i should do this more often

Been a while, figured I'd throw an update up here. Wow, it's been a long while now that I actually look at my updates. Oh well, here we go!

Moved to Orchard Park, NY, to start my new job. Still can't believe I've been here four months already. Job's pretty good -- still learning the software itself but with only one product it's pretty expansive so that'll happen. Testing itself is going fine, though tricky since we don't exactly have documentation. Mostly winging it and asking questions when I don't know what the program is supposed to do...which is a lot. We did just put in place a new development process that will give me more time to investigate the parts of the software I have to test, so that's handy. Also it's nice to be able to walk, especially when we get a foot of snow dumped on us overnight.

Been traveling a TON. Two weddings, Thanksgiving, holiday dinner/party, plus a trip to the zoo -- all weekend trips to Rochester. Plus two weekends in Ithaca (Batman: Arkham Asylum is fun), one in Albany (so is Dominion), one to Philly for my birthday (yay Brewers!), and one to DC (for the Rally to Restore Sanity). That's 5+2+1+1+1=10 weekends on the road out of a possible 18, plus the very first weekend which was just running around picking stuff up and moving in and such. So yeah, been keeping busy.

Other than that...not much goin' on, really. Mostly just doin' what I do. Playing a lot of Borderlands with Ben and Ian. Finished Machine of Death a couple weekends ago. Crazy book, that. Watching Community after we watched Season One in Ithaca one of those weekends. Everybody is insisting that I watch all the back issues of Arrested Development so I started that over the weekend. Kinda funny, but mostly I just want to punch everybody not named Jason Bateman in the face. Especially his mom. And sister. And the magician brother. Also the main guy reminds me of Mal Reynolds.
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name that tune:
let me apologize while i'm still alive
i know it's time to face all of my past mistakes
it's gonna kill me for the rest of my life

previous: guitar hero hero, mc lars

official business

So I figure this is as good a place as any to confirm the rumors of my demise imminent employment.

Effective this morning I have accepted an offer from ValueCentric, LLC in Orchard Park, NY (a suburb of Buffalo), to take a position as a Quality Assurance Specialist. I am slated to start August 9 pending some formalities and paperwork, drug tests, credit check, that sort of thing.

I figure the intervening time will be spent figuring out how much of the ridiculous crap I have stored up around the house will actually be coming with me to the apartment I've picked out: piles and piles of books, clothes, furniture I didn't know mom and dad had saved for me, etc. The apartment, incidentally, is approximately three feet from the office so I very likely will be walking or biking to work every day, which was one of my stated goals all along.

The work itself seems to be very similar to what I've been doing for the past nine months i.e. manual software testing. ValueCentric is in an entirely different business so the particulars are different, as is the style of testing on the whole, but I should be plenty prepared and have no questions at all about my ability to actually do the job.

Also:

HOLY FRICK I ACTUALLY GOT A JOB

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but she has faith in me
and so i go on trying faithfully
and who knows, maybe on some special night
if my song is right
i will find a way
while she waits

previous: shut up and smile, bowling for soup

update

job hunting continues to suck. i've said it before and i'll say it again -- as often as i hear the phrase, "wait, you actually like testing?" directed my way, i sure am having a hard time finding somebody to pay me to do it.

some college buddies and i are gonna have a writing project sometime in the relatively near future. we're working out the details still, but hopefully it'll be underway soon. essays on technology ,philosophy, politics, who knows what will show up. i'm pretty excited about it.

games i've played in the last two months: disgaea, final fantasy tactics, baseball mogul, king's bounty, deus ex

books i've read in the last two months: robert jordan's wheel of time series books 1-4

jobs i've applied to in the last two months: countless

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throw your arms around someone (throw your arms around someone)
maybe spread a little love
I know it sounds a little dumb (or maybe we're a little drunk)
But all we need is some ice cream and a hug

previous: bright spring morning, suburban legends
^^ new favorite song of all time. yes, it passed deathbed and every new day. ^^

you're gonna go far kid, the offspring

feel like writing now, 'cept i'm not sure what to write about when i'm not in a mood.

heard about a job today, gotta call the lady back tomorrow. what part of "preferred contact by email" is hard to understand? especially when the first contact (and my response) was by email? weird.

got complimented on my singing the other day. that's like three times in three weeks. i miss doing it. no, guitar hero doesn't count (aside: is it weird the three songs i know completely are ozzy, the eagles, and paramore?) maybe i could replace pat's singer :-P. too bad he's the writer too.

ultimate frisbee remains awesome. the mythbusters are winners of three straight baby! also our captain said, "well now that we know aaron has a flick [forehand throw] we've got a shot to be pretty good." apparently two half-decent hail mary passes in two weeks qualifies me as useful. admittedly i've been practicing that throw since i found out my technique was bad, but i'd like to do it more consistently.

yeah that's all i got. still feel like writing, but i don't have a topic. ideas?

name that tune:
play the best song in the world
or i'll eat your souls