And another exciting semester has come to an end. I haven't seen my grades yet. Kinda nervous about one class. Let's collectively cross our fingers. Finished putting my photo portfolio together for a web class. Funny, I don't have a web version ready yet. My trial period ran out on my Flash MX 2004 trial before I could get that part done. Once I get the full version, I will create a web friendly version and put it up at troygroberg.com. No really, I PROMISE I will put it up. Just in case you are asking yourself, what kind of version I have if it's not web friendly, well it's on a CD. And it's about 4Mb. Mostly because of the sound tracks. It has 6 MP3 loops that I cut out of some nice background music.

We were all excited when Google announced the beta release of Gmail. We were all less than excited when we found out how hard it would be to get a Gmail account. One really nice side effect of it though was that Yahoo and Hotmail had to raise account limits to stay competitive. So I ran out and got a Yahoo account. Well, it's been few months but Hotmail has finally caught up. Finally. No more deleting messages larger than 12K. But what would life be without irony? The same week that Hotmail upgrades the basic service, I get invited to create a Gmail account. Woot!!

About a year ago, I redesigned this site to use a dynamic structure so that when I decided to redesign it again I would only have to touch 5 files. This was fairly similar to the philosophy we (me and Jon) created at SCO. Well, it worked like a charm. I have been on an orange kick (the color not the fruit) lately and decided that my conservative colors needed a change. It took about 4 hours work from start to finish and all the pages that should are updated with the new colors. I didn't change the actuall formatting of the site very much, maybe I will do that next time. Jonathan didn't like it and wanted me to put it back. He's OK with it now though. So lets have some comments. What does everyone think?

In school, I have a hard time succumbing to the idea of doing a website just because it is an assignment. I've done plenty of websites just for fun that would meet the criteria of my classes. So when I got the assignment in my class to design a webzine, I thought, "Hmmmm that'll be interesting. I haven't done one of those for a long time. This time, I want to find a real one. Maybe one that will push me out of my comfort zone and make me design one that is less like all the projects I did last symester." Well, guess who happens to have one. No, not me. My brother-in-law. So I am now designing the new Conservative Front. I have to say, I am quite pleased with it so far if I do say so my self in all humilitude. Keep checking back, it'll be live soon. Once it's up, we are gunna set it up to run via MySQL. Unfortunately, that's not allowed in my class. It's only a 4000 level class. (WTF?)

Another exciting year has begun again. I am only taking a full load of classes this time. As opposed to an extra full load I guess. Anyway, it's just full time. Reason being that I am trying to work full time as well. 17 hours and a full time job is just a little too much maybe. Well anyway, one exciting thing. Remember Simon Blundell? Well, he is now teching in the Art department. He is teaching my Photoshop for Photographers class. I think he is also in charge of something to do with the whole department. Speaking of which, UVSC is now offering a 4 year degree in several fields of arts and visual comunications. Two of which happen to be Graphic design and Photograhy. Now I won't have to be transfering to another school. Handy no?

Well, looks like the extended stay in the unemployment line has come to an end. I am headed to a meeting in just a few mintes to work out my new work schedule at 10X Marketing. Trenton has been working there for a number of months now and told me that they were looking for an optimization guy with design experience. I guess I am kinda the inverse of that but whatever. They liked what I had to bring to the table I guess. Just about everyone ('cept Jer) is looking for new jobs now-a-days. Maybe I won't share who is looking until they find something. Grant found something at Novell. So if you happen to know anyone who needs better search engine placement, let me know. Who knows, maybe I will even start getting traffic from Google again.

Just came back from the annual Moon Lake-a-thon. You know, it's a lot more fun when your kids can keep themselves entertained. All you have to do is make sure they don't wander off into the lake or some crazy thing like that. Jonathan ad Cari both loved the boats. Jonathan caught 4 fish. All of them got thrown back. I don't think that lake has any big fish anymore. All the little ones must have eaten them. I almost got run over by a couple two point bucks in the velvet. Too bad my camera was already packed in the van. Jonathan made one friend. Sam. Wouldn't you know it, 400 2^nd cousins and he has to pick the one that lives the farthest away. Typical. Well, at least he had fun. he keeps talking about Sam this and Sam that. Hope he remembers him next year.

You know there are a few good things about being unemployed. Today we all went (the family) to the canyon to have a picnic because it was just too hot in the valley. 93° today. It ended up raining on our little hike and we quickly retreated to the car just in time to almost miss one of the worst downpours since I was in the tropics. It was pretty fun and it managed to cool us down to comfortable. Then we went on a little ride to see an old steam engine. Jonathan and Cari loved it. and since we were so close, we decided to head on over for some Kamas cones. Every time I see them, I can't believe how much ice cream they put on those things without breaking the cone. Very few things match the simple blissfulness of a Kamas cone. I Couldn't have done that during a typical day at the office now could I have?

