Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in whoa_bitter's LiveJournal:

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Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
9:36 am	Mega Wombat From The Age: When Giant Wombats Roamed the Earth (Comment on this)
Monday, June 9th, 2008
8:42 am	Safe We've arrived safely in Milwaukee. The trip was uneventful -- foreboding skies for the last 4 hrs, rain for the last hour or so, torrential rain for the final 30 min or so. There were a few tornadoes in Chicago (!!) the day before, but everything seems to be okay. (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 5th, 2008
3:06 pm	The End I've submitted my paperwork. I've handed in my badge. I've had my final timecard approved. Yes, my time at Raytheon has come to an end. It seems that they did have a record that I had a cell phone after three years; they had no record of the laptop they gave me a week ago, though. My admin rolled her eyes and assured me that she'd take care of it. A friend at work told me that the phrase "burn your bridges" was meant to be positive. Some military leader in the distant past would burn bridges behind him, so that the troops would have no option but to move forward. While I haven't burned my bridges behind me, I'm certainly not considering anything but moving forward. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
9:31 am	Today is my last day at work. Suffice it to say that the buffoons have continued to amaze me at their ineptitude of bringing me back to work, and now the resignation paperwork. I am also sure that, completed paperwork or no, kidling and I are driving away tomorrow. I had my "last drinks" with work people at Nimbus last night. Reminiscing about my nontraditional exploits at work -- such as having blue hair and going to work in a dress -- was quite fun. I received many strange looks from the coworkers who only knew me as "the source of much paperwork and buffoonery as he's in Australia". But it was fun, and I enjoyed remembering many parts of work that had nothing to do with work. Perhaps the Pima job will come through, and I'll make it back to Tucson. Perhaps I'll end up in Melbourne or Adelaide. Or somewhere else. In any event, for now, I'm enjoying the ride. (Comment on this)
Monday, June 2nd, 2008
8:44 am	Other jobs My loving parents, bless their hearts, would like for me to live closer to them. So, they pointed out that The University of North Carolina-Charlotte (UNCC) is hiring. One can argue that the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has a substantial academic program in addition to its basketball team; arguing the same about UNCC is more of a challenge. So, being the dutiful son I am, I looked into UNCC. They do have three positions open in Applied Math -- at the salary of $36K. Now, this would be enough for me to live on in the Carolinas -- especially if I lived at my parents' house -- but I definitely had a bit of a surprise at it. I mean, I'm expecting a pay-cut to teach, but making less than half of what I'm making now came as a bit of a shock. Although, it's not enough of a shock to keep me from applying, so that's saying something. The good news is, at that rate, the jobs will likely be open for a while. I can wait for a decision to come back from the University of Adelaide before making a decision there. (7 Comments |Comment on this)
8:39 am	Legendary While enjoying a hookah with elf_owl, we were discussing The Alchemist, and the idea contained therein about your "personal legend." This extended to whether or not we had personal legends, and, if so, what could we do about it? She decided that Seattle sounded like a legendary place to her; Adelaide* is to me. We decided that we would look at our respective legends for a way to get there (i.e. jobs). I may have found something. I'm unsure of how I feel about "working with [defence] industry partners", but I'm certainly qualified. And it wouldn't even be a pay-cut. If it's legendary for me, it'll work out. Otherwise, my legend hasn't revealed itself to me, yet. *Yes, I like Adelaide. Moreso than Melbourne, actually. (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
10:26 am	Comfort Yesterday, I decided to stop fighting the buffoonery at work and just go get something done. I have the necessary software on my personal laptop, and I was looking at three or four days until the "official" process* would get the goods on my "official" laptop. So, I left work, went back to the hotel, and started working. I was surprised at how quickly I settled into a rhythm -- writing code, testing it, moving on to the next module. A couple of hours ticked by quickly. I was comforted to know I'm still capable -- and rather good -- at doing this stuff. I was also saddened that the work is likely going to be used in Iraq, but that's why I'm quitting. It also struck me that the reason why morale is so low is that people, despite their cavalier bravado, really do have problems with the work they do there. But, the pay is good, they can take care of their kids, and work is flexible enough to allow a good work-life balance. There's a whole host of other issues regarding large corporate structure that don't help, either, but as I talk to people about my decision to leave their attitudes change from "You're giving up a nice job!" to "Gee, I want to go make something positive out of my life instead of building bombs." I'm proud of people such as myself and joxn for giving up that good job. If joxn is an indicator, I'll find another good job myself. *The "official" installation website has my favorite typo. "In the event you get an error that says 'Page not found', copy and paste this line into a Windows Explorer or ruin command..." (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
