Updates!

Well, with all my computer stuff going on, and working so much, I haven't really had the energy to update this thing until now, so here goes.

Our new manager has been doing really good so far. For the most part we don't even notice he's there, but he's always jumped in and gotten things done whenever we needed something. He's a nice guy, not as "cool" as Kriss, but then he just got here.

I have finally dropped off of my 50 hour per week schedule, which I've been maintaining for almost 4 months straight now. I now work 4 10-hour shifts, Sunday through Wednesday, and have the other 3 days per week off. I *love* this schedule, as a 3-day weekend really makes it possible for me to go out and do stuff. On a normal weekend, on my old schedule, I would spend most of it recovering from work, and then just when I start to think about doing something, it's time to go back to work. Now, with more days off and fewer hours, I can make the most out of every day.

I've been working hard on going to the second level, took the first RAS test and (barely) didn't pass it, but that doesn't really surprise me. Most people are around for 2 years before they even consider second level, I haven't even hit my 6 month mark. I am going to be mentoring one day a week with one of the expert RAS guys named Gary. This will cut into my 3-day weekend, but I am not obligated to go mentor, and I can stay for as few or as many hours as I want. Besides, Gary's a really cool guy, and I'm sure that in addition to learning a lot, I'll be having a lot of fun :)

As far as life outside work, I found a really awesome bike on Craigslist (after doing a LOT of looking). It's a little used, and I only got it at about half price, but it's almost everything I've been looking for. In fact, the only thing on it that I wish it had was an aluminum rather than steel frame. Otherwise, it's perfect. See pics:

From Apartment Pics

From Apartment Pics

I also found an absolutely amazing print of Mt. Rainier that I simply had to have. It looks good in this el-cheapo frame, but it'll look amazing once I get it matted and framed properly. Really, it looks good in these pics, but it looks astounding in real life.

From Apartment Pics

Other photos that I've recently uploaded are pictures of Vista, my first ever legal Operating System purchase, and my new rackmount server circa 1995:

Windows Vista

Rackmount Server circa 1995