Month: October 2008

So, Colin Powell endorsed Obama.  I’ve been reading analyses of this development, and most political writers don’t think the endorsement will sway a lot of voters to Obama; most people who would be influenced by the endorsement one way or the other have already made up their minds.  Where it may help is in the defense/military industry area of northern Virginia, which is a state McCain absolutely cannot afford to lose.  If Obama carries the Kerry states plus Iowa (where he’s way ahead), that’s 259 electoral votes.  Virginia’s 13 would put him over the 270 needed to become president.

I’ve heard a lot of people say, “election night is going to be a long night.”  Not necessarily.  Virginia, Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina are all in the eastern time zone.  If any one of those gets called for Obama (and he’s leading in the polls in all four right now), we pretty much know who the new president will be.  If McCain wins all four, or if they’re too close to call, then it could indeed be a long night, but I’m betting we know who the new president will be by 8-9 PM Central time.

I’m now thinking I may wait until Monday, November 10 to start devoting all my energy to job hunting.  Previously I had said November 3, but am leaning toward taking the extra week for several reasons:  1) I want 3 weeks to explore the freelance market, and the possibility of earning an income there, as opposed to full-time salaried work; 2) I want the extra week to work extra hard on Saving Consumers Time and two more website ideas; and 3) There will likely be a big celebration the night of Tuesday, November 4, and it’d be nice to stay up late without having to get to work the next day.  That said, I am going to let recruiters know that I’m available if anything exceptional comes along, and it looks like I’ll be talking to someone about an exceptional full-time position as early as this week.

By the way, I’ve updated my resume to include the past year’s experience.  Feel free to forward a link to anyone who may need .NET, PHP, WordPress, SEO, or Web 2.0/social media development work done.

Tonight is “Relaxing with Miles and Mickey” at the Majestic Grille, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.  The University of Memphis Downtown Music Initiative will do a tribute performance of “Relaxin’ with Miles,” featuring David Spencer, Gary Topper, Sam Shup and Alvie Givhan.  Music starts at 5:45.  During the performance, artist Mickey Hollis will paint live to the music.  His work is currently on display in the Majestic’s Innovators’ Room, so be sure to go back there and check it out.  There will be complimentary hors d’ouevres by Chef Patrick Reilly, and cocktail specials.

Free food?  Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

The website work I have to do today seems to lend itself well to the Second Street Branch Office, so I’ll head there at 11 when the branch office opens.  Check back, I may post from there later in the day.

I found a really cool freeware utility last week called AnVir Task Manager that laptop users may be interested in.  I grabbed it because too many programs were loading upon startup, and it seemed to be a highly-rated startup manager.  However, it has another interesting feature as well… it displays your hard drive’s temperature in the taskbar.  My laptop’s hard drive tends to run between 38-45 degrees Celsius (100-113 Fahrenheit).

At the Monroe Avenue branch office… just completed my 10th article for Saving Consumers Time.  This one addresses the issue of health, life, and dental insurance for those who are self-employed, between jobs, or work for a company that does not provide those benefits.    An issue I’m investigating for my own purposes, as well as to help SCT’s readers.

Will head to the other branch office soon.

I added a new article to Saving Consumers Time yesterday.  This one reviews three good laptops under $1000 – a Toshiba Satellite that is loaded except it has last year’s processor (which is still fine for the average user), a loaded 17″ HP laptop, and a MacBook under $1000 that would be a great computer if you add some extra RAM.

Hung out at Bardog for a few PBRs last night, then hit the Saucer to catch Funk de Ville.  Was going to meet up with some people on Beale later, but realized I didn’t have their number in my phone due to the PBR-induced haze I was in Tuesday night.

Stuff I want to do at lunchtime while I’m off work:

• Eat soul food at Alcenia’s.  Never been.
• Eat tapas at Safari.  Haven’t been yet, except for the SMA meeting.
• Sit on Blues City Pastry’s patio during lunchtime, work on my laptop, and watch people walk by.  Perfect weather for it this week.

What Halloween parties are going on Downtown this year?  The only one I know of so far is Big Foot on the 30th, and my apartment building’s party and a few other private ones.  If you know of any that are open to the public, let me know and I’ll blog them.  Don’t forget to check out Skank-o-ween for Halloween costumes.

One of my favorite authors, marketing guru Seth Godin, released his new book, Tribes, this week.  In his latest blog post, he tells you how you can get the audio version for under a dollar on iTunes, or for free if you register at Audible.com.  Or, if you want to buy the print version, click the image of the book to the left, and it’ll take you to Amazon.

You can also buy a Seth Godin action figure if you’re a fan.  They’re available at the Action Figures Collector Shop.

