Does anyone know anything about this? Seems like a pretty good deal, but I don't see how they can get away with it. Maybe they are hoping you will forgot to put a CD in your queue and so they will bill you the monthly fee but not have to send a CD. How else could they make money off $6 CDs with free shipping? (1:01pm)

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It is almost the end of another week, one week closer to finding out what the job situation is here. I want it to be settled so I know what to do.

Anything going on this weekend? I plan to do some things around the house to start fixing it up to sell in a couple weeks/month. We don't have a lot to do, but just some random stuff like paint the ceiling, clean up the rock garden and fish pond some, plant some plants, etc. Before long it will be time to put it on the market and hope it sells fast.

I have also been using Netflix like a champ recently. Last weekend I watched King Arthur, Step Into Liquid and Supersize Me, and I also managed to see The Hitchhiker's Guide (which I loved). I figure now that free time is a reality, I will try and see some movies, shows, and just enjoy some of the random things I haven't been able to in a while.

Tomorrow is suppose to be sunny and in the mid-70s!! I will have to make sure to spend lots of time outside. (3:53pm)

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I'm done with school. I shaved my beard off. My cat didn't recognize me and kept running away. (3:29pm)

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I'm feeling a little off today, but I can't place exactly why. My head just feels cloudy and I can't seem to concentrate on anything. Weird. Robbie came down this weekend for a show and hung out Sunday to go to a SU business meeting with me. It was good to spend a little time just chilling out with him.

Good news, Leigh has accepted a job at Hidden Valley Animal Hospital!! For all you friends/family of Leigh, be sure and act surprised when she calls to tell you because I don't want to steal her thunder…the web just happens to deliver information a little more quickly. Needless to say, we are extremely excited about the job and think it is going to be a really good fit for Leigh.

Woowho to kick ass wives! (12:13pm)

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I had my last actual class last night and while the class itself wasn’t all that eventful, ending up at a bar with the professor afterwards was pretty cool. Normally I head straight home after class because I am never home, but I couldn’t resist the invitation for an end of semester drink or two (thanks Évery) since I probably won’t see these people again. It is actually kind of sad, one person in particular I have been in classes, groups, and teams with since the beginning (you should have come to the bar Kirstin) and it is weird to think I probably won’t see her anymore.

In other news, did you know Grant and Michelle were moving back to Wingate/Monroe/Union County? I know it’s crazy, but it’s true. Although we will be staying in Raleigh for a while, it is nice to know those two will be closer and hopefully this will mean more visits. I can’t wait for their wedding later this year. (10:38am)

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Come on life, lets get some things settled! I am really ready to sell our house and find a new one with more land and space so we don't have to have our gym in our living room. Plus, we are moving onto a new phase of our life and we want to feel like it. Living in the same house would kinda be a drag.

Lot’s of hullabaloo at work too. Word is that in 3 weeks or so all will be revealed and I will see if I am happy with the way things work out. It still remains to be seen exactly what my role will be.

Michael is off to San Francisco today. I have been there once very briefly, but I would like to go back and spend some more time checking out the city with Leigh.

This is the LAST WEEK OF CLASS. I have one final exam and a paper next week, but tomorrow is the last actual class. School sucks, I want out.

What will I bitch about then? (4:29pm)

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Someone at work today told me I look like this guy. I maybe see it a little, but not really. I have yet to find anyone that looks like me.

How about you? Do you know someone who looks like me, or even better that looks like you? No generic ones like Robbie saying that people tell him he looks like Tom Cruise.  (12:54pm)

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Any Mac people want to go in on a OSX Tiger 5-pack? You can get a 5 license pack for $200. I need two of them, so 3 people who want in let me know and I will pre-order. Just $40 a piece. Robbie, I know you guys need some at work. (10:14pm)

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Don't worry friends, I am still mentally here, just feeling waves of being overwhelmed combined with waves of confusion and nervousness about upcoming changes. Still kicking it though, so don't freak out.

One thing I will miss about school is that euphoric feeling you get after finishing a big test or big presentation here you know you did a good job. Ahhh, it usually last like a day and then reality kicks back in.  (8:46pm)

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Ack, time to go home. Life in shables, well not really, but life is very unclear right now. So many things changing, but all of them in transition, nothing settled yet. Work, house, car, school, me, weather, Leigh's school/work, bah.

Less words, more ack! (5:44pm)

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It feels like it should be much later than it is right now. I am really ready to leave work, too bad I have to go to class.

There is a ton of stuff going on at work, changes, re-orgs, etc and I am actually being involved in them this time around. It is a nice feeling to be somewhat in control of your destiny, and that of others. Or at least to have an input into things and know people are really taking into consideration what you are saying. It remains to be seen how it will all unfold, but if nothing else, it will be different.

