Today's job search

State of Ohio On-Line Job Search Clermont County: 4 positions - none of which I am remotely qualified for. Hamilton County had 2 that I will apply for this afternoon. (I already printed them) Industrial Safety Consultant Specialist - 24484 Cinergy had nothing I was qualified for.

Time and time again

The kids were watching a stargate episode, where the people were going back in time. It's interesting to think that this possibly could be something that happens. But, I would fairly doubt it considering there are no... physical law's that would cover the state of time . It's not like time has physical properties that we can tell (right now). Sure, we measure it by how long it takes for the planet to revolve around the sun, or the rotation of the planet. Even the crude timepieces we have only measure by the physical movement of a mechanical machine, or measure the vibrations of a molecule in some isotope. Even the measurement of the age of the universe is made by determining the amount of residual background radiation in the space around the planet or photon bombardment. There is no way to measure time like gravity, mass, or distance. There are just no physical properties that we know of. The thing that compounds the confusion is that the planet is hundreds of thousands of years old and we are only listing on the yearly time cronometer as 2003??? (Don't write back about how old the planet is, I don't give that much of a crap and it is not my point anyway) Eh', it will not matter a 100 years anyway. Who knows what will thought of in future times? They'll probably think that the local area network is so antiquated and that how we ever were able to function in such a way. To think of just right now there are people who are implementing wireless wide area networks which cover entire cities with tens of thousands of users all connecting to little boxes placed around you at various distances. Probably then , the space shuttle will be thought of as nothing more than the covered wagon is to us now. Or at least I hope it is. hopefully by then, we will not have killed ourselves and damaged the planet so much that we will be able to survive further . Right now it's hard to tell what will happen in the next two years even. Will the east (Middle or Far, your choice), destroy the west? Or narrowing down the incidents, will Korea contaminate north America with radiation from a dirty bomb or possibly someone destroy another massive metropolitan center killing perhaps, (lets say for the sake of agruement) 50,000 people all at once? Or, will we destroy them or possibly neither?, or even both? It's too hard to tell (today). I just hope it's safe for the kids when they grow up and become parents. I remember listening to my Grandfather speaking of his Model A Ford, and how they (He and a couple of his friends) drove all the way to Yellowstone park from Cincinnati. He told us how they worked in their way across, how they paid their way by working odd jobs at farms or whatever businesses were along the way. nowadays , you can't even walk down the road without a police officer stopping you to find out "what's going on", or "what's wrong", or "why you're walking along there". I can not imagine just getting a car in going and doing whatever it takes just to get to your destination. Today, you can't even the leave your house without first gathering all your CD's, your satellite radio, your GPS, and all of your map and online directions. not to mention the DVD player for the back and a small collection of Disney videos for the kids. The strange part, if you did go back in time, and you change just one of those tiny little details, theoretically, everything would change. Now isn't that a hoot?!?

HOME Work?

I have been busy this evening. I had to do some work with the kids. They might only be 8, 6 and 5, but they do laundry, plan and cook the meals, do the dishes and mop floor. We do all of it as a team so everyone feels like part of the work. They also have to plan the meals to be fairly healthy. if they want chicken nuggets (or something else with a less than savory nature), they have to pick 2 vegetables or one veggie and a salad. I do all the cutting and can opening, but they do the microwaving and oven prep. It's nice to have helpful and capable kids. I always tell the boys, "If you don't know how to cook or clean, you will never get a good wife." My daughter I tell the same thing but add that she needs to pick one that can do everything she can or they are worthless.

"I am not gay bashing" or "Er', I didn't get the point"

I received several e-mails that I was gay bashing Bravo for transfiguring itself (Yep, this time it is a pun) into "The National Gay Network". Well, I really wasn't. If you knew me, you would know that what I was saying is "how much I loth television as a whole nowadays". Besides, how can I bash something which I am not?!? One of my best friends in the world is gay and actually so proud of it, I would list him as a "Militant Gay". Want to read more? Check out Rainbow Cincinnati or GLBT News of Cincinnati. Don't ask me any more about it, he's gay, not me. With the amount of channels that are available on DishTV (I think they're about 400 that we can receive right now), there is about one percent that is actually worth viewing. Obviously, that percentage does not cover the nightly news (which I will not link to) or the NASA channel or FoxNews (which I will). Actually, I used to watch the nightly news On a consistent daily basis. The problem now, is that the news shows are trying to pull you in with special items that really aren't special , and news items that really are not news, but special interest items, tailored to push a political, ethnic, or gender biased agenda. Even the amount of religious programming that is contained on the television is just overwhelming. There is the Mormon channel, the Eternal Word Network, And various other Baptist religious channels. The only thing lacking there is Bhudda Television, "JewVision" and "PopeTV". (The JewVision was a reference from a Jewish friend who suggested it so don't start bitching at me) 20%

Tax time for me

It's interesting that when you have legal problems, people tend to go ahead and put things off, even when they know they have to complete certain tasks. For example, I haven't yet completed my tax return for the year 2002. Now I have about fifteen days to get them done. the worst part is the ice to believe that we're going to receive a large refund and not have to pay considering a small amount that I actually made last year. I have to say that being laid off does have at least one advantage. I didn't have to pay any taxes this last year. I called H&R Block and set up an appointment for Friday and that should be that. I filed an extension in April so that doing them now is not a problem. 20%

Another open house!

It looks like we're going to go ahead and have another open house on Sunday from one to three. That'll be nice, since Bree is gonna be home. We can all go to church at the same time this week, and she doesn't have to work, etc... Hopefully, some of the people that stopped, then pulled up in the driveway to look at the home, might actually buy it. At this moment don't know if it would be a blessing, or a nightmarish problem. It appears that only time will tell.

