I just had too...

So, I was at Costco on Friday waiting on an optical appointment and I was killing a bit of time so I was, of course, taking a gander at the electronics area... I found out there were quite a few Bluetooth speakers available and Yes, of course I had my iDevice with me so I had to try it.
It worked well and was fun to use...
Then as I was waiting at optical for my appointment in the optical area, I say a gentleman near those Bluetooth speakers and of course, I had to see if I still could send a play signal all the Amy from optical...as it turns out....I Could.... The guy that was near the speaker took at look at the speaker and was a bit confused looking... I started cracking up.. It was so fun.then he walked away, and came back. I started the music again and stopped it again... He kept looking back at it in confusion. I just got the best kick out of it.
I'm going to have to do that again...

Where do you go

So I was looking this morning of Facebook as usual and I was going through and seeing all the different posts I've had the past couple days of some of my friends and what they're doing and what I see is I have a lot of friends who are female who going to the Beth Moore Conference. As I was going through these posts about the Beth Moore conference in Eugene, some had posted pictures of themselves waiting of the conference to begin. I am amazed at the amount of ladies all in one place and you can guarantee that some have to be single, right? It dawned on me that this would be the perfect place to meet a young lady that I could get to know. Ya know, if she is going to a Beth Moore conference, she probably is a follower of Jesus, which is important to me, and she yearns to deepen her relationship with HIM. And, of course, there are just lots of ladies in one place spit would be easy to find one. I think the next Beth Moore conference, I'll register too.....hehe


On another note, I was having a hard time with putting a mower assembly back on my lawn tractor and I just got that done this morning with looking at a few diagrams. So now I am ready for the summer of mowing.

Give until there's nothin' else

Another year has come and gone. As for my blog, this was a terrible year... 28 posts compared to over 100 the previous two years.  In terms of my life though, its a good thing. It means I was busy and had other things to do. Last night, I did not make it to Midnight- I got to about 10pm. Of course I was awoken by my dog at midnight when people were shooting off fireworks and he was nervous. He jumped up on the bed to cuddle for a bit but I was having a hard time sleeping so I assured him it was alright and we tried to go back to sleep. I was very, very close to yelling out the back door-- Okay, we get it, its after midnight and we have entered a new year.... or at least getting up out of bed and getting my earplugs, but I eventually made it back to sleep, until I was awake at 5:45AM. Yes, this was just a few short hours after many of my friends on Facebook went to BED!
I went in the Hot Tub nice and early. 

The great thing about the Hot Tub is that I enjoy just sitting and thinking about things. My thoughts this morning were looking upon last year. Looking at what happened in my life that was good. Looking at what happened that was not so good. Looking at what I accomplished, and what I did not. Looking at what I did that was good, and things that I don't want to repeat next year.
Of course when writing a post about resolutions, I also had to make a New Years Resolution playlist in my iTunes.

Some great things that happened this last year for me:
*I got a full-time job- granted not my dream job, but it is nice to have something to fill up my days.
*I walked in my Masters Commencement.
*I met more friends
*I got some new roommates and let some go

Some things I would like to change for this new year:
*get a full-time dream job of teaching in an elementary setting
*Spend more time with God
*Exercise more
*change some habits that I have started
*be more outgoing
*save some money once again. (I have made it through these past few months, but I am bringing it in and sending it out- none to save)

Want a bite?

Last week I had to take a trip over to Salem for my work. It was a conference that I was required to go to. Luckily I did not have to pay my way there. It was paid for by the district. I went over on Thursday night, spent the night in a Best Western, and went to the conference on Friday. Afterwards, I took a small detour to see the parents and my sister and nieces which was lots of fun.
Thursday night I decided to go to dinner at the Olive Garden. It was good food. I had the Dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow deal and it was good stuff.
Of course, I went at the worst time- 6pm when everyone else was eating dinner. It was going to be a 20-some minute wait for a table for one- so I went to eat at the bar instead. There was only space at the actual bar, so I ate there.
I sat there, a seat apart from a lady who was eating her dinner and reading a book. By the end of the night, she was talking to me and (maybe I was reading too much into the friendliness, but) hitting on me. She was, perhaps, 45 and was a Cougar. She was from Central Oregon as well, which was kinda interesting. She was maybe just lonely, and wanted someone to talk to, but it was a bit weird to feel hit on by a lady who had a daughter who was closer to my age. By the end of the night she was offering me a bite of her dessert and that was a bit weird as well. Would you offer a bite of your dessert to a stranger you just met? I would not.

