Category: anti-blog Page 4 of 12

November spawned a monster.

I’m [not really anymore] participating in National Novel Writing Month 2002 [mostly because it’s over]. I got a good start but just got too busy/procrastinatory (you decide) to stick with it.

Ah, November. How fast you are passing. How non-Novembery it feels here in the Bay Area, with highs ranging from 62 all the way up into the 70s.

How little work I’ve done on my so-called novel. I’ll work on it again, or I’ll come up with a better idea. Or I’ll even spew out 45,000 words over Thanksgiving weekend.

Huh. It looks like it’s been two years since I started this site (see navigation to the right). The last year has been kind of a bust, output-wise, but I think overall I’m glad I have this site on which I can vent occasionally (and attempt to keep you, whoever you are, somewhat updated on what’s happening my life).

A typical Gohlke day turns into a scam investigation: Several months ago, just after moving here, I found the web site of a supposed non-profit called “ACCESS: Networking In The Public Interest” that advertised a supposed non-profit job fair in San Francisco in November. I noted it mentally, bookmarked the site, and continued with the job-seeking process.

Meanwhile, despite how much I really like the Bay Area, the idea of going back to the Midwest has occasionally surfaced in my mind. I seem to have underestimated how much I would miss 1. my friends and family and 2. a full-time job that pays a steady wage I can live on. Yesterday, I called both of my last two bosses to gauge the likelihood of a spot opening for me again. The dearth of job openings so far here makes me feel I have to explore all of my options. [There’s little hope in budget-strapped Minnesota, especially with someone else, whose position had been eliminated, already having transferred into my old position; and I haven’t had the conversation with Tim in Madison yet.]

I must admit, however, that the idea of getting a full-time job here is still quite attractive. Around noon yesterday, the memory of the non-profit job fair popped back into my mind. I knew it was scheduled for some time in November but was sure I’d have missed it by now; November’s already half-over. I checked the web site and couldn’t believe it—it was scheduled for yesterday from 10:30 am to 4:00 pm. A registration fee of $15 was required, which I figured I could pay in cash at the door. After some quick calculations, I decided to go—at worst, I thought, I’d have two hours to hand out my résumé. I showered, shaved, and put on a nice shirt and slacks and my best shoes. I updated my résumé and business card and printed 10 copies of each. I was ready, and it wasn’t even 1:30 yet.

I decided to drive, since the building was about a mile from the nearest BART stop. I hopped in the car and drove down to Ashby—and at San Pablo, halfway to the freeway, there was a police roadblock preventing anyone from going west on Ashby. I took this as a bad sign. (I found out later that it was because of a fatal bank robbery.)

I found myself in the left lane and was forced to take a left onto San Pablo. A couple right turns later, I was heading north on Hollis, which is a street I’m vaguely familiar with from my occasional Emeryville shopping trips. Traffic was quickly increasing, making me wonder if I shouldn’t just drive to the Ashby BART station and go that way. I was persistent, however, and, after an ill-advised left turn into an industrial park dead-end and some waiting for traffic lights, I managed to get back on Ashby going west to I-80.

By this time it was 1:30. Traffic was incredibly light from the Bay Bridge to the Fremont Street exit in the city. I got off the freeway, crossed Market Street, waited some more, and took a left on Pine. I went up and down a hill or two to Van Ness.

The job fair web site said that the fair was at the Regency Building (I swear that earlier it said the Hotel Regency, but I can’t be sure), on the corner of Sutter and Van Ness. I found a parking spot two blocks away, after a reasonable number of circles around several blocks. It was about 2 pm when I approached the Regency Building, which existed as promised. I approached the entrance on Van Ness, which was locked. I looked inside the glass doors (one of which bore a notice warning of the perils of trespassing) and saw an empty ballroom. Curious.

I went around to the Sutter side of the building and entered the side door. I found myself in what appeared to be the lobby of an apartment building. An attendant was there, a maintenance or resident-manager-type guy. He greeted me kindly and, after I asked about the non-profit job fair, explained that, yes, people had been coming and asking about it all day, but, no, he had no knowledge of such an event. He opened a wide door to show me that there was nothing in the vast, vacant ballrooms.

I thanked the man for his time and left, perplexed. As I thought about it, it seemed more like a scam. There was no job fair, but no notification of its cancellation on the “ACCESS Networking In The Public Interest” web site and nothing posted at the building. More on the scam page.

On my walk back to the car, I spotted Kyoto Sushi. I hadn’t eaten anything all day (which is, of course, unusual for me), so I decided to make the trip at least somewhat worthwhile. I stopped for sushi. Overall, I’d recommend Kyoto Sushi if you’re in the neighborhood. The price is pretty reasonable for what you get.

Around 3:45, I attempted to drive back home to Berkeley from SF before I had to go to work in Oakland, but I-80 was jammed up basically the entire way. (The sign on the freeway said that the University Avenue off-ramps in Berkeley were closed due to “police action”—having to do with the bank robbery earlier.) At the last minute, I decided to forget about going home and took 580 to Oakland, which was a good idea, since I would not otherwise have made it to work on time.