Check out this article on The Googleplex, Google’s main office campus in Mountain View, California.  Employees get free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  They also get perks like free haircuts, and electric scooters are available to zip them around campus if they don’t feel like walking.  There are ping-pong tables when they need a break from coding, and if things get too stressful, they can schedule a massage for a nominal fee.  Also, note that the employees pictured are wearing T-shirts and jeans.

One of the things I needed to do this morning was download IM software.  Out-of-towners with freelancing work want to talk to me next week, and I replied, “Sounds great, if you prefer IM to phone, just let me know what network you’re on, and I’ll install an IM client so I can talk to you.”  So I went out and got Pidgin, a freeware IM client that connects to just about every network out there – AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, and many more.  It’s one of the most highly-rated freeware products out there.

Being a Downtown Memphian, there’s just something about this software that feels very… familiar.  It seems like something I see many, many times every day.

Hmmm… for some reason I suddenly feel compelled to take the laptop to Court Square and use their free Wi-Fi to work.

I stayed in last night.  I needed to just hit the reset button and get a good, restful, alcohol-free night’s sleep, the first one since the layoff occurred.  The past few days, I’ve been walking around like a zombie.  I feel back to normal this morning.

One thing I’ve been forgetting to do is congratulate the CCC on their outstanding Downtown Alive! concert series that took place the past five weeks.  It was a huge improvement over the old Court Square concert series.  By featuring a number of different venues Downtown, they introduced a lot of people to businesses and attractions throughout Downtown, and they also kept people interested.  They showcased what Memphis has to offer – Latino music, Goner Records, folk music, etc.  I thought it was a great program and couldn’t have been done any better.

I also like their program they’re having on Thursdays at lunch this month, where historian Jimmy Ogle takes people on free 45-minute tours of Downtown.  On Thursday the 23rd, he’ll give a tour of the Riverfront trolley loop (small groups only please, because space is limited on the trolley), and on the 30th, he’ll repeat his infamous Union Avenue manhole cover and history tour.  Now that I have extra free time, I’m definitely in for the 30th.  I’ve been wanting to do that tour for a while.

And I gotta admit, I’ve been impressed with Stephanie, one of the main coordinators of these programs.  I’ve passed her over for BFF of the Month several times now, and perhaps that was a mistake.  She’s definitely displayed BFF qualities in the past week.  Trouble is, she’ll be going up against Lauren in November, who is going to be awfully tough to beat.

I’ve added two new articles to Saving Consumers Time, one on office desk chairs, and another on electric blankets, throws, and mattress pads.  John D has requested an article on laptops, explaining that he ruined his old one when he thought the DVD player was a cup holder for his Bud Light.  I’ll try to get to that one within the next week.  It’ll probably be mid-range laptops (under $1000), since most people don’t need the top of the line for average web surfing, sending e-mail, word processing, and other typical functions.  I may do an article on external laptop batteries too, because my external battery has come in so handy so many times.

Dr. Booze posted a link to a good blog called Benito’s Wine Reviews this morning.  Benito posts Monday, Wednesday and Friday, reviewing wines and cocktails and discussing matching wine with food.  He also has links to Memphis and national food and wine blogs.

Let’s see what’s happening on Facebook this morning… the Nuh-Uh Girl became a fan of Baskin Robbins and of Ben & Jerry’s.  Meanwhile, Big Foot Lodge has posted pics of Wednesday night’s Hollywood Casino/St. Jude Red Carpet Kick-off Bash.  Someone should contact McDonald’s and tell them that their mascot Grimace has been hanging out at the competition’s parties.  Oh, wait, that’s not Grimace, that’s Meghan.  Wow, that purple outfit has to be one of the biggest fashion mistakes of the year.  Somehow she managed to time-travel back to 1984 and go shopping at Kmart for clothes.

Funk de Ville at the Saucer tonight.  9-piece disco band with horns.  If you like Dr. Zarr, you’ve got to see Funk de Ville.  9:30 PM, $3 cover.  Also, tonight is the last night for Automatic Slim’s as we’ve known it for years… Harlan T. Bobo takes the stage at 10 PM.

I got to the Main Street block party about 6 last night.  Hung out on the Majestic’s patio for a while, had a mojito.  Then I decided I wanted to try the Center for Souther Folklore’s Southern food buffet.  It was outstanding and a bargain too, $5 for Cornish hen, BBQ pork, greens, and peach cobbler.

So, I was sitting at a table with one of my regular blog readers, who introduced herself to me at the Center last night.  At the next table over was arts writer Skipford M. Blank.  And then it happened… I shoulda known it.  The presence of food attracted the Nuh-Uh Girl.  She came in and ate off my plate, then ate off Skippy’s plate, then talked the guy running the buffet to give her a bowl of greens.  Here’s a pic of the Nuh-Uh Girl eating the greens:

Then she left to go home and bake for the Nuh-Uh Sister’s birthday, so no doubt the Nuh-Uh Girl ate yet again when she got done baking.

