What I want to do, at the same place

Cutter's Log - Stardate 09.80.60
Current Song - Gangsta's Paradise (Coolio)

Work = like?

I like who I work for. I don't like what I do for work currently.

I was thinking about a capacity in which I could stay under the same employer, but do something that I am capable of doing.

"I want to be a substitute worker at the 50-some-odd J.O. locations, and maintain a J.O. website."

Now I can DO that. I really don't mind traveling to Ottawa or Rockford for a shift, as long as I'm getting paid for it.

It sure beats doing the SAME THING EVERY NIGHT.

[/dream]

Almost Done

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.70.60
Current Song - The Logical Song (Supertramp)

Regarding the new NISB Website:

Everything has been transfered from the GeoCities server to the Small Business server. I've got one more thing to simply add to the new site before everything's complete. I really can't wait to get this all completed. The Story Archive needs some work, and a few audio clips need to be uploaded, and after that the whole transition is complete. Everything should be done by the end of June.

I'm going to take a break from this for now and concentrate on my school work. I'm already kind of behind.

I have a couple of new schools to add to the Illinois High School Glory Days website after this.

Work Routine

Cutter's Log - Supplemental

I think Mary knows how to keep me from going in a downward spiral. Make your statements brief. Going too long can make me insane.

Something along the line of "change your routine."

I always had a list of things written down before I started, and I had until 1:00ish to do it. I guess that isn't working.

I'm going to try something ... again.

Second Chances

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.50.60
Current Song - Bloody Well Right (Supertramp)

The Illinois Lottery is doing a Second Chance Promotion for their 35th Anniversary. The task is to save $35.00 worth of non-winning lotto tickets and send them in for a drawing. The jackpot is $35,000/week. As a person who sells (and plays) lotto tickets, I was unsure as to whether or not I was eligible.

When I was at BP, there was a Second Chance Promotion involving Chicago Bulls tickets. That's when I got real interested in it. My assistant manager at the time started saving these tickets: ones she bought, and ones that customers asked to be scanned (only to find out they were losers). When she would say the ticket was not a winner, she would set it aside. She would put her husband's name on them (she knew she wasn't elibigle - and I think I told her that), and send them in.

Here's the problem: she didn't buy those tickets. How is that fair to those who participate in the drawing that DO buy their tickets?

Same thing is happening to a co-worker of mine now. She is saving these tickets. There is this brown paper bag that says something like "please save non-winning tickets for (her)." Her name is going on these tickets. She even asks customers what they will be doing with the non-winners, in an attempt to keep them. Once again, I don't think this is right.

I mentioned this to a couple of regulars of mine, and they reiterated that I wasn't eligible in the first place. First, I wanted to verify this. I went to the three other Shell stations, two managers said that we WERE INDEED eligible. I still wanted to check this with the Illinois Lottery. They said it's open to anyone who does not work FOR the lottery. So I guess I'm eligible.

However, I still think it's wrong to take other people's tickets. I inform people about the Second Chance drawing.

So what about the tickets that I play? As a security measure, I don't buy any lotto tickets at my Shell, even when I'm off the clock. I can't play on the clock anyway. The tickets that I do buy I do put in the Second Chance drawing. Each paper ticket has a six-digit code (4XXXXX) that is unique for every lotto retailer. Each stratch-off ticket has a 12-digit code that is unique to each retailer.

I submit my tickets online. Go to illinoislottery.com for more information.

I also made a rare non-workday morning visit to work. I don't like doing this because I know I'm going to get chastised for something. Well, I was made aware that my priorities had to be switched because of the weather. Ice and cold drinks are more important now. Do my chores earlier.

Whoa! It's Friday, and I have yet to do the F5!

A PR Guy?

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.30.60
Current Song - Dancing Days (Led Zeppelin)

If I can't get a newspaper job, here's something I want. If Johnson wants a public relations guy, I'm qualified. It'll get me out of clerking and into something I like doing. Heck, I can even create a website for the company.

Of course, that position has to EXIST first :)

Preparing for Summer Classes

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.03.50
Current Song - Life During Wartime (Talking Heads)

Today I begin my 10th semester of community college.
I'm right HERE, everyone else is over ---------------------HERE

Both my Psychology class and Humanities class are Online. They are the only two classes I'm taking this semester. So I get to sit at home.

