Due to some hardwre issues, all of skudd.com and any additional hosted domains were down from approximately 10:15AM CST through sometime around 8:30PM CST.
As of the time I write this, blog.skudd.com isn't back up yet, but various other domains are. Please be patient as everyone is doing what they can to get back on track. Downtime is part of technology and life, so deal with it.
So I have a bone to pick... No, not my femur...
Since way back before Christmas, everyone has been virtually non-existant. Why? Are you dead? Did you decide that the internet is a useless tool of society, intended to be used to destroy any chances you have at experiencing this thing called "free time"?
I think the only signs of life that I've seen at all here lately are a select few, and that's not really saying a whole lot, as I see people for all of 5 minutes anymore.
Now, don't get me wrong, I understand that life isn't always in favor of the hard-working, and things can come up that take up all your spare time (and then some). If you have things that are uber important, fine, take care of them. But if you're reading this right now, why not take a few seconds to let me know you're still alive?
So I've been having a CRAPLOAD of problems with Virgin Mobile, primarily related to the reliability of my phone... Well, I got tired of it, Dad needed a phone for himself, and we went to Wal-Mart to look at phones.
After browsing through the prepaid options, we found that Cingular's "GoPhone" was available there, and for a pretty reasonable rate. We got 2 Sony Ericsson phones for $100, and they each included $10 of airtime. We got home with them, and it was on to setting up the accounts...
To make a long story short, Cingular's website wins the #1 award for the most unusable website ever. Cryptic error messages, unreliable forms... The whole thing was f'ing nasty! I guess that's the price you pay, though... Better phone service, crappier website... What joy.
While I was waiting for my laser printer to warm up to print my forms, I got to thinking...
Consider a software development firm, or a computer graphics firm... The computers and software that they use to create their product is considered equipment. The product is a non-tangible good, so do they have to claim it as inventory on the business taxes?
I got my W2 today for working at the quick lube. Aside from earning just short of $10,000, I paid in nearly $1,000 in federal tax. After spending 20 minutes to fill out the forms, I found that I am eligible for about a $700 tax refund. Also, after paying almost $350 in state tax, I am eligible for a $24 refund.
Since I can't really afford to quit work and go back to school, I'm going to solo it and study for various certifications that I believe will assist me in the job market. I am starting with what I believe to be the easy ones, then save the difficult ones for last.
In no particular order:
- A+ Certification
- Network+ Certification
- Zend Certification
- MySQL Certification
I was up late last night. I just got a phone call, at 8:30AM. "Big Dude" supposedly "needs" me to go to work for him. I've not even had time to shower.
I am so f'ing sick and tired of this. People have absolutely NO consideration for me, and they expect me to just run and do everything at the drop of a f'ing hat.
I know I told you that I'd start working on SkuddBlog 2.0 again... I know I told you I was getting close to a release... Well... I was wrong.
After trying to muck my way through the nasty code, I decided to start fresh. Thus, SkuddBlog::Reincarnation.
Since many of you don't realise what I do for employment, have some information:
I am currently the manager of the 2-bay quick lube, owned by Quick Hick's Lube Express in Rensselaer, Indiana.
My work schedule typically consists of at least 40 hours a week, Monday through Saturday. The shop is open 8:00AM to 6:00PM Monday through Friday, and 8:00AM to 2:00PM on Saturday.
We provide the usual full-service oil change, consisting of new oil and oil filter, checking and "topping-off" any other fluids (coolant, washer fluid, power steering fluid, etc.), checking the drivedrain units for proper lubrication levels (transmission, differential, transfer case), greasing the suspension and drivetrain (if applicable), checking and adjusting the pressure in the tires (spare tire included), inspecting and replacing the air filter if necessary (additional cost), checking and replacing the wiper blades if necessary (additional cost), and washing the windshield.
Additional services we provide are a transmission flush service (18 quarts of new fluid), transfer case service (drain and fill with new fluid), differential service (drain and fill with new fluid), lamp replacement, battery testing and replacement, and air conditioner service.
As a manager, I am responsible for the proper and efficient completion of all the above services, maintaining shop inventory, typical employee management, customer conflict/complaint handling, nightly bank deposits, and maintaining the general order and operation of the shop.
I don't know why I even bothered spending the money on this rig... I am only home in the late evenings (6:30PM-7:20AM), and my parents are home at the same time.
Tonight, I decided to play for a little while -- the first time in probably a month or so I've actually played. I had been playing for about 3 songs, and I felt pretty good about how I was playing, so I decided to keep going. Mom knocked on my door and asked, "Is that as low as that will go?" I said, "No, but that's about as low as it can be so I can still hear it." She got pissed off, walked out, and slammed my door.
This is the usual case. I get bitched at for playing it, no matter what time of the day or day of the week it is. I spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 on the amp, the cables, and the guitar, and I'm not "allowed" to play it because it's "too noisy".
Give me a break.
I can remember countless times when I was growing up, trying to sleep either at night or in the morning, and hearing someone pounding away on the piano. Was I allowed to complain? Was I ever allowed to ask that she play quieter? No. If I even considered it I would have been yelled and screamed at because she supposedly never got to play any other time.
I'm sick of it. I want to be able to play when I want to. I get bitched at for this, I get bitched at for playing video games. I get bitched at for watching TV. I get bitched at for not being home. What am I supposed to do?
The phrase, "Damned if you do, damned if you dont," comes to mind.
Today, I was on the phone with "Boss Lady". We were discussing the current state of the company website, as I just recently added an employee "day off request" feature. She asked if I would be able to incorperate some sort of time clock for the guys at the other shop, where they don't really have the same computer system we do, and so she wouldn't have to hassle with paper time cards when she runs payroll every other week.
One thing lead to another, and I mentioned that the entire business could be run from the website, and from any computer with internet access. She was shocked (in a good way), and asked if I would really be able to put something together that would allow them to manage the inventory, the sales, payroll, and whatnot. I told her it was absolutely possible, but that it would be a rather large undertaking.
The last thing she said to me before we ended our conversation was, "Don't take this idea lightly. I really want to do it and I think you could make a very profitable product with it."
Trawling through the archives at m4tt towers, I came across this:
I wondering if I should follow this sage like advice.
Yes, I stated the blatently obvious. I've done something about it though: I've created a Netflix account.
You can see the RSS feed of my queue here if you'd like. You could also post a comment for a reccommendation of a movie you think I should see.