The Life and Times of Jim |
Hi, there. I'm Jim. Welcome to my phlog! This site was written for Las Vegas, then LouisVille. Now, it seems to be about anywhere. In these phlogs, you'll see a lot of my personal notes and pictures. I like to post my observations here to remember life and celebrate it. I'm not religious. I don't pray for good fortune. I'm ecstatically grateful for the gift of life and I think our time should be remembered and not taken for granted. I'm not a writer. I think pictures tell stories so much better than words. I love just about everything in this life, and, I guess that would have to include you. So, if you've seen me, don't be surprised if your picture is in here somewhere. Of all the critters, people are absolutely the most interesting. |
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09/01/2008 06:19:50 jim Apartment Hunting | Mon |||||||||||||||||||
Waldorf apartments: 888-848-8107, 103 McKnight Circle, Pittsburgh, PA 15237, $527-$750, http://pittsburgh.apartmentfinder.com/Pittsburgh-Apartments/Waldorf-Park-Apartments Its near work. It looks a little run down, but there's several buildings on that hill that look interesting. Allegheny Center Apartments: (412) 231-3400, Allegheny Center Mall, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, $590, Heating/Cooling, http://www.alleghenycenter.com/apartments/ Its near downtown, but I'm not sure what to think about it yet. There was one park in front of it with about 50 black people, and another park next to that with about 30 white people. I don't know if that means anything or not, but my gut instincts tell me 'run'. Presidential Arms, 888-260-8422, 9815 Presidential Drive, Allison Park, PA http://www.apartmentfinder.com/Allison-Park-Apartments/Presidential-Arms-Apartments Its near work, but the drive takes awhile because it winds down a 25 mph backstreet. It looks like frat houses. Each buidling has a name, like Beta House, and it reminded me of Animal House. InTown Suites: (412) 931-6624, 4595 McKnight Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237,$229.99 weekly http://www.intownsuites.com/ No, they don't look like this in Pittsburgh. The plus is, all utilities are included. The minus is, they are very small. Hickory Hills: (866) 517-5273,100 Arthur Dr, Wexford, PA 15090, $610 Really close to work. We haven't seen it yet. |
09/01/2008 06:19:50 jim (Reply)..Apartment Hunting | Mon |||||||||||||||||||
The job is GREAT ! I'm in a small shop on the fifth floor. They have three perm Tandem people. We ended up at the Intown Suites. Its a week-to-week rental, but it's pretty nice. We've been combing the streets of Pittsburgh, searching for the best sights. It looks like we may have to go far to see the best of this area. So far, we've seen the - River Walk along the Allegheny River - Mt Washington with a spectacular view of Pittsburgh - Pennsylvania's 2nd largest mall - Been all over downtown We've seen some pretty historical areas. I'd guess that most people would find this town to be too old, But we've been enjoying its nostalgia. LIFE IS GOOD! |
08/31/2008 19:09:22 jim Mt Washington, Pittsburgh - 2008/08/31 | Sun |||||||||||||||||||
08/31/2008 18:40:00 jim Pittsburgh, PA - 08/31/2007 | Sun |||||||||||||||||||
08/31/2008 13:53:22 jim Riding The Duck - 2008/08/31 | Sun |||||||||||||||||||
08/31/2008 13:53:16 jim Pittsburgh - 2008/08/31 | Sun |||||||||||||||||||
08/31/2008 13:53:16 jim (Reply)North Park - 2008/08/31 | Sun |||||||||||||||||||
08/30/2008 20:58:03 jim The best of Kentuckiana | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/29/2008 20:55:32 jim 20080829 - 4thStreetLive | Fri |||||||||||||||||||
08/29/2008 18:37:20 jim 4th Street Live | Fri |||||||||||||||||||
08/26/2008 18:11:29 jim Vegas,NV-Gabriel Sonny | Tue |||||||||||||||||||
08/25/2008 10:45:19 jim Vegas,NV-Gabriel,CanneryEast | Mon |||||||||||||||||||
08/23/2008 21:19:48 jim Vegas,NV-4703 Kitchen | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/22/2008 18:13:34 jim Taxes are so confusing | Fri |||||||||||||||||||
I finally did my taxes for 2007. It wasn't so bad. Now I'm faced with half a year of pure income, no taxes taken out. Ahhhh, but what happens at the end of next year. If my recruiter fills out my 1099-Misc for Florida, I save $5,000 in state taxes. If my recruiter fills out my 1099-Misc for Pennsylvania, I pay $5,000 to Pennsylvania. Ouch and/or Hmmm. Once again, its not what you did, its what people say you did that counts. |
08/21/2008 12:01:24 jim Vegas,NV-Cannery-BeckysHaircut | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/18/2008 18:43:14 jim Vegas,NV-JoesCrabShack-Becky,Jim,Sonny | Mon |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 14:07:46 jim Vegas,NV-TahoeVillage | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 13:53:11 jim Vegas,NV-TahoeVillage | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 13:48:42 jim Vegas,NV-TahoeVillage | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 13:22:38 jim LakeTahoe,NV-Casinos | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 13:07:01 jim LakeTahoe,NV-View of Carson City | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 13:03:32 jim LakeTahoe,NV-Lake | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 12:29:32 jim Vegas,NV-Tahoe | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 11:45:14 jim CarsonCity,NV-Capitol | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 11:08:04 jim Reno,NV-Downtown | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 10:55:56 jim Reno,NV-CircusCircus | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 10:29:50 jim Reno,NV-CircusCircus,Becky,Hooker | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
