New Job

On Friday the 13th (go figure) I actually had an interview with an employer here in Danville, which was arranged by Trillium, a staffing agency. It went really well and on Monday I was informed that they wanted me to work for them. The company is CCMSI and handles workman's comp. claims, with several offices nationwide. Apparently the headquarters is here in Danville. The title they gave is "Help Desk Analyst" - but it's really not much. All I currently do is answer the help desk phone and monitor the email, write up tickets regarding the given issue, and assign it to the appropriate person or department. So far it's been fairly slow, which is nice because I'm able to do other semi-productive things, such as writing this blog entry.

It's not a resume builder but it's better than several jobs and in this economy you gotta take just about anything, not to mention it also pays almost $5/hr. more than what I was getting on unemployment. The interesting thing is that this is the same company that had some developer positions (starting at $40k/yr.) open not too long ago, which I was being considered for. But Trillium found out they ended up outsourcing them rather than hiring anyone, which kinda stinks. As of right now I am officially a "temp-to-hire" and therefore technically an employee of Trillium, though they think CCMSI will likely hire me directly, which will also increase my pay a little bit.

However, I still want to move and would like something which would build my skillset more so I'm still going to be looking elsewhere in the meantime. My sister informed me of a hiring event at a company in St. Louis where a friend of hers works. St. Louis wouldn't be my first choice, but it's certainly not bad and isn't too far away either. This looks like a really good oportunity which hopefully I'll be able to get in on. One really intriguing position is a Photogrammist, which apparently involves "computational analysis of photographic information" - analyzing things like photos, maps, and charts. We'll see how things go and what develops.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's day this year was great! Which is nice considering I've only had one other meaningful Valentine's in my life, and that was several years ago (followed by a sudden and random breakup the very next week)! Anyway, I had a wonderful day with my amazing girlfriend; and though busy, everything went very well. Amanda gave me several different gifts throughout the day and then took me out for lunch to a very nice and tasty restaraunt which she had researched ahead of time. In the evening I fixed her a full 7-course meal, which took 3.5 hours of preparation. My kitchen was a disaster after it was all said and done but I tried my best to ignore it for the remainder of the evening. Needless to say, I was quite exhausted afterwords but it was fun and well worth it. I prepared a formal table setting with separate red and white wineglasses (using sparkling grape juice), three different fork and spoon sizes (used for different courses), cloth napkins, candlelight, and a flower centerpiece I had gotten for her. I also played romantic music in the background. During the meal I gave her several different gifts including a card, nice watch, and large stuffed bear. She enjoyed it all and said I had done a wonderful job!

Table Setting	Course 1 (Appetizer): Cheesy Biscuit & Deviled Eggs
Course 2 (Soup): Potato w/ Bacon, Cheese, & Chives	Course 3 (Salad): 8 different toppings
Course 4 (Pasta): Fetticini Alfredo w/ Tuna	Course 5 (Poultry or Fish): Cheesy Breaded Chicken & Cottage Cheese
Course 6 (Main - Red Meat): Round Steak w/ Mushroom Gravy & Potato Wedges	Course 7 (Dessert): Lemon Pie!

More Furniture

Well, I know it's been quite a while since I've written last but up until recently there hasn't been much going on in my life to report about. Besides, I'm not sure if anyone even reads this anyway - I'm probably just talking to myself, who knows. Anyway, I've been wanting a couch for quite a while now (specifically one with a pullout bed) and was able to purchase a used one via Craigslist on the 12th. I got a decent condition sofa sleeper, loveseat, and two matching endtables all for $200!! Now that's a good deal even for used furniture.

