IBM X: A Decade at IBM, But Is It Really Worth Celebrating?

Sunday will mark my 10-year-anniversary at IBM.  I don't talk about my job ever on my blog, but figured I'd describe my career at IBM so far, especially after this significant milestone.  10 years at the same company is a long time, and all before the age of 30.  But is it really something worth celebrating?  Grab a beer and let us reminisce and discuss.

 

I started my co-op (a.k.a. internship) at IBM exactly a decade ago when I was a young lad at the age of 19.  June 30th, 2003 was my first day.  I had just finished my sophomore year of college and was looking for a summer job, just something to keep me occupied, to put on my resume, and to make some extra cash so I could spend it during the school year.  As a student in computer engineering, I figured I'd apply to some local engineering corporations.  I applied to two places off the bat: Honeywell and IBM.  My interview at Honeywell was very short.  A couple of engineers met me in the lobby and described the job I'd be doing as writing up lab reports.  They asked me a few questions and after 20 minutes, I was on my way.  A few days later, I had an interview at IBM.  At IBM, I actually went inside their building and I met with several engineers from this team called Performance.  They showed me all the cool computers they had in the lab and I sat down with this jolly, older fellow named Sonny who talked to me for about 45 minutes about this thing called "disaster recovery".  My entire interview at IBM lasted about 2 hours and I was pretty certain if I had to pick between Honeywell and IBM, I would pick IBM in a heartbeat.  Later that week, I got offers from both IBM and Honeywell and I respectfully declined Honeywell and happily accepted IBM.

As a soon to be junior at the U of A, IBM paid me very well at about $19/hr.  Considering I came from being a courtesy clerk at Fry's making $5.50/hr and a file clerk at U-Haul making $6/hr, I was extremely happy with the pay.  My friend called me "Moneybags Andy" that summer since I was making so much more than everyone else.  The internship was originally intended to be just a summer job, but I guess IBM enjoyed my fellowship and contributions enough that they decided to keep me around part time during my junior and senior years of school.  I can still remember how challenging those years were for me to handle and it's amazing that I didn't just collapse from it all.  I was still averaging 16 units a semester in the college of Computer Engineering and trying to maintain 12-20 hours a week of part-time work at IBM.  I constantly found myself only getting about 4 hours of sleep on most nights, falling asleep in class, driving 20 minutes to and from the IBM office on school days, and sometimes falling asleep at work even with my coworkers right next to me.  Yet I was able to muscle through the tough times and come the end of my senior year, IBM decided that they wanted to have me join their workforce after I graduated, so my focus became solely on finishing college and getting my degree.  And so I started fulltime at IBM on May 11, 2005.

After working at IBM as a co-op for 2 years, I had saved up quite a bit of money in my bank account.  The year was 2005 and you may recall that it was a very popular time to purchase homes.  I can still remember all the people who suggested to me, "buy a house!"  I had the money to afford a home and at the time, I too thought it would be a good investment, it'd be a step up in a life, and so I set a 5-year plan: live in Tucson for 5 years at IBM and by then I can move on to something else.  So I ended up buying this 3-bedroom 2-bath house over on the west side of Tucson.  Of course, as you know by now, 2005 was close to the peak of the housing market that would ultimately crash several years later.  I now live in a house that's about 36% underwater with no possibility of selling it anytime soon.  Oh, and that 5-year plan is now going on year #8.  While it's depressing to think about, I'm okay with it since I like my house enough and it's perfect for me and Duncan.

At IBM, I was hired on the Performance team, mostly working the first several years on the DS8K product line.  Lately I have moved around a bit more, working on the SONAS storage system and the new FlashSystem.  I've spent my entire career here in Performance, which is not uncommon; some of my team members have been here for almost all of their career, 20 years+.  At IBM, I've had a chance to work with some amazing people both on my team and external to my department.  I consider myself a pretty social guy and have met so many IBMers through work, the softball, basketball, and bowling leagues, and even via the online gaming arena of StarCraft 2.  To me, the people at IBM have always been very friendly and laid back like myself and while not everyone fits this mold, most seem to.  I've learned a lot from all my colleagues, yet there is still one person who will always stand out in my mind: Ime.

Ime started at IBM a few years after I started and joined the Performance team here in Tucson.  Ime is a couple years older than me, but he befriended me immediately and he was someone I really looked up to.  No matter who thinks otherwise, at the age of 23 you are still very immature.  I was arrogant and felt I was mature and had everything figured out, but Ime really opened my eyes to a new way of embracing life and truly being a good person, not just acting like one.  If you didn't know Ime, he was a very charismatic person, but he was always thinking about how his actions and his personality affected the people around him.  He always maintained a cool, positive outlook on life and he was the kind of person everyone wanted to know and be friends with.  Sure, he was also 6'5", black, and the ladies deemed him "a beautiful man", but he was never arrogant and he never looked down on people.  He trusted you and respected you and if you gave him a reason not to, he'd just challenge you to be a better person instead of giving up on you.  Ime is a big reason I've become the amiable and remarkable person I am now.  While I personally came up with the phrase "Make It Happen" on my own, it was Ime's example that led me to that lifestyle and I am very thankful to him for teaching so much, perhaps more than he'll ever realize.  The culture and social network at IBM is definitely a big reason why I enjoy working here.