Another thing that happened recently is is that I have been working on getting some tires and studded tires for my new car. I sold my former tires this morning on Craigslist and purchased some new ones from Craigslist this afternoon. It was a sweet deal.

The end of a week

Alas, the first week of my programming is OVER. Wow, was that a crazy first week. Transportation, pick ups, late registrations, paying fees, 1st graders, registrations, students not knowing where they go and what they do, registrations, parents, interruptions, schedules, resignations, spreadsheets, attendance, late registrations, and so much more. Over 10- hour days, and lots of early mornings have made me tired. I even caught a bit of a cold from all that student contact, just a small one that will pass I am sure.

But, at last it has passed and I get three days of relaxation... Whatever shall I do.

Tribute to the Green Machine

I felt I had to do another post. Not only have I been neglecting my blog account- not much activity, But I also had a big thing happen yesterday.

I bought a car.

Because I created "Ode to the Red Hot" from the last purchase of a car- see here- http://timkirkman.blogspot.com/search?q=Ode+to+the+Red+Hot
I felt I needed to do due justice and post about my Green Machine.

From the time I received this car, it has been a good use. The Green Machine was my father's car that he traded my Red Hot for his new car and gave me his old one. When it was given, it had some miles on it, around 175 thou, I think, but it was in better condition than my little Red Hot. It had AC, and Cruise Control, two amenities that I enjoy and don't really like living without.
But, by the end of the Green Machine journey, it does not have AC anymore and many other issues as well.

The Green Machine, currently has over 236,500 miles on the original engine and transmission, and is on its last leg. It has had Check Engine lights, and repair shop trips, and many other things happen to it. Its time to pull the plug, so I started saving up as much as I could to get a new car. My parents were great- helping each of us kids out with cars by matching up to $3000 as long as the money was not for a loan, but paying for a car in full. I saved up that much and just a few days ago started really seriously looking. I had enough for a 6-7 thousand dollar car. I had it in my mind that I wanted something newer than I had purchased before with less miles and with AC, and Cruise. Well, I pretty much found it in a Ford Focus. I found a 2008 Ford Focus, 2-door coupe with 24,000 miles on it. I found it for $6500. That's all. It was an amazing deal. It does not have Cruise, but I plan to put in an aftermarket cruise control sometime.

When I found that car on Craigslist, I called the dude and then called my dad to take a test drive with it- it was located in Portland. And then I proceeded to keep calling my dad and asking about it, if he had called yet, when he was going to go test it out and take a look, letting him know that it was a good deal so you better call early in the morning. ... He saw it and found that it was good, so he put money down on it for me and I took part of the day off yesterday to come down to get it. It is everything that I wanted it to be. It IS a good deal.
It will be a bit of learning to get used to a Manual Transmission again though. Portland stop and go traffic was not ideal for that learning, but hey, 16 year old kids do it all the time.

That's Against The Law

I enjoy teaching at Awana Clubs. I started out unsure about wanting to be involved in Awana three years ago. I was asked to help out because I helped out with the Media side to VBS. So, I was recruited to do media and video/photography for the Awana meetings each Monday night. 

I did not feel like that was a good use of my time. I did not enjoy going there. It felt like a task that I was pressured into and me, being the person who never says NO, said .... you guessed it.... YES!

Then things changed halfway through that first year. My role changed. The Videography/Photography aspect never took off, and I was transitioned into a Listener/Leader role at the T&T1 Level. That is 3rd and 4th graders. I enjoyed getting to know the kids. 

Then by the end, I was asked to upgrade, once again to T&T2. They needed some more volunteers. I, of course, said yes. By the end of the year, I was asked once again to change my role from a Leader role to a Director Role. Also in T&T2. These are 5th and 6th graders, BTW.

Yes, I said Yes. I was, once again unsure how this would go...? 

Would I enjoy being a Director of T&T2? Would I be good at it? It was quite a commitment.

Well, as it happens, surprisingly to me, I WAS enjoying it. and I was offered the position once again this year. I am a little unorthodox when it comes to teaching during these T&T2 Awana times. I don't have the kids sing songs and just give a 20 minute talk. We interact more than that. I had such a great time last year, and really enjoyed and looked forward to Monday nights. Of course, I said YES, YES, to another year of it.

