Still In Raleigh

I’m not sure what is going on with me. After returning to my hotel room last night I crashed early, like 8:30pm early, and slept on-and-off for the remainder of the night. I’m not a subscriber to the “early to bed, early to rise” mentality so I find it bothersome that I slept so much — and still feel as if I could go right back to sleep. Sleeping makes for a boring blog as well.

Holy Fucking Hell, I Never Want To Be In Demand
Yesterday we were that company; that company that has so many people waiting to talk to them that a line stretched down the aisle. I guess word had gotten out that we actually had at least one job opening (although not many more than that) and that we sponsored international students. I shook so many hands and “close talked” to so many students I was almost glad that I’ve just recovered from the flu in hopes that my antibodies are still fighting hard.

I don’t like being that company. Sure, it’s a lot better being busy than being bored, but other than a twenty-minute lunch I never had more than a minute to rest the entire day and I fear that my voice is going to be completely wrecked today. The day couldn’t end quickly enough for me.

The NC State career fair is different from others in that it is open to anyone. Normally schools limit the participation to current students and alumni of the university. Yesterday I talked to people from Tennessee, Texas, New Jersey, as well as people from the schools which my company has already visited this year — including a couple of people who I spoke to at those schools too! (Hello people, get the hint — If you were not contacted by us the first time around, it’s extremely unlikely to hear from us a few weeks later.) It might be time for NC State to reconsider its admission policy; it doesn’t seem to benefit the students that attend their university.

The Pit Was Not The Pits
After a really long day of college recruiting I convinced my coworker Joe to join me at one of my favorite Raleigh haunts — The Flying Saucer. The Flying Saucer has almost everything I desire, a great beer selection served up by beautiful young women. Once smoking is no longer permitted indoors The Flying Saucer will be the perfect place for me to consume beverages when visiting Raleigh.

With beer consumed it was time for me to get some food in my belly. Since I didn’t do my research on local restaurants I asked the bartenders for a suggestion. The bartenders highly recommended a barbecue restaurant called The Pit, so my coworker Joe and I walked there for dinner.

North Carolina is well-known for its barbecue (pork, mostly) so I was up for a decent meal. While the food was fantastic (I had the chopped pork with sides of sweet potato fries and green bean casserole) and used both the vinegar-based, as well as the sweeter version, of the house barbecue sauces.

I discovered something about myself last night however… I am not a fan of chopped pork. The chopped pork I ate last night, along with the tiny portion I ate with lunch, had been pulverized to the point where it looked like the tuna that comes from a can of tuna. I guess that I discovered that I’m more of a sliced meat person, especially when I know that the meat comes from a whole cut — chopping it up seems to masquerade either poor cuts of meat or poor culinary skills.

ITP Flickr Pic
Today is a cop-out photo. The weather in Raleigh yesterday didn’t make for photographic inspiration, and being on a work trip is not conducive

The Kids Are Alright, But Just Not Where I Remember Them
Yesterday I had to ship my display back to Atlanta using a FedEx/Kinko’s store. I mapped its location using my iPhone and remembered it being next to one of my favorite indie record store Schoolkids Records. Upon arrival I was disappointed to find the Kinko’s but not the Schoolkids.

My first conclusion was that Schoolkids had gone the way of many indie record stores, such as Ella Guru, and had bitten the dust. After some internet “research” this morning I’ve come to find that Schoolkids has simply moved to a new and cheaper location. Time permitting I’ll drop in tonight.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – off kilter. I can’t put my finger on it, but I feel out of sync today.
Current Music – listening to the “Indecent Exposure” podcast
Website Of The Day – Next time I get a portrait of myself that I really like I’m going to get a cartoon version of it made at Flip Face.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – rental car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 3 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 0 (0)
Vegetarian Days – 3, Carnivorous Days – 2
Marta Rides – 0

October Goals
– Not get fired from my job
– Take at least one photo every day
– Restart work on house, actually making progress this time (note: not successful during August)

2009 Goals
– Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
– Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
РEarn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalape̱o Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]