The more things change, the more they stay the same

Here I was, enjoying a slight respite of froied protabella mushrooms and shrimp risotto at Backstreets, a remarkably good Italian restaurant in Blacksburg when i inadvertently get drawn into the conversations of the next table. Not hard since there was a contingent engineering students taking their nutrition, as I was. How did I know they were engineering students, seeing as I am an engineer, the familiarity factor had a lot to do with it. Besides that of course, there is the difficult to conceal signs: for one thing, there was only one girl amongst a seas of pimply faced boys. The eager waves of inane conversations lapping at the shores of my patience. It seems that engineers have a difficult making themselves understood while dealing with other more social lifeforms, but while they are with their own they tend to open up and talk about...absolutely nothing. It seems geeks don't change through the ages, I know, I are one.

There was a leader. The others let him do all the talking since they don't want to call attention to themselves. He sat there upon his temporary throne, chattering away about everything and nothing, dispensing mirth and frivolity, expounding on complex and important issues, tell ribald, as ribald a story as maladjusted virgins can tell. And at the same time reinforcing his opinion that he is by the wittiest and clever chap that there had ever lived.

The others added color to his comments when ever their is the slimmest crack in the wall to wall sound of innocuousness. The topics went from music, or what passes for music in geekdom. Monty Python, of course, that is de rigeur for engineers. South Park, the Simpsons, speed metal, collegiate rivalry, and numerous other things I didn't catch. It is good to see that geekdom is happily preserved for posterity. I can rest easy knowing that the preoccupation with stuff no one else cares about persists in the engineer's world. How truly frightening.

Back "Home" Once again

Well, the rental house does seem more like home now, although none of the furniture is mine. I have come to know Blacksburg pretty well. Not a real task, the town is not all that large. The people here are friendly enough. It does seem a little cult like, with all the Hokie loyalty. i don't mind it but I have not seen anything resembling this kind of obsession with the school and symbol, ever. And I went to the U of Illinois. I thought the Illini tribe was bad, they weren't anything.

I have been working here for almost two months now and I have not done much. Not much to do, my boss kind of just does his thing and never ever gives me any info. He runs off to do his own thing and keeps everyone at arms length. I also got a taste of the bureaucracy here. A bureaucracy you ask, but isn't this a startup? Hence my horror and dismay. Startups have no business having a bureaucracy. OY vay.

Mom just got back Sunday from her two weeks in Florida, she seemed to have enjoyed herself, it is always good to be home though. I guess I am too used to not being home because I found myslef enjoying the porch on this house, it overlooks the forest and it is just beautiful here, with the sunlight shining through the leaves and tree branches and the slight woodsy smell out there. Very relaxing, I am supposed to be off looking for housing or something like that, I am just enjoying life and reading. Always lots of reading and commencement of projects, lord knows when I will finish these projects.

Went on my yearly trek to the Industry Application Society Meetings. It was great. My last year as committee chair, the meeting went well and we got a lot done. Spent way too much time in meetings though. This ECCE meeting is going toend up killing me I think.