bored in champaign

tragic effects of smoking and alcohol

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:26:00 +0000

I was cleaning out my bedroom at my parents house this week and found a printout from this website, which was one of my favorites back in the day.

Some amenities.

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:20:00 +0000

Seen in the classifieds:

Nice 1 & 2 BR Apts in C-U
On & Off Campus. Some amenities.

"well, look, I wouldn't say this place has a lot of amenities. but, it's not like there are no amenities! at least there's some!"

i'm proud of myself

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:10:00 +0000

I got up before noon on a weekend!

spelling

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:32:00 +0000

Turns out, if i use that spell check, it tends to find a number of misspelled words! I guess I'm spoiled by Word and it's automatic red squiggly characters.

polishing the resume

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:57:00 +0000

Well, it was just one of those days at the office. I sat impatiently in a meeting, just waiting for it to wrap up so I could rush out the door and work on my resume. And I discovered that, for someone who wants to quit immediately at the end of as many workdays as not, my resume is surprisingly out of date.

I'm actually not at all good at job hunting--the only position I've really ever successfully sought out was a student job while I was in college. I started my career in the computer networking field at my high school while I was a student there. First I did it for class credit, and that developed into a paid part-time job, and over the summers I worked for the school full time. While I was in college, I still worked for the school district when I was back home for breaks, but I decided that I should get a job at school as well, and my search began. I applied for a student network assistant position, and they interviewed me. There was a whole committee (of three people) and everything! They were pretty impressed with the level of experience I had for a student, and hired me. After I graduated college, they offered my a full time position, and being clueless as I was (am) about job searching, I had nothing else lined up, so I took it. Fast forward five years, and I'm still doing the same thing. Now you know why I'm bored.

I did have one other unsuccessful experience in trying to get a job. Around 2006, I decided that I was stuck in a rut and wanted to get out. (And you can imagine how deep the rut is now after two more years.) I had been sporadically applying for jobs, and I was called for a phone interview by one of the places in Texas. I thought it went okay, but I didn't really hear anything from them afterwards, so I assumed they weren't interested. Then, out of the blue, two months later, they called back and said they'd like to meet in-person. So I went down for the interview, which seemed fairly normal I suppose. They mentioned that the position had actually been open for over a year, and that the reason it had taken so long before they interviewed me was that they were waiting for another application to come in from someone that had anything close to my qualifications. For a search committee with a search that was well into its third month for a position that had been open at least a year, they seemed unduly dismayed when I told them it would take me probably four weeks before I would be able to start (2 weeks notice, plus 2 weeks to relocate)--"It's getting pretty urgent for us to fill this position," they said. Anyway, the next week, they sent me an e-mail saying they went with another candidate.

So, I'm officially 1 for 2 in job interviews, and 0 for 1 in job interviews that are not for a part-time student position. Here's hoping I have better luck this time around.

on family vacations

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:41:00 +0000

So I just got back from a family vacation to Boston. On the whole it was an okay trip I suppose. I think Boston is great, and I like my family most of the time, but somehow the combination of the two is, as a chemist might say (not that I would know since I haven't taken a chemistry clsas in ten years), reactive. This is not a recent ephiphany of mine; I distinctly recall a diatribe about an ill-fated family trip (not even a full vacation!) to Chicago that I posted to a previous blog that was so old that I had to use an HTML editor to add postings. (Perhaps someday I will be unlazy enough to dig them out and repost some of those entries here, although if I recall correctly, that blog was fairly depressing and consisted mostly of rantings about how much I hate everything. In other words, not wholly dissimilar from this one. Additionally, if I'm being unlazy, I think a higher priority should be actually posting to this blog with any sort of frequency. Now that I think about it, though, reposting old blog entries sounds like considerably less work that writing entirely new entries, so maybe I could just do that and avoid that pesky unlazyness altogether.)

