I keep going... and going... and going...

this is crazy... my net income at Bungie has now surpassed my gross income in Michigan!!! this is exciting.... I mean... I work a ton of hours...and it seems like every week they come up with longer shifts for us... as of now it looks like I'm working 72 hours next week... (starting tomorrow)... it just seems like every week my paycheck gets bigger... I love it... but hate not having a life... but I love it anyway.

but I guess I'll need all the money I can get... I don't know how much longer I'll have luck with the Astro... it's still running fine... but it just passed 191,000 miles... and the windows are starting to act up a little... but it runs!

I don't know what kind of car I'll be able to afford, but I'm sure I will figure something out. I guess the next thing I need to keep in mind is that my last check from Bungie might be coming as soon as the 23rd of this month, and unlike some of my friends who were able to go v- (vendor... I'm an a- for umm... who knows... it means I have to take a 100 day break from MS every 365 days I work as MS so they can keep me as temporary... a v- stays until the end of the project.)...

other than that... Jaani and I have the house to ourselves this weekend. which kinda sucks for Jaani... he has to stay all by himself... all alone... all day while I'm at work tomorrow... he only had to stay alone for 2 1/2 hours today... and sunday Ev said she will be home by mid day...

Official word says that Ev starts work on Monday. At around 8:30AM... which works out perfect for me to drop her off... I need to be passing through Renton at about that time in order to get my breakfast on my way to work... seeing how I don't take the bus anymore... I guess I would make her take the bus if I didn't drive right past her work every day... I can actually read the sign on the building as I drive by... In the end it means I have to leave about five or ten minutes earlier...

(to the tune of Montey Python's lumberjack song...)
so...
I'm a game tester and I'm OK,
I sleep sometimes and I work all day,
I go to work,
I type a lot,
I like to break halo,
and if I could have my way,
we'd never make release...

well, anyway... that's the jist of how my life is not changing at the same time that it is changing constantly... so, I guess I'll say goodnight! I need to get some sleep...

Later,
SteveO

Work update...

I Broke it!!! That's right, Tuesday they sent me home with a dev kit... and it was good. My DevKit, Wireless controller, Headset, and some Everclear (190 proof) on the side, and I'm ready to start testing!

the plus side is I now get to play Halo 3 from home at night... the down side is that means I work 12 hours 2 days a week.... between that and weekends now being extended, I work about 74 hours a week... it's kinda crazy...

Although today I had most of the day off... I was requested to take a dev kit home because Tuesday I set up Internet Connection Sharing to allow my Dav Kit to connect to my wireless internet connection. Between the other 3 wireless networks, being underneath the flight path for Sea-Tac airport, my connection got a continual random packet loss of 5% with a periodic random packet loss that spiked at 45% every 15 minutes... in other words a huge chunk of what the dev kit was saying to Xbox Live got lost... kinda like when you get a bad connection on your cell phone and you have to keep repeating youself... except because you're giving instruction to deal with something happening in real time, my box would do some funky things... that which I cannot publish online.

It was great. That combined with the feeling of being trusted to take home (and return) an $8,000 piece of equipment (with a black market value of well over $10,000) makes me feel like I'm moving up in the world.

it makes me feel even better about working so many hours...

but the project is coming along.... work is good... my co-workers rock!

I am never home... ever. I work so many hours that I think I would go crazy if I had to take the bus every day... Ev starts work on Tuesday... and is going to her mom's house until her step dad returns on Sunday...

I feel like I'm being recognized as someone of great talent in the view of industry leaders! Which may or may not be true, but I finally started having intelligent conversations with my managers... basically because I stopped being afraid to express my opinion. I'm learning a lot about the tech industry, and I think I have a lot I can offer. I found out one of the guys I talk to all the time on my breaks (because he vacations in Michigan and went to U of M) is the studio lead. He is in charge of Bungie... where the buck stops.

anyway... I must go to bed. g'night!

Later,
SteveO

Best goodbye ever!

The best farewell email ever!

 

Today is the last day for one of my co-workers, and he wrote this letter and sent it to all his managers, and people of the freezer... basically about half of the people at Bungie... it was the best

 

 

There are a lot of inside jokes, but this is what he wrote:

 

 

Unlike many people, I don’t go for the short goodbye. I like to ramble on, and draw it out, veiled in drama, and separated by lots of commas.

 

So it begins.

Or ends.

Or both.

