Vacation Update

Ok I am going to try something else... I know I originally said I was going to blog about my trip over here, but I changed my mind. I am going to do like I did for Australia and create a different website. So keep your eyes posted for that. And once again Merry Christmas, sorry we weren't there to spend it with any of you...

Merry Christmas

Hey everyone, Merry Christmas!

We are having a great time over here in Europe. Sorry I have been unable to update my blog, internet has been hard to find (for free...). But I will get on it tonight and update it. Here are a few pictures of what we have seen.





Anyways I got to get going, the Christmas Bells are ringing (seriously! every half-hour here in Florence). And we are going to go strolling through the city. I will write a day-by-day this evening....

Nater

Interesting Politics

I have always said if a woman was to run for President, I would most likely vote for her. I have always felt that women are better at running groups of people. Just think about it, they have been managing families for centuries, must be in that extra X chromosome.

I think that Hillary might announce her run for the presidency, which puts me in a bind because I have jumped on the Barack Obama bandwagon. I first heard about this guy when he blew everyone away in the Illinois Senate race and made national news.

I have been reading his website and listening to his blog, and he has some great ideas and follows through. His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars are spent. I love this law, I don't understand why it hasn't always been done.

Knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America’s addiction to oil, he’s working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars. And he has been pushing government for strict standards for auto makers that give deadlines/goals that auto makers would have to meet for fuel economy.

If you don't know much about Barack you can go to his website BarackObama.com. He has lots of speeches on there that you can read,listen,and watch.

Barack 2008!

NATER

Another Job Let-Down

Well if you don't know already, now you do. I did not get the job at Titleist. I was told that I was over-qualified for the position. I had my interview with 3 people while I was down there. One of them was stuck on the fact that maybe I had too much schooling for this job. And I guess that stuck around until the decision time. I don't see how someone can make a decision to apply for a job, come see what the job is, interview for the job, and know exactly what they are getting into but still continue; then don't get the job because they are over-qualified. It makes no sense to me. Don't be a parent to me and tell me that I should be trying for something more! I know what the job is, I want it, and I am more than qualified. Give me the job!

On this same day I learned that the Nike job that was SO perfect for me that I applied for was canceled. Thats right terminated before it was even filled. I knew the HR person in charge of this, I knew the hiring manager, and Brent knows the hiring manager really well. I was set. Damn it!

I just don't understand my luck with jobs this year! I was not hired for the Asst. Pro job I was doing and doing well for almost 2 years this spring...

I had a job offered to me at a Hi-Tech firm, that ended up being thrown away do to an HR miscommunication. (I didn't post about this but most of you heard about it. They sent me an offer that had incorrect dates on it, they told me to pencil in what I wanted and they will see if it works. And then I never heard back, so I screwed up and assumed it didn't work for them...)

I interviewed for a golf engineer position this summer. I was called in for the job, I didn't apply for it. After the interview I was told not to worry. Then 2.5 months later I was told I didn't get the job...

And I was contacted by a Hi-Tech firm this fall for a position. Set up a phone interview the following week. Never got the call, so I called HR. I was told he was on vacation and he would call me later. I then get a call 3 weeks later by the hiring managers associate. It went well and he was going to recommend I come in for an in-person interview, but I never heard back from them. And now I can't find the paper I wrote his name on...

Can you really have this much bad luck in getting a job. I don't see how its possible. The weird part is, is that I really haven't missed out on a job for a good reason, 6 times this year.

NATER

San Diego is NICE

I had a very nice trip to San Diego, except for losing my wallet on the way home (have my license though). The weather was great and I had a good time.

I got in on Monday just fine and checked in. I then headed into downtown San Diego and went to a Rock Bottom to watch the Seahawks on MNF. The next morning I headed to Oceanside for my meeting. Driving into Oceanside was nice and I noticed a few things. First off people in San Diego drive really fast! Second, it's really pretty.


I pulled up to the Titleist center, it was completely blocked off by a fence and tall trees. You just can't see in... Then there is a guarded front gate. When you pull in you see one of the nicest, well manicured practice facilities you have ever seen!

