deer_mews

OUR HERO
One day more!
Another day, another bill to pay
On this never-ending road to Poverty;
These men who seemed to buy my lines
Still never call a second time.
One day more!

MELANCHOLY
I did not bring ID today.
How can I drink, if I get carded?

OUR HERO
One day more.

MELANCHOLY
Tomorrow is my final day
And now, my stress has only started!

DOUBT
Every day a silent phone.

MELANCHOLY & APATHY
Will I ever work again?

DOUBT
One more day with them not calling.

MELANCHOLY & APATHY
I am coming quite unglued.

DOUBT
One more interview I've blown.

MELANCHOLY & APATHY
And the rent will soon be due!

DOUBT
With my lack of savoir faire!

OPTIMISM
One more day -- I'll be reborn!

MELANCHOLY
Should I sell off all my clothes?

OPTIMISM
And my days all filled with freedom.

MELANCHOLY
Shall I auction off my hair?

OPTIMISM
I will be a man transformed

MELANCHOLY
What to do, to have a prayer?

OPTIMISM
And I'll be all I can be!

ALL
The time is now, the day is here

OUR HERO
One day more!

PESSIMISM
One day more till unemployment,
It will hit with a big thud!
I can't give up buying new toys,
And I'll have to sell my blood!

OUR HERO
One day more!

M. & MME. MOCKERY
Hey, you little shmuck,
Here begins your fall,
You're all out of luck
And soon you'll lose it all!
Speedy downhill trip,
Debts all run amuck,
Bank account’s a goner
And now you’re tot'ly f...What?!?

VOICES IN MY HEAD (2 Groups)
1: One day to a new beginning
2: Ev'ry job you see, apply!
1: Waiting for the phone to ring,
2: Waiting for the phone to ring,
1: All the options quickly thinning!
2: All the options almost gone!

ALL
Do you hear the people scream?

MELANCHOLY
The day is here, and I've no clue!

OUR HERO
One day more!

MELANCHOLY & APATHY
I did not bring ID today.

DOUBT
Every day a silent phone!

MELANCHOLY & APATHY
How can I drink, if I get carded?.

PESSIMISM (overlapping)
All my efforts add to zero!
All this work, nothing to show
All the expectations unmet,
All the answers lead to "NO!"

OUR HERO
One day more!

MELANCHOLY & APATHY
Tomorrow is my final day,

DOUBT
One more interview I've blown!

MELANCHOLY & APATHY
And now, my stress has only started!

PESSIMISM (overlapping)
One day more till unemployment,
It will hit with a big thud!
I can't give up buying new toys,

MOCKERY (overlapping)
Hey, you little shmuck,
Here begins your fall,
You're all out of luck
And soon you'll lose it all!

OUR HERO
Tomorrow is not far away,
Tomorrow's the last working day

ALL
Tomorrow we'll discover
What Top Ramen costs now at the store!
One more dawn
One more day
One day more!

Work was slowing down, then the economy happened. "More with less" makes a pithy appeal to my language nerd side, but it kinda sucks when it actually *happens*. Still, as many have pointed out (to the point that I want to punch random people when I overhear them in public -- because they are, inevitably, the loudest people in the room), things are great because I "still have a job..."

...for now.

In other news, I really, REALLY enjoyed this recent post by Neil Gaiman on entitlement and the creative process.

Other things I've enjoyed recently:

This xkcd, which not only made me laugh out loud, but also amazed me that the punchline never occurred to me, even after being so engrossed in the software development lifecycle for the last couple of years.

Patrick Rothfuss' blog

The name, adventurous spirit, and (above all), the writings of Radigan Neuhalfen. (Warning: some content may be NSFW.) I found one of his blogs through a random google image search for foreign driving licenses (no, I totally don't remember why), and was entranced by his command of language and sense of humor.

I have jumped on the Dominion bandwagon, mostly thanks to doctorconquest and shardavarius. Am contemplating the "chip deck" idea I've seen posted a few different ways online. Anyone actually tried this yet?

The elevators in our building are part of the Captivate Network, a streaming (oops, almost forgot the 'r' -- how embarrassing!) "news" "service" that pumps lightweight, 10-20 second blurbs onto tiny screens in elevators across the nation.

Normally, I'm entertained. Occasionally, I'm actually notified of something important enough to warrant additional research when I get to a computer. Even when there's something REALLY vapid on there (like the latest celebrity gossip), I understand that it's there because it's a great way to gain revenue and gives bored geeks like me a safe alternative to ridiculously breaking some of the silly, silly rules of elevator etiquette.

At the same time, every now and then, there's one that really drives me crazy. I wish I had taken a picture of the one this morning, because I can't remember it exactly, but it made me laugh, really hard. Paraphrased (but with the important bit verbatim), and with no source because I can't remember anything this morning, it went something to the effect of:

***
Asia cautiously optimistic

Asia expressed hope that President-elect Obama would be able to fix the problems with the international economy, but doubted that Washington would accept strict...
***

Really? Asia told you this? Huh. Usually, when I ask Asia something, I have a hard time getting a coherent answer.

