So I had my interview at Ibbotson tuesday. It went far better than I could have hoped. I honestly think that I did more "career planning" in the two hours I spent with Guy and Lori then I've done my whole life. Well, outside of thinking how I could be a master swordsman. Or something totally unrealistic like that. And even though it ended with the realization that me being a software test analyst isn't what I want to do right now, they gave me a huge confidence boost. To that I say, "thanks."

Watched more of Evangelion tonight with Dan Shine. Good, good, good, good, good. Getting a little weird, but good. I also played a pretty cool headstomping game, "State of Emergency." I hear there's a story mode. I also hear the story mode isn't very good. Seeing as the runaround and have mode is nothing more than random acts of violence, I am tempted to agree. And I played more of the zombie game. Thankfully that was returned. Those camera angles were driving me INSANE. And yes, even though I've been playing that game for five days now, I still can't remember the name. Eh.

I'm heading to champaign tomorrow. Got some interviews with some companies. Then I've got a halloween to have fun with. And some hockey. Its gonna be grrrreat! Some kinda story is gonna come out of that. We'll see if Pat let's me use his computer or if he keeps me chained in his torture room.

I've heard his torture room has very nice climate control. Don't want to sweat too much while on the rack I guess.
- posted by Pat @ 2:44 AM

 
So this is a guest post from Dan (on this blog) Kobylarcik.

"Hi, some of you out there may be thinking that I'm dead. Well, you're wrong. Because I sure as hell am not in a shallow grave by the railroad tracks three blocks from Pat's (Major) house. Nor is my head absent from there and buried, somehow, underneath the foundation of Pat's house. Nope, I'm not dead at all. Just being a huuuge lamer and not posting anything."

So there you have it folks. That was straight from Dan's mouth. Well, I may have had to help him with some of it as it becomes tricky to speak without a chest.

And don't mind that he hasn't been into work for awhile either.
- posted by Pat @ 4:47 PM

 
Note: I have also sucumbed to the one touch blogging power of Google's toolbar thing. Although it doesn't solve all my pop up problems. The reason why? My computer is dirty. Its like some sort of used contraceptive.

True story. For four years of College life, I kept my school account clean. I didn't sign up for anything, the University didn't let people troll through the emails lists so by and large, I didn't get much spam. But now that I'm gone, they seem to have done something where all the spam that goes to University accounts goes to mine instead. I honestly get around 10-20 spams a day. And because I check my email through telnet, I see all the pretty html code. Not what the html is supposed to show up as, the raw code. These guys aren't even kidding themselves anymore. They actually list their own email address as "spammers email". You wouldn't know it if telnet supported html, but I know.

Beat Baulder's Gate finally. Very short game, only 12 hours. It was fun, but the final boss was definetly lacking. I'm looking forward to the next Baulder's. January 5th, 2004. Oh, that will be a sweet, sweet day.
- posted by Pat @ 6:43 PM

 
Its a damn good day. It started off a little early, but it just kept on plugging. I had to get up at like 9 am to do stuff with the awning guy. Then I went and passed out in the basement on the couch. Woke up, watched the Love Hina DVD I got from Dan (not on this blog) Shine. It could've been about a hojilion times better. Although it did stay true to the book in one respect. I couldn't watch all of the first episode of it. Just too horribly painful.

Then it turned into the most beautiful Autumn day. In Chicago we get about 2 days of Spring and 2 days of Autumn. Otherwise its beastly hot or frigidly cold. And seeing as its been getting colder, I figured that was all she wrote for the nice weather. But once again, oh mean mistress that is lake effect weather, you proved me wrong. Just a gorgeous day. Well, I was only outside of the house for night part, but it was a gorgeous night as well.

So I get home from being at the coffee house alone and I check the email. I have one. It was from Microsoft. They are granting me an interview. That's right. I'm going to interview with the evil empire. And if get the job, I promise nothing but the best of code. Maybe I and I alone will turn that company around. Of course what's waaay more likely is that I'll get one of those damn problems that they have, not be able to solve it and they won't let me finish the interview. Yep, pessimsm is still in full force. Of course, this also means that I'll be down in Champaign for the halloween weekend. To that I say, bring the fun. Because this guy is gonna be getting wacky.

And yes, I will be financing this trip to champaign with loose change I have been collecting for 3 years or so. Heh, I think that's hilarious.

And now, sweet, sweet dreams of working for the evil empire of software.
- posted by Pat @ 11:46 PM

 
Alright, so this is some bullshit. I have nothing but hate for AIM right now. All I want is my damn buddy list back. Is that too much to ask? You've been hiding it from me all goshdarnedday! Its mine. Yes, I know you keep telling me its lost but not forgotten. But, I really miss it. *sniff* Waaahhh!!! I want my buddy list back.

I feel like such a loser when everything in my buddy window is 0/0. Hell, I'd even talk to the people in the "Other" section right now. And yes, we all have that other section. People we need to keep tabs on, but don't necesarily want to ever talk to. And no, I don't know how to spell. Eat it.
- posted by Pat @ 4:35 PM

 
Fish win three in a row to send the Cubs packing. Ahh, as my friend Dennis says, "There is a god". I'm not gonna quote the other thing he says to cubs fans as this blog may be read by impressionable utes. Or something. Because yeah, I'm thinking about the children. Now if only the Redsox could pull it out tonight against the Yanks. I'd be happy.

