Friday, May 30, 2008

The Estates at Elk Run, Section 1

Today, the construction plan and profiles drawing set for the Estates at Elk Run, Section 1, was approved.

This was the first project the company completed utilizing Autodesk's Civil 3d. It was the pilot project. It was a major reason as to why I raked in over four hundred hours of overtime last work year. It was the project that I used as a training experience to craft the company's design standards from.

I am so glad its over!

(Of course, its never really over. Such is life.)

Monday, May 26, 2008

Down with the Sickness

I think its just a cold with a bit of sore throat. Fun (with a capital 'F')!

I've also decided NOT to work on the project I need to for work. There's always tomorrow (when I'm actually at work). As a result, my productivity for this weekend is down a bit but I can live with it this time. I spent the last couple days with my son and that is always totally worth it.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Nightmare

Last sleep cycle's nightmare snapped me from unreality and into the world of consciousness, long before I would have chosen to rise.

Along the coast, near a beach that kissed the edge of an endless ocean, I was a passenger in a car. The driver and I were exploring the nooks, crannies, and hidden beauties in this city on the edge of the world. A beautiful azure sky drifted above, calming the scene as the bright rays of daylight crafted halos around the white puffy clouds and the sleek, building-full skyline.

It was absolutely gorgeous.

The car raced along the vacant streets, sliding hither and fro. It careened around a corner and accelerated toward a bridge rising into the sky, over the ocean. The bridge spread itself before the car, all six of its lanes devoid of traffic.

Laughing.

Two eighteen-wheelers pinned the car, pulling alongside and swerving in to sandwich the machine. Revving, the pedal of the car pushed hard against the floorboard, the car lurched ahead, leaving the massive trucks behind.

The final exit off the bridge swirled past, disappearing with the wind. Up and up the car charged; the ocean fell farther and farther away. A blanket of clouds wrapped around the car, choking vision.

Two, three, ten tense seconds ticked away.

The car roared again as it kicked itself beyond the choking clouds. The world opened up wide and blue. The sun shimmered on the ocean, hundreds of feet below.

The sky opened its maw at the sudden end of the bridge.

No signs of street work. No warnings. Just two seconds of not being in the blinding clouds before the car leaped into the gulf. Everything was whistling and emptiness. The car's nose tipped forward, my stomach lurched into my throat.

Gravity grasped the car, tugging us toward the ocean.

Everything was screaming and terror.

The car smashed into the ocean, unstoppable force shattering the windshield. As the glass exploded, the world of dream gave way to darkness and wakefulness.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Nerd

First, my random thought for today:

If LIFE is what happens when you're making plans, does that mean that refusing to make plans is a refusal to LIVE?

Now for the only tangentially connected topic of today's blog: I'm a nerd.

When I say nerd, I don't mean the classic thick glasses wearing, smarter-than-thou pencil-necked, gawky kid that is the archetypal nerd. Of course, I do wear glasses. Also, I may be smarter than a few people out there. Still, I don't have pencil neck and I'm not gawky (anymore).

What I mean is I am absolutely in love with school. I love going. I love learning things.

Tonight was the first night of my summer course. Its just an accounting course, nothing major. Still, I had fun.

This is a course that I attempted to take last fall. Then, however, I was stricken with an impacted wisdom tooth and missed nearly a month of work and school. I dropped my classes that semester.

Now, I'm attempting to finish the same accounting course with the same instructor. I showed up a little early to class, fully prepared to get the semester underway.

There must be something in those fickle universal cards, though. The instructor never made it because of a medical emergency. The substitute (another accounting instructor) informed us that the university may choose to cancel the course.

Now is the part of my post were I shake my fist idly at the heavens. Someone up there is trying to deny the full enjoyment of my nerdiness.

Le sigh.

Hope all is well out there in reader-land.