Home sweet office!

Wow, it's been a while since I wrote!! I've been at training. Out team is undergoing training for WCF -- Windows Communication Foundation -- and I've been tagging along with them. It's not that the instructor is bad -- even I can see that he's excellent -- but most of the stuff has been going over my head. Initially I tried to pay attention (telling myself severely that I needed to do that anyway in a little over three weeks), but eventually my eyes started to glaze over. I was reminded of my incredibly boring Communication Networks classes at UT, where I was infamous for disturbing the class through some antic or the other -- usually crinkling candy wrappers loudly, or asking for cricket scores loud enough to be heard even by the professor. I am amazed at the patience of the professor, that he didn't haul me out on my ear! I probably deserved it.
But anyway, as I was saying, the training started to remind me of that. In the classes, it wasn't that I didn't understand the material being taught -- I did, if I paid close enough attention -- but the professor was plain boring. In the training, it was the other way round. The instructor was really good, and when I strained my head hard enough, I could actually follow him, but it mostly went way over my head. I looked helplessly at everyone furiously typing into their computers during the lab session, while I searched through Google to make sense of what was being taught, and tried to look halfway intelligent.
Today's session was much better. The instructor taught security, which is my chosen research area, so I could follow everything he taught, besides which it was fun because he implemented a sort of chat window, so that all the students (!) could send each other chat messages. That was fun! Unfortunately, I had to leave after that, and get back to the office.
When I got back to the office, it was like walking into a comfortable, familiar place. I felt a sense of peace. It's a shame that I'll have to leave in a few days -- just two, as a matter of fact. It's really become a second home for me now! I had an incredible, incredible time working here at Dell, with the most fantastic people ever. I'll cherish this time forever.
On a different note, today's Wednesday -- I hope I can get the keys to my new apartment today. I've had fun living with the friends I've been living with -- but I guess I can't harass them forever, besides which, I need to set up the new place! Especially the books! Even during the 10 days I've not been in my own house, I've bought a bunch of new books -- the manga, Cantarella Vol 3, by You Higuri; the August issue of Wired magazine; and Dick Francis' latest offering, Under Orders.
Cantarella is a compelling manga. I had started it some time ago, but gave up halfway through the first volume, finding the story too dark and depressing. But I took it up again, and while I'd never call the story light-hearted and cheery (Higuri's manga tend to be a bit on the heavier side, actually), it's really interesting. It's the mangaka's take on the infamous Borgias of Renaissance-age Italy, circa 1500, and the hero of the piece (also the villian?) is Cesare Borgia. Very interesting indeed, since it is at least partially based on true events. I wonder how many more volumes there are?
Dick Francis is an author I've liked for quite some time. His books can get a little depressing at time, with the hero wallowing in sorrow and misery for days on end; but they always seem to have an underlying sense of humor that takes away some of the darkness from the story. Besides which, he can come up with a fantastic, compelling tale. I really like Dick Francis novels -- if I can talk even halfway sensibly about horses, it is all thanks to Mr Francis.
Ah, I think I'm rambling now. I think I should get back to that documentation I was making for my intern project -- and iron out the creepy JavaScript errors that pop up suddenly like unwanted zombies, and give me a heart attack, like it did during the presentation yesterday. The expression on my face was surely a study in horror. Luckily, I don't think anyone noticed it. Yes, I should do that instead of telling the world that I should do it, and procrastinate even more. Till later...adios!