Christmas Hangover?

Well, christmas passed, and was all in all a good time. It was nice to have the family together and spend some time with everyone. Finding time where all of us can get together is becoming harder and harder as we all get older, it sure is nice to spend time with my family, even as goofy as they can be.

Santa delivered some nice things this year, Sirius Sattelite radio for my car, a new laser printer, a mad pile of dvds(including the 3rd season of 24) and some nice clothes to wear at work and play. The gifts i gave were all a big success, so that is definately a good thing.

Football regular season is just about over. Another one in the book for Chitown, and who would have thought that injuries would have decimated this team again. I say that the bears pick a new physical training staff with their picks in the draft, but i dont think it works that way.

I hope all of you are doing well and the holidays are treating you well. Leave a comment on the right if youd like!

Under Construction

Bear with me as i rework some things on here...something goofy happened and i lost alot of my custom html code i wrote, so in a few days ill be readding some links and info.

Merry Christmas!

Merry christmas everyone!

I hope all of you have a lovely day, spend some good time with your families or loved ones, and remember what is important to you.


I know i sure know whats important to me.

Maybe ill get home...

Here i sit, in the columbus airport, waiting out a level 3 snow emergency. Its currently not safe enoug for planes to land here, and im told i may not make it out of here today...and after the 8 inches of snow and ice we got yesterday, we are supposed to get 3-5 more inches later today and tomorrow...meaning, it could get ugly.

Work has been pretty nutty lately, i did some more internal penetration work this week. Ethical hacking is pretty cool stuff, but it gets a bit dry to me. I like to interact more with clients than with their network devices.

Well, im off to check flight times. DITBABABI, morin. DITBABAI indeed.

"Let me explain...no, too much to expain...let me sum up..."

Hello all -

Its been a busy few weeks. Thank goodness the election is over quickly, and yes, im fairly pleased that GWB won with the amount he did. Id say there wont be whining from democrats that he "stole the election" like they said in 00...but i dont put much past the democratic party anymore. I about wet myself when Minority Leader Pelosi said that the Democratic party would work with The President. Part of me said "duh", the other part said "yeah right"

Work has been busy, spending time in louisville, alabama and some other places. Its been somewhat nice seeing some different locales, and working with some different people.

In good news, im going to be an uncle :) My sister informed me of this recently, and im very excited. It will be a welcome addition to the family.

In bad news, im no longer engaged. Im not going to get into it on here, i debated even posting about it, but if anyone wants to talk about it, you know where to find me.

Heading home to chicago next weekend for a bit, should be nice. Its nice to have a decent airport with 49$ fares from columbus to chicago. Thats almost cheaper than driving, and saves on time. Plus its nice to spend time with the family.

The holdiays are coming soon, and damn the weather is getting cold. Callie isnt a fan, she wants the windows open :( I like this time of year, people tend to be nicer to one another, however i havent seen that at all lately.

Well, im going to leave this entry at that. Feel free to email me or call me. bjwaggoner@mac.com

Its Finally Over

We had a long night -- and we had a great night. The voters turned out in record numbers and delivered an historic victory.

I want to thank our supporters across this country. At every stop I asked you to make the calls, put up the signs, talk to your neighbors, and get out the vote. And because you did your part, we are celebrating today. Thanks to you, we received more votes than any presidential ticket in history.

America has spoken. And I am humbled by the trust and confidence of my fellow citizens. With that trust comes a duty: I will serve all Americans, so help me God. I am proud to lead such an amazing country -- and I am proud to lead it forward.

Reaching our goals will require the broad support of Americans. A new term is a new opportunity to reach out to the whole nation. We have one country, one Constitution, and one future that binds us all. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America.

A campaign has ended, and our cause is renewed. The United States of America goes forward with confidence and faith. I can see a new day coming, and I am eager for the work ahead. God bless you all, and God bless America.


- GWB


Thank goodness its over, and thank goodness The President was re-elected.

The College Tour Of 2004

While most high school seniors around this time are starting to do thier college visits to see where they potentially would like to go to college, my travels with work has taken me close to some large universities of late. Here is the list ive passed through or very close to within the past week.

Arizona State University
THE Ohio State University
Capitol University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Bowling Green State University
University of Toledo
University of Notre Dame
Indiana University - South Bend
College of St Marys
Holy Cross College
Valparasio
Purdue University

Speaking of which, here I am, in West Lafayette, IN, on a job that puts me very close to purdue. Luckily, im with a purdue alumni who will be my guide while in this lovely town ;-) Had an exciting monday, doing training for Sarbanes-Oxley work that i will be doing in the upcoming future, for those of you not familiar, Sarbanes was the legislation put through in response to the Enron and Worldcom scandals, making companies liable for their financial reporting. Really exciting stuff. Hopefully, i get to head home on wed night, letting me spend some much needed time at home for thursday - sunday. Next week, back on the road, heading to maryland, which should be nice, if it werent for the flight. After my previous post, im sure you can tell why ;-)

Fall has started, and its hit pretty hard. Its been dog cold lately, and even had a pretty decent frost in South Bend on monday morning. Idiot here didnt take anything warmer than a short sleeve polo to wear to the client, and didnt even bring a coat. I do have the nice scarf that Katie made for me last winter. However, i think id look somewhat strange wearing a polo shirt and a scarf. Im pretty sure Columbus is like the moon when it comes to weather, lately, its been around high thirtes or low forties in the morning when i get up, then balances out around high 60s low 70s in the afternoon. Then again, since coming back to work, ive been in Columbus for a grand total of 2 nights.

