More Snow?

What is up with this weather?  I just looked at the window and see that it snowed yet again.  When is enough really enough.  Granted it was only a dusting.  Raise your hand if you are sick of snow?  Only in Cincinnati.  *lol*  Well, my somewhat new computer “BlueSilhouette” I’m naming him is coming along pretty good.  It’s a faster computer than “TRexSmarts”.  TRexSmarts is an 800 mhz computer whereas BlueSilhouette is a 2.8 ghz computer.  BlueSilhouette runs so fast that when I turn my back to go and so something it’s there ready to go.  Today after work I’m going to be coming home and downloading more windows updates for BlueSilhouette and the one file that is in stored to be downloaded is going to take 5 hours and 46 minutes.  Got to love dial up speed?  Speaking of TRexSmarts, it’s official, has a virus on it.  So, it’s beginning to look more and more like I’m going to reinstall windows on TRexSmarts.  It’s been a few years since I last did it and there are software that I know I won’t be using on it anymore or haven’t used on it in a long time.  I haven’t decided if I want to take the TV tuner card and my sound card out of TRexSmarts and put them into BlueSilhouette.  If I do that, BlueSilhouette is going to need more RAM and either a second hard drive or a bigger hard drive.  Over time though I’ll make those decision.  Anyway, my lunch is packed and it’s ready for me to get ready to go and catch to bus to head to work.  Got to love my job.

TL

I’m back on the internet but…

Hello everybody.  The good news is that I’m back on the internet at my place.  The bad news is that I’m actually on as dial up speed.  I’m actually going through my blackberry acting as a modem.  This will do for the time being until I actually do get faster internet access.  Also, everybody will now be able to see when I do have a new blog because it will be sent via Twitter.  Probably this weekend I’ll be putting finishing touches on this computer that I’m fixing up for myself and I’ll start posting more often now.  But for now, I’m heading back to downloading updates and etc at the slowest speed possible.

TL

Taking to long but worth the wait…

Wow, I'm really not doing to good this year on blogging am I? Just goes and shows, one, how busy I am, and two, what happens when the only time you can get on the internet is when I'm at work. Still have no internet at home. Probably be a while before I get it too. But I do have a few things in the work for getting the internet. Let's just see how they pan out before I'll tell you all what they were. I'm continuing to work on the other computers I got and trying to get them up and running. So far every thing I have done to get them working has failed but I'm closer than I was when I got the computers. I can't wait to get them up and running. It will be a major upgrade to TRexSmarts but I can then dedicate TRexSmarts to being my TV basically.

As for me, I'm doing pretty well. I'm getting better day by day as I slowly get on my feet. Still have some things that I need to work on. For example, still have probably spending money when I shouldn't but I think that will change here in the coming months as I'll be paying for all of my rent, utilities, and cell phone bill on my own without the help of HEARTH. After I pay these bills and put in $50 into my IDA account, I'm only down to like $50 for the whole month. Of that remaining $50, I have to use $10 for laundry. If this doesn't fix my spending habit nothing will. Also, I need to start working back on getting my diabetes back on track. I was doing such a great job before all my homelessness problems started that I completely lost all that momentum. I need to gain that momentum back and get back on track.

Now, let's talk about my job here at Brighton Center. A lot of things have gone on here these last few weeks. I was moved out of my office that I had on my own on the first floor up to the third floor sharing an office with another VISTA member. Talking about a contrast of differences on the different floors is amazing. On the first floor, it's very busy and active but up here on the third floor it's very quiet. It's great sharing an office though. We both are currently working on a project together so we can talk about that project whenever rather than having to hunt each other down when we need to ask each other questions. Also, the job is going great. Here is an article about a homeless couple that I referred on to the Cold Shelter that got me recognized by Brighton Center. You can find the story here: http://nky.cincinnati.com/print/article/AB/20100130/NEWS0103/1310351/Shelter-aids-homeless-workers. Even though it doesn't say my name specifically but I'm the one that referred them on. So, print it out and save it. I'm famous in a round about way. *lol*

Anyway, back to work I go I guess. I'll try and start updating my blog more!

TL

Long time...

Not a good way to start the new year is it? It's been a while since I last wrote. It's very hard to write when you don't have internet access at home. My only place that does access is here at work. So I have a few minutes to type this up. A lot of changes are being made here at work. These last few days I seem to be running around the work place with my head cut off. But it's finally getting under control. My new place is pretty good as well. Starting to get it organized finally as friends are giving me furniture. So it's starting to feel homey. Which is good. Anyway, time for me to get to work.