Getting them in my apartment was a challenge though. I had a friend of mine with a truck, who I'm very grateful to, help me pick them up and haul them. Before actually purchasing them however, I had to figure out how I was going to arrange them to fit well in my apartment, as I'm running out of space. So I got some measurements and went "back to the drawing board," which in my case is Microsoft Visio. I already have very accurate and detailed layout of my apartment floorplan and furniture, so adding the new items in wasn't too dificult. What was though, was arriving at a practical and feasible arrangement. I tried several different ideas to no avail but was finally able to come up with something that worked well and also had multiple advantages over my setup at the time. The weekend before acquiring them I was able to move some of my furniture to "pave the way" but had to save the larger/heavier items for when I could get some assistance.

I picked up the couch and loveseat on Thursday of that week and on Friday my best friend came over to help me with moving everything else. After that i just had the normal mess of random items floating around which commonly happens when making such major changes. With the help of my girlfriend, I was able to get the majority of it cleaned up Saturday morning. Not the most fun way to spend Valentine's, but I made it up to her - see the next post. So the last few days I hung up all my various wall decorations and sorted the remaining surface clutter. Now all I have remaining is organizing my tons of computer cables, after which I can push my desks all the way against the wall. Once that is done I will post pictures of the new arrangement for you to see.

Puppy

On Sunday afternoon, after resting from our return trip, Amanda and I went to a friend's house to pick up the puppy I wanted to get. A former co-worker of mine and his wife had recently gotten a dog from the pound as a companion to their other dog. It turned out the dog they got was already pregnant, so shortly after they had a litter of 7 puppies. I have been wanting a puppy for a while, since it had been two years since my previous dog died, but was just kinda waiting. They offered me one and after thinking it through and weighing the pros and cons I decided to go for it. I had seen the litter a few times before and had my eye on one in particular. All of them were cute but she stood out from the rest - most of them had multi-colored and very fluffy hair, but hers is a light tan that's short and soft. The mother is a Corgi (or mostly so - i'm not sure), and from the looks of it there could quite possibly be more than one father. My guess is that mine has some lab in her but i don't know; i guess we'll find out more as she grows. Anyway, we brought her back to my apartment and let her sniff around her new home, then introduced her to the toys Amanda had bought for her and played with her for a while before Amanda had to leave.

I was thinking through what to name her - I wanted it to be something that had some sort of significance yet was unique at the same time. After a short while I thought about using something from the Lord of the Rings, and eventually came up with the 3 elven rings: Narya, Nenya, and Vilya. I chose Nenya for a few reasons. Nenya was worn by Galadriel and is made of mithril set with a white stone. Galadriel is the fairest of the elves and my puppy is the fairest of her litter (at least I think so), also she has a white spot on the top of her head which I felt really fits well. Nenya is also the ring of water, but I'm not sure how that applies - maybe it will later. Amanda wants to get a cat when she graduates and is now considering naming it Vilya once she does.

It's been interesting so far. Initially I of course had to clean up a few different messes, but recently she's been doing really well with the housebreaking process. At one point when she was asleep I left to run some errands, and when I returned found out she had chewed up one of my surround sound speaker cables. It still works but is extremely faint compared to the others, and unfortunately I don't think I can order them seperately. Needless to say, I wasn't very happy. I got a large cardboard box to put her in (with the top open) during the night, but she got out of it by the second night (even when i taped the flaps up and partially coverd it). So I had to break down and buy one of those crate things. She doesn't like it too well, but it's very nice to know she won't be pottying around the apartment or chewing on things she's not supposed to. She does wake me up in the morning though. :(

She's adjusting very well and is very playful and energetic! She has lots of fun running around, jumping, pouncing, and chewing on her toys. I took her to the vet and she loved meeting new people; she weighed in at 7.2 lbs. She's not too fond of going out in the cold weather (not that I can blame her), but she likes eating the snow and chewing on leaves. Once she gets a bit older I'm going to start training her with basic commands.

Road Trip and Wedding

This last weekend, the 9th and 10th, I was a groomsman in a friend's wedding (I knew both the bride and groom from college) in Kansas City, KS. This is my 5th time being a groomsman (one was as best man actually), so I hope the saying "always a bridesmaid never a bride" doesn't apply to men as well - though that's how it's seemed so far. Anyway, Amanda and I took the 8 hour road trip together (she was officially invited for those who may be wondering), leaving very early on Friday morning. It went pretty well and relatively quick surprisingly. I drove most of the way there and she drove most of the way on the return. We enjoyed more fellowship and bonding and shared another memory making experience.