After that I headed to the Saucer for the Dempseys.  Stayed for the first two sets, then decided it was time for a venue change to Bardog.

Sign on Bardog’s chalkboard:  “We close bar checks upon maid’s exit.”  Attn BFF Jenny:  Did you read that?  They have BARMAIDS there!

The staff at Bardog was just super-nice to me last night.  It was nearly 3 AM before I got out of there.  Thanks to everyone there for treating me so well.

All right, let’s get to the news.  There are specials at Sauces (under new ownership) this weekend.  They are black bean soup with ancho lime crema, asian wings with spicy peanut hot sauce and wasabi blue cheese, fish tacos, and grilled ribeye with cheddar grits and wilted garlic spinach.

Great article on Circa and Chef John Bragg’s five-course Sunday evening wine dinners in today’s Commercial Appeal.  John was voted “Best Chef” in this year’s Memphis Flyer poll, and Circa was one of five businesses who threw the block party last night.

Harlan T. Bobo plays Automatic Slim’s Saturday night at 10.  Slim’s isn’t closing, but this will be the last night for Automatic Slim’s as we have known it for many years.  More details to come.

SabaFest, in support of St. Jude and in memory of Bill Saba, is tonight at the Cadre Building.  I’m was going to attend, but now that I’ve been laid off, I need to conserve money until I’m on to the next gig.  Should be a good time though.  Walrus and Punching Nicholas will play.

All right… going to take my “what’s the fire sale” walk, and go vote.  After that it’s cleanup day – clean up the apartment, answer a pile of unanswered e-mails from yesterday, upgrade the software on some of my sites.  Will be out later tonight.

There’s a breakfast at the U of M tomorrow that business managers and IT managers may be interested in.  Dr. Vallabhajosyula Sambamurthy, who I shall refer to as “Bill” for the remainder of this paragraph because I don’t feel like typing that long name over and over, will speak on “Enterprise Agility and Information Technology Management.”  Bill is co-author of a book, Winning the 3-Legged Race : When Business and Technology Run Together, that advocates the necessity of firms to integrate their business and IT management processes.  Bill will speak from 7:30 to 9 AM tomorrow at the Fogleman Executive Dining Room (FEC 304) at the University of Memphis, 330 Innovation drive.  There is a $25 charge to attend Bill’s presentation; RSVP to kpenick@memphis.edu.  In addition to the opportunity to hear Bill speak, your $25 gets you a breakfast buffet.

Mmmm.  A breakfast buffet sounds good.  Are there any Shoney’s left in town?

The Recording Academy Memphis Chapter will host the Indie Impact Music Conference from noon to 7 Saturday, October 18.  It’s an educational conference for independent artists, managers, and labels.  There will be workshops, networking, and a showcase afterward at the New Daisy.  To inquire about attending you can go to the Memphis chapter website here.

My sixth article for Saving Consumers Time is now up.  This one is about single serve coffee machines, machines that brew one cup of coffee at a time, allowing each person in your home or office to enjoy exactly the cup of coffee they want.  These things are a cost-effective alternative to driving through Starbucks every morning.

Thanks to all of you who have sent words of support and encouragement today.  (In case you missed this morning’s post, I got laid off yesterday.)  I’ve already had one person ask me to contact him about employment opportunities, and another who has some consulting work.  I’ll get back to you real soon about those – my e-mail box is flooded right now, and I’m still in shock from the events of yesterday, so please give me a day.  I’m also considering panhandling as an option.  I figure I’d have an advantage over all the other panhandlers Downtown, since I don’t smoke crack, and I’d be the only panhandler on the street who knows that the plural of “cent” is “cents.”

All right… gonna take care of a few things, then head to Bardog with the laptop.  Due to the rain I didn’t get to early vote today.  Maybe tomorrow.

About 4:30 yesterday afternoon, I was sitting at my desk, working on my current project, when our team lead asked three other IT people and me to come to the conference room.  “Sure, I’ll be right there,” I said.

Our VP of development was waiting for us there, in a somber mood.  I saw envelopes on the desk with our initials on them.  The VP told us that the company, still in its startup phase, had been hit by the tough economic times, and was forced to respond by letting some people go.  “I’m sorry, but today is your last day,” he told us.  I could tell he really didn’t want to do it, but the orders had come down from the CEO and the board.  We cleaned out our desks, met with an IT recruiter who he’d asked to be there, and that was it.  The envelope contained recommendation letters and our final paychecks, as well as pay for unused vacation days.  “We want you to know this is not performance-based,” said the VP.  “If things turn around, we’ll have you back in a heartbeat.”

