I got a job!

I started this new job at a city-owned ISP, and I'm loving it. We've moved to Tifton, Georgia, and it's a pretty nice place. The city calls itself "The Friendly City." How charming.

I install cable modems for our customers and troubleshoot connectivity problems. I work right alongside a young but talented network administrator, and my boss is the primary programmer for all the systems, including the television programs. We have a great team and I am very excited. But...

Apparently I'm too good. On day five I was sent out on my own (having been in town a week) to install modems and make service calls. Next week (week three) I'll be on call. I haven't even been to orientation.

This could be a good thing, or I could fail miserably. I don't see the latter happening, but I could really screw up in these early days and paint myself as the pseudo-know-it-all. But overall I feel good about the position and I am enjoying myself. There are always things to complain about, but I don't want to get off on the wrong foot in a new place. Don't get me wrong - the people are absolutely great. But I work for a government entity. The things I want for my job aren't always the top priority of those who be.

Take for instance the car I am provided for service calls. It's a mid-90's Taurus and it came from another department. It resembles an unmarked police car in a way, and since it doesn't have a logo on it, I could very well be shot for pulling up to someone's house too fast. That's not the only thing, but it's the biggest. I have trouble approaching someone with these issues simply because I'm new. And it seems so far that I can't get anyone to lobby for me, either.

In other news, I plan to host my website, benrehberg.com at my house beginning later this year. I don't feel as though I should pay someone to host it for me in Texas when I could have it in my own house. It's not like it's a critical site like ebay. It's just mine. I'll try to keep you updated.

Relieved

I've moved to Tifton, GA, where I (beginning Monday) work at the local cable TV and Internet provider. I'm really tired from moving all day and surfing the web at an astonishingly high speed, so I'll say I'm here and good day. More later.

I Only Appear Lazy.

It's 11:30 in the morning, and I'm still drinking coffee. I was thinking of going to the driving range today, but it rained for a number of hours last night and it's still gloomy outside.

I think I have a job, but I haven't received a formal offer. I found out yesterday that I can barely afford to take the job, so I might still be unemployed. See, the job is in a city that takes me almost two hours to get to, and relocation is a necessity anyway because I have to take call once or twice a month. Problem is, I don't know how to relocate and be my family's sole provider for $15K less than my last job.

This gets me thinking about what I should have done and didn't do. I should have finished an engineering degree and stayed in Colorado. I think of reasons every day why we should have stayed. Today's reason: "There are no mosquitoes on the golf courses in Colorado." This probably isn't very accurate, but there are certainly fewer mosquitoes and other creatures on the courses there than there are here. I can't think of why Augusta is so popular other than its scenery in the fall.

So I'm making no plans for my every day, other than playing Halo (trying to finish under normal difficulty) and hitting practice balls in the yard. I'm lazy, and I really don't want to go to work, but I don't want to sit around all day, either. I've really got to get out and do something, but I must wait on people to get around to looking at my resume and qualifications. I think that's about all I can do right now.

This is still more fun than working for FLDoE.

Some things just go hand in hand.

I was driving home one day months ago and saw a great opportunity to take a picture of something amusing. I finally got around to it yesterday. Look - I know I said I'd write more, but I'm on dial-up for Christ's sake! Leave me alone!

Anyway, that picture I was talking about is of two signs placed near each other in a curious way; very amusing. I wonder if anyone else has seen it as I do.

Don't be a stranger.