Shoes for Dogs

Enjoy.

This one, not so much.

Another For You

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclamining: 'Wow! What a ride!'"

For You

It's been a long two years.
It's time to smile.
We've made it this far, just like you said.
Just like you said we would.

There are no more tears.
We've used them all.
So now we'll rely on our laughter,
And the faith that pain brings joy.

I hope that you can see,
The strength that pulled us through
Is now passed on to me.
No need to worry like you always do.

This far from home. . . .
It doesn't feel as far when I know you're doing well.
The distance is what you make it.

I hope that you can see,
The strength that pulled us through
Is now passed on to me.
No need to worry like you always do.

Finally

So it really doesn't feel like it's been two months since my last entry.

These things have always been an intermittent thing for me, probably resulting from the fact that I have a difficult time talking about myself with any regularity. I simply don't find myself interesting or humorous enough to warrant these sorts of things. I press on for you, my faithful friends, and I do so gladly because this time, I actually have something to write about.

I got a job. Finally. And a good job, at that.

I'll be working for a Department of Defense contractor out in Fort Worth called EFW. We're a part of a larger company called Elbit Systems of America, which is part of a larger Israeli company called Elbit Systems Limited. We work hand in hand with Lockheed, Boeing, Bell, and Bradley to develop helmet-mounted targeting and sighting systems, real-time mapping and tracking software, ordinance guidance systems, and some data storage black box type stuff. I'll be doing software engineering, which is what I've been looking for with the most vigor over the past 9 months. I think I'll enjoy the work the most out of all of the options currently available to me. The position promises to give me some valuable experience in software design and development which I can take to other larger software companies in the future, if I want. But it will also give me hands-on experience in testing the code on the target hardware, doing some quality assurance, and maybe even some technical writing from time to time. Plus getting into defense is usually a safe bet, and when Lockheed has had 5% layoffs in the recent past, this company is hiring actively. I think my department alone is bringing on 6 or 7 new engineers plus interns over the next few months. If you are in software and are willing to get to the Dallas area, get me your resume.

I started today, actually. I get to wear jeans to work everyday, and I only work until noon on Friday. I have my own cube with my own whiteboard, and I will be taking my Copeland poster into work tomorrow to hang on the wall. My diploma from UT will be framed soon, and I will likely put that in my cube too. I get my own computer (a nice Dell with one of those nice flat screen monitors). I would take pictures for you, but then I would be dead, and it would be all your fault (they are kinda serious about protecting the national interests here). I have a badge to unlock all of the secret doors, and I get this sweet blue jacket which keeps me static-free while I'm in the labs.

So I have a job. And I have a new car because of that job, thank God.

The commute is around 45 minutes to an hour with light traffic, and I simply didn't want to make the drive in the Explorer. It might have finally given up the ghost on me, if not exploded altogether. It was a good little truck, and I'll be devoting a bit of time in the near future to trying to find it a suitable home with someone who wants to transfer toxic chemicals or something. I figure it's still a fine car for that. I mean, it only has 110,000 miles. For being ten years old, that's not all that bad.

I got the new Infiniti G37. For those of you that know me fairly well, you'd know that I've been wanting this car for a year or more. And I've been wanting a new car since I was 3. Let me tell you, while trying to refrain from sounding like too much of a pompous dickbag, that this car is hot. It turns the drive into more of a joyride than any sort of "commute". It's my baby, and I am far too protective of it for my own good. I'm afraid to park it in the parking lot at work. I consider it my one "irresponsible" splurge. I can afford it, mind you, but I pretty much signed the next five years of my life over to Infiniti on Saturday. Help me decide on a name for it.

What else?

The new Mae CD (or atleast the first six tracks) is super hot. Cloverfield was sick. The new Rambo was laughable. Oh, and Tom Brady got punked. Did I leave anything out?

EDIT:
Apparently, I did. Enjoy.