Well, the 4th came and went. I'm not much of a fireworks person, unless you know, the fireworks are close to our house like it was in Laramie. Oh well!
We're doing well on packing I think. We've got a lot of the house packed and we did a lot in the garage yesterday. The weird thing is, we still have a lot of the boxes that we moved here with broken down, so either we still have a lot to go or we threw away a lot of stuff. I'm afraid it's the former.
Laura is flying out Thursday to go find houses for us. We have found one house that we kinda like, so hopefully we get it. The guy was a picky rentee or something, but we have a great reference and it's not like we're going to trash it, so.
That's it for now.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Wow, almost a month after I said I'll write a blog soon...bad me.
At work right now, but I finally found some time to try and write a little something.
What happened in April...hm...I really can't remember anything exciting happening in April.
In May, we traveled to Wyoming for Laura's walking and graduation for her Ph.D. Woohoo. She's not quite done yet, but basically. She defended her dissertation as well, like I knew she would. It was fun to visit Laramie again. I do miss that place. We ate a Prairie Rose for breakfast, it was windy, relatively crowded because it was graduation weekend, drove by our house which seemed like it wasn't "taken care of" all that well (from what we could see), and finally we hit up Vee Bar Ranch for dinner. It was good. Funny story incoming:
So, there was a big party of like 25 or something there we were sharing the grounds with...a couple of loud and annoying folk, but whatever. After the dinner we had a little music and hang out time in the saloon. We started playing Polish Poker and the 2-man band was playing music.
Since we got there after dinner, I thought it would be a good idea to ask Laura for a dance. I was waiting for the right moment (she was sitting across the table, so it was kinda hard to ask) and a few songs went by where nobody was dancing. A couple got up and danced to a slow song, so they took my "first dance" opportunity from me...whatever. Then a few more people with whom seemed like their grand kids got up and started dancing. After a couple of more songs and some break with dancing, the band said "This might be a good one to dance with your significant other." I didn't want to miss this one so I quietly asked Laura across the table and she snubbed me at first! I know we were both embarrassed but anyway. So after a couple exchanges of talk between her parents and such, we got up and after we did, a few more couples got up. Woot.
Anyway, onto late May and June. We've started packing slowly and we're moving along. Not the most favorite thing to do. Laura's been doing much of the packing, so. I'll be doing most of the packing into the truck, I reckon. :P
Well, short but sweet update. Gonna have to start looking for a job soon.......
At work right now, but I finally found some time to try and write a little something.
What happened in April...hm...I really can't remember anything exciting happening in April.
In May, we traveled to Wyoming for Laura's walking and graduation for her Ph.D. Woohoo. She's not quite done yet, but basically. She defended her dissertation as well, like I knew she would. It was fun to visit Laramie again. I do miss that place. We ate a Prairie Rose for breakfast, it was windy, relatively crowded because it was graduation weekend, drove by our house which seemed like it wasn't "taken care of" all that well (from what we could see), and finally we hit up Vee Bar Ranch for dinner. It was good. Funny story incoming:
So, there was a big party of like 25 or something there we were sharing the grounds with...a couple of loud and annoying folk, but whatever. After the dinner we had a little music and hang out time in the saloon. We started playing Polish Poker and the 2-man band was playing music.
Since we got there after dinner, I thought it would be a good idea to ask Laura for a dance. I was waiting for the right moment (she was sitting across the table, so it was kinda hard to ask) and a few songs went by where nobody was dancing. A couple got up and danced to a slow song, so they took my "first dance" opportunity from me...whatever. Then a few more people with whom seemed like their grand kids got up and started dancing. After a couple of more songs and some break with dancing, the band said "This might be a good one to dance with your significant other." I didn't want to miss this one so I quietly asked Laura across the table and she snubbed me at first! I know we were both embarrassed but anyway. So after a couple exchanges of talk between her parents and such, we got up and after we did, a few more couples got up. Woot.
Anyway, onto late May and June. We've started packing slowly and we're moving along. Not the most favorite thing to do. Laura's been doing much of the packing, so. I'll be doing most of the packing into the truck, I reckon. :P
Well, short but sweet update. Gonna have to start looking for a job soon.......
Friday, March 18, 2011
As it has already been 2 months, I'll give a quick update.
We are moving to Oklahoma City! In mid-August, that is. The couple of weeks leading up to decision day was stressful for Laura. The offers that she got at the most opportune times didn't help out, either. In the end, we decided we are going to try OKC out for a year and see how we like it. We both really like Portland, so, if fate has its way, I'm sure we'll find our way back here sometime.
We'll be moving in right at the height of Summer. Hopefully the house we rent will have ample cooling. There were a few days in Portland that were quite hot and muggy and we couldn't do anything about it, really.
What else. During this time, both the Motorola Xoom and iPad 2 was announced and already out. Despite my prediction in my last blog regarding tablets, I actually want one now...either of them, really. We had a chance to play with them at Crap Buy and they are appealing. It can easily replace a netbook, I think. I may try and find what I can sell of mine to get to buying it for essentially free. The Xoom, which I prefer, is $200 more than the iPad 2..ridiculous. And the iPad 2 is, well, an Apple product.
Tonight, we're going to try and head to a vigil at the Japanese Gardens. They asked me to lend/donate crane bouquets for this event and through March, so Laura and I scrambled to make a couple in such short notice. I delivered it yesterday and they will have it displayed during the vigil and next to the wish arbor they set up for visitors. Hopefully, I can snap a few pics when we go and hope it doesn't rain!
Thursday, January 06, 2011
I've been talking about tech predictions for this year. Here goes my picks:
- 3D will not be anywhere near as big as they tout it to be this year, both in the consumer TV market and the movie market. They just can't 3D-ify everything and expect it to be money-makers. I think the 3D sales will steadily go up until about mid-year and then start to decline.
- TV/entertainment content via the internet will be huge this year. With all the new-ish competitors starting to jump to this trend, I think it will be a nice win for the non-cable providers.
- I think Netflix will, at some point in the year, just add Blu-Ray renting for free alongside their normal DVD option, instead of the $2.99 they charge now.
- I don't think the tablet format is going to be a hit. Yes, the iPad and other tablets do look good, but I think in the end, netbooks or super light notebooks will begin to climb back up in sales again. Not sure how to explain it. I guess an analogy could be e-readers vs. books. There's just something about books that e-readers can't mimic. In the same way, I think people will just want to be typing on a keyboard, having DVD-ROM drives, etc. Besides, everyone's going to have a mini tablet via their fancy Android/iPhone phones anyway. :P
- Android will totally dominate the iPhone. :)
- I think Groupon is going to tank...relatively speaking. I just don't think it can keep growing like it did the last 2 years.
- I hate to say this, but I think Facebook.com may overtake Google.com as the #1 visited site on the internet.
- Although I love Google's innovation of the Chrome OS, working with everything via the cloud is, at least for this year, something that people won't be able to get used to. It's such a radical change. The mainstream couldn't handle that. Plus the inconvenience of needing an internet connection to sync and stuff like that is sort of burdensome.