Anyway, I think part of problem with vacations is the fact that being around the same three people 24 hours a day for a week is bound to lead to trouble, especially when a number of those hours are spent couped up in a small hotel room. Another big factor is that my parents are just fairly incompatible with city life. This trip I finally realized how it's possible for them to be content to live in my little hometown. They were always complaining about walking too fast, or too far. "Let's not go there, there's too many hills." And they have no taste for adventure, either. Of course I like to have a reasonable idea of where I am and how to get around, but I'd be content to just wander around a city with no specific destination in mind. Not mom and dad. "Better turn around, looks like we're getting away from the touristy area!" One night we were trying to find a place to eat dinner. I wanted to wander around a bit and see if we could find an interesting place to eat. So we went outside, and my mom said, "Oh no! The convention center is right here! I'm sure everything will be really expensive. We need to just go back to that California Pizza Kitchen." (To be fair, they were also pretty tempted by that Au Bon Pain we'd seen.)

to be!

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:32:00 +0000

Preface: I'm going to take a risk with this post. The risk is that I will be opening myself up to all manner of criticisms about my blog postings' grammar, usage, and spelling. But I find what I'm about to describe so offensive that I feel I must take that chance.

Okay. I must tell you all (by "you all" I mean of course myself, since I'm fairly certain no one else reads this) about one of the most annoying affronts to the english language I've heard in quite a while. It's the ommission of the words "to be" after the verb "needs" in a phrases such as "my suitcase needs to be unpacked" or "my car needs to be fixed," which are instead rendered as "my suitcase needs packed" or "my car needs fixed." I fear this usage is becomming more and more common. Every day I hear statements at work like "Office 2007 needs installed" or "this hard drive needs replaced." It's infuriating, really. Seriously, does anyone actually think this sounds correct? At least the folks at alt.usage.english are on my side.

back in the swing of things

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:27:00 +0000

Oops. Hi there, I suppose it's been a while. I'm going to try and get back on track again (although that assumes that I was ever actually on the track to begin with). In the meantime, incorporated herein by reference is my earlier post about my desire to blog frequently, my lack of a logical reason to do so, and my historical lack of success.

funny, but actually sad

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 17:11:00 +0000

So the story basically goes like this:

guy posts a video of himself on youtube
vh1 shows said video on web junk 2.0
guy posts the segment of the show with his video on youtube
vh1 demands that youtube take down the clip claiming copyright infringement

Read the whole thing here.

this is what's wrong with my life

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:21:00 +0000

It's 11:30. I should have already been asleep at least an hour ago. I'm just now leaving the office. And on my way to the parking lot, everyone else I see is headed out to the bars.

I live in teh downstairs

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 05:50:00 +0000

Cathy: i'm so jealours of yoru pool!!!
Cathy: i would go swimming every day i think
me: haha i've never been
Cathy: you should go it's totally great
me: perhaps
Cathy: wait!
Cathy: do you live upstairs or downstairs????????
me: downstairs
Cathy: ohhhhhhhhhhhh
Cathy: sadness
me: ?
Cathy: i don't know what your place looks like then
Cathy: kimmmmmmmy lives in teh upstairs
me: how many bedrooms does she have?
Cathy: dos
Cathy: ha! hahhahahha
me: ?
Cathy: two!
me: but what's so funny?
Cathy: me remembering to use my espanol
me: ahh ok

good morning

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:25:00 +0000

I can't help but crack up every time they show Anne Curry "good morning" clip on The Soup (included in a longer segment here).

ironing is dumb

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:26:00 +0000

What a worthless day at work today. I didn't even have a chance to work on any of the projects I hoped to accomplish. I started out by going out to a big-wig's house to fix his wireless network. That took me a couple hours, and when I got to the office, I discovered the air conditioner in my office was broken. Not a big deal, because I had a voicemail from someone having trouble with their e-mail, so I left and spent about two and a half hours on that before I had to do an "emergency" virus scan (don't even get me started) which took me most of the rest of the afternoon. Then I had to go back and finish working on the e-mail problem because it still wasn't done, despite the fact that I'd specifically asked no fewer than two co-workers in my group to look at it because I was tied up on another project. So it's the end of the day, and I haven't really accomplished anything except keep my to-do list from getting any longer than it already is.

