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The ISS (International Space Station) is especially visible for folks in N. America these days... click the link above for sighting info, and details for your areas as to where to spot the ISS in your skies.
So cool... I had a listing for 1:10am Sunday morning in my location (about 40 minutes ago), and went out on the balcony... and saw it at about 1:12am on my clock.
It was supposed to be visible for 5 minutes, but in reality, I only was able to see it for about 30 seconds. If not for the building blocking it's approach, I might have been able to see it for a minute or so.
Anyway... that was pretty damn cool... essentially just a bright light that flew by directly over head. When it was right overhead it was really, really bright, bright enough that the reflected light was "flaring" off it, and then faded as it moved across the sky.
When I read that the ISS circles the globe every 90 minutes I thought it must be a typo... too fast, I thought... but having seen it tear across the sky, ... wow... it IS fast lol.
I expected to see something more like other satellites I've seen over the years that are faint, and move slowly across the sky... but this was super bright and fast.
Awesome, awesome, stuff... strange to think there are people in that thing, way up there, hurtling through the black.
Wow... it's been a while since I updated.
Anyhoo... as I explained in my last post, I had applied for a new job in a new city, doing very different work than I'm currently doing.
Unfortunately, I did not get called in for an interview :( .
I'm only semi-disappointed. I mean... I'm disappointed that it didn't work out. I think if would have been a rewarding, interesting job, with a lot to offer over and above what I have with my current job.
And I know Lisa was excited about the potential of moving to Salmon Arm.
But... at the same time, I kind of thought the job was a long shot, so I hadn't gotten my hopes too high. I *did* think I'd at least get an interview... but c'est la vie, right?
So, for now it's business as usual.
Summer is kicking in to high gear here. After a cool damp spring, early summer is hot and dry... and the forest fires are starting again. There's one that started Sunday night (lightning strike) about 8 km out of town. So far not too big (about 8 hectares) so not a lot of smoke in the valley... yet... but last word was they hadn't come close to having the fire contained, so who knows how big it'll get in the next few days.
Lisa and I are trying to figure out how to go camping with Emma. We use a tent when camping, and just bought a nice tent a couple years ago... but that was before Emma came along, and while it's a nice tent for Lisa and I, there is no room, really, for Emma in there with us. Well, unless she just slept on the mattress between us, but we don't really think that's a good idea.
So we're considering getting another new tent... a big family-sized one. It'd be great to have a nice big, roomy tent... but the good ones, with a full, or mostly full, fly, aren't cheap. I was looking around today and ones that looked decent were selling for about $400 before tax... so... yeah, not sure if that's going to happen. :p
We'll need to figure something out though, as we do like to get out camping a few times over the course of the summer, and it'd be great to have Emma initiated into the great outdoors too. So we'll see. We'll figure something out.
Other than that, not much is new... so, I'll leave it at that.
Hope all is going well for everyone out there. :)
Hopefully I'll update again with less of a break than this last time. lol
Anyhoo... as I explained in my last post, I had applied for a new job in a new city, doing very different work than I'm currently doing.
Unfortunately, I did not get called in for an interview :( .
I'm only semi-disappointed. I mean... I'm disappointed that it didn't work out. I think if would have been a rewarding, interesting job, with a lot to offer over and above what I have with my current job.
And I know Lisa was excited about the potential of moving to Salmon Arm.
But... at the same time, I kind of thought the job was a long shot, so I hadn't gotten my hopes too high. I *did* think I'd at least get an interview... but c'est la vie, right?
So, for now it's business as usual.
Summer is kicking in to high gear here. After a cool damp spring, early summer is hot and dry... and the forest fires are starting again. There's one that started Sunday night (lightning strike) about 8 km out of town. So far not too big (about 8 hectares) so not a lot of smoke in the valley... yet... but last word was they hadn't come close to having the fire contained, so who knows how big it'll get in the next few days.
Lisa and I are trying to figure out how to go camping with Emma. We use a tent when camping, and just bought a nice tent a couple years ago... but that was before Emma came along, and while it's a nice tent for Lisa and I, there is no room, really, for Emma in there with us. Well, unless she just slept on the mattress between us, but we don't really think that's a good idea.
