James Trent

25 years ago, I graduated from college with an Associates Degree. I also started my first real job. I started that job before graduation and days before my 20th birthday. I went back at the end of the month for graduation. With honors, valedictorian, or something like that. Highest GPA in my class, nearly 4.0. I got a B in the one English class.

I had 4 job interviews during my final months. I went to one not feeling well, I had a cold, my nose was running, my throat hurt, I couldn’t talk well. And that was the job that I got. I stayed there for about 6 years, working the same thing, in a couple of different departments. Things were good.

Then I got married and we decided to move. To get out of town and try life somewhere else. So I looked for a new job, as we already to move to a new state. The job didn’t work out, I couldn’t take it because then we couldn’t get the house. So I worked remotely, from a different branch office, for my original employer for a few months.

Then I interviewed for a job with a consulting company. Got hired. And worked for a big Telecommunications company. I worked as a consultant for a few months, then I got hired on to the do the same job as an employee of the company. The job was different than my first job, it was a custom programming language and more of a support role. I learned some new things, learned DB2, and did some Visual Basic type programming.

Then some family members died, and we had a kid, and we wanted to be closer to home. So we moved back closer, but not back to where we started. We took a trip out for a long weekend and I interviewed a few places. Got an offer. Took the job. And was a consultant again. I got an assignment quick. And spent 4.5 years on that assignment. Life changed and I left that assignment but stayed with the consulting company. I went to another assignment, doing the same type of thing. After about 9 months, I got a call that my former assignment was hiring and would be interested in having me return. I called my old boss, got a phone interview, got an offer, and took the job. A week later that boss left. I went through a couple of bosses. Decided it was time to change. And accepted a job in the Support area. I’ve been doing Support work and really like it.

I’ve been working 25 years, in the real world. Making good money, not getting paid overtime, taking time off, and being a good employee.

And I have another 40 years of work to look forward to. Don’t think I’ll be retiring early. Unless I win the lottery, or the kids start paying me.

I FB messaged The Rave the following questions and received these answers:

a) What time do the doors open?
Doors should open at 6:30pm that day. (It’s an 8:00pm show)

b) What time can people line up outside?
We don’t have a specific time that people can start lining up

c) Any opening bands?
There is no opening band. (It’s just SOUNDGARDEN)

d) Coat check available and how much?
Coat check will be available. It’s $5.

e) Any wine served in the bar(s)?
Unfortunately we don’t serve wine here.

I’m looking California and feeling Minnesota

Many people see the importance of networking, but it may be one of the difficult aspects in business. Especially for introverts, they may feel uncomfortable in networking. Rob May at Businesspundit shares some great tips on networking as an introvert to overcome.

• Networking is an investment, not a nuisance.
• At first, you have to kiss a lot of frogs.
• Don’t spend too much time on it.
• Do cool things.
• Invite people to lunch.
• Go regularly to things you like.
• Analyze your results.
• Find the key nodes in the network.
• Don’t network just for the sake of networking.

via How To Network: For Introverts – Lifehack.

More in the link in the link.

PLANK » iLoveHandles.

I ordered and received one of these last week. It’s a great little shelf. Sits perfectly next to my bed. A good place to rest my phone, and not put it under my pillow, where I worry about radiation and cancer. And the magnet on the bottom holds a binder clip that can hold my charging cable or my glasses can hang from it.

Additionally I ordered the Barnacle, it’s cute and clever. But It won’t stick to my dash. Which is the most preferred place I wanted to use it. It’s a little much stuck to my windshield. I’ll give it another shot and see where else I can stick it.

I’ve been doing a ton of online shopping this season. And it’s about time to STOP! Fortunately I get a little bonus next week in my paycheck. Then I’ll stop. I promise.

