Living in a Sea of Blue

While there is a big game about to happen, I’m not writing about that – exactly.

I’m writing about how Indiana is an interesting place to live, to say the least.

My friend Editor B seems to have sold out his roots for his new hometown, New Orleans.  While I can partially admit that growing up in Greenwood, Indiana – one of the most blah places to live in Indiana, wouldn’t be a place to create fond childhood memories.  Indiana in general is an amazing place with pockets of greatness surrounded by seas of corn and grains.  This is a direct response to this post on his blog.

I’m writing this to dis-spell all of the myths Editor B has proclaimed and to give those who don’t know, some information about the state that has “more than corn” in it.

1.  Indiana makes dumb laws.  What state doesn’t?  For that matter, what entity doesn’t?  I’m sure if you do a google search on “Louisiana Dumb Laws” you’ll come up with more than a handful.

2.  I’m sure you could find songs about New Orleans with lyrics that aren’t so impressionable about it.  I’m not going to spend the time searching for them.  The only song I can think of off hand is, The House of the Rising Sun, which is commonly known to be about a brothel.  That’s a real good image!

3.  I find it interesting that one of New Orleans nicknames is “The City that Care Forgot.”  So nobody cares about New Orleans?  Why should I then?

4.  The term “hoosier” is seen as many different things in many different places.  Maybe from your point of view B, you’ve got me.  But it is a term of endearment to all of us living in Indiana.  Plus no matter where you live, you’ll always be a hoosier – you graduated from Indiana University!

5.  You’re right about the White river being too sandy for good transportation.  But wrong on many other levels.  Indianapolis was created to be the capital city – instead of just being chosen.  Just like Washington D.C., it was designed to accommodate many of the features it has today, thus giving it an advantage.  Indianapolis isn’t called “The Crossroads of America” for nothing!  With 4 major interstates colliding into it, it’s a transportation hub.  Meaning it’s good for business.  It is one of the easiest “big” cities to navigate in my personal experience.

6.  I honestly have no rebuttal about your #6, because I could really care less about sports.  I was pushed on so many sports as a child that I got burnt out.  My sister-in-law is a huge Colts fan.  So much that she is a season ticket holder, goes to many away games, and even has a room in her home dedicated to the team.  She will be in Miami this weekend rooting her team on, just like she was in 2007.

7.  To continue with #6, plus we here in Indiana have many other things to occupy our time other than merely football.  It’s just a game B.  Many things are about local level events, not national.  You’re the one that taught me that I should be more involved in my local government – which I’m slowly but surely doing.

8.  All you’re doing is bringing up stuff I thought you were higher than.  I’m sure we could find some rumors about Reggie Bush or your “hoosier” quarterback…

9.  I wouldn’t say that.  In all actuality, there is a restaurant in Mooresville that is run by a husband-wife duo that is from NOLA and Indy.  It’s been quite the story maker.  Just read this article.

10.  Even us hoosiers were ticked off about that deal.  It was always the “Hoosier Dome” no matter what the marquee said.  It was the start of corporate sponsorship that has taken over ever aspect of everything we have today.  I have to admit, I really like ROX #82, you documented things well!

Your turn, Editor B.

The 2010 List

We have many projects we would like to accomplish this year on our home.  With last year being primarily dedicated to two areas, this year we are focusing on a large number of smaller projects.

1.  Complete Taylor’s bedroom.  We are slowly but surely changing our trim and doors to white versus stained.  Taylor’s room is also the last room to get new cable, phone and LAN lines ran to it.  I’ll be happy when that is over with as we under estimated how much CAT5e cable we would need and have paid through the nose for 100 ft sections at a time.  When we’re done her room will look like Amelia’s room, except Taylor’s room is pink.