[I made a special page for my inquiries about ACCESS: Networking In the Public Interest and the non-existent non-profit job fair I attempted to attend on November 21st, 2002. Though I wasn’t seriously victimized, I believe the possibility exists that other people have been and still are.]

Here’s a Canadian perspective on Why Halloween is the New Christmas.

Speaking of scary, why do Ben and Jerry (of expensive ice cream fame) have a Halloween page and why is it ranked #7 on Google for “Halloween”? [Eventually it became this, which is kind of cute.]

In keeping with the scary theme, I added a bunch of stuff to my novel page, including the addition of a separate page for the weblog and other surprises.

Corruption in my home state: The big news of the day is the investigation into the widespread corruption at Wisconsin’s state capitol among the legislative leadership of both parties. The Dane County D.A. filed 20 (twenty) felony charges against the Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Chvala and more felony charges against Assembly Republican leadership.

I’m mildly embarrassed to admit I voted for Chvala for governor in 1996, but only because he was running against King Tommy.

As for me, I’m doing all right. Getting good grades. My future’s so bright…. ah, never mind.

I was officially awarded the NARRP (National Association of Recreation Resource Planners) freelance web design project on Tuesday. I’m pleased. Now I just have to get started. I’ll spend some time this weekend working on it, I suppose, since I didn’t really have time to devote to it this week.

I’ve also been calling people at random to ask them to join the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV). Well, actually, I’m working for CLCV as a new member canvasser. (Sound familiar?)

I’m actually part of a weird new program they’re starting in order to get new members over the phone. Though it is a unique mental challenge to convince someone, in one phone call, to join a group they probably know nothing about, phone canvassing is far less strenuous than field canvassing. Instead of walking around for five hours, I’m simply sitting in a chair for four. And I can bike there, or take BART, extremely easily.

Since nearly every paragraph in this entry begins with the word “I,” betraying my egotism, here’s a paragraph about my roommate Nick. When asked what he thought the “readers of my website” might find interesting about him, he only replied, “I don’t know—Coast Guard?”

I put my third set of license plates on my car today. Though I’ve heard horror stories about the California DMV, my experience today was at least as good, if not better, than my experiences with the DMV in other states. I know that’s not saying much, but consider that it took me just three hours to do everything I needed to do: I got there at 9 am—just in time for my appointment, set online a week or two ago—and filled out the drivers’ license and car registration forms. I waited as the DMV employee verified my car and was relieved to discover that it does, in fact, exist. I took a (cursory) eye exam and a 36-question written test. I drove down to the gas station and paid $58 for them to check my car’s emission (a “smog test,” as they call it here). I went back to the DMV, surrendered my Minnesota plates (with a twinge of regret that I couldn’t keep one as a keepsake, though I probably could have tried giving them just one), and got new plates, borrowing their screwdriver to affix the new plates to my car.

I was at home with lunch by 12 pm. Not bad, I say. The people at the Oakland Claremont DMV were actually friendly and seemed even to enjoy their jobs. Let’s see how fast my new license and title get to me in the mail, though.

Aww, how cute. A birthday card for everyone’s favorite five-year-old: Netscape 4.0. I agree wholeheartedly. Very nicely done.

Why didn’t I ever realize just how pro-corporate Dilbert is?

Inertia is a powerful thing. This site, which has been stationary, has tended to stay stationary — until acted upon by me, an outside source.

I got kicked out of my municipal league softball game today. After getting hit with a thrown ball beating out a groundball to first, I goaded the umpire into doing so. (I was out at second after making the mistake of rounding first, instead of — as I would normally do — simply continuing through the bag at first, thereby assuring my being safe.) I do think it’s ridiculous that a thrown ball is still live after hitting me, the baserunner.

I didn’t swear or anything; I just demanded to see the rule. I actually wanted to see whether I could get thrown out or not. It’s probably more reprehensible that I knew what I was doing — I didn’t actually lose control. Consequently, I felt guilty (almost immediately) and apologized to the umpire after the game. He explained that the rules instruct him to report me to the league and keep me out of the following week’s game. He was nice enough not to enforce that rule.

My friend Bryan helped build a trebuchet a couple weeks ago. It wasn’t this one, but it must have been similar. Silly me. I thought Trebuchet was a font.

I finally took some mirror pictures I felt okay about sending to the Mirror Project, and they were accepted!

The launch of the new DNR web site hasn’t been entirely easy—unsurprisingly. We’ve had LDAP problems, difficulty with too many simultaneous requests, and various other unexpected behaviors. Growing pains, I guess.

I take back anything bad I said about my softball team. We won earlier tonight by a score of something like 17-8. We’re now 2-2 and have matched our victory total from last year. Even better, unlike last season, we beat two different teams.

We’ve secretly replaced the old DNR web site with Folger’s Crystals.