Category: Links

Goodbye Gil

We happened upon Gillham (Gil for short) while at the Fun Frolic in 2007.  We decided to play the “win a bunny” game, only because it said you could win an alternate prize.

Over the almost 3 years we’ve had Gil, he’s earned a place in our hearts that no animal or person can replace.

We have came to a fork in the road of life that has forced us to make a hard decision.  We have too many responsibilities currently.  Between work, school, caring for an infant, constant home renovation projects and life we don’t have time to do anything else.

We have loved Gil since that erratic day he entered our lives, and hopes he brings that same joy into the many lives he will be friends with at his new home, Childs Elementary School here in Bloomington.

We didn’t want to take him to a shelter, or give him to another person, mainly because of what happened to Baby Tat.  We learned the guy we gave her to got rid of her within a few months.  Rachel had a bright idea and sent an email to every teacher she could find in the area.  She got several responses, mainly from kindergarten teachers.  In the end, it was a 6th grade teacher who decided he would make a happy addition to her classroom.  She’s very excited and will be picking him up Friday night.

We learned through him that rabbits are high maintenance pets.  Some owners decide to not let them out of their cages, but something about that just seemed cruel & unusual to us.  Rabbits by nature run and hop about, we didn’t want to change that.  So we regularly let him out every night for an hour or so, so he could stretch his legs.  He learned to love and emulate the behavior of his feline roommates.

After the birth of Amelia, that nightly routine has become very hard to follow.  With me at school 3 nights a week, and Rachel caring for Amelia while I’m away, we’re both exhausted by the time it comes to let him out.  Now Amelia is starting to learn to crawl, which has brought more thoughts to our attention.  While sitting in his cage, Gil kicks out some of his bedding and some of his feces.  It would be a full time job keeping that clean and away from a child who will be crawling very soon.

We will miss you Gil!  We hope you have a fun and happy life with all those 6th graders!

This That and the Other

I haven’t had a chance to post anything for a while as my life has became quite full lately.

This week is spring break at Ivy Tech and IU.  It’s been a nice break from the organized chaos that has become my life.  So I thought I would write about the goings on lately.

Backup, Backup, Backup!

I finally got a stable backup file server going.  My original one died and I’m in the process of parting it out.  If you’re looking for some cheap computer parts you can find ’em right here.  I finally gave up on linux and went with Windows Server 2003.  It’s essentially XP with additional goodies for server functions.  I only have one step left, and that is setting up the RAID configuration.  That’s for a safety net should a hard drive fail.

ROX Update

While I haven’t had much time to concentrate on ROX, I have started recording episodes that still play on CATS.  I have many of the episodes on VHS, but capturing them straight to a digital format makes things much easier.  Given the advanced development of my daughter I might be able to start working on ROX again and finally get season one released in a few months.

Amelia

Taylor & Amelia

She is growing and developing at an alarming rate!  She is now eating solid foods every night.  She is also starting to move around on her own, she isn’t crawling yet but very close.  She has learned that she has a voice and likes to use it often.  I would say her favorite activity is getting mommy and daddy wet when she’s taking a bath.  She’s a hoot and a very happy baby.  We couldn’t ask for more.

The Semester From Hell

This semester I’m taking a class I’ve failed before (MATH-111) and a class that interests me (CINS-102).  My math class is great, as the instructor does his best to ensure everyone in class understands the concepts and can do the work.  85% of the final grade in this class is based upon test scores, something I’ve never had to deal with before.  Right now I’m earning a solid B, which makes me very happy.  I plan on thanking him at the end of the semester for being such a good instructor, all teachers should be reminded how much they’re appreciated when they do a good job!  My other class is a completely different story however.  While I’m learning some much needed skills in this class (XHTML & CSS) the instructor seems to use the class has her way to release frustrations she has.  There aren’t many people in this class, and many don’t seem to have the skills required or aren’t putting forth the effort required.  The class has opened my eyes to the world of web programming, but it’s almost impossible to swallow her totalitarian attitude.

