well, it is one of those mid-week holiday fridays - always an odd creation in our traditionally created weekly routines.

this evening i will learn to make pizza dough and cook pizzas; also a friend's 30th birthday. perhaps the weather will cooperate and i'll be able to play futbol tomorrow? one can only hope.

other than that - i'm progressing with mid to end of summer vacation plans. hopefully i'll have completed my career transition by then and can use the energy usually absorbed from such vacationing to a useful goal.

freitag cheers!

American Birthday

so happy birthday America! another 4th come and gone; with the now traditional rain and overcastness. this new tradition i like not at all; but i have figured that it does have its advantages: all-day fireworks. therefore i will be ready next year: in case of rain - fireworks starting at noon (no chance of wildfire); if no rain - then the traditional hot outside 4th of grilling and pools.

now a mini-week of work with no interruptions as half of my group is out for some sort of holiday. considering there's an 80 percent chance of rain today; i see no reason to skip out on work.

a gray lady

or just a gray day as it were. it is truesday mixed with friday - a holiday tomorrow; so who knows what comes.

of what i do know:

• being paid for one's opinion (focus group) is very nice; $100's worth of nice for 90 minutes of rambling to be exact.
  
• watching a 90-foot metal dinosaur eat cars is the perfect monday evening activity (see my flickr account for more info).

holiday week!

so a new week begins.

summer has finally showed itself and i was able to commiserate with it in true lounging fashion these past several days; poolside of course.

i still need to go hiking along the greenbelt to fully appreciate the amount of rain we've been getting these past several days - hopefully this week sometime. for a good idea of what the area is like, take a look at my flickr site (sidebar right) and the most recently posted pictures of the town lake trail. i've seen flooding before during rainfall events, but not often do all the lakes fill up and then necessitate continuous floodgate openings and the mass movement of water throughout the system.

items of note: i was able to grill various fishes for the wine tasting on saturday and introduced the tastiness of wood plank grilling to friends. i'm going to take up rock climbing soon enough as i actually have a group of friends that go regularly. i was able to see ratatouille yesterday - an excellent pixar movie about cooking.

and as a new week begins things move along as always: my job search / career change leads to new contacts and opportunities (of which one will hopefully pan out). I will get paid to offer my opinion later tonight for a marketing research company (always a fun thing to do); and following that i'm going to bike over to the alamo drafthouse in my neighborhood and see a 60-foot fire breathing metal robot eat cars (a transformers the movie tie-in). it'll probably be good times.

pictures to follow for sure.

rain can't keep me down

so the watering and lake filling season continues: which is good; although I'd much prefer a balanced rain schedule every year rather than this monsoon / drought yearly trade-off.

i was able to frolic in the park yesterday along with throngs of other people: it is odd and refreshing how the middle of summer can approximate a northern spring when everyone goes outside at the earliest sign of allowable weather.

my lunch ride just concluded and it was quite enjoyable; especially considering the extreme side winds (with gusts!) and a mid-ride flat tire.

these rides accomplish several things: the allowing my mind to clear itself; physical release; and the almost free thinking that can occur as those two processes progress. usually i can consider matters of life; solutions for work projects and complicated designs; or nothing in general.

now to smoked chicken and a pond design.

good times

so some quick thoughts from a busy weekend of fun:

• somehow the rain last week was able to prevent futbol games on a 90-degree saturday.
  
• waiting until a front moves through to go cycling is both good and bad: ideal drop in temperature with a rise of wind.
  
• i was able to see both the last and first mystery sinus theater / master pancake show at the Alamo Drafthouse; how times have changed.
  
• between two bad chicago baseball teams; the cubs are clearly superior
• the Polyphonic Spree are an amazing live band
• U.S. futbol managed a good win against Mexico in a game that should have been lost. two open goal misses were offset by a goal of beauty by Feilhaber. also - the U.S. defense was quite deficient.
  
