Mark Wood

I found this so amazing, I just had to share it. Believe the Bible is up to interpretation. I do not believe everything in the bible is the way things HAVE to be or that the bible is law. This is just a good example of how so many people pick and choose parts of the bible that benefit them the most, while ignoring a vast majority of what it says.

In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant
Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus
18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance.

The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, written by a US man,
and posted on the Internet. It’s funny, as well as informative:

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I
have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that
knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend
the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that
Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination … End of
debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other
elements of God’s Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and
female, provided they are from neighboring nations. A friend of mine
claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you
clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in
Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair
price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her
period of Menstrual uncleanliness – Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how
do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a
pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors.
They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus
35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated
to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than
homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? Are there
‘degrees’ of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I
have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading
glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room
here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair
around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.
19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes
me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two
different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments
made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also
tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go
to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them?
Lev.24:10-16. Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family
affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy
considerable expertise in such matters, so I’m confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.

Your adoring fan.

James M. Kauffman, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus,
Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education
University of Virginia PS (It would be a damn shame if we couldn’t own a
Canadian)

So, there have been many things going on in my life right now and I have not really had the passion to write about it. My relationship with Amy Fox has come to an end and sadly the circumstances that lead up to the break-up were not good at all. There was a lack of trust on both sides and it just fell apart from there. I have been having a hard time adjusting to being single again but I know that given time I will be a better person and be able to walk away stronger and with the knowledge that I will some day find someone that loves me as much I love them.

Also work has not been going as well as I would like I feel like I am at a dead stop and not able to move anywhere. I have still be applying to jobs on the market, but I have yet to get a call back from any potential employers. So I am thinking that if this keeps up over the next couple of months, I might end up going back to school and moving out of Kingston as there just are not the tech jobs like in Toronto or Ottawa. I’m even thinking that I might not even stay in Ontario and go where the jobs are. Now that I am single, nothing is holding me to a particular place. I have also been flirting with joining the Military as an Officer but right now I am in a holding pattern as I have to wait until September before I can start applying to Civilian Universities and to the Regular Officer Training Program (ROTP) to see if I would be eligible.

Work seems to be getting the best of me. It is draining, even though I don’t do a lot and working shift work is just not for me. The constant switching from 12 hour day shifts to 12 hour night shifts just does not work with my body. Some people are cut out for it, but I am not sure I am. Well, not in this position anyway. I have been getting out and about Kingston more as I no longer have a desire to sit at home and watch TV or play on my computer for long periods of time. I have taken up biking and I am really enjoying it. It allows me to get around town in a decent time and with all the hills in Kingston, gives me one hell of a good work out. If it was not for the winter months, I think I would have no need to buy a car.

I’m really hoping that I can get out of this funk in my life and go meet new people. Start doing the things that I enjoy and try to ignore all the shit that is going on in my life. I really need to start enjoying life and what it has to offer.

Life is full of choices. It’s the wrong ones you make when you are young that you will live to regret!

So I just got out of an interview at Empire Life for an IT Auditor position that I am really hoping to get as I think it would really help me learn new things and I really hope I could help the company bring it’s self into the present for Information Technology  rather then the couple years behind like it is right now.

While I was having the interview with the manager of the Auditor group, we started talking about LAN parties and the he informed me that his Son has been doing LAN parties for a while now and will be holding another one on the last day in April. He asked me if I would not mind spreading the word around so that is what I am doing. I’m not doing it to suck up to try and get the position, but rather because I really like the reason why his Son is holding the LAN party. There is $25 entrance fee, but every dollar of that is going to the Children’s wing of the local Hotel Dieu in Kingston, Ontario. I think this is wonderful. Someone that not only does something they love, but they are doing it for  good cause. So far there some big name sponsors that have donated some great prizes to be won and some awesome swag.