Wow.  That was totally unexpected.  I mean, I knew it was a startup and a job there was not as safe as, say, FedEx, but still, I never saw it coming.

My reaction?  I’m not panicking or devastated.  With the last paychecks, I have about 4 months’ living expenses in the bank, and income that continues to come in from my web-based stores and affiliate marketing sites.  Also, people with 4 years of .NET programming experience, as well as PHP and MySQL, don’t stay unemployed long, no matter what the economy is doing.  So I know I’ll be okay.  It could have been worse… the other three people let go were Indian, and for them, not having a job could mean they have to leave the country.  Thank goodness I don’t have to worry about that.

The only real sadness I feel is that it will be hard to find another company as good as that one.  Management always treated me well, accepting my request last spring to move from .NET to open source development.  I got to work with some incredibly talented people on a great product.  I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the company, and if you’re in management or HR and need background-checking services, I recommend them highly.  I had to look at competitors’ sites as I developed, and having seen them I can honestly say our company is the best in the field.

On the other hand, I definitely see a silver lining in being let go, for several reasons.  For one thing, it will give me a chance to really ramp up development on my own websites.  Saving Consumers Time is already becoming successful – people are finding it through Google and ordering stuff through the links.  Trouble was, I hardly ever had time to work on it, except on the weekends and maybe a random hour here and there after work.  I had actually considered taking a hiatus from Sunday brunch until spring to give myself that day to work on websites.  Now I have 40 extra hours a week.  My goal was “30 by 30,” 30 articles on Saving Consumers Time by November 30 (currently I have 5 up, and a 6th in development).  Now I will be able to get to 30 much sooner.

Also, it’ll be nice to have some free time.  Yesterday I had to run by Bardog Tavern at lunch and pick up my debit card, which I had left there the night before.  My friend Brooke was bartending.  “With a 30 minute lunch break, I’ll never get to see her,” I thought.  “I wish I could bring my laptop here and work.”  Now I can.  I’ll probably take the laptop up there this afternoon and work on Saving Consumers Time for a few hours.  I’m actually a lot more productive in that kind of setting than I am in a cubicle.

I’ll get to catch up on sleep as well.  The Dempseys play the Flying Saucer tonight, and it’s nice to know I can stay for all three of their sets (the last ending at 1:30 AM) and still get a decent amount of sleep.  For a few weeks I can follow my body’s natural rhythm, which seems to be to go to bed around 2 and get up at 9, rather than have a schedule dictate when I sleep.

As for job hunting, I’m going to get in touch with my three best recruiter contacts tomorrow, and let them know that I’m officially on the job market as of November 3.  Until then I’m going to take some time off, work on my web projects, and just generally enjoy life in Downtown Memphis.  I’ll let them know that if anything exceptional comes along – meaning, as good as the job I just left – I’ll go ahead and talk to them.  Otherwise, though, I want the next 2 1/2 weeks for myself.

Several people, over the past months, have contacted me about doing websites or other consulting projects, which I had to turn down because I didn’t have time.  I’m now available if you still want to talk.  Contact me at paul@paulryburn.com.

And, of course, if you know of positions for which I’d be a good fit, I’d like to hear about those as well.  My resume is not up-to-date at the moment because I hadn’t planned on job hunting, but here are the basics – senior-level developer with 4 years .NET experience in both VB.NET and C# with SQL Server.  I’ve worked with PHP and MySQL for years on my own, and about 6 months ago I got the chance to do enterprise-level PHP development, working with one of the most talented programmers in the field.  My writing skills are also an asset – 3 years of Best Blog awards from the Memphis Flyer, and check out Saving Consumers Time for professional writing samples, and for evidence of my understanding of search engine optimization.  In addition, I have 5 years experience teaching computer literacy and math full-time at a major university.

In summary:  Losing the job is a setback, but I see opportunities as well as losses.  Reacting with fear and panic is not productive.  I’m completely confident that I will land on my feet, and in the meantime I’m going to enjoy some well-deserved time off.

Plans for today:  I’m going to deposit my final paychecks, walk to the election commission and vote for my man Barack, drink a beer at the Flying Saucer, walk around the Main Street Mall for a while and enjoy the fact that I don’t have to go sit in a cubicle all afternoon, then about 2 I’ll take the laptop up to Bardog and work on Saving Consumers Time while enjoying a few $2.50 PBRs ($1.50 once the clock hits 5 and happy hour starts).  After that I’ll attend the block party on Main Street to congratulate the Majestic Grille, Circa, Shelton Clothiers, Center for Southern Folklore, and Blue Fin on their Memphis Flyer Best Of awards.  And then at 9:30, The Dempseys take the stage at the Saucer.

Probably more posts to come today, now that I have extra time.