9:25 am	Update Mania I handed in my resignation yesterday. My manager seemed to not understand that when I said I was leaving "soon" that I meant in a week. Not sure what, or if, he thought about it. Tonight, I plan to go to have a beer with one of the admins who helped me slay the buffoons for getting rehired, and whinge about various policies of our employer. New hires are arriving to find they have no desk, no computer, and managers who are just too darn busy to get them started. Gets employee morale off on the right foot. A co-worker was on a taskforce when I started, 9 yrs ago, to make suggestions to improve employee morale. He made a list of things, in which new hire treatment was at the top, and delivered it to upper management (i.e. the VP who runs the Tucson site). Good to see that things have changed. A year or so ago, it looked like things were changing. Managers were told that they were expected to manage. However, when the chips are down, and some program needs help, the managers are the first ones to be grabbed. After all, the managers were promoted their because they are good technically, and there is no technical-career-path. It further demonstrates a larger problem that there are people who actually get stuff done, then there's everyone else. The company makes the same profit margin on everyone, however, due to "cost-plus" contracts. At least for the short-term. As I am the de facto expert on Australia there, some contracts people came to me appalled that the Australian government turned down a "cost-plus" contract, which would have been "better off for the Aussies." I tried to explain to them the ballooning costs on the few Australian defence products I had read about in The Age, and was greeted with scoffs, shaking of heads, and comments on the supreme efficiency of the company. Arguments regarding, if nothing else, the currency risk that Australia would be taking on got me nowhere. So, I gave my standard "I don't want to talk about this anymore" of "You're probably right" and walked off. Yeah, I'm ready to leave that place.... (Comment on this)
Saturday, May 24th, 2008
10:11 am	Update Well, after raising heck to go off leave of absence, I'll be submitting my resignation on Tues. I considered feeling bad about it, but then decided that the buffoons can enjoy it. On Thurs, 5 Jun, kidling will be flying down, and she and I will then drive to Milwaukee starting on Fri. No news on the job front. I finally have my teaching philosophy at a stage where I'm ready to upload it; now to get the cover letter and research philosophy. The job at Pima still looks tempting. And I mailed my CV to my former supervisor at NAB (National Australia Bank), which would mean moving back to Melbourne (good), but not teaching (bad). I'd have to chew on how I'd feel about that. A potentially crazy plan would be to go get another Ph D in finance. But that's just crazy talk. (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
8:43 am	Update So, after a week back at work, I'm still overwhelmed by the buffoonery. According to "official" sources, I'm either back at work or not. My favorite says that I'm working in a building in Tucson and, simultaneously, my location is Melbourne, Australia. I received a computer yesterday, but have no desk. The "no desk" thing is a problem in general; the company has nowhere to put new hires, either. I'm not taking it personally, but I shake my head and chuckle in wonder at the buffoonery. My benefits haven't been reactivated, either. This puts a damper on my plan to utilise my health, vision and dental insurances. I hope it gets sorted next week. The HR person I'm supposed to contact about it is employing the "impossible to find" defence, which is quite effective. I can't gain access to the timecard system, either. I wonder if I'll get harassed for not completing it by the end of the week. For that matter, I wonder if I'll get paid for this week. A teacher from my MBA program had a motto: The fastest way to destroy employee morale is to mess up payroll. But, I guess if morale is already in the toilet, they might as well keep the money. My belief that there are people who get the work done and then there's everyone else is being strengthened. Furthermore, the culture seems to understand that, as an administrative assistant helping me said "Oh, you're supposed to call X; let's call Y." Calls to both X and Y have gone unreturned. Sigh. All of this after receiving an e-mail from my boss on 28 Apr saying: We've got all the paperwork set up to get you back to work on the 19th. Not quite sure where you would like to focus your efforts. I guess that's a conversation we need to have. Currently, my efforts are focused in fighting buffoons. I doubt it's the conversation he anticipated, but there it is. It's all more cases of the Universe's recent perverse game of "Hey, whoa_bitter, everything's good....Actually, NO! Muahahahahhahahhahaha." (Comment on this)
Monday, May 19th, 2008
9:26 am	Missing Melbourne, 2 I'm happily in Tucson, realising how much I miss the mountains, heat, and desert ecosystem. Wildflowers and cacti are blooming -- that certainly helps my impression here. But, there are more things I miss about Melbourne. Such as... 1) Food: Portions in the US are huge. My stomach is used to Aussie-sized portions. So I've been overeating here, as my "don't waste food" ethic is strong, and gorging myself has a certain comforting quality. 2) Prices: I'm not going into cost of living, etc., which I think is strangely similar, but that I'm used to prices being all-inclusive. So, if the coffee costs $3, you pay $3 and your receipt will inform you that $0.27 taxes were included in your purchase, in case you were curious. This point was emphatically made when I was booking hotels on my road trip out here, and $79/night suddenly turned into $101. Tipping goes in this basket, too, along with the "livable wage" concept that I heartily endorse, but doubt will really catch on in the US. 3) Car: I like not having a car. Pretty darn difficult to do in Tucson. Perhaps if I end up in a larger city with mass transit, things will be better. 