Riding The Storm Out

For those of you that do not know on Friday, May 8th our entire region was plaster with a massive storm that can best be described as an inland hurricane. The devastation was massive and on a large scale. Until now I had always felt sorry for a hurricane but now for the first time I understand.

To date we still do not have power at my home though the office is back on line. I have been on the radio a few times during this event to give tips on protecting you computer system and I thought I would pass them along here.

If your power is currently out leave the computer unplugged. Do NOT just have the power strip turned off you MUST unplug to ensure proper protection of the system. Even once the power comes on do not rush to get on your computer. The line damage done in the area is extensive and it will be a while before the power in the region is stable. With this in mind make sure the power has been up AT LEAST a full hour without any interruption before hooking back up computers.

If you have more than once computer in the home I would only hook up one PC at first, the one you can most afford to lose. Let it run for an hour or so to ensure that the power is stable. The reason for choosing the older computer should be obvious, we do not want to risk our main machine.

If you hook up your PC and are greeted with the blue screen of death DO NOT reboot. Turn off the computer, unplug the system and call a tech. This storm cause some violent power surges and the power coming on will have issues for at least a few more days. This means if your computer is acting up there is a good chance it was damaged. With this in mind by turning off and getting a tech to it quickly there is a better chance we can get your data recovered intact.

The key in all of this is patience. I sure many out there are like me, missing our internet and wanting power back as quickly as possible. It is easy to see the power come on and rush to get back onto our PC. However with a little patience you can ensure that PC survives the storm and will give you a lot more computing enjoyment in the future.

On a side note I wish to post here a HUGE thank you to the brave men and women that have come down to work with Ameren at restoring power to the region. It is amazing watching some of these people as the climb trees and sometimes hang from a rope to get to the position they need to help restore power. We took often associate Ameren with our light bill and forget the terrific people working behind the scenes.

Asteroids Of Luxury

Well for the last few days I have set aside my wander lust to help my friend Ajit in a fairly heavy mining operation. In the course of these last few days I have made enough to pay back Ajit the money he fronted me plus interest, buy some luxury modules for the Mammoth and live in luxury suites the entire time and still have put away more money that I had made in a week of free range trading.

Now this does not mean Fred and I are hanging up our wandering shoes but it does mean that I am not a bit more open to the so called mundane life of doing work for a mining corporation. I mean the income is outstanding, the risk minor so far, where is the done side. Oh the sitting and waiting, yeah that is a pretty big down side.

However I look at this as a means to an end. Right now I am finally recovering from the last two ship loses but I have a chance for at least another day or two to reap some very nice income that will help me get the trade work rolling. More disposable cash means larger hauls and the potential for higher profits.

So for another day or so Fred and I will be enjoying the life of a mining hauler. What it lacks in travel it makes up for in other ways. Now then where did I lay that book. No.. Fred don’t pee there… NOOOOO  dagnabit teach me to get a holo book with a tree on the cover.

Mining For Mammoth

I do not thing there is a single tree left on the planet that has not been “marked”! Fred saw the trees and was actually scared for about thirty seconds. I must say it was nice to be out of the sterile environment of a ship or station and feel the wind, walk through grass and yes even watch Fred pee his little bladder out. Okay seriously the dog is not that big, how can he have so much pee?

After our adventures in bladder control, Fred and I headed back to the station and began our trip back to the corporate office. Needless to say we were pretty tired when we got there, it was a big day of running, frolicking and peeing after all. So we grabbed a room in the corporate suites and caught hit the bed early.

We also arose early with Fred doing his drool on me impersonation of an alarm clock. However it seems Fred himself had been woke up as Ajit was sitting out in the common room smiling.

Grabbing a breakfast on the fly, almost literally, we undocked our ships. This was the first time I got to look at his new ship, Forty Niner. There is a certain beauty to the mining barge design and Ajit was quite proud of his newest acquisition.

The plan was simple, we would go out for about 90 minutes or so and mine the crap, guess that should be ore, out of an asteroid belt. Ajit would mine it and I would haul it back to station for refining.

