Thursday, March 11, 2010
Sign on Bonus
News story tonight about hospitals in the area having sign on bonuses for Nurses in Texas....north Texas even. The highest is a $10,000....yes $10,000 sign on bonus. There are still sign on bonuses for cops too....just sayin'. Quick Google search will find them.
Everybody likes a little time and a half
Flying a trip on overtime Friday. Flying Dallas to Norfolk, VA and back. I start work at 9:00AM and finish at 4:30PM. My min-pay clock starts at 9AM...my real pay clock starts at 9:45AM....stops for 30 minutes in Norfolk and then stops at 4:30PM. The mini-clock is my per diem at $1.70 an hour. My real pay clock is my hourly wage of $37 an hour.
Even though most people get time and a half for overtime. I get time and 20%...still more money than I would get sitting at home.
Today was a good day overall. Flew to Knoxville, Tennessee and back. I haven't been there in over a year...maybe two. Nothing has changed. It was a hassle though the last 12 minutes. ATC had me turning and descending all over the place. Finally heading for the airport I got tired of trying to control the plane via the autopilot and just turned the damn thing off and flew it by hand. Turned out fine.
Wanted to go to Vegas this month with some friends. Not going to happen. Damn real passengers booked so many tickets that nearly every flight is oversold. Eh.
The dogs are still alive.
Coffee is good.
My pants aren't fitting as well as they used too...in a good way. Odd as I haven't been exercising much.
Even though most people get time and a half for overtime. I get time and 20%...still more money than I would get sitting at home.
Today was a good day overall. Flew to Knoxville, Tennessee and back. I haven't been there in over a year...maybe two. Nothing has changed. It was a hassle though the last 12 minutes. ATC had me turning and descending all over the place. Finally heading for the airport I got tired of trying to control the plane via the autopilot and just turned the damn thing off and flew it by hand. Turned out fine.
Wanted to go to Vegas this month with some friends. Not going to happen. Damn real passengers booked so many tickets that nearly every flight is oversold. Eh.
The dogs are still alive.
Coffee is good.
My pants aren't fitting as well as they used too...in a good way. Odd as I haven't been exercising much.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The reality pill
11 days until I am 1 year older. Funny math.
I think I am going to buy myself a new battery for my Macbook Pro for my birthday. I think I will be keeping this computer for at least 6 more months. Maybe.
My brother in law called yesterday for a computer consultation. He wants a new gaming computer....laptop. He already had an Alienware computer in mind, I just gave my opinion on model and upgrades. We ended up agreeing on a M15X that starts at $1199. I recommended to up from a Core I3 CPU to a Core I5, go from 3GB to 4GB of ram for $25, from 250GB to 320GB of hard drive space for $70. All in for $1424. He live's in Oregon, no sales tax. This computer should easily last him two years.
<rant>
I'm pretty average overall. I excel in computer hardware and general geekness, but trail in physical strength and math. I also trail in cleaning the house....but I am a guy so that's normal (ha!).
I was raised by two people who were go getters. My dad traveled around the world (literally) as an Engineer. My mom started the second largest adoption agency in Texas....all on her own. Since age 17 I have had a job continuously except for my freshman year of college.
They haven't all been great jobs (I was a janitor for one summer!). My most fun and memorable jobs were working at an auto auction in high school (being able to drive any car I wanted was awesome!), driving a school bus in college (kind of a power trip driving a huge vehicle!), and of course my current (and hopefully final) job.
I like working. When I was laid off in 2001 (August 2001!) after moving to North Texas I went crazy. Just sitting around annoyed me too no end. Then 9/11 happened. Getting a job was VERY difficult. I lived UNDER my means and hit the streets (virtually via online job postings) and found a job in late September. It wasn't a great job. I was over qualified, but it was a job. I figured it would be temporary and I would find something better. Four years later I found something better.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't get not working. Even in this economy, people with skills are getting hired. My airline is hiring for various divisions (including pilots). I was talking with an agent in Cleveland Tuesday who I saw was new. She moved her family 600 miles for the job.
