It's the end of July

...and I have no job. I haven't had a job technically for 3 months, 4 months physically. It is descending on me that this is going to be a problem.

I am getting really worried about it. I have got to get more time invested in this hunt, an I have to be far more diligent about making calls back, and reaching people.

I was pissy about it this morning, and the wife naturally thought it was about her, and never even tried to ask what was really bothering me, that pissed me off even more. She has spent all week doing homework, and she complains that Chloe has been at daycare all week. I think that if she knew what was bothering me, she still wouldn't care this week. She seems to be in "take care of myself" mode thsi week, a mode that I know quite well, but eery now and then I would really like to be asked about what I am feeling, and what I think we need to do sometimes.

The IT work is drying up, going to have to rebudget things at the end of August if nothing works out.

As I write this Tracy insisted on using the computer upstairs beacuse she needs a program on it. I sit and wait to use it because all my agent results are on it. I think she thinks that her schooling is more important than the job. She's gonna get a rude awakening soon.

Slow start to a long day

Woke up at 7am, Tracy and I got Chloe to daycare, and then we oth went back to bed till 11am. Feel kinda guilty bout that.

I didn't get home till after 2am last night after hanging out with Chuck and Todd, and Tracy didn't go to sleep till I got back.

We were both pooped today, didnt start looking for job stuff till after 1 pm today. There wasn't shit online, still am hunting for more, it's going to drive me nuts to not find anything to post or apply for today.

It is one of those days when I feel like I am doomed on the job front, but I have to keep pressing forward and not dwell on shit like that.

Today, if I don't find shit online, I am going to at least get stuf done round the house, laundry, unclog the drains, feed tat poor turtle that hasn't eaten in a, long, long time.

Windows Vista

They have spent a damn long time being overenthusiastic about Longhorn, now Microsoft better come through with a good RTM that isn't a plagued with as many problems as Whitsler had. Could we please get our moneys worth before SP2 comes out please!

It is too bad the couldn't get over the issues of compatability with WINFS, but hey, ya can't win em all.

Monday

Chloe and I at Potter Park Zoo a couple of weeks ago


It is really a wierd feeling to be able to put off mowing the yard all weekend, and then be able to do it on a Monday morning. I'd much rather be pressed to do it on a Friday evening instead. Oh well...

Lots of postings on the sites that don't typically turn up anything good. Careerbuilder and Michigan Works were the big surprises of the day. Got the apps out in under 1 hour of hunting. That is encouraging

Got to get back in front of that practice testing program today, really need to get test 1 out of the way for MCSA. This delaying that I keep doing to myself needs to stop. Being test-phobic must be able to be cured by pure necessity for job field validation....?

Had to get Chloe all ready for daycare myself today because my wife didn't feel like waking up on time. When she did wake up, which couldn't of been more that 10 minutes after I left for daycare, she had the audacity to tell me she deserved it, because I slept in yesterday. What she forgets conveniently, is that after I woke up, I watched Chloe all afternoon, and into part of the evening so she could do her homework without being bothered. Guess that went unapprecitated...

I am trying to make a pact with Wifey, when it is the "bad week" of the month, I get to gawk and talk shit about hot women on television without being badgered about it. She is mean enough that week, I should at least get that lattitude. Wouldn't it seem fair?

Gotta go mow the yard soon, its only getting hotter out there, one more call to the recruiters this afternoon, and home projects the rest of the day.

Friday

Tracy and I have got to get out and do something this weekend. Chris and Traci copped out on us for going up north, and if we don't go do something, I think we are going to beat each other senseless. We're a bit stir crazy around here.

I should go out and do some yard work, but the guilt from not having shit to apply for today has me up at this damned computer still.

They may say in Michigan that the unemployment is down, but my field looks like crap so far.

I keep trying to reinforce everything I have experience in, but they all have about the same response, or lack thereof really.

One of the recruiters said he had something up his sleeve earlier this week, haven't heard from him since.... Called all the recruiters today, not much good, 2 got voice mail, the third gave a doom-and-gloom story about Michigan, and how the other states are just booming. Really starting to dislike Michigan.