D) All of the above

 

This was a spectacular year; I learned far more during this 1 year at Bungie than I have 3’ish years at MGS. During my stay, I met many great people, who turned into great coworkers, and for some, great friends. The project, people, and atmosphere did a ton to make this the first project that I’ve grown attached to. Working in the freezer was great… if a bit chilly at first J Over time, the freezer became more and more the central hub of network testing and NEW servers. New faces joined our ranks, and it really became a small world of its own. A combination of networking bonanza, social experiment, and reality TV. The micro-culture of the freezer made working here quite possibly the best job experience I’ve had. We nerded out; talking about Halo3, other games, ideas, bugs, programming, new technologies, star wars references, etc.;  we strung network cables in insane ways to run tests (and didn’t bridge networks! Woot!), had freedom to learn things beyond the required, and spread the love. And by love, I mean deep loathing. It was a cruel world in which only the black hearted survived. Ahhh yes, it was a glorious place. I’ll miss it, and I doubt any other job can recreate that atmosphere. Thank you guys for the great experience, I’ll miss all of you. Well. Most of you.

 

Outside of the freezer, there was the dynamic of interacting with some of the coolest guys I’ve met. The developers and designers willing to take time to discuss the game; the inner workings and implementations, what we liked, and what we disliked. They didn’t hold themselves above us, and were very receptive to our feedback. You guys are a huge reason many of the test crew work so hard, and are willing to go that extra mile in working on those bugs you guys ask about. To you, I give my utmost respect and thanks. (And special thanks further down!)

 

Alas, all good things must come to an end. My contract has ran its full year and I must flee into the night, banished for 100 days. Good thing I made the game as perfect as I could before I must leave ;) I’m sad that I won’t be there for the grand parade as the game goes out the door, but on the bright side, I can’t wait to see it hit shelves and pick up my copy. Not only do I expect it to be a great game, but it’ll be a constant reminder of my awesome days at Bungie. Good luck in the crunch, and hang in there, you’re almost done!

 

See ya ‘round,

Andrew Belousek

 

 

Should you ever need to harass me (aka Contact Info) :

Email: *******@gmail.com

Cell: ###-###-####

Gamertag:******* (fair warning, I probably won’t sign into Live until I have my copy of Halo3 – so your friend invite might get dusty ;)

 

 

P.S. – Please hire me. My resume just might happen to be on my share[this was a link in the original mail].

 

 

Random Observations, Funny Stuff, and Ramblings

-          When in doubt, add a disclaimer saying it’s Dave’s fault, or if you want to shorthand, /davebus

-          Microsoft says it’s ok to call someone a-nicger; This alias amuses me to no end – does this make me a horrible person?

-          The Will of Joe demands that it be called the Party Barge not the Elephant

-          Snow is the work of a maligned sentience, whose sole goal is to deny me from reaching Bungie

-          XboxChief and ChiefScripts makes testers happy and more productive

-          Whenever female workers are hired, productivity goes down, as every un-involved male immediately tries to win them over. Or stare. However, if the female workers command people to do things, they obey without delay. Logically, Bungie should hire more dominatrix managers.

-          Just by working here, your mom suddenly does perverse things

-          Jevans has a seemingly unnatural work cycle. He’s here before I arrive, and after I leave. He seems to avoid sunlight. I suspect that Bungie is harboring a vampire

-          I think Jevans has turned Dom into a vampire too

-          The MP lab’s sound proofing is a huge blessing to those of us who swear profusely when we lose – especially those of us who hate to lose. Yes, hate, with italics.

-          You cannot count the number of time’s Luke says fuck in 5 minutes on one hand – this too amuses me to no end

-          Early in the project, overtime conversations go something like this:

Dave: “OT tonight!”

You: “Really?”

Dave: “Yes.”

You: “Wewt!”

Dave: “Wait… no.”

You: “What?”

Dave: “Maybe.”

You: “I hate you.”

Dave: “Suck it.”

-          Late in the project, overtime conversations go something like this:

Dave: “It’s not the Apocalypse – you’re working this weekend.”

You: “What if the Apocalypse happens while I’m at work?”

Dave: “Then it is a good death.”

-          Late in the project, it’s not uncommon for your blood to be replaced with your choice of Starbucks drink – and it’ll only cost you a few bucks a day to remain alive

-          I think Forge’s description should be “The sole purpose of this editor is to find the most amazing way to blow up plasma coils.”

-          Street Fighter. You will swear and curse at the game many times, and yet you keep going back for more, you masochist

-          Don’t let Chucky go behind you at Bump

-          I came. I saw. I Spartan Lasered.