Ajit found us a nice quiet field with an incredible view.  The blue star gave everything a soft glow and we were within spitting distance of a gas giant. The asteroid belt we mined appears to be part of the actual belt. It was hard to keep track of the ore as it was transferred over, I just kept admiring the view.

As for Ajit’s new ship, the thing is a BEAST. It filled my hold in what seemed like only minutes. During the operation I made quite a few trips between the belt and the station. However Ajit was determined to stick to his time frame and after 90 minutes we shutdown the operation.

Once back at base Ajit told me he had a suprise and to hold on. After a few minutes he handed me a key code for the docking system and told me to punch it in. Sitting in the hanger was a brand new, fresh off the assembly line Mammoth, completed outfitted with expanded cargo hold capacity.

I know I could have likely made more if I had asked for a share of the ISK value on the ore. I could have then bought a used Mammoth and still had some ISK in my pocket, but the thought of the gift was not wasted on me.

Of course Ajit as always had an ulterior motive. It seems he had called for a corporate wide ice mining operation in a few days which means they would need me to haul. The Mammoth would haul a lot more than more Hoarder meaning I would be more effective in support of the operation.

Well whatever his reasoning I like the ship. Fred and I are going to take her out for a test run to see what she has, Ajit said we might hook up later and put her to work. However before we do that we need to name her. No Fred we are not naming her Tree, I think Snoemobile III is fitting…

A Slow Day

I wish every day could involve jumping to new star systems and finding new cargo to haul. However some days is just the crap known as paperwork. Some days you cannot leave the station because there is so much of this crap that needs to be done. That is sadly the kind of day I am having.

One bright spot however, my friend and corp mate Ajit has finally gotten himself an Ice mining ship and has asked me to meet him back at the corporate office tonight. He has begun making some plans for some ice and ore mining and has offered me a cut to come haul for him. While it might not have the open road I love so much, a few days of being in one place might be kind of nice.

Maybe Fred and I can even get planet side, you know that brings a thought? When I got Fred I bought him at a station, I wonder if he has ever been planet side, has he even seen a tree before.

HMM this could turn out to be my biggest adventure yet. Come on Fred, have I got something for you to see.

When It Is All Worth It

The last couple of days have saw me tell you about the setbacks I have had in my efforts. However some days you wake up and realize how amazing your life truly is. I am a pod pilot, immortal in many senses, able to cheat death. That in itself is enough reason to be happy each day. However being a pod pilot means a whole lot more.

Let me digress for a moment and explain my chosen profession. I am a hauler, that is what I do, haul cargo from one point to another. Oh sure I trade as well, buy low / sell high and all that. However I also haul for other companies and individuals, the hauling is what I do.

Now many pod pilots become one for the glory, the chance to engage in combat and vanquish their foes. Sounds all noble and exciting doesn’t it. Let me tell you the typical combat pilots day. He loads up his ship and heads out. As he searches for targets he only finds them in groups number three times what he can field. He either retreats, finds a group he can be a part of that will only fight if they are three times bigger than the group they face or sits for an hour or too on a gate HOPING for a chance to shoot something. Sound all glamorous and noble now?

Some pilots choose to mine, this is noble profession and hard work. These pilots are dedicated to their goals and should be honored more than they are. However for me the thought of sitting hours on end in front of a big space rock was just not appealing. Oh don’t get me wrong I have worked mining operations and will again but it is not something I want to do every day.

Now I come to hauling, yeah it sounds thrilling doesn’t it. The picking up stuff, taking it someplace else, dropping it and off and so on. Hey I will freely admit it is not the profession for everyone and is FAR from the most excite or glamorous of jobs. What drew me to hauling was the travel.

You see I do not work the system like so many pilots out there. They find a nice system, call it home and settle in. They work the area agents, mine the fields in their home system and nearby ones and generally stay at home. Not me, I travel where the job takes me. Then when I get there I find a new job and go where it leads to. Now by nature this can leave me seeing a lot of the same space but it also takes me to places I otherwise would not have gone.

