Just Because I Can

If you don't get a kick out of this I don't know what to tell you...

I Gotta Say It Was A Good Day

So, I just got back from taking my technical evaluation at National Instruments and I think it went pretty well. At this point, judging how things have gone so far, I'd be pretty surprised if I didn't end up working there after graduation. Of course I may have actually tanked it and I'll end up working at Best Buy.

Also, my first article is now up at RotoTimes (read it here). I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pretty excited by this. It's nice to be recognized for doing something you enjoy. Hopefully I can make a good impression and land a regular gig doing this.

Overdressed and ready to rock!

So I had my preliminary interview with NI (National Instruments) today. It went pretty well, and I am going back in for a technical evaluation on Friday. I have to say that everything I have read and heard about NI has me really excited about the prospect of working there. They actually seem to treat people like people. This is a place that ever since I started back to school I have targeted as somewhere that I would want to work at and on some level it is very satisfying to have finally come to that point in the process.

And to make things even better... researching NI also led me to this:


Oh yes, it will be mine!

Onward and Upward

So I have an interview for a position in the IT Department at National Instruments tomorrow. Should be interesting. Apparently this is less of a technical screening and more to see if I am a good "fit" for a job at NI. Hopefully it goes well, it would be nice to start to have some options in place for what to do after graduation. NI is actually somewhere I have been targeting to work at for a while. I know a lot of people who work(ed) there and they've all had great things to say about it. I mean, it really seems like they know how to take care of their people.

Anyway, your fingers may now resume their crossed position.

Dyslexia: The Silent Killer!

Apparently there are some people out there that can't see the difference between "Should the Penguins trade Crosby?" and "The Penguins should trade Crosby!" Because of this I managed to ruffle a few feathers this week with a post on TOFTT that I wrote. My response; people need to lighten up and get a grip.

The exposure was welcome though:

People need to learn to drive!

I couldn't even tell you how many times I almost got run over on the way to work today. People really can't drive here. I-35 is like one giant, super-long death trap.

This is on top of all the idiot drivers I see driving down to San Marcos twice a week. If I live to see my 31st birthday it will be something of a miracle.

It's Put Up Or Shut Up Time...

So I have long touted my knack for fantasy sports and love to, when I'm in the right mood, brag about how I "know so much more" than all the so-called fantasy experts out there. Well, now it's time for me to put somebody else's money where my mouth is.

I've signed a deal to write a weekly NHL fantasy column running from Feb. 1 until the end of the Stanley Cup Finals for RotoTimes.com. This came pretty much out of nowhere for me but is a welcome challenge/diversion. Their new managing editor had been scouring the web looking for writers to put on his fantasy hockey staff to kick off new coverage starting Feb. 1, and he liked what he saw over on Taking One For The Team (my hockey blog) and asked if I was interested. After trading some e-mails and a brief phone call the deal was sealed and the official contract arrived in my inbox on Friday. So I am now the newest Associate Editor for RotoTimes.com!

My editor (I get a kick out of saying that) says that there is an opportunity for a longer term and better paying gig with RotoTimes if things go well this season. Apparently the company that owns the site owns some TV and radio stations so there is possible exposure there in some way. He has also indicated that he wants to get them to do a full print NHL Fantasy Draft Guide this summer, so I could get to write for that if they decide to do it. Could be cool.

Overall I'm just looking at this as a chance to get some more exposure and maybe increase my TOFTT audience. It would also be really cool to have a nice side-career as a fantasy writer. The modest amount I'm getting paid to do this is really just a bonus to me. I probably would have done this for free since it's not much of a departure from what I was writing for TOFTT anyway, except now someone's paying me for it. It's pretty much a win-win no matter what happens as far as I'm concerned. Anyhoo, I'll try to post updates on how things are going here, and I'll link to my articles both here and at TOFTT, so they shouldn't be hard to find if you want to read them. Though I wouldn't blame you if you don't. Fantasy hockey isn't exactly the "cool kids table".

I Hope You Like The New Look

So I set up a new template for this blog. Let me know what you think of it (just leave a comment).

This is the first step in resurrecting this blog. I have a lot going on right now, and some of it's pretty exciting. So stay tuned for more (hopefully soon!)...

4 out of 5 Yarbroughs Endorse Super Mario Galaxy

Well, Super Mario Galaxy fever has officially infested the house. Everyone except Landon is racing to save Princess Peach from Bowser ASAP! In a shocking turn of events, Christa is the most obsessed with the game. I thought she wouldn't like it at all with all the crazy 3D camera action, but she's hooked. I think she just has a soft spot for short, chubby, Italian plumbers. What can you do?

