Goodbye WH4L

September 13th, 2010

After spending the better part of the last decade with WebHost4Life, I am leaving them.  Really, they left me a long time ago.  In the last year I have had so many outages of my websites.  They have gone down and back up at random times.  It has been horrible. When I tried to use tech support they have been very slow.  I had a SQL Injection Attack.  After figuring out the problem I fixed it.  But their control panel was broken and I couldn’t change my SQL Password.  So I asked them to do it.  It took more than five days!  In that amount of time my SQL Server was hit again.  I did my research and found a company I am going to try.  Arvixe.com is who I am trying.  So far I am impressed with their tech support.  I am also happy with the speed of their servers.  I also like that I can have multiple domains without having to create code to reroute the request to the proper domain.  The system allows me multiple websites.  So far, so good.

I spent the better part of the day moving over my websites.  The big one will be the cityofpullman website.  I had fire training tonight.  We are going over ladders.  We spent a lot of time throwing ladders and getting more comfortable with them.  It was a good training.

When we were done we went to My Office.  We hung out talking and laughing about the various activities we have been part of over the time at the fire department.

I spoke to Bob from Imprezzio.  I asked to get a copy of the contract they offered to me so I can look it over and decide if that is what I want to do.

More Pump Training

September 12th, 2010

I slept until around four in the afternoon after going to bed around eight in the morning.  I met two of my new guys to help them with Rescue pump training.  It was a continuation from the training we did last Friday.  It was just less instruction and more hands-on for them.  They are both doing very well.  They need to get to know the equipment location on rescue a lot better though.

We did rig checks following the training.  It took around two hours to get that done.  I went home and watched TV for most of the rest of the evening.

Before rig checks I went to Tesoro for some pop.  They had a deal for ninety-nine cents for any size pop.  I was charged full price.  I pointed out it should be at the sale price.  The lady said that they didn’t mean to have the largest size included in the sale and they were going to put a sign up stating that.  But I said right now it is not up and the sign says ninety-nine cents.  So I went and grabbed my refill cup and came back in.  She said that I could have the one that I already poured because there was nothing she could do with it.  I refused it and poured a new one, leaving the old one sitting on her counter.  If that is the way they want to play, then they can eat the losses on it.  I was mad.

Cougar Football Saturday

September 11th, 2010

Today is the first day that I worked as a deputy at a football game.  I was excited for that.  I got to the SO and got a car ready.  Elllsworth and I went to WSUPD for briefing.  I was assigned to work with Hansen on the field.  That would mean I wouldn’t have many contacts with people but I was going to be taken care of.  Before the game we went to the pressbox and hung around up there for a while.  We got stuff ready for the command post for the game.  Then we took our position on the field.  It is my second time being on the field for a football game.

Being September Eleventh they had the honor guard from PFD and PPD work with the ROTC guys to do the flag.  They didn’t have a huge production like I was expecting.

At half time we ran the refs to their locker room and then escorted them back to the field.  In the third quarter we went to command and Hansen took it over.  We were there until near the end of the fourth quarter.  We got some food from there as well as warm cookies.  It was good stuff.  Before the game ended we went back to the field to escort the refs back to the locker room. Then our job was done.

The Cougs looked flat for most of the game.  It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the defense stepped up and made some big plays.  It was because of that we were able to stay in the game and score some points.  We ended up winning by one point.

When the game was done Ellsworth and I went back to Colfax.  I went to Rosauers for some dinner and then out to the fairgrounds.  I was working out there until the morning doing patrols.  I was pretty tired, but for the first couple hours there was a dance and stuff going on.  But shortly after the dance thing quieted down and it got boring.  Matt and I watched some movies and the we did a round.  There was nothing going on.  It was very cold outside and we used little heaters to help keep the command post warm for us.  I stayed there until about seven-thirty in the morning when I left to go home.  I was very tired and ready to go to bed.

Got a Contract Job Offer

September 10th, 2010

After being unemployed for a long period of time I got a phone call today from Imprezzio offering me a contract job.  It was not quite what I was expecting, but it is a job that will pay me and it will keep me out of debt.  I would be ten-ninety-nine status and I would get less than I would like, but it is a starting point.  I would start by working with the testing of a product that is getting ready to roll out.  I would be the contact for various companies and Imprezzio.  Then I would work with Brian on various projects.  It was not one of those situations where I was going to just jump at it, because it is not at the level of pay I was hoping for, but it is nothing to walk away from either.

