Guess what!? This weekend I finished work on a book of my poetry. Best of all, I had it published through a site called Lulu.com that my dad suggested to me, and now it's available for sale! Seriously, check it out!
On top of that, Dale heard about it, and she suggested something even more awesome than selling it online. I chose to have an ISBN assigned to my book, and because of that Dale thinks she can order it for the Local Authors Section at the Borders store she works at. She even said that I might be able to have a book signing. That's going to take some time, though, because I need to finish the assignment of my ISBN and then we have to wait until Dale can order it for her store.
In the mean time, though, it is still available for sale Here. I hope you'll check it out and consider buying.
Later,
Joshua
Wednesday, October 27
Saturday, October 9
Wal-Mart World
So, I have been spending a lot of time this semester at Wal-Mart. In general this wouldn't be such a bad thing, but it's become a bit more than I thought I was in for.
The biggest reason I feel so overwhelmed is because this store is run much differently than my last store. In Chippewa, the store was big, the staff was big, and we were well prepared for big business. Here in Mansfield, the store is small, and in general would not require a large staff. However, due to a recent boom in the natural gas industry in this area, and because school is now in session, the business is growing at this store everyday. The problem is that the amount of staff has not grown; in fact, it has declined since I started working here. That leaves a giant disparity between the amount of staff required to perform the business we are performing and the amount that we actually have.
The problem this raises is not one that everyone feels the immediate consequences of. For me, though, working in dairy has been difficult because dairy is not a service area. That means that when other departments that are service areas are short handed, I have to fill in. Since I started at the Mansfield Wal-Mart, I have worked in dairy/frozen, deli, as a cashier, a stockman, a door greeter, and in electronics. I have also helped in toys a few times and helped the receiving crew. A new spot is opening up in the deli and that is where I am trying to get moved because I honestly just can't handle being thrown into a new area every night. Deli is a service area, so I can't be taken from the deli.
Other than Wal-Mart dominating my life, I've just been trying to get back on track with classes. Every time I turn around I feel as if I've lost a week or two. Suddenly it's a week from fall break and I'm sitting here wondering what happened to the first half of my semester.
My classes are all going fairly well. I am truly enjoying my Electricity and Magnetism class, as well as my Real Analysis class (though my professor is a little too picky for my taste). The class I'm having the most trouble with is actually the class that should be the easiest: History of Mathematics. What could be more straightforward than learning about the origins of math? Apparently a lot of things, especially if you're teaching them online and you know nothing of good site setup. I feel like I'm hunting around the Web site looking for work that I'm supposed to be doing most of the time. I never feel caught up in the class because each week we're supposed to be reading two or three chapters, doing problems, asking questions, and taking a quiz. On top of all of that I am supposed to be making a PowerPoint Presentation soon and I need to start working on a 15 page paper. Suffice it to say I'd be much happier had I been able to stay in Modern Algebra.
As far as things go, that's about my entire semester thus far. I am killing myself between work and class, and I have very little free time left. A huge part of me wants to quit Wal-Mart and start back at just Manser to reduce some stress. However, I can't bring myself to give up the opportunity, and more important, the money, and Wal-Mart is providing me. I mean, honestly, if I get moved into the deli, I'm going to be making over nine dollars an hour. Manser isn't paying me anywhere near that. However, Manser is a lot more laid back and more convenient for me because I wouldn't have to drive to work everyday. Still, I have been bringing home about $500 every two weeks at Wal-Mart, and another $100 from Manser in that two weeks, and I just can't bring myself to give it up now that I finally have a chance to save some money. I'm completely caught up with my bills and I still have money in the bank. This week my car battery needed replaced and I didn't have to feel like the world was ending. I might be killing myself with work, but I'm not stressed over money anymore, and that is a huge deal for me.
As for killing myself with work, I am currently able to keep up. If my classes get any more challenging, I am going to have to ask for a few less hours at Wal-Mart. However, as of right now I have A's in all of my classes and I don't really see that changing any time soon. The only thing that would be nice would be a bit more drive to get my work done a few days ahead of time so that I'm not rushing to finish it all the night before it's due. Well, that's not the only thing. It would be very nice if I had some time to hang out with some friends. I was considering changing my availability at Wal-Mart so that I can start going back to the Math Club meetings each Thursday. I originally thought that I'd be able to make a few meetings a month, but I haven't had a Thursday off yet this semester.
Well, it's a work in progress, but other than being a little exhausted, things are looking pretty good. I'm ready for some time off, so thank goodness for fall break next weekend, but I'm not ready to quit just yet.
Thanks for listening,
Joshua
The biggest reason I feel so overwhelmed is because this store is run much differently than my last store. In Chippewa, the store was big, the staff was big, and we were well prepared for big business. Here in Mansfield, the store is small, and in general would not require a large staff. However, due to a recent boom in the natural gas industry in this area, and because school is now in session, the business is growing at this store everyday. The problem is that the amount of staff has not grown; in fact, it has declined since I started working here. That leaves a giant disparity between the amount of staff required to perform the business we are performing and the amount that we actually have.
The problem this raises is not one that everyone feels the immediate consequences of. For me, though, working in dairy has been difficult because dairy is not a service area. That means that when other departments that are service areas are short handed, I have to fill in. Since I started at the Mansfield Wal-Mart, I have worked in dairy/frozen, deli, as a cashier, a stockman, a door greeter, and in electronics. I have also helped in toys a few times and helped the receiving crew. A new spot is opening up in the deli and that is where I am trying to get moved because I honestly just can't handle being thrown into a new area every night. Deli is a service area, so I can't be taken from the deli.
Other than Wal-Mart dominating my life, I've just been trying to get back on track with classes. Every time I turn around I feel as if I've lost a week or two. Suddenly it's a week from fall break and I'm sitting here wondering what happened to the first half of my semester.
My classes are all going fairly well. I am truly enjoying my Electricity and Magnetism class, as well as my Real Analysis class (though my professor is a little too picky for my taste). The class I'm having the most trouble with is actually the class that should be the easiest: History of Mathematics. What could be more straightforward than learning about the origins of math? Apparently a lot of things, especially if you're teaching them online and you know nothing of good site setup. I feel like I'm hunting around the Web site looking for work that I'm supposed to be doing most of the time. I never feel caught up in the class because each week we're supposed to be reading two or three chapters, doing problems, asking questions, and taking a quiz. On top of all of that I am supposed to be making a PowerPoint Presentation soon and I need to start working on a 15 page paper. Suffice it to say I'd be much happier had I been able to stay in Modern Algebra.
As far as things go, that's about my entire semester thus far. I am killing myself between work and class, and I have very little free time left. A huge part of me wants to quit Wal-Mart and start back at just Manser to reduce some stress. However, I can't bring myself to give up the opportunity, and more important, the money, and Wal-Mart is providing me. I mean, honestly, if I get moved into the deli, I'm going to be making over nine dollars an hour. Manser isn't paying me anywhere near that. However, Manser is a lot more laid back and more convenient for me because I wouldn't have to drive to work everyday. Still, I have been bringing home about $500 every two weeks at Wal-Mart, and another $100 from Manser in that two weeks, and I just can't bring myself to give it up now that I finally have a chance to save some money. I'm completely caught up with my bills and I still have money in the bank. This week my car battery needed replaced and I didn't have to feel like the world was ending. I might be killing myself with work, but I'm not stressed over money anymore, and that is a huge deal for me.
