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Most of the regular readers of this blog should know by now that I have accepted a position at Amazon.com. I start my new job as a Software Development Engineer in the Enterprise Applications Development group on April 2nd.

Although my consulting business, Aona Systems LLC, has been doing well, I felt that I was capable of working on much larger projects. I knew that I wasn’t going to be satisfied with my work as a consultant, or frankly any technology work that I could find in Bakersfield. Plus, I found out what I truly love to do is create elegant software to solve challenging problems… and not worrying about marketing my services, finding clients, and convincing people I am worth spending money on.

Owning my own LLC, and being able to get it off the ground and profitable, is definitely not an experience I regret. I got to learn a lot about different tax laws, how to put together a business and marketing plan, and all the government hoops you need to jump though. The best thing I discovered is that I am a scientist and an engineer in my heart, not a businessman. My passion is discovering creative solutions and creating beautiful works of software engineering. It is the chance to create and discover that will get me up each morning and drive me to be a success.

We started at 7:00am… I should say the movers started at 7:00am. We just sat there and answered questions. The movers finished packing and loading everything 12 hours later, at around 7:00pm. It was much easier having the movers pack everything and worry about getting it up to Seattle, but it was still very boring. It is very hard to entertain yourself when all you have available is a couple of lawn chairs.

I am alive although sick and exhausted from trying to get settled in our new house. It is a very big change going from living in a small apartment to a large house… but a good change none the less. I hope to have some pictures up of our new home within a week.

Today was my first day of work at my new job as a Web Systems Analyst at The Bakersfield Californian. I will be working on web related projects and doing other software development as needed. Everyone at the paper has been great and the work environment is awesome. Everyone is really open to my ideas and my suggestions seem to be genuinely valued. There is no shortage of interesting ideas being kicked around as future projects, so I am really looking forward to the coming opportunities to apply my skills. I also get to run Linux at work, which is a big plus!

Yesterday, while in the local Barnes & Noble killing some time before lunch, I finally remembered to look up what type of bird this is:

It turns out to be a “Green Heron”, so now I have a type to put with the bird. I have seem him a lot lately, usually fishing for crawfish in the pond by my apartment. He is quite fun to watch because his actions seem quite erratic to us humans, hence the name “Crazy Bird”. More info on his species can be found here.

I just received the 3 Ram Heatspreaders I ordered from Newegg.com less than 48 hours ago. Their turnaround time between receiving an order and shipping it is phenomenal. Less than 48 hours from giving them my order they had it on my doorstep. And this was using cheap FedEx ground shipping! Newegg’s prices are always the best, far lower than any other online store and traditional store, such as Best Buy. Quite simply, they are the greatest store in the world!

I have probably purchased over $5000 worth of stuff from them and have never been disappointed. I have built at least 5 computers from parts that I got from them and only once did I have a problem with a part being ‘Dead On Arrival’ (which wasn’t their fault, they didn’t make the motherboard). Their customer service did an awesome job, issuing me a Return Authorization Number in less than one hour, all over email, and with no hassles. I had the replacement motherboard the next day!

Newegg.com carrys computer hardware, home electronics, cameras, laptops, and software. If you ever need to buy anything related to any of these categories then check them out first. I know this sounds like a commercial, but I am just one of hundreds (if not thousands) of raving Newegg fans. Try them out and you won’t be disappointed!

Aliciana had her picture in the Bakersfield Californian, the local newspaper, last Saturday. The article was about our church’s preparation for the Hanging Of The Green event that was held last Sunday. She has only lived in Bakersfield for 5 months and she is already famous. Here is a scan of the newspaper picture:

Today, on the way back from the mailbox, I had a run in with a local apartment complex dweller. Being only 9 inches long and crawling on the ground, I nearly stepped on him. I don’t know for sure what type of crustacean he was, being the first one that I have seen that wasn’t on a plate with a butter dipping sauce, but maybe my Dad can put his Biology degree to use and let me know.

After seeing him, I ran back to my apartment to grab my camera and then returned to the wild to capture my discovery on film. I moved him over from the sidewalk so I could get a better picture of him and he didn’t seem to like being picked up. He proceeded to square himself up to me and threaten me with his big red claws. I assumed he lived in the pond by the mailboxes and had gotten out for an afternoon stroll in the rain, so I let him be after snapping some shots. The pictures of my new friend are in my photo album.

Yesterday, Aliciana and I visited the California Living Museum (CALM) which is located out by Hart Park. Everyone knows that I love animals and Aliciana is quite fond of them as well, so, as you can imagine, we had a blast. There are plenty of photos of the animals we saw and of me petting the farm animals in the petting zoo. It was a hot day and you can tell from the photos that the animals sure were feeling the heat. For the first time in my life I saw a squirrel laying down. He was just sprawled out on the ground… it was a weird sight to see.