Diary of a Network Geek

Merry Christmas!

God, bless us, every one.

Okay, so Christmas spirit has been running a little low this year.

Until, that is, I saw that NORAD is tracking Santa.  I always knew that a guy with the kind of technology it would take to circumnavigate the globe in a single night, breaking into houses to deliver presents, then sneaking off to his secret arctic base just had to be a government contractor.

"He knows when you're sleeping.  He knows when you're awake.  He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!" 

My laptop saved me.

As most of my regular readers know, my laptop really saved me when I was in the hospital getting my chemotherapy treatment. If I hadn't had that, I might have just about gone crazy. For one thing, it kept me in touch with many of my friends via e-mail and blogs. For another thing, I was able to get some things done at work via that laptop and a secure, remote connection to our server. That wasn't my intention when I bought it, but, still, it's been a very good investment and I'm very, very happy to have made it. I'd even say it was worth going into a bit of debt to get it when I did. It was something I'd put off doing for... Well, for a very long time.

Anyway, if you're thinking about getting a laptop, the upcoming Christmas season is as good a time as any. These days laptops go on sale just like all electronics do, at Christmas, after Christmas and at the beginning of the school year. But, with deference to the TechRepublic article from which I drew the main points, here are ten things to keep in mind when buying a new laptop:

#1: Operating system

#2: CPU#3: RAM

#4: Video card

#5: Ports

#6: Screen size

#7: Integrated wireless

#8: Integrated Bluetooth

#9: Track pad

#10: Battery life

So, if you're taking advantage of the great sales at the last minute, keep that in mind.  And, if you're in the market for a laptop, Microcenter is going to have some pretty great sales just after Christmas this year, it looks like.  They've always done right by me.
That's NOT a paid endorsement, by the way.  They've just always done right by me.

What level is your blog at?

Apparently, my blog is at the Junior High level, which is about right. I try to write simple so folks understand. Besides, I write most of my entries at about the same level as USA Today. Oh, wait...

Just for myself.

So, one of my new life goals is to get debt free and stay that way. But, really, that's just a very concrete way for me to describe getting my finances in order. I've started doing a number of things to get that particular set of ducks in a row, among them being to sign up for our 401k. When I first became eligible for that, I was in the middle of a divorce, so I didn't take advantage of it. Then, frankly, I couldn't afford it, so I more or less forgot about it. But, with the raise that will start after the first of the year, now seemed like a perfect time to start socking money away. I think the company matches me some, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that I'm going to start taking money out of every paycheck, before taxes, and move it into an investment device.

Also, along with that, I plan to start using the automated transfer system at my bank to transfer some of that raise directly into my savings account every two weeks. The idea here, as so many personal investment gurus have said, is to pay myself first. And, from here on out, I'm going to transfer any automated payments from Google directly into my savings account, too. I think of that as "extra" money anyway, so I might as well set it aside.
What I'm trying to do with this pattern, is to set aside a contingency fund. If I really want to get out of debt and stay out of debt, I have to stop making any more debt! The only way to do that is to have some money set aside to deal with anything that might come up. (Incidentally, I'll be following the basic plan from How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt and Live Prosperously, which is where I got the common sense idea to start building a contingency fund.) I know it will be slow going, but, I think it will be well worth it in the end.

Also, in the Spring, I'm going to find a personal finance magazine of some kind to subscribe to so I can educate myself better on financial matters. I'm not sure which I'll go with, Money, Kiplinger's, or SmartMoney, but I'll most likely stick with one of those three.

And, finally, here are a couple of articles from Men's Health about financial matters, which is what got me thinking about this today.
First, there's "Your Biggest Money Worries - Solved". I have to admit, that one hit a couple of mine, like "Affording Her" and "Paying Off Your Debts", not to mention "Saving Enough For Retirement". Surprisingly, this article about easy resolutions for the coming year sort of got me motivated, too. It all reminded me of how my parents taught me that the little things, when added up, can make big changes. Mom's saying was "Inch by inch, life's a sinch, but mile by mile, life's a trial". She used to say that to remind me that I had to be patient and do the little steps that made the bigger goals possible. It's a good reminder.
But, what really got me thinking about this the most was Six Painless Ways to Build Wealth.
So, here's hoping that a more serious, enlightened, "grown-up" approach to my finances will help me achieve yet another life goal. I'll try to keep y'all updated.