Going to finish the planter boxes for the front porch, hopefully this weekend. Drew them up, now all I have to do is get the sawws to cut all the plywood, and pine gussets.

Tracy's has really been giving me shit the past few days, and without any guilt I will admit, I have been giving it back. She has been very pushy, and rather bitchy when the right time hits.

She wanted to run by me the thought of going back to school and getting her elementary certification for teaching, and I had to say, that without knowing how long it would take, and how much it would cost, my initial thought is now, we have NO return on her last accomplishment, the 5-12 grade cert. Thats going to be a big bone of contention in the next months to come, especially after the job thing is straightened out.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend, I am going to get rid of this hillbilly farmer tan I got, its, almost gone luckily.

Enough of this damned computer sharing

Borrowed the laptop from the FOP, connected it to the wireless router, sick of Tracy interrupting the job hunting. Gonna keep her working from the kitchen table so I can get something constructive done at the desk...

Really wonder what the guy across the street from me does for a living, he sure is home a lot. 1570 Witherspoon, wonder if he does computer related stuff like Jason and I?

Oh well, could be a good neighbor and just ask, but I feel bad, he is the first one I met in the neighborhood by backing into one of his friends cars... ooops..

Went out with my buddy Chuck last night, hung out at The Nuthouse for a while, then over to the Exchange for a quality cigar. Damn it felt good to not just be Chloe's Dad for once this month...

Comcast comes over to check the Internet Connection

...this morning, they always seems to want to blame your equipment before they concede that it is theirs that is causing the problem. After showing him that all connections are fine till I get to their router, showing him this....

Pinging 24.11.168.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 24.11.168.1: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=254
Reply from 24.11.168.1: bytes=32 time=9ms TTL=254
Request timed out.
Reply from 24.11.168.1: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=254
Reply from 24.11.168.1: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=254
Request timed out.
Reply from 24.11.168.1: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=254
Reply from 24.11.168.1: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=254
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 24.11.168.1: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=254
Request timed out.
Reply from 24.11.168.1: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=254
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 24.11.168.1: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=254
Ping statistics for 24.11.168.1:
Packets: Sent = 20, Received = 9, Lost = 11 (55% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 9ms, Maximum = 13ms, Average = 10ms

...He caved after that, admitted that once they tried to boost peoples speed up in our area from 4Mb/sec to 6 Mb/sec, they have been getting these reports. Now I have to wait for a week for their techs to figure it out, can you say "CREDIT PLEASE!"

Spent a quiet weekend at home for the most-part...

Great weather, the family all copped out of going up north, irritating, but hey, I was out-voted, whatcha gonna do...

This morning, after getting all the postings from the weekend caught up, and make any calls if needed, time to call Robert Half. They actually came up with 2 opportunites last week, the first was only a 3 days worth of work, and if there was nothing behind if for opportunities, hey, I am not going to void out my unemployment, so had to pass on it. The second is in the air today, involving a bank, running their desktop support at their Okemos Branch. Never quite imagined myself running a Help Desk, but for the money they are offering, it is quite tempting. I have to keep the balance these days of what I want to do, and what I need to do to keep things going.

Got 2 proposals out for side work currently, one is working the adding Labor into As-Tech's GL. That would be a really nice change of pace, waiting to hear back from Steve this week to see... The other is setting up broadband access at the FOP. rather simple process, nothing outta the ordinary, but it will give me a chance to see how a frac T line works anyways. Gotta quote the equipment, and the time to route it throught a firewall and server. That will be a nice check too. Should keep me for another month if it al comes through. And If I land the As-Tech, work, there's gonna be a lotta late nights betting on the wheel at Greektown Casino. Father Parent, I'll be seeing ya soon!

Gotta mow the yard today, and kill some more spiders around this foundation. Good God, they are everywhere...

One rant about Radical Muslim Clerics

So, when do you think some of these good fellow Muslims are going to oust the radical Muslim Clerics out of the terrorist breeding mosques they run that infect their religion, and give it a bad rap?

Okay, that was enough ranting for one afternnon, back to getting a tan now.... the calls have been made, time to relax...

Chloe last weekend

Chloe's first time in the pool, up north.

