While working away, managed to post some quick words:

• VoIP Tech Chat: Blackberry desperate? RIM announces FREE Blackberry Enterprise Server Express
• Team Forrest: SIP Response Codes (just for a quick reference)
• Fat Freddy Says: Updated Review for Nick’s Original House of Pancakes, Ann Arbor

Yeni in her studio.

Lately, thanks to our newly purchased Kitchen-Aid mixer, I have been eating well — very well. Although I guess that depends on your definition of what “eating well” means. If it means eating low calorie, very healthy meals, then no. If it means eating delicious cakes and desserts that make your mouth water, then YES — I have been eating very well.

Yeni loves those cake shows and well, I truly think she’s a natural. Not only are the cakes great looking, they also taste out of this world. Add this to the homemade cannoli and well, simply put, I’m a lucky man. Lucky man.

For more pictures of the cake (you have to see the little fondant bear), check out the album posted on my picasa account.

My girl (with my grandmas rolling pin)

It’s that time of the year again… the time where Fred decides to:

1. Talk about himself in the third person
2. Change the website design
3. Look forward to Thanksgiving
4. Digress

Well, we all know that #3 and #4 happen all year long. Man I love some Thanksgiving. (uh oh, looks like I’m talking in the first person again)

So what’s been happening?

We recently purchased a Kitchen-Aid mixer; sadly, something Yeni and I always wanted. Well, maybe not so sad I guess. I mean we both love to cook and she’s been cooking up a storm. We’re talking homemade cannoli, homemade cakes with fondant, and did I mention everything is 100% homemade from scratch? I’ve only used the mixer a couple of times to make bread, but it really does keep with our theme: Dreams come true. Even the small dream of owning a Kitchen Aid mixer can come true. (pictures)

Of course, all of these homemade amazing yummies isn’t helping me lose weight, but did I mention homemade cannoli? I mean Yeni is my dream girl already, but who knew she could make homemade cannoli?? November 1st also marked our 6 month anniversary. It really seems like we’ve been married longer.

Thanksgiving

I’ve said it a thousand times: Thanksgiving is Fred’s favorite holiday.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved Thanksgiving. Growing up in New York, autumn was amazing — the trees changing color, the air gets cooler, people seem happier, and the food flows. Coming from a large family, our Thanksgiving’s were huge events filled with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandmothers, and more. Family everywhere you looked. And after the meal, the race to get a good piece of couch was only topped by the race back to the table for dessert.

This year, the Thanksgiving table will be a little smaller. With my sister’s wedding, my wedding, and other family events, it’s made it a little difficult to bring everyone down to Florida… again. Apparently some of my family do not share my belief that Florida is just a fantastic State where one should go and go often. That being said, Yeni and I (and her mom) will be driving down to Florida with stops in Kentucky (my second favorite State), Tennessee, Gainesville, and Fort Lauderdale. Knowing Yeni, we’ll also be stopping at many cracker barrels along the way.

Website Design

Sometimes you just want a change. I’ve been in a minimalist mood lately (also in a country music mood for some reason), and just wanted a clean, simple design for the site. I also changed the Team Forrest site a little bit ago for the same reason. If you like the site, great! If you don’t, well… too bad. But don’t worry, I’m sure it will change again soon enough.

On the 16th, Yeni and I headed to the Glendale Harley-Davidson with David Duffett, and rented a couple of bikes. We headed north through some amazing country that well, I’d only seen in pictures. We saw cactus, we drove by mountains that looked like Big Thunder, and had a great meal at a dive off the beaten path. More importantly, we got to ride with David, who although it was the first time I had ridden with him, felt like we’d been riding together for years.

Here’s a few movies…

Fred Posner @ Astricon 2009

It’s October and that means I’m going to Phoenix!

Astricon, the meet-up of Asterisk users / developers / fans / etc, starts October 13th, and this year I received the honor of presenting. My talk, Asterisk Applications: Unexpected Hurdles, showcases the Ann Arbor Parking “Smackdown” earlier this year.

As an added benefit… my Wife will be joining me

I miss my friend.