It’s something too look in to. So if you are in or around the Kingston area on the 30th of April at 1900h (7:00pm) and want to spend 12 hours gaming, please head over to the SNP website and take a look at the details for the event. There are some important information to know before heading to the event as there may not be internet available at the venue. http://snplan.com/

I really hope you all check it out. Sadly I wont be able to make it because I will be working nights that night and wont be able to get away with such short notice.

So I have been working at Empire Life for 3 months now and I am no longer on probation. I can now take full advantage of the benefits and the sick time if I need them. I doubt I will since I get a week off every 5 weeks. I am still no working alone, but I kind of dread doing it. It’s not that I am under trained or anything, I just fear messing something up or missing something when I work my over night shifts.

Short of that though, life is going really well. I have been trying to get out of my apartment more and been trying to pry myself away from sitting infront of the computer as much as I do. I want to get into golfing and into shooting for sport, aka Target practice. I am also working on some other ventures that would help me get back into flying again as well as doing some things around the house to make life a little more enjoyable.

Today for instance I went to Home Depot with my Grandmother and ended up getting two large totes and filled them with soil so I can start a garden on my balcony. I don’t too many plants in them right now as it is still the very beginning of spring and there is still the occasional frost warning. But I’m hoping that in about a month or so I can get my hands on some baby veggie plants and grow them. Hopefully this summer will be better then the last!

So Empire Life hired me on as a Computer Print Operator and so far, there is a lot of learning to do but the job is going well. I am currently working 7.5 hour days, Monday to Friday, but at the end of my three month training, I will be working 12.5 hour days or nights. it’s shift work, so it’s something I have to start getting used to again, but I think I can deal with it. Empire Life seems to be a great place to work. Tones of friendly people, and so many great things I can learn while I am there. The great thing about working at Empire Life is they really like training their staff. So I can apply for courses related to the insurance field, or anything else that might help their company out, and they will pay for the course and give me a bonus after I finish the course. This place is wonderful.

So what does a Computer Print Operator do you ask? Well, I am responsible for looking after the 5 huge printers we have, that combined, print over 8 million pages a year. I am also responsible for looking after the mainframe and the servers. Among the many things I do on the server, the one that takes up most of my time is running COBOL and JCL jobs for the other departments working at Empire Life. it’s neat being able to have so much power and yet at the same time it worries me because I don’t want to mess up and do the wrong thing and cause a huge problem for Empire Life. I have some pictuers of my work place over on my flicker account. (Empire Life has kindly asked me to remove my pictures from my flickr account. Sorry everyone)

I’m sure I will be making more posts about this place as time goes on. I also want to start posting more on this site as I feel like I am letting my cousin David down by not putting this site to good use. Since he is paying for the server and I think still is paying for the domain name, I feel like I need to keep this updated to show him I am getting value out of this site. Thank you very much David!

With so many people being laid off in the first recession of the new century, many people are in the market for a permanent job. This means that the competition is fierce for any company looking to hire. With the Bank of Canada officially calling the recession over, there are still many companies that cannot afford to hire their staff back. This means that many are looking for jobs else where. Some are having no choice but to take lower positions just to make an income. Some people are even going back to working at places like McDonald’s or Starbucks. People that, just the last year, were working as entry level software programmers or any other such entry level positions.

Many have even given the thought of being there own boss. I have started more and more thinking that this might be a good way to go. But sadly, I don’t know if I am willing to put in the 10-13 hour days, 5 to 7 days a week, in order to get my name out there. I am by no means a business man, so I would not be starting a store front business of my own, but rather as a freelance writer/ web specialist. After knowing two people that have been doing this sort of thing for years and both of them telling me how hard and frustrating things are, it really makes me wonder if this is something I want to do.