As for killing myself with work, I am currently able to keep up. If my classes get any more challenging, I am going to have to ask for a few less hours at Wal-Mart. However, as of right now I have A's in all of my classes and I don't really see that changing any time soon. The only thing that would be nice would be a bit more drive to get my work done a few days ahead of time so that I'm not rushing to finish it all the night before it's due. Well, that's not the only thing. It would be very nice if I had some time to hang out with some friends. I was considering changing my availability at Wal-Mart so that I can start going back to the Math Club meetings each Thursday. I originally thought that I'd be able to make a few meetings a month, but I haven't had a Thursday off yet this semester.
Well, it's a work in progress, but other than being a little exhausted, things are looking pretty good. I'm ready for some time off, so thank goodness for fall break next weekend, but I'm not ready to quit just yet.
Thanks for listening,
Joshua
Thursday, September 2
The Final Year Begins
So, I am now approaching the end of the first week back at Mansfield. This is to be my last fall semester here, and I don't know what to think about that.
What I do know is that obtaining my books has been a serious pain in the butt. Last year I had my book scholarships that I used to buy my books, and that made it easy to just walk into the bookstore and grab them all without feeling like I just spend $500. This year, though, I have no scholarship for books, so I have had some trouble. Matters weren't helped by the fact that I showed up to school broke, but that's another part of the story. Either way, I didn't even buy my books from the bookstore. I had told everyone that I was going to stop buying from the bookstore after my first year, but I could only use my scholarships at the bookstore, so I ended up buy from there last year. This year, though, I am glad to say that I bought my three required books much cheaper than the bookstore offered. For example, my Real Analysis book would have cost $180 new and $130 used at the bookstore. I found it online for $9.99. Also, I bought my Numerical Analysis book from a friend who dropped the class for $40 less than the bookstore wanted. If I had gotten paid before today, though, I could have had them all ordered already, and not have to wait another week for them to come in.
So, I don't remember the last time I updated this blog. I think I mentioned something about Megan possibly getting an apartment with Tasha. Well, Mercedes decided to move in with them, and on the eleventh they all had their first apartment. So far there hasn't been too much tension, and things were looking very good when I left to come up to school. Just about everything was unpacked, looking neat, and things were working out smoothly enough between the three roommates. I'm just sad that I had to come up to school so soon after they finally moved in.
Otherwise, I'm just hoping that things start to pick up soon. My classes have been going slow so far, and I don't have enough hours at Wal-Mart yet. Maybe next week I'll pick up another shift at Manser if Wal-Mart doesn't give me more time, and then I won't be so bored. Oh, I suppose I should mention here that my transfer did go through, and I am currently a dairy associate at Wal-Mart, though I am hoping that will change soon. There is an opening in the electronics department now, and I put in for it, but I am not sure I'll be able to get it considering the fact that I haven't been working at this store for very long. On top of Wal-Mart, I am putting in a night a week working for Manser still, but this year Vicki has me working in Grill 155. It reminds me a lot of the Hot Dog Shoppe, only we make a lot more stuff here and there are no hot dogs.
In the mean time, though, I have nothing to do for the night. I have to go shopping later (I finally got my discount card!), but otherwise I have no plans. Most of my friends transferred to other schools or were Nursing majors and moved to Sayre campus to finish their degree, so I don't have many people to hang out with. Oh well. I think I'm going to go lift some weights; I have to build up some muscle so I can perform all the heavy lifting my new job requires of me.
Later,
Joshua.
What I do know is that obtaining my books has been a serious pain in the butt. Last year I had my book scholarships that I used to buy my books, and that made it easy to just walk into the bookstore and grab them all without feeling like I just spend $500. This year, though, I have no scholarship for books, so I have had some trouble. Matters weren't helped by the fact that I showed up to school broke, but that's another part of the story. Either way, I didn't even buy my books from the bookstore. I had told everyone that I was going to stop buying from the bookstore after my first year, but I could only use my scholarships at the bookstore, so I ended up buy from there last year. This year, though, I am glad to say that I bought my three required books much cheaper than the bookstore offered. For example, my Real Analysis book would have cost $180 new and $130 used at the bookstore. I found it online for $9.99. Also, I bought my Numerical Analysis book from a friend who dropped the class for $40 less than the bookstore wanted. If I had gotten paid before today, though, I could have had them all ordered already, and not have to wait another week for them to come in.
So, I don't remember the last time I updated this blog. I think I mentioned something about Megan possibly getting an apartment with Tasha. Well, Mercedes decided to move in with them, and on the eleventh they all had their first apartment. So far there hasn't been too much tension, and things were looking very good when I left to come up to school. Just about everything was unpacked, looking neat, and things were working out smoothly enough between the three roommates. I'm just sad that I had to come up to school so soon after they finally moved in.
Otherwise, I'm just hoping that things start to pick up soon. My classes have been going slow so far, and I don't have enough hours at Wal-Mart yet. Maybe next week I'll pick up another shift at Manser if Wal-Mart doesn't give me more time, and then I won't be so bored. Oh, I suppose I should mention here that my transfer did go through, and I am currently a dairy associate at Wal-Mart, though I am hoping that will change soon. There is an opening in the electronics department now, and I put in for it, but I am not sure I'll be able to get it considering the fact that I haven't been working at this store for very long. On top of Wal-Mart, I am putting in a night a week working for Manser still, but this year Vicki has me working in Grill 155. It reminds me a lot of the Hot Dog Shoppe, only we make a lot more stuff here and there are no hot dogs.
In the mean time, though, I have nothing to do for the night. I have to go shopping later (I finally got my discount card!), but otherwise I have no plans. Most of my friends transferred to other schools or were Nursing majors and moved to Sayre campus to finish their degree, so I don't have many people to hang out with. Oh well. I think I'm going to go lift some weights; I have to build up some muscle so I can perform all the heavy lifting my new job requires of me.
Later,
Joshua.
Monday, August 2
Flying By
So, it just came to my attention that everyone else has updated this summer and I have not.
On the other hand, the summer's gone by so quickly, I hardly even realized that it is already August. Wow. I think my last update was about how I finally found a job after a long struggle. Well, since then I've been enjoying my job at Wal-Mart. It turns out I have a real knack for retail, though some people still throw me for a loop. For example, I have noticed that many people that know nothing of computers ask the most difficult to answer questions. One of the more common questions that I've gotten and had a difficult time dealing with at first is, "Do you sell Skype?" For those that don't know, Skype is free to download anytime online, and the only things you have to pay for are calls to land lines. The good news is, most people that ask if we sell Skype really just need a webcam to use Skype at home and think the software comes with it, which is easy enough to explain. However, I guess some people want to buy Skype phone cards so they can pay for their calls on Skype, and we don't sell though. We do sell internet phones and phone adapters that connect a regular phone to Skype, though.
That's beyond the point. What I'm trying to say is that I've been enjoying my job and it turns out I'm pretty good at it. I still wish I was paid commission, because I'd be making bank. The other day I sold three televisions and five laptops, and though I don't know exactly how much that came to, I am sure I'd have had a nice chunk of change if I were making commission. It is what it is, though, and I'm not going to complain because I'm getting paid well.
