snacking

I have enjoyed snacking on these: Nabisco yogurt pretzels, Nature Valley chocolate granola thins, Blue Diamond wasabi & soy sauce almonds. I don't necessarily need the yogurt pretzels in 100 Calorie packs, but that's how they come. The granola thins are really crumbly so I typically devour one as I stand over the sink. They also come as peanut butter granola thins, but I haven't tried those. The wasabi almonds have a little (just a very little) kick and is just something different. I also enjoy sweet potato fries and would recommend that you get them when offered on the menu. Enjoy!

hand lotion

Hand lotion for around $1 USD. I like it. Not too heavy, not too light, non-greasy and works well enough. I wash my hands frequently and this lotion is what I use when my hands cry for lotion.

It'd be nice to give to homeless people, but the tube is not sealed and they'd be leery, I think.

best online Catechism of the Catholic Church

The best online Catechism of the Catholic Church is Hosted by Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Mississippi. It is searchable, includes the index, and also has mobile device formats. May you enjoy!

Gopher reacher repair

Several years ago I bought a Gopher reacher tool. I think it was around $20 USD, from either the grocery store or Walgreen's.

In a very short time (I'm guessing in a matter of weeks) it broke at the bend pivot. The pivot point was all plastic construction. Not wishing to discard it after so little use, I bought an aluminum angle from Ace hardware in the neighborhood. I used a hacksaw to cut the angle to the length I wanted and also to cut the notch to straddle the pivot. Several photos are included to show how the splice was made. I used some sort of industrial glue to glue it onto the Gopher. That worked out just fine. The Gopher no longer folds but that's okay.

Eventually the cups on the Gopher fell off. The problem was that the threads on the cups were plastic (see photos of the black cups). I tried to patch it up a few times with whatever household glue I had. Eventually I lost a screw and attempted to replace it with a screw I had in my scrap collection. Finally I lost the other screw as well and it sat unrepaired.

Thanks to a reviewer on Amazon, I was clued in to Arcmate. They offered replacement cups (the blue ones in these photos) with free shipping. I just received the cups today and the Gopher is repaired and ready for service once again. The cups aren't exactly as pictured on their webpage; there is no fancy shoulder on the bolt side of the cup. they should still work fine, though.

Home Depot had a reacher that I considered, but it felt too heavy and the angled pick-up end could be a problem in tight spaces and is difficult to maneuver at any other than the ideal angle. We lost the remote to our old stereo set. It has a large cylindrical dial for the volume. With the reacher I can grab that dial and rotate to adjust the volume. That sort of rotation would be very difficult if the pick-up end were angled.

Reachers are fun to use. I'd recommend that everyone have a reacher in the house. There are a variety of reachers on the market so you have options.

Cheers.

information overload

Job hunting is one huge information overload. There is a glut of free advice for the job hunter.  Here are some broad categories to name a few:

Tools and advice for ...
   1. determining a career path
   2. how to go about finding a job
   3. writing a cover letter
   4. writing a resume (one for machines one for when you actually are invited to submit a resume to a real live person)
   5. preparing for a phone interview
   6. preparing for an interview
   7. how to use the internet for the job search
   8. how to network

And each of the above has its own bucket of research. You have to research the company, the job and you have to research yourself. Cover letters and resumes should be geared towards the specific job you're applying for. You'd have to pick through your past and communicate experience befitting the job.

If we're supposed to have prepared answers to interview questions, how about if the company would send us the questions at the time the interview is offered and say, "Be prepared to answer these questions."

Sometimes the advice is inconsistent among the various experts, and a choice has to be made as to which opinion you'd go with.

With all this glut of information, the HR folks are expecting us to know this stuff. We appear completely dufus, careless, or ignorant if we fail to do what is "basic." (Duh, surely you are prepared to answer basic questions such as "What motivates you?" and "What is your greatest weakness?" and "Where do you see yourself five years from now?" and so forth.) With all this required research, application and practice, it's no wonder that it may well take over a year to master the game and get a job.

The professional side of me says I understand. The softer side of me says I might not want to be that wound-up, polished, ambitious candidate for a high-pressure company who is unforgiving to a little mistake.

In the meantime, I'll march on and pray that God grease the skids and help me to land in the right place.

random thought

There used to be a television commercial that asks, "Do you snore?"

It seems to me that you wouldn't know the answer to that question unless someone tells you.  How else would you know whether you snore in your sleep?

Happy New Year

Happy New Year 2011 to all!

Up until a year ago, I didn't do new year's resolutions. After hearing my spiritual advisor comment, "aim for nothing, get nothing" I figured I can give it a try. Last year's resolution was to finish reading one book. I did that, finishing The Shack and just recently, a career-related book.

This year I will try for two resolutions: eliminate the word "stupid" and eliminate profanity from being issued forth from my mouth.  I think today I've already broken both, but I will try again tomorrow. My dog is not stupid, he's ornery. And it's not "f--ing NO" but perhaps an "emphatic NO." Kinda hard when you live with someone who just won't take a simple "no" for an answer and I have go banannas and yell and curse before the message gets through. And then I get the "why are you yelling at me" response. We'll see how it all works out.