Just When You Thought I Was Dead...

Where do I begin?

How can I sum up everything that has happened to me since February?

I'll just hit the highlights.

I quit my job with PIS which became PDS. I quit on July 30th. I then blew some cash in Monterrey (seafood, live music, Guinesses, women -- I mean, woman). Immediately started looking for a job thereafter.
Just before I quit, I signed up for some classes at WGU (Western Governors University), an online college, for my B.A. in Education and Social Science. That shit failed right out the gate. This is what I get for listening to Dennis Hopper talk about 'the American dream' on those finanical commercials. I could almost hear his trademark 'Ha ha haaaa ha!" as I failed.
How did I fail you ask?
Here is their 3-unit course for 'Speech 101': Write a report on any topic. Attach an annotated bibliography. Do some primary research (i.e. interview some big wig on the topic). Then after you finish the report, film yourself talking for ten minutes on the subject with an audience asking two questions. Oh, and make sure all that doesn't take up more than 10 MB of space.
And what did I pick for my illustrious topic? In my brownnosing effort to impress the teachers, I chose a comparative essay on modern America vis-a-vis ancient Rome. I was halfway through this report before my mentor informed me that the teachers were not grading on topic but on understanding of how to write a report.
Gee... thanks for the heads up.
This was a fiasco from the get go. So I have now quit (effective this past week) after having done absolutely NOTHING toward my degree in the interim due to my job search and fighting depression.
Now I am getting the bill for all the money I borrowed from the government to go to this two-bit institution.
I don't know who I was kidding thinking I could go to school at this point in my life. My schooling is done. Jeezus, I'm 39.
Now for better news: I have recently found employment with Konica Minolta as a copier repair tech (actually the title is Customer Imaging Specialist). I do have to commute to San Jose from Tracy (a 90 to 120 minute commute), but the group I work with are so cool (not to mention the company itself) that I feel it is more than worth it. It's all Rite-Aid was but without the on-call bullshit. I scored. Finally, a job that fits me.
As an aside, I must digress. Once again, I was working a stint at Hobbytown USA in Tracy prior to finding my career. This is the second time this has happened and I think John and Audrey are going to start a headhunting business if this keeps up. What can I say? Hobbytown USA is a lucky place for me. (Though John hit close to the mark when he said that he thought it was due to my fervent desire to escape working there for minimum wage).
All I know is if I didn't get a job that WEEK, I was packing up for Yuba City. It came that close.

I am playing SimCity Societies now. I nice game for people tired of shooting idiots online. And not as detailed as Sim City 4. I am creating a city right now that is a combo Capitalistic society and Knowledge (with a dash of Authority and Spirituality for good measure). It's pretty cool.
Most games these days are asking for dual-core processors and Windows Vista to run. Guess I'm gonna hafta fork out another WAD O' MONEY for an upgraded system.

I'll try to post some Christmas photos next post.

Until again,
Merry Christmas!