I had my first day in a “permanent,” full-time position. I’m happy to say that it went quite well!

Where do I work? For a variety of reasons, my employer will go unnamed. I know many (most?) of you know, so please don’t post the company name in the comments.

It came as a surprise to me, but I will not be working on the project that I thought I would be. Instead, I’m part of a small team doing some leading-edge, quick-cycle, proof-of-concept design and development. As in, actual EE stuff. Score!

My cube is in a good spot, with good lighting and good neighbors. It’s a bit barren right now, so I’ve been gathering stuff to bring in to make it more comfortable. So far, the list includes:

• A cactus
• Several scale models of Porsches (a GT2, a 911, and a 356)
• A wooden duck
• Several photos of people who are important to me
• Headphones
• A couple of relevant engineering textbooks
• A Dilbert desk calendar
• A box of thank-you cards
• A candy bowl for passers-by

I’ve been looking at the cube layout, and I just don’t think I’ll be able to squeeze in a recliner for my guest chair. Ah well.

Tomorrow holds some training, some planning, and perhaps some actual work.

Sleep time! It’s strange getting up early again…

My trip has finally found its conclusion. I’m back in Minnesota now, taking a vacation from my vacation until starting work.

I’ll be posting all of my trip photos when I get access to a faster Internet connection. Until then, I’ve placed some of my favorites in my photoblog.

OH YEAH — If whomever left a voice message for me last Saturday could call again, that would be great. It helps if you leave your number (or at least your name) so that I can return your call 🙂

Webb and I just arrived in Frankfurt from Paris. Despite the poor weather in France, Paris was a relaxing change from the rest of the trip. A nice denouement, if you please.

I even have a nice souvenir from the visit! Check out this MSNBC story, particularly the last seven paragraphs.

Ran with bulls. Didn’t make ESPN highlights.

The party never stops here in Pamplona. It goes through the night then makes a brief halt for the running of the bulls every morning.



Read about the festival at the official web site.

Tomorrow afternoon we leave for Paris. Only one week left in the journey!