The Bhuddist Temple in Western Hills

When I spoke to HB, he indicated that he had already been to the temple over in Western Hills, and that the Monks had told him of the assistance I had provided. I know that it hasn't been much, but I don't have a lot of time and it takes takes an hour to get there and an hour to return. From prior experience takes about four hours just to go lower and to inspect to anything that needs to be possibly repaired. Thus, that makes time here with my own family suffer and I don't get things done that I have to get done. I was supposed to be over there at the beginning of last week and I'd just could not find the time. One of the things that really caused problems was the language barrier. That one is pretty difficult to overcome. Considering the cultural differences, and the language differences combined, it's just very difficult. Personally, I feel that they (the monks) were taken advantage of and the purchase of the home. it just seems that the home was not what they needed for a temple, and rather inadequate for the amount of individuals that will be either living there or praying there. Structurally, I'm not sure on the actual number of individuals that could be in the building at any one particular time. I do not believe that this was taken into consideration when they had first considered the purchase the home, building, whatever. Fortunately, the main meditation room is not suspended across to basement area and appears to be firmly planted on solid ground. more on all this later. It's getting too late. 30%

The return of HB

I just received a phone call from HB. Apparently, they returned from Sri-Lanka yesterday about lunchtime and is still not caught up with their sleep. It sounded from the tone of his voice that he was ready to return and continue on with life as it is.I imagine that I Ayasha is ready to get back on her computer and start chatting with your friends online. I spoke to him and I'm supposed to go to his home tomorrow and take everything about 09:00 in the morning. I am just glad they are back.

Now there is every type of network imaginable.

In the onset of the saturation of our television sets with the obsecure and "Pigeon Hole" television stations, we had the first network for kids , then oxygen came out with the first woman's network, TNN The first network for men, now Bravo has started the change into being the first national gay television network. Now Bravo has been transformed (no pun intended) into the new portal it for all things, homosexual. TV has finally reached the saturation point from which there is no return. show is live "Boy meets Boy", "queer eye for the straight guy" and on and on and on................

My first try at a voice recognition input.

With the situation as it is, it feels strange be able to dictate to with a PC what I'm actually trying to think about. I now believe that with better understanding, I'll be able to more precisely say or in this case type what I'm feeling. Hopefully this will be able to better input more of my thoughts instead of just Minor trivial items a sentence at a time. Obviously I'm going to have to train this program will bit more because it's not really working all as what I thought it would do . This is more of a , . . . Novelty item.

Super-8 is full of Super-Crap!

I tried to make a reservation for Bree at the Super-8 Motel website. Well, I am not putting my credit card number into a non-secure site. I called the number on the site and was passed around to about 5 different people and none of them had a clue as to what "secure" meant. The ones that were supposed to answer the questions for Super8 were just some people hired to answer the phone. The repeating theme (you have to do this in a female "Bubba-Gump" voice) from all five people I was transfered around to was; (Shift-click this link) "But there's a button you can click on that says it is secure?!?" was the repeat answer. I can make a popup window that does the same thing. That does not make it secure. It is ironic (or is that pathetic) that their own website people don't understand what the problem is and can not answer any questions as to the site. Well, I guess it is time to check out Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn.

Is it "Murder" or not?

What is the difference between a "rural obsecure murder" and the "Basketball player murder"? The basketball player has killed another person point blank with a gun. He confessed to doing it and told authorities where the body was. The other side is, he is (groveling as he describes the event) "So sorry that he took another life and I don't know how I will live with myself". Oops, I forgot. He has lawyer(s) to get it turned into assault with a deadly weapon with 8 years probabtion, a book deal and mini-series option. The rural obsecure murder gets lethal injection after their public defender fails on their 3 appeal for clemency and/or retrial. Todays society rule: You do the crime, you probably won't do time (with enough money to get on the nightly news). An "Eye for an eye" is no longer even an option in today's society. 40%

Championship Yard Mowing

I started mowing a bit ago. I completed 50% in about 90 minutes. The delay is mainly due to having to go over the lower meadow twice. Once width-wise and then once length-wise. That way, it looks like a real nice shag carpet to anyone who ever stops to look at the house. The hidden pathway running back into the park (and down along the creek) is now riddled with very large spider webs. They actually 'were' runnng across the path. While clearing (mowing) the path, I pulled them all down but it will only take a day for them to be restrung. Some of them were big enough to catch a sparrow. I will finish up with the mowing when the sun goes behind the trees. I don't want to get too sunburned all at once.

Friday's search so far.....

Job search results for today: * U.S.V.I. - No new openings, * U.K.V.I. - No new openings, * WPAFB - New opening is for admin assistant. with expenses, the cost would be higher than the pay. * Dice JobAlert for "Telecommuting" - Nothing I am qualified for (and nothing within 100KM anyway). * Pella - two positions which I am submitting resumes to. (more on this one later).

Moved back to the cave.

I have a very small room under the stairs in the kitchen. Technically, It is not even really a room but a space. But, to keep noise down, and concentration up, I have moved back into the area to get my train of thought restored. 55%

What did you say???

Pam asked me, "Why do you have a constant ringing in your ears?" Well, The ringing if from tinnitus. This was brought on from the 140 to 160 decibel (& frequency) oscillation of an electro-magnetic furnace. This 175KW machine is one of the devices I operated while managing a Foundry. (send me an e-mail of you want to see a picture) It also was from welding, machinery operation and general shipboard noise levels. I used to sleep with ear plugs in every night while onboard the ship. This was due to the ambient noise levels on the ship being so high, you could not sleep otherwise. Think about a 4 foot diameter fan, running 24/7 about 8 feet from your bed. after, lets say a 1 month or so cruise time, It was so bad that when we would return to port, and I could not sleep at home without a fan running in the room. Then the slience was so bad, you (as my Mom puts it) hear a mosquito fart all the way out to the mailbox. 50%

Night of the living dead Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

I have to thank my friend Kevin for this link. If you liked the original Nintendo game system, here is a link where you can play them online. To torture yourself again, go to: http://web.utanet.at/nkehrer/ONE_Play.html I could not do it after moving up. but this is one way to have the kids save some money by playing these. Thanks Kevin! 50%

I didn't get as much info as I wanted.