I have also given the thought of possibly doing this as a side project and still trying to find a job working part time somewhere. But after putting out at least two dozen resumes to different companies and not hearing a work back from ANY of them other then to let me know they received my electronic application, I am starting to give up hope of ever finding a job. I know that a majority of my content on this site has been all over the place and about my personal life. This is mainly because I can’t think of one thing I am really good at that I might be able to capture a niche market’s attention with. I think what I need to start out doing is possibly picking two or three topics that I like writing about, and try finding which one I have the most success with and go with it. I know that in order to get my name out there I will need to use application such as Twitter, Facebook, del.icio.us , digg, reddit and many other social media/bookmarking sites. I don’t know if I want to start doing that though. It all sounds very easy, but to put good content out into the world that people are will to read is another story. So the question is, should I start small, only working on one site and get that up and running while I continue to look for a new job, or should I just go all in and work on two sites and promote the heck out of them and see about making that my permanent job?

With the economy not looking that great in both Canada and the U.S, things for me are not looking that great when it comes to getting a job in my field. Yes, Canada is barely going to scratch by with a growth this year, but not much, and this makes many business owners nervous and still very apprehensive in hiring new employees. I have looked all over Kingston and sent out many resumes to jobs available in both Kingston and Ottawa and have yet to hear back from any of them. This has really started to put a damper on my spirits. I have not given up hope, but it feels like there is going to be no end in site for my unemployment.

My ONLY grip about sending out resumes is that employers do not need to contact potential employees if they are not selected. This means that I could apply for a job and never know if anything went wrong with my application or if I was not what the employer was looking for. I really wish it was mandatory for employers to contact ALL potential employees that submit a resume and let them know either way. This would eliminate the constant worry that I have been doing something wrong. I mean, I have taken the time to apply to your company, the least you can do is give me a 5 minute call stating that, “Sorry, we are not interested in continuing with an interview.” Give a very brief explanation why: “Over qualified”, “Not enough experience”, “Not the right fit”, etc. This would cut down on people calling in to the company to find out what is going on. Yes, I understand that not everyone takes rejection well and might have a million questions as to why they were not considered, but then the employer can just say that they wish not to discus the issue further and wish the now unsuccessful candidate a good day and hang up. This way people are not left hanging in nowhere land.

With no luck and very little leads, trying to find a job in Kingston has become a next to impossible task for me. Trying to find something that pays at least $15 an hour or more using the skills I have learned in my four years at college is hard. Many businesses are bunkering down with the employees they have and trying very hard to stay afloat in this economy.

Working at a minimum wage job for 40 hours a week just wont pay my bills. I will go farther and farther into debt and that is not somewhere I want to be at this point. And it seems such a shame to have wasted four years of my life learning something I may never use in a job.

Another problem is the fact that I don’t have a car and would have to rely on the Kingston Bus system to get me to and from work that may be to far to walk. So it makes it hard to find jobs just slightly outside of Kingston.

“What about going to another city?” Well there in lies another problem. I don’t want to leave Ontario or really the Ottawa – Kingston Area. I like both cities and would like to start a life in either one. But finding a permanent full time job with good pay in Ottawa is hard. Or I have found it to be.

An old co-worker of mine suggested that I send my resume to “head hunters” because a lot of companies turn to consulting firms before going to the public to find a job. So I think in the next week I will be doing some research on a few firms and see what they have to offer and if they are able to help me find a job.

If there is anyone that knows of a place looking for a computer programmer or computer networking & technical support specialist in Kingston or Ottawa, please leave me your email and I will get back to you as soon as possible

As I am sure many of you can tell, it’s been a while since I have posted on the site. So I thought it was about time to give a quick update.

• Edyy was put down due to contracting Feline Infectious Peritonitis. (FIP)
• I was layed off from my programming job at the Ontario Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care
• Amy and I purchased a new kitten and we named her Lily Marie Fox
• Amy and I are now engaged. No date has been set yet, but are both very excited about it
• I had an interview with the Information Management Systems with the Correction Services Canada Regional office at Collins Bay Penitentiary

So far I have not heard back for CSC, but am hoping to soon. I a going to try and start updating my site more as I have more free time. I have been very depressed because of losing my job and the loss of Edward but I am trying to look on the bright side of things and am glad that I still have a roof over my head and good health.