Working from home :)

Last week on Wednesday I had the chance to work from home. It was sort of by accident that I was able to work from home. For some reason, at work they are obsessed with making us come into the office when we could all do our jobs just fine from home. And I had just been "issued" a laptop also, kinda. I had to work the weekend of the 5th and 6th, and I asked if I could work from downtown(<2mi away) because I didn't want to go all the way out to the tech center(~12mi away) if I didn't have to(its an hour each way by bus). So she lent me or issued me a laptop(she didn't specify, and I was supposed to have one anyway, since I work Sunday nights every week from home). But recently, due to a scheduling mishap, 2 out of 3 of the Financial techs were gonna be off on the same day. So my sup decided to ask me if I could work that day(I had it off because I worked the previous weekend), get Friday off instead, AND I could work it from home. So that was a no-brainer. I work from home every Sunday night for on-call, but its a little different since its at night, and I don't have to be in front of the PC all night(they call a company cell phone when they need me). 


So I worked from home that day....and wow!! Its everything I thought it could be, and more! I had heard people say working from home is so great and bla bla bla, but NOW I see what they mean. I get up everyday at 5:45 to be at work by 7:30am. I get out at 4:30pm, but sometimes I am not able to get home till like 5ish, even 6 sometimes if the bus decides to take forever to show up. And that day, I got up at 7:15am!! and when I was done for the day, I was home!! Not to mention I got to have lunch with Geli and Sophie!! No time wasted on commute, waiting for the bus, or in traffic(I carpool with Matt most of the time), and I got more sleep...it was just awesome!!!


Now, one of my goals is to get a job I can do from home! I don't get why a company wouldn't want us to work from home, at least during the winter. During really bad snow, lots of people are late, or even miss work. If we are home we are not using their electricity, we are not late, we are happier to not have to commute, etc...


In conclusion, working from home is THE BEST!!!!!!!! I highly recommend it.

New Shoes!!!

Well, I feel weird even writing about shoes. But I think these "dress" shoes call for that. Being vegan, buying leather shoes, belts, or anything leather or wool is out of the question. Society relies SO HEAVILY on leather, that it complicates buying shoes and belts when you are vegan. I had found some shoes at payless that were not leather, but as is expected at payless, this is not done for any ethical reasons, but for economical reasons. As a result, these shoes leave a lot to be desired when it comes to quality. They were peeling, the soles had holes in them in less than a year, it was just embarrasing to even wear them lol. I was dreading looking for shoes again because its no easy task. After looking online, I found some shoes that I decided to buy, although I did not have high expectations because they were labeled vegan, and that alone usually makes the item super expensive, even if the quality is not necessarily superior. But I ordered them anyway, after all, they were on sale and had my size. They were only $50.

When I got them, I was very pleasantly surprised. They still need to be put to the test(and the "Chuy" test is no easy test). But as far as initial quality, I am very impressed. Impressed enough to blog about them haha. They feel like good shoes, firm, yet comfortable. If they last, I am so ordering them again! So of course, it CAN be done. We don't need leather to make good quality shoes. People just choose not to, which is the sad part.

Morning Person?!

So I never expected this...but it has happened. I think I am now a morning person.

First of all, it seems that unless it is the weekend, I cannot get a full 8 hours of sleep. Ever. We try to put Sophie to bed early, but she always finds a way to delay us. She'll stall eating her dinner or find some other clever way of not going to bed on time. Then, once she is finally in bed and there is peace and quiet in the house again, there is usually something to do around the house. Whether it is getting something ready for the next day, cleaning up, etc, or even just talking to Geli(since there is finally some time to talk about stuff without Sophie interrupting and wanting attention). So i usually get to bed later than I'd like, and while I have a hard time getting up, once I am up, I am usually not sleepy during the morning or the day. Its not till around 7 or 8pm that my body reminds me that I am sleepy. If we watch a movie in the afternoon, chances are very good that I will fall asleep during the movie. I have a hard time staying up late now, anything after 11pm is out of the question unless I have some coffee or something. I am just much more alert and productive in the mornings than in the nights...

