August 03, 2005 18:36

Day Three

Another pretty good day. The scope is creeping a bit, but that's largely because the scope hasn't been properly defined yet, and I'm finding areas that will need to be fixed before we can do a lot of the required work. That's not a big deal, but it does mean I shall be keeping busy. The next couple of weeks are going to be absolutely crazy. On the plus side, this does mean that I will be working longer hours, and therefore will get more money. Yay for money. The key thing is going to be keeping to the budget. I may have to raise this issue with the powers that be.

After work, I decided that I really did want to go work out, so instead I returned to my suite, got changed, and relaxed for a bit. Now I am hungry, so I'm going to go in search of food. I'm not really feeling the urge to go too far - I'll save that until next week. For tonight, I think I might just dine at the restaurant downstairs. I don't really feel like being extravagant, I'm just hungry, and I'd like to get back up here to either read or do some work.

August 02, 2005 20:49

Day Two

Things are moving along quite nicely. I don't think I mentioned this last night, but I do actually have my own office. It's nice to have my own space, where I can close the door and keep the world out. And I have a window, which, granted looks at the parking lot, but there are trees, too, which is nice. I also now have internet connectivity and a badge/access card.

After work today I did another workout, although not as long as yesterday's. I did five minutes or so on what I believe is the elliptical, or what Lauren calls "the evil death machine." I then did about twelve minutes on the low stationary bike thing. I worked up a nice sweat and sore legs. Then I came back to my room - oh, did I mention that I'm actually in a suite; it's nothing too glamorous but it's a good size and the bed is uber-comfy - to chill out, relax, watch some TV, check email. Then it was off for dinner.

I haven't yet talked about the weekend. On Thursday night, after getting back from my long overnight trip to Connecticut, I went up to the Local, where I had a pretty cool time hanging out with Jamie and Steve, playing Touchmaster. Hanging out with Jamie is fun. On Friday I did what chores I could (I am still waiting for my company credit card to arrive so I can make some large purchases), and in the evening went to the Local to catch up with some of the crew. Joel, who had read my Thursday night post, kindly offered to pick up my tab for the evening. I graciously accepted his kind offer. Over the course of the night I met some new and interesting people and, for some reason that I can not quite remember or fathom, ended up going over to the Clermont Lounge with Axel.

Saturday was a slowish day, as you can probably imagine. I can't rightly remember all of my activities. But I did meet up with Sarah B at the Local for drinks and a catch up. On Sunday I met Lauren for a pleasant lunch and chat at Java Vino. I also did my packing, recorded some new CDs, backed up my laptop, and then hit the road for Charlotte.

August 01, 2005 21:23

Day One

I awoke at the time set on the alarm. This was a good start; I had slept pretty well (not too surprising, but more on that later). I showered and dressed: white shirt with cufflinks, black suit, new tie. Yes, I was looking pretty damn good. I also had some breakfast in mid-dressing. Then I walked across the road, up the street and into my first project as an independent consultant.

The day went fairly well. I didn't get a computer until late in the afternoon, and I didn't have internet access when I left, but aside from that things were accomplished. Like I say, a good start. There were a few things that I wasn't expecting, but that's okay. But the next couple of weeks will be very defining, I think.

After work, I wandered back to the hotel, got changed, and went down to the fitness center where I spent 20 minutes on the stationary bike. I worked up quite a sweat, and quite a hunger. So after a quick shower I shot off to Lone Star Steakhouse for some reading (The Economist) and slab o'cow with vegetables, preceded by a caesar salad. All pretty good really.

Once I was done with eating, I came back to the hotel to check my email and do some research on (a) prices for the various software products I will be acquiring once I get my company credit card, (b) prices and specs on the receiver/amplifier upgrade I will probably buy myself for birthday/Christmas (I need one with multiple component video inputs), and (c) do some project-related research. That last item isn't getting a lot of traction right now; I'm just a wee bit too tired.

Speaking of tired, I was tired last night. It took me over five hours to get to Charlotte. In fact, it took me over two and a half hours to get out of Georgia. The traffic was absolutely ridiculous. Some dumbass accident essentially fucked up the whole I-85 between Gwinnett and whatever county Chateau Elan is in. But the traffic just seemed to be crazy slow after that, too.

That's about my lot for now. I think I will try to get an early night tonight, and maybe tomorrow go looking for a tanning salon after work. We shall see.

July 28, 2005 21:52

So my final day of work is now over and I am heading back to Atlanta from New York. Well, from Connecticut really, since that's where I spent last night (or should I say this morning - more later) and today. The flight last night was delayed. And delayed. But it finally got off the ground and we arrived at LaGuardia a bit after midnight. It was 2am by the time we got to our hotel in Connecticut. Needless to say we were all pretty wrecked. But today went pretty well, all things considered, in spite of the the fact that the return flight was also delayed. Hence my current writing at close to 30,000 feet.