Give Me The Fiber

If you live in Indiana, you might have heard about what Smithville Telephone is doing.  All of their customers are receiving fiber to the home.  It’s exciting to say the least.  Last year I rewired the phone lines in my house and installed a LAN in anticipation.  This week we were “pre-wired” for it.  This consisted of them installing a new network interface on the outside of my home, installing a battery backup system in my home, and installing a data jack.  My area, called the “Fullerton Remote” should be completed by the last quarter of this year.  With this upgrade broadband Internet download  speeds are rising from 1.5mbps to 20!  They are also adding television services which beat all it’s competitors, but that’s my opinion.  This upgrade is amazing to say the least.  Do  you know anyone who has access to 100mbps download speeds at home?  That will be their fastest rate, and I’ve seen it work.  It’s almost like comparing a 14.4 modem to a 56k, a world of difference.

Spring is in the Air

Spring is upon us here in Indiana.  The grass is becoming green again, and the temperatures are rising.  That means the honey do list starts back up again.  I listed what we want to get done around the house in an earlier post.  Now it’s time to get into gear and get those items checked off the list!

Save Our Children’s Future

With the “Great Recession” the economic outlook in Indiana has been downright bleak.  It’s so bleak that the state has been forced to cut funding to K-12 schools and all publicly funded post secondary schools.  This is primarily due to the cuts in property taxes passed several years ago, which is where our public schools get their money.  A decade ago, I didn’t really care, as my time in school was horrible at best.  I have a daughter in 4th grade now, and another who will be in school before I know it.  It’s important to me that they have the same opportunities to enrich their lives that I had.

While the post secondary schools can handle these cuts by many different means, our public (K-12) schools have very limited means to deal with the lack of funding.

Many are closing or consolidating schools, requiring payment to ride a bus, adding fees for extra-curricular activities.  This is almost all options our public schools have, and it really ticks me off.

While I’ve been hearing about school systems around Indianapolis having meetings and public forums to discuss how they are going to handle these shortfalls, it didn’t hit home until our local school system, MCCSC (Monroe County Community School Corporation) brought up the subject.  They are proposing to eliminate many of the programs and services that make our school system diverse and great.

There has been talk of a referendum that if passed, would help eliminate that shortfall.  I’m all for it, but I don’t know how much support it really has.  My property taxes are so low, that it wouldn’t bother me at all to pay a little extra to help my childrens education.  Property tax caps are the reason for this mess in the first place.  Thank you Mitch Daniels, you’ve done a wonderful job ruining the surplus our state had.

Here’s a list of the proposed cuts:

• Increase class-size ratio, generating approximately 45 certified staff (teaching) cuts.

• Eliminate elementary and middle school media specialists.

• Eliminate middle school foreign language.

• Eliminate middle school Family and Consumer Science.

• Eliminate one assistant, part-time athletic director at each high school.

• Reduce high school assistant coaches (no specific numbers or areas revealed)

• Possibly reduce extracurricular activities (brain game, spell bowl, etc.) at high schools and middle schools.

• Eliminate six elementary assistant principal positions for 2011-12.

• Eliminate the unfilled assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction job and the secretarial job for that post.

• Eliminate the healthy school coordinator position.

• Freeze all administrative salaries.

• Reduce school board salaries.

• Consolidate Aurora Alternative High School into an existing high school with some reduction to staff.

• Close the Teen Learning Center.

• Close Alternative to Suspension.

• Close Youth Outreach.

• Eliminate the Bradford Woods.

• Eliminate Honey Creek School.

• Eliminate elementary strings program.

• Drain the high school pools out of season.

• Eliminate Batchelor Middle School pool and fill it in.

• Eliminate substitutes for building secretaries.

• Eliminate summer school.