One paper and one presentation due this week on Thursday, then two more presentations next week, one more paper, and one final exam. Then that’s it. (4:04pm)

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I saw the movie Millions this weekend and it was quite good. I don't know if I recommend it for everyone because it is kinda sappy (i.e. those who went to sleep during Finding Neverland probably shouldn’t bother), but I know a good many of you will like it. I don't really know how to say what was so good about it (quirky filming and transitions, random weird effects, the characters, the story, the angels, etc) but it was one of the best I have seen in a while. As good as Sin City, but in a completely different way. (1:27pm)

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If you aren't following along in the comments, I did end up going to the Muse show and it was really really good. Thanks to everyone who pushed me to go, I was even home by 11pm!

Check this out…last weekend when we were coming home from the Far-Less show in Greensboro we stopped at the gas station to get some road food. We took a while looking around and just being silly and when we checked out the guy at the counter asked if we were in a hurry. We were kinda confused and asked why. He said he had ordered some food from McDonalds across the street and he wanted to know if we would go pick it up for him because they were getting ready to close. Wha?!?! We couldn’t believe this guy was asking some random customers to go pick up food for him. So of course we went and did it. It was just too weird of a request (and maybe I am too nice of a person) to not go for him. (2:27pm)

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It's weird, I am starting to feel moderately control of my life again. Things are getting done, school is winding down and I am completing final projects, and the inbox is at a consistent under 20 emails. Nice feeling.

Muse and Razorlight are playing down the road tomorrow night. I can't decide if I want to go or not. I would love to see them, but it is my one night off from school. Then Trent's band plays the next night at the Pour House. Go see them, drink some beer, and have a good time. This weekend even looks to be a good one with minimal school work due next week. (3:50pm)

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What an awesome weekend: quality time with Leigh, mad school work completed, SU work completed, amazing weather, and did I say quality time with Leigh? Because that was definitely the best part.

Well in less than 24 hours from that last post, my Uncle Steve did make an appearance and reminded me about my cousin's (his son's) production company FourTen Media. They make surf videos and cut them to band's like Death Cab, which is really cool. I mean I love punk as much as the next guy, but when every surf video uses the same kind of music they start to run together. Check it out.

Also as a result of that post, my mom is at least giving a shot at doing a blog. How cool is that? More family blogs to come soon, right now I am just trying to get them all setup on WordPress. (1:25pm)

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Where does time go? Away somewhere, that’s for sure.

My cousin is in South America, is teaching on a coffee plantation I believe and she had started a blog, but hasn’t posted in a while. It sucks because it was really pretty interesting to read her stuff. I wish more of my family joined the digital revolution and started little blogs. It is so easy to get one online now, there is really no excuse. Sure it means typing into a computer frequently, but that little bit of effort can make all your friends and family that read it feel instantly closer to you and know what is going on in your life and your thoughts (if you chose to share them). Where you at Uncle Steve? You needed a blog years ago.

Yeah, that’s right, I just called out my Uncle on the web. And you guys thought I was just a music snob… (4:35pm)

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Ah, it is amazing what a quick trip to the beach will do for the mood. Today was beautiful, so Leigh and I managed to get away and head to the beach for the day. I feel like I could write 5 papers and sit through at least a class or two before feeling drained again.

School is getting close to being over boys and girls. (9:51pm)

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Where does Ryan get such good links from? This video is amazing.! Is it real? Sadly I think it is. (9:47pm)

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What about the slam dunk finals, anyone see those? I don't normally watch things like that, but for some reason it caught my attention.

My favorite was the guy who started at the 3-point line, lobbed the ball into the paint, took his shirt off, and then caught the ball in the air and slammed it. Awesome!

And I don't want any comments from any of you smartasses about me just liking it because he took his shirt off. I know someone is going to try it.

Leigh had an interview today and got a job offer on the spot. Awesome! I don't know that she is going to take the job, but it is really nice to know someone liked her resume enough to already know they want to hire her. Now she has a backup in case other interviews don't work out. Hooray for Leigh! (5:19pm)

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Did anyone else see Sin City this weekend? Whoah, not a movie to take your mom to... (7:01pm)

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I have all these things I want to say, but when I sit down to type I forget them all. I need to start carrying around a tape recorder. (5:31pm)

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If you live here in Raleigh or Chapel Hill, be sure and go to Local 506 on Sunday to see Trent's band Iconic open for The Golden Republic and Aquaduct. An all around great show.

So what does everyone have going on? Friday always seems like a good day to ask this type of thing. Leigh had an interview today and it went pretty well. Everyone be thinking about her and us and hopefully this job thing will work out for her and then be settled. There is a lot of things going on with my job as well, but I am not at liberty to discuss such things at this time. We should have an announcement about a new SU Record coming out soon as well. Some of you already know, but others don't, and hopefully it will be official soon. Gotta keep that stuff rolling along. (1:34pm)

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I think my friends are doing drugs...actually I know better. I think they are just bored and have too much music in them...oh and apparently playing too much X-box live...
Grant's latest music offering. (10:12pm)

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I remebered this weekend why I never buy books. It seems I can't stand being in suspense and if a book is good at all, I can't stop reading it.

