This past weekend I spent a lot of time with friends–finally. It can be hard to get everyone together, since we’re pretty much all commuters and live far away from each other, not to mention that people are usually working or Christmas shopping or otherwise busy. Anyway, we got our act together and had some fun.

On Friday, some of my friends and I drove out to Mitsuwa and Woodfield Mall. Mitsuwa is sort of an Asian marketplace out in Arlington Heights, which is about an hour away unless you’re driving with my leadfoot friend. It’s a grocery store, bookstore, food court and bakery all in one building, and it features goods that are mostly Japanese but there are some other Asian influences present as well. I had only been there once before on a trip with Japan Club my freshman year, so it was cool to be able to go back. I’m a cooking fanatic so I picked up some random groceries to use in my pursuit of the perfect pan noodle, which so far has been fruitless but will hopefully improve with authentic Asian ingredients. I also picked up some Men’s Pocky even though I am notably not a man.

Woodfield Mall was interesting since I’d never been there before. I heard that it’s the third largest mall in America or something like that, but I don’t know if that’s actually true. Anyway, we were there looking for Christmas presents but I didn’t find anything but a few stocking stuffers, so that was a bit of a disappointment. The highlight was probably the Teavana store, since we’re all tea snobs and enjoy sampling tea the way some people do wine tastings.

Then, on Sunday, a bunch of us went to Brunswick Zone, which is a lot more practical for a typical North Central student since it’s much closer to campus. It was sort of late and there was a waitlist to bowl, so we signed up and headed to the arcade to wait. We had so much fun there that we just skipped the bowling when our number came up. I think they have a pretty extensive arcade, especially since the bowling alley I usually go to at home has a couple arcade games and one crane machine and that’s pretty much it. We unfortunately didn’t get to do the laser tag (I’m still a bit incredulous that anybody could have enough space for laser tag in a bowling alley!) but did challenge each other in various games like Dance Dance Revolution, some thing with simulated drums, air hockey, driving and shooting games. It sounds kind of silly and childish, but we had a blast.

Anyway, I have less than a week of work left, and then CHRISTMAS. I still have tons of shopping to do, and at some point I need to get in to see the dentist and get a haircut and new highlights. Lots going on. Anyway, enough of that. See you all next week!

It’s that time again, people. You can tell that Christmas is coming because…

… We put the Christmas Tree up at my mom’s house this weekend. This year it’s in wintry colors, but for some reason Mom wanted to stick with the whimsical red tree topper:

… I’m starting to go “OH NO I STILL HAVE HALF MY SHOPPING TO DO.” I’m a bit of a procrastinator.

… The numbers on my credit card statement and bank statement are looking dangerously similar. To clarify: I am a huge proponent of college kids using credit cards to build good credit as long as you can pay off the full balance every month. I am usually really good about that, and for some reason my credit card company is very nice to me even though I have never paid them a dime in finance charges (or any charges, for that matter). I’m actually a bit worried because I think this Christmas season will be the first time I will have to carry a balance on the card. ANYWAY, back to the festivity:

… EVERYTHING COMES IN PEPPERMINT and I am happy about that. Yeah.

OK, OK, enough of that. In other news, we did get the information about our next rotations at work that I had been hoping for. As of the first of January, I will be working as a Database Administrator (DBA). I’m very happy with that, mostly because it isn’t one of the normal rotation options but I requested it specifically and they actually gave it to me. I know a little bit about database theory, but I was never really formally taught anything, so I’m curious as to what exactly the “administration” entails. As an added bonus, if I like it and make it a career, DBAs are among the best paid careers in IT.

There’s a lot to look forward to in addition to the new job. Starting this weekend I actually have plans for things to do besides random Christmas shopping and errands, so stay tuned for a more interesting life from yours truly. After next week I will be on break for real, because the office pretty much closes down between Christmas and New Year’s. I’m also excited for Winter Term, since I think I will have a particularly interesting set of classes. Not to mention that I have a few friends who have been studying abroad this last Fall Term and through break and I’ll be happy to have them back. So, hooray… lots of exciting stuff coming up! Don’t freeze out there in the meantime.

This weekend’s Christmas Walk was a lot of fun, even though it was hindered a little bit by inclement weather. We’ve barely had any snow or anything all season, but the one evening that we decide to spend a while outside, it’s pretty miserable. It snowed in the morning, but as the day went on it warmed up, so we ended up with freezing rain turning the snow into ice, not to mention a constant chilly drizzle.

Aside from that, though, it was quite lovely. Most of the businesses in the downtown area were open and gave out snacks and hot drinks to people passing through. There were trolleys running and a few horse-drawn carriages as well. After we walked through town, my family and I had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in town called Casa Margarita, which is a perennial favorite. On the way in, I snapped this picture of the city hall and a passing trolley (in the intersection):

Very festive!  La Grange isn’t anywhere near as big or busy as Chicago, but it has its own quaint charm.

Beyond that, it’s just more work for now.  My internship at International Truck and Engine goes year-round, so I keep working there even though the term is over.  We change jobs within the IT department every six months, and we’re due to switch at the beginning of January.  I’m really anxious to find out what my next position is going to be, but for now I’m working in Enterprise Architecture, which is a really fascinating branch of IT.

When people think “IT” and “Computer Science” they usually think about programming and tech support, but there’s a lot more to it, especially in a business environment.  Enterprise Architecture is more about studying and directing what technologies are worth pursuing for the whole business, so it’s much more cerebral than technical.  It still requires a very strong technical background, but generally it also requires many years of experience, so I’m not really qualified to be considered an architect.  That’s probably better for everyone, because I certainly don’t want to be the one making millions of dollars’ worth of investment recommendations at this early point in my professional career!  Instead, I do some technical work to support the rest of the team, such as doing research, drawing process models, and building simple applications to help them do their jobs.  It’s just as rewarding, since I can apply and develop the skills I already have while learning a lot about what they do.

This particular internship rotation has been excellent experience.  In our classes we learn the foundations of computer science, and Enterprise Architecture is a really unique way to apply what we’ve learned.  I wouldn’t mind working as an architect someday, but I have a lot more left to experience before I commit to anything.  Anyway, hopefully by next week they will announce the new rotations and I’ll know what I’m in for next.