My Last Week at Omation

This isn't my last week at Omation. It was actually last week, but I have been busy doing nothing for the past few days (deservedly so, as some people tell me), so I will update you guys now as to what transpired.

So I told everyone that my last day was Tuesday, but it really wasn't until Friday. I was planning on going to Santa Barbara to see Zhan Laoshi from IUP, but that plan fell through, so my contract was extended a few more days and I worked until the end of the week. On Tuesday we went down to the beach to have a picnic. Since that seemed to be the growing tradition around Omation, I decided to follow suit and have my own. I was really happy that everyone showed and that I didn't get thrown in the water, even though that was a tradition as well. People played on swings, ate food and chatted. Check out the photos.

On Wednesday night Paramount and Nickelodeon were very nice and treated the Omation staff to a special screening of the movie at a local theatre. We were able to get anything we wanted to eat, so of course (as Adam put it) we were like kids in a candy store. The movie was even better than the last time I had seen it, but I think the cuts and additions were better. It was also nice to see more of the lit final shots that had been done since the previous time I had seen the movie. Seeing the progress and hearing all the kids laughter got me more excited to see the movie. It also made the mundane task of writing render farm software more enjoyable, at least for the last couple days I did it. The best part of the night was the kid who came up to me and said he thought the movie was great, but he was waiting for the sequel. If one kid can't wait for the sequel after seeing the unfinished movie, then I can't imagine what will happen when the finished movie is released.

So after two days of fun it was time for one more night. We had a choice to either go to the XSI user group in LA or go to Battle of the Bands. Battle of the Bands was an event organized by Omation's own Leslie to give the musicians and Omation a chance to rock out. I was amazed at how talented people actually were. The first group had somewhat of a country feel. Their songs were a little slower, but Katy sang very well, even though it was her first time singing. David Andrews and Alastair put together a nice band that played some rock music and even wrote an original song about Wild Mike, a hair furball character from the movie. That got everyone excited. The third band played some really good rock music and did a great cover of Mr Brightside by The Killers. I was at the bar getting a drink, so I wasn't able to really rock out. It was ok because the next band, of two guys really got things going. Guitar was played by a guy from post production and the drums were played by the IT supervisor. They got everyone excited and dancing, so the night ended on a very high note.

After the show a lot of us headed over to Ole's for a little foosball. Mike and I played a little bit at first, but we eventually lost the table. There were two good guys at the table who were beating all of coworkers, so Adam and I got together and beat them. It was nice to beat them since it was our last game together (GG Adam!). One of our friends ended up spewing all over the floor in the back, so we had to escort him out of the back door of the bar and take him home. I am glad that he enjoyed the evening as much as he did.

On Friday I left San Clemente. It is a great little town with a lot of great people (mostly from Omation). Just see for yourself, they are all in the photo.