The work at IBM has always been very interesting yet challenging for me.  One of the aspects that first drew me to this company was the fact that I got to work so closely with the computer hardware that I benchmark.  The hands-on-experience is something that I love having access to, even on days when I'd rather not be in the office.  While the work is challenging, I feel like it is all within my abilities, or I'm fortunate that there are enough great minds to help me through the obstacles I encounter.  However, one of the biggest benefits I love from my particular job is the flexible schedule.  I am fortunate to work in a department that truly rates your performance on the results you deliver, not the hours you put into your work.  I have the opportunity to work my own hours and I have the option of working remotely.  This is not to say that I've never worked really late nights or weekends, but usually it's on me to decide when I need to work off-peak hours.  The flexible schedule really helps keep the stress level down, largely due to the fact that I can almost always get a full night of rest each day and I rarely feel like I've 'been at the office for too long'.  I almost never am stressed out from work to be honest and I think that only increases my productivity.  I also believe I can say that I cater my work around my lifestyle instead catering my lifestyle around my work, and that's not something many people can brag about.

One thing I will always have to thank IBM for is repairing my knee.  In the 2006 IBM Basketball League, I tore my ACL during a league game driving my way to the basket.  My knee was completely torn and surgery would be required to repair it.  However, because the injury happened in IBM Basketball League at a time where IBM was covering its employees playing in the league, I was able to claim Worker's Compensation. :) IBM's life insurance covered my arthroscopic surgery, covered 3 months worth of physical therapy, and I received "personal impairment" checks for 6 months.  I never saw a single bill on how much they spent on me, but I can only imagine that it was at least $40,000 in services.  IBM repaired my knee and ever since I've been able to play basketball again with no restraints, winning myself 2 championships and making finals appearances in 6 of my 8 years playing in IBM Basketball League.

IBM has allowed me to live the life I want to live, mostly due to the great schedule and the great pay (I think I am paid well and you can argue with me if you'd like).  Thus, I'm able to enjoy my social life, enjoy my extracurricular activities, enjoy traveling, and enjoy the luxuries of life since time and money are never an issue for me.  As for the city of Tucson, I really enjoy living here, but that's because I'm a simple man with simple needs.  To name a few things, I look forward to my sports leagues on certain days of the week, know exactly what days I'm going to work out at the gym, and I enjoy having the local bars and restaurants around here that I love.  I personally don't need to live in a big city, live by the beach or in the mountains to be happy; I feel like the city has enough for me.  One could say that my life here in Tucson is pretty much perfect, but that person would be lying.  There is obviously one big thing missing in my life, but I attribute it to the poor dating scene here in Tucson and the mentality of the women living here that just doesn't seem to match up with mine very often.  There aren't a lot of young professional women who are around my level in terms of age, career, and personality.  Or maybe there are and I've just been unlucky and haven't met anyone who like that yet!  In my past 10 years in Tucson I've never met anyone I could have a serious relationship with and perhaps I wouldn't have so few options if I were living in a bigger city with more women who match up well with me.

So in the end, a decade of my life has passed.  I've spent 10 years at IBM and living in Tucson.  Now the question is, "Is my 10-year anniversary at IBM worth celebrating?"  The answer is a no-brainer: "Absolutely!"  I am very happy with my life and the person I've become.  I have a great career and a great reputation and if possible, I would love to retire with IBM.  I am never stressed out from work, which only makes my a happier person to be and be around.  I have met so many great people at IBM and in Tucson and have more friends than I can make time for.  I make more than my single ass can spend on my own.  While I've somewhat sacrificed my lovelife to live and work here, I have no regrets about that and will continue to work here for as long as I can.  Thanks IBM for everything you've provided for me so far and I can only hope to continue on towards a great future!

Now I'm gonna go out, drink my ass off, and celebrate...because I can! WOOOOOO!! IBM X!!!

Lexus IS 250/350: How to Replace the Cruise Control Lever

One day my cruise control lever broke when I accidentally pressed it downward too hard.  The shaft snapped in half and I was forced to take it apart with just the bare wires hanging since it would flop around every time I turned the wheel otherwise.

