Life Notes: Looking For A New Home

My dear readers, I need your help. I'm having some housing difficulties. Recently, the building where I live was inspected. The inspectors rated it at one step above Condemned. If a 2 month old sneezes the wrong way, it'll be condemned. So, my roommates and I have to move. I was going to go out on my own, but my roommate's 2 year old daughter has attached herself to me like a facehugger from Alien. Yes, I'm being completely serious. And it does make for some weird questions at work, but we all have burdens we must endure. After all, it would just be wrong to be as smart, sexy and talented as I am without having some kind of quirk to balance it out and having a 2 year old surgically grafted to one of my legs is the way the Universe chose to balance it.

Getting back to the point, I need to move. So, I'm currently on the hunt for a 4+ bedroom apartment, preferably in the Lowell/Methuen area. If you know of any good places that are renting in that area, please let me know either in the comments below or on Facebook.

I thank you for reading!

Life Notes: Current Updates...

I'm sure you've noticed, my dear readers, that there has been a slight change in my profile. Yep, that's right. I am no longer living in Manchester, NH! This past weekend, I took up a friend on her offer of a room in her house and moved down to Lawrence, MA!! Why did I move? Well, there are several reasons. The first is my commute. While living in NH and working in MA seems like a fun idea, having to travel 2.5 hours to work EACH WAY is not a good way to spend your time. I basically had NO LIFE during the week, since by the time I got home, I only had 2 hours to cook dinner and make lunch before I had to get to bed to be up on time for the next day. The second is my health. After my recent health issues, I decided to work on taking my health much more seriously. But with my commute, there wasn't anything I could do. I simply had NO TIME to do anything outside of my routine. Third was to help out friends and family.

Life Notes: Current Updates...

About a week before starting my current job, I was pulled over and given a ticket for not having my car inspected. Then I got the job, and with all the craziness about figuring out the commute, starting the job, learning my duties, switching my sleep schedule, etc. I forgot to pay it. Actually, I thought I had already paid it. But looking at my records now, I realize that I didn't pay it. I simply forgot. A couple months go by and the DMV suspends my license and registration because I didn't pay the ticket or the fines. Notice how I didn't say they sent me any letters or anything. They just went ahead and suspended me.

Life Notes: Current News

Hello, my dear readers, here is an update on what's going on in my life. Due to budget constraints, I am no longer working at The GEM Group in Lawrence, MA. The parting was amicable, if a bit tearful. I really liked the people I worked with while I was there. That particular job ended on Dec 28th.

I spent 2 months unemployed...

Then I got another job as a Jr. Web Developer for The Aberdeen Group in Boston, MA! I'm at the tail end of my 3rd week here and I like this place! It's fun. I'm actually writing code again! Of course, with every great thing, there has to be a catch. And in this case, it's the commute. Getting from Manchester, NH to Boston, MA and back every day is NO JOKE. It's a 2-2.5 hour journey each way. And it's not just driving either! I drive from Manchester to Lawrence, MA (30-45min). Then I get the commuter rail train from Lawrence, to Boston (45min + 15min wait time) and then I take a shuttle from North Station to my job. At night, I get to do the whole thing again! Only in REVERSE!!! Man, does that suck!

I find that I'm always tired now. It's getting better, but my sleep schedule hasn't quite completely adjusted yet, so I'm still getting tired spots at random times during the day. But it's getting better. Right now, I'm looking for a place back in Lawrence, MA. This would reduce my commute to just about an hour long train ride. I would move closer to Boston, but the closer you get to the city, the higher the rent is. For the same price, I can get one bedroom in a 3 bedroom apt with 2 strangers in Boston, or an ENTIRE two bedroom apt in Lawrence. What would YOU choose?

So, I'm currently pooling money for first, last and security deposit, so when I find a place I can just plop the money down and move in with no hassles. (If you're in the Lawrence/Methuen area, let me know if you know any good places!)

In the meantime, I'm doing my thing. Working to catch up on my bills and save $ for moving.

My Headspace...

It's been a long time since I've posted on the blog. I'm not going to apologize for it, but I can explain. Despite having the free time again, I have been feeling... not lost, but adrift. There is no motivation. No enthusiasm. No energy to do anything. It's like I'm unplugged from everything around me.

I go through the motions, say the right things, react the right way, but there's mostly just emptiness. There are moments when things seem normal, but the moments pass and I'm right back to the emptiness. One manifestation of that is the lack of ideas for writing posts for this blog. Hell, I've barely even LOOKED at this site for weeks. And when the ideas do come, I just write them down on a piece of paper or some text file on my phone or PC and then forget about it. Or maybe a quick little status update on Facebook, but nothing more. The interest just wasn't there.

I started this blog three years ago (Wow, three years??) because I wanted a forum where I could talk about things that interested me in a more full, and permanent way than just a quick FaceBook or MySpace status update. But what happens when I don't care enough to say anything about anything? Just look at the numbers. Last year I posted about 50 times on here. The year before was double that number, 2 years ago was TRIPLE. Am I just not caring about blogging? I don't think so, because I still write down ideas for blog posts. I just don't actually WRITE the posts. It seems the interest is there, but something is in the way. Or more accurately, the spark is there, but the flame never ignites.

Is this what is classified as depression? Or just obsessive boredom? Is there such a thing as "obsessive boredom"?

