Let Me Off This Ride

Well, it's been a roller coaster of a day. I got turned down for the job in Wisconsin but the other two companies I've been interviewing with made me offers; within 10 minutes of each other. I was on the phone with one company when I got emailed with an offer by the other.

So, my decision is clear. Choose between a company with a lot of advancement potential or a company with some interesting profit sharing options. Call me old fashioned but corporate advancement trumps private stock options any day. As such, I'm happy to say that I've decided to take the position in Arkansas.

Angela and I are taking a trip to the Ozark Mountains tomorrow. We hope to get some ideas about housing and assess the region in general. From what I hear, the entire area is perfect if you are an outdoor hobbyist. Everything from camping and hiking to boating and biking are accessible within only a few minutes drive from where we'll be living.

I'm excited about the entire prospect. It looks like Angela and I are going to begin a new adventure together.

I Did My Best... I Did My Best

If you've ever seen Dane Cook's "A Viscous Circle" then you'll understand the title.

I called the company in Wisconsin this morning and it appears they've decided to pass on me. I would be lying if I said that my heart wasn't broken. With my experience, grades and achievements I thought I was a perfect candidate. Apparently they didn't think so and what's worse is they won't tell me why.

My confidence is a bit shaken and I'm going to have to start looking for consulting positions again. I'm really hoping the Tulsa job makes an offer soon. The thought of making weekly plane trips to client sites and spending more time in hotel beds than in my own depresses me. But if it's my only option then I have to go with it.

What's fun is that the further I get from graduation the less likely it is I'll ever get a development job. So, if I take a consulting position I pretty much sign the death certificate on my software career.

All I can do is have a little faith and hope things get better.

Wake Up to the King Baby

No, not that one. The other one.


You may or may not know this but I'm a huge Stephen King fan. In the 6th grade I picked up a copy of Misery and couldn't put it down. I spent two late nights consuming pages until I had finished it. I was hooked and began reading more.

At some point I picked up a copy of the unabridged version of "The Stand." This daunting piece of literature weighed in at over 1100 pages. For some reason I got about 500 pages into it and then stopped. I don't remember if there was a new video game that stole my interest or a school project or what but I never ended up finishing that book.

From time to time I think about picking it up again. On Friday I did just that and I've spent much of the weekend drinking coffee and reading this masterpiece. Stephen King's ability to set a mood and describe in great detail events and characters is nothing short of brilliant and this book showcases his abilities.


The basic premise of the book involves the accidental release of a weaponized flu virus that quickly spreads across the country decimating the population. Those lucky few with immunity are left struggling to survive in this dangerous new world devoid of structure and authority. Most are lonely. Some go mad. But slowly people begin to find one another again and begin to build new societies.

I haven't gotten much further than that but I am somewhat familiar with the later plot details. Two groups of survivors develop. The good group forms an idealized democratic commune and plans to rebuild society learning from the mistakes of the former civilization. The other group is lead by a being of pure evil (a man named Randal Flagg who appears in many of King's novels) and wants to herald in an era of chaos, hedonism, and death to all who oppose them. The rest of the book deals with the conflict between these opposing groups.

Anyways, the book is great and if you are a King fan or have never read a book by the author I would highly suggest picking it up. If you like the book, I would recommend moving on to King's mangum opus: the Dark Tower series. The seven books are the greatest I've ever read and the story is both epic and haunting.


The amazing things about the series is that it encompasses the entire Stephen King megaverse. Characters who have died in other books reappear in Mid-World (the setting for this set of novels) and strange "thin" spots allow the characters to travel between Stephen King novels. During the later books, the characters actually enter our world and confront King himself. The plot is nothing short of genius.

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

The Job Search Picks Up

I'm still waiting to hear back from the company I interviewed with in Wisconsin. They said it could take up to 2 weeks but I'm really hoping they get back to me sooner. The entire interview process has taken nearly 2 months and their standards are extremely high. It would be a great opportunity if they were to offer me a position.

In the meantime, I've got some good news to report. I got an offer today for a job in New Jersey. I told them I'd like some time to think about it because I'm expecting some offers over the next few days. The next day they sent me an agreement to sign saying that the offer is only for a "trainee" position and doesn't guarantee employment. During the "trainee" period I would not receive salary but would get a monthly stipend of $500.

I emailed them back basically saying that was not acceptable. Even if they agree to my terms (salary starts immediately with training and I'm to be hired as an employee and not a trainee) I'm not seriously considering the offer. I've worked hard to get where I am and I'm worth more than a company with that kind of attitude.