I finally broke down and bought a book on my flight home last week (I had been through every magazine I was interested in) and I ended up reading for like 10 hours straight Sunday until I finished it. I just can't leave the story for days or weeks without thinking about it and wanting to finish it.

So go read Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. It is a really good book and other than going to church and doing a little SU work, it is all I did Sunday. Fortunately, Saturday was a little more productive. (5:30pm)

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Oh yeah, I am in Birmingham again. I flew in yesterday about 1pm, met with a guy for about 2 hours, and was done. So I ended up sitting around watching TV, driving around the area, going to a movie, and then another movie, and now going running before I hop on a plane and head back home.

Hardly seems worth it. But I did get to see Hotel Rwanda and The Jacket, both of which were pretty good. Michael, The Jacket didn't end up being all the creepy, more cool than creepy. (8:38am)

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We were talking in one of my classes about companies monitoring internet activity of their workers and using it against them. One guy was saying he gets weekly reports on all his people with the websites they visited and how long they spend on each site and even their key strokes if he wants them. Now I am not saying that the company doesn’t have a right to get this info, because I think they do, but I don’t think it should necessarily be used against you unless there is a performance problem. I get bored at work even while working on a million things. I don’t like sitting here for 30 seconds waiting for a report to run, so I will have the net open and check my other email or look around at a website or two. Of course every day isn’t like this, but for the most part I have never worked at a job that is full-on challenging enough to keep my mind occupied the whole time I am there. It isn’t like I don’t get plenty done though. I clearly do more than most of the people here and get great performance reviews.

So, just because I have a web connection up all day, does that mean I am not working hard enough? Or just that my brain is too advanced for the mere mortals here at work? You decide. (5:01pm)

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I had a nice weekend of not doing anywhere near what I needed to, but oh well. I finished up the take-home mid-term I have to turn in today earlier this morning, and I wrote my part of a group paper due today. I don't know if I mentioned it, but I have a class where I get to do a demo of SU and our content management system as an example of a data insertion and extraction tool. Nothing like lessening my work by turning updating SU with some news into an in-class demo.

Everyone should email your address so I can send you random things like rubber monkeys with no arms (sorry Ryan, I stretched it too far).  (4:59pm)

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I was reading some article about how anal retentive people like myself like using email as a means of communication because it lets us prioritize when we want to address and issue or a person. Yet, when someone calls or comes to your desk, they throw the whole system off by requiring you to give immediate attention to that person or thing. It is so very true though. With email I can work through things, but then someone comes to my desk and it doesn't matter how important the other stuff I am doing is, I can't ignore them or put them off.

Just nice to see someone putting a psychological theory behind something I do. Indian Scott shouldn't you be telling me things like this instead of me having to read them online? (1:35pm)

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Oh yeah, thanks to everyone for the Birthday wishes. There was a nice assortment of formats ranging from websites posts from Robbie, Jeremy D, Amy, and others to posts here on Robozo from a whole group of people, to a crazy picture from Jeremy C and an e-card from Indian Scott. Not to mention the snowboarding action figure my step-sisters got me and the watch and iPod mini my parents got me.

All around great birthday (minus Leigh) and it felt really good that everyone thought of me and stopped by or sent a card. Thanks! (5:36pm)

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And I'm back! I figured I better post before too much trash talking happens in the comments.

I had a great time, with a week of awesome snowboarding with my step-sisters (Ami & Audrey), Mark, Arvin, Mom and step-dad Virgil. I really enjoyed riding around with my sister Ami all week because the more we talked, the more I found that we have in common. Plus, we are pretty even as far as skill level and it made it fun to ride (and hike) all over the mountain with her. Thanks to her, (she is a vegan) the folks also made an effort to dine at places that had things she could eat. As a result, I ended up eating pretty healthy all week, which is sometimes hard while on vacation.

After spending most of the week in Tahoe, I spent a couple days with Ryan and Malisa in Arizona. I can’t say enough good things about the couple, and they treated me to record stores, comfy couches, home grilled fajitas, a Goldfinger show, and a late night talk with Malisa (and her brother) that was really cool. It still amazes me that I met this guy through a beard contest, but however it happened I am better off by knowing him and his lovely wife.

The odd/cool thing about this vacation is it was the first one I can remember where I was really able to detach from all the craziness going on in my life. Despite trying to milk the Internet connection daily to check my work email, I never really thought about work, or SU, or school, or anything from home other than Leigh. I was able to completely chill out and just have a really good time. Sounds simple, but was something new for me, and I really enjoyed it. So thanks to Mom, Virgil, Ami, Audrey, Mark, Arvin, Ryan, and Malisa for making it such a great week. (5:18pm)

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Well the internet wasn't very available while I was on vacation, which is probably for the best, so I am just now making it back online. More details of the week later, but for now just wanted to say I am home, the last week was amazing, and thanks ot everyone involved. (7:44am)

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