Checking In

So I'm loving how busy I've been at work lately. We've got a deadline coming up so its like all hands on deck trying to meet the deadline. I was so busy, I forgot to check on my travel arrangements to San Francisco, like how to get around and where I need to go when I get there. So here I am at the airport, checking up on my flight and what not.

Other than work, not a whole lot to report on at the moment. Well, i gotta get going, the power on my laptop is starting to dwindle.

Later

Declaration

I like pie.

Funny Story

Hey, so today, while walking back from the fitness center in the apartment complex, I passed a few kids (about 8 years old or so). One of these kids, in passing, told me I look like Frankenstein. It was pretty awesome.

Commentary on the Holiday

So I finally figured out something to talk about, hence the new blog post. I'd like to throw my own commentary into the foray on the holiday of the season: Presidents Day.

First of all, I've come to find that some people don't even get this holiday off, yet others (myself included) do. Shouldn't there be some sort of standardization that for people in the same field of industry take the same holidays? I know that those of us on this project at work are going to fall a day behind because the architect on our project doesn't have the holiday off. Kind of odd I guess.

Next off, I wonder how odd it would be to be in Barack Obama's shoes for this holiday. For most of us, all Presidents Day means is a free holiday off. I think the intended purpose of the holiday is to celebrate the presidents past and present in honor of the service they have performed. Now for Obama, how basically had a huge party in his honor that got dragged on for the inauguration, does he expect to be celebrated today? Or is he going to be getting the same treatment the kids that had birthdays on the 23rd or 24th of Christmas get, where they only get one set of of presents to account for both celebrations?

Hopefully, he isn't expecting anything, because well he's probably got bigger fish to fry. But it must be surreal to go from celebrating the great men of the past one year, to being on that list the next. I wonder what the time for that kind of thing to sink in is.

I'm not sure if I can really celebrate him though, I mean all I've seen him do is start up this nonsense that is FOCA, and the only times I've seen him on TV is to get face time on the Super Bowl pregame show and now on the NBA All Star game half time show. It almost think he wants to be involved in sports more than anything else. My opinion may be jaded though, as this may be influenced by the kind of television I watch.

Wow, I don't think that made much sense, but oh well, I warned you all on my first blog post that rambing incoherencies would happen.

Darren

Work Day

So today was a good workday. I put in 9.5 hours, but it was a fun 9.5.

So what, do you ask, did I do today? Lets see, I rode on top of an elevator, stood on the roof of a building in downtown Portland with good views of Hood and St. Helens, and climbed a rail type laddr in a mechanical room in the dark.

So yeah, it made Tuesday an entertaining escape from the norm.

Top 10 T.V. Show Seasons - My List

So I believe myself to be somewhat of a connoisseur of television, considering how much I watch TV, I would hope to be somewhat informed on the topic. (And yeah, I googled connoisseur to verify the spelling and the definition). So I thought I'd try giving a top 10 list a try (note: there may be some heavy weight given to newer television, but that is just because I have devoted more time to new television, so hence the weight shift. For similar reasons, I have alot of comedy as opposed to drama). And away we go:

10. The Big Bang Theory S1 - Being an engineer, this should be an obvious decision. How could I say no to a show that makes nerdy jokes all the time?

9. Prison Break S2 - I initially was going to add season 1 to this list (because it was about a structural engineer and engineering principles), but this season was particularly compelling with how they portrayed a manhunt.

8. Heroes S1 - Simply put, how the mighty have fallen. This show was awesome, but it took a nosedive at the very end of season 1.

7. Freaks and Geeks S1 - I always remembered watching this show once or twice in high school and really liking it, and I figured out why: it is so real. This show portrays geeks so realistically, for some reason I connected with that.

6. 24 S1 - A show I have dedicated so much time to over the years. I remember wondering how they were going to do more than one season of it, and "The following takes place between ___ and ___, on the day of the California Presidential Primary" is permanently engraved in my head.

5. The Office S3 - Purely good stuff. This has been my favorite show for a long time.

4. Arrested Development S2 - I could have given credit to any of the 3 seasons, but S2 in particular is awesome because of how awesomely the show uses word-play and reference back to itself for jokes. I could watch this show over and over. Fingres crossed for the movie.

3. Lost S3 - This show threw out a bunch of questions through seasons 1 and 2, and in season 3, the answers (and, ultimately, more questions) came flooding out. The way the show flipped itself on its head at the end of the season was awesome.

2. Friday Night Lights S1 - This show was so purely brilliant in that first season. Season 2 took a turn for the worse, but after watching the start of season 3 this evening, I'm hopeful for the return of the very well put together realistic drama.

1. The Office S2 - This season was so light hearted and hilarious. Such brilliant jokes, creative pranks, and pure awkwardness.

Honorable Mention: Chuck S1, Family Guy S4, Entourage S1, Sports Night S2, Family Matters S2, Boy Meets World S3, Fringe S1 (pending the successful completion of it).

Riding the Bus

I forgot how fun it was to ride the bus in downtown Portland. 4 days into my new job, I've already seen so much to remind me how different the people are in Portland, OR than they are in West Lafayette, IN. Every day is a new adventure. So far, I've been treated to the soap opera of the girl who is cussing at her grandmother and having a nervous breakdown over the phone. I'm sure there will be more exciting crazy people to see soon. In addition, a 30 minute ride on the bus in West Lafayette would mean tarvelling multiple miles, crossing a river, and getting into a new city. In Portland, there's always the possibility for a 30 minute travel stretch that encompasses a mere 3 blocks,

I may sound sarcastic, but I actually enjoy taking the bus into work. Its really nice to not have to deal with driving to work, especially now since the office I work at is so much further into the gut of downtown. I'm not exactly the worlds best driver, so I am sure the drivers of Portland appreciate it as well.

Back later, with more "nonsense" to write. These blogs may not be exciting to read, but at least so far I am proving half my name.