What I gave for Christmas (I realize this would be better with links):

• Survival Strap bracelet to each of the boys
• Swanny lanyard to each of the boys
• Annual Box of Hockey tape to the boys
• Fossil Watch to Alesha

What I got me for Christmas:

• Dr Martens black boots
• Dr Martens brown slip-on shoes
• iPhone 4S black 16GB
• Cord Hog – cord wrap
• Cigarette Money Case Wallet with Pearl Jam logo
• Watch to put on my new Survival Strap Watch Strap
• Surviving Your Adolescents book (long overdue)

Other Purchases:

• Epson XL-200 wireless printer*
• 50-ft Coaxial Cable*
• Cable Ties*

Still want/need:

• Bedroom Door for the new bedroom downstairs that will replace the family room we have/had (* this items all tie together, need to move the cable modem, router, and printer to a different room)
• Trim for new bedroom door
• PLANK for my phone next to the bed
• Polo Double Black cologne

Dang maybe I should save something for my birthday… Or just celebrate early!

It would be nice if someone would respect the fact that it’s OUR holiday. Allow us to schedule it as we would like. Yeah, we’re not so good about making plans ahead of time. We just figure people will be available, it’s their time to be with us. But it doesn’t work out.

• Cece is working today. The one day of the Winter Break. She’s working. She tried to go in early to get out early, but that didn’t work. Instead of hoping to be off at 2:00 pm, she’s off probably at 5:30pm.
• Brandi’s dad’s family has Christmas plans today. They will be eating and opening presents today. She wanted to go there earlier, but now has agreed to stay here until 4:00 pm.
• My boys mom called this morning to ask if Austyn could come and help her pick up a DQ cake, then say the boys hadn’t shopped for each other for her house and they needed to do that. I did all I could to get them out of the house and going to do that. The shopping didn’t work out.

We don’t travel to my family anymore, because of all this. And because my family is now in Des Moines, IA and Mesa, AZ. It’s impossible to see both. And since my grandmother’s died, family doesn’t get together like they did.

We’re trying to do Christmas here, but battling against 5 kids, Nichole is the Air Force and doesn’t have leave and will be done next month, and 3 ex’s.

Alesha wanted to make plans for next year, NOW. But then remember when talking to Cece that Cece and Nichole may not even be in the country next year at this time. They’re planning to go to New Zealand for a couple of years. And that made Alesha cry.

We’re planning, I think, to open what we have with who is here in the next bit, before Brandi leaves, Cece can open when she gets home. And we’ll eat at some time, nothing big and fancy.

Maybe the boys and Alesha and I can play a game later. With whatever girl is here.

1. It’s Free.
2. It costs us nothing.
3. If a company wants to use my crappy, low quality picture, go ahead. It’s not like I’m going to see it plastered all over everywhere. It’s not like my ONE picture is going to make them millions. It’s not like they would have paid me for it anyway. And maybe if they really like it, they will pay me or acknowledge me or something.
4. I don’t even link Facebook and Instagram. Twitter? yes. Foursquare? yes.
5. My Instagram is public. You all can see it. I know that what I post there is public, everyone can see it. If I was worried about that I’d make it private. So that only my followers could see it (and all the Instagram employess and possibly Facebook employees).
6. I’M NOT A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER. I don’t post my professional pics to IG. I don’t expect anything to come of them. I’m not getting paid for them anyway.
7. If IG wasn’t free, if it was an APP to pay to download or a monthly service fee, We wouldn’t pay it.
8. Did you hear Facebook paid $1 BILLION for IG? Did you think they’d want to get their money out of it in some way.
9. I like my followers and who I’m following.
10. If I wanted to find fun, interesting, private, stuff I’d search Instagram.

Go ahead, steal my pics, use them in an ad. Let me see them online.

Gun violence in the United States is out of control. Our leaders in the House, Senate, the State, all Government need to meet with doctors and counselors and mental health professionals, and gun owners, and gun makers and determine why this is happening and how and THEN make progress in changing that. It is a combined effort, we/they need to work together with each group giving to change this, to stop this! No more killing of *innocents!

*innocents – is anyone not intending to kill you that can’t be stopped without your equal and immediate action.

Converting imported audiobooks, to iTunes audiobooks | Under Development.

It’s so easy to convert those MP3 audiobooks to iTunes audiobooks. No more audiobook chapters interfering with your shuffle. No more books appearing with your music.

And did I say it’s EASY!

NOTE: you don’t even have to convert to AAC format.