Just a short while ago, I migrated my website to a virtual private server.  This has been a great move considering I am spending the same amount per month, but instead of an overloaded shared box, I now have quite a bit of bandwidth, I/O, and RAM alloted to myself.  I will most likely bring up more sites on this box, and will continue to improve this website.  Recently, I found a new theme that I enjoy looking at.  The previous theme was over used and it was annoying seeing it everywhere.

I keep looking at Subaru STIs and it sucks not being able to afford one at this point.  Even though I have a perfectly working vehicle, I enjoy driving too much, and wish I had a more nimble vehicle to take to the track.  The MY07 is what I have been looking over lately and I have found quite a few.  I’m hoping to be able to purchase one sometime in the near future, and not have to wait until I’m past my twenties.

P90X has been kicking my butt lately.  Tomorrow, I will be starting the 3rd week.  After many tries, I have finally succeeded in finding a groove and sticking to it.  For me, it really was tough trying to get into a routine and attend school.  I don’t really know why I could never make it past a week or two every once in a while when I would try again.  But now that I am done, and I am going to work, it is almost like something clicked, and I am now able to power through the workouts.  It has been fun, and I can’t wait for the 30, 60, and 90 day results.  I don’t plan on stopping right after 90 days are done, so my growth will hopefully continue well past this first round.

Havilah and I are still going strong at just over four years and four months.  We have our ups and downs like every other couple, but we seem to be learning more about what we specifically want, both individually and together.  I continue to struggle with communicating effectively with her, and I know that I have much to learn, but I feel like I succeed every once in a while in expressing myself.  A relationship takes time and effort to be successful.  If someone could really prepare another person with advise on how to stay in a relationship, it would be, to have the strength to make small changes to come to an agreement, learn that you have to sacrifice certain things to become as one person, and that arguments do not have to be the end of a relationship, nor are they a sign that it should be the end of a relationship.  Most of the time, arguments are just misunderstandings that get blown way out of proportion.  It can be from a lack of listening, or from an action that is against what the other person believes or expects of you.  For me, it sometimes takes a while to get to a point where I finally realize that I am closing down, and pushing Havilah away.  I have to force myself to snap out of it, and express what I need to, in order to clear up the misunderstandings that caused the argument in the first place.  In general, relationships are made, they are not gifted.  Don’t expect that you will have a great relationship by sitting on the sideline, being lazy, or not listening.

To further educate myself, gain experience, and also make use of my spare time while searching for employment, I am continuing my internship in the Information Technology department on campus. I hope that one of the employers who have posted job openings, of which I have applied for, will contact me soon for an interview. The best positions I could hope for, would be Linux administration, Windows administration, entry-level database administration, and network administration.

As a side note, if you are reading this and work for, or manage an Information Technology company or department that is currently hiring for positions mentioned above, please contact me using the email address in my “About Me” page. I am immediately available for hire, and can work any day of the week. I would prefer morning, or evening hours, but will work graveyard hours on a temporary basis.

Here’s to hoping that this blog post pays off!

This program has been a blast, made better by my friends and the instructors. Kelly Hollowell, Donald Souza, Ray Robinson, and Jody Randall have given me a great education. Going into the program, I was fairly advanced in my knowledge of computers, but what I didn’t know is how much of a noob I really was. I have gained knowledge in operating systems such as Debian Linux, RedHat Linux, Windows Server 2003, and 2008. The instructors have enabled me to start a career in the Information Technology sector, through opportunities in class, and the internship with Cris-Jon Lindsay on campus.

I am extremely grateful for the education I have received through the Computer Networking and Information Systems Security Degree program, and internship, at Clover Park Technical College.

April Fools Day has officially started!

Long story short, I have a rescheduled testing time on Sunday and everything should be fine after that.

I really wish that people in government positions would be more prepared and faster at what they do. One of the problems is probably procedures that are not well followed.

Ugh. Just an annoying day so far.

