Well...

I just re-read my last post. How sappy. Anyway, the countdown draws nigh to the major system transition. I am extremely excited.

I have a movie night coming up with just my co-workers--We will be watching Tron and The Hangover. Both are excellent movies and I'm pretty excited about it! I do have some news, but I will refrain to post. i may have mentioned this is my last post (I'm too lazy to verify), but i've removed the link to this blog from my Facebook account. So only people who knew about this blog from last year will be able to access is.

Adios

My Life, Defined.

The last nine months have been quite the journey. As i sit in my media room, typing this, I don't even know what words will come next. So much has happened since my last update. I have, however, decided that this blog will become far more personal that it once was. As such, I will not be linking to this blog via social media outlets. If you did not already have the link, then too bad. This is now a man's journal.

Work

Toward the end of last year, I received a promotion and began working at a new agency (that will not be mentioned here). While this office has its pitfalls--as does every office-- the overall experience is spectacular. I am now a SME (Subject Matter Expert) Program Analyst for a complex information management system utilized by my agency and its parent Department. This is excellent for a number of reasons, particularly, in the IT facet of government. There are a number of doors that this experience can and will open for me in the future.

Aftermath

I am going to remain single until I feel I'm ready for another relationship. It is funny--I think my former flames have a "Matt is single" radar, because a few days after I ended the aforementioned relationship, I had some very interesting conversations will two of them. No I do not want to go to the Harbor with you; no I do not want to go to VA to see you; No I do not want you to cook me macaroni and cheese. I'm VEGAN now!! Ughhhh Ughhh Ughhhhhhhh!! At least offer to cook me Tofu so I can take you seriously before telling you No.

In Other News

It's funny--I had a conversation with a woman today who had the nerve to tell me that all men are easy. Women, just because it doesn't take much to get us men aroused does NOT mean we are easy. Chick, I will pull it out, make you want it, and at the last minute, send your a** right HOME without it if I feel like it. Manchu is not easy. All things of value must be earned. Dammit, I wanted to throw a grenade in her throat. OK, my rant is over.

Grad School

Graduate school is kicking my butt now, but that's been the story of my life for the last couple of years. This MS/MBA Program is no joke. Nobody can say I didn't pour my sweat into these MAsters Degrees.

Theater

I've Acquired the following equipment for my Theater over the last two months:

Integra DHC-80.2 Processor (Replacing the Denon ACR 4310CI)

Cambridge Audio Azur DacMagic Digital-to-Analog Converter

PS Audio PowerPort Premier

PS Audio AV5000 Power Conditioner

Oppo BDP-93 High-End 3-D Universal Disc Player (HDMI 1.4)

Emotiva XLR-Balanced Interonnects

Emotiva 12v trigger matrices (2)

HC7000 Replacement Lamp for my Mitsubishi HC7000 1080p Projector.

I've also added an Infiniti PS-12 Subwoofer to the SVS PB-13 Ultra Subwoofer in the theater, since the Integra DHC-80.2 has dual subwoofer outputs.

This is my life right now. I will be updating this blog regularly.

May/June Recap

Life has changed in the last two months. All things taken into consideration, I'm happier now than I was in April. Here are the updates:

1) I'm dating a great woman with whom I love spending time with. She can cook, she's beautiful, she's a girly-girl, and did I mention she cooks? heh heh. She's very unique, and she has the cutest laugh I've ever heard.

2) I dealt with a pretty serious ordeal at work in which a disagreement with someone went too far. The issue got resolved, but mercy--THAT was a stressfull week.

3) I'm actually friends again with an ex-girl/former arch-nemesis from the fall--we had a blowout and weren't speaking for months, but in May we got in touch again...Life is funny like that.

4) My last trip to NY was crazy.....I shan't go into detail here, but all i will say is "JerkAsUsual" (inside joke)

5) My God-Daughter's birthday is this month!! she turns TWO years old!

6) Shout out to my boy (I won't put his name out there)--he just got his Bachelors Degree after facing obstacles at every turn. If you look in the dictionary next to the word "True Man" you will see his picture. He loves his daughter and treats her like a great father should.

7) When will the world realize that I am always right?

