:: Saying Goodbye

This is Super Bug.

This is Scorpion.

Bitter rivals from the day they were conceived. And I'm sure they are at each other's thoraxes when the lights go out. With scorpion's biddy evil red eyes and Superbug's enormous head, I'm sure those battles are epic in porportion.

But by day's break they put away their enmity and begin their vigil watch over my desk.

Inherited from their creator nearly 2.5 years ago, they have watched over and protected my desk with only an occasional squabble or two. (Which usually resolves with me putting Superbug's fragile hands back together. You'd think that big head was his soft spot but no.. his achille's heel is his hands.) Their service to me is near its end and soon another desk will be in much needed help of securing its borders against such enemies as (to name a couple):

• The Office Collector - This villian pops his head up once and a while stealing money from the locals to pay for its festive rituals and forces us to sign away our souls on pieces of decorative paper
  
• MIS - The law of the oppressed. They enforce the totalitarian view against outside IM and the seeking of data via the collective BitTorrent.
  

They will have their work cut out for them as we move into a more open arena. They will have to be ever vigilant. I wish them well and pray they can keep their pincers off of one another. The safety of the team depends on their paper thin friendship.

May God Have Mercy On Us!

:: Crap and suck!! I've been tagged

KHHAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!

This whole thing with tagging bloggers is right up there with those darn questionaire emails that usually end up in my inbox only because my wife likes to torture me. I hate chain letters. I think its mainly that I'm someone who likes to keep personal things close to the vest. It keeps me safe. So why have a blog in the first place? Hmm.. check my archives, I'm sure I've answered that one already.

To sate my wife and because I was tagged from the most unexpected of places, here are my: (drum roll please)

Seven Answers to Seven Questions

Seven Things I Plan To Do Before I Die

• Retire to Scotland (A most beautiful place unlike any other)
  
• Create a legacy for my children (enough that they will never want but not enough to spoil them)
  
• Publish something (A novel, short story, SOMETHING.. I want my name in the library of congress ;) )
  
• Build my own home (and if possible a place nestled in the hills on the bonny banks of Loch Lomond)
  
• Refurbish the coffee table and end table for the Mrs. (she put this one on her's but we all know who's going to end up doing it :P)
  
• Watch the FIFA World Cup Finals LIVE and in person.
  
• Find the question to 42.
  

Seven Things I Can Do

• Script in PHP
  
• Be a ToysRuS kid
  
• Make an awesome banana milkshake
  
• Do my own handyman work
  
• Be a diplomat (even when I don't agree with the situation)
  
• Make my wife laugh
  
• Make fun of myself
  

Seven Things I Cannot Do

• Tolerate ignorance
  
• Play the guitar (though I'd like to)
  
• Find my faith
  
• Change the Past (can only make up for it, and I do everyday)
  
• Accept failure in myself
  
• Find enough time in the day to do all I want
  
• Dance to save my life
  

Seven Things That Attract Me To Another Person

• Intelligence
  
• Confidence
  
• Nice Smile
  
• Not afraid to laugh (even at one's self)
  
• Hints of a devious side
  
• Comfortable in their own skin (not hung up on what other's think about them)
  
• Loyalty
  

Seven Things I Say Most Often

• Shite
  
• Whatever
  
• Cheers
  
• Great googly moogly
  
• Crap and Suck (inherited from my wife who inherited from Reagan)
  
• But uh... Like I said (one for the Ethan Bebo crowd!)
  
• Bollocks
  

Seven Celebrity Crushes

• Christian Bale (not a crush but you gotta love a guy who can save the Batman Franchise and starve himself for a role)
  
• William Shatner (again not really a crush but a deep admiration)
  
• Angelina Jolie (a temptress)
  
• Amy Wynn Pastor (Trading Spaces Carpenter, just something about a girl who can handle wood)
  
• Scarlet Johansson (She's got classical beauty)
  
• Evangeline Lilly (Kate from LOST, I love freckles and LOST... a perfect pairing)
  
• Amy Lee (Evanescence front, my semi gothic love... and I seem to have a thing for Amy's)
  

Seven Bloggers I Tag

Ok, call me a party pooper but this is where I draw the line.. I've played along and answered the questions.. but I cannot bring myself to pass this along and tag other people.

:: The Death Blow Has Been Dealt

Today, I announced my resignation to my team. They took it as well as I thought they would. They are a great group of engineers and they expressed their sorrow and then went back to work. I'm sure its all being internalized and I hope it doesn't lead to further fall out within the group.
So I begin the countdown to the exit date and attempt to keep the boat afloat until the changing of the guard.
Meanwhile, I wait for realtors to give us the go ahead on our new address. As I watch the boxes of STUFF collect in the garage and den, its hitting me.. I'm moving to VIRGINIA.

WOW.

:: Been a crazy few weeks

Sorry for being away. Its been a very hairy few weeks. I've taken a job on the other side of the country and I'm having to tell my friends/team/co-workers that I'm leaving.
I don't know if this happens often but it happens often enough to me that I get to work with such great people that over time they become almost family. Its almost heartbreaking to separate from these people. The company itself has nothing to do with it. Its corporate, so its easier to leave; but the team is more than that. They are people... people I've had to share ups and downs with. I will miss them terribly.

Then comes "we can't lose you" speech from management. How can I make them understand that they basically uprooted me in the most dissmal period in the job market and moved me to the most astronomically unreachable standard of living in the US, all for chump change. It was bound to happen some time. Hell, I'm surprised we lasted as long as we did. All I can say is that we've been blessed. I'm thankful for it. But now its time to move on... with or without my current company, though I would be pleased if I could work something out. I just don't think its likely.

I just want to be out of California with as few ripples in my life as possible, is that too much to ask?