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends And in no random order…

qxork.com

So, you ever give out an email address and the person questions the spelling, asks you to repeat the work, or just in someway makes it a non-pleasurable experience? Of course you have… Well, after explaining that it was “m like mary” and “2 r’s in Forrest” for the last time, I decided to get a really small domain with letters that don’t sound like other letters (ie no m, n, c, d, e, t, etc.).

Since there weren’t many 3 or 4 letter domains to be found, the new domain is… q x o r k. “Hi, I’m Fred. Send it to Fred at q x o r k dot com.” Yes, it doesn’t pronounce. Yes it doesn’t mean anything… but also… Yes, it’s easy to say clearly on the first time. There’s not much to the site… think of it as a Fred Posner gateway if you will… with links to my sites and contact information. Check it out at www.qxork.com.

INS

Ah, nothing brings a sense of wonder to me than the effectiveness of our Federal Government. Yeni and I arrived at the immigration center for our Interview, and promptly made our way to the waiting room. After an hour and half wait for our “scheduled” interview (I couldn’t help think how great it won’t be if health care is run by the Feds), we were met by the officer, sworn, and interviewed.

I have to say, it started out pretty aggressively with us being question on why Yeni didn’t move to Florida (which I kind of found sexist, but anyway…) and questioning me with topics such as Yeni’s parent’s names, etc. Again, I would describe the tone as pretty aggressive. Then the questioning started centering around my business activities and I said something about the person working as a 10-99 vs a W2. The officer asked me what a 10-99 was and I kind of started to lose it. I was stating (in my Fred way) that a 10-99 was a basic tax form that anyone should now, let alone a government employee questioning me about business, when I received a “little” kick. Yes, Yeni gave me a subtle little kick and I calmed down a little.

Well, I think the fact that Yeni kicked me and I calmed down kind of proved that we were really husband and wife… or at least I have to say the interview went completely different. All the aggression was gone and long story short… everything is very good.

Cedar Point

My next tattoo

Yeni’s parents came in last Friday and on Sunday (before Labor Day), we joined a great friend from college and headed to Cedar Point. I had never been there and truly looked forward to riding some roller coasters with the wife and in-laws. The crowds were a little large (being labor day weekend and all), but the park was nice. Clearly it’s no Disney, but there’s lots of roller coasters including some very tall and very fast rides.

As we waited in line for the Millennium Force, I became excited. This roller coaster dwarfs others. Besides speeds of 93 mph, 80 degree angles, and a 310 foot climb, the coaster just simple looks amazing. An hour later, we got to the coaster, I sat down, and low and behold… not going to happen. The seat belt simply wouldn’t close. The staff came by during the check, asked me to leave, and I did the walk of shame out.

In hind sight, reading the “exceptional size” notice of Cedar Point may have made the day better. Since I’m a 42″ waist, over 225 pounds, and have a decent sized chest (> 52″), looks like I won’t be going back there for some time. The weight will come down, but not sure how to handle the chest… anyway…

Traveling Man

The Fred Posner America Gives Back Tour is coming your way… with stops in Orlando, New Jersey, Phoenix, and many areas in-between. Come one, come all… details and photos of upcoming travel to follow.

The Tiger’s beat the Indians and we all had a great time. It was fireworks night at the stadium, so we were treated to a nice (and loud) show after the game. The nice thing about being this north is that at 9pm or so, you the sun starts to set and makes a great looking sky. Combined with the Tiger’s having the same orange and blue colors as a certain college team I love, the game made for a great night.

Blue! Orange!

The trip to Albany was amazing and covered parts of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Cities included Toledo, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Albany. Normally, when traveling on the Interstate, you really don’t get to see much, and with this trip, we set that as our expectation. Gladly, we were wrong. I had never been West of Albany (yes, I’m one of those type of New Yorker’s) and the scenery simply amazed us. From the rolling hills and mountains to the lakes and rivers, the trip east absolutely provided some great views of the country.

While in Albany, Yeni and I enjoyed great food, great company, and a great time. The weather was slightly more wet than we had hoped, but being surrounded by family is like having a sunny day regardless of weather.