Friday night, after the rehearsal, I was asked if I would be willing to pick up someone who had come in at the bus station. I agreed and late that night another guy and myself went to go pick her up. However, we had no idea where the bus station was (nor did anyone else apparently) and the wifi at the hotel we were staying at wasn't working. So we asked one of the workers and they were eventually able to mark it on the map I had printed out for the trip. That was the easy part, getting there is another story. The highways in Kansas City had to be designed by someone on crack! We were heading back east towards the station, stayed in the center and didn't take any exits when all of a sudden we looped around and were going west again. We finally got back on track and to the area of town where the station was, but had some trouble getting there due to many one-way streets. Once we did pick her up we couldn't get back on the interstate. We got on a major road which was parallel, thinking it would have an entrance ramp to it - but no, it took us down south instead. Eventually we got back to the area of town where the church was and had to find the house where the girls were staying, which we weren't given good/complete directions to. All in all it took two hours to get the job done, when distance-wise it should only have taken about 20-30 minutes!

The wedding itself went very well and was pretty nice, decorated in a light blue with snow flakes theme. And Amanda enjoyed seeing me all "spified up" in the tux. It was also good to reconnect with some friends and acquaintances I hadn't seen in quite a while. We stayed at the reception long enough to see the couple off, but had to leave pretty quickly thereafter. As it was, we made it back to Danville at around 2am!

Update (New Years)

Wow, sorry it's been a while - I've been meaning to update my blog for a week or two now but have been working on other things. Well I guess the next major thing is New Years. The plan was for Amanda to come here to Danville, but on the way over she had some car trouble at the Northeast portion of Indianapolis - which ironically was an exact week after my car problems in Indy. Fortunately she was able to pull off into a mall parking lot. I threw some things together and headed out to go get her. Due to it being late in the evening and also the upcoming holiday we had to just leave it in a mechanic's parking lot until we could come back later to have it checked out. Once that was all taken care of and she was able to relax again, we stopped to eat and then drove back to Danville.

We spent the new year playing a game and fellowshipping with my best friend David and his wife Kayla. Their son Tyler, who is 20 months old, took quite a liking to Amanda. Another fun thing was getting to make a nice meal for Amanda, which received high praises afterwords, despite her initial hesitancy.



A sad point in the visit was Amanda hitting her head pretty hard on my weight bar as she was walking around my weight bench. She is alright but it hurt extremely - I know because I did the same thing (for the first time) just a few days ago! The problem is that the standard 7' bar in a small apartment makes it very difficult and sometimes dangerous to maneuver around. I want to get a 6' bar but most of them have too short of gripping area to fit on a standard size bench. I did however just recently find one that is 6' with the same gripping length as a 7' bar, and also has rubber end caps. The bar I currently have is actually 86" so that means it will be like cutting 7" off each size, which makes a significant difference! Unfortunately it is fairly expensive so I can't afford it now, but the plan is to trade-in/sell my current one and replace it. Anyway, now that I've rambled quite enough (hey, it's what I'm good at) - all that to mention that I was able to get Amanda set up on a good fitness routine, at her request (I've become her personal trainer). She's been doing very well with it so far!

