Roadwolf's Blog

Well I figured it was about time for me to post an update here.

I have been hard at work lately, as well as balancing my time with trying to get my TF2 servers organised.  My previous gaming clan, the FastLaneCrew decided they could no longer support the servers, so they handed them back to me, and I thusly had to build up a small clan to support them.  So far things are going well, and I am working on getting everything running smoothly.

My Green Cheek Conure, “Paddy” is doing well.  He has started a molt, likely because of this hot weather we have been having.  But otherwise is doing fine.  The wart on his eye is gone that’s to some anti-biotic the vet provided for him.  Paddy has been a joy for me to have around.  While he is kind of like having a child in some respects, he is generally easier to take care of.  Paddy has attached himself to me, and he will often ask me to scratch behind his ears and enjoys cuddling under my hand when I am trying to type (which can get annoying…).  Him and Beryl generally get along okay, and I have let both out of the cages at the same time, and they both like to fly around together.  ‘Little Bird’ however is still a mean bitch towards Paddy..  She however has not gotten her wings yet, so we don’t let her out.  I have tried to convince Nightbird to start training the Parakeets again, but I don’t think that is going to happen.

Work is going well.  I am on night shifts now, which is interesting.  The job involves walking long underground tunnels…  I can’t really go into the specifics of it, as it is heavily monitored by DHS, but its pretty neat.

I have had a craving to go hiking lately – perhaps even to Zoar Valley again, so I can relax in the nude for a bit… lol  Meh, what can I say, it feels very liberating to do that…

I was kicked out of the firehall as my work schedule interfered with my drills which I was required to attend.  I did get permission to get excused from those drills from my chief, however apparently that fact was forgotten when the board of directors meeting took place and they were like… oh hes been missing drills…   no shit…   its called earning a living.

Not to worry, I am likely moving out of Buffalo within a year or so.  That hall was fairly boring, and I am not missing much.  In my opinion, they have some serious problems there, which should be sorted out.  But they won’t be, and eventually the hall will get shit-canned, and they will sit there scratching their heads wondering why.  Likely for the best I am no longer involved.

I shall try to post more often now that I am kinda getting settled into my new schedule.

Tags: Beryl, Buffalo Life, Flying Circus, Paddy, Roadwolf's Rants by Roadwolf
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It is very nice to be working again.  I sadly can’t really discuss my job here, but I will say that it is right up my alley, and I am enjoying it.

It has been a while since my last update mainly because I am working a lot and my free time is more restricted then I am used to.  On that note, I am getting annoyed at the drama at the firehall lately.  The last thing I want to do with my free time is spend it at a place where my presence is not desired.  The firehall is basically a private clubhouse for a few of the people there, and if you dont fit in, you are made to feel unwelcome.  It is amazing that places like this, which still rely on government funding, still exist.  I only remain there to learn what I can, and to be able to help people out in a time of need.  The social aspect of things at the firehall was lost ages ago.

I recently purchased The Sims 3, and have been enjoying tinkering with that in my down time.  The house gets pretty hot in this heat we have been having, so I really don’t feel like doing much else lately.  That being said, this past weekend, my wife and I took a trip up to Barrie, Ontario.  It was good fun.  Left Buffalo about 11am on Sunday, got to my dads for a quick lunch around 12:20.  Then left again around 1:10 and ended up arriving in Barrie around 2:40.  I even stopped for an accident on the 400 Northbound on the way up!  After checking into the hotel, my wife and I went down to the waterfront, where we enjoyed the waterfront festival which was going on.  We ended up going to the Crab House to enjoy some nice sea food, while enjoying some live Jazz.

We returned to the Hotel, and enjoyed the Jaccuzzi hot tub, and relaxed for the rest of the evening, watching the discovery channel and the history channel.

In the morning we hit the road around 10, and we were back in the states around 11:30!  It was nice to use the Whirlpool bridge and not have to wait at all, as opposed to the hour long wait times at the Rainbow bridge.  We stopped off at the Niagara Aquarium, and enjoyed the fishies and other sea life that they have there.  We did notice however that there were many foreigners there, and they all seemed to be extra pushy…  Like actually pushing you out of the way to get between you and the exhibit.  It was odd…  And slightly annoying.

