I’m now in week two of my new job with Predictive Systems, and the jury is still out. I enjoy the work I am doing and I like the people I am working with, but the commuting from Raleigh is getting a little old, and I haven’t done it that much.

I am working for a company called Qwest Communications that provides data services across the country. There are over 14 people on my project, with eight more upstairs on another project, so it is quite a difference from Strategic. Qwest is located in Ballston, which is some sort of suburb of Arlington, Virginia, but the Qwest building is right next to a Metro stop as well as a large mall (called, get this, Ballston Commons).

I think I will learn to like this job once a) I am a little more comfortable with the solutions and processes the company uses, and b) they follow through on the commitment to let me work from home at least part of the time. I am here Monday through Friday for the first four weeks, and then I go to Monday through Thursday. My hope is to get to Tuesday through Thursday. Three days out – I can do three days out.

They set me up with a pager and a laptop right away, so in that regard they are very organized. They laptop is not bad, although not as powerful as the one I had at Strategic. It is, however, much lighter than that ten pound monster was, so it is much easier to lug around (which I do quite a bit, now).

I had though that there were more and better restaurants in the area, but it seems that this is a business district where most of the diners are geared towards lunch. When I travel I seem to eat a lot of sushi and pizza – sushi per my choice and pizza due to the client and co-workers. I have eaten no less than four times at Pizzeria Uno which is about a block away. It has decent food but horrible, horrible service.

There is a sushi restaurant in the food court at the mall, but since I lean towards those places that take VISA I decided to go to a restaurant nearby called Sushi-Zen. The food wasn’t bad, but the cab ride there and back ran $12, so it sort of defeats the purpose of going out of the way to use a credit card.

I was supposed to meet up with Howard and Jeannette Deshong tonight. They live in Arlington which is about a 30 minute train ride from where I am. Unfortunately, I am too bushed, so I cancelled. We rescheduled for next Wednesday when I hope to go to a restaurant called Ardeo. Scott Gorsuch’s sister Cheryl manages the place, but I can~Rt find its phone number.

Anyway, I am sure that this job will lend itself to adventures, so keep your eye on this spot.