The meeting went real well! I was told I was the most qualified, maybe even over qualified candidate. But the pay is nice and the job is easy. I would manage a team of 2-4 guys whose job it is to use a robot to hit a golf ball onto the range, track the ball flight with doppler radar, and record the data. They were afraid I might get bored with the job and would want to move on. Well if that happens oh well, I will at least have some experience under my belt, and a little bit of money.

After I left I went down to the ocean (like 5 miles) and ate a little bit of lunch on the beach.


After lunch I had some time left so I cruised down Highway 101. After about half an hour I cruised by Torrey Pines, and had to pull in. After about half an hour of walking around and noticing that no one was teeing off of #1, I decided to play a little golf. Torrey Pines, home of the annual PGA Tour Buick Championship and the 2008 US Open, I was stoked!

I played the North Course and was just giddy as a Japanese School Girl! This place is amazing!




I had a wonderful round, and will definetly be playing here a lot if I move down here. The local rate is cheap, and the course is now one of my top favorite courses. The course was definetly getting ready for the Buick Championships in like 2 months. The fairways were really narrow, counted a 20 yard wide fairway on one hole, and the rough was really long. Above my ankles in some areas... Still shot 2 over for 14 holes (too bad I had to leave...).



Anyways I have posted my pics HERE of San Diego. And here is my Walk-Through of Torrey Pines.

NATER

Neighborhood Construction

There has been some recent construction around our home that is interesting to me. First off there are two places near TV highway that have been plowed and leveled, no idea whats going in yet. One area is the car junk yards that was taken down over the summer, and one is a field just up the road.

And then there is the Mobile Home park that was up Cornelius Pass Road. They emptied it out a few weeks ago, and it is now leveled. Once again no idea what is going in...

All I can hope for is something nice to go in, so that it ups our home value!

Nater

Slick Nater on Black Friday

So I had to work this morning, so I wasn't able to get very many deals... I missed out on the SD cards (no biggie), and a good deal on a hard drive. But I did get a smoking deal.

I went to CompUSA for their 9pm Thursday night opening. I didn't think it would be that busy, since the deals weren't that great. But when I got there, there was already about 40-50 people there. And when the store opened 20 minutes later, there was about 400 people there! And this was my first time waiting for a deal so I was a little nervous...

When the opened the doors, everyone went for the big ticket items, I wanted the phone deal. So I bee-lined to them. Ended up 3rd in line. Didn't matter since they had about 200, and only about 20 people wanted the phone. Oh well.

The phone deal was awesome. If you opened a new account with Cingular, TMobile, or Sprint, and bought a Motorola RAZR for $30,
you received a $200 rebate on anything in the store. Since I needed a new phone but didn't want the RAZR, I bought the RAZR, unlocked my current NGage phone and put the Cingular SIM card into it. Now I am going to sell the RAZR on Ebay, and buy a Palm Treo 650.

With my $200 I also got an Apple Ipod Nano 2gb for $150, a Belkin Tune Fm Transmitter and car charger (normally $70, on sale for $40 and $10 rebate), and a Belkin Arm Band ($15). This made my total purchase value as:

Phone $30
Ipod Nano $150
Belkin Tune Fm $70
Belkin Arm Band $15 => Total = $265 - sale price and rebates = $25

So not a bad deal at all...

NATER

One Last Interview

I found out today that Titleist is flying me down to Oceanside, CA for the final stage of interviews for an R&D position. I am really excited, this job sounds like a ton of fun. It will also give me quite a bit of experience to become a Design or Test Engineer in the future. I don't really want to move away, but it's really hard to turn down a job like this.

Here is a sat pic of my possible future job location.


Looks like a sweet place to work. And I guess it's located right next to the Titleist Performance Institute (a hi-tech golf fitness gym)! If you want to take a look at the surrounding area, here is a link to Google Maps.

