Blu-ray discs meet call numbers

I'm focusing on Blu-Ray movies tonight because I'm getting a Blu player for us for Christmas.  They're down to $75 for a decent model, and we're not doing the wireless stuff.  So I've been looking at my favorite local library's collection via the online catalog.  First Blu I'm buying?  "Die Hard."  It's a Christmas movie, remember?

Here is how the Upper Arlington Public Library depicts one "A" movie's call number.

"Blu Ass?"  That's pretty good, and I bet the cataloger chuckled.  I won't be renting this one; I've got a high-def version of it in HD-DVD.  Yes' I'm one of the 400 people who bought HD-DVD, only I bought the player and some discs after the format died.  I can tell you it's the superior "spin-disc" format because the discs load fast and are less prone to skipping than Blu.

Also, one film that looks fantastic on HD-DVD is Nancy Meyers' "The Holiday."  Blu-Ray reviews have been harsh, and I've heard that the HD-DVD is the better picture.  Just watched this cute rom-com again with the Mrs; we're making it a holiday tradition.  This is the 3rd year we've watched in HD.  I know that HD only holds 30 GB to Blu's 50, but on our smaller high-def TV's it's a noticeable upgrade from DVD.

As far as the rom-com genre goes, I'm not a huge fan, but "The Holiday," "Failure To Launch," and "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days" are our favorites.  I can do without seeing Terry Bradshaw's bare bottom, but hey that flick was only $3 in HD-DVD.  Now go watch "The Holiday" with someone you love.  You'll be glad you did.

Just plain old blogging...

...and testing.  I'm testing Opera 11.60 on my Windows XP system.  I simply want faster web page access, and I'm tired of how Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox are slow in handling all the gunk that comes with Yahoo! news stories.  I know, the answer should be to get my news elsewhere.  But I'm so very busy and lazy!

Still not following librarianship other than to check a few of the Ohio job boards.  It's sad to see director's jobs in the rural parts of the state pay only $33,000 annually.  However, I recall that 20 years ago, I worked for just about half of that pay.  Appalachian Ohio living can be cheap:  My one-bedroom apartment ran only $270/month.

Am glad Christmas is almost here.  I really don't like all the dark and wish it stayed light until at least 6:00 p.m.  Lighting a Christmas tree and focusing on the religious aspects of the holiday provides me with a reprieve from all that hustle/bustle out on the roads and at the shops.  Will likely be getting small speciality items for some of the family.  Daughter is getting a Kindle, and I get the fun of configuring it and loading it up with fun novels and classics.  When Dad's a librarian, there's an insistence on reading.

That's it for now.  In about three months I gun for the MBA-desired jobs offered in my Chase location.  Wow, this company loves to promote from within.  And I've come to realize that I don't intimdate anymore.  Many of the job descriptions state they want to know how you would communicate with upper management.  Face-to-face is my attitude.  They're going to be white, middle-aged males with a business school background.  Kind of like me, and I'm coming in with more workforce experience and likely a better pedigree.  Cocky sounding, I know, but I'm damn good and worth more than they currently pay me.  I'll let you know how it goes.  Sure beats where I was last year at this time: no job and feeling very blue.

Bye for now.  I thought blogging tonight might be kind of cathartic, but no such luck!

Fun image from about 10 years ago

Hi, I'm back after a two-month hiatus, which was mainly caused by working so many hours.  The bank loves to move its scanned documents about, and a few thousand of them daily don't go where they should--some seemingly vanish into the ether...

Anyway, here is a (doctored) graphic I had from the previous, library job.  Working for the mega-but-no-longer-nice library company.  World's largest library company.  The one that stiffs its professional staff.  Still bitter 15 months on, am I.  Oh, yes.  Let's see if a .png file will load.

It loads pretty well!  It's graphics like these that really made me hate pie charts.  (Still love pie, though.)

Busily Employed

Wow, three weeks has gone by quickly, and I'm settled into my new job at Chase in the mega-plex on the north side of town.  Just me and about 10,500 other staff there.  They even have fun facts posted on the website about how large an office park it is.

Following librarianship?  Not at the moment.  I just graduated summa cum laude with a (technically, my school doesn't recognize the cum laudes at grad level) 4.0 GPA from Ohio Dominican University's LEAD program.  I remember back in undergrad how my college buddies said I couldn't handle business school.  Now, with two Master's, I'm looking to teach in graduate business school.  (Just the intro. writing/team building class).  I need to check with the LEAD lead instructor.  It's $2100 per six-week course, and one or two of those would offset the diminished pay at Chase.

Still, no complaints.  I will be starting my 2nd shift and earning that 10% differential in about six weeks.  It will be weird working Thursdays through Sundays and until midnight, but it means I only have to drive my ol' jalopy of a car to work four days a week.

So that's it for now.  More to come when I have time to discuss all things library.

Employed!

Wow, what a difference a week makes.  In my last post, I was feeling blue, unhireable, and distraught due to the year-long drought without a job.  But thanks to the folks at JPMorgan Chase, I now am employed.

I start on August 1 as a account/help-desk rep, but it's an internal help desk gig, not call center stuff.  Plus, the money is enough for the family to live on!  It's not what I used to make, but it's about 90%, and we can get by on that.  Of course, I gotta work second shift until midnight, but aside from that... not too shabby.

I'm getting further removed from the librarian profession, but heck, I'm getting a new Master's and it's in management.  Time to climb the corporate ladder and woo over new fans at Chase.  May even get a new bank account with these guys--world's largest bank, depending on which Wikipedia page you turn to.  (I know:  Don't trust Wikipedia.)

So, more to come, and I actually interviewed for a very good (and good paying) library job last Friday, four days after accepting the Chase offer.  Don't think I'll make it to round two, but it was nice to talk in a relaxed manner.  I only spoke with the HR rep, and she stated that there would be two more rounds of interviews:  Not my strong suit.

So the 410+ nights of restless sleep and 410+ mornings of waking up with a sense of dread and without a job has ended.  It literally is like waking from a nightmare; it took my wife two days to sink in that her husband is no longer aimless and wandering in an unemployment void.  That feeling of desparation and despair is quickly lifting.

More to come.  Time to finish college in 1.5 weeks and buy the Five Man Electrical Band debut album on CD that Amazon has.  I'd link to it, but no doubt my 0 readers would be quick to snatch it up!