The apartment is working out pretty nicely, Mom and Dad came by this weekend and we got the living room finally set up alot better than it was originally by myself, after moving some things around, getting rid of some boxes and other things. Its a really nice place, i love the vaulted ceilings and the fact that i dont have to listen to people thump above me. Living on the 2nd floor is definately nice, especially when i dont have to move anything up the stairs when moving. Callie also is alot happier here, there are alot more windows she can look out, plus i dont mind leaving the shades open all the time here so she can look out the window like i did in South Bend, since i didnt really like the fact that people could walk past my windows, see all my electronics and could break in and take it when i was gone travelling. No longer.

Anyone else following the pro football season? Its odd to see that the Falcons and Lions are 2 of the most successful teams this year. Not only that the Falcons are doing well, but that Vick isnt doing that great. Im not a big fan of them trying to force feed him the west coast offense. Im sorry, but when a player of the caliber gets 0 fantasy points, its not a good thing. For him, it just seems like hes being constrained. I know Jim Mora has done a ton of good things down there, but i dont like seeing vick held back. Any idiot who has watched Atlanta for 2 seconds knows that the strength of that team is the fact that hes one of the most mobile, if not THE most mobile quarterbacks in the history of the game. FOcusing on using that threat of a scramble to make the defense guess is what would work there. Making him be a pocket passer is like trying to make a fish breathe out of water. Let him move around, let him scramble 150 yards a game. He is a smart and mature enough player to know whats best to get the game won, but for the love of god, dont try to make him a immobile pocket passer. Hes better than that, and they know it. Speaking of quarterbacks...i think its time for Favre to hang up his hat. The guy has heart, but just doesnt seem to have it anymore. While i like to see the packers at 1-4, i hate to see a legend go out like he is now. I hope he can turn them around, have a good comeback story, and retire after this year.

Well, im off to finish watching some TV and head to bed. Lookin forward to heading home tomorrow :)

Take care all!

Man, didnt i get out of this place?

So, its sunday night...and im sitting in South bend, In. Didnt i just get out of this town? Oh well, im here in the bend for training tomorrow. I thought i was going to be at a local client, but things changed last minute. Heading out to another client here in indiana tomorrow night, but i hope i can be home later this week. Things are looking good.

Phoenix wrapped up pretty well, long plane rides suck, but it makes you realize alot about the general public. Some of them are as follows....

• Despite what you may think...i really dont care where you are going and why. Im a big guy. Im uncomfortable in a plane. I dont want to hear that you are going to check on your wife to see if shes cheating on you.
• For the love of all things holy....GO TO THE BATHROOM BEFORE GETTING ON THE PLANE!!!! The bathrooms on the plane are not there as public restrooms, but are there as EMERGENCY restrooms if for some reason your ass is going to explode and you cant deal with it untill you land. Its not there to create a line remeniscent of a port-o-potty line at a dave matthews band concert.
  
• America West - If you are going to advertise in flight meals, even if they have to be purchasable, then MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH FOR THE WHOLE PLANE. It makes people slightly irratable to be on a 4 hour flight that feels like 7 because of the time change if all there is to eat are peanuts...peanuts....and more peanuts.
• I dont know whos idea it is to sell alcohol on a plane, but the TSA should have them executed. Nuff Said.
• Why does every pilot sound like the same guy. Either they are using that voice changing box thing you see at sharper image, or all airline pilots are clones of each other. If i hear the phrase "Its gonna be alittle choppy" one more time....ill sit in my seat and not cause any problems, like a good airline passenger.
• Mother & Daughter fights are obnoxious to begin with. Put them in a confined space, and it makes it even more obnoxious. Listen, ladies. You got on the plane. Were on time. I dont care who made who late.
• Didnt we learn first on last off when in school on the school bus? Why is it everyone gets up immediately as the fasten seat belt sign is turned off? You know if you are in the last row, you are going to have to wait. Dont cut in front of people in rows in front of you. Just because you are more nimble than old lady blue hair in the seat in front of you doesnt mean you should push past her to get off the aircraft
• Blackberrys are personal electronic devices. Dont use it in flight. I dont want to be the biggest lawn dart there is.
• If your kids are obnoxious, flight attendants should bring handcuffs and duct tape with them. Noone likes kids slapping seats, bouncing on people or throwing their gameboys to their brother on the other side of the plane.
  

Im sure i could go on, but thats all i can write about without wanting to be like john madden and take a bus everywhere i go.

Football season is proving to be pretty interesting. Way to go pats, 19 game win streak is something to be proud of, as well as 5-0 as of this week. Also, can someone tell me what the deal with Detroit is?

Well, im off to watch the rest of sunday night football before i go to bed. Have a good evening, and leave some comments in the box!

Time flies when you move, work, travel...etc....

Hey everyone -

Alot has happened since my last post. The long term job i was on finally ended, im back on a normal work schedule, as if there is such a thing where i work. Back on the weekly travel schedule. But i finally did move to columbus! Last week i took my first week of vacation(yeah, i know, 10 months without a significant vacation) and moved from South Bend to Columbus. I live in a real nice suburb north of the city, and got a really nice fairly new apartment. Katie is down there as well now starting at OSU, its nice to not be 2.5 hours away, but only 10 minutes.

