After a lot of time spend reading and programming code in visual basic, after almost 500 pages read, and several hundred lines of code written, tested and dissected, while trying to understand a completely alien IDE (which actually looks functional), I reached the brilliant conclusion that my time would have been much better spent practicing java, which is platform independent, and which I should really practice if I want a chance at getting a developer's job in Lisbon, instead of wasting time trying to figure out a language that can only be used on microsoft systems.
Mono developers are doing a great job, just like wine developers did (do), but the fact that microsoft's technologies are only fully compatible with their-selves in most cases.
It wouldn't be half bad if my specialization wasn't in open-source solutions. While I do feel that my knowledge has been expanded a bit, I can't help but feel that the headache and the time spent away from my kid wasn't really worth it. Why would I finally acknowledge VB's existence? Because I'm waiting for a contact for a second job interview for a position as a network admin and programmer that specifically asked in the required skills section the ability to program in VB.
I've left the first interview with a really bad feeling about the job. Apparently, they have several other divisions spread across the country, and they're using Outlook to keep coordinated. I know that Outlook is a great program, really useful in several ways, but keeping a whole company connected? File-sharing, developing, human resources, accounting... all that managed through outlook? I wonder...
Apparently the position is for a technician that can manage the network AND develop a solution to connect the several divisions of the company. Plus, the supervisor isn't anything even remotely close to an IT guy. He's an electrical engineer or something like that... I have yet to talk to the guy, but I don't feel very confident about this... I have the weird feeling that whoever fills the position is gonna be really under-payed if I really understood it. Wonder if that isn't the real reason for such low certifications asked. Besides the VB skills, everything else was pretty much common knowledge (or am I assuming that people in general know much more then they do?! I don't think so...). Still, I feel unease about this. I'll just wait to see what happens, but in the case I am hired, and stuff really is what I am thinking it is, I'm getting the hell out of there as soon as any other company hires me. I won't quit just to go back to being unemployed, and I may end up really enjoying the challenge, but one thing is to accept a challenge, another is to become a slave.
Lets see how it goes...

Noise: Jetson and Junkie - Hell is Hell
I really liked this release. Just in case anybody wants to listen/download, here's the link: http://www.phonotactics.info/?p=366