Category: Illinois

Welcome to the great Illinois November Holiday!

November 16th, 2007 · · Illinois, Mount Vernon, School No comments - Tags: , , ,

No, not Thanksgiving silly. That’s nationwide. I’m talking about that ritual that began preparation last month – Deer Shotgun-season.

Last month I was listening to the guys here talk about deer tracking, rubs, and techniques. I thought the season was already underway. I was wrong. These guys were just preparing for that yearly feat.

In high school the first day of the season was always marked by extreme absences. Back then I thought it was just another reason for the guys to miss school.

Today was the opening of the first shotgun-season.  Again, I notice high absenteeism, but this is a real job, not just high school. Grown men are using their vacation and/or sick time to go sit in a tree, in the wee hours of the morning, in the cold, motionless, just to possibly see a deer and gun it down.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against hunting. It just isn’t for me. Being cold, tired, and cramped doesn’t appeal to me a whole lot. Kudos to the guys who do it, they are very dedicated.

I wish all you guys the best. Be safe and get a big buck for me.

Midway through the long run, Halloween is coming

October 28th, 2007 · · Illinois, Jaycees, Mount Vernon One comment - Tags: ,

Well, we are midway through our long stretch at the House of Horror. Things have been humming right along, but were slow this weekend. Hopefully everyone is holding out until Halloween on Wednesday.

We’ve made it through storms, being shorthanded, and other inconveniences. Not much to go through now except time. Once this week is over, I will need a vacation. Perhaps I will relax a few days until it is time for the tear-down of this mess.

Onward!

School and the House of Horror

October 25th, 2007 · · Illinois, Jaycees, Mount Vernon, School, Technology 2 comments - Tags: ,

School is still going well. Comm 1101 is fine I think. OS and CSCI 1101 are A’s I’m pretty sure. I did manage to get my first C in Networking today though. Overall, it shouldn’t affect my grade for the class, but it is a bit unnerving. Once I’ve done some hands-on with the routers I think I’ll have the commands down. Right now it’s all theory. I can learn theory, but practical application is better.

The HoH 2007 is going great. We made our budget back by our fifth night (last Saturday), and it’s clear-sailing from here on out. Hopefully the rain and temperatures will keep cooperating like they have the first two weekends. Volunteers all seem to have something going on this weekend, but we should have enough people to carry on.

Long time, no updates

October 15th, 2007 · · Illinois, Jaycees, Mount Vernon, School One comment - Tags: ,

Sorry everyone. I have been extremely busy with real life and haven’t had time to update the ol’ blog. To summarize quickly: mid-terms, House of Horror, kids, homework, etc.

The HoH is doing pretty well after the opening weekend. We ran over 300 people through total. Granted, there have been years with 400 in one night, but Halloween is two weeks out and this was the first 3 nights.

Needless to say, I hope the next two weeks keep up this decent pace, and hopefully blow it away.

WDML did a live remote for us on Friday night, and it was awesome. They had us on air better than every 15 minutes and made us sound great. Saturday was the killer night with about 180 people coming through. Sunday was slow, however we expected it to be that way.

More to come soon, my break is over at work. Time to get back to updates and configurations!

The summer is over, school is ongoing, blah best describes my mood

October 2nd, 2007 · · Illinois, School One comment - Tags: , ,

Yep, baseball season has ended again. My “World Champion” Cardinals couldn’t have had more injuries I don’t think. No playoffs even. The good news from all of this crappy season is that there were a bunch of young guys who came up from the minors and proved they have solid potential. Ankiel did well, despite attempts to smear his name and success.

Yes, I’m still attending school. Yes, I’m still doing well. I’m pretty sure I can maintain an A-average provided subnetting becomes clear to me. Once I get it, everyone says it will be like “duh”, but I’m still waiting for the click. In the meantime I did register for classes in the spring. With only one class offered over the summer that I need, I will have to have my work spread over 4 semesters. The good news is that I should have very easy 3rd and 4th semesters since I have my English, Speech, and elective out of the way.

With Em’s diagnosis being confirmed today, my mood could not be worse. I’m carrying-on and keeping things going, but it’s all a front. We’ll see what the future brings.