In fact the other day I used the nav computer and it’s memory to plot all the systems I have visited.

Now this is obviously not the entire map of the known galaxy but it is not that far from it. Remember you are also just seeing the systems I have visited not all that there are. However even with this in mind and realizing I have only had my license for a round a week, you can see I have covered a lot of space.

Oh sure a lot of these systems I did not stop in, and the low sec ones I did not take a lot of time to even look around, but I find myself often just enjoying the view as I travel.

This was the site that greeted me as I completed a jump the other day. The snap shot does not do justice to the colors and the amazing beauty of this site.

Of course there was also another system where the star seemed to be burning a hole in the nebulas formations around it. The reds of the matter clouds where so dark but seemed to come alive as the light of the star shone through them.

I could pull out a million more snap shots I have taken but I think my point is made, the universe we live in is full of amazing beauty just waiting to be seen. Each new system brings a new potential sight and that makes my job so amazing.

Of course there is also the people I meet. The young miner the other day I lent a hand to, fresh out of the academy he was trying to mine and was frustrated because he was making so many trips back to station when he was full. He had tried canning but pirates where roaming the area and he had already lost ore twice. He was so frustrated and was actually considering packing it in and returning to life planet side.  I offered to haul for him in return for 30% of the take. He mined, well so did I and I hauled. At first he was skittish but when he saw me contract his share of the ore to him after the first haul the fear diminished. He made some ISK that day and I made a new friend and contact.

Of course there are the other end of the spectrum such as the pirate that shot down my hauler but you cannot have good people unless you have bad to judge them against I guess.

Today though has been a good day. I have made some ISK, almost back up to the levels I was at before the first Mammoth lose. I have considered replacing this Hoarder with another Mammoth but for now I am holding off. The Hoarder is easily filling my current needs and that means I can put more money away for a while longer. The trader aspect of this job requires a solid capital base to work from so I am gonna work that up for now. Sooner or later the Hoarder will not be big enough and when that time comes I will move into another Mammoth, for now the Hoarder is enough.

Life is good and Fred and I are free to wander the stars and enjoy our adventure. Oh Fred check out the view…..

 

Stepping Back to Move Forward

The activation sequence keyed in like it had done a hundred times before and the star gate in from of the Snowmobile vanished to be replaced by a different star field. However this time things where different.

Two ships where at the gate with the Snowmobile. The sensors had then marked with a red tag indicating they had performed criminal actions and Concord had reduced their ratings appropriately.

Quickly I scanned the star field, looking for the nearest point of reference to try and align and warp to.  Finding a planet close to his line of flight he began the sequences to align and warp. However the Mammoth class is not known for it’s quick handling and the pirate had the Snowmobile targeted and locked down before the sequences could begin.

I watched as the indicators showed the armor and then hull vanish around him. A hard bump hit me just before the Snowmobile exploded throwing out his escape pod. As I tried desperately to wrap the pod out of the area the tell tone ring of a ship locking the pod came over the sensors. Suddenly I was jolted as ,Fred let out a loud RRROOOOOOOFFFF!

I jerked upright in bed, Fred sat at the end of the bed, his tail thumping away. The damn dog was the best clock I had ever owned, always waking me at the same time, OH SHIT THIRTY!

It was two days ago that I had lost the Snowmobile, a Mammoth class ship, in an attempted low sec haul. It was also two nights in a row I had dreamed of it. This was bad, I had to get control of this now before the fear had such a grip I could never get free.

Since the lose of my Mammoth I had been skittish. I had made some ISK but the returns where only fair and had all involved a lot more jumps than was needed. Well enough was enough. Scanning the markets screens it only took moments to find what I was looking for. There in the Placid region, I could get Oxygen canisters for almost half the price I could sell them for only a few jumps away.

The reason the canisters where not moving was because the trip involved jumps through two low security systems. Well I needed to do something to recover financially so with this in mind, a bit more fear than Ie liked to admit in my heart, I hit the buy button. With a heavy sign of resignation I used most of my ISK to buy up as much of the inventory as I could.