• it has already rained more in austin this year than the entirety of last year

just another day

so the deadlines have passed (somewhat). i still need to do much follow-up work on design and verification, but the architect (and client?) is satisfied. although i do expect quite a few changes and revisions through the permitting and construction process.

other than that - i was finally able to get a lunch ride in yesterday: humid mid-morning that transitioned through thunderstorms during the ride. such rides end up being almost even more fulfilling.

so now its time for the next deadline and some type of weekend fun.

the last master pancake theater, bowling, soccer, music, and other fun festivities.

yeh mornings

so another day. good happenings yesterday other than just work: i was finally able to find an excellent local pizza purveyor. there's nothing like homemade pies with fresh ingredients by someone that knows how to make a good crust - especially when a large pie runs $10. its been too long since there was such a deal. but that's the essence of any business - its a great thing that makes thin margins for the owner until it gets popular enough that demand outpaces production capacity. at that point the owner usually expands and/or raises prices to take advantage of this situation and at a point, prices out the core customers that had are the foundation of the business. done properly, this can be a smooth transition. done poorly, the old base and organic marketing crashes before the critical mass of new customer base is established.

well, that's the end of my finance interest today. now back to good old engineering project management and design.

ok - super productive work time. there's nothing like working simultaneously on two deadlines. i also need to make some time for outdoor fun; but haven't been able to as of yet - which is unfortunate. i should start commuting again as that is a bit easier to mandate; but i prefer the lunch ride combined with a commute (it helps me to bring in food and clothes in a more orderly manner).

but this week is busy as usual and it looks like it'll be another fun weekend.

well a fun weekend all around. great thai food on friday along with one of the best bloody marys that i've ever had. all that and farm fresh eggs! nothing like a true quaint family owned restaurant.

saturday was drizzle and rain fun that caused futbol to be cancelled; but allowed for quite fun criterium (cycling) racing downtown. that plus good music and much frivolity. ended ok as i took a decent spill on the way home due to too much race watching and celebrating; but there's nothing like bruises and cuts to illustrate why riding is so much fun.

i was finally able to relax yesterday and get some good food in: lamb shank in homemade stock from last week along with some mini tomatillos and mushrooms. i forgot to add the cilantro sauce to go with it; but i think i should be able to combine that with the sweet corn into something great.

now to look forward to a week of extreme busyness.

joy.

happy thursday

well, a fairly productive day as it were. I was able to make good progress on a site design; manage some project variables that have been up in the air for far too long; and talk a inspection ticket from $135 down to $10 (which is always a refreshing experience).

now its time to finalize a schedule and prepare for tonight's 6:30 softball game. nothing like listening the cubs take the lead in the 8th to motivate one for outside ball playing (provided they can hold on of course).

perhaps i'll even watch the final (assumed) game of the nba playoffs tonight. who knows what fun awaits.

Update: "CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!, YES!" nothing quite like the radio transmitted excitement (XM Radio - thanks Mom & Dad).

movie time!

so it has been a long slog of a work day today; just one of those constant task - intermediate goal days. at least its almost over.

and for this evening i'm going to see knocked up.

i'll carry the same expectations that I did for the 40-year old virgin: very low. let's see if they can be exceeded yet again.

Update: spot review = quite funny. its a mix of hilarity with reality - a la 40-year old virgin but on a much more relate-able level. the only scene i have an issue with is the draft scene: who doesn't look for a car outside the 'house of concern'; and how are there not at least 10 vehicles present in a suburban neighborhood? a semi-necessary plot point that could have been done better.

that is all.

mitwoch!

so HOA meetings are fun as always; we are slowly coming together as a board / collection of individuals. it is always good when a general understanding and consensus develops; ours currently is that the management company's choice of contractor for all repairs and monthly maintenance has, and continues to overcharge us for a nebulous scope of services provided. odd how a foil or rallying theme is needed to unite a group and overcome the egos, flaws, and bickering of individuals; but that is the way things have always been with groups of people.

and billy's was excellent as usual; i need to somehow gather a community group and begin socializing out with them as well. not a bad idea with a brew pub and excellent bbq within walking/biking distance. that and the spurs continued their dominance of the nba finals; which offers a bit of amusement. it is entertaining to live in a collage town with such proximity to san antonio where a great percentage of basketball fans are die hard spurs fans. as with all true non-local teams; it is intriguing to see this connection between locality and fandom. also, i was able to watch a bit of the bulls - jazz nba final from back in 1997; which seems like forever ago. it is odd to see an event which at the time was thought paramount in its importance and focus; only to be revisited with perspective.

well, a fun day of work awaits.

