First week
So I've finished my first week of work. Ah, to be back to work, to have something to do for eight hours every weekday. It's quite nice. I'm tired, but it's a good tired. So work started kinda slowly, but it's been getting progressively cooler. I'll be programming, most of the code being HTML and JavaScript, which is okay. The tricky part is that you don't simply edit files - you have to use a program which monitors how the files fit together, as well as how it interfaces with the server(s). So there's a lot of work outside of just coding. It's very different. But I'm starting to pick it up, and once I get it, I'll be crazy good at it. I think I actually like it, because it's something only a few people know how to do, so I think I can catch up decently, and then learn all the quirks to it so I'll be EXPERT. Which I like doing.

The guys I'm working with are all massive nerds. My supervisor is hooked on WoW, and has several characters, although only one 60 among them. Those who know the game know what I'm talking about. A lot of the other guys in my group play, but I think my supervisor's the one who does it the most. Another guy's a big linux fanatic, and another one's into Brak and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Yeah, like I said, MASSIVE NERDS. I fit right in. Oh yeah, one of them is a second degree black belt in taekwondo, too, which is cool. Fun guys.

And kung fu has been back in session. Only three people at full contact training on Wednesday, though. So we did our normal warmups (with a five minute horse), then right into sparring. Since Sihing was gone, it was rotation - two minute rounds, two of us at a time, while the third conditioned. I did learn something new this time. I managed to land a hit on Cory, right on the chin. Now I have massive gloves, and he had a big set of headgear, so I actually didn't hit him directly. I hit into his pads, but the force went to the side of his chin. He made me stop and almost passed out. Apparently, according to him, he said it felt like he had been hit from inside his head, out the front through his eyeballs. I've never quite seen that before, so it was new - and I didn't even hit him that hard. That, and I also got him with a nice rack to counter a wide open high round kick, since he threw too many of those, and I was nice to him the first four times he did it. And Crystal's getting better, Sifu's giving her some good tips. Although she still doesn't cover her head enough, and got rattled a few times with some of my hooks. Don't worry, I don't hit hard.

And tomorrow we're going out of town! Off to Springfield, Missouri. Not St. Louis, like I was thinking before. We're going to help with an open house for a school that an old student of Sifu's (named Nick) opened. The funny thing is, I joined a couple of months before he did. So it makes me feel weird - I'm a Si-Bak, now. (It means Uncle in kung fu terms.) Yeah, we'll be going over to help him with two demos, to do some lion dancing, as well as a bit of form demonstration. I'm curious to see what his students think of our kung fu, since they've only seen his - and everyone's kung fu is different. And Sifu will be their Sigung! (Buck Sam Kong is our Sigung.) Apparently he has a lion already, so we'll be waking his lion with our lion dance. I'm guessing his students will see a live lion dance for the first time, so it should be fun. Only bad thing is we have to leave at 8 in the MORNING. Which is too early. Maybe I should be going to bed soon. Bleah.

Yeah, we'll be going early, coming back moderately early, too. So maybe have some time to play Saturday night. Speaking of which, I got a demo disc for Shadow of the Colossus. And it's glorious. The first disc I got had almost all the demos running fine EXCEPT for Shadow of the Colossus, which made me a bit upset. It just stopped running when I tried loading it. So I went back to QT (where I got it), and the guy there was nice enough to let me trade it. Yay! Apparently, they get credit back for any merchandise, even if it's opened. And the new one did work, although it made me nervous 'cause it took a long time to load. Oh, but it's beautiful. You start just walking around, seeing this luminous female lying prone on a stone tablet, in the middle of some kind of long room. You can go up to her, but it looks like she's not responding. There's also a black horse there, and you can get on it. Then ride around, wherever you want. The world outside is HUGE. The feeling of immersion is great - for most of it, there's no music, you just hear the rhythm of the hooves hitting the ground as you explore, and see the countryside move past you. There is a battle to be found, and it's something else. I still have yet to finish it, but I haven't had a lot of time yet.

Oh yeah - today was payday! It's a very nice feeling to get a paycheck again. So I think I'll feel a little more relaxed this weekend. Ahh, yes.

There IS one other thing I did a while back, and since I haven't gotten a response from it (I wasn't going to say anything about it originally), I thought I might as well share. One day about two weeks ago (maybe a little less), I gave my mom a ride to a doctor's appointment she had. Well, while we were there, I saw a brunette that was working behind the front desk (among a few ladies), who I found, to be honest, rather stunning. I sat and waited for my mom to finish her appointment, then took her back to work. While I was driving back home, I decided I had to do something, and not just let life move by. So I went back to the office, and walked up to the counter. I talked to her, told her that I didn't get a chance to really talk to her, but that I was interested in getting to know her a little better, so I had brought something for her. I handed her a piece of paper with my name and number on it. I told her I knew she was working, so I'd let her be, and then I left. I think I surprised her a little, because all she did was smile goofily and say a few "thank you"s. I couldn't stop grinning walking back to my car - I had nothing to lose, so why not? I think I should probably try to do things like that more often - not necessarily involving flirting with women every time, but you know - just grab life by the horns and say, "HEY! I want in on this!" Maybe you should do it to, if you see something you want to be a part of. Even if you initially think you deserve no part of it. I think it somehow fits with who I am, who I've become, to do it. Now I never heard back from her, but it's fine by me. I did something, instead of just sitting idly by, and I really didn't have anything to lose. And I'm glad I did.

Okay, so that's enough waxing philosophical for today. I need to get some rest! To be ready for crazy kung fu action tomorrow. Random link? Here you are! Don't know if you've seen this site, but if you're ever curious about the random bits of mischief people manage to get themselves into, this is a good place to look.
- posted by Pootenheimer @ 9:14 PM | 5 comments