Finally...

I can post again? Really? Are you sure? Not spam?  Positive? Ok, cool beans, and thanks!

Apparently my blog here was pegged as "spam worthy" and although I requested/tried to prove otherwise, it took 3 weeks for me to be re-granted my blogging privileges.  Interestingly enough, after 3 weeks away I still have the urge to write, and oh do I have much to write about.

I made it through the end of senior design and, therefore, the end of my college career thus far.  My parents, brother, grandmother, and girlfriend all came in for my graduation ceremonies; it was very nice to see them all, especially together, and it was special to see each of them in their own regards.  My grandmother is the last of that generation left in my family so it meant a lot to me that she would take the time to travel just for me... my brother was more or less dragged into it, but I know deep down he was proud... my parents were happy for me and proud that I made it through the difficult major I chose and also feel it to be worth it down the road (as do I, so far)... my girlfriend has been my rock these past two years and so this commencement meant as much to her as it did me, at least in my eyes.  I love her and am very happy she came in to see me walk and/or make a fool of myself.

I will miss a lot of the friends I made over the years, especially those I know I may never hear from again... but, there will always be more and I will always take my experiences along with me.  I have a week before I start my new job, which I will spend unpacking/cleaning/sleeping/hanging out.

This past weekend we had our first couple races of the sailing season and I couldn't have been more thrilled to be out on the water again, finally!  The weather was phenomenal, as is my sunburn... what can I say, except I am red hot!  Tomorrow I will be attempting to win a national championship via an internet-based tactical sailing simulator I enjoy playing/learning from... wish me luck and who knows what could happen?

I am glad to have this back, as I am sure there will be plenty to write about in these next coming weeks...

My skills as an artist

So, at the conclusion of yet another long, overdrawn, disorganized, and -- let's face it -- pointless day of senior design group work, my final task was to complete our poster layout.  I actually volunteered for this at the offset of the project, naively assuming I would be free to make it as sexy and perfect as myself -- little did I know how nosey and opinionated the rest of the group would be, especially when entailing unreasonable requests such as: "Can you add six more graphs and results, plus more captions, but don't make it too busy... ok, maybe we don't need that graph... but try to fit it in anyway?"  We have 20X30 inches to work with here, people; this ain't the Sistine Chapel and my name ain't Michaelangelo... although, in my eyes the final product looks beautiful and all it's missing is a few happy trees to set off the foreground... just call me Bob Ross.

What will be cool, is that aside from our completed device allegedly being implemented as a test rig for an ongoing thesis research project in the medical field,  this project poster will be on display in the hollowed halls of building 9 for years to come.  I remember the countless days I would loiter around the halls before/after class, taking the free time to stroll down the hallways and read up on those many senior disasters that had been taken on throughout the ages.  Some interesting, some not... some obviously worked, some not... some could have done with a more snazzy poster, ours would not!

It is nice to know I will be leaving my mark in little ways, at a place I have put forth so much time, effort, and -- bah -- money into.  I was a member of the select few students who were part of the first ever graduating class from the astute pre-engineering program at my beloved high school, St. Edward, back in Ohio in 2003.  That seems forever ago now, but I can take pride in knowing whenever I go back to take a stroll through those hallowed halls again, I will find my bright smiling face plastered on one of the walls of the pre-engineering wing... possibly a mentor to those that may wish to pursue the same path I did, possibly not.  Either way, if engineering doesn't work out for me, I suppose I can always turn to artwork and become the fifth ninja turtle someday.

One week and counting...

I have jumped on the bandwagon, writing away my thoughts for all to see via on the online, so enjoy.  I suppose it is a good way for me to get back to writing, which I enjoyed throughout high school, but just don't seem to have the time or effort for as much as in the past.

Essentially, within the next week my life will be taking a drastic plunge into reality; I will be graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, after five long hard-fought years.  At 23, I will have a credible degree, steady start to my career, and living at home, in Cleveland, for the time being.  I am fortunate that my hard work has seemingly paid off.

Emotions are running wild, to be honest; I am happy and sad, excited and nervous, confident and anxious.  A decent mix, I think, that I suppose everyone goes through at this time of their lives.  I made a lot of good friends and accomplishments at RIT, and will be sad to leave them behind, but I am also positive they will keep in touch and those relationships will be kept strong for years to come.

Right now I am taking a slight break from composing my senior design project's final presentation for tomorrow afternoon.  Tomorrow at this time, I will be nothing more than a lame duck graduate...

WOOOOO WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!