Good news and bad news.
The bad news is I didn't get the job with the Police Department. The interview went well, but I was one of five people they interviewed (out of lots of applications). Knowing Taos, they probably hired someone who is related to someone in the department. There's another possibility, though. When Valerie (the Assistant to the Chief of Police) called yesterday to say they'd chosen someone else, she told me that they're going to post another opening in a couple of days and she encouraged me to apply. The position is in the Records Department, but I forget the exact title of the job. Records Technician or something like that. Ron thinks maybe they hired the Records person as the Evidence Technician and that job would be a good way to get my foot in the door.
As long as they didn't hire me and confidentiality isn't such an issue, I can share with you what the Chief of Police (a very nice, approachable man, by the way) said to describe the police force: teenagers with guns. The other people from the department who were in the interview agreed with him.
The good news is that I think I have the job at the vet's, but I'm not completely certain yet. At the interview last Wednesday, we decided I would go in Monday morning for a couple of hours for what Dr. Kim called a Work Interview. It gave me a chance to sit at the front desk and see what the job would really be like. She said some people who've done that realize they can't handle the job. But I stayed for three hours and really enjoyed it. It was busy, but not crazy-busy. I've been there on occasions when it was crazy-busy and I think I could handle it. After just an hour, I was checking in people (and their animals) without any help. The computer system was easy to learn. I think I did very well. When I got home, I found out that while I was there, Dr. Kim had been checking my references. The woman I worked for in the Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau said she gave me a glowing recommendation, that I'm detail-oriented and personable and easy to work with. I'll know by the end of the week if I got it.
The "Global Warming" continues. A front is coming through today that will bring bitterly cold temperatures. The lows for the next several nights will be well below zero. The constant freezing and thawing is wreaking havoc on the roads around here. Driving from home to town is like playing a video game of Dodge the Potholes. As the potholes increase in numbers and size, the game becomes more challenging.
I'll post when I have news about the vet job.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
Updates of All Kinds
Yes, I'm still here; I just haven't felt like writing anything lately. But this post will make up for it, I hope. It's going to be very long (and getting longer all the time).
There is a tiny pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel. A few days before Christmas, I applied for a job with the Town of Taos Police Department. The position is Administrative Assistant/Evidence Technician. They want someone with good computer skills, which I definitely have. Duties would include logging in new evidence and destroying old evidence. It sounds a lot more interesting than Algebra! And as Mom said, it would give me good material for my writing. I got a phone call yesterday from the Assistant to the Chief of Police and we've scheduled an interview for next Friday, a week from today. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Another good thing about the job is the location -- right next door to Ron's office. We may be able to carpool sometimes, or at least have lunch together now and then.
As I was writing the rough draft of this post, I got another phone call and have another interview scheduled for next Wednesday evening. This job is with our vet's office. It's another administrative job, but would also include working with animals (or at least cleaning up after them). The great thing about this job is that I already know and like everyone and they know and like me. Dr. Kim, the owner of the practice, is especially happy with the way we've rehabilitated two of our animals, Princess and King (King's story is coming soon, I promise). So keep your fingers crossed for that one, too.
Moving on to another topic entirely, if any of you see Al Gore, tell him to visit Northern New Mexico so I can show him there is no Global Warming here.
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it snowed every two to four days, several inches at a time. We haven't had any new snow since Christmas (although we're supposed to get several inches this weekend), but we've had bitterly cold temperatures.
Tuesday morning, the low temperature was MINUS 14. Wednesday morning it was MINUS 8. On those days, the high temperature was 22. Yesterday it got up to 34 and that felt positively balmy. We've been keeping warm from the inside out -- hot soup, hot chocolate, and hot tea.
One more story, a long and detailed one, but it has a happy ending.
Last Friday evening, December 28, Ron was driving back to Taos from Angel Fire, a town on the other side of the mountains. He was driving his company truck, a huge 1992 Chevy Suburban. The road is curvy and goes over a high mountain pass and through a canyon. Some stretches of the road were completely covered in ice because the sunlight never reaches there because of the high canyon walls. In a way, the ice was a good thing because it kept him from going very fast. In fact, he was only going 25 mph when....
an elk jumped out in front of him!