She was rather freaked out by it at first, then she felt much better about it in a few minutes, and even did a little kicking in the water all by herself.

Would have took her up north again this weekend, but all the Krug's are freaked out by the heat, oh, like its going to kill anybody. Didn't most of us live without air conditioners not more than a few decades ago...

So what is new this week?

Not a whole hell of a lot, trying to balance the fear of lack of work, with the joy of Summer, and making the best of it. I really love the temps we have had up here in the past few weeks. I wait all year for this! Lately I have enjoyed the relaxation of sitting on the front porch after Chloe's asleep, and reading my nerd magazines, and just take a breath. enjoy the days while its still here.

Went over to Royal Scot Wednesday, and somehow managed to have a few beers, and not get killed by the wife, who I have to admit was probably more comfortable mostly because she was there to 'supervise me', but hey, a beers a beer. And its a big stride for her trust in me.

The job postings have been quiet earlier this week, but they are picking up now. It is eerie when its quiet on the psotings, when you get this bad feeling deep down, wondering if the job market has folded up on itself while you weren't paying attention. Then a day comes along like yesterday, when you get 2 calls from 3 emails, and you become reassured that all is well, the world as I know it hasn't ended.....

Poor Chloe has taken enough bumps to the head this week to fill a 1 month quota. Poor girls lack of balance and stubborn will to stand is going to be her inner struggle for a while.

Zoo Days

That's the dispute of the day for Tracy and I. The first thing that caused us trouble today was that I didn't get in front of the computer until now to dig up job stuff. I have told her repeatedly that I want to do this from at least 8am, till 1 pm, that includes everything from searching online, to making calls and emails, everything. The afternoon is wide open.

Tracy's problem with me is that she needs the computer for some time each week too, so that she can do her homework for class, and she can't use it while I am on the 'puter.

This morning, I was going to do the computer stuff in the morning, but instead, all I get is a ton of requests to take care of Chloe downstairs, where I can't get anything done job-wise.

When I finally get the time to work on the computer today, she then tries to plan over another chunk of the afternoon, by asking if we can take Chloe to Zoo Days. I said that she could go do it without me, but she just won't unless I go too, for some dependent reasoning. I really want to go, and I want the whole family to do it together too, but the guilt of not doing the job stuff everyday will be worse. I told her that I need the afternoon to finish the job stuff, now that the morning has been wasted. She got very bitter and started to make me feel guilty. I tried to put into my perspective for her, pointing out that she would rather go to Zoo Days then me find a job. I asked her "why she would make me feel guilty about trying to find a job?" I think it is because she isn't getting her way, and like everyone in her family, they have have to assign the punishment on others when they don't get their way. Quite unfair if you ask me.

Her response to making me feel guilty was to let me know that "we will do our things in shifts, and never spend any time together because that obviously what I want."

Naturally with a statement like that, all that I get now is sneers, and no discussions from the wifey. That's problem resolution for ya.

It's always lose-lose... Women are never wrong...

Todays agenda

Posted what I could today before Tracy needed to use the computer. Still needed about 2 more hours to get it all caught up from 5 days of postings....

What to do now...
Wash/Vacuum the Spyder
Wash/Vacuum the CRV
Get a tan, water the yard

Enjoy Summer a little.

A long overdue laid back week

Just got back from being up north yesterday. Was a refreshing departure from the day-to-day monotony of reading search agent, apply for anything that sounds like I could do it, and entering data into charts so I won't be the guy that emails them 20 times in a row for the same job... That sure is getting old, but it is a necessity. Gotta do what ya gotta do.

The long weekend up north was nice, not too much to do, and not too many people telling me what I need to do. Good change of pace, and it cleared my mind at least a little.

As-Tech is still having issues with the Internet. It is puzzling when all these little thing keep popping up over there. Microsoft has gotta have Gremlins on the payroll...

I heard when I woke up near 8 am this morning that at least 4 bombs went off in London in the transit system. The initial group who is laying claim to it seems to be a group nobody has heard of. Man, when something like that goes under the radar, it makes ya wonder what kind of intelligence our Governments are working from....