Monday, January 28, 2008

The American Money Sink...

You all have 3 guesses to figure out what the Great American Money Sink is. OK, so you don't really get 3 guesses and this isn't the one at the TOP of the list, but it's pretty close. :) A house is at the top of the list, but the automobile follows closely behind.

The multi-function light/windshield wiper/washer switch in the steering column of our 1996 Dodge Intrepid died today in the middle of what can only be described as a mini-blizzard and when it died, it did so rather dramatically. :)

Apparently, there was acrid, black smoke that poured from the steering column for a while while the switch was in its death throes. This absolutely freaked the Queen out and she called me nearly hysterical. Like a knight in shining armor, I went to her rescue and once the machine was back home (I drove it :), I investigated and found the source of the issue.

Tomorrow she'll be picking up a used replacement part for $35 (a new one runs $145) and I'll install it tomorrow afternoon. Joy! :)

Wish me luck!

This post was brought to you by the letters C, A, S, H, and the number 145.

Friday, January 25, 2008

The Interview

It went well! :) I'm happy to say that it went much better that I had anticipated. I was grilled of course, but the same thing had been done to me when I interviewed for the place that just gave me my pink slip.

I was impressed with the scrutiny of the people interviewing me and I think they were impressed with my responses, at least the remarks they were giving each other during the process seemed to indicate that. They also said to me point blank that they were recommending me for a second interview. They also used some of the interview time for the next guy to talk to me further. After they kept me for 15 minutes of the next guy's interview time, they introduced me to the man I'd be having the second interview with and I talked to him for an additional 20 minutes. I'm not sure if I had my second interview already or not. :)

Their plan is to bring in 3 people on a temp-to-perm basis for this job, work us like mad for a month or so, and then keep the 1 or 2 that did the best. They seemed to indicate that I was by far the best of the crop they had interviewed to date.

Wish me luck! We'll see what comes of it.

This post was brought to you by the letters L, U, C, K, and the number 1.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Interview...

In less than 2 hours, I have an interview with a local company. Although it's another smaller company, I'm hoping it will go well. If it does, then I'll have income again after only a short time without. :) I really like the sound of that. If it's not what I'm interested in, at least I'll have had a chance to polish up my interviewing skills.

Wish me luck! I'll post later today with my impressions on the interview.

This post was brought to you by the letters H, O, P, E, and the number 3.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

The Search Goes On...

So far the search has been exhausting. I've looked into at least 60 positions and have applied for about 30 of them. I have a lot more to do, but I have confidence that I'll have a new job by the end of the month. Wish me luck in achieving that goal. :)

Anyway, if you're wondering why I haven't posted since last Tuesday, this should answer that question. I apologize for not posting something about my situation sooner.

This post was brought to you by the letters R, E, S, U, M, E, and the number 30.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Nailed!

The hammer fell today at work and I happened to be one of the 2 folks caught under it. That's right people, I was laid off today any I'm not happy about it. I could rant and rave about how I hate the company and spit bile about the situation, but I won't. I'll simply say that through no fault of my own, I'm no longer a full-time employee there (I'm a contractor until the end of the month) and I'm available to anyone looking for a full-time Senior Systems/Network Administrator in the Salt Lake City area.

The owner of the company decided he wanted to suck more money out of the company into his own pocket and decided that since he doesn't like IT, I was just so much overhead. He'll find out shortly, when the systems begin to crash that I wasn't for show. I wish the rest of the IT staff good luck in finding employment elsewhere, because they'll need it.

Stay tuned for the next development...

This post was brought to you by the letters P, I, N, K, S, L, I, P, and the number 2.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Relationship Maintenance

Hey guys, (ladies too) are you looking for some ideas to help maintain your relationship with your significant other? You might want to get some romantic ideas from RomanceForEveryone.com. They have a lot of suggestions and ideas on how to keep your relationship from fading.

Whether or not you're a romantic at heart, you could probably make positive use of the information found on the site. I know we could use it here in the castle. :)

Anyway, make sure you check out their sweet love notes or the read a love poem to your wife. You can also do this for your husband, girlfriend, or boyfriend. Take a look and see what you can find. There's plenty of information for anyone who happens to be picky.

This post was brought to you by the letters S, A, P, P, Y, and the number 2. :)

The Lumber Is Gone

The tree has been disassembled! It's nice and cozy in its box in the basement. The lights (lingerie) came off it pretty easily. :) We now have a lot more usable space in the living room now. It's a nice change.

