| "Increase the Flash Gordon noise and put more science stuff around!" |
[Sep. 18th, 2007|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  Need more MST3K quotes | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Blink 182 - All the Small Things | ] |
Judging by the way I talked about my job in my last post, some of you might have assumed that it wouldn't last, right? Well, hopefully, it won't have to last much longer and I'm taking steps to try and put an end to it as quickly as possible.
It's not just because I don't like the work... it's also because 1) they're not paying me enough to meet the standard of living in mid-coast Maine, 2) we don't have any friends or much of a support network in mid-coast Maine, 3) the demanding doctor's appointment schedule for ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) faechylde conflicts a great deal with the work schedule and 4) I had to enroll for another thesis credit at UMaine and I'll need time to focus on finishing my graduate project for good. So, phase one is that I'm taking personal leave from my job until the schedule at home becomes more manageable. This lets me focus on other things until about October 15th.
What will I be doing specifically in the four weeks or so I bought myself? First and foremost, taking care of my wife. Second, finishing my graduate project. Third, looking for a new job or another opportunity to get out of Belfast. I know from my last job search that it'll be a difficult process, and if nothing good comes along between now and soon, at least I'll still have my current job to go back to. An alternate scenario would be looking into Ph.D. programs again and taking the GRE if necessary... I already know my master's degree won't do much for me in the job market, so maybe it'll be necessary to get the doctorate before returning there.
The process won't be easy, but there are too many cons and almost no pros to the current situation and something needs to be done. I'll let you all know how it turns out. |
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| Snowglobe Snowball Effect |
[Jun. 17th, 2007|02:59 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  Relaxing... no, wait. Asleep. | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack (only thing on TV) | ] |
Hey, yet another update in what is usually a very inactive blog! Is it coming out of hibernation? Or is this like the "foreshock" of a larger earthquake, a sign of potentially disastrous logorrhea ahead? Only time will tell... for now, read on, and hold out hope....
Melodrama aside, I wanted to let you all know that the apartment search has been successful, and was thankfully much more brief than the job search. faechylde and I will be moving to a bright apartment with high ceilings in Searsport, which is pretty much the exact opposite of the cramped, somewhat dirty-feeling apartment we had in Old Town last year. We've also already moved a large quantity of our stuff to this new location; mostly things that never got unpacked from the last time we moved. The more difficult task of moving items like our bed, dressers and couch will come later (Wednesday, to be exact).
This is definitely a relief, since finding housing was the only obstacle standing between me and my new career and with it cleared, I know I can finally stop habitually checking online job boards and such. Hopefully, the job in question won't be too stressful and will allow enough room for advancement... otherwise, I could very well find myself doing this all over again by this time next year. wisedanichi will probably recommend strongly against it, but I may even consider enrolling in a Ph.D. program somewhere if working in Belfast reveals itself to be a dead-end.
One last bit of info regarding this move: I won't have internet access starting on Wednesday, and will probably be without it for at least a week. Not that any of you e-mail me, but if you do for some reason, expect it to go ignored if it falls in that timeframe. |
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| Shake that snowglobe! |
[Jun. 7th, 2007|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  One hurdle cleared, at least | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The Used - Crawls Like A Red Rubber Bug | ] |
With any luck, my arduous job search in Portland will soon be coming to an end. Bank of America has offered me a job at one of their call centers and I can start training at the end of the month.
The only catch: the call center is in Belfast (Maine, not Northern Ireland).
So, the job hunt has swiftly transitioned into an apartment hunt! faechylde and I have already decided against a two bedroom breadbox just outside of town, and against a legitimate one bedroom cabin in the woods. We'll be looking at a couple of other possibilities early next week and hoping they're less claustrophobic. In the meantime, if anyone has any suggestions on where to look (anyone like, say, ichijoji_chan), they'd be appreciated.
