The Sky is Upon Us

Happy belated Independence weekend everybody! The 4th up here in Minneapolis was a nice time. The weather people  had been saying all weekend that there was a chance of showers on the 4th, and the clouds certainly looked to fit the part.

Rachel and I had planned to head over to a fellow CTEP-ers house for a BBQ and decided to bike over. I brought steaks and beer, only to discover that I was the lone meatatarian at the party. Oh well, more steaks for me! We had a good time at the party, talking about lots of different topics and ending with games of Mad Gab and Can Google Translate This?

We then biked into downtown to watch the fireworks. I had never done this and it felt  pretty bad ass to be biking around the traffic and crowds on our way to our destination. We ended up watching the show at St Anthony Main, and we were pretty close to the action. The show was relatively short, only about 15 minutes if that, but the people seemed to enjoy it.

We then headed over to the Soap Factory for the 10 Second Film Festival. The Soap Factory is a great arts venue in downtown and festival is a collection of 10 second submissions from all over the world. It was pretty casual and irreverent- the judges bowed to the will of the crowd on almost every decision, probably due to the fact that there were a lot of no-shows for the winners. This led to certain films (STICKS!) winning in very different categories and pretty much every film with actual artistic merit being left out in the cold. Still, it was entertaining and there were some pretty cool submissions in every category (including the awesomely named Mindless Violence). The films should be up on the website soon if you want to take a gander.

Image from City Pages and Taste of Minnesota

As mentioned previously, Rachel won a pair of tickets to the Taste of Minnesota festival thanks to the Nomad's World Cup festivities, so we decided to go on Monday. Since it hadn't rained the night before, all of the weather people were predicting doom and gloom for Monday, and the dark clouds we saw hovering over the fair certainly didn't prove them wrong. Almost as soon as we walked into the park it started raining, then pouring. The vendors were great and let us shelter under their tents until our food was prepared, then we scurried over to the tent where the bands were playing.

The first band was pretty good- had a certain Caribbean sound to it and at one point they had an extended section where they did improvisational beats on cowbells that was actually good. Then the Heirospecs came on and they were AWESOME. A St Paul band through and through they had plenty of references to the local area in their songs. They had a cool rapping style and some great beatboxing talents when need be. Every song seemed to be a different musical style, and they were uniformly good. Rachel and I have decided that we need to get their album now.

Image from Musicnear.com and the band Heiruspecs

After the Heirospecs show the rain let up somewhat, allowing us to journey home once again. We decided to spend our evening cleaning and packing up stuff from our room, which led to plenty of dust flying around and a forest of cardboard to spring up in our living room. Thank God for storage lockers...

Speaking of rain, it's been raining indoors for quite a while now! Jason, his dad and a team of carpenters are busy dismantling our roof and hopefully installing a new one... but they keep on running into more and more unseen complications because our house is weird. Basically there have been iterations of construction since the 1920s, and none of the previous owners seem to know anything about architecture. Wiring is a crazy mishmash of styles, the supporting beams are incorrectly put in place, and a wall sinks a little along the roof... lots of stuff. So we've been living with blue tarp and plywood over our heads, but it hasn't been as secure as we'd like. So our kitchen occasionally turns into a mystical waterfall, and the near daily rain hasn't helped matters much. Oh well, should be great once it's finished.

I've spoken enough, but I've got more to blog about. So until next time...

"The rain is famous for falling on the just and unjust alike, but if I had the management of such affairs I would rain softly and sweetly on the just, but if I caught a sample of the unjust out doors I would drown him."
- quoted in My Father Mark Twain, Clara Clemens

Busy Independence Weekend

Things have been moving this weekend- I've barely had any time to sit back and relax! Well, here's the rundown:

The World Cup continues its strange and exciting journey! While I missed the Netherland's upset victory over Brazil on Friday and Spain's last minute frantic goal over Paraguay, I did get to see the other two games this weekend. First, Ghana vs Uruguay. This was a really good game- plenty of back and forth action, lots of shots on goal, and it went all the way to a shoot out. Of course it shouldn't have gone to a shoot out, if not for some brilliant and unorthodox thinking on the part of a Paraguayan defender.

It was the last minute of double overtime, the score tied at 1-1. Ghana put in their all for one last desperate attempt at a goal and there was frenzied action at the Uruguayan goal. The keeper deflected the ball three times, twice just as it was about to cross the line. The third save had him fall to the ground and another Ghana striker slammed the ball home... only to have it blocked right on the line by a handball. As one of my soccer buddies later mentioned, he had always wondered when an intentional hand ball would be tactically sound, and this was it. Ghana failed at the penalty kick in the last second of double overtime and went on to lose the shootout.

The Germany Argentina game, however, was even more awesome. Germany came on strong, scoring in the first 4 minutes. They then continued to be strong, dominating every phase of the game and scoring three more goals in the last 20 minutes. Schweinsteiger continued to be the best midfielder ever, setting up goal after goal with ease. The keeper, Manuel Neuer, blocked every Argentinan shot with remarkable aplomb. And Klose moved into place for second most World Cup goals scored, only one goal behind Ronaldo. A 4-0 slaughter should see them do very well against Spain, who have not shown the greatest amount of initiative so far. And after that, World Cup glory in the finals!

