A Family day!

I spent the entire day doing family stuff. Went over to Mega Coney Island for breakfast... Then came home to finish wrapping gifts. Scott came over around 2:30 or 3pm... Susie and Mike showed up shortly after. Sally and Bernie came over with Steven and Lillian... and Sheila came over by herself. I guess Even and Nathe had a very bad fever so they couldn't come today, but I'll still see them on Monday.

We all gathered for dinner and to exchange gifts. Sheila gave everyone a bead. Sally and Bernie gave me a gift card. I opened the rain gear I wrapped for myself, some socks, and a copy of the Simpson's movie.

I was pleased that everyone seemed happy to get USB memory sticks. 2GB for everyone! and it went over great! Steven got a RC car from me that he loved. Lillian got a movie from me... and Datura got a Dora the Explorer toy/doll thing. they all liked it. Its nice to see all the kids happy. I

I finished the day by sitting down with a glass of Glogg and the spinach salad from Cost Co I love so much.

Tomorrow is picture day, and the Courtois family party. It will be good to see everyone else.

Later,
SteveO

most expensive star bucks drink...

I'll have a 13 shot venti soy hazelnut vanilla cinnamon white mocha with extra white mocha and caramel. Here is your $13.76... now give me my drink (which apparently isn't that bad.

I just read that on the Seattlest blog... and I had to share.

Later,
SteveO

Goodbye Seattle!

and hello Detroit!

My plane landed smoothly last night/this morning at 4:45AM EST (1:45AM PST). I slept in the green room, and enjoyed the bed. I just woke up a little bit ago, and I had a small snack from the fridge.

I miss Jaani a bit. Somehow Tori just isn't the same as him... actually in a number of ways, but she is getting old.

Anyway, there is somewhere around a foot of snow on the ground, The lake is frozen, and I haven't figured out if there is an extra car yet. I'm sure I'll get that streightened out pretty quick... or something. So, I am here, I am safe, and I'll be back in Seattle next Thursday. Until then however, it is good to be back in MI. (even if I can't really stand going outside.

Later,
SteveO

goodbye seattle...

and hello detroit!  I am on my way!

Goodbye Seattle... See you soon!

I took this picture on my way home from work today. It is facing North from the bus while we were getting onto south bound I5 from 4th ave just south of Qwest field (which you can kind of see on the left,) Safeco Field, and Union Station.
I guess I've tried a bunch of times to get this picture at night, but today it was bright enough because we got out of work at 4 instead of 5:30. I will miss Jaani while I'm gone. I think he can tell that something is up because I'm packing, and he does not seem happy about it. I sometimes worry about if Ev will take good care of him, but I guess Mani will be here.

Well, speaking of Ev, she is making nice and easy for me to leave without feeling like I want to be here. She started b****ing hard core today after I got mad that she is canceling the Internet connection at the end of the month. I can't believe that she has such a problem paying some sort of bill around the house. Mani pays her share of rent and the phone bill. I pay the electric bill and drive her around... yet she is this ungrateful little B****! It will be really nice when I can move out of here, and into somewhere by myself. Where I don't have someone to annoy me constantly and tell me how she lives here too when she is blasting music at 2AM (and I have to get up at 7...) and decides that she doesn't like the movie, so she is going to sit down and start complaining while you are in the middle of watching a movie when she comes home. bla bla bla... I just can't wait until I can move out of here.

Ahh, the joy of room mates. Well, I guess if we had noting to annoy us we would all just be happy. I guess we can't have that. So, soon I will get out of here, and then I won't really have anything annoying me anymore.

I can't believe she is canceling the Internet access. It just goes to show how horrible of a person she is. I asked her for half of the money for the electric bill and she said that I was the one who used all the electricity. As if she doesn't leave her (sorry, it's mine whenever it is a disadvantage for it to be her laptop,) and she doesn't use hot water, and she doesn't turn the heat up to 90 all the f***ing time, and she doesn't turn every light in the house on constantly... it's all my laptop that generates the entire electric bill. I guess I have had my desktop running a lot lately, but that does not use much power. The electric bill was $80 last month, and she is complaining about having to pay for her own cell phone and a $30 Internet bill. It's not my fault she racks up a $90 phone bill every month... she doesn't call me.

Ok, sorry... that was quite a rant. I just hope that poor little Jaani can put up with her for a whole week without me... hopefully Mani will keep him safe, or take him on the truck for a road trip. Mani loves Jaani... all guys do a guess... well, most I suppose... all my friends do. He is a cool dog, what can I say. Anyway.

I need to wash up for work in the morning... then I have a flight to catch.

Good night every body!

Later,
SteveO

I just had to post it...

I found this at the Free Software Foundation website

A Relaxing day.

another day out here in Seattle. The rain was heavy and soft... for a little bit it even kinda stopped... sorta... but it was a nice day. I relaxed. Did a little bit of packing for Tuesday. Took apart an old laptop which I found. It was very much broken, but it had 256 megs of ram for my laptop. that was nice. plus now I have an extra internal wireless adapter, wide screen laptop display, CD RW/DVD ROM, and a 60 GB HDD.

I might be able to sell the drive, and I found some instructions on how to turn the display into a desktop PC monitor. I guess I'll be breaking out the soldering iron... I'll also need to swing by RE-PC for an old monitor cable and a 3.3V power adapter... which I may just have to build that too. That will be a bit of a challenge though... so I might have to give James a call and take care of that after New Years.

My plan is to take a picture frame, put this really nice screen in it, and have it hanging on a wall. Then, I can take an ultra small form factor PC, and screw it to the bottom of a table so that the CD drive and USB ports are accessible from the front. Then I can put a wireless keyboard and mouse on the table, and you have a sleek and stylish looking PC station. With one of those Ikea keyboard trays, then you have a desktop with nothing on it, but it instantly turns into a workstation. I have a similar idea for a standing height workstation in my bookshelf.

I actually almost wish the laptop still worked, so that I could use that as the computer, and just extend the current cables. oh well. I guess it was Evelyn's laptop that she left to Maninther to watch over when she moved out of her aunt and uncle's house. I guess he got in a fight with her and threw the thing... now it is scrap parts.

