Ah...life on the internet. A crazy friend directed me to an odd site. It's official...I've seen everything.

Lisa's mom lives in the Carribean (sp?), she's lived there for as long as I've known her--5 years. (Don't worry...this IS going somewhere.) So, she owns are car here, and my lovely wife-to-be gets to drive it while her mother is on the island. Apparently she has decided to come home to Texas, and so Lisa's car goes bye-bye. Come december, we have to come up with an unexpected car for Lisa. What a pain...hope we can afford it.

<more nerd stuff>
I'm currently using Linux (Mandrake 8.1) to post this blog...Konqueror kinda screws up the posting area and my proc is pegged at 100%. And linux advocates say that windows is bloated....

I have to end this post before my cpu exploads from Konqueror.

Song of the Blog: Toadies - Possum Kingdom

Kolb posted a new pic. Much better. But I won't be satisfied until I see my friends faces up there...with chicks :-) Maybe I'll post some pictures...if I can wrestle the camera away from Chris.

I'm currently undergoing Unix problems....which aren't unusual....I've been asking around at work and these problems are the status quo. So, I've almost decided to install blow away BSD...but it's almost like giving up. Although my NIC doesn't work, sound doesn't work, the mouse limps along, CD-ROM doesn't work, and I don't have a clue how to fix anything....but should I give up trying with FreeBSD and try RetHat Linux? Oh the quanderies of a nerd.

Nothin' big happened today...lots and lots of work coming down the pipe, and I've sealed my position as .NET guru. I'm the "goto guy" when things break...hopefully they can live without me if I get this MS job. I'm starting to feel guilty....better think of something else.

Song of the Blog: Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's (laziness has over-taken me...and FreeBSD has stolen my stamina)

Kolb finally got his digital camera together. His first posted picture is a bit boring...and incomplete if you ask me. His living room also has a PVC-pipe chair (a college furniture must), a TV, and a good-sized Aquarium. I say, post some funk 360 degree pictures or somethin' with people in it. :-)

Stress is a major factor in life, and no one knows that better than Lisa. She's planning a wedding, going to school, student teaching (7:30-4:30 M-F), preparing for the teacher certification test (the end of october), preparing for Education department comps, and trying to keep in touch with the rest of humanity. Somehow she manages...I'm amazed.

<nerd-stuff>
I installed FreeBSD on a spare computer last night. It took forever, mainly because I had to do some 1337 h4x0r stuff to get my freakin' mouse to work in X. Geez. It's safe to say that I'm an expert User of Windows...but I don't know shit from shinola in Unix, et al (read: FreeBSD). I decided on FreeBSD (instead of Linux) because Microsoft will be releasing the .NET platform for FreeBSD....which is obviously a big deal. Only time will tell if I can wait until MS releases before I reformat and re-install Win2k server on the box. I takes me 20 minutes of FAQ/HOWTO searching just to do simple things. But, as with most things involving 1's and 0's, I'm learning quickly. Hopefully I'll be proficient enough to stop bitching about it soon.
</nerd-stuff>

Song of the Blog: Kingsmen - Louie Louie (you're on your own to find it at CD-now)

I was told I'd have a dallas HR person call me to setup a face-to-face interview. I happen to have insider info that says the next interview time is in 2 weeks...so that sucks. At work today we were all informed that there will be a round of layoffs, cutting about 10% of the staff. I don't see how they can cut the development staff any more than they already have (by not hiring when they needed to). They said they'll have the cuts done by the end of the week.

Also Lisa and I did buy the very expensive couch, chair, and ottoman that we wanted. They'll be delivered when I move in on November 9th. Hope I have a job between now and then :-)

I liked the President's speech this evening. I think it answered many questions that most people have: who are we attacking and why, how long will it last, who are our allies, etc. Of course I can't just sit by while I let other men and women die for my freedom...if this thing lasts long enough for a draft I may join the army. In a way I hope it's an actual war, where we earn our freedom, but I stop when I think of the price. I've talked to friends in the past that have said they'd run to Canada if a draft was ever instituted...pitiful. I hope they see that freedom is worth dying for...and you have to think beyond your years, that there is something more important than yourself. Ironically this enemy doesn't hate us specifically for being American...so running to Canada will not help. Freedom of Religeon is what the Taliban hopes to destroy....a freedom that no one should take lightly. Maybe reality has set in...

I remember (at least a paraphrase of) a small poem that seems appropriate in these times:
First they came for the Communists
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
-Martin Niemoller

These terrorists aren't after anyone, they're after everyone.

And lastly, a little humor:
“What’s the use of sending a $2 million missile into a $10 tent to hit a camel in the butt?”
-President G.W. Bush during a private meeting with members of Congress.

Song of the Blog: N/A...don't want to wake the house.

