ok ok. yeesh. I know. I completely failed at keeping this updated, and yes, you totally do look like a stalker for reminding me like a dozen times that I suck at keeping things updated...
So...
I updated.
:-p
Um. "seeing" a girl. Been doing so for several months. Long distance blows. Ultra Long distance blows AND sucks. She's coming up from Australia in about...9 months. (no the 9 months doesn't signify anything in particular, just been counting down since 13 months.)
Lovely girl, known her for years. Been nuts about her but kept it to myself because well...she lives in freaking australia. She kept it to herself that she was nuts about me because...I live in freaking america. She piped up, and I broke down and told her I felt the same (after 8 years)
We cam pretty much every day, write emails to each other, text all day/night, draw each other pictures and send each other videos...been doing so for about 5 months. heh.
In other news. Still working for the douchey plumber that is insanely overpriced, and I can't stand...I was doing his inventory for about 5 months because it was a MINOR pay cut, and it was a nothing job...now I'm back to being a tech, and I'm getting a MINOR pay raise and a world of annoyance.
People are not that smart. I get to deal with them all day long. I absolutely loathe my boss at times because he doesn't take care of his tools, his trucks, and gives us cheap materials to use. (I asked why we can't use 1/4 turn angle stops and the answer was, "they're too expensive. 1 of those emergency valves costs 3 times what a multi-turn valve does, and it has the same job!"
*sigh* ANYWAYS...not much else is new. Going to the beach in a few days for my birthday. That's about it. ;-)
So...
I updated.
:-p
Um. "seeing" a girl. Been doing so for several months. Long distance blows. Ultra Long distance blows AND sucks. She's coming up from Australia in about...9 months. (no the 9 months doesn't signify anything in particular, just been counting down since 13 months.)
Lovely girl, known her for years. Been nuts about her but kept it to myself because well...she lives in freaking australia. She kept it to herself that she was nuts about me because...I live in freaking america. She piped up, and I broke down and told her I felt the same (after 8 years)
We cam pretty much every day, write emails to each other, text all day/night, draw each other pictures and send each other videos...been doing so for about 5 months. heh.
In other news. Still working for the douchey plumber that is insanely overpriced, and I can't stand...I was doing his inventory for about 5 months because it was a MINOR pay cut, and it was a nothing job...now I'm back to being a tech, and I'm getting a MINOR pay raise and a world of annoyance.
People are not that smart. I get to deal with them all day long. I absolutely loathe my boss at times because he doesn't take care of his tools, his trucks, and gives us cheap materials to use. (I asked why we can't use 1/4 turn angle stops and the answer was, "they're too expensive. 1 of those emergency valves costs 3 times what a multi-turn valve does, and it has the same job!"
*sigh* ANYWAYS...not much else is new. Going to the beach in a few days for my birthday. That's about it. ;-)
Well I've kinda let this die out a bit.
Graduated from school. Had a job working for a repair company. Did a fuckload of work for almost no pay. I learned some stuff. Most of it was bullshit though...
Basically was working on anything/everything that could break in a Dunkin' Donuts or a Panera Bread. AC, Refrigeration, Plumbing, toasters, ovens, tiles, lights, electrical, doors. whatever. Kind of a waste of time.
Painted a couple rooms in my house. applied to a couple companies.
Got hired last week (technically. still haven't filled out the tax forms yet) by a company that does plumbing heating and ac. pay me more than the repair company, offering benefits, training, and they're not throwing me under the bus so to speak in terms of work. I'm a HELPER. I'm grateful for that. I don't know nearly enough to be of use to ANYONE.
In other news...I'm going to my friend's halloween party dressed as Dr. Horrible...'cuz that's how I do. AND...I just bought an acoustic guitar, so I'm trying to learn to play.
The guitar thing started off a long while ago when I realized that I just like how acoustic guitars sound. Then it got reinforced when I started playing Rockband and thought to myself how much more impressive I'd be if I could play any of those songs on an actual guitar and not some silly piece of plastic with 5 buttons on it.
That's about it really.
