JMS Books have come in for those that wanted one.
Send me a PM if you are still interested and we will set it up.
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JMS Books have come in for those that wanted one.
Send me a PM if you are still interested and we will set it up.
Whoops, I missed this one. My bad.
Congrats on the new house Nommy
Hi Nommy, happy belated birthday and congrats on the house!
So Nommy, another year of wear-and-tear survived then [img]smile.gif[/img]
Geez, see what happens when I follow Prof Crash. I post in the wrong topic. Congrats Nommy and Happy Birthday. I'll raise a double cheeseburger in your honor.
Ian, sorry about the misunderstandings.
Thank you all! As soon as I havemy wirless router hooked up and Im in the back yard...Ill let yall know.
No prob QueenGOP, these things happen.
I hate to go back to politics again, but how are you all doing with the death of Ronald Reagan?
He made peace with the USSR. If nothing else, that was good.
He was also friends to Margeret Thatcher (UK PM) who ruined the UK economy at the time. Ah well, can't blame him for that.
I guess I have mixed feelings. I was not particularly fond of him as a president, but I felt for him and his family thru thier trials.
I think he had a charisma that made him endearing to people.
I hope he is in a better place and that his family is well.
P.S. Happy belated bday Nommy!
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 09, 2004 10:07 PM: Message edited by: AsIs ]</font>
I went to the funeral procession yesterday to pay my respects. He gave a large portion of his life in service to the State of California and then to the United States as President. For that I respect him.
*sigh* Reagan had the bad luck to die during the political season. I don't think that there would have been this much attention focused on his death, a lot yes, but not this much, were it not for the politics of this political race.
I honestly feel like breathing is becoming politizied these days and that is sad. I think a truer measure of respect is that they actually waited two days to start anything negative about him.
Reagon was the brightest star that the Republicans have had during my lifetime. It is natural to use him on the campaign trail, but that opens up the opposing side. Funeral or not.
I truly do hope he is at peace now. And that it leaves his family to remember him during better times.
I agree with PC and Asis.
Reagan was a great Patriot and a very effective leader, and I believe more honest than most politicians (the "I don't remembers" were probably true, I don't think he was in control of his mind, much, if any of his second term). You may not agree with his policies or the results of those policies, but you can't deny he honestly tried his best and served his country. And he did put the final nail in end of the Cold War, without firing a shot. He had a plan, and he knew how to get people on board. If only more politicians, whose policies I favor could take a page out of his book.
On another board, I've observed him being trashed mercilessly, and I think it's wrong, if they felt that strongly, why weren't they saying these things Friday.
Out of respect for his family, and for those who appreciate his accomplishments, I think the right thing to do is not to air his dirty laundry during this week. Let the mourning occur, let the body be interred, and then bring up your "issues" with the man next week, if you feel the need.
When President Nixon died there was as much hoopla, except it was all located in California. Every President receives a state funeral. As soon as they leave office, they start to develop their funeral plans (depressing I know) so that if anything should happen, they are buried per their requests. According to the Washington Post, President Clinton is the only surviving PResident to not have finalized his funeral plans. I am guessing that is because his library is not yet completed.
One of the things that I found interesting when Presidents Reagan's body was moved to the Capital building was how it felt like a parade. The music, at least for the first mile was patriotic (America the Beautiful and God Bless America). There was not a funeral dirge (sp) like I expected. President Reagan choose the music to be played by the bands.
Preident Kennedy, President Johnson, and President Eisenhower all rode the same route to the Congress, with the same honor gaurds, and the same bands. They all lay in state in the capital building and had their state funerals somewhere in DC. Not sure where because National Cathedral was not completed until recently.
There were people standing next to me who told me about all three of the above funerals. It was interesting to hear how the tones of each funeral was different.
I do not believe that this is all that politicized. At least, not any more then the death of any President is going to be politicized. The only difference I have noticed is that some of the more political issues have dropped off the radar out of respect to President Reagan. I have not seen any political ads on TV and I know Senator Kerry said on Saturday that he would not campaign until after the funeral.
The difference between Nixon and Reagan is that Nixon left office in disgrace and Reagan left office with the Republicans wishing they hadn't rammed through a Constitutional Amendemnt limiting the President to two terms in office after FDR. I think that is why there is a difference in how the public and the media is reacting.
Hi Asis,
I sent you a PM on Monday, and haven't heard from you, and finally got the opportunity to leave a voicemail on the Comic Fusion Phone line (Sorry it took so long, crazy week). So, if you can send me an email with payment info for Paypal, I can submit an E-Check for the JMS Book.
Sindutar, I will get that off to you in just a bit. Thanks for both. [img]smile.gif[/img]
Crash, I think all the arrangements etc. are just as you say they are. The info about the other funerals is cool. Sounds althougth sad, you had a great experience.
But I still stand by my statement that much of this is politized. Not anything President Reagon set up, nothing that Nancy or the family is doing. But in speechs that have followed his death, Cheney and others are using his memory for political gains. I'm not saying thier statements are not heartfelt, but the venues in which they have been made, make them political. And I don't think it has been a accident to include those statements.
Right now Bush's popularity is at a low point. Yes, I know he is still leading Kerry, but his numbers are dangerously low and threaten to sink with each new developement in Iraq. Invoking a beloved leader, one I think Bush attempts to mimic at times, feels to me at least like a, "See, I'm just like him, vote me in!" kind of appeal.
That in turn, has brought about the, "Hey, everything he did wasn't great!" attacks from the left.