2.  Refurbish foyer area.  This area needs a lot of love.  Our home is a bi-level, which means when you enter the front door you are faced with a decision – up or down.  Our stairs are covered in carpet, which I’ve tripped on several times.  My neighbor removed his and underneath was hardwood and I believe mine is the same.  If so, I’m going to stain the treads and paint the risers.  We are also going to lay down a new floor for the foyer.  The current floor is horrible at best.  It’s a fake parkay and very dark, we plan on replacing it with laminate wood of some type.  Last but not least is the stair railing.  What we have was mainly used for outside hand rails.  It’s a solid metal piece that doesn’t really go with the rest of the home.

3.  Remodel master bathroom.  We have a 1/2 master bathroom, at 4′ by 6′ it’s quite small.  It’s also in need of a lot of work.  When we moved in, the room had some hideous wallpaper.  We removed it to find the walls had never been painted.  We plan on replacing the vanity, medicine cabinet, toilet, re-finishing and painting the walls and replacing the entry and closet doors.  We should be able to do this for around $500 on a long weekend.

4.  Change coat closet door.  Our coat closet door is not level and obtrusive.  We plan on replacing it with a closet door instead of an entry type door which is what is currently installed.  It’s the door on the right in the picture.

5.  Replace moldy insulation and replace drywall in garage.  Our home had from what I can tell many water issues prior to us moving in, and some after we moved.  Not too long after we moved in I (with my helper) removed a vast majority of the drywall sealing our home from the garage.  See the black areas?  That’s mold folks!  This needs to be replaced to help keep our home sealed from the elements.  We will also be replacing the door separating the garage from the living area of the house with a steel door, something our home inspector noted should be done.

Now onto the smaller stuff

6.  Remove cat door on garage door, seal and insulate it.  Pretty much self explanatory – I’ve used this access to get myself back in the house when I was locked out by our Roomba.  It’s something a thief could do as well.

7.  Create self sealing door in attic for whole house fan.  We have this fan, it’s great – but we never use it.  I need to create a door that will seal it when not in use, but open automatically when in use.  Hopefully this will keep our heat and air from escaping through the attic.

8.  Landscaping.  This is work I have done before and really don’t enjoy doing.  I would hire it out if our financial situation was better.  I only plan on fixing some grading issues in the backyard.  My neighbor is going to lend me his roto-tiller so I can cut down the hump left where our pool was.  I will also do the same for where our shed was.

Whoever told me that a homeowners work is never done was sure right!  There is an amount of self satisfaction that I get from doing all of this work.  I think the fact that I’m turning this place into mine and not what some builder planned, is the biggest factor.  These builder neighborhoods with HOA’s really drive me insane.  That’s why I love where I live.

Ouch!

Today we were able to receive our 2009 W-2 statement online and I must say it was quite a shocker.  My income has significantly went down since I left Baxter, but I think this is a new low.  I’m not going to publicly state how much, but lets just say it’s under 10 grand by a significant amount.

There were many issues that contributed to this.  I’m going to outline them for documentation should I need a reference.

  • CSR – They didn’t schedule me to work since April of 2009.  Last week I resigned that position.
  • School – I decided to take off over the summer and focus on my studies and remodeling of our home.  Mainly due to the fact that I could not attain summer employment, or any employment for that matter.
  • Unemployment – While off for the summer I applied for unemployment, received it – now they want it back!

I have been in a war of words with our state unemployment system.  Technically employees of state funded educational institutions cannot receive unemployment during “an established break period.”  We all know that summer is an established break period.  However, this is only the case when there is “reasonable assurance” that the applicant will be returning to their position after that break.  This was not the case here.

Since I have two positions, it can become muddy water from there.  I was “assured” by both of my supervisors that I would indeed return.  This only happened with one of them.  With the job market virtually non existent, it has taken me this long to find another position.

