Lately I've been blessed to have the opportunity to manage the IT infrastructure at Detroit Cristo Rey High School. I wanted to take a moment and drop the links for you to check the school out. In summary, it is a Catholic work high school for college prep low income students, sponsored by the IHMs and Basilians. They have moved into a portion of the old Holy Redeemer High School that was closed in 2005, filling a significant academic void in the southwest part of Detroit (Mexicantown). Needless to say, I am very excited to be working with the school and hope that it continues to be a job opportunity for me for some time.

Ever wish the world would slow down enough to give you a few days to catch up? Yeah. I have to work the day after Thanksgiving. Should be fun.

During the week, I work 12-14 hours a day. At times it can be a drag, but one of the unique twists that I have discovered over these several months is how Tom Petty brings all of my teammates together. Yeah, That Tom Petty (is there another one?). It seems that anytime things are not going that well at work, somebody will turn a Tom Petty song on, we all sing it word for word, and then we get back to work. Weird how the words "she's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis, loves Jesus, and America too" seem to be a great pick-me-up at work.

Oh yeah, we had a pumpkin carving contest yesterday. I had to carve an Old English D into a pumpkin. It was a moderate success, as seen here (it is the pumpkin on the bottom).

What's your work environment like? Could it be as fun as mine? :-)

After two days of orientation, I am very excited about the new job. We've been able to get to know those who we will be working on a daily basis, and despite intense duties, I am confident it will be a great experience. Dan Gilbert is a great guy and I look forward to working for him, albeit rather indirectly.

In other news, the car from the last post is named Ethel Merman. Yes, it is true. Old, broken, and loud. I love naming my cars.

Some updates on the site:

1. Added a Donate page for those interested.
2. Have updated the Reading page to more closely reflect my current books.
3. Added the PayPal box, as well as some Google advertising, to try to cover some of the hosting costs.

Yesterday I was offered a great fulltime job working for a company as a traveling technician complete with paid training that would offer a guaranteed $35 thousand a year with mileage paid; the guy who I talked to earned (meaning with gas expenses taken out) thousands of dollars on the travel alone. So in other words we were looking at $40 thousand a year to start.

I turned it down.

Edit: It would have been necessary for me to take a year off school in order to work for that company and I really don't feel like taking this next year off seeing as it's my senior year and all.