My eyes are bleeding.

[lance_sibley]

Jeez Louise, you Toronto Trek concom members write long reports... all 134 of them. (Reports, that is... not concom members. ;) )

*rubs eyes vigourously*

So apparently I have to give Tink the opportunity to call me a liar. Let's see, what can I say about last night...

I'm enjoying bowling with the new team - first of all, they actually treat me as a team member, unlike the guys I was with the past two years who would completely ignore me when I walked off the lane. Though I nearly sliced my wrist open on Mario's wrist guard when he gave me a high-five. Yikes.

I got off to a slow start, only bowling a 133 in the first game. I think part of this was because traffic was so bad that I didn't get to the alley until 6:30, and by the time I'd had some food - bacon, ham and pepperoni pizza, the breakfast of champions (yes, I said "6:30" and "breakfast") - it was nearly time to start, so I only got one practice frame in. It took quite a while for me to figure out that I had to move two and a half boards to the left in order to hit the pocket - my ball doesn't normally curve that much. The second game was average - 167 - and then I had a really good third game, 201. So I can relax; I've earned my "200 Club" t-shirt for this year already. (I know, I know... I don't need any more t-shirts. I need hand towels* even less.)

I had a call today from a company requesting a reference for dx4's brother. I hope I wasn't too effusive in my praise... they may not believe it. I ask those of you who know Nik - was saying "he's fantastic to work with, does his work efficiently, without complaint and goes above and beyond what we ask and I would certainly recommend him" too much? I thought it odd that she asked me twice if I still "employed" him; it was almost as though she wouldn't believe that I would tell a possible rival that he was a good employee unless I was trying to get rid of him. I explained that I wasn't so much his "employer" as one of his supervisors in a volunteer capacity, and now I'm wondering whether I should have bothered to make that distinction.

I've gotten several notifications about jobs I may be qualified for over the past week or so; I suppose I should send resumes out, shouldn't I? I'm considering looking into taking some object-oriented programming courses, too; it would have been convenient to take them this fall, but I missed the application deadlines while I was fighting with my mother for the money to be able to afford them. I don't particularly want to go back to school (not to mention the fact that I'm pushing 40 here), but I can't sit around here all day waiting for a mainframe job to open up. I know that eventually, as more baby-boomers retire, there will be more opportunities on legacy systems, but it can't hurt to pick up some more up-to-date knowledge. I could teach myself, now that I have the necessary books (it's how I've picked up what little web programming skills I have now), but for some reason I suspect employers would rather look at people with formal education. Ugh.

---

* For "hand towel", read "cum rag."

Comments

[ozreison.livejournal.com]

Jeez Louise, you Toronto Trek concom members write long reports... all 134 of them. (Reports, that is... not concom members. ;) )

Erm, I thought that's what we were supposed to do. Long, detailed reports so you guys can figure out what to do next year, or something.

The whole wearing you out thing is just gravy. *ducks*

I ask those of you who know Nik - was saying "he's fantastic to work with, does his work efficiently, without complaint and goes above and beyond what we ask and I would certainly recommend him" too much?

No. Absolutely not. That describes him to a T. I have never had a volunteer employee who has worked as hard as that boy does. If they doubt you, send them to me, and I'll back you up completely.

I thought it odd that she asked me twice if I still "employed" him; it was almost as though she wouldn't believe that I would tell a possible rival that he was a good employee unless I was trying to get rid of him. I explained that I wasn't so much his "employer" as one of his supervisors in a volunteer capacity, and now I'm wondering whether I should have bothered to make that distinction.

It probably shouldn't make a difference. If he works hard at a volunteer job, which he's not getting paid for, imagine how good he'll be with the added incentive?

I suppose I should send resumes out, shouldn't I?

Yep.

I don't particularly want to go back to school (not to mention the fact that I'm pushing 40 here), but I can't sit around here all day waiting for a mainframe job to open up.

Pushing 40. Ha. Quit making yourself sound old. :P

Education can't hurt at all, and it shows a willingness to go out and upgrade and update, and shows that you aren't stuck in whatever it was you learned ten years ago.

And you never know, you might end up learning something you really enjoy. Go back and take something you like, and see where it goes from there. ;)

And if you ever need essays editted, at least you know you have a lot of people online willing to help you out. You'll get A's across the board. :D

[travellingone.livejournal.com]

Oh, speaking of. Can I list you as a volunteer reference?

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

Absolutely!

[travellingone.livejournal.com]

I also wanted to say...

If I'm sending resumes out, so should you. :)

And pushing 40? Please. In this day and age, that's not old. If I can consider going back to school for three years to do my MBA part time, you can as well. At the risk of sounding like my mother, education is never a waste. We're really fortunate that we live in a society that offers that opportunity. Yes, it's a pain in the ass. Yes, it's time consuming. But think of the personal satisfaction and the potential future it can open up.

Ahem. Sorry, didn't mean to preach.

(Keep in mind you're talking to someone who wants to get her doctorate so she can call her Dr. R)

[avt-tor.livejournal.com]

What he said. I'm working on a degree at Ryerson (and when I was Lance's age, Buffy was still in high school ).

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

My mother mousewrangler just got her Master's degree this summer. I'm 28 and probably shouldn't tell you how old my mother is. ;)

Bowling

[(Anonymous)]

Ah Lance, I knew it!!!! *grin* But hey babe, that's what made it such fun...
& you know, the team is delighted to have you (at long last, I might add) on the team....& do watch out for Marios'wrist thingy...It's also brutal on the fingers..
If you have sooooo many teeshirts, you COULD donate it to me. God knows I will NEVER live long enough to get one myself!!!
As for pushing 40, welllllll.......you DON'T want to say that around me...Especially this Wednesday, which will be my birthday...

Re: Bowling

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

If you have sooooo many teeshirts, you COULD donate it to me. God knows I will NEVER live long enough to get one myself!!!

We'll see if this year's shirts are a colour I already have. ;)

[dlacey.livejournal.com]

I don't particularly want to go back to school (not to mention the fact that I'm pushing 40 here)

Backing up what others have said, I'm pulling 40 and in school. It's a great experience.