The Car Conclusion

On Friday, the 26th, my parents were heading down to Florida for my aunt's visitation and funeral. So they left at 5am and I rode with them as far as Indianapolis to see what we could do about my car. When we got there it initially started; we put some coolant in the actual radiator but it didn't seem to be too low. I called my uncle to ask about a mechanic in the area which he recommended, but he said he would meet me there and take me. So we shut the car off and waited for him, which was when I found out I had left the window open. When he arrived we tried starting it again but it wouldn't do so this time. So fortunately he had a big cord/strap which we hooked up so he could tow me, since it was only a short distance with very little turns. He towed me to the mechanic, I checked in with them, and then headed back to his house, at which point my parents also left to continue on their trip. I got a call an hour later from the shop telling me what they had found out and what needed to be done. It turned out my alternator was completely shot and because of that the car overused the battery which was also now completely shot, they also had to replace the serpentine belt! So 4 hours later they called saying it was finished. The total damage was $550 - OUCH! Luckily I had enough from the recent unemployment payments, but not much more which will make things interesting. So now it runs fine (I hope it stays that way) and I was able to drive back to Danville without any problems.

The New Plan

It seems circumstances have necessitated coming up with a new plan. So as of now I hope to be able to extend my lease until March, and continue searching for a job in the Indy area. At least then I will have a job before moving (which seems to be a key factor in making several people happy with my decision to move) and know what area of Indy I need to be at. I'll have to renew my license plates here before doing so again there when I do move, but I suppose that's not the end of the world. Besides, it's cheaper rent here then it will be over there, so I guess while I'm still looking for employment it's better to stay here. Once I have a job lined up and am actually making money again the higher rent won't be a problem. I believe I should be able to find something after the beginning of the year, so please pray for me that I can do so. I can't wait to move for many different reasons!

Christmas Party

So after my adventure on the 23rd, I was actually able to have a good Christmas Eve. I road back with my uncle to my parent's house, which is where we were having the party. I was able to run to my apartment in order to change and freshen up before everyone arrived. It was nice to have almost everyone there, especially those from great distances: a cousin from California, one from Colorado, and one in the Boston area! Sadly there were a few family members that weren't able to make it for one reason or another, which we missed. But it was a good time of fellowship and catching up with each other. We had lots of delicious food and for the first time ever we all ate at the same table, which is quite an amazing thing for us!

My trip to Indy...One of the worst days of my life!

Tuesday, the 23rd, I went to Indianapolis to view apartments I had selected and researched online. The catch though was that there was icy rain and the roads were very slick. I know it was pretty nuts to go, but I didn't really have any other options. The apartments wouldn't be open the 24th and 25th and I wasn't sure if they would be the following Friday either, my current apartment lease is up at the end of December and I need at least a few days to do the actual moving, so that left only Tuesday to settle on something (and in case you're wondering, I couldn't go earlier because I just now got my unemployment payments - or at least some of them, but that's another story).

So on a normal day it takes around an hour and a quarter (give or take) to make it to Indy, however Tuesday it took over 3 hours! The fastest I ever got up to was 40mph and I think I averaged around 20. There were several different cars and even a semi along the side of the road (mostly on the westbound lanes), although none of the accidents looked to be too serious. Speaking of, I got into one near Brownsburg - the car in front of me stopped and when I tried to stop I slid instead. I tried to swerve left but ended up going right and hit a truck in the other lane. It was almost like it was in slow motion because I could see it happening but couldn't do anything to stop it. Fortunately we were only going 15mph so it wasn't too bad, only some minor scrapes and dents.



When I finally got to the northwestern portion of I-465 my car broke down. I was in the middle lane completely stopped while the lane on either side of me was moving, albeit slowly. Then I heard a subtle hissing noise and noticed smoke coming from under my hood. I quickly made my way over to the exit lane - luckily I was near one. I popped the hood and initially noticed the cap was off the plastic container labeled engine coolant, but it looked to be half full. So I bundled up and walked off in the sleet and cold to a somewhat nearby gas station and then to a mechanic about a mile away. He said they couldn't do anything until it was towed, so he called a towing company and I found out it would be a 4-5 hour wait! I sat there for a moment warming up and trying to figure out what to do. I decided to walk all the way back to my car and check it again, at which point I realized the coolant container was completely empty - what I had seen before was an inside stain line from the side. So I trekked back to the gas station, bought some coolant, walked back to the car again and filled it up. As it turns out, this was just the overflow and not really the problem anyway.



