Hello Everybody!

What a life! It’s been so long since I’ve even said the phrase La Vita e Bella – Life is Beautiful.  It is time to fix that.

Right now I’m relaxing in the leftovers of a casualized suit… lol... jacket cast aside… mauve tie loose… simply sitting in a hammock with a cool summer breeze. All despite the fact I have a three hour finals exam this evening. lol. Relaxation comes at a premium now’a’days, and I am treasuring these moments.

Might as well forget the past six months though… lol… the last two weeks have been a picture of insanity. NASA is a fascinating (though eccentric) place to work. They are farrrr stricter then the law firms when it comes to talking about projects.  The best I can say is that I’m working on MOMS (Mission Operation Mission Systems) which essentially runs the day-to-day operations of the Hubble Space Telescope.  Other programs are expanding as well so things are extremely busy setting up new Networks.  All the engineers are brilliant. Some are a bit quarky. lol… others look like they spent their lives modeling the mad scientist in Back to the Future. Roflol.

Many of the people at work immigrated from Iraq or Iran.  Oh my word… they can tell stories!  One fellow was one of the lucky few who escaped during the rule of Hussein.  Two of his cousins (who had converted to Christianity) weren’t so lucky. At the time, Hussein was forcing people to join his army...  problemmm was that this was a Muslim holy war. Therefore as Christians, they weren’t even allowed to fight.  They couldn’t be released though and so both were shot in the back of the head. *shaking head*… To think the person telling me this over lunch experienced it personally is stunning. 

Meanwhile I shoulder 16 credits at the University of MD… half of which are on campus, the other half are online.  Half the classes are accelerated as well. lol. I have Finals this evening. Midterms tomorrow. And another Finals on Wednesday. Then I can breathe a bit.

I also just moved into an INCREDIBLE new place! The apartment is about 1,000 square feet… has a remodeled Kitchen, cathedral ceilings, spacious rooms… it’s really the perfect set-up. Plus… lol… Ikea is a mere 10 minutes away, so I’ve spent mannnny hours buying square black plates, lamps, and other etceteras.  When this semester is finally over and there’s a bit more time, it’ll look faaabulous.

Because the new place doesn’t have internet yet, I’ve spent couuuntless hours at a wonderful 70s Diner. I’ll actually miss the place when I don’t have to go there anymore. lol. They stay open until midnight (which is when I leave), but it’s great having the waitresses sit down around coffee when things are quiet and debate the love songs. lol Very sweet, actually.  

What else is there? lol. I’ve been racing sailboats regularly now… last time with about sixteen boats my crew came in first and second. :D Fabulous feeling. Lol. There’ve been regular trips to Gettysburg, Washington DC and Virginia... and occasional trips to Oklahoma City and Kansas City.   Oh! and I’m flying out to California at the end of this month(!!). I’ll be sure to post pictures from all of it. :D

In short… Life is very busy, but life is very good.  

Till next time!
Adieu!