I try to connect, to plug back into life, but I find it difficult to care about others the way I used to. Back when I felt that I was the one who had to help everyone. I think it's called a "hero complex" or something similar. I used to believe it was an extension of being the eldest of my siblings. Being the responsible one for my family made sense of my life, and I pushed that out to everyone that I encountered. There was some "evidence" to support the theory, friends and family who had gone off the rails after I stopped being in regular contact with them. However, looking back on it now, I have to admit that it was just an empty measure of arrogance. People are responsible for their own lives. It's not MY job to help anyone but myself. Even those I care about (what few remain) are not mine to support. If they ask, I can, but it's not my CAREER, or main purpose in LIFE.

But without the philosophy of "I'm the eldest so I'm responsible", what else is there?

Some would say romance, but that has never worked for me. For whatever reason, I don't connect with the fairer sex. Not that I can't. Most of the women I know think I'm an amazing man, but I don't connect with women the right way to make romance work. I think mostly it has to do with the fact that I am most comfortable alone. But that's a tired topic, and I don't want to get into it yet again.

Some would say work, but that's not really an option. I'm currently unemployed again. Most of my jobs have lasted for about 2 years, so there really isn't an sense of stability there either.

Some would say friends, but all my friends are living their lives. Most are married, some even have kids. They are moving forward, realizing their goals. Their lives are full, there's no room for someone who is locked in stasis.

To be honest, I'm surprised that I'm writing this post at all. Maybe I'm coming out of it. Maybe my penchant for analysis is helping me break this in some way...

Maybe this is just another step into the emptiness.

Maybe this is just a symptom of being up at this late hour... Now I'm just rambling... Good night, my dear readers. I hope to post something more interesting next time.

Life Notes: An Explanation...

In a previous post, I told you, my dear readers, that I had been laid off. After that, my posting dropped severely. There were a few posts here and there, but I had for all intents and purposes, stopped posting.

Life went downhill for me after that. I spent the next few weeks updating my resume, filing for unemployment and trying to survive. I lost internet access which lost me the ability to post on here on a regular basis, as well as overly complicating my job search since I had to hunt down places that offered free wi-fi with the speeds necessary to allow the job hunt sites to work properly.

Then there was the fight with the Unemployment office to get my benefits started. Turns out my previous employer owed me money which held up my benefits for much longer than normal. The irony of that still gets me. I was owed money which prevented me from getting the money I was owed. Got to love bureaucracy. Since then I've been tap dancing on a river of shit... One misstep and I lose everything: car, apt, phone, everything.

Thanks to my friends, I've managed to stave off the ever encroaching depression that seems to be endemic to my situation. Thanks to my sister, I once again have internet access at home and can post on here again. So, my dear readers, if you're so inclined, keep an eye out on this blog again. I will be posting more frequently again. I hope to get back to the double digits for posting in the month of April and to continue that as I move forward from here. And now, on to my next post. 

Life Note: Math Challenge WON!!!

This life note is a positive rant! See, it's rare that I get cool moments in my life. It's even more rare for me to get a cool moment using my big brain. Rarer still, is said cool moment using my brain for MATH!!! The most rare is this cool moment using my brain for math with a woman!! Seriously, it's always been my experience that as soon as I get my brain going on any given topic, but ESPECIALLY math or science women start running and then everyone else follows.  Today, I got said cool moment and it started with a quick answer to a simple question on FaceBook, of all places!! Would you like to hear the story, my dear readers?? (Setting aside the fact that since you're reading this, you technically can't HEAR anything...)

The following equation appeared on my FB page with the answer a friend gave:

6 ÷ 2(1+2)=?

Now, when  I went to answer this I was given two options: 1 or 9. After a moment's thought, I got the answer and selected it. (The answer's 9, by the way.) It wasn't even a thing for me. Then a girl I know challenged my answer saying it should have been 1.  Her logic being as follows: 

6 ÷ 2(3) is equivalent to 6 ÷ 6 which equals 1. 

I have to admit, despair clutched at my heart for the briefest of seconds. Could I have been proven wrong?? Could a simple equation stab me to the quick and destroy my math prowess? No, I thought!! There was something wrong here, and I set to prove my logic. The answer my dear friends lies in the mathematical rule that establishes the Order of Operations or Precedence of Operators. 

This rule states the order in which we must resolve mathematical operations to solve any given equation: 

1 - Anything inside parenthesis 

2 - Exponents & roots

3 - Multiplication & Division

4 - Addition & Subtraction

Armed with this knowledge, I gave my proof as follows, starting with the original equation: 

6 ÷ 2(1+2)=?

Now resolve the terms inside the parenthesis first: 

6 ÷ 2(3)=?

Now, here's where it gets tricky, and where my friend went wrong. Most people would misinterpret the Order of Operations and then resolve 2(3). but the order states terms INSIDE the parenthesis. Not the operation of the parenthesis ITSELF, which is multiplication. The equation could easily be re-written like this and be exactly the same:

6 ÷ 2 * 3 =?

Okay, so now what? Do we divide first? Multiply first?? If you paid attention in math class, and who did besides me?, you'd know that division doesn't really exist. Division is just a fancy form of multiplication. The expression:  6 ÷ 2 could easily be re-written as 6 * ½ and mean the same thing. So let's plug that in and see where it goes, solving from left to right: 

6 * ½ * 3

3 * 3

9

And that's how I got the answer. (This is why teachers always ask you to show your work. That way they can see where you misinterpreted the rules of math and got the wrong answer.)

Now, being the smart woman that she is, my friend went and got independent verification from the Internet, and my answer was justified. To use a famous actor's catchphrase: WINNING!!!

Still, I have to thank my friend. She gave me a chance to use my brain in an arena I haven't touched in awhile. Mathematical proofs. So, thank you! You know who you are!! As for the rest of you, my dear readers, take a moment and learn from this post, or use it to teach someone else. Because any day in which you've learned something is a good day!