As Yoda would put it, “Aware I am quite the value good of a picture blog daily.” What I can’t do is find the camera driver disk. So I systematically took this place apart until I found it, and in the process revamped most of my disk filing system. That was long overdue and the next major project has to be my sock drawer.My reward was to get into the shop and fly through all the job prospects. There are no “job” jobs left. Every job on the Internet seems to be some kind of commissioned sales position that the so-called employer has taken pains to word otherwise. Most seem to be some kind of scam but enough (around 15%) seem real enough to follow up. Even the classifieds are rarely anything but a link to yet another resume database.
There is something I find offensive about giving my resume to “professionals” who then decide where to apply. That is something I’d rather do on my own. Of course, one way around this is to create a resume with a phoney name until you get enough information about the exact job and then apply independently. But these “employment agencies” set off my alarms. It is just wrong to have the kind of info on a resume in the hands of semi-educated clerical workers who would sell you out in an instant. (Semi-educated being any job that does not require a Masters or better.) For anybody who just got here, I point out that I was in the communications industry for 15 years and know first hand what happens to your “private” information.
Teresa arrived by late afternoon and we sped through some extra computer material, determining that for $30 she could do a major upgrade to her home system. Make it 6 times as fast. While she was there, I took the time to show her what it is I do on a computer, this usually being a wise move if there is any chance they may get the mistaken impression I am playing Minesweeper all day. Heck no, I much prefer solitaire.
I went to show her the publication on Creditland. It was gone. What? I was so proud of that. I clicked on all the back pages and more as an afterthought clicked on the front page. Well, I’ll be. My article is now the headline. Find the Minnesota version of Creditland and my article “The Demographics of Real Estate”. It was written for entertainment, not information. And since I spray such articles around to see who picks up, I’ve forgotten my own Creditland password.
By early evening I suggested [to Teresa] we stop by and see the Karaoke show at Jimbo’s No Windows. Again I must remark at the huge weight and volume of gear the DJ uses. Then again, since this is the fifth time in a row she asked my help to fix wiring problems, please allow that she may not know how to apply, oh what’s the name of that law. The one where for every pound you take off the airplane you eventually save seven pounds. We stayed almost three hours after which Teresa remarked that this is the most enjoyable evening she’s had in [I think she said] ten years.
Everybody would like to borrow my Fender, but I need that around here for the odd student lesson. Teresa had one of those gift catalogues, you know the ones full of bargains that aren’t quite bargains. The ones that sell shawls, coin sets and show massage heads. This one also sold guitars. I love to take these catalogues on coffee break. I admire how they word the copy. I’m a bloggist myself. My favourite today was “One of our musical staff members picked up this guitar and said that he was truly surprised by the quality.” Why are you staring at the ceiling?
Teresa would like to get a guitar and at lease have a go at what I showed her last week. It is entirely possible to become an adequate rhythm player in four to six weeks, and I mean stage quality. No, you will not be a studio recording artist, but you will have fun and make money. I sang the Jimbo’s theme song and there is no indirect way to say this, but I seem to have really done a good job. And that’s coming from vocalists and regulars with no incentive to inflate the matter. Who knows? I’ve certainly had enough practice.
The Miracle on the Hudson. A commercial jet suffered foreign object ingestion [hit some pigeons] on take-off and the pilot did a deadstick into the river. Once the smell died down enough to enter the flight cabin, all 155 passengers “walked away” from the wreck. Or maybe they swam. Anyway, the pilot will likely get what he deserves and the documentary TV channels have enough to last the rest of this year.
Meanwhile, here is some trivia. Iris scans, normally understood to be a government security measure, which doesn't explain what the government is up to that needs such devices. Anyway, the iris scan is exceedinginly accurate and needs just 756 bytes for a positive match. I have an example. Who remembers that Afghan refugee girl on the National Geographic cover? She was tracked down and identified after 18 years. Remember her bright green eyes and you should be able to guess how they did it. She was lucky it was the good guys looking for her. Even if you are a saint, no government should ever be trusted with such power.