Or, fired even.

Okay, so no one wants to get fired. (Well, that's not quite true. I actually had someone ask me to lay him off once, but that's another story.) Still, sometimes, market forces back employers into a corner and they have no choice but to "help employees find other opportunities to excel". So, what do you do when that happens? Well, an article over at TechRepublic has several suggestions:

#1: Get everything the company owes you

#2: Get your resume updated and out the door

#3: Search company Web sites

#4: List your sources of income

#5: Prioritize expenses

#6: Don’t forget insurance

#7: Don’t burn bridges

#8: Avoid raiding your investments

#9: Get out

#10: Keep up with your debt

#11: Pay attention to your feelings

Thankfully, it looks like not only am I not getting fired, but I'll be getting a reasonable "cost-of-living" raise this year.  But, with some of the stuff going on at Motorola, I thought my brother might make use of the tips.  (Yes, he reads the blog, too.)

The sale over at Threadless has been extended a couple of days.

So, it's not too late to get some totally cool shirts like these:

(Yes, these are more shirts that I got when I bought my batch.)
Oh, and my shirts have arrived.  They're superior quality.  Frankly, at $10 per shirt, it's almost criminal to not get a couple, even if you just use them to work out in!

And, since I might as well throw it in here as anywhere else, if I finally get pictures taken of myself in these shirts, they'll show up on my Flickr account, here: Network Geek's Flickr Home.

Well, according to the doctor, I'm still okay.

Actually, when I finally got the results of my PET scan, the results were better than "okay". It seems that the scar tissue on my lung from the lymphoma has actually reduced and there's active, visible healing going on there. So, I'm clean for another three months, when I'll do this again.

I have to admit, I was a little worried, but, I guess that's fairly normal. My doctor was actually quite pleased with the fact that I'd put on a little too much weight since I'd seen her last. She, and her entire staff of nurses, were positively giggly over my hair and how healthy I looked in general. I do feel good, but, I'm still very aware of how out of shape I am. And, I'm leary of every little cough or anything unusual,health-wise, at all. I hope that goes away, or at least reduces in intensity, eventually.

So, in short, to recap, or, to state again in a slightly different way, I'm good.
Oh, and before I forget, my mother finally found my blog, so everyone wave and say hello!

Time!

Well, I guess to balance last weekend, I got virtually nothing done this weekend.
Okay, that's not quite true, but I got nothing done that I planned on doing or really wanted to get done.  I did work on a cd cover for one of the Culturcide projects and see The Golden Compass, which was fairly disappointing, but everything else languished.  I blame it on the clinic visit I'm about to have.
In just a few short minutes, I'm going to wolf down some lunch and dash out the door to get blood drawn, then wait to see my oncologist.  I'm feeling...  Anxious, I guess.  Unsettled.  Tense.  I'm afraid of what the results might be from last week's PET scan.  I'm not sure if I could take another year of chemotherapy.  I'm really not.

Oh, I also pulled some pictures off my camera, but I haven't edited them at all to put up.  I suppose I'll end up linking to my Filckr account and spending the minimal money for a "pro" membership.  Well, maybe after the first of the year.

It's that time of year again!

Two years ago, for fun, and to make a couple of nice girls smile, I programmed up the New Year's Resolution Generator. I based it, in part, on some ideas from the Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Holidays, but I have to admit, I threw in some of my own warped sense of humor. And, I weighted things a little more toward heavier drinking and looser morals. Hey, a guy can dream!

In any case, it's been a hit in years past, so I thought I'd bring it around again. A little earlier this year, but just so you all have enough time to whip up a good New Year's Resolution. Have fun!