So we're considering getting another new tent... a big family-sized one. It'd be great to have a nice big, roomy tent... but the good ones, with a full, or mostly full, fly, aren't cheap. I was looking around today and ones that looked decent were selling for about $400 before tax... so... yeah, not sure if that's going to happen. :p
We'll need to figure something out though, as we do like to get out camping a few times over the course of the summer, and it'd be great to have Emma initiated into the great outdoors too. So we'll see. We'll figure something out.
Other than that, not much is new... so, I'll leave it at that.
Hope all is going well for everyone out there. :)
Hopefully I'll update again with less of a break than this last time. lol
I've been working at my current place of employment for about 12 years... in the position I currently hold for the last 10 years or so.
I like a lot about the job. I have learned a lot, and continue to do so. Some of the people I deal with are really great people. It's a good mix of inside and outside work. The pay is ok... not great, but ok.
But there are also things I don't like about it. I *would* like higher pay. Some of the people I have to deal with are Grade A assholes. Sometimes the job causes me a lot of stress. Because the program is the only one of it's kind in the world, we're often left to "make it up as we go"... with advice of course, but sometimes that advice is lacking, so it can cause for some aggravation where there seems to be a lack of direction.
Anyhoo... I've always kept my eyes open for other career opportunities. I never really saw anything that seemed like a really good fit. There were always either pay issues... or length of employment issues... or job duties that I didn't think I'd like... location... whatever.
But, recently I was pointed toward a position that seems to have a lot of good going for it.
Better pay. It would mean a move, but not too far, and to a city close to family (my sister and brother in law live there). Probably less stress of the kind that really gets to me in my current job (the stress of having to interact with assholes repeatedly). The job is in Parks and Recreation for a regional district, and I've often thought that working with parks would be an interesting, and fulfilling job. THe work would probably be more stable, in the long term, than my current one (which, due to it's political nature, is always on the chopping block).
So, anyhoo... I dusted off my resume skills, and sent it off with an application earlier today... so the ball is rolling, let's see where it stops.
I have to be honest with myself and understand that it's a long shot, as there is training and experience in the job requirements that I simply don't have, several of them... but other requirements I do meet, in a big way I think... so ya never know, right?
Change is always kinda weird for me... it would mean packing up (yuck!), finding a place to move to, learning a new job, meeting new people, leaving the good things that we have in our current location.
But... *if* it happens to work out that I get hired on... I think it'll be good. Lisa is excited for the possibility of moving closer to family, to a new area (she's lived in our current city pretty much her whole life). The extra pay would be great, and the cost of housing in the new city is a bit less than here... which means that after we settled in, we might actually be able to look into buying a house. Shock and awe!
So yeah... that's the latest in the Mothman household. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me. :)
Otherwise... things are good.
In my *current* job, things are getting busy for the summer season. I've got staff out doing their thing, with all of the problems, and time, that comes with it... my cell phone seems to never stop ringing sometimes.
Emma is doing great. Lisa and I both have some kinda crappy cold and/or flu at the moment... but Emma doesn't seem to have gotten it. Or at least not very severely.
And on that note, I can't close this post without a photo of our little jellybean. :)
I like a lot about the job. I have learned a lot, and continue to do so. Some of the people I deal with are really great people. It's a good mix of inside and outside work. The pay is ok... not great, but ok.
But there are also things I don't like about it. I *would* like higher pay. Some of the people I have to deal with are Grade A assholes. Sometimes the job causes me a lot of stress. Because the program is the only one of it's kind in the world, we're often left to "make it up as we go"... with advice of course, but sometimes that advice is lacking, so it can cause for some aggravation where there seems to be a lack of direction.
Anyhoo... I've always kept my eyes open for other career opportunities. I never really saw anything that seemed like a really good fit. There were always either pay issues... or length of employment issues... or job duties that I didn't think I'd like... location... whatever.
But, recently I was pointed toward a position that seems to have a lot of good going for it.
Better pay. It would mean a move, but not too far, and to a city close to family (my sister and brother in law live there). Probably less stress of the kind that really gets to me in my current job (the stress of having to interact with assholes repeatedly). The job is in Parks and Recreation for a regional district, and I've often thought that working with parks would be an interesting, and fulfilling job. THe work would probably be more stable, in the long term, than my current one (which, due to it's political nature, is always on the chopping block).
