Nice Lunch!

I just had a nice lunch at Chili's with Lisa, Karen, Keiko, Lucas, and Chris. It was Lisa's Birthday and I didn't reveal that my Birthday is tomorrow.

It was good to see Lisa - I felt bad after all that talk(in June) of going to Crave, and then not going. It felt as if I owed her an explanation. She and Bob might not have thought anything of it, but I felt bad.

Lisa said Bob still speaks very highly of me, and that I'd always be welcome back... I can't remember the exact wording, but that's the gist. It's nice to know! A good feeling.

I mentioned that I would be going to school early next year, and that I was going into web design. Karen does/did web design, and asked me some questions. She was concerned I guess, what with her knowledge of the field... I said I was leaning more toward the programming end rather than the artistic end, which seemed to reassure her.

She recommended concentrating on programming, since so many programs now make it easy to do the basic stuff. If I wanted to do well, becoming a real specialist in the deep recesses of the programming would be best.

Personally, I'm still leaning towards the more surface stuff, HTML, Java, Flash, etc. As I learn more, her view will probably become more obviously correct. But engineering a stable server environment is not as appealing as creating elements the user can actually see and interact with.

I'd rather be a house painter than a plumber.

Wait Wait There's More!

I mailed off my college application printout/signature form to El Camino College this morning.

Also, I completed my FASAASAFA form (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at https://fafsa.ed.gov/ and we'll see what happens. I made $30,000 in 2003, which does not sound very pathetic. I doubt I'll get student assistance.

Maybe I can try again later on with my 2004 tax info - I may have earned less this year...

They Will Come and Drag me to Class? Is that extra?

I filled out the online application for the Spring 2005 Semester at El Camino College (www.elcamino.edu) yesterday! I'm not completely sure what this application means. Is there a possibility they can deny my application? When will they respond? What happens then? Am I now obligated to attend? Will they be sending me a bill?

At the end of the application, the college site linked me to a government grant page, for the FASASSAFASS grant or some such. I got partway through - until they started asking for 2003 tax information. Since I don't have an itemized tax list in my head, I'll have to wait and get the information from Cindy. I forgot to ask her last night, so I emailed her today. Email is great! I email myself reminders all the time.

Oh! And I'd emailed the Unemployment Bureau to get info on how taking college classes and or online classes effects your eligibility to collect unemployment. They responded pretty quickly:

Q: How does attending college effect your qualification to collect unemployment? The courses taken directly reflect my career. Also, how are online classes different from normal classes, when it comes to effecting unemployment?

A: The Unemployment Insurance Program is strictly an eligibility program. It is not based on need. One of the eligibility test is: are you able and available for work in your usual occupation? School during what would normally be your working hours is a conflict that must be addressed.

If you attend school and have not been accepted into the California Training Benefits program, you could be denied benefits based on the inability to accept work. Online classes may or may not conflict with the eligibility requirement to seek and accept work.

We will have to look at when the classes are offered, are they offered only during certain hours of the work day, etc. before determining if the online classes interfere with your ability to seek and accept work.

Please read your handbook on California Training Benefits or look for the information on our website.

So now I have more info, taking tiny steps forward. Still a lot I need to find out.

I got up early this morning, per usual. I worked out for my usual 30 minutes (dancing on the dance pad, instead of the exercise bike) and did my weights. I really wasn't feeling very well this morning, but I wandered through my workout.

But when it came time to do my web design stuff, I couldn't do it. My grumbly side was muttering: "This is a waste of time, it will never be finished and if it is it will be a failure."

Damn I really don't like my grumbly side. I decided to be useful in a different way - So I cleansed the computer of spyware and adware, burned a backup CD of our important files, emptied trash (house trash - not PC), and by then it was time to go to work.

I got so caught up in a daydream about secretly remote controlled robots (supposedly autonomous housecleaning bots) that gather a family or group's personal info and drama - for a reality show - that I missed my exit on the freeway and had to wait for the next exit and double back. What a pain. Such is life with chronic ADD.

Boy Howdee! (translation Heck Yeah!)

Work is work, what can I say? I forecast OT this weekend, with winds from the northwest.

Cindy's off today, getting last minute errands done for the conference - with my bank card! Yikes! :o)

Actually I'm more likely to squander money than she is. There's always some gadget I wanna add to my hoard.

Cindy and I discussed the whole 'Mike goes to school' scenerio this past weekend, and she helped me create a list of things I need to accomplish/info I need to gather - - -

Map the whole plan out on paper -

Find exact classes, times/days, and costs -

Figure out how many days/hours I'll need to work to pay the bills -

Decide on online or in-person classes (in person preferred) or personal tutor?

Get details on programming languages certification -
How much are they, where and when are tests offered and by whom (how credible are they?)

Study job market for web designers - growing?

- - -

All of this will be good information to have. I just need to do it, do it!