I asked the Lexus dealer how much it would cost me to have them fix it and they wanted $150 for the part and $175 for labor, bringing the grand total to a whopping $325!  That seemed like a lot to pay for such a simple part that theoretically still worked, so I explored my Do-It-Yourself options and what I found only cost me $85 for the part!

How-To Guide: Replacing the Cruise Control Lever on a Lexus IS250/350
Note: My car is the 2006 IS250 model, not sure if newer models are different.
DISCLAIMER: If you follow my guide to fix your cruise control lever, you do so at your own risk. I am not liable for any resulting damage, injury, or expense. I am not a professional mechanic in any sense and this guide is solely for informational purposes. 

PURCHASE PART ONLINE:
-Adaptive Cruise Control Lever #CCA1022 (~$85 after shipping at rockauto.com)
 

STEP 1:
Disconnect the car battery.  This is a safety precaution obviously!

STEP 2: 
Locate the side panels on each side of your steering wheel and pop them off gently with a knife

 
Use a special screwdriver to unscrew the fastener that keeps the front panel / airbag in place.

STEP 3:

Carefully lift the front panel / airbag and set it above your steering wheel.  I didn't have to disconnect the airbag to access the cruise control lever and I imagine you shouldn't unless you absolutely need to.

Unscrew the two screws holding the cruise control lever onto the wheel and remove the old piece.  All that will remain is the electrical connector.

Connect your new cruise control lever and then put everything back together!  Don't forget to reconnect your battery too!

This literally took me like 15 minutes to execute but it was my first time (and hopefully the last since I will be more gentle when I set my my cruise control from now on)!

MORE LEXUS IS250/350 GUIDES BY ANDY:
Lexus IS 250/350: How to Perform an Oil Change

Tucson APA 8-Ball City Tournament!

NEW UPDATE!

You may recall back in April I blogged about a bunch of the sports I was currently competing in.  While IBM basketball league didn't fair so well and I failed to make the finals for just the 2nd time in 8 years, today I am here to write to you about the upcoming city tournament for my pool league!

Back in April, my Tuesday night 8-ball team (nicknamed "The Dollar Menu") was fighting for 1st place overall and it came down pretty much to the last night, but we were victorious and we won the session as well as a bid into the Tri-Cup tournament.  That tournament actually occurred over Memorial Day Weekend while I was in New Orleans, but fortunately my team did well enough without me to qualify for the City Tournament, where the winners will have a chance to play in Vegas!

Below you will find the bracket.  I'm really excited to play in something like this, although it could encompass the entire weekend, depending on how we do.  Wish us luck!  Who could of thought a bunch of beginner type players could make it this far in just their first year of APA pool league!?

TOURNAMENT RESULTS:

On Friday night, our team played The Outlawz.  I put players up mostly based on how they were feeling that night, but as team captain I'm still very strategic in the order and matchups I want my players to get.  Unfortunately, every player I sent up that night against this team lost, and we found ourselves in the losers bracket coming back Saturday afternoon.

 

Our next match was Saturday at 2:30pm.  As team captain, I'm always an advocate of trying to give every player a chance to play in the tournament, so I put up 2 new players against team South Tucson Deadstrokes (yes, STDs lol).  The two players I sent up lost and our team quickly found ourselves down 0-2, 1 loss away from tournament elimination.  I hadn't played my strongest player Erica yet, and while most captains would probably do so here, I decided at that point that I just wanted a chance to play since I hadn't yet.  I ended up playing a 5 (I'm a 3, but don't forget I was Top-Gun in city last year...if they had a Top Gun for city).  I ended up "Racklessing" the guy 2-0 (that's where they don't get a chance to break a rack).  I was happy that team finally won a match, but the news I heard next would be most surprising.  Apparently the other team had to forfeit the final two matches because their 4th player was already playing in a different match and their 5th was never going to show up to begin with.  So we ended up advancing to the next round!  It was super lucky on my part that we advanced, since had I played Erica instead where she would have to win more games, that 4th player might've been able to play after all.  Nonetheless, we took the win and stayed for our 7pm matchup against Yup!.

 

For the 7pm match I continued to strategize, still trying to pick each matchup to give our team the best chance to win.  Chris ended up winning the first match and there was one player left on our team who had not played all weekend, so I let Vanessa play the 2nd game in a 3-2 race.  She ended up winning as well!  And for the final match I put up Tyler against a 6 (because I wanted to save Erica for later if needed), but Tyler ended up winning as well, so we went 3-0 and advanced to Sunday!

 

After a late night of partying Saturday night, I headed back to Clicks on Sunday around 11 to find that Anthony had lost the first match against team 8 Balls of Fire.  He was pretty exhausted all weekend from having to drive from Vegas just days earlier and wasn't playing well throughout most of the tournament.  I put Erica up next so she could go to work for a few hours and she solidly won her matchup.  The next player was a 3, but I knew she was a Top Gun for her tier in her league, so I put myself up.  It was a good battle but I ended up taking that match and Chris took the next so we won 3-1 and found ourselves in the semifinals!