So, anyhoo... I dusted off my resume skills, and sent it off with an application earlier today... so the ball is rolling, let's see where it stops.
I have to be honest with myself and understand that it's a long shot, as there is training and experience in the job requirements that I simply don't have, several of them... but other requirements I do meet, in a big way I think... so ya never know, right?
Change is always kinda weird for me... it would mean packing up (yuck!), finding a place to move to, learning a new job, meeting new people, leaving the good things that we have in our current location.
But... *if* it happens to work out that I get hired on... I think it'll be good. Lisa is excited for the possibility of moving closer to family, to a new area (she's lived in our current city pretty much her whole life). The extra pay would be great, and the cost of housing in the new city is a bit less than here... which means that after we settled in, we might actually be able to look into buying a house. Shock and awe!
So yeah... that's the latest in the Mothman household. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me. :)
Otherwise... things are good.
In my *current* job, things are getting busy for the summer season. I've got staff out doing their thing, with all of the problems, and time, that comes with it... my cell phone seems to never stop ringing sometimes.
Emma is doing great. Lisa and I both have some kinda crappy cold and/or flu at the moment... but Emma doesn't seem to have gotten it. Or at least not very severely.
And on that note, I can't close this post without a photo of our little jellybean. :)
Decided I'm going to toss out a job application for an opening I was informed of with a nearby Regional district, as a Regional Parks Officer. I'll need to do some more research to figure out more details of the job... but basically it involves helping oversee the operation of the regional parks, working with various groups to ensure proper maintenance, safety, etc, working with others dealing with park planning and development, attending public forums re: parks issues, communicating with public, elected officials, etc.
Looking through the requirements/qualifications, I've got some nailed, could claim others, and many I just plain don't have, especially specific training re: parks design, water systems, etc... but ya never know, right? I've got a lot of public liaising and inspection work, supervisory experience, etc... so I might have a shot.
The base pay would be another $8k a year more than I make now... the top end pay would be about $12k more than I make now ... which would likely put us in a position to actually look at buying a house. ... which would be full of Yay!
It would involve a move, but to a city where we'd actually be closer to family.
It'd move us farther from a few good friends... but beggars can't be choosers in all things.
Anyhoo... yeah... not sure why I'm posting this. lol
I've looked at job postings from time to time, but rarely see something that has the pay, location, and work tasks that all seem to fit... and this one mostly does, from what I can see. Parks work is something I've long thought would be interesting...
I'm not holding my breath, as I'm sure there a many out there who have the specific education/experience more related directly to the job... but I'm going to fire off a resume anyways.
Which means... I gotta update that resume. I haven't applied for a job in over 10 years... not sure I remember how. :p
Looking through the requirements/qualifications, I've got some nailed, could claim others, and many I just plain don't have, especially specific training re: parks design, water systems, etc... but ya never know, right? I've got a lot of public liaising and inspection work, supervisory experience, etc... so I might have a shot.
The base pay would be another $8k a year more than I make now... the top end pay would be about $12k more than I make now ... which would likely put us in a position to actually look at buying a house. ... which would be full of Yay!
It would involve a move, but to a city where we'd actually be closer to family.
It'd move us farther from a few good friends... but beggars can't be choosers in all things.
Anyhoo... yeah... not sure why I'm posting this. lol
I've looked at job postings from time to time, but rarely see something that has the pay, location, and work tasks that all seem to fit... and this one mostly does, from what I can see. Parks work is something I've long thought would be interesting...
I'm not holding my breath, as I'm sure there a many out there who have the specific education/experience more related directly to the job... but I'm going to fire off a resume anyways.
Which means... I gotta update that resume. I haven't applied for a job in over 10 years... not sure I remember how. :p
For the last while I've been seeing and hearing more and more about this social website called Twitter, without really understanding it.
I think I get the basics of what it's for... you log in and post various snippets about your life, what you're doing, what you've done... like little mini-blog entries... and people who are "following" you (ie. people who are your "friends") can see your updates and respond to them.
That's cool... I like blogs... and I'm into Facebook, so I understand the appeal of social networking... but try as I might, I just couldn't be bothered to use Twitter.