So on the job front, again. I've actually got two offers. One is to be a software tester for a Chicago company. This involves lots of clicking on stuff. Then marking down if it failed or not. This isn't a real tough job, but its also not really what I want to do. I want to be a developer. Its getting to the point where I don't even care what I develop anymore. Just something. The other job, is to help my sister paint her new house in Vermont. I'd be out in the boonies, but I'd be painting. I'd have a car. And I wouldn't be that far from Montpilier for nights out of fun and fame. I almost want to go live out there just to say that I've done it. I'm really not sure which I should do. On the one hand, the tester job is fulltime and will prolly pay pretty well. But the job with my sister would let me take more time to find a job programming. Hmm...

I dunno. But I do know this. I will have a job of some description in three weeks. And it'll be good.

GO REDSOX!
- posted by Pat @ 4:14 PM

 
Red Sox won. W00t!! I'm still holding out hope for a Red Sox - Marlins world series. It prolly won't happen and I'm almost sure we're gonna end up with a Cubs - Yankess Series. In which case I hope it rains until next season so neither team wins. Ohh how I loathe the Cubs and the Yankees. If those two make it, I know one of them will win. And then, then I will cry.

So I got some interesting news from the moms yesterday. Turns out me having a degree in Computer Engineering is actually hurting my chances of getting a part time job. Yeup. It feels good. So now, not only am I having lotsa trouble getting a real job, no one is gonna hire me for a part time job because they're convinced I'm gonna bolt two weeks after they hire me. Apparently a large portion of this city has also failed to realize that tech jobs are hard to come by. Bastards.

I read through the entire "Love Hina" manga by Ken Akamatsu. The first book was absolutely awful. I haven't actually finished it yet. Nor will I. I wasn't planning on reading anymore of them, but Dan "not on this Blog" Shine conviced me to read the next one. After that, I was hooked. My suggestion if you want to read this series, lightly skim the first one. Its super sappy and rather painful.

I washed some windows today. Gonna do the same thing tomorrow. Well, unless it rains. In which case I'll do nothing.

Ahh, what an incredibly boring life I lead.
- posted by Pat @ 12:30 AM

 
Once again, its a good day. Had some crazy dreams during my snooze-a-thon, again. And I didn't wash any windows, ha!! Take that world. I'm lazy again.

I woke up, read a bunch of Love Hina, please don't mock me too much. Its a guilty pleasure. And I was listening to Manitoba the whole time. I also had a headache when I woke up. But I read, listened to amazing music and sat in the sunshine. Err... layed in the sunshine actually. I didn't actually sit up until about 2 pm when I went for food.

I'm just totally calm. I haven't heard anything from jobs that is especially good. I don't really have anything going on in my life, but I'm just at peace with myself and the world. And its not like I was especially angry before, I'm just super calm now.

I love days like this. They're just easy to deal with and I don't have to work at all for good times.

Wheee!!!!
- posted by Pat @ 4:19 PM

 
Gotta toss this in. I just applied for this job. Oh man, I so want to live in the south pacific. It sounds like fun.

Heh, good-bye cruel midwest. Hello fancy island in the middle of nowhere. And yes, you can all come visit me there.

Later.
- posted by Pat @ 5:15 PM

 
So I declare that today is a good day. Some may be wondering why I would say this. Especially those who know what I did today which is haul sand and fertilizer, go back to sleep, then have the most disturbing dreams for about two hours. The first one concerned people from grade school that not only did I not talk to then, I haven't seen in years.

Then this was really fun.

I tried to wake up at 11 am. Decided I was just going to hit the snooze button for an hour. Each snooze whack gives me 9 minutes of silence before the snooze goes off again. Each nine minute segment was a different vivid dream. One about an exgirlfriend, one about my brother in law, a recap dream of the one from people from gradeschool and then a couple other ones I don't remember. It was a weird, but fun, morning.

Then I washed windows for two hours. Just like yesterday. Although yesterday I didn't get to go out on the roof to wash the windows, just got to play with a ladder that I totally almost killed myself on. Alright, this is only a nine foot ladder, but I used it over a set of concrete stairs. Almost fell. And then after that, I had to redo it anyway because I suck at washing windows. I'm hoping that when the moms checks out todays work, she gets blinded by the sun or something. I really don't want to go back out on that roof. It didn't sound like it enjoyed supporting my fat ass.

Tomorrow is gonna be storm windows and screens day. Its sad, I hate doing these windows, but its better than sitting on my butt watching the clock move. UGH.

As Other Pat likes to yell at other drunks in Champaign ,"Get a JOB". Interesting note, three people on this blog, two are students and two have jobs. Guess who still doesn't have a fucking job. That's right, the person who looks for a job full time.

Somedays, no matter how good the day, I hate my life.
- posted by Pat @ 2:55 PM

 
My friend Theresa was in town this weekend, I haven't seen her since January or thereabouts. Good to see she's still alive and stuff. Oh, and she's gonna be opening a restaurant or something. You should all go there when it opens.

So I pulled the most genius thing ever in my job search. I misspelled my email address on my resume. Yeup, that document that I've sent out somewhere 100 times in the past two months, wrong email. I've even redone the stupid thing a couple of times, never even looked at that. So even if one of these companies wanted to get in touch with me, they couldn't. Now I'm hoping no one has tried because I've gone and gotten the wrong email address. So I can now be reached at coffeepac@yahoo.com or coffepac@yahoo.com. I will be using the correct spelling of coffee more. The other is only because I'm a retard.

And I was feeling so smart when I woke up this morning.
- posted by Pat @ 7:48 PM