Sick =(

We'll I'm sick. At first we thought it was just the stomach flu, but after talking to other members of my family, could it possibly be food poisoning from Christmas dinner? Out of the 23 people who were at my parents house for Christmas, only 3 managed to not get sick. All the rest of us got sick at about the same time last night. At least I have a wonderful, devoted, wife who is one of the few who didn't get sick and takes good care of me. The good thing is that I'm starting to perk up this afternoon and am feeling much better.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

The CISSP Exam

Well, I but the bullet and took my CISSP exam last weekend. I took it then since I had just finished a review course the week prior and the next exam is not scheduled until the end of January. It was also the first fill in the bubble exam I've taken since my college days. Most of by other certification exams recently have been all computer based. But man was it gruelling. More than 60% of those who take the exam fail.

The exam is 6 hours long to complete 250 multiple choice questions. After the first 50 questions, I was questioning whether I would pass or not. I don't know what happened after that, but I seemed to get in a groove and the rest of the exam seemed to go much better in my opinion. I ended up finishing in 3 1/2 hours and was out of there to rejoin the family for their Christmas party.

I hope I passed. I guess it's now a waiting game. I have to wait 4-6 weeks to find out my score.

The past 6 months

I realize it has been a while since I posted last. I've started many posts, but never one I wanted to be my first post back into blogging again. Where do we begin? look at all we accomplished? Repainted house, installed sprinklers in backyard, started landscaping backyard, redid baby's room (pictures later) and lots of travel. In fact, I travelled over 50,000 miles this year to make Premier Executive status in the mileage plus program. We'll see what next year brings with the new baby and all.

After Thanksgiving, I took a trip to Colorado Springs and Albuquerque. Travelling is nice in that I can see some of our old friends that have moved around the world. I saw Keri and Calvin in Co. We saw Dave and Cherilyn in Hawaii in October, and I hope to briefly stop in Phoenix soon to see all those who have moved there. Last week, I spent the whole week in a class cramming for my CISSP certification exam (it's a security certification) which I hope to take this weekend.

Blog Makeover

I'm back, and my blog is ready for a makeover. Stay tuned.

Hot, Hot, Hot...

I hope everyone hasn't given up waiting for an update. It was an eventful summer, and I have lots to write about. But first, an obligatory weather update. It's hot. I mean, it's way too hot for Fullerton. It feels like Vegas. In fact, it's hotter in Fullerton (107) than Vegas (102) today. My car actually says it's 111 outside instead of 107 - but once its that hot, the extra 4 degrees don't mean much to me. I'd melt if I had to live in this climate for more than a few days. Good thing it is supposed to be much cooler (15-20 degrees) tomorrow.

A Few Pictures From Graduation

Here are a few pictures from my graduation last weekend. I now hold a Masters in Computer Science / Information Security. Hopefully I'll be able to post a few pictures from our vacation the week after as well. Virginia and DC were absolutely beautiful.

Done

Turned in my last project yesterday and took my last final today. I am done. Next weekend I'll graduate!

One down one to go

One final down, one more to go. I think I did ok on the first final. It was a mix of multiple choice, short answer and two essays. I nailed the essays and most of the multiple choice. There were a few short answers I had to BS though, but overall I think I'll come out ok. I have an A, A-, and A on my three projects for this class, so depending on what I get on my research paper, I should do well.

Now, I only have one more project to turn in and a final to take in my other class and I am completely done.

So Close

Almost there...

Two weeks from today I will be walking across the stage receiving my Masters degree in Computer Science - Information Security. Until then, I am finishing up a major paper on MS Windows Auditing for my Forensics class this weekend, turning in a project about server defense mechanisms in my Secure Operations class next weekend, and taking two finals next Saturday.

Two weeks from today I will be done. Done with 2 1/2 years of school, and just beginning the start of a weeklong vacation in our nation's capital.

For everyone out there trying this, I am proof that it is possible to complete a Masters degree in 2 1/2 years while working full time and still having time to spend with your wife.

My Birthday and more

How does it feel to be a year older? I don't feel any different - Other than being in denial that my hair is still slowly falling out and getting thinner. Next year is the big 3-0.

We postponed my birthday this year as I was in San Jose, and Amanda was pulling two 14 hour days on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. So I took the day off on Friday and we celebrated by going to Disneyland in the morning. For dinner we indulged ourselves in a wonderful dinner at the Agora Churrascaria steakhouse. There is a buffet salad bar and side dishes, then the waiters come around and serve all kinds of chicken, pork, and steak. All you can eat steak is my kind of thing. If you're ever in the South Coast Plaza area, I highly recommend this restaurant. Then we finished up the evening with a little shopping. I got some new work clothes, as well as I have my eye on some noise cancelling headphones for all the travelling I'm doing.