Over all, I have to say that Evelyn and Maninther both have anger management problems. I kinda think Maninther's problems are almost all caused by Evelyn too... and I mean all of his problems, not just anger management. but I guess that's another story. In a way, I kinda wish that I could kick Evelyn out, and just have Maninther around. He is a much better room mate than her... oh well. (besides, he pays her rent for her anyway...)

so... another day. Just relaxing, and I guess I got a couple things done.

I started working on this embedded OS that Google created for cell phones. Verizon has announced that they will start using it in their phones starting this February... when they join the Open Handset Alliance! It's an exciting time in the world of cell phones, and I want to be part of it. I compiled my first test phone, and ran it in an emulation system. Now I'm working on tools to integrate the phone with Google services. Using Google Mobile. basically the idea is that Google wants everyone to use their site on their phone. so they created this OS that everyone can use.

The new evil empire is taking control. Google is now not only the most valuable company in silicon valley, but now it's the second most profitable technology company in the world. Microsoft is the only company that is more profitable than Google in the technology industry. It's amazing. If I bought just one share of Google stock this past may, I would have made almost 300 dollars.

Google is going up right now... and the only thing that could change that is for people to stop using the internet. Google has the most successful methodology for advertising on the internet, and scheduling commercial times for TV and radio. Once they get the cell phone OS out the door, that will increase their exposure by 47%! That means that 20 million more people will have access to Google, whom do not have access now. All because African and Asian countries with government-owned subscription-based home internet connections are more expensive than rent, but cell phone access is dirt cheap (for them, not Americans.) So they all connect to the internet on their cell phones. In total this comes out to be about a third of all the people on the internet, or a little more than the number of people on the internet who speak English as a primary language (basically just the USA and England combined).

Big news for Google. Another move that should make their stock soar!

Anyway, it's getting late, and I'm tired. so, goodnight.

Later,
SteveO

Money Money Money!

Google Adsence is giving me money! 5 cents so far... this time around, but last time it gave me $100 over the summer! All just from having ads on my blog, homepage, and youtube account page.

Other than that, I just subscribed to Google webmaster tools... it will continue to log statistics about my Geocities, Google, and Blogger pages...

It will give me information about that the people who click on my site usually will click on (as far as Google ads go...) and it will also give me statistics about how many people visit the site, and how many return visitors I have to the site. nothing that I can specifically link to any given person, but just general stats that will keep me informed...

I just compiled my first Android OS, and started emulating it on a virtual Razor phone, which one day Verizon will let you do. So, I plan on buying one of those off-brand Chinese phones that I can load with all kinds of software to do cool stuff I like.

Oh the beautiful future of Cell phone technology combined with the open source revolution. I will take over the world with my cell phone one day. just you wait and see.

but for now, I'm just working on turning my phone into a word processor with speech recognition for text messaging and email. but soon I will be able to do anything with my phone, like use Google map's newly released feature to locate myself on a map based on which tower my cell phone is using to establish a connection to the internet. oh the glory of technology the phone companies claim they don't have... but Google can use it! and you can too! so just ignore the cell phone company telling you they can't tell where you are, because they can, and will claim they can't. After all, they can tell Google (or the police) where you are, why can't they tell you?

anyway... talk later, work now...

Later,
SteveO

I updated my home page!

So, I decided to start down the long road to try and make my homepage somewhat useful. I admit now it's just a dumb place where you can read the titles of my blog postings, look at the pictures I take, see my local weather map, look at a map of the places I go, look at my work schedule, and see when I'm coming home for Christmas... but one day it will have some content that people really want to see!

I've always had a home page for as far back as I could remember... first it was geocities... then myspace... then my own little web server... then myspace became popular... and now it's google pages.

I added a gadget that lists my blog postings, and I also added my google calendar's "public" events. or in other words anything a stalker would need to follow me around all day. (j/k but not really...)

I guess it's just something I want to try playing with. I'm also working on my orkut site. just because it's a Google service really, but also because it is one of the pilot programs for Open Social. Which one day aims to be a service to unite all sites. It is working wonders for LinkedIn (which I also have a site with) and my current employer has plans to use it once it comes out of beta (in an undefined amount of time.)

I guess it's a way I can play with gadgets and yet another wonderful API (Advanced Programming Interface) by Google. I have to say on a side note, Google has done a great deal to help me in my quest to learn the fine art of computer programming. They give me all these free tools and APIs that I can work with, and most of what a programmer does is learn new APIs these days.

That being said... go to My homepage

The end of another day in Seattle.

The evening ferry came in as the sun went down. This is supposed to be one the last glimpses of the sun we get for a while.
So I thought I would commemorate it in a picture on my blog. I had to actually close the blinds at my desk today because the sun was blinding me, but I poked my camera through the blinds to get this shot of the fleeting sun.

The day is coming to an end, and in an hour I will go home. so that's it for now.

Later,
SteveO

I'm leaving on a jet plane.

Even though most people reading this probably don't use Google Calendar... I do!
so here are a couple links. (anyone with a phone can use these links as well with Google mobile! (that's for your cell phone...)

This is a link to add my flight to Detroit to your Google calendar.

This is the link to add my flight to Seattle to your Google calendar.


However... for the rest of you... or more likely all of you... I have the following time table.


Arriving in Detroit at 5:04AM on December 19th.

I leave Detroit at 7:46PM on December 26th.

or you can also reference my calendar here:


so... that's my update.

Later,
SteveO

It's Rainy around these parts...

I really do think that the day I took that panoramic shot from my office window, was the last nice day we had around here. The past couple of days, I've had a hard time seeing even the buildings in that picture through the rain.

All the mountain passes are closed, and I5 is closed about 62 miles south of my home. There is all sorts of flooding in Redmond (good thing I didn't take that job in Bothell...).

The only view I have is the view I have as my computer background picture. it really is crazy. but it's home. and it isn't that cold. even though I had rain falling up on my face when I went to get lunch today. I guess it really wasn't falling at that point... but that's kinda how it gets in the city when it's raining... and the wind is blowing at about 30ish MPH... and the road is covered with an inch of water... and what used to be Pike street kinda looks more like a river...

It sure is an exciting time of the year... and I do kinda have a soft spot for foul weather. Although I really do need rain gear.... I mean, my gortex coat is really nice... and my pants are good too, but they have heavy insulation. I need something thin, waterproof, and breathable. that won't cook me when I'm sitting in a heated environment. plus I will have a sweatshirt on under it anyway... multiple thin layers. that is what I need.

