Anything VIII

[PollyMath]

Hi, everyone. I know it has been about forever since I posted, but, honestly, there hasn't been much to say.

I am still unemployed. Fortunately I still have enough money saved up to not have to move in with my parents or anything drastic like that, but it is not fun and I am rapidly coming up on 18 months out of work. That would normally mean my health insurance runs out, but I am still a part-time student (didn't accellerate my class schedule for just this reason) so I can get student coverage through NYU. And student coverage is a heck of a lot cheaper than the COBRA coverage too.

I am taking 3 classes this semester. That is the max I can take as a part time student. It won't finish the degree (or I would lose my health insurance) but it will get me up to 20 of 24 credits. That will allow me to move if I need to for a job. You are allowed to take up to 4 credits at another school and transfer them back. Oh, in case anyone cares, I am taking partnership tax I, estate and gift tax I and taxation of executive compensation.

I have a meeting this week with my professor from last term to try to pump her for information about where I might get work. She is totally connected in the not-for-profit world, so it might help. Right now, she is recommending me for a position at the IRS in the exempt org division. There is a complex point system and all sorts of other stuff you have go through for a government job, so a recommendation from one of the top educators in the field is no guarantee, but hopefully it will help a little.

By the way, I was thinking of going to the comic con in New Jersey to get a few autographs from JMS back in the spring, but I was studying for the exam in this prof's class, so I skipped it. I did get an A and therefore the possibility of her endorsement, so it was worth it, but, man, going would have been cool.

And, just in case the govermnet job works out and I have to move to DC, I have been spending a large chunk of the summer cleaning out my hugely overcrowded apartment. You see, all that stuff that your mom saves from your childhood? The stuff that is supposed to stay in the basement of the house you grew up in? The stuff you are only supposed to have to face when your parents have passed away and you are so grief stricken that nothing seems important so it is easy to throw it away without looking at it too carefully? I am trying to deal with it now. Two car loads of stuff went to the Salvation Army (the Clean Sweep "sell" pile) and now I'm doing the garbage (Clean Sweep "toss" pile). Exactly why my mother thought I needed an archive of all the school newspapers that came out when I was in high school, I will never guess. I mean, my only involvement with it was writing the math team column. The worst thing that I found? 3/4's of a chocolate bar that I think one of the young campers must have given my for my sweet 16 party (that my parents and grandparents brought to me at work at the camp). That chocolate bar was over 20 years old. Scarey.

In other news, I have an update on my uncle's (and his partner's) kids. They all just got back from their summer vacation on Cape Cod. Charlie (the youngest) is 2 1/2, and was a little wary of the waves and the ocean in general at the beginning of the week, but was very into the whole thing by the end of the week. His favorite thing these days is hockey. No he doesn't know how to skate yet, but they take the kids out on the ice in their sneakers at his day care center. Evidently he can actually hit a puck with a stick and put some real power behind it. He is a really big kid, especially compared to his brothers, and has a wicked arm and deadly accurate aim. Oh, and when presented with an assortment of rather retro lunch boxes to pick out one for the year, he picked Betty Boop (it was between that one and Wonder Woman). Jacob, the middle one, is almost 5 and loves art projects and science. He likes hunting bugs. Joey, the oldest at 7, is recently absorbed by American history and maps - pirates are still cool too.

Oh, also, my brother recently moved into my building here in Jersey. It is kind of cool haveing him nearby. And we don't really have to see each other if wee don't want to. There are 33 floors and 15+ apartments per floor.