The trip home allowed Yeni to experience riding the Harley through some heavy rain. When we hit the Cleveland area, the sun came out and we enjoyed great weather until we reached the Ohio turnpike — where a very strong wind decided to throw us around until we made it home. Despite the rain and heavy wind, the ride was great and we’re looking forward to the next one.

Total miles: 1302

More pics...

Yeni and I just got back from a quick trip to Chicago… visiting her brother as well as celebrating our first month of married life.

It was a short drive (few hours) from Michigan to Chicago, and figuring the parking in Chicago would be interesting, we chose to take the Versa instead of the Expedition. Although, if we hadn’t have needed the trunk space, taking the Harley would have been much more fun. The more highway driving I do, the less I love Michigan roads. It’s funny too, as the second we hit Indiana, the road just smoothed out and we just smiled. Then, when you hit Chicago, well… welcome back “holes in the floor.”

Coming up this week… some Twitter coding, more Asterisk work, and if all goes well, a motorcycle ride up the east coast of Michigan with the wife (We have a new bluetooth headset to test as well as a trip to Albany to prepare for)

Anyway, this last weekend I:

• Celebrated mom’s birthday with my family (including my sister and our spouses)
• Had an AMAZING meal at Joe’s Stone Crabs (but, when do you not?)
• Celebrated Mother’s day with the family
• Worked a little in Boca Raton, FL
• Enjoyed a nice afternoon on the beach with my wife.
• Read some hilarious comments on the Gandy Dancer review

I’m looking forward to the drive up on Wednesday… love those Mountains.

• Got married (blogged @ yenifred.com)
• Reviewed the Gandy Dancer at Fat Freddy Says.com
• Had an AMAZING cake from Cake Nouveau (review coming)

And those are the biggies I guess.

Remember when flying was fun?

As a boy, I loved going to the airport. I remember being fascinated by the TWA terminal at JFK, awed by the escalator down from LAX, and excited to see the ocean immediately after take off from Fort Lauderdale. Airports also meant seeing family, visiting new places, and let’s not forget all the cool planes. I associated air travel with very positive emotions.

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to Detroit…

Today’s world finds me loathing any experience with airports, airlines, or at this point just air travel. For the third time in a year, US Airways cancelled my flight. I like numbers, so let’s look at it this way… I’ve taken 3 trips on US Airways since April 2008. Each of the three have had a cancelled flight, and, two of the three delayed overnight; requiring a hotel stay. So, in percentage… 100% of trips on US Airways have a cancelled flight and 67% delay arrival by a day or more.

After my last trip on US Airways, I became so upset with the way I had been treated that I promised to boycott them forever. On this recent trip, my client purchased the tickets to LAX and I neglected to mention “any airline other than US Airways, please.” I justified the flight thinking to myself, “Well Fred, you didn’t give any money to US Airways, so it’s still ok.”

Flying from Los Angeles to Detroit yesterday, the schedule had me traveling to Phoenix, spending 2 hours in the Phoenix Airport, and then continuing to Detroit. I checked in, went to the gate, and waited. Boarding time (4 p.m.) came, and no announcement. The next gate also had a flight to Phoenix, and I watched that plane take off into the clear, blue sky (very similar to my Newark experience). At 4:30 p.m., the representative said there was a slight delay and not to worry, the staff would be taking care of connecting flights and ensuring we make it to Phoenix very shortly. Some of us started to form a line and were told to “just sit and wait” by the manager (no please, no sorry, only “just sit and wait sir/ma’am”).

Well, 5:00 p.m. came and the representative announced the flight had been cancelled. The manager told us to form a single file line and we would be booked on new flights. When my turn arrived, the representative booked me on an American Airlines flight to Detroit via Dallas. I’d arrive at 7am, and yet… I was happy to just go home. The representative printed an itinerary and told me to head out to American. I asked for my confirmation number, and was told to “just show them the itinerary.” I asked again, “can you please give me a confirmation number?” The manager cam over and said, “Sir, you have an itinerary and it’s time to go. They will help you at American Airlines.” I thought about it, and well… Yeni’s been encouraging me to “be nice” and there were other people needing help… so I went off to American.