Billy's tonight

reminder time…

It's that time of the week. come by anytime in the mid-early-or late evening. good food shall be had and two dollar beers will be sampled. for those of you inclined, there will be a game of sport on the television depicting an anointed cavalier attempting to tame a spurred horse.

jefe

see the link for uncle billy's on the sidebar for more info.

tasty morning

well, as noted - there is nothing quite like a morning ride to enliven the soul and prepare one for a day's toils.

and for some odd reason I am still here at 7:30; before 80-plus percent of our office; go figure.

well, a busy day of thinking: complex designs at work are oh so much fun.

time for a nice ride home in order to force a waking morning commute.

cheers!

soup contest

well, funny enough - i for the first time; am more that happy to have received 2nd place in a contest.

David (of soup peddler fame: see link on sidebar) solicited suggestions for visionary ideas concerning the future of his soupie empire. As usual I enjoy analysis and contemplation of successful situations and enterprises. With commentary and input solicited I mulled options and ideas over in my head as I often do for most issues: during a lunch ride through the hills and along the creeks of west austin. After initial thought I actually put my ramblings to paper while relaxing at O'Hare airport (I've found it odd how airports are such a muse for writing, but it is there often the mood does strike). Final transcribing and one further edit produced the second place winner; more so because the focus was reasonable analysis and usual recommendations rather than options I thought too out-of-the box or small scale.

The winning vision was a CO-OP; which I dismissed as untenable in my inner evaluation. I view them as this more so because of my participation on far too many committees and groups where the frailties and conflict aspects of personalities tend to show themselves. While I am sure a small collaborative is possible, I have yet to see one operate effectively over a long period of time with a singular vision and agreement on how to implement such a vision. The frailties and egos of the human condition present problems that cannot often be solved without a strong leader; which defeats the true spirit of a CO-OP.

Well, for those interested further: please go see the contest results.

so another good weekend; almost summer.

it always good to help friends celebrate promotions; especially when you some day hope to move 'up' yourself. it gives a glimmer of hope for corporate culture and organization. plus i was able to make some excellent chicken-mole themed appetizers; which were quite good.

of course celebrating until the wee hours of the morning is always best followed by awakening at 6:30, driving 30-odd minutes, and playing a soccer game in the morning humidity. but it is a great way to begin a day; especially when i can anchor a defense that keeps a clean sheet and goes on to win 3-0. oddly enough the late night - early morning activity make for a forced relaxing afternoon and added incentive to sit by a pool, cool off, and relax. the height of the afternoon was visiting our semi shut-in friends and grilling with them and some of their relatives.

now we return to work; it should be a productive week full of the usual things. hopefully something new and unusual as well.

freitag!

finally the end of a full work week - odd how that works during the summer.

so a good softball game last night; we ended up winning in extra innings:
0 0 0 7 0 0 1 11 | 19
0 2 0 1 1 0 4 6 | 14
pretty crazy and fun as always. nothing quite like 11 runs in the first extra inning (one-pitch) to put things away.

other than that things return to normally schedlueness around here. soccer on saturday likely followed by toobing (the true harbinger of summer).

my new job search continues at a typical early summer pace. spring and fall always seem more motivated in hiring, but I will continue to look.

well, time for a re-fill on my morning green tea and then back to some cemetery and school designs.

here's a quandary: how beneficial is it to be a good problem solver? my participation with the various committees on which i serve along with work projects have gotten to the point where all I do is solve continuing problems on projects. now the fact is that i'm fairly good at this: i can spot critical variables, see the big picture, and articulate a defined position while forming a group consensus in a positive manner. the thing is - its frustrating and quite tiring. i need to work with a greater purpose on better managed tasks (read more time) with a group that can divide work and make decisions.

i guess i'll just press on and continue to look for a position where i can be truly affective and contribute equally to a lofty, challenging goal.

someday