Of course, finding housing is just one problem that is raised by a Belfast relocation. The midcoast town is a two hour drive from Portland, and at least an hour from Bangor. This effectively isolates me from friends in each area, and from the major fencing groups in both Malagentia and Endewearde. Not that I'll have much for free time now that I'll be working, but I can't say the location seems ideal at first glance. However, I've known for months now that I would need to go where the job requires, and since it's turned out to be there, it's where I'll be going.
Anyway... if anyone wants to hang out before we move, feel free to leave a comment! |
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| The latest injection of chaos |
[May. 24th, 2007|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  I don't think I follow you... | ] |
| [ | music |
| | ...let me get back to you on that | ] |
Okay, now I *really* have plenty of time to finish my master's degree.
One of the professors on my graduate advisory committee broke his ankle, and is in too much pain to participate in the "thesis defense" (for lack of a better term) I scheduled for tomorrow. The graduate school's regulations state that a minimum of three professors must participate, and I couldn't find anyone willing to jump in at the last minute, so that defense is now canceled. But, wait! It gets more interesting.
Since my adviser (and head of the committee) is going to be out of the country by the time their colleague recovers, the earliest possible day that I could reschedule the defense for is August 24th. This also happens to be graduation day for the summer semester. There's a chance that they'll be willing to let me graduate and defend on the same day, but I have to double-check that and even if it's possible, it seems like it might be too hectic for my adviser to return to the U.S. on Thursday, then attend my defense the very next day.
Fortunately, the graduate school has already offered to waive my enrollment (and therefore, any additional cost) for the fall semester in case I have to push my graduation date back to December. It's a long time to wait for my degree, especially considering that my work is already done for the most part, but as long as I still get the damn degree, I don't care. It's not like I can really blame my professor for breaking his ankle, or my adviser for having a life, so... clearly, I have to find something else to blame. Global warming is currently the #1 blame contender, followed by sock puppets, mold, and moldy sock puppets. |
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| Propogation of Procrastination and Manifold Monotony |
[May. 20th, 2007|02:59 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  Slightly augmented "ugh-ness" | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Three Days Grace - Just Like You | ] |
For once, my academic workload is feeling manageable. I've realized that the final version of my project isn't due until August, and that I can spread the labor over more than just a couple of weeks. That's definitely a relief, though I still need to scramble a little bit to make sure the tentative version is ready in five days. It shouldn't be a problem though, especially compared to what I thought I'd be facing.
The bad news is, despite expanding my job search to the rest of New England, I'm still having trouble finding a good career opportunity. This means that I've resorted to re-applying to companies that have already rejected me once and hoping they don't remember my name. I was also thinking of dyeing my hair, wearing makeup that changes my skin tone and adopting a foreign accent to help with that forgetfulness factor.
Bottom line: my professional life is as stagnant as ever, and I'm almost literally sick of it. My mental exasperation is at an all-time high and I feel like soon, it will have nowhere to go except to flow into actual physical illness. Don't be surprised if you see a post in the coming weeks in which I troll for potential kidney donors. Or, if by some stroke of luck I actually manage to find a job, my sigh of relief will probably be loud enough that you'll hear it even if you're living in Michigan (invoking wisedanichi, and Peelizard by extension). |
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| "This Brownie Might Kill You" |
[Apr. 25th, 2007|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | Same 'ol something | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Aerosmith - Same Old Song and Dance | ] |
The distracting factors I recently discussed have produced an inevitable result: I've delayed my own due date by a month and should be getting my master's degree in August, not May, of this year. Although I'll have to enroll for one more credit to make this happen, I'm not too disappointed by this decision overall. I still have quite a bit of work to do for my seminar class' final project and the extra time will ensure that it will get done. Given a choice, I'd much rather not have to re-take one of these frivolous seminars, so it's truly a well-made, "lesser of the evils" kind of move.
It also means I can keep focusing on the job market. I had an interview in Boston yesterday, but I'm not sure the starting pay will be enough to justify relocating, so I doubt I'll accept a job offer if they make one. I'm also keenly aware that not many other options have arisen, and if I don't get any other leads soon I might reconsider; but I already have another interview lined up on Friday (for a job in Maryland) and anticipate hearing from other employers soon too, so by the time Boston gets back to me it might be easier to say no.