I was on the phone with my girlfriend as I broke down and started walking, but to make matters worse my phone died. So she knew about my plight but did not know what was happening or if I was okay. Additionally I somehow broke my phone's belt clip, which in itself wouldn't be too big of deal but is just one more thing to add to the trauma.

The car seemed to be okay but at this point it was too late to view apartments so I went to Arby's to grab something to eat. I didn't think it would be good to drive all the way back home so I called my uncle which lives in Avon to see if I could stay with him. The few miles on the interstate went pretty well, though it was fairly slow. As it turns out it's a good thing I didn't try to head back home because the I-74 exit was backed up for literally 4 miles on both sides! Once I got to the exit I needed, it took me around 40 minutes just to get to the first stop light which was less than half a mile distance. I thought it would eventually clear up but it was stop and go traffic along the whole way after; at one point there was a semi trailer across the road!



Shortly after this my engine started rumbling a bit so I shut the car off to let it rest a bit, considering we were completely stopped, but then couldn't get it to start again. A guy came up to offer help and we were about to push it when I tried again and it actually started. However, I only made it about 50 feet when it completely died on me. At least this time I was able to get it to the side of the road so cars could pass. I was able to charge my phone a bit on my car charger, so the first time I called my uncle and he was on his way to come get me (I was only about a mile and a half from his house). After it broke down the second time I realized both lanes had completely stopped and had been that way for a while (which was due to a cop being in the ditch as well as a dump truck being stuck), so I called him again and told him I would be walking because he wouldn't be able to make it through. So I once again trekked across the ice in the rain to meet him at a church parking lot he had made it to. We weren't sure what to do so we waited there for a short while and the traffic finally began to clear up a bit. So we headed back to the car and were able to get it off onto a side road where we would be able to safely leave it. I didn't realize it at the time but discovered later I had left my window open - which got my atlas soaked. :(

When we got back to his house I was pretty soaked so we threw my coat, hat, gloves, and socks into the dryer. But once it was done we found out I had some cookies in my coat pocket (which I could have sworn I checked first). That was pretty much the last straw - I wanted to just bang my head against a wall and give up!

Where I'm At

So hello to everyone who is reading this and to all those who will eventually read it (considering at this point I've only told one person about it). To get this whole blog thing rolling I suppose I'll give a quick introduction or update to my life recently. It's been pretty touch and go - I lost my job of two years about four months ago and have been struggling financially and wrestling with unemployment since then. I found out 3 days ago that I should finally be receiving it! Additionally I've had several frustrating computer problems I've been trying to work out, along with the help of a friend - I think I'm becoming cursed when it comes to computers. It doesn't help that I've been sick all this past week - fortunately I think I'm getting over it, but still have a sore throat.

My apartment lease is up in December (as well as my license plates), so the plan is to move to Indy as soon as possible - which I've wanted to do since before I even lost my job, and now it may actually be possible considering I'm finally receiving my unemployment funds. I've tried to find a job (though some tend to think I haven't) but there is nothing here in Danville! (It has the 3rd worst unemployment rate in the state!!) I've also applied to over 70 jobs online and actually had 4 phone interviews, but nothing has come through yet. One of the staffing agencies mentioned I'd be more likely to find something after the new year because companies want to wait until after the holdiays and also for their new budgets to be approved.

I like the city of Indianapolis and enjoy its central location to most all other major midwest cities. There are many more opportunities for jobs (even temporary ones if needs be) there than there are here, and I can also continue to draw unemployment from Illinois while living in Indiana. Additionally it is only 1/3 of the distance from my girlfriend than I am now, and I'll also be in the same time zone which will be very nice. So the plan is to find an apartment on Tuesday (I've already been searching online) and move in this weekend (after Christmas). The catch is going to be how soon the government will get around to depositing my money. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

First Post Test

This is a test because I have never blogged before and have no clue how to do all the fun, interesting things people do with it.