4) Bird life: Staying with my parents in SC was nice -- cardinals, blue birds, blue jays, finches, and many other birds were parading around for spring. But their birdsongs just don't have the bandwidth of lorikeets and magpies. And I enjoy the ritual of lorikeets going bonkers and squawking like mad every evening as the sun goes down in Princes Park. So, I'm continuing to pursue options to take me back to Melbourne. I also have a lead to teach at Pima Community College in Tucson; I'm cautiously optimistic about that. I think I'll end up living in one, and taking frequent trips/sabbaticals to the other. (Comment on this)
Friday, March 14th, 2008
12:59 pm	So much apathy I don't have enough time to not care about all the things about which I do not care. Fortunately, I don't care. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
12:58 pm	Too nerdy A friend from the math department sent me a nice e-mail, wishing me a happy pi day. I thanked him, but pointed out that the official notification e-mail should be sent at 1:59. (Comment on this)
Friday, March 7th, 2008
3:32 pm	Update I've decided to put all this here, in hopes that everyone thinking of asking doesn't. I appreciate your concerns, but, please, it's stressful enough for me to not have answers that I don't want to go through it with everyone. ( Jobs, Graduation, and Staying in Oz ) Other than that, things plod along here. Having this cloud of uncertainty hanging over me sucks, though. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, February 29th, 2008
11:31 am	Sick Been hit with a bit of a cold recently. My symptoms aren't so bad (e.g., coughing, sneezing, etc.), but my throat is a bit off. I'm a bit short of breath as well -- not in an "I'm suffocating" type of way, but in a "I don't think I'm getting as much air as I normally do" sort of way. I also have little energy. Not that I was entirely enthusiastic about my job anyway, but this is above-and-beyond (or below-and-beyond, perhaps). So, I've been doing minimal work, and much more WoW. Hopefully, I'll feel better soon, as tomorrow is my birthday, and partying would be nice. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, February 25th, 2008
11:28 am	Graduation update So, my thesis is supposed to be sent off to be bound today. I should get it back in a week. Then I finally get to submit it, and nominate a graduation date. I'm currently thinking 5 April, but I don't know if that date will be available. My parents aren't happy about booking flights on short notice, but I'm somewhat limited here. While planning to submit my thesis, I decided that my "leave behind for posterity to collect dust in the University of Melbourne library" should be as heinous as possible. So, UniMelb will be the proud owners of a hot pink engineering thesis with silver lettering. Perhaps it will so glaringly stick out on the shelf that somebody will read it out of curiosity. More reasonable choices are navy and black, both with silver lettering. That's what my supervisors and boss from work are getting. The family is getting a "bound leather" copy. They're fairly nice -- look academic, and even come with the neat ribbon to use as a bookmark. You know, just in case you can't finish my thesis in one sitting. Or, even less likely, you aren't bored straight to sleep so that you have time to mark your place. My personal copies are, naturally, to be bound in genuine black leather. I would include links and pictures and such, but Doncaster doesn't seem to have a web page. I guess they get enough business coming straight from UniMelb and other local schools to not deal with it. Interestingly, the staff at the university printing center said that they would, theoretically, bind my thesis in anything. I considered going out and finding some pimped-out purple velour. But, motivation just wasn't high enough. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
11:05 am	GMail? Worlds First backless strapless bra Sizes 8-18 as seen on Today Tonight Somebody, please tell me that these are generic GMail ads, not that I can get a Russian wife, learn to kiss her, and buy her bras.... (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, February 11th, 2008
4:44 pm	Uhhhh....GMail....srsly.... "Powerful Kissing Tips To Make Her Melt In Your Mouth & In Your Hands!" (3 Comments |Comment on this)
11:41 am	Uhh...are you sure about that, GMail? I received another "targeted" ad of joy from GMail. Perhaps Google has figured out I have a history of bitter girlfriend stories in my Inbox, but I'm not interested in the tagline: Your Beautiful Moscow Lady to Love Marriage minded. Family Oriented (Comment on this)
9:59 am	Work I'm trying to get back into the flow of work. I'm looking at some freely available code for testing the algorithm described in the paper that is the bane of my existence at work. I'm having a really hard time getting motivated. It doesn't help that, due to IT paranoia about things (which is justified to a certain extent), I can't install and setup everything I need to test the aforementioned code. So, I can look through it, analyze it, and otherwise putz around with it until I get it up and running on my laptop. Which is at home. *sigh* I think I'll try to meet with my supervisor to go over some of my concerns, as well as my perceived unclear direction of "Go study this." Should I reproduce it? Should I run it "some" to get a feel for what the results are? Should I try to break it? Left to my own devices, I'll do all those things. But, I won't enjoy it. But, I will get paid for it, so.... (Comment on this)