...or did you mean Asia Argento? That's a little more political than she usually is, but last week, you had a bite from Paris Hilton on the election, so, well, okay.

...or do you really mean that some Deputy Assistant Minister of Finance in Beijing said something on condition of anonymity when asked by one of your stringers -- desperate for a quote just minutes after the announcement -- because they were having lunch together at the time? ...which I guess is also fine, really, because they all look alike anyway, right?

I'd like our political debates to be moderated a little better. Some suggestions:

1) Evasions, justifications, and circular reasoning are not "acceptable answers" and will be fiercely mocked by the moderator.

2) Candidates, you (and the audience) will see the following lights on the moderator's podium:
Yellow: You have 10 seconds left. Wrap it up or be cut off.
Flashing Yellow: You are evading the question, and everyone knows it.
Flashing Red: Your current statement is a total fabrication. Correct yourself, or lose the right to respond to this issue any further.
Red: Out of time, or in time-out.

3) You will see a small game show-type "buzzer" in front of you. If you "buzz in" and correctly identify the logical fallacy (or fallacies) being employed by your opponent at that moment and successfully prove your assertion, your opponent may not respond further. Incorrect or improperly proven assertions will result in equivalent time being deducted from your next response and given to your opponent to finish the current response. If correct, however, you may use the time remaining to do a victory dance. Spiking the buzzer is not permitted.

What do you think? You have 90 seconds to respond.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! :-D

(4.5 out of 5)

So I saw Wanted today, the movie based on the comics by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones. I went in expecting to be disappointed, and, surprisingly, I wasn't.

...

Actually, that's not totally accurate. Let me start over.

( more... )

That is all. Must go back to trying not to kill VS.NET 1.0 and VirtualPC...

As commanded, an update. :-D

(FList protected right now, because of pending job... I know that the chances that someone's going to trackback or search successfully is SO small, but I live for paranoia during job searches.)

I have an interview tomorrow. Actually, to be more specific, I have five interviews tomorrow.

As some of you may know, I've been looking off and on for a full-time job. As much as I like the flexibility of working from home, I'd also like a little more consistency of income.

Got recommended by queenzippo for an interview at her company. Bumbled my way through a phone interview. Got the call back, and am going to a big interview day at the local office tomorrow. It's a technical support engineer position, which, as I understand the screening I've undergone so far, requires technical aptitude, experience with networking, DB, web services (preferably at least two of three), technical and phone support skills, an ability to take ownership of a problem from start to finish, and the ability to find answers to new questions. Oh, and I'm pretty sure from the sounds of it that technical writing and training experience are a plus.

I've done interviews for tech positions before. I KNOW how hard it is to find people with all of those qualifications. I KNOW how well I could do this job. Why am I so nervous?

I hate interviews. That's not true. I like conducting interviews, but I hate going through them. I think part of it is the fact that I have such a hard time putting myself forward and bragging about my job accomplishments. Part of the problem is every time the interviewer asks a question, I get this manic interior monologue going:

Ok, it's obvious what they're really asking here. How do I answer what they're really asking without making it seem like I'm deliberately answering what they're actually asking with what they want to hear? Oh crap. How long have I been sitting here blankly? Better smile. Was that weird? Crap. Did I just chuckle nervously out loud? I should make a noise like I've been giving the question some serious thought. How about 'Hmm...'? Wait, did I already use 'Hmm...' on the last question? Just don't say, 'That's a good question,' -- it's obvious you're stalling, and a stupid thing to say. Oh God. Now how long have I been sitting here blankly? Whatever you do, remember not to do that stupid 'and, um,' thing that you do when you're really nervous. I hope I'm not sweating through my suit. How can I check it without being obvious? Oh God. Still haven't said anything. Say something!!!

"Hmm... Well, that's a good question, and, um..."

Oh, dear God. Please let the ground just open up and swallow me whole.


...and this happens with EVERY QUESTION!

As much as I like the flexibility of working from home, I think i really need to get a full-time job for other reasons than just steady pay.

...Like when I'm composing an e-mail to a friend and start forming the sentence "You know, there was a really great point on 'Gilmore Girls' today."

:-P~

(For Kim, wherever this may find her)

me: Hey, when you've got a minute, we need to pick your new power for Monday's game.
swartho: Ooh! Can I have Power of Attorney?
me: [sigh] No. [Pause] Ooh! You can have the moon power, though.
swartho: What's that?
me: Well, you can walk up to monsters and say, 'In the name of the moon, I shall punish you!'
swartho: [sigh] Just for that, I'ma gonna keep vacuuming.

I'm not sure, but I think I won that one.