Anyway. I love it here.

Later,
SteveO

Winter in Seattle

The rain falls cold this time of year,
it gets hard to distinguish if that is smoke I'm exhaling,
at times like this it is easy to remember why they call this the rainy city.

As a jet goes by I even remember why they call this jet city,
and looking out at the evergreen landscape,
I see why they call this the emerald city.
The names fit in every way that I can see.

I sip my warm glogg mixed with blue sky vodka,
the name is enough for my imagination to picture the blue skies,
even though the sun went down hours ago...
the rain started days ago...
and cloudy for weeks...

Tomorrow I will be reminded of where the roots of this city came from.
I'll ride the bus past Boeing field, up past the train station and into down town.
I'll ride past the Bank of America tower...
the Washington Mutual tower...
and to the corner where they big Christmas tree is lit.

I'll walk to my building,
in which I'll ride the elevator to the tenth floor
there I will sit at my desk.
I will watch the rain.

I'll know there are mountains in the distance.
I will know the sun is somewhere up there.
I will be happy just knowing this.

Later,
SteveO

Snow in Seattle!!!

This is the second time I've actually seen snow in Seattle. I'm pretty sure it is only falling up in the hills (like where I am) but it is still so cool!

This means the snow line is currently under 400ft! (or something like that...)


Anyway. I'm enjoying the day off. It's nice not to work on the weekends. I'm going to go get some coffee.

Later,
SteveO

Pictures of my view

I wanted to share the wonderful view I have from my desk. I look at this every day behind my monitor.

To the right (West) is the Olympic Mountain range off in the distance past the Puget Sound. Straight ahead (South West) I can just sit back and look out over Elliot bay to West Seattle and Alki Beach. Finally to the left (South by South West), you can see these building. A friend of mine I met on the train lived in the short colorful orange and tan building at the left, just below the center of the picture. I had to do a little work to combine 3 different pictures into this panoramic shot of my view, but I'm very happy I put a little effort into this.

Barcode to this webpage.

This barcode is a common sight in Asia.


It is a bar code that (in Asia) a camera-phone would be used to store this web site's URL and my cell phone number.

It could be that one day you will see these around in the US and Europe when our technology catches up with East Asia (specifically Japan.)

The three very clear squares (in the upper corners and bottom left) are used to identify the top and left side. The information in the middle is used to represent a 2D barcode.

Crazy stuff!


Later,
SteveO

New job, and I have a view!

It's my first day here at Oberon Media, and I have a wonderful view of the Olympic Mountains from my desk. We are up on the 10th floor, and there are only a couple buildings that block my view of the water. One of them is only a block away, but I can almost see the entire mountain range off to the right, and I have clear view across Elliot bay to the South West.

My building is very easy to recognize on the skyline. It's the big black one with the slanted roof. 2101 4th ave. which makes me only 5 blocks away from the water.

It also seems that I save time by taking the bus to work, and a nice lady who lives in my apartment complex walks the same way to work as I do. So it's nice to have a short walk to the bus, a one hour ride, then a 3 block walk on level ground to the office building. I can tell I'll be begging for a rain coat when the rain really starts, but at least there are a bunch of places to eat near by (along with a pretty good sushi place.

Anyway... my lunch is about over.

Later,
SteveO

New Job!

Today I had another interview, and I got the job!

I now work at Bridge NW as a contract employee at Oberon Media. A publisher for casual games. It is kinda nice, more responsibility and higher pay. This makes 4 interviews, and 4 jobs in the past 6 months. I really think I found the field for me. It is sort of sad to be saying goodbye to Microsoft, but I really think it will be good to work for a smaller company that has a high rate of hiring contract employees.

So, wish me luck in the next month, and maybe by the time I get back from Christmas, I'll have a permanent job!

Anyway... I still don't know for sure what days I'll be home for Christmas, but I think it will only be a short stay. It looks like I have the next week off, but that could change Monday after I fill out all the paperwork. For Thanksgiving, I plan on visiting James and his family out on the peninsula for dinner. It will be the second time I do that, and It's always good to see his family (they remind me of my own, and make me feel just like I am another one of their kids!)

Other than that. I guess I'll be trying to figure out what my plan for Christmas is while I still have time. That's all for now.

Later,
SteveO

This morning at work....

IT's 10AM on a Saturday in Redmond Washington, at Microsoft's Bear Creek building. On the 1st floor toward the back of the building, near the fire escape is a hallway. Along one wall, six computer stations, on the other side, 2 large computer stations with 5 computers each, and one large with one computer...

11AM, two more people show up to help... that makes 4/7 people.

I can't help but notice the large number of TVs around here... all Samsung HDTVs. It is kinda neat.

We are getting down to the wire, tomorrow at Noon is the last day we have to get all of this content into the database. There is a lot of work to do, and we are just about running at half force. I hope we get it done before it gets too late.

Anyway, back to work.

P.S. they gave me free food. the best pastries I've ever had, and pizza... and free coffee... and free juice... and all was good.

Later,
SteveO

The Corporation

This is actually the show "The View From Here" where they feature the documentary "The Corporation".

The recent videos in my blog...

so, I've been adding a lot of videos to my blog... I thought it would be a neat way to just share some of the stuff I really liked online. I have found a lot lately that caught my eye... actually a few of the videos I have already seen on DVD... like today's videos...

I think I like watching videos on the Internet much more than watching tv on cable...

anyway... other than that... I've been working about 45 to 50 hours lately.. taking one day a week off. I'm looking for a new job because it looks like after this position MS won't be hiring until after the holidays... GRRRR stupid Volt... sometimes I feel like they just take my money... and insurance would be cheaper if I just payed it myself and got the extra $8 an hour... because now I have to pay about $100 a month for insurance... hmm.

anyway... that's my thoughts at the moment.

Later,
SteveO

Orwell Rolls In His Grave

Great food for thought if you liked 1984...

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Also Available from many video rental places:

Dog with two legs

Improving our schools...

'Students First In Line' Program To Offer Job Training At Needy Schools

Spying On Paranoid Schizophrenics

The perfect Solution...

In The Know: Is The Government Spying On Paranoid Schizophrenics Enough?
Ok... I think I love the Onion...