The Importance of Infrastructure Protection

This nation runs on a series of infrastructures set in place to preserve the quality of life that Americans experience freely. These infrastructures are divided into two distinct categories: Critical and Non-Critical. Under the purview of Critical Infrastructures, lies the Energy, Communications, and Water Processing, among others. Non-critical infrastructures, such as transportation, are important as well; however, the Critical Infrastructures remain in persistent danger from adversarial attack.

Why?

The answer can be summed up in two words: Infrastructure Interdependency. There are, within the category of Critical Infrastructures, certain infrastructures that rely on others to operate. This reliance is called Infrastructure Interdependency. For instance, Water Processing is among the most important critical infrastructures in place; however, a majority of its associated functions require power to operate. Electricity is needed to run the purification modules; energy is needed to operate the pumps that push the water. If an adversary were to disable the Energy Infrastructure within a particular region for an extended period of time, the Water Infrastructure would be crippled as well.

Access to water via plumbing would diminish within hours; within days, bottled water in retail stores would see a 100% acquisition rate. Civil unrest wouldl develop shortly thereafter, as citizens demanded a solution from their Government.

Although Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans are in effect for temporary disability, there is no way to prepare for an extended COOP plan. These plans are to ensure the continuity of operations until the situation is resolved--often having a truncated time frame within which operational status must be resumed. This is why infrastructure protection is one of the most essential functions of every level of government--be it Federal, State, or Local. We simple have too much to lose by NOT protecting our infrastructures.

New Lexus IS 250 AWD

Well, i finally made the jump into luxury. Behold, my new baby:

Top 5 Television Series Of All Time

1) "Battlestar Galactica"

2) "24"

3) "Lost"

4) "Law and Order: SVU"

5) "Prison Break"

My Swagger is on Autopilot

It's been almost a month since my last post--WOW, do I have updates for you guys.

1) Update 1: Interracial Dating:

So i entered my first interracial dating situation back in March. It was an excellent experience. There was a lot of hate from my friends, and I need to put this foolishness to rest now. A lot of my black female friends would ask foolish questions like "so, what...Black women aren't good enough for you now?" and "Ohhhh you're selling out" WHAT....THE....FRACK?

I'm shutting you all down now--a beautiful woman is a beautiful woman--I don't care if she's black, white, hispanic, asian, indian, or middle-eastern. She was college educated, and was beautiful, believe me--she treated me like a KING even though we only dated for about a month. (ended on good terms--very very complex situation). She was a good friend of mine before we dated--race has nothing to do with anything. NOTHING! All the haters out there, cut the malarchy at once.

2) Update 2: The Housing Market

So, I was going over the numbers for this Jaguar XF that I'm thinking about pursuing; however, I started looking at houses online, and now I'm considering pursuing my second house before getting the Jag. Renting out my current house would be easy to do, since I live a stones throw away from a U.S. Army Base with lots of people stationed there long-term looking for places to live. the plan is to calculate what my payments will be on the Jaguar, and then make sure the rent I charge turns a profit at least half of the cost-per-month for the Jag. Oh!, the joys of homeownership

3) Update 3: My Current Situation

I'm currently something with this student from my alma mater, Howard University. I phrase it like that because all we are now are friends who have recently discovered we like eachother. The catch is, she's 20. That's quite a few years younger than I am, and her immaturity shows. There are.......certain things.......that she does not do. I won't go into the implications of that, because that would take all day--but for the foreseeable future, we will continue to just be friends who like eachother. Her thought processes have some maturing to do. Plus, I'm in my relationship-only tip right now...and she is NOT relationship material.

4) Update 4: Manchu's Dating Philosophy

My formula is Friend-> Date-> Relationship. Contrary to the societal norm, I only date friends of mine. I find that it leads to a more fulfilling relationship and a deeper connection. Now, the down side to this is--if you end on bad terms, then you lose a friend. It's up to those parties involved to make sure things DON'T end on bad terms. i am only on bad terms with two of my exes--the rest of them I've remained friends with and they don't hesitate to tell me about myself when I seek advice.

I will not walk up to a random pretty woman on the street and ask for her number. That is classless. So now, I'm in something of a pickle: my 2010 resolution was to just have relationships--no "mutually beneficial friendships." But it looks like so far, when i've tried to make the relationship thing work--something happens and it doesn't work. I think i may need to retire from relationships for 2010.....easier said than done, since once I pick a friend i like, I tend to pursue her without consciously realizing it. My swag is on autopilot. I'll need to think of this a bit more.