NATER

The Best Cancelled Shows

I have had this conversation a few times in the last couple of weeks. Why do television stations cancel good shows??? I have made a list of my favorites. If I have missed any, please list them in the comments. Here is the list, and their years in duration:

Firefly: (1 Year) Recently found, and like it. Too bad the tv people scrambled the episodes and aired the pilot a month after the show aired. Always a sign for success... By the way it was canceled for Dark Angel, which is listed below.

Andy Richter Controls the Universe: (1 Year) This was a very creative comedy. Most people weren't smart enough to get the humor...

Related: (1 Year) This was actually a show that Karen and I both liked, which was amazing. I usually don't like shows like this, but for some reason I didn't mind it at all, I think it was because the actors had great chemistry with each other (or Jennifer Esposito is gorgeous). This show was lost when the WB became the CW or the FU channel or something like that.

Jack and Jill: (2 Years) Here was another WB show that got the ax, for something stupid... Too bad.

Dark Angel: (2 Years) A very creative show for the first season, then Execs. thought it could be improved and changed it to crap in the second season. Effectively killing off the show.

Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place: This was a great B-rate comedy. Sure it wasn't going to beat out Friends or anything else like that, but it was great filler. Once again Execs changed the show, to make it better, to 2 Guys and a Girl. Effectively killing another show...

I am sure there are others. But I have an idea as to why good shows get canceled, here is the Nielsen Ratings for the last two weeks.

Week Ending Nov 12:
1. Desperate Housewives (ABC)
2. Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
3. Dancing with the Stars - Results (ABC)
4. Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
5. CSI (CBS)
6. Sunday Night Football (NBC)
7. Dancing with the Stars - Recap (ABC)
8. Criminal Minds (CBS)
9. Lost (ABC)
10. CSI: NY (CBS)
11. CSI: Miami (CBS)
12. 60 Minutes (CBS)
13. House/Election Coverage (FOX)
14. CMA Awards (ABC)
15. Without A Trace (CBS)
16. NCIS/Election Coverage (CBS)
17. Extreme Makeover (ABC)
18. Cold Case (CBS)
19. Deal Or No Deal - Mon (NBC)
20. ER (NBC)

Week Ending Nov 5:
1. Desperate Housewives (ABC)
2. Sunday Night Football - Pats vs. Colts (NBC)
3. Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
4. CSI (CBS)
5. Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
6. Dancing with the Stars - Results (ABC)
7. Criminal Minds (CBS)
8. Deal Or No Deal (NBC)
9. CSI: NY (CBS)
10. Lost (ABC)
11. NCIS (CBS)
12. 60 Minutes (CBS)
13. Survivor (CBS)
14. Extreme Makeover (ABC)
15. Heroes (NBC)
16. Sunday Night Football Pre-Kick (NBC)
17. CSI: Miami (CBS)
18. House (FOX)
19. Cold Case (CBS)
20. ER (NBC)


So the people who basically control whats on TV watch "Dancing With The Stars" and "CSI" all the time. Great! So many good shows will emerge from these numbers... They need to go off of Tivo recording numbers.

NATER

If I Go Titleist

If I end up getting that job at Titleist, i will have to get a complete new set of clubs :D ! So here would be my choice.

Driver:
905R 10.5deg, Fujikura Speeder 569 Tour Spec X-Stiff
Fairway Woods:
906F2 13deg, Fujikura Speeder 652 Tour Spec Stiff
906F2 18deg, Fujikura Speeder 652 Tour Spec Stiff


Hybrids:
PT 585H 19deg, Fujikura Speeder 904HB Stiff
PT 585H 21deg, Fujikura Speeder 904HB Stiff


Irons:
2-4 755, True Temper Tour Concept Stiff
5-7 695CB, True Temper Tour Concept Stiff

7-9, PW Forged 660, True Temper Tour Concept Stiff

Wedges:
56.10 Vokey Spin Milled (bent to 54), Rifle Spinner
56.10 Vokey Spin Milled, Rifle Spinner
60.08 Vokey Spin Milled (bent to 58), Rifle Spinner
60.08 Vokey Spin Milled, Rifle Spinner

Putter:
Scotty Cameron Newport Studio Style

Bag:
x76 Stand Bag, Black
Shoes:
Classics Dry Premiere #50793

And if I stay with Nike, obviously there will be a change of equipment with them too. i will update on that later...

