Month: January 2007

Interviews Abound

I have had many interviews lately.  Nothing seems to pan out though.  Today was my interview for the 911 dispatcher position.  It went well I think, but I’ve had the same feeling before.  I have been dreaming of this job since I first heard about it, and I believe my chances are quite good.

I have an interview Monday at my wifes’ second job.  This seems “iffy” at best to me, as I like the office lifestyle, but am not your “typical” office worker.

I will do my best, as I think anything (that has a decent salary) is better than my current situation.  I don’t mind my current job, I just hate the days and hours I have to work (12am – 8:30am Saturday through Wednesday).  The only reason I keep going is to keep my house.  I don’t want a foreclosure on my record.

I sent my resume to a place that would not disclose their name (it happens frequently around here).  I received an email yesterday regarding that position.  The email stated that the company makes “high-end” lamps, tables and accessories.  This is a warehouse position with some assembly required*.  I was shocked, no, furious about the salary, a mere $6.50 an hour!  Most warehouse positions in this area salaries’ are double that!  I wanted to send them an email stating how mad I was, but I didn’t.  I sent them a simple one stating based upon the salary I was no longer interested.

I know somewhere, there is something for me.  I just wish this search would end, and soon.  It has always been hard for me to get a job, let alone a career.  That seems to be the unattainable dream in my life.

The Leak Just Keeps a’ Flowing

I have learned many things after buying this house.

1.  Expect the unexpected.
2.  That home repair class in High School has paid it self off and then some.
3.  When one crisis is finished, another one is sure to follow.

I came home the other day to hear the sound of running water.   I saw a glimmer of water downstairs as well.   Our infamous leak was back!  This time I could see exactly where it was coming from though.  It was leaking stronger than ever, I would guesstimate around 1-2 gallons per minute!

When the house was built, instead of using quick set concrete or mortar to seal the hole for the water line, caulking was used.  After 33 years, it has given out.

So I quickly went to Menards and purchased some items, one of which being “Dry-Lok Fast Plug,” a quick setting cement.  This stuff claimed to actually seal an active water leak, and it does!

After some trial and error, and much needed help from my “women,”the leak stopped.  But solving that problem, only created a new one.

It rained cats and dogs the next day, and the leak was back, more than ever.  There was no dripping sound, instead I found that water was “sweating” or coming directly through our concrete block foundation.  This is caused by hydrostatic pressure that builds up next to the house.

This is just an assumption, but I believe there are insufficient drainage systems in place around the house.  The rear of the home seems fine, and shows no signs of any water being there.  The front is a different story though.  I believe part of the problem lies in the topography immediately in front of the house.

But alas, it’s winter and no major excavation can be done.  Which means the problem cannot be fixed at this moment.  I hope my uncle Ted can help me out on this one. 

So I guess until spring comes, we will have to deal with the problem.

Our New “Roomie”

We have a new guest in our home.  He only comes out about once a week.  We like to call him our “roomie” but his real name is Roomba!

We are all very surprised at how well the roomba picks up dirt and debris.  We are even more surprised at how well he picks up pet hair.

The cats don’t know what to think of this new guest in “their” house, but we like him lots.  The operation of the roomba (model 4160) is simple enough a child could do it!  You press the power button, and then the clean button.  When the roomba is done with the area, it simply stops and plays a delightful tune!

Even better, when the battery is low, the roomba will even make it’s way to it’s charging base station and charge itself!  How cool?

A couple of years ago it was all about the dyson, and we tried a friends.  To be perfectly honest, it did not impress me at all.  The roomba does though, especially at half the cost of a dyson!

Nothing Fits

So much has happened since I last posted.  This will be a mish-mosh if you will, of thoughts, ideas and updates.

Personally this has been a trying week for me.  I had an interview at IU for a position, but due to the weird hours I currently work, I accidentally overslept and missed the interview.  It was a way out of this crazy lifestyle I am currently living.

We have a new problem with the house, flooding!¬† The last couple of weeks has been very rainy in Bloomington.¬† We knew the house had flooded when we purchased it, but thought it was a one time deal, we were wrong.¬† I called some “waterproofing” companies.¬†¬†That was¬†a joke.¬† The first company said that they would rip all of our concrete block walls out and replace them, plus they would sell me some backfill rock that is “patented and revolutionary” for only $5995.¬† I can understand this in extreme situations, but this isn’t major flooding.

I had my dad get a hold of my step-uncle (long story) to take a look at it.¬† He did, and told me he thought it was leaking at the point where the water line comes into the house, which is directly under our front door.¬† I ripped out everything in the vicinity and did not find any significant signs of a place for water to come in, but cleaned the area and sprayed some “stuff” on it.¬† I guess after tonight we’ll see the results, as it’s been raining all day.

I have met a kind spirit at work, something that is lacking majorly here.¬† His name is C.J., he’s a very interesting man, who happens to be the same age as my father.¬† He is into the same things I am, and we always have something to talk about.¬† The other day he gave me a video monitor he no longer used (an upgrade I needed badly).¬† I will miss him when I leave.¬† I will make sure to give him all of my info when that happens though.

I received a new client for my video business.¬† He told me over the phone he has over 80 tapes he wants transferred to DVD.¬† I received his first shipment last Tuesday and have been working constantly on them.¬† I sent him a shipment of 8 DVD’s today.¬† I hope he enjoys the care and hard work I put into his family’s memories.

I have learned that I do have some limitations when it comes to transferring video now, so I am hoping to correct these issues as soon as the funds become available.¬† The current plan is to build another computer, using some of the available parts I have on hand, and moving some from my current computer.¬† I don’t need a power machine, just a decent one.¬† So I’m checking out my options.

Yesterday I shut off my computer and did some wiring work, installed a new surge protector and my computer wouldn’t come back on.¬† Turns out my power supply had went bad.¬† I was somewhat scared because this was one thing I hadn’t done on a computer yet.¬† $42 later, I have a bigger power supply installed (by me).

I must say something about Editor B’s speech.¬† I was not there, and only saw a snippet from Anderson Cooper 360, but I’m sure it was amazing.¬† After watching almost every episode of ROX, I have a good idea of how he spoke.¬† I hope XY got it on video?¬† It’s still hard for me to understand how it is taking so long to recover.¬† All I have to say is Andrew, how long did it take Florida to rebuild and recover?¬† I know I’m merely speculating, but come on, without New Orleans, this country wouldn’t be anything like it is today.¬† What do you think made westward expansion possible?¬† We the people need to remember that.

Sleep Much?

As anyone who has lived in this area knows, the “working wage” isn’t swell, and the costs of living are as high as the sky compared to it.

The Herald-Times published an article today regarding this issue, which rattles me to the core.  Some of these statistics are downright frightening.

Here are some excerpts: 
To afford a two-bedroom apartment and cover other expenses, someone working a minimum-wage job must work the equivalent of 100 hours a week. Or make $12.88 an hour for an average 40-hour work week.  (It took me nearly 5 years to earn a few cents less an hour than that.)

An estimated 59 percent of renters are unable to afford a 2-bedroom apartment in Bloomington, compared to 44 percent of the statewide percentage, according to the Indiana Coalition on Housing and Homelessness Issues report.¬† (I couldn’t afford to live by myself and never have.)

Just for pure informational purposes, a co-worker of my wife rents a “1 bedroom apartment w/ den”.¬† Her rent is nearly what our mortgage payment (including P&I)¬†is on a 1800 sq. ft. home with .48 acres.¬† We live around 10 miles away from her.