I was paid around $1,000 in unemployment in a 4 week period.  Of that money, I only received around half of that due to taxes, child support, etc.  It then stopped, with potentially libelous statements to follow.  The DWD actually stated that it was “the claimant’s fault.”  It was my fault that I received benefits?  Isn’t it the DWD’s job to ensure I’m applicable to receive them before they are paid?  I appealed the findings, hoping to receive a hearing with an administrative judge.  I received a letter that my appeal had been received, but still no hearing.  I’m now receiving statements on a semi-regular basis demanding I pay this back or “severe civil and or criminal findings may be placed against me.”  I say bring it!  I deserve due process.

When I received the first notice, I responded quickly inquiring about why I never received a hearing.  I Highlighted incorrect data that was entered by the DWD, not myself.  I then asked to receive my hearing, but am still only receiving the mentioned notices.  I have evidence that I believe shows my case – if I ever get a chance to show it.

I just wish this nightmare would come to an end.  Seriously.

Spring Semester 2010

It’s a new year and a new decade (for those who believe).

I’m still taking classes at Ivy Tech and this semester will make me or break me.  I’m taking MATH-111, Intermediate Algebra and CINS-102, Information Systems Fundamentals.

I took the math course years ago, and failed miserably.  I don’t know why exactly, but I do know that I have much more desire and drive to succeed than I did back then.  My instructor seems like a really nice guy who is good at explaining concepts and ensuring everyone understands.  Something lacking in instructors at that school.

My CINS course seems to be another story however.  While I believe the content of the course shouldn’t be too hard, the instructor’s attitude clashes with me in a big way.  I won’t go into specifics, but I would change courses if I could.  This course focuses on XHTML, HTML and CSS.  The main focus of this class is to create a web site and to learn how to manage it on a Unix server.  Ivy Tech has one for student use, it’s name is Bob.

Little Amelia is growing and changing like never before.  At her last checkup, Dr. Laughlin said this would be a period of “social explosion.”  Boy was he right.  She loves using her voice, and discovering what new sounds she can make.  She also likes to support her own weight by “standing” with support from someone.

She has also learned how to grasp and hold objects.  Her rattle and yellow duck are her favorites at this point.  She tracks objects with her eyes, which are beautifully deep.

Rachel has been on maternity leave since the birth of our daughter.  However, all good things must come to an end.  She went back to work on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.  Next week she goes back full time.  I’ve noticed it’s difficult on her, but it’s good for her to have time away and get a greater appreciation of our little miracle.  We found a stay at home mom who will be watching Amelia.  She has a 4 year old daughter, named Madison who adores Snow White.

Today I officially sent in my resignation to the CSR or what I would like to call “the window to hell.”  I wasn’t scheduled at all for last semester, which was really hard on our checkbook.  I looked and looked and in the end a co-worker at TS, Kasey became the connection to my new 2nd job, TCC or Technology Center Consulting.  It is a division of UITS which is Indiana University’s information technology department.  TCC’s primary objective is to staff the numerous computing labs around campus.  We also help students in the dorms with networking issues.  I have worked one week with them and it’s been interesting to say the least!

e-smoking

I recently purchased this model of e-cigarette, to try it out and see if it actually did all it claimed.  I was amazingly surprised!  Since it’s disposable, once the battery died I had to find another option.

So I decided to purchase a “real” model and try to convert myself to something healthier to feed this addiction to nicotine that I have.  I bought this model and a “charger pack.”  It looks like a pack of cigarettes, but charges the battery while you’re on the go.

If you haven’t heard about e-cigarettes, they are very interesting.  They are essentially a battery connected to an “atomizer” which heats up a piece of cotton which is soaked in a liquid.  That liquid can contain just about anything.  I chose a Tobacco flavor with the “high” level of nicotine.  Thus giving me the closest possible resemblance to actually smoking.  To compare it with another addiction, it’s much like heroin addicts receiving methadone for treatment.

Now the hard part begins.  I have been trying to not purchase smokes while I go to work or run errands, but like the habit smoking is – so is buying them.  I’ve found that there are many of my behaviors that I still need to change or work on, and it’s been really difficult.  If I can successfully change these behaviors, I believe I can make this switch.

