Thursday, September 04, 2008
I HATE PC tech contract work
And let me tell you why. I go to someone’s house, I fix their computer. Anything that could possibly go wrong in the next 24 hours does and then I’m automatically to blame. Windows XP sucks. Windows Vista REALLY sucks. Why do people continue to buy crappy Microsoft products?
As soon as possible I’m getting out of the PC tech business. I’ll still fix computers for friends and previous customers, but even if the work didn’t suck so much, it would be too boring to want to continue. Plus that and I’m getting shafted out of all the money I make for another company that hires me as an independent contractor, anyway. They charge the customers $95 an hour and pay me $25 which works out to less than $19 after I withhold all my own taxes. Not to mention I have to pay for my own healthcare. On top of that, on a good day I only do about 3 or so hours of actual work; the rest of the time I’m running around town from one site to another like a bloody pizza delivery guy. No thanks, been there, done that. Now if they offered to split it 50/50 it might be more agreeable to me. As soon as I find another job I’m making them that offer.
To the computer tech franchises: stop sucking the soul out of us hardworking techs. We do the dirty work. You make the profit. What a lovely scam.
To the people who need computer techs: fancy ads mean less of your money goes to the tech who actually does the repair.
Monday, August 25, 2008
What I Did Today
Today I spent about 8 1/2 hours at the Denver Combined Communications Center, or Denver 911 for short. This is the building where all 911 and non-emergency calls (720-913-2000) for the City and County of Denver are answered. In the radio room they have the phone operators and dispatchers for Denver Police, Denver Fire, and Denver Health. I’d post pictures if this cool location but I’m afraid that would probably be a breach of security. I can tell you that they use scramble pads to enter the door access codes, so don’t bother looking over anyone’s shoulder. Scramble pads sound more fun than they actually are.
What did I do today, you may ask? Generally not much. I listened do Denver Police DNC disivion 1 dispatch a lot, played some cards, and generally just stood by in case something were to happen. Fortunately not much did and I hope it stays that way throughout the week.
By the way, I have to say for the record that the guy who runs this place, Carl Simpson, is awesome. He’s an amazingly gracious host and so accommodating to the amateur radio operators.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
The Incompetence Never Ends
I got my car back today. Hooray indeed. Now that I’ve realigned the steering wheel (myself) I also have to figure out how to stop the noise that is coming from the pedal area. I think when they took my car apart they didn’t completely put it back together again and now I can hear (and smell) the engine through the firewall. If I were emperor all incompetents would be punished. Does anybody even care anymore or are they just too lazy or stupid to get a simple thing done right?
On the plus side, though, my steering now works. It seems I’ve traded a major problem for a minor one.
sigh.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Hermes Returns
Hooray! I finally get my car back tomorrow! New steering rack and all. I think this is the end of the ordeal.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Eternal Optimism of the Auspicious Mind
28 down. 222 to go.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Link: The Reluctant Grownup
This is my cousin’s wife’s blog:
http://gilliangaladriel.spaces.live.com/
Friday, August 01, 2008
It Keeps Gettin’ Better…
Today I emailed the person who interviewed me for that new job because it had been a while. I didn’t get the job. They didn’t even have the courtesy to mass email the applicants who didn’t make it.
No Job.
No house.
No girl.
No car.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Bitter Osophy of the Moment
To coin an aphorism,
When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.
Just so he can slam it on your fingers.
Examining Vanity Plates
I saw a license plate today that read: 8EZBNME and I thought, “No it probably isn’t easy being a Medical Examiner.”
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
On the currency of music and wishful thinking
if playing or singing a song were legal tender in this economy, I’d be rich.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Osophy on Data Mining
Sometimes I find if you concentrate hard enough, you can pull a sparkle of wisdom from the unknown.
Other times it comes to you unwillingly at inopportune moments and you’d best capture it ere it eludes you.
Osophy on Party Systems, Minimum Required Number of
It is the bastion of the narrow minded to think in polarizations. To any issue there are an infinite number of sides; each time you flip the coin what used to be on the other side will have changed. It is easy to simplify and bifurcate. It is difficult to truly comprehend. Those who want an easy answer shall receive an incomplete solution. Those who ask simple solutions of their leader shall receive one inadequate to the question.
Reunions, Sonatas, and Jobs, oh my!
My ten-year high school reunion was last weekend. I paid *cough* 80-plus dollars for my single ticket. Cash bar. Noisy venue not conducive to talking (think concrete catacomb). Merely adequate catering. No live music or entertainment. No DJ or karaoke. One poorly-uprezed video “slideshow,” most persons being unrecognizable due to the fact of the extreme pixellation and compression artifacting. Crummy “memory book” was basically a multipage booklet with all of our addresses in it. Plus I was one of the only single people there. Oh well, I guess it was good to see a few of my old high school friends, though I had more friends in grades slightly above or below me. They would have been fun to see, too. Facebook.
After that “reunion,” however, I had an audition for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Actually the audition was the afternoon before but last night (Monday) I had callbacks. They were fun. I accepted the role of Schroeder this morning at 9 am. In my opinion I get the best number of the show, “Beethoven Day.” I also met a pretty cute girl at the callbacks but after leaving started figuratively kicking myself ‘cause I didn’t even get her number. Not to worry, though, since she’s in the show as Lucy. She, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy carry the show. Probably in that order.
In other news I had a call last week with Burl Amsbury, VP of Operations at Thought Equity. I don’t really know how to describe this company other than a stock footage company, but they apparently reinvent the company every six months or so. I’m interviewing with the VP of Ops, the CTO, and the President next Monday, in that order. They could make me the new “Metadata Director.” How do I describe the job? I’m not quote sure yet. It will involve a lot of high-level conceptualization and analysis of metadata structure and flow aimed towards improving efficiency, automation, and/or optimization. And frequent trips to the “refinery” in Laramie.
Stay tuned for more on the performance and job fronts. Apparently it’s in my contract to sell a certain number of tickets to the show or I don’t get paid. To quote my character’s friend, “Good grief!”