I Need More Information

This weekend we drove by a CVS pharmacy with an electronic sign advertising buy one get one vitamins, maximum 6.

I wanted to know whether it's buy six get six free, or buy three get three free for six total. I need more information.

But no vitamins, because I don't take them. ^_^

Iced Caramel Latte

one of those things that make me very happy: decaf iced grande caramel latte.

Top Five Reasons to Move On on a Job Opening

There are a number of articles on career-related blogs and websites lately, describing to job applicants why managers and HR staff are passing up on your resume. What isn't being mentioned, is the other point of view: that the applicant is also in a position of power over picking and choosing through which jobs and companies they're applying to.

Although I hear all the time that there are A LOT of jobs out there in our economy, very, very few actually match the quality of life standard that the majority of job applicants are seeking. Especially hard, is finding a good job match for an experienced non-manager, when a lot of openings are requesting experienced non-manager type experience with beginner salaries. Not a good match. I know zero people looking for jobs who are willing to put up with a drop of $10K or more in salary when they change jobs. Zero.

There are a few red flags that job applicants should be wary of whenever searching for jobs. These red flags are indicators of internal culture and just general internal quality standards. Here's my top five:

1. The requested experience (years) seems a good match, but there is no pay information. I'm not going to waste my time applying for a job that says nothing about remuneration. You'll keep getting the wrong applicants if you aren't crystal clear and transparent.
2. There are misspellings, errors, or redundancies in the job description. If HR or the hiring manager are not detailed enough or take the time to write a correct job description, they won't be taking care of details during the day-to-day. As an editor, this is vital for me.
3. The job description focuses on the company and the actual job is described in only a few bullet points at the bottom of the page. It's nice that you think highly about your company, but a quick Google search will let the applicant know all of that and more. Focus on the job description so an applicant knows what to personalize on the resume and application letter. Besides, if the position is only worth a couple of bullet points at the end of the page, it gives the feeling the role won't have any value in the company nor opportunities for growth. Don't make the applicant (or your employees, for that matter) feel like an afterthought.
4. The job has too many responsibilities and yet isn't an administrative role. Focus people. You can't ask a person new to your company to be a Swiss army knife from the get go. It gives the impression you use and abuse employees. I know of a variety of people who are looking for a new job because they're already being tortured somewhere else and need to move on.
5. The job opening has a fancy title, but too many supervisors. We don't want to end up like Office Space, avoiding making a TPS report mistake because six people come our way to let us know about our mistake.

Minecraft Update

Back in February or March I discovered the world of Minecraft. I've played it on and off. It took me a while to get acquainted with the ins and outs, and used YouTube videos to learn the ropes as I was playing.

The mobs used to give me anxiety attacks at the very beginning. Now, I prefer playing it in creative to develop interesting structures.

The first YouTube channel that I started watching regularly was Haydz. His tone of voice and narrative aren't the best, but I love his creativity and ingenious blend of other creators' work into his own creations. It's really funny when he makes a mistake and he calls himself a n00b or derp. Best of all, he doesn't talk down to the viewer.

I keep watching YouTube Let's Play and other Minecraft related videos. I have quite a few favorite channels:

• Etho's Lab
• VintageBeef
• PauseUnpause
• GuudeBoulderfist
• NoobSniper

I've gotten to know Etho's Lab from watching other people's videos and heard them mention Etho. Etho's calm voice and ingenuity are inspiring. I've watched all his Let's Play videos from the very beginning. He's one of the Minecrafters who doesn't swear, kind of a tiny tribe of Minecrafters that make watching their vids enjoyable despite not swearing.

After watching Etho, I learned about VintageBeef and PauseUnpause. These two are my second favorites after Etho. Pause swears like a sailor but is hilarious when he gets irritated at the maps and mobs. 

VintageBeef is what I would call the most approachable, happy medium between Etho and Pause. I love Vintage's Wild West town project on Mindcrack. 

I learned about Guude from watching the Mindcrack competitions these guys have among themselves. Each of the players uploads a perspective of their competition. They're a ton of fun to watch. They're great commentators. You feel the thrill with them as they explore a new cave, escape a zombie spawner in the dark, and hit and run back from a creeper.

I especially love the camaraderie between a few of the players, like Vintage and Pause. I've actually started watching these videos much more than I spend time playing Minecraft. It's that much fun.

Today's Playlist

I listen to 87.7 The Underground, an alternative radio station, quite a bit, and this morning they had a great run of three songs right after the other. It made a big difference in my enjoyment of my Friday morning commute.

Pearl Jam - Black Pearl


Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark


Offspring - Selfesteem