Saturday, February 25, 2006

Just Never Know

I've been trying to come up with a name for my car. I like my initials, so I figure I'd like it to have the same. Not that you'll ever hear its last name, but it basically means the first initial will be J. Any suggestions?

Now on to real business... I met some cool people tonight. Remember I told you a few blogs ago I was getting up so I could let a sista use the computer, well, I called her tonight, and I went by her place and met up with the most minorities (8) I've seen in one place since I got here. I don't limit myself to just being around minorities... you can't do that here anyway, but I am from NY and it was refreshing to see them all. After chillin for a while, we drove down to Fayetteville, the college town. It was so crowded, we couldn't really go anywhere. That is good and bad news. Now I know for sure where to go to find all the people my age, BUT tonight was so crowded that we couldn't really do anything there, so we came back and went to IHOP. They are cool people, and it turns out that a few of them live in my apartment complex. See people, make those phone calls... you never know what can happen.

Yesterday I went to Best Buy, and I have a regret. See, I saw this beautiful black woman... But, she had a child with her. Now of course I assumed it was her child, but I probably shouldn't have. Either way, I saw her in the parking lot and I didn't do anything, based on the earlier assumption. Looking back, I don't have the luxury to really be doing things like that. I need to talk to everyone I can, because it could lead to other people, just like what happened tonight. You meet one person waiting for a computer, and before you know it, you meet 8 people.

That's it for now. I'm off to bed.

~JL

Friday, February 24, 2006

Just Got It

Well, the wait is over. I purchased my first vehicle and I couldn't be happier. I love it. Its really the color that does it, but overall its just a nice car. A toy to keep me occupied while I'm down here, since there isn't much to do but drive.

I went to observe an RFID installation the other day for work. It was a 2 and a half hour drive from here. I got to see more of Arkansas than I have yet. I have to admit, it really looked nice. The highway was the most direct route, and it just turned out to also be the scenic route. Eventually I'll get a camera so I can take pictures, but that won't be for a while. Everything is within budget but acquisition expenses for a car are extraordinate. It's going to take about 2 months to fully get comfortable.

Tonight, I'm actually going to travel to the college town and see what's going on over there. I'm sure I'll meet people my age (finally). I'm looking forward to it. That's it for now.

~JL

Monday, February 20, 2006

Just Back In Business

I'm back in action. My computer is here. Its a beast. I was going to get very technical and lay out all the specs, butI figure if anyone is interested they can hit me up separately... why bore you with those details.

I feel so much better now. I'm able to communicate. Blogger, instant messenger, e-mail... I couldn't do any of that from my work computer, and I was tired of having to wait in the clubhouse for people to get off of those.

I'm right in the middle of the car buying process. I don't understand how people walk into a dealer and just drive off with a car. This has been going on for several days with me now. They always need some other piece of information from me that I have to go home for and come back. Oh well, hopefully it will be done soon and hopefully I'll have the car I want if the price is right. I've given up on the TSX and I fell back to the Accord Coupe. I love that car, and I'm really looking forward to getting it, since the EXACT one I want is sitting on their lot. They are holding it for me, which is nice, but hopefully they're wiling to give me a reasonable deal on it.

The weather here is TERRIBLE. It started snowing friday night, and Saturday was an ice patch. Sunday was also an ice patch. I'm used to that type of driving, but the rest of th people down here aren't. It is extremely dangerous to be on these roads. Today warmed up slightly but there is still a lot of ice around. You have to drive and walk extremely slow, if you want to make it to your destination in one piece. Definitely not what I expected from Arkansas. I expected it to be at least a little warmer than Jersey.

As I think of more, I'll come back on. I'd rather actually talk about something than just ramble.

~JL

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Just Moving Along

I had a ton to talk about, and I was eager to write, but of course I can't remember anything. I know it has been a while, but this no internet situation makes things pretty difficult. I get in here once or twice a day on these public computers, and if they are in use, I just don't bother.