I had an interview today and I was amazing. I think I really impressed them and would be surprised if I didn't get an offer. The technology I'd be working with sounds interesting and the salary is adequate. I genuinely liked everyone I met with and think that they would be a great group to work with. While I wish the salary was higher the stock options sound enticing and I think it could be a very lucrative venture if they end up being acquired.

I was also contacted by a huge company with a very interesting opportunity. I like to be discrete and I'm not going to tell you what company it is but let's just say you've heard of them. I sent them my resume and transcript and should hear back from them tomorrow about setting up a phone interview. This could be big and I'll update you as I hear more.

Things Are Looking Bright

A couple years ago I was on a particularly horrible flight. It was a regional jet flying through a storm that ended up becoming tornadic not long after the flight. At the time, I was flying to Indianapolis every week and had seen my fair share of turbulence. I'd never experienced anything like this. During the worst of it the plane was dropping hundreds of feet at a time (the captain had told us this after landing). I thought we were going to crash.

The turbulence was so bad that the flight attendent got slammed against the ceiling a couple times as did the passengers who werent' wearing their seat belts. The flight attendent was injured and bleeding badly and a quarter of the passengers had head injuries so we made an emergency landing. I never thought a plane could endure anything like that. I've flown about a dozen times since then and everytime the turbulence starts I clutch the seat chairs so hard my knuckles turn white.

On Monday, I took a plane trip for an interview I had on Tuesday. On the flight there, we began experiencing some mild turbulence and the terror set in. Instead of trying to fight it as I usually do, I gave in and let it consume me for a couple minutes. After that I was fine. On the flight back we experienced some moderate turbulence and I wasn't all that concerned. I think I've finally gotten over my fear.

The interview went well and the position sounds amazing. The corporate culture is like nothing I've ever seen before and I think it would be a great fit. You can tell the company really cares about its employees and, from what I hear, they have a great retention rate. I'm excited to hear back from them and I'll keep you updated.

It's Cold Outside and I Can't Sleep

It's cold in Tulsa. We're having the worst ice storm I've ever seen. The weatherman actually said that it would be "impossible" to drive tomorrow. I think it's going to be a long weekend. We stocked up on food and are planning to load up on some DS and movies.

Speaking of which, the DS is like crack. If you don't have it yet get one. You can't not find something to like about it. Playing New Super Mario Brothers is like getting to know an old friend... And then jumping on his head and escaping down a pipe in search of mushrooms and girls.
If you prefer to dork out a little (I do), there are some great RPG and strategy games out there. Final Fantasy III brings the old school RPG love while Advance Wars Dual Strike is a suprisingly deep turn-based strategy game. If you're a Sims kinda person, you've got Sims 2, Nintendogs, and Animal Crossing to play around with.I think the biggest hit so far has been Clubhouse Games. It has 42 games including some college drinking favorites. Remember President? You know, the game where if you went out first you became president and could make anyone drink anytime you wanted. Yeah, that's in there. And I'm amazing at it.

Oh yeah, for most the games out there all you need is one cartridge to set up wireless play with friends. New Super Mario Brothers has a bunch of mini-games (think Mario Party) that up to 4 people can play. Clubhouse Games lets up to 8 people in on the action.
Treat yourself. Touch it. Love it.

I've Been Neglecting You

***What's been going on***

Well, I created this blog and haven't said a word since Day 1. It's time to change that. Time to let you know what's going on. First off, I'm a married man now. The wedding was great and the reception ended up being a pretty wild party. The damn photographer got pictures of me dancing though. Not pretty.

It's nice being done with all the pre-wedding stress and just be again. We've got time to go see movies and hang out with friends again. Angela has changed her work schedule and is only working twice a week. That gives us a lot more time together which is nice since I'll (hopefully) begin working in an office situation again soon.

Speaking of working again. I'm done with my Masters and now I'm on the job hunt. I'm looking for a Software Engineering position and but haven't found anything yet. Starting to get a bit nervous actually. There are a few jobs in Tulsa that have expressed interest but I'm really hoping for this job in Wisconsin that I'm interviewing for on Monday.

I've got a lot of time on my hands now that my contract ended. I'm not just sitting around watching TV and playing video games. Well, thats not exactly true. I have spent some quality time with Gears of War. But I'm actually being quite productive as well. In addition to my daily job search (I submit at least a Resume a day) I've been learning C# and Visual Studio. It's a smart move on my part since that seems to be what everyone is programming in these days. I'm actually having a lot of fun with it. It's unbelievable how easy it is to make professional looking applications. I'm planning on taking the Microsoft Certification exam once I'm ready.

I've also been doing a lot of research lately. I'm actually preparing a paper for GECCO 2007 which is THE evolutionary computing conference. I'll be the primary author so if it gets accepted it'll be a pretty big deal for me. This would be my first published work. I'll keep you updated.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to lately.