Life has been insane. Busy and stressful. We’re thinking and talking about big, real life goals and it’s not easy.
I’m working with the FIRST robotics team at Albany High. It’s not as amazing as last year but I think that’s because it’s not the first time any more. Still, they learn things and I learn things. I wish I could be there more often but since I’m new at my current job, I don’t have a lot of brownie points to spend yet. Maybe next year.
Saturday is the warmup practice day for robotics and Sunday we’re doing a public exhibition. Let me know if you’re interested in checking it out and I’ll get ya directions. Last year that event was ADD-ferret disjointed but it was fun to run from problem to problem, helping out.
Two coworkers invited me to go shooting with them. It’s been a really, really long time. My grouping was pretty good and my little 22 rifle was mostly a pleasure. My eyesight is far worse than I remember. 
I tagged the bulls-eye a couple/three times at 50 yards. I learned that 13 degrees F is too cold to go target shooting. Fingers should not tingle when they warm back up. And I still don’t understand why people with large caliber guns don’t have shock absorbing pads on the stock.
Skyrim is The big adventure video game right now and it’s eating up my free time. I could talk at length about it but I’m sure no one cares. The visuals are really impressive though. They are pretty darned amazing.
My brothers and I started actually working on a little side project that might turn into a sell-able product someday. I’ll be happy if we sell a dozen to hobbyists.
The turbocharged car is still a lot of fun to drive and I’m still looking for interesting roads which are empty enough to enjoy. Age, apparently, has a way of making other people’s safety more important than my own fun. Maybe I can join the parking lot racing club in the spring. 40 m.p.h. is fast there and the courses are apparently tough and fun. It’s possible that I need a new clutch but I’m not telling anyone that. (shhh)
The ham radio came out of the Element at Jenny’s request and hasn’t mounted itself in the Subaru yet. It looks like I’ll have to do that myself. I got the Haynes repair manual for the car so I should be able to take apart the dashboard without breaking anything. The current plan is to fabricate a sheet metal mount for the radio faceplate and squeeze that through the trim to an imagined (but not located) bolt.
Work is letting me borrow a couple of handheld infrared cameras tonight. They might be useful for search and rescue but I don’t have high hopes. It’s still an expensive, limited technology but one of them is only $2K and about the size of a beefy flashlight.
Still climbing at the gym but only once a week due to time constraints. EMS had a sale and I got the climbing helmet and grigri belay device that I wanted. Real rock this year!
And work is still an amazing challenge. We’re hiring programmers and interns.