I already have most of my Psychology stuff available to me. I'm still waiting on my Humanities stuff to get ready. The Psychology class I'm taking is the same one that I failed a couple of years ago. I failed it because I was working third shift at BP, and kept falling asleep in the class. I discovered the power of cappuchino too late. If I stick to my schedule in this class, I should get no lower than a C. It's the same instructor too.

My Humanities class is taught by the same instructor that taught my second go-around in Music Appreciation. She is slow and untimely, hence I don't have my stuff yet. I think there is no textbook for the class, but there are in her campus classes. I hope my 2nd edition PSY book is okay for this semester, which wants the 3rd. Oh, the money I will save!

I created a calendar on my computer for all class-related things, similar to a planner. After 10 years of teachers pounding at me for not using a planner, I am using one now. Ten years is a long time.

Hope this all goes well!

Fall - Film Appreciation and Principles of Modern Math

Can't Wait for the Move

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.72.50
Current Song - My Sharona (The Knack)

I write the NISB State of the Site Address today. There will be a lot of interesting things in it. The official preview of the new URL, plus many more. It will be on the new site in time for the move.

If you visit NISB, you won't want to miss this.

Summer is here

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.32.50
Current Song - I'll Be Around (The Spinners)

Summer is here. Not much changes. That's what happens when you get older I guess.

My brother Chris graduates high school Sunday. I got him a card and some cash. One more brother left in high school, and a cousin in four more years. A Cutter has graduated Sterling HS every two years since 2005.

I'm keeping busy on NISB lately with the Honor Roll. Just a couple of more meets before I don't have to do it anymore. I really enjoyed compiling it, and look forward to doing it next year. Who knows, maybe some coaches will notice it. I like compiling these things. It makes me yearn for the days I wanted to do this for the newspaper. Speaking of the newspaper, I still find myself praying.

Too many people come to the gas station thinking "Why are you still here?" Believe me, I don't want to be there. I know where I want to be. It's just too damn hard to make that a reality.

Bunch of bills to pay this month. I worked an extra day this week, so this helps.

Schedule Known (Part II)

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.01.50

Not only has my work schedule been known, my NISB schedule has also been known. NISB is kinda determined from my work schedule as a second priority.

I'm breaking out the camera and taking pictures of a few baseball and softball games, leading up to the super-sectional games. June 8 is the last date for pictures. I can't go to any state tournaments because I'm working Saturdays for now on.

I've also got a couple columns: one involves friendships going back quite some time, and another has something to do with the NISB Honor Roll. Speaking of the Honor Roll, I try to update it every couple of days.

I also have an Observations piece on the Elmhurst York Badminton Sectional. Get to know what it's like at a meet, and know what is special about the sport.

Friday 5's will keep coming.

New site launches June 15.

And that's about it. I've got a Friday in June set for going to one of the Boats. Hope I can win something.

---

Work is getting better. Sometimes I have left without any confidence in doing better the next time. I'm bagging more bags of ice (did 30 last Friday, and 43 last night), when the average is 5 bags a day. That settles that problem. I'm fine in cash control. I'm fine with the basic of chores. The heavy-duty chores I have always struggled with. I'm always having trouble finding time to do them.

I sold a $500 winning ticket last night. It was on a $5 Bingo.

I'm doing five night$ next week, followed by a 4-5 pattern. It's much better than doing just 3.

Our fountain pop machine is out of order. We're out of the CO2 that makes the bubbles. That sucks for me because I need about 100 oz of Pepsi to get through the night. I've settled on buying a couple of 20 oz'ers from the storage boxes (warm). I think it's helped me perform well.

I hope I have a better day tonight.

Schedule Known

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.70.50
Current Song - What You Won't Do For Love (Bobby Caldwell)

I know my work schedule for the next couple of months. It helps tremendously because I can find time to plan things in advance. I'm working four-to-five days a week most of the time.

"It's a website"

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.50.50
Current Song - Jack and Jill (Raydio)

Apparently in order to have full credibility, I need to work for a newspaper. Problem is, I can't because the industry is crapping up.