The world is still waiting for Kolb to have class...<holds breath>

I had another phone-tech interview with MS tonight. This one went a LOT better...the interviewer told me that he'd be giving positive feedback to HR, which I take to mean that I'll be called in for a face-to-face interview. Weeeee!

Someday I'll put content on this site...but time is precious...between work, studying for a new job, a wonderful woman, family, friends, and games I'm a busy guy.

Song of the Blog: The Coasters - Yakety Yak

Kolb has decided to crawl out of his shell and actually be forward with a woman....the world waits in awe for the outcome.

Meanwhile, I've had my MS tech interview. I thought it went ok, unfortunately they don't ask my opinion.

Tomorrow Lisa and I go to Dillards to sort out the mess they caused. The short version is that we're buying a couch, and we found the one we want a Dillards. 3 months ago we asked the sales lady to call us if the couch goes on sale. A week ago we went into Dillards with the intent of buying the couch, but it had a sale sticker on it (about $600 off). We hadn't been notified, moreover the sale was OVER so they couldn't do anything about the price. So we complained and now have a manager looking into the problem...she said it will be resolved in some way tomorrow. Crap customer service is an excellent way to piss people off....and prevent repeat business. Ugh. I'll keep you posted on whether you should purchasing anything from Dillards again.

Song of the Blog: REM - Stand

Today Lisa and I are going to sign our lease...so we can move in early Nov. My MS tech interview happens on Monday morning, hope that goes well.

As the idea of war sinks in, it's actually quite disturbing. As an American male of prime military age I feel it's my duty to join the army if things get rough...Lisa's not exactly on board with that idea. I remember hearing "every generation must earn thier freedom" a few times, now it's my generations chance....I hope we step up to the challenge.

Song of the Blog: Doors - People are Strange

The latest casualty numbers from the news were 20,000 dead from the towers and an additional 10,000 from the shopping Mall beneath them. 30,000 lives. That's larger than the population of the town I live in (Coppell, TX; near Dallas). The shock and horror have not gone away...I think I'm changed forever. I saw the House and Senate sing "God Bless America"....Republicans and Democrats share an agenda...and the whole country stand behind the President...amazing. Unity is a powerful Ally.

On a personal note my MS HR interview went well on Monday...a tech interview is supposed to happen soon. Hope I'm able to concentrate a bit better by then...

Song of the Blog: Matchbox 20 - Long Day

Left work early today...nothing was getting done. The tragedy is like something from a movie...horrible. I woke up this morning focusing on my problems, after an awakening perspective it seems foolish to worry about those things.

Song of the Blog: None, deep in thought.

This weekend has blown by...probably because I stayed up way too late on Friday night, and took a nice, long nap today. The high point of the weekend was Saturday night since Lisa and I got to hang out with family. My brother and his wife (David and Leah), her sister and husband (Mike and Johanna), and Lisa and I went to dinner and had some great conversation. We basically had 5 hours of non-stop laughing...it was fun. A good reminder to Lisa that she's getting a great deal with my family...since her's is uh...."broken."

Song of the Blog: None, since my computer is at my brothers house and I'm posting this on a comp without speakers.

Crap. My Microsoft HR interviewer just called and asked if we could re-schedule for Monday morning. Apparently they've got a lot going on to try to find talent from all these layoffs and mergers (read: Hewlett-Packard and Compaq). So Monday it is....and the wait begins.

Yesterday at work I got to help the Bosses Boss work on a project...very cool guy. He said "now we just need to apoint you .NET expert," it would be nice if I got paid like an expert. I enjoy working with the new .NET technology, and have become very proficient at it...and it hasn't even been released yet...so I figure I've got some marketable skills. Enough work talk, it's too early for that.

This weekend is the Women's Retreat for the ladies of the church Lisa and I goto. So I'll have to find stuff to do with guy friends tonight and tomorrow. I've been noticing that as the wedding gets closer and things get more crazy that my friends are getting farther away. It's probably because I don't have classes that prevent me from wanting to do stuff during the week like my friends do. Of course we're going to become really distant after I get married, which sucks...but those relationships will just have to suffer a while. Lisa and I will have to have some adjustment time, and lots of "us" time.

2001 has been a big year for me. Dropped out of school, got a full time job, getting married....all 3 major events. I'm optimistic for the future.

Song of the Blog: Lynard Skynard - Sweet Home Alabama

It's official, my blog is hosted! <blaringly loud applause from the audience>
Now that I can actually post pictures and other misc content I'll have to convince Kolb to let me use his new camera to take some pictures of my life. I'll probably setup a section titled "The Players" (a lose reference to a play, not pimping) and have pictures of "the players" of my life...me, Lisa, friends, etc etc etc.
I've decided to start a new section of my blog called "Song of the Blog" where I'll put one of the songs I was listening to while writing this blog.

Grand plans have been laid, but who knows when they'll be realized.