Im in Phoenix this week, what a beautiful area. Its the first week of october, and its 90some here. Rarely a cloud in the sky and mountains that i can see from the client site. Not bad. Travelling this week was interesting, i had my first in flight movie, and ate my first meal on an airplane. Youd think i would have done of those already with the amount of travelling i do, but this was definately a first for me. However, the movie was "White Chicks" with the wayans brothers and the food was a roast beef sandwich, it was like neil frigging armstrong for me ;-)

This year is wrapping up soon, i cant believe there are only 3 more months untill 2005. Election is coming up soon, and the race is getting close. The debates have been something of a let down. I dont understand how people can decide who WINS a debate. The partisanism comes out with that. I dont trust any polls anymore. They all seem slanted. They only way to know is on election day.

Its been a rotten few days for alot of people i know. I just want to let all of them know that my thoughts and wishes are with all of them, and i wish them all the best. If there is anything i can to do help, please let me know. I know times are rough, but any of you that need my help, let me know. Im here for you.

Well, its 5ish here, but my body thinks its 8....jetlag is fun. Franklin, let me know where you are at in columbus, and well get together.

Take care all, leave some love in the c-box!

Zell Miller - Democrat

Here are some notable snippets from the text of the speech from Zell Miller, the Democratic Sentator from Georgia last night at the RNC.

I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family?

The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party.
There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush

.
Now, while young Americans are dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrat's manic obsession to bring down our Commander in Chief.
What has happened to the party I've spent my life working in?

Motivated more by partisan politics than by national security, today's Democratic leaders see America as an occupier, not a liberator.
And nothing makes this Marine madder than someone calling American troops occupiers rather than liberators.

No one should dare to even think about being the Commander in Chief of this country if he doesn't believe with all his heart that our soldiers are liberators abroad and defenders of freedom at home.
But don't waste your breath telling that to the leaders of my party today. In their warped way of thinking America is the problem, not the solution.
They don't believe there is any real danger in the world except that which America brings upon itself through our clumsy and misguided foreign policy.
It is not their patriotism — it is their judgment that has been so sorely lacking. T

No pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often than the two Senators from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.

Listing all the weapon systems that Senator Kerry tried his best to shut down sounds like an auctioneer selling off our national security but Americans need to know the facts.
The B-1 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, dropped 40 percent of the bombs in the first six months of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The B-2 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered air strikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Hussein's command post in Iraq.
The F-14A Tomcats, that Senator Kerry opposed, shot down Khadifi's Libyan MIGs over the Gulf of Sidra. The modernized F-14D, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered missile strikes against Tora Bora.
The Apache helicopter, that Senator Kerry opposed, took out those Republican Guard tanks in Kuwait in the Gulf War. The F-15 Eagles, that Senator Kerry opposed, flew cover over our Nation's Capital and this very city after 9/11.
I could go on and on and on: against the Patriot Missile that shot down Saddam Hussein's scud missiles over Israel; against the Aegis air-defense cruiser; against the Strategic Defense Initiative; against the Trident missile; against, against, against.
This is the man who wants to be the Commander in Chief of our U.S. Armed Forces?
U.S. forces armed with what? Spitballs?

Twenty years of votes can tell you much more about a man than twenty weeks of campaign rhetoric.

John Kerry, who says he doesn't like outsourcing, wants to outsource our national security.

John Kerry wants to re-fight yesterday's war. George Bush believes we have to fight today's war and be ready for tomorrow's challenges. George Bush is committed to providing the kind of forces it takes to root out terrorists.
No matter what spider hole they may hide in or what rock they crawl under.
George Bush wants to grab terrorists by the throat and not let them go to get a better grip.
From John Kerry, they get a "yes-no-maybe" bowl of mush that can only encourage our enemies and confuse our friends.

The man I trust to protect my most precious possession: my family.
This election will change forever the course of history, and that's not any history. It's our family's history.
The only question is how. The answer lies with each of us. And, like many generations before us, we've got some hard choosing to do.
Right now the world just cannot afford an indecisive America. Fainthearted self-indulgence will put at risk all we care about in this world.
In this hour of danger our President has had the courage to stand up. And this Democrat is proud to stand up with him.

Show me a republican that spoke with such fervor at the DNC. There isnt one....because the democratic party are have the wrong idea and agenda for this country.

Political Talk

As the election comes closer, im going to start to post some talking points to clear up alot of the disinformation coming from liberals/left wingers/kerry supporters about initiatives coming FROM our president, and done BY our president.

Today, No Child Left Behind.

No Child Left Behind sets a clear objective for American education. Every child in every school must be performing at grade level in the basic subjects that are key to all learning – reading and math.

The legislation requires regular testing in these basic subjects for every child in every school, starting in the third grade. And when schools do not show progress toward high standards, better options are made available to parents, including tutoring for their children, or a transfer to a better public school.

No Child Left Behind is based on 4 key principles:

• Accountability for results
• Local control and flexibility
• New options for parents; and
• Scientifically proven teaching methods and programs.

The historic legislation insists on high standards and accountability because the President believes that every school should teach and every child can learn.

Unprecedented Commitment to Education

President Bush’s overall Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 budget represents a 48% increase for elementary and secondary education since FY 2001. It includes an additional:

• $1 billion in Title I funding for disadvantaged students, for a total that represents a 52% increase since FY 2001.
• $138 million for reading programs, for a total that is over four times the amount spent in FY 2001.
• $1 billion for special education programs, in total, an increase of 75% since FY 2001.

