Diary of a Network Geek

I got my business cards yesterday.

Okay, so I’ve gotten the Human Resources speech and filled out forms. I actually collected my first paycheck. But, now, I am officially a Loomis Fargo and Company employee.

Cool.

Yes, there are some.

Returning to simple pleasures, like talking with my wife. Or, watching television with my wife and step-daughter. Losing weight because I “don’t really need that extra slice of…” or dessert, for that matter. A fire in the fireplace, or wood stove, is cozy and an opportunity to enjoy my wife. I learned that store-brand food, and other things, are just as good as the name-brand, and quite a bit less expensive. (We can feed three adult-sized people on less than $300 a month. Easily. And still buy beer once in a while.)
I may be a full-time employee of Loomis Fargo now, but I still remember what it was like. And, I’m not the only one who’s discovered some of these simple truths. David Dvorkin, who is still unemployed, has written an article about the “joys” of unemployment. Enjoy.

And so personal?

Well, it’s actually safer being personal right now than it is talking about my work. See, I’m still a contractor and I’m hoping to go permanent, which means that I need to be a little carefully when it comes to what I publish on the web. One of the other contractors from Momentum just accepted a permanent position yesterday, so I hope the offer will be coming soon, but, until then I’m playing it safe. I’ve seen plenty of stories about people who have lost their jobs because of things they wrote in their blogs. So, since I need the work pretty bad right now, I’m being fairly circumspect.
And, to be honest, there really aren’t that many problems at my new gig. At least, not compared to the last place. That DamnedBoatPlace really didn’t know up from down. They had budget to spend on IT, but managers that didn’t seem to know how or where to spend it. Come to think of it, they didn’t seem to know how to use their human resources, either. And don’t let me get started on the whole “IT fundamentals” issues that they just didn’t get. So, so sad.
In any case, once I change over to a full-time employee, I’ll start complaining about my fellow IT workers here at Loomis Fargo. But, until then, you’ll just have to wait.