I get people wondering what newspaper I am from. I tell them I run a website, and they're all confused.

I just lost thought.

I wouldn't mind blog writing for a newspaper website, as long as I get paid for it.

Let's Break Out The Camera

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.40.50
Current Song - Inca Dance (Cusco)

In the little I actually cover in the spring, I have done a lot of track and field with that Honor Roll. I think I've done more minor sports in the Friday 5 feature than baseball and softball.

That will change soon. I had a lot of positive feedback from my photo album of Tucson. I thought I may break out the camera and take some pics of baseball and softball games. I really only use the camera for Glory Days adventures.

That's a hint about a new site feature.

I've got five dates so far:

Today, Rock Falls softball vs. Hall
Thursday, Morrison baseball vs. Fulton
Saturday, Rock Falls softball quad
Next Tuesday, Orangeville softball vs. South Beloit
Next Thursday, Riverdale softball vs. ROWVA

If these work out, I'm going to try to schedule more dates.

To Those Who Seek to Ruin Me ...

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.10.50
Current Song - Psycho Sid theme

... I know who you are.

You won't get away.

You only make me work harder.

If I were you, I wouldn't push it.

Not a good Monday for paper sales

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.22.40
Current Song - TPIR Theme

It was not a good day for Gazette sales at work on Monday.

Out of the 25 we got that day, we only sold 6.

Here's the shocking part ...

We sold 11/11 Chicago Tribunes, 7/7 Chicago Sun-Times', 4/5 Quad City Times', and 5/7 USA Todays. In the three years I've been counting newspapers at work, this has never happened. No wonder why the Journal-Standard cut Mondays.

Highland Writing Complete

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.71.40
Current Song - Peg (Steely Dan)

I sent in my last Highland Chronicle piece and pics just now. All I have left to do is put together my portfolio.

I added another ICCJA Award to my brief list of accomplishments. I got Honorable Mention for best sports story. It was the one on the Volleyball team. You can see that HERE, and click on "October" and scroll down until you find it. I drove to Clinton to do that story, so it paid off. That is paired with my 2nd place in 2007. I felt that if I went to more Highland events than what I did, I may have done a better job writing.

That was my plans for today. I'm bored until 4:00 p.m. now.

One Last Piece

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.41.40
Current Song - More Than Words (Extreme)

There is only one more piece for the Chronicle left to be written. I've got almost all of the copy editing done for everyone else. It is due on Thursday. After that, no more articles! Just sitting back and doing nothing the duration of the semester. One chapter will end, and another will begin. Well, actually, I'm not writing any more JUCO sports after this article. It will be off to Sauk, where I registered for two Internet courses.

I can't wait to get this burden off of my back. No, I'm not hating the industry, but JUCO sports and monthly features are not my thing. Give me the gamer, sports news piece and historical recap any day. No more un-needed trips 45 miles away for a sports picture, or an interview. It will save me on gas money. Maybe the savings account will grow.

I'm tired right now. I've been up 27 hours. The body can't take it anymore these days.

Happy Easter!

Cutter's Log - 9002.21.40
Current Song - Tired of Being Alone (Al Green)

I've got my mind wrapped around the NISB Honor Roll at the moment. Check it out on the Message Boards.

I got a rare opportunity to work at another Shell station on Wednesday night. I closed at the Shell on Rt. 30 in Rock Falls. The chores were no different, but the paperwork was 180 degrees. I would fill in there again if given the chance.

It turned out to be a much-needed payroll boost. I only worked two days last week. I'm only doing three nights this week, and three nights the next week: 15, 17, 18 & 20, 22, 24.

There's not much else to write in the blog as of late. Nothing drastic has happened. But I did win $50 on a scratch-off ticket Saturday morning at the Rt. 30 station. That $50 will be going into the savings account. I want to try to see how long I can go without withdrawing from it.

I've had this in my head

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.08.04
Current Song - Silly Love Songs (Paul McCartney)

I know NISB isn't doing so well. I'm not able to get around to everywhere I want to. For the first time I'm realizing that I really can't focus on such a large area. But I love northern Illinois too much to abandon it.

