Big Ol' Grin On My Face

My favorite podcast, Geek News Central, recently hit show 500. As a celebration of that milestone, the host, Todd Cochrane asked for a new intro. The previous intro was produced by a member of the 'ohana' (Hawaiian word meaning family) but had been in use for about 300 shows. It was time to freshen things up a bit.

As an incentive to get our creative juices flowing, and because it is an as yet unreleased shiny gadget, Todd offered a brand new Zune HD to whoever created the new intro.

Guess who will be getting a brand new Zune HD. If you want to hear the winning entry, it can be listened to here. Frankly, now that it's had some time to sit, I think it's a little long (it's almost a minute) but Todd liked it.

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I Am A Leaf On The Wind

I started working on something last night. There have been a few issues over the past 2-3 years that I have been trying to work through but have had a hard time because it has been difficult to pin down exactly what was bothering me and how I felt about them. I just started writing what was happening and a little bit about how I remember feeling at the time. Before I knew it, I had two full pages scribbled out.

I have decided I need to focus my creative efforts on that for the time being. I don't know how long it will be before I either complete this project or tire of it. I may pop in here from time to time but don't expect much. I know I'll probably lose some readership, not that I have much now, but I feel this is something I have to do. I may decide to share some or all of it here or in another venue, I'm not sure.

So I leave you with the imortal words of Socratese: "I drank what?"

Whoops... wrong quote. In the immortal words of Schwarzenegger, "I'll be back."

Good Things Comin' My Way This Time Around

When last I blogged at any length, I told you there were some things happening that I could not share with you. Well, now I can.

If you will notice the time stamp at the bottom of this entry, you will notice that I am blogging during work hours. Normally this is discouraged but I won't be working here much longer. A couple of weeks ago, I was offered a position at Oklahoma State University... I'm going home.

The job means more responsibility in line with my career goals, no more hour-long commutes, and more money (although, I could rake it in with bonuses and overtime where I am now). It also means I will probably be blogging more often - but I'm still going to stay away from the subject of work for the most part. I finish up here tomorrow and start there on Monday. I am excited about being back "where everybody knows [my] name." There are some details about the job that I neglected to ask about but what's the fun of going in with your eyes wide open?

There is an aspect I am nervous about. There is an area that I will have access to that requires an FBI background check and certification. I doubt there will be any problems but not knowing their process I have no idea what they will be scrutinizing and how closely they will be scrutinizing it.

In other news...

About eight weeks ago, I took a certification exam for Symantec Backup Exec 12. If you follow that sort of thing, you know that there wasn't a certification exam available for Backup Exec 12 eight weeks ago. What I took was the beta exam.

What is a beta exam? Normally, when you take a certification exam, you are presented with a fixed number of questions (say, 50 or 60) randomly selected from a larger pool of questions (say, 100-200). If you answer a large enough percentage of the 50 or 60 questions correctly, you pass the test. In a beta exam, the pool of questions is much larger than the pool that will actually be used for the certification exam - in this case, I think it was 250. Instead of answering a limited number of randomly chosen question, you have to answer all of the questions (it took me 3 hours and 14 minutes). Once they have a large enough sample of completed exams, they perform an analysis on the questions, decide which ones they want to keep and which ones they want to throw out, then score you based on how you answered the questions they kept.

This whole process apparently takes about eight weeks because I found out this morning that I passed the exam. I am certified in Symantec Backup Exec 12 for Windows Servers Administration. I am VERY proud of this accomplishment because I also learned that one of our analysts (who was responsible for a large part of my training) and another technician did not pass.

It also looks like our financial burden will be eased a bit. In addition to my new position and lower fuel costs as a result, we also learned about an additional income stream that should start in the next 2-3 weeks. It isn't much but it's enough to be helpful.

So, good things are happening in the Fusco household. Here is to them lasting and more good things to come.

Milestones

I use Statcounter for my web statistics. It gives me basic information plus a few cool extras (keword activity, for instance), it is independent of my web host, and it's free. I was checking it this evening and saw that my wav archive had gotten over one million page loads since I started monitoring it.

Then, as I was preparing to post this news that is exciting, perhaps, only to me, I saw that I had posted 699 entries to this here blog of mine which means this is blog post #700.

Now, if I can just get that podcast off the ground...

Yeah, Right!

I like the stage too much... I'm not going anywhere.

