Christmas 2007

Hey! It's almost Christmas and I am past due for an update. I won't try to detail all that has transpired since my last entry, but here's a high level summary in chronological order: quit old job, got married, went on honeymoon, started new job, joined new cycling team, headed to Elko for Christmas, Lauren starts grad school in three weeks. A disjointed list if I ever saw one, but a list nonetheless.

The married life is treating us well. Quite well. Even after the glitter faded from our honeymoon in Thailand, we still enjoy spending time together for the most part (gwahahahh) and form a solid team. Marriage changes everything and yet nothing. The primary change is the intangible gravity of the commitment and respect for one another. That changes everything, in a good way. I don't want to try and explain it so humor me and pretend to understand the concept. Too early in the day to expect the words to come out correctly.

I did indeed score that job I was striving for this past summer. Seems my 65-hour week commitment throughout those months was noticed after all and they offered me a full time position beginning October 8. In case you have not heard, I'm the sole mechanical design engineer for blossoming company Ugobe. Here:

http://ugobe.com/

Or better yet, here is their first product that is finally shipping (!) :

http://www.pleoworld.com/

I had a small but significant role in the design of Pleo, but my real focus is on new product development for the company. Determined not to be a "one trick pony", Ugobe is busting their butts to roll out the next wave of life forms. The products we make are border-line AI (artificial intelligence); Ugobe is allergic to the label "toy company" since we design companion pets that you can't "drive" but are instead autonomous and act according to sensory stimulation. It's not I-robot but the creepy surrealism is there. It is a dream job. I could not find a more engaging, challenging, or rewarding job anywhere on this continent. Not to rub it in, but I am rubbing it in.

And the 65-hour work weeks are a thing of the past. Things will assuredly flare up and demand a few overtime hours here and there, but overall I've averaged 38-45 hours per week since my start in October. I was really worried about over-working but seem to have a good handle on the work/life balance (kudos to Lauren on that one). Deciding to race again next year has also kept me from working too much. A lot going on, but without a few dozen 'balls in the air' to juggle I go stir crazy. Hooray for that little personality disorder...

Lauren is sleeping. We planned to hit the road around 10 AM and head down to Elko but there is no reason to roust her considering the road conditions outside. In Boise it never snows a lot, at least not here in town, but when the conditions are right the temperature drops and the little snow that does fall turns everything into a glacial sheet of traffic death. Don't ask me why I got up at 6 AM. I obviously don't have much to do if I'm finally taking the time to update this blog. Every now and again I wonder what I'll be like at 80 years old... Still getting up early, setting my alarm to boot, when there isn't anything that really must be done at such an early hour. If I am Yin then Lauren is Yang and as an 80-year-old I suspect she'll sleep until 3 PM each day. We'll have to wait and see on that one.

That's it for now. Excuse the incoherence.