So promptly (okay it was 6:02pm) CompUSA staff got us all our copies of Leopard, I was out the door by 6:07pm, and of course then traffic was horrible, etc. etc. but I got home before 7pm, and now I am backing up the MBP which really doesn’t have a LOT to work with, as the iTunes library is backed up on the linux box into a mt-dappd server, and most movie work is done via the desktop, photos are a few, but nothing major - so I am using my external USB drive to back up the few GB of info.
I did have a good laugh with a few Mac nerds loafing around waiting for 6pm, but no major crowd and no one fighting one another, but there was a Mac Prophet spouting Mac propaganda, mac this, mac that - dude was all over the place, he even whipped out his MacBook and showed people things - and the people were all trying to find a way to escape - were Mac users, not Mac Fanatics.
The plan is a backup of this rig, then a clean install of leopard. More later - if it goes smoothly, then the iMac gets a upgrade later once I get the MBP stable with all the apps I need
So today is the day where all nerdy mac users upgrade to leopard - I imagine around 6, I’ll be over at CompUSA to snag my copy for $99, but with various issues reported like some noting that Software Update is broken, not 100% sure how soon I’ll install it on the iMac, but since the MBP is really just a portable rig and I can always re-install 10.4 I am going to start there and see how it goes. Already have my rsync backup scripts written to sync up the various “must have” directories on both machines, I’ll do some fresh syncs probably to the new NFS Exports I made on my Ubuntu rig last night, lot better speed than rsync was giving previously.
In other news, no word back yet on the job - granted the site does say I’ll only hear back if they are interested in me, but I am going to remain hopeful, but none the less, life goes on - and I have customers to tend to, servers to manage, people to chase down about their bills being overdue (yay! lol) but who knows, I figure if I don’t hear back in the next week or so, then that’s that.
Anywhoo it’s friday, I am almost alive, and today will be a good day… or else! thanks all for the continued prayers on the job, if anything changes on that front, I’ll let you all know! Take Care!
So for the first time in over 10 years, I have made a resume, on top of that, I have sent it to a company for consideration in a Linux Administrator position. Yowza.
I am pretty excited honestly, I am really hoping for a call back! I was a little hesitant posting this, as I know it may worry some of the customers who have found/read this blog, but honestly for the time being, nothing will change - even if I pick up this job, however if after a few months things are good, then I may have an offer to customers to migrate over to my new job, but let it be known that I am not putting clients up for sale, I am not bargaining your websites to get the job, you are safe - you will be given a choice if I decide to shutdown my own hosting operations, but I doubt that’ll ever happen 100%.
The choice to apply for a job just came from the slump in hosting, even yearly promotions which normally brought in a large amount of sales brought in 0 thus far, so it’s sad to look at really - and I have bills to pay, but long term I know I will always do my own thing at some level, but again, I don’t have this job yet, I barely hit send a minute ago, so as it stands nothing has changed, and until I get the job, I am trying to not think past “Today” as that’s all I can focus on, and stay sane so we’ll see what happens, but I appreciate your prayers in this matter, it’d be an amazing opportunity, and really open the doors for more things in my life from a financial standpoint, as well as give me a group of other linux admins who I can learn from and who knows maybe even teach things in return.
Anywhoo - that’s where I am at - I am excited, anxious, and hopeful that it will all work, but at the same time I know that just because I put my resume in I am not instantly hired so now to wait and watch, and see what happens! But for now, onto the day, more work on billing migration, more exploring what’s up with email on a friend’s server as I begin more external testing today, plus I am going to explore Amazon S3 a bit, have some ideas for it. So I will say Have a good Thursday folks! and be on with the craziness here take care!
Well it’s early AM still for most, and the day is already 3 hours old for me, so far so good, I made my way to Denny’s this morning for some grub (I seriously need to go grocery shopping) - as I munched I got some work done on a database map for a project - it’s going quite well, the layout going out is my only real big fear, if I do get Lunch with Dan today, I’m definitely going to chat it up about that for sure, though in the end, I think it’ll come down to the customer’s desire, but I just need Dan’s view for a rough as he’s done most of the design work on the HTML end.
While the project was done as an “affordable deal” I am not doing a TON of magic, however based upon the conversations we had, and the roadmap for potential growth over the long term I have put in some place-holders to the database to be sure that when the time comes, it’s really only some adjustments to templates and database calls, vs. re-writing databases, code structures, etc.
I am also trying to do this in a rapid dev format, not so much for the “buzz word” value of it, but for the structure overall, that is one of the main things I like about Cake, Codeignighter etc. - a very clean, organized - easy to manage structure, while I could do that with my own code, why re-create the wheel so to speak - but it does mean learning a few tricks, but if it starts to prove more time consuming to get my bearings (Me = Old Dog & RapidDEV = New Tricks) - but I have started to lay a few projects out in the system already, one of which is my upcoming app to allow clients to manage their spam filters - as I would REALLY like to move folks to this filter and more or less kill local server filtering. (Re: Load)
Lastly on my mind, Leopard. My plan is as such, Friday, go try to buy it from CompUSA ($30 rebate baby!) if that fails, then no rush, basically pick it up when it’s back in stock locally vs. buying from Apple, but I do need to buy the Apple Care for my MBP, as it was purchased last year in Nov. so the warranty is coming up, and as I know there is something probably wrong with the drive, or as usual, some recall will happen, I figure I’ll get it while the gettin’s good.