Ninja Parade

This just fresh off the onion website... check it out:


Ninja Parade Slips Through Town Unnoticed Once Again

It was pretty cool

Blame Halo 3

This video is awesome!


http://view.break.com/390565 - Watch more free videos

It reminds me of my old job... just sittin around playing all day long... 'cept I got paid to do it...

updateing from the office/hallway

so, I have named our office room H2... because it's the hallway to the H room. anyway, right now I am sitting at my computer station drinking a beer and listening to Ne-yo perform in the H room... which is kind of the lunch room for the building. I can actually see Ne-Yo from my seat... I guess it's a shame I don't really want to listen to him. But there are many worse things that work could make me do.

Other than that... just uploading pictures of artists with a name that starts anywhere from S to Z. There are about 900 of them in the database, and I'm somewhere around # 120 or something... It goes kinda quick.

anyway... I will probably have to leave soon to go take care of my dog, but it doesn't make much of a difference if I leave now, or in an hour... if I leave now, I have to sit in more traffic... if I leave in about an hour, then traffic will be much better.

anyway, that's a little update for you...

later,
SteveO

Home sweet Home...

To start, a map of my trip:


View Larger Map

It was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to do it again! I think a big part of our trip was planning a ski/biking vacation to Whistler... we found the best places to stay, the best coffee, and good side adventures to take!

We started out in Vancouver, where we spent most of the day on Friday, and we mostly walked around the city, picked up some good tips of where to go while in the city, and some near by places of interest. It should be good advice for the next time we come to the city.

Then we moved up closer to the Whistler area, Friday night I posted from the Pemerton Valley Lodge, where we stayed for the trip. It was a nice place to stay because every night we could just relax in the hot tub and then go watch a little Canadian television until we went to bed. Also, it helped to save us some money on food because our room had a kitchen in it.
Saturday, we went to Whistler! (as seen to the right). We hiked around the trails there to find that while the hiking trails are really meant for a family to use, the 200km of bike trails, and skiing runs were definitely something James and I were looking for. Although we did enjoy getting lost in the Lost Lake Park located at the North end of Whistler Village.

Sunday, we went hiking in Joffri Lakes Provincial Park. It was a beautiful 15km hike. Here you can see the first lake (note the mountain in the background.








At the second lake, we got a little closer to the mountain and the glacier on top...






At the third lake, we thought we had gotten to the end of the trail, but then we found that the trail kept going... (P.S. Jaani is in the picture... I swear.)







However, we found that we could just climb over all the rocks to get even higher... and here you can see the top lake from...




The glacier at the top of the moutain! It was a great hike, up one of the most challenging trails I have ever hiked. Half the time, I don't even think you can really call it a trail really. It was more like climbing over a bunch of huge (8 X 10ft) rocks. I have to say it was one of the best trips I've taken. It is a shame I had to come home to Evelyn...

In short, the trip was great! There are way too many pictures of Beautiful British Columbia for me to post here, but I do have a lot of them. So... that's it for now, I'm home safe and sound... I will start work soon, and be back to my boring usual routine. (but that isn't completely a bad thing.)

Later,
SteveO

Live from BC!

Day one in British Columbia, and it's great! A much needed vacation in deed! We are in the small town of Pemberton at the Pemberton Valley Lodge. It's about the time that I am glad I could afford to spend a night or two in a hotel. This place was a little pricey ($124 Canadian, with pet deposit and 13% Tax), but about the cheapest place you can find within 50 kilometers of Whistler (that allows dogs) the cheap Motel in Mt Currie ($60 Canadian + Tax)... As apposed to to actually staying in Whistler which is about $199 Canadian + Tax.
As for how I got here... James and I took the whole day to get here... which is normally about a 6 hour drive. We stopped in Vancouver, and walked around the town from about 11:30AM, until about 5:30PM. It was fun... I will post the pictures soon. I forgot to bring my camera in, and I'm too lazy to go get it. It was interesting to find out that they sell Absinthe in Vancouver... actually, now that I'm at the Lodge, I had a bit of that to help me relax for the evening.
After a bit of driving, I started to figure out the reason the British Columbia license plate says "Beautiful British Columbia" first hand. This has to be one of the most Beautiful places I've ever been in my whole life! I can't believe I haven't been here sooner.
I guess in the end, it is unfortunate that all the camp sites are closed around here. Our original plan was to camp out. After all, it only gets down to about 40 degrees at night, but apparently it is too cold for the BC natives to want to camp in... oh well...

anyway... I'm on vacation!

later,
SteveO

And I have a day off

So, today started a week that I have off. To be honest, I really don't know what to do with myself... I just get up, go to Renton, get a cup of coffee, and go walk along the trail. I think I'm going to leave on Friday and take a trip up to Whistler with James and Jaani. That would be nice... get out of the house... away from the Ev... and just have a nice vacation. I think I've earned it. I worked 1000 hours in the time most people only work 500.
I also got my side window deflectors in the mail today... $35 plus $15 shipping and handling. Which beats the dealership at $160. I guess they can only get away with charging so much because none of the stores carry 2007 accessory parts for the Honda Accord... anyway, it will be nice to be able to open my window without water coming in.
Other than that... Jaani is doing good. The new puppy has made him a little jealous, but I guess Ev doesn't leave the puppy here during the day, so it isn't a problem. I'm not sure what she does with the puppy, but I don't really care. I don't have to give her a ride to work, and in the process the puppy disappears somewhere.
well, it's not my problem at least... anyway, that's it for now. Until next time.

Later,
SteveO

Weekend Update!

Well, it's official that tomorrow is my last day at MS GTO (Microsoft Game Testing Organization). So, as of now, I have an orientation on Tuesday, and I start next Monday working on the Zune. Microsoft's version of the Ipod.

As far is this weekend's activities, I finally got out to Bremerton to visit James. He was throwing a Oktoberfest/house warming party. We sat around and enjoyed some home made beer and moonshine! Also I got to see all the work he has been doing on his and his parents' houses. He has been keeping buisy. removing chimneys, walls, and stairs... as well as adding windows, doors, and painting.

After the tour of his house, I slept over there, and we went to the Staircase camp site in the South East corner of Olympic National Park (at the northern end of Lake Cushman).