I’m not trying to quit at this point, I’m trying to move to something “more healthy.”  Once I’m fully adjusted to e-smoking, I can step down the nicotine levels and even remove the nicotine completely!  On a financial note, while this has been an investment at nearly $90, with refills equaling to $0.70 a pack – it’s much cheaper than the real thing!

I’ve shown this to my 10 year old daughter, who it quite amazed at it.   I’ve told her that while this is still smoking, it doesn’t contain all of the “bad things” real cigarettes do.

ReCharged

On Monday I went under the knife.  I had the battery in my VNS device replaced.  This device is very important, as it’s the only treatment that has ever kept me seizure free.

The original plan was to replace my existing model 102 with the newer and smaller model 103.  With the main advantages of it being smaller with the same battery life and it having a count down timer.  The count down timer feature is great because it enables my neurologist to plan the right time to schedule replacement surgery.

As it turned out, I received the model 102, not a huge deal.  My surgery went well – it only lasted 30 minutes!  We arrived at the hospital at 9am and were out by 1pm.  After leaving the hospital we immediately went to my neurologist’s office so he could turn my new implant on.

I went back to work today and am feeling okay.  I feel like I over worked my right shoulder with a touch of a burning sensation.  With the help of some pain medication, it’s not that bad.  I do have a lifting restriction for two weeks.  At 5-10 pounds, it eliminates me picking up Amelia.  I want to so bad, but don’t want to tear anything and make my healing progress.

I’ve noticed a sore throat for the last two nights starting about 7 o’clock and lasting through the night.  Rachel said that I had the same complaint when I had my first surgery, but I don’t remember that.

Hopefully I can have 5 more years of seizure free living.

Like a Phoenix

I am slowly but surely rising from the ashes of a dead hard drive.

About a month ago, my brand new 1.5 terabyte Seagate hard drive crashed.  I tried a few tricks to try to recover the data, but none of them worked.  I didn’t want to spend the $700 to $2700 I was quoted for data recovery, as I am a person of simple means.

Luckily I had old data from my old computer stored on 4 separate hard drives.  I used my “old” hard drive dedicated to video work and installed it, and then started transferring data.  Unfortunately my “backup” drive decided to crap out as soon as I got most of the data off of it.  That drive is the only other Seagate I have.  Their reputation isn’t doing so well with me.  I think I’m going to stick with Western Digital from now on.

I now have almost every episode from season one of ROX on my computer and edited.  There are a couple I’m having problems with, but this time around things have been much smoother than before.  It’s a shame because I spent 3 years working on that stuff.  The video is crisper, the audio is clearer – just a better product all around.  I think this disaster was actually a blessing in disguise.

Once I get these “trouble” episode problems resolved, which are:  Family Values Special, A Festival of Fools and Mom, Dad, I’m Getting Married.  I can start on DVD menu authoring which is a tedious process.  The more time I spend on it, the better the end product will be though.  I want this season to be the standard, not the example.

Season One will be made up of two volumes of 4 discs each.  This is mainly due to quality concerns.  In the set will be all 25 episodes!  Also included will be special commentary on episode 31, A Toast to Poverty by the shows’ producers – J and Editor B.  Plus a few surprising extras.  It should be a hit for all!

I finally have a backup plan so this shouldn’t happen again.  With some help I have purchased a backup hard drive for ROX and I will have my server up and going soon.  With those two options, I hope I have enough redundancy for this not to happen again.

I hope to have season one finalized within a few months, so be on the lookout!

7

Microsoft has taken a lot of flack for it’s Vista operating system, due to it’s many issues.  While I didn’t have many, the ones I did have forced me to upgrade to Windows 7.

This is my non-technical review based on my jeers and cheers.

Since I am a staff member at Indiana University, I have access to vast amounts of software for free or very cheap.  This afforded me the opportunity to upgrade for $20.  That’s right.