That brings us to tonight. This evening was the first, the Kick Off of the Awana year. We had record number of kids in T&T2 and I can tell it is going to be a great year.

One thing that I do occasionally is read from Jesus Freaks- a book of Martyrs from DC Talk. 

These are very hard stories to hear, but they are very powerful too. I like to start off with the very first story in there- I Believe in God. It is about the young girl who was asked by the Gunman at Columbine if she believed in God, and when she said Yes, He asked why, and then promptly shot her in the head.

This is a hard story to take in. It hits close to home. It hits close to our time and our region. It is not a story from millennia ago. It is not a story from thousands of miles away. It causes us to think, Do I have what it takes to be that courageous for my Faith? I would like to think that I do, but if I am honest and the gun is pointed at my head? What would I do? What would you?

Well, to end on a lighter note, When I read that story to my 5th and 6th graders, one of the kids pipes up..."But that's against the law!??"

I had to say, Yes, but people do things that are against the law, right? He was just commenting on how in some countries people are allowed to shoot or kill because of Religious oppression, and is not sanctioned in the United States, but it just was a fun lighter side. (in perspective)

September thinking

It is the start of September and that means that the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. T start with, I got a job in the Redmond school district. Sadly, it is not a teaching job, but I am happy that at least I will be in a school and will have regular work hours. I have given notice to KTVZ and will be out in two weeks. 

I indulged myself yesterday on some free time by picking up a few things at Costco and while I was there I just HAD to go down the Christmas isle. I know most of you will hate me for saying and doing that, but as far as I'm concerned, once it hits September, all bets are off and I am all Christmas focused. I start thinking of presents for family, I get in the spirit and I yearn to listen to Christmas music.  Granted, I have not started listening just yet..... I'm gonna wait until early to mid October for that.  It certainly does make me happy to think of the Christmas of the future. 

I'm going to Disneyland!

Alright.
Now, here is the thing. The Olympics are over. Its nice to have them over because of my job- late night Olympics were needy for me because I had to roll the breaks (Press a button to trigger) at work at KTVZ.
But, then again, it was very entertaining to watch the Olympics while at work.

Anyway. So, now that they are over, all the late night shows are having the USA winners on their show. Last night was the sweet-smiling Gabby Douglass. Then, tonight, Jay is having Jordan Burroughs, a Wrestler.
Now, I know that McDonalds is the official sponsor for the Olympics (does that make any sense at all? other than the fact that McD's has lots of money to spend on advertising) and so it makes me not trust these athletes when they are asked what the first thing they did and the say they go a buy an Egg McMuffin (Gabby) or a Double Cheeseburger (Jordan)..

It seems they have been paid to say that. What do you think?

What does it have to offer?

what a cute lamb

I went to the fair yesterday. What does the fair have to offer someone like me?

Someone who is not a fan of carnival rides.

Someone who does not like to spend money on overpriced food.

Someone who does not like doing the games either.

Someone who does not like large crowds of people/

Well, even though the fair is overpriced, it actually DOES have some entertainment for me. I enjoy going to the fair to see what it has to offer- even though I don't like much of it. I also like to go to walk through the animals pens. To be able to go to the Horse barn, the beef barn, the swine barn, the sheep barn, and of course, one of my favorites, the Rabbits.
I enjoy walking through and seeing all the fun animals.

Another aspect of the Fair is going through  the other exhibits, specifically the photos- because I entered 8 photos of my own in the fair. I received a 2nd place on my Niece picture and an honorable mention on another picture, but no 1st place. I was kinda upset that my niece pic did not win first because it certainly was better than the one that won. How sad.

My re-entry stamp that looked like a forearm kiss

I, of course  went to the fair nice and early- right at 10AM when it opened. On my way out, I figured why not get the stamp to reenter the fair if want later on in the evening.
Now, the whole rest of the day, I kept glancing at my arm and thinking that it looked like a red lipstick kiss on my forearm.

A bit awkward.

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Lost my Loyalty

I have a hard time paying for big expensive things. I want cheap in price, but not a compromise in quality. I look for those amazing deals. I search and scavenge for the coupons and savings and sales.

