The Knock Of Opportunity...

A week and a half ago, during my misadventures on the internet, I applied for a position with another company. I noticed that there was an opening, and I applied. More of a spur of the moment decision. But it represented an opportunity. A chance for advancement. So I applied. And I didn't hear anything about it. Oh well. It just made me feel all the more grateful for my current job.

And then this afternoon, I got a phone call. They want to interview. Perhaps this will be my next break. My opportunity to move up the corporate totem pole. Then again, maybe it won't. The worst thing that can happen is I can be told no, and if that be the case, I will still learn wisdom from this.

Opportunity is knocking. Wish me luck.

It's getting hot again....

They say that this summer will have broken the record for number of days of more than 90 degree weather. I think this may call for drastic measures again. Yes, another gallon of Arnold Palmer. That has become my favorite beverage of choice. Aside from Diet Dr. Pepper, which btw has been mislabled. It should be labeled what it is: The Nectar Of The Gods....

Monday Approaches….

Yes, I know tomorrow is Wednesday. But to me, it’ll be Monday. My work week starts tomorrow. My current employer requires that I be available to work open to close, 7 days a week. Note that I’m not scheduled open to close, 7 days a week. I’m full-time so I work 40 hours a week, but my employer would just as soon I keep my overtime to a minimum, which I won’t argue with (factoring in my commute, and I’m out of the house 14-16+ hours a day, easily. But then again, HR at work is aware of my commute, and there is a concerted effort to give me a consistent schedule, which I appreciate….

But then again, I’ll be able to brag to everybody next Monday when they go to work, that it’s my day off…

Yes, I’m evil like that…

Ok, I got them...

This afternoon, I got my Hauppagge WinTV HVR-2250 tv card. I got it mainly because it was compatible with Windows 8.1, 10 and Linux. With my Diamond TV Wonder PCIE 750, it could only work under Windows 7 (or Windows XP, but I'm not going to try that with 24gb of RAM installed). As much as I liked my TV Wonder, it's time to move on. And I want to watch TV in Linux again. Today I also got my Windows 8.1 Pro Pack key. Just enter it, and my Windows 8.1 becomes pro. And I have Windows Media Center. I know I really don't need it, but there once was a time when my computer wasn't right next to a 55" HD set, and I want to be ready if my computer has to become the TV again.

I also got 3 usb flash drives today. It's a lot quicker to format and copy to a flash drive then burn a recovery DVD....

Yet another day off post….

So, it is my weekend now. I was supposed to work yesterday, but due to some other issues I had to call out (thank goodness for paid sick leave). Applying the lessons I learned the last time I tried to work through the pain…

Sometime today, I should be getting my new TV tuner card, and my Windows 8.1 Pro Pack key. I could’ve waited till Windows 10 comes out, but this way I have another option available (besides either way, Windows 10 is going to be a free upgrade). I’m also getting some 32gb flash drives, so I can set up install media & do clean installs for both my tower and the laptop. On the tower and laptop, I already have the Windows 8.1 restore media ready.

It’s my weekend, and it’ll be a fun one. I’ve already been to the store, and I have enough provisions that I don’t have to leave the house anytime soon (unless it’s for the all essential cheeseburger big bite run).

Did you know that Wally World have $5.00 pizzas. And they’re pretty good too…

Making the best of what's around

Sometimes, we don't get the hand we want. And opportunity you were hoping for doesn't come through. Like today at work. My work location is in Federal Way, and I take the bus. And there are times when the bus by my house isn't running, and I have to walk 4.5 miles to the next connection. There is another location that's only a 20 minute walk from my apartment. I've been trying to transfer, and I finally got a hold of management to inquire about it today. And I was told that since I'm full time, I'd have to step down to part time to do it. And that isn't happening. But management here at my current location to appreciate me. And the effort it takes to get there on time...

You can hope all you want for the best, but it boils down to just playing the hand that you've been dealt. Every hand's a winner. And every hand's a loser. Just make the best with what you have...

On the brightness of Hope...

Hope is a strange thing. It can be exceedingly faint. And fading fast. And yet that one faint hope is still bright enough to light up a whole life. To be a compass when one has no other way of going. One must never underestimate hope. In the absence of rejection, it can sustain you. If you are rejected, it can help pick you up...

There will always be a brighter day...

Ok, that's enough for now. My weekend is coming to conclusion, and I have to get ready for work. But while I didn't get everything done that I was planning, I still got things done. My head is now clearer than before. And my laundry got done...

A thought to ponder

Am I truly free? Or am I just further fettering myself with idle dreams of that which never was, and never will be? Is it freedom to continually pursue a dream that will not likely com to fruition, or is it freedom to realize that a dream is only that. A dream. That which will never be a part of reality. Or am I only fettering in myself in idly pursuing it, blinded to the realities of life? Or does freedom come from realizing that this dream will not come to be, and letting it go? Or is abandoning my dream not really freedom at all? Maybe there is compromise between the two. Maybe I should let my dreams and my realities just agree too disagree. Then again, there will come a time when I have to definitely make a choice, one way or the other, or it will be made for me. I just hope its the right choice.

Yes, I'm just another introvert with a blog....

Not as hot today...

It wasn't as hot today as it was yesterday. Went up to the place of my former employer, and we had lunch (ordered pizza), and had coffee. Since I paid for this time, he says the next time it'll be on him. Yes, I did report him to L&I after I left. And by all rights I should've had his ass in court. But there are bigger battles to fight. You don't have to win every battle to know that you're right. And even if you're right, it is still far better to forgive your enemies, and to seek reconciliation with them. I'm not saying you have to bend over backwards to appease everyone who takes offense at you. But you also need to realize that while you may think you're always right, it's not always the case. And it'll be all the more embarrassing when you realize it.

