Still waiting

I'm still waiting to hear back from Answers in Genesis. I thought that I would hear before this, after they told me about training starting next week. But I haven't heard anything since my interview on Wednesday. :(

~Matt

Once was lost

But now found...Everything just showed up again this morning. I'd still like to know what happened, but I'm also happy to see everything restored.

~Matt

Google's Vanishing Act

When I woke up this morning and logged onto Google to take a look at my homepage there, all my settings were gone!  Then when I started to change things back the changes didn't save properly.  They were there for a bit, then disappeared again.

I've always enjoyed working with Google, because they do great work.  I wish I knew what had happened here.  I didn't have anything vital in my homepage--I usually just use it to take a quick glance at things.  But I don't remember where I got all of the widgets I had installed there.  :(

I just hope that nothing happens to my Google Reader settings.  I would be lost without all of my blogs and podcast feeds aggregated there.  And no, don't suggest some program, I use too many computers to use a program (I tried it).  And I don't have an iPod (and hate iTunes anyway).

I found a thread in one of Google's forums where many other people complained of the same thing today--so it wasn't just me.  At this point I just wish one of the Google blogs I read would mention the problem so I would know I wasn't truly crazy or alone.

~Matt

PS I'm still waiting to hear back from Answers in Genesis, though my second interview did go very well.

--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero

A recent conversation

Matt: [content redacted to prevent severe bodily harm to self]
Julie: [content redacted to prevent severe bodily harm to self]
Matt: [content redacted to prevent severe bodily harm to self]
Julie: thank you!
Matt: [content redacted to prevent severe bodily harm to self]
Julie: [content redacted to prevent severe bodily harm to self]
Matt: [content redacted to prevent severe bodily harm to self]
Julie: gasp!
Matt: What?
Julie: [content redacted to prevent severe bodily harm to self]
Matt: [content redacted to prevent severe bodily harm to self]
Julie: [content redacted to prevent severe bodily harm to self]
Matt: [content redacted to prevent severe bodily harm to self]
Julie: [content redacted to prevent severe bodily harm to self]

~Matt

--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero

Sounding better

I just got a call back from Answers in Genesis.  I'm to go in for a second interview tomorrow at 16:00.  It will be squeezed in between my two jobs, but the guy I just talked to did mention that training would start soon and that they would want to get me in (assuming they make me an offer).  I think I'll leave a note for my manager at bigg's tonight letting him know that I'm seriously looking for work and may be leaving there soon.  My other job I'll wait to talk to them as I want to wait until I have something definite.  I'm just not sure about timing and the traditional two week notice.  Technically I don't have to give it with a temp job, and I may have to go that route--but I'm not sure.  I'm not even sure I'll get a good offer at this point, so I just need to wait and see.

~Matt

--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero

In Which I Borrow a Car

Doesn't that sound like a good episode or chapter title? Unfortunately it is true to life. My car wasn't doing so well as I started to drive home, with the brakes acting a bit strange. I called my brother-in-law for advice and he said to go ahead and come home, just go slow and keep back from other cars. I did this, but was still a bit nervous.

Today I borrowed his mom's car, and she said I could also use it tonight to get to bigg's. I'm not yet sure what tomorrow holds. I could borrow my brother-in-law's truck if I could drive stick, but unfortunately I cannot, and I don't really have enough time to learn. He did say that he would try to arrange for the repair shop he uses to take a look at my van. It has been abused greatly and I feel horrible for how it looks now compared to how nice it looked when my parents owned it.

Granted, it hasn't all been my fault, but still, I can't help but feel guilty, especially for the bit of damage I did cause by scraping the wall of my garage. But as my mom reminded me last night this is why I have a savings account. Of course unless you're saving for something special or a vacation you don't really want to spend that account--but sometimes you need to, and this will probably be one of those times.

~Matt

How high can you ply?

I'm just guessing here, but Sheryl Crow must not use one-ply toilet paper. She claims to have a great new idea to combat global warming. Here she is in her own words:

"I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting..." using "only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required."

Hmmm...right, and in which universe does Sheryl live? I can only assume that she must be talking of 15 or 20 ply paper here, but how would that be more environmental than using more squares of one or two ply?

This is just absurd! I did see this article directly on the BBC, but thanks to Michelle Malkin for bringing the news to my attention first.

~Matt
--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero

Divorced from the reality of math

Here is an article from Reuters on the rising use of British private eyes by those involved in divorce proceedings. Apparently marriage laws in the UK are much more lax than those in the US. As far as I can determine not only men and women are involved in these marriages. I don't know who or what the other parties are, but they must be there somewhere if the math is to be believed.

Of those who used a private investigator, 30 percent were women, while 19 percent were men, the survey shows.