The games that I've watched I've tried to watch over at the Nomad World Pub, my favorite bar in the Cities. Every game they have a raffle and some trivia questions, and for the Argentina-Germany game Rachel actually got chosen to win a pair of Taste of Minnesota tickets! For those not in the know, it's a festival where there are lots of cool shows going on and we can try out all sorts of awesome food. We're planning on going on Monday night, so I'll be sure to report about it later.

I've also been hanging out with my CTEP folks a lot. Last night was a potluck at a drive in movie theater where we watched Toy Story 3 (AMAZING) and the Karate Kid (surprisingly brutal, but good) remake late into the night, the day before was a Corps Day at my site and tonight is hopefully going to be a BBQ and watching the fireworks down by the river, so long as it doesn't rain at least. They're a great group, and they'll be another thing I'm sorry to move away from in August. But that's part of the deal, so I'll just make the most of it while I can.

Until next time...

"It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either."
- Following the Equator, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar

EPIC News!

Yesterday morning started out like any other morning. There was an unusually blue sky and the weather was rather enjoyable, but since I slave my day away in darkness underneath the Advantage Center these particulars were, quite literally, window dressing. No kids showed up to my classes as I had predicted since summer school started this week, so I had my YJCs cleaning up the lab in anticipation for the Corps Day that will take place here at the end of the week. On a side note, this is the first time that I can see the runner along the floor of the back wall of my office in about a year, and my desk top (analog, not digital) has more empty space now than filled. Yay!

I got a call around 11:00 that went straight to message through the interesting telemetry that the lab presents to cell phone signals. I ignored it till I had finished setting out my next batch of instructions then checked it.

Area code 608? That's from Madis-

I quickly dialed my voicemail, my heart beat rising a bit. Perhaps they just had trouble contacting one of my references... I know that one of them in particular is getting ready to have a baby, which might have caused some kind of complication with my application. It was my HR contact from Epic, saying (in his usual aridly dry and strangely punctuated humorous way) that he had something exciting to discuss with me.

Letting my YJCs know that I might be squealing like a little girl presently I closed the door to my office and dialed my contact's number. He picked up on the first ring. He started off by saying that Epic was prepared to offer me a position and that they were excited to have me on board.

I did a fist pump.

He then jumped into the benefits, which I had heard already and had in paper form from my onsite interview. I knew most of them by heart, but adding in covering the expense to move me to Madison?

I started my happy dance. My YJCs looked up, shook their heads, and continued to work.

We then started talking about when I could start. August 2nd was bandied about, but we decided that September 7th (or even later if necessary) was the ideal time for me to start. Giving me about 2/3s of a month between my current job and the Epic one.

The happy dance picked up some angular momentum.

While I said that I would accept the position, he wisely informed me to wait till I heard the pay. "I mean, you probably don't want to agree if we offer you two dollars and a ham sandwich... though it'll probably be a bit more than two dollars and a ham sandwich."

I sagely said sure, reversing the direction of the happy dance's angular momentum but not its intensity.

He said to call him back after I had heard the offer, then bid me adieu.

I exited the lab and did a slow mo Tiger Woods fist pump. Then went to lunch and got back to work.

Three hours later someone from payroll called me. She said a number.

My happy dance started back up again as I tried not to make a sound.
YAY! I CAN HAS JOB!

Musings

So I'm currently sitting in my favorite bar (Nomad World Pub) starting my second beer of the day. The Paraguay-Japan game has been fairly lackluster so far and the bar is pretty empty- maybe 9 people including myself out here since 9:00 cheering on Japan, Paraguay or simply the game itself. I've had my laptop out, like many times before, except this time I have few distractions. The game is on halftime right now and music is playing, and I can finally sit down and write a blog post.

This past month has been pretty hectic. Work has ramped up as it always does during the summer, and this time I have two employees to help me out. They're hired through the Youth Job Corps of St Paul and I've been having mixed success with them. One is a natural at any task that I give him, while the other is a bit more of a challenge. I knew this from the outset, though- the YJC program is half intended to help me and half supposed to be me giving the YJCs valuable work and growth experience, which is always a good thing for a resume I hear.

I don't understand how my classes are going, as it seems to be fits and starts. My Adult classes have had their members grow by magnitudes over the past two weeks, though actual attendance is still touch and go at times. The YJCs have really helped this out, providing translation and outreach for me. Unfortunately I also need to make sure that they have something to do all the time, which can be tricky when all I want to do is plan the next lesson or send out some e-mails. Outreach time I guess?

I've also gotten a new projector, and it is a GODSEND. Suddenly I don't have to be sitting right next to a student to show him or her how to perform a particular task- I can just show it to the class entire on my projector! I can also now manage large class sizes, which is fantastic, and have real class discussion about what I am showing on the screen (which is a glorified bed sheet. Budget budget budget... where hast thou gone?).

My kids classes, though, are not doing so hot. I thought that a class designed around the world cup would be a GREAT class for a predominantly immigrant population. But summer school and the early morning hours that are all that I have to use have apparently sapped all the will out of the children and teens, even if I promise them free food. I can get them to show up on Thursdays for the game and free time, but even then they don't watch the game. It's all about the lab time.