I’ll start with the things I like about Windows 7…

First of all, my Nikon Coolpix 7600 and it’s accompanying software would not work with Vista, period.  Vista’s own picture transfer wizard would not even work.  I believe it was something to do with the horrible USB support Vista had.  With 7, my 4 year old camera, and it’s software work better than ever!  I can’t wait to see how my bluetooth dongle works!

Second, Vista loved RAM.  It loved it so much, that no matter how much you had it seemed like it wasn’t enough.  This isn’t the case with 7 – it’s more like the opposite.  Windows 7 actually uses half as much RAM at idle on my machine than Vista did.  Freeing up that memory makes the machine much more responsive, programs load instantly.

Third, UAC.  User Access Control, introduced with Vista was a major pain in the a**.  I disabled it, but by doing that I also disabled notification of any problems elsewhere that could have happened.  With 7, you can do the same with a slider without the potential repercussions.  Set it to where you want it right from the task bar.

Fourth, Media Center.  I started using media center with Vista’s version, and I thought it couldn’t get any better.  I was wrong.  7’s media center works better and is more reliable.  It also has CBS TV streaming built right in.  So now you can watch ANYTHING on TV if you have media center and Hulu Desktop.  Add Boxee to the mix and you have the ultimate home entertainment machine.  I also have My Movies3 and Heatwave integrated into WMC, I love it!

Now onto the not so nice things…

There are many compatibility issues with programs and 7.  While they will work, you may have to re-install.  While this isn’t a huge issue, it’s still bothersome.  I can happily report that I’ve only had one casualty of the upgrade, Quickbooks 2008.  I have to restart my computer any time I want to use it.  Intuit knows about this issue and is “working on a solution.”  I hope it is resolved soon, this program wasn’t cheap, even though it’s free now.

I haven’t been a fan of the “new” start menu since it was introduced with Windows XP.  Luckily Microsoft has always provided us with an alternative, the “classic” start menu, which has it’s origins with Windows 95.  It has gone the way of the 8-track.  While there are some registry hacks to get the old menu back, and even a guide on lifehacker, I’m adapting to this change and I’m starting to get on board with it.  Many of us “old timers” don’t like change.

Those are my only complaints thus far.  Which isn’t that bad.  I believe 7 is what Vista was meant to be.

Amelia

Tuesday, October 13th 2009 at 8:30am.  An angel was sent to us via mommy’s tummy.  Her name:  Amelia Josephine!

After Rachel’s last OB appointment, it was decided that she was rather large and it would be best for her to come here via C-section.  Weighing 9 pounds, 9.8 ounces, she was rather large.  It seems that isn’t a bad thing as I haven’t heard anything otherwise from either the OB or her pediatrician, Dr. Laughlin.

There were minimal issues with her birth, she had some extra fluids in her lungs due to not being “squeezed” out of the birth canal.  Rachel was sutured, but a slight mishap occured with them and it created a small hole where one spot did not fuse together.  I have been treating it with Neosporin and it is healing greatly.

We spent 4 days in the hospital to ensure Rachel properly healed before venturing forth and becoming an active mom.  Then the real fun began.  The safety and security of the hospital created a fear of being on our own with this little one.

Since then we have been adjusting to fill her every need.  It’s been tiring, yet satisfying at the same time.  I wasn’t as involved in this crucial stage of my first daughter’s life, so I’ve learned a lot.

Now we spend most of our day eating, sleeping or changing diapers.

Big sister Taylor just loves her new sister to death.  She bought her a Minnie Mouse, which Amelia adores.  Minnie sits on her changing table and Amelia stares at Minnie as if she’s in deep thought about what she is exactly.

The kitties are still getting adjusted to the change.  They have both noticed the lack of attention they are receiving, and sometimes force their way into receiving some by jumping on us while we’re sitting.  I’d like to think they love her, but I’ll let time be the judge on that one.

My time thus far  has been taken up significantly by her care and needs.  Mommy does need a break!  Today I started back at work full-time.  I hope Rachel is doing fine today, I really do.