I seem to have this habit of being in the strange place at the interesting time. This has lead to a lot of really bizarre, interesting, and often fun situations (though some that were not so fun, as some people who know me can tell you). Along the way, I’ve been offered some interesting opportunities.

During high school, I helped found a drama club for the school (which became profitable it’s first year of operation) with the help of a few friends, a favorite teacher, and ample community connections between the members. It’s amazing how far a few hundred dollars and all the building supplies you need can go.

I also helped resurrect an Explorers post, attended Buckeye Boy’s State, was a student Rotary member, made National Honor’s Society, Who’s Who (twice, if I remember correctly), was largely responsible for the theme, cover design, and layout of the yearbook one year, and various other things I can’t think of right now.

(I know. By this point, you’re either thinking “overachiever” or “bullshit!” Don’t worry. I wouldn’t call myself and overachiever – I just kind of take the opportunities that come to me, it’s not bullshit, and it gets weirder.)

My senior year in high school, I was offered a paid two week stint as a research assistant for a friend going for her PhD in forensic anthropology. You read that right – at the age of eighteen, I was offered a job researching forensic anthro for a friend that was giving a presentation and defending her findings at Texas A&M. I would have also had a write-up in the science journal that the paper was going to be published in.

Unfortunately, the opportunity fell through because her lab assistant left out an important set of samples and the project was set back until I would have started my freshman year of college. I don’t know who was more disappointed: my friend or me, though I was told that the lab assistant flew (almost literally) out of the building when Terry found out.

A couple of years ago, I was asked to help in starting up a microbrewery with a bunch of fellow engineers. What could be better? =]

We gave it the attempt, but it never quite got off the ground. However, the important thing is that we tried, and learned quite a few things in the process. All-in-all, I’d call it a positive experience. Besides, how can you not like a business where part of your job is sampling really good microbrews =]

And it looks like I’ve been made another offer. One of the companies I met at the tech conference Saturday is starting a magazine and they offered me the position of editor. With all of my money coming from ad revenue, I’ll have to keep working at other projects while the magazine takes off, but this could be a really interesting trip.

If it takes off, it could be more than worth my time. If not, well, it’s more experience and exposure in my field and life is about taking a chance anyway. It might actually have a decent chance considering that one of the advertisers on board already is Nortel.

Either way, I could end up with one of the weirdest resumes on the face of the planet.

Current mood: weirded out (it's a mood because I say it is. I should know. I've been experiencing it for two days now)
Current music: Nine Inch Nails - the Hand that Feeds