Behind Door #3 is... A BRAND NEW CAR!!!

We opted for what was behind door number 3 today - kind of. Jooj had been talking about getting a new (new as in "used") car for a few weeks. With Kelsey turning 16 and my work schedule we knew that we wouldn't be able to rely on the Jeep. I feared that my time with the Jeep was winding down and I was sad, but also excited about the thought of a new car.

Well, Jooj found a red Honda Civic online that she liked and we went to check it out today. It was a 2-door 2004 EX - very sporty and a little flashy. It had 55K miles on it, rode well, and was in our price range. After the test drive I asked the dude to take us inside and go over some paperwork. We did.

But then we hit a snag (don't worry, it turns out well). Another person was already "in the back" getting her financing straightened out for THE VERY SAME CAR! We had every right to just walk away. But the sales dude really wanted a new pair of shoes so he cut us a deal. He offered another 2004 Civic EX - gray, 4-door, and with just 33K miles... for right about $1000 more than what we were going to pay for the first car (a substantial discount from the sticker price).

We considered it. We test drove. We went inside. We did some paperwork. We opted for what was behind door #3. And we walked away with Jooj's new car!

And the best part of this story? Well, besides Jooj getting her little Civic, I not only get to share the CR-V with Kelsey (so I kind of get a new car) but I also get to keep my beloved (piece of sh!t) Jeep! Life is good.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

First week at Genscape

So I finished my first week at Genscape and I'm loving it. I think my coding skills rusted a bit over the last two years as the projects dried up at ServicePower. I've hit the ground running at Genscape and am so invigorated to be working on new, exciting stuff. I find their product to be so darn interesting. And the project I'm working on will have have an impact that can be noticed - not just another cog in some lumbering webapp. I'm going to love working for the R&D department. I really love going into work (and even enduring the drive downtown).

Genscape is such a great place. The office is hip and modern. The people there are either young, energetic, or young and energetic. It feels like a start-up but has the financial backing to not have to worry about being a start-up :) I have two monitors (one is just so early-2000s). I love the team that I'm on (Dev) as well as the team that I work with (R&D). We have a kick-ass kitchen. Lunch is catered/ordered in on Fridays. We have a candy drawer and a beer fridge (and holy shit, the beer fridge has one of my old incuBusiness magnets on it!!!!!!111!!!one!!11!!!!). We have an office dog named Buzz. I mean, sheesh, this is what the modern office environment should be.

Today we actually didn't order out but instead had a pot luck luncheon. I knew there were some vegetarians in the office (and assumed a few more lurked about) so I whipped out my Spicy Spinach & Black Bean Lasagna. It was a hit! And the rest of the vittles were top-notch. It was so good.

And I learned a very important thing today. I didn't have a way to heat up my casserole dish but the receptionist (Amy, the owner of Buzz) showed me a trick of placing the dish on the griddle. It worked like a charm!!!

Tomorrow's post will be a bit more somber though... an ode to the Jeep, who's 12-year relationship with me may be drawing to a close...

Proud of Kelsey

My baby grrrl has her driver's permit now. Yay! Now I can put her behind the wheel and it won't be illegal :)

She also played with charcoals for the first time and her sketch is rockin'! I'm so proud of her!!!

I'm still lovin' the new job. I'm working on some exciting stuff.

I'm *really* looking forward to falling back an hour this weekend. I know that it means less sunlight but that extra hour of sleep sounds delectable right about now :)

Being employed rules!

That is all.

The day after

Wow, the party last night was slammin'! And I learned one valuable lesson last night. I will never throw another party without the magic of karaoke. It was a hit. I had so much with it (and some would argue that I was a hit). I really enjoyed singing and performing. At times I would pick up the mic, start up a song in an empty room, and finish to roaring applause. Man, it felt great!

Everything else was great too. Will had his friends. Kelsey had her friends. We had some great friends and family show up and I appreciate everyone who made it out. We look forward to celebrating our 9th annual party next year!

In other news...

* I start my new job tomorrow. I am so happy to be rejoining the ranks of the employed. And I'm tickled to be working where I am. More on that after I get a few days under my belt.

* I hate the new CNN.com. I'm not a fan of the layout but I can get over it. What I can't forgive is the fact that they have completely removed their Science section. It is as extinct as the dinosaurs. So sad. Their science coverage has been going downhill for some time but this is probably what will cause me to switch my online news source.

* Why are the Giants trying to run the ball against the Cardinals' 1st ranked running defense while Eli is simply not tossing the ball nearly enough against their 31st ranked (that's second to last for you non-NFL peeps) passing defense? Sheesh! Vikings lost... boo!

I hurt

I skated over the weekend and I hurt. I removed the over-the-range microwave tonight (after my second attempt) and I hurt. That silly Wii Fit has me stressing about my weight so I've killed my abs with Super Hula-Hoop and I hurt.

The Halloween party is approaching and there is still so much to do. This aching back can't slow me down! I simply won't allow it!

Had lunch today with a good portion of the team(s) I'll be working with at my new job. I'm so stoked... I really can't wait 'til Monday. A new chapter is about to begin...

Hate to see you go, Dave :(

I got an email yesterday informing me that Dave Minors passed away after a fast, unexpected illness. I had worked with Dave during my time at ServicePower. He and Earl were the "two old guys" that would call me up from time to time - sometimes to ask a favor, sometimes to have a favor asked of them from me, and sometimes just to shoot the shit. Dave was no Spring chicken, but he also wasn't the oldest dog on the block either. I am quite shocked and very saddened to hear of his passing.