If the weather will cooperate with me, I'll be able to take down the lights on the outside of the house, but it looks like that won't happen before February, if then. Oh well, such is life, eh? :)

This post was brought to you by the letters G, S, I, N, V, and the number 45.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Art Appreciation

I'd love it if my daughters, Pink Princess and Purple Dragon, became famous artists and supported the Queen and me, but I won't count on it. In the mean time, I'll continue to check out Park West Art Gallery to see the good stuff. I don't claim to be an art connoisseur, far from it in fact, but I do know where to see the kind of art I like.

You should try them out as well. If you really like something, you can get it from them as well. They have auctions frequently and I'm sure there will be something you like there.

Who knows - you might discover the next Van Gogh!

This post was brought to you by the letters A, R, T, and the number 7.

Timber!!!

The Queen is stripping our Christmas tree. Soon, it'll be mostly naked and it'll be up to me to remove its lingerie and bed it.

For you gutter-minded folks, that means remove the lights, take the tree apart and pack it in its cardboard box. :) You should be ashamed you even thought that way about our innocent tree. :P

Anyway... The tree and its associated decorations are coming down and will soon be packed away.

This post was brought to you by the letters X, M, A, S, and the number 9.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

I Want To Go On A Cruise...

...for my honeymoon, albeit 10 or so years too late. The Queen and I never went on a honeymoon when we were married oh so many years ago. I've wanted to go on a cruise again since 1992 when I got to cruise to the Bahamas with my college roommate. I know the Queen hasn't really gone on a cruise and I think she'd really enjoy herself.

As I said before, I cruised to the Bahamas. It was incredible to be out on the ocean in the sunshine simply relaxing and forgetting all about anything that had worried me before. The ship made port in several locations and I got the chance to go snorkeling above a live reef. That was one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had.

I think I'd like to cruise to the Hawaiian Islands next time, though I'm not sure how long that would take. :) I'd also be interested in another Caribbean cruise, only this time with the Queen instead of my college roommate.

If you've been considering a cruise to somewhere warm and exotic, try Apple Vacations, Disney Cruise Lines, Princess Cruise Lines, or any of the others you can reach through the good folks at www.all-travel.com.

Right now, it's a little on the chilly side here in the U.S. Why not warm up the blood and go on a cruise.

This post was brought to you by the letters Z, X, Q, and the number 0.

Breakfast For Dinner

Tonight, we had breakfast for dinner. There were a number of items in the freezer that were various types of breakfast food and we needed space, so, we had breakfast for dinner. Toaster Strudel, Eggo Nutrigrain Waffles, and Pillsbury Maple Pancakes all played a big part in the sustenance had in this household tonight. Add to that a big glass of milk and we're all set. :)

What do you expect from royalty? We're known for being lazy anyway (royalty, that is).

I think every household should have breakfast for dinner every so often. It brings out the kid in us. Don't you agree? :)

This post was brought to you by the letters Y, U, M, and the number 6.

Monday, January 07, 2008

Now Where's My Password?

I've lost my password enough times that I need to have a utility to help me get them back or recover it using the Excel password recovery tool they have over at www.password-studio.com.

If you have a password or eight from an Office product or products, you need a utility like this. Take a look at what they have to offer and see if it fits your needs. I just wish I had something like this when I lost all my passwords. Everyone who has a computer needs a good set of utilities just in case the worst happens. Just don't forget your passwords, OK? :)

This post was brought to you by the letters O, H, N, O, and the number 5.

Quiet House

The house is strangely quiet. Just moments ago, the Dragon requested time to play on the computer. The Queen said no and the dragon proceeded to continue harassing her until the Queen raised her voice. Now the quiet is deafening. It won't last too long though - the offspring will be at each others' throats in no time.

I think the Dragon is getting a bit too pushy in pushing her boundaries.

So have your youngins done this recently?

Why must we snap to get them to understand no means no?

This post was brought to you by the letters N, O, and the number 8.

Recover a Stranded Web Site.

Have you had a computer failure and loose the local copy of your website? Want a local copy of your blog? Need to get that website you created for that long, lost computer course you made in college? How about the website you created several years ago and forgot the password to? You can get it if you have some software that can traverse and capture website.

Www.web-site-downloader.com has a piece of software that can download your site so you can view it or edit it while not connected or copy it to disc. The software indicates a quick, easy setup and download. Go check out their site and see what they have to offer.

I have had several sites that I wish I could recover and it took me quite some time to remember or recover a password, find ftp software and perform the download. This is another alternative. See what you think!

This post was brought to you by the letters W, E, B, and the number 6.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Visitor...

We have a visit from Diana this weekend and while we considered simply haveing her watch our kids, it just doesn't seem fair to make her do so. So, we'll pay her to do it. :) Free room and board for the entire weekend as well as a feast of food preped with loving hands for her to consume. She'll also got some tech support thrown in.

I'd say we getting the better end of the deal. :) LOL!

