What's New?

Hey there, fellow bloggers! It's been a month since my last post, so I'm taking Marky's lead: it's time to pull over, sit my butt down and hammer somthing out. So, what's new? Well, I am currently sitting in an airport in Memphis, waiting on my flight back to Dallas. I had to take a quick trip to Florida to handle some business, and my return trip consists of flying from Sarasota to Atalnta to Memphis to Dallas. Ugh! What a long, miserable day.

On a more pleasant note, I am pleased to report that I'm an official, card-carrying student at UTA. I am registered for Calculus1, Physics 1 and a communications class this fall. How exciting! I've never actually GONE to college before. My General Studies bachelor's degree was really just a bunch of correspondence exams, and my MBA from U of Phoenix was done online. I actually get to sit through a real college class! I'm sure the excitement will wear out after my first homework assignment...

Work is going good. I'm now in charge of maintaining the equipment that make Lay's and Ruffles potato chips. I manage the day to day ongoings of the mechanics on my shift and cover emergency calls for the entire plant, and I coordinate, plan and schedule long term projects for my equipment. Fun stuff.

Life is good, and the debt is slowly abating. I really took a hit during my three months off work (drained my down payment for house down to nothing!) but we're looking to recover and buy our first home in November. Yay for us!

So, how're yall doin'? Let's here it, folks!

-Sailor Matt

I'm a Maverick

It's official. The letter came in the mail today. I've been officially accepted for admission to the 2009 fall semester at University of Texas at Arlington (UTA).

I'm a Maverick!

So what will my first courses be at UTA? Good question. Right now, I'm planning on Calculus, Physics 1 (with lab) and a third class, yet to be determined. It's gotta be easy, though, because I'll be working full time.

One of us has graduated, another is in the midst of college and I am just starting... it's like the circle of life among bloggers.

Cheers!

-Sailor Matt

It's a Man's Night tonight, baby!

These moments are few and far between, but they are such a sweet indulgence that they are worth the wait. Tonight, my friends, is Man's Night. The wife, you see, is off attending a ladies-only party tonight, which leaves me home alone to do whatever I wish. Tonight I wish to eat chinese food from Panda Express, enjoy a tasty brew and watch a manly man's movie: Beowulf.

You may question the appropriateness of the plastic fork in this carefully organized ensemble, but I assure you that the presence of this plastic fork, despite the abundant availability of dining utensils in my home, is critical- nay, essential- to fully indulge in the Man's Night experience. So for now, I shall bid you adieu. It's time to eat.

-Sailor Matt

I'm single-handedly suppressing our economy

The media storm surrounding this world-wide economic problem has really thrown me into a tizzy. That's right, I said it- a tizzy. I mean, on the one had we have financial advisors reprimanding banking institutions (and indirectly, the public) for their overzealous mortgage approval rates. We've all been spending, spending, spending, and the credit companies of the world have been fueling the fire. Ok, so we should be less spend-crazy. I get that. On the other hand, expert economists tell us that the people have lost faith in the capitalist process. It's going to take time for people to feel comfortable enough to re-invest in our economic future, and to buy houses and cars and big-screen TVs. The problem won't fix itself until we spend more. Well, OK... that makes sense, too, but trying to spend more while financing less puts me in a bit of a mind-poop.

Financially, I'm a conservative guy. I haven't always been, but I'd like to say that I've been on the straight and narrow the last five or so years. Nothing goes on a credit card- ever. The wife and I spend $12 a day on food and household supplies. My wife's car is 10 years old, and I plan to keep my own car that long. We never go out to eat. Picking up Taco Bell for dinner is a real treat for us. We don't buy DVDs, share matching iPods or carry crackberries with uber-cellular service. As far as consumers rate, we suck pretty bad. Am I suppressing the economy? I could easily afford a big-screen TV and the finance charges that come with it. I could buy that 2009 Challenger that looks really cool, or finally get a laptop that doesn't suck total butt. But I'm saving my money, and I feel bad about that. Other people need my money, and I'm not sharing. So yeah, it's my fault.... sorry guys.

Sometimes, however- when I'm feeling really bad about the whole thing- I sneak over to Starbucks and buy a tall latte.