Turning Off The Waterfall

Over the years, this blog has brought me much joy, knowledge, and inspiration. In all endeavors, however, there comes a time when changes must be made. I have considered, obsessed about and lost sleep over this decision so it does not come lightly: I am shutting down The Internet Ate My Homework.

With all of the sordid events of the past year and the time investment required for my new job, I have neglected many of my responsibilities and interpersonal relationships. I am so overwhelmed that even when I am inspired to post an entry it has slipped my mind by the time I am able to post it – if I get time. Something has to change and TIAMH is an unfortunate casualty.

This is not a hiatus. I am done. Since Blogger is a free service, it will not cost me anything to leave my historical posts online to be viewed, at least until Google decides the data has been static too long and shuts it off, but from this point forward there will be no new posts. From the depths of my heart I thank you all for your readership and support over the years.

So long. Farewell. Aufwiedersehn. Goodbye.

On The Move!

I'm moving. This time, though, it does not involve boxes... unless you count the possibility of some check boxes. You see, I'm moving my web site.

Don't worry, you won't notice anything. My site will still be at www.unclebubby.com and its various subsidiaries. But when your request travels through the tubes of the internet, host B will respond instead of host A.

So why should you care? You probably shouldn't. Which begs the question, why am I telling you all of this? Because I was feeling guilty at not having posted anything lately and this seemed like a good subject.

In case you DO happen to care, I am switching from siteflip to godaddy. Siteflip has been a perfectly acceptable host but it is definitely bargain basement. The servers are a little slow as is the service but it served my needs well enough that I stayed with them for two years. I had just heard a lot about godaddy and decided to check them out. I found that I could save a few cents a month and they have so far been extremely responsive with my pre-purchase questions. Time will tell how it all turns out.

I'll See You On The Flip Side

Uncle.

I spent last weekend at my parents' house in KC with a bunch of XP systems that were running wicked fast... at least comparatively. Then, I was talking to a friend this evening and actually said, "I can't give you a good reason why I put up with the driver compatibility issues, orphaned software and orphaned hardware in an operating system that is a year old." So, I'm going back to XP.

I'll miss the sidebar widgets. Other than that, I'm told there are substitutes for most of the stuff I like about Vista. So as soon as I finish this entry and I locate my XP disc, I'll be formatting the C: drive and rolling back. I'll see you on the flip side.

Announcement Forthcoming

It's no secret that my favorite podcast is Geek News Central so when the host, Todd Cochrane, asked those of us who blog to mention something for him, I stepped right up.

What I've gotten so far is that he was made aware of something special this morning that should break this weekend or on Monday. I'm sure it's tech related but he says it has nothing to do with his trip to CES. He's quite excited about it so I'm sure it's BIG, whatever it is.

Stay tuned here or at the GNC homepage. As soon as I know, you'll know.

Keep Your Fingers Crossed

The job I have been waiting to get posted finally popped up late Friday. I will be submitting my application sometime Sunday or Monday. It's a good job that I would be well-suited for and it pays well. All prayers, well-wishes, and internet mojo are appreciated.

Priceless

Trunk-mount bicycle carrier......$10.00
Cable-style lock.....................$10.00
Bicycle Frame........................$10.00
Replacement Seat..................$16.00
Gel seat cover.......................$ 4.00
Helmet................................$ 4.00
3-in-1 Oil..............................$ 3.00
Replacement tubes.................$ 6.00
Spoke levers..........................$ 1.00
Bicycle pump.........................$ 8.00
Garage Sale Bargain Bike...........$72.00

Owning ground transportation that doesn't cost 50 cents per mile to operate.... Priceless!

A Plea for Assistance

Friends, I'm not usually one to ask for money but we've been looking over the cost of relocating to Boise and it's going to be EXPENSIVE. Shipping our stuff is going to cost $3,000-$5,000 and that's if we load and unload it, boxes are going to be $300 or more, it's at least a two day trip so we have to cover fuel, meals and lodging, and we'll have rent and utility deposits once we get there. We are getting relocation money from Boise State but it will only cover a small portion of the expenses. The problem is that since my wife has been out of work for over a year, all of our resources are tapped out.

There are two ways you can help. One way is to click the button on the right side of the page and make a donation of any amount and you will receive my eternal gratitude. If you want something material in return, check out my eBay auction and I will send you a DVD of photographs in return for your donation.