Things are still very much in disarray, life-wise, but I kind of feel like I've been in this state for so long, I don't notice it as much now. For nearly three months, I've seen the lack of certainty in my future and have struggled to find direction but the chaos is mundane now. Hopefully that means things will at least appear to fall into place soon. I guess I'll find out, and update you all when it happens. |
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| "She's glowing, and you're flowing!" ...Okay, WHAT?? |
[Mar. 9th, 2007|02:59 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | No jet lag, just sick of jets | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Washing machine solo! | ] |
First, the bad news: my last semester of graduate school is aggravating, job prospects remain stagnant and I'm still DYING for faechylde and I to get a place of our own.
The good news? I was able to forget all that crap by finally going on my honeymoon in The Bahamas for the last few days. Some of you may be puzzled. "The Bahamas?" you ask, "but that isn't Honduras!" Well, yes, I know. In Honduras, you can buy a doughnut for about $0.10 and a beer for about $0.60 (also known as: BREAKFAST!). In The Bahamas, you can pay up to $5.00 for a bowl of Rice Krispies. Truly, as a master of cultural studies, I have captured the essence of these two countries' differences.
...All right, so maybe there's more to tell about my vacation than what I did or did not pay too much for. Of greater significance behind this trip (though not the greatEST... see again, honeymoon) is the fact that this is one of the few times I've succumbed to acting like a tourist. We stayed at a resort, ate almost exclusively at restaurants and wholly became consumers for the duration of our stay. This seems to suit the Bahamians just fine, since most of them know that tourism is their #1 industry and will go out of their way to pay special attention to the tourists. This usually means that they will kindly offer to take your money in exchange for some touristy thing. It got to the point where the phrase "would you like to go on the booze cruise?" strarted to sound like a traditional Bahamian greeting.
Overall, it was enjoyable to not worry about everyday life and let other people cater to us for a while. It was also nice that on this vacation, I didn't have to play basketball with young, orphan girls who would ultimately laugh at my efforts (though this phenomenon comes to hold a certain charm about it). Honestly, though? I don't think The Bahamas is a country I'll want to visit again any time soon, even if I do have the money. I imagine that I could have had more fun somewhere else, for less money, and The Bahamas aren't unique enough to justify the cost.
The company was excellent, though... ;) |
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| Age and birthdates ain't nothin' but numbers |
[Feb. 3rd, 2007|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  Human spin cycle! | ] |
| [ | music |
| | American Idol?! NOOOOO!! | ] |
Last month could have ended on a better note, what with a communication failure that resulted in me not being in court for my AoA (non-SCAdians, smile and nod), but at least February is trying to make up for it. Typically, I'm supposed to wait until the fifth of the month for cake, presents and other birthday festivities but circumstance decided to deliver all that early this year. faechylde and her parents gave me clothes, mostly, four days early and I am grateful for their concern that I not go naked (though I found the absence of pants among the articles conspicuous). The next day, I went to my hometown and my parents upstaged them a little. Suffice to say, I have plenty of amusement now... hopefully it doesn't distract me too much from my ongoing job hunt, though.
With any luck, I'll be getting another present after this weekend, too: a roommate! A friend to both me and my wife, and one who has already proven to be a good roommate in the past, no less. I do hope she wears a bow in her hair when she arrives.
Surprisingly enough, running around the state this past week hasn't actually given me much else to ramble about... I guess I better have another birthday soon to get some more material. Is there some kit I can buy to grow new birthdays? It's probably something I can get used for cheap on eBay, right? |
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| Portlandic Sweaters and other fine goods |
[Jan. 24th, 2007|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | Press "Reset" | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The Killers - Mr. Brightside | ] |
You may be wondering, as one of my MySpace friends put it, "How is Portland working out?" Well, I'm happy to say that the job hunting here went much better than it did in Bangor. I found a full-time job a couple of weeks ago with Auto Europe at their call center for car reservations. I'm furthermore happy to say that it lasted slightly longer than my last call center job, clocking in at slightly more than seven days worked as opposed to slightly more than three days. I can expect an underfed paycheck for my efforts in about a week, the parting was amiable and the manager said I can use them as a reference, so at least it all wasn't for naught.
