Off to Texas next week...

Well, heading to Texas…  For a few days at least.  I leave Sunday for my long on Campus visit/Interview on Monday and then fly back on Tuesday.  I have to admit this one feels right…  NOT the first time I made the final cut on this sort of thing, but the last time I went down to West Texas for one of these I was mostly in awe and if I’m honest shocked that I made the cut.  As I said at the time, it is a LONG way from SGT Chappell to VP Chappell, or in this case CIO Chappell.  In the interviews and my contact with the folks at this University it has all been quite good.  So, less worried about that aspect of the process.  As I see things, they are approximately where 8-10 years ago.  And that was when I was working on a lot of the things that became Campus/System wide over the years.  SCCM was the big one, I guess it has been renamed “Microsoft Endpoint Manager”.  Another big one being the transition to “Remote Learning/Blended Environment” from the fully in person instruction with the Covid-19 pandemic which I have direct experience with here…  So it just a whole convergence of factors that I feel like this job is a direct continuation of the path my career has taken over the years.  Shame nothing is happening locally, but Texas is in a much more stable position in the long run than Illinois, something to do with one of those States being run by "The Machine" for a LONG time and it shows...

 

Got the new suit out for another interview at yet another Texas University…  As I’ve lost a LOT of weight, my older really nice suit that I had for the beginning of this long job hunt simply does not fit.  Turns out an 80-pound drop means you need a new suit.  Not a bad thing overall, I think but trying to buy a new suit during a pandemic means of course buying it online…  Foolishly I followed the guide and took actual measurements for chest, neck, length, etc.…  Fortunately, easy enough to return and order the correct size as I could see the difference between the “listed” size vs actual sizes…  J  Correcting the initial Artillery shot and calling in the “Fire For Effect” …  But, yet another VP level interview down there.  So apparently I do fit the profile for that level somewhere, just not Illinois J…  And the suit itself fits really well…  So, yea?  Have it packed up and ready to go for the upcoming trip as I gear up for that particular adventure.

 

So, adventure…  In booking the flight I was completely unprepared for at least the first oddity.  Flying from Champaign to DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth) then on to the other small regional airport.  As an Engineer, it seemed obvious that taking a flight from point A to point B would be cheaper than the flight from point A to point B and then on to point C.  No.  J  So, I would have failed that particular math test had I not listened to the hiring committee chair who suggested that I look at the flight all the way instead of just the flight to the hub and renting a car for the drive up to Campus…  Not sure how this works economically, but there you go…  It is in fact much cheaper to take the connecting flight than just the flight to the hub, despite the flight to the hub being the exact same flight as the connecting one…  OK, so flight booked and hotel arranged.  Just the oh dark flight on Sunday, so that will be fun…

 

Gaming?  Not really much going on.  Diablo 3 season 21 started and playing that with my wife…  Been test flying a Scum 5 ship build waiting on the points update for X-Wing:

 

Scum 5 Ship 1 (200)

×

Serissu — M3-A Interceptor	41
Outmaneuver	6
Autoblasters	3
Ship Total: 50
Half Points: 25 Threshold: 2
Laetin A’shera — M3-A Interceptor	30
Snap Shot	7
Autoblasters	3
Ship Total: 40
Half Points: 20 Threshold: 2
Sunny Bounder — M3-A Interceptor	27
Autoblasters	3
Ship Total: 30
Half Points: 15 Threshold: 2
Nom Lumb — JumpMaster 5000	38
Autoblasters	3
Dengar	6
Contraband Cybernetics	2
Ship Total: 49
Half Points: 25 Threshold: 5
G4R-GOR V/M — M3-A Interceptor	28
Autoblasters	3
Ship Total: 31
Half Points: 16 Threshold: 2

 

So, a theme there I suppose…  Using my M-3’s and Autoblasters while I can…  Fun, but certainly not OP…

 

Legion, a bit more painting, second Vet Squad base coated and a bit more done on the rest…  Mostly just waiting I suppose…