friends from high school for the 4th of July. We did some jetskiing, fishing, 4 wheeling and fireworking it was a nice break.


The gang

Sigma Chi 150th

I was able to spend the past weekend in Cincinnati for a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Sigma Chi. It was a great weekend. There were many events looking at the past, present and future of Sigma Chi. I was able to see the founding site of the fraternity as well as the alpha chapter in addition to attending all the celebrations. I'm looking forward to returning to Cincinnati in 2055 when the fraternity turns 200!


150th Gala

Home

I was home from 6/8 to 6/13. It was nice to be home for a bit and relax. Although I spent much of my time troubleshooting computer issues. One evening we burned up some stuff that had blown down in a recent storm.


Lake Stella

Hong Kong

In the evenings there is a light show. Lights are cast from the buildings on Hong Kong Island. This picture was taken from just across Victoria Harbor on the Kowloon side.


Hong Kong

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

From Bangalore I flew to Hong Kong on another overnight plane trip. I flew on Singapore airlines and it was one of the nicest flights I have ever been on, it leaves me wondering if all flights on this airline would be as nice. The group that I traveled with from Bangalore went out to see the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple. This is a temple in Hong Kong where Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are all practiced.


Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple