Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted. I need to remedy this here and now, despite my distinct lack of available time to do so. If I don't force myself back into the habit, then it ain't never gonna happen.
Since I know there are countless readers out there who have been collectively holding their breath since my last post, waiting with panicked anticipation for details of my life, I figured I might as well just hit broadly on everything I can think of. Fair warning though: I make no guarantees that the following is even remotely interesting. But I don't want to hear any whining. After all, what's more sad, the guy who writes at length about mundane details of his life, or the person who reads it?
And that shows just how confident I am in my own awesomeness - I just committed the cardinal sin of writing and insulted my own audience, and yet I still fully expect you to keep reading. Admit it - this site is as addicting as crack...
Things at Optio are going pretty well. One of the neat things about working at Optio, and especially in our healthcare group, is that we are very much a multitasking outfit. Each member in the group has about 4 different projects they are working on, so it is really helping me learn to juggle my time effectively while still making progress on everything. Plus, some of the projects are quite challenging, meaning I'm learning a great deal - always a plus in the ever-changing software industry.
Although things are going well, they will be much better once I get one of these projects off my plate. It's something that was passed down to me by someone no longer with the company, and to be frank, it's a steaming pile of manure. And it won't go away, no matter how much work I put into it. It's a vicious cycle: I fix about 30 bugs, it goes back into testing, and they find 40 more. I think what bothers me most is that I have to be associated with it. Most of you know I'm a perfectionist, and that carries over into my job - I try to do everything I can with perfection, and as such I want everything with my "name" on it to be very high-quality. Well, this project is definitely mediocre at best, yet I have to consider it my project, despite the fact that I've just been applying hundreds of band-aids to it since it was given to me. C'est la vie, I guess. It still sucks though.
So I travelled home over Memorial Day weekend to see my mother, who I hadn't seen since her surgery, and who I didn't get to see on Mother's Day like I planned because of my recurring back troubles. We had a good time, though the visit was short - we went to Ruth's Chris Steak House on Saturday night, which was amazing as always, then hit a movie the next day and just tooled around the town for a bit. It was good to see her doing much better than last time, before her hand surgery - she had a lot more mobility this time. She'll be going back to work soon, for the first time this year. I know she's been itching to do that for awhile, so it should be good for her.
Despite the title, this has nothing to do with my own personal love life, which will undoubtedly be the subject of a self-deprecating post coming your way sometime soon. It's a reference to the fact that just about everyone I know is getting married this year. First it was the almost back-to-back April weddings, then EW's in May, now my buddy Matt's this weekend. I guess it's some consolation that I'm not actually in this one, so I don't really need to prepare - just show up and have fun. The bachelor party was this past weekend. We started with the Tech baseball game (10-2 over S. Carolina, no doubt), then headed to ESPNZone for dinner and some overpriced/overrated arcade games, then off to Buckhead for some craziness. But I skipped out on the Buckhead part - I was too exhausted, considering I had been up since 6:00 AM doing...
Quick quiz: Shaun was doing community service hours because:
Those who guessed C know me too well, those who said B have been fooled by my undeniable charm, and those who said A are dead to me.
I should have finished the service hours long ago as part of my III Dan test, but it's been hard to schedule time with all the weddings and other Saturday committments. I've been working a lot with Project Open Hand to deliver meals to people around Atlanta who cannot get meals for themselves - many of whom are either elderly or suffering from AIDS. It has been a highly worthwhile experience, especially since I never did as much philanthropy in college as I had hoped to. The one thing I don't like about it is having to deliver food into the hardcore ghetto sometimes. Not all the times, but about half the time the route I have been given is somewhere in Bankhead, East Point, or both. Not fun. But hey, I guess if someone starts some crap I can always use my martial arts. Helping the community by delivering meals and busting up gangstas, one thug at a time. Sounds like a good cartoon to me...
Don't you dare skip this section. So, I'm sure about none of you knew that the French Open just ended. Nobody watches tennis anyways, let alone what is probably the least-watched Grand Slam event here in the States. Not that I understand it - the French Open is great, because the slow, grueling clay courts make for longer points and more exciting rallies. I watched just about every minute of the men's tournament, most of which was dominated by the 19-year-old Rafael Nadal, who won the tournament in his first appearance. People have been talking about this guy for a year or two, but to watch him on the court - his speed, playmaking abilities, and more than anything, his competitiveness - was a real treat. He wanted it much more than anyone else, and he certainly showed that on the court.
From the highlight to the lowlight, it was downright painful to watch my boy Agassi lose in the first round. If he had lost by being beaten, that would be one thing - but he lost to his own body. Up 2 sets to 1, his sciatic nerve flared up, and he basically played the last two sets unable to move at all. Predictably, he lost the last two sets, and ultimately the match, in what was a gut-wrenching performance. It was just another solemn reminder that age catches up with all of us, no matter how hard we train or try to fight it off. Agassi described in detail the unbearable pain he was feeling, and how he's been using cortizone shots over the last year just to be competitive. I suspect that this might be his last year of play, especially if his sciatica doesn't get better. It will be a sad day when my tennis hero retires from the game. But the game must go on...
Two weeks from now: The Championships, Wimbledon. I can hardly wait. The best major of the year always brings something special and is worth waiting for. Thank goodness the wait is almost over...
Well, I finally had a good showing in a Texas Hold'em tournament - I took second in our last game of TX alums. To be honest, I should have won the whole thing. About 10 minutes into heads-up play, we came to a hand where I had the distinct advantage over Brian and I ended up putting him all-in. He should have never called me, because he was chasing an inside straight with one card left to come. The odds were all in my favor, but he got the one card in the deck to help him get the straight. That was a huge turning point, because it crippled me and it was just a matter of time from that point onward. Despite the setback, I made some money on the night and learned some things for the next time we play, which will be next Sunday. Let's see if I can move up to the winner's spot this time around...
Talk about a depressing two weeks. Check this out:
What in the world am I going to do now? Anyways, rather than waxing poetic about each, I will give a brief report card of the seasons:
The only thing keeping me going right now is "The Shield", which has only 2 more episodes! I'm going to go stir crazy throughout the off-season, unless some of the new summer shows pan out. I'm not holding my breath though...
If I ever get some time, I'll put up some new movie/book reviews. Here's a sampling of what I've seen/read lately, with some basic ratings:
Movies:
Books:
And with that, I'm off to read a little Harry Potter and then hit the sack. Until the next time...
Posted by sdishman at June 6, 2005 10:46 PMTrackBack URL for this entry:
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