IU – Page 2 – lee-lawmaster.com

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

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!

Being Productive

Since April of last year I haven’t worked more than 24 hours in a week. While over the summer I was plenty busy with home remodeling projects and going to school full-time, I didn’t feel like a productive member of society.

While I’m not technically working full time, I am doing what I can, at 36 hours it’s not as bad as only 24. I’ve discovered some things about myself that I find interesting.

I’m more productive. I tend to try to accomplish more tasks and goals opposed to when I had more time, it seems strange but also interesting.

I have better self esteem. While I am tired, both mentally and physically, I feel better about myself which helps my motivation for things above.

I am lucky in the fact that both of my positions allow for me to work on my homework while there. I guess it’s an advantage of working in the world of academia. I try to take advantage of this resource as much as possible.

I was thrown into the world of “work” at an early age, 14. That’s when I got my first job cleaning tables and doing dishes at Gresham Dining Hall at IU. I enjoyed the work, but didn’t enjoy the atmosphere. Boys can be just as bad as girls at that age.

I guess age and maturity have changed my outlook since then. I want to work, it’s just been impossible to find a job. I hope that with time and with my blossoming skills, I will be able to find a position that pays me what I’m worth.

Another Mish-Mosh

There have been many things going on lately. With the holiday season and new years over, I’m reflecting on all the activities we’ve been pre-occupied with.

Christmas, as always is a very complicated time for us. We went to 3 family events, my grandma Lawmaster’s on the 23rd, my in-law’s on the 24th and my memma’s on Christmas day. We then had “after” Christmas get togethers for my daughter, who spent her Christmas with her mother.

Rachel and I finally stopped schmoozing off of my mother for our cell phone service and got our own plan. We decided to switch back to AT&T, due to a 12% IU discount, and cheaper plan. I finally got a smart-phone, a Samsung Blackjack II while Rachel decided she liked a red LG Shine. It was very interesting to go through this process again. We haven’t been officially on a cell phone plan for 4 years. While researching how much this would cost us upfront, the difference in how much and where was astounding.

On the AT&T Premier website (dedicated to business & enterprise): For the mentioned phones, we were looking at about $325.00 in up front costs. We would receive a $50 mail in rebate in the form of a debit card.

For the same phones at Best Buy, $50! I’m not kidding. I was blown away. The only difference is that we had to set up our IU discount separately, which just took a phone call.

We painted our bedroom finally, it’s a nice yellow hue. When mentioning it to people I tell them that the color is what you would get if you mixed yellow and brown mustard. It looks real nice, now onto the curtains. Hopefully they will be nice.

I will be starting school next week. I am entering the CIT (computer information technology) program at Ivy Tech. Within a few years, I should have a degree in a field I love, which can hopefully help me attain some real employment.

Ban the Ban

Today on the Herald-Times website there has been a serious discussion regarding IU’s smoking ban which went into effect last January. It started with a reporter searching the campus for smokers and placing updates on their website, she then spoke with administrators and wrote a full article.

The ban has not been enforced in any way, and as a smoker it bothers me on fundamental levels. As an employee I could be terminated for violating this policy (which I try very carefully not to), while students face very slight (if any) consequences.

In my opinion, this smoking ban is going to be just like the ban on alcohol on IU’s campus, not spoken about. I was blown away to actually find out that alcohol is actually permitted on campus for university events if students or others under the age of 21 are not going to be in attendance.

The online discussion on the Herald-Times website opened my eyes up to a few things that I hadn’t known before, and I thought I would pass those along to everyone out there.

All of these “smoking bans” that we see today can trace their roots back to 1930’s Germany. Read here for more information. It’s really shocking to me, and confirms my ideas about the subject since day one.

Did you know that over a lifetime, medical costs for obese and average people are more than that of smokers? Read here for the article. This information “threw a bucket of cold water” into what everyone thought. I’m a firm believer that we have been sold on the idea that smoking is “more” unhealthy than it really is. I’m not trying to say that there are no health risks – I’m just saying as a country I think we’ve been duped.

These two articles really opened my eyes regarding this issue that has been raging in this town for almost 15 years now.

I have been a smoker for more than half of my 28 years on this earth. I know it’s not the healthiest of things to do, but I do it anyway. I’ve taken chantix, nicoderm and the commit lozenges to try to quit. The reason I have not succeeded in quitting is because smoking is part of who I am. Without it I do not feel like myself, while that is “normal,” I don’t like feeling that way.

While I know it is a chemical addiction just like drugs and alcohol are, that does not bother me. I have other addictions that I think are worse. To name one, it’s my endless addiction to technology.

That’s a whole other story that I’ll leave for another time.

Numbered

My days with Morgenstern Home Services are numbered. Today, expecting some sort of work to do, I was given the run-around. I was told that the boss would get back with me, and he never called. This can’t and won’t last much longer, in these trying times my pocketbook can’t take it.

I e-mailed the CSR and asked if I could come in tomorrow and Wednesday to work. They said it would be okay. I will also be working full-time at Technology Services for the month of August.

If I could only get a “permanent” solution. I’ve been trying since September of 2006 with no real luck. My wife thinks it would be a good idea for me to be in the university environment, so I have been trying hard to achieve a position at IU. Here are some numbers to give you an idea of the sheer number of jobs I’ve applied to at IU.

# of jobs applied to: 61
# of interviews: 2

Most of these positions are “starter” office positions, which need little or no specialized skills mind you. There have been a couple which tickle my fancy as they have been video related.

Those numbers don’t take into account the endless number of positions outside of IU that I have applied to as well.

In other IU news, I have finally received a university identification card. I doubt it will help, but perhaps it might show some sign of permanence?

Back at the Olde TS

Today I have begun working at the Kelley School of Business in the Technology Services department again. Right now I am only working on Thursday’s and Friday’s.

Hopefully this will give my ankle enough of a break to actually heal. I hope so, as the pain is constant and uncomfortable.

I’m unsure how long I will stay with Morgenstern Home Services, as the hours have became not steady. The price of gas is also really cutting into things, as I’ve had to fill up my tank typically twice a week.

I have sent an email to the CSR, and am awaiting a response as to when they would like me back.

The one thing that bothers me about leaving Morgenstern is the flexibility and the pay, as it is much more than I have made in a long time. But the savings in fuel would more than make up for that difference in pay.

It’s one of those tough decisions that everyone has to make sometime in their lives.