blog (October, 2003)
hollow weaning
Rolled to work at 11 this morning, and left the building around 9:30pm. I slid my schedule forward today so I could tear out cables and redesign some of the network tonight when no one would be around needing a connection. I've spent probably half of these first couple days at work in that server closet, organizing and configuring. I'm anxious to straighten out as much as I can of my domain here -- streamline as much of the monkeystuff as possible so I can pursue more interesting aspects of the job.
I'm confronting initial troubles in shifting from unemployment to full-time. The past months' leisure time wasn't enough for me to do all I wanted; now I'm not even close to that. I've got to get over this first hump of weariness. I come home and am too drained -- especially if after going for a run -- to try and tackle any of the social/geeky/housewarming/&more goals I have.
A few tricks & treats are up my sleeves; I've just got to get the shirt out of the closet.
adventure run
...The newly dubbed outing in which your smarmy host our charming hero uses his impeccable sense of indirection to lose himself in the knotted cobwebs that are the local [sub]urban streetsystems.
The endeavor invariably carries him nearly twice as far as he would like to run -- this particular adventure run ending, (after thirteen and one-half miles at a steady clip,) in a feeble finish where the early darkness had sent home all of the sideline spectators except the neatly raked piles of leaves, their rustles and whispers of "what happened to him?" just audible to our spent wanderer.
to Cleveland after all
Sometimes when you've got a couple suns rising just over the nearest hill, even elevator jazz can lift you up and groove you.
After all I was just sweating about not wanting to return to Cleveland, I'm really pretty excited to be doing just that today.
While I was in Cleveland last week for a trial run with a non-profit organization, an old friend came out of the woodwork and offered me a few months at another firm in the city. They recently lost their network admin, so I'll be taking over his role and doing some software development. Minimum 6 weeks, hopefully longer.
Just finalized this morning, so I'm packing up the car and I'll be off within a few hours. Moving in with Dave, Matt & Jeffrey -- so we're back to Case senior year life'times, except this version in a nice pad in Cleveland Heights instead of a crummy dorm suite.
Man, that elevator jazz got old real quick. Maybe it was the caffeine that had me goin. Anyhow, I'm tryin to stay electrified, and to get myself out the door here...
sour Ohio grapes
My interview Monday went well. Enough that I decided to stick around Cleveland 'til Friday to go in to work there for a sort of trial period. I was a bit frustrated at the outset. They didn't seem think I should receive any of compensation for my few days' trial period. I was investing my time there, and doing solid work for them. I don't think I was off-base in expecting some recompense; at least coverage for my living and travel expenses. But the job jibes with where I want to be heading right now, and their work and direction are interesting. After some unsuccessful discussion I chalked it up, deciding a few days of my time would be worth it if, come Friday, I'd found a good place to work, and the details & financials were right. And if not? Well, it would be a good experience anyway.
Well... it was a good experience anyway.
The organization is young and hasn't yet got all four feet on the ground. Which is fine -- I'm looking for a place that's small and fast-moving, where I'll matter; I want to play an important role and be accountable. But this place doesn't really have its head on straight. The guy I've been working alongside the last couple days got fed up and sort of quit today, just as I was, as well, nearing a sort of confused breaking point. No need for more details, I think.
Back to Rochester tomorrow or Saturday, this time with some refined ideas of what I'm looking for, and what I should be watching out for. I didn't want to move back to Cleveland anyway...
loose ends
I'm in the guest bedroom of Jeffrey, Dave and Matthew's Cleveland house, trying on my clothes for tomorrow's interview. Looking down at the nice slacks that drape my legs, and the ends of my tie hanging unevenly down from either side of my neck, it's easy to feel grown up and business-like. A few fumbled attempts at tying, though, undo any imagination of finesse.
There's a Knots & Ropework book on the ground in front of me. Another art I'd like to learn but will never get around to, unless that dream of living out at sea someday comes true.
Jeffrey is downstairs, cleaning the kitchen and building a table. Andre cooked us breakfast this morning in his new one-bedroom attic apartment, down the hill and closer to our alma-mater. His place was humble, clean, and cheap. I could see myself in a joint like that.
Fourth try and I get the lengths right and pull the triangular knot tight to my neck. Swinging the sportscoat behind my back and sliding my arms into the sleeves I feel like the smooth, shavecream-commercial man again.
Bah. I've got to go somewhere.
back from politikin'
My weekend trip to D.C. was great. Josh made up for his CD collection with solid driving, so the ride wasn't bad. Pennsylvania is always a chore to plow through, though. Autumn turns the area's typically bland hill:tree landscapes into more pleasing flames licking the sides of the car; this provided eye-candy and something to talk about.
Oldbuddy James was our embassador; spent most of the time at his place in College Park, MD, with him, his girl and justbackfromKuwait friend, and took a couple trips into downtown DC for sightseeing and chilling. Silver & gold friends. House party, and good-old-fashioned fun.
Back home, I'm still in consumption mode. meh.
Trying to find ways of melding together my real life and geek life. That means meeting geeks in the physical world, (Meetup?) and getting my real-life friends more involved in more of the net's social-linkage (Friendster?)
Working...
Rochester Web Design Meetup
Tonight I met four local web designers for the Rochester, NY Web Design Meetup.
My first Meetup, (through meetup.com,) had me a touch anxious of what to expect, but it was worthwhile and enjoyable. The relatively thin turnout was just fine for good discussion of web development and technologies on multiple levels: business, hobbyist, and straightup geektalk.
I found interesting the perspectives of people involved in the web but somewhat outside the blog universe. Wrapping my geekself up with involvement in this realm, I've taken it for granted -- as if it is what's going on with the web right now.
But isn't it?
I made some friendly and intelligent acquaintances/contacts and picked up a few good leads to local area user groups: the Rochester Flash User Group, and the Greater Rochester Macromedia User Group, where Chris (from tonight's meetup) will be presenting a talk Tuesday night, Dreamweaver MX and Practical CSS: How to Separate Content from Presentation.
status:fusion
Did you have your eyes closed? I'm here.
I work out a bit: you might've caught a glance of me running on the canal path, lifting at the rec center, or lap-swimming at a nearby pool.
No? Maybe scouring the library for my latest dose of sights & sounds? Whatabout at one of the coffeeshops around -- I've been sampling the selection of roasts and roosts while working through a book of writing exercises.
Still no? Ok, well you must've seen me out at the bars.
Really, I don't know what I'm doing; a little bit of everything, I guess. I've been traveling a bit, too -- Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Boston, Buffalo, and, this coming weekend, D.C. Amused, but without a muse. Seemingly nothing to write home about, or if there never is, no motivation to fill the space with empty chatter.
This moment in my life is a lull in the conversation, where I shuffle my feet a bit, and she takes a sip of her drink, and we both brainstorm another path to [t/w]alk down.