In other recent news, well, not much to report, really. I'm all set for next week and my first gig as my new company. I'm still a little anxious, but I'm mostly excited. But it's going to be a tight month, since I won't be getting paid until late in the month, and I probably won't get any of my expenses repaid until later than that. It's forunate that my company credit card has 0% interest for the first few months, because there's going to be a balance on that for the first little while for sure. Hehe, this last paycheck from my current job is going to have to be very carefully managed.

My social life is about to go into a bit of a change with the new role. I will only be around on Friday nights and Saturdays, so it's going to be difficult to keep everyone happy with their Kiwi-fix. To those of you who actually read this - you may need to bully me a little into spending time with you especially because there will be others demanding my time, and there will be parties that will grab my time, and there will be soccer games that I need to watch. That last point means that you will probably be able to find me at the Brewhouse on those weekend mornings that Liverpool is playing. Also, please note the comments about liquidity in the previous paragraph. You have been told.

I probably won't be playing poker so much now, for reasons that should be easily determined from the previous paragraphs. That I shall miss, because I've done pretty well over the last three weeks.

That's about it for now. Watch this space for more exciting news.

July 17, 2005 11:25

I should be gong to bed right now. Well, actually, i should have been in bed hours ago. It was Tim's birthday dinner, and we went to Nakato, which is a great Japanese steakhouse. Very tasty food. Then I went to Ben's housewarming party at his new condo. Then I went back to the Local for quite a while. In that last period, I spent lots of time with Lauren and Shawn. Good times. And after the Local kicked everyone out, I went with Patrick over to Brian's and we played poker. And now I am home. At 11:20am or so. And only $3 behind my starting cash.

Question for those philospphical types: I consider myself an atheist; I believe that there is no higher power/god/prime mover/whatever, and I am comfortable with this, and at the same time I also make the statement that I cannot prove this assertion. Am I therefore an atheist or an agnostic?

July 16, 2005 16:00

What a busy day I have had today. I was awake fairly early, read the latest issue of PC Magazine, showered and made very tasty scrambled eggs for breakfast. Then I went up to the bank to set up my company bank account; I have to pop up again sometime during the week with some papers that I did not have with me. Then I went and spent some time at the tanning place. Today I did the standing up style tanning thing. I think I liked that a lot better than the bed; I'm trying it again on Monday. Then it was off to Walgreen's to pick up my psoriasis meds, and then back to the apartment to give my notice on my current apartment and place a deposit on a new apartment. I'm moving to an upstairs apartment, same model as my current one but on the third floor of a different building. Sure, I really like my current spot, but I'm beginning to suffer due to the lack of sunlight.

After lunch I did my laundry, did some more prep work on my business cards, sorted out my mail (my papers from the Secretary of State arrived), checked out my web site, played some TextTwist, updated some documentation and to-do lists, and generally felt like I had accomplished things today. Since I've got stuff to do tonight (birthday dinner for Tim, housewarming for Ben) and I wouldn't mind playing some poker, it's good that I don't have to worry about needing to do stuff tomorrow!

Last night, after a little bit of running around and avoiding the rain, I decided to go see Batman Begins. And I really liked it. It was really rather good. There was some rough editing at points, but I came out feeling that it was well worth the $8 I spent on it. Very entertaining.

July 15, 2005 09:55

Register with Georgia as a limited liability company: CHECK. Obtain a federal tax ID: CHECK. Obtain a City of Atlanta business license: CHECK. Register domain: CHECK. Acquire a mailbox: CHECK. Buy a laptop computer: CHECK. Get clients: CHECK. Submit letter of resignation: CHECK

To do: Set up check account (Saturday), get business cards (Saturday), meet with CPA (Monday), get health insurance squared away (Monday). It looks like Jafa Consulting, LLC is ready to go.

It has been a little while since I have made any updates here. There have been a couple of reasons for that, but the main one has been that I've been holding off until Jafa Consulting was created and legal. I'm very pleased with the progress and excited about the prospect of moving forward with it; there is a lot of potential for me to be very successful with it. Sure, it's going to be hard work, but that's really how you make money in this world.

In other news, I went to Las Vegas at the end of June. I was there for four nights, catching up with Thomo and Kylie, Pete and Monica Royle, and Mark and Barbara Chase. It was a lot of fun: successful gambling (I came out over $100 ahead), fun explorations (Hoover Dam tour), plenty of eating, plenty of drinking, an evening with lapdances, lots of sun and heat (over 100F/38C every day) and, of course, the spectacle that is the Las Vegas Strip.

I've been making lots of tasty food. Tasty tasty tasty. On Wednesday night I made an awesome bolognese sauce, into which I included the fresh herbs that Holly gave me when I was last over at her and John's place. Very tasty. And I made sufficient for me to have left overs last night, and I still have left overs. It's great! (And did I mention tasty?). And speaking of tasty, salads are good, too, and I've been making lots of those. Tasty.