Song of the Blog: Soft Cell - Tainted Love

The order has been made...one cymbal and stand, and two professional music stands. Amazing, that cost $200....cymbals are expensive.

Today was a big peronal news day. I recieved an e-mail from Microsoft HR asking for an interview, which is the first step in the insane 3-part interview process. Basically you have to:
1. Get noticed and interviewed by HR, so make sure your resume is spiffy and full of buzz words.
2. Get interviewed by a Technical person, usually another consultant. I had a pre-interview courtesy of my brother to make sure I can pass this, shouldn't be a problem. But it's another possible stopping point.
3. Go in for face-to-face interviews. 1-3 interviews...done by as many as 6 people. Basically they grill you for a few hours to find your weaknesses and strengths. If you have the technical skills and the people skills to be an MS consultant you'll get a job, otherwise you'll get the boot. This is the toughest part, I've been warned that there will be "plants" among the interviewers, one person will always agree with you, while another will always disagree and attack you, etc. If I get this far it's bound to be interesting.

Also today I got a call from the apartment complex that Lisa (my Fiance) and I have been looking at. The apartment we want is available for me to move into on November 9th...yeah! A full 5 weeks before the Wedding. Wow. Lisa will be living on campus until after our honeymoon, but it's nice to know where you're going to live for the next 13 months.

Did I mention that I'm 19 and I'm getting married in December? Sometimes those "little things" slip my mind :-)
Lisa turns 22 on October 27th...and I turn 20 on October 27th. Yes, we have the same birthday, no I'll never forget her birthday, yes I know I'm a lucky bastard.

Hey hey, the hosting is all setup except that my domain name (digitalhex.com) hasn't transfered yet. So, 24 more hours and you should be able to find my lovely blog at digitalhex.com.

Also, I've decided to spend my money on some Hardware for my brothers drums. He needs some crash cymbals and stands, so I figure an early Christmas present would be good. It's a gift to him, but it'll make jamming together more enjoyable.

It's my pre-work alone time...today I'm shopping. I've decided that I have money burning a hole in my pocket that I must spend. Kolb just bought a digital camera, pretty nice one too. I've decided that I want to expand my musical hardware library with a Mixer. But it's just a bit more than I want to spend...darn.

Another new topic: Music! I currently play Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, and a little bit of Piano. I'm completely self-taught, but I tried to take lessons....it just didn't work. I play guitar on Sunday mornings at my Church...which is interesting since I only play electric guitar. The church has adjusted to my odd-ball electric style. :-)
I have hopes of starting a band, but they are fleeting. My brother plays drums, but he's new at it...and playing with a new (at drumming) drummer is a bit painful. Kolb told me he wanted to learn to play the keyboard, but hasn't spent the money for one yet *cough* digital camera *cough*. A former roommate learned to play Bass....actually I let him learn on mine...but we difer too much musically. I listen to (in no particular order) Funk, Rock, Alternative, Blues, 80's Rock, Jazz, Classical....etc.

I've been talking to nobody for a few days now....and I must admit, it's very odd. Maybe because I feel that I'm introducing myself...and there's so much history. Maybe a more diary-like blog is an order. Dear Blog...today I feel....blah blah blah. I dunno, if you have an opinion, Communicate!

I wasn't born yesterday, but my Blog was. Good news! The hosting has been ordered...real content is just a few days away.

Today was another busy day at work, lots of stuff to be done. I suppose I should spill some info about my job, it'd only be courteous.
I work for TRX in Dallas, TX. TRX is a travel industry company that provides a full range of corperate travel services from booking reservations to ticketing. I'm a programmer for our API to communicate with the Reservation Systems. The whole setup is written in Visual Basic, and we've just started converting it to VB.NET....which is why I'm so busy.
I get to go into work between 10 and 11, I get off at 5, I wear shorts and a T-shirt to work every day, we have lots of in-house games to relax with....but frankly I'm a bit disenchanted with the direction the job is going. Which is why I'm *whisper* looking for another job. I currently have an interview at Microsoft consulting services...it should go well. Hope my boss isn't into reading blogs.

Does anybody else surf the net like I do? I have a site rotation that I go through. I open a browser, go to Slashdot, then to Msnbc, then to GameDev, and then look at a few other blogs. Then close the browser, do something else, and open the browser back up for another round. It's really wierd.

I was born a poor black child...wait...no I wasn't. I suppose a good place to begin is why I decided to start this blog. I have a couple friends who have blogs, and I found that even one-way conversations are a good way to stay in touch. So why not return the favor, and give a small glimps into my thoughts....

Sometimes I'm a "deep thinker"...most of the time I'm just a smart ass...so please read the blog with a sense of humor.

I'm currently in the middle of trying to get some decent, ad free hosting so I can actually have a personal web-site to supplement my blog. Stay tuned for more interesting programming.