08/16/2008 08:37:59 jim The Seattle Trip Summary | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
We drove a total of 2700 miles in one week. It was all about getting unemployment. Washington requires you to call from a local phone. Its been suggested that I could have simply had someone there call unemployment, then get me into a 3-way conversation, and mute their phone. Well, that would have worked, but, it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun. I saw a whale surface on the ocean, just before I got a job via cell phone. |
08/16/2008 07:41:21 jim What if I did not take this trip ? | Sat |||||||||||||||||||
I keep wondering what would have happened if I didn't go to Washington to get on unemployment. I wasn't getting paid from my other contracts. I spent over $10k in San Diego for lodging. Anyway, things were looking pretty grim and I started looking at other income alternatives before the trip. One of them was a work-from-home contract. I was also going to get certified for Asp, Html, and Sql (which I should still do). I did learn that getting unemployment compensation is ridiculous for an interstate contractor. The demands are too high. Everything seems to be set up on a state-by-state basis and each state has its own set of rules. I'd much rather save the 6% of my income that I've been paying out to unemployment insurance. It cost me $1k to go to Washington to call from a local phone. I've spent $6k on unemployment insurance in the last year, and for what ? One thing, the unemployment insurance people said and I still can't get over this, is that I'm not activelly seeking work by placing my resume on Dice or Monster. To the unemployment people, that isn't looking for work. They want to know about the applications I've filled out and I don't fill out applications. I talk to recruiters and sign contracts. I only sign one contract per job. I have little control over where I'll be working next. |
08/15/2008 20:24:56 jim Vegas,NV-CircusCircus | Fri |||||||||||||||||||
08/15/2008 14:00:00 jim Reno, Nv - Circus Circus | Fri |||||||||||||||||||
We took off at 2 am from Coos Bay. I couldn't sleep a full night in that motel. I think someone was dealing drugs from one of the rooms there. I think night driving is best when your not taking the scenic routes. We got to Reno at about 2 pm. Surprisingly, Circus Circus still had empty rooms available. We ate at their buffet, which was excellent, for about $35 for two people. I couldn't stay awake. |
08/15/2008 07:54:24 jim Reno,NV-I95-ToReno | Fri |||||||||||||||||||
08/15/2008 01:45:41 jim Pittsburgh PA, here we come!!! | Fri |||||||||||||||||||
I got the contract 5 minutes after seeing a whale off the Oregon coast.
What are the odds of that? Once again, getting a contract has surprised me. I had an interview a couple of hours earlier in Toledo, Washington. I was thoroughly exhausted from driving across the country. So, now, we'll be coming back to Vegas, just to load for another cross country trip. About Pittsburgh Pittsburgh once produced half of the nation's steel, with over 500,000 people working in over 1,000 factories and mills. After WWII, the city went through a clean air renaissance. The steel industry and the mills fell after the 80's and it's economic base shifted to tourism, services, and high technology. It now has a population of about 330,000. BTW - Try spelling Pittsburgh Pennsylvania some time without a reference. |
08/15/2008 01:44:33 jim Hwy 101 on the Oregon coast | Fri |||||||||||||||||||
We had a flat, I saw a whale, and I got a contract. The Oregon coast is most definitely the most beautiful country side I've seen. It's just too bad that most of their economy seems to center around logging, and gaming. We're staying in a really dumpy hotel in Coos Bay right now. Coos Bay was a hot spot at one time. Now its become another floundering relic of the American industrial revolution. It's sad that so many of our products are made in China. Human rights seems to have taken a dump in the last decade. Hopefully, we'll be in Reno, NV by 6 pm tommorrow. Then we'll be headed back home to pack for our next adventure. |
08/14/2008 17:24:28 jim CoosBay,OR-Downtown | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 17:24:28 jim (Reply)CoosBay,OR-Marina,Downtown | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 16:50:30 jim NorthBend,OR-Motel,Coast | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 16:50:30 jim (Reply)NorthBend,OR-Motel,Coast | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 16:04:24 jim Reedsport,OR-Coast | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 14:54:12 jim DunesCity,OR | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 14:30:50 jim Hecata,OR-Tunnel,Coast | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 14:20:42 jim Coast,OR-Bridge | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 14:08:20 jim Htwy101,OR | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 13:56:44 jim Yachats,OR-Coast,Jim,Becky | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 13:26:18 jim Newport,OR-Yachatts,Coast | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 13:10:56 jim Newport,OR-Bridge,Coastline | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 13:05:20 jim Oregon Coast 2 | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 12:44:18 jim Newport,OR-Beach,LightHouse | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 12:09:28 jim OtterRock,OR-DevilsBowl | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
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