Work

Number 435

Somehow, by a stroke of strange luck, I managed to get sick for a second week in a row. After finally getting over my flu in time for school last week, I managed to pick up a cold late last week and am still in the end of it.

My classes aren’t quite as bad as I though initially last week, but having an 8 A.M. class today really doesn’t excite me. Only 13 weeks left though.

Still no job yet, which is pissing me off. I am close to deciding to just stick it out till I move and use my refund money that I should get mid February, but I would much rather be making some money.

This morning Delta’s weather station reported a low of 4, and MBS reported a mere 1 degree. I thought it was cold when I went out to start my car in the morning, but didn’t realize that low.

OK, that’s all for today. I will try to update soon. I know I say that and don’t, but I really will.

It Comes to an End

So, this is my last post this year, and the last post at the library. It’s a little depressing, but I will see everyone occasionally.

Still, this was a great job, and I will miss it.

Next post I will do a year-in-review and resolutions update. Until then enjoy your new-years.

nick

Christmas

So, late friday night, or more precisely 2 AM Saturday, Jenn and I were bored so we left for Alpena. We arrived there a little before 5, after making a stop at Wal-mart in Tawas. Saturday Jenn’s sister came over and we opened presents then had a small dinner. Sunday we went over to Jenn’s grandma’s for dinner there, then headed home a few hours later. Monday we had Christmas dinner here, then went over to my Grandma’s for presents there.

Tuesday Jenn and I went to Saginaw to spend our Christmas money. I bought 4 shirts and a down throw blanket, and she bought another for me. Wednesday I worked for the 2nd to last time. Thursday Jenn, Chris, my Mom, and I went to Genji with Scott who is in town for Christmas, then we came back here and played Super Mario World and watched Office Space. Then Friday was my last day at the library. Today I again sat around and did a whole lot of nothing.

Total Christmas gifts:

  • $140
  • 2 new pair of pants
  • 1 new shirt
  • BBQ tool set with apron
  • Chocolate covered pretzels and peanuts, snickers, mixed nuts, hershey kisses, and a fruit cake
  • Silver necklace
  • Flashlight
  • Leatherman clip
  • Candle
  • Robe and slippers
  • Folding camp table

Tomorrow I am going to the Library for the last normal day. They will be closed for 2 weeks, then go to the new reduced schedule, so most all tech pages are going to be showing up for that.

I hooked up out Super Nintendo last week and the Nintendo early this week. I have been playing Pin Ball on the NEW mostly, though it doesn’t always like to work. It is nearly 20 years old though.

We don’t really have much for plans for tomorrow night, just going to wing it I think.

I made some small updated to the site earlier today, namely the partial re-posting of the Library and the addition of a comment-spam blocker. At just a day old, it has already caught over 500 comments. Its sad that I got more comment spam in a day than I get real comments in 3 years. Maybe you guys should comment more?

I’m not sure what else. I think that about covers it all. I may update at some time tomorrow, just to get in my final post of the year and last one at the library most likely as well.

Merry Christmas

I promised you an update by the end of the week, so here it is.

I got my grades on Tuesday, I received an A in Fluid Power, Psychology, and Intro to Business, and an A- in Blueprint Reading. Once again, the A- was from a specific professor who has a strange grading scale that I have griped about before (and likely will again as I have her for winter semester). Wednesday evening Delta called be to let me know my Industrial Safety class was canceled due to low enrollment. The issue here is that I need the class to be able to graduate at the end of the semester, so I left the professor a voice mail and hopefully (I am 99% sure) we can set up an independent study.

Tomorrow morning I will be going with Jenn to Alpena until probably Monday morning or afternoon. We will visit all her family and do the Christmas thing on Saturday. When we get home my Mom and Brother and I will do our Christmas thing, and then at some point I will go visit my Dad and Grandma for their Christmas thing.

Today being Friday, I have today, next Wednesday, and that Friday left of work. Just about 2 and a half days left, 11.75 hours actually.

Jenn and I watched Talladega Nights, Cars, and My Super Ex-Girlfriend over the last 2 days. All were quite good, especially Talladega Nights and Cars. We still have 3 of 4 movies we want to see over break.