I was so intent in getting things arranged when I visited the Sam Keifer at the VA on Friday, I forgot to ask all the questions I had. I need to get the information I need. Have you ever been to an audit at the IRS? Or even better, a tough job interview? I have and I know the feeling that I got. Your trying so hard to get them the information, you forget to ask the questions you need answered. I better set an e-mail up with the questions. 60%

now that is how I want to go.

I received an interesting IM from a good friend today. Thought I would share it. Lora: Lisa's (my friend in Maryland) mother died yesterday. Lisa is having her cremated and she is going to mix the ashes with the Fries they sell on the boardwalk (supposedly the best on the East Coast) and feed them to the seagulls. That way Lisa gets her way --- she used to always joke with her Mom and tell her that when she died she would feed her to the birds AND Mary Jo (her Mom) gets her way -- she gets to shit on people! Lora: Is that great or what!?! I wanted to share that one with the world. How wonderful the world really is. :) 70%

trivia info for BtVS

Monday, July 21, 2003 0750: Shut down code for the power grid on BtVS : XHJ47 (Verification needed) :) 60%

Tie Tacks.......

You ever notice that when a tie-tack is used in the normal way, it is a very efficient thing to have. *The good part is that it gives you the ability to stay neat and tidy and uniform all day long. *The bad part is, that if used properly, it has a tendency to drag your tie through all the nasty stuff on the front of the toilet while your sitting on it. One of the reasons I try and always wear a bright, lemon yellow tie. Now, if I could find a yellow tie with little curly black lines. :( 65%

I have had several people bugging me.....

I have had people bug me to publish my previous messages. I will do so when I find the old messages. 65%

A trip to Krohn Conservatory

Republished from August 2002 I was down near Krohn Conservatory, so I decided to stop and smell the flowers, literally! There is something that automatically puts everything into perspective when you walk into the tropical room. The smell of the flowers, the plants, even the dirt smells alive. I find that I miss the smell of the ocean here in Cincinnati. Mostly, because it reminds me that there are things beyond the walls or cubicles where ever I am. Sure, I am sitting here with a bad case of poison Ivy but that is another matter. The sweet fragrances that are part of the plants here are mind numbing. The huge list of things I have to do for myself and lots of others is not really so bad when I am sitting here. Actually, this is the first time I have actually brought a laptop to this place so I have not been able to write down these things before. Kinda neat to be able to write them as I experience them instead of going home, sitting down and between screams of someone taking another's toy or hearing the TV and/or Stereo blasting, that actually makes things difficult to remember and write down. I have become so accustomed to the incessant drone of noise in my life, I guess I will not be able to write after all. The silence here is rather deafening. Even the wind that is blowing through the open doors to the outside is horrendously loud when you come down to it. This is making the ringing in my ears even worse, because I can hear it as part of the background noise (that no one else hears). It's interesting to hear all these things (sorta). Concrete Benches Now I am sitting on the far end of the room. They have taken out one of the concrete benches. the girl that works here, [Man, this must be a fantastic job to have] she told me that the bench was badly cracked and they were afraid someone (she didn't want to say anything about the humongous woman that was scuffling by) would have set on it, collapsed it, then sued them because "they" caused her injuries (since it would not support her 400 pound frame). Ignoring others: I have noticed that people that are walking by me are actually ignoring the other members of their respective parties. Parents ignoring their kids, husbands and wives ignoring each other, trying to take it all in before they complete the circuit and have to pass out through the door. I am the only one here by myself, or I should say, the only one who came to this place by myself. It is funny how everyone stops talking in here. If they spy something they want the other one to see, the are not talking per say to their companion, but they're merely tapping them on the shoulder (or pulling their pants leg for the kids) and pointing and mouthing the things their trying to say. Very interesting. It's not just on MTV: There is a group of teenage girls that just blew by me and they all seem to be oblivious to the amount of attention their "not" getting from the boys in their little group. I walked by the whole group (about 8 pairs of kids about 16 or so) on the outside and they were play fighting and holding hands and laughing and screaming. But when they walked in here, the boys (OK, their 16 or so but kids to me) all stopped talking and slowed their pace down to a crawl, totally ignoring the girls and their flirting. The girls got agitated and quickly bopped their way out the side door making their "quick escape" so obvious in a vain attempt to regain their hold on the boys attentions (instead of the "stupid plants" as they called them). It seems that they didn't want to stay in a place where they were not the main attraction. Really funny to observe that one. I had never really watched the mating habits of the class of 2004/5 before and I don't remember all the flirtatious things they girls were doing to get the guys attention. I always dated the "Cerebral" girls who didn't put up with any guff from anyone. Guess I was the smart one back then also but just never realized that I had things pretty good. I guess that is part of living through the teenage years and reflecting on it. Another observation is that half of the boys and all of the girls and would never make it through a airport screening checkpoint, even if they were naked. There was enough stainless steel in those kids to make a Dutch oven. If the girls didn't have a belly button ring, it is because I didn't see it because they ran past so fast. They all had those midriff shirts to show their belly buttons (I surmise) and one even had what looked like a fishing lure hanging on hers. I almost asked her about it, then thought twice about it an kept my query to myself. After all, I must look like some demented "Mr. Clean" sitting there with my khaki shorts, Shaved head, Japanese Manga shirt, and laptop. Well, what ever metal was not in their brows, was in their ears like earrings all the way around. What was not in their ears were protruding from their tongues. I think the one girl must have just had hers done several days ago since she was constantly having trouble speaking and pointing at it. "Sidebar"Bree and I have a friend that has enough steel embedded in her, well lets just say from the neck up, she sports about 2 pounds. She likes it or the last time I saw her she had most of it still in. "To each their own" is my saying and if she likes it, what the hey. I do wonder what they would have to go through if they wanted to make a airline flight. I don't mind piercings myself, actually I think their quite.... "interesting". The thing I don't like is watching kids walk by who need to have their pants pulled up from around their knees. The pant bottoms were dragging (yeah, I know their supposed to do that) and you could tell what color and type of underwear everyone was wearing (and even the type on most of the girls because it was pulled up about 4 inches above the waistband of their pants). It was a true MTV moment, right here in River City. I didn't think teenager girls wore thongs but I guess they do now. Shoot, and they pull them way up on the sides so everyone can see them so I guess the question is; are they called "underwear" still or are they now called "outerwear"? The power of being powerful: The bench I am sitting on is rather wide, but no one else is sitting down, except for the woman (she dressed like a rich yuppie lawyer) who wanted to know about my computer. I guess you have to have your priorities when you sit down in a wonderful place like this, on an old dingy concrete bench, with what looks like a $1000 suit and $400 pair of shoes. "High maintenance" is the first thing that came to my mind upon spying this one. The guy with her was either her husband or co-worker by the behavior and familiarity they had. I think it was her husband due to the matching hunks of gaudy gold on their ring fingers and the sparkling rocks that looked about the size of a peanut M&M. She also, completely ignored her companion's wishes to move on around the bend when she stopped to chat about the computer. She actually waved him to go on without her for a minute until her questions were answered. Damn tinnitus: The ringing in my ears is either getting louder or I am just not able to ignore it now. damn, it is really loud and I have not been listening to any loud music. yes, that makes it worse, but I can usually overlook it most times. I should have brought my camera but I didn't expect to come here today. I did bring my watch, I took some pictures that I will put in here when I get home and have a real mouse to use since editing is a real tough with this little button mouse thingy. (Which I did) Have a better one!