Graduated from school. Had a job working for a repair company. Did a fuckload of work for almost no pay. I learned some stuff. Most of it was bullshit though...
Basically was working on anything/everything that could break in a Dunkin' Donuts or a Panera Bread. AC, Refrigeration, Plumbing, toasters, ovens, tiles, lights, electrical, doors. whatever. Kind of a waste of time.
Painted a couple rooms in my house. applied to a couple companies.
Got hired last week (technically. still haven't filled out the tax forms yet) by a company that does plumbing heating and ac. pay me more than the repair company, offering benefits, training, and they're not throwing me under the bus so to speak in terms of work. I'm a HELPER. I'm grateful for that. I don't know nearly enough to be of use to ANYONE.
In other news...I'm going to my friend's halloween party dressed as Dr. Horrible...'cuz that's how I do. AND...I just bought an acoustic guitar, so I'm trying to learn to play.
The guitar thing started off a long while ago when I realized that I just like how acoustic guitars sound. Then it got reinforced when I started playing Rockband and thought to myself how much more impressive I'd be if I could play any of those songs on an actual guitar and not some silly piece of plastic with 5 buttons on it.
That's about it really.
So my school made the newspaper twice in two weeks. One was about the vo-tech high school we kinda mooch land off of. because it's a ridiculously awesome high school. "advanced" education. sciences, maths, music. insanity. they have a microbiology lab, an electron microscope...preparing these kids for ivy league schools that they'll be paying off the first 10 years they start working...IF they start working.
A lot of the article was about how much money the vo-tech high school spends. easily like...a half million more than other high schools in the area.
Then on wednesday of this week there was another article in a different newspaper, about the adult education program. The one I'm in. It starts off as you would expect, it explains why the school is closing. "difficulty with getting students to apply and financing." which is complete and utter horse-shit.
We only recently started having difficulty with getting new students, primarily due to the fact that they are no longer accepting students. They stopped accepting students for plumbing and carpentry in november. they told the hvac and electrical teachers they wouldn't be accepting any more new students in january. The classes were filled to capacity...ALL of them.
Plumbing now has 4 students in it. out of the normal 20. my HVAC class, because it's a 10 month course still managed to have around 18 people in it out of the customary 23-29 (29 was excessive and left no room to breath let alone do any hands on training)
It went on to explain that part of the problem was that the adult education program was spending too much money. we were allotted 1.12 million dollars, and apparently use 1.5+ million...whoa boy. Guess what. if that's the case, then the problem is fairly simple to balance out. find the fat in the system, cut it out, and increase the price of admissions.
Every other tech school in the area, ITT, Lincoln Tech, HHK Tech, whatever...for 1 year tuition it's at least $20,000. The schools are all shiny and polished, but it's bullshit. you learn book work and study, but no practice. Adult Education, $1000 a month.
The other difference between my school and those other schools...my school has a 95-100% job placement record before or upon completion. The other schools have a 0-60% success rate.
I'd love to see who's stealing money, or who the bribes are coming from. 'cuz really...how can, in this uncertain economic time, you shut down a school that puts people to work, and gets them off of welfare, and unemployment, and at the same time give the superintendent of a vo-tech high school a bonus on top of his $300,000 a year salary?
A lot of the article was about how much money the vo-tech high school spends. easily like...a half million more than other high schools in the area.
Then on wednesday of this week there was another article in a different newspaper, about the adult education program. The one I'm in. It starts off as you would expect, it explains why the school is closing. "difficulty with getting students to apply and financing." which is complete and utter horse-shit.
We only recently started having difficulty with getting new students, primarily due to the fact that they are no longer accepting students. They stopped accepting students for plumbing and carpentry in november. they told the hvac and electrical teachers they wouldn't be accepting any more new students in january. The classes were filled to capacity...ALL of them.