Anywhoo - off to code a bit, then off to import a bit, then to the bank a bit, and then… a bit. lol
So the first 2 invoices went out this morning for TN - two of the largest invoices by far as they are two server customers, so needless to say, very excited! but it’s also good to see the system is performing just as it should, one of the two doesn’t have a card on file, but I hope to solve that later today - but all in all, I hope to use a good portion of the day to really push harder on the migration and audit, I’d love to have it completely done by the end of the month, but from the current rate, it may be a little into next, but not going to let that discourage me.
Tuesday was fun, got to bed in the early AM, was waking up in the afternoon and got a call from my good buddy Dan, we talked shop a bit, then I got the call from my sister a hour or so later, and she wanted to know if I could help Michael goto Costco to get their new TV, so I loaded up myself in the truck and headed that way, we had some fun times as they gave us the wrong TV and over charged, then they had to figure out what was what, but in the end got the right TV and a cash refund - but we got it setup, and for my help I got a Pizza & Potato Wedges - I know I know, not the health kick I was hoping for, but it was awesome good So then we proceeded to watch Heroes on their new TV as we ate, and then as that wrapped up, I headed home across town. A good day! I came home full of pizza, and feeling good, I laid down, and then woke up around 2am, and I have been up for a while.
All in all today is Bank day, I have a check here, I need to do a run to the office to check for Checks there, and see if I can get the last $75 of a invoice from the kMan, hopefully checks came in, but then it’s off to the bank one way or another, I hope to get things deposited and good to go, just seems income isn’t really the issue, it’s the time frame it comes in lol - had a customer 22 days overdue in his invoice, so I think I may need to start a late-fee policy, never had to before, but I guess times change.
Anywhoo - nearly 4am now, and I am craving breakfast, I am thinking of taking the ol Moleskine, hopping into the car and going for a early breakfast at Denny’s - Biscuits and Gravy sound really good, or maybe some french toast… hrm… tasty. But none the less, a big day ahead, with a nice break in the middle for the bank, and who knows, maybe I’l convince Dan to have lunch (I love you Dan) - but I hope you all have a great Fake Friday!
So I wrote this big blog a minute ago, had it all written up, and then I highlighted it all, and started typing this, it was just something I needed to write out, to re-read, and just nod my head and go “Yup” - for the first time in over a year, probably more like 2 years, I feel right - granted exhausted, emotionally shot, and out of clean clothes - BUT - I am excited. I am excited about projects, I am excited about finding a Church, I am excited about being excited!
I’m tired of life beating me down, of things being complicated, and I know at some level… yeah that’s how life is, but some things I just stopped caring about, I let things slip because it’d take a lot of work to fix them, but not anymore, I am jazzed, I had my Monday night unwind which consists of watching Chuck, Heroes, and Journeyman - all wonderful shows, and I just left them feeling what I have felt since last Friday, alive.
I know, my blog is a collection of what some would probably classify as a madman, but thats why it’s here, to unwind, to write a 2 page blog then just wipe it away to simplify it to this, I am blessed. Even when it all sucks, even when I can’t find which way is up, I am blessed - Good Friends, Amazing Family, who knows, maybe even one day soon a nice special gal, but let’s not rush anything one step at a time. I feel like I have direction, I have been working on billing today between a brief nap, and also working on some various server bits as I mentioned in my last post - I just feel excited, alive, ready to go - and I am hoping to push on, to make efforts, to grow.
And that’s all I really had to say. I hope everyone has a good Wednesday, I know I am thus far, and I am more or less doing data entry! How can that be fun?! Take care all. More later.
While sales are down, and I’ve seen some customs leaving, I am hopeful - it’s a battle to stay that way, but I am doing my best, because I do like this job, it’s not a high-payer for the most part, but I really want to expand things and make some great options in hosting - enter the latest configuration I have found - it’s very exciting, and expansion wise offers some great functionality!
While I have honestly considered simply going to a reseller platform via other companies, it’s not the control I want - I like the ability to get in, put my hands in things so to speak, and really see what’s going on, and have the access to help customers get things fixed up, and make adjustments to server based software installs, plus I can see problems and work on them, vs. rely on someone else to truly monitor things - not to say some of the companies I have reviewed wouldn’t do the job, but I just don’t want to throw my customers to the wolves.
The new setup would work great with the various backup upgrades I have in mind, at some level it’s a little more expensive than things are now, but it offers greater stability it looks like, granted it’d be after the first of the year for deployment of this if I do go for it, but for now I am running the long-term numbers, and if I can get the affiliate programs running, I am hoping to really expand things with increased sales, and services.
I honestly am not sure, but for the first time in a while, I am excited about the infrastructure of hosting - just some amazing deals currently so I’d really like to see some of this stuff thru, but sadly unless sales increase, it won’t be anytime soon - but the migration of billing systems continues, soon MTT will stop working, and IMB will follow suit in time, just want to streamline that for starters, and get funds up from the folks who should be paying or haven’t been paying due to difficulties with the old system, so hopefully if I can wing the full move by month’s end on both sides of hosting (FH&TN) then I will have a better picture of things, and I can get rid of my old Authorize.net - and funds will balance out a bit - which would be nice.
Anywhoo - just random excitement, hopefully I can continue to build up upon things, time will tell. For now I am going to read some more, and run some more numbers. More later maybe.
thanks all for the continued prayers on the job, if anything changes on that front, I’ll let you all know! Take Care!
