Shaine Mata Blog

I will be working towards this goal this summer. I would like to earn more than that, however. The money will go towards paying bills and going to school another semester or two. If I can find a fair part-time job, then the money would be there for tight spots until I graduate. I just need this as a stash for emergencies when a paycheck doesn’t cover my needs. See more progress on: save $5000

Writing a book is one of my goals in life. I do think that it is in my future. I understand, from other writers, that a book “has to be written”. Meaning that the writer is merely a conduit for bringing the book to fruition. You don’t sit down and say to yourself that you are going to write a book about X,Y, or Z. It’s the other way around. X,Y, or Z needs a book and you are the one to do it. As soon as I come across such a situation, I’m all over it. See more progress on: write a book

Today was a slow day for me. My daughter went to school. My wife is on her summer vacation. Our son still stays home. We watched a movie, made some phone calls to get an idea of our situation before we leave. We went to my in-laws for a barbecue. We enjoyed peace and freedom.   Today, being Memorial Day, the History Channel showed Band of Brothers. I love that series. You can't help getting choked up sometimes when you watch it. For me, it's almost like watching The Passion of the Christ. You know what happened, intellectually; but you don't connect with the brutal reality until you see it. The series is probably not as graphic as the real thing, but it's still a good reminder of the sacrifice our soldiers endure for their country. I, for one, am grateful to our soldiers for what they do. I also understand and admire their mindset in accomplishing their missions no matter what, whatever it may be. It is this level of focus and dedication that I admire in ...

I like to listen to other podcasts out there on the Internet. One of my favorites is TWiT , a podcast about technology hosted by Leo Laporte . If you are the geeky type who used to watch ZDTV, which later became TechTV, or you read tech magazines, you know who Leo Laporte is. He's one of my heroes. In any case, he does something that I've been thinking about doing for a while for the podcasts. TWiT has a panel of experts go over some of the latest developments in IT. Regular guests include John C. Dvorak , Patrick Norton , Chris DiBona , and Amber MacArthur . What makes this show so cool is that the panel is not usually in the same room or city. Many of the participants of the show are in on an internet teleconference. The call is recorded, edited, and posted on the web. This is a much better format for a podcast than having one person, me, talking to a computer screen.   This is along the same idea that I have for a SpinRGV podcast, to have a weekly roundtable ...

introduction raising kids rio grande valley menudo Duration:29 minutes, 0 seconds Date Last Updated:Sun 28 May 2006 02:12:01 AM CDT File Size:6.96 MB MP3 File

We decided, earlier this week, to postpone our trip to Wisconsin by a week. We had not considered that Memorial Day is this weekend. We prefer low traffic when traveling. Other factors influence the decision as well. For one, my mother still has not received her unemployment check, which will pay her gas. My wife and I are waiting to interview, over the phone, for a couple jobs. She's a shoe-in; I have a pretty good chance. If that job doesn't pan out, I have a backup job. My wife decided, on the spur of the moment, to migrate with me. She canceled her classes and financial aid for the summer. We'll take advantage of the next few days to make sure our van is ready for the trip. Of course, our daughter also has a couple days to go before school ends. We have our work cut out for this week.   There are some ramifications of my wife's decision to go up north with me. By going, our family will become migrant. There are programs set up to help migrants for whi...

I had a pow-wow tonight with another family that is traveling to Wisconsin. Generally, when migrants travel, we like to travel with people we know or at least with another group of people. The reasoning is that we can count on each other in case something goes wrong. If you travel on your own, you're on your own if something happens to your vehicle. Let's face it, most migrants don't have the latest model of any brand of car. So, there is safety in numbers, even if it's two different families. In any case, they have shared with my family the opportunity to work together. I'll make some phone calls on Friday morning to get more details. The reason why this is significant is that we may be able to have our moving expenses paid. If the lead pans out, we'll get $900 per person. This gave my wife reason to reconsider staying here in the RGV to take classes. She is considering the possibility of going with me to Wisconsin to work. This means that she would get $900 an...