She was an agent for a different airline and let go. She stayed at home with the kids (3 and 6) and cancelled day care while she looked for a job. Her husband is a licensed electrician who was pulling in decent, but not great money for living in Boston. They hunkered down, took a reality pill, and moved the entire family to a new city. She's happy to be back at work doing what she's done for years. Her husband has had several job offers as he has a skill in demand. Kids are in school. Life is good.
I hope to never be in the position of having to move my entire family for a job. Thankfully my job allows me to live anywhere. If it comes down to it though, Kelli and I are level headed enough to swallow the reality pill and do it.
</rant> <~~~a geek thing
I think I am going to buy myself a new battery for my Macbook Pro for my birthday. I think I will be keeping this computer for at least 6 more months. Maybe.
My brother in law called yesterday for a computer consultation. He wants a new gaming computer....laptop. He already had an Alienware computer in mind, I just gave my opinion on model and upgrades. We ended up agreeing on a M15X that starts at $1199. I recommended to up from a Core I3 CPU to a Core I5, go from 3GB to 4GB of ram for $25, from 250GB to 320GB of hard drive space for $70. All in for $1424. He live's in Oregon, no sales tax. This computer should easily last him two years.
<rant>
I'm pretty average overall. I excel in computer hardware and general geekness, but trail in physical strength and math. I also trail in cleaning the house....but I am a guy so that's normal (ha!).
I was raised by two people who were go getters. My dad traveled around the world (literally) as an Engineer. My mom started the second largest adoption agency in Texas....all on her own. Since age 17 I have had a job continuously except for my freshman year of college.
They haven't all been great jobs (I was a janitor for one summer!). My most fun and memorable jobs were working at an auto auction in high school (being able to drive any car I wanted was awesome!), driving a school bus in college (kind of a power trip driving a huge vehicle!), and of course my current (and hopefully final) job.
I like working. When I was laid off in 2001 (August 2001!) after moving to North Texas I went crazy. Just sitting around annoyed me too no end. Then 9/11 happened. Getting a job was VERY difficult. I lived UNDER my means and hit the streets (virtually via online job postings) and found a job in late September. It wasn't a great job. I was over qualified, but it was a job. I figured it would be temporary and I would find something better. Four years later I found something better.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't get not working. Even in this economy, people with skills are getting hired. My airline is hiring for various divisions (including pilots). I was talking with an agent in Cleveland Tuesday who I saw was new. She moved her family 600 miles for the job.
She was an agent for a different airline and let go. She stayed at home with the kids (3 and 6) and cancelled day care while she looked for a job. Her husband is a licensed electrician who was pulling in decent, but not great money for living in Boston. They hunkered down, took a reality pill, and moved the entire family to a new city. She's happy to be back at work doing what she's done for years. Her husband has had several job offers as he has a skill in demand. Kids are in school. Life is good.
I hope to never be in the position of having to move my entire family for a job. Thankfully my job allows me to live anywhere. If it comes down to it though, Kelli and I are level headed enough to swallow the reality pill and do it.
</rant> <~~~a geek thing
Monday, March 8, 2010
No more ring!
I decided I no longer want a Nexus One. Not right now anyway. Six hundred dollars is too much to pay for a phone....no matter how awesome it is. If it goes down to $200-$300 I will reconsider.
Xbox 360 is fixed. No more red ring. I ordered a kit from 3 Red Light Fix via Amazon. The kit cost at least $10 more than I could have bought everything for, but it was easier to order than go driving around town.
The fix took an hour or so. I took my time. The Xbox 360 is back up and running. I was seriously considering bighting the bullet and buying a new one. Money saved!
Birthday is in 13 days. Wedding anniversary is in 18 days.
Used car finance rates are pretty cheap. I would be using a used car loan to buy my car at the end of the lease. I think. I have to do some research. I've seen "Lease Buyout Loans" as well. I THINK those loans are for those wanting to buy a leased car before the lease is up. Eh. I got a year.
My Progressive Myrate came in handy while getting an oil change. I noticed other customers who came in after me leaving before me. I hopped on the Myrate website and noticed it was moved 3 times but had been sitting for 30 minutes. Sure enough when I got home I noticed the last time it was started was when they called me, meaning it had just been sitting. I didn't have an appointment, but when I called they said they weren't busy and I could be out quick. Not. Oh well....I only get oil changes every 6 months. Just one or two more left.