 

At 2:30pm we found ourselves against The Outlawz once again.  This time I threw new players at them they had not seen before and we started out even at 1-1.  I put Erica up against a 4, but their 4 played very well and was able to steal that match from our team. :( Tyler was up 4th and found himself up against another strong 4 that ended up winning and taking the series 1-3.  I was left on the bench but was saving myself for the possible sudden death match. :/

 

All in all, I was really proud of my team and how far we came, just series away from Vegas in our first year playing pool league.  We're still getting better and I'm sure we'll have more chances in future years if we all stay together.  We're already on our way as we're in 1st place again this session through 5 weeks.  The APA city tournament was a lot of fun and I'm glad I could be a part of it; I love competing!!!

New Orleans - An Amazing City!

Over the Memorial holiday weekend, I went New Orleans with Mike and a bunch of his east coast friends.  Let me tell you about this AMAZING city that I've always wanted to go check out!

Mike and his friends got in on Wednesday, but I elected to leave on Thursday morning because I have IBM Basketball League on Wednesday nights. :) Anyway, I booked a 5am flight out of Tucson that would put me in New Orleans by noon on Thursday.  Running on 5 hours of broken airline sleep, I landed in New Orleans at the same time as two other couples: Steve and Sarah from D.C. and Sam and Steph from New York. (Yes, I joked about them all having names starting with S.)  The five of us caught a cab to town and got Deanie's for lunch since the others had already eaten.  Deanie's had some delicious crawfish boil...I got 2 pounds worth LOL. :)  I enjoyed it so much that I would actually end up getting this on the last day before I flew back home.

After Deanie's, we all met up on Bourbon street, which was within walking distance from our hotel.  Bourbon street is the most popular street in New Orleans for bars and partying.  It's where you get to see drunk girls make fools of themselves and flash their boobies for beads.  And yes, I saw 3 pairs of nice tits on this trip just as I was walking along the street. :P Thursday ended up being pretty crazy.  We kicked off the afternoon with some very strong Hand Grenades (imagine a frozen, lime skittle flavored drink made with Everclear).  We then went to Pat O'Brien's and Mike introduced us to this $120 mega-huge drink that we all shared.  The glass is so large that it requires a $75 deposit as well.  It tasted kind of like sangria, and I hear there were about 40 shots of vodka in it, ha!

The drinks in New Orleans are very strong! And when I say that, it's almost an understatement.  By nighttime, everyone in our group was super wasted and we ended up actually forgetting to eat dinner.  I remember stopping by some pizza shop on the street and eating some delicious Buffalo Wing Pizza.  Around 8pm, my shorts were stained red from the frozen mixed drinks that we had been drinking, and I actually got lost in all the bar-hopping.  There's actually a hilarious sequence of text messages between me and Mike when I got lost.

What I loved the most about this trip were the people and their mentality.  Everyone in our group wanted to have a good time and we all got very drunk to the same level.  We all know that sometimes it gets annoying when your friend is drunk and your sober or vice-versa, but everyone was just wasted every night we were out.  It was my kind of group, one that could actually keep up for a change! :) I mean, New Orleans was the first city where I ever saw a 3-for-1 special.  3-for-1!!!  That blew my mind and I just had to order 6 beers at a time! :P

When we weren't out drinking or eating, we tried to do some other touristy things.  On Friday we took an airboat tour in the bayous surrounding Lake Salvador.  We actually had plans to start the tour at 1pm, but that tour ended up getting rained out.  We were contemplating whether it was worth staying for the 4pm tour, but it totally was!  The first time our guide caught a gator and brought him onto our boat, I was a little nervous, especially since I was in the front row.  But I got a ton of great pictures of the swamps and marshes, and I got to hold the guide's pet alligator.  This tour was well worth the wait and the $75 it costs.

Saturday was more of relaxing day where we tried to check out any parts of New Orleans that we had not had a chance to visit.  This included going down to the French Market, playing so craps at the casino, and drinking on Frenchman Street.  All in all, it was a great trip and I'm really glad I went.  There were 15 of us total and for the most part we tried to stay together and there wasn't a bunch of drama, just a bunch of fun stories. :)  If you ever do get the chance to go to New Orleans, I would highly recommend Deanie's Seafood, Felix's Restaurant, and Willie's Chicken Shack as must-visit food places.  I really wanted to try Acme Oyster House and the beignets at Cafe du Monde, but couldn't because the wait was always so long...it's better to try and go to those places during the week before the weekends get packed with tourists.  I can't wait to go back to New Orleans and I will definitely go back again as it is now one of my favorite cities to visit!