FETC and Status Report
Two weeks ago was FETC, the yearly bacchanalian festival of debauchery for my high school friends disguised as an educational technology conference. The conference this year felt very different. Certain rituals that we’ve done every year for the past 9 years were conspicuously absent - there was no dance party the second night of the conference, our check-in service received much less business than usual, we didn’t go to Vito’s Chop House with the FETC full-time staff. It was a good conference other than those things and the monstrous bout of gastroenteritis I went through on Wednesday night. I must apologize again to my roommates for the…disastrous condition of my GI tract that day. No one else got sick, so I’m guessing it was...well actually I have no idea what it was but it was bad. FETC has been purchased by a for-profit organization, which more or less means that our days on the crew are few in number. It would be nice if we get to go next year but I’m not counting on it.
Other than that, nothing particularly exciting going on. I am, thankfully, still working on the same project at work, which is progressing quite nicely. On a related note, THQ (NYSE: THQI) announced their 3rd quarter earnings last week, and during the announcement mentioned that “Cars”, the game, was the second highest selling videogame of 2006, and the number one game at THQ, having sold over 7 million copies across all the platforms. That title came in just under Madden ’06. Damn shame I’m not in the royalty pool for that one. Ah well.
I purchased a PDA-phone from Sprint last week. It’s the PPC-6700 PocketPC. Hopefully it will help me get organized. I’ve already started storing people’s birthdays so I don’t forget anyone anymore. I have unlimited internet service which is sweet because I can hook into Google Maps or check my email wherever I am, plus it’s got wifi so can get a really fast connection in many places. So far I am really liking it.
I attended an open-house for a Tai Chi class yesterday. The group is fairly small, but they are part of a bigger organization, the Taoist Tai Chi society, which it turns out is the same place that is in Tallahassee, you know that Tai Chi place on Monroe near where Centerville starts. The group is a little older than me, but they seem sincere and it doesn’t have too much of a new-agey vibe, so I think I’m going to continue it. Besides it’s more of a meditative thing for me anyway. I’ve got one more free class next week to make up my mind.
Brett provided me with the first season of Battlestar Galactica (the new show, on SCI/FI) in glorious HD, which I have been watching via my Xbox 360’s Media Center extender. I’m not much of a tv watcher, as most of you know. I primarily watch cartoons, Good Eats on FoodTV, and No Reservations on the Travel Channel. But oh…my…lord, Battlestar is such a good show. This is science fiction television at it’s biggest and brightest my friends. It’s better than Stargate, on-par with Next Generation. You must find season one and watch it. Please. For me.
Nothing else to report, really. I haven’t received my diploma yet, but I’ve been assured that it’s on the way. I am on a month-to-month lease with my apartment-come-condominium. Hopefully I’ll get to stay here until June or July or whenever this project is finished, and then set my sights towards Seattle. Till next time.