We returned home around 2 or so, and said hello to Beryl and Little Bird who seemed to enjoy our return.  All in all it was a nice little trip, and was not very expensive!  We did all that on one tank of gas.

Tags: Buffalo Life by Roadwolf
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So I will be starting a new job tomorrow.  I must say that I am very much looking forward to returning to the working world.  This job will be similar to my previous job, however it will deal more with security and safety devices, then it will with audio and radio devices.  At least that is what I gather.

Similar to my previous job, this job will not be a desk job, and will include a lot of inspections and repairs in the field, which will keep things interesting.  The position requires working on equipment spread throughout the city, on roof tops, and in underground utility tunnels.  So it is diverse.

I do not believe I get a desk with this position, as it will mostly be field work, or work in the shop I imagine, but that is fine by me I suppose.  It keeps me active which is good.

So I am very happy, and I hope my 4 year gap in employment doesn’t set me behind too much.  I want to do well, and EARN a living once again.

I wasn’t sure I would be able to land a decent job such as this.  I had begun to loose hope that a married white male (especially one who is an immigrant) could land a decent job.  But with this position, I look forward to perhaps owning my own home within the next 2 years.

Tags: Buffalo Life, General, Immigration, Roadwolf by Roadwolf
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My birthday is fast approaching, and I just wanted to take the time to go over some of the things I have been up to lately.  For one,  my best friend here in Buffalo lost his house last month, so it has been tough for him to try to cope.  Damn foreclosures…   So I have tried to be there for him and keep him company.  On that note, he got me into a pharmacy delivery job, where we work as a driver under a contract to deliver medications to nursing homes and such.  I rode along with my friend on several runs, even heading down to the Southern Tier and the Pennsylvania border.  It was alright work, however there is a catch.  For one, it only pays .39 cents a mile, and about 1.50 or so per stop.  Usually you get about 10 stops, so that really doesn’t amount to much.

It ended up costing as much as you make at the place, per day.  The surcharges on your ‘rental’ of your scanning device, plus your uniform fee, plus a number of other things you must pay for weekly…  Not to mention the gas money, which comes out of your own pocket, and is not reinversed.  So all in all you do not make much doing this job, and in the end it will cost you more on maintnance of your vehicle then you are making.  A pizza delivery job would be much much better then this.

So I never went through with that.  Which is likely a good thing.  I must say that my wife is pleased, as she thought it was a scam right off the bat.

I have a major interview coming up with a major local company, so I hope that goes well.  Otherwise I am still looking.

Team Fortress 2 update:

My Team Fortress 2 server is moving along nicely.  As a clan, we are continuing back to the basics.  Applications and interest had gone through the roof, and we were not really prepared for that.  In order to retain the family feel of the clan, we have decided to revert to a invite only policy again.  At the same time, we plan on making the server more entertaining and including more theme nights.

I am still working on the bylaws for the clan…  That is work in progress for me.

The servers are running great, and I have nothing negative to report.

Social / Family Life:

I ended up going to Fort Erie to watch my sister skate over the weekend.  It was fun, and surprisingly quite interesting.  I basically grew up in an arena when I was younger, as her skating was a serious thing when she was younger.  Her team did alright, and I am proud of her for sticking with her interests, even when it demands so much from her.

I ended up also meeting my mother there, and it was very nice to see her.  My grandmother is not doing very well, and my mothers side of the family have been taking turns being with her to keep her company.

New Project

I am working on a new project, Railsexy.com – Yes I know it is a copy of hamsexy in a way, but my intentions are similar;  To get the younger generation interested in rail fanning.  I am currently looking for any input and assistance in running that website.  I want it to be a community project.  It is indeed a wiki, as well as a photo gallery.  Please check it out and offer some feedback, if your interested in trains at all.  www.railsexy.com

Dawn of Discovery / ANNO 1404: Venice

I have pre-ordered ANNO 1404: Venice (Dawn of Discovery: Venice), and hope to write a detailed article about it to enforce my other articles regarding the game.  Venice edition is an expansion which will offer multiplayer capability and co-op modes.  As well as a new playstyle, and many new objects, and missions.  I am looking forward to it.

I do plan to write a single page which will link all my ANNO 1404 articles together.

