Month: August 2004

note: this was worded poorly. Today I got information about an associated degrees program and a bs program. I cannot know how much of my UT credit will transfer without going through the application process. I am also considering other options. All of it requires much paperwork that will take some time. No final decision was made.

Today I made a choice to get back into a BS degree program that will take from 2-4 years. This will require a lot of work on my part as well as my family’s part. I am enthused but need to return to UT to see if there is a faster solution with them.

Student: Master, why am I surrounded by mess?

Teacher: Don’t put things down; put things away!

When the DARPA Challenge 2004 was announced, I seriously considered forming a team and competing. I just did not have the vision for how to do it and still pay the bills. In hindsight, the bills didn’t get paid anyway.

This article by Slashdot says the 2005 challenge has been announced but basically implies ‘for 2004 competitors that have fixed their vehicles.’ Bummer.

The proposed rules.

A New Day!

Let’s start the day off with a PayPal donation link:

This Morning

I woke at 5am! Wide awake! Having gone to bed near 1am. Then went back to sleep until 7, ugh.

I am T totally tripped this morning but doing my best to stay calm. This day needs to be so much more than it will be. I need sales! I’d kill for one person working for me right now. I could only image what it would be like to have 2 people working for me again!

So Noah calls me while I’m on the road, “I need a ride to my friend’s house.” My reply, “Noah, I need to make a phoen call and call you right back.” Hang up. Noah to Mom, “Dad is busy and told me to see if my friend can come get me.” Dad calls his next stop to find out he is too late to apply anyway and will have to make it tomorrow. Dad calls home. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Hmm. Dad thinks, “Noah must be on the phone talking to his friend and unaware of how to answer call waiting.” Reminder to self: Teach the kids about call waiting. Dad calls line 2. Tommy answers, “Hello?” Dad, “Tommy are you also on line 1?” T, “Yeah. I saw you call.” Dad, “So why didn’t you answer?” Tommy, “Because I can’t have two calls on the same line at the same time.” Dad explains call waiting and asks that Tommy tell Noah that I’ll pick him up shortly.

nota bene: When I called back a few minutes later Tommy properly used call waiting! Progress!

So I ask Noah, “Are you ready to go?” He says, “All ready!” and heads out. Amy cheerfully chimes, “Baby is all ready!” and starts to whimper by the door when no one immediately comes to let her out. I decide to take her, in diaper only, along to drop Noah off. We arrive at his friend’s house and since I think it would be improper to drop and run I get Amy out and walk with Noah to the front door. I confirm his pickup time and Amy and I return to the car. Once in her seat she arches her back, turns on the tears and screams for Noah. I can’t force her into the seat to save my life. All good bribes are absent from the car so I close the door and go to the driver’s seat to turn on the a/c. Then I get in the backseat with her and sit to wait her out. Just as she calms and is ready to be buckled, the boys come running out.

As I frantically buckle the toddler, Noah opens the door and asks, “Can you take us down to the store to buy cups so we can sell snow cones?” I’m flabbergasted. Normally I’d do this in a heartbeat. However, I can’t really afford the cups but am embarassed to say so instead I jump to “I have stuff I need to be doing at the house” and “the baby is unclothed and will have another tantrum” “sorry guys.” Truth be known, I was probably just slightly above unconsciously abashed to think that the 8 year old boys would make more money today than I will.

Once home I turn off the car and go to release Amy from her car seat. Usually she is helpful and almost leaping from the car. Instead her right arm points limply toward the windshield, a single tear streaks down her face, and she whimpers, “Noooah…”

Talked to 2 out of 3 of my recruiters to hear “this vacation time. things are slow. just haven’t had a match yet. your skillset is strong. hang in there.”

I think I’ll tell the electric company to “hang in there.”

Heading out to get my University transcript and apply for 1 or 2 jobs in person.

ps. seems the garbage collection company is unhappy with me. no pickup today.

I just stumbled across some of my old marketing. I was impressed with myself. The marketing was good work. I hear that! I just said, “I do good work!”

Left a message for one of the recruiters.

Answered 2 ads in the paper. One was a definite no. The other is a perhaps.

Emailed another developer information previously discussed on the phone .. um, in May. That’s a problem. At least I didn’t let it go completely. Now learn a lesson and keep going!

Noah needs puppy training. He lives in such an electronic world that I think he just is not sure how to interact with animals. If I had my druthers, I’d take the kids, Noah specifically, out twice a week to do something with nature be it shoveling manure, catching butterflies, identifying tracks, petting at the zoo, or wrestling with dogs.

I think Molly is a good thing for him. I just hope he doesn’t get so frustrated that he pulls away from her.

Left a message with an IT director at a company I respect. My voice shaky. My message perhaps jumbled. My self-confidence is shot.

There is a book hovering over my head called “Marketing is a Science; Selling is na Art” by Paul Smith. I wish I could make time to read it.

My email sent to DC has not been received yet because of technical issues on their end. They will call later.

One job opportunity answered.

I think I’ll answer 2 and then make 5 sales calls then answer 2 and make 5 sales calls…

A New Day!

Let’s start the day off with a PayPal donation link:

This Morning

Last night I had the pleasure of singing Amy to sleep. Granted, I was singing Kenny Roger’s “The Gambler” and somehow that seemed wrong so I finished up with Jimmy Buffett’s “Jolly Mon” which has a bit of wrongness too but then again so does every nursery rhyme we ever learned.

One of Amy’s toys started playing itself at 2am. I got her settled (she never really woke) and killed the toy. Debated staying up but my anxiety was way too high so I returned to bed to try to calm. Rose at 7am ready to take on the day!

Strategy: Use my left ear to solicit immediate income; Use my right ear to solicit stability.

As long as I can keep up two phone calls at a time all day long I might just be able to save our butts. At the same I need a clone to go to UT and get my transcripts and stop off at the Plasma Alliance to give some bloodily fluids in exchange for cash.

Amy gets so offended when her brothers lock her out of their rooms. She just knocked (louder than Noah would knock) on Tommy’s door and said, “Toumme” then whimpered when he wouldn’t answer. So cute and so sad at the same time.

  

Good News! I reconciled my bank statements and my bank account in MS Money balances with my bank!

Bad News! I have reason to be scared to death.

I enjoyed a half hour of Guantlet with Tommy. Shoot, might even do that more often for some stress relief from time to time. Afterwards the crew piled in the car. I was torn. I wanted badly to spend time with my family. I wanted equally as badly to continue my progress on the computer. I imagined being home alone to get the work done and thought how productive it could be. I caved. My desire to spend time with the family was much stronger. That is how Sunday’s are supposed to be spent isn’t it?

We went to the pool. I managed to turn the tone of the car ride from jovial to nuclear tense in the first couple of miles of the trip. Swimming at the pool was refreshing. Then we took the inlaws dog and our puppy to a baseball field to run. They didn’t know what to do but stay near their humans and ly in the cool dirt. We did get them to play a bit and everyone was exhausted once home. I had a good time.

I cooked hamburgers, helped with the fish tank (ran out of water conditioner) and am now on the computer, mentally and physically drained, for a very long evening.