I heard a radio interviewer/host mispronounce this word today, so I had to post a public correction.

The Shakespearian-era curse word zounds is a contraction of “God’s wounds.” Pronounce it as such and not like the word “sounds.”

Yesterday I put a new electric radiator fan in my car. It took an hour. I felt useful, like I’d accomplished something. And I had. I have the oil residue on my elbow to prove it.

This might turn into a reiteration of a previous blog entry, so I really should stop here. I have the sentiment that I can do so much… with a computer, with music, with video editing, with whatever. How do I make a company see what a great asset I’d be to them? Whom do I know? No, I don’t have a muckety-muck degree in whatever field you want, but if you’re a tech person and not an HR person, you’ll understand how to really find talent. Like my Great Uncle Norman. Back in the day when he lived in California, he was out flying a model plane and approached by a guy who said, “Hey kid, you want a job?” I don’t think he had even completed college, but soon he was working for Grumman on the B2 bomber project.

This from a company that initially contacted me.

Thank you for taking the time to consider a position with [name obscured]. While we respect your achievements and appreciate your interest in applying, we’ve decided after careful consideration to move forward with other candidates.

We will keep all of your information on file; if circumstances change we may consider you for any appropriate positions that become available. We appreciate the interest you have shown in [name obscured] and wish you success in your career.

Thank you for taking the time to apply for the I.T position at [company name obscured].  We received a large number of highly qualified applicants for this opening.  While we were impressed with your qualifications, after careful consideration we have decided to pursue other options for this position at this time.

Two in the same day. That’s a first for me.

This one at 7:18 am:

Thank you for expressing an interest in the Assoc Engr position. While it is never an easy decision, we have decided to consider other candidates whose qualifications more closely matched the needs of this position.

…and this one at 7:26 pm:

We want to thank you for your interest in the position of Audio Visual Coordinator 00874 advertised April 5, 2010 through April 16, 2010 11:59 PM. Unfortunately, you have not been chosen to advance to the next step in the selection process and at this time will not be under further consideration for this position.

Hi, Phil. We gave it a long look but in the end we decided to hire someone else instead.  Thank you for your time and good luck in your search.

It’s snowing today. Right now. As I write this. Wednesday afternoon, May 12, 2010.

Sometime early Saturday morning my 5-year-old Power Mac died. I knew because of some email logs my other computer sent me about not being able to access the down computer.

I got to the computer around mid-day and tried to restart it. No joy. I could hear the UPS upstairs screaming in pain when I tried that. So I moved the power plug to another outlet, mistakenly thinking that it was the UPS’s problem. Then I tried again. These things happened simultaneously: there was a loud “pop,” the lights flickered/dimmed, and there may have been a spark from the Power Mac. “Great,” I thought.