GAME05

i kind of automatically look at one start by a pitcher as equal to five games by a hitter just for comparison's sake. but yeah, it's a stretch in order for me to have a more-positive outlook on the season. otherwise it would be an agonizing wait until April.

a grammatical error in a post about AP style guidelines? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif but as someone who used to have his head stuck in an AP book all day, kudos on the reference.

but couldn't there also be clauses in Hamilton's contract for any possible relapse? like if he tested positive for cocaine then the rest of his contract is voided?

if it means anything, i was born and raised in WI and hated the cold, so i moved. but sometimes what gets missed is how nice it is to be a part of a familiar culture, and that Northern Midweterners are the warmest and most welcoming people in the country. i'm not worried at all with Braun missing 50 games. i mean, Greinke was either hurt or stunk the first 50 games last year and we seemed to have had an ok season, so we can handle missing Braun for a while. although i have my own version of Spring Fever. i don't enjoy my job and am planning on quitting and then moving come end of April, so the next three months for me is going to be very long and difficult.

is anyone here an artist? i'd really enjoy seeing what you've done.

my apartment is usually kinda messy, but now that i've taken up art as a hobby, instead of being messy with clothes and whatnot, it's messy with paper and paint and craft supplies. now, instead of feeling like a slob, i feel like someone who is too focused on creating art to be tidy. i feel like, if someone were to visit my apartment right now (watch for flying pigs), that their reaction would be more like "he's a scattered artist" instead of "you should really clean up." also, it feels nice to have convinced myself of this lie. edit: i just realized i've worked harder to convince myself of a lie rather than just clean up. i'm much better now. on the day that pig flies, i have to be prepared.

i have a couple flies in my apartment, and they're not the easily ignorable "sit on the window" kind, but the "land on you, bat at, land in the same spot" kind.

i wanted to give an update since people helped me out and i'd made a lot of posts about downloading a virus on my work computer. before the boss came back from vacation, i stopped by work to pick up my phone and said "Sorry about that virus" to the secretary, who told me she'd downloaded a virus that next day, too. IT told her it was an issue company-wide. she also said she was going to mention to the boss that she'd downloaded a vurus, too, which made me feel better about it. the boss is back and he didn't say anything to me. regardless, i've since stopped using the computer entirely. i bought a book and read that on night shift, instead.

i've worked at D's Sporting Goods before, which has high turnover. i also really enjoyed my time at Wal-Mart--i worked in the deli, so i didn't have the same pressures of having to stock a shelf at a certain speed. and if you end up going into food service, i also enjoyed my time at Subway. -------- it appears my job should have an unofficial opening coming up (not me). but you'd have to live in Texas otherwise the commute sucks. it's in the Parks field.

not wanting to be totally lame, i headed to a bar around 8:30. understandably early, but i have no intentions of driving a car after midnight regardless of sobriety. first bar: "closed for the holidays." second bar: "closed for the holidays." third bar: empty except for me. just finished off some Bucky Badger cheese spread (I live in TX, so it was awesome to get a taste of home). i'm only going to stay up late because i have night shift on Tuesday and have to adjust my sleep pattern.

statistically we should very much be in the race by the trade deadline, but you never really know what's going to happen to be 100% sure we're not going to be sellers. if we end up getting Greinke extended before the deadline, i'm not so sure Axford would be a trade candidate. being out of the race in 2012 would be more an aberration than a sign we're sliding as a whole, and we'll need a good closer for the future years. we've learned our lesson on signing expensive closers and we don't really have anyone else in the system who looks like a good closer candidate right now. Narveson--i don't know what the point of trading him would be, even if we're struggling. cheap and not a ton of value, so we'd basically be trading Narveson for another version of Narveson.

i think it's a legitimate question considering his leadership ability (presumably). but i agree it doesn't make a ton of sense for the money he'd still be able to demand. i'm sure he'd sooner retire than accept a $400,000 one-year contract with the Brewers.

i'm not the biggest Gamel fan, but i still don't see how it makes much sense to pick up any other First Baseman who is about at the same level of Gamel.