I remember going to Coffman Vision a few years ago to get my new glasses. At that point, I had no insurance and so I was expecting to pay loads of money. I used a coupon to get 1/2 off the lenses which helped. I remember being able to get my new glasses within an hour. They had the lenses on hand, they had a simple, easy way of adjusting and so I just hung around Fred Meyer for the hour to get my new glasses on the same trip/visit. I really was impressed with Coffman Vision Clinic- much more than my previous Eye Doctor.

Which leads me to my current feelings. When starting work at KTVZ, I decided to do some of the benefits to add to my work. I just received on the 1st of July the vision and dental benefits (I have to work there over a month from the 1st of the previous month). Anyway, I was looking forward to getting some new glasses with my new vision plan. I was happy because at first glance it looked like I would be able to jump into my Optometrist office and get my frames for pretty much free, plus a $10 copay for the exam and then the $20 for materials and whatnot.

This was not the case for today's trip.
As I said, I look for the sales and the deals. Well, Today just happened to be the day of sales at Coffman- they moved two doors down to a bigger place. It looks really nice, and I was comfortable there. That was not the issue.

The first issue for me was the fact that they have this machine that takes a digital picture of the eye and the insides. The issue is that this digital picture costs $35 extra. This picture helps because you don't have to dilate the eyes, which is nice, but to me its not worth the extra money. Luckily, today it was free, so that was not an issue today. Why don't they just make this standard, why would it cost more? because they use a bit of electricity? I don't like adding fees for stupid things like that.

Next issue,
There were many frames reps there today and they were pressuring me to get different frames- presumably more expensive ones. I like to look at frames on my own and find the ones that work the best for me. I don't want people following me saying, try these on, try these on.... am I 6 years old and shopping with my mother? (sorry mom) Nope. Im 28 years old and I like to be independent. I want to shop for my frames on my own.

Another Issue,
When I was getting checked out with what I needed, I kept on getting pressured "Recommended" to get all sorts of different things that cost extra:
Transition Lenses
BiFocal/Progressive Lenses
UV Protection junk
Anti-Reflective coating

Are you kidding me? Just give me the basics. I don't need fancy stuff.
By the end, I was purchasing an Anti-Reflective Coating that cost $119. all on its own. I did not realize this. I wish she would have printed out the bill and gone over it with me before she had me pay.
When I got home, I checked my previous bill to see the difference. WOW, what a difference. I called right back and asked about all these other charges. When I found out about the AR Coating, I asked for that to be taken off. She again, pressured me to get it. She said she "couldn't change it today" because of the business of the day.

To say the least, Coffman Vision Clinic has lost my Loyalty. I don't like being bullied into purchasing extra frills that don't even make a difference. I will have to see about where I should go next time I need an exam, because I am just not sure I want to go through that again. Perhaps I will get my exam there and just take the prescription to somewhere else that is not so pushy with extras.

Oh, and the last issue I had today. I did not even get my new glasses. It was not a "Just wait around for an hour". This time it was "You will have your glasses in 5-7 business days" Really!? She said that was partly because of my insurance, but still...


Enough Ranting, its too nice of a day to be upset.

KTVZ and CLC- Do they Mesh?

So, my job will most likely change soon.
When I was interviewed for my job at KTVZ, I was told flat-out that it was currently being offered as a full-time job but there were changes in the works. Those changes are starting to happen.
In August, there will be a new Master Control system that will have more capabilities in which will be more automated and will most likely not need someone to be at work from midnight to 4AM.

This is partly good news for me, because it means that my job might change to a more appropriate hour for me- to start at 4AM rather than 12 Midnight. But it also is partly bad because that means the job will be only part time.

Things going through my mind right now are a couple of options-
One major one that I would love, if I could make it work, is to have the part time, 4 hour a day job at KTVZ and then have a teaching job elsewhere. One opportunity that I feel I would have a good chance for is the CLC coordinator at Terrebonne or Lynch.

Last year, during the school year, I was very involved in the Terrebonne Community School- Community Learning Center- the after school program at Terrebonne. I started out as teaching a one-hour class each day M-Th, but then I started coming in early when I had no sub jobs so I could help out with the iPod Touch maintenance, and it also turned into a Wednesday Early Release hour teaching/supervising. And then I took on more responsibilities as our current Coordinator left for another job. I was kind of a backup leader, helping out as needed.

I was looking forward to the possibility of applying for that CLC Coordinator job when it became available and was watching out for it. Well, it has shown up currently and I plan to apply for the job. Not only is the Terrebonne CLC needing a coordinator, Lynch is also needing a Coordinator. I also have a long history with the office staff at Lynch and would be happy to take the job there.

