Year: 2004

Ran over a stump trying to bush hog the hill with the lawn mower. Having already discovered a door hinge, large sticks, a 4×4, and several other foreign objects the blade sighed heavily and bent at a 90 degree angle.

The other lawn mower still won’t run. I think the fuel line is clogged.

Switched to Round Up. Those hand pumps bite.

Still trying to address my wife’s email problem.

Had a meeting with a client to discuss an ecommerce system. Thrilling conversation. Left tired but jazzed.

Updated resume sent to a recruiter that I thought had given up on me.

My cat rolled over in her sleep and fell off the monitor onto the keyboard full-sizing Mozilla. Stood their on the keyboard for a second trying to figure out where she was then hopped right back on the monitor. Her antics are enough that I’d consider not getting a flat panel monitor. It’s nice to have the gargoyle helping me code.

Dropped in on a recruiter I contacted in Dec and visited in Jan then never heard from again. We discussed that I was still in the system and how the rates in Knoxville for certain skills like DBA work have plummeted. So a dba making $85k 3 years ago might only get $55k today.

I don’t completely buy that picture but instead of writing them off I encouraged them to market me in different ways and changed my salary expectations.

Email sent to friend begging referrals.

Updated resume at resume and work samples.

Got information to someone in Israel that is referring me to work with someone in the UK on an hourly contract. I love this small world!

Got pricing questions answered for a product that I can resell. This is probably my best avenue for restablishing myself complete with residual income potential. It’s pretty much a product I wanted to develop without me having to put the time and effort into the development and instead being able to focus on the sales and support–what? You mean exactly what I’ve been asking for?!

Why does EVERYTHING take so much unnecessary extra effort for me?!

Poverty is a trap. Once you get in a situation all the energy that you need to get out of that situation has to go into defending that situation or explaining that situation making it near impossible to overcome. Of course, all the people with the money want this.

So the wife is up and I feel like the day is shot. The productive part of my morning when my mind is least cluttered is gone. At this point I am unfocused and thoughts are racing.

Thought I would immediately leave to talk to a recruiter that isn’t working for me to try to find out about other possible “real” headhunters in town; however, I have to do support now. This support is caused by the combination of an email server migration at the host and my lack of ability to pay the bill. or so I bet. This should turn the day to hell.

As I am holding Amy I ask “Hand game?” but she doesn’t seem interested so I start to put her down and that sweet voice screams “Nooo Hand!” She wanted to do the hand game! Not her longest time or best form though. Her’s “Nooos” need to be recorded because it’s got an “e” in there somewhere. Like “Neoow”. 

I start making Amy waffles. As they cook in the toaster I walk to the pantry to get a funnel and the waffles pop up so Amy in a confident and excited voice says “WaAffulls!” then looks and me and says “Go Dada Go! Go Dada Go!”

I guess she was hungry 🙂

As I am cutting the waffles she pulls open a draw that contains knives and I say “Close it” and she cheerfully replies “OOh K!” and pushes the drawer shut. Such a good child!

Prior to all this her brother Noah called to her “Amy. Sit beside Oah. Sit beside Oah.” She ran to be by his side in the rocking chair. She sat calmly for several minutes watching him play gameboy. She loves him so much and he loves her so much. I know they will always be there for each other!

I should enlist the aid of my wife to cold call businesses on web designs all day while I target people and businesses I know. We’d need a sitter to pull that off.