The car ran great all the way up there, and it was a fun and very scenic drive... although I must admit it was kinda rainy. But the car loved the curves on the road, and the rain did manage to wash most of the dirt off. I think it was only the second or third time that I had 4 people in my car. I have yet to actually fit 5 people in there, but I think it would be comfortable.





Once we finally got up near the trail head, we found a rock that was nice enough to hold the camera for us to take a group picture.


Then we kept driving a little further until we got to the campsite...



Right where the staircase rapids end, and Lake Cushman begin is a camp site, with a view of the edges of the Olympic Mountains. Here, you are just getting into the rain forest, and the real beauty on the peninsula starts to begins it's full strides.

This was the end of our journey this time, only because we spent so long getting there, we didn't actually have time to hike the trail at all... not that we would ever be able to reach the end of the trail in under a week... but still, it was neat to see the beginning of this great trail.




Here is a map of my weekend points of interest...

View Larger Map

Who is this you might ask? The newest member of the pack I guess you could say. When I got home on Saturday night, this little girl was at home waiting for me. Her name is Payal. She is really lovable, and pretty well potty trained for a 10 week old pug. Jaani is still jealous of her getting any attention, but the little guys is learning to get along with her.





We were all tired today. I was tuckered out from all my walking around yesterday, so today we took a nap together.






So, in short, it was good to have a weekend off. when you've sold your soul to Microsoft, you really start to appreciate your time off as much as you can.

so... that's all a wrote.

Later,
SteveO

Getting Coffee in The Redmond Town Center

Mass Effect (the game I'm working on) has gone into RC (realease Candidate) mode! Which brings one thing to mind... coffee!

I just realized there are 16 Starbucks related coffee places within walking distance of my office.

11 of which (one on each floor of the 3 buildings) are starbucks coffee machines that offer freshly brewed cups of coffee. Just push a button for size, type (left coffee (regular), right coffee (decaf) or hot chololate) and it grinds the beans, brews a single cup, and despenses it into your cup... dumping the used beans into a trash can underneath it. These are located in the mini-cafeterias where they keep a microwave, disposable dishes and cutlery, and the fridges that contain free pop and juice.

Then each of the 3 buildings there is a Starbucks coffee shop in the cafeteria. Here I can also get a nice healthy meal if I don't feel like going to one of the other 15 places to eat (within walking distance).

Plus in the Mall there is a starbucks in the food court, and another one over by Fat Burger (where they buy us lunch on the weekends, and yea... it really is named Fat Burger), Blimpie Sub, some thi place, Subway, Taco Time, Dairy Queen, and McDonalds... and the list goes on...

So, keep in mind as I work through another RC in the Game Industry... I'm walking up and down 3 floors of stairs four times a day... and walking a little to get my food every day... and having slim fast for breakfast... and not eating a lot for dinner... I do get more exercise than I did at Bungie... and the work environment is better too!

Anyway... that's an update for now.

Later,
SteveO

New internet connection!!!

we just had comcast hook up a new internet connection today, it's great!

I'm happy to be back online again... from home at least.

Work is good, I think my term at GTO will be extended, which looks really good for both Microsoft and Volt. I'm happy about it. My manager was impressed that not only could I answer almost all the questions he had for me, but I also could find the answers to the ones I didn't know within a few minutes. it looks like all the time I spend playing with google has helped my ability to find what I need when I need it.

Other than that, I'm happy to have my new car! it's awesome! so far I am averaging about 10mpg better than the Astro! Which means that I am spending somewhere around $100 less per month on gas! I think, that's what I'm estimating... I get about 26mpg... and after doing the math, the astro got just under 16mpg... most of my driving is just to and from work... 6 days a week... I'm averaging about 58 hours a week.

anyway... work work work... isn't that what dad always said? anyway, I guess I'm finally listening to him.

anyhow, I work in the morning. goodnight.

Later,
SteveO

My New Job

I started my new job on tuesday, and I love it. They moved me over to GTO to work on an RPG called Mass Effect. It's a good game, but really what I'm happy about is having an office. I share it with one other person, but it still feels like a promotion from Bungie.

I currently don't have internet access from home, and I'm at work right now, but that's just a little update... I went hiking last weekend, and it felt good to have three whole days in a row off.

Other than that... pretty much normal.

Later,
SteveO

a sad goodbye...

It was a sad goodbye today. I am done at Bungie.

On the up side, my manager gave me a very good review for GTO. As a result (I think) I start a new position on Tuesday at Building 5. Located between Macy's and Bed Bath and Beyond in the Redmond Town Center (with 2 other MS buildings). The perks are that I will get a MS parking pass and have on site parking. Finally, I will be working with one other person from Bungie.

The down side is that I have been listening to horror stories about working at main campus on video games, and I don't get that week off that I really was looking forward to. I just get 3 days... oh well, it's better than only one day... or no days off a week.

well, anyway... It also looks like my lease is really a 1 year lease... man I feel stupid. They told us it was a 6 month lease when we signed the papers... but it said march 31 2008 right on the papers... That just sucks. but I guess on the lighter side, that means I have 6 more months to look for a house. Don't worry... I want to buy one on my own. no co-signers.

anyway... I'm tired. good night.


Later,
SteveO

one long week!

this has been a very long week... I took Tuesday off... and I'll still end up with 80 hours... I am getting really tired right about now... I guess exhausted is more appropriate.

However, they have done a few things to boost our spirits... they gave us all stickers... and today I got a Bungie Halo 3 shirt! So, I guess I got what I came for... so it's time to go!

hehe....

well, maybe not, but I think my time with Bungie is almost over. The project is almost ready to ship... so we are trying to get all of our new passes done.

We are to the point where we only run the game on retail Xbox360 kits. So when it ships, I'm gone. Other than that... I guess I was happy to see the sun at least once this week... I got to go in late today too... we went in at 1PM... which gave me time to walk Jaani, relax with a cup of coffee... and get a couple things around the house done. it's surprising how quickly I can take care of chores these days... I built 2 chairs (that I got like a month ago from Ikea...) took out the trash (because the dumpster was finally emptied after like 3 weeks.) and then I went to Jet City to hang out with Brandy.

Other than that... work work work work... I have been looking around for a new car... I found a bunch of stuff on Craig's list... I was going to have my friend Ricci go with me to look at one in a couple days... It seems that BECU will give me a car lone with no money down... and if I can get the difference, then I think I will be all set...

so... that's what's going on with me...