So, those are some things happening in my life. I would love to be able to not have to get up at 11PM to get to work by Midnight. Getting up at 3 would be much easier. Also, it would be great to have a full-time educational field job on top of the part-time network job. (Even if it was not a full-time TEACHING job)

Please be in prayer for me about my opportunites  that may become available.

Pixar's Brave

The pinnacle of my waiting had finally been fulfilled yesterday afternoon. I had been waiting very impatiently for months, probably since at least December. Yes, I finally got to see Brave, the new Pixar movie.
I got a group of friends together and we caught some lunch at Red Robin first. I had the new Tavern Burger. It was alright, but I found the reason why it was cheaper than other burgers, even though it had two patties, it was smaller than the normal burgers. Don't get me wrong, it was good and for 6.99 for a burger and fries at Red Robin is a good deal, but I was kind of expecting it a bit bigger. Luckily the fries are never-ending and so because the burger was smaller, I finished up my appetite on fries, which are always good.

I did not plan enough time for the movie at 1:30 and a lunch at 12:30, so by the end of our lunchtime, we would not have made it in time for the 1:30 showing so we had to wait around and go to the 4 showing. It turns out that that was the best option anyway because I got to spend some fun time with my friends.
We first got in line and got our tickets so we would not have to wait in line before the movie. We went through the Old Mill district and walked down the shops. We had no real direction or purpose, just killing time and spending time. It was awesome. We went into some stores that we had not been in. We got a chance to see what Orvis is like- expensive clothing. We went into Gingers (I think)- the fancy kitchen store. We went into the Spice shop right next to it- wow there were some potent smells there.
I had a funny experience there. I wanted to take a whiff of a mesquite smoke powder thing and opened up the jar to sniff. It was so powerful it made me cry a little bit. Jeez, that was really strong. I found out afterwards by a friend that I had not taken the time to read the label that said, be careful. Oops.

We also went into a gallery of art down there in the Old Mill. It was neat to see.

As we were walking back we were joking of how we were going to get the best seats because we were there 1/2 hour early and did not have to wait in line. THAT did not happen. Sure, we were there nice and early, and we did not have to wait in line, but we did not get those cool seats. You know the ones, the ones where you sit right in the middle of the theatre and get the bars that you can hang your feet on. We arrived at the theatre to find out we had to search for 4 seats together.

The Short, La Luna, was alright. It had me laughing at times and the animation was good. I did not appreciate it until the end of the short. By the end I liked it, but I still like Day and Night better. I was not a big fan of the grunts that the gentlemen did in the short. Usually Pixar can do a great job with having a short without any words, but this was not one of them.

Now onto the movie.
It was amazing. The animation was very impressive. I just am amazed at how the quality and realisticness (i don't know if thats a word, but even if it is not, I still like it, or realisticity, I like that one too) of the animation. I think Pixar still has a ways to go to get their people looking more realistic. I do know that they work to make people look realistic but not too realistic. I guess I could see them getting a bit more realistic (like scrooge, from the newer animated Christmas Carol) without getting to that point of too realistic where it turns people off or creeps them out.

The story was alright, but not crazy-good. Don't get me wrong, I loved the characters. Merida is my kinda girl. She is independent and fun-loving. She is a princess. She just doesn't want to be like her mother and have all the boring responsibility that she currently has. King Fergus is hilarious. He does not wear the pants in the family though (literally, he wears a kilt) because his wife, the Queen Elinor is kind of in charge of the family (and Kingdom). Fergus is like Merida, fun loving and not necessarily responsible. He likes to go hunting for bears. Queen Elinor is the strict, Matriarch. She is in charge of the kingdom and always has respect. The triplets are always getting into trouble. They love to go around the castle and steal food and have fun. They also help Merida out a few times.
I really liked this movie, I just did not see it as totally original. It reminds me of another movie in some respects, but I am not going to mention the movie in case you go, I want you to be surprised about the storyline.
It is certainly a good movie, Pixar-worthy, and Movie Theatre-Worthy.
I loved the accents. I told my friend I was sitting next to that I needed to go to Scottland or Ireland to find my future bride because I like the accents so much.