I was asked what has happed since High school.

Since so many of the people we (or I should say I) went to school with are gone now. 3 of the 8 I used to hang out with, died of cancer over the last 20 years. [Terri in 94, Vicki somewhere around that time, and Larry just last year] I never really knew how lucky I have been in general terms. Since they are gone, I have not noticed how many are still out there. Except for the reunion(s), I never hear from more than 3 people I knew in school. The funny thing is that there are 6 or 7 people from around the 1980 class at Glen Este have their pictures on classmates.com ads. you figure out which ones. Short version of my life so far (if you care). * Attended UC for a year, * Joined the Navy, * Got married, * She had a son, * Saw France, Italy, Spain, etc. * Was shot at in Israel, * got divorced, (Should have done that one long before) * Married again (OK, I am stupid), * three more kids, * Retired from Navy, * Moved back to Anderson (another dumb choice), * Managed global network for GE, * Laid off, * Looking for job, Well, that is about it for my life. Someone tell me about your life now. Todd

Sears is......, well they haven't screwed me (yet).

Spoke to Sears customer service. The first person asked me as soon as they picked up (and after I waited for 5 minutes on hold) if I could wait. I just hung up and called back. Now that is pathetic. Finally after 4 more people and about 12 minutes of combinded hold time, I finally spoke to someone who could send me the documentation for my purchases. The last person a month ago said she would send them. she did, but only half the info showed up. Just my luck, if I hadn't called back, the things that were no listed would break and that would be the end of it with me getting screwed again. If you have something you purchased at sears either in the store or online, I recommend you get a written document stating the type and date of contract.

How to use MSCONFIG

Ahhhhhhh. Here, read this. To the people who keep asking me about msconfig, your going to have to read about it yourself. Go to http://www.netsquirrel.com and click on the link at the top that says "How to Use MSCONFIG - The Microsoft System Configuration Utility" and do it yourself. Unless you try this one yourself, your not going to learn it. Oh, BTW. If you do screw something up, fix it. I am not responsible for your system just because I gave you the link. 60%

What was accomplished so far today

To start, I did get some of the items done in the way of bill paying. I also pitched out 3 cases of stuff that was packed away in the garage. A case of magazines, one of parts and PC hardware, and one of clothes I was saving. The kids were OK today. For lunch, they had microwaved pizza from last weeks Pizza hut trip they took. They were happy with it and they watched Friday nights episode of Stargate while they ate. Pretty good episode. We had to take Bridget a soda and a slim-fast bar. I then took them to the Y for a quick swim. At least they liked it, even though it was short. I also put down roundup on the brick walkway and other areas needing treatment. You can really see the places I didn't hit last time. The stuff was growing up like, well, weeds. I have to go do the dishes now. Bridget can't figure out the dishwasher yet. :( 55%

Today's plan?