But, I realized that the job I should really be looking for is one that will still be fitting for me after I get my M.A. this M.A.Y. Auto Europe was a mostly enjoyable job with a good company, but I'd only recommend it for college dropouts, not college graduates. Staying there wasn't doing me any good; it actually delayed my REAL job search in which I'll out whether or not staying in Portland is even feasible in the long run. So, I'll get back to that top priority as soon as I can. Right after I play Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for another 30 hours or so.
One other thing I got out of the experience: waking up before 10 a.m. annoys the hell out of my body. I think this is due to a circadian rhythm-related sleep disorder. I know ichijoji_chan has used an ultraviolet "light box" with positive results, and I might have to look into getting one myself so changing my sleep schedule won't bother me so much.
All in all, I think I'm okay with the way things are going, though. I have a lot of annoyances to deal with, but the biggest one-- school-- will vanish in May and as long as I can keep my priorities straight, my next job won't cause the same problems as this one did.
P.S. Finally, there's a presidential candidate in the running who I actually want to vote for. |
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| "Crappy New Year"? No, that joke isn't original enough. |
[Jan. 6th, 2007|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | Mellow? Or masking...? | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Seven Albatross - King of Shit Hill | ] |
So, 2007 could have gotten off to a better start. Like last year, I was able to catch up with some high school friends and have a little revelry but nothing special. January itself hasn't brought anything nice other than unnaturally pleasant weather, though.
First off, I received news of the graduate school's decision regarding my Liberal Studies cirriculum. As I should have guessed, the knob goblin committee decided I need to take a second LIB 500 seminar that's unrelated to my course of study rather than engage in a perfectly good, relevant independant study in language and society with Professor Kathleen March. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to take a Maine Studies course broadcast over closed circuit TV to a site at the University of Southern Maine. If not... I don't want to think about it. I'll be out hundreds of dollars in gas money if I have to commute elsewhere and waiting to see if there will be a web-based or distance-learning seminar available this summer will be equally costly. I doubt graduate school realizes the full depth of incompetence in their decision or, at the very least, they don't care.
I also haven't made any progress in finding full-time employment. This was mostly to be expected given that my search started during the holiday season. I'll be checking in with someone who works at one of the places I applied to and seeing if he has any inside information for me. I've also got my eyes open for other businesses that are seeking Spanish speakers in particular.
Last but certainly not least, faechylde is off cavorting with her formal bridal party in Pennsylvania. I am at a loss as to who I should harass in her absence.
I think I'm doing okay weathering these issues, though. Or at least if it's bothering me, it hasn't manifested itself in a noticeable way yet. I'd prefer the former scenario of course, especially because my chances of finding a Nintendo Wii to help me supress my dissatisfaction are still slim to none. Maybe I'll search for some good, used DS games instead.
Finally, I'll leave you all with this "quiz spam" which I found to be surprisingly accurate.
( What horrors lurk behind this text? ) |
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| Sequential? Suspicious! |
[Dec. 27th, 2006|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | Screen saver til January | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Celtic Woman - Send Me A Song (Katie's listening to it) | ] |
I posted an update like this a year ago, following queenfan04's lead, and decided to continue the tradition now that 2006 is coming to a close. If you'd like to create your own year in review, go to your journal archive, find the first entry for each month of the past year and post the first line or so. The sentences I found upon following these instructions generally wound up sounding cryptic out of context, so I decided to add a sentence of reflection for each month as well.
JANUARY: I've actually had quite an interesting week or so to follow up my lack of Yuletide revelry.
Mostly due to getting to see some hometown friends.
FEBRUARY: Well... THAT didn't go as I planned.
Anxiety led to me missing my flight to Honduras... this sentence was kind of an understatement.
MARCH: I realize that most of you haven´t heard from me in quite some time, and I apologize for that.