Through the No Child Left Behind Act, these historic levels of support are combined with an unprecedented commitment to achieving high standards and accountability to ensure every school across the nation is producing real results for every child in America.

Important Progress for America’s Schoolchildren

In the 24 months since President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law, the Bush administration has worked closely with state and local education leaders to put the new reforms into action.

The new law is beginning to show results.

• All 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have drawn up plans to hold every public school accountable for student achievement.
• Test results show America's children are making progress. In 2003, math scores for fourth graders nationwide were nine points higher than in 2000. Math scores for eighth graders improved by five points. And a higher percentage of fourth graders tested at or above their grade level in reading.
• 234 schools across the country have been recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools, which is the highest award a school can receive from the federal government. These schools have made outstanding yearly progress and have achieved historic results by using regular monitoring and assessment practices aligned with the policies in No Child Left Behind.

As a result of No Child Left Behind, the federal government is now spending more money for elementary and secondary education that at any other time in American history.

• In 2003, the Bush administration provided $234 million to assist the lowest performing schools that needed the most improvement. In 2004, the administration plans to more than double that amount. Federal funding for elementary and high school education has increased from about $25 billion in 2001, to more than $33 billion in 2003, an increase of about 36 percent, and the highest level ever.
• Since the enactment of No Child Left Behind, there has been a 43 percent increase in K-12 funding overall, a 41 percent increase in Title I funding, and reading funds have nearly quadrupled. The administration has proposed a 39 percent increase in resources for teachers and principles, and a 59 percent increase in special education.
• The administration has committed $1.8 billion in grants to help train tens of thousands of teachers to use effective reading instruction methods and materials. No Child Left Behind expects schools to do their job, and it provides the resources to help them to do their job.
• The administration has committed significant increases in funding to implementing these important reforms, but some states and school districts have not been able to take full advantage of these resources. According to the Department of Education, there is nearly $6 billion of unspent money remaining in the Treasury that states are entitled to that have not been drawn down yet.

Inherent in the No Child Left Behind legislation is not only the desire to assess and measure the progress of every child, but the belief that local people to make the right decisions for their children.

• No Child Left Behind is providing local communities and school districts with unprecedented flexibility in using federal funds. Increased flexibility allows states to address the unique challenges of rural areas.
• Using funding for tutoring provided in the legislation, parents can select from the more than 1600 supplemental service providers approved by the states. With this option, parents for the first time can find a program that is focused and directed and the specific needs of their child.

Thanks to the President’s leadership, closing the achievement gap is now a national priority.

A little bit of an antidote

Spinsanity - Fahrenheit 9/11

For those of you that are very quick to believe Michael Moore's word as the gospel, read this article for a bit of fact checking.

Hello again, its been too long, too long, too long, hello again...

Its been a decent amount of time since i posted last, ive been travelling almost every week for the past 6-8 weeks and when im not travelling, im swamped with work/doing things i need to do at home. There was a period of time where in 7 days i was in 6 DIFFERENT states. I left dallas on friday, flew to chicago, then to south bend, then off to columbus for a few days, then drove to pittsburgh by way of west virginia. Its been kind of nutty, let me get to the story telling.

Ive been doing some pretty neat work(of which i cannot discuss where/when/what because of new policies in our department) and been gaining some great experience. Travelling is getting pretty old. At first, it was neat to be able to see some different parts of the country. Since ive been with crowe, ive gone everywhere from small farm towns in western illinois, to dallas, texas, to my current job in the chicago area, to a little town south of houston, new york, columbus, eastern ohio and other places. Its been interesting, but living out of a suitcase gets kind of old. Its also really easy to feel like you dont accomplish anything in the line of work that i am in, seeing as we come in sunday night/monday morning, work through the week, look for any sort of findings, present our findings on thursday or friday, then head off and repeat the next week. I guess im finding out that i like to be more of a problem solver than problem finder. The long term job ive been on and off of in columbus/dallas has been pretty nice because we get to create relationships with people and work with them to solve problems. Its not a fly by night sort of thing, remediation of their issues is what is starting to be more fulfilling to me.

Consulting takes a definate mindset. You cant get frustrated easily, you cant mind living on the road 5 nights a week and you cant mind nearly living with your coworkers. Relationships at work play a HUGE part here, not only how you conduct yourself with your coworkers, but how they act towards you. Dont get me wrong, you will have politics everywhere you go, but sometimes, people take it a bit far. Its somewhat discouraging to see some people willing to do anything they can to get ahead, even say or do things to discredit people they work with.

I guess what im getting at is that i never thought id be doing what im doing today or where im at today 6-8 months ago. I guess i didnt really didnt have a good idea what i was getting into at crowe. While that is both good and bad, it is what it is, and im working with it. Trying to do my best and seeing where i can go and what i can do. If there is one thing that ive been able to find out, its that i dont know where im going in 6-8 months. Who knows what could happen from now untill january 1st. Things could change, they could stay the same. Again, it all is a matter of time and opportunity.

One thing i do know, is that I'll be in columbus. My transfer date has been approved by the powers that be at Crowe, and as of october 1, ill officially be in the Columbus office . Spending time down in columbus lately, being around the city, going to see Tom and Les, its been great. Not only do i love that city dearly, but it will be exciting to be there with Katie and be able to start getting ready for the rest of our lives. Im so excited for that.