These next two months will prove to be busy and challenging. I graduate with my masters degree on May 5, but from now until then I also have 3 work related trips scheduled (3 days in Baltimore, 3 days in San Jose, and another 3 days in San Jose) all in April while I'm trying to finish up 4 major projects and a major paper to finish my classes.

But, on May 4 it will be all over, and Amanda and I will be on a plane to Washington DC so I can walk in my Graduation on the 5th. We're also going to take a week afterwards for vacation to visit the nation's capital. In September we're going to spend a week in Hawaii as well! (I gotta use those frequent flier miles and 325 hours of accumulated vacation time somehow right)

A Letter to Hilton

I just returned from a one night stat at the Hilton San Jose (Mar 6-7). This had to be one of the worst hilton experiences I have had. I am current a Starwood Gold member and try to stay at Starwood properties whenever possible because they know how to treat me as a business traveler. This time, the Hilton San Jose was the only hotel in the area with available space at a reasonable rate, so I booked a night there. The reservation was for a non-smoking room selected at checkin.

When I checked the night before on the Hhonors website, it said non-smoking confirmed, room selected at checking. Thinking everything was ok, I proceeded to the hotel. When went to check in, the desk clerk said there were no non-smoking rooms available - so much for non-smoking confirmed. This was not ok with me as I am very sensitive to the smell. I was given lounge access for the trouble, but there was nothing else they could do. I decided to try it.

I get to my room, and it is filthy. It is not what I would expect out of a hilton room, and is far below what Starwood provides. The room appears as if it has not been renovated in 20+ years. The bathroom is clearly dated, but the worst part is black stained grout in the shower, stains on the bathroom floor, and a toilet that occassionally ran. During the night, I noticed that the walls were paper thin. I could hear what was happening in the rooms next to me. In the morning I was woken up by their showers as I could hear all of that through the walls. The noise extended outside as well as my room overlooked a light rail station. I was kept awake at night by the constant clanging of bells every time a train entered the station.

All of that, while clearly annoying, can be overlooked for one night. However, in the morning when I got up to take a shower, I found that there was no hot water in the shower. I took a very quick cold shower in the morning which is completely unacceptable. Hot water is one of those absolute necessities whereever you go.

I don't know what you can do to compensate for my troubles, but something needs to happen if I am ever going to consider hilton again. I will be returning to the San Jose area twice in April, and have already reserved a Sheraton property for those stays even though it is farther away and more expensive than the hilton. At this point, unless something changes, I would consider staying at a Starwood property 30 miles away rather than a convenient hilton property.

Funny

http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/images/dilbert2007021523638.jpg

Reminder set your parking brake...

...or you could end up like this guy. Car tumbles off L.A. parking structure, driver survives.

A car tumbled several stories off a parking structure near a hospital today, authorities said. The driver survived and was taken to the emergency room.The sedan landed on its roof atop a steel awning two levels below. TV news helicopters televised the scene as a construction crane lifted the car shortly after the accident. "Somehow she accidentally jettisoned off the parking structure and landed below. How that occurred, we don't know."

Time for Change

Well, we're nearing a year in our new home now, and over MLK weekend in Jan we decided to replace the floors in the study and buy some new furniture. We put in nice bamboo flooring, bought some new bookcases and an arm chair. It now has the ambiance of a study. The futon is now located in our guest bedroom. This means that guest actually get to stay in the guest bedroom and have their choice between a twin bed or a fill size futon. Overall, I'm very happy with the way it turned out, and we will definately be doing the same thing to our bedroom next.

Unfortunately, I do not have any good before pictures, but I have a bunch of during and after pictures...

Teens sentenced for cooking puppy in oven - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com

Teens sentenced for cooking puppy in oven - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com

This is just sick and wrong...

- a dead 3 month old puppy was found in an oven
- the dog's paws and snout were duct taped shut
- there were scratch marks in the oven, so the dog was cooked alive

At least they got 10 years for this among other things including burglary, vandalism, and threatening children.

Freeway sweeper swiped from Anaheim lot

This is a strange one. Why would anyone steal a freeway sweeper? "Strange things have disappeared over the years, but the bigger question is, why?"...And how exactly do you drive off a caltrans lot in a sweeper without being noticed?

Ok, I really need to get back into blogging. Look for an update soon.