Years ago, I decided to build my own server. Part of it was wanting to have the experience of building and running my own server, because I had shockingly little server experience of any kind. Part of it was knowing how such a machine could help me manage the home network I was also building. So in 2010 our home server came into existence.
And then two weeks ago, it went out of existence.
Yesterday while driving home from my new job in Watertown (guess I should post something about that sometime) we had a nasty little thunderstorm blow through. It then left Greater Boston with a gorgeous double rainbow.
So when I saw it for myself, I figured I would stop and get a picture or two.
And today it has been telling me things with pictures. And so, I am telling them to you. A lot has been changing in the world and in our lives in the past few days, so you get pictures.
First, my favorite.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Central Sq, Cambridge is in need of a Baritone or Bass sub for Sunday services on 3/30 and 4/6. No weekday rehearsals are required, call is 9:00am and the service is over by 12:00pm. Pay is $50 per appearance. Preference is for one person to perform on both dates. Strong sight-reading and leadership skills are necessary, familiarity with Episcopal liturgy is desirable. St. Peter’s is accessible by the Red line, the 1 bus, and street and lot parking are available.
Please forward this announcement to interested parties. Responses can be directed to the Music Director, Josh Lawton.
~Kelly
I just received this today. Please crosspost or forward to interested parties. Contact info is below.
~Kelly
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church of Southborough, MA is in immediate need of an interim Organist. This person will be responsible for playing in the 10:45am Sunday service and for working with the choir. This is an interim position that will serve until a new permanent Organist & Choirmaster is appointed.
For more information on St. Mark’s and this position please contact Rev. Phil LaBelle.
Well, after taking some time to process it, I guess I can go ahead and say (officially) that I am not going to the police academy this year. I just wasn’t high enough on the list, I guess. But the people involved in the process have been highly encouraging and supportive towards me, and so I will make another effort whenever they put together another class, either later this year or early next year.
In the meantime, it has been a humbling experience to get back into the job hunt full-time. And to be honest, a little depressing. But since I am Mr. Silver Lining, I am trying to find the bright side of the experience and move on.
So there’s a few things I am doing to keep myself entertained while I continue the (seemingly eternal) job hunt.
And as long as there are people willing to believe that we should just be thankful for work of any kind, this will continue. As long as there are people in positions of power who fight to keep the disenfranchised that way, this will continue. As long as those who claim the power, the money, and the moral high ground continue to do this, this will continue. I can refuse to apply for all the high skill/low wage jobs I want, but it doesn’t get my family any farther away from the edge when I stand on principle, it just means that somebody else more desperate is going to end up taking that job.
Wake up, America.
~Kelly
Image by Bettmann/CORBIS
In a society that lacks solidarity, misfortune, except that of the most random kind, is viewed as the fault of those who suffer from it. If we believe that poorly compensated workers somehow deserve lousy wages, then we absolve ourselves of the impoverishment we have inflicted upon them. Edward McClelland notes (boldface mine):
If you try hard enough, you can usually come up with a reason a low-wage worker doesn’t deserve to earn a living. If Kim Brown had been willing to move to Cleveland, she would still have her Web support job; if she had chosen a more marketable major than creative writing, she might have found full-time work in Chicago. But no matter Brown’s life choices, her $8.50 an hour job would still exist, not providing a living for someone else.
This is why the belief that education is the primary way to reduce…
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I have a doctor appointment in the morning, and then work in the afternoon and evening. I don’t know exactly what the morning rush hour will be like but I am guessing it will be a hell of a mess. Hopefully the Mini will be able to handle it. I am hoping it does not turn out to be more trouble than it is worth. I don’t consider wrecking the car and/or injuring myself to be a fair trade for trying to make my appointments and getting to work, but I will give myself extra time to dig out the car and try to beat the traffic that I know will be coming. We shall see, I suppose.
-Geoff
Today I read two very different but still related stories about things that happened in Hammond, Indiana due to the polar vortex. Both stories emphasize the plight of the working poor in the United States, and how extreme cold affects them in ways that many people may not have even considered.
The first was about a house fire that claimed the lives of three small children and put two others and their father in the hospital. The second was about a warehouse where workers were forced to continue working – without heat – even after the state had declared an emergency.
Both Apple and Radio Shack have decided to not open on Thanksgiving. Good for them.
Like Kelly had mentioned earlier, too many stores are trying to maximize their profits by extending hours as much as possible on Thanksgiving weekend. And they are doing it at the expense of their lowest-paid employees. It’s not like the CEOs are going to pull a late shift themselves that day. But the CEO class really can’t relate to their employees most of the time anyway.
And the supreme irony of this is that being open longer this Thanksgiving weekend is not likely to make the weekend more profitable. Things sold on Thanksgiving are generally done at the expense of Black Friday sales, rather than generating new sales. It’s not like people who avoid shopping that weekend or on Black Friday will suddenly decide to go shopping on Thanksgiving Day itself.
Of course, I don’t see a lot of people asking the question “what would happen if ordinary people had more money to spend?” either. In fact, there’s no shortage of people who complain about the lack of consumer spending without asking “how are regular people supposed to increase their spending when they are broke?” These same people trash talk the idea of raising the minimum wage while talking about how tough a time the very wealthy have with their taxes. Actually, not so much – especially when you look at the historical patterns.
As one of the broke people, I can definitely say that yeah, if I had a better paying job (or jobs), I would be able to spend more. And we’re trying to get that better job or jobs.
-Geoff
The Books are Taking Over... 