- Car companies will be touting only slightly higher mpg...maybe just hitting 40 mpg...seriously, my turbo civic gets between 35-40 mpg on the highway and it's a '96! We should be at at least 50-60 for affordable (under $20k) , consumer cars by now.
- Yahoo! is just going to be even more horrible...
I'll stop with 10, I guess.
Friday, December 31, 2010
What a year 2010 has been. And another year that's passed by quicker than the previous years. I'm in Tulsa, OK per usual holiday fanfare. Let's take a quick look at the 2010, shall we?
(So I started this in Tulsa, but am finishing it up at our home in Portland. I just didn't have the time to finish it while on vacation)
Winter/Spring
Yikes. I'm still at TEM. We're still in Laramie, WY. I do miss Laramie, by the way. I'm not sure why, since the amenities here are SO much more. It kind of makes you think about the fact that it's not about the amenities or the material stuff that makes you like some place. It's those intangible things that you get attached to. Traffic? Psh. 5 cars at a light was traffic for us in Laramie. Now, it's tens and tens of cars per intersection and missing the friggin' light like 2-3, sometimes 4 times. The commute? It's multiplied by 10-15 times...used to be about 1.5 min, now it's 17 or so minutes, sometimes longer depending on construction, etc. I still remember when we found out we were going to be moving to Portland. It was very early morning and it took a bit for the news to sink in to both of us. All and all, I think it was a fine move. We just sort of miss Laramie is all. Laura not as much. I do think, though, that the big reason why I like it here is probably due to something that doesn't even have to do with Portland. The fact that we are renting a house with no shared walls with neighbors. I think that issue lifted off my shoulders would make me like wherever we ended up with, honestly.
Spring/Summer
My last day at TEM was 5/7/10. I remember writing out the letter I sent to everyone that worked there and got some nice responses back. Besides, back then, I was probably in the top 10 people who were there the longest. That's hard to say in that company. After I left, MANY of the old-timers had also left, including 2 others in fulfillment, giving Sven a hard time in the following 2-3 months, and a few others in sales and such...not to be the bragging type, but I wonder if their leaving had anything to do with me leaving? Who knows, but I can be optimistic on my end. So, the drive out to Portland was horrible, we all knew that from my blog post back in May. Not doing that again. or renting from Budget. Ever. The first week or two here was kind of rough. The next month was very boring while I tried to find work. I must say I played A LOT of World of Warcraft. Thankfully the job search went pretty fast considering the economy, which seems to be doing the same or worse at the moment. I am still regretting not going to the interview for the web design job for the technology non-profit, but man, what can I do now, right?
Summer/Fall
So, I've been working during this time while Laura had a nice little break from her work during July and half of August. There wasn't really much going on during this time. We had a lot of visitors, however. During the latter part of Summer, we probably had more visitors than we had during all of our time in Laramie...COINCIDENCE? I think not. The weather had been great all Summer, too. The rain and overcast hadn't really started to come until about October and even until November. It was an overall great first experience for us, which is probably why we started to like it so much. There were a couple of really hot days during which I really wished we had an air conditioner or at least a swamp cooler (and we sort of almost bought one), but it just didn't make sense to get one for 2-3 days of the year.
Fall/Winter
And bam, back to reality already. Mostly overcast, we do get a bit excited when the sun starts to shine, even for a couple of hours. We had a good Christmas holiday break, as well. Although, for some reason this year, I felt that we traveled "more" (despite taking the plane and kenneling the dogs) and accomplished a lot less during the vacation. Not sure why. It may have just been the combination of waking up early each day, having the days filled with "stuff" to do and the fact that we were only there like 5 days really if you consider the 2 days of travelling time at either end. We did get some cool gifts though, most notably my webcam that I hope to use for some projects in 2011.
So, what can you expect from me in 2011? I dunno. This upcoming year will be a bigger year than 2010 I know. There will be some exciting things happening, one of which MAY be another cross-country move...sigh. I HATE moving, but whatever. Still, we have well over half a year left in Portland to do more stuff. We really gotta get outdoor in 2011 more. It's been hard to do because we've both been "busy", in the sense that the day is consumed with work and when you get back, you just don't want to do anything and just relax and go to bed. I felt like we did do more outdoor stuff on the weekends in Laramie, but that's probably because the outdoor stuff was much closer. We still need to head up to the mountains to the east of us and we'll need to visit some coastal areas as well. The thing is, it just takes so long to get to the southern coast area that we need to spend a weekend doing it and that means usually kenneling the dogs. Now that we've found a good kennel, maybe we'll start planning more. We need to take Deni's parents' cabin offer, as well.
To finish this off, I enjoyed 2010 and all that it had to offer. Let's hope for some surprises in 2011!
(So I started this in Tulsa, but am finishing it up at our home in Portland. I just didn't have the time to finish it while on vacation)
Winter/Spring
Yikes. I'm still at TEM. We're still in Laramie, WY. I do miss Laramie, by the way. I'm not sure why, since the amenities here are SO much more. It kind of makes you think about the fact that it's not about the amenities or the material stuff that makes you like some place. It's those intangible things that you get attached to. Traffic? Psh. 5 cars at a light was traffic for us in Laramie. Now, it's tens and tens of cars per intersection and missing the friggin' light like 2-3, sometimes 4 times. The commute? It's multiplied by 10-15 times...used to be about 1.5 min, now it's 17 or so minutes, sometimes longer depending on construction, etc. I still remember when we found out we were going to be moving to Portland. It was very early morning and it took a bit for the news to sink in to both of us. All and all, I think it was a fine move. We just sort of miss Laramie is all. Laura not as much. I do think, though, that the big reason why I like it here is probably due to something that doesn't even have to do with Portland. The fact that we are renting a house with no shared walls with neighbors. I think that issue lifted off my shoulders would make me like wherever we ended up with, honestly.
Spring/Summer
My last day at TEM was 5/7/10. I remember writing out the letter I sent to everyone that worked there and got some nice responses back. Besides, back then, I was probably in the top 10 people who were there the longest. That's hard to say in that company. After I left, MANY of the old-timers had also left, including 2 others in fulfillment, giving Sven a hard time in the following 2-3 months, and a few others in sales and such...not to be the bragging type, but I wonder if their leaving had anything to do with me leaving? Who knows, but I can be optimistic on my end. So, the drive out to Portland was horrible, we all knew that from my blog post back in May. Not doing that again. or renting from Budget. Ever. The first week or two here was kind of rough. The next month was very boring while I tried to find work. I must say I played A LOT of World of Warcraft. Thankfully the job search went pretty fast considering the economy, which seems to be doing the same or worse at the moment. I am still regretting not going to the interview for the web design job for the technology non-profit, but man, what can I do now, right?
Summer/Fall
So, I've been working during this time while Laura had a nice little break from her work during July and half of August. There wasn't really much going on during this time. We had a lot of visitors, however. During the latter part of Summer, we probably had more visitors than we had during all of our time in Laramie...COINCIDENCE? I think not. The weather had been great all Summer, too. The rain and overcast hadn't really started to come until about October and even until November. It was an overall great first experience for us, which is probably why we started to like it so much. There were a couple of really hot days during which I really wished we had an air conditioner or at least a swamp cooler (and we sort of almost bought one), but it just didn't make sense to get one for 2-3 days of the year.