NATER

Jobs...

I finally got word back from Titleist that I am on to the in-person interviews for the position I applied for over a month ago. The weird thing about this is that I wrote an email to the HR Director inquiring about this position, and after I hit send, there was the email in my inbox telling me I was through to the next stage. Weird, huh....

I am excited though, if I can do a job like this and get paid about the same as an engineer with room to grow into a real engineer position, I couldn't ask for anything better. I also found a job with Nike that is right up my alley.

The job is hard to explain so here is a link to the job description. Its basically a similar job as the Titleist one, except based out of Beaverton and has quite a bit of travel. I would prefer the Nike one, because I wouldn't have to move then. And that is really where I want to be. But if I don't get it, the Titleist job would be great! San Diego, great golf company, the experience I would get...


But don't think I am just going for golf jobs. I have been applying for lots of Electrical Engineering jobs. Just no one is getting back to me. The only one who has, and I have had a phone interview with, has taken forever. It has now been almost 2 months since I applied, and like 2.5 weeks since my phone interview. I can't believe HR takes this long, seems like its like this at every company...

Nater

Create a South Park You

I stumbled upon this cool website where you can create your own South Park character. So I had to create one of myself.


Anyways, I thought it was cool... If you want to create your own, go HERE.

NATER

Europe, Here I Come!

Well I did it, I bought my ticket to London. I fly out on Dec 15th, and come back on the 1st (hopefully making it easy on any new employer...). Flying on the 1st will totally suck, but I got a great deal. I bought my round-trip ticket for $674! That is just amazing, everything I was looking at (and expecting) was around $800 - $900 before taxes. So I am very happy.


Karen and I are still working out the scheduling of where we are going during the trip, so I will update when we make up our minds. Man I am excited!

(Oh and me being Slick Nater, signed up for the Continental Airlines OnePass Miles Club right before I bought my ticket. This got me a total of 12,594 miles...)

NATER

Job Front Update

Well I got a call from Nike Golf today about that Customer Service Rep position I interviewed for. Looks like I got one of the positions, but I would be doing order entry, I would be a temp, and make $12 an hour... So don't think I am going to take this job. I originally thought that this would give me a good "in", but really I already have one. They have contacted me in the past about a position, and I feel they will do that again, if I keep in contact.

I also got a call from "a hi-tech company" about an Electrical Engineering position, that I applied for almost a month ago. We originally set up the phone interview for a week and a half ago, so I was a little surprised to get a phone call from them. The guy who was interviewing me was absolutely terrible at it! He told me he was a physicist, and was screening for a co-worker. And did he ever ask some stupid questions... Questions that if you had a BS in EE, are completely obvious, even if you got it illegally on the internet. No matter what I said, he would make comments like, "Seems like you have a good grasp on that." Even if all I said was, "I remember talking about that. We really didn't go into detail on it, we just touched the main subject areas."

And then there is also Titleist that looks to be showing some good effort to get me. After my phone interview on Monday, they Priority Mailed me a small packet. In the packet was some paper work, i.e. application and background check authorization, and a couple other things. Which included a Footjoy glove (Footjoy = same company as Titleist)??? A little bit strange, but whatever...

As you can tell things are getting a little complicated. I have until Monday to reply to Nike if I want that position or not. And I should be having another interview with Titleist next week, and maybe one with the hi-tech company. All I can say is that decisions are going to get tough. And with it being cold and rainy, San Diego and Titleist is looking really good!

Nater

Free Nano Revisited

I finally got an email today telling me that my Free Nano from Key Bank will be shipped out in a couple of weeks.


