It’s been a fabulous week since my last posting! I wanted to write this last weekend, but I’m glad I held off because it’s a little more exciting to hear the good news rather than speculation on good news!

From the looks of things, I’ll be heading to Houston, TX sometime this summer to start work for ExxonMobil! I don’t know if I could be happier at this point with this opportunity… Back in the Fall I was a little hesitant to head down there since I felt I could head home with a lady friend and be closer to family and the culture I love in Chicago, but now that I’m single (for now) Houston’s singles wards are appealing. Oh, and the biggest factor is that Jason and Erin are going to be down there, so I have psuedo-family in the area. I have plenty of other friends working for Exxon, but with Jason and Erin there I feel 100% comfortable transplanting myself and making the big move.

Some of the things I love about ExxonMobil:

• I can change jobs w/i the company - I don’t have to go on a major job search when I get tired of what I’m doing and I want to try something new
• They spend a LOT of money on IT, so I know I will have plenty to work with and I won’t be struggling to find resources like if I worked at a smaller organization
• The pay and benefits are SICK! My starting salary is right up there with some of the highest I’ve heard friends from across the country getting, and the 401k and pension plans aren’t anything to scoff at either.
• They have a vested interest in making sure I’m happy and that I have everything I need. They despise turnover, so they’ll make sure I am trained, content with my job, and moving in directions I want to go.

Added benefits:

• It’s very possible I could be moving into my first home w/i a year’s time. This will most likely depend on whether or not I get married anytime soon, because I’d rather rent and save if I’m single - but the option is definitely a possibility since the cost of living is significantly lower.
• The weather in Houston will let me play year round! I certainly love the snow, but at about this point in January I really wish I had the warm weather back so that I could be sitting on the front porch, playing outdoors, and walking to school w/o feeling like my arms are going to fall off!
• I mentioned this before, but having a strong support base in the area will be GREAT! I have several friends down there who I am excited to be working with and living around.

There are other things to definitely be excited about, but those are some of the bigs ones.

In other news, we’ve had a lot of fun around here recently. Last Saturday we held our first annual (and possibly last) Prohibition Remembrance Day party! We had the house filled with root beer, apple beer, nacho dip, and fun lovin’ Mormon kids! Honestly, it was a ton of fun. We read about the Prohibition Amendment, it’s sad demise, and how Utah blew it for the rest of the country (tsk tsk…).

My buddy Kevin hosted the party with me. Talk about a good kid! You’d be hard pressed not to think he’s great, I’ll leave it at that… I met a bunch of his friends, including a young lady who may or may not have caught my fancy… HA!

Oh, and here’s a picture just to give you idea of how much non-alcohol was consumed…

So, it’s about time to do a little house cleaning.  The blog has a new sexy look, new pics are uploaded, and the main webpage is updated with a new main image.  I’m getting a little better with Photoshop, so I’m pleased with how that is going.  Otherwise, I really have no idea what else I want to use the website for right now.  As mentioned in a previous post, I think the blog and site will take on greater value once I’ve gotten married and started a family, but I’m a few steps away from that still.

Over the Holidays I setup new email accounts using the rosenbaugh.com domain.  Hopefully my family members are enjoying email with Jeff as their provider.  :)  In general though, it’s nice to have an email address that will give me a little more flexibility, that is not tied to BYU or another organization I am a part of.  I’m also really happy with the discussion lists that DreamHost lets me setup.  I’ve setup a family distribution list so that an email will go out to all of us by shooting off a single message.  Again, it’s not of super high importance right now, but as the family grows it could be a pretty handle tool.

I’m flying out to Houston to interview with ExxonMobil next week, and I’m pretty excited.  It should be a really fun time, and I’m really hopeful that this pans out.  I originally received an offer from  Accenture (who I 100% recommend for those interested), but I felt very uncomfortable with making a decision that would take me back to Chicago now that I’m not planning on getting married in April.  Houston has a great singles scene, and the pay at Exxon is fabulous.  So, all things considered, this is a really good possibility.  My buddy, Bradford, who is hosting me has had a perfect record in his hostees receiving offers, so I hope that correlates to good things!

I’m picking up dating again.  I still love Britt, but she has most certainly moved on and away from me, so I guess it’s my turn as well.  A couple of unsuccessful dates has made me a little sad, but life goes on, right?  We’ll be having a party here at the house next weekend (after my interview trip), and I’m planning on meeting some people then.  I tell you what though, getting over a relationship like the one Brittany and I had is a difficult adventure.  Things weren’t perfect, but they were pretty dang good, and I still have yet to learn how to emotionally detach myself from those I love (ask all my friends from 10 years ago who still get emails though we haven’t seen each other in a decade).

Anyway, I’ll keep things going on here.  Life is going to get interesting soon, so I’m sure I’ll have plenty to share.

So, I’m contemplating turning this into a family blog. I’ve been using it for personal purposes and to write about new thoughts on technology and such, but I feel it may be of better use as a personal family blog where each member of my family can post things.

Just a thought.

I know it will kill my readership, but since I barely write at this point, will anyone really care? If my family actually uses it then it could become pretty helpful and fun for all of us. If my family rejects the idea, then it’s a completely wasted experiment. I suppose taking a straw poll would be the best way to see what the interest level will be.

In all honesty, my major hang up is that I feel like it’s an all or nothing switch. Perhaps I should put up a separate blog somewhere? I feel like since this is www.rosenbaugh.com that it shouldn’t just be Jeff’s Personal Writing space… But then again, I’m the one who is going to use it most, right?

Perhaps I should wait until I have a family of my own… So many things to contemplate on how I should use this space.

This probably doesn’t come to a huge surprise to those who know me super well, but I have a pretty insatiable love of video games… It’s not like I really spend very much time playing them, but for some reason the really play to my imagination. I’m not talking about Grand Theft Auto or World of Warcraft (don’t get me started on the ridiculousness of both of those games), but when I talk of video games I’m talking about the Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Smash Bros., and Guitar Hero - games that are FUN and generally have a good story (come on, who doesn’t want to lead a quest to become a Guitar Hero?!).

Anyway, not only do I like games, but I am constantly humored by video game comics (see Penny Arcade), stunts (see Mega64), and random odes to formal gaming glory:

Come on, who doesn’t find that awesome?But seriously, the more I get to know myself the more I realize that I really am a kid at heart and I don’t want that to change. I find simple humor humorous, I find simple pleasures pleasing, and I find great story telling fascinating (you didn’t think I was going to pull a poem out on you, did you?).I think that’s really what gets me - the great story telling. I’ve been spending a lot of time reading this summer, and I honestly have been all over the young adult fiction. Those authors REALLY know how to create complete worlds of intrigue and excitement. I should probably read the Lord of the Rings books to get a more adult example of that, but the point is that the great story telling really keeps me engaged.

Say what you will about gaming and gamers, but I officially accept my nerd-dom when it comes to gaming. I can’t WAIT for Mario Galaxy or Smash Bros. Brawl!!!