I will get ready for trash day today by going through the stuff in the garage. There are tons of things I should pitch. I just have to make sure what is garbage or pitchable, and what is stuff to keep. This ought to take several (6?) hours. I will do this, this afternoon when it is hotter and I can't do any yard work. I would go to church today, but there is no one to help me do this and I only have so much time to do it in. I feel that this is important and needs to be done. Bridget works today so that counts her out, not that she would help me do it anyway. I could have done it yesterday like I wanted but we had to go out. Because of piss poor planning, we did nothing but drive round and waste a whole day.

throwing out, and up

I went through things in the desk room last night and have several garbage bags worth of crapola to throw out. William wanted me to sleep up there so I tried to. He thrashed and tossed and turned the entire time. Not only that, but he was generating so much heat, I had to get up and sleep on the floor in their bedroom. Much cooler and not much harder than the bed downstairs anyway. Richard has had a stomach ache for several days now. He is not getting sick and throwing up unless he does not eat anything for several hours. He says he is ok but has continiously told me about "My tummy hurts". If he does not feel 100% by tomorrow, I will take him to the Doctor. Hopefully, it will not come to that. 60%

Well today was a complete waste of time

First today, we did some kind of drive to Bethel, Williamsburg and back. Not sure what that was about. Piss poor planning on her part for some type of hiking(?) trip resulted in a round trip where we stopped at Sam's club and bought some supplies. And we wasted 4 hours. Then we went to the YMCA to swim which was another waste. Bridget would not get in the water for what ever (true) reason she would not say. So I stood there & watched the kids swim for 45 minutes. Finally that came to an end. On the way back, we stopped at Kroger for some soda and came home. Total waste of time. I should have stayed home for the whole time where I could have gotten something done. Now the TV is blaring in the background which means I still can not get anything done. I just can't take this crap much more. Can't this house ever survive without the TV being on? I have asked before and the response is "I don't have to turn it off. I want to relax and I want to watch TV." The only problem with that is she is half deaf and the volume is up so damn loud I can't think. Shit. There are a thousand things that need to be done and working on a damn sewing project ain't one of them. Screw it, it is not worth the effort anymore. 70%

Afternoon motivation and cool down.

I will go over the meeting with the VA after I get time to go through my notes. I had a very nice visit with a friend from high school. Pam (Sullivan) stopped over and we bullshitted about some really interesting and common place things. Life, school, stress, cars & brakes, computers, stress, stuff in general and did I say STRESS?. It was really nice to talk with her. She has a very common sense way of thinking of things. Actually, it is kinda strange to speak to someone I knew back then, who apparently is one of the few who have matured out of old habits. Also pisses me off that she still looks young when I look like an old Uncle Fester. All I need is a damn light bulb and I would be ready for Halloween. I already have the dark circles under the eyes and shaved head. She has a really interesting idea of selling these little items she is fascinated with. I am not going to say what they are so as to not only keep her idea safe, but I feel the idea has merit. She and I also discussed the crap associated with Google and it's searchs. They are very annoying and have sponsors who usually don't relate to what ever your searching for. We also discussed the hacks associated with google and where to find them. If you don't know about the ad-free search engine, I posted a link to Google-Watch.org proxy page. It is much easier to use than the regular google and doesn't have ads. The kids are now in bed. I fixed them roast beef sandwiches and finished up with chocolate ice cream. They were all bushed and I am too. More later. 10%

Appointment at the VA office downtown

I have an "Employment Assistance" appointment @ 1330 today. I better make sure I have lots of quarters ready. The pan-handlers have licenses now. Hey, maybe that is what I need to do?!? I know that the people who hang by Chris's apartment, said they make over a hundred dollars a day when they work at it. And with a City License, I could be able to make that easily. You think prostitution is not legal in Cincinnati? Well, now you have to have a license to Cincinnati License Regulation as Applied to Private Nude, Out-Call Exotic Dancing Service.

The online story, click here.

I doubt that I could ever be an Exotic dancer, but if a fat sweaty guy with clown makeup and a leather thong can be on television, I figure I could be an exotic dancer. I will have to go up to "De-javu" in Mt. Carmel to see if I have what it takes. Just found another job search site: http://www.help-wanted.net/ I will have to bookmark that one.

Is it really Friday morning???

I think I can define this mornings items in two word fragments: 10. Read e-mail, 9. Sorted laundry, 8. Searched want-ads (if want-ads is really "one" word) 7. Fixed doors, 6. Washed dishes, 5. Ate breakfast, 4. Vacuumed carpets, 3. Opened bills, 2. Cleaned toilets, (Isn't housework glamorous?) And this mornings number one thing, 1. Stressed out!

ISS pass @ 79 degrees on Friday night

To see the ISS over Cincinnati, on the Fri 18Jul03, the ISS will be over head. Date (EDT) Fri 18Jul03 Time (EDT) Rise-22:59:17, Peak-23:04:19, Set-23:09:37 Ris Pk Set Elev at Pk 228 159 53 79.4* 369 VNN 26600 And if you don't live in Cincinnati, you can always look it up for yourself @: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/MissionControl/overpass.html :)

The members are really looking out for me.......

Just received a call from the Stake Employment Specialist. I am impressed that he would call. This shows me that the Church is looking out for their people. I am in a much better mood now. 5% :)

Alone for the moment.

Bridget was paid today so she took the kids to Pizza-hut to get them out of my hair (so to speak) for a little while. She didn't make it to the pool like she said. She was to get there at 1420 or so. She was doing something at work about getting material so she could make a store display. I was rather upset about her getting there when we were walking out the door but it is what she wanted to do. I had already had enough of the Y when she got there. The more I read in the microsoft hiring book, the more pissed off I get. It really goes to show that experience does not matter in the IT world. Just who kisses ass and/or who has the bigger breasts, and so on and so forth. Have to search for local openings and pay bills. 35%

Laundry training

Richard, William and Maryann had more laundry training this morning: * They removed the items from the dryer to a bucket (which they moved upstairs & dumped on my bed for folding), * Hung up the shirts on hangers for "wrinkle control" (as William calls it), * All three of them separated all the other new items into separate piles for washing, * Assured that there was nothing in the pockets and buttoned and zipped everything up for washing, * Moved the items from the washer to the dryer, * Richard created a new load, added the correct chemicals (detergent, etc...), and chose the correct washer setting. (Maryann found $5.25 in a pants pocket which in out house, she gets to keep due to the owner not caring enough to check their pockets before tossing their pants down the chute) By all indications, we have about 5 more loads to go for the day (if time permits). Now we are waiting for the dryer to end to bring up the next load for folding. Job search starts again in 10. 10%

The PWT Chef does it again!