Man I am excited to get this! It will come to great use on my trip over to Italy. There are so many cool things you can do with an Ipod that you can't "easily" do with another mp3 player. Here are some examples:

Maps Directions City Guides Museum Tours

I have never been an Apple fan, and never will be. But the Nano is just about perfect! It even has some cool games like solitaire, brick, parachute, and a music quiz. And a 24hour (claimed) battery life.

NATER

Titleist Interview

My interview this morning with Titleist went really well! It was with the Director of Human Resources of Acushnet Golf, and it went how I think interviews should go. We just talked. We talked about my schooling (around 300 credits), my golf playing career, and what I plan to do with my life now that I have graduated.

It was refreshing to have an interview like this and not your typical, what I like to call, "HR Interview". With questions like: Name a point in time where you solved a problem; Name a point in time where you couldn't solve a problem and what did you do; Name a point in time were you slacked off at work :D . You get the point...

Well at the end of the interview, he said he would ship me the application and paper work. Then at the end of the week or the beginning of the next, he would get back in contact with me, to talk about the in-person interview. He said he liked what he heard and I would most likely move on to the in-person interview. So this would mean that they want to fly me down to San Diego...! Yay free trip!

I don't know how I really feel about this job. It is a big relocation, to a city that is expensive to live in... Just don't know...

NATER

Rube Goldberg Machines

I Love Rube Goldberg Machines! When I was little I used to draw little stupid ones in class. But here are two awesome ones. The first I found today, and was built by some guys with office equipment. The second was done for a Honda commercial, so it's professionally done...





NATER

Slick Nater Strikes Again

A couple weeks ago Office Depot posted a coupon in the paper.

As I was planning on going up to Heron Lakes to play a round of golf on Saturday, I planned a way there so that I go by 5 different stores. And 1 I would hit twice. The main reason is that they also had on sale a 50 pack of CD-Rs on sale for $4.99, and I needed CD-Rs, plus they would be free. So I went to each store and bought a pack of CD-Rs and maybe a pack of gum or something to get it over $5. It would then print out a coupon for $10 off of a $10 purchase. This led to me doing the same thing with this new coupon, but I couldn't buy any "technology" items with it. So here was my final haul:

Qty	Item	Retail	What I Paid
4	50 Pack CD-Rs	$39.96	$0.00
1	Compressed Air Can	$9.99	$0.00
1	Resume Paper	$9.39	$0.00
1	2 Pack Sharpies	$2.58	$0.00
2	6 Pack Bubble Mailer Envelopes	$10.78	$0.00
1	3M Masking Tape	$4.99	$0.00
1	Pen Ink Refill	$3.59	$0.00
1	3 Pack Legal NotePads	$2.99	$0.00
1	Ream of Paper	$3.49	$0.00
1	Mini Screwdriver Set	$4.99	$0.00
1	5 Pack Gel Pens	$3.49	$0.00
1	4 Pack Sponges	$1.89	$0.37
1	25 Pack 3M Photo Paper	$6.99	$0.24
1	Mini Hand Sanitizer	$0.99	$0.82
7	Candy	$3.40	$3.40
	Total Value of Items Bought =	$109.51
	Total That I Paid =	$4.83

I don't know how they expect to make any money.... :D

NATER

Nater In Australia

I finally finished my Australia Journal website, after like 6 months, and 3 different site lay-outs... I recommend only viewing it if you have broadband, as there are quite a few links for Google Earth, and a few videos on the there.

Enjoy!

Nater

Well Looky Looky

If you don't remember, I was turned down for my dream job a month ago. It was a golf ball R&D engineer at Nike Golf. Well I just found a similar job at Titleist...

PERFORMANCE TESTING PROJECT TECHNICIAN

So naturally I applied for it. And hopefully I at least get a phone call. Not sure if I would want to move to Carlsbad, but maybe I could use a change of scenery. I know Karen would like the weather a lot more...

NATER

Interviews

So I waited around and stressed out all day today waiting for a phone interview with Lattice Semiconductor, that eventually never came. So hooray, I can stress out tomorrow too!

