Friday Five

(Note: I didn't have Internet access when I was typing this out, so I apologize for the delay).

Another week in Houston. And another certification for me. I remember when I first got into computers and I took my first certification exam (CNA on Netware 3). It was a huge thrill. And then a couple years later I finished off my MCSE on NT 4.0. Even bigger thrill. I've now taken around 30-40 certification exams and it's kind of lost it's novelty. A big part of my job is to stay current and keep my certifications up to date, so it's kind of old hat now. I'm now an Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist on Windows Workflow. And as sad as it is, my reaction is simply "meh". I wish I could get excited, but I just can't.

In other news, this week marked an anniversary for me - it was one year ago this week that I started up this blog. It was originally just put together as a way to keep people informed about what was going on with the great move to Houston, but has morphed into, well, I'm still not quite sure what. But it's been fun.

I can say that it's a strange thing blogging. First, it's a very ego-centric thing to do. It's all about me and my thoughts, and I expect people to come read it. Second, I always have to think about what about me that I want to reveal to the world. Third, I struggle with what actually constitutes a blog posting and what's something that isn't really worth it. But it's enjoyable.

I'm also glad at how well this Friday Five has worked. I have at least one post every week (I've been slacking a little in June), and I've only missed two (and I've been late on two others). And once again - I am always in search of new ideas.

This past year has also been an absolute whirlwind. Between the move to Houston, the move back, my life contracting, Karin's much more subdued life, etc. it's been a crazy 12 months. Good, but crazy.

And I know I've said this before and I'll say it again - thank you for reading. I appreciate it. There isn't much that's cooler than having someone come up to me and say, "Hey - I read your blog". I love hearing that.

My travel note for the week is that the bartender at the bar in Terminal 2 in San Diego now knows me. I don't know if that means I travel too much or drink too much. Probably some combination of the two.

My five this week, in honor of the one year anniversary of this blog, is my 5 favorite posts*.

1. Bill Gates Says Sh** - I still can't get over what an amazing experience this was. The only downside is I can't really bring it up in casual conversation without sounding like the world's biggest name dropper.
2. Two Seperate Debates - Probably the post I spent the most time crafting, and still today I like how it came out. I also think the Democratic party needs to grok this concept.
3. They Don't Know I'm Not a Terrorist - I am still amazed at the number of people that piss and moan about the TSA. They are just doing their job. (Of course, my other big peeve is when people complain but don't have a solution - if you're going to complain, have a better idea ready to go.)
4. Tainted - Even though nobody has mentioned Griffey's name with steroids, I'm still pretty ambivalent to any records that are set in this era. The historic numbers are still the ones that matter to me.
5. Happy Birthday to Me - I still find it strange being 35, and even stranger being in the position that I am. I'm enjoying it, but I still feel like that awkward teenager inside.

* - If you feel like leaving a comment with your favorite that would be very cool. And, yes, that's just a shameless plug for comments. ;-)