Check It Out

Links to cool places or things.

There are 1,524 posts filed in Check It Out (this is page 132 of 153).

Interview day

I spoke with two different news organizations today about two different topics. The first was getting my comments on recent security issues at a local high school in my CAC area. The second was about my inability to access the N.C. Employment Security Commission website to file my claim.

The first interview was for a local TV station. I put on a sport coat and met the photographer at nearby Lions Park. I don’t think my answers were as smooth as I’d hoped. I still get hyper when a camera’s in my face. Got to shake that habit, I guess. I didn’t see the segment on the 6PM news so I don’t know if any of it will be used.
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Renewing your license? Take the bus!

I’ve been dreading renewing my driver license because I never look forward to spending half a day waiting around. Since my license expires in two weeks my options were running out.

That’s why I was glad I went to the N.C. DMV website and discovered the mobile DMV office. It just so happens it would be downtown today and tomorrow, so I figured I’d take my chances there. My hunch was that since this office is mobile there would be no lines. I was right!
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WSJ story runs – without my interview

Dadgummit. The Wall Street Journal article about being jobless at Christmas ran two days ago without any of my interview being used.

Ah, well. Its still a good read, even if it won’t help my job search after all. Maybe I need to learn how to be a more colorful interviewee?

As far as the issues the article raises, I admit to confronting them, too. At the time of my interview, I told the reporter I thought Christmas would be largely the same. Since that call, I’ve discovered that I see the holidays as more of an obstacle rather than something to celebrate. It’s tough not to blame the holidays for the lack of phone calls: “if only the hiring managers were in the office I’d already be employed.”

If as a kid I thought the wait for Christmas day was excruciatingly long, now the wait for Christmas to be over feels just as long. Sad, isn’t it?

Dog foods

Here’s a great forum thread on dog (and cat) nutrition. Our dog trainer mentioned some of this last week and it opened my eyes. I never gave much thought to what is being put into dog food.

The good news is that the food we’re feeding Rocket is some of the best. Check the label of the stuff you’re using to see how it stacks up.

NC IT job openings drop 30%

Ugh:

Job openings fell by nearly a third in November from the previous month to just over 2,000, according to the latest “IT Jobs Survey” from the North Carolina Technology Association and SkillProof, a national IT talent management and recruiting firm.

With 2,010 openings, the total is just over half the jobs available a year ago (3,910) and far fewer than those posted in November 2006 (4,450).

Probation series

MT.Net readers know I like to take swipes at the News and Observer, but I have to applaud the paper for spotlighting the state’s broken probationary system. Far too many convicted criminals go back to their criminal ways upon leaving prison. While probation officers can’t turn those ex-prisoners into saints, they can at least keep tabs on them – information that might prevent the next crime.

I hope the attention the probation system is getting spurs our legislators to fix it. Thanks, N&O, for spreading the word!