But the really fun stuff is what I did after work. I just don't understand how people get anything done in life. So tonight, I finally left work and got to my car around seven. I decided to go to church since I would arrive right on time, and I haven't been in a few weeks. So I finally get home around 8:15 and immediately throw some clothes in and start the washing machine. Then I fix some mediocre leftover pizza in the microwave and eat dinner. But then I need to go grocery shopping because I want to try and take lunch to work more so I don't spend so much money eating out. So I go shopping, come home, put away the groceries, take out the garbage, and get the mail. But I have to take my clothes out of the wash, which means I have to unload the clothes that are already in the dryer, which means I have to put away the clothes that are already in my laundry basket. Once that's all done, I need to iron my clothes and hang them up. Aside: what's so great about having nicely ironed clothes anyway? Can't we all agree that it's just a huge waste of time, and that we'd be more productive as a society if we just decided that wrinkled clothes are fashionable and expended the time and energy we devote to ironing on more useful endeavors? Anyway, if I want to get to work by 8 a.m., I need to set my alarm for about six, which means I need to be asleep at 10:00 if I want eight hours of sleep. But it's already 11:30 and I'm just now getting ready for bed. And I didn't even go through my mail or load the dishwasher or clean the apartment or study for my certifications or do any of the other million things I should do.

laws are ridiculous

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 05:20:00 +0000

So at one point not too long ago I had occacion to read the Illinois state liquor laws, which are contained in 235 ILCS 5, the Liquor Control Act of 1934. In Article VI, there is a provision about the proximity of licensed establishments to schools and churches:

(235 ILCS 5/6‑11) (from Ch. 43, par. 127)
Sec. 6‑11. Sale near churches, schools, and hospitals.
(a) No license shall be issued for the sale at retail of any alcoholic liquor within 100 feet of any church, school other than an institution of higher learning, hospital, home for aged or indigent persons or for veterans, their spouses or children or any military or naval station....

Fair enough. Of course, like any good rule, there must be exceptions:

(g) Nothing in this Section shall prohibit the issuance of a retail license authorizing the sale of alcoholic liquor at premises within 100 feet, but not less than 90 feet, of a public school if
(1) the premises have been continuously licensed to sell alcoholic liquor for a period of at least 50 years,
(2) the premises are located in a municipality having a population of over 500,000 inhabitants,
(3) the licensee is an individual who is a member of a family that has held the previous 3 licenses for that location for more than 25 years,
(4) the principal of the school and the alderman of the ward in which the school is located have delivered a written statement to the local liquor control commissioner stating that they do not object to the issuance of a license under this subsection (g), and
(5) the local liquor control commissioner has received the written consent of a majority of the registered voters who live within 200 feet of the premises.

(k) Notwithstanding any provision in this Section to the contrary, nothing in this Section shall prohibit the issuance or renewal of a license authorizing the sale of alcoholic liquor at a premises that is located within a municipality with a population in excess of 1,000,000 inhabitants and is within 100 feet of a school if:
(1) the primary entrance of the premises and the primary entrance of the school are parallel, on different streets, and separated by an alley;
(2) the southeast corner of the premises are at least 350 feet from the southwest corner of the school;
(3) the school was built in 1978;
(4) the sale of alcoholic liquor at the premises is incidental to the sale of food;
(5) the sale of alcoholic liquor is not the principal business carried on by the licensee at the premises;
(6) the applicant is the owner of the restaurant and has held a valid license authorizing the sale of alcoholic liquor for the business to be conducted on the premises at a different location for more than 7 years; and
(7) the premises is at least 2,300 square feet and sits on a lot that is between 6,100 and 6,150 square feet.

BTW, if you weren't keeping track, the largest cities in Illinois are: Chicago, population 2,873,790; Aurora, 168,181; Rockford, 152,916. So when they they specify "located in a municpality with population greater than 1,000,000," it's just a fancy way of saying Chicago.

There's also this provision:

Sec. 6‑15. No alcoholic liquors shall be sold or delivered in any building belonging to or under the control of the State or any political subdivision thereof except as provided in this Act.

