So I finally found myself some full-time employment. As of May 15th I’ll start at KJRH Channel 2 as a photographer; basically that means I’ll be a cameraman, live truck operator and video editor. I’m really happy that I was able to find employment in the profession I love. Now the only challenge will be keeping up with their pace of work. Although I’ve worked in this kind of position before, the deadlines weren’t near as tight. We’ll see how things pan out. I’m going to continue working at Apple but I’ll have to cut back on my hours dramatically. It’s really hard to give that place up. It’s a really positive environment with a lot of like-minded people, and I already talk about Apple products half the day; Why not get paid for it?

I’m also excited about my new job because it means I can finally move on with the next stage of life: getting married. Soon I can negotiate a time to go back to Japan and get hitched to my wonderful bride-to-be, Kana. It’s funny how priorities in life change. Before her I was only worried about bettering myself, now my top priority is being the best husband possible.

Things are finally starting to look up on the long quest for employment. I’ve had some very promising interviews from more than a few news stations in town, and I’m now officially an Apple employee. I think I have one more day of “training” before the let me loose on the floor - converting the masses to Mac goodness.

Just as all things in life, as soon as I started fearing for my future, God stepped in and gave me some great opportunities. Gotta thank Him for that.

I’d like to weigh in on a political discussion for now even though I know that’s something I don’t typically do. This is an election year after all and I think I have the right to voice my opinion. Usually I don’t care much about politics unless it directly effects me, and since my bank account has significantly lowered since gas prices started climbing I’d say that’s an effect. Yes, alternative fuels are what the world needs to shift to for a long-term solution, but in the short-term we’ve got a real problem. Foreign dependancy on oil isn’t a smart idea considering most everyone in the middle east hates us. We have plenty of it in our own ANWR backyard, why not develop it? Last time I checked, the most prosperous nations in the world are the ones who influence real change. Why not let us become more independent while putting a good portion of the money we’re saving by not shipping oil overseas on alternative fuel research. Here’s a hint - ethanol ain’t gonna cut it. To raise gas prices and then say, “Well, we need to learn how to conserve, use mass transit, or buy hybrids,” just isn’t fair to working class Americans. Not many people I know can afford to buy hybrids, mass transit isn’t efficient or prevalent enough, and we ARE conserving - it’s just not enough to make any real difference. I drive 70+ miles a day in a car that gets around 20 mpg. If I had to spend $20k on a hybrid I’d put myself in debt. How fair is that? Let’s approve environmentally safe and efficient ways of drilling in ANWR as soon as possible.