Semi-Exciting Weekend

This weekend started off interestingly. It snowed on Friday, yes snow in the Puget Sound area at the end of March, this caused everyone to leave work early. The best part was that shortly after it stopped snowing, there was none to be seen on the ground. It was melting as it touched the ground. So it seems that I cannot escape the snow, no matter how hard I try, oh well!

Later on Friday, a friend and I went to B & O Espresso in Capitol Hill (its a neighborhood in Seattle.) It was some of the best coffee (well latte) and cake (German Chocolate) I have ever had! The best part was that they are open late, until 12:00a or 1:00a depending on the day of the week. It gave me another reason to like Capitol Hill...hmmmm. While the eats where great, the people at the table next to us kept on trying to get their waitress' attention by staring at her...creepy...

Saturday started off with getting an oil change, which turned into me test driving a Saturn Sky Red Line. I have been meaning to drive it ever since it came out, but never got around to it. It is impressive. There is quite a bit of power in the engine, and it handles fairly good. Its no Lotus Elise, but it does the job. This is yet another example of how GM is actually turning around and making good products. The dealer was great, no pressure at all. Made for a very comfortable environment. He even told me to "stretch its legs"...good guy!

I test drove with the top down, it was 40 degrees out. Not my best idea.

After about an hour, my oil change and test drive were both over and I headed into Seattle with a friend. We checked out the Science Fiction Museum, it was interesting, a flashback to most of my elementary and middle school years. They also had a music museum in the same building, saw that and then walked around the area (its right by the Space Needle.) After all that sight seeing, we went to go eat. We were nearly done with our meal, when a kid comes in with his mother (or so I assume.) He brings in a portable DVD player, wait it gets better: and a DVD collection. What is wrong with kids these days? (answer this question in the comments section!)He can't even go out to a lunch with someone without watching some DVD...that kid is out of control.

Photo for proof:


Notice hows he is watching a DVD and trying to read the menu at the same time. At least he can multitask, right?

Oh yeah a picture of the Space Needle...enjoy!

Two and a Half Weeks

I am slowly starting to settle into my new "life". I am really liking my new job, its all I thought it would be plus more. The weather has been decent so far, rainy and 40/50s for the most part. Yesterday it was 60s and sunny, it was hopefully a sneek peak at the weeks to come.

But more importantly, I am addicted to buying things from IKEA. No not just random little things, or just a trip once every few months. No, I want my apartment to look like one of those model ones they have. Lucky for me today most of the things I wanted were out of stock, otherwise I would have come home with all sorts of furniture, linens, rugs, dishes, etc. I still need to take photographs of my apartment and post them up, but I am waiting until its a little more together. The walls are too bare right now.

First Day at Microsoft

As some of you might know, today was my first day of work at Microsoft. While I didn't do any work or even get to meet up with my manager, it still was a significant day. It started out with the usual paperwork, from there we filed into a conference room. We stayed in that room all day for the most part, the usual orientation type presentations were shown to us. I'm not going to lie, it got boring at times, but overall I found it reassuring. They had their act together. That was enough to reassure me that I made the right choice.

While I can't talk in detail about what they showed us, one movie, the one the day started with, really had an impact on me. It was one of those extended tv ads, it focused around this young guy who was leaving work to go to his girlfriend's place for a party. It showed how Microsoft products such as Local Live, Windows Mobile, Zune, Windows Vista, and many others helped to make his (and other's) lives easier. It was impressive because all the products shown are already out there, they aren't ideas for the future or concepts or what ifs, they are in homes and hands already.

Tomorrow I get to meet my manager and team...should be exciting!

India, In a Few Words

I know, I know, I promised an update on my India trip. Rather than trying to compress over three weeks of adventures into a few paragraphs, take a look at my pictures and post any questions in the comments. I will be sure to answer them in detail!

But I might post a story or two from the trip in the next few weeks...check back!