Life updates

[Drem]

crazy

i'm still working for the culinary school and actually got talked into attending. so now i'm going to culinary school. learning restaurant financials and all the nutrition information behind food etc. and learning classic French cuisine. one of our instructors is Canadian and reminds of Tikker. it's been pretty much great

also i got hired by a local catering company and we get a lot of contracts through the UO. so for Ducks football i get to work the luxury suites in Autzen Stadium on the 4th floor as the expediter in our little pantry kitchen putting out a weird array of orders from hot dogs and wings to mini beef wellingtons and veg crudite platters to suite holders like Joey Harrington. it's been a pretty fun/surreal job. i never followed football before at all and now i'm in the thick of it. the rose bowl show off is coming up on Thursday and that's my last day of work up there this season so i'm kinda sad. if i can work bluetooth ever maybe i can post the swarming mob from the USC victory

still with kim but we had a rough patch and moved away from eachother because of money. happens i guess but life's still great despite some finanacial stuff

so basically i've been keeping real busy and learning a lot of new things in the food world

also been rocking heavily to the Them Crooked Vultures album because i love everyone in the band. it's like nirveppelin of the stone age. and it's so good i had to promote it here......

anyway, happy late thanksgiving. i've been moving and didn't have internetz

PS: finawin, don't do it

[Ginzburgh]

Them Crooked Vultures sounds awesome, thanks for the heads up.

[brinstar]

jesus effing christ how have i not yet made the time to pick that album up

[Jay]

I just got it today. Best stuff I've heard in a while.

[10sun]

School:
Less than a year away from finishing my Sociology degree with a dual major in Sustainable Construction Management & Business. Delayed slightly due to a death in the family that kind of shook me a great deal... and financially I'm not in the right place to go full-time anymore (18+ hours a week).
However things are looking up and I'll be taking my GMAT within 6 months in preparation for my forthcoming MBA program.

Health:
I managed to be a 75% locavore this summer/fall (eating/drinking from local sources, my guideline is grown/bottled/processed within 150 miles).
Since June, I have bicycled over 750 miles, managed to not drive at all for one month even (September) and I am still on the road for about 20-30 miles a week; it is amazing at how it has impacted my stamina & overall sense of well being.
I have had one cigarette in the past week and that was earlier today prior to a quiz... it felt nasty and horrible. I aim to stop entirely by the end of the year.

Personal relationship(s):
I've been dating my girlfriend since July 2007, it is stressful because she lives about 60 miles away from me near Dayton (for work) and we only really see each other on weekends when she comes to Columbus and the rare weekday evening... so we mostly chat online during the day and call each other at night before bed, but sometimes we don't and come Friday night when she rolls into town we haven't seen each other since the previous Monday. I love her and I can see proposing after I'm in the right place in my life... now isn't the time though.
She has a good job and I'm mostly broke as I'm relying on my savings, limited projects, & student loans to see me through the finish of this chapter of school... so we get upset with each other over finances. For example, she'll want to go out to a concert and I simply can't afford it and I don't want to take her money and go... but she doesn't want to go alone and we end up fighting and nothing gets resolved, so that leads us to the next topic.

Job:
Got laid off from Philips last year after a good run, can't seem to find any jobs nearby where I can utilize my skill-set (Root cause analysis in transportation logistics) even with so many locally headquartered multinationals corporations. I've got a promising lead for a part time position working as the director of operations personal analyst, but I'm not holding my breath and I'm hitting the pavement during my free time, but I am supplanting my financials with some money making hobbies.

Entertainment:
I've recently started playing with macro photography and I've got a semiprofessional looking light room setup in my basement; I've got some work coming in as a result taking pictures of artwork for local artists, correcting them digitally, and offering small scale print services. I'm netting about $150 for a hobby so I'm happy!
I also trespassed this weekend and went to a local factory & power station that are in the process of being demolished for a new casino (Issue 3 in Ohio, worst piece of legislation to pass in years); got some GREAT shots and had a wonderful time looking out for the cops and playing with my camera.