Although my wife and I still have a few years before we can pull this off, we are gathering information so that we know what to do when the time comes. Here is the immigration site: http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk Looks like we may be able to get in as highly skilled workers. I need to look into job opportunities and cost of living to see how much we would have to earn. See more progress on: live in England

I’ve been doing more writing and improving my style to make my blogging more appealing. I do have a small group of regular readers. I will be doing a writing project this summer where I will document my experiences as a migrant worker. I think this may attract a small number of readers. See more progress on: Get more people to read my Blog

We have been in touch with some of our friends and family up in Wisconsin. More and more, it appears that we will be going there. We are told that there are plants in Ripon and Markesan that have housing for their workers. The reason why this is important for this trip is so that we can save the money we would otherwise spend on rent. This makes achieving our financial goals that much faster and certain. It turns out that Ripon is the birthplace of the Republican Party. Wow! Hopefully we'll have a chance to work there.   There may be a setback on our departure date. There is a possibility that we may have to delay it for another week. If this is so, then I have time to make some money at a couple odd jobs. I have one wireless computer set-up to do today for a client and maybe some speaker rewiring. We'll see how it works out.

I'm no beer connoisseur; in fact, if I hadn't taken French for four years I wouldn't even know how to spell it. There are two new beers on the market that are sure to make an impact in the RGV. Let's not pretend we haven't seen the construction workers stop by the convenience stores in the morning to buy their breakfast beers. The new beers are the 24 oz. Hurricane High Gravity and the 211 Steel Reserve High Gravity beers. These weigh in at a whopping 8.1% alcohol content. Being the ever diligent worker for the public interest, I decided to try them both out. My analysis? They kick ass.   I expect that many of our less responsible residents who partake in the occasional beer per hour will find them irresistible. For $1.18, you get twice the kick of regular beer. When it comes to alcoholism, efficiency is key. So, while our workforce adjusts to the strength of the new beers, I expect that there my be more alcohol-related incidents on our roads. I su...

I had a computer job to do in McAllen this afternoon, so I made a trip out to the north side today. On the way, I stopped by the bank to pick up my passport and close out my safety deposit box. With all the recent brouhaha on immigration, I figure I need as much proof of citizenship as possible. You can't get any better proof than your passport. So, I did the job and on the way back, I stopped to visit my friend Jason at China Wok .   Things were busy for a while when I got there. I helped out and took an order for a customer, answered the phone, and folded napkins. After a while things slowed down and we got a chance to talk. In case you've never been there, you need to stop by. China Wok is one of the few Chinese restaurants in the RGV that prepares Chinese food for you the way you want it. They can add garlic, make it spicy, make it not spicy, just meat, just vegetables, ... whatever. If you're a buffet eater, then CW is not for you. They don't do buff...

Prior to flight, most pilots will file a flight plan. I'm not so detailed about our trip. We've traveled the roads to the north often enough that we have an idea how to get where we are going. The only time we need maps is when we enter cities or need to watch out for upcoming highway changes. We will probably make a stop by the Hope Migrant Mission Center in Arkansas. This is a place where migrants stop halfway for some rest and showers. They have small duplex trailers with bunk beds where you can sleep and large public showers for men and women. Across the street, there is a mission where parents take their kids for activities like coloring books, reading books, and worksheets. There used to be a place in Cairo, Illinois that provided fuel vouchers and had a few small trailers for migrants. I don't know if they are still there. Just to give you a general idea, we will be going to the area around Kalamazoo, Michigan . I have a cousin who lives out there. We ...