I spent the afternoon last Saturday with John at the Brickstore Pub in Decatur. We consumed several of their imported, high-octane beers, played cribbage, and chatted. It was really awesome; it has become harder to keep up with John since he moved out to Decatur, but I need to make more of an effort. Especially when fresh herbs are involved.

I played a bit of poker recently and came out ahead each time. I have a new strategy, which seems to be working out well for me. When we played last Friday night, I came out around $20 ahead, maybe a little more. That was very cool. And then I slept until 2pm, at which point I got up to go meet John. The only issue with playing poker at my place (which is what happenned), is that I now have a frige full of beer that I don't drink (Budweiser). I guess that just means we're all set for next time.

June 20, 2005 18:07

I had a productive weekend. I had a les productive day at work. But at least this week I get to come home after work, rather than drive out to Alabama. Very nice.

Highlights of the weekend: first session at the tanning place; making mix CDs; trying Coke Zero - it tastes amazingly close to Classic; stopping by parties; walking up to Atkins Park. Lowlights: being awake at 7am both mornings.

Salad and salmon for dinner last night; pork chops and salad for dinner tonight. I might try to get an early night as well, just as long as this doesn't have me waking up at 5am tomorrow. Ugh.

June 17, 2005 14:54

It is taken a considerable amount of effort to remain in polite disposition and to not just pack up and leave for home. I'm a generally laid back, accepting sort of person, and usually reasonably slow to anger. But there are some things that just piss me the hell off. The latest of example of the gross incompetence that causes me to cuss in front of a customer involves a programmer, who has managed to reintroduce bugs, both new and old, in each of the last three releases of the application he is responsible for. And the latest incompetence: he apparantly left an END statement in the code that he released to me and then went to lunch. He left an END statement from his debugging. I called him on his cellphone, at lunch an hour ago. He said he'd be back to fix it in 30 to 45 minutes. He is now not answering either his desk phone (if he is back) or his cellphone. My patience is wearing very thin. (Okay, it has worn through.) But there is nothing I can do. I came to work this morning planning to be heading home around 1pm CDT. At the rate things are going, I'm not going to be out of here until closer to 3pm CDT.

Oh glory of glories. He just called. It looks like he might have fixed it. Granted there's another problem with the data being produced that is out of spec, but its something that can be lived with. Maybe I'll get to leave in the next half hour or so.

June 15, 2005 20:40

So I'm sitting by the pool as the sun sinks ever closer to the horizon. I'm listening to random music on my mp3 player, which I'm absolutely loving. I listened to it last night as I worked out. Definitely very happy with that purchase.

But, yes, the sinking sun. It was a rather warm day today, I believe. Of course, I was stuck inside, in an air-conditioned office, but now I'm enjoying the last remnants of it. I heard through the grapevine that it was over 90F in Atlanta today. I have no idea what it was here in Birmingham. I guess I can look it up...Apparently it's about 84F right now. And the sun is just slipping behind Subway, robbing me of my UV bath. I never trusted Subway.

But it is still nice to be sitting outside. Mogwai is currently playing; nice and relaxing.

I have a busy weekend ahead of me. I need to go get myself sort for a tuxedo. I am also planning on checking out the condos that are available where Ben just purchased. I've got a couple of parties to go to: Jenn's birthday and David and Tori's Living In Sin party. I'll also be trying to catch Batman Begins. I also still have to see Revenge of the Sith, and I'm sure there's a number of other films I should be checking out.

Which reminds me that I haven't seen any live music in far too long. Music Midtown was this past weekend, but I skipped that, for many reasons. The Stereophonics are playing soon, as are Cake (same night), Garbage, and Magnapop. I dunno, I'm finding a lack of interest in dealing with crowds just at the moment (one of the reasons for skipping Music Midtown). I don't know whether it's because I'm getting old, or because I'm sober, because I'm depressed (am I depressed?), or for some other reason.

But back to my weekend plans: I think I might try to do some more work on this website. I might add functionality to allow the gentle reader (that's you), to search for specific entries or groups of entries. Like requesting a date or a month, and all the entries that pertain to that date or month being displayed. I might even go so far as to work on an actual text search function that will find any page that includes user-selected text. That will be trickier, and I don't really know how useful it would really be. I'll think about it.

Oh, I missed the first episode of the new season of Reno 911 last night. I'm somewhat annoyed that I missed it, but I was reading.

On my way back from dinner, I passed the McDonalds that is next door to my hotel, and I thought to myself, "self, I'd really like an ice cream sundae right now." I resisted, but it still sounds like a terrific idea. This is, of course, would constitute a violation of the current diet I have assigned myself. Maybe it's not such a good idea to be so restrictive. But there are goals. Ugh. Crisis of willpower...

I can no longer see the sun. There is still plenty of light, but the sun is now going down behind the ridge beyond the Subway. I guess I should upload this now. Yeah. More thoughts later, perhaps.