Tuesday, February 26, 2008

A Few Firsts

Monday had some pretty interesting firsts for me...
  • First day with a 30-second commute, instead of a 30-minute one.
  • First day where getting to my desk didn't require a badge and several security checks.
  • First day writing software for citizens instead of soldiers.
  • First day writing free software full-time.
  • First day working for Novell.
Yes, the rumors and tabloids are true: I've joined Calvin's accessibility team. I'm really psyched with this turn in my career. It's a nice change to support a cause that is more aligned with my own values. Not to mention that I'll be working with a bunch of engineers that I really respect, and from whom I hope to learn a lot.

Plus...I've always wanted to take my dogs to work! ;-) Working from home is...interesting.

Oh, and another first: this is the first day where I've been allowed to take a picture of my work area! Behold!


Just imagine a bowl of cereal by my headphones, a dog under the desk, and OpenSUSE on my awesome company-provided 24" LCD, and you'll see what I see right now.

Cheers!

7 comments:

Jeffrey Stedfast said...

Welcome aboard, Sandy!

Gabriel Burt said...

Hey, looks a lot like my setup. :)

Welcome, Sandy!

Sandy said...

@Jeff, Gabriel: Thanks!

@cineto: Good catch! :-P I climb, and find that the little donut really helps with my grip strength. When I'm staring at a problem, waiting for something to compile, or reading docs (or if I'm exclusively mousing), I'll do little hand exercises with it. I really like the GripMaster Finger Trainer, though, and am thinking of buying one...

Anonymous said...

We miss you here, where you need to wear a badge.

Good luck at your new job.

Lance

Sandy said...

Thanks Lance, I miss you guys, too! You and Rachel should come over for dinner/Wii soon.

Boyd said...

Lucky dog! No, not your real dog under the table, you with your fancy 24" LCD. I'm jealous.

And welcome aboard!

Ray Wang said...

hi sandy. I am a new comer in Novell, working in the Accessibility team, packager in Beijing, hope learn a lot from you!:)