While some of these cuts make sense to me both financially and logically others do not.  Here is a list of the programs/services that should be saved in my opinion.

  • Elementary and middle school media specialists (librarians).  This is a bad move, really bad.  As a child I loved books, and I believe librarians are the reason why.  Without librarians, our children won’t receive the proper knowledge, appreciation and enthusiasm about books.  This seems like a gateway to eliminate libraries altogether.
  • Reducing some extra-curricular activities.  Some kids aren’t athletic, some kids like to expand their minds through some of these activities.  Why punish those kids while leaving the ones who enjoy athletics alone?  Why some and not all?
  • Consolidation of Aurora.  I’m a little on the fence about this issue.  My generation was the first to  use this invaluable resource.  Some kids don’t learn well in normal learning environments.  Aurora allows these kids to learn on their terms.  In many cases these kids would simply drop out.  While consolidation may help the bottom line, it’s not beneficial if it hurts the education of it’s students.
  • Alternative to Suspension.  Is this “In-school suspension?”  That’s what the alternative was when I went.  It should be saved so those students don’t fall farther behind, this is essentially turning your back on the students who need help the most.
  • Eliminating Bradford Woods.  When I went, it was a week long event.  It’s now only a day or two I believe.  While I understand it’s not completely necessary it is a nice treat to get away and learn about nature and your surroundings.
  • Eliminating Honey Creek School.  This astounds me.  This school is a two room schoolhouse that is used as a learning lab for elementary students.  They get the opportunity to act as if they are living in the 19th century.  If you don’t appreciate your past, you’ll never appreciate what the future brings.
  • Eliminating the Elementary Strings Program.  This program is dear to my heart, as I was in this program in 4th and 5th grade.  Without this the only interaction children have with instruments is the recorder in 4th grade.  It’s really an eye opener to the world of music.  Without this program, I don’t think I would have played the violin in the school systems’ orchestra from 7th grade until I left high school.  I can’t wait for the day I can get my hands on another violin and start playing again.  Music is essential to creativity, something that doesn’t transmit on paper.
  • Eliminating Summer School.  Hello?  Seriously?  I don’t even think I need to explain this one.

I hope the community will rally behind our children.  They are our future!  If you want to voice your opinion, the MCCSC has a web page you can visit and let them know.  I’ll be sending them a link to this posting.  Do the same!  As Spock always said, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

The Invasion is On

Saturday morning, I awoke to a very vivid and bizarre dream.  One who’s details have still stuck with me.  I haven’t had a dream like this since I was taking Chantix to help quit smoking.  It was very similar to the movie Red Dawn.  That’s where it begins to get a little strange.

The dream starts with me enjoying my beautiful yard, the smell of fresh cut grass, the beautiful sky.  When a squad of large “bomber” type planes flying in formation whiz by at a low altitude.  They start dropping bombs!

But the bombs don’t explode on impact, no that would be too simple.  When the bombs struck the ground, they bounced.  Much like a basketball.  They bounced as if they were seeking something, something that would hurt worse than any explosion.  They were seeking water pipes.  When the bomb would find a water main, it would explode!

They dropped bombs all over the east coast, Midwest and the great plains with the same goal in mind, flood it.  Our defenses had been crippled by a hidden virus on all persons with Internet access in the US.  This virus used peoples computers collectively to hack into the DOD system and crash it.

With the water levels rising to where we were suddenly in a Katrina situation and everyone was on their roof trying to survive.  Normal citizens with boats were making the rounds in their neighborhoods trying to rescue as many people as possible.  We found safe places in the hills surrounding the areas.

Just who was attacking us?  I never figured that out exactly.  I knew is was two island nations that were vengeful against the US.  That’s where the trail ends.

I then woke up, wishing I could sleep for 12 more hours and live the battle in my mind.

Educating My Business

While I’m currently taking classes to earn an Associates of Applied Science in Programming at Ivy Tech Community College, I try to use my business as a resource from time to time.