I think that is about all I have to report. Will update you all on Christmas Day, or maybe the day after.

nick

Unemployed

So, all part time, all pages, and half of the full time employees were laid off. That means me, the other 8 tech pages, most of the people out at reference, Beth, and dozens more are unemployed beginning January 1st. So I am looking for a new workstudy, I don’t really think anyone else would hire me if they found out I plan on leaving in May.

In other news, school is down to 1 week. I have a psychology exam, a blueprint reading exam, and a take-home test and project for hydraulics. I have enjoyed some of my classes this semester, but I am still glad it’s nearly over.

I think that is all for now, see you all later.

nick

The Day

Today, at 3:00 PM, there is a a system wide staff meeting where we will learn who stays and who goes. I won’t be able to make it, as I will be in my Intro to Business exam from 3 – 4:30, but as soon as I am done I will be making calls to see what I can find out.

The rumor is I will have Genji 3x by the end of the month. Once for our work Christmas party, once with my dad and grandma, and once with Scott. Enjoyable, exciting, but expensive.

Christmas is approaching which means I should probably start figuring out what I am getting everyone. I bought Jenn 3 gifts last night, and gave her one since she had given me one of mine. Just 1 minute later a second of the gifts slipped out, though I didn’t really try that hard to keep it secret. Then, when I got home, I decided I wanted to try her 3rd gift, and since it wasn’t a great idea for a gift, I decided to keep it myself. So, I am back at needing to find her a gift now, to replace the one I kept.

This week, next week, and school will be done until January. Very very exciting, though a bit stressful as the exams and papers and projects pile up.

OK, I think thats all for now. I will try not to do that week without update thing anymore.

nick

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Mine went rather well, nothing real special, but nothing bad. Jenn has been up at her parent’s since she got out of work yesterday morning, she should be back tonight or tomorrow. I stayed here and had dinner with Mom and Chris. We had a few other people over, friends with no where else to go, so we had them.

School is winding down, just 3 weeks now. It’s nice that it is nearing done, but sucks because it really starts to get piled on about now. I have 2 take-home tests, an in-class test, a presentation, and a 3 page paper due next week. Not a huge problem, but not my idea of a fun weekend.

I am currently at work because today was either going to be really busy with all the kids out of school, or really slow with everyone shopping. So far, it is looking like the later.

Well, that’s about I have for you now. See you all later and don’t get trampled in any shopping crowds.

Nick

1071 Words, and No Point

For those of you that are students, you may with to skip the next paragraph, because it may very well just piss you off.

I got back my grade for our business test Monday. It was a 94%, pretty darn good, I would, in any other case, be very happy with it. However, I put the grade into my little grade tracking spreadsheet, and the wonderful 94% dropped my overall grade in the class by a full percent, from 96% to 95%. That is still well over the 93% for an A so it isn’t a big deal, but how sad is it that I got an A on a test and it brought DOWN my grade? I am sure some of you wish you had such a horrible situation for yourself.

My car has been showing it’s piece-ness. When I sit down in it, anyone standing around can visibly see it sink on the driver’s side. That I know of right now I need a near complete suspension, wheel bearings, and valve cover gasket. I called Jason 2x now, but not much heard back. Maybe my brother’s friend Shelby, or just take it to a garage. Or maybe, I will find a super awesome job and get metric shitloads of cash, and be able to buy a new car. I wish I had the same problem with money that I have with grades.

Speaking of jobs, I am going Monday to look for a new workstudy position. I talked to Beth Friday and she said she would appreciate if everyone stay until Dec 31, which is understandable. In my case, it’s not a big deal because a new workstudy wouldn’t start until Jan 1 or so. For say Dan, who applied at Staples and I am sure they will want him working for day after Thanksgiving, it may become a problem.

I want to let it be known that I do very much enjoy my new headphones. I am listening to them now (Megadeth – Trust) and my favorite part, beyond the fact that they are probably the best sounding headphones I have ever used, is that you can wear them for hours and never irritate your ears, and when you take them off, you don’t feel naked either. I love them.

Being early November, it is time to begin Christmas shopping. I have no idea what to get pretty much anybody. Jenn said “there is something I really want, but I won’t tell you, I want to wait and see what you get on your own”. Well, that’s a really good way to not get what you want, I can pretty well promise that. I guess I should say I don’t know what to get anyone. I have ideas for Chris, my Mom, my Dad, I guess that’s all I buy for. Jenn too, of course, but her I really don’t have any idea.
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Nope, nothing. Oh well.