He couldn't stop in time and his truck hit the elk with its left front, then came to a stop. The car following Ron also came to a stop and the people got out to make sure he was OK. There's no cell phone reception in the canyon, so they couldn't call the police. Both vehicles were still in the road and in danger of being hit by other cars, so they decided the people in the other car would follow Ron into town. As they discussed this, they saw the elk stand up, shake herself off, and walk away!
Ron was able to drive all the way back to Taos. The front grill area of the truck was smashed in and the left headlight was broken and the radiator was spewing steam and leaking coolant out the bottom.
Once he had a cell phone signal, Ron called me to tell me what had happened. When he got back to his office, he called the State Police and called his supervisor. Then he called me again, asking me to come down to the office to give him moral support. By the time I got there, the State Police Officer was just finishing up his report. He said there would be no citation, as it was obviously an accident. And he found clumps of elk fur stuck in the license plate frame, confirming that the vehicle had, in fact hit an elk.
So the good news is that Ron's OK (the Suburban is a very high vehicle; if it had been a regular car, the elk probably would have come in through the windshield). Miraculously, the elk is OK (too bad in a way; I was hoping for fresh elk steak). The truck should probably be considered totalled, but Qwest, in its infinite wisdom, doesn't want to waste a perfectly good 1992 truck and is going to have it repaired.
There is a tiny pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel. A few days before Christmas, I applied for a job with the Town of Taos Police Department. The position is Administrative Assistant/Evidence Technician. They want someone with good computer skills, which I definitely have. Duties would include logging in new evidence and destroying old evidence. It sounds a lot more interesting than Algebra! And as Mom said, it would give me good material for my writing. I got a phone call yesterday from the Assistant to the Chief of Police and we've scheduled an interview for next Friday, a week from today. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Another good thing about the job is the location -- right next door to Ron's office. We may be able to carpool sometimes, or at least have lunch together now and then.
As I was writing the rough draft of this post, I got another phone call and have another interview scheduled for next Wednesday evening. This job is with our vet's office. It's another administrative job, but would also include working with animals (or at least cleaning up after them). The great thing about this job is that I already know and like everyone and they know and like me. Dr. Kim, the owner of the practice, is especially happy with the way we've rehabilitated two of our animals, Princess and King (King's story is coming soon, I promise). So keep your fingers crossed for that one, too.
Moving on to another topic entirely, if any of you see Al Gore, tell him to visit Northern New Mexico so I can show him there is no Global Warming here.
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it snowed every two to four days, several inches at a time. We haven't had any new snow since Christmas (although we're supposed to get several inches this weekend), but we've had bitterly cold temperatures.
Tuesday morning, the low temperature was MINUS 14. Wednesday morning it was MINUS 8. On those days, the high temperature was 22. Yesterday it got up to 34 and that felt positively balmy. We've been keeping warm from the inside out -- hot soup, hot chocolate, and hot tea.
One more story, a long and detailed one, but it has a happy ending.
Last Friday evening, December 28, Ron was driving back to Taos from Angel Fire, a town on the other side of the mountains. He was driving his company truck, a huge 1992 Chevy Suburban. The road is curvy and goes over a high mountain pass and through a canyon. Some stretches of the road were completely covered in ice because the sunlight never reaches there because of the high canyon walls. In a way, the ice was a good thing because it kept him from going very fast. In fact, he was only going 25 mph when....
an elk jumped out in front of him!
He couldn't stop in time and his truck hit the elk with its left front, then came to a stop. The car following Ron also came to a stop and the people got out to make sure he was OK. There's no cell phone reception in the canyon, so they couldn't call the police. Both vehicles were still in the road and in danger of being hit by other cars, so they decided the people in the other car would follow Ron into town. As they discussed this, they saw the elk stand up, shake herself off, and walk away!
Ron was able to drive all the way back to Taos. The front grill area of the truck was smashed in and the left headlight was broken and the radiator was spewing steam and leaking coolant out the bottom.
Once he had a cell phone signal, Ron called me to tell me what had happened. When he got back to his office, he called the State Police and called his supervisor. Then he called me again, asking me to come down to the office to give him moral support. By the time I got there, the State Police Officer was just finishing up his report. He said there would be no citation, as it was obviously an accident. And he found clumps of elk fur stuck in the license plate frame, confirming that the vehicle had, in fact hit an elk.