Later,
SteveO

72 hours...

The work week is 72 hours in... and I’ve worked 39 of them...  We are approaching midnight...

work is long hours, but it works... I guess... just tiring...

 

That is the story...

 

P.S.  we are staging a revolt with spears made of broken CDs and pens taped together...

 

Later,

   SteveO

Explanation

I guess the previous post needs an explanation... you see, at work, we look at that picture of the lady with 4 eyes, and two sets of lips, and we have trouble focusing... and we joke about it causing seizures...

so, yea... I'm here, and I'm alive... I gotta go to bed because I'm tired...

Later,
SteveO

seizure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Resume Update...

Just as a note... this resume looks a lot better in a separate window, where you can see all the dates along the right hand side of the document...

The document can be found here

Steven Farnell

25621 27th Pl S Apt# C104 Kent, WA. 98032

StevenFarnell@gmail.com (248) 762-7900

---

Objective:
Software Engineer

Education:

Bellevue Community College

January 2006 - September 2006

Computer Science Transfer Agreement:

• 30 Credits Completed

• Relevant Coursework: Logic and Calculus

ITT Technical Institute

June 2002 - June 2005

Software Application Programming AAS, Software Engineering Technology BAS:

• 90 Credits Completed for AAS, Graduated Highest Honors

• 30 Credits Completed for BAS

• Relevant Coursework: VB .NET, Enterprise Java, C# with ASP .NET, Numerical Methods, and Calculus

• National Vocational Technical Honor Society

Troy High School

September 1998 - June 2002

High School Diploma:

• Computer Science Advanced Placement Score: 4/5

• Introduction to CCNA

• Introduction to A+

• Relevant Coursework: Photoshop, HTML, Flash 4, Java, and Visual C++

Work Experience:

Volt Technical Resources

May 2007 - Present

Bungie Studios/Microsoft - Test Associate Level 2:

• Regular Duties: Test Passes, C# Scripting, Batch Scripting, Ad-Hoc Testing of Halo 3.
  

• BVT, Black Box, Grey Box, and Automation testing.

• Create and Track bugs using Ticket Track and MS Raid.

• Write scripts to perform repetative tasks assigned to my team.

Farnell Contracting Inc.

May 1995 - April 2007

General Laborer and Network Technician:

• Regular Duties: Technical Support, Parcel Services, and Warehouse Management

• Ran Structured Cabling for Desktop Computers and Server Closet

• Configured Secure Wireless Network

• Installed Server and Configured Database, Web, Proxy, and Mail Services

ITT Technical Institute

May 2003 - December 2003

Temporary Student Tutor

• Regular Duties: Algebra, Trigonometry, Physics, C++, Java, Visual Basic, and Operating Systems Tutoring.

• Assisted in the weekly re-imaging of of Nine Computer Labs

• Utilized the School Library to improve my understanding of Visual Studio Tools

Skills:

• Eight Years using Visual Studio: V.B., Visual C++, C#, ASP, Fox Pro, and MSIL

• Four Years of Linux GUI Development: GTK, QT, and CC++

• Nine Years of Web Development with Markup, Scripting, and Interpreted Languages

• Six Years of Database Development with SQL and Access

• Five Years of Desktop and Server Computer Support and Repair: Hardware Troubleshooting, Hardware Replacement, Windows and Linux Support

• Configured a database server to synchronize the bookkeeping, sales, and labor departments of a small company; allowing for an automated and personalized summary of weekly objectives.

I keep going... and going... and going...

this is crazy... my net income at Bungie has now surpassed my gross income in Michigan!!! this is exciting.... I mean... I work a ton of hours...and it seems like every week they come up with longer shifts for us... as of now it looks like I'm working 72 hours next week... (starting tomorrow)... it just seems like every week my paycheck gets bigger... I love it... but hate not having a life... but I love it anyway.

but I guess I'll need all the money I can get... I don't know how much longer I'll have luck with the Astro... it's still running fine... but it just passed 191,000 miles... and the windows are starting to act up a little... but it runs!

I don't know what kind of car I'll be able to afford, but I'm sure I will figure something out. I guess the next thing I need to keep in mind is that my last check from Bungie might be coming as soon as the 23rd of this month, and unlike some of my friends who were able to go v- (vendor... I'm an a- for umm... who knows... it means I have to take a 100 day break from MS every 365 days I work as MS so they can keep me as temporary... a v- stays until the end of the project.)...

other than that... Jaani and I have the house to ourselves this weekend. which kinda sucks for Jaani... he has to stay all by himself... all alone... all day while I'm at work tomorrow... he only had to stay alone for 2 1/2 hours today... and sunday Ev said she will be home by mid day...

Official word says that Ev starts work on Monday. At around 8:30AM... which works out perfect for me to drop her off... I need to be passing through Renton at about that time in order to get my breakfast on my way to work... seeing how I don't take the bus anymore... I guess I would make her take the bus if I didn't drive right past her work every day... I can actually read the sign on the building as I drive by... In the end it means I have to leave about five or ten minutes earlier...

(to the tune of Montey Python's lumberjack song...)
so...
I'm a game tester and I'm OK,
I sleep sometimes and I work all day,
I go to work,
I type a lot,
I like to break halo,
and if I could have my way,
we'd never make release...

well, anyway... that's the jist of how my life is not changing at the same time that it is changing constantly... so, I guess I'll say goodnight! I need to get some sleep...

Later,
SteveO

Work update...

I Broke it!!! That's right, Tuesday they sent me home with a dev kit... and it was good. My DevKit, Wireless controller, Headset, and some Everclear (190 proof) on the side, and I'm ready to start testing!

the plus side is I now get to play Halo 3 from home at night... the down side is that means I work 12 hours 2 days a week.... between that and weekends now being extended, I work about 74 hours a week... it's kinda crazy...

Although today I had most of the day off... I was requested to take a dev kit home because Tuesday I set up Internet Connection Sharing to allow my Dav Kit to connect to my wireless internet connection. Between the other 3 wireless networks, being underneath the flight path for Sea-Tac airport, my connection got a continual random packet loss of 5% with a periodic random packet loss that spiked at 45% every 15 minutes... in other words a huge chunk of what the dev kit was saying to Xbox Live got lost... kinda like when you get a bad connection on your cell phone and you have to keep repeating youself... except because you're giving instruction to deal with something happening in real time, my box would do some funky things... that which I cannot publish online.