I know what today is, and for the most part I just didn't think about it, because of course I haven't been here long enough be able to have plans for tonight. I'm still going to have a nice dinner though, but besides all that, a good friend didn't forget about me. She said not to open the letter until today, (because it came yesterday) but I opened it early anyway. Its really good to know people haven't forgot about me (I knew that all along) but this was a very nice and appreciated reminder. Thank you.

As for work, I have to admit, today was a turning point for me.. not a major one, but the biggest since I've been here. See, since there are so many projects in progress, I haven't been able to give much input. I've mainly been following people around and picking things up as I go along. Today I took a slightly more proactive approach, and I realized not only is this a great job to have, its also a lot of fun. I threw some ideas out that were received well, and right before lunch we had a meeting with a company that showed us some emerging technologies. Excuse me for being vague, but I have to, though I really want to tell people... just can't. During the same meeting, my co-workers, who have been doing this much longer, just sat and gave the company their opinions on which direction they see certain technologies heading in. I think that's great. I can't wait to get to the point where I can sit and just think about what is going to happen next with a certain technology as far as developments or applications go. I do that now already but there is no experience behind it. When my co-workers say it, along with the company name behind them, there is some authority to it. I guess there is a certain level of power there... and maybe I'm just a little power hungry... all in good time.

I received a company laptop. I love it... its nice and light and small, but of course I have to respect it... meaning I can't take it home and use it as my personal computer. I guess the point I'm getting to is that I like what I do. Its early yet but I'm glad I came out here (for the most part). Things are taking shape, i'm starting to realize where I fit into the team I'm on, and I'm beginning to get some responsiblility. My co-workers/team members are great too. The downside right now, still haven't met many people, and at the same time I haven't been too proactive about it either. I'll rephrase... I meet quite a few people daily, but not on my level in terms of a young, fresh out of school professional. Where are all they? I know they are around. This week is dedicated to finding them. They are probably near the university where everything else is. That's about a 20 minute drive, and its not a bad drive, its just that it can get tiring from time to time. I save that drive for the weekends, especially since there is no reason to go out there during the week. I'm sure they are here at work too. I don't work in the main buildings, but those are just big open rooms full of cubicles. I'm sure they are there but there is no way for me to see them. I'm pretty good, I can detect young people from pretty far away, but in this environment I'd have to check each cubicle individually. So I invented the, "Oops, I'm new here," method so I could check each cubicle, and that is working pretty well. Only a couple thousand more cubicles to go.

Lastly, on Sunday I went to the gym. That was a lot of fun but I realized how out of shape I am. The company gym is amazing. Out here, they build out instead of up, so this gigantic building has 3 indoor pools (2 are olympic), 2 indoor running tracks, an enormous basketball area, a weight machine section, and a cardio machine section, and then racquet ball and a ton of studios for yoga, aerobics, spinning and other things. As far as tennis goes, there is an entire separate building for that, with 6 indoor courts and 4 outdoor. Great facility to say in the least. On my first day, I stuck to the indoor track. (10 laps = 1 mile) I ran half a mile, then walked/jogged 3 laps, then ran 2 more laps. It was good. I was tired but I wasn't dead. Then I went downstairs to try and regain my long lost basketball skills. After about 5 minutes of wondering what the hell was wrong with me, I started to hit some shots. When I was getting ready to leave, 2 old guys and 1 guy probably in his 30s came. They were just shooting around at first but then asked me if I wanted to get in on a 2 on 2. I was alright with that. I was doing pretty well... but about 15 minutes into it I was dead. I literally couldn't go on. I hit the wall (that's figuratively, or in fitness terms). So I had to take a break. The old guys were laughing and saying, "You can't be tired already, I haven't even worked up a sweat." <--- that's in an Arkansas accent. Well, I didn't tell them I just ran a mile. They were good sports though, so I called it quits and went home to shower and rest. I'm still pretty sore though. That's all I can think of for now. I still haven't made my car decision. Hopefully the weather is good this weekend. I'll head down to the dealership and decide once and for all. I still have 2+ weeks before I need the car, so if they don't have it on the lot, that gives them time to get it. Happy Valentine's Day... see I can be a good sport about it, but you can guarantee, I could care less about it this year (but thanks again for the card). ~JL