So besides all the ranting about work, what else have I been up to? Well, its june, so i celebrated my 23rd birthday on June 8th. It came and went without much fanfare. I guess thats the difference between being 23 and being 13. 10 years really can suck the opportunities for parties with games, prizes and other festivities. Not to say that party hats are overrated, but i spend the day working from home, petting the cat and on conference calls all day. Definately not how i celebrated my birthday last year, and nowhere close to how i celebrated my 21st. However, it was nice to go home over memorial day weekend, spend some time with my family, go out to eat and just relax for a while. Getting older is no fun, i remember when i was in high school, and all i wanted to do was be on my own, working, making money, being successful, etc etc etc. Now here i am, and i guess its not the shining marvel i hoped it would be.

Katie comes home this weekend. She has been on the field camp trip she took last year, but this summer she was a teaching assistant for it. Sounds like it wasnt all she hoped for either. But i know she enjoys being out there overall, and loves doing what she does. Itll be nice to see her this weekend, spend a long weekend with her(hopefully) and hear the stories shes been trying to tell me for a while now. I cant believe its been close to 2 months since ive seen her. She left around memorial day, but due to my work schedule, other things that came up, we havent seen each other since early may. I think we are definately due for some quality time.

Also, since it is june, i had to partake in my summer vice. Dave Matthews Band tour came around, and while i couldnt go to as many shows as i normally do because of work, travel, etc, i was still able to go to 3 shows. One of them was in columbus, and i took Red. Good time was had by all. While i wasnt overly impressed with the energy of that nights show, it wasnt bad. I got to hear some of the new songs they have been working on. While i heard them for the first time after downloading them off a message board, they keep getting new twists and turns. Hearing them live is a whole different ball game. It was nice to go to Germain Ampitheatre again, but the real kicker was the 2 nights in Burgettstown, PA. I drove out and spend friday - monday morning with Sloka in Pittsburgh, had some good times, saw some sights, and went to the 2 shows out there. First night, had decent seats in the front part of the upper pavilion, and the 2nd night...4th row center. It was insane. Seeing DMB play that close to the stage is a whole different experience. Facial expressions, clarity of vocals, seeing Dave do his traditional feet dance up close...its amazing. Its going to be hard to ever top that show.

Now im in the chicagoland area, staying with my folks and working on a job out here. Its been nice to see my parents, got some new clothes, spent some time with Missy and her husband. Also, coming home means i get to mess with networking stuff for my parents, including their new wireless print server and laser printer they picked up yesterday...the print server turned out to be a complete pain in the ass for cross platform printing. There has to be an easier way...

Whats up next? Hopefully going to spend time with katie this weekend, then off to columbus next week, then spending 2 weeks in south bend for our official training. You may ask yourself, didnt you start at crowe 7 months ago? The answer to that would be yes. However, this is how they do it, so i get to spend 2 weeks in south bend doing that. Who knows, it could be a good time.

Hopefully ill post less information more often. However, travelling kind of wears me down, hell, i dont know who even reads this thing anymore.

Leave me a note, call me, IM me, whatever. Hope all is well with everyone.

BW

Rest in Peace

Ronald Reagan Memorial Foundation

He will be missed.

Idiots everywhere

My Way News

Wow. Just to show you that more education does not mean you are smarter.

Another day another Dollar....or in my case, another day another 600$ in hotel costs and 1200 hilton honors points...

So, as a slight caveat, i tried posting this last night, but the wireless connection in my hotel has been pretty goofy. So here goes.

Hope this finds everyone doing well. Again, ive been travelling like mad, spent 2 weeks in columbus doing some work. Things were going very well. I met some new people from IRM, worked with some existing people i have a great relationship, got to see Tom(a friend/fellow intern from AEP) and spend 2 weeks in one of my favorite cities in the world. Columbus. Im also about 99% sure that as of october 1, ill be transferring to the columbus office. I cant even put into words how excited i am. Katie will be down there working on her grad school things, ill be down in columbus, we finally wont have to travel over 2 hours one way to see each other. Itll definately be good....especially since we need to start planning a wedding soon ;-)

So all in all, things in columbus were going well....



Then i got reassigned to a client i worked on before. However, the good part of the deal was i didnt have to actually go on site for this job. Working out of the clevleand office for the next few weeks, which is nice since i actually have a good network connection to get work done and cleveland is a decent city. Working with Paul is a riot again. The only Senior Manager in our group who will sing to me, then burp, then sing again while we are working. What a character. I thought the work was only going to go about 2 weeks, but now its looking like closer to the middle of june. Middle of june, hmm...sounds like me birthday time w00t0rz.

Turning 23 on june 8. Whaaaa...when did i get so old. *sucks*

Katie leaves for her field camp trip next week. It *should* be easier to deal with this year since ill be alot busier, and im used to going weeks at a time without seeing her. However, going without talking to her either on IM or on the phone will be a chore. Well get through it, we always do.

Callie is getting declawed in the next few weeks. It will sure be nice to have a lap cat that doesnt cut me up 6 ways to sunday. From there, she will most likely be going to spend some time with my mom untill my travel schedule dies down a bit. Hopefully ill spend alittle time in the office in august to prep for my move. Time to start looking for a place to live in columbus. Yay :-)

On a sad note, everyone please pray for Al. Her mother just passed away, and shes going through a real rough time. Shes a great gal, and deserves the best. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

On a happy note, im now a contributing writer to www.ipodgarage.com and soon to www.billpalmer.net. Bill has brought me on as a writer, i dont know what he was thinking. Finally i can have a place to write about Apple stuff without the hassle of running my own website. Those of you with ipods should really check out ipodgarage.com. We have some good info on there, good ads for you to check out, and some sweet forums to participate in. Let me know if you want any info.