Once I arrived in Honduras, I promptly became hard to get in touch with.
APRIL: Like most college students, I'm in the process of doing my best to forget about the current semester and looking ahead to the summer.
This was due to the rather aggravating project I had to complete last spring.
MAY: I'm happy to report that the play I was writing got finished in time for one rehearsal and went on to be performed with a very respectable degree of skill considering the utterly ridiculous lack of preparation it was exposed to.
This is actually a pretty good summary of said aggravating project.
JUNE: In case anyone's keeping track, faechylde and I moved into 12 Hayes St., apartment 1, Old Town on the first of this month.
Wow, it's almost like this sentence was intended to be read several months after the fact....
JULY: First off, happy belated birthdays to wisedanichi and blkbear2006!
To give you an idea of how laxidasical I was with updating my journal this month, it should be noted that these two share a birthday on the 21st.
AUGUST: I was waiting for a certain something before posting an update, and that certain something has finally arrived!
That would be wedding pictures, available here... this update was posted on the 31st, by the way, but I guess I was busy with said wedding and the following non-honeymoon vacation.
SEPTEMBER: The biggest news of the day-- the announcement that I've been waiting months to hear-- has turned out to be less gratifying than anticipated.
This is a reference to the Nintendo Wii's $250 price point, of all things... I'll probably wind up buying one at said price point now, since I don't think they have any reason to change their strategy given the Wii's early, resounding success.
OCTOBER: Still no job, and not many prospects on that front.
By now, the appeal of spending my last semester in my Old Town apartment had begun to drop off significantly.
NOVEMBER: Last Saturday was the nineteenth annual Bare Blade Tavern Brawl and to be honest... I was less than impressed.
Some liked it, but I think the majority was at least somewhat disappointed along with me.
DECEMBER: This is a quiz, found via queenfan04's latest update... if you were hoping for an actual update in this blog, too bad. :-P
Hmm, a journal concept stolen from that user, not an actual update... sounds strangely familiar....
Now, for the magnetic poetry that is... the super summary of 2006!
I'm first in the well. Still, I've this "I" last. I like.
Okay, that's it. No more 2006. Probably. |
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| Resisting the urge to make reference to "Long December" by Counting Crows |
[Dec. 26th, 2006|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  mixed precipitation | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Metroid theme on my left... Brain age on my right... | ] |
First and foremost, Happy Holidays to everyone out there who is still celebrating something! I suppose this covers the standard "Happy New Year" as well, so that's probably all of you.
I have to say that my month could be going better. I finished all of the work for this past semester's classes without too much difficulty and was looking forward to completing my master's degree with distance-learning from Portland but I may have hit a snag there. It turns out I missed one of the requirements of the nebulous Liberal Studies program I'm enrolled in and still have to hear back from the dean of the Graduate School to see whether or not they'll accept an interdisciplinary independant study (that's actually relevant to my course of study) in place of their standard Liberal Studies seminar (and the ones being offered next semester aren't relevant to me). Sounds simple enough, but the result of this decision will mean the difference between a 2 hour commute both ways on as many days as I have to attend class in Orono, and subsequently far less hours that I'm available to work during. Or, I'll have to take the seminar class some other semester, which will be equally aggravating. Suffice to say, I won't be happy if they refuse to make an exception and wind up costing me over a thousand dollars one way or another.
On a happier note, my holiday festivities were much more enjoyable, even if this was the first year I had to deal with the logistics of spending my holidays with two families. faechylde and I managed it by spending the morning of the 25th with her parents and driving to Wilton to spend the afternoon with my parents. I have a few new diversions in my possession as a result, too... some DS games, an intriguing oral history of the infamous zombie war and even a new weapon. Some of my relatives have also contributed to a newly established fundraising project for buying a Nintendo Wii. The trick will just be finding one....
By the way, all you gamers out there: did you know that Sony's PlayStation 3 is already faltering and has fallen behind Nintendo's Wii not only in sales, but demand? If you don't believe me, just compare the eBay auctions for the PS3 with the Wii. The highest bids being received by Sony's console are only about $100 more than the list price. Nintendo's console is getting at least that, but usually the bids are $200 more than list price.