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Just Making Progress

The computer is finally ordered, but I won't be getting it until the 27th. Until then, I'll be sitting on my hands... but luckily my cable is all set up (I feel for you Dizzy) and at least I can watch TV after work. Back in NY and NJ, we don't have the luzury of having TVone, but I was very happy when I realized that it was part of my package. One of my favorite shows (before I was hooked on 24) was Boston Public. I remember watching it back in High School, well, they show it on TVone, pretty late at night, but it comes on. I don't know exactly what times, but DVR catches it, and I watch it when I can... ah technology. I guess that's what I'm here doing. I'm working on/with technologies that will make things even more convenient. Since I started working, I have to be extra careful about what I say here, so I will no longer even mention the technology I work with, but I will give some vague descriptions of what I do, and those who know me can feel free to get in touch with me if they want to know a little more.

I have an engineering degree, but this job incorporates more of a business perspective. This means that while there are many opportunities to be technical, that is not the focus. Its only a small part of the job. The rest of it is about moving forward with what we are working on, and making sure everyone else does as well. This is perfect for me because I don't want to be in a room designing circuits all day or writing code. This lets me work on multiple projects, still be goal oriented, and learn more about the business side and the politics that come with it. So far so good. I know I will learn a great deal, and it will be interesting to see where this takes me.

That's all I can think of for now. Someone else (a sista) is waiting to use the computer. (smiles) There are black people here, and enough of them, just not as many as I've grown accustomed to.

~JL

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Just Made It... BUT...

Well, I'm here, and finally able to blog, but unfortunately not in the conditions I had hoped... see... I made it fine, but my computer won't turn on. I'm surprised at how calm I've been able to stay in this situation, but nonetheless, it needs to get replaced as soon as possible. I ordered cable and internet and both are due to be turned on on Tuesday. That was set into motion before I knew my computer was broken. For those who have seen my computer, u may know that I use it to watch TV. Well, not only will I have no internet until my new computer gets here, I have no TV either. That means no 24 tomorrow night, or the week after, unless I make some friends really quick (shouldn't be a problem, people are REALLY nice around here). But bottom line, as far as money goes, I can't order the computer until Wednesday, then I have to wait for them to build and ship it. They probably won't be able to ship until the 20th... so looks like I'm down for the count until the end of February.

I've been to Walmart just about once a day since I got here, getting everything I need to make my place more comfortable. The greeter at the door, Lee, struck up a conversation with me (he's pretty old) but he's a cool guy. I'll see him every Thursday and Sunday as long as I use that entrance... or believe it or not, that Walmart, since there are 2 others within a 10 minute drive of here. All 3 are Super Walmarts and while the size is excessive, it definitely has everything I could possibly need. I started to buy groceries so I could make dinner, but I realized I didn't have half of the utensils I needed, so I just walked out of the supermaket section and found pots & pans, baking trays, kitchen towels... everything else I needed. Then I bought a toaster oven, a vacuum, all the cleaning supplies I need, and I'm sure a lot more that I can't remember.

The Apartment is great. Its a lot more spacious than I remember. I spent most of Friday putting my furniture together, which included my desk, bed and bedside tables.... I did my coffee table Saturday morning. Right now the coffee table is the only thing in the lviing room. Besides all that, everything is unpacked and put away and I'm at the point where I just need to choose my car. That is much easier said than done.

I'm trying to be practical but part of me says I should just get what I want within reason. Practical = Honda Civic, while what I want = Acura TSX (that 2nd car changes on a daily basis, yesterday it was the Accord Coupe). Then on top of all that, I walk into these dealers and they are so quick to try and sell me something (of course) that I know the information they are giving me isn't the best to go on. So I'm at a point where I'm trying to make a good decision, but not get taken to the cleaners. Luckily, I have the rental car until the beginning of March, so there is no rush.

A family friend invited me to a superbowl party tonight. That's where I'm off to soon. I can't think of anything else to talk about right now, but I'll be back as soon as I can... I'm typing from the computers in our club house and they are usually taken (there are only 2). I start work tomorrow, well, orientation for a day and a half. For those who have the number, feel free to call. It'll be rough with no TV or music or internet or photos.

~JL