I took the new job. And giving my two-weeks notice was hard. I’m really going to miss them (they don’t read this so I got no shame to admit it).

Long day. Long night. Good night.

In regards to this blog entry, here’s your chance to make a local difference. From the Reno Gazette-Journal:

Contributions to the two Rios children who were imprisoned and starved by their family can be made with the Second Chance Fund at the Bank of America in Carson City.

According to District Attorney Noel Waters, the 17-year-old girl will need expensive dental work.

Their foster mother has said the children are quickly outgrowing their clothes. Gift certificates for clothing and other goods can be made to the Rios children through the Nevada Division of Child and Family services in Carson City.

The Division of Child and Family Services can be reached at 684-4400.

The phone number for the Bank of America in Carson City is 687-7001.

The abusive adults were sentenced to the maximum allowable punishment under the law. Here is the letter (in PDF format) the 17-year-old girl submitted to the judge. It’s a heartbreaker.

Life’s been playing handball with me lately…or maybe it’s the civil service system in the State of Nevada. Maybe there’s no difference.

I interviewed for a job at TMCC in Reno last week. It was something I was qualified for, and I was enthusiastic about the job and about my chances of getting it. Frankly, I did not give the cleanest of interviews and could have done better, but I was sure that if my credentials were treated fairly, I had a shot.

In the meantime, I went to another interview this last Tuesday morning (11/28). It’s a statistics position at Nevada Medicaid in Carson City. My interview was much cleaner and I got good vibes from the people.

I was informed a few hours later (by mail!) that I did not get the TMCC position. I spent the rest of the day in a “kick-the-dog” mood (don’t have a dog, but you get the meaning).

I was still punting the mutt Wednesday when Nevada Medicaid called: they’re offering me the position. I’m going over there later today to interview them and see if we’re all a good fit.

More details later.

Here’s where they ain’t, after the jump.

Proceed at your own risk »

How long can you watch the video below the jump before you turn it off?

Make the test harder on yourself: You have to leave the sound on.

Proceed at your own risk »

I don’t want anything for Christmas. No presents. No gifts. Nada.

After spending another year at DCFS reading about kids getting screwed over by grown-ups, I’m asking folks with any inclination to spend money on me to stop, change direction, and send the cash/gift to a child-related charity. If it’s an organization that’ll help a little one recover from a negative life-changing event, all the better.

Yes, I’m serious. Not joking. I’ve been where those kids are and they need all the love you can show them.

So please go out and do the right thing.

(Except for chocolate. I’ll take the chocolate. I’m not totally crazy here.)

This article states there are more than 200 members of the military hiding from service in Canada. In wartime, “absent without leave” (AWOL) is punishable by long prison terms at hard labor.

Why do they run? The reality check is after the jump:

Proceed at your own risk »

Another geek thing about me is I think the English language is fun. I got no ear or talent for any other (believe me, I tried), so this article from the Los Angeles Times tickles and alarms me. It explains how a “liberal” use of keywords can change one’s perception of a situation, policy, or program. The danger is the dust kicked up by these obscure cliches is clouding and minimizing the importance and severity of the problems being described.

Here’s a partial list. The “old” is followed by the “new”:

“Retreating in Iraq” vs. “Redeploying”
“Enemy Combatant” vs. “Imperative Security Internee”
“Suicides by Enemy Combatant” vs. “Self-injurious Behavior Incidents”

And maybe the worst offender: the Agriculture Department replacing the word “hunger” in their reports with the phrase, “an individual-level physiological condition that may result from food insecurity.”

Continuing the tradition of the PostCard of the Week, courtesy of PostSecret:

Proceed at your own risk »

A parody of those 1950s and 1960s safety films…or is it? Could have used this decades ago.

One clip after the jump.

Proceed at your own risk »