I like high stress, mentally challenging games. Mostly games where several task must be handled at the same time. Car racing games fit the fancy...as well as air traffic control games. I haven't found a perfect game yet. Lots of "almost there" games.
We went way out to Richardson Friday night to watch Angela, or EricandAngela.com, play in a softball game. Eric and Marin (their daughter). We had a good time. Marin was a little more open talking to Kelli and I than before. Hard to believe Marin is 3 years old. I wonder if they would be willing to watch Moombassa for a few years. It will be both of ours, we will just keep it at their house.
Xbox 360 is fixed. No more red ring. I ordered a kit from 3 Red Light Fix via Amazon. The kit cost at least $10 more than I could have bought everything for, but it was easier to order than go driving around town.
The fix took an hour or so. I took my time. The Xbox 360 is back up and running. I was seriously considering bighting the bullet and buying a new one. Money saved!
Birthday is in 13 days. Wedding anniversary is in 18 days.
Used car finance rates are pretty cheap. I would be using a used car loan to buy my car at the end of the lease. I think. I have to do some research. I've seen "Lease Buyout Loans" as well. I THINK those loans are for those wanting to buy a leased car before the lease is up. Eh. I got a year.
My Progressive Myrate came in handy while getting an oil change. I noticed other customers who came in after me leaving before me. I hopped on the Myrate website and noticed it was moved 3 times but had been sitting for 30 minutes. Sure enough when I got home I noticed the last time it was started was when they called me, meaning it had just been sitting. I didn't have an appointment, but when I called they said they weren't busy and I could be out quick. Not. Oh well....I only get oil changes every 6 months. Just one or two more left.
I like high stress, mentally challenging games. Mostly games where several task must be handled at the same time. Car racing games fit the fancy...as well as air traffic control games. I haven't found a perfect game yet. Lots of "almost there" games.
We went way out to Richardson Friday night to watch Angela, or EricandAngela.com, play in a softball game. Eric and Marin (their daughter). We had a good time. Marin was a little more open talking to Kelli and I than before. Hard to believe Marin is 3 years old. I wonder if they would be willing to watch Moombassa for a few years. It will be both of ours, we will just keep it at their house.
Friday, March 5, 2010
She is her father's daughter
Took me a it to get the MyRate device installed in Kelli's Prius. Finding the OBD port was a challenge.
On the first day it was sending up data I thought I was going to have to send it back. Kelli had 6 hard stops! One of her way to work, four on the way to CVS on the way home and one during the one mile drive home from CVS. By comparison I have an average of ZERO hard stops in a day. Kelli and I discussed how she, "came out swinging....or stomping".....and I'm happy to say the last two days have been better. The data even showed her that her drive home was 1.6 miles shorter than the drive to work. She has since decided to modify her commute to go to and from the same route, saving miles and gas. The amount of gas saved is equal to an entire tank. For her that's about $18. Not a lot, but it's money saved without requiring effort.
My father in law taught Kelli to drive. Let's just say he has had his fair share of tickets. He's had his fair share, mine, Kelli's, the state of Montana....eh. I have been fortunate enough to not be in a vehicle where he has been at the wheel in years. My mother in law is the exact opposite kind of driver. Don't know why she wasn't the driver's ed teacher for the house.
It's no secret that I love gadgets. What might not be known is Kelli gadget collector of sorts as well.
Kelli loves household gadgets. She buys all kinds of cleaning gadgets. Some expensive...some cheap. Most end up like my gadgets....gathering dust.
Her new "gotta have it" is a roomba. With the new floors, dog hair is much more visible. Much more visible. Her Dyson and a broom do the trick....but a roomba does it without any effort. A roomba with good reviews on picking up pet hair is $350 . Maybe for her birthday.
I think my new game, Forza 3, killed my Xbox 360. Forza is very demanding in the graphics arena. My previous main game, Need for Speed Shifty, was nice, but not as perfect. I ordered a repair kit as that 360 is almost 4 years old and Microsoft wants $99 to fix it again. I don't feel comfortable paying for it to get fixed as the lasted about 15 months. The new 360's are much improved and don't have this issue. A new one is $180. Eh.