Ahh, Sony. Your failed gambit has made my holidays happier, at least. |
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| False alarm! |
[Dec. 2nd, 2006|02:59 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | Semi-amused, but drowsy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Weird Al - Do I Creep You Out | ] |
This is a quiz, found via queenfan04's latest update... if you were hoping for an actual update in this blog, too bad. :-P
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| The subject of this update is on back order.... |
[Nov. 20th, 2006|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | Pixels are mocking me! | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Leahy - Wedding Day Jig | ] |
Last Saturday was the nineteenth annual Bare Blade Tavern Brawl and to be honest... I was less than impressed. The first thing I should mention in regards to my disappointment is that in the past, Bare Blade was the only event where I could use my rubber band gun, employing the threat of being shot to my strategy and generally making things interesting. This year, use of this weapon was restricted to 1/3 of the total fencing field. Suffice to say, there wasn't much opportunity to use them-- I only fired the gun once. In addition, and speaking more generally, there just wasn't as much opportunity for fencers to be treacherous and to break the rules, two other aspects that normally go hand in hand with Bare Blade and whose absence I definitely missed. It just didn't feel as though the event was successful in upholding tradition, and part of me feels like I still haven't attended Bare Blade at all.
On the plus side, we had a large amount of fencers from Blade Society come with us and apart from the disappointment of the combat itself, we all had a good time. Much to our surprise, several of the guys who came along were quite enthusiastic about the dancing held during the evening and we actually stayed for the entire "ball" after the "brawl". It was really due to the people we were with, especially the college students, that I can still say I had a good time. In fact, I ran into an unexpected challenge in the form of interacting with flirtatious women (like catgirlpink) without provoking the rage of faechylde. I was successful too, so hopefully I get brownie points for that... or husband points... maybe just brownies?
In any case, it's good that I was still able to enjoy Bare Blade since I have quite a bit of work to do to finish off the semester, including a linguistics project that I'm supposed to be working on right now, and needed the recreation. This is especially true because I'll be working over Thanksgiving break for once, on an interdisciplinary project that will analyze Filipino Stick Fighting as a cultural performance. Hopefully that project turns out as fun as it sounds.
Anyway, now that we're all keenly aware of the stuff I have to do, I should probably get started on it... expect more updates as finals week approaches.
P.S. I'm on Myspace under this name now, in case anyone is interested. |
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| Not nearly as Halloweeny as it should be |
[Oct. 30th, 2006|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | What? Speak up, I can't hear! | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence | ] |
As October ends, so too does the excessive uncertainty surrounding my housing situation. Our roommate seems like she'll be okay finding a new place to live next semester but one way or the other, she's given faechylde and I the okay to move to Portland. That's one major detail worked out. The next big detail is where in Portland we'll be living, but we won't be working on that any time soon. My in-laws suggested that we move in with them temporarily while we find jobs in the area and determine our price range for a more permanent living situation. This way, I also might be able to find out whether living in Maine long-term is feasible, or if we'll have to move out-of-state after I get my master's degree in order to earn a reasonable salary. For now, I'm just glad to see some progress being made on the whole "rest of my life" thing.
Apart from that, things have been pretty blah... mostly due to the (non-computer) virus I've been dealing with the past week. The cold/flu symptoms have gone away, but they seem to have been replaced by a major ear infection. It's bad enough to render me mostly deaf in the morning anyway, and I intend on heading to the university's health center as soon as my wife gets back from class and can give me a ride. I think the infection is affecting my inner ear, because I get a little dizzy whenever I move my head, and that doesn't seem like a good condition to be driving in.
To help me deal with the sickness (or something), I picked up an action RPG called "Dark Messiah of Might and Magic". It really did help me take my mind off my illness because the game is SO unstable, my frustration overwhelmes any physical discomfort I'm feeling! Granted, the game worked well enough for me to complete the single-player campaign but I had to restart my computer more than ten times in the process. I'll probably wait for a patch before playing it again.