The roast(s) turned out wonderfully. The problem as expected was, I could not sleep after about 03:15 because of the smell wafting from the kitchen. The jalapeños were the cause of the aroma which would have popped anyone out of a deep sleep. So, for breakfast, we had roast and baked potatoes with shredded cheddar and sour cream. With the exception of the soda, I imagine the total cost of the feast (including items required for marinade and sauces) to be about $8.00. The best part, is that there is enough roast leftover to make Quesada's or hot sandwiches for everyone for two more large meals. 25%

The little anti-virus engine that could (not)

If you run a PocketPC and PC-cillin 2003, the wireless devices do not update (with the systems I have been working with). I was about to give up with this problem till I got bit. The problem is that the potential for damage still exists on my newly rebuilt system. What I call this is a real issue. Think about this,...... Every time I sync with a Trojan attachment from my PDA, the damn sync plants the virus right down into my OS. Then all hell breaks loose. It is nice (and most times necessary) that I download my mail to my PDA. When I do (like when I am out of the office), the antivirus on the PDA does not detect an anomaly and the PDA inherently does not read the attachments. Thus, a daily virus potential that is a real problem. This is a nasty problem to deal with. That is actually one of the main reasons I rebuilt my system. A virus got loose and damaged the file system before PC-cillin caught it. Overwrote some dll's and such. Any of this make any sense? Sorry, I am bushed. I will talk more about this tomorrow. :)

End of the day,

Richard returned from his playdate on time. He was much happier upon his return. The downside was that William is now going through the "I never get to go to anyone's house to play" thinking. His friends are out of town for vacation or just not old enough for a playdate. The kids all collected their change they have earned by cleaning, doing dishes, laundry, picking up sticks and they wanted to go to Wendy's for dinner. They paid so what could I say?!?!? We also stopped at Kroger to pick up some milk and fruit loops for the kids breakfast tomorrow. The Fruit-Loops was as far as I would go into the depths of the cereal isle with a good conscience Bree just returned from work. She looks cute with her "high and tight" flat-top. Well, I started the beast hunks in the crock-pot. I tenderized them for about 20 minutes each with several hundred (against the grain) plunge cuts on each of the 4 sides of each piece. A rubbed in and simmering mixture of salt, ground black pepper, honey, brown mustard, butter, garlic, jalapeños (heh heh heh) and a little KC Masterpiece BBQ-sauce. Slow cooking overnight on low should not only make the roasts tender as all get-out, but the smell will probably not let me sleep. I hadn't even turned on the heat and I could smell it all through the house. I will read some more on the Fuji book and hit the sack. 30%

Two loads of laundry and some more searching

Did some more online job searching. Didn't find anything locally but I did find several in Alaska. Saved them to submit resumes to this evening. Also put away the socks and a load of towels. Why is it that there are always so many unmatched pairs??? I have two big hunks of Bovine flesh marinating in the fridge. I'll pop them in the crock-pot when I go to bed so we can have a big Brunch tomorrow. I wish there were always good deals at Kroger like those two pieces. They both weighed over 3 pounds each and picked them up for $5.98 total. Biggs can never beat that. 25%

The Afternoon is dragging on.....

Took the kids to their swimming lessons. Read some more of that Microsoft book while I was there too. Richard had a playdate at his friend Adam's home. We dropped him off on the way and he should be home in a few minutes. Bree already left for work. I home she likes this assistant manager position at Hancocks. She does seem very happy about it. Now all I need to do is find a job where I can be home to watch the kids when she needs to be at work. I need to shuffle through the sunday paper help wanted ads when the kids are eating dinner. Seems like a good time to do it. 40%

This mornings search

* P&G had zero openings listed online. * I did find an opening at Kroger as a maintenance supervisor. I will make up a new resume for this one after today's search. * Florida had several desktop openings but for the money, I could stay here and clear tables and save the money to move. * I inadvertently found the "unclaimed funds" page for Ohio. Just put in your name and spin the wheel. http://www4.state.oh.us/com/unfd/qry1.asp I found about a couple thousand combined dollars unclaimed by my Uncle, Grandparents and Great-Grandparent. that is, if it is really them shich I believe to be true. Between the Wuerdeman, Adams, Mefford, Vogt, Adams, & Bauer's, there was quite a large amount. Back to the job search. 30%

Wednesdays start

So far, I read another chapter of the "How would you move Mount Fuji?" book. If you didn't know, it is strictly a "High-Tech" company interview manual or resource. So, it should be helpful if I go for yet another computer interview. Bree left before 9 for a dental appointment. She took William and I expect she took him to Perkins on her paycheck for a "Special Mommy date". William should lose his right two front teeth in the next few days. I have been trying to get him to eat corn on the cob, but he says "it hurts to eat this stuff". Apparently the heavy rains last night cleared out the creek again. I hope the county gets down here soon, or we will not have a bridge. 40%

A waste of an afternoon.