Oh, and besides electronics, I've been working a lot in the photo lab because they've been short handed. Supposedly this week there are two employees returning, one from vacation and the other from medical leave, and they should no longer be short handed, but we'll see how that works out. Either way, I have found that working in the photo lab is even better than working in the electronics department. I spend my day printing pictures and helping customers understand the computers. I get to sell cameras and other photography accessories. I suppose that the photo center just appeals more to me because I like photography and I like being around all of the cameras and pictures. Whatever it is, I really like working in the photo lab and hope that when I transfer I can work in the photo lab of that Wal-Mart, too.
Besides work, my summer has been pretty busy. I've been spending a lot of time with Megan to make up for time we've lost over the past year and for time we'll lose again in the next year. I am four or five weeks into an online summer course called Social Psychology that will allow me to graduate a year early, and I'm doing pretty well in the course. Right now I have a pretty strong A, and though I've been procrastinating a lot, I think I can hold that out for the next two weeks.
All in all, I am just surprised that there are only twenty odd days left before I go back to school. I am excited because I do miss school a lot, especially recently, but I am also a little bummed because everything has gone by so quickly. I mean, Megan is supposed to be moving out in a week from tomorrow, which I am super excited about, and I'm not going to be around long to help out. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Bekah's friend Tasha got in a fight with her father and has been looking for a place to live, and with a little help from me, Megan and Tasha found another roomate and an apartment for six hundred dollars a month that the three of them can live in. So I'm going to help them get moved in, but then I have to go back to school...
Thanks for listening.
Later,
Joshua
On the other hand, the summer's gone by so quickly, I hardly even realized that it is already August. Wow. I think my last update was about how I finally found a job after a long struggle. Well, since then I've been enjoying my job at Wal-Mart. It turns out I have a real knack for retail, though some people still throw me for a loop. For example, I have noticed that many people that know nothing of computers ask the most difficult to answer questions. One of the more common questions that I've gotten and had a difficult time dealing with at first is, "Do you sell Skype?" For those that don't know, Skype is free to download anytime online, and the only things you have to pay for are calls to land lines. The good news is, most people that ask if we sell Skype really just need a webcam to use Skype at home and think the software comes with it, which is easy enough to explain. However, I guess some people want to buy Skype phone cards so they can pay for their calls on Skype, and we don't sell though. We do sell internet phones and phone adapters that connect a regular phone to Skype, though.
That's beyond the point. What I'm trying to say is that I've been enjoying my job and it turns out I'm pretty good at it. I still wish I was paid commission, because I'd be making bank. The other day I sold three televisions and five laptops, and though I don't know exactly how much that came to, I am sure I'd have had a nice chunk of change if I were making commission. It is what it is, though, and I'm not going to complain because I'm getting paid well.
Oh, and besides electronics, I've been working a lot in the photo lab because they've been short handed. Supposedly this week there are two employees returning, one from vacation and the other from medical leave, and they should no longer be short handed, but we'll see how that works out. Either way, I have found that working in the photo lab is even better than working in the electronics department. I spend my day printing pictures and helping customers understand the computers. I get to sell cameras and other photography accessories. I suppose that the photo center just appeals more to me because I like photography and I like being around all of the cameras and pictures. Whatever it is, I really like working in the photo lab and hope that when I transfer I can work in the photo lab of that Wal-Mart, too.
Besides work, my summer has been pretty busy. I've been spending a lot of time with Megan to make up for time we've lost over the past year and for time we'll lose again in the next year. I am four or five weeks into an online summer course called Social Psychology that will allow me to graduate a year early, and I'm doing pretty well in the course. Right now I have a pretty strong A, and though I've been procrastinating a lot, I think I can hold that out for the next two weeks.
All in all, I am just surprised that there are only twenty odd days left before I go back to school. I am excited because I do miss school a lot, especially recently, but I am also a little bummed because everything has gone by so quickly. I mean, Megan is supposed to be moving out in a week from tomorrow, which I am super excited about, and I'm not going to be around long to help out. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Bekah's friend Tasha got in a fight with her father and has been looking for a place to live, and with a little help from me, Megan and Tasha found another roomate and an apartment for six hundred dollars a month that the three of them can live in. So I'm going to help them get moved in, but then I have to go back to school...
Thanks for listening.
Later,
Joshua
Monday, May 31
The Search Concludes
So, I finally got hired at a real job. For those of you that are just tuning in, I explained my troubles finding work in My Summer Conundrum. Either way, last week I finally got a call back from Wal-Mart (after I had already called them and they had told me there were no openings, but I'm not complaining). I went in on Monday for my first interview, and I must have impressed the people interviewing me, because they called me back the next day for a follow up interview on Wednesday.
On Wednesday I had a strange interview, which was only strange because I'm not really sure it could be considered an interview. Mostly it was me signing some papers and the manager telling me what my job description would be and then explaining that there would be a background check, which I had to sign to release, and that I needed to take a urine test. After all was said and done with the manager, whose name I believe was Margaret (sp?), I made my way to the front of the store to take the urine test at the new clinic thing they have now. Either way, when all was said and done, I was so confident that I was going to pass that I bought two uniforms and headed home.
Well, sure enough, on Friday the results must have came back because I received another call asking me to come in for Orientation on Tuesday. Here's the best part, unlike those other two jobs that I had interviews at, this training is paid! That means that, as of Tuesday, I will finally be making money again.
Oh, and I figure I should mention somewhere that I was hired to work in the Electronics Department. RadioShack can kiss my butt. They never called me back, even though I called them twice. Oh well, I'll just work at Wal-Mart and sell electronics there.
Okay, since I've been attempting to make some spare cash whenever I can, I've been offering my services mowing lawns. It is because of these offers that I have received my new name. I have been renamed Mowbane, slayer of lawn mowers near and far. The story starts at my dad's house on Thursday. I ordered a pizza and headed over to Dad's because I was going to mow his lawn. I grabbed the pizza on the way there, had a few slices, then went downstairs to get the lawn mower. I opened the garage door, put gas in the mower, pulled the mower outside, and attempted to start the mower. Unfortunately, the mower would not start. I pulled the cord more times than I could count, but I could not get the mower to start. The mower has a gas leak, and I'm thinking maybe the gas is leaking into the motor and flooding it (but really, I know nothing about motors so please don't take my word for it).
Then, on Saturday, I went to my Uncle Rick's house to mow his lawn. I got to his house, grabbed my sun glasses (which I had lost last year and Uncle Rick had found and left out for me), and headed out to the shed to get the lawn mower. I pulled the mower out of the shed, primed it, and started the engine. Unlike Dad's mower, Uncle Rick's started on the first pull. However, the motor was coughing and straining quite a bit, and when I hit the tall grass it shut off. I thought maybe the motor just needed to get warmed up, so I pulled out of the tall grass and pulled the cord to start the engine, and when I did, oil shot out of the exhaust. I immediately let go of the bar to shut the engine off, but it seems the damage had been done. Soon oil began leaking out of the air filter (which I thought at first was the oil filter because of the amount of oil leaking out of it), and despite my efforts, I could not find the source of the problem. I found a broken bolt, but Jeff (my step-father) does not think the bolt caused the problem. He thinks that a gasket blew or there was a problem with a piston. Either way, the lawn mower is completely screwed.
