Better Verizon Coverage

I went to check my BlackBerry last night for new messages, and couldn't help but notice a full signal meter. This was odd.

When we moved to Adel three years ago, we had great service in the then-out-of-area part of Verizon's network. We weren't charged for roaming or anything, and the signal was usable.

Some time last year, Verizon thought it would be a good idea to move in. They took Valdosta and put up towers in Adel and up to Tifton, covering a large area where they did not previously. I don't know how everything works, but their moving in and activating towers really changed things about service quality. For instance: I could not talk on the phone in my house. To send a text, I had to move toward an open door or window while holding up my phone until I got "Message Sent." I held conversations with people, but only in the driveway or the back yard.

So yeah, last night was odd - my personal phone also showed a very good signal level. I haven't confirmed any of this, but I believe it has to do with Verizon's acquisition of Alltel. We'll see if this lasts. And for their sake, Verizon better do something to keep service at this level - I was determined to switch at the end of this contract after five years with them.

But now I guess we'll stay. Seems a lot of nothing to blog about, but I'm pretty excited about my new ability to talk on the phone inside my house.

8 Mile

Well that sucked. Good movie, theatrics, whatever. I expected more at the end, like him getting a record deal or something.

At least I can say it sucked now having seen it. People who don't like movies they haven't seen tend to carry that mentality to other aspects of life. And that's why I try my best to watch every movie through to the end. I'm not a generalist.

May 12, 2009

It took the entire eight weeks of the 6-8 weeks for delivery to get it, and I'm still not sure it was worth all the time, tears, and money. It was just a few minutes ago that I decided to post it here to be archived.

The arrival of my undergraduate degree certificate was not a very special occasion. I thought I would cry when I finally reached that point in my life. After all, I did spend about eight years working on it. But no tears. Just back to work.

No raise, no added responsibility, no prestigious stance about me. No speeches. Just calls from Sallie Mae. No period of enlightenment or revelations. Just me. Same as I was out of high school, but with a whole lot more debt. And more kids.

I could be for and against higher education at this point, but either perspective is useless. The pursuit of education is at the personal level, and some people will sacrifice more than others to achieve their academic goals. Even after all of this, I still want to go to grad school. I might be borderline psychotic for that reason.

But Only So Much...

In these times of cost-cutting, I don't have a home phone. My company has no overhead or monthly bills beyond those services it provides to its customers. At home we don't really have or do anything extra. We live on one income and thrive on information from books and the Internet. No cable TV or satellite. I have a subscription to Xbox Live and Netflix - a combination unparalleled anywhere. I have considered cutting that, but tonight I am forever changed.

I'm sick today as I have been for the past two weeks with vertigo. I don't want to go anywhere and I slept all day. Beth is away with the kids at her parents' house, and I am left with nothing to do but put a Website proposal together (boring) and watch television. We don't get PBS because the DTV antenna I built doesn't face the right way. No public TV = no TV. I don't have the money to go to the video store, and that's usually not worth it anyway. Besides - I'm dizzy, remember?

Enter Netflix. Tie in Xbox Live. I picked at least 15 titles to watch this evening, to include movies I have only heard of and television series that I missed while in college. No, I don't think I'm going to cut that expense. I'm not out spending money when I'm on the couch. I just fell in love with technology all over again.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go get my money's worth while keeping my head as still as possible.

Needs Improvement

This was me near the finish line yesterday. I clearly need some training before the next one. Look at me - my stride is so short - stamina needs improvement. My cool Army PT shirt is getting soaked; I don't think it does what I was led to believe. Clothing needs improvement. I have two weeks until the Barnes Health Care 5K on the 18th, and I intend to finish a lot sooner. At least by a minute.

Off to RunnersWorld.com to get some training tips.

Post-Valdosta 5K - 34:18

The run was fun, as it should have been. Last night I decided that I wasn't going to go because I hadn't taken enough time to prepare. If you look back two posts, I ran 5K in 35:22 six days ago. Having not trained any since then, I still ran a faster time this morning: 34:18.

Now that I'm finished with college for a while, I actually have time to make this a hobby. I tried to do it in 2007, but as soon as I started back to school all the physical activity ceased. I don't have any more excuses to run more often. If I'm still going in to Federal service I had better get going.

Valdosta 5K

I haven't run any more but I guess I'll go anyway tomorrow. In all consideration, I don't need to be the fastest guy running (even though it would never happen anyway). I really just need to go and be there. As long as I have fun and get the t-shirt, all will be well. What else did I pay $20 for anyway? I will try to remember to report the results.