With the buy made there was no longer a choice, I jumped into my ship and prepared to undock. As I made the trip through secure space to the first low sec jump I did some quick calculations. The Snowmobile II was outfitted a bit different from the first one. Instead of the full being full of expansion modules to increase hold capacity, this time I had put on two expansions but also updated the super structure with nanofiber to make the ship more agile. This mean less cargo space, based on my calculations it would take 4 round trips to get all of the  merchandise.

As I approached the gate that would take me into low sec I turned and buckled up Fred, this could get bumpy.

The jump sequence ended and sure enough my luck was still down, two pirate ships, no wait three, oh crap five now where at the gate in a camp. All cruiser or bigger in size. Well Fred at least when we go down it will be quick.

I set the sequence and began the warp to the next gate. As I expected one of the ships started to lock me but much to my surprise I was able to get out before the lock was completed. The rest of the trip was uneventful and so with a full load he turned to head back into safe space. Again a bit of fear gripped me but the trip went as planned with no pirate interference.

The second trip also went off without a hitch so I was feeling pretty good about this whole thing, but trip three was not so uneventful.

Trip three again found a pirate camp at the first gate. Again it was cruisers and sol I set  course and began my warp, only this time I went nowhere. One of the cruisers was a heavy Interdictor and it had me locked down tight. Since I had no cargo in the hold I did not waste any time and moved me and Fred into the escape pod quickly. As expected it only took moments for the Mammoth to be destroyed and I was able to quickly pilot away the pod to safety.

Once again anger was not a part of what I felt, rather just a frustration with myself. This was silly, why keep doing this when the risks do not out weigh the rewards? Okay enough, enough of trying to make it big quick. Time to step back and re-evaluate this job.

The first realization to set in was that there was only enough in the wallet for a Hoarder. The second was that the rest of the merchandise HAD to be gotten to break even. So the Hoarder was bought, outfitted with expanded hold space and also a special shield module that would protect the warp core from outside interference.

Finally outfitted the Hoarder was able to make the two needed runs to finish with all the merchandise. The sale did allow me to break even. I have the money to buy another Mammoth but I think for right I now I am going to stay smaller. Sure it is a step backwards but I have a plan. I am not going to try and recover what I lost. Instead I am going to start over and move from here and see where we go.

As I stand looking at the Hoarder class ship in the hanger I feel like I have taken a step backwards. However sometimes a step back is needed so you can move forward.

Starting Over

After the events of yesterday it would be easy for me to bitter, angry and even distraught. I can see how some people would quit and try a different way to make their mark in the universe. However as a new day dawned, guess dawned is a poor word on a space station since from my room I had no view of the stars. My day began with a slobber, Fred was awake and hungry and wanted me to know it.

So I stood in the sonic shower and tried to figure out how to start my day. I had no ship, limited funds and no desire to ask Ajit or anyone else in the corporation for assistance. The mark of a man is not how he does when he succeeds but rather how he does when he fails. Yet for me it did not feel like a failure.

After all I had gotten my pod out intact, sure it was a setback but not a failure. With this attitude I browsed the market for a new ship. I figured with my limited assets I would be lucky if I got a Hoarder class. I started in one and there was no shame in doing so again.

I was therefore a bit shocked when I found a GREAT deal on a Mammoth class. The ship was one jump over and while it stretched my budget a bit, it did not break it.

Fred and I hopped a shuttle and flew over to look the ship over. She was obviously not new off the yards. The paint was practically all gone and superstructure had seen better days. Speaking to the salesman it turned out that this ship had been used by a combat pilot for about a month to move his assets to a new area, part of the war I think. Anyway once he was done with he had no further use and so had put it on the market at a bargain price.

Needless to say we snagged the ship. I had enough ISK left over to keep a modest fund for cargo investing and was able to put a couple of nanofiber upgrades into the superstructure. While it was weaker than the solid construction, it did allow for the ship to respond quicker.

Properly outfitted, well at least the best I could with the cash on hand, we named her the Snowmobile II and set out to find work.