I could not do any work with the transcenders this afternoon/evening. There were tornados around and electrical storms passing through. I was not going to chance the loss of $10,000 worth of equiptment to the possibility of a lightining strike. I don't care if I have a UPS on everything or not. Crap, I have a UPS on the TV and even the fridge to stop a possible strike. Allstate would not cover the replacement of anything above $1200 for computer equipment anyway. Now it is coming up on 2200 and I was just able to get the kids into bed. I did get to read them some of chapter 3 of the new Harry Potter book. Everyone was rather antsy so we only read about 12 pages. They were more intersted in the storm. Bridget is at work still. She is closing and learning/doing all the end of the day things. She called about 9 to say there were tornados around Batavia. That one I already knew but I am glad she called all the same. I am not very far from going to bed myself. Now that the kids are safe and secure with sleeping upstairs after the storm has passed. I think I will take my book and head to bed myself. BOOK: How would you move Mount Fuji?, Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle. William Poundstone. DOH, Bree just returned home from work. I can go to bed now, my watch is over. :)

Mowing done

Once again, I beat the rain to get the yard mowed. As soon as I hit the house, it started raining. Even though I didn't get the trimming done, the yard is "open house" ready. The new dishwasher is working fine. Not that we have that many dishes anymore. It is quieter than the server in the deskroom if you can believe that. The 4 fans in the server make quite a racket. I need to get the beef marinating for tomorrows dinner, get a load of whites washed and study for a bit. More later

Job Search update

Today's search included: * Cinergy, * BestBuy * USA Jobs and several others. not much in the way of openings listed today. I will look further this afternoon after cleaning up the yard. I need to mow again. The grass is getting rather ugly and that means that no one will want to buy the house. 30%

Tuesday's "More of the same"

Today, I have returned to the throry that no matter what I do, I will not get anything in the way of a job without the assistance of another. I just can't seem to find anything worthwhile. The job seminar I attended pointed to some very strict guidelines which need to be followed to be considered for a good paying job. the problem.... The seminar and the people associated with it have not been able to say how to find a recruiter. All anyone says from that LDS group is "send me a copy of your resume" and I never hear anything again. Like most "assistance" from folks, they were big on talk, but short on assistance. On the other side of the coin, I don't think it is fair to lump this as a general statement. The people who have been helping me because they are directly connected to me in one way or the other (my VA reps), they have done a large amount of work with the time that they can actually devote to me one-on-one. That is actually a job I would love to have. Helping people and being able to do it on a one on one basis. I would be good at that I think. (Back to what I was originally thinking) That goes along with my "Church calling". I am (or was)supposed to be the Ward's PC Specialist. The only thing is that no one ever listens to me or includes me in anything related to it. A very good example, the wards PCs all had virus problems. So, since the things didn't have any antivirus as per the IT directive, I fixed them and notified the person who is supposed to actually address the issue. Not only did I not get a response to several calls and e-mails, I was from that point forward removed from any further communication with the group. I would classify that as spite. I don't think I have that calling anymore but I don't know. Not that it matters when no one tells you what is going on.

Strip Poker Rules (two people on webcams)

Revision date: 2003/09/23/22:34EDT

Pushed back to save space in todays postings. And to get everyone off my back for posting this.

These rules and instructions are not meant to be the only way to play strip poker but more of a standard from which you can add or delete your own variations. Once you have set-up for one game, the next will be easy and should make the game a joy to play. You are expected to play fair, abide by the rules and not cheat.

It is a given that within the parameters of this document, the operating system(s) referred to will be within the realm of Microsoft®. All the different versions and builds of Windows 95®, Windows 98SE®, Windows 2000 Professional®, or Windows XP® (any flavor) are used here in general terms. If you have any questions, just ask your Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer® and they will be able to help you out. The Unix and Linux community will have to pardon me for this.

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System Requirements

There are not many true system requirements for this game. The main point is to get a computer that has a fast enough processor and enough RAM. All you need to do is get your video and audio out to the other player(s) and decode (receive) their stream. I have found that my IBM 365DX Thinkpad® with a 166MHZ processor and 40MB of RAM was sufficnent on my end. I was also using a dial-up on a 56K modem so it was not the best but it worked. It also took me two days to get it tweaked enough so the audio and video was at a minimum nominal for game play. The following is a general list of what you will need and a couple of links on where to get the (free) software to make this happen.

1. A computer with internet access,
   Dial-up access [56KB or less speed] "Poor"

   Video speeds are choppy at best,

   Audio can be problimatic,

   screen sizes are either small or very small,
   Broadband access [300KB+ speed] "Good"

   Video is good, but will not be TV quality, refreshes are nominal

   Audio is not telephone quality, but I have had audio from New Zealand that was quite impressive,

   Unless you have headphones/headsets on both ends, expect feedback,
   LAN Access [10MB+ speeds], "Outstanding"

   Video is Real good and if your system is up to it, you can probably go full screen,

   Audio is telephone quaility if not better (use headphones to cut out feedback. It gets bad quick),

   Mostly, this will be on a University campus line, so be aware of who your gaming with. (Now this can be considered a close encounter)
2. A Webcam,
   There are too many options and features to address here. That is completely different thing, so just e-mail me with any questions.
   They are inexpensive and easly (and normally automaticaly) configured,
3. Webcam software / Instant Messenger,
   Yahoo Messenger®,
   Logitech Instant Messenger®,
   Microsoft NetMeeting®
4. Instant Messenger, Chat or IRC:
   This can be used with any of the three listed webcam software listed in # 3.
   Or any other chat application you wish to use. If your using audio, this is good to have running as a backup if your audio fails. (which it will fail, more often than not)
5. Speakers and a sound card, (Even though this is optional, the game is much better if you do)
6. Microphone, (Again, this is optional but the game is much better if you do).
   

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The Rules!