So, in the past week, I have killed two lawn mowers. Beware! Do not let me around your lawn mower, or it may mysteriously explode.
Well, I need to head to bed. I have to get up in the morning so I can go see the Hookstown Parade with the family for Memorial Day. Good night all.
Later,
Joshua
On Wednesday I had a strange interview, which was only strange because I'm not really sure it could be considered an interview. Mostly it was me signing some papers and the manager telling me what my job description would be and then explaining that there would be a background check, which I had to sign to release, and that I needed to take a urine test. After all was said and done with the manager, whose name I believe was Margaret (sp?), I made my way to the front of the store to take the urine test at the new clinic thing they have now. Either way, when all was said and done, I was so confident that I was going to pass that I bought two uniforms and headed home.
Well, sure enough, on Friday the results must have came back because I received another call asking me to come in for Orientation on Tuesday. Here's the best part, unlike those other two jobs that I had interviews at, this training is paid! That means that, as of Tuesday, I will finally be making money again.
Oh, and I figure I should mention somewhere that I was hired to work in the Electronics Department. RadioShack can kiss my butt. They never called me back, even though I called them twice. Oh well, I'll just work at Wal-Mart and sell electronics there.
Okay, since I've been attempting to make some spare cash whenever I can, I've been offering my services mowing lawns. It is because of these offers that I have received my new name. I have been renamed Mowbane, slayer of lawn mowers near and far. The story starts at my dad's house on Thursday. I ordered a pizza and headed over to Dad's because I was going to mow his lawn. I grabbed the pizza on the way there, had a few slices, then went downstairs to get the lawn mower. I opened the garage door, put gas in the mower, pulled the mower outside, and attempted to start the mower. Unfortunately, the mower would not start. I pulled the cord more times than I could count, but I could not get the mower to start. The mower has a gas leak, and I'm thinking maybe the gas is leaking into the motor and flooding it (but really, I know nothing about motors so please don't take my word for it).
Then, on Saturday, I went to my Uncle Rick's house to mow his lawn. I got to his house, grabbed my sun glasses (which I had lost last year and Uncle Rick had found and left out for me), and headed out to the shed to get the lawn mower. I pulled the mower out of the shed, primed it, and started the engine. Unlike Dad's mower, Uncle Rick's started on the first pull. However, the motor was coughing and straining quite a bit, and when I hit the tall grass it shut off. I thought maybe the motor just needed to get warmed up, so I pulled out of the tall grass and pulled the cord to start the engine, and when I did, oil shot out of the exhaust. I immediately let go of the bar to shut the engine off, but it seems the damage had been done. Soon oil began leaking out of the air filter (which I thought at first was the oil filter because of the amount of oil leaking out of it), and despite my efforts, I could not find the source of the problem. I found a broken bolt, but Jeff (my step-father) does not think the bolt caused the problem. He thinks that a gasket blew or there was a problem with a piston. Either way, the lawn mower is completely screwed.
So, in the past week, I have killed two lawn mowers. Beware! Do not let me around your lawn mower, or it may mysteriously explode.
Well, I need to head to bed. I have to get up in the morning so I can go see the Hookstown Parade with the family for Memorial Day. Good night all.
Later,
Joshua
Thursday, May 20
My Summer Conundrum
So, I have been home for nearly two weeks now. I have run into some serious problems finding work. I have put in quite a few applications at many different places, but as of right now I have not received any call backs. I called a few of the places, only to be told that they had not reviewed any applications, or found that they were actually unable to hire new employees at the present time. Though I had planned to call the rest, I became disheartened, and combined with one other important happening, I found it difficult to call and face more rejection.
The other important happening was a company that contacted me after finding my resume on CareerBuilder. For those of you that do not use CareerBuilder, I don't really have much to say about it other than it got me this call. None of the places I found on the site that I applied for have contacted me, and at least two of them I was unable to complete the applications for strange, unexplained reasons.
Anyhow, needless to say, I was excited when I received a call from Bankers Life and Casualty Company, and decided to go in for what the woman called a "group discussion session." I was excited, until my mother told me that Rebekah received the exact same phone call, went in for the discussion meeting, and came out dissatisfied. Still, being desperate for a job (and secretly believing that Bekah wasn't happy because the job was probably more work than she was willing to put forth), I went to the meeting. After roughly an hour (which is about how long it took me to drive to said meeting), I left the meeting with new knowledge of this fantastic company that I could sell life insurance and other services to seniors, making commissions on sales and probably earning a great deal of money.
Again, needless to say, I was truly excited when I received a call back from Bankers the next day, saying they wanted to have me in for a second (and final) group interview. I went in on Monday, expecting it to be an explanatory meeting, but the man talking to us really only explained two things. The first thing he explained was the pay (which had already been partially covered in the first session and really didn't need such crucial explanation, especially before any of us were even offered a job). The second thing he explained, after sitting us through another boring PowerPoint Presentation and going into all of his success stories, was that we needed roughly a thousand dollars to "start our business." You see, it turns out that we wouldn't actually be employees of Bankers; we'd be subcontractors. This really meant three things. One, we'd be required to pay for our own licensing, Errors and Omissions Insurance, transportation, and any other expense incurred while selling this insurance. Two, the company would offer us no benefits other than "quality pay" (that is, if you were "willing to put forth the effort."). Finally, the company would require us to PAY THEM a start up fee (after paying for licensing and for the E&O Insurance). Needless to say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I was told that if I had the thousand bucks to "start my business," they would provide me unpaid training next month sometime, after I take my licensing exam. That being said, I promptly wrote on my response paper that I would prefer not to receive any more calls from Bankers, and left the building, extremely dissatisfied.
So, I was, again, jobless and hopeless. Until I found an add in the newspaper for summer work. Most of the people that asked me about it were skeptical because the add said only that it was summer work with good pay, flexible schedules, and no experience necessary; no where in the add did it mention a company name, or a job description. Either way, intrigued by the idea of having summer work, I called the number. When I first called, I spoke to a woman that said she was having computer problems and would call me back the next day. She called me during the fateful second interview with Bankers, and I was not really in the mood to call back after that, so I waited until Tuesday to call her back.
Immediately I was set up with an interview, though I had sent in no information about myself. Again simply excited that I had the opportunity to get a job, I went in for the interview. The place was shabby and looked like it may have been tossed together overnight, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I filled out an application and was called into the manager's office, where I sat on a folding chair and he asked me why I wanted to work for Vector (though at this point, I still had no idea what that work entailed). I made up some bull shit and the guy seemed happy, so I went back into the conference room where I was instructed to wait for a group interview. (At this point I should have been leery. The group interview thing is no longer something I'm willing to get excited about.)
The manager came in a few minutes later, gave us a flipping sales pitch, then explained why his company was so great and how we could make tons of money selling CutCo knives to people in their homes (but we won't sell door to door). After that, we were each called back into his office and he asked us what we liked most about this job opportunity, then he said, and I'll never be able to forget this, "Well, Josh, you know I can't hire everybody...but I really think you'd be a great fit for this position." He went on to compliment my resume and tell me that he liked me because I kept great eye contact with him and laughed at his jokes during the group interview, which showed that I'm a "down to earth guy" who's willing to be himself around others. Again, by now I should have been ready to bolt, but something about how he went through the whole script caught me off guard. So I scheduled some unpaid training with them to start today at one.