If we take those numbers at face value only 49% of those involved were men OR women! I'd really like to know what the other 51% were!

~Matt

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Cravings of Normalcy

Could this day actually be normal? I'm not sure, but I hope that it turns into such. I was quite relaxed today--I even slept in. My nephew and I went to second service, as well as one other nephew that wanted to stick around for a second Sunday school class.

Then I spent the rest of the day enjoying myself, including fixing more strawberry shortcake for the rest of my sister's family and watching a movie with the nerfs (Flushed Away). Of course I'll have to do laundry tomorrow, but I am baking my bread right now and so things aren't that bad off.

For now I cry pardon for the lateness and brevity. I must needs slip off to bed. Thankee, sai.

~Matt

PS The Dark Tower? Why would you ask? You thinking I'm reading the comic series "The Gunslinger Born" to get back into the world of the Tower? Would I do such a thing?

Resistance is Futile

One of my nephews is spending the night tonight at my apartment. I always enjoy having time for this, though I had to work at bigg's last night so I had no chance then. Whenever my job situation improves I hope to have most nights free.

I told him that we could cook whatever dessert he could find in one of my cookbooks. It is an old alphabetical cookbook from Gold Medal Flour. I did deny one request to make a cake. Then he choose gingerbread cookies. I would have, but I noted that the dough had to set for 1-2 hours before you could continue--that was enough for him.

Finally he settled on strawberry shortcake. If I was in California I would probably have some fresh berries, but alas I did not. Therefore we drove to the nearest Kroger where I procured said berries along with a couple of other supplies. Then I came home, cooked the shortcake and we enjoyed a delicious dessert. Oh, just to whet your appetites here is a picture. Enjoy!

~Matt

Where was this when I was in college?

Inventors have created a soap infused with caffeine which helps users wake up in the morning.

The soap, called Shower Shock, supplies the caffeine equivalent of two cups of coffee per wash with the stimulant absorbed naturally through the skin, manufacturers say.

"Tired of waking up and having to wait for your morning (coffee) to brew?" ask the makers, thinkgeek.com.

Scented with peppermint oil, each bar is designed to provide a stimulant boost within five minutes.

- Reuters

This would have been great (minus the peppermint scent)!!  You could sleep in a few more minutes if you knew that your shower would wake you up that much faster!  ;-)

~Matt

--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero

Interview

Today I ventured out to the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum (nearing completion) for an interview. I think it went rather well for an initial interview. I have hopes that I'll be called back in for a second interview. I don't want to say too much (be too optimistic), but I'm quite hopeful now. Now to just pray that this is the open door God would have me go through (or that if it is to close I could at least avoid it hitting me in the face as I readjust, ;-)).

~Matt

Victory for life!

Thankfully the Supreme Court has upheld the Congressional partial-birth abortion ban!!

Observers say the decision reflects the recent addition to the court of two conservative justices appointed by President Bush.

Wonderful! Sounds great to me. Now if we can only get rid of Ginsberg and/or Stevens and replace them with more people that actually respect the Constitution.

The Bush administration has defended the law as drawing a line between abortion and what they say is infanticide.
But abortion rights groups say the decision is a blow that could threaten most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
They say the procedure is sometimes the safest for a woman.

Cry me a river. I hope it does threaten more abortions! They are ALL murder. But this is a good first step down a long road. Hopefully we can keep momentum going.

It is good to see some good news to balance out the horror of the Virginia school massacre. Of course when you look at things objectively I'm sure far more than 32 babies were mercilessly butchered on that same day in just the state of Virginia. So as much as I might dislike judicial review in practice this one instance is good in that the Court has given some power back to the rightful purview of the legislature.

~Matt

Assuming the worst

Reading named worst for families

When I saw the preceding headline by the BBC I immediately assumed the worst, that they were claiming that reading was bad for families.  Then I reconsidered and wondered if it was something that families weren't doing enough of (I'm sure that is true) and that thus current conditions were bad for families.

Then I started to read the article and it all made sense.  I do enjoy reading Commonwealth (UK, Australia, New Zealand) news, but some things do trip me up because I'm not familiar with them.  Place names are one of those, especially on a local level.  I know Manchester, or London, or Canberra, but smaller locales aren't quite so familiar.

A Berkshire town has been named the worst place in Britain to bring up a family, according to a new survey.
The Reader's Digest poll asked 1,000 parents to list the things that make for a family-friendly environment.
The researchers then ranked places on how they scored against the criteria - which included crime rates, good local hospitals and affordable housing.
Reading was last in 408th place, while Oxford was 399th. The Scottish district of East Dunbartonshire came top.

~Matt


--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero

Sanity...finally!