Now onto my cautions of this movie.
I would highly recommend NOT taking young children. This movie has some intense scenes that will scare a kid quite a bit. There is a bear in there that is very realistic and scary. My nieces would not be able to handle it in theaters, as well as many other young children. I would say maybe bringing a 4 year old at the earliest, perhaps even 5 or 6.

The movie, overall, rates an 8 on the Pixar scale. Right there in between Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc.

Big Mac

The first day of WWDC 12 started Monday. In case you don't know the lingo- WWDC is the World Wide Developers Conference. This is an Apple event where they love to introduce new products to their iOS developers.
I always look forward to this first day- not because I spent the $1000 or so dollars to get a ticket to the event (not that I could have- it went sold out in under 2 hours), but instead because of the Keynote address.
Usually, I am right online at 10AM and following the liveblog- usually from Engadget, but this time, I was sleeping, blame it on the night job. Anyway, Instead I went straight to Apple.com and watched the keynote instead.
As rumored, they introduced a new MacBook Air (nothing special there), and the New MacBook Pro (this is the one that everyone is talking about- lots of features- Retina Display, USB 3, up to 16GB of Ram, SSD Hard Drive, faster processor, HDMI port, ect)
They also talked about the new Mac version- Mountain Lion, which was somewhat, but not amazingly impressive.
And of course the new iOS 6- there are some cool features to this- I am excited for the new Maps. At first, I was bummed because I enjoy Google Maps on iOS, but after viewing the demo, I am impressed.
Also, as a part of 6 is more sharing /facebook/twitter options, a nice new call feature (that I won't use because I just have the touch) and also Siri for iPad 2/3.

There were many good things happening in the Apple Universe this week and I look forward to seeing and trying them out.

You may be wondering if I regret my choosing to purchase my new Mac (Big Mac) earlier than waiting for the new MacBook Pro to come out? Well, I am divided. I like the look of the new one. It is sleek and sexy, but I would certainly miss my optical drive. I use it quite a bit for burning dads and such.
I also did not want to wait that long for a new Mac. If I would get the new one, it would cost too much too- I would have to get a huge SSD drive to have close to the same amount of space I have now. I would want to get the optical drive, which would cost more. and so on.

I am happy with my Big Mac.

Trials and Tribulation (at Work)

I started a new job, two weeks ago today. As a certified teacher, I was/am having rejection issues. After over four years of being certified and applying to countless jobs, both near and far, I was facing rejection on a regular basis. "Why can't I find a job that fits for me?" "What did I do wrong that makes me unwanted in the job market?" "What can I do to fix this?" and "What am I going to do if I never find a job  in my field?" were all questions going through my head and one time or another.
I felt like my life had/has not begun because the career path that I chose was not working out.
Then came along a job at KTVZ- my local news station.
After having a great reference from a friend, and an interview that I felt went well, I got the call that I was chosen out of the applicants to take over the Master Control/Tech Director job for the morning show. I was very proud to be chosen for this job because it was the first "Yes, we want you!" that I had received in a long while.

... Then I found out the hours- Midnight to 8AM
... then I found out the pay- about half as much as I get/got as a substitute teacher
... but I stuck it out, just grateful to have a job.

Then I started training for this job. To give a bit of pre-background, I have always excelled at technology-use. I am a natural and a digital-native as we are called. I have been around it all my life and have enjoyed working with it more than anything. Well, the training on this job has been tough because it has not come easy to me. I have struggled with learning the new system that I am working with- both with the Master Control part and the Tech Directing part of my job. I have felt like a failure at both spots in the past few weeks; whether it has been deleting files that I shouldn't or not knowing how to fix a playlist, or not being quick enough with the camera shots and all the different parts to the directing position.

By this last weekend, I was almost at my wits end. I went to church on Sunday telling people when they asked that I was not having that much fun with it and saying that life's too short to be doing something that you don't like. I was really feeling the pressure and not wanting to go back to this job. It's not that I am a quitter; I try my best, but at some point, if it is not working out for me or for my employer/boss then we need to cut the cord.

My feelings could have been due to my terrible day on Friday. As I have said, the hours are hard to get used to- I have to set my alarm for 11:15 or :30 and zoom into work by midnight. Well, I have been using my iPod touch for that and it has worked fairly well,... except for friday. I changed something and that messed me up. So, no wakeup alarm. Instead I was awoken to a text message at 12:09 saying "Are you coming into work tonight?" So, I rushed to get there as soon as I could, and of course it was the day that my boss was there to wish the person I was taking over goodbye, so, right in front of him.
Terrible start to the day to say the least.

