(For what it’s worth, I haven’t paid much attention to the presidential races yet. I just thought this was a funny picture.)

I’ve been in talks with a major defense contractor for the past year or so, trying to bang out some details regarding a possible opportunity they wanted to extend to me. Just recently I have finally accepted. I briefly mentioned this opportunity to some people while I was at SXSW earlier in March, and sort of left it at that. Anyway, today I’d like to announce that I will be working for Specific Static Corporation, a relatively small but cutting-edge corporation dedicated to advancing defense technologies in land-, sea-, air-, and space-based applications.

Specific Static is an industry leader in the defense arena, and I’m honored to be a part of their small but incredible team. My new role with the company will be as a production technician, testing out all the new technologies brewing in their labs, and evaluating them in the field. The company is providing these technologies to aid in the Global War on Terror, and much of it is being trialed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. As such, I’ll be relocating to Gitmo and assisting in the testing and launch of these new ‘items of interest,’ and hope to see you, the consumer, benefit later on when they become civilianized.

Also, I’ll be working with some technicians from Aperture Science, a leader in man-sized ad-hoc quantum tunnels through physical space (they also produce shower curtains for the military). Aperture Science has been getting a bad rap lately about an incident with their Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, but I assure you that, having visited their Enrichment Center, the reward promised by the staff is certainly real, and certainly delicious. Anyway, I look forward to the expertise and knowledge Aperture Science is bringing to Specific Static.

All in all, I’d like to thank all of you for supporting me as a missionary, but I feel led to break out into the defense industry, much like father did after his service in the US Army. I hope and pray that you will keep me in your prayers as I go through this major life transition.

Oh yeah: April Fool’s!

So, I’ve found that when I’m sick, I pop in the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition DVDs. Why those particular movies? Well, 1) they’re great to fall asleep to and let the body heal, and 2) I always discover something new everytime I watch them. Having not read the actually Lord of the Rings books, I don’t know a lot of the back story and other little details that JRR Tolkien provided for us. One day I’ll actually read the books, but until then, I have Pete Jackson to thank for many an enjoyable sick day and an increased knowledge of the workings of Middle Earth (and beyond).

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown

O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless
Your name

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

(credit: Chris Tomlin) 

• Inbox tray full of bills
• Seminoles notecube
• NewSong Fellowship mug with pens and pencil
• A few random business cards with membership cards mixed in
• Health insurance explanation of benefits (evil!)
• Keys
• Wallet
• Polaroid thingy from a number of years ago
• Unused keyboard
• LCD monitor
• Wireless mouse charger and receiver
• Unbuntu CD
• Unused iPod dock
• Printer/Scanner combo
• Miscellaneous CDs
• IKEA lamp
• Speakers

So……. here’s the pic. Click through to see it bigger!

On a more serious note, I’ve just completed a week trip to Austin, Texas for the SXSW Interactive festival. To get to Austin, I had to fly there. Now, I’m no stranger to air travel, with last year racking up 20+ flights, but I still find it interesting watching people go through TSA security checkpoints. Most people know what to do: take your shoes off, take you laptop out, put metal objects in the bin, and so on. But there are some people who, despite the various signs and placards, haven’t a clue what to do. The media constantly talk about getting to the airport early, they ALWAYS broadcast new TSA policies regarding air travel, and the TSA has a handy-dandy website where you can get all the information you ever needed (or didn’t need) to know about your trip. They also have a blog (who knew!) where they keep us up to date on the day-to-day goings on inside the TSA, and how it affects you. So why don’t some people follow the rules and make everyone’s life easier by putting their liquids in a zipped baggie and having their boarding passes and IDs out?

I know there are those that don’t travel often. I’m fine with those people, I used to be one of them, but make sure you prepare as best you can:

• Carry-on luggage is king. It’s probably the best thing you can do to make your life easier. No need to wait at baggage claim, and no risk of it getting lost.
• If you’re checking luggage, carry on at least one pair of clothes. A friend of mine just found out his bags were sent to San Francisco instead of Des Moines, his actual destination. Now he doesn’t have a week’s worth of clothes for immediate use.
• Pack light. You don’t need 7 sets of clothes for 7 days. A few shirts and a few pants/shorts will do you good. You can hand wash them in the hotel bathroom you’ll be at, and even save money!
• Be early, not on time. Sure, chilling at the airport can be boring, but I’d rather be bored than nearly miss my flight because of unexpected delays at security or even slow traffic.
• If possible, wear sandals. Ew, gross. I know. But again, it’s a time saving measure and they actually feel more comfortable on the plane than your tight shoes.
• Get TSA-approved luggage locks. With these, they won’t have to cut them off and discard them. And who knows, maybe you’ll get a nice letter from them thanking you for allowing them to (easily and without your knowing) search your luggage.

The list goes on and on, but that right there is a nice summary of what you need to make life for you and your fellow passengers a bit easier. Now… where’s my connecting flight at?

123 Meme — The rules are simple.

1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. No cheating!
2. Find page 123.
3. Find the first 5 sentences.
4. Post the next 3 sentences.
5. Tag 5 people.

The closest book to me is my Canon Rebel XTi instruction manual… not sure if this really qualifies for the meme, but the other ‘real’ book I had near me didn’t allow me to use the above rules. But anyway, here goes:

Playback the image. To erase the images one by one, press the (arrows) key to select the image to be erased. Display the erase menu.

Thrilling, I know. Anyway, I’m officially tagging Nathan, Nate, Rob, Todd, and Chris. Tag, you’re it!