The good news is, I am not going to the training. Last night my rational mind finally got the better of me and made me do some research online (which I usually do before I even apply for a job but really had no time to do in this case because I was given an interview as soon as I called). I typed "Vector Marketing" into the search bar, and the search assistant tried to tell me that I really wanted to search for "Vector Marketing Scam," (by the way, "Vector Marketing Scam was number one on the search assistant, even before "Vector Marketing Corporation") but I went with my original search anyhow to avoid bias. The first five links were Vector sites, none of which really said anything other than exactly what the manager said during my "interview." The sixth site was Vector Market, Scam or Not? It turns out, after searching nearly fifty sites on two search engines, and reading about Vector on Wikipedia, that I've come to the conclusion that Vector is pretty much a scam. Basically, they hire unsuspecting, unknowing high school graduates and college students to sell these knives, which, while decent knives, are not worth the price, as outlined on this consumer review.
Anyhow, I decided not to waste my time and gas money going back out there. I thought about going in and asking some really tough questions and trying to get a few other kids to see the light, but, to be honest, it's just not worth it. Still, that leaves me, again, jobless. Anyone have any good ideas for work?
The other important happening was a company that contacted me after finding my resume on CareerBuilder. For those of you that do not use CareerBuilder, I don't really have much to say about it other than it got me this call. None of the places I found on the site that I applied for have contacted me, and at least two of them I was unable to complete the applications for strange, unexplained reasons.
Anyhow, needless to say, I was excited when I received a call from Bankers Life and Casualty Company, and decided to go in for what the woman called a "group discussion session." I was excited, until my mother told me that Rebekah received the exact same phone call, went in for the discussion meeting, and came out dissatisfied. Still, being desperate for a job (and secretly believing that Bekah wasn't happy because the job was probably more work than she was willing to put forth), I went to the meeting. After roughly an hour (which is about how long it took me to drive to said meeting), I left the meeting with new knowledge of this fantastic company that I could sell life insurance and other services to seniors, making commissions on sales and probably earning a great deal of money.
Again, needless to say, I was truly excited when I received a call back from Bankers the next day, saying they wanted to have me in for a second (and final) group interview. I went in on Monday, expecting it to be an explanatory meeting, but the man talking to us really only explained two things. The first thing he explained was the pay (which had already been partially covered in the first session and really didn't need such crucial explanation, especially before any of us were even offered a job). The second thing he explained, after sitting us through another boring PowerPoint Presentation and going into all of his success stories, was that we needed roughly a thousand dollars to "start our business." You see, it turns out that we wouldn't actually be employees of Bankers; we'd be subcontractors. This really meant three things. One, we'd be required to pay for our own licensing, Errors and Omissions Insurance, transportation, and any other expense incurred while selling this insurance. Two, the company would offer us no benefits other than "quality pay" (that is, if you were "willing to put forth the effort."). Finally, the company would require us to PAY THEM a start up fee (after paying for licensing and for the E&O Insurance). Needless to say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I was told that if I had the thousand bucks to "start my business," they would provide me unpaid training next month sometime, after I take my licensing exam. That being said, I promptly wrote on my response paper that I would prefer not to receive any more calls from Bankers, and left the building, extremely dissatisfied.
So, I was, again, jobless and hopeless. Until I found an add in the newspaper for summer work. Most of the people that asked me about it were skeptical because the add said only that it was summer work with good pay, flexible schedules, and no experience necessary; no where in the add did it mention a company name, or a job description. Either way, intrigued by the idea of having summer work, I called the number. When I first called, I spoke to a woman that said she was having computer problems and would call me back the next day. She called me during the fateful second interview with Bankers, and I was not really in the mood to call back after that, so I waited until Tuesday to call her back.
Immediately I was set up with an interview, though I had sent in no information about myself. Again simply excited that I had the opportunity to get a job, I went in for the interview. The place was shabby and looked like it may have been tossed together overnight, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I filled out an application and was called into the manager's office, where I sat on a folding chair and he asked me why I wanted to work for Vector (though at this point, I still had no idea what that work entailed). I made up some bull shit and the guy seemed happy, so I went back into the conference room where I was instructed to wait for a group interview. (At this point I should have been leery. The group interview thing is no longer something I'm willing to get excited about.)
The manager came in a few minutes later, gave us a flipping sales pitch, then explained why his company was so great and how we could make tons of money selling CutCo knives to people in their homes (but we won't sell door to door). After that, we were each called back into his office and he asked us what we liked most about this job opportunity, then he said, and I'll never be able to forget this, "Well, Josh, you know I can't hire everybody...but I really think you'd be a great fit for this position." He went on to compliment my resume and tell me that he liked me because I kept great eye contact with him and laughed at his jokes during the group interview, which showed that I'm a "down to earth guy" who's willing to be himself around others. Again, by now I should have been ready to bolt, but something about how he went through the whole script caught me off guard. So I scheduled some unpaid training with them to start today at one.
The good news is, I am not going to the training. Last night my rational mind finally got the better of me and made me do some research online (which I usually do before I even apply for a job but really had no time to do in this case because I was given an interview as soon as I called). I typed "Vector Marketing" into the search bar, and the search assistant tried to tell me that I really wanted to search for "Vector Marketing Scam," (by the way, "Vector Marketing Scam was number one on the search assistant, even before "Vector Marketing Corporation") but I went with my original search anyhow to avoid bias. The first five links were Vector sites, none of which really said anything other than exactly what the manager said during my "interview." The sixth site was Vector Market, Scam or Not? It turns out, after searching nearly fifty sites on two search engines, and reading about Vector on Wikipedia, that I've come to the conclusion that Vector is pretty much a scam. Basically, they hire unsuspecting, unknowing high school graduates and college students to sell these knives, which, while decent knives, are not worth the price, as outlined on this consumer review.
Anyhow, I decided not to waste my time and gas money going back out there. I thought about going in and asking some really tough questions and trying to get a few other kids to see the light, but, to be honest, it's just not worth it. Still, that leaves me, again, jobless. Anyone have any good ideas for work?
Wednesday, April 21
Nearing the End
So, this semester is quickly drawing to a close. I think that there's about a week and a half of class left, and then I have to take three or four finals. Mostly, the semester's been fairly mundane. I haven't done a whole lot worth talking about lately, but there is something I just found out that is worth consideration.
I am a fourth semester student at Mansfield University, currently majoring in Mathematics Education. Over the past year, I've had to radically rethink my planned schedule for my time here at Mansfield for a few good reasons. The first thing that happened was I decided it was more in my interest to leave the honors program so that I could take the classes that I wanted to take and not worry about staying later or possibly negatively affecting my grade point average just so that I can graduate "with honors." All in all, it was a good decision that I cannot regret.