Then, I made some goof ups on MC (Master Control) that I had made twice in a row. dumb. And to top it off, I had been taking some cut-ins for the news at the end of the show. This is where we have staged "This is your local alert Newscast" just a 2 minute blurb with all the headlines. Well, I had been working it where the current director would tell me what to take and when and I would do it. I did not have as much responsibility as the whole directing, but some. On Friday, my boss says, "you do it all". I totally goofed that up and it was taken back away from me because of it, so yeah, Friday was not my best day and left me feeling like I did not belong in the newsroom.

But, the good news is that I did better this morning. I had not issues with my MC part of the job. I got everything done that needed to be- didn't delete anything. And I felt confident at the Audio board- sure I had a few goof ups, but not bad ones. And I was able to work on the Tech Directing in spurts and get used to it more and more.

I am still not a fan of the per hourly wage that I receive, and the time that I have to work, especially last night when I got NO Sleep and was dragging the whole night, but at least I am a bit more confident.

Facebook Birthdays?

So, I have to confess. When I first got back on Facebook (yes, My sisters were early adopters and made me join back in 05 or 06 but I got bored with it, I mean, SO not MySpace right- at least at the time MS was the fad) I started with the whole birthday thing. I saw every birthday there was and I went to that person's page and I wrote Happy Birthday.
Then time passed and I got annoyed with the monotony and decided, Just if I come in contact with that person on a daily basis. Okay, that went well for a while, but then on my BDay I got a million FB generic "Happy Birthday"'s and I got so tired of em that I decided not even if they are someone I come in contact with- just family- because I have to....

I now have a new plan of attack! I just came up with this in the shower, (don't ask my why it was in there, and don't ask me why I felt that was pertinent information, cuz it wasn't)... oh right, my plan....

I plan to instead of wishing a Happy Birthday, write on the Birthed person who is happy's page about a fun memory of them. If there is no fun memory that comes to mind, I will just leave it at that.

While I was thinking of this fun new idea (in the shower) I decided I would also take it a step further- Instead of just writing when Bday's come around, I figured it would be nice to connect again with old friends and new alike by taking my own... (Say it like Barney from HIMYM now) CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!


So, now I plan to take a 38-Day challenge to write on a random person's page on FB. This will be strictly random and will be a way to keep in touch or encourage someone via FB. After the 38 days, we shall see if I continue it. "Why would you take a 38-day challenge? Why 38?" Im glad you asked that, random blog reader, Its because I just thought of it today and I wanted to have an accountability trial- like a month-long, but I did not want to wait until June 1st to do it, so, there ya go.
 Join me in the 38-Day's of FB Connection IF YOU DARE!

Boatload of Info

These past few days, I have been the one being shoveled boatloads of technological information that I cannot keep up with.

I started my training on Monday for my new job at KTVZ. It has been fun to get to know some of the staff and have something that is a full-time job, but these past two days have been difficult to remember every single thing that I have learned. There is much to learn in the Master Control job. I am getting the hang of it and feel more confident yesterday than I did on Monday, but still not fully confident. I have today training and then Friday training and after that I switch to my regular shift and learn some of the Tech Directing part of the job. This will be  the fun part, but it will be difficult to adjust to that time-frame- Midnight to 8AM.

I did find out, though, that my shift is weekdays during that time. I was assuming that it was a weekend shift. It is not. So I get to work with Bob Shaw! I know you are jealous.

To say the least

Today was... (say it like Shawn Hafle now) In....Ter....Est.....Ing,.... to say the least.
First off, it was a Friday in May, which of course means a Sub Job. My dad snagged it for me and I was happy that I got one. There were many things that made it In Ter Est Ing though:
The fact that the class was  4th grade class that switched halfway through the day with another class.
The fact that the other class that was switched with ALSO had a sub
The fact that there was an assembly- which is never fun for me as a sub- having to keep track of the kids that I bring in.
The fact that it was also a Fire Drill day- which for ANY sub is not fun- you don't know how many kids are there, you don't know them by name- and it is total chaos.
The fact that two kids accused me of "HITTING" them.
Yeah, that happened. ME! The least physical guy in the world. The one that wouldn't hurt a fly- well, a Bee or Wasp is a given- they gots to be taken down, but flys..... Well, flys too, they BUG (pun intended) me, but past Flys and Bees and Wasps.. oh and Hornets,... I can't and wouldn't hurt anyone.