It was great. That combined with the feeling of being trusted to take home (and return) an $8,000 piece of equipment (with a black market value of well over $10,000) makes me feel like I'm moving up in the world.

it makes me feel even better about working so many hours...

but the project is coming along.... work is good... my co-workers rock!

I am never home... ever. I work so many hours that I think I would go crazy if I had to take the bus every day... Ev starts work on Tuesday... and is going to her mom's house until her step dad returns on Sunday...

I feel like I'm being recognized as someone of great talent in the view of industry leaders! Which may or may not be true, but I finally started having intelligent conversations with my managers... basically because I stopped being afraid to express my opinion. I'm learning a lot about the tech industry, and I think I have a lot I can offer. I found out one of the guys I talk to all the time on my breaks (because he vacations in Michigan and went to U of M) is the studio lead. He is in charge of Bungie... where the buck stops.

anyway... I must go to bed. g'night!

Later,
SteveO

Best goodbye ever!

The best farewell email ever!

 

Today is the last day for one of my co-workers, and he wrote this letter and sent it to all his managers, and people of the freezer... basically about half of the people at Bungie... it was the best

 

 

There are a lot of inside jokes, but this is what he wrote:

 

 

Unlike many people, I don’t go for the short goodbye. I like to ramble on, and draw it out, veiled in drama, and separated by lots of commas.

 

So it begins.

Or ends.

Or both.

D) All of the above

 

This was a spectacular year; I learned far more during this 1 year at Bungie than I have 3’ish years at MGS. During my stay, I met many great people, who turned into great coworkers, and for some, great friends. The project, people, and atmosphere did a ton to make this the first project that I’ve grown attached to. Working in the freezer was great… if a bit chilly at first J Over time, the freezer became more and more the central hub of network testing and NEW servers. New faces joined our ranks, and it really became a small world of its own. A combination of networking bonanza, social experiment, and reality TV. The micro-culture of the freezer made working here quite possibly the best job experience I’ve had. We nerded out; talking about Halo3, other games, ideas, bugs, programming, new technologies, star wars references, etc.;  we strung network cables in insane ways to run tests (and didn’t bridge networks! Woot!), had freedom to learn things beyond the required, and spread the love. And by love, I mean deep loathing. It was a cruel world in which only the black hearted survived. Ahhh yes, it was a glorious place. I’ll miss it, and I doubt any other job can recreate that atmosphere. Thank you guys for the great experience, I’ll miss all of you. Well. Most of you.

 

Outside of the freezer, there was the dynamic of interacting with some of the coolest guys I’ve met. The developers and designers willing to take time to discuss the game; the inner workings and implementations, what we liked, and what we disliked. They didn’t hold themselves above us, and were very receptive to our feedback. You guys are a huge reason many of the test crew work so hard, and are willing to go that extra mile in working on those bugs you guys ask about. To you, I give my utmost respect and thanks. (And special thanks further down!)

 

Alas, all good things must come to an end. My contract has ran its full year and I must flee into the night, banished for 100 days. Good thing I made the game as perfect as I could before I must leave ;) I’m sad that I won’t be there for the grand parade as the game goes out the door, but on the bright side, I can’t wait to see it hit shelves and pick up my copy. Not only do I expect it to be a great game, but it’ll be a constant reminder of my awesome days at Bungie. Good luck in the crunch, and hang in there, you’re almost done!

 

See ya ‘round,

Andrew Belousek

 

 

Should you ever need to harass me (aka Contact Info) :

Email: *******@gmail.com

Cell: ###-###-####

Gamertag:******* (fair warning, I probably won’t sign into Live until I have my copy of Halo3 – so your friend invite might get dusty ;)

 

 

P.S. – Please hire me. My resume just might happen to be on my share[this was a link in the original mail].

 

 

Random Observations, Funny Stuff, and Ramblings

-          When in doubt, add a disclaimer saying it’s Dave’s fault, or if you want to shorthand, /davebus

-          Microsoft says it’s ok to call someone a-nicger; This alias amuses me to no end – does this make me a horrible person?

-          The Will of Joe demands that it be called the Party Barge not the Elephant

-          Snow is the work of a maligned sentience, whose sole goal is to deny me from reaching Bungie

-          XboxChief and ChiefScripts makes testers happy and more productive

-          Whenever female workers are hired, productivity goes down, as every un-involved male immediately tries to win them over. Or stare. However, if the female workers command people to do things, they obey without delay. Logically, Bungie should hire more dominatrix managers.

-          Just by working here, your mom suddenly does perverse things

-          Jevans has a seemingly unnatural work cycle. He’s here before I arrive, and after I leave. He seems to avoid sunlight. I suspect that Bungie is harboring a vampire

-          I think Jevans has turned Dom into a vampire too

-          The MP lab’s sound proofing is a huge blessing to those of us who swear profusely when we lose – especially those of us who hate to lose. Yes, hate, with italics.

-          You cannot count the number of time’s Luke says fuck in 5 minutes on one hand – this too amuses me to no end

-          Early in the project, overtime conversations go something like this:

Dave: “OT tonight!”

You: “Really?”

Dave: “Yes.”

You: “Wewt!”

Dave: “Wait… no.”

You: “What?”

Dave: “Maybe.”

You: “I hate you.”

Dave: “Suck it.”

-          Late in the project, overtime conversations go something like this:

Dave: “It’s not the Apocalypse – you’re working this weekend.”

You: “What if the Apocalypse happens while I’m at work?”

Dave: “Then it is a good death.”

-          Late in the project, it’s not uncommon for your blood to be replaced with your choice of Starbucks drink – and it’ll only cost you a few bucks a day to remain alive

-          I think Forge’s description should be “The sole purpose of this editor is to find the most amazing way to blow up plasma coils.”

-          Street Fighter. You will swear and curse at the game many times, and yet you keep going back for more, you masochist

-          Don’t let Chucky go behind you at Bump

-          I came. I saw. I Spartan Lasered.

-          That’s what she said

 

 

 

 

 

Special Thanks

The MP Test Team (past and present)

You’re all a bunch of great asshats. Good luck to all of you in your endeavors, it’s been a pleasure working with you.

Stay Frosty.

