need more postings!!

so much to do. opportunities everywhere and obligations about. that and change; some good things, some sad, some hopefull...

something i need to put on the schedule and buy:
illumination

LCRA and water; what we do.

link

fall / summer transition

well, an excellent weekend was had venturing up north for family time and northern fall appreciation. there's nothing quite as great as visiting the chicagoland (and by proxy Michigan, Indiana, & Wisconsin) this time of year. the air is brisk and full of change while the transition of fall takes effect. there is nothing quite as fulfilling as this and makes one greatly consider how much fun it is to experience such seasons; to the point of longingly considering living in the region. of course then one remembers how that quickly changes to short days, bare trees, and the gray sullenness of early and late winter. it is this period after daylight savings time has passed that the memories of outdoor roaming and life hibernate until late march when hope and the explosion of spring and the energy associated with it return.

the good thing is that i now get to look forward to several months of fall here and prepare for camping, soccer, late night softball, and general non-heat controlled outdoor adventure.

work progresses and i am transitioning to more construction activities as various projects move away from design towards construction. this is a nice change and will help the malaise that has overtaken this past month due to ambiguous project management and general office chaos. hopefully this period will provide further experience and ease into a facilitated change towards a yet-to-be found ideal position.

other than that football so far greatly disappointing in both the fantasy and team rooting realm; which is thankfully saved by the cub's push towards the postseason and the inevitable heartbreak associated with rooting for such a team.

vacation!!

so only about 10 minutes until i get to leave work, head home, hurriedly pack, and then head out for nap and travel day.

i'm looking forward to full fall foliage fun

photos are sure to follow

ok - time for updates.

ACL weekend just finished which doubles as a local music vacation and the opportunity to enjoy all that is local music culture. so counting labor day and this weekend's trip to door county; i have three 4-day weeks in a row; which is quite nice. it is especially nice because of the amount of work and 'interesting' prioritization by group leaders of various projects. we still seem to be understaffed with those in charge seemingly unconcerned with project delays and client reactions.

on the job front: the Airtricity job didn't pan out, which i anticipated after they were less than communicative in the post-initial interview process. so i'm slightly disappointed, but i plan on continuing the search for a position where i can better apply the full breadth of my knowledge, experience, and passion. its probably for the best that the wind power position didn't pan out as it involved quite a bit of travel, and if their communication in the interview process was of any indication of the company's operation; things might not be all that well run. so hopefully something local pans out here in the time leading up to the end of the fiscal year.

this weekend brings more adventure as val and i head up to door county in wisconson (which is apparently on the lake - i always figured it was an interior county for some reason). so hopefully i'll get a great taste of fall in time to return for the great end-of-summer stretch here in austin.

take a look at flickr for pictures of this weekend and i should post the northern excursion pictures next monday or tuesday.

ah yes, the first day of school. plus extra work - so assured busyness continues.

hopefully air work opportunities present themselves after the traditional end of vacation times.

weekend events were mostly relaxing and festive; i believe pictures might even be in order...

so this weekend should be quite a bit of fun:

saturday offers relaxing, grilling, and flugnacht

sunday has the austin hot sauce festival in addition to the usual happenings

plus all the fun the rest of the week...

has it been this long?

to sum up: too much work, not enough free-form thinking and fun time.

no advances on new employment or any other major changes.

in short; the summer progresses.

weekending

well that was quite pleasant; a relaxing and productive weekend.

so summer has finally come in all of its radiating glory. i am still in the process of physically acclimating to my usual riding and running activities of 90+ degree heat. usually, i'm able to accomplish this in june when the heat transition begins; but this year i've had to wait two extra months. so i look forward to yet another lunch ride today in 100 deg. temperatures and possible an evening commute in the same.

this week promises much excitement with condo board meetings, possible job interviews, the above-mentioned outdoor merriment, as well as home renovating.

too much fun?, one can only hope.

ah, the joys of condo board meetings!