This semester, I get to use it for something I’ve needed to do and spent countless hours doing.  Rebuilding my website.  While I was happy with what I had, I knew I could have a better designed one that might draw in some clients and some revenue.  Without some basic skills, what I had was the best that I could muster.  This semester I am taking CINS-102.  It is essentially a class that teaches you XHTML and CSS.

We haven’t done much in this class as of yet, but I can see the momentum starting to build.  We’ve mainly had tremendous amounts of reading each week with smaller projects in class.  Our project due this week is to find 5 url’s that we like and select one we want to use for a basis of a new website.  What a perfect opportunity for my website to be re-born!

My financial plan this year is to save any money I make.  I plan on saving as much as possible.  I did the math last night and found out I have personally spent over $3000 on expenses for my business.  I hope to eventually repay that debt.

If things are good this year, I may put my new and improved website back up.

Down With the Sickness

Life lately in the Lawmaster household has been anything but fun as of recent.  We all came down with forms of the same sickness.  Fortunately we have all recovered.

Originally I thought it was a new recipe that Rachel had tried, Baked chicken thighs with brown sugar.  I think it really might have been part of a larger sickness going around our area.

Little Amelia saw the effects first.  She spit up ( or should I say threw up) almost half of a couple of her bottles, was warm and somewhat fussy for a day.  Some children’s Tylenol made her much better.

Rachel saw her effects span over a two day period.  It started with nausea and diahhrea on the first day and ended with body aches, fever and a general not feeling well on the second day.  She felt much better after a day of rest.

My case became overly complex and is becoming a nightmare in process.  I woke up on the same day that Rachel’s symptoms started feeling the same nausea and diahhrea, but with the addition of severe body aches.

I didn’t have to be at work until noon, so I thought I would sleep in the Kelley School of Business changing rooms – a place I often nap in during lunch.  The 3 hour nap helped me tremendously, but didn’t get rid of the severe body aches that made even walking a nightmare.

Due to the strict attendance policies in place at my job, I thought I would give working a go.  The lab that I work in on that day requires some physical stamina, as I have to cover this lab, this lab, this lab and this lab.  I tried my hardest to fulfill my duties, but was unable and thought it would be best for me to leave and see a doctor.

I went to my doctor’s walk-in clinic.  Where I was almost immediately seen.  They took my vital signs, asked me what I was having problems with and then had me give a urine specimen which I thought was quite odd.  Then the waiting began.  I waited an hour before I was seen by a nurse practitioner, who for some strange reason thinks my appendix was (and still is) about to burst.

I was then directed to take some blood tests and immediately go to the hospital for a CT scan.  I’ll never forget what the nurse told me, “you cannot pass go, you cannot collect $200 – go straight to the hospital.”

I get to the hospital, where I then went to pickup a contrast agent that I had to drink with Gatorade.  Thank god for the Gatorade.  I learned later that particular contrast is used to be able to see the digestive tract.  Then more waiting.  I waited for two and a half hours before I even got the scan!  I then had to wait almost two more hours to get the results, which I got from that same nurse practitioner via phone call!

She said that I had a large amount of lymph nodes that were swollen and my white blood cell count was up significantly but there were no signs that my appendix was in trouble.  In layman’s terms, my body is fighting a infection of some sort.  She then prescribed me 4 antibiotics, which I’m not taking.  I believe I have MRSA and I have read that antibiotics actually perpetuate the spreading of these potentially killer infections.

After finally getting home at almost 9pm, I drank a couple shots of my cure all, Nyquil and went to bed.  I woke up the next morning feeling like a brand new man!

Today I got a call from the walk-in clinic.  They want me to do another CT scan in 3 months to make sure I’m okay.  WTF?  This sounds like either a very inexperienced health care provider, or an organization that is trying to generate some revenue through services that are not needed.  I don’t think I’m going to go to that particular walk-in clinic again.

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.

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.