Make peace with your petty disputes now, before they grow into major arguments....

Almost ready

With Windows 10 starting to come out next week, I’m making sure my computer is ready for it. The main thing was to replace my tv tuner card. My previous card, a tv wonder pro 750 was incompatible with Windows 8 and 10 (and not to mention Linux as well). So, I’m replacing it with a Hauppagge WinTV-HVR-2250. Compatible with 7,8.1, 10 and Linux. And hedging my bets against Windows 10 not being my cup of tea, I also ordered a copy of Windows 8.1 Pro. I probably won’t need it, but I can use it to upgrade to windows 10 pro instead of home.

Yes, I’ve posted about hating 8.1 before (if I hadn’t, I do not like it). But it’s time to get with the times. Windows 7’s lifetime is finite. And I know all my hardware will be compatible with windows 8.1 and 10.

But more importantly, I’ll be able to tinker with Linux again…

Just Another Sunday Morning/Afternoon…

My mouse died a couple of weeks ago. I finally got around to ordering a replacement. Yes, I have other mouses in the house, but I just have to have a Logitech M510. Fortunately, this was the laptop’s mouse, and the laptop has a touchscreen on it, so I can manage until it arrives….

With Windows 10 coming out in the next week, and a half, I’ve been trying to get my tower ready. First order of business is to get a compatible tv tuner. I just found out the hard that my current tuner card only works with 7 or lower. So, I’m going to hold off on upgrading until I find one that works (while I’m at it, I’m going to make sure it works in Linux as well…).

Due to a shift in my schedule, I’ve got three days in a row off. And they’re all shot to hell since I wiped my tower last night. Thank goodness for the laptop (used to be my laptop, but it’s mainly in the living room, and my brother/roommate uses is more than I do).

It’s powerfully hot today. I think its time for another trip to the store for drastic measures (a gallon of Arnold Palmer)…

I need three things…

• The strength to change that which I can change.
• The peace to accept that which I can’t change.
• And the wisdom to know the difference between the two…

There are a few extra concerns I have in my head tonight. But I will not let them darken my heart, and I will learn wisdom from them….

Beyond that, it’s best if I not said anymore on them for now…

One of the definitions of happiness is....

Happiness is a 21+ minute conversation on the phone with your grandmother. Seriously. If your grandmother is still alive, get on the phone and tell her you love her. Don't take your family for granted. Never underestimate the power of hello.

It no longer matters…

(I’m writing this from the laptop as the tower is still in the midst of a system rebuild)…

This has been weighing on my mind for a while. The Supreme Court made it’s ruling on the case while I was in the middle of my aforementioned 15 day stretch of working….

I’m talking about gay marriage. After the ruling, it should now be called just marriage. But all kidding aside, this is a rather controversial subject. I have kept my opinions on this and on homosexuality to myself, and aside from this post (if at that) I will continue to do so. Needless to say is gay marriage is now legal. Not just in Washington, but in all 50 states. Praise it, or condemn it, it is now the law of the land.

It no longer matters whether or not you know the difference between teal and fuschia. You may now marry the partner of your choice, for the most part….

The other matter I want to touch on is the Confederate Flag. Once it may have been the symbol of the Confederacy in the Civil War (which it lost). In the Civil Rights era, some states (like Georgia) added it to their state flags as a show of defiance to ‘The North’. In that sense, the Confederate Flag is racist. It ought not to be shown. However, it is also free speech to show it. As much as I condemn it, it is still one’s right to display it and use it. I may not ever agree with it, or the principles it stood for, but I will defend your right to display it. It’s just like Westboro Baptist Church. Everybody condemns them, but they still have the right to say their message of hate and intolerance.

Now according to my Facebook feed of late, the government is going to take away our guns, make us give up our jobs to illegal aliens, and force us all to get gay married. Come to think of it, it’s time to adjust my feed settings.

It’s Been Powerful Hot of Late

When you think of Washington weather, you would normally think of rain. And normally that’s how it is. But Washington does have a summer. It makes a token appearance for a couple of weeks every July/August. Normally summer usually starts on July 5, and it goes to the day before my birthday, when the rain returns….

But not this summer. The 90+ degree weather hit early and hard. I think we’re up to 5 days in a row of heat. This is calling for drastic measures. I now have a gallon of Arnold Palmer chilling in the fridge….

My Day Plans Have Failed

As I previously mentioned, I have today off. And while I wanted to do absolutely nothing, I completely failed at it. With The Anti-Christ releasing Windows 10 at the end of this month, I decided to upgrade my computer. Beefed up the RAM to 24 gB, and I put a 4 tB hard drive in. Since my tower only has space in the hard drive cage for only one hard drive,  replacing the hard drive means nuking the system completely. Long story short, I had to use gparted to set the hard drive up, but I have my windows partition installed, and I now have space set aside for a future Linux installation.

And in doing so, I’ve hosed my ‘weekend’….

12 Days and Then Some….

When I last mentioned this, I said I was going to be working for 12 days straight. When I wrote that, the schedule for my main job (the one that I’m full time at) hadn’t been published yet. Well, I got a surprise when it was. My schedule was shifted, and I was working where I normally would have the day off. So the official record was 15 straight days at work.  It isn’t the worst though. There was a time when I was the Mrs. Fields up at the Westlake Center when I went 20 straight (it was over 10 years ago, and the franchise has long since folded, so I think it’s safe to mention here where I worked). At 10+ hours each day.

Today is my first day off in over two weeks. I intend to to absolutely nothing today. Though I’ve already failed at that….