I will say this: The people at the American Airlines ticket counter were beyond friendly. Very nice. Sadly, US Airways did not book me on an available flight. The flight, being full, could not accept the booking which is why US Airways had not given me a confirmation number. American tried to get me on a different flight, but simply couldn’t find a seat. They said they were truly sorry and let me know I needed to go back to US Airways.

I arrived at the US Airways ticketing counter at 6:30 p.m (it was a very, very long walk from Terminal 4 back to Terminal 1). Fellow passengers from my cancelled flight (493) greeted me in line — each with a similar story. Whether American, United, Delta, or others, each of the fellow passengers in line had been improperly booked on another airline. The line moved at a snail’s pace as only 2 agents were assisting us. At 7 p.m., our “friendly” manager strolled to the counter; drink and cellphone in hand.

A guy about 5 people in front of me yelled “Hey, that’s the stupid bitch who told me it was ok.” Which, in turn, had many people in line agreeing. When it was his turn, the man received news he didn’t like and literally had a meltdown. The police came; he calmed down, left, and was out of sight / out of mind from the rest of us.

At 7:30 p.m. or so, my turn had finally come. I walked up to the counter and was given a flight leaving LAX at noon (the next day), flying to Philadelphia, then to Chicago, and then to Detroit. I would be arriving in Detroit after midnight on the next day. I believe my exact words were “You’re kidding me, right? Can you just put me on a train instead?” She laughed. “I’m not making a joke. I don’t think you’ll get me there without canceling another flight.”

I told her to put me on the flight that gets me to Detroit the fastest. Not what leaves the earliest, but rather what arrives the soonest. While she was typing away (for what seemed like an eternity, but was actually less than 20 minutes), our friendly manager returned to the area. She was getting a little bitchy with three passengers and I had had enough. Sure I was hesitant with the police already called, but I figured “I gotta be me” and just maybe keep it down a notch.

I told her, “Excuse me. You know what? You need to apologize.”

“I’m sorry your plane had technical problems.”

I continued, “No. We’re all fine with that. You need to apologize because you’re a horrible manager and you did a bad job.”

“I didn’t.”

I was thinking to myself that this is nice… she argues like a 6th grader. So I continued, “Yes, you did. You’re a horrible manager and you did a bad job. All of us are here because you are a horrible manager and did a bad job. You didn’t even call American Airlines to make sure any of us had confirmed flights. You wasted our time and caused us further delays.”

“I did call.”

“No, you really did not.”

“I did call —”

Now a bunch of people were watching. “You’re kidding me here. No, you didn’t call. And there’s a whole bunch of us here as proof. You never once picked up a phone. I know. I was there. You are simply lying. You are a horrible manager. You did a bad job, and you need to apologize to us now.” (People clapped, which I gotta say, was pretty awesome)

“I’m not going to argue with you sir.”

“You are arguing with me, and you’re not winning. You are a horrible manager. You did a bad job. Now apologize.” She just stared at me. No words, nothing. “Did you go to manager training?” Nothing. “Well, if you didn’t, you need to go. And if you did, you need to get your money back, because you’re a horrible manager and you did a bad job.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For…”

“For being a horrible manager.”

“And for doing what?”

“A bad job.”

“Thank you.”

With that, they gave me a hotel voucher for a local airport, a ticket to a Northwest Airlines flight (the next day), a $10 meal voucher, and I was on my way. You know, when it comes down to it, I know that planes have problems. Hell, if it’s a machine, chances are there will be a technical issue now and then. And, I’m much happier being safe then sorry when it comes to air travel. That being said… sometimes it’s not what you say or do, but how you handle the situation that makes the difference.

In the last year, 100% of my US Airways flights have had at least one cancelled leg. That number is ridiculous. And in my entire life, I have had 0 flights cancelled on other airlines.

When I was delayed for 4 hours in December, American Airlines handled it perfectly. When I exited the plane, I was told to please go to the assistance counter. They had already booked me on a new plane and gave me priority standby on the next flight to my destination. And even more, they sincerely apologized.