This past semester, because of Analog Electronics, I have been forced to drop my minor in Physics. The reason is simple, not only would I have had to complete Analog, but I would have been forced to take at least one more course with Dr. Ambrosio, and I simply cannot fathom sitting through two semesters with him. His class was absolutely awful, and though I probably could have gotten an A, it would have been a pointless waste of my time. (If you're wondering, getting an A would have been easy because at the end of the semester Dr. Ambrosio curves all of the grades based on who did the most work, and no one was doing any work, so everyone would have had A's and B's.)
What that basically leaves me with is a degree in Mathematics Education (BSE.Mathematics), which is still pretty awesome. However, with a little tweaking, I found that I can "dual" major with Applied Mathematics as well (BS.Mathematics: Applied). Well, after talking to a friend of mine, who happens to be a professor here at Mansfield, it was brought to my attention that it might be more beneficial for me to drop the Education degree and devote my studies to a degree in Applied Math alone. At first, this seemed like a terrible idea, even though she suggested that I could get a master's degree in Education if I still wanted to teach. However, since I couldn't ignore her suggestion, I looked into it, and it turns out that if I can get a loan for a single summer course (roughly a grand), I can graduate next spring with a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics.
After talking with my adviser and a few other professors, I've learned that if I graduate next spring, I could literally complete my Master's in Education from Mansfield by the end of 2012, not long after I would graduate with a Bachelor's in Mathematics Education if I stay on my current path. This, at first, seems like an amazing idea. Of course, there's always a catch. The catch is quite simple, if I take this path, I will have more trouble achieving my long term goal of getting my doctorate because I will then have to get a second master's degree in mathematics later, probably without funding.
Of course, there is a final path I can choose. I would never have considered this path if not for my Topology professor, Dr. Haner. He suggested that I apply to grad schools, not for education, but for Applied Mathematics. That way, if I can find a school that will fund me, I can work straight through my master's degree and begin work on my doctorate immediately. Haner told me that I could (more than likely) get accepted and funded for a doctoral program if I keep my grades up and get some killer letters of recommendation. If I take that path, in six to eight years (unless I seriously screw up) I can have a Ph.D.
Finally, a path that seems perfect, right? Wrong. The problem with this last path is simple: I won't really start working at the capacity necessary to support a family until I have my Ph.D. and find a job. In other words, I will be a student until I am at least twenty six (more like twenty seven or twenty eight). The idea of attempting to start a family while I am still a full time student, especially a full time student working towards a doctorate, is just something that I can't conceive. Now, if I could finish the program by 2016, the problem would be minimal (except that I still have to think about Megan and the fact that I can't keep uprooting her), but very few people finish a doctoral program in five years, and I am having difficulty making that decision.
This is my current dillema. The fact that I have a deadline makes it even worse. Oh, I didn't mention that if I want to graduate next year I need to fill out a change of major form and apply for graduation before the end of this semester. (At least I think there will be issues if I don't. I was sent an email saying I need to apply for graduation a year in advance.) Either way, I am having a lot of trouble deciding, and I really don't know what to do here. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Joshua
I am a fourth semester student at Mansfield University, currently majoring in Mathematics Education. Over the past year, I've had to radically rethink my planned schedule for my time here at Mansfield for a few good reasons. The first thing that happened was I decided it was more in my interest to leave the honors program so that I could take the classes that I wanted to take and not worry about staying later or possibly negatively affecting my grade point average just so that I can graduate "with honors." All in all, it was a good decision that I cannot regret.
This past semester, because of Analog Electronics, I have been forced to drop my minor in Physics. The reason is simple, not only would I have had to complete Analog, but I would have been forced to take at least one more course with Dr. Ambrosio, and I simply cannot fathom sitting through two semesters with him. His class was absolutely awful, and though I probably could have gotten an A, it would have been a pointless waste of my time. (If you're wondering, getting an A would have been easy because at the end of the semester Dr. Ambrosio curves all of the grades based on who did the most work, and no one was doing any work, so everyone would have had A's and B's.)
What that basically leaves me with is a degree in Mathematics Education (BSE.Mathematics), which is still pretty awesome. However, with a little tweaking, I found that I can "dual" major with Applied Mathematics as well (BS.Mathematics: Applied). Well, after talking to a friend of mine, who happens to be a professor here at Mansfield, it was brought to my attention that it might be more beneficial for me to drop the Education degree and devote my studies to a degree in Applied Math alone. At first, this seemed like a terrible idea, even though she suggested that I could get a master's degree in Education if I still wanted to teach. However, since I couldn't ignore her suggestion, I looked into it, and it turns out that if I can get a loan for a single summer course (roughly a grand), I can graduate next spring with a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics.
After talking with my adviser and a few other professors, I've learned that if I graduate next spring, I could literally complete my Master's in Education from Mansfield by the end of 2012, not long after I would graduate with a Bachelor's in Mathematics Education if I stay on my current path. This, at first, seems like an amazing idea. Of course, there's always a catch. The catch is quite simple, if I take this path, I will have more trouble achieving my long term goal of getting my doctorate because I will then have to get a second master's degree in mathematics later, probably without funding.
Of course, there is a final path I can choose. I would never have considered this path if not for my Topology professor, Dr. Haner. He suggested that I apply to grad schools, not for education, but for Applied Mathematics. That way, if I can find a school that will fund me, I can work straight through my master's degree and begin work on my doctorate immediately. Haner told me that I could (more than likely) get accepted and funded for a doctoral program if I keep my grades up and get some killer letters of recommendation. If I take that path, in six to eight years (unless I seriously screw up) I can have a Ph.D.
Finally, a path that seems perfect, right? Wrong. The problem with this last path is simple: I won't really start working at the capacity necessary to support a family until I have my Ph.D. and find a job. In other words, I will be a student until I am at least twenty six (more like twenty seven or twenty eight). The idea of attempting to start a family while I am still a full time student, especially a full time student working towards a doctorate, is just something that I can't conceive. Now, if I could finish the program by 2016, the problem would be minimal (except that I still have to think about Megan and the fact that I can't keep uprooting her), but very few people finish a doctoral program in five years, and I am having difficulty making that decision.
This is my current dillema. The fact that I have a deadline makes it even worse. Oh, I didn't mention that if I want to graduate next year I need to fill out a change of major form and apply for graduation before the end of this semester. (At least I think there will be issues if I don't. I was sent an email saying I need to apply for graduation a year in advance.) Either way, I am having a lot of trouble deciding, and I really don't know what to do here. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Joshua
Monday, March 15
Break's Over
Well, I said I would update this soon, so I decided I should update. Sorry I did not get around to it last week. I was distracted by all of the other things I had going on at home. I did have a good time over break, though. I was able to spend a lot of time with Megan, and to spend a lot of time with my family. I played cards with Megan three times, once with friends, once with Beth, and once with Megan's parents. A lot happened this past week, but a lot has happened since my last real update, so I will try to bring everyone up to date.
For starters, my semester is going fairly well. I am now half way through with all of my classes, and the only problem I am having is with Analog Electronics. I tried to talk to the professor, and even his department chair, about the problems I am having with the course, but it doesn't look like that got me very far. I really need a tutor or something to help me through the homework because I don't know how to do it, and I don't expect that he'll be teaching us how to do it any time soon. Unfortunately, there are no tutors for the course, so I may have to talk to Chris, who is also in the class and is the only person that seems to understand what is going on, for help on the homework. Currently I'm four assignments behind, and further behind on the labs now because I do not have time to go in after class to catch up with the labs. I wonder if I can get the software to work on the labs in my room in my spare time?