I just don't have much else to say on the matter. I'm sure his family is devastated by the loss and I wish them the best.

Go to Hell, Wii Fit!!!

We picked up the Wii Fit Plus last night at the new super-duper Target. Jooj had wanted it for a while. She is excited to check out its yoga offering. She hinted at getting it for her some time ago but it was hard to find and then the jobless thing and yadda yadda yadda.

So anyway, I set it up for her today. During setup, it goes on and on about posture and health and blah blah blah. I put in my birth date. I put in my height. Then it measured my BMI... and came back with 26%. WHOAH! Still reeling from that "comfortable" number, it then had the audacity to tell me that I'm overweight. Maybe... but... but, you know... that may just be a matter of opinion, man! Without even giving me time to recover from that the Wii then informs me that an ideal weight for my height is 148 lbs. What?!?!?! Are you crazy, Wii Fit? Have you lost your silicon mind? I haven't weighed that since high school!

At this point, I'm a little concerned. Jooj wanted this thing so she could play around with some yoga moves. She doesn't know that this weigh in/BMI/computer criticism is part of the program. I'm not sure this is going to fly. You may think that I'm joking but there may be a greater than average possibility that this Wii Fit Plus unit will be bagged up and back on Target's shelf by sundown!

Job Offer

I will circumvent any smart-ass or cute comments and cut right to the chase. I got a job offer today and I'm going to take it. It was at one of the two places where I interviewed a couple of weeks ago and I am quite pleased with entire package. Jooj is on her way home and I have to take a shower so we can go out and celebrate (she's THE BEST!).

I'll have more details later. And while on the subject, I just wanted to let everyone know that my brother-in-law got a job too. It's not an ideal position but at least we're both out of the ranks of the unemployed!

(Oh, don't you worry, "The Man"... I'll still be filing on Thursday and expecting my check on Saturday. You and I aren't finished quite yet!)

The list

The wife left this morning for work while I "enjoyed" another day of unemployment. Some days are easier than others. I try to keep myself busy - even if it is with stuff that, in the grand scheme of things, isn't really all that important.

When she was leaving she asked if I could pick up her medicine form the pharmacy. I told her I could. She also asked me to mop the floor where Will spilled a Sprite. I told her I could do that as well. She then asked if she needed to write these tasks down. I said something like, "What, make a list with two things on it? I don't think I need a list for that, honey."

Well, guess who has two thumbs and didn't do either of the two things that my wife didn't put on a theoretical list? That's right... this guy!

They did it!

Remember that half-crazed blog post I had a while back about NASA's LCROSS project? Well, they did it. They smashed a big hunk of junk into the moon and then measured the dust-up with another hunk of junk as it smashed into the moon. Ain't science fun?

I'm snarky and don't feel well. I have a cold and the weather is crap. I'm also still a little upset from yesterday's Stormtrooper debacle. Not to mention I have BYE week headaches going on right now in FFL and a dicey QB issue. I won't go into it. Yeah, actually, I will...

My main man, Phillip Rivers, is on a BYE this week. I wasn't even remotely worried about it because his backup is Eli Manning. But ol' Eli pulled up gimpy last week and has some sort of injury that sounds like a cross between an STD and leprosy. So I went looking for a backup to my backup. Corell Buckhalter is injured and just riding pine anyway so I unloaded him for Derek Anderson. Oh, but Derek's main receiver, Braylon Edwards, was traded to the Jets THAT DAY. So I drop him and pick up Seneca Wallace. He's done well enough for the Seahawks while Hasselbeck recovers from his busted rib. D'oh, guess whose rib isn't busted anymore? So I dropped Wallace and pick up Trent Edwards. He's been sucking for the Bills for two straight weeks. Maybe he is due? Maybe I'm desperate? We shall see...

Stormtrooper down

I went upstairs today and found one of my Star Wars stormtrooper statuettes on the ground. It happens from time to time due to house rattles, earth tremors, slammed doors, and feline escapades (normally due to the latter). What I was horrified to find was his foot laying separate from his body. Oh no!

Yep, he was broken. I won't say how much I spent on him (it probably isn't as much as you think... hopefully) but it is no longer available - and made only in Japan - so I don't think I'll be finding a replacement. It's a shame because he was one of my favorite pieces.

Well, guess I'll get the modeling glue out and see what I can do...

This and that

Got a call yesterday. Didn't get the one job. It was the one that I wasn't terribly excited about. I want to say that I am upset since I have only one active possibility at the moment but I'm not. This job was a little weak and, while comfortable, wasn't going to be exciting. I took a look at jobs posted this week in case nothing happens with the other prospect and there is nothing new. Zilch.

FFL is really rolling. My division took in 3 wins yesterday (the guy who lost didn't start a QB or a RB and still almost won). San Francisco's DST gained 43 points. Holy mackerel, that's a lot of points for any given player! And nearly unfathomable for any position other than elite QB or RB. Way to go coach (pats self on back).

Met up with Jim, Pat, Jeremy, and dad last night at Gerstle's to watch the Vikings more or less dominate the Packers. And speaking of Packers, the place was PACKED! We posted up by the door and stood for three hours while we watched the game. At least we had a railing to lean on. Go Vikes!

Torn

Had a great interview today. I'm so torn between my two prospective job possibilities. It's going to be very difficult to determine which is better for me, my family, and my career. I should be thankful since there is a very real possibility that I may have not just one, but two job offers (I think... I hope). I can't get ahead of myself and I refuse to worry about what comes next until I actually have an offer in my hand. Once I do, I can pressure the other possibility to show their cards. After that I can move forward... and get back on the job wagon!