My interview on Monday with Nike Golf went just fine. Nothing great, nothing shitty. I just hate typical interview questions... I mean I actually got asked this question, "What time management tool or skill have you used recently that has changed your productivity?" And the legendary, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" I mean come on, how does this evaluate what kind of person I am...?

As I am sitting in this interview answering these questions off of their work sheet, I was thinking to myself. Does anyone really have good or interesting answers to typical HR Interview questions? Because if you had a good answer, the interviewer would have to think you were lying (sp?). But I can't really think of a better way to do an interview... So I guess we're stuck with the current process. Oh well.

NATER

Job Update

Here is the scoop on the job front. I have a panel interview on Monday at Nike Golf for the Customer Service Represetative position. Which they would have to almost bend over backwards to get me. And I have a phone interview with Lattice Semiconductor on Tuesday (maybe Wednesday). Which would have to be a really good offer for me to pass up a job at Nike Golf...

I am planning on going to Italy for about 3 weeks, from mid-December til just after New Years. So both will have to work with that.

NATER

Decisions... Decisions...

So here is my current dilemma. Currently I am an independent contractor for Nike Golf and do demo days. Ok great for the summer, but now that it is fall what happens. Well Brent has assured me that he could get me enough work to pay my bills, and then some. Not as good as summer time, but I will at least be in the black.

And now there are a few other choices... I was called today by a Lattice Semiconductor, guess I applied for a job a few weeks ago and they seem interested. And there is also a Nike Golf Customer Service Rep position that opened up, which I applied for and thanks to Keeley will have an interview for. Now this is where things get interesting... Once again I have heard through the grapevine that a position will be opening up in the Golf Ball R&D Department next spring.

Now by taking a position outside of Nike Golf (i.e. Lattice Semiconductor), I would not be as closely tied with Nike Golf. I would still be able to do demo days on the weekends though. This would be good since I would get paid like an Engineer, get experience as an Engineer, and still keep in some contact with Nike Golf. But if a position opens up in the spring, and I get it, would it be (what's the term I am looking for here... ethical??) to leave an Engineering position after like 6 months?

And if I take the Nike Golf CSR position, I will be closely knit with all the Nike Golf people. But I will get paid terribly, be working the phones, and doing something I most likely would not like. But I would like the work atmosphere, love the people I am working with (have known or met almost all of them), and be working close with the people I want to work with.

Or there is the last thing. Keep doing what I am doing and have tons of free time, make enough money to get by, play lots of golf, go snow skiing, go to Italy for like 3 to 4 weeks... Basically have a dream job, without the BIG bucks.

So since I still have interviews to go to next week. And I really shouldn't make decisions until I have to. I have created a poll. What would you recommend I do? Assume I have received offers for both the Lattice Engineering position and the Nike Golf CSR position.

POLL

NATER

Another Weekend in Sunriver...

I had a great weekend! It started with me driving Friday afternoon to LaPine to do some flyfishing. I headed up to East Lake, and arrived around 5pm. I then spent the next 2 hours trying to catch a fish... I must really suck at this, because the fish were jumping and feeding all around me. I will eventually get this down, that is why its called fishing not fish catching. At least it was beautiful up there.

Saturday and Sunday I spent the whole day on the range working. I was crazy! The tournament had 350 people check in on Saturday, and 300 more on Sunday. And they were all at the range hitting balls. Good thing they had free Red Bulls, because I was there by myself and working my ass off.

On Sunday, I played in the Sponsor's Tournament at Crosswater. A few guys from Nike Golf came down and we all played together. And damn it, I almost kicked its ass! I was 3 under through 6 holes, 2 under through 16, and I end up shooting an even par 72... I didn't piss the round away really, I just made a few small mistakes. Oh well, I am happy with a 72, my lowest round there ever by 6.

Overall it was an awesome event. They put me up in the Sunriver Lodge, feed me some great food, and let me play some great golf. And we were lucky enough to get great weather. Not bad for my last trip to Bend for work... Here is a great shot from outside of Sisters on my way home.


NATER

Nationwide Dream

WOW! Two posts in one day!