Plumbing now has 4 students in it. out of the normal 20. my HVAC class, because it's a 10 month course still managed to have around 18 people in it out of the customary 23-29 (29 was excessive and left no room to breath let alone do any hands on training)
It went on to explain that part of the problem was that the adult education program was spending too much money. we were allotted 1.12 million dollars, and apparently use 1.5+ million...whoa boy. Guess what. if that's the case, then the problem is fairly simple to balance out. find the fat in the system, cut it out, and increase the price of admissions.
Every other tech school in the area, ITT, Lincoln Tech, HHK Tech, whatever...for 1 year tuition it's at least $20,000. The schools are all shiny and polished, but it's bullshit. you learn book work and study, but no practice. Adult Education, $1000 a month.
The other difference between my school and those other schools...my school has a 95-100% job placement record before or upon completion. The other schools have a 0-60% success rate.
I'd love to see who's stealing money, or who the bribes are coming from. 'cuz really...how can, in this uncertain economic time, you shut down a school that puts people to work, and gets them off of welfare, and unemployment, and at the same time give the superintendent of a vo-tech high school a bonus on top of his $300,000 a year salary?
Got a text message from the girl I was seeing, for the very brief, very awkward time that I was seeing her...a week after I broke it off with her.
In short, she said, that although she still wants to be friends with me, she was incredibly hurt by what I had said, (and I'll actually repeat verbatim what I said, because...it is rare that I'm as nice to someone as I was being to her) and that I ended things prematurely, that I didn't give "us" enough time to properly make a judgment on it.
What I had said was, "I honestly feel that things are incredibly awkward between us, and that we were more comfortable being just friends. We haven't said, or done anything that we would be embarrassed later on about, to not at least go back to being friends. What do you think we should do?"
This is where she said, "I don't know. I have no opinion on the matter."
That is where I nearly slapped her. You can't ask someone out, go out with them, and not have an opinion on whether or not you want to still see them. You either still find them interesting, or you don't want to see them again. You don't not either of those choices. (yeah I am aware of the double-negative on that)
Instead of slapping her I stuttered for a second and then said, "Ok. Well we'll vote on it. I vote we go back to being friends, you abstain, unless you want to vote now." and she said "whatever is fine." So we went back to being friends, had some diner food, and I dropped her back off at her house.
Seriously...two dates with her basically...and I scored...a hug. What...the...fuck? and it was an awkward hug...and I was getting hugs when we were just friends.
I can tell you what I didn't do...I didn't fuck the girl that I DO like, because I had the title of "boyfriend" over my head, even when she spent the night at my house. (and yeah I could've thrown THAT into the other girl's face but apparently I'm too fucking classy for that)
And now I think things with the girl that I do like have gotten slightly awkward. Though I know she doesn't want a relationship with ANNNNNNYONE...due to the fact that she just got out of one that lasted the better part of a decade.
So yeah, that text message actually made things even more awkward to be going back to being friends with her...so...good job lil miss awkwardsauce.
Past that...I've been learning a freaking ton at school, trying not to flip out on my classmates because I'm kinda the only one that pays attention, does the work, or tries to understand the assignments (until recently, the one hardcore pot-head started putting his noes into the books and is actually doing going at a faster pace than me with electrical), we're thinking about adopting a new dog...and I'm trying not to pass the frak out from lack of sleep. Had to get up at 3:30am today to make it to the black friday sale at Kohl's. Had to get a food processor for my mom. I was not the first person there. I had to park across the damn parking lot...
In short, she said, that although she still wants to be friends with me, she was incredibly hurt by what I had said, (and I'll actually repeat verbatim what I said, because...it is rare that I'm as nice to someone as I was being to her) and that I ended things prematurely, that I didn't give "us" enough time to properly make a judgment on it.
What I had said was, "I honestly feel that things are incredibly awkward between us, and that we were more comfortable being just friends. We haven't said, or done anything that we would be embarrassed later on about, to not at least go back to being friends. What do you think we should do?"
This is where she said, "I don't know. I have no opinion on the matter."