Fall/Winter
And bam, back to reality already. Mostly overcast, we do get a bit excited when the sun starts to shine, even for a couple of hours. We had a good Christmas holiday break, as well. Although, for some reason this year, I felt that we traveled "more" (despite taking the plane and kenneling the dogs) and accomplished a lot less during the vacation. Not sure why. It may have just been the combination of waking up early each day, having the days filled with "stuff" to do and the fact that we were only there like 5 days really if you consider the 2 days of travelling time at either end. We did get some cool gifts though, most notably my webcam that I hope to use for some projects in 2011.
So, what can you expect from me in 2011? I dunno. This upcoming year will be a bigger year than 2010 I know. There will be some exciting things happening, one of which MAY be another cross-country move...sigh. I HATE moving, but whatever. Still, we have well over half a year left in Portland to do more stuff. We really gotta get outdoor in 2011 more. It's been hard to do because we've both been "busy", in the sense that the day is consumed with work and when you get back, you just don't want to do anything and just relax and go to bed. I felt like we did do more outdoor stuff on the weekends in Laramie, but that's probably because the outdoor stuff was much closer. We still need to head up to the mountains to the east of us and we'll need to visit some coastal areas as well. The thing is, it just takes so long to get to the southern coast area that we need to spend a weekend doing it and that means usually kenneling the dogs. Now that we've found a good kennel, maybe we'll start planning more. We need to take Deni's parents' cabin offer, as well.
To finish this off, I enjoyed 2010 and all that it had to offer. Let's hope for some surprises in 2011!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Time for an update.
Recently, I was pulling on my collar bone for fun...yes, for fun, and now I'm paying for it. Apparently the joint that connects the collarbone to the ribcage, though pretty strong, isn't as strong as I thought. It's been hurting there for a couple of weeks now, finally getting better. Well, I won't do that again!
Autumn is definitely here in Portland. Overcast, cold and damp. That is all.
We are going to eat at De-shits tonight with Laura's graduate friends. I'll probably get the fish and chips. Hopefully it's not crowded, though I'm sure it will be considering it's Halloween Friday. I hope we have/get a reservation.
Been working on a website very recently for a director doing her first directorial debut. I think it'll be fun. I'm currently just waiting for some content like photos/videos to put on to the site.
Nothing else really new. Just chugging along. I can't believe it's almost November. Time has flown by since we've moved here.
Recently, I was pulling on my collar bone for fun...yes, for fun, and now I'm paying for it. Apparently the joint that connects the collarbone to the ribcage, though pretty strong, isn't as strong as I thought. It's been hurting there for a couple of weeks now, finally getting better. Well, I won't do that again!
Autumn is definitely here in Portland. Overcast, cold and damp. That is all.
We are going to eat at De-shits tonight with Laura's graduate friends. I'll probably get the fish and chips. Hopefully it's not crowded, though I'm sure it will be considering it's Halloween Friday. I hope we have/get a reservation.
Been working on a website very recently for a director doing her first directorial debut. I think it'll be fun. I'm currently just waiting for some content like photos/videos to put on to the site.
Nothing else really new. Just chugging along. I can't believe it's almost November. Time has flown by since we've moved here.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
2 months already? Wow.
Sad to say nothing has really happened. We've been having a lot of visitors lately. Late August, Kelly and Ryan and Wesley came to visit. It was a short visit, so we couldn't do much, but it was a fun time. Now, Laura's parent's and a friend are visiting for about 2 weeks. Then a week after they leave, my Mom is coming out for a couple of days.
I think that's it for visits for a while.
Been productive in the realm of hygiene and health, lately, mainly because it's free/cheap. I've had a dentist appointment, all free thanks to insurance. I had an eye exam and am getting, gasp, glasses in a week or so. Not sure how much I'll wear them, but, we'll see. During the test, I could see pretty clearly, though. Crazy.
Other than that, work is chugging along. Still watching Netflix. Still surfing. My WoW subscription is expiring, whoa, today! I thought today was the 3rd or something, but apparently it's the 5th. Okay, then, no more WoW for now, I guess.
We've been trying to budget recently as well, in terms of saving and stuff. We got a basic plan going, but we're already spending a little out of the budget. Ugh. Hard to do when you see something cheap and just want to buy it. We just need to win the lottery. That would be awesome.
It's been super cold the last couple of days, at night mostly. It's weird how in Laramie, 30 would be WARM at times, but it's like 60s out and I'm shivering. I turned on the heat to 66 today to keep it warm for the dogs. I think Kip was cold through the night too, because he's been wanting up to sleep next to Laura the last couple of nights. Callie is fine. She's always panting anyway.
Fall colors are starting to come and looks like just around when my Mom visits, the Japanese Garden should be in full Fall bloom. That will be cool to see and photograph.
I haven't photographed much lately, either. It could be partly due to motivation, partly due to not have a photography partner to compare photos and techniques with (at least, not locally), partly not knowing where the good places are, and, finally, partly not knowing what I'm "into" at the moment. I want to move out of the nature thing for a little bit, and do some urban architecture type stuff. Old buildings, deserted buildings, the like. I did see a cool like "dirt road" right by our house I want to photography sometime in the morning when it's foggy out. I like those kinds of shots.
Well, better get back to work, lol.
Sad to say nothing has really happened. We've been having a lot of visitors lately. Late August, Kelly and Ryan and Wesley came to visit. It was a short visit, so we couldn't do much, but it was a fun time. Now, Laura's parent's and a friend are visiting for about 2 weeks. Then a week after they leave, my Mom is coming out for a couple of days.
I think that's it for visits for a while.
Been productive in the realm of hygiene and health, lately, mainly because it's free/cheap. I've had a dentist appointment, all free thanks to insurance. I had an eye exam and am getting, gasp, glasses in a week or so. Not sure how much I'll wear them, but, we'll see. During the test, I could see pretty clearly, though. Crazy.
Other than that, work is chugging along. Still watching Netflix. Still surfing. My WoW subscription is expiring, whoa, today! I thought today was the 3rd or something, but apparently it's the 5th. Okay, then, no more WoW for now, I guess.
We've been trying to budget recently as well, in terms of saving and stuff. We got a basic plan going, but we're already spending a little out of the budget. Ugh. Hard to do when you see something cheap and just want to buy it. We just need to win the lottery. That would be awesome.
It's been super cold the last couple of days, at night mostly. It's weird how in Laramie, 30 would be WARM at times, but it's like 60s out and I'm shivering. I turned on the heat to 66 today to keep it warm for the dogs. I think Kip was cold through the night too, because he's been wanting up to sleep next to Laura the last couple of nights. Callie is fine. She's always panting anyway.
Fall colors are starting to come and looks like just around when my Mom visits, the Japanese Garden should be in full Fall bloom. That will be cool to see and photograph.
I haven't photographed much lately, either. It could be partly due to motivation, partly due to not have a photography partner to compare photos and techniques with (at least, not locally), partly not knowing where the good places are, and, finally, partly not knowing what I'm "into" at the moment. I want to move out of the nature thing for a little bit, and do some urban architecture type stuff. Old buildings, deserted buildings, the like. I did see a cool like "dirt road" right by our house I want to photography sometime in the morning when it's foggy out. I like those kinds of shots.