Each player should have a copy of the rules, (Same date and revision #). First and absolutly foremost,

This game is only to be played by two consenting adults of "legal age"

1. The rules must be agreed upon before the game starts,
   
2. Any changes to the rules should be agreed upon before the game starts,
   
3. Each player must be wearing the same number of clothing items.
   (Items that you wear in pair's count as 1 item like socks),
4. The whole body of each player must be in full view of the web cam,
   
5. Jewelry DOES NOT count as clothing!,
   Earrings, (Nope)
   Watches, (No Way!)
   Bracelets, (Don't Think So!)
   Rings, (Can't See It!) This counts for finger and toe rings, as well as any other rings you might be thinking of.
   Eyeglasses, (Uh-uh),
   Piercings, Examples (if needed) can be seen here,

   Nose, Eye Brows, Tongue, Navel, and Yes, even Genital thingys, (Boomers poke holes in everything now-a-days!)
6. Each person must have a deck of cards NOTE: you must shuffle the entire deck before each (and every) hand,
7. Each person starts with 50 points.
   If you want a quick short game start with 10 points, (But what's the fun in that???)
8. Articles of clothing bought back, start from the highest points to the lowest,
   No, you can't buy back a parka for one point if your down to your skivvies. You have to go in reverse order you lost them to get them back.
9. BANKER: The player who will be the Banker of the pots and points can be either be determined by:
   Cut of a deck of cards (Lowest card drawn is the Banker), or
   Mutual consent,
10. Each person should have 3 pots (for a two player game).
    1 pot central for the bets and raises,
    1 each for the 2 players. (Just in case you are you are chosen as the Banker)
11. Each player should have a 100 of something such as pennies or poker chips.
    If your the Banker, place 50 in each players pot.
    Poker chips work good because the size of the chips. They're big enough to be visable on the webcam.
12. Normally, you set-up your pots before you connect with the other player, but do what you want on this one.
    With dialup access times and broadband "always on" connections, this seems like more of a pain than a requirement.
    
    You have to remember, this was written when most dialup services only gave you a very limited time to be connected.
    
13. The bets and raises are in points 1,2,3,4,5. (Five being the highest),
    
14. Poker hands are the same as in regular poker,
    Winning hands - highest too lowest
    Straight Flush,
    Four of a Kind,
    Full House,
    Flush,
    Straight,
    Three of a Kind,
    Two Pair,
    Pair,
    High Card,
    In the case of a draw, the highest card decides the winner.
15. Clothing can be bought back for points,
    
    Articles of clothing - highest to lowest points
    10 Points:

    Woman's panties, thong.

    Men's briefs, boxers or thong.
    8 Points:

    Woman's bra.

    Men's undershirt.
    7 Points:

    Woman's tee shirt or shirt.

    Men's tee shirt and shirt.
    6 Points:

    Woman's skirt or trousers.

    Men's trousers or shorts.
    5 Points:

    Woman's trouser or shorts belt.

    Men's trousers or shorts belt.
    4 Points:

    Woman's garter or suspender belt.

    Men's stocking suspenders.
    3 Points:

    Woman's stockings or nylons.

    Men's stockings.
    2 Points:

    Woman's shoes, sandals, or sneakers.

    Men's shoes, sandals, and sneakers.
    1 Point:

    Woman's jacket, coat, or parka.

    Men's jacket, coat, or parka.
    A loosing player must remove an article of clothing,
    
    The choice of article that is removed, belongs to the player required too remove it,
    
    To buy back an article you must have points in your pot. (Ask the player (Banker) how many points you have)
    If a player looses that player must discards and item of clothing, the player can not buy back the item of clothing until the next hand has been dealt,
    If a player has been stripped and has zero points, the players should agree what the player has to do, to get back an item of clothing. (This is where your imagination and charm come into play),
    Anyone caught cheating will forfeit the game and will be required to remove all items of clothing,
    The game stops until the player complies or the game is terminated.

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Play Processes

1. Each player must shuffle his/her deck at the start of each hand,
2. At the start of each hand each player must put 5 points in the pot before dealing the cards,
3. Each player deals 5 cards from their deck of cards,
4. The players tell each other the points bet or raised. (If you do not have speakers and a microphone, you will have to communicate your bet and rise via Chat or Messenger)
5. The BANKER puts the bet or raise for each player into the central pot,
6. Each player draws cards from their deck of cards,
7. When a player calls, the player's must show their hands to the cam so that the other player can see who actually won.
   The BANKER places the central pot points into the winner's pot,
   The looser removes an article of clothing.
8. If you are down to zero points and still want to continue playing, an article of clothing worth the points bet or raised must be taken off and put into the pot.
9. If the article is worth more points than the bet, the BANKER must put the difference from the other player's pot into the player's pot that put in the article of clothing,
10. When one player has completely stripped and has no points left, then its up to the player's to agree upon what rules they follow. (Use your imagination)

I hope the above will help in your enjoyment.

Have fun and come into the game prepared to loose!

Any suggestions on how to improve the rules or procedures and make the game more enjoyable to play are gladly welcome.

Why did I write this code? Because I asked for a suggestion on what to write up, and this is what the reply was. Nothing more. I found a text document without any formatting on the net and went from there. Personally, I have never played strip poker so I figured it was a learning experience.

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This is the frist time I have tried to do this so it should be interesting and rather pathetic. I was done with todays attempt to get something accomplished and was walking down at the bottom of the driveway. Just gazing into the creek. I was wondering who was it that choses the length of ones existence? My grandparents (on Mom's side) lived for over 80 years each. My Grandmother (on Dad's side) lived past 80 as well. I never expected to live 40 years let alone 50 or 60. I have come to the point where nothing much stirs my imagination any more. I was wondering if that is happening to anyone else. I soon remembered that most of the people I know are more concerned with if they are going to get laid in the next 24 hours than anything much deeper. The confusion I am experiencing is more than just a passing thought. I truly am confused as to what to do next. The job market is crap. I never get..... I think I need to retrace my steps and look in another manner. More proactive seems to be warranted. I keep receiving information for Jon in the mail. Everyone knows he is going to graduate next summer but for some fucked up reason, they think he lives here. I think that must be someone in Florida's doing. I keep sending them back. Enough for this posting. More later.