But all is not dark in my life- I had an onsite interview with Epic a week ago that I think went pretty well. I could wax poetical about their philosophy, work space and possible pay for hours (and will if you ask me!), but we'll sum it up this way:

1. You can book a meeting IN A TREEHOUSE.
2. They theoretically want to pay me in real, American currency.
3. Except for a few people outside the company I have heard nothing bad about them.
4. They have a very focused environmental policy and are one of the most bike friendly companies in one of the most bike friendly cities in America.
5. On the coffee table in the HR department they had several books, including a Calvin and Hobbes anthology, How to Be a Villain, and The Pop-Up Book of Phobias.

The interview lasted from 9:15-3:30 and had quite a few parts. First there was a tour of the campus, then an introduction to my potential job (Technical Services- trouble shooter and integrator of stuff into hospital mainframes), then the actual interview. First was a series of situations, which I did well except for the first question. Second was a standard interview, including the excellent question of "What is a common misconception about you?" Third was me vainly trying to remember how to pseudo-code to answer several questions, but that part apparently won't make or break me, especially since I've had two classes in a language that isn't terribly useful to modern day programming.

I came away very hopeful, and they said that they would let me know their decision within two weeks. It's one week now, so I'm starting to get a little nervous, but hopefully they will let me know soon and in the affirmative.

Sorry if that was a bit rambling- probably the beer is having some interesting effect on my literary style, and I do have a lot to talk about. It's definitely a time of great change right now- old friends are fleeing the city, my employment of the past two years is ending in about two months, and I have to think about moving to a new city, a new state, and a place where I know no one. I haven't had this big of a change since I left high school to start college, and it's a bit scary. I've grown comfortable in my current position, but it's probably time for something new. Six years is a long time- a quarter of my life so far- but it's probably time. Time for something new.

Next time, some more looks at my experience of this World Cup.

Until next time...

"When your watch gets out of order you have a choice of two things to do: throw it in the fire or take it to the watch-tinker. The former is the quickest."
- Following the Equator, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar

Epic

Hey all, long time since I've posted. Lots of stuff has been happening such as:

• went to see M. Butterfly at the Guthrie thanks to Rachel's parents- it was an awesome show!
• saw Iron Man 2, which was silly-awesome as I expected it to be.
• went on a trip to Wisconsin with my CTEP people and had a nice day helping out on a farm and then spending the night in a cabin.
• have been doing a lot of planning for the summer at work, including what will hopefully be a youth curriculum based on the World Cup
• saw a movie called The Secret of Kells, which was an animated film about the Book of Kells

But besides all of this I have been applying at a place called Epic, which makes software for large and medium sized hospitals and other medical firms. Everything about the place screams "mini-Google" to me, from the drive to have a creative and hard working environment to the plethora of quirky perks, including a room full of toys, onsite oil changes and dry cleaning, employee common interest groups and bike trails leading to the campus that are cleared of snow by 4:30 in the morning. Plus, if for some reason I end up working there for 5 years I get a 4 week paid sabbatical to go... well, anywhere! And they foot the travel bill! They also have a huge drive towards sustainability and are situated on 500 acres of farmland and... yeah, they sound awesome. 

I'm currently in the middle of applying for the technical writer (or "word artist" as they call it) position, which sounds like something right up my alley. The interview process, though, appears to be a bear. The steps I have gone through already are the application, a personality test, a phone interview and now I am apparently being scheduled for written tests. I assume there will also be an onsite interview as well. Still, from what I've heard they take care of their people once you get in, so I'm excited to have made it this far.

I'll keep you all informed in the future on how the job front goes. I'm beginning to look at a few other options with Rachel's help, but I really, really hope I get this job.

May Day!

May Day is a big celebration here in Minneapolis. One of the local theater companies, Heart of the Beast, gets tons of volunteers to help construct and man puppets that make up the bulk of the parade, generally following some kind of story. This year it was all about Tigers and apparently how they can save the world. Lots of cool puppets and pics... which you can see on my album!

May Day

Blessing of the Maibock

This past weekend Rachel and I went to the Blessing of the Maibock at Town Hall brewery in 7 Corners. Town Hall has a lot of these beer release events, but this is the first one that Rach and I went to. There were a lot of people at the event, and everyone was in great spirits. We sat next to one gentleman who is a regular at the bar and we swapped stories of our travels and beer preferences.

The beginning of the blessing was unmistakable, as it was heralded by bagpipes. In walked a vicar and his entourage, spraying people with holy water and filling the room with the smell of frankincense and myrrh. They orchestrated a delightful service that was lighthearted and drunken, a perfect fit for the crowd. Then the maibock flowed like water, and all was good.

Afterwards as we stumbled around 7 corners I got the drunkchies so we headed over to Bedlam to get sweet potato cupcakes (which were delicious) and then to the Wienery for something called the Upsetter.

There's a hotdog in there somewhere... I swear.

For more pics, as well as a video of the proceedings at the bar that you will NOT want to miss, click on the album below.

Maibock Blessing