I also had an interview with one other company based in Seattle.  I am not sure I am what they are looking for.  I can hold my own when it comes to programming, but I cannot show it in an interview setting.  I could have had a job a long time ago if I was able to impress in an interview.

This evening I was working at the fire department.  Tonight is the first home game weekend of the season.  We started by working the Pullman High football game.  They played Moscow and got shut out.  Then we did fire patrols in the parking lots around campus.  We had one call happen during that time.

Later that night we have three calls come in right around the same time.  Then it just got quiet and we didn’t have anything for the rest of the night.

ASA Western Nationals Day Two

September 5th, 2010

This morning we had to get up early for the first game. We were playing at eight o’clock in the morning.  The game did not go well at all.  We couldn’t hit as a team.  I hit the ball well having two doubles.  But as a team we were more or less skunked.  The team we played hit the ball well and crushed us.  Our run in the nationals tournament came to an end at nine in the morning.

I went back to the hotel and packed up and left.  I went back to Pullman and because I was back so early I decided to work the road.

ASA Western Nationals Day One

September 4th, 2010

We made our way to the field for the first of softball games. It is a straight double-elimination tournament. It is only a two game guarantee. That means we don’t have a lot of room to warm up. One of the guys who was supposed to play with us backed out. But he didn’t tell us so we were not able to find a replacement. He had known for several days. So that really screwed us over. We only have ten guys. Anyone gets hurt and then we are in even worst shape.

In the first game we played the team tight. I played well with two doubles and a walk as well as a reach-on-error. We were tied going into the seventh inning. But then they scored ten runs. We were not able to mount a come back to overcome that and we ended up losing the game. A couple us went to Panda Express for lunch and then back to the field.

Now we have our backs against the wall for the rest of the tournament. If we lose we go home. I really don’t want to leave the tournament in the first day. Our second game we were playing a local team. They lost by fourteen runs in their first game. It was like a baseball game against them. We won four to three. But it was a battle to just get those four runs. We just didn’t hit the ball very well. But our defense really helped us to stay in the game. I had a very bad game at the plate. I couldn’t hit the ball to save my life. I made three outs.

After the games we went back to the hotel. I got cleaned up and met several other guys at the swimming pool. There were a lot of people there playing in the water and having fun. I was thirsty so I went to get some water and pop from the store. Then we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It was some good stuff. I was completely full by the time we left.

Made it to Boise

September 3rd, 2010

After getting a phone call this morning I decided to get up and start my trek to Boise for the ASA Western National E softball tournament. I got my stuff packed into the truck and headed down Ninety-Five. It was a long trip. It was about a three-hundred mile trip, but getting stuck behind slow car after slow car sucked. At one point I was stuck behind a string a cars for nearly thirty miles. It was a sucky trip.

When I got in I went to the hotel and checked in. Then I went to the field and get checked in and had my bat approved. As it turns out it barely made it through the testing process. They have a machine and my bat didn’t make a sound on one spot and barely made a noise in two other spots. But it passed. I guess the less sound it makes the hotter it is. My bat might not be able to get used next season.

I went to dinner with Bruce and his family at Cracker Barrel. It was my first time there. It was good food. When I got back to the hotel I chatted online with Jonathan and Gunnar. I had a great conversation with Jonathan. We haven’t chatted much recently. We talked about gay relationships. He has a very solid one and is to the point where some time he may choose to get married to his boyfriend.

I am getting more open with Gunnar and more willing to talk to him about subjects that made me uncomfortable in the past. I think I am finally getting to the point with him that Nick was telling me about. Nick told me that it takes time but as you are with someone longer you get to the point where you are comfortable around them to the point where your modesty goes away and you are more of who you are.

Busy Day on Both Side of the State

September 1st, 2010

I had an MRI this morning on my ankle. This is the fourth MRI I have gotten. I hope this will show something that can be fixed. But I don’t think there is a fix for my problem. After the MRI I hit the road and went back to Pullman. I stopped at the SO and dropped off some donuts. I spoke to Cooper while I was there. He asked me about my recent felony drug arrest. I told him about the circumstances around it.

I went home and did my laundry. I was going to hang out with Gunnar tonight. I picked him up on my way to the fields in Moscow. He watched my softball game. I had two stand up doubles and a single. It was a good day at the plate. My time in the field went well also. I played second and shortstop. I made all the plays that went my way. It felt good out there today.

We went back to my house and watched Stangers with Candy. Then we spent time talking with each other. We are getting more comfortable with each other. I was finally able to open up to him some more. I was able to talk to him about things that I had not been able to say to him in the past.