It didn't use to be that way. I used to always be falling asleep in school, or at my previous jobs when I worked in the mornings. And I used to be alert at night. Is becoming a morning person a sign of growing up? or getting old?! I don't know, but its weird....I am not used to it. I suppose it works out, since I am at work in the mornings, and I don't want to be falling asleep there. But still, I don't think I've grown up. I still want to play video games, and watch dragon ball, and like the ninja turtles, saint seiya(caballeros del zodiaco), Beavis and butt-head, etc....so what's going on?!

Gustavo = Tuca

Sophie definitely misses everyone in El Paso. She is constantly asking us to draw you guys for her. She'll bring us a paper and one of her color pencils and say "Abue Martha" or "Tia Mari" and "Gustavo" and then "Paco" and on and on with all the names she can remember. Now she will draw smiley faces and she will call them Mari, Martha, Gustavo, Paco, etc...She is always looking for patterns that to her, are someone she knows. One of the cutest and funniest is that when we would watch Pumas play, she would see Tuca Ferreti, the coach, and call him Gustavo!!! The resemblance is rather obvious, and now she has taken that to pretty much anything with a mustache(including the lorax from the Dr. Seuss book she has) is Gustavo! Here are some pictures of Tuca, in case you did not know who he is:

So I am sure she will be thrilled to visit El Paso. She is more aware now, and she will get on the "avion" which I am sure she will be excited about since she is always pointing out airplanes in the sky and she gets mega excited about that.

During last week's Pumas vs Indios game, Sophie made us laugh with a new "discovery". As we were watching the game, she would point to the screen and say "Gustavo" whenever Tuca would appear on the screen. But this time she also pointed at Juan Francisco Palencia and said "Daddy"! Which is pretty funny. I personally don't think I look like him, but I can see why she would say that. Dark skinned guy with long hair. Here he is, in case you don't know who he is:

So I don't fully understand why Sophie has to find people she knows on TV, books, and just about anything, but I find it amusing and extremely cute...

Mexican Jale!!!

So the vacuum cleaner wasn't working this weekend. The brush would not spin, and it smelled like burnt plastic when you turned it on. I don't know why, but I decided to take it apart. I wasn't expecting to be able to fix it or anything, I just wanted to see if I could see what was wrong. I am a terrible handyman, I don't know how to fix anything around the house. But I took it apart, which was more difficult than I thought it would be, since two of the screws were inside of a deep hole, so I could not see what I was doing in there. I was just assuming there was two screws in there lol. I finally took them out and was able to open the case and see the inside. It turns out it was just the belt that broke(more like melted off). We did not have any spare vacuum belts of course, so I had to improvise. I got 3 of those thick blue rubber bands we had around the kitchen(I think they come with the broccoli lol) and used that as the belt. One was too close to the edge so it rubbed against the edge and got burned off lol but the other two were working fine. The brush was now spinning and I was able to put the vacuum back together and vacuum the living room and our bedroom.

I am just surprised I was able to fix something lol and by improvising thick rubber bands as the belt! It probably wont last long, but next time we are out and about we can stop by the hardware store and get the right belt. Oh, and by the way, I hate carpets...they are just a magnet for stains and dirt, and are impossible to clean properly! Especially with Sophie around the house. Whenever we have a house, NO CARPETS!!! ANYWHERE! Maybe rugs, that can be more easily cleaned/replaced, but I really really don't like carpet. Man....I really want a house.

Oh, and Sophie is still TERRIFIED of the vacuum cleaner!!! She was scared for her life this weekend haha because she went up to it and turned it on, but I guess she did not expect it to turn on and she was SOOOO scared, more than I have ever seen her get scared. It was really funny, and heartbreaking at the same time. its a shame i didn't get it on video!!

CompTIA Security+!!!

I'll keep this one brief, because it seems like this is all I talk about! But today I took another certification exam. Today I took the CompTIA Security+ exam and passed it with an 870/900!