Scajaquada Rails

Scajaquada Rails is a new Trainz 2009 route I am working on.  The work is going quickly, and I should have the basic scenery done on the first phase of this route within the week.  You can read more about this route here:  http://www.railsexy.com/tiki-index.php?page=Scajaquada+Railways

All in all, that is about all that is about all that is really going on.  Fun stuff I know

Tags: Buffalo Life, Canadian Life, Computer Game Reviews, Roadwolf, Train Spotting by Roadwolf
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Foamers, Rail Buffs, Train Spotters…. Whatever you want to call them, they were always nuts about trains. I myself am one of these people. I LOVE trains and infrastructure. But I find myself asking some questions lately… Is this just a hobby for old men? They are the only ones who I seem to be able to find who seem to enjoy it. Why am I so .. different? Why are few other young people into train spotting or foaming. I imagine part of it these days has to do with the whole ’security’ aspect. Any cop who happens to come across people taking photos of trains is likely to accuse you of plotting a terrorist act. And that may be why a lot of people do not bother with rail fanning anymore. But if that is the fact, this added security of ours, is causing a whole subculture to disappear.

Trains are special and important to us here in North America. We may not realize it today, but our nation was build with trains. Without the railways, we would be 100 years behind where we are now, technically. It is amazing to think what these otherwise insignificant lines of steel have done for us.

I would really like to find someone else about my age who is also into trains in the WNY area. Sure I don’t mind hanging around the older guys and talkin trains. But I likely wont go out foaming with someone who is 40 or 50 years my elder.

Tags: Buffalo Life, Hobbies, Train Spotting, Trainz by Roadwolf
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I have always been a very honest person.  Dishonesty and other similar acts are actions I can not stand.  I can not respect a person whom I know is dishonest.  My general rule in life is to treat others as I expect to be treated.  This is why I am always helping people.  I hope that if I ever truly need help, someone like me, will be there to help me.

Reflecting on the past years efforts in job hunting, I have realized that there were likely a few factors which corresponded for myself not getting a job I was interviewing for.  The biggest of these factors was my honesty.  To give you an example, I will reference my very first job prospect.  It came from someone reading my blog.  He had seen my Aud article and the photos of the bomb robot, and read that I was interested in it.

As I learn’t more about the job, I did start to get excited.  Basically I was to pilot a underwater exploration remote controlled submarine, in order to survey underwater tunnels, pipes and mines.  Having had experience piloting airplanes, and a lot of technical knowledge, and good hand eye co-ordination – I seemed suited for the job.  The position would of taken me around the world for field work, and many of the locations I would be working would require security clearance.

So one of the questions is if I had a record or any history which might preclude me from getting such clearance.  The honest answer is no, I do not.  My criminal records are completely clear in both the US and Canada.  But I felt it was prudent to go a tad further and suggest that I have been caught trespassing a few times, however was never issued a citation.  That and a few minor speeding tickets several years ago in Canada would be the only things potentially on my record.  Even though I know none of those things ARE on my record.

I felt the need to be upfront with that information as I do not hide my past or who I am.  If I were to get employed and I told a story of getting caught somewhere, they may have questioned my honesty in the interviewing process.  Likewise the interviewer in this instance, already knew I was an urban explorer – as he did read of my adventures in the Aud.

Would I of passed security clearance?  Yes most likely.

After that conversation, I did not hear much from the man.  I assumed I killed any chance I had at that job, simply by being honest, and myself.  I refuse to hide behind a mask and pretend to be someone I am not.  In my reasoning, if an employer does not like who I am, then why bother even attempting to deal with that.  It is better off to be myself and find out quickly, then to put on a false face and be living a lie, always trying to balance yourself, with some fictional personality.

In conclusion, I will always remain honest.  I will not give into this whole “ten steps to success” thing that I get from these job sites, which suggest what I should say and such.  That is not me.

I have 2 job interviews coming up in the next week or so…  Wish me luck.  I am also actually working now!   I have a job at a medication delivery service, and it is not bad for now, however it does put a lo of mileage on the car.  Also note, I seem to be picking up the job just fine, and I did not even have to interview for the job.  They just let me be who I am…   Imagine that.   Sadly this does not pay much, and I will likely not be relying on this for steady income.

Tags: Buffalo Life, Immigration, Roadwolf's Rants by Roadwolf
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