my boss knows how to get people to come to these conferences: alcohol.

i'm so drunk right now. and we start at 8 tomorrow morning. and i have to go set up an LCD projector for someone's talk. and i have to check out of the hotel at some point before that talk. and then i have to go to my manager's talk in the afternoon. and i'm guessing i'm going to have a serious hangover, so wish me luck.

i was tempted to stay at our little event tonight until the last bus at 10, but i left at 9:30 just so i'd stop drinking. it's funny because i totally thought i'd take the first bus out of there at 8, but at some point, all the boring people left, and only the funny drunk people were around, and i was actually having a good time hanging out with them. ok, maybe i won't go that far. but it was the closest i have come in a while to having a good time. which kind of makes up for the fact that the conference itself has been pretty boring.

anyway, i better go pack up my stuff and make sure i know where i need to be in the morning. posted at 10:11 PM |  

all my co-workers changed their rooms, and they all kept telling me to get a better room too. so, i moved close to the boss's room. but now i like my original room better. this one is quieter (away from the street) and bigger, but somehow...that first one i had was nicer. oh well. i'm tired of lugging my stuff around. i really don't care where i am as long as i can sleep.

i'm a little nervous about tomorrow. just trying to remember where i'm supposed to be and what i need to take with me. this place is huge and confusing. especially after drinking. let's just say i got a little lost when i was trying to get back to my room from the little gathering we had. all the buildings look the same in the dark! (yes, there are multiple buildings in this place.)

the melinda thing on idol...i was surprised, and i do think she was the best singer there, but...i just never felt like she was really current. she's talented, for sure. but i'd be much more likely to listen to blake on the radio, you know? and i think jordan has the overall package. best fits the idol mold...it's really not a big deal to me.

alright, i better go to sleep. i have a feeling i'll be running around a lot tomorrow. it's going to be a long day... posted at 11:45 PM |  

i'm in san jose. made it here safe and sound. got a bit lost twice - well, technically i wasn't lost, i just thought i was lost because i didn't see any signs. anyway, i got here eventually. the room is not quite as fancy as i expected it to be, but it's not bad. my room seems to be facing a main road though, so i'm a little worried that i'll be kept up at night by the sound of cars passing by. it's pretty loud right now, just hoping this area gets quiet at night.

i feel like i haven't written in forever, but i don't know what to say. tired right now. i'm sure i'll write often while i'm here, since hotel rooms can be kind of boring. and because i'll be eating dinner way earlier than normal. and i somehow have to keep myself up late enough to watch lost tonight. (recording it at home just in case though.) posted at 5:15 PM |  

i have a mac question. and i am posting it here not because i am too lazy, but because i have genuinely looked and have not been able to find the answer anywhere. it's possible i don't know where to look, but i have tried. and it was easy to figure out how to do this on a pc, so if anything, i expect it to be easier on the mac (that's why all you mac people love macs, right?).

anyway, here's my question: how do i change the default program that opens up when i click on certain file types? posted at 6:14 PM |  

came home early today because there was a plumbing inspection...i suppose i didn't really have to be here for it, could have had a neighbor let the guy in, but any excuse to leave work early...

i actually told them i'd work from home, but who am i kidding?

anyway, just found out i have to go to a conference next week, so there goes my plan for being around more. i wish it were someplace fun, but it's just down in san jose. (yay, more traffic!)

i have no idea how formal these things are. no clue what i'm going to wear. i've never even been to a real conference. not one for grown-ups...er, professionals. i think my advisor from michigan might be there. at least, i saw his name on the invitation list. i don't really care to see him, but it would be cool if some people from my classes (who were working on phds there) showed up.

anyway, i'm just feeling some anxiety over the idea of being surrounded by a bunch of strangers. the small orientation i went to recently was bad enough. i have issues...i am afraid of being stuck in a corner all alone. (don't say that won't happen, because it pretty much did happen at the orientation and it has happened to me many other times.) and i tend to fail miserably when i attempt to socialize these days. especially with academic types (everyone i work with).

i hope it's not too bad. and i hope i don't fall asleep during any of the talks. posted at 3:53 PM |  

my work schedule's gotten really screwy again. hopefully it'll get back to normal next week.

i hate that it's only tuesday and i'm already worn out. too tired to type. i'll try again tomorrow. posted at 11:06 PM |  

i'm so tired...barely kept my eyes open through "24" last night, let alone "the riches"...i need tivo.

of course, once i got up from the couch and went to my bed, i couldn't sleep at all, for hours. there's something about upstairs guy's voice - it feels like he's talking directly into the floor sometimes. even when he's talking quietly, it just feels like it's coming through all of my walls. i turn on my tv and i can still hear him. it drives me nuts. i can't hear his girlfriend's voice at all. i just hear his end of the conversation. and he talks a lot.

anyway, i went to this orientation for new employees today. nothing exciting really, but as i was listening to the CEO speak, i just felt a bit like i'm not where i should be within the company. see, i think this is the type of company one would want to work for long-term, permanently even. however, i just don't see how i can move up from my particular position and in my particular research group. there are so many interesting projects going on in other groups, but no way for me to get involved in them because everyone is so spread out, separated. i can't help but feel like there are much better and more interesting things that i could be doing here, but no way for me to do them. it's frustrating to be so close, yet so far away, from a great job. posted at 7:46 PM |