Life is good. And hilarious.
So my first week at my new job has been great; the folks are super nice, and the work has been fun. I've been doing Windows programming in C++(re-writing a server that copies Jpegs from a client, verifies them, and then stores them in a database as a Windows Service [don't use MFC sockets for services]) so far, but next week will likely be spent writing Java code as I get introduced to our flagship application. With the relatively recent influx of funds into this company, they have decided to expand by hiring me, among others, and by moving into a larger office space. I have taken a look around my office and staked out a nice magnetic whiteboard for it. We're still reviewing potential furniture purchases; on Thursday, my boss and I "tested to failure" a chair we had been given to review. Hooray for the thoroughness of engineering minds. My computer at work is great: its a 3GHz machine with 2G of ram and a dual-dvi video card putting out 1600x1200 to two 20" flat panels - hot. I even work in the same plaza as Beers of the World - I finished my first day on the job with a victory lap around the parking lot and bought a 6-pack of Ur Weisse before I was done.
I've been doing a bunch of bowling, and while I'm both mediocre and inconsistent, I'm having a lot of fun doing it. I've bought shoes to mitigate the cost of renting them, and may even join a league in the Spring with some other CSHers. Before that happens, though, I've got a lot of work to do on my mechanics.
I'm renting from Potter, which is great. We'll probably try to have CSH events at his house twice a month or so if we can handle the work of hosting them. Today was a garbage plate luncheon, and our efforts were well-received and a great excuse for Winter hijinks. The pond was too solid for cardboard boating, so Fotios volunteered to be hauled across on a cardboard skid. The next trip demanded n+1 riders, so I volunteered to go with him. Bystanders had been pelting Feta with snowballs on the maiden voyage, so I loaded the skid with enough ammo to allow us some return fire and stepped in. The ice held well, and I began exchanging volleys with the spectators on the hill above the pond. Emboldened by the fact that my first tentative step held firm, I ventured further out. I side-stepped a close shot from Bob, and while the ice could hold my weight under normal circumstances, standing on one foot was too much to ask of it. Ryan D caught my scramble for land on video, which you can see here. It was stupid to go out on the ice wearing mostly leather and with my hiptop on me, but in my defense - the results were hilarious. On the upside, my hiptop is nearly fully-functional after some dis-assembly and drying (I may have improperly re-installed the antenna, which I can fix tomorrow) but I was already planning on getting the new Hiptop after a paycheck or two.
I've been doing a bunch of bowling, and while I'm both mediocre and inconsistent, I'm having a lot of fun doing it. I've bought shoes to mitigate the cost of renting them, and may even join a league in the Spring with some other CSHers. Before that happens, though, I've got a lot of work to do on my mechanics.
I'm renting from Potter, which is great. We'll probably try to have CSH events at his house twice a month or so if we can handle the work of hosting them. Today was a garbage plate luncheon, and our efforts were well-received and a great excuse for Winter hijinks. The pond was too solid for cardboard boating, so Fotios volunteered to be hauled across on a cardboard skid. The next trip demanded n+1 riders, so I volunteered to go with him. Bystanders had been pelting Feta with snowballs on the maiden voyage, so I loaded the skid with enough ammo to allow us some return fire and stepped in. The ice held well, and I began exchanging volleys with the spectators on the hill above the pond. Emboldened by the fact that my first tentative step held firm, I ventured further out. I side-stepped a close shot from Bob, and while the ice could hold my weight under normal circumstances, standing on one foot was too much to ask of it. Ryan D caught my scramble for land on video, which you can see here. It was stupid to go out on the ice wearing mostly leather and with my hiptop on me, but in my defense - the results were hilarious. On the upside, my hiptop is nearly fully-functional after some dis-assembly and drying (I may have improperly re-installed the antenna, which I can fix tomorrow) but I was already planning on getting the new Hiptop after a paycheck or two.