Checking In

A catch-all, catch-up post

There are 1,132 posts filed in Checking In (this is page 59 of 114).

Putting the lap in laptop

I’ve been enjoying posting and editing Wikipedia tonight from the recliner, thanks to my Thinkpad T61 work laptop. My personal Thinkpad is still desk-bound due to its tendency to have seizures.

Work tomorrow should be interesting as it will be my first full week. I should have a better taste for the job (though the taste of the Winter Ale I tasted at the company’s Friday “beer bash” at the company was pretty hard to beat).

Greenway Parade

After I returned from the Inauguration Parade, I joined the rest of the family (and neighborhood friends) for a family bike ride down the Middle Crabtree Creek greenway. Unlike all the other times the kids joined us for rides, this time they pedaled their own bikes – thanks to the amazing invention known as a Balance Buddy.

Kelly and I jogged after Hallie and Travis as they rode their bikes along the boardwalk and back. It was about 3 miles total (to add to the 6 I already walked) and left us all feeling great.

Inauguration Parade

This morning K and I split up the things needing doing. She took the kids on errands and I was given the task of wearing out our dog. After seeing F/A-18s fly over our home this morning, I got the idea of taking the dog with me to see the Governor Perdue’s Inauguration Parade. As I remembered that local amateur radio operators would be assisting in the parade, I grabbed my dual-band HT and Rocket and I began walking.

The walk from here to Fayetteville Street takes a little over 30 minutes. We got there just as the parade was beginning. I must have made the security teams nervous with my backpack and a radio on my belt, but also having a big, dumb Labrador kind of evened that out.
Continue reading →

Conn victory!

I did my GPS talk for Ms. Jarrett’s GPS module class at Conn Elementary today. It was teh awesome, just as I expected it to be. I got the kids involved in the talk, gave some examples, and timed it almost perfectly at one hour. I also got to say hello to Hallie at the end of my talk.

My efforts rewarded me with the great feeling I helped kids learn something. I also took home the famed Conn Volunteer Water Bottle With Ribbon, a photo of which I’ll post soon.

I’ve been told I’ll be invited back soon, which is fine by me. It was a blast!

Busy but fun day

I had a great first day at Large Network Storage Company today. Everyone was cool and the hardware makes it geek heaven. My day was over before I knew it.

I hopped in the car and dashed home for a quick supper before dashing right out again for my first meeting of the Mordecai Historic Park Board. After the board meeting, I got a tour of the Mordecai House, including a look in the basement. Had I had more time I would’ve seen the whole house, but time was short and I had to head home. I arrived home right at the point Kelly had to leave for drinks with her friends.There was just enough time for me to tuck the kids in bed but not much more, sadly.
Continue reading →

Basketball coach for a day

Hallie’s started in a Salvation Army basketball league and seems excited about it. I wish it was a bit more organized, though: the staff is still trying to locate a coach.

Hallie went to her first practice yesterday and she and 9 other kids stood around until the athletic director asked if I could pinch hit as a coach for the day. While I’ve often considered volunteering to coach youth basketball, I expected to be more prepared before I took on my first team.
Continue reading →

Quiet in here

I spent a good portion of the day away from the keyboard, taking the kids to/from school and getting some easy-but-long-neglected things done around the house. It felt good to not be in front of a screen for a bit.

I should have some interesting things to say tomorrow as it will be my first day at the new job. Wish me luck!

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.
Continue reading →

Highlights of 2008: My job at an address verification company

The big thing that defined 2008 for me was my working for an address verification company in Raleigh. Getting that job made a lot of things possible and losing it made many not as possible.

A friend of a friend told me about the company in late 2007. I met the local boss and liked what I saw. I had been feeling frustrated by the one-way communication I got from my boss at my work-from-home job, so I needed a change. I met the owner and liked him. We agreed on a salary and a general job description: North America Support Manager. I came onboard the first of February and was generally happy I did.
Continue reading →