Michael J Gorman

I am still alive! Going on to 5 months of working the new job I thought I should give an update for anyone who might read this. I'm assuming thats like tops 2 people, but enjoy it you 2. 

So almost 5 months of working 40+hours a week (lots of plus in there) I still really like the job. ESRI is a great company, and while not everyone on our team are the easiest people to deal with I still think right now it is the best place for me to develop my career. I've been learning a ton and absorbing as many skills as I can.

In July we had the user conference for the company to interface with all the users and show off software and such. Our team was down there to setup the network and phones for the entire thing. It was held in San Diego, at the Convention Center, the Hilton and the Marriot. It was not an overly complex setup so it there wasn't a huge technical challenge. The Challenge is the sheer size of the event. Everything went off without a hitch. I feel I did a really good job of getting in there and doing everything I could, "Above the call of duty", as it were. 

My manager Terry is a good guy, he is however a hand off manager for the most part. This can be positive because you don't have someone over your shoulder all day, but at the same time it can leave you with the yearn for some more structure, if not for yourself, to motivate some other members on the team. I'm just starting to get comfortable with some members of the team. They're all good guys, but you have to learn the specific ways to deal with each of them. 

I'm making pretty good money, especially for someone my age right out of college. I'm always looking higher though. If i made more I could comfortably move out and buy my new car. I think I still could now. It would be nice if i had a dependable friend to rent a room of whatever I buy to help relieve some of that pressure. Not to say I don't have dependable friends, but well, my friends are my friends...

I have been spending a lot of money lately. I get kind of depressed and buying something helps. I bought a netbook(ASUS EeePC 1005ha), A Bass(Dean Edge 10a 4 string), lots of Hockey Gear and of course tickets to pretty much every concert I have even the slightest desire to go to. I need to stop, but then I feel kinda empty about working and not seeing any payoff from it. Its hard to balance. I'm still saving more than I'm spending so I figure I'm not doing too bad. 

Just a few days ago I realized I only really have 1 close friend from High school and back still in my life, and even that is a relationship in a downward spiral. I think this is something that has to happen to everyone though. A time comes when you can put your insecurities behind you and cut ties that you may have felt you needed before. If everyone isn't pulling their own weight its not fair that you should have to pick up the slack. Sometimes it is actions from those people. You can know someone for 10 years and suddenly something changes. You don't know them at all. Did you ever? 

My dad had a tumor in his colon recently. It was pre-cancerous, so they got it early and he is fine now. Another good friend's mom(for all intensive purposes) is fighting cancer. I just found out another friend's dad is really sick. What is going on in the world? In the last case it couldn't have happen to a nicer family, and it is really disappointing that is has. 

I just watched Lost in Translation and I'm listening to Our Lady Peace's new Cd, Burn Burn Burn, so in writing this I think my emotions and thoughts were sort of skewed in one direction. Anyway, I just wanted to post something so my site didn't look pathetic with the last update being in April. I'll try and come up with some regular content to post... if anyone is reading it and wants me to. Comment, let me know.