Vacation!

Vacation next week! Woohoo!

On Friday after work, I'll be traveling down to Raleigh because Anne and I will be driving to Jacksonville on Sunday to head out on a five-day, five-night cruise to Key West and the Bahamas! For. The. Win.

It was a long and winding road even to get to the cruise at all. My mom had hip surgery in June, and doctors weren't sure if she'd be able to go, so they canceled the cruise. But on July 2, she went to the doctor and was cleared to go on the cruise. My parents went from the doctor's office to the travel agent and reinstated the cruise, so off we'll go on Monday morning!

It's going to be a good time.

In the meantime, a few awesome things I'm really loving about my new job:

1. They're getting me a Blackberry!

So a few people were in the hall, talking about smart phones and what they can do, etc. Afterward, one of the partners came into my office and asked why I didn't partake in the conversation.

I pulled out my Razr and explain how my phone is anything but smart, so I didn't have anything to add. He said, "Well you're a program manager here, are you not?" "I am indeed," I replied.

"Well, anyone here who's a manager or higher gets a Blackberry, so let's set you up."

Sign me up! I'm choosing between a Curve, Storm or Tour. I'm leaning away from the Storm because I haven't heard good things about the touchscreen Blackberries.

Thumbs UP. I will let you know when I have more information. I can tell how excited you are about it.

2. Happy Hours at work

Last week, we all gathered in the conference room at 4 p.m. to have wine, beer, champagne and some light snacks. Why? Why not? Just because we can, and we hadn't done it yet this month.

One of the partners traveled to Africa and brought back a ton of pictures, so we drank a bit and looked at pictures of Africa. Hard to argue with that as a way to spend an afternoon at work.

Anyway, this job is still FTW -- for other reasons too of course. I actually do enjoy the work. Learning about nuclear energy is more fun than, say, learning about corn. And I'm enjoying the increase in responsibilities here as well.

It's a good time. A little over a month into the job, and so far, so good. Still a good decision.

Laaater,
BG

July 4th Photos

I did not forget.

I uploaded them last night. Check 'em out through my Facebook profile, or just click here.

The Beatles: Rock Band

If you know me at all, you know I'm a huge fan of the Rock Band series. It's just fantastic. I've been playing the drums for about 11 years now, and a full drum set isn't the most convenient instrument to play.

Rock Band drums feels legitimately like you're playing the real drums. It's obviously not EXACTLY the same, but the motions and the movements -- I don't know how to explain it except to say it just feels right. As a drummer, it feels right.

I've got Rock Band and Rock Band 2, and on Sept. 9, I will have to find a way to acquire this game. Ladies and gentlemen, the game-play trailer for The Beatles: Rock Band.



Look at that! How awesome is that?! First of all, it looks fantastic, aesthetically. It has signature moments in Beatles' history recreated in the game from the look of the guys and their wardrobe down to the clubs and venues they played. Second of all, that's going to be a great game. I'm a big Beatles fan, so, to answer my own rhetorical question from a second ago, this is going to be VERY AWESOME.

Not just for the drums though! Did you notice the addition to the vocals? Three-part harmonies will be a part of this game. Again, if you know me at all, you know I'll be gunning for that high-note harmony part every time.

I've said this about Rock Band before, and it bears repeating now: singing is waaaay more fun than it should be. Good times all around, and not just when you've had a few drinks.

P.S. On a completely unrelated note, I have pictures from the exploration Anne and I undertook of DC this past weekend. I will post them to Facebook tomorrow.