Well, better get back to work, lol.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Okay, back.
I was going to podcast with TJ tonight, but I just didn't get the time. Hopefully soon like over the weekend.
Anyway, to continue my story. After the whole Budget thing passed, things were good and fun. Chris and Alicia was visiting for a few more days of vacation. We hit one of the coasts, Tillamook and the cheese factory (had an awesome grilled cheese sandwich there), Japanese Garden, 4th of July fireworks, etc. Overall it was a fun time and was good to see them since we won't as frequently. They just moved about 10 minutes from where they used to be.
After they left and a couple of days had passed, Laura's parents and Ellen visited for a week. Between that time, Laura and I (her mostly) scrambled to get the entire moving thing done with and unpacked. We barely made it, but there are still lots of boxes in the garage. Probably will stay that way for a while.
Work is, well, going. That's about it on that topic.
We've been into Netflix a lot lately, primarily because a) we don't have digital cable anymore, just basic with like 15 channels and only 1 is even worth watching (Discovery) and b) we are using the 2-month gift certificate TJ got us. We like it, especially the instant watch stuff.
TJ just moved to Atlanta. I think they are doing well despite them having a little struggle with the first house they chose, but things are looking up.
What else...dunno, really. The daily routine has been pretty set for the last month or so, but now that Laura is going to be working too, I think things will need to adjust a bit. The dogs are going to be very bored every day now that we will leave them by themselves from approximately 7:30 to 4:45pm or something.
I just finished Sarah's wedding video and Laura will be shipping them off tomorrow. I think it came out okay, considering the limited amount of footage that I had to work with. While doing it, I started to really want to video weddings, perhaps for side money, but it's hard because I'm sure clients would want a better looking camera than my small, flash, handheld. At the VERY least, I wish it were HD. The low light quality isn't too good on this cam, either. But, yeah, we'll see how that pans out. I really like doing stuff like that. In that way, I do miss my old job, being so computer-oriented and all. Fulfillment, however, after next Tuesday, is going to get hit HARD with reality...I don't feel bad, though.
Oh, Saturday we celebrated our 2-year anniversary by going to this Japanese restaurant on the East side. It was super good except for getting the check. It took like 15 minutes because our waitress totally forgot about us. Oh well...still good food, I guess.
Here's to many more years!
I was going to podcast with TJ tonight, but I just didn't get the time. Hopefully soon like over the weekend.
Anyway, to continue my story. After the whole Budget thing passed, things were good and fun. Chris and Alicia was visiting for a few more days of vacation. We hit one of the coasts, Tillamook and the cheese factory (had an awesome grilled cheese sandwich there), Japanese Garden, 4th of July fireworks, etc. Overall it was a fun time and was good to see them since we won't as frequently. They just moved about 10 minutes from where they used to be.
After they left and a couple of days had passed, Laura's parents and Ellen visited for a week. Between that time, Laura and I (her mostly) scrambled to get the entire moving thing done with and unpacked. We barely made it, but there are still lots of boxes in the garage. Probably will stay that way for a while.
Work is, well, going. That's about it on that topic.
We've been into Netflix a lot lately, primarily because a) we don't have digital cable anymore, just basic with like 15 channels and only 1 is even worth watching (Discovery) and b) we are using the 2-month gift certificate TJ got us. We like it, especially the instant watch stuff.
TJ just moved to Atlanta. I think they are doing well despite them having a little struggle with the first house they chose, but things are looking up.
What else...dunno, really. The daily routine has been pretty set for the last month or so, but now that Laura is going to be working too, I think things will need to adjust a bit. The dogs are going to be very bored every day now that we will leave them by themselves from approximately 7:30 to 4:45pm or something.
I just finished Sarah's wedding video and Laura will be shipping them off tomorrow. I think it came out okay, considering the limited amount of footage that I had to work with. While doing it, I started to really want to video weddings, perhaps for side money, but it's hard because I'm sure clients would want a better looking camera than my small, flash, handheld. At the VERY least, I wish it were HD. The low light quality isn't too good on this cam, either. But, yeah, we'll see how that pans out. I really like doing stuff like that. In that way, I do miss my old job, being so computer-oriented and all. Fulfillment, however, after next Tuesday, is going to get hit HARD with reality...I don't feel bad, though.
Oh, Saturday we celebrated our 2-year anniversary by going to this Japanese restaurant on the East side. It was super good except for getting the check. It took like 15 minutes because our waitress totally forgot about us. Oh well...still good food, I guess.
Here's to many more years!
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Whoa, I cannot believe that over a month has gone by since my last post. Seriously, I thought it was only a week or two ago...time flies. So let's recap from just before Laura and the dogs moved here.
1. The shuttle ride was fine, the airplane ride was fine. Laura and company picked me up at the airport and went home. We were all pretty tired at that point.
2. Next day we get the Budget truck...oh my, if I had known the horror of this Budget truck, I would not have gone with Budget ever, even if it was saving a couple of hundred dollars.We start packing. Time progresses and we seem to barely make a dent by 12pm when Denis arrives to help us pack. I will admit that without him, we would not have been able to pack that truck how we did. For the 2 houses we loaded, the 24' truck was barely enough. Anywho, our house was finished into the truck around 4pm. We started around 9:30 I think...damn. We were tired and we still had Christina's house to do. It was much smaller, so we got it finished quick, around 6:30pm or so I think. We all took a break afterward and went to Corona Village for our last meal in Laramie.
3. We leave around 6:45am or so. We should have noted the slight gas leak from the Budget truck. That wasn't what hindered our progress, though. Our truck was a piece of shit. Literally. After some jerking car movements starting out, it smoothed out about an hour into the trip. Max speed? It was governed at 70mph...okay, whatever. It was a huge truck anyway, it couldn't go much over that. At times, we were going 35 up hills.
4. After a LONG day of driving, we stopped at La Grande, OR around 8 or 9pm. Exhausted, we found a hotel, got some food, and went to bed. This 24' truck is a bitch to drive, however. I do not recommend it if at all possible.
5. The second day was the worst. Truck was starting to struggle. After a few hours, we entered Washington and the Seattle area. I was dreading driving this monster to that downtown area...my worst nightmare was coming true. We actually got to the house quite smoothly, despite the numerous turns, bridges, and streets we had to take. After a bit of maneuvering, we parked down a TIGHT alley and started unloading. That took like an hour. So much faster to unload than load. Anyway, that was done, but my worst was yet to come.
6. We left for Portland shortly after. I was able to get out of the alley way after almost tipping the truck turning left.The downtown was HORRIBLE. Probably not bad if you're in car or just walking around but driving that POS truck through the worst part of downtown, not knowing where to go, having Chris read shitty ass directions, things go downhill quick. All in all, we were able to get out of the downtown area fairly unscathed.