One of the most frustrating things about the search for a job, is the amount of employers that are looking for people to work from 8AM to 5PM. Because I am going to school at Clover Park Technical College, I am unable to work any time before 3:30PM. I probably would have been able to work 20 or more jobs by now, but because of the schedule conflict, I couldn’t apply.

Today, after driving to different stores around Tacoma asking if they were hiring, I ended up coming back home to check the job search websites, indeed.com, and craigslist.com, I found a company that was looking for someone in the IT field. What a surprise! I finally found a company that was for sure, hiring for nights and weekends! After looking through the details of the job, I couldn’t find one request that I didn’t match. My classes at CPTC cover almost exactly what they need. Getting an education and having a job that directly matches what I am learning, would be perfect! I am hoping that this might be my lucky break, and I might have my jump start into Information Technology, the career that I will be going into.

As a backup to all of the job searching that is going on, an application that I turned in a while back, finally processed. The application is for a chance to work for LESA in Tacoma. LESA is the Law Enforcement Support Agency. I applied to become a Communication Officer or Dispatcher for Pierce County. They are holding a qualification test on the 19th where I will know if I possess the skills necessary to become one of their dispatchers or a 911 call taker.

I am hoping that soon, I will be able to post that I have settled into a new job!

I am looking forward to finishing these classes and obtaining an associates degree, so I can look for a decent paying job!

Lately, I have been busy with work and spending time with my girlfriend.  Within the past week, I have been working on my computer and replaced my old Netgear router with a Linksys WRT54G-TM Router.  The reason for the switch was so that I could replace the firmware inside of the box with the newest version of DD-WRT.  The new software is a breeze to setup and has a much better range of features for the router.  The second modification I made to the box was to install a heatsink on the main chip and a fan on the top of the case to push more air into the box to cool down the components.  This was a fun modification and has kept me from being bored with my free time.  The WRT54G-TM model is better than some of the other routers because it has the available space to install the Mega version of DD-WRT.  This model also runs a bit faster and won’t bog down as easy with heavy load.

I have a vacation coming up soon and I am saving up some money for the trip.  Disney World HERE I COME!  But really, I have only been to Disneyland and that was when I was 12 years old.  My girlfriend and I booked a trip to fly to North Carolina to visit some of my family and from there we are all going to drive down to Florida to stay for a week.  I will be taking my camera with me and I hope to come back with an awesome collection of photographs to post here and upload to flickr.  The entire 10 day trip will be awesome, considering it has been a very long time since I have been out to N.C.

My plans for a career path started out in Information Technology.  At the start of college, I began focusing on becoming a Systems Analyst to work my way up to managing Information Technology.  But lately, I have lost the drive.  I have hit a roadblock.  It is possible that photography might be the career path I choose, I don’t know.  One thing I do know for sure, is that I bounce around way too much between career choices.

I have a decent knowledge of electronics and a more in-depth knowledge of computers.  Programming, not really.  Not as far as application coding goes.  But I can work my way around html, css and php, it just takes a bit of work.  I know quite a bit about home networking and building/setting up computer systems.  One thing that is limiting my progress in IT is certifications.  I have not bothered to study and certify myself in CompTIA A+, Linux+ and Network+.  As far as what I have seen with the tests, the A+ should be a breeze for me, Linux+ would be a slight stretch, but not by much, and with how in-depth the terminology and understanding of enterprise networking systems is, the Network+ certification would probably be the hardest.  Also, the tests are not free.  It is kind of useless to certify myself and not have a reason to use the certifications.  Not to mention, to find a job that would take me in with just the certifications and not much of an IT background, would be close to impossible.

Right now I am having fun with photography.  Although I lack the required funds for multiple lenses and a full frame body, plus accessories, I am trying to make the most with what I have.  I enjoy going out and taking photographs, and I just may continue to do so.  When I have a few more dollars to spend on a couple zoom lenses, I will be able to start putting myself out into the community for a chance at starting my own business.  Even if photography does not end up being my main career, it will definitely be a hobby if not a secondary form of income later on.

If you have any thoughts on what I should do or any experiences of your own, please let me know.