That is where I nearly slapped her. You can't ask someone out, go out with them, and not have an opinion on whether or not you want to still see them. You either still find them interesting, or you don't want to see them again. You don't not either of those choices. (yeah I am aware of the double-negative on that)
Instead of slapping her I stuttered for a second and then said, "Ok. Well we'll vote on it. I vote we go back to being friends, you abstain, unless you want to vote now." and she said "whatever is fine." So we went back to being friends, had some diner food, and I dropped her back off at her house.
Seriously...two dates with her basically...and I scored...a hug. What...the...fuck? and it was an awkward hug...and I was getting hugs when we were just friends.
I can tell you what I didn't do...I didn't fuck the girl that I DO like, because I had the title of "boyfriend" over my head, even when she spent the night at my house. (and yeah I could've thrown THAT into the other girl's face but apparently I'm too fucking classy for that)
And now I think things with the girl that I do like have gotten slightly awkward. Though I know she doesn't want a relationship with ANNNNNNYONE...due to the fact that she just got out of one that lasted the better part of a decade.
So yeah, that text message actually made things even more awkward to be going back to being friends with her...so...good job lil miss awkwardsauce.
Past that...I've been learning a freaking ton at school, trying not to flip out on my classmates because I'm kinda the only one that pays attention, does the work, or tries to understand the assignments (until recently, the one hardcore pot-head started putting his noes into the books and is actually doing going at a faster pace than me with electrical), we're thinking about adopting a new dog...and I'm trying not to pass the frak out from lack of sleep. Had to get up at 3:30am today to make it to the black friday sale at Kohl's. Had to get a food processor for my mom. I was not the first person there. I had to park across the damn parking lot...
Hmmm...there's a fair amount of stuff going on. Not much of it is important
New President...and...they're laying the foundation of "don't expect too much from the guy who's spent the past 2 years saying he can fix all the world's problems with a wink and a smile because the last guy fucked up so badly" So...good job media, on telling everyone within reaching distance how this jerk off is the fucking messiah, sent from heaven to bang out some reform and make the world a better place...then yanking that carpet out from everyone after you fuck heads got him into office.
Honestly, I don't expect things to come crashing down around us. The president is just a guy. Don't get me wrong, I'd love for the news stations that wouldn't report any negatives about him to take some huge criticisms if things DID fall apart. I just don't expect it.
But that is as they say, the least important of the news from me. 1. got a girlfriend. I've been friends with her for a while. she asked me out. (this being one of the few times where I knew the girl prior to getting asked out by her so I kinda knew what to expect...I've had the bad tendency to start going out with a girl that I'd have just met and about 30 seconds later realize how horrible a choice that was...)
Things are good with her, well...mostly. She's sick so we couldn't see each other this week (laryngitis. so I could in theory see her, we just couldn't have a decent conversation or really do anything) Next week we're going to see Zach & Miri make a porno.
School is good. I'm not 100% on anything, but I have a general idea as to what I'm doing. I got my EPA Universal Technician certification. So I can handle pretty much any refrigerant out there, according to the EPA. provided of course, I know what the fuck I'm doing.
Basically the past couple weeks we've been going over basically changing out refrigerants from the window AC units we have. I showed a couple of the guys how to install valves onto a unit that didn't have any on them, I watched one of the guys char-broil the wires on the inside of said unit, and then melt the fuck out of the plastic on the inside while brazing the valves...
I just bought a bluetooth headset. first one I've ever bought. Plantronics Voyager 520...because it was cheap as hell on Amazon. $29 marked down from $75. fuck it, it looks cool. and now I get to walk around with something in my ear like I'm a fucking asshole, or a Borg from Star Trek...whichever.
New President...and...they're laying the foundation of "don't expect too much from the guy who's spent the past 2 years saying he can fix all the world's problems with a wink and a smile because the last guy fucked up so badly" So...good job media, on telling everyone within reaching distance how this jerk off is the fucking messiah, sent from heaven to bang out some reform and make the world a better place...then yanking that carpet out from everyone after you fuck heads got him into office.
Honestly, I don't expect things to come crashing down around us. The president is just a guy. Don't get me wrong, I'd love for the news stations that wouldn't report any negatives about him to take some huge criticisms if things DID fall apart. I just don't expect it.