 

Dagasca, Stepal, Jevens, Dom, Doug

Thanks for being laidback-but-serious-about-getting-stuff-done bosses – I wouldn’t mind working for any of you again someday.

Ship it.

 

Dagasca again

For listening to far more bitching than he deserved.

Suck it.

 

Luke Timmins, Chris Butcher, Aaron Lieberman, Francois Boucher-Genesse, Michael Williams, Lars Bakken

You guys are awesome. It’s always a pleasure talking to you guys - you’re willing to take the time and explain bugs, answer our questions, and listen to our feedback. I sincerely hope I get to work with all of you again.

Keep Bungie a great place to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and

The Street Fighter Machine

Love the Street Fighter

A microcosm of Life

Work, Play, then Go Home

 

 

Another update from the land of working-ness...

well, first off, sorry mom that I haven't received your calls, I guess that I can't really call after work, because it's about midnight in Michigan when I get off work... and I've very absent minded most of the time when I'm driving to work, and don't like to talk on the phone...

I've been doing good. I think my average work week is going to be somewhere between 60 and seventy hours for about the next month... so just as a heads up, I won't be easy to get a hold of...

I thank you for mailing my passport, and I'll look for it in the mail.

I work... alot... and that's about all I do.

I took Sunday off, and saw transformers in theaters... it was a good movie... and I'm trying to figure out how I'll see the Simpsons movie too...


we saw Harry Potter a week or so back... and that was good too.

Jaani is doing well... he has has a couple new toys, and they get lost easily... but he has fun.

Ev is doing well, it looks like she will be working for Classmates.com's call center... she is playing this I love you... I love him game... I don't care... as long as he gives me money for her to pay rent... I don't really care. I am wondering what she plans on doing when we move though... because I don't really think he will pay her way then... anyway...

other than that... I have no life to speak of... I just work... and that is my life.


lately the topics among the people of the freezer (the guys at work and I) seem to focus on gaming news... Like EA and Microsoft Gaming Systems (MGS) are trading CEOs... which is kinda funny... Nintendo Wii is setting records on sales (because like the DS it prints money!!!) and PS3 is one of the worst selling game counsels of all time!

We have also been talking about making T-shirts... Kale has been drawing cartoon caricatures of us for it... and I think it will be a good thing to remember the guys by... 'cept Travis... AKA Damien... who hates everyone...

I guess I'll go over the guys in the back room... Dustin and I are Linux nuts... we are both guys that kinda do everything to keep everybody else working... they give us a bunch of boxes and tell us to learn scripts and improve on them to keep everything running smoothly. Danny is the matchmaking specialist so he makes sure that the way skill, EXP, and matching is done works right... and always has something to say... Patrick and Justin are more neutral on everything and probably the most level headed guys in the group... Patrick updates source depot, and keeps the code changing the way we need... Justin is our link to marketing research, and helps build our test cases... Andrew is an insane programmer who now works in the front room (until he has to take his 100 day break at the end of the week... we plan on going to the bar after work on friday.)... Kale is a super liberal oil painting major from some hippie college in Maine (he studies the game's art work)... Imran is an awesome composer who works on sound bytes... Comstock works on arbitration; mostly raw data processing and a lot of complex Mathematics... and Brian is the voice guy, who makes sure that all the voices work correctly when talking to other players.

so those are the people I spend at least 11 1/2 hours a day with... every day.


so that's my story... and I'm sticking to it!


Later,
SteveO

Weekend Update!

Well, we are working 7 days a week here at the office. 

 

I just worked 64 hours last week, and this week looks like it will be about the same...we now work 10 hours a day 5 days a week, and 8 hours on Saturday and Sunday.  It’s a lot of hours, but I enjoy it... I actually would work more hours if I were programming...  but I do what I can...  The countdown of 2 more hours and 15 minutes was just announced... then we get to go home... I requested tomorrow off so that I can do my laundry... and go to the grocery store... and sleep in.   I still find it hard to believe that I work on Sundays now...

 

Outside of work I mostly sleep.  I walk the dog every night when I get home... get something to eat... and every once and a while stay up past my usual 10PM bed time so I can watch a movie when I get home...

 

We used to only work 8 hours on Friday, but with crunch time and all, we worked 10;  I don’t think we will have any 8 hour days in a week or so.  But it’s worth it.

 

I will see a $1000 pay check coming up... it’s the largest check I’ve ever gotten for one week of work.  and all I have to do at this point is wait for it to appear in my account next Thursday...  I’m kinda excited... and it’s just in time for rent.

 

I feel like I’m doing well.  And I am really starting to get used to the hours, even though it kinda sucks... and I have no social life.

 

I’m thinking that I need to get a good reliable internet connection just so that I can take a dev kit home for a night and work from home for an hour...

 

I also found out that I will get a copy of  Halo 3 when the project is done... and I saw a refurbished Xbox 360 for $200... which is my price range for an Xbox 360 with a hard drive...  I might just have to buy one...

 

Other than that... I guess I’m doing well.  Ev and I are getting along.  Jaani is a happy puppy, and I don’t know where any of the old people I used to live with are...

I hear James is re-modeling his house, but I dpn’t know...

I also actually just thought about how Scott said something about commming out here... and just so that he knows, if he tries to come out before the end of September... I will be working... and I don’t do anything outside of work... so... I don’t get vacations.

 

I’ve been enjoying my Nokia 770.  It’s a fun toy... The weather has been hot... but now it’s rainy again...

 

I heard India just elected a female president today... umm MSNBC tells me a bunch a news I don’t really care about... I’m reading a book about Fuzzy Logic... Ev is reading the Harry Potter books... and I guess that’s my life for the time being.

 

I sent my passport to South Carolina because that is where it came from, and I guess all I needed to send them was a letter explaining what to change, and a copy of my photo ID because I sent it back within 30 days... after 30 days you have until 365 days to send the re-application form to correct the changes before you have to pay, but you do also have to submit a new picture after 30 days...

 

So I’m waiting for my passport to come back. 

 

I’m entertaining the thought of going to Australia in October... apparently Anderson is going, and he found this program where they set you up with work for up to 6 months... so 6 months in Australia would be pretty cool.  And I could use a trip to get away from everything... and find out what is in the rest of the world.

 

 

So... yup.  That’s me in a nut shell.

 

Later,

    SteveO