It is hard to start over. You get used to being able to do certain things. Before I had the ISK to easily fill the much larger hold of the original Snowmobile. Now despite the smaller hold, I still have assets that limit my ability to fill it.

My first few jobs offered only minimal profit but profit none the less. Enough profit that I was able to get some modifications done to the hold of the Snowmobile II. This allowed some for some larger cargo but I I am still ISK limited for the purchases.

I wish I could put in this entry that I made a big score today and regained all I had lost, but that is just  not the case. I have had a good day all things considered. I have a good ship and managed to put a small profit away. I may not be staying in fancy rooms with views of space and a real water bath, but Fred and I are doing okay. We have plans for the future and we are looking forward not backward.

The real enemy is..

You know as you roam the universe you have an opportunity to learn so much. Some lessons are hard and some are easy, some however of our own making.

Today had begun as a great day, Fred and I enjoy a wonderful breakfast and made a few quick trade runs. There was little in direct hauling work but a careful eye on the market for the region had yielded some great buys and with a little effort I was able to sell the purchases for a good profit. By lunch I was already ahead 5 million.

The first lesson I learned today was that while hauling is a good way to make a living, mix it in with some market trading and the profits can come even quicker.  While I waited for the corporation or alliance to have need of my services I found it wise to spend some time making trade runs.

After a wonderful lunch, Fred and I hit the market computer and found antibiotics on sale just a few systems over at an AMAZING price. Five jumps from that location was a medical firm that was looking to restock supplies and was offering me an opportunity for a nice profit.

The buy gave me have a hold full of antibiotics when I got word that another medical firm only an extra 5 jumps way was also looking to restock and offering a premium price for delivery. Checking the market I found a supplier just 2 jumps over from where I was that was offering a good supply for only a few ISK more than my first purchase.

There was a downfall to this sweet deal, the antibiotics where in a low security system. I had spent most of the day jumping in and out of low security systems for the deals I had made earlier so one system was not of major concern. I looked at the map and the scans showed low numbers of pilots in the system and no ship kills in the last 24 hours.

Now common sense was telling me to not do it. The Snowmobile, a Mammoth class vessel, was great for hauling but was dead slow. The risk was good that I would get caught at a gate camp and be unable to warp away. However my earlier successes and the thought of putting another cool 3.5 million in profit in my wallet made me a bit more confident that I should have been.

I jumped into system  and prayed I would be alone at the gate. However my risk seemed to have hit a snag. As I sat there under cloak a pirate sat just 10K off on me, waiting for his chance to get a ripe target.

I buckled Fred tight into the escape pod and set my course for the first point I could find close to our orientation. We came out of cloak with just about 3 seconds before getting into warp, but three seconds was just to long. A warp disruption field surrounded the Snowmobile.

I expect the pirate to demand a ransom, actually hoped is a better word. My entire wallet save about 2 mill where tied up in the inventory I was hauling. However not a word ever came from him. I do not think he even cared what I was carrying. Instead he locked me down and methodically pounded down my shield and armor.

This was not a fast kill, his ship was small and the armor on the Snowmobile was pretty thick. During this killing you would expect me to be mad, at least upset. However I was surprised to realize I was neither. With a quite resignation I waited for the hull of the Snowmobile to collapse. Once it did I quickly warped my pod away and then left the system as fast as I could.

As Fred and I flew back into secured space I was not thinking of revenge on the pirate, I was not thinking of how upset I was at losing all that ISK. I was instead realizing that the true enemy I faced today was not the guns of the pirate but my own greed. It is all well and good to want to make ISK, but you have to know your limits and realize that if you want to make it big you will have to risk it big and that means possibly losing big.

As we docked at the station I was already trying to make plans for getting a new ship and setting up my trade route. The day might not have ended as promising as it started but it was not dire either. I was alive to try again and in the end that is all we can ask for, the day was not really so bad, then it hit me! The terrible truth started me in the face as I looked down.

Bloody hell how was I gonna clean the goo from the pod off of Fred!?