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Added 3-18-07

I've felt guilty about this since posting it. I can't just take money. If you donate, I will send you a photo disc just like the auction. And it doesn't matter how much or how little you give, I'll send you BOTH discs. Just be sure to provide your shipping address.

It All Changes in an Instant

I'm unemployed again. Or, is that still since I haven't started the new job yet? This time, it was by choice. More Hobson's choice than mine. Let me explain.

I went to Oklahoma City on Wednesday to fill out paperwork to start the new job on Monday. My wife had returned from an out-of-state interview late Tuesday night and spent the night with her mother so we arranged to have lunch Wednesday afternoon. When we got home around 2pm, there was a message on the answering machine from E, the lady who had interviewed my wife. The wife called her back and E said she couldn't officially offer her a job yet but that's why she was calling. All that was left was to verify her degrees (yes, my wife has two - accounting and economics) and she would send the offer via email.

Later that evening, we checked the email and there it was. The wife emailed her back yesterday accepting the position... at Boise State University in Boise, ID. They finalized the details this morning and she will be starting on April 9th. According to the wife, we're going to pack up and move military style - quickly.

I had considered going ahead with the job so we would have an income stream but it didn't seem ethical. In the end, I think I can be more effective if I have all day to go through our stuff with the KTSD method (Keep, Toss, Sell or Donate). I don't have a job in Boise yet but I've applied for a couple, including one at Boise State.

Life sure got interesting in a hurry. I'll keep you posted (and yes, I'm overwhelmed right now).

The Bird in the Hand

When I was laid off just over a week ago, I immediately sent out an alert to all of my friends letting them know to keep an eye out for openings.  Almost immediately, my friend, mentor and former boss set up an interview for me as a systems integrator with one of the vendors he works with.  I sent him my resume and he forwarded it on.

As he did with my previous job, he talked me up to those in charge and put his name behind my abilities and values - something he doesn't do lightly.  The monday after the layoff, I received a phone call to set up the interview for the coming Wednesday.  My head was still spinning from the chain of events that had just occurred and I already had an interview.

I went to the interview on Wednesday, turned in an official application, filled out an EEOC form and a short technical test as I waited.  I had been a little nervous but if the test was the worst they were going to throw at me for a screening, I didn't have anything to worry about.

I went into one of the offices with the interviewer.  He talked about the company and how the job fit into the scheme of things.  He asked me about my skills, personality, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses - you know, all that interview jazz.  All-in-all it was a fairly relaxed, conversational meeting.

As the interview was winding down, the interviewer started talking about salary and benefits... then offered me the job.  Right then and there, three business days after having been laid off, I had a job for the taking.  Stunned.  I was stunned.

Many years ago, I was told not to make big decisions hastily.  Besides, I have a spouse to consider and there were a few elements of the job that I wanted to mull over.  First, the job is based in another town about 60 miles away (Tulsa).  Second, it will require a considerable amount of travel throughout the state since the company is a solutions provider and my job would be to be the on-site man for the company.  In addition to the considerations for the job, there were a few things brewing on the other side of the marriage and her career situation.  I wanted to see how those might turn out.

I prayed to God for clarity.  I said that I didn't care what direction He wanted me to take to receive the abundance and happiness He wants for me but I asked for the path to be obvious - even if it was a rough path.

Late Friday, I was still thinking about and trying to calculate based on unknown variables and I was giving myself a headache.  I decided to put aside the unknowns and look at what was instead of what might be.  With that, I decided I was going to take the job... and the phone rang.  It was a local company where another friend works and they wanted to set up an interview for Monday.  I scheduled it but was still 99% resolved to take the job in Tulsa (see previous post).

I went to the local interview this morning.  The job & company are solid and the pay range is adequate.  I could learn a LOT from working there.  I think the interview went well and I probably have a very good shot at it.  But they won't be making a decision for 2-3 weeks.

When I got home, I sent my letter of acceptance to "Company A" (I'd had it written and in my drafts folder since late Saturday) and I start my new job on Monday.  Whatever happens with all those unknowns I will act upon accordingly when and if the time comes.

Take a Potato

...and wait.

A conclusion has been reached - to 99%, at least.  We're still in the unofficial standings but there will be a definite decision by Monday afternoon.

Stay tuned.