you guys are good, thanks. you found the problem exactly. Java still shows up on my control panel and i can do nothing about it, but the newer version of Java did install and shows up on my programs list. thanks a bunch. a big file at 95MB. i now have only 2.5GB left on my computer--looks like it's time to pick up an external hard drive.

i'd say that because you haven't had a job in your field since graduation, that definitely qualifies you as a new graduate, regardless of how long you've been out of school. i know you've checked, but i'm surprised the Department at school doesn't have more resources for finding graduates positions. i know it's not the same, but my boss' daughter just graduated law school and only 5% of her class found work (five years earlier it was the complete opposite statistic), so they hired her and a few other people to work at the university.

computer question: i'm on Windows 7. i have Java (32-bit) on my control panel but it doesn't show up on my program list. right-clicking on it only allows me to "open" the file, where it says "application not found." when i try to install a new version, it says "already installed on your computer. would you like to replace it?" i click 'yes' and then it says "application only valid for products that are currently installed." so it's like i don't have Java on my computer, but having just the file name stuck on my Control Panel window is making my computer think it's there. i've tried installing a couple uninstall programs, and they don't locate it. Java's help page and Google only tell me to uninstall and then reinstall the program. right now all it's affecting is FrostWire, though.

i'm no NBA fan, but i don't immediately flip the channel when a Lakers/Celtics game is on.

yeah, i'm starting to realize i'm worrying too much. the worst that could happen is i get written up (which really doesn't mean anything) and i'm not too popular for causing a tougher internet policy (but i'm leaving anyway). definitely will stay off the computer completely because they'll be monitoring me, and the next offense would be a direct violation of what the boss will be telling me not to do. the offense is more downloading a virus/trojan, which the boss believes is going to wipe out the entire hard drive. i've even seen the boss violate the "no internet except work sites" policy, but i promise the irony will be lost on him. heck, technically, the computer's homepage is a violation of our internet policy. the fact that i was stuck in the office by myself for 12 hours per day over Christmas doesn't really matter, since the boss expects us to be sweeping the floor or something the entire time. and if during the talk the boss wants to discuss me actually enjoying the job or not, i won't exactly open up about anything.

yep, one of those things i could have Googled and found out in thirteen seconds, sorry. "If we determine you were not fired for misconduct..." since the boss has to go through upper channels, it's paranoid to think that he'd get the ok to fire me based on "he makes small mistakes" or even "he's not right for the job (doesn't know mechanical stuff)." and even if, unemployment would really give me an opportunity to do volunteer work and network and just help pay for my transition to NC. i have an address in Austin i could use to maintain my Texas residency. and really, i doubt telling an employer "I was hired for a mechanical job but I'm not a mechanic" isn't totally going to scare anyone away from hiring me. likely i suppose it'll end up meaning the boss isn't too thrilled with me and might think i'm lazy (which i'm really not). i ended up getting a coworker/friend in trouble because of this, too (he was on the Internet that night) who said that my/our internet usage is going to be monitored very closely now, and obviously i'm going to completely avoid going on there from now on. thanks, all. i'm really feeling a lot better about the whole deal now. yeah, Monday will be rough, but i think overall, any scenario won't end up being as terrible as i'd perceived it yesterday.

pretty close. i'm currently a Park Ranger, although realistically i'm a Park Janitor. lot of bathroom cleaning and trash dumping but also some small maintenance stuff here and there. i've actually been told not to be proactive about projects since i lack the experience. i also rotate back and forth between early morning shifts and all-night shifts with as little as two days' turnaround. there aren't other positions at the organization. i'm in Texas and trying to move back to North Carolina. since full-time jobs are tough to find, i'm also looking for part-time jobs in the field. i'm hoping my graduate degree shouldn't make it too hard. so that's why i'm just holding out until roughly through April. by then i'll have either found the job or will make the decision to just go back to NC and cross my fingers (not positive on that yet). this latest incident scared me quite a bit, but no, i'm not going to get fired. the boss has to go through upper channels for that, and forgetting a garbage can and being on the computer isn't a strong justification. the boss thinks i only ever just sit around, which isn't true, but that's the way it is. he's been asking the other Rangers how i've been doing on the job. i'm going to get written up and probably won't be endearing myself to the other Rangers who might not be able to surf the Internet any longer. but i can deal with it for four months. regardless of my hatred for the job, it's one of those situations where i just don't really belong there despite my efforts to fit in (the other Rangers like me, though). it's very much a cultural thing, too. and that's what always has me nervous is that i clearly don't belong there. it's possible the boss ends up talking to me about enjoying the job and whatnot since i've messed up too often, but i can handle that, i guess. thanks for the help, guys. it's been tough the past year between not liking the job, not liking the city i live in, not fitting in anywhere and not knowing anyone down here. edit: i thought a person couldn't collect unemployment if they got fired, or at least there was a complicated appeal process. otherwise there would be nothing stopping someone purposely getting themselves fired just to collect unemployment. but strangely, unemployment would be awesome for me to help me afford possibly not finding a job in NC for a while.