But that is as they say, the least important of the news from me. 1. got a girlfriend. I've been friends with her for a while. she asked me out. (this being one of the few times where I knew the girl prior to getting asked out by her so I kinda knew what to expect...I've had the bad tendency to start going out with a girl that I'd have just met and about 30 seconds later realize how horrible a choice that was...)
Things are good with her, well...mostly. She's sick so we couldn't see each other this week (laryngitis. so I could in theory see her, we just couldn't have a decent conversation or really do anything) Next week we're going to see Zach & Miri make a porno.
School is good. I'm not 100% on anything, but I have a general idea as to what I'm doing. I got my EPA Universal Technician certification. So I can handle pretty much any refrigerant out there, according to the EPA. provided of course, I know what the fuck I'm doing.
Basically the past couple weeks we've been going over basically changing out refrigerants from the window AC units we have. I showed a couple of the guys how to install valves onto a unit that didn't have any on them, I watched one of the guys char-broil the wires on the inside of said unit, and then melt the fuck out of the plastic on the inside while brazing the valves...
I just bought a bluetooth headset. first one I've ever bought. Plantronics Voyager 520...because it was cheap as hell on Amazon. $29 marked down from $75. fuck it, it looks cool. and now I get to walk around with something in my ear like I'm a fucking asshole, or a Borg from Star Trek...whichever.
boring weekend. Installed an insta-hot in my kitchen.
played warcraft...was incredibly and still am amused by the zombie plagues afflicting everyone. I mean...come on...you get a disease, you turn into a zombie...and then you run around infecting other players/non players, and turning them into the undead. it's fun. it puts everything else on hold, especially if you turn quest givers into zombies, and the only way to come back from it is by death. lol
did laundry. set up plans for eating with my friend the nurse. set up a date to watch House with my hook up girl...long term plans are difficult with HUG, because her job sends her all over the fucking place at the drop of a hat. she might be in NJ on wednesday, but have to spend 2 weeks out in cali or virginia or some fucking thing. Granted, she likes what she does, and I can't complain about her making money or having actual responsibilities, but I wouldn't really like her job. Or all that ridiculous travel. Not my bag really.
Class is going well. Learning a great deal, and most of what we do is hands on, because we can read anywhere. playing with torches, ac units, nitrogen tanks, or tanks of refrigerants...well...that is a different story. that shit we ONLY have at the school.
Bought a new movie. "Jack Brooks Monster Slayer"...it's...well...the last half hour is the best half hour of it. the most major plot hole I saw in this "horror" movie...was that for a guy with anger management issues...how the fuck didn't he ever strangle his annoying girlfriend. (if you watch the movie, she's annoying as fuck. even Gandhi would want to kill her)
I'm sure there's more stuff, but I really am forgetful and kinda blah'd out right now.
played warcraft...was incredibly and still am amused by the zombie plagues afflicting everyone. I mean...come on...you get a disease, you turn into a zombie...and then you run around infecting other players/non players, and turning them into the undead. it's fun. it puts everything else on hold, especially if you turn quest givers into zombies, and the only way to come back from it is by death. lol
did laundry. set up plans for eating with my friend the nurse. set up a date to watch House with my hook up girl...long term plans are difficult with HUG, because her job sends her all over the fucking place at the drop of a hat. she might be in NJ on wednesday, but have to spend 2 weeks out in cali or virginia or some fucking thing. Granted, she likes what she does, and I can't complain about her making money or having actual responsibilities, but I wouldn't really like her job. Or all that ridiculous travel. Not my bag really.
Class is going well. Learning a great deal, and most of what we do is hands on, because we can read anywhere. playing with torches, ac units, nitrogen tanks, or tanks of refrigerants...well...that is a different story. that shit we ONLY have at the school.
Bought a new movie. "Jack Brooks Monster Slayer"...it's...well...the last half hour is the best half hour of it. the most major plot hole I saw in this "horror" movie...was that for a guy with anger management issues...how the fuck didn't he ever strangle his annoying girlfriend. (if you watch the movie, she's annoying as fuck. even Gandhi would want to kill her)
I'm sure there's more stuff, but I really am forgetful and kinda blah'd out right now.