I was pretty sure I would pass, since I read a whole textbook on it(I had never done that before), and did some practice questions, but I definitely didn't think I would do that well. I didn't plan on reading the whole thing, but it was interesting, so I kept reading, till I finished it. Cryptography(encription), hashing,  and network security are very interesting. This brings my list to:

• CompTIA A+ Remote Support Technician
• CompTIA Network+
• CompTIA Security+
• MCP
• MCITP: Enterprise Support
• MCDST
• MCTS: Vista Configuration

Next, I will do the MCSA(Systems Administrator), since I am only missing 2 exams for it(out of 4). That will probably take me a little longer than these, since it is server stuff, and I don't have experience with that, but I will get them :)

And.....2 more!!!

Today I took another Microsoft Certification Exam. This time, the 70-621 Upgrading your MCDST to MCITP Enterprise Support. I passed it with a 933/1000! So I got the MCITP: Enterprise Support and MCTS(Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist): Windows Vista Configuration certifications.

So this brings my list to:

• MCITP: Enterprise Support
• MCTS: Vista Configuration
• CompTIA A+ Remote Support Technician
• CompTIA Network+
• MCP
• MCDST(Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician)

So perhaps I am a little addicted to getting certifications. But I like learning this stuff, and work pays for it. So why wouldn't I do this? Plus, it should help me climb some positions at work, and hopefully be in a job role that doesn't require me being on the phones sometime in the near future. I like this new job role I have(Financial Technical Analyst), but its still not ideal. I mostly do call-backs on tickets other techs were unable to resolve or that are of a Financial nature(Payroll applications, billing insurance companies, claims transmissions, etc.), which is better than the Tech 1 role I was at. But I hope to move into a position where my job is not phone related. I have been working a call center in some way since I was 17, so I could use a change. So now, on to my next one.....CompTIA Security+. It builds on the Network+ I already have, so it should not require too much studying lol. Then, who knows the order, but it will most likely include Linux+, MCSA/MCSE, CCA, and more. This week was also my 1 year anniversary at VCPI. So things have been going very well at work. Let's hope they continue to do so, I know I will do my part.

Microsoft Certified Professional!!!

Yesterday I took my first two Microsoft Exams. They were pretty intense. I was nervous going in, and nervous when I submitted the exams, since I was not completely sure I would pass. I didn't study too much for these exams(i did cram the night before though, like any good procrastinator!) because I figured I should be able to pass without much studying, since the tests were almost on what I do at work exactly lol. I took 70-271(Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Windows XP Operating System) and 70-272(Supporting Users and Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on a Windows XP Operating System) and passed them both! So I am now a Microsoft Certified Professional as well as a Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician.

BUT WAIT!!!! There's more!! hahaha I've been watching too many infomercials...damn regular TV. But yeah, I was saying that what's cool on top of all that is that work pays for the exams, and the study materials($277 total. $125 per exam and a couple study guides). So as long as I pass, work pays for all the certifications I get! So far I have gotten:

* CompTIA A+ Remote Support Technician(2 exams)
* CompTIA Network+
* MCP
* MCDST

And I plan to get MANY more :) Now I just have to decide what certifcations to get next...its not easy deciding. There are SOOOO many haha. I am thinking of getting the Linux+, Security+, CCA(Citrix Certified Administrator), and MCSE(Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) as well as CCNA(Cisco Certified Networking Associate). I guess in the end it won't matter, because I will get them ALL!! But which one will I pursue next? Hmmm...

On another note, I ordered the new Richard Dawkins book!! The Greatest Show on Earth! I can't wait until it arrives :) We also got some books for Geli and Sophie. And I believe Geli is in the process of booking our flight to El Paso for x-mas! We should be there from the 19th to the 26th of December! Yes!!

Date with Geli!

Last Saturday, I was finally able to go out with Geli, on our own(Sophie free!). That is way more difficult to do than it should be. It can't be spontaneous, ever, that's for sure. We have to pick a date and time, let the babysitter know, hope she can babysit at that date and time, and hope she doesn't cancel after she has agreed to(has happened). That kid can drain the life out of you...sure she is cute, and fun to play with, but she is also a 2 year old, and like such will drive you to insanity. So a break from her is very needed, and so is a date with your wife. It seems like a strange concept, especially since we are always together(minus the time I am at work), but it is always in a setting where we have to be constantly paying attention to Sophia, doing chores, going to the market, etc. So after a few failed attempts, we were finally able to do that again. And we were planning on going to see the new Tarantino movie, but the movie times did not agree with the time we were able to get the baby sitter and the day that we picked. So we looked for an alternative. We decided to just go to a coffee shop, play some cards, talk, then go see what we could find on our telescope(its hard!). We played conquian for a while at the coffee shop, and drank some Coffee(and matcha tea for Geli). Then we headed out to our "spot" for looking at celestial objects(trying to). There had been a rather bright "star" I had been meaning to look at for a while. And on the night we pick for our date, there is no moon lol It wasnt gonna rise until midnight, and so I tried to locate this "star" and I was able to find it on the telescope!!!!! It looked awesome! We knew at that point it was a planet, but we weren't sure which one. Geli found out today though, and this is almost exactly what we saw:

And finally, almost when we were gonna leave, the moon came up! And while every time we use the telescope we get to see it, it always amazes me....looks like this, even more close up with the second slightly more powerful lense(we have 2)
I was especially excited about seeing the planet. And now, knowing it was Jupiter and its moons. I get this sense of wonder and awe. I mean, we hear about planets and stars, but I actually found one, and was able to see it! I am not very good at explaining, but it is a powerful feeling. I mean sure, its just a speck in the night sky. But looking at it yourself, confirming what you have been told all along. And I mean, it is JUPITER! The giant in our solar system...its a big big place we are in. And we are just a speck in it as well.

Now, shortly after seeing the moon, we went to go get sophie and headed home. Geli thought it was a problem that we were walking around with a telescope, I didn't really care. I don't know anyone at all lol, and plus, I got to see Jupiter :) and hang out with Geli!

Intense work weekend....

I have recently taken the additional responsibility of being on-call every Sunday night from 5pm to 5am. Its an extra $60 for each Sunday. Small bonus since it comes out to $4/hr lol but it is supposed to be slow on Sunday nights, so u are not working most of the time. I also get to work from home on those nights. And it makes for an extra $240-$300 every month, so its not bad when you look at it that way. This weekend was crazy though. I worked Sunday night, and I also signed up to work Labor Day(Monday, 8am-5pm, an extra $250 for working the holiday), and Labor Day on call(Monday night 5pm-5am, an extra $100 for holiday night on-call). I did this because it was supposed to be slow. Holidays usually are! But Sunday night, one of the database servers(only one for this application) for our largest client went down at 2am and I was bombarded with calls and had to wake up a systems engineer and a database administrator to work on the issue. Monday during the day wasn't too bad, since there was 8 of us, and Monday night wasn't too bad either(only 3 easy calls between 10pm and 5 am). I just need to make it through today now and I get to not work tonight lol. So all in all I will have worked 5pm on Sunday to 5pm on Tuesday almost non-stop(on-call at least). At least I should have an extra $410 on the next check to show for this weekend! lol

New job role, new building!

Well, today is my 1st day in my new job role. I was recently promoted here at VCPI. I am now a Financial Technical Analyst. Which specializes in providing support for Financial applications(payroll, billing, medicare, insurance, etc.), and in resolving tickets that tech 1s were not able to. A lot has happened since I started working here. I have gotten my CompTIA A+(Remote Support Technician) and CompTIA Network+ Certifications , and I am currently working on getting my MCP(Microsoft Certified Professional). I managed the system downs for the desk from May until this promotion. That was fun, since I got to work with Systems, Application, and Network Engineers, as well as with the Database Administrators, and some vendors in order to resolve the issues promptly. My work commute has increased significantly(12 miles compared to 2 previously). But its a necessary to move in order to climb ranks in the IT world! The new building is smaller, compared to the corporate office, but it has all the servers for all our clients, kinda crazy to see SOOO many servers!