Minnesota's Muslim cab drivers face crackdown

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Muslim cab drivers at Minnesota's biggest airport will face new penalties including a two-year revocation of their taxi permits if they refuse to give rides to travelers carrying liquor or accompanied by dogs, the board overseeing operations ruled Monday.

The Metropolitan Airports Commission, responding to complaints about the liquor issue, voted unanimously to impose the new penalties beginning in May.

A large number of taxi drivers in the area of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are Muslim Somali immigrants. Many say they feel the faith's ban on alcohol consumption includes transporting anyone carrying it.

It is about time! It was stupid to allow this practice to go on. Get out of the business if you have reservations like this. Under no circumstances (save private religious observation) should Sharia law be allowed to exist in the United States. It isn't compatible with republican government as it mandates certain legal practices (unlike a Christian who can easily live under the rule of a non-Christian government).

Hopefully a crackdown on supermarket clerks who refuse to scan bacon or ham will come next. They should either be reassigned to a position where they could never come into contact with the stuff. Get over their objections. Or be fired/quit. I don't see any other options. Accommodating this kind of behavior is just stupid. We shouldn't even take one baby step towards being the Islamic Republic of America.

~Matt

PS

Thanks to OneRing.net I found the following review of the Children of Húrin at LibraryJournal.com. If you didn't like LotR (Like Mark the Heretic) then don't bother to glance at this volume. It isn't LotR II either, but set much earlier in the history of Middle-earth during the eras covered by the Silmarillion. As I mentioned in my last post I'm swinging by my local Borders to pick this up as soon as I get off work! Then I'm putting my other books on hold so I can immediately delve into the tale!

~Matt

Clear the calendar

Tomorrow the Children of Húrin is released. I would pick up my copy before work if I could, but I'll have to content myself with acquiring it between morning and evening jobs.

~Matt
--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero

Can I Explain?

Well it seems that at least one person was confused by my blog entry last night. I'm not sure why. I was just trying to communicate information about my latest job offerings. I can provide you with more information at this time, courtesy of the diabolical Julie. Here if the full recruitment pitch. Oh, I did edit the transcript slightly to include some informative and interesting links. Check some of them out, especially the multiple Colorado links!

Julie: Message: Mr. Graubner we are pleased to announce that you have been accepted into despot training STOP we will expect to hear from you as soon as is feasible STOP we hope that you will accept our scholarship offer STOP

me: Oh, I like telegrams like this!

When do I start?

Julie: right away!

but you have to travel back in time to a country who needs a despot first.

me: What about Colorado?

I could be a good Colorado despot!

Julie: i don't think Colorado is currently on our list.

California is, though

me: Why not Colorado? I like California, but Colorado has some great scenery. I could build a nice mansion somewhere on the Mesa. Oh, what about turning Land's End into a waterfall? Is that a good despotic project?

Julie: That would be an excellent project. I like your initiative. I'll talk with the current despot of Colorado (otherwise known as the congress) and see if i can get you an internship.

They may deny your request, however. They truly enjoy inflicting their own tyranny.

me: Yeah, well they've had more practice. It isn't really fair the head start they have.

Julie: I agree. But since it's a despotism, i have no grounds to protest.

It's part of the rules.

me: But I think a successful coup d'etat might get me a passing grade.

I've made preparations.

Julie: Very good! You even have a media for propaganda! This is even better than we'd hoped.

me: I even have a group of people brainwashed into following me. They get their instructions from an on-line message board--little do they understand the subliminal messages I programmed into its code!

Julie: Mr. Graubner, you may be able to test out of these classes at this rate. I will try to push a recommendation through to the upper level training commander that you be moved through the ranks as soon as possible!

me: That sounds acceptable to me.

Send me more information in the morning, right now I must go to my beauty sleep so that I make plot more dastardly deeds on the morrow (and continue in my efforts to memorize the Evil Overlord List!).

Julie: As you wish.

~Matt

I've been recruited

I'll be seeing y'all.  But I think I'll be too busy to communicate in this mundane fashion in the future (unless I need some propaganda practice).

Message: Mr. Graubner we are pleased to announce that you have been accepted into despot training STOP we will expect to hear from you as soon as is feasible STOP we hope that you will accept our scholarship offer STOP

~Matt

--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero

Wow that's desperate

Can you imagine being so short of troops that you needed to draft four-week-old boys? Welcome to Germany.

The German Army sent a draft notice to a four-week-old baby named Lucio, ordering him to report for duty within the next 10 days, before realising it had blundered.

Of course it was a mistake, but still quite humorous. Imagine trying to get combat boots that small.


~Matt

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Sparks

I haven't built up this much static electricity in a while, or at all that I can really remember.  I have hardwood floors and am wearing shoes, so it wasn't the stereotypical socks on carpet.  I just put my hand up to brace myself as I leaned over to examine my thermostat.  My index finger was perhaps a quarter of an inch away when it happened.