Future:
Found out I'm getting a nice Christmas gift if I do the research; my father has generously offered to get me an unlimited access dataplan for a netbook. I'm leaning towards Verizon even with the 5 gig cap & limited international coverage; mostly b/c I already have an OLD (7?8? years now?) contract with Verizon for my cell phone service and I have faith that they will upgrade to true unlimited broadband in the future. Netbook I'm looking at is the HP Mini 311 w/ Win7 & 2gb ram.

Thoughts?
Suggestions?
Criticisms?

Harrison:
If you want to get away from the Massholes, I can offer you a small bedroom in my place for like $150 a month + your share of utilities until September.
Highland & King Avenue in Columbus Ohio.
Good stumbling distance from watering holes, lots of great nightlife for all walks, & all the sloppy pussy a man could want coming from OSU (less than a mile away).
I can set you up with a temporary construction job with a close friend's crew & a bicycle to get you around town. If it is foul weather, I'd even drive you around.

[leah]

harri, you should take him up on that. i'd offer you a room, too, but josh's dad will be moving in with us for a while after he gets out of physical therapy.



update on me: i am having surgery in january to fix chronic exertional compartment syndrome in my legs. the procedure is a fasciotomy; look it up, it's intense! i'm pretty excited about it, because A) i'll have awesome leg scars and B) i'll finally be able to run without my feet going numb. so, it looks like the 5K i'm running on sunday will be my last for a while. boo.

[Jay]

Wow, I would take that offer in a heartbeat if I needed an out. That's 10 months with hardly any rent to pay and a job instantly. Harrison I hope you're reading this bud.

[Sithos]

Married 10 years and change. 2 kids that I absolutely adore. Still play MMo's semi-casually. Gave Aion a try but meh.. guess I'll wait for the next set of MMO's to come out. Just lost one of my best friends of 25 years in May when his boat overturned on a lake he was fishing on. Water was to cold still for him to make it back and it just sapped his strength is what we were told. I am currently living in and am a board member of a local co-op.

Job

None that pay atm.The co-op I am in keeps me really busy (I am in charge of maintenance but all work is volunteer) Many years ago my wife got hit while standing at a bus stop when a car slid on black ice and plowed into her. Since that time I have had to be a stay at home caregiver to her through her various surgeries and emotional up's an downs. I have held a few part time jobs over the years but then her next surgery comes up and I have to quit. Now though she is finally done with all her surgeries and has been back on her feet for close to 6 months. She can take care of the kids and do most of the small routine household chores, so since summer I have been looking for a permanent full time job, alas no luck yet. It's few and far between that a company will hire someone with such a large gap of not working on their resume and even if I get my foot in the door the minute I mention anything about my wife being disabled and I had to be her constant caregiver sets off red flags for them, which I fully understand. Sadly on the 5 interviews I have had since summer they all asked me why I have been out of full time work for so long or why did I leave my last 3 part time jobs? Hoping that shortly I'll get a break. Last few years of living on nothing but her disability pension has been very very tough on the family and with Christmas right around the corner it'll get even worse. New tire recycling facility coming to town in the spring that is supposed to hire up to 600 people (if the test phase is a success) so I am keeping my fingers crossed and holding onto hope.

Entertainment

The occasional movie out with the family every few months. But due to financial constraints I usually stick to MMO's/TF2 due to the "Bang for your Buck" aspect.Twice a month poker nights with the boys or working on the race car with them also. Other than that my entertainment consists of a ton of quality time with my kids. My daughter is 8 and my son is 4.We have regular family movie nights where I toss out a bunch of blankets and pillows on the floor and we watch kid shows and throw popcorn at each other. Both of them still think I'm "cool" so it's all good for now

Health

I still stay really active and am in good physical shape for my age according to my doctor. I have developed high blood pressure but take a pill daily to regulate it. Pretty sure it's from the stress of having little to no money coming into the household and me feeling bad about not being able to afford to do what I see the other fathers doing for their families.