The biggest thing that has happened since the last time I updated was that Megan came up to look at a place I thought we might be able to live in starting next semester. Megan and I have been planning on moving in together after she finished her degree, and that is after this semester. Since I still have two more years, our plan is to find a place around my school to live in until I graduate. We are still working out the details for what happens after I graduate, but the point I'm trying to make is that we need to find a place to live if she plans on moving up here. Well, a few weeks ago I was talking to a man I work with, Troy, about this, and he mentioned that he was planning on moving out of his trailer and into a house, which he's always wanted, this spring. He told me that we could work out a deal and I could take the trailer from him if I wanted it. When all is said and done, the deal on the trailer ended up being a lot cheaper than any deal I've seen for an apartment, so I suggested to Megan that we take it.
Well, even though neither Megan nor I really want to live in a trailer park, because living in the trailer would be hundreds of dollars cheaper a month than living in an apartment would be, and because living in the trailer means that we can have pets, we both decided that looking into the place would be a really good idea. Megan drove out last Friday (the eighth) so that we could go see the trailer together. Unfortunately, we could not get a hold of Troy because his wife was in the hospital, and we were unable to see the trailer. I still feel awful that Megan wasted her time and money to drive out here for nothing, but I can't do anything about it.
Either way, we spent that night and the next morning looking through the newspaper and penny savers to try and find some other place to live. Every single apartment listed was far too expensive or already leased or rented, so we did not see a single place the entire time Megan was here. Still, I am going to talk to Troy, tonight hopefully, and see if I can go and see the trailer sometime soon. I am upset that we were unable to get in touch with him while Megan was here, but I am still hopeful that the deal he offered me is still valid. Otherwise, I am going to be spending a lot of time looking for an apartment that I can afford.
The worst possible outcome is that I cannot find a place and I have to stay on campus another year or two. In which case Megan has the option of moving into an apartment of her own in Beaver County, or living at home for another year or two. I have hopes that even if we can't find a place to live around Mansfield, Megan can find an apartment in Beaver County and live on her own until I finish school and join her there. However, I am not saying that is the path I most want to follow. I still want to find a place around here.
Well, I have to head off to class. I should be updating again soon, hopefully with good news.
Later,
Joshua
For starters, my semester is going fairly well. I am now half way through with all of my classes, and the only problem I am having is with Analog Electronics. I tried to talk to the professor, and even his department chair, about the problems I am having with the course, but it doesn't look like that got me very far. I really need a tutor or something to help me through the homework because I don't know how to do it, and I don't expect that he'll be teaching us how to do it any time soon. Unfortunately, there are no tutors for the course, so I may have to talk to Chris, who is also in the class and is the only person that seems to understand what is going on, for help on the homework. Currently I'm four assignments behind, and further behind on the labs now because I do not have time to go in after class to catch up with the labs. I wonder if I can get the software to work on the labs in my room in my spare time?
The biggest thing that has happened since the last time I updated was that Megan came up to look at a place I thought we might be able to live in starting next semester. Megan and I have been planning on moving in together after she finished her degree, and that is after this semester. Since I still have two more years, our plan is to find a place around my school to live in until I graduate. We are still working out the details for what happens after I graduate, but the point I'm trying to make is that we need to find a place to live if she plans on moving up here. Well, a few weeks ago I was talking to a man I work with, Troy, about this, and he mentioned that he was planning on moving out of his trailer and into a house, which he's always wanted, this spring. He told me that we could work out a deal and I could take the trailer from him if I wanted it. When all is said and done, the deal on the trailer ended up being a lot cheaper than any deal I've seen for an apartment, so I suggested to Megan that we take it.
Well, even though neither Megan nor I really want to live in a trailer park, because living in the trailer would be hundreds of dollars cheaper a month than living in an apartment would be, and because living in the trailer means that we can have pets, we both decided that looking into the place would be a really good idea. Megan drove out last Friday (the eighth) so that we could go see the trailer together. Unfortunately, we could not get a hold of Troy because his wife was in the hospital, and we were unable to see the trailer. I still feel awful that Megan wasted her time and money to drive out here for nothing, but I can't do anything about it.
Either way, we spent that night and the next morning looking through the newspaper and penny savers to try and find some other place to live. Every single apartment listed was far too expensive or already leased or rented, so we did not see a single place the entire time Megan was here. Still, I am going to talk to Troy, tonight hopefully, and see if I can go and see the trailer sometime soon. I am upset that we were unable to get in touch with him while Megan was here, but I am still hopeful that the deal he offered me is still valid. Otherwise, I am going to be spending a lot of time looking for an apartment that I can afford.
The worst possible outcome is that I cannot find a place and I have to stay on campus another year or two. In which case Megan has the option of moving into an apartment of her own in Beaver County, or living at home for another year or two. I have hopes that even if we can't find a place to live around Mansfield, Megan can find an apartment in Beaver County and live on her own until I finish school and join her there. However, I am not saying that is the path I most want to follow. I still want to find a place around here.
Well, I have to head off to class. I should be updating again soon, hopefully with good news.
Later,
Joshua
Thursday, March 4
Reconfiguration
Well, if you haven't already noticed, I recently had to reconfigure my entire site. The reason for this was quite simple (though the means were not). Blogger sent me an email last month that said by the end of March I will no longer be able to update my blog via FTP because they were dropping FTP support. Apparently they have a ton of new things to add to the site, but are unable to add them because the FTP portion of the site is lagging and takes too long to update. Either way, it really stunk for me because I was one of the users who still updates his blog via FTP. According to the email I got, though, there are not may of us left that are even relatively active, so I totally understand the reasoning behind dropping FTP support.
Still, the drop affected me because, while I could keep the old blogs on my site permanently, after this month I would no longer be able to update them. Therefore I decided it was in my best interest to reconfigure. I dropped A Little Deeper because it was an old blog and the only real reason I was holding onto it was all of the poetry it contained. Not that any of that poetry was easy to find, but it was there. If you noticed, I brought with me to the reality of the situation all of the old posts from A Little Deeper that were not poetry related (probably because I'm a pack rat and can't find it in myself to get rid of them). I moved this blog to a blogspot account page, which you already know because you're visiting it on said page. I also rid this blog of all poetry related posts.
The reason for getting rid of the poetry was simple: I decided to add all of my poetry into one location on my web site. I made a Virtual Book of Poetry on my site, which contains, as far as I know, every poem and lyric I've ever written. I figured that I could justify getting rid of a blog that way, which saves time and space, and also makes it easier for my readers to find my poetry, even if most of the stuff that was difficult to find probably wasn't worth finding.
So, where does that leave me? I am left annoyed that I had to do this update, but glad that I did it. I am very happy with the new Virtual Book, especially considering how much time and effort I put into making it. I will be adding poetry directly to this book from now on. Therefore, this blog will now be devoted purely to updates in my life, and not poetry. Also, since Megan's blog was set up through my site as well, I had to move it to a blogspot account. Both of us have decided to keep our blogs and continue updating, even though they can no longer appear on my site.