Hope all is well, im really trying to post more regularly. But when i have a choice between star wars galaxies or blogging....those of you who know me know what im going to choose.

Take care all.

Another week of fun...

Hello all -

Just got back from another week of fun. I spent the past week doing an internal penetration assessment for a bank in ohio. It was pretty fun, very secret agenty, very spy-esque. Learned alot, had a good time.

Went to another formal this past weekend, went to the SAI/PMA formal. Saw alot of good friends this weekend and had some very good times. There are some funny pictures on katies website, http://homepage.mac.com/katieabell Check em out.

Heading out tomorow to columbus for 4 month job there. I love columbus, so it should be great. Spending every week away from home, now thats another thing. Although, things are looking good for my eventual transfer to the columbus office with Crowe. More news on that hopefully soon.

Hope all is well with everyone, send me a note, bjwaggoner@mac.com.

Take care.

Strange weather, car vandals, FBI agents and other things...

Hello all!

I just returned from a week in Oswego, New York. Its about 45 minutes north of Syracuse, on Lake Ontario. It was nice, and did some good work.

The weather was mostly trash out there, upstate New York seems to always be cold. Thursday, it got above 50 degrees, and idiots were running around with shorts and t-shirts from SUNY-Oswego. The best part of the trip was the fact that Ryan and i got stopped twice while out and about in our suits and people asked us if we were with the FBI. Ryan still had the best answer for that.."Im not sure i can tell you". It was great.

Things are going well at Crowe. There are some good opportunities for me on the horizon and im still doing everything i can to help me be able to move to Columbus around the same time Katie goes out there to go to OSU for grad school this fall.

Also, last week, some idiot decided to break into my car during the night, and tore the dash apart, stole the stereo out of it, smashed the drivers door window and did a ton of other damage. I spent a few days trying to get it taken care of, but instead decided it wasnt worth the money or time, and bought a new car. I got a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox. They are very cool, and very affordable. You can check them out at . I havent had much time to drive it, but it rides like a dream, i fit great in it(even my monkey legs) and i got a sweet deal on it.

I spent last weekend with katie's extended family for easter. It was interesting to say the least. All in all, a good time was had, including the drive back from cleveland to take her dad home to BG with their dog Myles in the backseat. What a weekend....although, the lamb cake turned out extemely well if i do say so myself.

Tomorrow (since i dont travel enough) im driving out to Bowling Green to go to the Tau Beta Sigma formal with Katie. Im making dinner for the group we are going with, that should be interesting. Heres to making something that doesnt suck.

Time for some Tony Bennett and Bed. 6 hours of travel today wore me out big time. Talk to you all soon!

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

Long time no see. I hate to apologize ever time i post again, but this past month has been insane. First off, theres work.

Work has been great. Im learning tons, going to alot of great places such as Houston, TX, Lexington, Kentucky and soon, New York, Tennesee, Michigan, etc. Lexington was a definate change for me. It was a long 4 weeks, but i met alot of great people, and did work ive never done before. It was great. My team was awesome and we had a great time. 4 weeks, though is definately a long time to be away from home. All in all, it was a great experience, but im sure glad to be home for a while.

Im starting to feel much older. People always told me i act much older than my age, but im really starting to feel it now. I dont know how it will affect me, maybe good, maybe bad. But i do know that im changing. Attitude, outlook, etc.

Oh well. Living on my own out here has its good and bad points. I cant tell you how much i love living in my OWN APARTMENT, especially after my last string of roommates. However, it would be nice if i had some people to spend time with that are closer than 2 or 3 hours away. Thats the biggest down side. My family is 2 hours away and my friends are close to 3 hours away. It tends for some lonley nights and weekends.

Ive been trying to keep tabs on politics as usual, which is what sparked my title for this entry. It means in latin "In Time of War, Law is silent". Im getting kind of worn out of the bickering. I know its early, but jesus. Its going to be a long trek to november.

Hope all is well with everyone, leave me some love.

Howdy Kidz

Well, ive been waiting for alot of things to die down before posting about this. But i think now its a good time to put it up here for all my friends who dont know to see.

I got engaged!

Yes, its true. I proposed to Katie this past weekend when she came out for valentines day. This is a very happy time for us, there were a few "logistical issues", but now it all seems to be working out fine. I just want to say how much i love her and how i wouldnt be the person i am if it werent for her. She has really changed my life from one of the darkest points i was ever in, and has made it the brightest it has ever been. She has made me a better person, and for that i love her and thank her.

Ok. I had to get that out of my system. Work has been going pretty well, ive been learning more and more every day. Next week, i am travelling again, im heading to Houston, TX for a week to do a network security assesment. Its going to be sooooo haaaard! ;-) Highs in the low seventies all week...sun....people with a texas accent...i dont know how im going to handle it. LoL. Seriously, im really excited about this. Its a type of job i have never done before, and its travelling. Minus the layover in cleveland, this hopefully will be a very enjoyable time.


Leave some chatterbox love!