Good luck at BYUID!

This post was brought to you by the letters F, U, N, and the number 4.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Looking for Web Hosting?

If you're out there looking for a web host, be sure to compare for the best price and features according to what you're looking for. A good place to do your comparisons is over at http://www.webhostingchoice.com. With a few parameters entered, and a few clicks of the mouse, they'll churn out a comparison chart with a recommendation for you based on what you requested. You can then click on the hosts in the chart to get the specific features and services they each offer.

It doesn't matter if you're looking for a host for a personal site host or a business site. You'll find some good information at their site. Go on over and check them out!

This post was brought to you by the letters H, O, S, T, and the number 3.

Feeling Better

I'm feeling much better today. The chills, fever, and cough all seem to have gone the way of the Dodo. I'm really glad the worst of the sickness is over. :) Had it not been, this would have been an unpleasant weekend. :) Good thing I have the entire thing to relax and recover!

That's all for now, I'll catch you all later.

This post was brought to you by the letters G, O, O, D, and the number 24.

Friday, January 04, 2008

Inkjet Cartridges on the Cheap!

Which of you don't have a printer? That's right, very few of you. How many of you are rich? Again, very few of you. Why not save a bit of cash when you buy your inkjet cartridges? I thought you'd like that one. :)

If you're like me and have a Canon printer, please check out the cheap Canon printer cartridge at inkjetdeals.info. If you have a Brother, Dell, Epson, HP, or Lexmark printer, this is the place for you. Check out these tips for saving ink in your printers. There are some really good ideas in there.

Check out the site and save up to 80% of the cost of the name brands!

This post was brought to you by the letters I, N, K, and the number 80.

Sick Again

I'm sick again. That may explain my feelings of getting old. :) I went to work feeling down in the dumps and left within 2 hours because I began to feel even worse. I've taken meds for my sinuses (we're having some serious pressure turmoil in the weather lately), tossed back a few vitamin c tablets, Downed and Orange and some orange juice and napped most of the day under lots of layers of clothing and blankets.

I just took a shower and feel mostly human again. :) My head is still a little stuffy and I have an occasional cough from the drainage, but I think I'm through the worst of it. The aches and chills are all gone and I'm fairly certain I'll live.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

This post was brought to you by the letters C, C, C, C and the number 9.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Landscape LED Lighting

I just read about Landscape LED Lighting and I'm excited about the possibilities. I've mentioned before that I'd like to look into using LEDs all around my home.

Another possibility with LED Landscape Lighting is that it's possible to use solar panels to recharge the system and cut costs even more since LEDs require low voltage. It's not that you'd need to worry about the costs of using LEDs as they are up to 90% more efficient than standard lighting.

With creative use of up-lighting, back lighting, and indirect lighting, you can really make your landscaping POP! Take a look at the low voltage landscape lighting options at LizardLighting.com for more specifics.

I'll keep it in mind when I start planning out our landscape lighting.

Can we replace all our lighting with LEDs? It sounds like a good idea to me.

This post was brought to you by the letters L, O, W, V, O, L, T, and the number 90.

Feelin' Old

I'm feeling really old these days. It's really sad when you're falling asleep at 7pm. I took the Princesses to a movie at the planetarium tonight and part of the way through the movie, I found myself falling asleep to my horror! What's wrong with me?

I'm OLD! That's what's wrong. Perhaps I'll look into getting a new sporty car or something to help deal with this crisis.

This post was brought to you by the letters O, L, D, and the number 35+. :)

Decorative LED Lighting

Recently, the Queen told you that I expressed an interest in replacing out Christmas lighting with efficient LED lighting. I am indeed interested in replacing all our lights with LEDs. LED light strings can burn for 50000 hours or more! That's a lot of years of use.

They can be used year round if you're just a bit clever on your use. They can be used on the edge of a deck or in flower beds as accent lighting. They can be used along walks to provide some ambient lighting to avoid tripping hazards. When arranged appropriately, they can provide nearly any type of lighting you could want.

These lights are also extremely efficient. When a string of 2000 LEDs is used for 8 hours a day everyday of the year, they cost just $50 a year to operate. That's a lot more efficient that standard lighting. Please view the Christmas lights they have to offer at HolidayLEDs.com for more information.

I'm likely to use them for hidden lighting on the deck I'll be working on this spring and summer. That way I can make much better use of my deck well into the night.

This post was brought to you by the letters L, E, D, and the number 2000.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Happy 2008

Happy 2008 to you all! Hopefully, it will be a great and productive year for all of us. :) Please remember to be responsible for you actions and words. Enjoy yourselves!

This post was brought to you by the letters D, Y, Q, X, and the number 6.