but tonight - fun. no reservation movie & food event at the Alamo. here's a rundown on the simpson's one last week: link. this one will be a bit more high brow, but just as tasty. plus we're going to see a comedy commentary on conan (the movie) afterwards just to balance everything out. fun night out!

a barton springs proposal

Austin Parks Department link

weekending

so another weekend gone:

i was able to see both the new bourne movie as well as the simpsons movie at the alamo.

saturday featured TWO fubol games back-to-back in humid hot weather. one was lost by two goals and one was won 13-0 (nice, the team beat us 7-4 previously).

i attempted to play cards again and realized that i just don't have the patience to play rote percentages. i would play the table and in an aggressive manner if i cared enough; which i don't.

and of course, i almost caught up on sleep.

now on to an excellent this week

interview results

so it went well - 1.5 hours of discussion and more of a 'preliminary' in-person screening that a comprehensive evaluatory meeting.

so hopefully I will get a call-back next week and follow-up after that. the wind-power industry does certainly intrigue.

Airtricity

interview day - hopefully it goes well. i've done a bit of research and am quite excited about the possibilities associated with the company and the sector in general. hopefully all goes well...

ah, home again

well, my home day of rest and preparation has been disrupted by normal work chaos. one of our projects is starting construction on monday and is still in permit review (just received comments yesterday); so time would be paramount. ah well, i'll put in time and prepare for my sunny future.

plus, its almost the weekend anyway. now, only laundry and planning to get caught up on.

the beach; the bay

well, long island is quite a relaxing and amazing place. it reminds me of a mix of southern gulf coast florida (the beach and sea mentality) mixed with northeast culture and money.

so far we've had a chance to circumnavigate the far eastern portions of the island and see various beaches, lighthouses, wineries, islands, etc. i was even able to go clamming for the first time yesterday.

pictures and stories are sure to follow.

this expresses my sentiments on cycling and the current tour de france. nothing signifies summer better than the most glorious of races through what can only be described as a vacation of pain. it causes wonderment in most who follow the sport and watch it constantly that athletes are able to accomplish such a race; and therefor it comes as little surprise that shortcuts are taken in order to obtain an advantage over both the race and one's body's limitations. the short of is it cycling is one of the few sports to take doping / performance enhancing / drug use seriously; and it has paid a frightening price of publicity, scorn, and humiliation. hopefully the sport will either be able to clean itself of its history of doping, or adopt a uniform code of prescribed enhancement.

for sports themselves, few things cause us to examine that which we find beautifully athletic and motivating. it is in this frame of mind that sporting agencies allow certain 'oversights' in the supposed enhancement of competition and entertainment ruse. if one takes athletics too seriously then all sorts of sordid complications arise; so i find it best to appreciate those sports you find beautiful and expect that there are always people who take shortcuts; because that is the nature of any situation that combines performance and money.

well - this week is certainly going by quite fast. super busy fun deadlines again at work.

of course i'll have 75-80% of my week in by the end of day today; which bodes well since i'm leaving for vacation tomorrow. ah, vacations - i don't really even recall what they entail or their meaning. i both long for adventure and a break in the rote week to week routine. of course, with all of the unusual rain and 'summer' excitement it has been difficult to establish a consistent routine.

i still have no idea of activities; and since i have never been to the actual northeast coast, i have no expectation of people or events. most assuredly fun will be had though. and hopefully a clam bake.

current happenings

so another fun weekend past.

a good friend left work and the current situation of chaos. management is slowly realizing that overworking an understaffed group on multiple rushed projects is not a wise move. hopefully they can make it through the current rapids and readdress the organizational structure that would allow more efficient project design and control. but that isn't really my place and i still search for an opportunity to utilize my finance skills; which necessitates a pseudo career change.

a great greenbelt hike (and swim) was undertaken on saturday - see the flikr page for impressive sights

the tour had two of its most exciting days yet sunday and yesterday. there's nothing quite like the two leaders attacking mano-y-mano up a hor category mountain.

i work continually and attempt to prepare for this week's vacation. perhaps i'll get a chance; perhaps i'll just end up in new york and be forced to relax.

possible trip - thinking...