Sword and Shield - Sister Hazel

Just when the sky runs out of rain
Just when the sun runs out of light
Just when the earth is ill with pain
Just when your body is out of fight
I will be there
I will be the smallest piece in everything
And I would give my life before I break this promise to you

Melt in to me
Don't you want to be the ones that last forever
I'll be your everlasting
And enemies they take your will but they won't last forever
I'll be your sword and shield and
I'll be your sword
I'll be your shield

Just when the ocean starts to dry
Just when the air is sick with smoke
Just when the statues start to cry
And fallen angels they lay broken
I will be there
I will be the smallest piece in everything
And I would lose my life before I break this promise to you

Melt in to me
Don't you want to be the ones that last forever
I'll be your everlasting
And enemies they take your peace but they won't last forever
I'll be your sword and shield and
I'll be your sword
I'll be your shield

I'll be your gracious angel
I'll be your favorite stranger
I'll be the mortar holding your walls
I'll be your army

Just when the sky runs out of rain
Just when the sun runs out of light
Just when the earth is ill with pain
Just when your body is out of fight
I will be there
I will be the smallest piece in everything
And I would give my life before I break this promise to you

Melt in to me
Don't you want to be the ones that last forever
I'll be your everlasting
And enemies they take your peace but they wont last forever
I'll be your sword and shield and
I'll be your sword
I'll be your shield
I'll be your sword
I'll be your shield
I'll be your army

Strange Cup Of Tea - Sister Hazel

Sometimes I wake with a weary head and
I wonder how I'll ever get through
Then I think of the things you said
how you told me to my self be true
My faith in things unseen,
My belief that it'll all work out
May seem like a strange cup of tea,
but if its all right with you than it all
Right with me

Oh my feet I walk, with my legs I run
In my arms I'll hold another day
With my head I think, from my heart I sing
And with my hand to my face I pray

There's times I feel with the stains of life
I could just turn around, turn around walk away
Then a strength like a beam from above
lifts me up by the hand and it leads me to say
Good things for good people you see
good things they seem to all work out
May seem like a strange cup of tea but
if its all right with you well then its all right with me

Oh my feet I walk, with my legs I run
In my arms I'll hold another day
With my head I think, from my heart I sing
And with my hand to my face I pray

Getting by ain't enough for me
I know what I like I like what I see
I'm not only flesh and blood but
I'm heart and soul I know

Sometimes I feel at the end of the day
was it worth while or have I settled for less
I sit back and your there by my side sincerely you say,
we're both so blessed
Count your blessing count them one, two, three
don't give up cause it'll all work out
It may seem like a strange cup of tea but
if it's all right with you, it's just fine with me

Oh my feet I walk, with my legs I run
In my arms I'll hoild another day
With my head I think, from my heart I sing
And with my hand to my face I pray

Back again, and something of a regular schedule of posting, OMG!

Its been a pretty wild day. Nutty stuff at work, bleeding everywhere from a gash i got from callie, slipping on ice outside tgi fridays(thanks for the bad karma, morgan) and messing up my ankle and knee among other things.

I gotta tell you guys, ive always been a sister hazel fan, but lately, they have been growing on me more and more. I just got their new live CD "Live, LIve" which is awesome. Most people know them from their radio hits, which are awesome, but the rest of thier stuff is awesome. They are one of the most consistantly good bands ive ever heard. Thier first live DVD just came out too, called "A Life In The Day" which has a hilarous documentary about their travels all over the nation, their concerts, the rock boat cruise they started a few years ago, and all the great stuff they do with their fan base. I love the fact that they are popular enough to get good billing, tour enough, but not have huge ampitheatre crowds and enough time to still do everything they can to meet and talk to their fans. Ive made a decision that im going to The Rock Boat this year, since they head it up, and other bands i love are playing as well. This year, Pat McGee Band, Edwin McCain and Will Hoge are going on the cruise with a bunch more bands to be announced. Last year, among those, Virginia Coalition played. Wow. 4 days on a cruise in the carribean with these bands....like Ken Block said in the documentary on the DVD, "Its like spring break for people with jobs!".

Im gonna go head off to bed, hopefully not get scratched by callie again tonite and not fall on my ass again tomorrow at work. Good news is that my mom and missy are coming out tomorrow night to spend some time out here, and they are going to help me get a couch and coffee table!
FINALLY!

In other news, everything is now unpacked an in some sort of arranged sort here. I finally went through, created a bill filing system, as well as seriously put in hanging files in my filing cabinet. Is this something worthy of blogging? Not for most of you, but before, i could fit all my critical information(bills, statements, pay stubs, etc) in an accordion folder...but when i started to do that here....it got too big to close. So, looks like i had to upgrade to adult filing. Especially with my big kid moment of the day, i got my own car insurance starting in 45 minutes! Its so wierd to have all these bills to myself. Im just glad i have a good paying job to help me with it.

Also, ive gotten a new email address for everyone to use. I figure i have it, so i might as well start using it, and start phasing out all my other ones, since this one aint goin nowhere.

Brian@BrianWaggoner.com is it for you all. Send me love!

