The Bull Og

While watching TV on Friday morning at the gym, I heard that 38 million Americans will be traveling this Memorial Day weekend. Most of them will be going by car, even with gas prices as high as they are.

With the exception of 2001 and 2002, I’ve been out of the country for the last ten years on Memorial Day. Overseas, I was reminded when Memorial Day was approaching because relatives would mention it on the phone or I saw it online in a newspaper.

I lost touch, though, with the nature of the holiday weekend because, well, I hadn’t seen or heard figures like those I heard on Friday morning. It was like Deja Vu. Nothing’s really changed in ten years’ time when it comes to American’s dependence on oil, has it?

I was cleaning out some files this morning and I came across this, a mission statement I had written for myself as a part of my job search before returning to the States. It’s almost dead-on of what I landed. Luck or perseverance? For me, it justs underscores the importance of having a game plan before making the transition.

“In my next position, I will continue contributing as a developer to highly-visible, web-enabled, e-Business solutions while taking on increasing analysis & project management responsibilities.

My ideal work environment would be in the advertising or financial services sectors as part of a team of 3-5 collocated web developers and designers where the developers each have 3+ years of experience with Java (or C#) and XML technologies. In my ideal work setting, I envision direct interaction with customers, an explicit track for advancement, the use an Agile methodology for SOA software development, and the application of User Centered Design principles. The workplace should support a culture of working hard and playing hard.”

After a couple of weeks of commuting from the city to the valley, now I understand why individualized entertainment devices and technologies are so big. Whether the iPod or the PSP or a laptop or a Blackberry, I finally get it.

Sure, I used my iPod before (which I have inconveniently left in Vienna) but now, with two hours a day of forced downtime, I’ve never needed it more. I could be conversing with my fellow commuters but honestly, do you ever see that happening? Everyone’s engrossed in their own private entertainment universe.

After a day at the office my mind’s pretty tapped and all I want is to tune out too, for which watching a movie on a PSP or listening to my iPod or finding something to do in the evening online are ideally suited.

Saw this advertised in Berkeley on the weekend. I make no claims for the quality of the experience but I thought it a clever application of education in the virtual world.

My first week at my new job is behind me. I feel like I’m drinking from a fire hose but it’s great.