Just before I came to write this, I had a very long, about 3 minute, conversation with Dave’s away message. Granted, 3 minutes isn’t that long, but with an away message it it.

Speaking of long, as I said Megadeth – Trust was playing, then came Alice in Chains – Grind. Now, as I talk about long periods of time, what comes on, but In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. I have about 15:30 of it left. I think it’s the longest song I have. I will check, 1 sec…
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Yes, 17:02, followed closely by November Rain at 12:29, then Metallica – Outlaw Torn in a distant 3rd at 9:58. I used to have some classical, symphonies and the like, and some of those were up in the 20 and 30 minute area in length, but I got rid of those because anything over about 10 minutes is a chore to listen through unless it’s really good. Then again, some songs are a chore at 3 minutes. Semi related, the shortest song I have is the Sealab 2021 theme, at 28 seconds. I really wish that was a bit longer.

Returning to In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, I loved the Simpson’s episode where Bart switched it for the church organist’s music sheet. They cut away, come back 15 minutes later to her playing the last few seconds (among my favorite sections of the song, no, not because it’s the end) then fainting. I laughed for like 4 minutes.

Fitting in with Simpson’s , there is supposed to me a new movie preview tonight, in about 20 hours, during the Simpson’s. Just a little heads up.

Down to 8:15 of song left.

This is becoming a really long post. I wonder how long my longest post is? Would probably be one where I posted a story, but the stories have been removed, and probably wouldn’t have counted anyway, since they were more of an attachment, and had been written earlier. Except the Woods Runner, that was written on-the-fly, so it would count. One of the rants on ethiopians, or the 3 day long post, or when I lost iBlog because I forgot to pay for it. One of those most likely, or it could be this. I really don’t feel like checking, but maybe I can find a plug-in for wordpress to do it for me. I will have to check the word-count before and after posting this, to see how long it is. I could probably copy-paste into Word and check like that too. I guess.

Down to 4:30.

I was just writing, and going on and on, and had the feeling that this would be long, but then when the song with a name that is rather hard to spell and quite long as well came on (yes, I know the description, and now this explanation of it are incredibly longer that the name of the song is, but I really don’t care, shut up) I told myself I would write mostly non-stop until the song ended, and I am actually pretty close to doing that right now.

I think this is enough now, the song is down to 2:00. I am going to go get a wordcount, brb…
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1030 so far, holy shit.

OK, we end now, I will talk to you all later, and no complaining I don’t make long pointless posts, because this was a complete 1071 words, with absolutely no point behind any of it.

nick

Unemployed

So, the millage failed. With nearly 45,000 votes cast, we managed to lose by a mere 191. So, I am unofficially unemployed now. An email was just sent out that for now, we are going to continue business as usual until the end of the year, and the library board will meet over the next 6 weeks to figure out how to operate on 40% of budget. I will ask at work tomorrow or Monday on whether or not there is a policy yet on leaving, as I wouldn’t want to leave the lab short staffed prematurely, and I am sure the same question will be on others mind, and on Monday I will be updating my profile at Delta so I can begin looking for a new work study position. I figure that is my best chance, as I will only have whatever job I find until late April or some time in May, and telling an employer you plan on quitting in 6 months or less is not a great way to get hired.

Other than that, not a whole lot. I think I have mentioned that Ferris did finally accept me, and I have paid the admissions fee and now just need to wait mostly.

I think thats all for now.

nick

Status

So, all my behind the scenes secretive work is coming along nicely. I really think you guys will be happy with it all once it debuts, though I am not fully sure when that will be yet. I have a few more things to work on though, but I think I will be able to get everything set up over the weekend.

We had a staff meeting at work today, which means Rudy Js afterward. I have to be back at work in about an hour for regular hours though.

Tomorrow around 12:30 or 1 I go to the mall with Todd to get fitted for my tux for his wedding next September. I really think it is way too early, but what do I know.

Overall though, it has been a rather uneventful week. Jenn and I went to the pumpkin farm again over the weekend, and she got a new Escape on Monday, and that’s about it.

OK, see you all later.

nick