Lunchtime Conversation

Is that guy wearing he-capris?
- Z, on the way back from Moe's

And that was funny enough to make my day.

Good news, too. I was at the home office today, and my boss stopped by to tell me he's putting things in motion to pull me back from my current assignment as a glorified admin assistant. I get to be an engineer again, which is very exciting. The only drawback is biking to that office is much more problematic, since we don't have showers there. I may have to talk to the facilities folks and try to figure something out. Maybe the office next door has something?

But the important thing is getting back on track, work-wise. This current assignment is a dead-end, from a career perspective. And that has made me very aware and self-conscious of how much I have neglected my professional development. I've been on the job for five years - if I had been on the ball, I could have gotten my master's through distance learning, and my PE license. I apologize for the crude language, but in the words of my old sailing coach Karl, "why don't you unfuck that?" So I've started getting the information to put together my PE package, and after that, I may just roll right back into school. Better late than never.

And if you're looking for inspiration to get a grad degree in naval architecture or marine engineering, you could do worse than the SY Maltese Falcon. Now, I've already loved enough ships for a lifetime - nothing will ever replace Inferno and Eagle in my affections. But this ship is magnificent. I couldn't care less about the luxury cabins and dining rooms. But one person can sail her through a tack in less than 2 minutes. I missed stays enough times on Eagle to appreciate how amazing that is. Even so, the best part for me is figuring out the compromises of this Dynarig concept - can't fan the yards, or adjust the tilt, she seems to heel a lot, etc.

[photo courtesy www.charterworld.com]