Two weeks ago I was at the Nationwide Tour (PGA Tour AAA league) event in Eugene. I was working the Pro-Am, and we had a few hours of break at the sales tent. We were stationed right on the range, I mean just feet away. So we got to see all the players there practicing. The Amateurs in the Pro-Am were allowed to hit on the range, so during our lull (all the am's were on the course, leaving some pros to practice) I started to hit some balls.

After 20 minutes of me just striping it, I noticed I was hitting it just as well as the two guys I was inbetween... Now I haven't played in a while, and haven't played well since spring time, but man was I clicking! I was covering the flag with whatever I hit, and I was able to do whatever I wanted with the ball. I had to stop and kind of dream for a little bit... I mean here I was hitting balls with all of the Nationwide guys, and I was not out of place. I continued to hit for about an hour, and it never went away. Sure I had a few miss-hits, but in general I was smoking it. Even my worst club in my bag, my driver, was flying just perfect.

Made me really wish I would have gone down a different path somewhere in my life... But I know this life is not for me, at least I think not. Just wish I had some backing to find out if I ever could do it...

NATER

Google Earth Fun

So I was really bored tonight and I was playing in Google Earth. Noticed that Karen's and My place is finally on there, it was just a field... I also looked up Karen's address in Catania.


Her place is at the top of this intersection, I think... Man you just gotta love Google Earth! Oh check this out (if you got Google Earth that is, if not you suck).

I have been working on my Australia Journal website and it will be up shortly. I will hopefully have nice interactives with Google Earth, i.e. locations we went and stayed, geotagged pictures, and cool things.

NATER

No Luck for Nater

I don't understand my luck with jobs this year. I have always had great luck with getting the job I want, but this year has just sucked!

To start the year, I wasn't even hired for the full-time position of what I was currently doing (that Assistant Professional job at the Reserve). And I was great at my job, just ask anyone...

Then I had all those issues with Wafertech about my starting date. Ultimately ending with me having to turn down a great paying starting job over a miscommunication.

And now after being called in to Nike for a position that wasn't even created at the time, and talked to like I had the position. And then spending over two months waiting. I find out at the end of last week that I didn't get the job. I asked them if there was anything that I could have done better or improve upon for next time (I only did this since I feel like I know them fairly well now), and I got a very reassuring response that I did everything right and there is nothing I could really do to improve...

So now I have no job, and have to look for a real job. There have been quite a few open positions that I have applied for, but still haven't got a response for any. I was told that they are expanding quickly at Nike R&D, and I know they are trying to build a new test facility here in Beaverton, so they could want me in the near future... But I am not going to wait.

The thing on my mind now is if I take a job somewhere, and then I get an offer from Nike, how do I tell them I am leaving...? I mean if its 6 months or a year down the road no problem, what if its like 2-3 months???

Oh well I guess I will answer that question when I come to it. As for Golf R&D Engineering, I am now trying at different manufacturers. I think I would be real good at this, and man what a dream job!

Nater

Odonater Update

Good news and Bad news. Good news = I hit 200 miles this week. Bad News = My knee is starting to hurt again. And without having any Health Insurance right now, I can't afford to blow out a part of my knee. So I will be taking some time off from running again. I will have to use the elliptical and the stair-stepper now...

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Keeley and Rick's Wedding

Last night I went to Keeley and Rick's Wedding, which was held in the Portland Art Museum. It was a real nice medium sized wedding. Everything looked great (as I expect from Keeley and Rick :D)! The food was good, the drinks were great, the ceremony was short and sweet, and the Bride looked fantastic in her dress!

It was a fun wedding, and the whole Reserve Gang was there. Which made it easier without Karen being around. Right about now Keeley and Rick should be getting into Cabo for a week of sun and fun...

Congratulations Rick and Keeley, all the best to you!

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Check out this Moron!

Ok it's an Oxymoron, sort of... Take a look at this ad I got from one of the fly fishing sites I subscribed to sent me.