That's about it for now... I have to head to the health center soon anyway, so I'll toss this update into the internet and see what bites.
P.S. You know how I was looking for a job in the Bangor area? Well, I finally got an interview with the security department in the Bangor Mall and they gave me a job offer... about 3 days before I found out I'd be moving to Portland. That's Murphy's Law in motion, right there. Here's hoping for less typical luck in Southern Maine. |
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| Constant state of flux! |
[Oct. 11th, 2006|02:59 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  Problem-solving untelligence | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Various songs from Whose Line is it Anyway? | ] |
Still no job, and not many prospects on that front. However, that may become a secondary worry compared to the potential turmoil in the future.
Basically, our roommate feels like kind of a third wheel at best and an interference at worst sharing living space with faechylde and I. We've assured her several times that she doesn't bother us and she doesn't need to feel like an outsider, but the situation isn't getting any better. I think the best thing would be for all of us to find alternate housing, since we all have our reasons for feeling dissatisfied. Unfortunately, that would mean breaking our 12 month lease and our landlord hasn't even given us a straight answer about what it would take to do that. As near as I can figure though, we need to find suitable replacement tenants before we can talk about moving out.
Does anyone out there have any experience terminating leases and would have any idea what we need to do? Or, is anyone looking for a two bedroom apartment in Old Town and would be willing to step in for us?
UPDATE: This is pending the roommate's approval, but it looks as though our landlord already has someone interested in our apartment for the spring semester. As such, it's possible that we can move out in December and the lease will transfer smoothly to the new tenants in January. Hopefully, all we have to do now is figure out where we'll be going when we move out... especially considering I'll still have one semester of classes to complete before I get my master's degree. |
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| It feels obligatory again. |
[Sep. 23rd, 2006|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | Eliminate red wasps... | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Boards of Canada - Dayvan Cowboy | ] |
All right... job update, cos I said I'd post one.
Mi esposa bellísima, faechylde, got a job at Toys R Us and since they seem all but desperate for employees, I applied too. They seemed satisfied enough with my credentials but their HR department doesn't want a married couple working at the same store, so that's another opportunity shot down. On a related note, I applied to Securitas Security Services and they too were pleased by my previous experience in the field BUT they don't have any openings-- in fact, they have a couple of spare workers so it will likely be a while before they offer me anything, if ever. At this point my options seem limited to Shaw's (again, but with a better chance of success now that their hiring manager is back from medical leave) or breaking down and accepting a lousy position through UMaine Dining Services.
Honestly, though? I'm not in the mood for doing grunt work that any high school dropout could handle. There's no reason why I shouldn't be a teaching assistant, or running the language labs for SPA 101 right now. The problem is, there's no established graduate degree program at UMaine's Modern Languages Department so no positions exist for graduate students. You'd think creating one would be easy but not with University red tape in the way. The only reason I'm looking at security work is because I have enough skill and experience to be a supervisor-- ditto for Shaw's, in my opinion. However, the Bangor area has a stagnant job market and I don't think I have much chance of getting a job that adequately fits my ability while I'm still in school. Once I have my master's degree, I'm sure I won't have any problems. It's just frustrating in the mean time.
In an attempt to ease some frustration, I started exploring the possibility of training in a new combat technique. "Cut and thrust" or "sidesword" rapier combat is still in an experimental stage, but there are some people locally who practice it and it's the only form of rapier combat I haven't tried yet. So, I went to see Don Gregory Finche (MKA Adam Williams) about the possibility of getting the required gear. I was EXTREMELY lucky to get the results I did: there is a falchion that's been sitting around his shop unused that he'll be adding a knuckle bow to for me, which should be ready tonight. Since there's very little labor cost, I'll be getting the sword for much cheaper than usual. Additional required armor will also be pretty cheap, since it will all be ugly plastic that I can cover up with my garb. I'm satisfied and I haven't even started fighting anyone yet.