how do prospective employers view a termination on an employee's record, especially if it was the past job? so-so if you have a good reason, or akin to a felony? i feel i'm on the borderline at my current job. this weekend i got a virus on the work computer, which is considered just about the worst crime that can be committed. there was nothing X-rated, but the boss is getting a LONG list of the sites i was on during Christmas weekend. it won't go well. to a veteran employee, it wouldn't be terrible, but i've been there 8 months and have already had two or three sit-down talks with the boss for what are serious offenses at the job: 1. forgot to empty the office trash can at night. 2. came in very sick on night shift but forgot to clean one restroom that happened to be very dirty. 3. voluntarily came into to work and apologized to the boss for doing a poor job one night. apart from this, what it all really amounts to (and what i would tell a prospective employer) is that i just don't quite fit into the work culture, and that i was hired as a maintenance man despite having zero maintenance experience. but i would then also have to check that "Have you ever been terminated" box on standard application forms. it's hard enough to land interviews as it is, and does checking that box mean the application pretty much goes right into the garbage? because of this, there's a small part of me that almost wants to quit before i get fired. sorry if this is mostly venting, but it really worries me. plus, all i'm really trying to do is make it until about April because by then i should be able to land a part-time job back home in North Carolina.

well, i downloaded a trojan on the work computer today. i think it was something through Reddit. and NO, i wasn't checking out the adult content. i've actually been kinda freaking out about it all day (i was the only one at work today and everyone comes in tomorrow). of course everyone checks out non-work-related sites on the work computers, including the boss. but a virus on the computer is taken very seriously. last time a virus happened IT sent the boss a list of all the sites that had been visited. i deleted the reddit part of my browsing history, but i'm sure that doesn't matter to IT. a friend suggested downloading a virus remover and then uninstalling it, but i thought it would be better to just pay the price for the virus instead of risking the possibility of being caught downloading a program to a work computer. i've been at work only 8 months and have already had three sit-down chats with the boss (one for forgetting to empty a trash can, but the boss takes that pretty seriously), and now this. not a good track record for being newer to the job. and it really doesn't help that i don't really fit in with the prevailing work culture. for a while i was wondering if i was going to get the talk of "all these little mistakes are adding up and it's not working that you're doing a maintenance job but don't know maintenance, so time to walk." it was two weeks after my review that he went to a bunch of other coworkers to ask how i was doing on the job, which was odd. it's stressful going to a job and wondering if you're walking a thin line of being fired or not. and ironically i've been looking for a new job, so i really just want to hold out there for a few more months. it's a black mark to have to admit to being fired (despite a decent excuse) from your last position. i've calmed down a bit thinking that more than likely i'll get a write-up about it. not good pride-wise but irrelevant when you'll be moving on soon. ugh. post: yep, gonna get screamed at and written up (at least) next Monday. IT was livid and has sent a rundown of websites i was on this weekend.

it could be worse. you could be 34.

this coming from a baseball fan? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif i think i paid attention more two years ago than i did during the Big 3 season solely because the basketball people on this thread got so excited about the team. and it's impossible not to root for Bogut even as a non-fan. i mean, that invisible high-fives clip is one of my favourite ever.

i guess a second motivation was that Craig is supposed to be out for the first two months of the season. that sounds kinda familiar. and CBS said that he gets a full no-trade clause. very reasonable money and years, and Beltran gets to see what a Division race looks like.