7. It was an hour, however, before we were rolling again since it was crazy bad traffic.Then it happened...the first of 5 or 6. The truck just fricken stopped while going like 20. I was like, um, wtf? I pulled off into the shoulder. I didn't know what was going on. It would not start again unless I took the keys completely out. I turned it on again and it worked...we thought it was just a weird fluke...yeah right. We drive fine for another couple until we get to the WA/OR border.Traffic again. Bam, truck stops again...I'm running out of shoulders to stop into...I just pull to the side. I do again what I did near Seattle. I can feel it dying...I was about to break down. Being helpless like that, in traffic mind you, in a place I don't know much about, SUCKS. We get off and drive around...not sure what we were doing, but just slowly getting down to our house. I needed gas. I decided to get some at the Shell I think. Oh, I try to fit into this side pump...BAM, I hit the concrete barriers to keep the pumps say...LUCKILY, I only just hit it with the wheel...I was so close to hitting that pump...we pay and fill up...I don't know what to do. It's going to keep stopping like this randomly...that's the worst part. I don't know when it's going to happen.
8. We get on to the highway...it starts stopping. We try to stay low speeds, but that's not the reason why it's shutting down. Chris suggested to manually switch gears from 1 through 3. The idea worked, because we figured the automatic transmission was crapping out. It made sense. It didn't "stop" until we finally go home...it was the longest 8 or 10 miles of my life. Going 35-40 miles in heavy traffic. Damn.
9. We finally get home...it was like 6pm or something. We all just get a breather.We didn't do anything but eat and go to bed that night because I still had to work the next day. They unloaded everything actually that next day. I came home to finish up the armoir. I still had to drop the truck off. Well...I decided to just do this thing and leave it over the weekend. Around 8pm, I get in the truck...one more hurdle. I still had to fill the truck up. I drive to the first couple of stations. No diesel...I ask and get to the Chevron. I fill up. We start heading to the drop off location. Bam, stops again 2 or 3 times just before the last few turns. I am begging to just let me out of this nightmare.We get there, park, and never see it again.
Gist? Go U-Haul.
I'll continue this story tomorrow. Time to watch a movie since it's 10pm.
Brake repairs, possible podcasting, doc's appointment, oh my!
Well, today I got my car back
1. The shuttle ride was fine, the airplane ride was fine. Laura and company picked me up at the airport and went home. We were all pretty tired at that point.
2. Next day we get the Budget truck...oh my, if I had known the horror of this Budget truck, I would not have gone with Budget ever, even if it was saving a couple of hundred dollars.We start packing. Time progresses and we seem to barely make a dent by 12pm when Denis arrives to help us pack. I will admit that without him, we would not have been able to pack that truck how we did. For the 2 houses we loaded, the 24' truck was barely enough. Anywho, our house was finished into the truck around 4pm. We started around 9:30 I think...damn. We were tired and we still had Christina's house to do. It was much smaller, so we got it finished quick, around 6:30pm or so I think. We all took a break afterward and went to Corona Village for our last meal in Laramie.
3. We leave around 6:45am or so. We should have noted the slight gas leak from the Budget truck. That wasn't what hindered our progress, though. Our truck was a piece of shit. Literally. After some jerking car movements starting out, it smoothed out about an hour into the trip. Max speed? It was governed at 70mph...okay, whatever. It was a huge truck anyway, it couldn't go much over that. At times, we were going 35 up hills.
4. After a LONG day of driving, we stopped at La Grande, OR around 8 or 9pm. Exhausted, we found a hotel, got some food, and went to bed. This 24' truck is a bitch to drive, however. I do not recommend it if at all possible.
5. The second day was the worst. Truck was starting to struggle. After a few hours, we entered Washington and the Seattle area. I was dreading driving this monster to that downtown area...my worst nightmare was coming true. We actually got to the house quite smoothly, despite the numerous turns, bridges, and streets we had to take. After a bit of maneuvering, we parked down a TIGHT alley and started unloading. That took like an hour. So much faster to unload than load. Anyway, that was done, but my worst was yet to come.
6. We left for Portland shortly after. I was able to get out of the alley way after almost tipping the truck turning left.The downtown was HORRIBLE. Probably not bad if you're in car or just walking around but driving that POS truck through the worst part of downtown, not knowing where to go, having Chris read shitty ass directions, things go downhill quick. All in all, we were able to get out of the downtown area fairly unscathed.
7. It was an hour, however, before we were rolling again since it was crazy bad traffic.Then it happened...the first of 5 or 6. The truck just fricken stopped while going like 20. I was like, um, wtf? I pulled off into the shoulder. I didn't know what was going on. It would not start again unless I took the keys completely out. I turned it on again and it worked...we thought it was just a weird fluke...yeah right. We drive fine for another couple until we get to the WA/OR border.Traffic again. Bam, truck stops again...I'm running out of shoulders to stop into...I just pull to the side. I do again what I did near Seattle. I can feel it dying...I was about to break down. Being helpless like that, in traffic mind you, in a place I don't know much about, SUCKS. We get off and drive around...not sure what we were doing, but just slowly getting down to our house. I needed gas. I decided to get some at the Shell I think. Oh, I try to fit into this side pump...BAM, I hit the concrete barriers to keep the pumps say...LUCKILY, I only just hit it with the wheel...I was so close to hitting that pump...we pay and fill up...I don't know what to do. It's going to keep stopping like this randomly...that's the worst part. I don't know when it's going to happen.
8. We get on to the highway...it starts stopping. We try to stay low speeds, but that's not the reason why it's shutting down. Chris suggested to manually switch gears from 1 through 3. The idea worked, because we figured the automatic transmission was crapping out. It made sense. It didn't "stop" until we finally go home...it was the longest 8 or 10 miles of my life. Going 35-40 miles in heavy traffic. Damn.
9. We finally get home...it was like 6pm or something. We all just get a breather.We didn't do anything but eat and go to bed that night because I still had to work the next day. They unloaded everything actually that next day. I came home to finish up the armoir. I still had to drop the truck off. Well...I decided to just do this thing and leave it over the weekend. Around 8pm, I get in the truck...one more hurdle. I still had to fill the truck up. I drive to the first couple of stations. No diesel...I ask and get to the Chevron. I fill up. We start heading to the drop off location. Bam, stops again 2 or 3 times just before the last few turns. I am begging to just let me out of this nightmare.We get there, park, and never see it again.
Gist? Go U-Haul.
I'll continue this story tomorrow. Time to watch a movie since it's 10pm.
Brake repairs, possible podcasting, doc's appointment, oh my!
Well, today I got my car back
Sunday, June 27, 2010
I figured I should go to sleep at a "reasonable" hour today since I stayed up until about midnight last night. Anywho, 2 more days until I see Laura and the dogs! Can't wait. Decided I will be parking my car at the parking garage and taking the shuttle from downtown to the airport. It's only $14, so that's cool. I'll leave work a bit early at like 4pm or so, just to make sure I account for enough time considering there could be traffic and such. The shuttle leaves every half hour so I'll take the 4:30 on I suppose. I have to walk down to the river to the Marriott since it leaves from there.
I thought of taping the entire drive from Laramie > Seattle > Portland. Figured why not. I'll try and use the power inverter...well, actually, I definitely need to use it anyway since the battery will only last like a couple of hours at most. The card in the camera at the lowest setting will only record about 5 hours, so I'll need to download it to my netbook every 5 hours. There will be a few minutes of "blank" in between, but that's okay.
