blog dot northwindy dot com

Well, it's official. I have a second website. It's not the ThreePointOh I've been planning, but more of a side project. I call it crypticwanderer.com. This site basically is a place where my friend and I review REALLY bad movies, and feature the worst of the worst. While I own the site, the idea is only partially mine because it was something my friend John and I joked about once, but I decided to make it happen. The nice thing about it is that I'm not paying for it. You can actually get free webspace and a free domain through Microsoft Office Live. The site is developed using their templates, and it wouldn't be feasible for a site like Northwindy.com since I have all this software installed, and I wouldn't want to use their templates for my site anyways. Its a nice place though for just working on that idea, and it's actually coming out nicely. I submitted it to several search engines and posted a link on here so the search engine bots that crawl Northwindy.com also go to crypticwanderer.com. While not as showy as Northwindy.com, it has a direction and a purpose (something Northwindy.com is still trying to find).

It's been a long week, but the last couple of weeks have probably been the best weeks of my job search thus far. I have 3 active leads that I'm working on - two of which may become offers, and the other is still what I like to call a 'budding lead'.

One of the active leads is with this company called Returnpath in Boulder, CO. With this position I would make about 40k/yr on a 6mo contract job as a Unix Systems Administrator. As far as this job goes, I have already phone interviewed with them and I'm basically on the short list of candidates that they are considering making an offer to when the junior position opens up. Right now they are interviewing senior people to get on board and they are looking to ramp up their hiring efforts when Q2 rolls around. This would be around March or April. They may still make an offer to me at that time, but we shall see.

The second active lead is with a company called ITX in Fort Collins, CO. This is a position for a Software Developer, and here I would make 45k/yr on a 6mo-1yr contract. I have also interviewed with this company, and I was able to make it to the second round of interviews which will be the point at which they may make an offer. I've submitted some of my source code I had written in class to them, and if they made an offer it would be to start anytime between now and May. That interview should take place soon (possibly next week), but they are trying to get their more senior people on board first before the junior developers.

As for the 'budding lead' that I was referring to, this is with a company called CGI in Denver, CO. This position is for a Java Developer, and they would pay 52k/yr. This is also a permanent position (not a contract position). Some of the benefits they offer are 4 weeks of paid vacation, unlimited sick days, relocation assistance, as well as medical, dental, and vision. The only potential drawback (or it could turn out to be an advantage) is that I would be traveling 50% of the time. This would mean I could spend like a month in Denver, fly to Des Moines, IA for a couple weeks, come back to Denver for awhile, and then take another trip like to Los Angeles, CA. There is a lot of travel with this company but it would all be paid for. I call this lead a 'budding lead' because I haven't actually interviewed with them yet, but I have spoken with the recruiter and they may be in touch. So it's not a sure thing, but it would be an awesome position. They are hiring 3-4 college grads so I'm hoping I make it to an interview with them. They may contact me in a few days if they decide to go through with it.

All three of these leads have cropped up in the last 2-3 weeks, so I am hopeful of my efforts, and I should expect to see results soon.

I've come to the conclusion that in many ways America has developed an attitude such as was expressed in the Truman Show. After seeing general reaction to the death of Anna Nicole Smith, I've realized that we get sucked in so much by the lives of actors and actresses that we forget about the people who should be getting hours and hours of media coverage. Sure, it's a tragic event that Anna Nicole Smith died, but it's also tragic that hundreds of people die each day across the world - US soldiers in Iraq, scholars who have contributed to the advancement of society, and just people in general who work the grind and keep the wheels of society in motion. It just disgusts me how much media attention goes into Hollywood idols and how little is placed on the true heroes, like the people fighting in Iraq.

Some people have wondered why I don't watch many 'hip' shows like American Idol or Survivor, and it is simply because I don't want to get sucked into the mind numbing idolization of Hollywood figures. 'So and so went to a red carpet premier...' 'So and so was voted off the island..' 'So and so was a terrible singer..' Who cares? I don't. I have nothing against actors or musicians - without them life would be dull and dreary, but we don't need to idolize them and spend our time following their every move. Doctors may not be very interesting to watch, but if I'm going to idolize anyone it would be the doctor that saves a dying person through some innovative new procedure. I would rather idolize the soldier who gave his life so that people can share the freedom that we as Americans take for granted. I'm sorry but sometimes I just have better things to do with my time than to see who is going to be the next one on the 'Hollywood Walk of Fame.'

Title: Forever
Artist: Papa Roach
Album: The Paramour Sessions
Year: 2006

In the brightest hour, of my darkest day
I realised what is wrong with me
Can’t get over you, can’t get through to you
It’s been a helter-skelter romance from the start
Take these memories, that are haunting me
Of a paper man cut into shreds
By his own pair of scissors
He’ll never forgive her, he’ll never forgive her.

Because days come and go
But my feelings for you are forever (x2)

Sitting by a fire, on a lonely night,
Hanging over from another good time.
With another girl, little dirty girl...
You should listen to this story of a life...
You're my heroine
In this moment I’m lonely
Fulfilling my darkest dreams
All these drugs, all these women
I’m never forgiving, this broken heart of mine

Because days come and go
But my feelings for you are forever (x2)

One last Kiss, before I go
Dry your tears
It is time, to let you go (x2)

Because days come and go
But my feelings for you are forever (x2)

One last Kiss, before I go
Dry your tears
It is time, to let you go (x2)

One last kiss

Title: Breathe Into Me
Artist: Red

And this is how it feels when I ignore the words You spoke to me
And this is where I lose myself when I keep running away from you
And this is who I am when, when I don't know myself anymore
And this is what I choose when it's all left up to me

Breathe Your life into me
I can feel you
I'm falling, falling faster
Breathe your life into me
I still need you
I'm falling, falling
Breathe into me
Breathe into me

And this is how it looks when
I am standing on the edge
And this is how I break apart
when I finally hit the ground
And this is how it hurts when I pretend I don't feel any pain
And this is how I disappear
when I throw myself away

Breathe Your life into me
I can feel You
I'm falling, falling faster
Breathe Your life into me
I still need You
I'm falling, falling
Breathe into me
Breathe into me
Breathe into me
Breathe into me

Breathe your life into me
I can feel you
I'm falling, falling faster
Breathe your life into me
I still need you
I'm falling, falling
Breathe into me

Breathe your life into me!
I'm falling, falling faster
Breathe your life into me!
Falling, falling, falling
Breathe into me
Breathe into me
Breathe into me
Breathe into me