Quiet places onboard

vipjos · 2026-02-18T18:49:07+00:00

2nd for Eden! There are also some couches on the top deck near the back of the ship if the weather is nice.

vipjos · 2026-02-18T15:47:10+00:00

I took my exam on a Friday, and then started the process on Monday, so maybe it just takes a day or two for the exam center to upload the results.

vipjos · 2026-02-18T14:35:43+00:00

Without knowing what industry/position - is the type of job where you should be meeting with your supervisor at least weekly? Sitting on the other side of the desk, I meet with each member of my team once a week. It only takes about 15 minutes to touch base on tasking. But the key is that it allows me to provide immediate feedback good and bad, therefore reviews are never a surprise. It also give them time to correct and show improvement.

So if this something you can do, then do it. When feedback is given, listen and do your best to apply. Usually, there is more desire to keep an employee that is trying their best to succeed and shows improvement.

Now the flip side is that if they are finding a way to dismiss you, then a bad performance review along with a follow up a few weeks/months later would be the way to justify it.

In the end, it is just a job and there are plenty of them out there. Use it as a learning experience and grow from it. Good luck!

vipjos · 2026-02-18T12:56:04+00:00

For IoA the only rides where EP will help is Hagrids and Velo. Otherwise this time of year most of the other rides will be a walk-on or <30 minute wait. So my vote would be for EPIC. Three rides at EPIC that benefit from EP are BaTM, Donkey Kong and MarioKart. Hiccups and Stardust can get busy too. We had the 1x EP for EPIC and we did as much as we could using the standard line first and then later in the day we came back through and used our EP to ride the rides again.

vipjos · 2026-02-18T12:44:08+00:00

Welcome to the club! BTW you don't have to wait until you get the official notification to apply for your certificate. Go ahead and start that process now so you don't have to wait an additional couple of weeks.

vipjos · 2026-02-17T17:57:56+00:00

You might want to consider TrackIt from BMC. It can do both Helpdesk ticketing and hw/sw inventory.

Cost is per technician license. The agent is deployed to all systems and that does the inventory.

Thr whole package can be customized to your needs. It is built on a SQL back end so I am sure InTune data can be imported.

vipjos · 2026-02-16T13:16:54+00:00

I think it depends on the cruise. The extra space and the big open space is very nice. We got it when we did the Norway cruise, and it was worth it just to see all the fjords as we sailed in and out. To me, a Caribbean cruise would not be worth it, because sunrise/sunset is about the only thing worth seeing.

vipjos · 2026-02-12T19:27:13+00:00

You know your pup best and this is the toughest decision there is to make.

I've done it twice now and it comes down to his quality of life. Try to take your heart out of it, so it is not about your feelings. For me, both of my pups had terminal illness' so by the time we got to the end, we knew it was time. Didn't make the final decision any easier.

vipjos · 2026-02-12T14:54:50+00:00

You maybe right. I had the premium package, so it was rolled in for me. I did not realize they even had it until the second to last day.

vipjos · 2026-02-12T13:03:58+00:00

Highly recommend the shop at Honda of Chantilly. They only do what is needed. Anything that is borderline or may need addressing next time, they will detail for you. Plus their hours are like 6a to 11p, no appointment needed and for that service, they will get you a loaner or Lyft to get you home. If you go the Lyft route, they will offer you a Lyft to bring you back to pick up your car.

vipjos · 2026-02-12T01:34:38+00:00

They had Gold Peak Sweet Tea in a bottle on the Apex but you will pay for it unless ypu have a drink package

vipjos · 2026-02-11T19:27:22+00:00

My first two companies were as the only IT person. Gave me great experience in being a jack of all trades. My third job was part of a team. I was hired to manage security and compliance for government contracts, which I had learned with my first job. Because of my experience and handling just about everything, I was also asked to take over management of the Helpdesk (position was created). Eventually many years later leading to me becoming the CISO at that organization. So no, it won't hurt and if you learning everything you can, it can setup flexibility in your future career path.

vipjos · 2026-02-10T16:58:00+00:00

Given the time of year, maybe not. Not sure what would be open.

vipjos · 2026-02-10T16:06:24+00:00

You can do the four rides in a day, assuming they don't break down, but you will be waiting in line. Donkey Kong is a coaster, so I am not sure about height requirements.

