Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's been an interesting month... to say the least.  Dell offered me a job - Microsoft went in other directions.  After my salary negotiations, I now have a start date of January 18th!  Which means... I have a lot of work to do.  In the week before Christmas, I:

• Got a job offer with a June start date
• Tweaked the offer
• Received my final offer with a Jan 18th start date and higher pay
• Promptly started looking for a car and some place to live
• Bought a 2006 Honda Civic Si two days later
• Found a small apartment in Round Rock two days after I got a new car

The car-buying itself was enough to give me a heart attack.  I have enough trouble clicking 'place order' on Amazon, much less signing a paper promising to pay back more than $10k.  It was a tense day to say the least - I'm glad I have Anna...

My new car!

I've since signed my offer and have begun all of the other things required, like setting up electricity in my new apartment, getting my drug screening, and talking to the relocation people.  It's difficult to do all this since there are so many holidays now.  Everyone I try and communicate with is more than likely on vacation.

Good thanksgiving, now time to lose weight

Thanksgiving is officially over.  I also officially over-ate two days in a row.  I don't think I've ever been so uncomfortable after eating in my life.  The food was so good!  My parents made three pies.  There were only five of us eating! According to my calculations, that's 3/5 of a pie per person!  I think I've used up my exclamation point quota for today.


As far as photography goes, I got to take quite a few pictures this week.  My parents wanted some pictures taken of the whole family, and I got to take some of just them, also.  I think they turned out pretty well.  I even got an 8x10 of the best one from my new photo lab.  They sent me a neat package with my test prints and a sample package of all the different papers they print on.  I have to say - metallic paper and pearl paper are absolutely the neatest thing I've ever seen an image printed on.  Ask me about them at our next portrait session. ;-)

For all those Baylor Bears out there, tell me what's missing from this picture.  Your campus isn't that big so I know you'll notice.  For everyone else, just admire the great picture.

This was another one of my favorites.

As far as day-jobs go, I am leaving tomorrow for a two-day excursion in Round Rock for my interview with Dell on Friday.  They are paying for me (us) to stay at the Sheraton @ the Capitol for two nights.  I have three 30-minute interviews on Friday and the rest is pretty much a tour and speakers telling us how great Dell is and why we should work there.  They always convince me.  Should be no big deal since they want me for software development and I know my stuff.  Should be a fun couple of days - especially if it really does snow!


No word back yet from Microsoft.