Long Time, No Blog

Well, alot has happened since my last entry, and it is time to share. A job prospect I have been working on for months finally came through a couple weeks ago, and I have accepted a position as a Systems Engineer with a software consulting company in Virginia. At first, I will be working in downtown D.C. (just 4 blocks from the White House!), but hope to be transferred out to another project at the Reston office after a few months.

With this turn of events, we have had to abandon our house hunt. I suppose it was fortunate, then, that none of the offers we put in were accepted! We have secured an apartment in Herndon, and are currently working out the details of the move. This is a really great event, since I have been dying to move out of this godforsaken state since 1997!

We have moved over to my wife's parents' house in Windermere temporarily until we make the move. Fortunately we had already packed all our stuff away and put it in storage, so we have already done half the work! The kids are looking forward to living somewhere where it snows, and I am simply looking forward to living somewhere that is not Florida!

I will keep you posted?

Can't We All Just Get Along?

I was hoping I would find this essay. I wrote the following just 10 days after 9/11, on September 21, 2001, at a time when the brutal terrorist attacks were not a fading memory, but a present reality. I was annoyed at all the prejudices that were arising toward Muslims and Arab-Americans just because the terrorist attackers had been of Middle-Eastern heritage. Anyway, I decided to do what any passive-aggressive political activist does: write about it.

“Can’t We All Just Get Along?”
An Essay of Reflection on the Events of September 11, 2001

In light of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and with the horrific images still so fresh in our minds, this may seem like an unreasonable request.

There has been much debate over the level of apprehension and increased prejudices being exhibited by the American populace since the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York and accompanying attack on Washington D.C. News stories have been pouring in about hate crimes against Arab-Americans, from the burning of Muslim mosques and vandalism of Muslim homes and businesses, to physical assault and even murder. It is as if we as a society have been returned to the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1945, when Japanese-Americans were being rounded up and detained in concentration camps. This is simply ignorance showing its worst face.

The fact of the matter is that, in the words of our President, “The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends. It is not our many Arab friends.” The Enemy here is “a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them.” These religious fanatics represent only a very small knot of humanity who have taken it upon themselves to attack the ideals for which America (and most of the world, for that matter) stands: peace, tolerance, equality, and above all, freedom.

We must face the reality that we are all human. The old adage “You can’t judge a book by its cover” has never been more true that it is today. Given the number of people in the United States, and the number of would-be terrorists residing in our country, the odds are overwhelmingly in any one person’s favor that they will never personally encounter a terrorist.

I have found that in the days and weeks following the tragedy, I have been going out of my way to be friendly to people who appear to be of Middle-Eastern origin. The reason also lies with the statistic mentioned above. I am certain that the majority of Arab-Americans in this country are feeling at least somewhat uncomfortable right now, considering all the reported prejudices against their race. I know I would be. It is therefore far more likely that by smiling and saying “hello”, I will be making an uncomfortable person’s day just a little bit brighter than that I will be making friends with a terrorist.

Come on people, wake up and smell the numbers! Not all people whose features and appearance seem to reflect a Middle-Eastern origin are out to destroy America. Chances are you will probably never come in contact with anyone who is in your lifetime.

One virtue that is rarely mentioned along with those that were attacked on September 11 is TRUST. America’s trust must not be broken by this tragedy. All Americans, black, white, Asian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim, must band together and trust one another in order to persevere through this time of conflict.

The President asked for the nation’s prayers in a public address to Congress, and described the coming battle against terrorism this way:

“The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.”

Never has a U.S. President made such a poignant, decisive statement about the position of our nation. This is an ongoing moral conflict that can only end in success. The true victor, however, will not be a single country. It will be the individuals who fully comprehend the breadth of the issues at hand, and have chosen to uphold all of them, not just the ones we sing about in patriotic songs. We can be confident that the war will be won, but many battles may be lost if we do not put prejudice, fear, and hatred of our fellow-Americans behind us. If divided we stand, together we fall. America must stand united now.

The bulk of the essay still rings true today, though hopefully some of the unfounded biases that were rearing their ugly heads at the time have at least partially subsided.

When One Door Closes...

Well, we got final word today that the sellers of the home we were interested in have accepted another offer. But it's ok; they were beginning to annoy me anyway, stringing us along for the long 4th of July weekend while we could have been looking at other homes, while they fished for a better offer. We already picked out several other homes we want to look at and our Realtor will be sending us a fresh list from the MLS later today. Oh, goody! More house-hunting! :|

Beyond Infinity...

Well, as if 1 Blog wasn't enough, I have started a 2nd one devoted specifically to space enthusiast postings! Check it out here.

Progress?

Well, the seller agreed to not accept the other offer that was on the table until we produce a deposit next Tuesday. At that time, they'll make their final decision. But my Realtor thinks since they are willing to wait, it is very likely that they will accept the offer once the money is in escrow. We will see...

And Thus Begins an Incredible Journey

Yeah. So for my first Blog post, I didn't want to do any of that silly "This is a test." bullsh**. I mean, if you're reading my blog, you obviously want to read something meaningful and at least remotely interesting, not some incoherant babble about a "test" or the "Lorem ipsum", right? I used to keep a journal many moons ago, and it got me in some mighty deep sh** when one of my "friends" decided it would be a clever idea to steal it out of my desk at school and run photocopies for mass distribution. My social life was quite lovely the following year. These blogs seem to me kinda like online journals that you don't mind everyone reading, but who knows? This one might get me in some trouble, too. I'll just have to be careful...

Anyway, I am a 25 year old, devastatingly attractive male. Not that it matters, as I am hopelessly devoted to my wife of almost 8 (yes, 8) years. We have 2 little monster... um..., I mean children at home that keep us insanely busy most of the time. I am a Software Engineer with a small consulting firm doing work for the Timeshare/Tourism industry. The environment has it's annoyances, but most do. At least in most ways it is better than the last 2 places I've worked, and it keeps bread on the table.

I'm looking at houses right now. It is a pain dealing with all the people (Realtors, Mtg. Broker, etc.), but I think it is better working through a Realtor than last time when we did a Buy Owner kinda thing. We have an offer in on a very nice home in Apopka right now, and are waiting to see what the seller has to say about it. They are supposed to tell us one way or the other by 4pm today, so I'll keep you posted.

I'll close for now. Just remember: Keep your feet on the ground, but keep reaching for the stars!

- Esty