We Have Liftoff

So I finally started playing Super Mario Galaxy last night. So far it's pretty freaking sweet. Just another reminder that Nintendo is still way better at making video games than anyone else.

Not to be outdone, Kaylee Wii bowled a 178 yesterday. We're quite the "athletic" family!

2008 is off to a good start...

The Winter Classic was AWESOME and I bowled a 205 on the Wii yesterday (played a strong 9 holes in golf too). 2008 could turn out to be alright.

Fall Grades Are In...

• Operating Systems - C
• Object-Oriented Design and Implementation - A
• Intro to Advanced Math - C
• Technical Writing - B
• Beginning Golf - A

So there you have it. All in all it is pretty much what I was expecting. The math class I took ending up being pretty brutal. I would guess that there were as many people who didn't pass it as those who did. The B in Technical Writing is a bit of a burn, but that Prof was such a loon that who knows what was going through her head when she was grading my final. Having a couple retards who couldn't drag their butts to class in my presentation group ended up costing me too. Bottom line; this semester was all about surviving. It dropped my overall Texas State GPA from 3.44 to 3.24, but I should be able to finish strong in the Spring and get the you know what out of there. No offense San Marcos...

Not that you'd be able to notice...

Barring something major I won't be posting here again until this semester ends. See title...

24 Is Out For Redmption...

Apparently Tony Almeida is immortal. And not a very nice guy...

See, I Told You I'm Alive...

I can't believe how long I have gone without posting on here. Well, actually I totally can. I have been pretty swamped lately between school, work, and the usual day-to-day nonsense of life. To go along with that, pretty much any energy to blog that I've been able to muster has gone into TOFTT which has also suffered some the last couple of weeks unfortunately. I should probably try to find a couple more contributors for there, but I have other things concerning that blog that I need to tend to first.

I can happily say that I picked up a XBox 360 a couple weeks ago thanks to some sucker on craigslist who was moving and didn't want to take it with him. I had been more than prepared to hold off on picking up a new console until I was done with school, but then this came along:


All I will say is that NHL 08 is well worth investing in a new console for. It's pretty much hands down the best hockey game ever. If FIFA 08 can fall somewhere between the quality of FIFA 07 on the PS2 and NHL 08 on the 360 I will be a very happy man.

As far as school goes, this semester shouldn't be too bad. My Operating Systems class is pretty hard but everything else seems to be more than manageable. At this point, passing OS and A's in everything else would suit me just fine. Then just 3 more CS classes in the spring and I'm done! I think things are really going to start happening fast, which is both a good and a bad thing. As always though, I'll get it all done and move on to the next thing that comes along.

Funny how these things happen...

I just realized that I didn't make a single post on here in July. I guess I shouldn't be too shocked since all of my writing efforts have been focused here, but it's still something I need to rectify.

The Summer of Contentment!

I just have to say that, all in all, this summer is going pretty well. I don't know exactly why I am feeling so satisfied with life right now, but I am. It must be the little things...

My job is a touch on the boring side right now until I my next big project can get going and the class I'm taking this summer has turned out to be retarded at best. And it has been raining for the last 5 months (or so it would seem). None of that is going to get me down though.

I have the greatest family ever with three hilarious kids and an awesome wife. I have a stable job with a boss that laments that I won't work for her forever. I am nearing the end of the road with school and I am getting a newfound burst of motivation that I think I'll be able to ride until May. And I'm just content with life. I don't know how else to say it, things are just good right now, or at least that's what I have convinced myself. And that's good enough for me.

History Lesson: Why am I The Loser?

I have been asked a few times since renaming this blog (from whatever it used to be...) why I call myself a loser. First off let's be clear, I call myself The Loser. As for why...

I take you back to the fall of 2003, it was my first year in the RRFFL (a.k.a. Round Rock Fantasy Football League). Coming out of the draft I was very happy with my team and really liked my chances to win the league. Well things went about as poorly as possible and were only compounded by a stupid desperation trade that I made at mid-season. I only ended up winning two games and tied for the worst record in the league. Fast-forward a year and I found myself in a similar situation a couple weeks into the 2004 season. Resorting to the ever popular weapon of a fantasy team name change The Madden Curse quickly became Born to Lose. My team immediately got hot and I only missed winning the title thanks to a Shaun Alexander goal line fumble on the first week of our playoffs (yes, it's scary that I remember these things). Somewhere along the way during all the message board battles Born to Lose was affectionately shortened to B2L. And the rest as they say is history.