I went to Workforce Solutions , McAllen's replacement for the old Texas Workforce Commission office, today. I went just to see what has changed and to explore any possibilities for a last minute attempt at finding "the perfect job", which means one that pays more than minumum wage. The last time I was there was 6 years ago when they were located out by the Plaza Mall .   It started with me signing in as a first-time visitor. I waited in the common area by the doors. They have computers along the cubicles and an island with computers, all with a broadband connection to make web surfing the job sites faster. They have a printed jobs paper that basically relists all the job classifieds in The Monitor . I'd already checked the Sunday paper, so there was nothing new there.   After a while, I got called to talk to one of the case workers. He pulled up my information on his computer, asked me questions about my work history, and made additions and corrections to my ...

For regular readers of RGV Life, you know that I recently read the Da Vinci Code to prepare to watch the movie. The movie, by the way, sounds like it's bombing. I agree with Denise that the story was predictable and the writing was a little weak. I read it partly to satisfy my curiosity about all the fuss. The book is fiction, and it does take some elements of truth and twists them to make an alright story. I think what freaked a lot of people out is that it made them, despite it being fiction, question their faith a little.   For me, I decided to read about the Gnostic Gospels . As you may recall, the Mrs.. is a History major, so I was able to pick up a book by Elaine Pages. It's interesting to read about the gnostics. They had a different understanding of the nature of God. I haven't finished the book yet, but it is bringing back memories of the impression I got when I read the bible. Yes, I started at page one and kept going. After graduation from High ...

It’s easier to do 35 push-ups now. It’s still a struggle to get there. My muscles just don’t want to give that little extra to exceed 35. This isn’t so bad. A while back they struggled to hit 30. I used to be able to do 40 push-ups back when I weighed 118 pounds in high school. Now, at a little over 150, I have more work to do. So, knowing that it’s more of a challenge now because of the extra weight, I feel better about it. See more progress on: 40 push ups

Yesterday, I got a call with a job offer in McAllen. I've called back to accept the offer and am trying to get more details about it. I will be teaching robotics. I start orientation on Monday morning. This is great news and a great relief. I have great ideas for the job that I can't wait to put to work. I love jobs where the rules are not yet written. Usually, when a job is defined, you get stuck doing one little thing over and over. You get thumped on the head if you try to do more. I don't get that impression with this position. I'll be breaking ground in a brand new direction. Already, I have ideas for seeking funding and resources to help make the class a success. I'll tell you more about it once I sign the dotted line.   This was a close call. I had pretty much already decided to pack up and head out of town next week for greener pastures. I had come to accept that I would be missing some important moments in the lives of my children. In fact, t...

See more progress on: be a better podcaster

I’ve begun working towards this goal. I’m not running 21 miles yet. I’ve started out by run-walking 2 miles. Last night I walked 7 miles. I ran through a couple neighborhoods just so I could get to better lighted areas, but it wasn’t major running. I will try to walk longer distances and add more running. See more progress on: run a marathon

I can do 35 with some effort. I’m really close to my goal. See more progress on: 40 push ups

I’m planning on adding walking and swimming to my exercise routine. Currently, I’m biking. With summer coming up, the water should not be so cold at 6 am. Perhaps I can change from walking to running later. Of course, cutting calories helps too. See more progress on: weigh 130 pounds

The story was good. The author’s style could use some improvement. See more progress on: read The DaVinci Code

I need to improve my style. I’ve found my “voice” but my writing is disorganized. I also need to stop the broad generalizations. For my personal blog, it’s not so important. I do have regular readers to my http://rgvlife.blogspot.com blog and I should make an effor to write better. See more progress on: Be a better blogger

I weighed myself this morning. I’m down to 151 from 155. I did not lose too much weight as a result of biking. So, I’m fighting on the other end by limiting calories. I’ll eat a bowl of cheerios in the morning, a small lunch, and a regular dinner. I’m also varying the routine. Today I walked 5 miles and biked 5 miles. See more progress on: weigh 130 pounds

Immigrant protests plans include finish bathroom job, get paid, find local job. Do finals next week. Free. Alma is sick. MP3 File