Decision Day

Since I’ve told all the relevant parties, I figure I can finally post about this here. I have accepted an offer with a start-up and have given two weeks’ notice to my manager at my current job. In accepting the offer from the start-up, I also turned down a really fan-freaking-tastic offer from Google. I struggled for weeks over the decision, but in the end, I was more excited about the specific people and opportunity at the start-up, so I went with that.

I know that Google would have been an amazing place to work but my feeling was that it would still be around in a couple of years, while this particular start-up opportunity may already be a success or bust by then. Maybe by then, I’ll be thinking about Google again, but for now, I think this is absolutely the right decision for me.

I am saddened to leave the high-caliber, considerate, motivated, and bright individuals I’ve worked with at my still-current job, but I am excited for the challenges ahead.

In addition, I’m also excited for the 2 month and some that I’ll be taking off between jobs. Woohoo!

A quote that spontaneously made me burst into tears

… and that I subsequently found was misquoted and erroneously attributed. Here’s the “original” snippet of the quote that I read today:

… To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

The attribution I saw at first was Ralph Waldo Emerson, but a little digging around lead to a page that showed that most likely, the originator was a woman named Bessie A. Stanley and that the tone of the full, misquoted poem doesn’t sound like Emerson’s work.

Either way, I really enjoyed that line, regardless of who it was from. It really solidifies my core philosophy in life. I know it’s not an original thought, but it is what is important to me.

In addition, in searching for the source of the quote, I hit a page of quotes by Emerson. I might pick up a book of his poems.

Stop. Meme Time.

Via niralth and Seppo.

20 Years Ago, I…
1. read every second I was allowed to.
2. wanted to be white.
3. mourned the loss of my “big” grandmother. (It was her memorial last weekend.)

15 Years Ago, I…
1. decided that I was too young to date, after a boy broke my heart for the first time.
2. decided that I would never question my self-worth again.
3. was intensely focussed and driven to leave home and find happiness.

10 Years Ago, I…
1. was constantly questioning my self-worth and felt miserable and trapped in every way.
2. missed Mom’s home cooking.
3. didn’t have a single friend to turn to because I had isolated myself so much from them.

5 Years Ago, I…
1. bought my first house and my first car.
2. really started to put an emphasis on working hard to maintain relationships with friends and family that are important to me.
3. had regained my self-esteem.

2 Years Ago, I…
1. had a new job I loved, a new dog that was a wonderful nuisance, and a fiance that made me happier than I could ever have imagined possible.
2. started to be able to afford the house I bought.
3. wrote my second novel.

1 Year Ago, I…
1. married Seppo, both of us crying and laughing the entire time, declaring our commitment in front of most of the people we love in the world.
2. traveled to Europe for the first time and discovered an affinity for museums.
3. combined our finances and started to plan for our retirement and home repairs.

Yesterday, I…
1. went to sleep late after watching Heroes with Seppo.
2. obsessed about life decisions.
3. ate more shabu-shabu.

Today, I…
1. will finish the bulk of a task I’m doing for work.
2. will obsess even more about life decisions.
3. might possibly have even more shabu-shabu.

Tomorrow, I’ll…
1. need to consult with some coworkers to finish a work task.
2. probably obsess yet more about life decisions.
3. take out the trash/recycling/food scraps (pieces of uneaten shabu-shabu?!).

In 5 years I want to…
1. have a child or two, and hopefully still have Mobi around too — he’ll be getting old…
2. be done with house renovations.
3. always put our marriage as my top priority, and work hard to ensure that we stay happy and close.

Looking back at this list, it’s like the last 5 years just rocketed me to happiness.

Security checks

I just got a call from somewhere this morning. Now, I say “somewhere” because when it’s not someone I know, I don’t have a way of verifying their information and confirming that they are in fact who they claim to be. This is how the conversation went. My thoughts are in italics:

Recorded voice on the phone (RVoP): This is [name of credit card issuer] calling about suspicious account activity on your account. If your name is [mangled name], please press “1”.

Me: ruh oh *presses “1”*

RVoP: To confirm your identity, please input your five-digit zip code of your billing address.

Me: Uh… I don’t know if I should, but I bet this is the charge for the tv that we got on Sunday, and I don’t want it to get denied… *presses zip code*

RVoP: On September 25th, 2007, your [credit card company] [card type] was charged with [small amount – around the cost of an average take-out lunch] by [strange sounding computer-related company name that I don’t recognize]. If you or an authorized user made this charge, please press “1”. If not, please press “2”. Press “*” to hear this message again.

Me: Who da wadda? That’s not what I was expecting! *presses “*”*

Rinse. Repeat twice out of uncertainty.

Me: Uh… Is this from Seppo making the music purchase this morning? Is this the hold charge for the tv we just got? That company name doesn’t sound right though… I don’t know! *presses “2”*

Hold music.

