Independent Contractor

Yesterday I had my first meeting as an independent contractor. I was referred by a friend to a talent agent of sorts that arranges jobs for people with skills, like me. So now I'm helping a smaller business with their Access database. Although it won't be a lot of hours, I'll be getting about $35/hour and there is a possibility of future work after this job is finished.

Other than that, it's been pretty much the usual. There was a ward activity on Saturday where I showed off my football throwing prowess. I went and saw Star Wars III over the weekend as well. Overall I thought it was pretty good, but the dialogue was atrocious in parts and the character development left much to be desired. I downloaded the movie as well, but it didn't get any better the second time around.

On the road again

I picked up my car yesterday from the mechanic. The final verdict was that there was low pressure in the fuel line, so when they sprayed starting fluid into the engine it ran ok, but it had a hard time starting. The solution was to replace the fuel pump, which I gladly left to the experts since I think it's buried somewhere in the gas tank. Unfortunately, fuel pumps are expensive things and the bill came to $383. I'm getting $40 of that back because my insurance covers towing, but it still put a big dent in my account. But it's not like I had to buy 2 new tires, pay for inspection and registration and make a car payment in the last month... oh wait, no, I had to do that too. Hopefully it will be a good little car for a while.

Car Problems, Etc.

I haven't been in the mood to blog lately, but I'll try to catch up a little bit here:

Car Problems: Last week my car decided to stop working again. It had done this twice previously, where the engine turns over, but it won't start. Last time I had the assistance of my dad and he was able to get it started, this time I was on my own. And of course, I was in timed parking in the middle of town. And this, let me mention, was the day after I payed to have it inspected and registered. So I "flooded the engine" and lifted up the hood and jiggled wires and rocked the car back and forth and was finally able to get it started and drive it home. That night, I went to test it and it would start, but the engine wouldn't idle, it just died. The next day, it would start again. So after giving it some time to rest, I had it towed to the mechanic this morning and I'm awaiting the diagnosis. The last time I tried this, the tow itself was enough to fix the car, so I'm hoping this time it stays sick long enough for them to fix the problem.

New Apartment: I'm finally all settled in to my new place and getting into a new routine. I'm unpacked and reorganized and I know where everything is. I had to buy a bookshelf and DVD case, but thanks to Walmart that didn't put me back too much. My computer is all hooked up and I'm connected to the newsgroups again. I'm pleased with the results of the roommate draft. There are 3 other guys in the apartment. All of us are a little bit older (they must have grouped by age) and we're all laid-back, so we get along well. Unfortunately, I'm back to coin-op laundry, but I do have friends in houses that I might be paying visits to...

New Apartment Complex: Carriage Cove has some nice ameneties that I'm starting to take advantage of. The main building has a piano room that I've used several times and an exercise area that I've thought about using. I also haven't used the pool and jacuzzi yet, opting to wait for nicer weather, but I made extensive use of the sand volleyball court on Saturday. It was one of the first nice spring days we've had and I rode my bike along the swollen Provo river (biggest I've ever seen it) then got some sun on the court for several hours.

New Ward: My new ward seems good, but I think I prefer my previous bishopric. So far everyone's been very nice, but as always I feel like an old man among the immaturity that rises from groups of young people. The ward meets in the Smith Field House (indoor track) and our Sacrament Meeting is in the Cougarettes' practice room, complete with mirrors on the wall. I don't have a calling yet. I'm also starting to get to know more people and it's been nice to have the occaisional pop-in visit and socializing that close wards like this have.

Database Work: I'm working 8 hours a day, so I don't have spare time like I used to, but in it I've been doing some more database work on the side. This time it's improvements on a database I'd already created, but it came at a great time and will pay for all my car problems at least. I've done some really cool things, but it's too hard to explain the significance of it and the database is confidential anyway so you'll have to take my word for it. I also had a lead on another database job that would pay very well, but I haven't heard back from the guy.

Political Commentary

Good reading: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7592675/

Name Generators

Hours of fun here: http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/generators.htm