So the good news is that Ron's OK (the Suburban is a very high vehicle; if it had been a regular car, the elk probably would have come in through the windshield). Miraculously, the elk is OK (too bad in a way; I was hoping for fresh elk steak). The truck should probably be considered totalled, but Qwest, in its infinite wisdom, doesn't want to waste a perfectly good 1992 truck and is going to have it repaired.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
So Much For That Idea
I don't have to worry about understanding physics. The gig is off. I won't be working for Beacon. It turns out their VPN (Virtual Private Network) software won't work with wireless internet connections -- only cable or DSL. They've tried it before and it didn't work and it still doesn't work. So I'll pack up all their equipment and send it back.
We're just a little too far from town (the telephone central office) to get DSL. Qwest has been promising for years that they'll install DSL (and the equipment necessary to get it) in this area "in the next few months" but it hasn't happened yet. There are plenty of homes in the area and plenty of people who really really want DSL. So what does Qwest do? They put DSL in tiny towns like Angel Fire and Penasco. It doesn't make sense.
Do I sound bitter? I am. I'm angry and frustrated.
So is Ron. He decided that next week he's going to file a complaint with the Public Regulatory Commission about Qwest's refusal to provide DSL service and how that's causing us loss of income. Of course he's filing the complaint as a Qwest customer, not a Qwest employee. Maybe if the PRC gets enough complaints, they can force Qwest do do something.
We're just a little too far from town (the telephone central office) to get DSL. Qwest has been promising for years that they'll install DSL (and the equipment necessary to get it) in this area "in the next few months" but it hasn't happened yet. There are plenty of homes in the area and plenty of people who really really want DSL. So what does Qwest do? They put DSL in tiny towns like Angel Fire and Penasco. It doesn't make sense.
Do I sound bitter? I am. I'm angry and frustrated.
So is Ron. He decided that next week he's going to file a complaint with the Public Regulatory Commission about Qwest's refusal to provide DSL service and how that's causing us loss of income. Of course he's filing the complaint as a Qwest customer, not a Qwest employee. Maybe if the PRC gets enough complaints, they can force Qwest do do something.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Someday I'll Start
I haven't started training with Beacon yet, but I've gotten to know two of the Tech Support guys, one by phone and one by email.
The first computer they sent me didn't have ports for the keyboard and mouse. After much emailing back and forth, the main Tech Support guy, Jarrod, apologized and said he should have sent me a USB keyboard and mouse instead of the OS2 ones he did send. So he sent me the USB keyboard and mouse via FedEx overnight. When they arrived, I plugged them in and started up the computer, but got an error message that Windows did not start successfully. It went downhill from there. I couldn't connect with the company's network. Jarrod called me on the phone and we tried various things. Finally he decided that the computer was beyond help and they would have to send me another one. Of course this was on Friday (November 9) afternoon, so they couldn't send it until Monday morning. He also told me that he would be gone the following week and Bill would help me. (This was an already-scheduled, already-planned vacation; no, I didn't drive him away.)
I got the new computer Tuesday afternoon and at least it started up successfully, but I still couldn't connect with the network. So much of Wednesday and Thursday was spent emailing back and forth with Bill trying different things, but I'm still not connected.
So I'll start again Monday morning with Jarrod.
Everyone has been very apologetic -- the recruiter, the HR person, and my boss, who assured me that, "It seems like getting connected is the hardest part, but once we get that ironed out, there are very few tech problems for remotes. Promise!"
The first computer they sent me didn't have ports for the keyboard and mouse. After much emailing back and forth, the main Tech Support guy, Jarrod, apologized and said he should have sent me a USB keyboard and mouse instead of the OS2 ones he did send. So he sent me the USB keyboard and mouse via FedEx overnight. When they arrived, I plugged them in and started up the computer, but got an error message that Windows did not start successfully. It went downhill from there. I couldn't connect with the company's network. Jarrod called me on the phone and we tried various things. Finally he decided that the computer was beyond help and they would have to send me another one. Of course this was on Friday (November 9) afternoon, so they couldn't send it until Monday morning. He also told me that he would be gone the following week and Bill would help me. (This was an already-scheduled, already-planned vacation; no, I didn't drive him away.)
I got the new computer Tuesday afternoon and at least it started up successfully, but I still couldn't connect with the network. So much of Wednesday and Thursday was spent emailing back and forth with Bill trying different things, but I'm still not connected.
So I'll start again Monday morning with Jarrod.