This Independence day our firework/Chinese tradition was turned into a regular fiesta. Mike and Ray showed up with their kids as did Monica (Norm?), strangely enough without her husband who nobody has ever seen or heard. Jonathan and Jake had a good time running in circles and into the fine folks in front of us. We finally made him go say "sorry" to them and he actually sat down and apologized. I was shocked but I had to act like that I wasn't surprised... Cari didn't run off as expected. That was a surprise. On the 5th, I had the honor of constructing the annual sparkler ball of doom. Ahhh the glory. I added a nice touch this year of a crackling whip around the base that just gave it a slightly heart warming effect. All in all, I would say that it was a fairly successful holiday.

I saw about half of Harry and Sally last night. Turns out I was wrong. I'm going to be forty. Someday. Nice timing to find that one out. I had just gotten used to saying it was 30 and defending myself because I have such great memory. Well I wonder if it will become my phrase of choice again. I still haven't found a new job. I am kinda wishing I had taken one or two classes for the summer.

Well, another semester has come to an end. 4 A's and one that is not an A. That brings my cumulative GPA down to 3.75. How depressing. I was hoping to pull a 4.0 this semester. Oh well, somehow I have never been so burned out on anything before. Hence, I am not taking any classes this Summer. Instead, I am looking for a full time job. Preferably one that pays more than my last job, and will allow me to continue school full time in the Fall, and have really good benefits, and not be too far to commute, and have a big signing bonus. Maybe I'm hoping for too much in the current job market but hey, it doesn't hurt to wish right? So if you happen to know anyone that is looking for a graphic designer with a specialization in web development that designs websites for fun in his spare time, let me know. You could also have them take a look at my online portfolio which is almost finished. www.troygroberg.net

Ahh the glory days. Throw the bags in the back of the Corona. Load up all of Dave's guns. Stop by Chucks to make sure we are gunna eat well (Cherry Coke Burgers, Welches, Dogs, always a box of Day-olds, and of course a big bag of licorice). For some reason, we always seemed to take several cars and leave several hours apart. Don't know why. Stop by Wally-world to stock up on ammo. Hit the dirt roads looking for things to run over. Race down the pony express trail at 70+ mph (even if there is no one to race). Maybe stop to chase the sheep, yell Istanbul, or watch the kangaroo rats jump over bullets with their lightning fast reflexes. (No really. They do jump the bullets if you try to shoot them.) Arrive at camp and unload the machetes or cutting tool de jour. Pile up as much wood as daylight will allow. (or moonlight or flashlight). ok, pile up as much wood as inhumanly possible. Light it and stand back. Sit on THE Table and enjoy the view. Yeah, that table sure did hold a lot of memories. So when Mike and I found that it had been desecrated by some Keystone drinking bastards last week, there seemed only one dignified path for the table to take. It has now been sanctified by fire.

Well, the Socail Comas finally have their own home. After years of controversy and political turmoil, an agreement was reached this morning clearing the release of the 1996 album "No Backup" and allowing for the creation of www.socialcomas.com. Over the years, the bands virtual presence has been tossed around like a child in a vicious custody battle bouncing from domain to domain and taking on several designs. The one thing that has remained true is the only voice that really matters; the music, and the logo, and the quirky sense of humor, and the fire, and the run-on sentences. Well it's a new site at least. Go check it out.

After countless hours sitting in the INS lobby surrounded by little undisciplined children who insist on screaming in a language that I can't understand and after countless hours filling out the seemingly endless stacks of paperwork and then running to the bank to have it all notarized, Yani will have her blue passport. (K, I know they issue different colors, but in other countries they call it the "blue passport") We had the opportunity to listen to Bob Bennett and some girls from the Daughters of the American Revolution or something like that. (Well, everyone else that was there got to hear Sen. Bennett, I had to take my little screaming Mimi out into the lobby.) In all, 204 souls pledged their allegiance to the flag. Quite moving.

Happy new baby to Paul and Tiff. 9lbs 15oz. That's a big kid. I am actually learning stuff in my photoshop and web design classes. Who'da thunk it? Learned some new lighting tricks in photography. Those are always neat. Junior was featured on the cover of Metro magazine. I made my first Piñata. It was a big Thomas the Tank Engine made from a Huggies box. Happy birthday to Jonathan.

Much has happened. Let me explain. No, there is too much, let me sum up. Paul moved to Phoenix. Paul moved back. I put together my first photography portfolio. I got a 3.94 for the semester. Just because John gave me an A- in one class. Curse my glass eye!!! Santa Claus came. I moved my server to my house. My mail server isn't working though. Yani is in management training. Cari said her first sentence. "I want one of those!" I got some boxes of candy canes for $.09. That made my day. That was almost as good as finding gas for $.88.We all had the flu. That was fun. The Social Comas put out thier first DVD.