-Sailor Matt

Finally, some peace

Work has been a bit hectic the last few months because I was in what they call the "on-boarding" phase, or the training cycle. I was following people around, learning their jobs and entirely dependent on their schedules. Some worked 1st shift, others 2nd, and one guy worked 3rd. I haven't been able to settle into a routine, and most importantly, I haven't been in control of my own time. As of this last Monday, I started my own shift (2nd shift), and I am free to spend my time as I see fit.

So, now that I have a steady schedule and am now in control of my own time, what lies in my future? First off, I intend to enroll in classes at Univeristy of Texas at Arlington in the Fall (which starts in August) and take my first steps toward completing an Electrical Engineering degree. Second, I intend to update my blog a bit more regularly (like I used to). Third, I am going to write my book and post it on Authonomy, a site recommended by friend Captain Joe. I'll keep you posted on my progress, and hope to have something readable by my birthday (August).

Cheers, people, and best wishes!

-Sailor Matt

Firefly, etc.

I've owned the TV series Firefly for well over a year now, having purchased it with a Target gift card I received for Christmas in 2007, and until now I still hadn't watched it. I knew all the chatter- I heard all about how it's one of the greatest science fiction television shows ever created, but still I procrastinated (take note, Mr. Logan). One major issue is that I don't like to just throw on a show in the afternoon. I need to set the mood, to create an experience out of it. It's almost like I'm taking the show out on a date. There usually needs to be food, hopefully a desert included, and preferably some alcohol as well (I love my craft beers). If I don't take the time to make this viewing an actual 'event', I feel like I'm just turning it on because I have nothing else to do, which makes me feel like I'm wasting my time, which I utterly hate. HATE. HATE!

So, I never got around to watching Firefly, specifically because my prime TV-watching time is in the evening with my wife, and she would never ever ever want to watch a silly sci-fi show like Firefly (she actually tells me this)- although, for some reason, she enjoys Heroes and Lost. Go figure. An interesting thing, though... her cousin told her a while back that she thinks she'd probably like the show because it's not your typical sci-fi/Star Trek-ish kind of stuff. So, my wife finally agrees to watch Firefly with me. Additionally, this coincides with our 'pizza night', which is an extra, doubley awesome bonus! You see, every Saturday night the wife and I spend time together making a homemade pizza, and since nothing good is ever on TV on Saturday evenings, we usually watch TV series DVD's: We've seen the first two seasons of Rome (which are phenomenal) and the first two seasons of Eureka, and now we're watching Firefly. Somebody pinch me, I think I'm dreaming!

Sadly, we're creeping up on the end of Firefly, with only two episodes left. We usually catch two episodes a night, so we've got next week covered. Then we have the movie Serenity, which will cover the week after that. Which TV series will the wife and I pick up next? We both really like Big Love, so that may be a possibility, and her brother definitely recommends Deadwood, so we might try that. True Blood is definitely on the list, but I'm not sure if season one is out yet...

Anyway, there you have it- another little glipse into my quaint life. Take care, friends!

-Sailor Matt

What have you been up to lately?

The days have been all sorts of busy, friends. Two weeks ago I worked 2nd shift, and last week I switched to days. I worked yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, and I go in again tonight (Sunday) at 9:00. I work 3rd shift all next week, then back to days for a week after that, then I start my permanent shift assisnment on 2nd shift. So that's that.

I've decided to take three college classes in August: Calculus I, Spanish I and Physics I. In order to keep up with the course load while going to school full time, it's important that I pick up with my calculus and spanish self-study plan, which fell by the wayside a few weeks ago. So, I shall continue the self-study plan with renewed vigor.

My writing has been neglected, but I'm hoping that after my training cycle at work comes to an end next month, I'll have more time to refocus my efforts in that arena.

I plan for this week to be a flurry of productivity, bringing all of my programs back online, so to speak. The frustrating part of the last month has been the training cycle at work: most of my time was spent inefficiently waiting for someone else, so I could see how they do their job.

On a different note, I figured I'd share with you guys the most delicious treat of all time. Behold:

They're like three bucks a box, but eating one is an amazing experience. Try one today!

Cheers!

-Sailor Matt