Hope all is well for everyone else, but if i seriously see one more away message about BG not cancelling school because of snow, im gonna start shooting. The weatherman JUST SAID that in the last 48 hours, we have gotten between 12-20 inches of snow over michiana(the wierd ass term they call the northern part of indiana and southern michigan, apparently its not enough for indiana to have their own wacky ass time zone, they want to have a new state or something. I really dont get it. I digress). So yeah. No complaining. Its not that BG "doesnt care about your safety" or that "they dont think before making a decision" its more along the lines of....you are adults now, and can decide if your safety is really at stake and if its worth risking your safety to go to class. In my 4.5 years at BG, not ONCE did a teacher not sympathize with a commuter because of a short term(less than a few days) weather issue, and i saw some students abuse it. So RELAX ABOUT THE STUPID SNOW DAY.

Ok, im done. Good night.


*whistles to callie to tell her to come to bed*

Of Snow, Peanuts, Cabinets, videochats, hacking and Indian food...


I know it has been a long time since I have posted, but im hoping to change that. Alot of stuff has happened since the last post(s), and Im going to do my best to break it down(chicka wooow-wooowww) for you. So here goes!


Im sitting here posting from South Bend, Indiana at my desk, on an IBM thinkpad eating peanuts and preparing for an exit meeting.

What?

I think im getting ahead of myself.

A person said to me once, "Dont grow up all at once, else youll lose all the fun." I tried to live by that motto, slowly easing myself into adulthood and responsibility. Well, arguably a few of the most important things in my life have happened within the past month. So much for all at once. On paper, it looks like i grew up extremely fast, but to me, its been a smooth transition.

Its true. I passed calculus(got a c with the grace of god and jimmy lesko) and therefore graduated from Bowling Green State University with an undergraduate degree in Electronics and Computer Technology. What should i do with this degree? Honestly, stuff i hate. Circuit design, mechanical electronics, manufacturing systems, etc. To that, i said...no thanks. I focused on network security, hardware, network administration. No degree program at BGSU really focuses on any of those areas, so i took as many classes as i could as well as did internships with those topics. Having a resume that rivals people 10 years older than me, I started looking for jobs.

While I had many prospects, and in retrospect, a few offers, one of them really stood out from the crowd. My number one pick was an Information Security Consultant position with Crowe Chizek, an accounting and consulting firm. Ive known the name for a while, seeing as how they have had a major office 5 minutes north of my parents house for as long as I can remember, i talked to them at the BGSU job fair. Not thinking i had much of a chance because of my background, i went in with a "nothing to lose" attitude. I gave them my resume, expected that to be it.

A few days later i was asked to do an interview on campus with their representatives. I met with 2 people from their Information Risk Management group, and had the same sort of attitude. I figured they were looking for people with much higher GPA's than myself, internships with the big 4 consulting/accounting firms and other huge professional accolades. Now, my credentials are good, but i didnt think they were in the niche they were looking for. After meeting with both interviewers, I was very interested in their position. Its part james bond, part hacker. Take the movie Sneakers and mix it with the movie Hackers. Thats the job. Testing network security, doing external penetration tests (a.k.a. Hacking) and doing internal penetration tests(a.k.a. lying to people about who you are to get critical informationby way of social engineering). I figured i had a decent interview and would get a thank you note in the mail, but nothing else.

Around 5pm, i got a call asking me to come to their headquarters in south bend, IN for an on site office visit. They were very impressed with me and my interview, and brought me out to south bend in mid november. I visited for 2 days, met with everyone, interviewed with the partners(one of which is a BGSU graduate) and then played the waiting game. In the end, the thursday of exam week....i got my offer call from the partner. I accepted, and had to find a place to live within 2 weeks, with christmas and new years sitting square in the middle of those 2 weeks.

I took a trip out here to south bend with katie, i found a nice place to live, moved in and got settled in to start work on the 5th of january. South Bend gets a boatload of snow, since we are in a lake effect snow zone, and the first night i lived here, we got 4-5 inches. Since moving in, ive been working here, loving every minute of it, and letting people know all the cool stuff i do(that i can talk about because of security reasons and confidentiality agreements). I was able to get my own cat, a black domestic short hair named Callie who is one of the most interesting animals i have met. She loves to open and close all cabinets in the apartment. Shes a good cat, very affectionate, even when im in the middle of things.

The people i work with are very interesting. We all have drastically different backgrounds. Everyone eats different things, does different stuff, knows different topics. One of the crew's favorite places to eat is an indian resteraunt that i didnt really care for ;-) but its good to try different things.

I spoiled myself a bit since i got a good job with a great salary, bought myself some neat toys. The best is probably my iSight camera that i got so that i can still see and talk to Katie and my parents from the comfort of my Mac. Its great, makes phones useless. If anyone has a mac with iChat AV, i suggest getting one of these. It will change the way you communicate.

Starting today, im going back on the Atkins diet. I was very successful with it before and hope to repeat that performance this time. Being back on a somewhat 8-5 schedule is easier for that, rather than working/class everyday from 11-10pm. I really want to get my health in order. I figure thats a good way to get started while i wait for the dietician from St. Joes Med Center to call me back.

I have definately learned alot in a month. Relationships have changed, people have changed, i have changed. I try to keep in touch with my friends, and have been dissapointed with some people doing what they can to screw me over. Its sad to see some people become everything they hated about someone else, but there is nothing i can do. Things are definately hard on the relationship front being 2.5 hours away from Bowling Green, but anything is possible. People never cease to suprise me, but they also never cease to amaze me.

Be looking for more updates soon. I promise im going to keep up on it, since i cant talk to everyone id like to, but im sure trying!

For those of you who i didnt send the information to(did ya get that memo?) I have new contact information. Email me at bjwaggoner@mac.com for it!