Moving Right Along

Friday the 11th has been my last day as a member of the system administration department at the library. When classes resume in a little over a week, both my class lecture times and my predicted need for out-of-class time will prevent me from holding down 40 hours a week of work. One of the two positions at the library had to go and I'm afraid SA was it. My position in the circulation department is not only slightly more flexible (allowing me to work nights and weekends), but it's also the classified position - which means that's where the benefits and retirement packages come in. Easy choice, huh?

Not really. I'm definitely going to miss working in the SA department. This kind of work is what I'd like to do professionally - and I don't think I'll even find a group of people who work so well together. But, I console myself in knowing that I'm not precisely leaving completely. I'll still be a part of the library and can drop in on them at any time. In fact, I'm taking some of my regular scheduled work with me and will continue to perform these tasks even as a circulation manager. It'll probably be goood to keep me out of trouble too.

Don't get me wrong. It's not that I dislike my work as a circulation services rep - I do enjoy the work. However, after six or seven years of circulation, I've found that there are no surprises anymore. Even when the library is hopping and we're swamped with work - I don't panic. I've seen it all before. It's the same problems and situations with the same solutions each time. In contrast, I don't always know what to expect in the SA department. New problems crop up all the time, especially as we experiment with new hardware and software (or new applications of the same). I find my problem-solving skills truly challenged in such an environment. It's far from the cut-and-dry problems and solutions in circulation.

But time waits for no man - and this fella is finding he has to run to catch up a bit. :-) My time with SA has been valuable and I'm glad I had the opportunity to do that kind of work. But for now, the continuation of my academic work must take priority. So be it.

Some other notes...I thought I share some of the cool things that happened this week as a result of my 33rd birthday last Monday.

My parents bought we a spiffy new portable media player. It holds about 2 gigabytes worth of music, pictures, videos, and sound recordings. It also picks up radio stations. So far I've copied almost 3/4 of a gigabyte of music onto the little thing...so I've plenty of room for more. I'm planning on adding some of my favorite digital video files that I might like to share with folks sometime as well as my favorite graphics for the same. Pretty awesome present so thanks, Mom and Dad!

My mother and sister also sent me e-cards. Mom's was solemn and full of honest sentiment. Dianna's was silly and gave me a much-needed chuckle. I loved them both!

Mary Ann and Brendan (Kate's folks and my new in-laws) also sent me a card with a funny cat pic on the front, plus a little walking-around money. Thanks to the both of them for thinking of me!

My friend Ron hooked me up with a pair of new DVDs: "The Bourne Identity" (which is one of my favorite spy thrillers) and "Big Trouble" (which I've seen before but Ron highly recommends it). It was a nice and unexpected gesture from my good buddy.

Kate also bought me a couple presents (after making me promise about a month ago not to buy anything for myself until after my birthday). She picked up the "Sky High" DVD (which we both enjoy) as well as a digital meat thermometer. I know, I know, that last one doesn't sound like a particularly 'special' gift, but I'd been complaining for a most of the summer that I was over- or under-cooking meat on our BBQ grill because I was never sure whether it was done or not. Kate naturally wanted to fix my frustration. :-) Whatta gal. :-)

She's also taking me out to dinner Saturday night at Hu-Hot, one of my favorite places to chow down.

Finally, to give me a bit of a send-off, the system admin department took me out to lunch at the place of my choice. Originally, I was hoping to try the Stonehouse Grille where diners can sample 'genuine' Scottish fare. They even offer haggis! :-P But that place didn't open early enough so we ended up stopping at Mugs, which is a coffee shop and eatery that's growing in popularity here in Fort Collins. Lunch was pretty tasty. Afterwards, the crew presented me with my puppet (I'll have to explain another time), a $20 gift certificate to the Silver Grill, and a older-model wireless access point.

The WAP seems pretty cool. I'll need to compare it with the wireless device that my folks have been saving for me and see which one will serve our needs best.

Speaking of which, Kate and I are planning on upgrading our Internet service from dial-up (yes, that's right) to high-speed. Right now we're looking closely at Qwest but we may do a little shopping around.

The reason for this upgrade is because Kate was hired as an online tutor for the Sylvan Learning Center. The time is flexible during the week and she can work at home. But she provides web-based (using online interfaces and voice speakers) assistance to students needing all kinds of help with schoolwork. Kate and I are pretty excited about this, especially because if the opportunity takes off, it could be something that Kate could do while our children are still young. (Yep, if Kate has her way, she'll spend much of her time home with the kids.) Currently, we'll have to see if Kate can work in the required hours each week - she's being asked to commit to working painfully early hours on both Saturday and Sunday (which could also screw up our weekend travel plans). But if it works out, yay! As I said, Kate's pretty jazzed about the work.

On Sunday, Kate and I head up to Stanley, Idaho to visit with the O'Connells for a few days. On our way back, we'll probably stop in Aspen, Colorado to visit with one of Kate's old college chummettes. Then it's back home, take a day of rest, and boom! Back to school!

I'm not sure if I'll have Internet access while we're on vacation next week. If not, then I may have to wait a while before updating again (not that I'm terribly up-to-date now) but we shall see.

For now, my eyes are getting droopy so I think it's time to close up and call it a night.

Thanks for reading and here's hoping things are well with you.