Everyone has been very apologetic -- the recruiter, the HR person, and my boss, who assured me that, "It seems like getting connected is the hardest part, but once we get that ironed out, there are very few tech problems for remotes. Promise!"
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Another New Gig
I got another copy editing gig! This one is different. I won't be an independent contractor; I'll be a full-fledged (but part-time) employee. With benefits! Paid time off! Paid training (the first 6 weeks)! They'll even reimburse me for my Internet Service Provider charges. Not only that, they sent me a computer (just for use on their stuff, of course). They asked me to commit to at least 20 hours per week, but it could be more than that.
So who are these people, you're asking. BeaconPMG. According to the website, it's "a publishing services company that provides project management, editorial, composition, new media and related services to book and journal publishers."
I will be editing a physics journal. Yikes! The woman I've been talking to said it's one of their most prestigious journals. Double yikes! Between this physics journal and the algebra I've been editing, I'm learning a lot.
I officially start my training on Thursday. I'll post more then.
So who are these people, you're asking. BeaconPMG. According to the website, it's "a publishing services company that provides project management, editorial, composition, new media and related services to book and journal publishers."
I will be editing a physics journal. Yikes! The woman I've been talking to said it's one of their most prestigious journals. Double yikes! Between this physics journal and the algebra I've been editing, I'm learning a lot.
I officially start my training on Thursday. I'll post more then.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Balloon Rally
This weekend was the 25th annual Taos Mountain Balloon Rally. These photos are from this morning's Mass Ascension, about 8:00 a.m.
We didn't have to go into town to see the ballons; they came to us, one in particular.
It landed down the road from our house. I could hear the pilot firing up the burner (these balloons use propane burners, not helium), apparently trying to get the balloon to rise, but to no avial. It wasn't an ideal landing spot; it was very close to a semi-busy road, the one that our dirt road leads to. I think they landed on a patch of grass near the intersection. The "chase crew" arrived soon after to help deflate the balloon and haul away the balloon, gondola, and passengers.
The firing up of the burners makes a strange sound, kind of like the sound of Darth Vader exhaling. I heard other balloons fire up their burners, too, as they drifted nearby (none as near as that first one). It was the only sound on an otherwise quiet morning.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Brutus
The next dog to join the family was Brutus. He was our first Shelter Dog.
In May, 2003, Big was having more trouble with his rear legs and we were certain he had less than a year to live. We thought it would be a good idea to get a "replacement" that Big could train to be a guard dog while he was still able to.
So we went to the animal shelter "just to look around." Anyone who goes to an animal shelter just to look around and leaves empty-handed has very strong will power.
When we pulled up in front of the shelter, some of the dogs were in the outside pens. The first dog we noticed was Brutus. First, because he looked like a miniature Big (but with tiger stripes!) and second, because he looked so happy and friendly. We looked at the other dogs, but kept coming back to Brutus. Then we went inside and talked to the shelter people. Brutus (as they had named him) hadn't been there very long. He had been turned in by people who raised sheep; they told the shelter, "He's been hanging around the sheep corral trying to bite the sheep." He was probably just hungry. He wasn't aggressive or vicious at all. We took him for a "test drive" around the parking lot on a leash and he was just happy and friendly.
He was such a happy dog, everyone at the shelter loved him. One of the volunteers (who is also a vet tech at our vet's office) had been considering adopting him. She was off that day and they called her at home to see if was OK with her if we adopted him. She gave her consent and we filled out the paperwork and took him home.
Big and Wolfie didn't exactly welcome him with open paws. There was definitely a period of adjustment all around. Eventually the three of them became friends and everything has been smooth since then.
He's a boxer mixed with pit bull, but all his records at the shelter and now at are vet just say, "Boxer Mix" because of rampant pit bull prejudice.
Brutus weighs about 60 pounds. For most people, that's a normal-sized dog, but for us, it's small, so one of his nicknames is Little One (also Puppy Face). But he has a very deep bark that sounds like it's coming from a much bigger dog. Big has done a great job training Brutus how to be a guard dog.
And all these years later, Big is still hanging in there, but we don't know how much time he has left.
Meanwhile, Brutus knows how to enjoy life.
We've since replaced that 20-year-old couch with a new leather one and none of the animals are allowed on it, so he spends a lot of time on the bed.
Rough life for a shelter dog, isn't it?
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