Insanity By Power Points
I have made it through my first week of work! Well, actually it wasn't even a full week. Monday was orientation and wednesday was a holiday, so I only worked three days. I made over $100 each day though, so I'm not complaning at all. If anyone is looking for an internship, definitely go with Northrop Grumman because, if I understood correctly, they pay all their interns. I don't know if everyone is paid the same, but I'm making $14.50 an hour, plus they gave me $3500 because I had to relocate to work there. I'm currently living at a Holiday Inn right around BWI. It's pretty nice, but it gets to be a little lonely sometimes. At least I have free internet access.
As for my job, it's been interesting so far. I've been meeting a lot of people, and everyone that I've met has been so nice and helpful so far. Work-wise, this has been a period of introduction for me, so I've been reading a lot of materials relating to Northrop and the sector I'm working for. I'm working in Electronic Systems in a group that comes up with campaings to help sell Northrop's products. A lot of the stuff I've been reading is really interesting, relating to the government, defense systems, and so on (did I mention that Northrop is a government contractor who makes a lot of defense related things?). I've also done other things like set up my computer, e-mail, etc (did I mention I have my own desk? :) ).
I always feel a little nervous when I'm at work because this isn't like anything I've done before. A lot of the people aren't just treating me like a short term intern, they are treating me like an equal. It's really nice and I appreciate it, I've just never had that really before, so it's taking a little getting used to. People know about my East Asian concentration, so the main person I'm working under is setting me up to go to lots of meetings dealing with their international sales. Also, another guy e-mailed me and asked me my opinion on a matter relating to Japan. It was really fulfilling to think that I was actually helping out in this company. Speaking of East Asia, Northrop has a site in Tokyo, and I might be able to work there when I'm abroad. I'm quite excited about that (and no, I don't think it will hamper anything else I plan on doing (that's directed at one person, and they know who they are :) )). I feel kinds of bad that I'm not going to be at the company longer. It wasn't hard finding my way around in the building I'm at (which is a really nice building by the way). I'm on the second floor, and I take the stairs every day to be healthy and what-not. I take a cab to work in the morning because I don't have a car (it's only about $3-4), but I think I'm going to start walking home. It's not too bad of a walk, and the weather is supposed to be nice this coming week (it was a little rainy this past week).
Food wise I'm doing ok. I brought stuff to eat for breakfast, so I'm covered there. For lunch, there's the cafeteria (it's ok) and a Wendys and a deli across the street. My boss actually took me out to lunch to a really nice Italian place my first day. I'd go again if I had a car. >.< For dinner, I've been getting the cheapest things room service has. Yesterday though, I "borrowed" a menu for a Japanese restaurant I saw hanging on a bulliten board at work. I ordered a whole lot of food (to cover me for the weekend), and it was soooooo good! I got sushi and chicken teriyaki and gyoza and yakisoba. They're definitely going to be getting more business from me.
Oh, I should mention that anyone who wants to come and visit me and chill out in a hotel is more than welcome to come. There isn't a whole lot to do around here, but, if you come on a Wednesday, there's a theater near by that sells tickets for $5-something that day. That's where I'm going to go see OotP. :) Also, the place where I'm staying is really close to Baltimore, and I'm going to be here for Otakon. If anyone needs a place to stay, or wants to come down on Thursday to pick up badges and needs lodging, you're more than welcome to stay with me. My room has two beds, so it's not a prob. If you do the badge thing though, there is the condition that you have to pick me up from work so I can go get my badge. :)
In other news, two exciting things are coming up soon. Kimberly's going to come visit me in August, and I have my plane ticket for Japan! I leave for Japan on September 1st. I have to spend a night in Narita airport, but I don't mind. It's so exciting. I'm really looking forward to going. Also, a girl I know recently recommended that I try and go to Guam while I'm in Japan. She said it's really nice, so I might have to try that. Also, I know where to get Johnny's tix without being an FC member, so I do believe I'm set. :) Now if only I could figure out what to pack. I still need to get my visa too, but that shouldn't be an issue.
I'm still reading a whole lot. I finished "Slaughterhouse Five" yesterday. It wasn't as weird as I thought it would be. I'm also working on "The Gulag Archipelago," which is really long and about Russia during the Communist period. With the final HP coming out, this is definitely going to be a summer of reading for me. Oh, and did I ever mention that, after reading "Mein Kampf," I became convinced that some members of the Bush administration follow that thing like a bible? The only difference is they've replaced Jews and Communists with anyone we don't like or who stands up against it. Go read the book. You'll see what I mean.