To make a long story longer, there’s a reason why I have so many road trip photos and blog posts. With carriers like US Airways, flying simply doesn’t appeal to me. I’d much rather drive to where I need to go and enjoy the flexibility, ability to use a phone while traveling, and a nice comfy ride where I’m not treated poorly. When it comes down to it, I can usually drive to where I need to go for less than plane ticket (plus no rental car needed of course and I can take as many bags as I can fit).

As a child, I would have never dreamed that one day I’d prefer to take long trips in the car than a flight in a big, shiny airplane. Sometimes, I miss seeing the world through the eyes of a child.

Yeni and I have had this one Bob Marley song stuck in our heads recently, so I leave you with:

Don’t worry about a thing,
’cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Don’t worry about a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Rise up this morning,
Smiled with the rising sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singing sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Saying this is my message to you.

Singing: don’t worry bout a thing,
’cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singing: don’t worry about a thing,
’cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Don’t worry… =)

Hey... I thought it was Spring!

So, last night Michael and I caught up over a few Bourbon’s at a TGI Friday’s down the road. The last time Mike and I visited Friday’s together? 1989. Anyway… as the evening wore on, the window showed us something I thought I wouldn’t be seeing again for a while — snow. And we’re not talking “oh just a little white powder” here, we are talking big, huge, white flakes. Big ones. Coming down like the ground was Macy’s and it was a 90% off sale.

The snow continued throughout the night leaving 4 – 7 inches on the ground (depending on which paper you believe). All I know is that Yeni had to break out the winter boots (She said, “Oh, Winter Boots I thought I would not see you again… but here you are.”) and I got to de-snow the cars yet another time this year.

I will say this though… Looking at snow is nice. Dealing with it, not so much. There’s more pictures below…

Starting the morning

View from our living room

Campus

Near the Lab

It is cold!

Downtown Ann Arbor

1. Our trip to Cabella’s (45 pictures)
2. January 2009 (34 pictures)
3. February 2009 (33 pictures)
4. Disney March 2009 (46 pictures)
5. March 2009 (15 pictures)

Still to come? Pictures from my sister’s wedding and more!  There’s decent pictures in each section…

Now, you know you can see the entire album, right? Either click here or on the Fred’s Photos link on the right.

Ann Arbor . com website

The Ann Arbor News (in Ann Arbor, MI of course) recently announced it’s closure. After 174 years, the Ann Arbor News could not see a way out of economic difficulties and will be relaunching as an online media company — AnnArbor.com. But this post isn’t about the closure… for information on that check out:

• AnnArbor.com
• The News to Fold in July
• Why We Grieve the Ann Arbor News

This post is on why I do not grieve the Ann Arbor News closure.

To be in business for 174 years is truly an amazing feat, and congratulations is due. Of course, the business became part of Mlive.com and was more of a conglomerate lately than a truly local paper.

This weekend, Yeni and I went to Meijer’s (the local supermarket) twice (long story). Both times we entered Meijer’s, we were greeted by two salesmen in a booth selling subscriptions to the Ann Arbor News. The approach was that one individual would stand in the entrance way and ask you to talk with him. When you said “No, thank you.” (like I did) he continued his pitch, and his style was effective — many elderly people were signing up for new subscriptions.

Businesses can and will fail. It’s the nature of, well, it’s the nature of business. Surely we can feel sadness for the persons who will lose their jobs and we can also feel sadness for the closure of a local institution, but to me, I feel more of a loss for the new subscribers I saw this weekend.

Traditionally, the elderly do not get their news online. I feel that selling subscriptions “hard” over the weekend for a business announcing it’s closure on Monday is in poor taste. And sadly, sometimes the last taste in your mouth is how you remember the meal.

I asked The Ann Arbor News what would happen to these new subscribers. They said:

“You’ll keep getting the paper as you do through July. We’re still working out what happens after that. You won’t lose what you paid though.”

To me, if they want my support, they’ll issue immediate refunds to anyone that bought a subscription this month. Full and immediate refund.

But, as Dennis Miller would say… That’s just my opinion.

Benjamin Franklin

I’ve always liked Mr. Franklin. Some think he’s the only non-president on money… but those people probably think Mr. Hamilton was once a president. Anyway, Benjamin Franklin is perhaps my favorite American in history. I love his quotes and many of his thoughts can guide us still today.

