1-18-2000 Thursday

1:00pm
I got a call today from a producer at one of the daytime talk shows.  I had emailed a bunch of talk shows back when SF.SpotLife was in full force.   I was trying to round up some good press coverage to get the word out.  Only to be told by upper management that they didn't want to do that.  I won't get into it but suffice it to say, we didn't get the word out.

Anyway, the producer that called today was interested in our "online RealWorld" story.  I told her it was no longer on the air.  She asked if we still had footage of it.  I told her I was no longer with the company.   Oh wells.

I think all this stuff with Reality TV is also bringing attention to Reality web life.   Funny that the show would call now.  I think I emailed them back in March or something.  

__________________________________________

Did anyone catch Tempation Island last nite?  I saw the first episode and although I thought it was really cheesy in the beginning, I have to admit, it sucked me in.   I was really intriqued and looking forward to the next episode.

I didn't feel that last nite's episode was as interesting.

Although I was really surprised when the guys voted Lola off the island.

Dave and I both thought Lola was the hottest one out of all the girls in the first episode.   

But none of the guys seemed to find her that attractive.   I guess it really is a matter of personal taste and "types".  I think the clincher was in the second episode when she came off as arrogant and it didn't help that she was a litttle tipsy.  So even though she's gorgeous, the guys felt like her personality turned them off.  Guess they're not as shallow as I would have thought.

I think Mandy and Billy are the most interesting couple.   I could tell from the beginning that Billy was totally in love with Mandy but I could see that Mandy still had some wild oats to sow.

I can see lots more drama coming from those two...

1-17-2000 Wednesday

6:00pm
So I finally got around to calling the Unemployment office. Figured I might as well collect a few $$ while I'm job hunting.   Although I must admit I'm enjoying my time off.   I'm afraid I'm going to get used to not working which would be a bad thing.

I miss my friends at SpotLife.  I used to check in on the cams I had set up around the office to see what they were up to.  I'd look in and say, "Oh, so-and-so looks like he's going out for a smoke right now."  or "Hey look, there's so-and-so.  I like her outfit today."

But they moved things around in the office and took all the cams down.   :(

_____________________________________________

Does anyone know if there's a program or utility out there that converts an IP address from decimal into binary format?   I mean, there's got to be one out there right?  Sure you can do it manually or punch the decimal octet into a calculator and hit bin but still, wouldn't it be much easier to put in a whole IP address and hit Convert and spit out the IP in binary?  

1-15-2000 Monday

11:30am
I'm already starting to study for the next exam, Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure.   From what I hear, it's a killer.  A lot of people fail the first time.  Yikes.  

I read on a site that these are the following things to focus on while studying, so this is what I'll have on my brain for the next few weeks...

What to study:
-Know how Active Directory interfaces with DDNS and how replication works between DDNS servers through active directory.
-There were a number of questions where you needed to know the minimum number of WINS, DHCP or DNS servers in a given situation.
-Learn everything you can about IPSec, PPTP, and L2TP. Know what services needed to be installed on which computer in a network to support VPN users. You also need to know a lot about the specifics of configuring these (filters, rules, policies, etc.)
-Know how to configure assign scopes for IP addresses on 2 DHCP servers to support 2 ip subnets. (Where 70% of the addresses for the subnet are on 1 server and 30% are on the other and vice-versa.) Know how to do the same thing when one of the networks involved has a superscope. (2 ip subnets on the same physical network.)
-Know about RAS encryption methods. (MS-CHAP v2, MS-CHAP v1, etc.)
-Know which routing protocols Win2k supports. Static routes are best for small networks (i.e. 2 areas) with no outside internet access.
-Know about support for load balancing or clustering the following services: SQL, IIS, Terminal Server, File and Print Services, DHCP and WINS.
-ABSOLUTELY know how to subnet TCP-IP. Know your subnet masks and how to read notation like 10.1.0.0/16.
-Know where to put your public and private DNS servers in an network with both Active Directory and a firewall. Know which records should be in each DNS server to preserve security on the internal network.
-Know where to put VPN and Intranet servers in a firewalled environment so that external users can get secured access to the internal site.
-Know the basics of how Microsoft Proxy server works.
-Know a little bit about Exchange, Proxy, SQL server, Terminal Server and SNA server. In particular, know what software needs to be installed where to support a connection from a workstation to a remote mainframe using the SNA protocol.

I'm going to try to focus on studying for the next couple of weeks.  I'm not really concerned about finding a job just yet.  I'm still getting leads on various jobs but I'm going to be VERY picky about my next job.  

My ideal job would be something where I have a very short commute and might even allow me to work from home a couple days a week.   A healthy, warm work environment where the people enjoy what they're doing and there's a positive energy in the office.  A stable company that's established and has a bright future.  Doesn't sound like too much to ask for right?

1-14-2000 Sunday

11:30am
Wow, has it really been that long since my last journal entry?  I didn't realize I hadn't written anything since Monday.   I was really busy this week taking care of a lot of personal things.  One of which was fixing my car.  

In the past 2 months I've had it fixed 3 times costing me a total of $1,100.00. Yikes, just what I didn't need right now.  Good thing I have a really great mechanic whom I really trust.   Bad thing is my car is way old and is probably going to be slowly breaking down on me.  130,000 miles on it.   

But thanks to the guys at Automotive Specialists in San Fran for always taking care of me.  My busted radiator, water pump and axle thank you too.

I also want to thank all the people that have been emailing with their RIF stories and words of support.  More and more every day.   Some people that have been RIF'd in the past few days even.  We can all commiserate.

And thank you to all those who have been sending me leads at their respective companies.  I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do.

I haven't really been actively job hunting this week.  Actually, the main reason I haven't been updating the journal lately is because I've been studying for my exam.   And... I PASSED!!!

I took my Microsoft 2000 Server Exam yesterday and passed with a 940.   I was hoping to get at least a 960 but hey, considering I went out dancing til 2am the night before and then stayed up til 3am talking on the phone, I think I did ok.  I was totally wiped out the next day though.   Woke up at 7am to cram for a few hours before the exam.   Then after the exam I took my mom out for lunch to celebrate.  By the time I got home I was exhausted.  I crashed for a couple of hours then got up to play Diablo II with Dave.   And a very happy surprise, the instructor for my Win2000 class called and he and his wife wanted to play DII with us!   Now THAT was fun.  So the four of us logged on and played for several hours.   :)

Oh speaking of games, the new Team Arena for Quake III is out.   

I'm planning on picking it up today or tomorrow.  It's my treat to myself for passing the exam.   Dave and I started to play Quake again a few days ago.  Man, I forgot how much I love that game.   Playing games with Gamevoice is so awesome.   I would say for anyone who plays games online it's a must.   Being able to talk to your fellow gamers while you're playing makes a huge difference.   It's so much easier to coordinate when you can talk rather than type to communicate.   Did I mention how much I love Quake?

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