I cleaned the cabinets and put together the bed more securely and put the sheets on today. Everything else is ready to go, pretty much. When they arrive, I want to mop the hardwood floors since it smells weird and vacuum up a few places, mainly the corner where all the dead ants are. I can't quite get them with the small vacuum I have and there's no hose attachment. I mowed the lawn on Thursday and it looks good. Although, now I wish I had mowed it tomorrow, so it'll stay nice when everyone arrives. I'll probably have to mow it again next weekend, like Saturday. The cool thing was that after I mowed the lawn, I wasn't tired at all. Just sweaty. It was weird because the last time I mowed it, which was just about 2 weeks ago, I almost died. I haven't really done anything special since then. I have been walking a lot during lunch to find places to eat. Maybe that's why.
We're going to try and hit the beach when Chris and Alicia visit. Tillamook and a spot up north maybe and then back. I keep forgetting that it's the weekend of the 4th, so it will probably be crowded-ish everywhere anyway. Tomorrow I may look for "places" to watch fireworks. I did see a few fireworks stands around town, so it seems as though it's not prohibited to use like Laramie. Dunno for sure, though.
I'm not looking forward to this drive, though. The side trip to Seattle kinda sucks, because without it, we can easily get into Portland/our house by early afternoon on Thursday, but it's going to be the evening...perhaps even later because we just might hit rush hour in Portland. And on top of that, I need to work the next day early. It is just going to be a crappy few days.
Well, gonna head to bed.
I thought of taping the entire drive from Laramie > Seattle > Portland. Figured why not. I'll try and use the power inverter...well, actually, I definitely need to use it anyway since the battery will only last like a couple of hours at most. The card in the camera at the lowest setting will only record about 5 hours, so I'll need to download it to my netbook every 5 hours. There will be a few minutes of "blank" in between, but that's okay.
I cleaned the cabinets and put together the bed more securely and put the sheets on today. Everything else is ready to go, pretty much. When they arrive, I want to mop the hardwood floors since it smells weird and vacuum up a few places, mainly the corner where all the dead ants are. I can't quite get them with the small vacuum I have and there's no hose attachment. I mowed the lawn on Thursday and it looks good. Although, now I wish I had mowed it tomorrow, so it'll stay nice when everyone arrives. I'll probably have to mow it again next weekend, like Saturday. The cool thing was that after I mowed the lawn, I wasn't tired at all. Just sweaty. It was weird because the last time I mowed it, which was just about 2 weeks ago, I almost died. I haven't really done anything special since then. I have been walking a lot during lunch to find places to eat. Maybe that's why.
We're going to try and hit the beach when Chris and Alicia visit. Tillamook and a spot up north maybe and then back. I keep forgetting that it's the weekend of the 4th, so it will probably be crowded-ish everywhere anyway. Tomorrow I may look for "places" to watch fireworks. I did see a few fireworks stands around town, so it seems as though it's not prohibited to use like Laramie. Dunno for sure, though.
I'm not looking forward to this drive, though. The side trip to Seattle kinda sucks, because without it, we can easily get into Portland/our house by early afternoon on Thursday, but it's going to be the evening...perhaps even later because we just might hit rush hour in Portland. And on top of that, I need to work the next day early. It is just going to be a crappy few days.
Well, gonna head to bed.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Been into more blogging as of late. Probably because of the lack of stuff to do. My WoW subscription ran out, but not renewing it for a while (ever?) since the next couple of weeks/months are going to be busy in terms of guests, work, unpacking, etc. The expansion will probably come out this Winter again, but who knows...maybe I won't get it. StarCraft 2 is coming out at the end of July and that seems pretty cool too.
In other news, I can't believe it's already time for Laura to move out. It has been over 1 month, 5 weeks in fact. Not looking forward to the drive again, but it will be good to have her here. I'm pretty sure there are gophers in our yard...I've been hesitant to buy gopher killer just yet. Maybe the dogs will get them out of here. Laura called to tell me that Kip did a stupid thing today...that dog is dumb.
But, like I told Laura, I'm starting to like working downtown. I think it is because it's just a "better" downtown than Denver is. I dunno, I suppose I only saw the 16th Street area of Denver, really, but since that area sucked in my mind, the entire city did...and I'm sure I'm right. Walking around Portland is pretty cool because of all the 1-block large "parks" that are scattered all over. So far I've eaten lunch at a couple of locations. Weird eating by myself, so hopefully Laura can start eating lunch with me soon. Different areas have these water sculptures and architecture that some person did for all the parks or something.
Anyway, gonna go. The day's been "full", to say the least. I wake up at around 7am, leave around 7:40am, come back at like 5:30pm. It's like, I'm a working man...or something. The dogs are going to hate being left alone for that long. I wish we could leave the doggie door open, but I have a feeling they could possibly get out somehow or bark a lot.
In other news, I can't believe it's already time for Laura to move out. It has been over 1 month, 5 weeks in fact. Not looking forward to the drive again, but it will be good to have her here. I'm pretty sure there are gophers in our yard...I've been hesitant to buy gopher killer just yet. Maybe the dogs will get them out of here. Laura called to tell me that Kip did a stupid thing today...that dog is dumb.
But, like I told Laura, I'm starting to like working downtown. I think it is because it's just a "better" downtown than Denver is. I dunno, I suppose I only saw the 16th Street area of Denver, really, but since that area sucked in my mind, the entire city did...and I'm sure I'm right. Walking around Portland is pretty cool because of all the 1-block large "parks" that are scattered all over. So far I've eaten lunch at a couple of locations. Weird eating by myself, so hopefully Laura can start eating lunch with me soon. Different areas have these water sculptures and architecture that some person did for all the parks or something.
Anyway, gonna go. The day's been "full", to say the least. I wake up at around 7am, leave around 7:40am, come back at like 5:30pm. It's like, I'm a working man...or something. The dogs are going to hate being left alone for that long. I wish we could leave the doggie door open, but I have a feeling they could possibly get out somehow or bark a lot.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
So, I figured this would be a worthy topic, if any, for a blog. Recently, I had received a call from a guy in LA regarding something. Actually, let me back up. He had originally called Steve (of all people) to relay the message to me about something. I got an e-mail from my sister and also from my Mom. Anyway, this guy was an old friend of my Dad 15+ years ago. Obviously, they still are, but anyway, he called me to let me know that my Dad was in critically condition at the hospital, unconscious. I'm not totally sure what the prognosis was, but fairly serious. After a couple of awkward calls back and forth trying to find out the condition, where he was, etc., (all this in 50/50 Japanese and English, mind you), I let my Mom know about it because he had not called her yet. After she talked to him, she assumed that it was another 'panic attack' or something. A few days later, she had received a call from the guy again saying my Dad had passed away. my Mom called me crying a little bit to let me know. Although she had a grudge and all, she was glad that he passed away without any pain. This was a couple of weeks ago...god, I should remember the day he died, at least.