Work (my real work at Shell) and college classes have made it difficult for me to travel all over. The traffic on the site has also decreased since I can't cover a whole lot. Now, I really want to remain a prep sportswriter, and not be know as a gas station clerk. I don't want to do that for the rest of my life. The job economy looks bleak around here, unless I can punch something out.

Since I'm most familiar with online journalism, I want to start looking at online sites. There are a lot out there; some I've helped out with too. But I want to start local, and work my way out. Before I started NISB, I wrote a lot about Sterling, Rock Falls, Newman and Dixon sports. The sites I worked for have since evolved into their own entities.

I want to see if either the Sterling or Rock Falls sites are interested in hiring me to write for them (as an indy contractor). It doesn't matter which school, really, but I can't do both. It's something I like to do as long as I got paid for it. $20 an article for six days would almost equal my week's pay at Shell.

Blog Under Construction

Cutter's Log - Special Entry

Sometimes I fail to realize that "open book" people like me get some flack for saying EVERYTHING.

I've had this #35's Waste of Space for almost four years (4/28/2005). In this blog-journal I mention a lot of things that happened during the particular day. After I found out I had Asperger's Syndrome, I like to think my life is an open book. I used to be very closed up, and a lot of people didn't know a whole lot about what I was thinking.

The WoS journal (this) is one of the ways I communicate with people, since I have such a hard time speaking to them. Still, there are a lot of people that don't understand why I use this as a means of communication.

I met up with a former co-worker of mine the other day. He noticed his name was mentioned in this blog. He didn't like that fact that I mentioned him. That's completely alright. I told him I fail to realize that there are certain things people like to keep private, while I type it in here. He did a Google search of his name, and found this blog.

There are a lot of names in this blog. The first full name you'll find after this entry is "Woody Paige." However, a Google search for Woody Paige will turn up thousands and thousands of results. He is a sports columnist for the Denver Post, as well as a panelist on Around the Horn. But the people I know personally are eventually going to find their name on this blog.

So I'm going to go back and take out the last names of all the people I know - and I want the web crawlers to go through this real fast.

I even had to destroy complete entries.


So, if I mentioned your full name on my blogs in the past, I sincerely apologize. I just didn't realize the perspective from the other point of view. I will just put first names of the people I know on here for now on.

Is that alright, let me know. Thanks.

He said What?

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.13.30.
Current Song - Right Place Wrong Time (Dr. John)


I wanted to cover a high school sports news event today.


I couldn't make it to the meeting in time, so I sent the president of the oragnization an e-mail asking for the results of the meeting. There was some pretty important stuff going down. I prefered to send an e-mail because the meeting was closed. It was closed because they wanted to shut out the media (they CAN do this; they're exempt from the Open Meeting's Act). They shut out the media because of fear of misquoting.


The best way to prevent that "fear of misquoting" is to ask questions via e-mail.


So I get an e-mail back.


The person asks me to call him.


Nothing angers me more than this when it comes to interviewing. I have an e-mail signature requesting that the best way to prevent miscommunication is to reply to e-mails.

I don't understand the verbal preference. There's too much fooling with grammar and speed talk. Heck, I can't bode well in conversation. Communicating via e-mail doesn't have me going, "uhhh, uhhh ...." It doesn't look good for me if I come along sounding like an idiot.

Now I would have no problem calling people back if I had a speakerphone, but I don't have one. I have found it extremely difficult to wrap my recorder around my phone and record what comes out of the earpiece. I also have difficulty writing down things from ear to paper. I write very slow, and if I try to write fast, I can't read my own writing. And I NEVER want to write down the WRONG thing(s).

So I have to stick to using e-mail to communicate. But they rather have me call.

Plus, I wouldn't have this problem if I were at a newspaper. But since I run a website on my own, they all want to know who the hell I am!!!

The new things I try

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.92.30
Current Song - Always Something There to Remind Me (Naked Eyes)

I spent some time looking through my old blog entries tonight. I was amazed about the things I said. A lot of "I'm not going to survive"s and such. Well, I'm still at Shell and still liking Highland for now.