Started the HVAC-R (Heating Vents, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) class. fucking insanity.
The teacher, graduated from the school in like...1978. He started teaching there about 10 years later.
He promotes hands on in class, and any book reading outside of it. Mostly because we can read more or less anywhere...we can't do hands on anywhere but class. (so makes sense right?)
of the 4 other guys I started with, one is in his 40's, 2 are 22 and 20...and the last one is 29. I get along with everyone, that's my personality. So long as people stay out of my way, or don't keep me from doing what I'm supposed to be doing it's all gravy.
the 29 year old and I get along pretty well, just because we know what the hell we're doing with soldering and working. He's been doing HVAC-R for like...7 years. he just wanted to get certified for the refrigerants so he could go further with his career. makes sense to me. I'm not going to fuck around, he's not going to fuck around.
We started working rather well together. lol. we split up whatever we need to do, we work together, we bust each other's balls. it's whatever.
We help the guys that haven't done soldering or brazing before. I actually had never done any brazing before this class.
(Brazing is high heat soldering. also called "hard soldering" normal soldering uses a spool of solder, some flux, and the temperature range is between 400 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Brazing is done with a stick of solder, called a brazing rod, and the temperature range is up around 1300 degrees Fahrenheit, and forms a much stronger bond.)
On the first full day of class, we started cutting up copper tubing, and soldering pieces together. (we did that in plumbing after about 2-3 weeks) the second day we started pressure testing what we had soldered together, started bending the copper, and did some very light brazing.
But yeah, I'm enjoying my time in class so far, at the very least I'm happy to be LEARNING something again. That and HVAC-R is different from plumbing. I love plumbing, but it's hard, heavy, labor intensive work. HVAC-R...it can get kinda heavy, but it's usually 2-person lifting, and the work involved is less labor intensive and more about WHAT you know. Not about how strong you are to move something into place. ;-)
I'm all about being a lazy shit and making money off my brains. ;-)
The teacher, graduated from the school in like...1978. He started teaching there about 10 years later.
He promotes hands on in class, and any book reading outside of it. Mostly because we can read more or less anywhere...we can't do hands on anywhere but class. (so makes sense right?)
of the 4 other guys I started with, one is in his 40's, 2 are 22 and 20...and the last one is 29. I get along with everyone, that's my personality. So long as people stay out of my way, or don't keep me from doing what I'm supposed to be doing it's all gravy.
the 29 year old and I get along pretty well, just because we know what the hell we're doing with soldering and working. He's been doing HVAC-R for like...7 years. he just wanted to get certified for the refrigerants so he could go further with his career. makes sense to me. I'm not going to fuck around, he's not going to fuck around.
We started working rather well together. lol. we split up whatever we need to do, we work together, we bust each other's balls. it's whatever.
We help the guys that haven't done soldering or brazing before. I actually had never done any brazing before this class.
(Brazing is high heat soldering. also called "hard soldering" normal soldering uses a spool of solder, some flux, and the temperature range is between 400 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Brazing is done with a stick of solder, called a brazing rod, and the temperature range is up around 1300 degrees Fahrenheit, and forms a much stronger bond.)
On the first full day of class, we started cutting up copper tubing, and soldering pieces together. (we did that in plumbing after about 2-3 weeks) the second day we started pressure testing what we had soldered together, started bending the copper, and did some very light brazing.
But yeah, I'm enjoying my time in class so far, at the very least I'm happy to be LEARNING something again. That and HVAC-R is different from plumbing. I love plumbing, but it's hard, heavy, labor intensive work. HVAC-R...it can get kinda heavy, but it's usually 2-person lifting, and the work involved is less labor intensive and more about WHAT you know. Not about how strong you are to move something into place. ;-)
I'm all about being a lazy shit and making money off my brains. ;-)
JUNE 2010
MAY 2010
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