Summary Update

I know it's a blogger cliché, but I have been too busy to post lately. In fact my "internet life" has been nearly non-existent, which in turn is making me feel very detached and isolated. Damn, doesn't that sound contradictory?

Mostly it's all due to me starting a new job at MotoSport, Inc. I happen to have joined their IT team in the middle of a busy shopping season, and while their doing multiple large system installs/conversions. Nothing like hitting the ground running and never getting a break to catch your breath. But I like it that way, I strive in a fast paced environment, especially when the work is fun. I've been out of the full time coding arena for a while. So being back in the game, I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I'm doing fun work, in a fun business environment, and working with good talented people. It's so nice to be not working with medical codes. I'm working with tangible products, motorcycle gear & products, something that is of interest to me in my personal life.

Anyhow, I'll finally get to break away for a bit in the coming weeks. I'm heading out of town to throw my cousin's bachelor party, and then I'm getting out of the city and spending a long weekend in the wilderness. We're doing our annual trip out to the family property. I'll be sure to post some pics when I return.

Enjoying my Retirement!

It's been a while since I've posted a blog on here. That's because I've been busy enjoying my retirement! Well that's what I've been telling everyone anyhow. I got laid off work last month after nearly eight full years with my company. It was a great ride! I have no complaints. I will miss certain clients and coworkers that I have had the opportunity to grow close too. I wish them all the best. I thank the company for giving me a great start to such a young beginning programmer. Starting when I was 19 fresh from college, becoming one of the youngest System Engineers in the companies history (if not the youngest). I have appreciated the support, opportunities, and career growth that the company has provided over the years. I wish them the best in the future. Maybe our paths will cross again someday. Friends/family have asked if I had any prior knowledge about the layoff. No, it was one of those blind sided events that happened on a random Monday. The decision had nothing to do with my work performance. The layoffs where handled at a corporate level, each center given a list of job titles that where to be closed. It was another one of those high level corporate decisions to boost 4th quarter end of the year numbers. It's the stock game. They've continually amputated the good leg in an effort to heal the whole body. Makes more sense to amputate the bad leg right? What can you do? This type of thing is to be expected in the IT business. In all I'm not worried about it. I have exceptional programming & business analyst skills that will lead me to a better job in the near future. This is an opportunity to refine my skills and further my career. I'm taking some time off to get some training in newer languages and technologies that I haven't had exposure to yet. I'll then be even more marketable. I can also enjoy some time off to spend with friends, family, and most importantly my son Logan. We'll have more time for Father & Son activities. I can also use the time off to finish up some of my hobby projects.

Terraformation of Mars to Create New Human Race?

I watched an interesting program on OPB called Exploring Space: The Quest For Life. It talked about the possibility of terraforming mars. The theories of terraforming mars isn't anything new (1) (2) (3) and is highly debatable whether it's even possible. But the interesting part of the show was the discussion about the long term effects on the human body from colonization of Mars. They attempted to analyze just the effects a lower gravity would have on the human body over countless generations. They showed evidence from studies done regarding short term effects of zero gravity, most evidently was the loss of muscle mass especially within the human heart. Since the heart isn't constantly fighting the effects of gravity to pump blood around the body it doesn't need to maintain the same muscle mass. It went on an on to show how the body would change and adapt to new conditions. If humans still inhabited earth while new colonies procreated on mars, eventually you would end up with two entirely different humans. Each generation of martian human would have a harder time returning to earth as they wouldn't be used to the greater gravity, it could even start to be fatal for them. The whole thing brings up so many interesting questions: - Would those changes be for the better or worse? How would we handle that? Today we have enough problems with people fighting each other due to differences in culture, racial, religious, sexual orientation, etc. Would our worlds grow apart making another difference to provoke war? Or would it help to create a better future? - If you had the choice to move to a new world, making a choice for all your future offspring, would you go? I guess that would be the type of decision many of our ancestors had when faced with a choice to travel to America. What are your thoughts?

My 27th Birthday!