So I brought back the Track and Field Honor Roll. It's something I helped do on NCIpreps a long while back. It's probably the 20th new concept I created for NISB, and about 18 of them blew up at the start.

I've rethought the Bits and Pieces series over and over again.

Talkin' Times

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.82.30
Current Song - You Know What to Do (The Beatles)

As a free agent sportswriter, I like to keep up to date on job openings at newspapers. The openings are very hard to come by as of late. However, I found this one ...


Title: Preps Sports Reporter
Location: IA - Davenport
Job Type: News
Division: Quad-City Times
Status: Regular

Description: Quad-City Times Preps Sports Reporter

The Quad-City Times (51,000 daily, 68,000 Sunday), part of the Lee Enterprises chain, is seeking a multipurpose sports journalist who has solid reporting skills and can report for the print paper and the Web.

We are seeking a sports reporter who will devote most of his or her time to covering local high school sports. This is an area in which we place heavy emphasis and consider some of our most important beats. High school teams in the area routinely compete, and win, in state championships in Illinois and Iowa, so our readers expect superior coverage.

The ideal candidate for this job needs to be able to report for our print newspaper and our ever-growing qcvarsity.com site. Online and multimedia knowledge is required. This reporter also must have a hunger for enterprise journalism and exploring new ways of telling stories, whether it is online or in print.

We are in a diverse, two-state, sports-oriented metro area of about 400,000 people that is three hours from the nearest major league sports city but within five hours of six of them. We are just 50 miles from the University of Iowa, have minor-league franchises in several sports and are home to a PGA tournament and the largest non-marathon road race in the Midwest.

Qualified candidates should have a bachelor's degree and possibly some daily newspaper experience.

It's been a couple of years since they last had an opening for a writer.

This is a newspaper that is heavy on the new media. They do a lot of video (hey, I did that), photographs (hey, I did that), articles (hey, I do that), blogs (hey, I also do that), and some radio appearances (currently a one-hit wonder). The QC Times is one of those papers that I always expressed freelancing for if the opportunity came. But, folks, this isn't a freelance position.

This is full-time.

I would have to leave Shell. I'd also have to drive to and from Davenport on a daily basis. That is, unless I somehow, miracously, found a place to stay in the Quads. With the scant $400 I have saved up, dream on! Plus, this isn't like working for SVN. I hear the work hours are mostly during the day, with the usual gamer done quick.

Another source tells me they may be eying for nearby applicants.

Do I send in my resume yet?

To let you know how scarse prep reporting positions are, it's one of few in the nation. So many prep sportswriters are out of work, so they are probably swamped with applications. It would be interesting just to send one in, only to see how far up the ladder I would get. That is, before I would have to back down.

Yes, you're going to have to count me out for the QC Times gig.

Commuting to Davenport and back forces me to suspend my college studies. I'm 16 hours away from getting my Associate's. Plus, the job suggests a bachelor's. I'm already long-delayed. I can't even transfer to another institution because of residency requirements for the A.A. That's the biggest factor. So it seems I'm real stuck until I get out of Sauk. The only gig I'll consider at this moment is one from SVN - but they haven't offered one in five years.

It's too bad, I think I would have liked it there. Hopefully they'll call back in 2010.

Having the Internet Back is Awesome!

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.72.30
Current Song - FM (Steely Dan)

The trip to Tucson felt better because I knew I would get the Internet at home finally. I mean, I'm gone for a week. Isn't this how surprises are supposed to brew?

I was able to get caught back up a few things, such as:

*Uploading my photographs on MySpace, as well as updating my MySpace
*Writing about Tucson
*Downloading my NISB articles onto CDs
*Organizing my computer

and that's it so far.

I've still got to update the Goers-Pingatore win tracker (and not bloody again till November!), and find the college-bound athletes. I've also undertaken a class-system project. My Facebook needs updating, too.

TUSCON ... The Vacation

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.26.30
Current Song - Jack and Jill (Raydio)

I returned from a 6-day trip to Tucson on Saturday afternoon.

I'm going to put here an account of what I did down there. But first I'm going to tell about the journey there.

I woke up at 2:45 AM on March 16 and left for Quad City Airport at 3:30. The flight was set to take off at 6:20. I wasn't worried about flying as much as I was about my baggage. The screening process wasn't all that bad. I was worrying about it being lost.