Think I am going to hang on to my Macbook Pro for a while. Nothing wrong with it beyond the battery.....and I don't use it unplugged that often. Maybe in the Fall.
Birthday coming up. Kelli is currently debating one of two gifts for me.....an Apple I-Pad 32GB or a Nexus One. She has 16 days to figure it out. Of course the I-Pad won't be out till April 3rd. Hmmm.
On the first day it was sending up data I thought I was going to have to send it back. Kelli had 6 hard stops! One of her way to work, four on the way to CVS on the way home and one during the one mile drive home from CVS. By comparison I have an average of ZERO hard stops in a day. Kelli and I discussed how she, "came out swinging....or stomping".....and I'm happy to say the last two days have been better. The data even showed her that her drive home was 1.6 miles shorter than the drive to work. She has since decided to modify her commute to go to and from the same route, saving miles and gas. The amount of gas saved is equal to an entire tank. For her that's about $18. Not a lot, but it's money saved without requiring effort.
My father in law taught Kelli to drive. Let's just say he has had his fair share of tickets. He's had his fair share, mine, Kelli's, the state of Montana....eh. I have been fortunate enough to not be in a vehicle where he has been at the wheel in years. My mother in law is the exact opposite kind of driver. Don't know why she wasn't the driver's ed teacher for the house.
It's no secret that I love gadgets. What might not be known is Kelli gadget collector of sorts as well.
Kelli loves household gadgets. She buys all kinds of cleaning gadgets. Some expensive...some cheap. Most end up like my gadgets....gathering dust.
Her new "gotta have it" is a roomba. With the new floors, dog hair is much more visible. Much more visible. Her Dyson and a broom do the trick....but a roomba does it without any effort. A roomba with good reviews on picking up pet hair is $350 . Maybe for her birthday.
I think my new game, Forza 3, killed my Xbox 360. Forza is very demanding in the graphics arena. My previous main game, Need for Speed Shifty, was nice, but not as perfect. I ordered a repair kit as that 360 is almost 4 years old and Microsoft wants $99 to fix it again. I don't feel comfortable paying for it to get fixed as the lasted about 15 months. The new 360's are much improved and don't have this issue. A new one is $180. Eh.
Think I am going to hang on to my Macbook Pro for a while. Nothing wrong with it beyond the battery.....and I don't use it unplugged that often. Maybe in the Fall.
Birthday coming up. Kelli is currently debating one of two gifts for me.....an Apple I-Pad 32GB or a Nexus One. She has 16 days to figure it out. Of course the I-Pad won't be out till April 3rd. Hmmm.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Prius is now monitored
I've had the Progressive Myrate device on my car for a 8 months or so. Saving money....not a ton of money...about $100 a year....but still money.
For whatever reason Kelli's Prius wasn't eligible for Myrate when we switched to Progressive. Now it is.
It took a bit to find her OBD port....."that's what she said".....that makes no sense. Hopefully her driving won't make our insurance go up...if it looks that way we will just uninstall it. Looks like her trip to work is 18 miles.....took 21 minutes. With that data she will drive more per day than the average user at 35 miles a day.....but possibly for less time. It will be interesting too see how many hard stops she has.
Went to the OBGYN with Kelli yesterday. As a joke I was in the stirrups with my legs wide open when the Dr. walked in. Just kidding.
No ultrasound. Kelli thought there would be. Oh well. End of the month.
Our original Xbox 360 is having issues again. It red ringed a year or so ago. Not happy. I'm going to buy a cooler to see if it helps.
Kelli and I took a trip to the polls yesterday.
There is a church down the street that had all kinds of political signs out front. I told Kelli "that's out polling place". She insisted it wasn't as she voted at a church around the corner. I thought it would be crazy for the church on OUR street to not be where we vote. I was right.
When we walked in they had signs directing Republicans to the right and Democrats to the left. Manning the Republican desk were "white people". Manning the Democrat desk were "black people." It must have been a sight to see an inter-racial couple walk in and have the white lady vote democrat and the black guy vote Republican (notice how Republican is capitalized).