Darci and I are hosting a large BBQ in honor of all our friends with March/April birthdays (including me). It's going to be one hell of a party, and it's taken up a lot of our time to prepare for it. Mostly because we skipped on spring cleaning this year and have to do it at this time. In addition it's a motivating factor for me to complete my new arcade modifications. Check the gallery section next week for pictures of the event. Time is really starting to fly by, that must mean I'm having a lot of fun then? In a few days I'll turn 27 and another year of my life will have gone by. In addition to the need for celebration, this is also a time for reflection and goal planning for me. So in retrospect what have I accomplished, participated in, experienced, or learned in the last year? (To keep things organized here's a list): Misc Accomplishments: - Four Year Anniversary: Darci and I celebrated our fourth year together as a couple. That's twice as long as any of my previous relationships. So that goes a long way to show how happy and compatible we are together. It also adds more fuel to the fire of all the marriage inquiries I get from family/friends. - Logan: My son is now five years old. He's getting bigger and smarter every day. I'm continually amazed at the new things he does. - Blazer: I finally got a new mode of transportation. I've been pretty excited about it because we've needed a vehicle with off-road capability and a towing capacity for a long time. This will really help us enjoy our summer activities immensely more. - FVTV Producer: I signed on with FVTV as a new producer. This gives me access to their camera equipment, editing studios, and the ability to play my work on their television station. I'm planning to use this as a starting platform to improve my camera work and editing skills. Hopefully once I've masters these a bit more I'll be ready to start my own private feature work. - Motorcycle Endorsement: After two attempts at the motorcycle drivers course I finally passed. However to navigate the nearly impossible slalom course I had to borrow Darci's Ninja 250. - Paid off debts: I worked hard to get all my outstanding debts paid off this year. By the end of 2006 I should be 100% debt free. That'll be nice as I think we'll be looking to buy a house around then. - Brittany moved in: I was able to help my little sister out by letting her live with me for a while so she can go to school to get an education that'll help her provide for herself. This is also an opportunity for her to reflect on her life and to do some soul searching. I'm hoping that in another year she'll have a good foot hold on her life and have the tools she needs to be a stable/independent person. Projects: - Arcade: I made a ton of additions to my bar/arcade this last year. I got a killer deal on the English Mark Dart Machines, then traded one of them away for the Nintendo Dual System Cabinet, I purchased the Xenophobe cabinet & acquired all the necessary parts to restore it, next I purchased the Ghost Town machine, I built the Jukebox, and remodeled the MAME arcade to include a 4-player control panel. - FusionDisaster.com: I finally got around to building a web server at home and getting it online, registered my domain, redesigned the website, and learned PHP/MySQL so I could code all the site functionality from scratch. - Computer Upgrades: I acquired a bunch of new hardware which I was able to cascade through my home network to upgrade all my machines to optimal performance levels. I also updated my storage space, now with a combined mass of 768Gb. So what's on the horizon? What are my plans for the next year of my life? Here's some goals: - Projects: This next year I want to focus on my film work. I'm nearly finished with my feature film script "MESSED", but I have a long way to go before I can think seriously about that. I have a lot of hands on experience to gain, equipment/rigs to build, and a portfolio to fill. - Pacific Crest Trail: I want to start hike the PCT that will be a great accomplishment. It's a physical and mental challenge that I want to tackle. - Finances: I want to finish paying off my debt and buy a house. That way I can start investing in my future and the future of my family. - Logan: I want to focus more on Logan and help him develop by participating in some organized activities. Whether it's Karate, Scouts, Sports, or ??. This will help him gain confidence in his abilities and develop a precedence for our interaction for years to come.

Baby Alert!

It seems to be baby season again, as a lot of folks I know are expecting. In fact two of them have already delivered. First was my neighbors new daughter, Karly Ryan Leonard born 3.7.2006 @ 10:13 am, weighing 5lbs 5oz, measuring 19in long. Next was my good friends the Stadlers new boy, Noah Michael Stadler born 3.14.2006 @ 1:25 pm, weighing 8lbs 3oz, measuring 22in long. And in a month or two my other good friends the Buckwalters will be delivering their baby. It's a very exciting time for my friends, and a wake up call that times are changing. It seems like just a few years back we all were single and care free. Now couples are starting to get married, buying houses, and starting families. I however had a jump start on that with the birth of my son Logan. I've been on the "fast track to retirement" as a coworker of mine stated (Associate level college courses completed at age 18, professional career started at age 19, and first child at age 21). So since I've been through a bit of the married with children life, I'm a bit hesitant to go back to it. However I do understand that this time there will be a lot of positive differences, and the support of friends w/children would provide social support. However these days I'm just feeling selfish, there is so much I want to see & do, and procreating would just get in the way of that. I do eventually want more children. I would love to have a daughter so that I can get the life experience of it, and another son is definitely desirable. However I fear that my timeline of events won't be quick enough for the maternal clock ticking within my better half. I guess we'll just have to take it day-by-day and see how things sort themselves out.