This brings me to a strange point. I'm not sure whether to consider this a common/uncommon scenario, probably an uncommon one, but I don't know the facts to back that up. The issue is that I'm not sure whether to be sad or not. Honestly, I didn't really see or remember my Dad growing up. I'm not sure what he was doing all the time, but I just think something is wrong there. I'm sure most people remember growing up with their parents, minus the ones who had family issues and what not. I guess I fall somewhere in between. I can only remember a handful of memories with my Dad, few enough that I can mention them briefly here:
1. I remember going to his work once (well, a few times, as we would stop by there in our trips to LA to go grocery shopping and after my Japanese school and stuff) at Nevada Bob's. Never knew the reason behind that naming. I can't remember how old I was, but I can vaguely remember the shop layout. I'm still not sure what he did.
2. I remember him buying me a Gameboy when it first came out. Not the color version, not the smaller version, but the first one ever. It was the morning of my birthday and I woke up and he gave me the Gameboy. Wow, actually, now I can't remember if it was a Gameboy or the new Donkey Kong video game. Pretty sure it was the Gameboy, because now I remember being with my Dad at the store buying a Donkey Kong game. I remember talking about how my Mom wouldn't be happy if he got that and to keep it a secret or something.
3. I remember him working on the little closed off area he made at the Fontana house one night. I was playing outside and riding my bike and I came home to it. Not sure why I remember that.
4. A few times I remember my Mom and Dad fighting downstairs and this one distinct time I remember yelling "Stop yelling (or fighting?)!" at the top of my lungs at the top of the stairs. And then I went back to my room. It was weird to say the least. I probably skipped a lot of it, them fighting that is, since I tended to just stay in my room and keep myself occupied, playing video games and watching Doraemon movies.
5. I played 9 holes of golf with him at the course I took 2 golf lessons at. It was him and his friend and me. I really can't remember it well, but I remember him impressed that I was getting good. I don't even know how it got scheduled.
6. The last memory I had of him was after my parents separated and he was living in an apartment a couple of cities over from Fontana. We visited for some reason, I can't remember why, but I remember walking in and just taking a look around. We weren't there long. I do remember my Mom and I making fun of him because he was wearing jeans, which he never did and which was something he said he'd never do.
7. When my Dad and his friends were playing Mahjong one night at the Fontana house, they were playing until really late and I actually fell asleep in the dining room and sort of half awake when he picked me up to put me in bed.
There you go...the only times I can remember...I'm sure I can think of a few more if I really tried, but it's not worth it to do so.
So, put yourself in that situation...would you be sad for losing someone that you didn't really know? Sure, it's my Dad, but it just seemed that way because a piece of paper said so. I never talked to him since that time at the apartment and that was close to 15+ years ago. It's just hard to feel sad for someone, despite being your father, you never hung out with, talked with, learned from, and so forth.
Anyway, my Mom and I will probably visit the grave sometime soon once she finds out where it is. There was a funeral not too long ago, but decided not to go because it would have just been awkward. The guy calling was weird too. He was asking if I was going to come out to see him and stuff, but I was like, um...yeah, I can try (knowing that I wouldn't). I figured it wasn't the time or place to let him know that I didn't really care at this point. I guess this guy used to play Mahjong a lot at the Fontana house...I can remember a couple of times when they played in the kitchen until late at night. Oh, I remember one other memory (added #7).
So, whether or not I should feel sad or upset, I'll never know, I guess. Figured I should put this before I forget.
Oh, and this is my 500th post!
This brings me to a strange point. I'm not sure whether to consider this a common/uncommon scenario, probably an uncommon one, but I don't know the facts to back that up. The issue is that I'm not sure whether to be sad or not. Honestly, I didn't really see or remember my Dad growing up. I'm not sure what he was doing all the time, but I just think something is wrong there. I'm sure most people remember growing up with their parents, minus the ones who had family issues and what not. I guess I fall somewhere in between. I can only remember a handful of memories with my Dad, few enough that I can mention them briefly here:
1. I remember going to his work once (well, a few times, as we would stop by there in our trips to LA to go grocery shopping and after my Japanese school and stuff) at Nevada Bob's. Never knew the reason behind that naming. I can't remember how old I was, but I can vaguely remember the shop layout. I'm still not sure what he did.
2. I remember him buying me a Gameboy when it first came out. Not the color version, not the smaller version, but the first one ever. It was the morning of my birthday and I woke up and he gave me the Gameboy. Wow, actually, now I can't remember if it was a Gameboy or the new Donkey Kong video game. Pretty sure it was the Gameboy, because now I remember being with my Dad at the store buying a Donkey Kong game. I remember talking about how my Mom wouldn't be happy if he got that and to keep it a secret or something.
3. I remember him working on the little closed off area he made at the Fontana house one night. I was playing outside and riding my bike and I came home to it. Not sure why I remember that.
4. A few times I remember my Mom and Dad fighting downstairs and this one distinct time I remember yelling "Stop yelling (or fighting?)!" at the top of my lungs at the top of the stairs. And then I went back to my room. It was weird to say the least. I probably skipped a lot of it, them fighting that is, since I tended to just stay in my room and keep myself occupied, playing video games and watching Doraemon movies.
5. I played 9 holes of golf with him at the course I took 2 golf lessons at. It was him and his friend and me. I really can't remember it well, but I remember him impressed that I was getting good. I don't even know how it got scheduled.
6. The last memory I had of him was after my parents separated and he was living in an apartment a couple of cities over from Fontana. We visited for some reason, I can't remember why, but I remember walking in and just taking a look around. We weren't there long. I do remember my Mom and I making fun of him because he was wearing jeans, which he never did and which was something he said he'd never do.
7. When my Dad and his friends were playing Mahjong one night at the Fontana house, they were playing until really late and I actually fell asleep in the dining room and sort of half awake when he picked me up to put me in bed.
There you go...the only times I can remember...I'm sure I can think of a few more if I really tried, but it's not worth it to do so.
So, put yourself in that situation...would you be sad for losing someone that you didn't really know? Sure, it's my Dad, but it just seemed that way because a piece of paper said so. I never talked to him since that time at the apartment and that was close to 15+ years ago. It's just hard to feel sad for someone, despite being your father, you never hung out with, talked with, learned from, and so forth.
Anyway, my Mom and I will probably visit the grave sometime soon once she finds out where it is. There was a funeral not too long ago, but decided not to go because it would have just been awkward. The guy calling was weird too. He was asking if I was going to come out to see him and stuff, but I was like, um...yeah, I can try (knowing that I wouldn't). I figured it wasn't the time or place to let him know that I didn't really care at this point. I guess this guy used to play Mahjong a lot at the Fontana house...I can remember a couple of times when they played in the kitchen until late at night. Oh, I remember one other memory (added #7).
So, whether or not I should feel sad or upset, I'll never know, I guess. Figured I should put this before I forget.