So it is a rally to help stop the extinction of Salmon, but at this rally they are having a Free Salmon Bake.... I don't see how this is very helpful???

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Fantasy Football Week #1

Hello, and welcome to Nater's Random Thoughts Fantasy Football Update. Let's get straight to last weekend's highlights...

A very stressful weekend for me turned out to be okay. THANK YOU Chargers Defense!

In the ultra-competitive $25 buy-in league, I scored a victory. It was extremely close going into Monday Night Football, but the Chargers Defense shut-down the Raiders offense. Thus my opponent only got 1 point from his RB, when he needed 10. I ended up winning 84.22 - 75.34.

In my league I kicked Burch's ass! Burch had Jake Plummer for his QB, and he ended up throwing three INTs and lost a fumble for -8 points... :0 He also played a player that was out this week. I ended winning this game in a more comfortable 25 - 8. This league is lower scoring since it mostly rewards only actual scoring plays and not yardage performance.

And in "real" football UP lost to rival North Carolina 1-0. NC's goal was shit if you ask me, totally fouled (a bad body check) the keeper... This loss now has them at 3-2-1, which sucks since they went undefeated last year and had only 1 or 2 losses the year before (i think). Before this game UP was 6th in the National Polls after starting the season at #1, and they will probably drop a couple more spots because of it.

UP's next game is Friday at OSU in Corvallis. I will be in Eugene all day for a demo, so I will most likely stop by and watch the game on my way home.

This has been your weekly Fantasy Football update, thanks for watching Nater's Random Thoughts. I am Nater, see you next week.

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NIKE DAY

Today is Nike day here on Nater's Random Thoughts, but what day isn't... Bombsquad Golf went out and released scans of next years product catalog from Nike, must be okay now since reps are showing them around and pics are popping up everywhere. Looks pretty interesting! Can't wait to hit them myself, seen them in person and am really excited.

(Pictures removed due to me being scared of Big Brother and

trying to get a job there I don't want to piss anyone off.....)

There are also pics of their new irons the CCi, which the CCi was suppose to be the current half-cavities but they don't look nearly as good. But then again I haven't seen them in person. And then there are a few pics of the new putters that look awesome!

And then I stumbled across one of the greatest Nike things ever. Its a new add for the Juice Ball coming out. They launch it through their air cannon and destroy things! The two guys in the videos I know. The one that is facing the camera is Jeff, he would be my new boss if I get this job. And the guy launching the air cannon is the grunt of the Nike R&D department, they work him hard. I would basically be hired to do the same thing as him I think... Which would be to basically run all of the machines (like this air cannon) and tests.

The Juice Ball Cannon

Just think, if they would have hired me a month or so ago, I might have been in this commercial...

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First Day Fly Fishing

Yesterday Matt and I went and did some fly fishing on the Sandy River. Matt took me to this little location that he knew of. We had to hike about a mile to get down into this place, but when we got there it was worth it!


We hung out and did some fishing for about 3 to 4 hours. I got a bite and Matt got a few bites, but no fish... We both kind of suck at fly fishing and we are still beginners so we will keep trying. We were also there in the middle of the day so that didn't help, but we just wanted to get out of town for the day.


We had a great time though, and that is all you can ask for... I am going to try again soon, but I need to go get some more gear. Got kind of cold standing in the river in just some fly-flops and shorts!

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Some Interesting Photos...

I got an email from Megan today telling me that she had posted her pictures from her recent trip to Australia. And as I was looking through them, I noticed something strange... See if you can see it... (feel free to click on them to enlarge, you might need it)

Megan's Pics - Summer 2006


Now maybe you didn't notice anything strange in those photos... How about now...


Karen's and My Pics - Summer 2002


I first noticed, in the first posted pics for each of us, that we had the same rock formation in our photos. Then later on, I saw the pic of the girls standing between that same rock formation (last 2). And then a few pics later, I noticed that we took the same exact picture of the hills (middle 2)! We did not intend to do this... It totally just happened... I am still shocked... Here is the amazing side-by-side (Megan's on the left, Our's on the right).




















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