There were eight of us on the OLSON team and Eric and I were last.

I had always sorta thought that people were watching me. Not in a paranoid way, in a self-conscious way. So anyway, I took a trip out west that made me realize: no one is watching. I can do anything I want.

It didn’t give me license to be a total jerk, its really the opposite: do what I should do for me and for others and everything will very likely work out. I’ll tell you more about it sometime.

Since "Final Battle" Graham’s been talking about this album (which was demo-ed as "Test Boss" for a while). He put it up on his new site for free. I, of course, recommend it.

So, since Travis Dilweg added "Ain’t Going Anywhere Soon" to the tape he made for me on the occasion of my move to Maptown, I’ve really, really liked Graham Smith (then KleenexGirlWonder).

I ordered this new work by him, the CMYK Box Set, a few weeks ago and was slowly wondering when it might come. No hurry, right? He’s, like, just a guy on his own and stuff.

But yesterday he sent me an email about it. Like, one that was honest-to-god written by him! He was all polite about not getting the disc out yet and junk and then sent me the digital copies of the stuff. What a nice fellow.

I was totally ready to gush, but I held myself back.

It’s great, by the way, the music, I mean. I really, really like the new style of solid streams of words and words and words.

Thanks for letting me talk about it.

Still half a moustache is better than no moustache at all.

Right?

For those of you keeping score at home, I have been with my old employer Mytech Partners in Minneapolis for nearly seven years, since October 2000, and for a good amount of time was their only employee. The company has since grown dramatically to a full-IT-service organization.

In the meantime, I have enhanced my web development skills and, having recently graduated from AI Minnesota, now am a certified nerd degreed interactive media professional. My new employer, Olson + Co., has hired me to create AJAX-based, highly-interactive web applications. Olson is an exciting marketing firm with clients including Cub Foods, Nike Bauer, Thrivent Financial, the Minnesota Wild and Sallie Mae. I am really looking forward working on innovative projects. My first day at Olson will be Thursday, August 9.

Oh, and it is four blocks from my home.

I graduated from AIMN last week and have been enjoying the extra time. I decided not to go back to work full time until July so I can lay around a little and use my pool.

I mean, lay around a little and read Dinosaur Comics.

After dropping out of the University at age 20, it’s nice to have done well (my portfolio received Best In Show and I received a few other notices) to make a guy feel okay about where he’s headed.

Also, I beat Anna. Like, come on: eleven years is fine but more than that? I mean, like, I want to give you super cool presents, too. Plus, you’re, like, smarter than ten smart men! (Ha ha, it’s funny ’cause I can’t really talk about how long it took! See how that’s funny? It is!)

So, goodbye school. At least for a few months.

Yes, and as he said about Isaac Asimov, the once president of the American Humanist Association (where Vonnegut was an outspoken member) at his funeral, "He’s in a better place now."

The attendees had a good laugh.