Ever since that season almost all of my fantasy teams have had some form of lose or loser in their name. Some of these teams include Lose Big or Go Home!, Lucky in Lose, Mighty Red Losers, Lone Star Losers, el Losero, and Losers for Life. This pattern/superstition has led to an amazing run in my fantasy fortunes. Since the B2L revolution began, my fantasy baseball team Loveable Losers in 2005 is the only team to not finish in the top 3. As for the RRFFL, I took the title in dominating fashion in 2005 with B2L 2k5 and then pulled off the repeat in 2006 with e=B2L (best name ever!). The 2006 triumph was especially sweet since I regularly blew away my opponents despite wearing the defending champ bullseye and having the whole league out to get me. I have also won back-to-back titles in my other fantasy football league as well. Another moment of Loser bliss was in 2005 when I pulled off the fantasy treble. I won my football, baseball, and hockey leagues that year.

So the reality is that I wear the Loser label as a badge of pride. The name has done me well and I don't plan on hanging it up. As we speak Lose on First has a relatively comfortable lead in my fantasy baseball league. And the best part of this whole story for other fantasy players is I've gone into retirement from fantasy football. I don't think it will be permanent, but I definitely won't be playing this year. I have to admit, it's kind of nice going out on top.

Book Review: The Children of Hurin

Let's get one thing clear right from the start here... it's hard not to be impressed when a guy who has been dead for over thirty years writes anything, let alone a book this good. Now that we have that out of the way...

This book will obviously appeal largely to Lord of the Rings fans, but they might not get what they are looking for. That's not to imply that they won't be happy with what they get, they are just very different books. One of Tolkien's greatest abilities has always been to adapt his writing style to suit his desire and the mood of the tale (I still have a hard time believing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were both written by the same person). Well The Children of Hurin is no different in that regard.

While The Lord of the Rings was a story of clinging to hope in the face of seemingly unavoidable doom, The Children of Hurin is a tale of an inescapable curse despite moments of triumph. The Children of Hurin revolves mainly around Turin, the son of the titular hero Hurin. After Hurin is captured by the dark lord Morgoth (Sauron's old boss for you Rings fans) his bloodline is cursed and he is bound to a mountaintop where he is forced to witness the curse play out on Turin and his daughter Nienor, who was at that time still unborn.

Most of the book follows Turin as he travels throughout Middle Earth trying to fight back the ever growing forces of Morgoth. Raised for the most part by the elves of Doriath, Turin is a mighty warrior and has many triumphs against Morgoth's minions, but there is a shadow that follows him wherever he travels and Turin's life is one filled with great sorrow. During this time Turin meets in battle and eventually defeats the great dragon Glaurung (one of the most purely evil characters ever), but it is the encounter with Glaurung that ultimately leads to Turin's undoing and the culmination of the curse on the children of Hurin.

I won't go into any more detail because I highly encourage you to read the book for yourself and don't want to give anything away. It is pretty accessible for a Tolkien work and there is even a comprehensive list of names in the appendices in case you lose track of someone or something. This is a good thing since, much like roads in Texas, everything and everyone in Middle Earth seems to have three or four names at least. Turin alone renames himself a number of times as he tries to flee from his past over the course of the book.

Bottom Line: This is an excellent book that is a must read for Tolkien fans. I would also recommend it to anyone looking for a rich piece of fiction to get lost in for a week or two. It's a pretty quick read so you really have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. I could honestly see myself reading The Children of Hurin on an annual basis. If that's not praise enough for a book than I don't know what is.

So this is what the other side of the hill looks like!

I'm back! I'm sure you missed me... right? Someone? Anyway, let's get caught up shall we:

• I turned 30 on Tuesday. I can honestly say that it was no biggie at all. I felt much more like an "old man" on my 20th birthday than I did this time. So I'm 30, life goes on.
• My break is over and I am back in school for 5 weeks as I take Software Engineering this summer. It shouldn't be that bad as long as the other two guys in my group carry their weight on our project. Then I'll have almost 2 months off to recharge (and work on my correspondence course) before fall semester starts and I get my lunch handed to me.
• Most of my break was spent writhing in pain as I managed to come down with some random virus that made me feel like crap and randomly attacked my joints in a very painful manner. And that is coming from someone with a history of joint "issues".
• At least I have this to show for the break. Going forward pretty much any sports related writing/posting that I do will go there. So if you're interested, check it out, and if you aren't then don't (be that way!)

I'm sure there are other things I should be including here, but I can't think of them at the moment. I hope to be posting more regularly now that I'm back on a consistent schedule, but we'll just have to see how that goes.