Dallas autoshow this weekend. Not sure if I want to go.
For whatever reason Kelli's Prius wasn't eligible for Myrate when we switched to Progressive. Now it is.
It took a bit to find her OBD port....."that's what she said".....that makes no sense. Hopefully her driving won't make our insurance go up...if it looks that way we will just uninstall it. Looks like her trip to work is 18 miles.....took 21 minutes. With that data she will drive more per day than the average user at 35 miles a day.....but possibly for less time. It will be interesting too see how many hard stops she has.
Went to the OBGYN with Kelli yesterday. As a joke I was in the stirrups with my legs wide open when the Dr. walked in. Just kidding.
No ultrasound. Kelli thought there would be. Oh well. End of the month.
Our original Xbox 360 is having issues again. It red ringed a year or so ago. Not happy. I'm going to buy a cooler to see if it helps.
Kelli and I took a trip to the polls yesterday.
There is a church down the street that had all kinds of political signs out front. I told Kelli "that's out polling place". She insisted it wasn't as she voted at a church around the corner. I thought it would be crazy for the church on OUR street to not be where we vote. I was right.
When we walked in they had signs directing Republicans to the right and Democrats to the left. Manning the Republican desk were "white people". Manning the Democrat desk were "black people." It must have been a sight to see an inter-racial couple walk in and have the white lady vote democrat and the black guy vote Republican (notice how Republican is capitalized).
Dallas autoshow this weekend. Not sure if I want to go.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
If we ever go on the Amazing Race
If we ever go on the Amazing Race, Kelli and I can both drive a manual transmission. Every season there is always someone who doesn't know how. In my head, if I passed step one of the application process, I would go out and learn to drive a manual!
Apparently I had Kelli on a blacklist. For the last day or so she couldn't call my cell phone number from her phone. She could text. I could call her, but she couldn't call me. Took me a while to figure out that my custom ROM on my phone has a blacklist feature. No idea how I placed her on it. Fixed now.
One year from now I will be agonizing on what to do for my next car.
My new time wasting game is the Sims 3. Fun. Almost over it. Need to find something new.
I turn 33 in 19 days. Back in High School I had a group of friends who were all born a month or less prior to me. Khristi's birthday is February 27th, Katy's birthday is March 9th, Emily's birthday is March 16th, and Elizabeth's birthday is March 26th. My Birthday is March 21st. Shop now, avoid the rush.
For Kelli I have asked for a security camera and card so I can install a camera for the backyard. Not too expensive.
For everyone else cash. Thanks.
I carry too many devices. I carry a laptop (Netbook or Macbook pro depending on my mood), G1 phone, camera and my Zune HD. If Apple would just switch to a subscription music service I could swallow the idea of an IPhone easier. Maybe the Windows Phone 7 Series coming out will be my new phone. It will allow Zune music syncing and of course be a phone. Could be 'it".
Apparently I had Kelli on a blacklist. For the last day or so she couldn't call my cell phone number from her phone. She could text. I could call her, but she couldn't call me. Took me a while to figure out that my custom ROM on my phone has a blacklist feature. No idea how I placed her on it. Fixed now.
One year from now I will be agonizing on what to do for my next car.
My new time wasting game is the Sims 3. Fun. Almost over it. Need to find something new.
I turn 33 in 19 days. Back in High School I had a group of friends who were all born a month or less prior to me. Khristi's birthday is February 27th, Katy's birthday is March 9th, Emily's birthday is March 16th, and Elizabeth's birthday is March 26th. My Birthday is March 21st. Shop now, avoid the rush.
For Kelli I have asked for a security camera and card so I can install a camera for the backyard. Not too expensive.
For everyone else cash. Thanks.
I carry too many devices. I carry a laptop (Netbook or Macbook pro depending on my mood), G1 phone, camera and my Zune HD. If Apple would just switch to a subscription music service I could swallow the idea of an IPhone easier. Maybe the Windows Phone 7 Series coming out will be my new phone. It will allow Zune music syncing and of course be a phone. Could be 'it".
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