So outside the arrangements of the funeral, yes, I think Reagon's death is being politized. I think in any World Leaders death their is a bit of whitewashing. Glorification of a record while leaving out the less then steller elements of said record. Kennedy is a prime example of that. I think that there would have been less questioning of Reagon's record if there was not a race for President currently going on.
For what is worth, that is just my assessment.
P.S. Very bummed about Ray Charles passing. He is a icon from my childhood and seemed like one cool guy. The music in heaven just got a upgrade.
Well, I got some catching up to do with you folks, and micky mouse is saying it's 1:00 AM, so I'll hit this later today http://ducati.bayarearidersforum.com.../smilies/4.gif
Starting work again Monday...I'll say that much.
<font size="+4"><center> YES!!</center></font>
Congrats Wizz. That is great news.
Congratulations Wizz, that's great to hear. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
Hi all. Just wanted to share this. I think you might need to copy the link into your browser to make it work. Isn't she cute?
http://rantarn.tripod.com/misc/p6060085.jpg
And congrats Wizz!
Beautiful looking girl, Rantarn. Even has the tongue-thing down like her sister. http://ducati.bayarearidersforum.com...es/thumbup.gif
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 18, 2004 02:50 PM: Message edited by: Wizz ]</font>
Wow, yeah. If I didnt know any better ai would have thought that was Mehgan
She looks like she enjoyed that mug of Sam Adams [img]smile.gif[/img]
Another RanSprout off to a good start by the looks of it.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">First glance, but since Meaghan was with us five years ago at the cape, (five YEARS???), I figured she'd be a bit "taller"... http://ducati.bayarearidersforum.com.../smilies/4.gifQuote:
by Nommy
Wow, yeah. If I didnt know any better ai would have thought that was Mehgan
Ran, she is adorable. How are she and older sis doing? Damn, I'm going to have to come up and visit before they go off to college! [img]wink.gif[/img]
Wiz, that is awesome news. Congrats bud!
Well, a tad anti-climatic, but it's a good feeling to be employed again. Once again, it's the people you know, not the want-ads, online resumes, or going door-to-door. Small rant, yeah... Countless jobs I believed I was qualified for, only to have no college degree. I'm 6 classes away from an AA in Computer Science, but most job descriptions stated "BS" degree or equivalent experience. Still, a degree would opened a few more doors. With the tech job market where it's at, they really mean a degree, period. Also, Cisco certification is a big, big plus. I've got to take the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Administrator) exam after having taken the class. Both will help future resume's. Tried the relocation route, with no responses. Mentioned to some friends about Iraq, but the discouragement was rather high. Now, I'm glad I dropped it. But, it was starting to look like the only route to go.
Ok, enough whining...
I worked for Luminous Networks and was laid off two years ago. Company had to cut back quite a bit, and I was more expensive than my co-worker. Simple economics, plus the VP believed I'd have better chances of getting a job. Lots of direction and market changes later, plus an opening due to one of the tech support folks getting a job elsewhere, and I'm back with them again. It's really what I wanted the most, just took a little longer getting it. Commute is 40 miles, all freeway, and strangely, little of the heavy traffic that's experienced everywhere else in the Bay Area. Motorcycle friendly, too (curvy roads, wide lanes for "sharing" when things get (rarely) crowded). Not celebrating much yet, though. Kind of want that first paycheck in the bank first. Oh, job is Sr. TAC (technical assistance center) engineer. Essentially, a customer tells me something is broke, and I figure out a way to fix it, whether it be helping them configure thing(s) over the phone, create a workaround to get things up, or replicate it for engineering to study and ponder...where I get to bug engineering about a solution, rather than them enjoying the problem. http://ducati.bayarearidersforum.com.../smilies/4.gif
Anyway, that's the important stuff for me. Thanks, folks, for the congrats, etc. I belive positive thoughts helped a lot, too.
Ran, I could not see the pictures, only got a white page.
Wizz, hope that you enjoy the job. Glad it worked out for you.
The not having a college degree is a killer in this job market. With so many people looking for work, and many of them having a BA or BS, employers are more likely to hire them then someone with work experience but no degree. I am not sure why because experience is just as important but that tends to be the way things work.
Crash, copy the link into your browser. It's a Tripod thing. *grumble grumble*
Thanks everyone. Meaghan is quite a bit bigger now having just finished Kindgergarten. Other than the hair color, I have always thought they looked just like each other though. No one will ever mistake them as not being sisters.
And Meaghan simply adores Erin. She's always wanted a baby sister and now she has one. She hugs her all the time. She also squawks sometimes if Erin grabs one of her toys on occasion, but you can't have everything. [img]smile.gif[/img]
Ran, you can't have them get along too well, otherwise they will double team you and Mrs. Ran! [img]wink.gif[/img]
Asis managed to come out for a visit last week. Was great to see her again, got to hang out for a little bit (job requirements not withstanding), catch up, and enjoy some different company for a chage. Neat, neat, neat...
Ya'll need to go visit. Unfortunately, I'm on the opposite coast from most of you, but make the effort for those close by. Probably won't be a life-changing experience, but it'll certainly be worth it. Online connections are nice, but nothing beats the real thing (baby!).
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.
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.
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.
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
Hey Polly, I'll send positive thoughts your way. And about my taxes last year... [img]wink.gif[/img]
Congratulations Polly, I'll be sending positive thoughts as well.
Hopefully the rest of the process will go well and quickly
Wow, Polly! Keeping my fingers crossed!
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>
*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.
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.