Sure, it would help if I actually had a job to cover the cost of these new toys but for now, I've supplemented my income with surplus funds from student loans. Like I said before, getting a job once I'm out of school won't be a problem, so I'm not too worried about having to pay them off. I'd much rather deal with that then waste my time in an unfulfilling work environment. |
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| Assorted Disappointments |
[Sep. 14th, 2006|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  What? You can't guess? | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Shinedown - I Dare You | ] |
The biggest news of the day-- the announcement that I've been waiting months to hear-- has turned out to be less gratifying than anticipated. Nintendo's new console, the Wii, will be released in North America on November 19th for the price of $250. This is $50 more than what they should be charging for it. Nintendo seems to justify this price point by including Wii Sports, a series of 5 mini games, with the console but I'm still not satisfied. Given a choice of launch titles, Wii Sports would be far from the top of my list and I'm not happy with being forced to buy it just to get the system itself.
Moreover, when Sony announced that they would be charging $500-$600 for the PlayStation 3, Microsoft's Peter Moore suggested that consumers could buy his company's Xbox 360 AND a Wii for that price. Many gamers took that idea and ran with it, resulting in what amounts to an underground marketing campaign for "Wii60". Well, Nintendo has ruined the math and the simple matter of $50 could very well cause many gamers to opt for an Xbox 360 instead of a Wii, because the low end model will only be $50 more expensive.
Apart from that, I can't help but feel dissatisfied with my academic situation as well. Sure, I only have two classes and I only need to be on campus twice a week, but both classes have the same template: dry textbooks and weekly BS essays so the professor can rest assured that the students aren't dead yet. I also realized during my online class that my mind is already far, far away from campus. I mean, I'm friggin' married now. I'm ready for a real job and a new life, and my brain isn't interested in maintaining "academic mode" for another nine months.
Speaking of jobs, real or otherwise, I'm still waiting to hear back from the people I had an interview with last Tuesday. There will likely be an edit or update later to let everyone know what the status of that little venture is.
Anyway... as long as I have some sort of income soon, I might hide my disappointment in Nintendo's decision by spending money on SCA equipment instead. There are somewhat demanding armor requirements for cut and thrust rapier combat, but I think I'd like to pony up and give it a try.... |
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| Just in time for... August! |
[Aug. 31st, 2006|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  ¡CASADO! | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Sarah Evans - Could Not Ask For More (Cover) | ] |
I was waiting for a certain something before posting an update, and that certain something has finally arrived! What is it? Wedding pictures!
( Click here to open the mini-album! )
Well, that's it for now... I expect my new wife will post plenty of her own soon though, so keep your eyes open! |
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| Feels like semi-obligatory text spouting time |
[Jul. 22nd, 2006|02:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | I smell chaos | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Mongrel - The World Loves a Tragedy | ] |
First off, happy belated birthdays to wisedanichi and blkbear2006! As a birthday present to you, we actually got around to mailing your cards yesterday and we ate cake in your honor, too.
Speaking of honor, last week was the Great Northeastern War in Hebron. Despite the fact that the fencing was whittled down some and that I had to leave early anyway, it was still a good event. In addition to getting to see friends like Ben, Genevieve and catgirlpink, I was also made a full Marshal of Fence! For "mundanes", this basically means that I can serve as a referee of sorts for SCA fencing. Duties include inspecting armor, authorizing new fencers and keeping an eye out for safety problems during combat.
However, while I do have that new responsibility, I still lack a real paying job. I can't even get in to how frustrating that is. I have a bachelor's degree, I'm bilingual in Spanish, and yet I've still been unable to land a position in as mundane an area as basic retail. People have been pretty helpful, and I still have a couple of "leads" to investigate, but so far I've seen nothing but dead ends. I don't think it'll be a problem once fall semester begins, since a new hiring cycle begins then and I can apply for loan money through school anyway, but that doesn't really help for next month's round of bills. Hopefully if I don't find something, faechylde will.
Right now, I'm just trying to look ahead three weeks to a time when I can focus on much better things... expect a bigger update then. |
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