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...

greenbelt

this afternoon; time to do more swimming and relaxing while seeing how its changed from last week. will post pictures as usual.

That's On Point: The Web Site: My big fat David Beckham post

That's On Point: The Web Site: My big fat David Beckham post

Not that many care; but this is probably the best written analysis of MLS and its integration of Beckham in all of his aspects.

I mean; who can't be excited by the following description?

"Hilly? Chablis? Burgandy? It's a winning combination and certainly the press room buffet is well stocked, but the racing is even better than the wine, with narrow back roads, short steep climbs and twisting descents, continue all day, with a twisting 6km descent preceding the finish in Autun. This town of 18,000 has a Roman amphitheatre and a medieval cathedral among its tourist attractions." - From VeloNews live report.

Chablis to Autun

Finally - a stage that isn't all flat.

So it is that wonderful time of year again where it officially becomes summer: baseball season transitions to its post-break importance where your favorite team either stretches to compete or swoons back to mediocrity (if lucky) and relevance only in the observation of futility and sport. Also, one of the best events of the year is upon us: the tour de france! it is oddly enough on a cable channel that few people can access; but there is something magical about watching one hundred eighty-odd cyclists race their way across some of the most beautiful landscapes. its just a bit of motivation to go and appreciate the outdoor country and culture available to us all.

other than that work continues; career leads continue to stretch out - but with the traditional summer pacing, things move just a bit more slowly.

hopefully everything will trend back towards a regular summer soon; too much outdoor activities have been cancelled by the continued rains. so i've resolved to gather as many folks as possible and go frolic in the creeks and rivers until the usual outdoor activities are able to resume.

onward to the Alps.

truesday

another fine morning commute finished; before 8am as always. now i am freshly showered and ready for work. although i think the piece of cold morning pizza (leftover sausage and basil) was a bit much prior to the ride; i'll have to go back to bananas for the hard morning ride stomach gentleness.

well, i finally was able to visit the greenbelt / barton creek this past weekend and see for myself what a month's worth of rain brings: river like rapids and greenery. take a look at the pictures on flickr and see for yourselves. the most awing thing is that i know every foot of that trail from my extensive mountain biking; and the extent of the sustained flow is very impressive. i'm quite familiar with the flash flood flows that occur; but i've never seen the creek this high with sustained flows (which will of course dissipate over time as the watershed drains; net of any continuing rain). i'll have to go back and relax on one of the limestone projections into the creek soon and take advantage of it.

work; well it goes. i've finally been able to make some headway on prospective jobs and have several good leads that might not only be opportunities; but ideal fits. i'll update as things progress as i wish not to inflate any projections.

now: to work and deadlines!

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.