Staff Letters: Phil

...He shall return for you tonight...

How the hell is it March 2007? Seriously, I feel like the last few years have simply disappeared. I turn 25 this month. And I'm filled with conflict and confusion. On the one hand, growing up, I wanted to be in my 20s. Ever since probably 16 or so, 25 seemed like the prime age. And I'm here. But, on the other hand, 25 isn't quite what I epxected either. I feel like a pretty boring 25 year old. "Out" for me is dinner. Well, optimally, dinner and a movie, but given my girlfriend doesn't like any movies I do, it's generally just dinner. I don't go "out" - wherever it is people go out. Clubs don't sound like much fun to me, and that seems to be the big "out." My best friend's a waiter, meaning he works all weekend - which means I usually only see him for an hour every few weeks. And I don't have many other friends in LA; the few I've had I seem to have lost touch with. Not that my life's bad, mind you. I have a great job, a loving girlfriend, a sweet ride, and a nice house. I've achieved quite a few of my goals, and others seem to be close. I'm generally happy - not just with the things around me, but in general. And therein lies the conflict. :) Oh - and turning 25 means that I get to enjoy it for a year, and then... that age I've been rushing to get to will be gone forever. Anyway, my point is it's caused me a lot of thought. And I've been considering how to adjust it. We'll see what I come up with. On the bright side, my other best friend, from Texas, is flying out over my birthday. This is very exciting! I haven't seen him in a year and a half, and he's just awesome. I think it'll be fun. What else? Lynn got a job with Ticketmaster, which is good. She starts on Tuesday. It's funny, people seem to think I have this hatred or regret about my time at USC. I have stolen 3 employees from USC. But the truth is, my time at USC was awesome. It was exactly what I wanted it to be: a high-volume, high-pressure place to work with big technology and play a key part. I got to go from being a good small-time sysadmin to a good big-time sysadmin. But I understood before I signed on the dotted line that USC isn't a long-term place. At least not in IT. When they were paying for my schooling, my salary was acceptable. But after that, it was fairly sad. On top of that, I was averaging 70+ hour weeks, often hitting 90 hour weeks. Doing this was required to make projects come to fruition, but doing so also enabled me to learn a lot about almost every project. But I knew all this going in. I planned to leave upon graduating. I knew what USC could and could not do for me, and planned accordingly. Many people didn't. Anyway, back to Lynn. This is a fantastic opportunity for her. Not only is it a good job with good people (USC has treated her fairly poorly for quite a while now), but I always encourage my friends to have change: multiple views and angles from which to experience life. My friend Josh moved to California leaving his life of 24 years and becoming a waiter. After getting good at it, I encouraged him to leave his job after only a year and get a better one. The prospect meant less money for the first few months, but more experience, better confidence and more money in the long run. Both steps were very scary, but he's been quite happy with both decisions (fortunately for both of us). Lynn as worked for USC in some fashion non-stop since her time as an undergraduate. This has lots of implications like she's never had to commute (more than a walk) to work. I'm excited at the prospect of her professional career growing and changing. I think it will be good for her on multiple levels. What else? Lynn's recovery is going well. Sadly her insurance company is attempting throw a wrench in the works - and while they will ultimately not succeed, we need the help of her doctor - someone it's proven nearly impossible to reach. But, being the resourceful man I am, I think I'll get in touch with him one way or another. It's worth noting her doctor is spectacular; the people who work for him, however, are less than stelar. Oh, I'm in physical therapy for my back - which I only mention because I have the same physical therapist that Lynn has for her knee. Which is fun. Well - I think I've rambled enough for this month. I'll see you all in April. Phil

GOOD Seeing my best friend My birthday BAD Insurance companies

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