TL

Year In Review

This will be the very last blog post for the year 2009. So, I'm going to do a year in review. As I sit here thinking about the things I have been through over this last year, it's amazing how far I have came. At this time last year, I was literally living out of my car in Burlington, KY. I celebrated New Year's Eve in the back seat of my car. That is how I brought in the year 2009. All alone, cold, and homeless. 2009 saw me mainly struggle to stay afloat and keep my moral high. As many of you all know, back in April 2008, I was in the hospital with Cellulitis Infection. While in the hospital, I was also diagnosed with diabetes. So, the year 2009 was the first full year of my diabetes. It was only a few months after I was healed and went back to work before I decided it was time to leave SharpShooter Imaging. But I had to leave. So for me, it started my odyssey of finding me a new job. This task that took me over a year before I found employment with AmeriCorps VISTA. I'm working now at the Brighton Center.

Going back to New Year's Eve, as I sat in the back seat of my car, I couldn't believe how far my life went downhill. But what helped me carry on and stay positive was my personality. I refused to give up live. To me, this was just another challenge in my life and I was going to tackle it face on. I made a plan that night on how I was going to survive this situation I was in. It started with my spending habits. For one whole month, I tracked my spending from food to gas I was putting into the car to the monthly bills. After that month, I created my spending plan. I was able to get food stamps that kept me from spending any of my actual money on food. I was able to keep track of my gas mileage and cost of gas. I was going to have to keep track how many miles I went on one tank of gas and try to cut back on my driving. I was going to have to make my gas stretch over a period of time. But it was hard when you live in your car in the middle of the winter and I needed to run the heat. I came up with a plan on when to run the heat or turn the car on. I also had to watch what I spent my actual money on. I still went to the movies once a week or to Barnes and Nobles to read but I made sure when there I didn't go hog crazy buying stuff. To me it was my Saturday Night Date with myself. It was my way of relaxing and staying sane.

As I was doing all this, I was going to the Kenton County Library everyday from the time they opened to the time they closed I was there searching for a job, reading books on how I could better myself in the job market, how I can re-tool my resume, and etc. Can't tell you how many times I actually changed my resume or my cover letter. From January to March I was doing this every day. I was going to the library all day every day job searching and etc. Also, I was trying to elude the repo people. I was trying to savage keeping my car without it being repo. I managed to elude them until March. That's when I had a friend talked me into giving up my car and going out on the road with him in his truck. So, from March until like May I was riding in a semi-truck across the United States. It was a great experience for me. This was like a mini vacation for me but I knew I still needed to find a job. My friend decided to change jobs and in doing so, I could no longer ride along with him in the truck. So, he and his dad allowed me to stay there with them while he was on the road. At the trailer from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep, I continue job searching. I was receiving the calls but they were job screening calls and I never heard back from them. I stayed with his dad from middle of May until end of June.

It was at the end of June, that my friend came up to me and basically told me that on June 29 that he was going to drop me off in Cincinnati no matter if I have a place to stay or not. Luckily, the day before, a couple of old friends that I consider as my 2^nd parents allowed me to stay with them. The idea was to stay with them for only a month and be gone. That was what was given to me. But this is where my year finally started turning into my favor. The month I was given, I was able to find employment with AmeriCorps VISTA volunteering my job and I do receive a living allowance. So, I have money coming in and I'm gaining full time experience as well. But I have to give a year of my time. Which it is very much worth it for me. From July until December, I stayed with them. I started working at the Brighton Center in September. Then in December, with the help of the HEARTH program and Brighton Center, I was able to get my own apartment for now. So, I'm slowly starting to get back on my feet.

What does the year 2010 have in store for me? Well already know that I'm going to be working until September and also have an apartment until then as well. I'm slowly building up my bank account and saving account. So, I'm slowly learning about finances. Still have a long ways to go but I'm heading in the right direction. So, continue following me and my blog over the upcoming year and watch me grow as a person. Happy New Year's everybody!

 

TL

Merry Christmas Everybody…

I want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year’s.  I’m currently at Richard and Cathy’s place for the next few days for Christmas.  I came here right after work.  Maybe this is a change in me?  I usually don’t do anything for Christmas.  I usually just stay at my place and stay coup up and depressed but I’m here.  A lot has happened to me over a year.  So, hopefully this new year will bring a lot of great things for me.  I will be doing a more “Year in Review” post closer to New Year’s.  But for now, I hope everybody have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s.

TL

It's Christmas Eve's Christmas Eve...

