Sunday, October 4, 2009

Old Rag

Last week I went camping with some friends in shenandoah national park. I haven't been camping in at least 10 years, but I really enjoyed it. On friday evening we hiked old rag. The rocks at the top were a blast. If there hadn't been cloudy, we were going to do some stargazing before coming down. Hiking down the mountain in the dark was quite challenging.

On Saturday, we did a 16 mile hike along the Appalachian Trail. It rained all day, but it was still fun. One of the side trails we took went up a mountain. Because the climb up was much longer than it looked on the map, we didn't get back to camp until about 9. I don't think that I've ever been so cold and wet on a hike before, but I still had a great time.

I'm gradually buying gear for a backpacking trip later this fall. I went to a used gear sale at REI yesterday. Since they let people return stuff for any reason, they have lots of slightly used gear to sell off. I got a pair of gore-tex hiking boots for $12 and a medium size internal frame pack for $50. I think they had some great deals on backpacking tents too. Unfortunately, they didn't have any good rain gear. I wish somebody had told me about this sale when I was a scout.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

New apartment and new job

Denise and I moved into the apartment next to our old one at the start of February. The new one is only $3 more a month and has a larger dining room area, a second bedroom, and four more closets. We finally have space to put all of our stuff away instead of leaving it on the floor in the bedroom. We are mostly moved in now. Unfortunately, the clothes are all in the second bedroom because the bar in the our closet isn't attached to the wall properly. The brackets for the bar were screwed into drywall instead of a stud and several of the screws have pulled out. It sags very badly when I hang our clothes on it. The manager has repeatedly promised that it would be fixed, but maintenance still hasn't come. I'll probably try calling every day and see if I can make them fix it. Overall I am very happy with the new place.

Right after we moved in I applied for an internship with Booz Allen Hamilton, a big IT consulting company in the area. The interview went well and they seemed to be interested in hiring me. They recently called me back and offered me a position. The job will be a big pay increase for me and it should be fun too. I'll be starting as an intern this summer and continue on part time until I graduate next may.

I've had my job at Target for so long that it will feel strange leaving. I've been in school for so long that starting a career will be a big change for me. I haven't received the offer letter in the mail yet, so the job doesn't feel quite real to me yet. Hopefully fedex will deliver it soon.