As a larger person, I had a difficult time buckling up. It took me up until just before take off to get myself in. I looked out the window the entire flight, and tried to identify the cities below me (I only got Des Moines right - I thought Omaha was Kansas City, and Ottumwa was actually Riverside.) The thought of throwing up didn't come up.

The layover in Denver was interesting. My Uncle Randy was departing to D.C. a couple of hours after I was. We had breakfast at a place called Pour la France. I picked up a Denver Post, read the Woody Paige piece, and completed by NCAA bracket somewhere above New Mexico.

Grandpa and Grandma were so excited to see me, and vice versa. It is so dry there! We got to their place, in a neighborhood called San Carlos Place. They live in a gues house, in the back of a full-sized house. We talked about things back home, gave them our newspaper (and my QC). Our first trip was to downtown Tucson to see the historical sites. Some of the things we saw were the Presidio, the La Placita, the older part of Tucson, the Hotel Congress, the Cup Cafe, and a couple of others. We also walked down Fourth Street, which is a University hangout (I think). We had dinner at a place called Magpies. The place has been voted the best pizza for 20 years running.

We went to a White Sox spring training game on Tuesday. Well, they were the visiting team. The Diamondbacks were the hosts. I packed with me some baseball cards to get signed. I notched two signatures: Ozzie Guillen (on my 1997 Collector's Choice) and Wilson Betemit (on my 2000 Fleer Tradition). I almost got AJ Peryzinski to sign. It was a very good game, going into extras before a wild pitch by Lance Broadway sent in the winning D-Back run.

We also walked around the University of Arizona part of Tuesday. There is also a huge used bookstore called Bookmans. Every book there is used, and priced half-off the cover. I bought 8 books, and 1 of them was a fiction book. I never, never read fiction. I can picture my mother living in this store. There is also a pass through the mountains called Gate's Pass. The sunset is really beautiful there. Dinner was at a place called Tiny's. It used to be a saloon at one time.

Wednesday was spent at Mount Lemmon. Tucson is 3/4 surrounded my mountains. This is the most accessible one going up. We had a picnic up there with Daggwood sandwiches (just like the comic strip). I called back home from the top. Before we went to Lemmon, we went to the transportation museum in downtown.

Thursday was a very good day. We went to the Tucson-Sonora Desert Museum. It is an environmental museum filled with animals, plants, birds, and many walking trails. My skin was about to turn bad as we walked around. Not too far from the desert is Old Tucson. That's where many old westerns were filmed, such as McClintock. The Three Amigos was also filmed there, as well as The High Chaparall. We also went to one of the Indian Casinos, Desert Diamond. I didn't do as good as the past weekend's run in East Peoria. Dinner was at a place called the Depot, which I didn't know had karakoke night - as it pained my ears.

We spent most of Friday at the Pima Air and Space Museum. The place is HUGE! It has Ike's post-WWII to pre-presidency airplane, Kennedy and Johnson's Air Force One, and many military fighting planes. There are over 100 planes outside, and another 100 I think in a few hangars. The hangars also included some Air Force history. There was also the Space part of the museum, which documents the history of space travel. I wrote a paper in seventh grade science class about space travel history, so it interested me a lot. There was better music for our final dinner of the trip. We went to Las Cazulitas, where a live Marachi band was playing.

Saturday I bid goodbye to my grandparents and headed back home though Denver again.

Tucson is a very big city, much bigger that I thought. There were a lot of things I wanted to do, but was unable to. I want to go back one day. But my grandparents, who btw live there for three months, are looking at another place to spend the winter at.

Nevertheless, this will go down as one of the best weeks of my life.

Pictures will come soon, I promise. I got the Internet back at home (WOO-HOO!!!!!!) and need to get caught up on everything.

If you want to know more about my vacation, go ahead and ask.

TUCSON PICTURES - http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=22721799&albumId=2692130

TUSCON

Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.21.30
Current Song - Jet Airliner (Steve Miller Band)

I'm going to concentrate on preparing tor Tuscon after I post this.
You won't hear from me for a while.

See ya!