That's right folks, it's Christmas Eve's Christmas Eve! Yippee..................(ok, I got carry away there) But it was fun on my part. Not much is really going. Continuing to get settle in my new place. It's been like two to three weeks now. Finding little problems here and there but nothing that can't be fixed. A lot of petty things are going on in my life but it will work out eventually. Just gotta hang around for support. It's been choatic around work these last few days with Brighton Center's Holiday Drive. Best way to explain how it was here at Brighton Center is to imagine that you are the frog on the game Frogger. Remember that game Frogger? You have to get to the other side of the street without being splat? Well, that's how it was here but advance level. *lol* But I did manage to get a lot of things done with the project I'm supposed to be getting done. I should be ready for a launch right after the New Years.

What is everybody's plan for Christmas? I'm going to head over to Richard's and Cathy's place for Christmas dinner. Thinking about leaving Christmas Eve to go there and stay until Saturday. Then I'm off until Tuesday. So, Sunday and Monday looks like cleaning and watching movies that I borrowed from my friend Chris. So, if anybody wants to do anything, I'm free.

TL

Like A Kid in a Candy Store...

That is exactly how I feel when it comes to finding cheap computers. Just like a kid in a candy store. That was me yesterday, a kid in a candy store when I found two computers in the Brighton Center Clothing Closet that somebody donated which I was able to buy for $8. One of the computers I got was similar to TRexSmarts (my very first computer I got in 2000). I was able to get TRexSmarts to come alive after matching up the ram correctly. I also found out in the process of checking out TRexSmarts that my tv cable is still on. Which allows me to use my tv tuner card on TRexSmarts. So, for now, one of my computers is up. Just have to get Glaive working. That might be a few weeks or months probably. As for the other two, I do know one of the computers I go does work. It is actually the same model but a different mhz speed. TRexSmarts is an 800 mhz whereas the other one is 730 mhz. I could basically take the sides panels off of the computer and give them to TRexSmarts if I want. But more importantly TRexSmarts is up and ready to go. Here is my to do list:

Internet:

1) Setup my network for my computers
2) See if I can get the internet

TRexSmarts:

1) Dust out the inside of computer.
2) Setup my surround sound to computer
3) Once I have internet connection:
A) update virus definitions & Nav 8
B) update windows
C) update spyware
D) update any drivers

Glaive:
1) Get Ram for computer
2) Dust out the inside of computer
3) Once I have internet connection: (same as TRexSmarts above)

So, as you can tell, I have a lot to do still with my two regular computers. But not only that, I also got two more computers to work on as well. Anyway, off to work I go feeling like a million bucks baby!!!!!!!!!!

TL

A lot has happened...

Just to give a few people some update about me. Last Saturday, December 5, some of you might have heard that I moved out of Richard and Cathy's place to my own apartment. Even though this is temporarily for the year I'm working as a VISTA unless the Brighton Center hires me on. But that's a different story. Anyway, it's going to be a while before I get my computers up and running. I'm literally going to have to bring them back from the dead. There are parts I'm going to have to buy that I don't quite have the money to buy the parts. So, it might be a while, and since I can't get my computers up and running, it might be a little longer than usual between my blogs. Hence this one...

Anyway, I have stayed a week in the new apartment in Dayton, KY. There are some little problems but I'm on it. With the windows being so huge, a lot of wind drifts are coming in under the windows. Which makes the bedroom like 3 to 5 degrees different than the living room. As of right now, I have moved all my stuff out of the bedroom and staying in the living room and basically closed the bedroom door and put a towel under the door. Also, it looks like the heat isn't coming out of the vent to good in the bedroom. Also, learned on Saturday that my panel to let people inside the building isn't working. So, I'm going to have to call the management team and let them know about that. Basically, it's just little stuff like that. Otherwise, the place is great.

Also, on Saturday, I fell and hit my head pretty good as I was walking up the steps. Hurt like hell but I'm alive and doing well. The somewhat funny thing is as I was doing laundry on Sunday I was watching people walking up the same steps and doing the same thing that I was but not as serious I did. I'm just like I hit the wood frame straight on rather than on the corner or go through the glass.

What about those Kentucky Wildcats? I have been watching those games when I can. I must say they are getting better and better after each game. Just two more wins away from 2000 wins. Sorry North Carolina, we are still the best program!

TL

My New Home Sweet Home…

This week has seen another big step in my big come back on setting this world on fire.  This week sees me signing a lease to a new place, and moving in to the new place.  So, this is another huge step for me.  Now, I can turn my attention to my finances and social networking.  In regards of my finances, I’m going to scale back my transfer of money into my saving account to build up my checking account again.  I hate to do it but I need too rebuild my checking account up.  As far for the social networking is going to help me down the road to find a job when I’m done with AmeriCorps.  Networking will be a major challenge for me.  But will be great for me working on this challenge.

But back to this new place.  I’m very thrilled to get back into a place.  I thought I would never see this for a while longer.  But I very thrilled.

TL