Crazy first day of work!!! (Oct 21, 2008 1:26 PM)

Whoa! Yesterday was my first day of work at VCPI here in Milwaukee, and it was insane! The day started horribly. I had everything planned out, and worked out. We had arranged with the daycare center for them to pick Sophie up at our apartment at 7:30 am since last week, when we enrolled her. We filled out their transportation forms and everything. Then I called to double check Friday afternoon,. and they confirmed it. So I had planned to take the bus to work, since it was supposed to rain, which would get me to work in about ten minutes. I was supposed to be at work at 8:30am yesterday, so them picking her up at 7:30, would have given me ample time to eat breakfast, finish getting ready, and get to work. This was far form the actual turnout of events. The daycare center decided not to show up at 7:30am, I called them, no answer, left voice mail. Waited till 7:45, then decided to take her myself, its not too far, although it was raining, and I had to take her in the bike, so I got drenched on the way there. When I get to the daycare center around 8:00 am, there is no one there, it was completely closed!!! They're supposed to be open 24/7!!! And I still have Sophie and need to get to work in 30 minutes...so I am at a loss as to what to do. I wait, and wait, what seemed to be an eternity(in the rain), and at 8:10 I decided to call Geli and ask her to please come get Sophie and stay with her so I can go to work since it is my first day, and she agreed. Five minutes later though, they show up at the daycare center, so I tell Geli to cancel that, since they're here. I had no time to argue with them, I simply brought Sophie in(who did not get wet, since she was in the little bike carriage), told them we'd be picking her up, and got on my way to work around 8:15. On the way to work, I went much faster than I usually would on the bike in an effort to get there on time, since now, I was about 3 miles away, instead of only 2, from the house, and away from the bus route I had planned to take. This fast riding, in the rain, led to me falling off the bike at a turn of course. I was okay, and surprisingly, it had no effect on the level of wetness since already I was drenched. I finally get to work at 8:33, not bad considering all that has happened, but not a great way to make a good first impression. Not to mention I was also dripping water. Its as if I had decided to shower with my clothes on that morning, and went to work. Despite all this, everything went very well at work. I eventually dried up, mostly. I really like it, and I'm sure I'll be fine there. My boss took me and the other trainee out to lunch to a diner a block from our building. I have my own desk, my own work extension, work email, and access to the applications we need already. Now I just need to learn how to use them! lol Despite everyone being dressed up, and in a downtown setting, it seems very relaxed there. It doesn't feel tense or hectic, and unlike every other job I've had before, the people don't seem to hate being there. All in all, it was a great first day. Very eventful, and I'm glad that despite the rough start, it ended well. I missed Sophie, and wondered how she was throughout the day, but i guess that's something I'll need to get used to. I was glad to be home at the end of the day with Geli and Sophie Off to another day of work today, assuming the daycare people show up today....

Leaving Sophie in daycare(Oct 17, 2008 8:57 AM)

These last 10 months or so that we have been in Milwaukee I have been staying home with Sophie, and working on my degree. I am finally close to finishing my degree, I'll be graduating this December with a Bachelor of Science in Information Communication Technology. I actually found a great job here in Downtown Milwaukee, that pays well, and I start this Monday(10/20/08). They just require that I finish my degree and get an A+ certification within 6 months, which should be no problem. While this is all very exciting and great news for me, I am also very sad to have to put Sophie in daycare...This last year I've been with her at home has been great, and now I can't imagine not being there when she wakes up, or giving her breakfast, and playing with her throughout the day. I don't know, I never expected to feel this way, after all I did go to school all these years to be able to work a good job, and now that I can, I feel sad to. I never understood just how much a child can change you, until now. I hope this lessens over time, because even though I feel comfortable with the daycare center we chose, and I have no doubt that she'll be okay, I still feel sad about it.

Leaving El Paso(Oct 17, 2008 7:38am )

Well, where to start? My life has changed more than I could have ever imagined in the last couple of years. I am now living 1200 miles from El Paso, in Milwaukee, WI with my amazing wife and baby daughter. While it was very difficult to decide to leave my brother, sister, parents, family, friends, the band, and many other things behind, I knew that it was necessary. I miss everyone very much and look forward to visiting again. It has been very difficult to be apart from my brother, who was closer to me than anyone else, we literally grew up together and did everything together, I miss you man. Despite all this, we have done rather well over here. I have stayed home with the baby and to work on school, and Geli has done well at work. We had a hard time finding an apartment, but we were lucky to find one in the center of everything here in Milwaukee, although its a bit old and run down ha ha. We have sold the car, and have turned to biking and walking everywhere, which is fun, and it workds because everything is really close to our apt. We like Milwaukee, and hope to have everyone visit! Its a whole different world from El Paso.