I think it was just the whole "small-scale" nature of the updates... the time it would take me to open my browser, go to twitter.com, and enter the one or two sentences... that time would probably take longer than it would take for someone to read what I wrote.
And really... who cares that I'm about to go out for a burger... or that I went for a walk... or that I am going away for the weekend? Who cares enough to specifically go to twitter.com and log in to see what little thing I've done?
Facebook has something similar, in the "status" comments... but at Facebook, at least there is other things to do, beyond read about the latest happenings in my day-to-day life in a sentence or two.
Anyway... where am I going with this?
Today, I found a reason to log in to twitter.com. A reason to twitter. A reason to... tweet? What is the correct lingo?
Doesn't matter... the point is, I found a reason to log into the site.
Not to post my own boring little snippets... but rather to read the latest... tweet... of the man, the myth, the legend... Cristopher Walken.
Walken is one of those larger-than-life celebrity figures... part comical, part tragic, part down-right freaky.
And for some reason, almost anything he says instantly grabs peoples attention.
Well, now everything he... tweets... might grab peoples attention.
Here's a sampling of his... tweets...:
--I would like to see someone land a train in the Hudson.--
--I feel like I should explain my absence but nothing good ever comes from listening to my feelings. For the record - I'm furrowing my brow.
--Oprah is fat again is what I heard. She's a beautiful woman who would do well to accept that. Let Gwyneth Paltrow be skinny and peculiar.--
--I'm reminded of the "How dare you break wind before me!" joke. I won't share it. I'm just pointing out how bad it smells in this restaurant.--
--Kids were out making snow angels and I asked one what he thought angels did when it snowed. It wasn't a threatening question in my mind.--
And the latest as of this post...
--A dog walked by wearing a frilly sweater. The neighbor kid laughed and said, "That's gay!" He meant the cardigan, I think. Not the dog.--
Now that's good stuff.
You can check out Walkens tweets for yourself, here: CLICKY
Now go. Before he finds out you aren't there and comes after you with a shovel.
I think I get the basics of what it's for... you log in and post various snippets about your life, what you're doing, what you've done... like little mini-blog entries... and people who are "following" you (ie. people who are your "friends") can see your updates and respond to them.
That's cool... I like blogs... and I'm into Facebook, so I understand the appeal of social networking... but try as I might, I just couldn't be bothered to use Twitter.
I think it was just the whole "small-scale" nature of the updates... the time it would take me to open my browser, go to twitter.com, and enter the one or two sentences... that time would probably take longer than it would take for someone to read what I wrote.
And really... who cares that I'm about to go out for a burger... or that I went for a walk... or that I am going away for the weekend? Who cares enough to specifically go to twitter.com and log in to see what little thing I've done?
Facebook has something similar, in the "status" comments... but at Facebook, at least there is other things to do, beyond read about the latest happenings in my day-to-day life in a sentence or two.
Anyway... where am I going with this?
Today, I found a reason to log in to twitter.com. A reason to twitter. A reason to... tweet? What is the correct lingo?
Doesn't matter... the point is, I found a reason to log into the site.
Not to post my own boring little snippets... but rather to read the latest... tweet... of the man, the myth, the legend... Cristopher Walken.
Walken is one of those larger-than-life celebrity figures... part comical, part tragic, part down-right freaky.
And for some reason, almost anything he says instantly grabs peoples attention.
Well, now everything he... tweets... might grab peoples attention.
Here's a sampling of his... tweets...:
--I would like to see someone land a train in the Hudson.--
--I feel like I should explain my absence but nothing good ever comes from listening to my feelings. For the record - I'm furrowing my brow.
--Oprah is fat again is what I heard. She's a beautiful woman who would do well to accept that. Let Gwyneth Paltrow be skinny and peculiar.--
--I'm reminded of the "How dare you break wind before me!" joke. I won't share it. I'm just pointing out how bad it smells in this restaurant.--
--Kids were out making snow angels and I asked one what he thought angels did when it snowed. It wasn't a threatening question in my mind.--
And the latest as of this post...
--A dog walked by wearing a frilly sweater. The neighbor kid laughed and said, "That's gay!" He meant the cardigan, I think. Not the dog.--
Now that's good stuff.
You can check out Walkens tweets for yourself, here: CLICKY
Now go. Before he finds out you aren't there and comes after you with a shovel.