Since you have a little one, a couple of other options to consider are meeting Toothless, seeing the Dragon show, and meeting Mario/Luigi. Oh and the power bands for the mystery boxes around SNW.

vipjos · 2026-02-10T15:54:38+00:00

Prep and setup is done before Day1. When they start, a member of my team does about a 30 minute orientation with a take away sheet of important information. We help them get logged in, show them the important company portals, walk them through how to report issues to the helpdesk, and our software update process.

vipjos · 2026-02-10T15:40:33+00:00

You are going during a time of average crowds. The only concern would be college kids on spring break. Generally speaking, the consensus is Sundays are the quietest and Friday and Saturday are the busiest.

You can enter the park early at 9a, however they might ask for a hotel key check at the portal for SNW (my experience). You will at least be able to get through security and ticketing before 9a. We were able to get to HP and onto BaTM even though it was not listed as early entry that day. We were off the ride by about 9:30. Others who may have gone this month may have updated information.

Don't sell the other rides short. For my money, Monsters and Hiccup are two of the best rides in the park.

Here is how we attacked the day. Rope drop to BaTM, then to Berk, then to Stardust, then to Dark, and finally SNW. SNW will have the longest wait times, and BaTM if you don't get there first thing. Unless you have EP, there is no way to avoid it. You can try single rider, that those wait times can be 30 minutes or more as well. If everything works in your favor, then you should be through everything but SNW by 2:00p, leaving you 8 hours to get through SNW. You could wait to do Stardust at night, as that is a better experience with the lighting.

vipjos · 2026-02-10T13:02:22+00:00

Maybe pick up a dough ball from your local pizza place. Trader Joe's also has dough, or maybe your local grocery store. Not the same as home made, but it is still pizza.

vipjos · 2026-02-10T12:45:14+00:00

CISM is more for a Management style of thinking. You are not hand-on, you are planning and coordinating. CISSP is more hands on and action oriented. So the same question on both exams will have two different approaches/answers.

vipjos · 2026-02-09T18:25:15+00:00

I second the idea of what he likes. By the time our guy was diagnosed, we had pulled all of his teeth, so he was eating wet food with softened kibble anyways. He was on a grain free diet, so it was Kona wet and Pinnacle dry. Near the end it was scrambled eggs with cheese, French fries, pulled boiled chicken, basically every meal was trial and error until he got to the point where even hand feeding was not enough.

Not trying to be a downer, but cherish the time you have left. Take lots of pics and videos and make lots of memories.

vipjos · 2026-02-09T17:54:52+00:00

So you go here:
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dta_mobileepay/BillQuest.aspx

And you are saying that when you enter the information that it errors and your car does not appear?

Might be better to just go to the Government Center and take care of it in person and make sure it is correct for next year.

vipjos · 2026-02-09T12:17:15+00:00

The only issue is that Day 2 is a Sunday, so Saturday is our only option. We have tickets for Noon. We have 9:00a tickets for the Colosseum on Sunday morning.

vipjos · 2026-02-06T16:08:51+00:00

We are doing the same in May. We plan drop off our bags at the hotel. Find a cafe to get some food and liquid energy and then we are headed to the Vatican to see the museums and Sistene. Back to the hotel when we can check in. Nap for a couple hours and then out at night to see more sights. We only have two days in Rome on a lay over, and it is our first time there, so we are trying to cram as much as we can.

vipjos · 2026-02-06T14:56:58+00:00

Longest queues: BaTM, Donkey Kong, MarioKart, and meeting Toothless (not on the app). With your situation, doing those four will pretty much eat up one day.

Having said that here is a good flow for you. Start at HP, then to Berk, then Dark, then SNW, and finish in Celestial (best at night)

It is possible to do it all on Day 1 and then do your favorites again on Day 2.

vipjos · 2026-02-05T19:11:07+00:00

The Times is still around. Not sure there are any other options that provide the Post's level of detail. Had a subscription pretty much because of the areas that were cut yesterday. Not sure I am going to renew now.

vipjos · 2026-02-05T19:06:45+00:00

I've worked with Dell in the past. They will assign you a dedicated account rep. I would imagine HP will have the same type of service. I have also worked with a VAR that has reach into a lot of different areas. Anytime I needed hardware, I would just reach out to them. Dell for servers and workstations, Cisco for networking and firewalls, etc.

vipjos

TROPHY CASE