Future

Not to shiny financially but I am hopeful.I love my family don't get me wrong but I am going absolute bonkers without a decent job. I had been working fulltime since I was 16.The city I am in has been a 1 horse town for the longest time in a big business sense and the latest recession has hit us extremely hard,but that is slowly changing as a few more are moving in. So long as I have my wife and kids with me though I am happy, regardless of my other circumstances. I'll keep plugging away like I always have, doing the best I can to be a good father and husband.

[Arlos]

Got my much-delayed Bachelor's in June. I had quit college my first time around after 3 years towards an Astrophysics degree, for a variety of reasons, and not having it had hurt me professionally over the years. So, when the economy was in the tank in the early part of this decade, I bit the bullet, and just went back to school, going for a Computer Science degree, and finally finished this year, which I'm pretty proud of.

Unfortunately, I picked just about the worst possible time to attempt to look for work as a weird hybrid of a new grad and experienced professional, with a long hiatus since my last long-term tech job. I've pulled every personal connection string I can think of, sent out reams of resumes, and gotten all of 1 interview. The especially frustrating thing is not being able to get back in at Facebook, where I worked 2 summers ago, and thought I had made a really really good impression.

So, I'm continuing to look for work, but also looking at the possibility of going to grad school in the fall, maybe for a MBA (angling towards working as a Project Manager), or a Masters in Information Systems (possibly concentrating on Security). Overall, it's been pretty frustrating. On the other hand, me and another friend who is out of work have joined a gym, and are going pretty regularly. Finding stuff I can do other than just weightlifting that my bad knee will tolerate is still a problem (elipticals and stairmasters just kill it. Cannot do them, period). Stationary bike is a little better, but I have high hopes for getting back into racquetball, as it's all turns and starts and stops, and that I'm OK with.

Anyway, I keep holding out hope that I'll find something soon. Definitely looking forward to getting back into the work environment, even if it's something pretty entry level.

-Arlos

[leah]

arlos, have you done or considered doing any tech-related writing? if you have any samples, you could send them to me and i'd send them on to my boss and maybe i could get you a freelancing gig? check out www.processor.com for an example of our stuff.

[Tossica]

Damn Harrison, hop on that shit.

I've been to Columbus and been to Adam's house even. It's a great city and it sounds like a great opportunity for you. GTFO.

[Arlos]

Interesting idea, Leah. Sent you a PM.

-Arlos

[brinstar]

harrison, i'm jumping on the "move the fuck in with 10sun" bandwagon

i'd offer the spare room in my apt but i have absolutely zero job connections around here - get thine ass to columbus, young son

[Trielelvan]

harrison, i'm jumping on the "move the fuck in with 10sun" bandwagon

So am I.

Harri, the most wonderful thing I ever did in my life for myself was taking the first real offer I got to get the fuck out of Texas.
I lost everything I had to my name save what I could carry on my back, and I have not regretted that decision for even a moment since.
Do it dude. Start over.

[Diekan]

No, the fucked up thing being told to me is that with so many units at 125% or more over-strength I am not going to get my last waiver unless that changes.

Basically, "We don't need you anymore."

The newest topping on my ever growing shit sundae.

Yeah, that blows. It's the result of a shitty economy. A bad economy is great for recruiting... people flock to the Armed Forces for "a job."

There is a work around that you might want to consider if you still want to do in. Talk to either a Reserves or National Guard recruiter - as far as I know they are still looking for people. The trick is - join the reserves / national guard - once you are finished with basic and AIT and have started drilling with your unit you can request a transfer into Active duty. It's MUCH easier to on active that way in times like these.

When I first joined I was in the reserves, I decided I liked it enough to go active duty - all it took was a signature from my then commander and trip back to MEPS for active duty orders... I was on "the bus" a couple of weeks later.

Keep in mind that there are differences between the reserves and guard - mainly that the guard is state funded / run while the reserves are federal - BUT - the army as a whole is essentially broken up into two part (combat and combat support) - likewise the majority of the reserves are combat support MOS's while the majority of the guard are combat related MOS's.

You've already taken the ASVAB, if your physical is within a year (I think) it should still be good. It shouldn't take long at all since your background check et al is already complete. Just have the recruiter you were working forward you packet to your reserve/guard recruiter. Go to MEPS, get orders, go to basic, go to AIT, come home, do a couple of drills, request active, go bye bye for four years.