So, here's the story. During Fire Drill my kids had to travel halfway across the world to get to where they stop for the fire drill- all the way across the field. There are around 2-300 more kids out there and of course I get a gap in my line. I walked back to shoo the kids forward. There were a few young men there that were holding up the line and goofing off. I said, C'mon, lets go, catch up with your line and with the fire drill roll/signal I shooed them along. They acted as if they got hurt. There is no way! These were a few prices of paper bound together and they were shooing towards them at about a mile and hour, no way it could have hurt them.
Anyway,
that was that. I did not hear anything about it until the very end of the day when the Principal (an actually really cool guy) came in saying that they were accusing me of this and wanting to get my side of the story. I gave it and he mentioned that mom's were here to talk to him about it. I told him I would be happy to apologize.

After a bit longer, he and the mom's came in and I did my apologizing. Granted, he knew that, after my side of the story, that they blew things up in their mind and there was no inherent harm done, but I was willing to take the blame for the "Hitting" and he was not upset at me.

It does really bother me though that a little thing like this could blow up into something that could ruin my reputation as a teacher. What if the parents and the principal were not grounded in the idea that they made more out of this than it really was. What if they took it as I actually "Hit" them. I could loose my job and career even before it started. It bothers me that a little action like I did which was not meant to harm, and any other kid would have just not taken it as anything, or at least shrugged it off; It bothers me that that kind of thing could ruin a career.
I still don't know if that sort of thing will have further ramifications on my subbing. Perhaps because of that stupid little incident, I will be blocked from teaching at that specific school again.  Who knows, if the parents made enough of a stink about it, it could be possible.

Whatever happens, or might happen, I know that I was not being abusive at all and was only wanting to spur these students forward. Is spur the right word? It sounds painful ;) Anyway, when I dwell on things that disturb me like this incident, I find it very helpful to vent to my Blog. So, there ya go. Now, I will not worry about it.

Much has happened.

Much has happened in the past week.
First off, last Friday I had an interview with KTVZ. A good friend from church, Greg (Greggers) put in a good word for me and it got me the interview. At first it was hiring for two full-time positions- On-Air Tech, which means Master Control (Pushing buttons and watching playlists to make sure that the programming is going the way it should and on at the right times) and also one that is part Master Control and part Tech Directing (being in charge of the Weekend Early Morning Newscast- switching camera feeds, act). It turned out that one of the full-time jobs was taken back off the plate and there was only one job- the one that was split between Master Control and Tech Directing. AND I WAS OFFERED THE JOB!
I was super excited when I heard that- only one job and I was considered the best candidate.
So, I traveled into Bend after my Sub job today and did a bit of paperwork, and got my pee requirements for my drug testing. I took it right after the meeting and there was talk about doing training as early as Thursday. We shall see.

But, that is my exciting new news. Yes, this job is from 12AM (Midnight) to 8AM and I believe it is from Thursday nights - Monday so I will be super tired, but it will be nice to have a steady income- subbing is so sporadic.

Another fun thing was this last Saturday- it was going to be a super nice day and so I had thought about taking a hike. My friend, Kelly had the same idea- her's was for her B-Day though. So she got a trip going to do Alder Springs in the morning/afternoon and then have some Pizza and a movie and some bday cake. It was all super fun.

Kelly and I went with our dogs (all three of em) and set out around 10:30 from Alder Springs trailhead. I was weary about the 1600 feet elevation gain and rightfully so. Aside from South Sister (which I did not make it all the way up to and it was a few years ago)- I believe this was the most strenuous hike I had attempted. It was also a 6-7 mile long hike too. Well, after lots of breaks and thoughts (from me) of turning back because of my tiredness, we made it all the way to the end of the trail. Then the hard part- getting back to the trailhead- it was very much an uphill battle for me. I had to stop numerous times. Kelly was very patient with me though.

I finally made it all the way back around 3:30 maybe and we headed our separate ways to get cleaned up before the fun Bday festivities.
We had some pizza, watched American Outlaws, a favorite of Sarah's and had a great time socializing and eating homemade cake- by frosting experts.

By the end of that day I was SO, SO sore. It continued on Sunday and a bit of Monday, but I am feeling much better today.