Michael P. O'Connor

OK, as I promised here is a post that has some real content in it, and for me this is also some big news, probably the biggest news I have shared on my blog since I started it up in July of 2004. Back then I had been work here in CASOS group of ISRI in the CS department at CMU for only 7 months. Now it has been about 2 years and 4 months since I started my programming job here in CASOS. Well last month I found out that the funding for the project I was on might not continue. Well that means I did not know at that time what the future would mean for me. So I started a bit of a passive job search. This involved posting my resume to Monster, Dice, and Pittsburgh Technology Council.. One of my goals was to stay in the Pittsburgh region, I love this city so much. Also my father knew some one with connections in Union Switch and Signal So I contacted him, and got my Resume into Union Switch and Signal. Well I had the interview on Tuesday (Feb 28th) and received an offer letter on Friday (March 2nd).
For me this is both exciting, since I have wanted to work there from the time I was at Pitt. And a bit sad for me I have worked here at CMU since August of 2001. Well I guess this chapter of my life is coming to a close (March 17th) and a new chapter of my life will start (March 20th) I will have to say this is about the 5th chapter of my life. The 5 chapters are, pre-high school, high school, Pitt, CMU, and now the new chapter, I don’t know how to define it, but I just know that a new chapter in my life is going to be starting.
I am going to miss all the people I have made friends with here at CMU. I never realized how many people I know until Friday till I happened to find myself in Wean Hall (handing in my 2 weeks notice) and I decided to stop by all the people I knew to say “hi”, and there were a lot of them.
Another thing that is happening with this chapter change in my life. Well first some history, I have always wanted to play an instrument. I have tried the piano 3 times in my life, and well never learned it. Well the other day I was in the Irish Design Center and saw an Irish Tin Whistle. It looked simpler then the piano, so I thought what the heck I will give it a try. I have a friend Wendy who runs the Flute Academy here in Pittsburgh. She was able to find a teacher for me, at a reasonable price. So last Saturday at 8:30am I had my first lesson.
Finally one new thing for me here, is that all of these new life changes kind of dictate I need to be away earlier in the day, and be at places around 8:30am. So I have to change my sleeping habits. So the way I read this, no more staying up till midnight and getting up at 8am, so I am thinking of making the time I head to bed to be 10pm and getting up at about 6 or 6:30am.
So basically what I am saying in this post, is that I am looking at a new chapter in my life, and the one I am in right now will be coming to an end on the 17th, I guess I will just think of the 18th and the 19th blank page between the 2 chapters of my life. Well, on to new things, I will always remember my time here at CMU with fondness, I will miss it, but times change and we must be willing to change with them. I once had a teacher back in the 8th grade that said that those that don’t change are either dead or stupid.