Joyeux Noelle. Christmas has come and gone and I must ask forgiveness for not keeping in touch, but like most of you, I've been busy with family and Christmas and enjoying a much needed vacation. Our first Christmas together as a married couple was very good. We managed to enjoy everyone's company and find time to spend time with most of our friends - time permitting.

We're looking forward to the new year and all of the new possibilities it brings with it. I hope that you all had happy holiday and continue to have a wonderful time with these last fleeting moments of 2002.

We wander aimlessly. Sometimes I wonder how much of life is planned out and how much we allow to just happen to us. Are we really conscious of the decisions we make on a daily basis? The drive home, the dinner routine, unwinding... If you're thinking that doing more things than most makes you somewhat different, you're probably wrong. I'll bet that if you were honest with yourself you'd find that you were in a "groove" of some sorts too. Not good, not bad - just a groove.

It may not be a bad thing. Maybe, its just something to note and file away for future reference. Of course I think the catalyst for this type of thought process is wondering where my job fits into my life. I know that I only work for money. I believe that my true life begins when the tendrils of work fall away, the cracks and crevices in between each work day... Is my job fulfilling? Not really. Is my job making a difference? Probably not. Should it? I don't know. As I sit here wondering what my next "career move" will be, I wonder... What should it be? Should I let my next job happen to me the way I let college happen to me, the way I let my first marriage happen to me?

Maybe I should make an effort to change the next one. Maybe this time it should be a conscious choice. This is just an idea I'm entertaining...

Is life just happening to you?

Appreciate . Earth Pilgrim

Appreciate . Loopmedia 75

Appreciate . Casarramona Design

Appreciate . Design Chapel

Three strikes and you're out. Well the verdict is in and I've been "ACSed". Oh well, now that the initial shock is over I have to deal with the fact that I'm receiving a nice big fat severance package but I won't be employed after August... Hmmm, somehow the irony kills me. Maybe this is a sign - time to move on and look for the next growth experience on the horizon.

So there it is - that's all she wrote. Anyone know of any job openings for Exchange Administrators on or about the end of August? Any leads would be appreciated...

The green mile. And so we wait. One after another my co-workers are dealt their fate. A strange roster held by an uncaring headmaster. As of right now we've taken substantial losses and there's no end in sight. I didn't realize how draining this whole process is, but I feel like sleeping for 3 days. I won't find out until 5 tonight as to whether I'm staying or going, so this day is moving in half second increments. Sometimes I think I can actually feel time sliding off of me like water being poured over my body...

I'm in love... Filmwise

Another Pet Peeve. I didn't realize others shared my quirks and idiosyncracies. This is a gem. And that's all I have to say about that.

Take it or leave it. Not a lot to explain about this - these are just funny.

Retrospective. It turns out that 2002 can be measured in many ways. Everything from movies, to political events, to the state of the nation. Since I'm part of a technical community it can also be measured by advances in technology. So here's something to think about - this is a link to Time's opinion of the best inventions of this past year. Take a look and see if you agree with some of the items listed.

Experience . The Two Towers

Experience . X2

La La La. Ever wonder why you can't stop humming or singing something you heard on the radio? Here's a very plausible explanation for the phenomenon.

Surreal. I never know what I'm going to find on the net... The following link proves my point. Just when you think you've seen most of it a door opens and you ain't seen jack.

Random Link . Froogle

Let it snow... The southland is being pelted by rain and snow and I'm thinking its about freakin time. I know that in years past you can't expect a good blanketing at Mammoth until January, but you can always hope can't you? In any case, I'm sitting here in front of my Mac looking at the snow report and looking at the current pictures depicting near blizzard conditions. Thoughts of wind in my face, snow under my heels and a near perfect rooster tail in my wake will gently rock me to sleep. Note to self: Take in snowboard and get it prepped and waxed.

Meet Karyn... You thought the idea was ludicrous? You wish you would have thought of it first? Well, here's a pic of the Karyn that managed to convince the internet at large that she was deserving of "20 Large".

A random thought. Winamp started playing Jesse Johnson's "Be your man". This song takes me back to high school. Senior year, air guitar contest, silver lamé jackets and unhealthy amounts of make-up. Now I wish I would have taken pictures back then. Our fearless group was led by one Gil Asprin; formerly known as "ELF". Last I heard, he had made it to Pasadena Art Center. Funny, how music takes you places you totally forgot were there...

OS X . SnowSaver

When the going gets tough... As you can tell I've been busy over the last couple of weeks. The holidays and my job situation make for strange bed fellows. I find it depressing to be worried about being unemployed during such a festive time. Such is life I guess. I try not to let it worry me but I think that if I were honest with myself I'd realize that its lurking under the surface... I mean, what else could possibly kill my mood during Christmas and just after taking posession of my new M3? The latter, being the biggest example - I'm a car fanatic and at this point I'm barely mustering a lack luster appreciation for my new wheels...

We find out the official word here at work on the 14th. Personally, I'll be glad when this is over because things are a little too weird here at work. Too many people in reactionary mode, morale is floating in the toilet and the heightened "attention to detail" paranoia at an all time high. Sometimes I wonder if documentation of every process is really worth all the effort. And while they're at it, why don't we call a spade a spade? All the work we're doing right now is just "CYA" tactics at best. Sigh.

All of this is making a lot of us wonder the crazy stuff - are we making a difference with what we do? Is our job really worth making the focus that it is? If I were to answer honestly I would have to say "no". But what can you really do about it? For now I'll just have to focus on the things that give my life meaning and hope that everything works itself out. Until later, I'll be trying to "keep it real" in the old OC.

Random Link . The Smoking Gun

Currently on countdown. Did I mention that my new car was delivered for pickup this past Tuesday night? Yes, I've finally broken down and decided to get some new wheels. After a long term love affair with my E30 M3 I am now looking forward to taking possession of my E36 M3. Yes, I know it doesn't sound very original, even less so, when you consider that I managed to find a new car in the same color. I'm basically buying the same thing but a newer version of it. You can consider it a midlife crisis upgrade... In any case, the dreams of two seater convertibles were put on hold due to our plans of starting a family. Somewhere along the line I have become pragmatic in my older days and I realize that it will be a nightmare to deal with a baby seat in an NSX or a Boxster. My compromise at this point is that I refuse to get a four door and join the wanna-bes.

Tommorow will find me getting rid of the old and ushering in the new. As much as it pains me to leave my trusty E30 behind I'm sure I'll enjoy the new car just as much. At least, that's what I'm telling myself...

X-Box unmasked. After much trial and error I have finally installed my new Matrix chip in my X-Box. I must say that the process wasn't all that difficult and definitely worth the time and effort. I'm beginning to understand all the advantages of the new BIOS and I'm looking forward to pushing my console to its limits. At this time the new BIOS is allowing me to play "game backups" that we've made with a DVD Burner and also place a new dashboard (interface) on the OS.

Part of this process has forced me to get comfortable with the inner folder structure of my x-box and I'm now beginning to understand what's "under the hood". For the most part its easy - but I've also had help from friends in catching up to where they're at with theirs. The next project on the horizon will be to replace my internal hard drive with a larger capacity unit and then populating it with 40 or so of my favorite games. We'll see if this causes any problems but I think everything will be okay.

Random Link . BMW Films