-          That’s what she said

 

 

 

 

 

Special Thanks

The MP Test Team (past and present)

You’re all a bunch of great asshats. Good luck to all of you in your endeavors, it’s been a pleasure working with you.

Stay Frosty.

 

Dagasca, Stepal, Jevens, Dom, Doug

Thanks for being laidback-but-serious-about-getting-stuff-done bosses – I wouldn’t mind working for any of you again someday.

Ship it.

 

Dagasca again

For listening to far more bitching than he deserved.

Suck it.

 

Luke Timmins, Chris Butcher, Aaron Lieberman, Francois Boucher-Genesse, Michael Williams, Lars Bakken

You guys are awesome. It’s always a pleasure talking to you guys - you’re willing to take the time and explain bugs, answer our questions, and listen to our feedback. I sincerely hope I get to work with all of you again.

Keep Bungie a great place to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and

The Street Fighter Machine

Love the Street Fighter

A microcosm of Life

Work, Play, then Go Home

 

 

Another update from the land of working-ness...

well, first off, sorry mom that I haven't received your calls, I guess that I can't really call after work, because it's about midnight in Michigan when I get off work... and I've very absent minded most of the time when I'm driving to work, and don't like to talk on the phone...

I've been doing good. I think my average work week is going to be somewhere between 60 and seventy hours for about the next month... so just as a heads up, I won't be easy to get a hold of...

I thank you for mailing my passport, and I'll look for it in the mail.

I work... alot... and that's about all I do.

I took Sunday off, and saw transformers in theaters... it was a good movie... and I'm trying to figure out how I'll see the Simpsons movie too...


we saw Harry Potter a week or so back... and that was good too.

Jaani is doing well... he has has a couple new toys, and they get lost easily... but he has fun.

Ev is doing well, it looks like she will be working for Classmates.com's call center... she is playing this I love you... I love him game... I don't care... as long as he gives me money for her to pay rent... I don't really care. I am wondering what she plans on doing when we move though... because I don't really think he will pay her way then... anyway...

other than that... I have no life to speak of... I just work... and that is my life.


lately the topics among the people of the freezer (the guys at work and I) seem to focus on gaming news... Like EA and Microsoft Gaming Systems (MGS) are trading CEOs... which is kinda funny... Nintendo Wii is setting records on sales (because like the DS it prints money!!!) and PS3 is one of the worst selling game counsels of all time!

We have also been talking about making T-shirts... Kale has been drawing cartoon caricatures of us for it... and I think it will be a good thing to remember the guys by... 'cept Travis... AKA Damien... who hates everyone...

I guess I'll go over the guys in the back room... Dustin and I are Linux nuts... we are both guys that kinda do everything to keep everybody else working... they give us a bunch of boxes and tell us to learn scripts and improve on them to keep everything running smoothly. Danny is the matchmaking specialist so he makes sure that the way skill, EXP, and matching is done works right... and always has something to say... Patrick and Justin are more neutral on everything and probably the most level headed guys in the group... Patrick updates source depot, and keeps the code changing the way we need... Justin is our link to marketing research, and helps build our test cases... Andrew is an insane programmer who now works in the front room (until he has to take his 100 day break at the end of the week... we plan on going to the bar after work on friday.)... Kale is a super liberal oil painting major from some hippie college in Maine (he studies the game's art work)... Imran is an awesome composer who works on sound bytes... Comstock works on arbitration; mostly raw data processing and a lot of complex Mathematics... and Brian is the voice guy, who makes sure that all the voices work correctly when talking to other players.

so those are the people I spend at least 11 1/2 hours a day with... every day.


so that's my story... and I'm sticking to it!


Later,
SteveO

Weekend Update!

Well, we are working 7 days a week here at the office. 

 

I just worked 64 hours last week, and this week looks like it will be about the same...we now work 10 hours a day 5 days a week, and 8 hours on Saturday and Sunday.  It’s a lot of hours, but I enjoy it... I actually would work more hours if I were programming...  but I do what I can...  The countdown of 2 more hours and 15 minutes was just announced... then we get to go home... I requested tomorrow off so that I can do my laundry... and go to the grocery store... and sleep in.   I still find it hard to believe that I work on Sundays now...

 

Outside of work I mostly sleep.  I walk the dog every night when I get home... get something to eat... and every once and a while stay up past my usual 10PM bed time so I can watch a movie when I get home...