Human voice: Is this [differently mangled version of my name]?

Me: Thank goodness this didn’t auto-dispute the charge since it might be a real charge. Hi, yes, that’s me.

HV: Can you verify your identity by giving me your password?

Me: What? No. You called me. I have always learned that if I call you, I can give you my password, but I can’t give my password if you call me.

HV: What I’m asking for is your password, so we can confirm your identity.

Me: Yes, I know what you are asking, but I have no way to confirm that you are who you say you are. I don’t want to give out my personal information to strangers that call me on the phone.

HV: I am with [credit card company] and am trying to verify your information.

Me: But I can’t confirm your information. You say you are with [credit card company], but you can’t confirm for me that’s true.

HV: Yes, I am confirming that I am with [credit card company].

Me: *waits, expecting HV to tell me something that will confirm his assertion. gradually realizes that that statement was it.* Sorry, I can’t give out my information.

HV: You can call our number on the back of your card, or I can give you a direct number to call back.

Me: Are you kidding me? I will call the number on the back of the card, but there is no way I’ll call the number he gives me. It’s not like I don’t believe this guy, but I’m still not willing to give out my info and can’t believe the horrible idea of security the company has. That is fine with me. I will do that. So when I call back, I should ask about a charge from today by [name of computer-y company that I didn’t recognize when the voice first told me]?

HV: I cannot share any information with you without confirming your identity.

Me: No, wait. The automated voice message already told me this. I was just trying to be clear about what they said. I mean, you called me at my personal number and got my zip code information already.

HV: I’m sorry, I cannot share any information with you without confirming your identity.

Me: This is ridiculous. Ok, thanks. Bye.

WTF?

I’m about to call now. That is some inconsistent security policy they have. No one should have to give personal information out when they are the ones that called your personal number that appears on the account. On the other hand, they shouldn’t tell you anything without getting your verifying information, when you are the initiator of the call. WTF.

ETA: Ok, it turned out to just be a shirt Seppo ordered, which I knew about. I spoke to the person on the phone and explained what had happened in the previous call and he agreed that I should not give out my personal information to calls that I receive. He seemed to believe it was a different department but I am sure he’s not allowed to say anything bad. I basically just wanted confirmation that that’s not their security policy.

My VisualDNA

I can’t seem to embed it correctly, so here is a link: http://friends.imagini.net/eingy.

Thanks to Holly for the link to the test. 🙂

Former high schoolmate speaks out against war on Hardball

Link to Daily Kos diary.

Video:

Dante’s brother died while looking for WMDs and now Dante and the rest of his family are part of a group called Military Families Speak Out.

Coding-related motion sickness?!

Could I be feeling dizzy from watching logs scroll up the screen all day and night? Whatever is causing it, please stop. 🙁

ETA: Totally figured it out. I had the compile window and the logging window both on the left side of my screen, with the right side stationary. In addition to being in front of the computer for hours on end, I’ve been doing a lot more code-compile-test cycles than usual today because I’m working with small changes, and it really is that. When I look away, I feel fine. When I look at it, the left side of my vision feels weird and my head hurts and the world feels like it’s hurtling away. Blech.

9.5

Today marks Seppo and my 9.5 years together. Whoa. Here’s to 95 more. 😀 By then, we’ll both resemble the professor in Futurama.

House craziness

I will leave it to Seppo to post the details of the stone path he build in his backyard, with the help of Sean and and a coworker/friend. All I can say is that it’s really fantastic. It’s beautiful, functional, fun, and graceful. And he did it all in one week! Yowza!

On Saturday, we spent something like 28-30 combined work-hours cleaning up the house. About a third of that time was spent in the kitchen. We reorganized the available counter space, magically creating extra space from nowhere and making better use of the back half of the room. I spent a good hour or so hunched over and wrestling with the reciprocating saw, so I have some weird back and leg aches.

I spent a little time with the Lowe’s kitchen planner(inspired by the Helavas’ kitchen renovation project) and found that while the IKEA kitchen designer is great for doing the actual layout with very precise measurements (and perhaps/probably getting the cabinets there), the Lowe’s planner is great for the overall project management side of things, which is quite welcome. We plan on going this weekend to check out their planning kit and just look around.

New member of the family

Welcome to the world, dear nephew! I can’t wait to meet you, little guy. I wish for you a happy life coupled with a positive outlook, and the desire to make the world a better place. I know, it’s a lot to wish for, but you already were blessed with great parents who love you, not to mention cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents who are all watching out for you, so it’s a good start. 🙂

I hear you are nice & chubby and cry a lot, but that’s par for the course for a newborn, eh? 🙂 Here’s to your parents’ sanity and ability to sleep in the next few years. Heh.