[Diekan]

I finished up the MS in Biology with Nebraska in 2007, then started and completed a distance MBA through Kennesaw State. Still working in the energy sector, went back into the National Guard as an E6 (the rank I was when I got out a while ago), took refresher course for Open Water scuba, went on a bunch of dive trips, sold the BMW and got a Ford F-150 Lariet, started flying lessons but have taken a break due to a few reasons, started "courses" for a Masonic lodge near where I live (2 hours a night for 6 weeks)... playing the hell out of EQ 2 and Call of Duty MW 2.... other than that... not much else.

[leah]

agh i want to light that call of duty game on fire. PEW PEW PEW PEW PEW!!!!

[Diekan]

lol it IS an awesome game!

[leah]

haaaaaate.

[Maeya]

Kennesaw State.

Haw, that's where I'm at school now too. Though I'm taking classes on campus, not the distance learning thing.

[Diekan]

It is a good school all in all - I did have a few complaints with the administration side, but they were quickly resolved.... Go OWLS! lol

[Maeya]

Yeah, administration and the useless financial aid office are my biggest issues with it. I've really enjoyed all my classes so far, and the people I've met there have been great.

[Lyion]

Future:
Found out I'm getting a nice Christmas gift if I do the research; my father has generously offered to get me an unlimited access dataplan for a netbook. I'm leaning towards Verizon even with the 5 gig cap & limited international coverage; mostly b/c I already have an OLD (7?8? years now?) contract with Verizon for my cell phone service and I have faith that they will upgrade to true unlimited broadband in the future. Netbook I'm looking at is the HP Mini 311 w/ Win7 & 2gb ram.

Thoughts?
Suggestions?
Criticisms?

Good choice for netbook. You may want to consider mifi, as it's really nice for travelling. Verizon has big plans for wireless, and with FIOS coming to Ohio, you can bundle that nicely.

Harrison:
If you want to get away from the Massholes, I can offer you a small bedroom in my place for like $150 a month + your share of utilities until September.
Highland & King Avenue in Columbus Ohio.
Good stumbling distance from watering holes, lots of great nightlife for all walks, & all the sloppy pussy a man could want coming from OSU (less than a mile away).
I can set you up with a temporary construction job with a close friend's crew & a bicycle to get you around town. If it is foul weather, I'd even drive you around.

Harri, I highly suggest you jump on this offer. If you need help moving, I'll volunteer. I live 2 hours away from Columbus and you should consider checking out the OSU area. You'll meet a higher quality of people and you'd be smart to consider starting to attend OSU next year. Now is a good time to attend college, as there are few jobs out there, and by the time you graduate, the baby boomers will all be retiring and there will be opportunities galore.

Columbus is a blast. It's a great college town, and OSU is a lot of fun. It also allows you to experience things you've been missing.

[10sun]

Future:
Found out I'm getting a nice Christmas gift if I do the research; my father has generously offered to get me an unlimited access dataplan for a netbook. I'm leaning towards Verizon even with the 5 gig cap & limited international coverage; mostly b/c I already have an OLD (7?8? years now?) contract with Verizon for my cell phone service and I have faith that they will upgrade to true unlimited broadband in the future. Netbook I'm looking at is the HP Mini 311 w/ Win7 & 2gb ram.

Thoughts?
Suggestions?
Criticisms?

Good choice for netbook. You may want to consider mifi, as it's really nice for travelling. Verizon has big plans for wireless, and with FIOS coming to Ohio, you can bundle that nicely.

I have no doubts about Verizon's coverage within Ohio and everywhere else I travel... even to the remote cabin in upstate NY, I can get broadband on my phone now (thank god for the new cell tower they installed across the lake).

As far as Harrison goes, I haven't seen him post anything at all lately... my offer still stands strongly; wouldn't mind a new roommate and seeing him flourish in a new environment, but I suspect there may be a difficulty with the troubles he has related that his family is going through.

[10sun]

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... d395d31056

Bunch of photos I took last Sunday while trespassing and enjoying a dreary day!