In regards to the title of this entry, it refers to the work I was doing Friday. One of the things my boss gave me to read was a link to a whole bunch of documents relating to a variety of things. And when I say a lot, I mean hundreds and hundreds. Some of the DoD ones were over 100 pages. >.< (oh, and on a random side note, acronyms can go to hell. If you have a document that takes 17 pages to list all the acronyms used in the document, just leave out the damn acronyms!). A lot of them were power points (and the people I work with own at making power points. These things were really impressive). Reading all that stuff was the only thing I did on Friday, and it did start to take its toll after a while. It didn't help that 99% of the office was on holiday friday, either from vacation or they're on the rotating schedule the company has where, if you work 10 hours each day for two weeks, you get every other Friday off (I think that's a sweet deal, but that's me. Oh, and I've noticed that I've started using the word sweet a lot lately. Don't know when or why it started, but it did). I think there was only me and one other guy in my area. I believe my sanity started to really slip around one o'clock, and it was totally gone by three. At some points, I was sining a variety of Kanjani 8 songs and "Nande x2 Dame" to myself a lot. Also,I started having conversations with myself in my head. Here's an example:
Self 1: So do you think video games are a bad influence on children?
Self 2: No, not really. I've been playing video games most of my life and I've never done anything like kill a hooker and steal a car, loot the bodies of my fallen foes for treasure, or try and destroy the Earth.
Self 1: Yeah...
Self 2: Although, I think playing Mario when I was really little might have had an affect. I often have these uncontrollable urges to jump on mushrooms and turtles, climb down pipes, and set flowers on fire and throw them at things, especially venus fly traps. That's why I'm no longer allowed at the petting zoo, botanical gardens, or the organic food market.
Self 1: 0-o
Yeah, I know, I'm really weird. I also imagined God explaining sex to Adam and Eve (how else do you think they learned how?). Part of it went something like this:
Adam: You mean I'm supposed to stick this thing into that?!
God: Yep.
Adam: But I don't think it will fit.
Eve: Don't flatter yourself.
Adam: Wouldn't the hole on the back be easier? It seems bigger. And can I stick it into other things?
God: NO!
Eve: Does he really get to be on top of me? It seems so degrading...
And so on. This thought was preluded by ones of, if the theory of evolution is true, how/when did aminals figure out how to have sex (and yes, there is instict, but I bet the first time was really awkward). And how long do you think it took for early man to figure out that sex = baby? And when did people figure out what infertillity was?
So, yeah, I have a really strange mind sometimes. Yeah for insanity.
I believe that's all I have to say for now. I downloaded Tackey's "Dreamboys," and I'm going to watch that at some point today. There is NOTHING on right now. I was watching American Gladiatiors earlier, but it's over now. So that's it. On a closing note, I want to say that I really like Kat-tun's song "Yorokobi no Uta" (and would someone PLEASE tell Koki he isn't black? I really think someone should have instructed Ne-yo to do it when he was on Cartoon Kat-tun. Seriously though, I love Koki. all the boys are hilarious and shake their hips real good :) ).
As for my job, it's been interesting so far. I've been meeting a lot of people, and everyone that I've met has been so nice and helpful so far. Work-wise, this has been a period of introduction for me, so I've been reading a lot of materials relating to Northrop and the sector I'm working for. I'm working in Electronic Systems in a group that comes up with campaings to help sell Northrop's products. A lot of the stuff I've been reading is really interesting, relating to the government, defense systems, and so on (did I mention that Northrop is a government contractor who makes a lot of defense related things?). I've also done other things like set up my computer, e-mail, etc (did I mention I have my own desk? :) ).
I always feel a little nervous when I'm at work because this isn't like anything I've done before. A lot of the people aren't just treating me like a short term intern, they are treating me like an equal. It's really nice and I appreciate it, I've just never had that really before, so it's taking a little getting used to. People know about my East Asian concentration, so the main person I'm working under is setting me up to go to lots of meetings dealing with their international sales. Also, another guy e-mailed me and asked me my opinion on a matter relating to Japan. It was really fulfilling to think that I was actually helping out in this company. Speaking of East Asia, Northrop has a site in Tokyo, and I might be able to work there when I'm abroad. I'm quite excited about that (and no, I don't think it will hamper anything else I plan on doing (that's directed at one person, and they know who they are :) )). I feel kinds of bad that I'm not going to be at the company longer. It wasn't hard finding my way around in the building I'm at (which is a really nice building by the way). I'm on the second floor, and I take the stairs every day to be healthy and what-not. I take a cab to work in the morning because I don't have a car (it's only about $3-4), but I think I'm going to start walking home. It's not too bad of a walk, and the weather is supposed to be nice this coming week (it was a little rainy this past week).
Food wise I'm doing ok. I brought stuff to eat for breakfast, so I'm covered there. For lunch, there's the cafeteria (it's ok) and a Wendys and a deli across the street. My boss actually took me out to lunch to a really nice Italian place my first day. I'd go again if I had a car. >.< For dinner, I've been getting the cheapest things room service has. Yesterday though, I "borrowed" a menu for a Japanese restaurant I saw hanging on a bulliten board at work. I ordered a whole lot of food (to cover me for the weekend), and it was soooooo good! I got sushi and chicken teriyaki and gyoza and yakisoba. They're definitely going to be getting more business from me.