 

RRRROOOOOFFFFF

Stop it Fred stop shaking, awe damn!

Time For An Upgrade

Well feeling fully rested Fred and I set of early today to see what we could do to make some ISK. Being in Amarr space I was not hoping for much as I am Matar, but you have to make a living. I finally came across a nice Caldari woman in a local dive. She told me she had heard of a great deal on Electronic Parts a couple of jumps over. She was going to take the deal herself but another had come up, she offered it to me in exchange for her having a promise of help over my head. While this sounds a bit suspicious I cannot turn down a good deal.

Fred and I jumped into the Snowmobile and made the pickup of Electronic Parts. Our source had told us of a station in need just two jumps over that would net us a nice 700K profit so we jumped over only to find we had gotten there to late. Here I was sitting on 12K m3 plus of Electronic Parts and the place I had planned to unload them did not need them. However the station manager took pity on me and referred me to another station 5 jumps over that was willing to pay a premium.

Well needless to say me and Fred wasted no time and got there as fast as we could, turning the parts into a cool 1.4 million profit.

Looking at my wallet I realized I could afford to get an upgrade done of sorts, I could afford to move into a Mammoth class ship, get the needed modules and a few skill books for study as well. Plus I could get Fred that studded collar we have been  looking at.

Before I left the station for Matar space, trying to find the best deal on a Mammoth, I checked the market boards and found another full load of Electronic Parts at a really low price and it was only two jumps out. I bought the entire inventory over subspace as I made my way to the system.

Once I had loaded up, oh and we got Fred his collar, I set my course to Matar space. My hope was that along the way we could find a buyer for all these parts again.

My luck this morning held out and I found a buyer in the very system I was getting the Mammoth. Once again we turned those Electronic parts into a nice profit, this time 1.2 million. Not as sweat as the last but it basically paid for the new ship and other items I bought buy itself.

So the old Hoarder has been repackaged and I have put her up on the market. She was a good ship and served me well but a ship is a ship and the Mammoth offers me more options and opportunities.

It has been a busy morning and Fred is looking a bit peeked so I think we should hold up here for a while, grab something to eat and a drink or two. Maybe see what comes our way.

Mission Accomplished

Well for me my first real job has come to an end and it was very successful. The job was for me to providing hauling in support of a mining operation. The Snowmobile (my Hoarder class ship) moved a total of 328,000 plus cubic meters of raw ore.

During the operation Sansha pirates attempted to interrupt our efforts but our combat cover was able to easily handle them. I also got to experience my first taste of being under fire when a Sansha battleship made me his target. I guess he thought a fat juicy hauler looked inviting. He must not have scanned me as I was returning empty for another load.

As soon as he started locking I began to align my ship for a quick return to the base. As my shields eroded I finished aligning and just before warp I was able to pull almost 60% of a load into my hold. Not only did I get away but I managed to make it a working escape.

I must say I was a bit scared when this operation started. I am still new at this whole pilot thing and yet here I was thrown into the deep end of the universe as it where. No support from Concord or a governmental navy. Just me and the folks that I was with. About my third trip back though that fear began to subside when I looked above the stations shields and saw part of the forces attached to protect us.

Knowing this was the kind of friends I had watching my back I was a lot less scared.

The operation for me ended on a solid note, the final haul was a full load and I was forced to leave the operation do to other commitments and not being driven from the area. In fact I felt so secure by the end of the operation I made the 7 jumps back to controlled space alone, well almost.

Before the operation began I was forced to find a nearby station so I could change a few fittings to make my ship better suited for the duties ahead. While there, waiting on my ship to be refit, I notice a little pet shop on the promenade. Inside by himself was a cutest little puppy I have ever seen. I am not sure what his bread is but his face has a kind of squished look and a bit of an overbite.

Hauling is a long and sometimes lonely business, a companion that I could trust was just what I needed. I named him Fred.

So this day has been full of excitement, new experiences and making new friends. Now it is time for some rest and make plans for another day. I think right now though Fred and I will go find some dinner, same good bye Fred.

RROOOOOOFF