 

We used to only work 8 hours on Friday, but with crunch time and all, we worked 10;  I don’t think we will have any 8 hour days in a week or so.  But it’s worth it.

 

I will see a $1000 pay check coming up... it’s the largest check I’ve ever gotten for one week of work.  and all I have to do at this point is wait for it to appear in my account next Thursday...  I’m kinda excited... and it’s just in time for rent.

 

I feel like I’m doing well.  And I am really starting to get used to the hours, even though it kinda sucks... and I have no social life.

 

I’m thinking that I need to get a good reliable internet connection just so that I can take a dev kit home for a night and work from home for an hour...

 

I also found out that I will get a copy of  Halo 3 when the project is done... and I saw a refurbished Xbox 360 for $200... which is my price range for an Xbox 360 with a hard drive...  I might just have to buy one...

 

Other than that... I guess I’m doing well.  Ev and I are getting along.  Jaani is a happy puppy, and I don’t know where any of the old people I used to live with are...

I hear James is re-modeling his house, but I dpn’t know...

I also actually just thought about how Scott said something about commming out here... and just so that he knows, if he tries to come out before the end of September... I will be working... and I don’t do anything outside of work... so... I don’t get vacations.

 

I’ve been enjoying my Nokia 770.  It’s a fun toy... The weather has been hot... but now it’s rainy again...

 

I heard India just elected a female president today... umm MSNBC tells me a bunch a news I don’t really care about... I’m reading a book about Fuzzy Logic... Ev is reading the Harry Potter books... and I guess that’s my life for the time being.

 

I sent my passport to South Carolina because that is where it came from, and I guess all I needed to send them was a letter explaining what to change, and a copy of my photo ID because I sent it back within 30 days... after 30 days you have until 365 days to send the re-application form to correct the changes before you have to pay, but you do also have to submit a new picture after 30 days...

 

So I’m waiting for my passport to come back. 

 

I’m entertaining the thought of going to Australia in October... apparently Anderson is going, and he found this program where they set you up with work for up to 6 months... so 6 months in Australia would be pretty cool.  And I could use a trip to get away from everything... and find out what is in the rest of the world.

 

 

So... yup.  That’s me in a nut shell.

 

Later,

    SteveO

Out of days off...

Well, I'm officially out of days off... I had a few good days to go out and play, but now it's getting down to crunch time.

We work 7 days a week now at Bungie, and the pressure is on for the release candidates. so here is my past week in review...

I had Saturday and Sunday off last weekend... and then had the 4th off...

I went hiking, and then had a barbecue at the house... we made chicken, and I got myself a steak for dinner... new york strip... mmm it was good!

Jaani, Ev, and I all got matching shirts and went to go watch the fireworks... but I guess I picked the only park in the area that didn't allow dogs, so we ended up going up to the top of the hill I always used to watch the fireworks from before... but it was a good day!

After that it was pretty much back to work. I finally got just about everything working right for my Nokia 770, except I can't actually see people who are using aim... but they can see me and I can talk to them with no proplems.

For those of you who don't know what a 770 looks like... which is pretty much everybody... here is a picture.

It is an Internet tablet. which means it will connect to any Wifi hotspot... or if I had a subscription to internet access on my cell phone it would connect through that... it is pretty cool... I added some personal information management software so now it works like a PDA too. I just ordered a 2GB memory card for it, and I'm waiting for it to come in the mail.

Other than that... it's time to work all day, and sometimes have time to sleep at night. I hear we aren't too far from 16 hour days, and that means that I'll be looking for somewhere closer to work to sleep at night... I have a couple Ideas, but I really don't know yet... I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

anyway... I gotta get to sleep... I worked today, and I work again tomorrow... and the next day, and the next day... until you see Halo 3 in stores... in September... at the end of the month... well, I'll probably start getting days off again in August, but we'll find out soon enough.

Until I find some more time...

Later,
SteveO

P.S. I'll probably update a bit from work... but who knows.

My new toy!!!!!

I am writing this post from my Nokia 770. I am in a park, under a tree, and only have a small cell phone sized object.

This is pretty sweet. I like the handwriting recognition, and the auto-complete for the on-screen keyboard.

At home i even have a bluetooth keyboard and it supports using my cell phone for dial-up access.

I have today off, and i had yesterday off, but aide from going to greenlake, I only played with my new toy.

Well, I'm going for a cup of coffee, so I'll get back to everyone later.

Later,
      SteveO