Oh, I should mention that anyone who wants to come and visit me and chill out in a hotel is more than welcome to come. There isn't a whole lot to do around here, but, if you come on a Wednesday, there's a theater near by that sells tickets for $5-something that day. That's where I'm going to go see OotP. :) Also, the place where I'm staying is really close to Baltimore, and I'm going to be here for Otakon. If anyone needs a place to stay, or wants to come down on Thursday to pick up badges and needs lodging, you're more than welcome to stay with me. My room has two beds, so it's not a prob. If you do the badge thing though, there is the condition that you have to pick me up from work so I can go get my badge. :)
In other news, two exciting things are coming up soon. Kimberly's going to come visit me in August, and I have my plane ticket for Japan! I leave for Japan on September 1st. I have to spend a night in Narita airport, but I don't mind. It's so exciting. I'm really looking forward to going. Also, a girl I know recently recommended that I try and go to Guam while I'm in Japan. She said it's really nice, so I might have to try that. Also, I know where to get Johnny's tix without being an FC member, so I do believe I'm set. :) Now if only I could figure out what to pack. I still need to get my visa too, but that shouldn't be an issue.
I'm still reading a whole lot. I finished "Slaughterhouse Five" yesterday. It wasn't as weird as I thought it would be. I'm also working on "The Gulag Archipelago," which is really long and about Russia during the Communist period. With the final HP coming out, this is definitely going to be a summer of reading for me. Oh, and did I ever mention that, after reading "Mein Kampf," I became convinced that some members of the Bush administration follow that thing like a bible? The only difference is they've replaced Jews and Communists with anyone we don't like or who stands up against it. Go read the book. You'll see what I mean.
In regards to the title of this entry, it refers to the work I was doing Friday. One of the things my boss gave me to read was a link to a whole bunch of documents relating to a variety of things. And when I say a lot, I mean hundreds and hundreds. Some of the DoD ones were over 100 pages. >.< (oh, and on a random side note, acronyms can go to hell. If you have a document that takes 17 pages to list all the acronyms used in the document, just leave out the damn acronyms!). A lot of them were power points (and the people I work with own at making power points. These things were really impressive). Reading all that stuff was the only thing I did on Friday, and it did start to take its toll after a while. It didn't help that 99% of the office was on holiday friday, either from vacation or they're on the rotating schedule the company has where, if you work 10 hours each day for two weeks, you get every other Friday off (I think that's a sweet deal, but that's me. Oh, and I've noticed that I've started using the word sweet a lot lately. Don't know when or why it started, but it did). I think there was only me and one other guy in my area. I believe my sanity started to really slip around one o'clock, and it was totally gone by three. At some points, I was sining a variety of Kanjani 8 songs and "Nande x2 Dame" to myself a lot. Also,I started having conversations with myself in my head. Here's an example:
Self 1: So do you think video games are a bad influence on children?
Self 2: No, not really. I've been playing video games most of my life and I've never done anything like kill a hooker and steal a car, loot the bodies of my fallen foes for treasure, or try and destroy the Earth.
Self 1: Yeah...
Self 2: Although, I think playing Mario when I was really little might have had an affect. I often have these uncontrollable urges to jump on mushrooms and turtles, climb down pipes, and set flowers on fire and throw them at things, especially venus fly traps. That's why I'm no longer allowed at the petting zoo, botanical gardens, or the organic food market.
Self 1: 0-o
Yeah, I know, I'm really weird. I also imagined God explaining sex to Adam and Eve (how else do you think they learned how?). Part of it went something like this:
Adam: You mean I'm supposed to stick this thing into that?!
God: Yep.
Adam: But I don't think it will fit.
Eve: Don't flatter yourself.
Adam: Wouldn't the hole on the back be easier? It seems bigger. And can I stick it into other things?
God: NO!
Eve: Does he really get to be on top of me? It seems so degrading...
And so on. This thought was preluded by ones of, if the theory of evolution is true, how/when did aminals figure out how to have sex (and yes, there is instict, but I bet the first time was really awkward). And how long do you think it took for early man to figure out that sex = baby? And when did people figure out what infertillity was?
So, yeah, I have a really strange mind sometimes. Yeah for insanity.
I believe that's all I have to say for now. I downloaded Tackey's "Dreamboys," and I'm going to watch that at some point today. There is NOTHING on right now. I was watching American Gladiatiors earlier, but it's over now. So that's it. On a closing note, I want to say that I really like Kat-tun's song "Yorokobi no Uta" (and would someone PLEASE tell Koki he isn't black? I really think someone should have instructed Ne-yo to do it when he was on Cartoon Kat-tun. Seriously though, I love Koki. all the boys are hilarious and shake their hips real good :) ).