Today’s the following Benjamin Franklin quote comes to mind:

It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.

Which brings us to…

Ann Arbor Parking

Ok, although I’ve lived in Florida for the past 20 years (and love it), my family is traditionally northern in attitude and heritage. Often my love of Florida is mocked with southern jokes and generalizations. And if Florida somehow makes the news, my phone won’t stop ringing. I still get ribbed over Elian Gonzalez, the 2000 election, Terry Schiavo, and more.

But what does Florida have to do with Ann Arbor Parking? Two words: Sunshine Law. The Sunshine Law provides public access to government (no closed doors, let in the “Sunshine”) and Florida takes this very seriously. Besides criminal and civil penalties for violating the Sunshine Law, it has become such a part of Floridan culture that it’s hard to imagine not getting easy access to public information. After all, this is why the news loves Florida. If something happens in the Sunshine State, it happens in the Sunshine.

Enter the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. This publicly funded group receives their budget from taxes and parking fees. Oh, they also think I’m a security concern.

Yes, even though I have a very clean background (just ask the FBI), the A2DDA thinks I pose a security risk and have blocked my access to their website.

When I look at the list of things that my mom can be proud of, I think:

• Court expert on DUI and Marijuana
• Firearm “incident” in Gainesville
• and now, Security Risk to the Ann Arbor DDA

Thank you DDA for your hard work, and for bringing to mind this other Benjamin Franklin quote:

“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid”

Which brings us to… (if you want to see more details on Fred vs. the DDA, click here)

Motorcycles

The weather in Ann Arbor warmed up enough to remove the ice and snow from the roads. And it’s been so long since I’ve seen a salt truck that Yeni and I decided to go for a quick ride on Saturday.

It was the first time I was able to ride since December and it took all the stress right from my face, replacing it with a smile.

More info is posted on our website, www.yenifred.com.

Pin Courtesy of Disney World

Yeni Weather Script

I have a new phone on my desk (or as Yeni calls it, the mesk). Why mesk? Combines messy and desk… but I digress (as usual).

As I was saying, I recently purchased a Polycom Soundpoint IP 450 phone. The phone is great — small foot print, clean, great speakerphone, and enables HD Voice. HD Voice is going to change the way we think of how phone calls sound. I admit, I was reluctant at first, but then I got to know Michael Graves; and after listening to him praise the benefits of HD Voice for many, many months, I decided it was time to embrace the technology.

Let me say this — HD Voice is amazing. I won’t say too much more, because I’m planning to write about it big time on VoIP Tech Chat and Team Forrest; but bottom line: HD Voice = amazing.

So the other nice thing about the phone? It has a little micro-mini browser. Which means what you ask? It means that know whenever Yeni asks me the weather… I can answer. A nice little Perl script checks the local Ann Arbor weather and gives me the temp (in F and C), current condition, and quick day’s forecast. The phone reads the website every 5 minutes and constantly displays the results. It’s nice.

Conga Time!

Welcome friends to 2009. Last night Yeni’s family and I went to Michael’s and were surrounded by family to enjoy the New Year’s Celebration. Last year, I was in New York City’s Times Square watching the ball drop after eating an amazing feast at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn. Wow, that was an amazing meal…

This year was more of a somber tone and I was very fortunate to be surrounded by family. I drank (a little too much) bourbon, ate 12 grapes, participated in an impromptu New Year’s conga, and ate a really good Cookie Cake.

Traditionally, people make New Year’s Resolutions and this year, I’ve decided not to. Did you know that roughly only 12% of New Year’s Resolutions are achieved? Most popular resolutions?

• Lose Weight
• Save Money
• Get a Better Job
• Get in Shape
• Quit Smoking
• Drink Less
• Reduce Stress

So instead of making a half-assed New Year’s goal, I’m just going to be happy. Think of it as an extended Thanksgiving mood… and I’m just going to be thankful for the friends and family in my life, cherish the good times from the last year, learn from the bad ones, and remember those who left us in 2008.

Happy New Year, Happy Birthday Orlando and Ryan, and Go Gators.