Oh, and this is my 500th post!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
So, it seems a lot can happen in one week! After having an interview at Portland State University for an office support/data support position last Thursday, I was offered the position Tuesday at the end of the day. They are still trying to get the paperwork squared away and are going to call me back Monday, but they said I will probably start sometime next week. Wow, am I relieved. I thought I only did okay on the interview...I'm such a bad interviewee, so I'm glad that, hopefully, they were able to see past some of that and look at my credentials. It was weird because when I got there, they handed me a packet with all the job info, health stuff, as well as the questions that were going to be asked during the interview. I was like, hmmm, weird, never hard that before. So, I skimmed through and tried to think of some answers before hand. I think it was a bad thing to do, because it kind of conflicted with the answers I had planned originally, but, it's hard to pretend not to know and answer from scratch. Anyway, I started out kind of rough, but by the end, I think I was doing better, less "ums" and what not. Oh, so from that, you can probably assume I accepted the job. I was actually in a weird dilemma. I had gotten another interview for a non-profit in town for a webmaster position, that, honestly, I probably would have really liked. Of course, I wouldn't know for sure, but anyway, the interview was set for next week, so it was hard to decline the 'for sure offer' for a chance at a 'possible offer'. In the end, I think I did the right thing for the situation. Laura and I are both glad that I found a job, though, for sure. Now, only if the moving date would get here sooner!
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Well, I'm back. A little later than I wanted, but, I just got carried away with surfing. Actually, I did a little bit of work on my clients' websites today.
Anywho. Portland. I got here May 12th. I *can not* believe it's already June 5th. We've got all the utilities taken care of. My typical day is pretty much:
1. Wake up around 9 or 10am. I do set the alarm for 8:30 everyday, but, really, I don't know why I do that. I wake up and turn it off and go right back to bed. The clock is at the foot of the mattress, so I even have to get out of the covers and such, but, I still get back.
2. Look for jobs as much as I can, which, unfortunately just means opening up all the links I have in my browser favorites folder called "jobs" and looking through them. It's usually very slim pickings. I only average an application once every 1.5 days. There really just isn't much around here.
3. Eat lunch, consisting of PB&J sandwiches and/or cereal. Everyday is a combination of one of those two. Lately, I've been trying to get more "solids" into my system. This week was frozen burritos. Still, it's crazy how much money I see saving in not going out to eat. I have eaten fast food a few times while I've been in the house, but the majority has been what I mentioned above. It gets boring real quick.
4. Surfing/WoW/watching movies. The first couple of weeks, it was WoW. I leveled a new character to level 80 in 2 weeks...probably my fastest ever. I played way too much. I think I'm on "break" now. The last week or so, I've been helping this new client for a blog he wanted on his website. He's been in some notable TV shows and movies, as well.
5. Dinner. Mostly repeat lunch.
6. Back to step 4 until late and to sleep.
It's a real boring schedule. Frankly, I don't wish that I ever NOT have a job, but I can't do this for much longer. Laura and the dogs being here would be much better on the schedule and my outlook of boredom, however. Like I said, the house is completely empty and it saps any energy I have. Mowing the lawn has been an exercise. I always seems to be out of breath after I do it. I think this coming week, I'm going to actually raise the cutting level 1 notch, because right now, I think it's too short. That'll help with not filling up the trash too fast as well.
What else. Nothing, really, because I've been doing nothing!
I can't wait for the 25th. 20 days away. I've already been here that long and it seemed to go by quick, so, hopefully this will be the same. The move will be hard, though, I think. The drive was long and that was without any house stuff. But then again, this time there will be friends involved, so maybe it won't be as bad.
Anyway, I just registered for all our utilities and already the electric and gas are ready for payment. The electric was like $14, but the gas was $41! Hopefully I don't have to heat it during the summer. I dunno why, but I'm just cold in this house. Either the townhouse was kept warm because it was nestled in between two other houses that stayed warm, so it just felt like I didn't need to run the heat or the thermostat was off in the townhouse, because I have this place set at 72 and that's about right, for me at least. I think I can go to 71 or 70 maybe, but, we'll see. The difference between 71 and 72 on thermostat is big. Like 71 is too cold, but 72 is too hot. Oh well.
Anywho. Portland. I got here May 12th. I *can not* believe it's already June 5th. We've got all the utilities taken care of. My typical day is pretty much:
1. Wake up around 9 or 10am. I do set the alarm for 8:30 everyday, but, really, I don't know why I do that. I wake up and turn it off and go right back to bed. The clock is at the foot of the mattress, so I even have to get out of the covers and such, but, I still get back.
2. Look for jobs as much as I can, which, unfortunately just means opening up all the links I have in my browser favorites folder called "jobs" and looking through them. It's usually very slim pickings. I only average an application once every 1.5 days. There really just isn't much around here.
3. Eat lunch, consisting of PB&J sandwiches and/or cereal. Everyday is a combination of one of those two. Lately, I've been trying to get more "solids" into my system. This week was frozen burritos. Still, it's crazy how much money I see saving in not going out to eat. I have eaten fast food a few times while I've been in the house, but the majority has been what I mentioned above. It gets boring real quick.
4. Surfing/WoW/watching movies. The first couple of weeks, it was WoW. I leveled a new character to level 80 in 2 weeks...probably my fastest ever. I played way too much. I think I'm on "break" now. The last week or so, I've been helping this new client for a blog he wanted on his website. He's been in some notable TV shows and movies, as well.
5. Dinner. Mostly repeat lunch.
6. Back to step 4 until late and to sleep.
It's a real boring schedule. Frankly, I don't wish that I ever NOT have a job, but I can't do this for much longer. Laura and the dogs being here would be much better on the schedule and my outlook of boredom, however. Like I said, the house is completely empty and it saps any energy I have. Mowing the lawn has been an exercise. I always seems to be out of breath after I do it. I think this coming week, I'm going to actually raise the cutting level 1 notch, because right now, I think it's too short. That'll help with not filling up the trash too fast as well.
What else. Nothing, really, because I've been doing nothing!
I can't wait for the 25th. 20 days away. I've already been here that long and it seemed to go by quick, so, hopefully this will be the same. The move will be hard, though, I think. The drive was long and that was without any house stuff. But then again, this time there will be friends involved, so maybe it won't be as bad.
Anyway, I just registered for all our utilities and already the electric and gas are ready for payment. The electric was like $14, but the gas was $41! Hopefully I don't have to heat it during the summer. I dunno why, but I'm just cold in this house. Either the townhouse was kept warm because it was nestled in between two other houses that stayed warm, so it just felt like I didn't need to run the heat or the thermostat was off in the townhouse, because I have this place set at 72 and that's about right, for me at least. I think I can go to 71 or 70 maybe, but, we'll see. The difference between 71 and 72 on thermostat is big. Like 71 is too cold, but 72 is too hot. Oh well.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Well, it's almost been 3 weeks since my last post, so it's probably time to update this thing. I'll do it tomorrow, as it's almost midnight now. I know I'm not really going to be able to sleep anytime soon; I've been staying up rather late since I moved into this house and waking up later than I'd like. I'm not sure why. I'm not even tired most of the time. Perhaps I'm just trying to pass time by sleeping it away? I don't know. I know that I miss Laura A LOT right now. I can't believe it's already been 3 weeks since the time we were looking for houses, driving around Portland, and living out of the Homestead Suites. Time flew by, but, I'm not exactly sure how, if that makes sense. One thing's for sure that it's a lot of wasted time gone. I need to do more productive stuff during this time.
Anyway, I'll write again tomorrow.
Anyway, I'll write again tomorrow.