A lot of stuff

I didn't update this site for a while because I had a lot of stuff going on. A lot happened towards the end of last year. My house was destroyed, and then it was rebuilt. While that was going on, I also lost my job when Intel decided to "redeploy" my entire group. I was offered an option to look for positions within the company, but I declined. I honestly wasn't doing as much programming as I would have liked, so I decided to look for jobs outside Intel. I interviewed with Google and didn't get in despite doing really well (their words) on the phone and in-person interviews. I got a call back from the recruiter who said that "although the interviewers really liked you and thought that you were incredibly smart and knowledgeable, they didn't feel that your skills are a good match for the position". I thought it was a standard "Thanks, but no thanks" response and I was a little disheartened. To be honest, my faith in my own skills and knowledge was a little shaken. I talk to my friend Iliyan (he works and google and he's the one who actually referred me) and he said that they were actually telling the truth. Apparently, at Google they try to match you up pretty well with your job. If they feel that you don't match up with the position, they don't offer it. He said that if I had applied to Google and Mountain View, instead of Phoenix, I would have received an offer for sure. He also let them know that they made a mistake in not hiring me. Either way, I wasn't all that depressed.

I got a few more offers and did a few more interviews before finally accepting a position at Infusion Software. They basically write CRM (Content and Resource Management) Software for small businesses. They are a relatively new company. I have been here for a month and I've been loving it since my first day. The first day I walked in, they basically said "Here's your system. Pick an OS and install it and set up your development environment". I was like "Awesome!". Of course, I set up PC-BSD (which is basically a FreeBSD distro). The environment at Infusion Software is very energetic and fast-paced. The demographic is also rather young. During my interview they showed me around and when I got to the developer room, they showed me a projector and said "This is where we play Halo or Guitar Hero 3 when we need to take a break". 'Nuff said. I'm glad everything eventually worked out. I was rather stressed after my house got wrecked, and to add to it, I got laid-off. The way my friend Suhrid puts it. "You have the weirdest luck in the world. Really bad stuff happens to you, but then something really cool happens after that to make it better than before... you got to remodel your home for a great price, and you got a better job!"

My parents came down for a month at the beginning of January. My mom's staying behind to help me set up the house. Of course, because of that I had to tell my girlfriend that she couldn't come over anymore (this is all true, yes it is). Oh yeah, so I'm renting out my house. My parents had bought a house here that they don't live in. So I've basically moved over there. It's a bit of a drive to places, but nothing too bad.

Oh yes, I finally got to put my citizenship to use. Yes, I voted in the primaries. I registered as Republican so I could vote for Ron Paul. Let's just say that I believe in a lot of what he says because I identify myself as Libertarian. I know a lot of people said that he wasn't going to win, but that wasn't the point. This country needs to change. It's constitutionally a multi-party system, but the only parties that matter are the Republicans and Democrats and they haven't been doing anything for this country. The current administration has done a great job of ignoring that piece of paper this country was founded up. The subtle erosion of Civil Rights alarms me. We need to remember what this country was founded upon. Honest, law-abiding citizens should have no fear of their government. That is why I support Ron Paul. It is besides the point that he didn't win. We need to challenge the current situation. We need to change the current situation. Of course, the idiotic media ignored Ron Paul and didn't even talk about him. Despite that, the man was able to garner a large and loyal following through the internet. What that says is that there are people who are willing to listen and who want to listen and who want change. The sad truth is that the people with big pockets, and big media exposure get all the attention, and not the people with the good ideas. I hope that in time his ideas will prevail. I hope in time Americans will realize that this country needs to get back to its roots.

That's about it. I'm going to try and update this blog a little more frequently, but no promises.