Malroth's Domain: 2007年1月

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1月11日

Poker addiction

Dana got a taste of poker a month or two ago, and she has taken it to heart as she is wont to do :). We play no limit Texas Hold 'em with our friends an average of once per week now (usually for 5 to 10 bucks a person), and I'm finally starting to suck a little bit less.

We played in earnest while back in PA for the holidays. A game started each night with at least 5 people (Dana, Bob, Jamin, and I were the constant participants). I won twice, got second once, and got destroyed 2 other times. Some fun notes:

One of my wins came against Dana, when I hit two runners for a full house. She was not happy:

Josh: K,Q
Dana: 2,2
Board: K, 2, J, K, Q

Jamin and I both made strong cases for ourselves as the Greatest Dealer in the World. Just ask us ;)!
I need to keep an even temper in order to succeed. My biggest mistakes occur when I get frustrated, bored, or start winning too early.
A set of 9s does not beat two flopped 9-Q straights, even if 3 people go in on the SECOND HAND. Thanks Shawn...
Bob and Jamin once again coin a genius phrase: "Akbar is all over that hand." Don't get it? Here's a hint: "It's a trap!"

Anyway, the experience at home seemed to help me (at least in keeping an even head throughout). I've won two out of two poker games since returning to WA. Either that or I am just getting lucky :).

EAGLES!

The Eagles won a close game against the Giants last Sunday. It came down to a last second field goal, and let me just say that I'm glad we have our professional holder Koy Detmer back. No Tony Romo shenanigans for us! I should get my old Ty Detmer jersey out, replace the 4 with a 0, and wear it proudly :).

One thing I did learn this season is that the Eagles have a new nemesis: Plaxico Burress. If he stays on the Giants, it seems like he'll haunt us for a while. He has been the Giants lone bright spot in their games against us lately and simply carries Eli and the rest of the passing game.

This week, it's New Orleans (my pick for the NFC champs since I jumped onto their bandwagon midseason). Despite this, I will of course root for the Eagles. Should be a good game, and I think the winner of this one definitely makes the Super Bowl over the incredibly average Seahawks or the regularly lucky Bears.

Josh is the Boss

Desire and opportunity finally coincided at work, resulting in my first foray into a leadership role. As of December, I've been leading a team of 5 people testing the Javascript APIs in HD DVD. I've been one of the technical leaders on the HD DVD test team since joining it last summer, so some of this isn't new. People already came to me often for advice, my voice was often heard in larger group discussions, and for many things I was calling my own shots. I've been interested in trying out a lead position for a while now, but hadn't gotten the recognition or opportunity required to take the step. I'm not sure yet whether management is for me (I will give this at least a year and probably two before deciding), but I've seen the following pros and cons so far:

Pros

Responsibility and influence in the team increases
You are directly responsible for overseeing others' work. This is important because I can now tell people to do/fix/change things with direct authority, instead of as a strong suggestion.
For people like me who are smart but not uber-technical, it is a quicker and more effective way to expand your scope of influence than technical leadership
You learn things earlier and are generally less "in the dark."

Cons

Your schedule gets packed with meetings. More planning meetings, more 1:1 meetings...it's really quite a lot. My mouth gets very dry on Wednesday especially due to all of the talking!
You have a lot more on your mind. As an individual contributor, you can sometimes bury yourself in a single project if that's required (even if you generally need to watch out for other stuff). As a lead, you can't afford to do that. Thanks you Outlook and OneNote for helping me stay sane!
Recruiting. I haven't yet gotten the hang of having other peoples' future employment on my conscience.
Review time is very busy. So much to read and write!

Overall it's been a good and definitely informative experience so far!

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