A teenage boy and girl at my daughter’s school had an idea. They decided that they wanted to set a new record. They would be famous. They would kill 33 or more people at a pep rally and beat the Virginia tech guy. They had plans for pipe bombs, notes, blueprints of the school. A teacher paid attention to a chance remark and didn’t take any chances, involved the staff and the police officer assigned to the school and the two were arrested. The main story is at the link, but I don’t know how long the archives last at the paper. http://www.gazette.com/articles/boy_22378___article.html/strickland_students.html
My daughter said she doesn’t know who the girl could be, but she talked to the boy every day and he just doesn’t seem like the type. When she heard that he was released to his parents she said that if you met him, you would know why. It’s just hard to believe that he had planned this. They cancelled the pep rally and they had bomb sniffing dogs and 4 extra cops all last week, but this one was apparently defused.
People often criticize the public school system, but these guys did their job. “Herb, how could you send your daughter back there?” How could I not? Should she live in constant fear? This sort of thing started (not in schools, but mass killings like this) on the job with Postal Workers. Remember the term, “Going postal?” My point is that no place is truly safe, and I have a lot of confidence in the staff at Harrison High School. I have since I decided to let her attend public school two years ago. They have treated us (and our religious requests) with respect and to me this whole incident is a sign of the system working. I didn’t read any of the comments on the news story, I figured they would just annoy me and the few that I did read proved it.
I really hate job hunting. I hate being interviewed. But I especially hate being tag-teamed; what one doesn’t think of the other one does. Alas and alack-a-day!
One of the most aggravating things though was the form e-mail I received from Big-Name Insurance Company. Some of you may recall that this is the company I spent 10 years at. The company that I have over 1000 hrs of claims training of all types and 5 yrs experience with, that advertised in the paper that they were short-handed; “We regret to inform you that we have made the decision to pursue other candidates whose qualifications more closely match the needs of the position.” Made me mad and made me laugh at the same time. Over a thousand hours of training and 5 yrs experience from your spee-cif-ic company, not to mention the first 5 yrs, making a total of nearly 10 yrs with just you guys. Go ahead and tell me, “Herb, you quit last time, we don’t want you back,” or just a simple “Sorry. Not interested.” Whatever. Just don’t send me your pathetic little automated response. You and I both know I have the qualifications so don’t play me like that.
Then, if you post your resume on http://coloradospringshelpwanted.com or http://springsjobs.com/monster or others you have a chance to get some, er, special, offers. I got a phone call that would have done my scam-busting, Nigerian-banker beating friend, Skunkfeathers http://skunkfeathers57.blogspot.com/ proud. I received a call from a person with a company called “Bankers Financial Planning.” She would not tell me what the position was, how much it paid, what the hours were or precisely what it would be that I would be doing, but that I would have to attend a four hour afternoon meeting where everything would be explained by their regional manager, “Beaux.” Sounded like a scam and/or complete commission based. “Umm, no.” When she would not tell me more about the position including even what the title was I wanted to say, in honor of skunk, “*Toing*.”
Got a couple of rejection letters and a rejection postcard but beside all of this I’m doing okay, just too busy to be consistently blogging. But I never quit. I just keep on. I am thinking of rearranging the website furniture, though. I am thinking that since people are used to me having a blog, I should make that the main page and focus on it with links to other stuff as time goes by. I am still looking for a tagboard, preferably a “.php” type, since the one I had from offsite was loading pop-ups for dating sites.
I’m thinking of switching from WordPress to sNews from http://www.solucija.com/ for the site, also. It’s small, easily customized, css-styled, .php based Content Management Software. You start out with 2 .php files, a css file and settings for an SQL database and you grow it from there into whatever you want. Besides having fairly easy instructions and being so customizable they have an excellent, responsive help forum. I have seen several sites that use it and they are pretty smooth.
We are going to be installing the DSL this week sometime, so I should be back to all of my regular daily visits to everyone. On dial-up I try, but it takes a while and I run out of time.
BTW, Kudos to Al Unser Jr., also. As of yesterday’s paper, he has been sober for 113 days. Congratulations and God Bless you, wherever you are.
FYI, when you leave a comment, if you haven’t ever left one before, I have to moderate your first one.
Remember, the Good Book says, Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