[QueenGOP]

Just got this tidbit of info from tvshowsondvd.com about the release of B5 Crusade on DVD, and thought I would pass it on. -------
In 2267 the Earth is quarantined, having been infected with a deadly plague by an attacking alien force. Scientists estimate that it will kill every inhabitant within 5 years, not nearly enough time for a cure to be developed. So the planet's only hope lies with the Excalibur, an advanced prototype starship sent out to search ancient alien ruins for their former inhabitant's secrets, hoping that somewhere out there a cure can be found.
Warner Bros Home Video has announced that the Babylon 5 spinoff, Crusade will hit DVD on December 7. The series stars Peter Woodward, Gary Cole, Marjean Holden, Tracy Scoggins, Daniel Dae Kim, David Allen Brooks and Carrie Dobro. This 13 episode series (576 mins) will be released in a 4 disc set, and carries a suggested price of $59.98 US. It'll contain an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, along with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The video will be presented in the original aspect ratio: 1.33:1. We have little information on the special features, just that there will be audio commentaries and a documentary.

[Bmat]

Good luck with getting a job, Polymath!

And congratulations, Wizz, I hope the job is still going well.

I have gotten out of the crafts business and am now teaching mainly at the senior centers. The classes are doing very well. The new senior center is drawing more and more participants.

[PollyMath]

Thanks, Bmat.

Oddly enough, the very day you posted, I got my first good news. The IRS human resources people called to find out if I was still available. Presumably that means that they are planning to pass my name along to the group that is hiring, so my application got enough "points" to get past the first level. It isn't even an interview yet, but it is way better than nothing.

How does Pollymath the Bureaucrat sound?

Thanks again.

Polly

[AsIs]

Hey Polly, I'll send positive thoughts your way. And about my taxes last year... [img]wink.gif[/img]

[sindatur]

Congratulations Polly, I'll be sending positive thoughts as well.

Hopefully the rest of the process will go well and quickly

[Bmat]

Wow, Polly! Keeping my fingers crossed!

[Bmat]

I have a work related problem that is bugging/worrying me. I teach a chair exercise class to older people. It is a good class, even though I say so myself. I designed it based on years of experience and study, and the students love it and have noticed improvement physically and mentally.

The popularity, though, has gotten out of control, it seems. When I discovered that 70 people had registered for the new session that starts next week (it is a free class although I get a small pay for teaching it) I asked that the registration be closed. There are only 60 chairs, and I need to provide the props that we use in the exercises. It was agreed that the class would be closed and I saw a sign posted about this.

A couple days ago I discovered that there are 100 people registered for the class. I feel that not all 100 will come on the same day, but I also believe that more than 60 will. I asked that more chairs be ordered, even though it wouldn't help this coming session, and was turned down.

I can buy the extra supplies that I need now that I know of the numbers (I wouldn't have found out if I hadn't called about another matter) but I hate to think of the folks showing up for class and there being no room for them. A logical thing would be to have a second hour of class, but I am really tired after teaching 3 hours of exercise and dance and don't want to hang around for lunch to finish and then another hour of class.

So there's my rant.

edited to comment: I previously asked about copyrighting the name of the class so my employer can't hire someone else and use the name of a class I designed for some other class. It appears that I can't copyright a name. So now I am looking into trademark- but that may be too expensive. So what I am thinking is that I may change the name of the class using my RL name in front of the name of the class.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 29, 2004 04:40 PM: Message edited by: Bmat ]</font>

[AsIs]

*hugs*

Hang in there Bmat. They should provide the chairs, if they can't buy the chairs then I think limiting the class is resonable and not your responsibility.

[PollyMath]

Another small step...

I got a call from the IRS today. We scheduled a telephone interview for next Friday. That is step 2. (Step 1 was getting through the HR screening.) Think of me...

And as for you Bmat...if you are being paid a fixed fee to teach everyone that the center allows to register for the class, and you set a limit for the number of people who can register and the center registers more than that set number, they need to do the following: Provide fixed equipment (chairs and other furniture) for everyone they allowed to register in the right room at the scheduled time AND at least reimburse you for the costs of providing other equipment for the additional students. They also could pay you proportionally more (ie: 150% of your regular fee if you said no more than 60 and they let 90 register) for the class and not reimburse you for the equipment. If they were being really nice, they would do both.

I'm afraid I don't know much about the intricacies of copyright law. But calling the class "Exercising in Your Chair with B'mat the Magnificent" is certainly a way to make sure people who want to take a class with you know that they are getting the real thing.