I saw a bright spark connect my finger and the metal of the thermostat.  I also felt it and heard a snap.  I've felt such shocks before, but never really seen one like this.  It was very bright, like an electrical or fire starting spark.  I didn't realize you could inadvertently build up static that powerfully.

~Matt

--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero

Matches

Have you ever tried to find matches at Wal-Mart?  Perhaps it is only the one that I went to, but I couldn't find them anywhere!  Well I suppose I could have gotten the small boxes that were at the check-out lanes, but I wanted big boxes that don't run out so quickly.  I checked in sporting goods and was directed towards hardware and lawn and garden.  From there I was sent a few other places and I never did find them anywhere.

Then I went to Kroger, asked at the Customer Service desk and the guy pointed towards the store's front wall.  "Right there by the charcoal."  Wow, that was easy!

~Matt

PS But I didn't look too closely.  I didn't realize they were strike on box until I got home.  But I did get three boxes for less than $1.50, and they each have a couple hundred matches!  <insert evil grin here>

--
"A room without books is as a body without a soul." -Cicero

Sleepover

Last night I slept over at my sister's place. She and most of the family headed down to my brother Larry in Tennessee to enjoy some Spring Break vacation. One of the older boys stayed behind, mostly so that he could get in some extra hours at McDonald's I think. Well, my sister asked me to stay over last night when he had some friends over.

I haven't gone anywhere in a while, so I did have to think for a bit before I got everything together that I would need. I needed the chargers for my cell phone and PDA as well as a spare alarm clock to ensure that I would wake up on time. Then I brought some of the bread that I baked yesterday, and the rest of the fixings for lunch (except for the chips, I stole those from my sister, ;-)).

I even remembered all of my toiletries, though I shaved last night rather than bringing my razor over. Well I slept well and even woke up early thanks to a second alarm on my cell phone. That one I set so I'd get up early enough to get the bread ready yesterday. I didn't get up with it (about thirty minutes early) but I did doze off and on and then got up about five minutes early rather than my usual five minutes late. That bit of time made a difference, even with the slightly different routine here at my sister's house rather than at my apartment.

I was ready to go about ten minutes before I need to. Then I discovered a problem. I couldn't find my keys. At first I looked everywhere that I'd been in the house (only a couple places as I pretty much just went straight to bed last night) and couldn't find them! Then I was thinking that I was sure I'd had them and they must be here, so I looked everywhere again. Finally I reflected again and realized that I wasn't so sure I'd had them last night after all. I do need to lock the door of my apartment when I leave, but not the front door of the building.

My hands were full when I left to cross the street last night, and I'm sure that I somehow just forgot them. Thankfully this is the first time this has happened in six months. Because of the cold snap though, even though I'm at my sister's place I elected to leave my car in my garage, figuring that a bit longer walk was worth a warmer car. This though leaves my car locked inside my apartment. I do have a spare car key, but no spare apartment key.

I'm going to call my landlord later (at what I can figure is a decent hour) and see when he could let me in. At that time I need to ask him if I can get a spare key that I could leave here at my sister's place. I'm not too worried about work besides the lost pay as they've not been keeping me that busy (in contrast to the Cincinnati plant where there is plenty that I could be doing right now!). I called in and let them know of the situation. Once I get access to my car I'll call them back and figure out the plan for the day.

Joy, joy, joy... ;-)

~Matt

PS UPDATE No, Mark, you may not quote me yet again, but I am an idiot. Of course this only happened after I left a message with my landlord (and haven't heard back) and finally called work to tell them that I couldn't make it in for sure. I found my keys. I replaced the water in one of my nephew's frog cages (as apparently needs to happen each day). His brother is supposed to do it, but he is still sleeping and I doubted that he would remember. I started moving the cages around and spot my keys laying there. Of course it is only now that I remember that my sister's front door was locked last night so I had to use my key to open it.

Earlier I couldn't remember that and so could convince myself that I must have left my keys. By this point the work day is nearly half over. I'll miss the day of pay, but I don't really want to have to call back in at this point--I'll just write off this day as a mistake and head into work tomorrow morning.

I'm too lazy

to type much tonight. So I settled for another picture post. Enjoy yet another view of the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. Thanks.

~Matt

PS If anyone visits me now I have a membership (free to employees) so I can get anyone in with me to one of the museums for free (with no notice). If I didn't have the card I'd have to request a comp ticket which takes a few days and you have to know exactly when you'll want to use it. Now I don't have to do that unless I have more than one person to get in. I think back to when I showed Mark and Julie the building. I could have gotten either of them into the museums, if only so briefly if I'd had the membership then (as I could have if I'd known of it!).

~Matt

Winter is over!