I'm changing jobs! It isn't a huge change, because I'm staying with the same company, just moving to a different team and job description. But I did have to apply for the position and interview and generally compete for it just like anyone else would. It feels good to have set my sights on achieving something, and then really pulled it off.

The new role is more of a pure data analyst position. I think I will like it because that is the work that I have enjoyed the most in my current role, and it's something that I've generally been interested in for a long time. Most recently what I have been doing is a rather jumbled hybrid of development, QA, and analysis all rolled under the vague heading of "data operations". So it isn't really a huge jump, I'll still be churning through mountains of medical data and likely working pretty closely with my current team on occasion.

The farther I get into my working career, I've come to realize that I get bored pretty quickly and easily. After about two years at a particular task, I get pretty restless and ready for something new. This will be third job at this company, and I don't really have any belief that this one will be super different. Mostly I think I just want to be more aware of this going forward, so I start thinking about the next step before I'm completely miserable with the current one. For now, I am happy to be back in the cycle of engaging in a new challenge.

Between the house and the beach there is an arroyo. It is mostly dry, but at it's very lowest point there is still some standing water, not much larger than a big puddle. There are two heron like birds there. One is snowy white, and the other is the typical dark blue gray. The white one rarely moves from a fixed spot, on the edge of the standing water. The darker one comes and goes, roaming the beach and the surf. Though they clearly have taken up residence, they too feel out of place in the landscape. We are kindred in this escape to the land of warmth and sunshine.

It is so very lovely here. The house has a massive shaded porch, which looks out into the backyard, and about 100 yards distant is the ocean. The yard contains a couple agaves, some other small and presumably native cacti, and a variety of scrubby brush.

Tranquilo is an understatement. There are a scattering of other houses about, and each morning brings a handful of people wandering down the path to the beach. The local beach is steeply sloped and not so safe for swimming. If you don't go first thing in the morning, you're unlikely to encounter another person.

I love the slow pace of life here. There are no touristy adventures to be had. The town has a tiny handful of art galleries and souvenier shops, and a little ways south is the surfing and swimming beach. The days are slow, hours spent sunning and reading, with maybe one excursion to town and the beach in the late afternoon.

Once you settle in and unwind, it becomes increasingly difficult to comprehend the other life, the one which overflows with demands and activity, where the sun and the darkness are ignored each day in the name of work and chores and progress. I don't want to go home.

"all I know is steak tastes better when I take my steak tastes better pills"

Gotta love Jonathon Coulton.

'You can't believe all this UFO mumbo-jumbo?'

'Of course!' he said.

'You've been brainwashed,' I told him. 'You've joined a cult'.

'Religion,' he said, as if considering the concept.

'Marx called religion the opium of the people,' I said angrily. 'But at least opium is a high-class drug. UFO religion? That's the methylated spirits of the people. It's the home-still beetroot-alcohol of the people.'

Adam Roberts, Yellow Blue Tibia*, p. 198

* A singularly odd book about science fiction and UFOs in Cold War era Russia

Finally got a laptop from work today, which means I have officially entered the ranks of the Semi-Important. In reality, that means I'm important enough to earn a leash and collar. It's brand new, 64-bit, Windows 7, has new computer smell. I can't figure out how to connect to the damn network.

Me: Didn't you say you updated the documentation on this process?

Developer: Who, me? No, I don't write documentation.

I am so happy to announce the return of Spaz kitty! Last night around 7:00, I went out for another forlorn stroll around the neighborhood, hoping to catch a glimpse of her somewhere. I saw no signs of her on the walk, but then as I walked back in the door I was sure I heard a muted but frantic mewing. I ran back outside, and managed to determine that it was coming from the other side of a tiny door leading into the crawl space under the building. I pulled open the door and there she was.

She was pretty freaked out, and it took a little coaxing to get her out of the crawl space and into my arms. It took about an hour for both her and Bonkers to unwind again, and things have been pretty much back to normal ever since.

One of the hardest parts of the whole ordeal was dealing with Bonkers reaction. She's a needy kitty under normal circumstances, and that spun up even more with Spaz gone. She was obviously confused and nervous, wanted constant affection, and didn't really want to play or do anything else. All of that has rapidly returned to 'normal'.

For those of you that aren't completely sick of hearing this from me in person already, I am currently renovating my shower. The goal is to replace the previous completely icky color scheme with something much more fresh and modern and bold. Ultimately I'm going to change out the flooring and repaint as well, but for the moment the focus is the shower.

Today is day 3. (featuring Bonkers)



The destruction is complete. You can't see it in this picture, but yesterday I had the plumbing modernized as well. Today we rebuild the walls, and seal them. Tomorrow the tile goes up, and friday the grout. Unfortunately we're already one day behind schedule, which means that it won't be completely finished before the weekend.

Did I mention it's my only shower? Fortunately, I can shower at work, and my tile guy tells me that I should be able to use the bathtub after today.

I'm really excited about the new tile. It's green mosaic glass ("rainforest blend" - how appropriate), and really lovely. It's hard to photograph decently without a flash though. The final result will be bold, but I think it will totally work. I still need to figure out what I will be doing with the floor and walls.

I don't even think I can count just how many things are truly wretched in this old Tab commercial.