The GeekHiker

Again – a long gap.  At least I can take comfort in the fact that the gap owes itself to busyness, mostly in good ways.

Trip planning, for the most part, has stopped.  I’m actually okay with this, as it’s less “stop” as much as “pause.”  Besides, with the economy looking like its going to double-dip, a slightly slower pace may not be such a bad thing.

[And here we are, a year later, and the economy still sucks while Congress spends its time passing laws to make sure 100-year-old-technology incandescent bulbs are still available in the name of freedom.  *sigh*  I won’t lie: the state of the economy is a concern in terms of taking this time.  But, like I said in the Suddenly, Change post, everything is aimed in this direction, soooo…]

In the meantime, amazingly, I managed to pass the Windows 7 Certification, barely.  And I do mean barely.  By one question, near as I can figure.

Still, passing is passing, and I gained a bit of confidence.  Now that I’ve been through the process (and, really, the test and the process of taking the test are two separate stresses), it all seems a bit easier going forward.

So, after three or four weeks off, I’ve started studying for one of the Server 2008 exams.  I’m rather hoping that these exams will be, for lack of a better word, “easier.”  Not that the content will be easier, but at least with Server tests the content is less-broad, as each test tackles a specific topic.

None of which is to say that I don’t still find the whole process intimidating.  I most definitely do.  I still don’t know if this is my talent, and I’m still certain that there are those out there better at it than me.

But it sure is nice to add a “certifications” section to the resume.

[Yeah, well, that Server 2008 test didn’t go so well, as we all know.  The thing about certifications is: they don’t help you a huge amount on the job.  I learned a few things, to be sure, but most knowledge comes from doing (especially given that Microsoft essentially assumes that any problem encountered is never the fault of the Microsoft application; it’s always the third-party hardware/software).  But, in today’s monster.com keyword-driven job market, those certificate acronyms are getting more and more important…]

* * *

Things with the girl continue apace as well.

We didn’t see each other through much of July, then saw each other for three weeks in a row, including on my birthday.

Funnily enough, we actually celebrated my birthday three weekends in a row.  The first, she came down, brought me some nice books as presents (including “Strange Maps” by the guy over at the Strange Maps site), had a picnic in the mountains,and  went to the drive-in movies.  The following weekend was the Ventura airshow, a fancy Kobe Beef burger and the Ventura County Fair.  The weekend after that was a beach picnic with my friends, one of whom is also a Leo.

[Okay, maybe its not exciting, but a picnic in the mountains followed by a double-feature at the drive-in is my kind of day.]

I’m rather birthdayed-out.

Still, it’s enough to make for forget that I’m *gasp* thirty-seven.  Or that my 20-year high school reunion will be next year.

Almost.

[Yeah, that reunion?  So not going.]

* * *

Like I said, though, things continue apace with her.  I still find, and I say this gratifyingly, that I’m not over-analyzing the whole thing yet.

I wonder sometimes if this is good or bad.  I never wanted to be one of those guys who hooks up with someone a decade his junior, even though that has little to do with why we started seeing each other.  There’s a part of me, too, that can’t help but feel that I’m too old for the “fun” relationship.

Yet, given the context of my own history, I’m not feeling too bad about it.  Yes, perhaps I’m doing things in the wrong order, at least by the order I’ve seen in others.  But I’m living a fuller life than I have in… well, maybe ever.  That, my friends, is nothing to sneeze at.

[Whoa, nelly, this whole subject of dating/age/women/etc. could be another post… or five.  But I think that’ll have to wait until I’m on the road…]

* * *

Finally, a health note on my feet.

The left foot seems to be largely healed.  The right is still often in pain.

The pain is weird, though.  Playing Frisbee on the beach with my friends?  No problem.  Walking around the house all day?  Pain at the end of the day.

Its frustrating, and I’m sick of it.  I miss hiking.  And I miss the mountains, especially as Highway 2 is still closed due to storm damage after the Station Fire.

Frustrating.

Still, today I’ve ridden down the beach path to Palos Verdes, as riding the bike still seems okay.

[I’m not a beach guy, but I do like riding the bike along it.  As for the feet, I seem to be feeling fine now.  *knocks on wood*]

* * *

So, eight months in, and 2010 isn’t turning out quite as I expected.  I don’t think that I’ll be taking off in quite the way I’d hoped.

On the other hand, I’m effectively, I think, laying the groundwork for what lies ahead.  And I’ve gained a new level of confidence and self-assuredness for what lies ahead.

Which is a whole lot better than just sitting around, wondering.

Believe me.

[Damn, where is that confidence now?  I guess it’s still there, but let’s face it: as I spend my days now packing my worldly possessions and preparing to take the big leap, I’m scared as hell.  This is on two fronts: both the traveling, and the coming back (where to live, finding a job, all that).  So, yes, it’s with trepidation that I do all this… hell, I’m kinda forcing myself to.  Uh… viva la challenge?]