Long time, no update. Been trying to keep my job and family all intact and happy. Working two jobs is rough, not just on the person working them, but on all those around the person, and even on all those at the two jobs.
I've been feeling exhausted lately. Not tired, like I need to take a nap, but utterly and completely drained. I've been tired before. With our first kid, I'd sometimes stay up all night trying to soothe her to sleep... But this is exhaustion. I maybe get five hours of sleep per night, and that's IF the neighbors aren't playing who can scream loudest at three in the morning.
I realized yesterday that I'm actually an old person now. It snuck up so quickly. One day I'm talking about how three years ago I was waiting on being able to drink in a bar, and BAM, now I'm talking about retirement and investing in 401K and all that crap. I'm finding out more and more that I'm getting aches and pains in spots that usually don't hurt, I'm getting hair all over (nose and ears, mostly), and I've got a typically grumpy attitude in general.
Yeah, I'm getting old.
And I'm looking for a new job. My current one is basically dead end. They won't promote me or give me a raise unless I get a degree. I can't get a degree unless they give me a raise. Sucks.
So I'm looking. And looking is hard, especially in my neck of the woods. Technology seems to have passed Cincinnati by. Not just regarding high level jobs, but in all respects. Compare the results you get on any of the job-sites in Cincinnati with any other semi-major city in the US, and you'll find that we come up short. Really short. And for someone looking for an experienced position, one that needs 5 or so years experience in just about every facet of IT work, it's difficult to warrant staying here.
That's another thing. Since my current job is so cheap, they didn't want any of us to specialize. We all had to know everything. That hurts my current search, since most employers out in the real world want people to know a specific thing, and know it very very well. Unfortunately, I don't have time to specialize on one thing, I only have enough time to set it up, make sure it works, then move on. And if it breaks, I only have time to fix it then move on.
Enough to drive me crazy.
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Hectic Catchup
Yeah, so I was out "sick" yesterday, had some errands to run. I'll get more into that later, but first I wanted to bitch a little about how when you've missed a day of work, the piles of crap that have to be done seem to multiply exponentially in your absence. As if they are waiting for the opportunity to procreate in private.
So, the skinny on the errands: My wife doesn't drive. Yeah, I know. 26 and no license. She's had her temps a few times, but never actually took/passed the test. I think part of the problem is all the vehicles she's driven in the past weren't very comfortable for her. Plus, learning how to drive just takes time, so maybe she just needs more practice?
At any rate, my parents were getting rid of an extra car that needed some repairs, and decided to give it to me. So yesterday, after another ultrasound at the hospital (it's a boy, and he's getting huge in there), my mother-in-law and I went to the BMV to get temp tags and stuff. She just bought a new car for her son, as well, so it was convenient to go up there together.
It really wasn't all that bad for the registration stuff. In Ohio, you have to get the title transferred, then you have to buy temporary tags (30 days), then you have to get an "E-Check", which is basically an emissions test to make sure you aren't adding too much to the smog. If you fail the test, you have to repair your vehicle, then take the test again. Twenty dollars each time. Then, assuming that you pass the test, you can proceed in the registering of your vehicle and get real plates and pay taxes and all that.
So I got the temp tags and I'm going to try to find a place that can fix my tailpipe (broken at the catalytic converter, which is where they always break) for cheap, then get the e-check sometime this week. No big deal, right?
Since I called in sick to the first job, I still had a few hours before I had to go to my second job. I thought, hey, I have some time, let's get the wife's written test out of the way so we can start practicing the driving stuff.
Where I live, there used to be three different "testing" facilities. Places where you could take the written and driving portions of the test. I guess that's totally changed.
We were in the car for almost three hours trying to find a test facility. Two had closed down completely, and one didn't do tests. Finally, we get to the right place and she passes with a score of 90. It was very stressful and I don't know how I managed to survive without having a nervous breakdown up to that point, but I'm still here, so I guess everything worked out.
So here I sit, between piles of things I should really start working on, but updating my blog, since I seem to consider this more important than any "work" shit. I guess because I find it interesting how blogs work. It's like a diary, but public. You write things to the diary, but you know that other people can read them. Does that mean that the voyeuristic kick is gone, since the intent is to share? Or does it mean that when we write these entries that we should try to fool ourselves into thinking that they're "private"?
I don't know which way I've been writing thusfar. I guess I've been intentionally sharing my life, so I'm sorry if you were looking for a "private diary". I'm just too realistic, I guess. lol
So, the skinny on the errands: My wife doesn't drive. Yeah, I know. 26 and no license. She's had her temps a few times, but never actually took/passed the test. I think part of the problem is all the vehicles she's driven in the past weren't very comfortable for her. Plus, learning how to drive just takes time, so maybe she just needs more practice?
At any rate, my parents were getting rid of an extra car that needed some repairs, and decided to give it to me. So yesterday, after another ultrasound at the hospital (it's a boy, and he's getting huge in there), my mother-in-law and I went to the BMV to get temp tags and stuff. She just bought a new car for her son, as well, so it was convenient to go up there together.
It really wasn't all that bad for the registration stuff. In Ohio, you have to get the title transferred, then you have to buy temporary tags (30 days), then you have to get an "E-Check", which is basically an emissions test to make sure you aren't adding too much to the smog. If you fail the test, you have to repair your vehicle, then take the test again. Twenty dollars each time. Then, assuming that you pass the test, you can proceed in the registering of your vehicle and get real plates and pay taxes and all that.
So I got the temp tags and I'm going to try to find a place that can fix my tailpipe (broken at the catalytic converter, which is where they always break) for cheap, then get the e-check sometime this week. No big deal, right?
Since I called in sick to the first job, I still had a few hours before I had to go to my second job. I thought, hey, I have some time, let's get the wife's written test out of the way so we can start practicing the driving stuff.
Where I live, there used to be three different "testing" facilities. Places where you could take the written and driving portions of the test. I guess that's totally changed.
We were in the car for almost three hours trying to find a test facility. Two had closed down completely, and one didn't do tests. Finally, we get to the right place and she passes with a score of 90. It was very stressful and I don't know how I managed to survive without having a nervous breakdown up to that point, but I'm still here, so I guess everything worked out.
So here I sit, between piles of things I should really start working on, but updating my blog, since I seem to consider this more important than any "work" shit. I guess because I find it interesting how blogs work. It's like a diary, but public. You write things to the diary, but you know that other people can read them. Does that mean that the voyeuristic kick is gone, since the intent is to share? Or does it mean that when we write these entries that we should try to fool ourselves into thinking that they're "private"?
I don't know which way I've been writing thusfar. I guess I've been intentionally sharing my life, so I'm sorry if you were looking for a "private diary". I'm just too realistic, I guess. lol
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