I'm supposed to add something about how life has been lately, but I have other things I need to get to tonight. I'll try to update next week during Spring Break.
Later,
Joshua
Still, the drop affected me because, while I could keep the old blogs on my site permanently, after this month I would no longer be able to update them. Therefore I decided it was in my best interest to reconfigure. I dropped A Little Deeper because it was an old blog and the only real reason I was holding onto it was all of the poetry it contained. Not that any of that poetry was easy to find, but it was there. If you noticed, I brought with me to the reality of the situation all of the old posts from A Little Deeper that were not poetry related (probably because I'm a pack rat and can't find it in myself to get rid of them). I moved this blog to a blogspot account page, which you already know because you're visiting it on said page. I also rid this blog of all poetry related posts.
The reason for getting rid of the poetry was simple: I decided to add all of my poetry into one location on my web site. I made a Virtual Book of Poetry on my site, which contains, as far as I know, every poem and lyric I've ever written. I figured that I could justify getting rid of a blog that way, which saves time and space, and also makes it easier for my readers to find my poetry, even if most of the stuff that was difficult to find probably wasn't worth finding.
So, where does that leave me? I am left annoyed that I had to do this update, but glad that I did it. I am very happy with the new Virtual Book, especially considering how much time and effort I put into making it. I will be adding poetry directly to this book from now on. Therefore, this blog will now be devoted purely to updates in my life, and not poetry. Also, since Megan's blog was set up through my site as well, I had to move it to a blogspot account. Both of us have decided to keep our blogs and continue updating, even though they can no longer appear on my site.
I'm supposed to add something about how life has been lately, but I have other things I need to get to tonight. I'll try to update next week during Spring Break.
Later,
Joshua
Sunday, January 31
Update: Semester 4
Well, I suppose I should update this thing. I'm bored, and I don't feel like doing my homework, and since I haven't written anything in here in a while, this feels like a great way to use some time.
For starters, I don't think I've written yet this semester, but I am back in Mansfield. My semester started out great (cough cough), because I had to leave home early to work on my first night back until midnight. Then I had Analog Electronics the next morning at eight thirty, and I figured that it would be a pretty cool class. Unfortunately, I figured wrong. My professor, while extremely intelligent, is completely lacking in two major areas. One, he does not seem to live in the same reality that the rest of us reside in. For example, last week he asked us to take a quiz on material that was not covered in class (because we have yet to cover any material in class, which would not have been so bad if the material had been in the book. However, I have been reading the book (because, like I said, he's not really teaching us anything), and none of the information was there, either. The other area he's lacking in is understandability. We have already had two homework assignments due, and though I have yet to turn in the second one because I do not know how to do it, I finished the first one. However, I had to go to his office for help on the first homework assignment, and not only did he not seem to understand that I was confused, he simply took one look at the problem and said, "It's as easy as this." Then he plopped an answer down, and I really had to spend a bit more time looking at what he had done before I really understood what was going on. His understandability isn't helped by the fact that he has a very thick accent. Now I have to go to his office again to ask him about the second assignment, which was due on Thursday, but I didn't have time to start it until Wednesday and he hasn't had office hours that I could attend since.
My other classes are mostly better. With the exception of Linear Algebra, which is moving extremely slow and is very boring, I am having a good time in my classes. I really like Modern Physics because right now we're working with special relativity, which is awesome. Basically, as things approach the speed of light, which is a constant no matter what inertial reference frame it is in, time dilates and distances shrink. Topology is pretty cool, too, because we've been spending our time with proofs for the past few weeks and we should be moving into topological spaces soon. Differential Equations is a great class, too. Uncle Phil (our professor) is a funny guy, and he moves at a great pace. I love the class because on the first day, he handed us our syllabi, then said, "That's the bureaucratic nonsense. Let's get started." Then we moved right into the material. I love it.
Otherwise, I had a few other setbacks this semester as well. My friend Tara, left Mansfield for a different school this semester. I was getting really good at ping pong because of her, and now I have no one to play pong with at twelve thirty at night when I can't sleep. I've had a few other minor things here and there that have left me feeling pretty alone at times, too.
The good news, though, is that I am really getting into Math Club this semester, and we already had one great Math Club party that I had a really good time at. Also, I have made a few other friends lately that have been around to hang with now. I've got a long time before I can come home again, though, and I'm really hoping this semester gets a little better. Work is boring, but because I'm working four nights a week till twelve thirty and getting up at seven five days a week, I'm exhausted most of the time. Still, the money is nice and I really need it right now.
Oh well. I've said all I can think to say. I'll update again when I think about it.
Later,
Joshua
For starters, I don't think I've written yet this semester, but I am back in Mansfield. My semester started out great (cough cough), because I had to leave home early to work on my first night back until midnight. Then I had Analog Electronics the next morning at eight thirty, and I figured that it would be a pretty cool class. Unfortunately, I figured wrong. My professor, while extremely intelligent, is completely lacking in two major areas. One, he does not seem to live in the same reality that the rest of us reside in. For example, last week he asked us to take a quiz on material that was not covered in class (because we have yet to cover any material in class, which would not have been so bad if the material had been in the book. However, I have been reading the book (because, like I said, he's not really teaching us anything), and none of the information was there, either. The other area he's lacking in is understandability. We have already had two homework assignments due, and though I have yet to turn in the second one because I do not know how to do it, I finished the first one. However, I had to go to his office for help on the first homework assignment, and not only did he not seem to understand that I was confused, he simply took one look at the problem and said, "It's as easy as this." Then he plopped an answer down, and I really had to spend a bit more time looking at what he had done before I really understood what was going on. His understandability isn't helped by the fact that he has a very thick accent. Now I have to go to his office again to ask him about the second assignment, which was due on Thursday, but I didn't have time to start it until Wednesday and he hasn't had office hours that I could attend since.
My other classes are mostly better. With the exception of Linear Algebra, which is moving extremely slow and is very boring, I am having a good time in my classes. I really like Modern Physics because right now we're working with special relativity, which is awesome. Basically, as things approach the speed of light, which is a constant no matter what inertial reference frame it is in, time dilates and distances shrink. Topology is pretty cool, too, because we've been spending our time with proofs for the past few weeks and we should be moving into topological spaces soon. Differential Equations is a great class, too. Uncle Phil (our professor) is a funny guy, and he moves at a great pace. I love the class because on the first day, he handed us our syllabi, then said, "That's the bureaucratic nonsense. Let's get started." Then we moved right into the material. I love it.
Otherwise, I had a few other setbacks this semester as well. My friend Tara, left Mansfield for a different school this semester. I was getting really good at ping pong because of her, and now I have no one to play pong with at twelve thirty at night when I can't sleep. I've had a few other minor things here and there that have left me feeling pretty alone at times, too.
The good news, though, is that I am really getting into Math Club this semester, and we already had one great Math Club party that I had a really good time at. Also, I have made a few other friends lately that have been around to hang with now. I've got a long time before I can come home again, though, and I'm really hoping this semester gets a little better. Work is boring, but because I'm working four nights a week till twelve thirty and getting up at seven five days a week, I'm exhausted most of the time. Still, the money is nice and I really need it right now.
Oh well. I've said all I can think to say. I'll update again when I think about it.
Later,
Joshua
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