Stories's Log |
This log represents the Life and Times of the Las Vegas Dude. |
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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 SAE .Pittsburgh PA, here we come!!! | Fri |||||||||||||||||||
I could spell Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania already, without having looked. Why? Because I am a studly little hound. |
08/15/2008 01:45:41 jim (Reply)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-Marina,Downtown | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 17:24:28 jim (Reply)CoosBay,OR-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 |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 11:38:50 jim DepotBay,OR-WhaleWatching | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 11:09:32 jim LincolnCity,OR-Beach,Becky | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/14/2008 08:39:25 jim Oregon Coast - CoosBay | Thu |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 22:00:00 jim Lincoln City, Or | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
We drove up Oregon's highway 101 today. The scenery is incredible. Astoria was beautiful with its sky high river bridge and seaside ports. Our route took us through Seaside, Cannon Beach, Rockaway Beach, Oceanside, Tillamook and finally Lincoln City. I like driving through the clouds on the mountain sides overlooking the ocean. I still think Oregon's ocean shoreline is still the most beautiful area in the world. I would love to be able to live anywhere along this route. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL! Becky, as always, is entertaining. - We passed a fishing archery (hatchery), - She asked a tourist what our elevation was when we were parked by the ocean (the clouds were drifting around us). - Also, she keeps saying we're in Eragon (as in the fantasy movie) instead of Oregon. We stopped at a dock for lunch. They sold us two crabs and a dozen oysters. These oysters were as big as my head, and I had to shuck them. A German tourist finally came over and shucked a few of my oysters for me. By the end, his hand was bleeding, and this guy was as strong as an ox (we had a lot of fun with this German couple). The whole dock was a blast though! We'd shuck our oysters, shell our crabs, and throw the shells over the side. I've got to admit though, if I had a 22 pistol, I could have shucked those oysters a lot faster. Being exhausted from driving over 40 hours in the last week, We decided to stay the night at the Chinook Winds Hotel and Casino. The Mustang was a good choice for this trip. You can't beat the open air feeling while having its convertable top down. If we took the quickest way back to Vegas, we are still 18 hours away from home. If I get this contract tommorrow, that's how we'll be headed back, and I'll probably just drive straight through. |
08/13/2008 20:05:02 jim LincolnCity,OR-ChinookCasino,beach | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 17:21:16 jim Beaver,OR | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 17:12:46 jim Beaver,OR-Cows | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 16:30:46 jim Tillamook,OR-Coast | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 16:22:14 jim Garibaldi,OR-Museum | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 16:00:08 jim Rockaway,OR-Coast Fog | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 15:19:02 jim CannonBeach,OR-Marina-Crabs | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 14:47:58 jim CannonBeach,OR-Coast | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 14:41:50 jim CannonBeach,OR-Hwy101 | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 14:10:00 jim CannonBeach,OR-Hwy101-Becky,Jim | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 14:09:34 jim Oregon Coast | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 13:33:50 jim CannonBeach,OR-Coast | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 13:05:56 jim Astoria,OR-Marina-Jim,Becky | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 12:35:10 jim Astoria,OR-PortOfAstoria,Bridge,Train | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 11:31:06 jim Astoria Oregon | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 11:00:36 jim Astoria,OR-Coast 95 | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 08:38:34 jim Oregon Coast - Hwy 101 | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/13/2008 08:36:33 jim Oregon Coast | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
08/12/2008 22:00:00 jim Toledo, Washington | Tue |||||||||||||||||||
We stayed with Don B, from GE in Toledo, Wa. Don has 5 acres of land with a triple wide on it, and it is quite nice up there. The mountainous landscapes, the foggy mornings, and the blackberry bushes are its highlights. This morning, I watched 5 deer grazing on his neighbors lawn (they are considered 'pests'). |
08/12/2008 18:22:24 jim Shots from Toledo Ohio | Tue |||||||||||||||||||
08/08/2008 06:58:24 jim Seattle is still cold. | Fri |||||||||||||||||||
I drove around the town last night, and still, I heard no music. Nothing much has changed since we left here just two months ago. I did start unemployment. Its impossible for me to get those people to understand that I'm a Contract Programmer. According to those guys, I'm an employee, and therefore, I must have filled out an application for employment. They said I must fill out three applications a week to maintain unemployment. --- I haven't filled out an application since 1989. So, I am thinking that I'm going to have to lie to keep unemployment paying. Thats just not right though. Filling out applications is a counter-productive method of finding work. Employers find me. I can't find them. I guess what's really irritating me is that I am forced to pay up to 6% of my gross for insurance that I can never, in all honesty, ever qualify for. Plus, having to drive to Washington to get unemployment compensation for a multi-state claim is incredibly bad. |
08/06/2008 17:11:36 jim LaGrande,OR | Wed |||||||||||||||||||
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