Things Happen So Fast

It certainly does seem that way, doesn't it? So much has changed in just a few short weeks. I left my old job to start at a new company. It was odd, having been there for two and a half years, to leave all the people I've come to rely on every day. But the time was right. The new job is pretty fantastic, and as I'm settling into it I'm liking it more and more.

In between the end of one era and the beginning of the next, I went to Ireland. Why Ireland? Cheapest flights I could find. My friend Andy happened to be visiting us when I made the decision, and as luck would have it he could take a week off too. So we went, with no plans, and very little knowledge of the country or geography. It was great. We found wonderful things to do, fantastic people, and lots of great beer. Maybe one of these days I'll write more about it. But I doubt it. There's just never enough time in the day.

Things happen so fast.

Lynn and I, in an attempt to curb our parents' calls for an expanded family, adopted a kitten. We're calling him Louis, after Satchmo, of course. He's an all-too-adorable little tabby cat who's fearless around people and loves to cuddle—that is, when he's not tearing something apart.

Now that the summer is stretching out ahead, we're hoping things will calm down a bit. We have no plans this weekend, and that's a welcome change.

April Showers...

April is not usually a turbulent time. Spring always brought warmer weather, cleansing rain, and the promise of summer to get me through classes or just out of the winter doldrums. This April has brought showers, not of rain, but of change.

April 1st marked severe layoffs in my company. The company has been cutting back across several departments for about six months now, but this was the first time it affected my department. Nearly one half of our staff had been let go, including my friend of twelve years and many other wonderful people who have become like another family to me over the last two and a half years. The office is now quiet, and empty seats out-number filled ones. Those of us still there now share mixed feelings of relief and guilt that our friends and colleagues are gone while we remain.

The following Saturday, Lynn and I moved to our new apartment in Brooklyn. The move was surprisingly easy, and the moving company we hired was fantastic. A few friends came over on Saturday and helped out unpacking boxes, and by Sunday evening the place already looked like we'd been there for some time. Almost a week later, we have almost no boxes left, and are now hanging up pictures and re-arranging the rooms to make our home.

We've been able to explore the neighborhood a little, but this weekend we hope to spend some quality time learning about our new environs.

What Next?

Several of my coworkers have seen and enjoyed having the business card robot around. They've started donating their own business cards right and left. As of today, here are the cards I now have to play with.

....and there's yet another box that didn't make it into that picture. Each box contains around 500 cards. The entire figure from the last post is only 432 cards.

What to build next?

Busy at Work

I don't really fiddle when there are slow times at work. Strangely, I fiddle more when it's very busy. When I'm really on a roll, getting lots done with still more to do, I get a kind of excess of energy. There are inevitably times when I'm waiting on something or someone, and my OCD tendencies take over. So it was in the last couple of weeks, when I've been busier than ever, I also fiddled in the downtime and came up with this:

He's a little over four feet tall (the magazine is for scale), and is comprised of about 432 out-of-date business cards (mine and a coworker's). No glue, no tape, just the cards. The secret? Click here.

Another coworker has given me a box of her cards, too. If things stay as busy as they have been, there might be a puppy in the window soon.

My How the Time Flies

Alright, time to write in this thing before a whole two months go by (again).

A good many of the reasons that I haven't been writing lately is simply that a whole lot has been going on. Here's a quick re-cap for those who've been wondering.

Shortly after my last post, I drove down to South Carolina for my Music Fraternity's annual National Convention. It was an absolutely amazing time that included some wonderful music, catching up with some fantastic old friends--oh, and also being elected National President of the Fraternity. It's a great honor, and I hope to make the Fraternity proud.

Shortly after that trip, my boss offered me a full-time position at my office. Up until then I was technically a freelancer, meaning I was paid hourly and didn't receive any benefits. Now I'm an official employee, with business cards and health-care, and all. An apartment, a job--I'm practically a real person.

Then there were a slew of friends' music recitals, and folks visiting the city, and catch-up dinners.

Then that good friend who came out to interview at my office starting working with me. They chose me, of all people, to train him. It's fantastic to have a familiar face around, and while I know he's still a bit nervous about things, I know it's working out wonderfully. (I hope you're reading this....)

Next up was my house-warming party, and only seven weeks after I moved in to the new place. Good times all around. And finally, some more outings with old friends, and even seeing one up on stage at a comedy club. It's good to say positively that we laughed at her, none of us ever expected her to take up comedy as a career.

I guess that about wraps things up. I'll have to go into more detail later....and that means getting in the habit of writing more. We'll see if it actually happens.

"I'll Be Home For Christmas, If Only In My Dreams"

This will be the first Christmas in all my years that won't be spend with my family.

I've got a wonderful new job, and I'm really enjoying it (more details to come later), but it means I don't get much time off for the holidays. We had a half-day on Friday, and we get Christmas day off--but it's back to work on Tuesday morning. The same goes for the New Year, though I've asked for all of that Friday off. I need the money, it's the right choice. But still, it just won't be the same without Christmas eve and morning with my mom. It won't be the same without the big dinner with all the Soave's. It won't be the same without our crazy gift-giving game that no one can ever remember the rules of.

It won't be the same without my family.

I am, however, blessed with a warm welcome to the Christmas of my girlfriend's family. They're traditions are different, but their hearts are the same.

I feel both sad and happy at the same time.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to.....Work?

First day on the new job; you want to make a good impression, you want to show up a little early, you want to prove to your new colleagues and coworkers that you're the right person and deserve to be there....

....you want to do something.

I arrived at the building a good twenty minutes early--my first mistake. Getting up to the offices, there was no one around to let me in. (Little did I know, there's a receptionist on the floor below me who could have let me in.) So, I wandered around a bit, and conveniently ran into my new boss on her way in. She showed me my new desk (which is unfortunately temporary, as it's right by a window), gave me a paper describing how to setup my computer, and asked me to wait until another person came in to actually show me what to do. Well, the computer took a few seconds, and I've read all the papers that happened to be sitting on my desk (no idea if they're meant for me). Since then, I've just been waiting. Over an hour.

I met the guy who's desk is next to mine, he seems very nice. A few other folks have given me curious glances, but mostly the office is still pretty empty. It's 10:20am!

Maybe this isn't far off from grad school after all....

And Now For Something Completely Different

Yesterday did not start well. I slept in a little, and cut myself shaving, and couldn't find any hot water for a shower, and the glass was half empty, and cracked, and I cut my lip on it, and chipped a tooth.

However, once I was awake and moving, I had to get into the city for an interview with Conde Nast. Now, I know what you're thinking; "Conde Nast? The magazine publisher?" Yes, the very same. I was offered a position as a producer of the websites that accompany the magazines! I've been fiddling with websites for years, but never really considered it a career. Even in this job, though, I won't be coding much (there's a whole design team for that), but I'll be producing. What this means is a little unclear to me at the moment, but I think it mainly involves checking everything over to make sure it'll look right on the screen, clearing everything with the magazine, and finally taking the website live for the world to see.

Not something I ever would have thought I'd be doing. But, I do enjoy playing with websites, and getting paid for it hardly seems a burden! I'm starting as a temporary hire, until I can learn their system and gain some experience. With some hard work, I'll be able to step into a permanent position in a few months.

And all of this is because I sped across the country to meet my aunt for drinks. Go figure.

It'll take some time for all the paper shuffling to occur, but hopefully I'll be starting next week!

Oh, and I still haven't heard back from that other company. It's been almost a week. If they offer me more, I'll probably still go with them. But at this rate, I don't know if I'll ever heard back from them....