And shortly thereafter, we find this gem of a run-on sentence:

Alcoholic liquors may be delivered to and sold at any airport belonging to or under the control of a municipality of more than 25,000 inhabitants, or in any building or on any golf course owned by a park district organized under the Park District Code, subject to the approval of the governing board of the district, or in any building or on any golf course owned by a forest reserve district organized under the Downstate Forest Preserve District Act, subject to the approval of the governing board of the district, or on the grounds within 500 feet of any building owned by a forest preserve district organized under the Downstate Forest Preserve District Act during times when food is dispensed for consumption within 500 feet of the building from which the food is dispensed, subject to the approval of the governing board of the district, or in a building owned by a Local Mass Transit District organized under the Local Mass Transit District Act, subject to the approval of the governing Board of the District, or in Bicentennial Park, or on the premises of the City of Mendota Lake Park located adjacent to Route 51 in Mendota, Illinois, or on the premises of Camden Park in Milan, Illinois, or in the community center owned by the City of Loves Park that is located at 1000 River Park Drive in Loves Park, Illinois, or, in connection with the operation of an established food serving facility during times when food is dispensed for consumption on the premises, and at the following aquarium and museums located in public parks: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Academy of Sciences, Chicago Historical Society, Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Science and Industry, DuSable Museum of African American History, John G. Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium, or at Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences in Peoria, or in connection with the operation of the facilities of the Chicago Zoological Society or the Chicago Horticultural Society on land owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, or on any land used for a golf course or for recreational purposes owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, subject to the control of the Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners and applicable local law, provided that dram shop liability insurance is provided at maximum coverage limits so as to hold the District harmless from all financial loss, damage, and harm, or in any building located on land owned by the Chicago Park District if approved by the Park District Commissioners, or on any land used for a golf course or for recreational purposes and owned by the Illinois International Port District if approved by the District's governing board, or at any airport, golf course, faculty center, or facility in which conference and convention type activities take place belonging to or under control of any State university or public community college district, provided that with respect to a facility for conference and convention type activities alcoholic liquors shall be limited to the use of the convention or conference participants or participants in cultural, political or educational activities held in such facilities, and provided further that the faculty or staff of the State university or a public community college district, or members of an organization of students, alumni, faculty or staff of the State university or a public community college district are active participants in the conference or convention, or in Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana‑Champaign during games in which the Chicago Bears professional football team is playing in that stadium during the renovation of Soldier Field, not more than one and a half hours before the start of the game and not after the end of the third quarter of the game, or in the Pavilion Facility on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago during games in which the Chicago Storm professional soccer team is playing in that facility, not more than one and a half hours before the start of the game and not after the end of the third quarter of the game, or in the Pavilion Facility on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago during games in which the WNBA professional women's basketball team is playing in that facility, not more than one and a half hours before the start of the game and not after the 10‑minute mark of the second half of the game, or by a catering establishment which has rented facilities from a board of trustees of a public community college district, or in a restaurant that is operated by a commercial tenant in the North Campus Parking Deck building that (1) is located at 1201 West University Avenue, Urbana, Illinois and (2) is owned by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, or, if approved by the District board, on land owned by the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago and leased to others for a term of at least 20 years.

Whew.

i have a blog! (again)

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 01:48:00 +0000

Well, I thought I'd attempt to start blogging again. I'm not sure why I feel I need to waste more time than I already do screwing around on the Internet, especially since approximately once a week I get frustrated almost to tears either by how little free time I have before bedtime or how little I've accomplished all day. More often I wake up in the morning cursing how little sleep I got because I didn't manage to go to bed at bedtime. Or I oversleep by two or three hours and don't make it to work until 10:00. But all that sounds like good material for a later post.

Anyway, my last attempt at this was years ago, maybe three, and I made approximately as many postings. I did better than that back in college though, so maybe I can keep it up this time. I'll be sure to try to document here all the exciting things that happen in my life. And since posting once a month isn't a very lofty goal, I suppose I'll have to come up with some other crap to put here during the rest of the time.