Beginning the Spring Semester

This week was the first week of the spring semester. I can't say I was really looking forward to it- it takes up so much time and I have so many other things I want to be doing. But I know this is good for my future and most of the topics are interesting, so it's worth it.

The first class I'm taking is on Decision Theory and is more of a psychology class than operations research, although they are related in this class. It will focus on how people make decisions, which I think is good knowledge as a manager. I'm not sure what to think of an OR class not based on math, but I'm excited about it. The subject matter is interesting and hopefully it will be a little less intense than some of the other classes I've taken.

The second class I'm taking is called Integer Programming and is primarily math, setting up mathematical models, using various software programs to code/create models, and analyzing the outcomes of said models. This is NOT my area of interest. The geek in me does think some of this is interesting but it sounds like it's going to be a LOT of work. The professor is known for giving insanely long homework assignments.

Both of my classes are tiny this semester- between 6-8 people. It should be interesting, as both professors are open to lots of discussion and letting the students help guide how long we spend on various topics based on our interests. I'm pretty excited about that as none of my classes have been this way so far.

Maumau Kitty

My poor kitty. She started limping a couple weeks ago and I didn't worry too much. She tends to do stupid things, such as jumping between objects that are 10 feet apart where the object she's jumping to is either higher or unstable and there is clearly no way any rational being would think they could land on the object. Yes, that's my kitty. She has also started taking an interest in playing with Izzie- which is SO cute. So when she started limping I just figured she'd either gotten herself into one of her normal predicaments or played a little too rough with Izzie.

When she was younger, I would take her to the vet immediately for things like this and they would just tell me that she should rest. So this time I waited. And the limp is still there and it's really noticeable. So we went to the vet and they did xrays. Nothing is broken thankfully but I kinda wish it was so we would know what's wrong. They gave us some pain meds which have made her sleepy and less active. No help. She's still limping. Today the meds wore off and she's been meowing and cranky. I'm worried cause she's getting older- she'll be 10 this spring. So it's back to the vet for round two. :(

PSDM

I've spent the last few months putting together a website that documents all of the processes, procedures, and templates for our software development methodology. The system will be used by all of the projects at my company. The system is called PSDM: Platinum Solutions Delivery Methodology. We're releasing it in three phases and the first was released today. The first section includes all of the Project Management processes and templates. To give you an idea of the size of the system, there are about 30 web pages on the site, documenting all the processes via flowcharts and detailed step descriptions. In addition, I created about 30 templates, including management plans and tools. So it was a huge endeavor.

I presented the new system to the company today at our All Hands meeting. I had a bunch of people compliment me on the system and my presentation, which meant a lot because I don't really consider myself a very talented presenter. I get nervous speaking to large groups but I'm getting more comfortable. I basically force myself into positions where I will have to speak to large groups so that eventually this anxiety will completely go away.

Anyway, it was a really good day and I feel like I've made a big contribution to the organization as well as a personal accomplishment.

Workin' Like a Dog

So it's Thursday night and I've worked about 60 hours this week. Yeah, and I've still got work to do this weekend. My guess is this will end up being about an 80 hour week. Nice huh? I think I'm starting to lose it a little. I really haven't done anything other than work in the last 5 days. It makes me irritable. On top of that, some other things have happened this week that I'm just frustrated with and that makes it really hard to be so dedicated. Hopefully next week will be better.

Juno

We went to see the movie "Juno" today. I loved it. The acting was really good and the story was touching. I think anyone that can empathize with the idea of what it would be like to get pregnant in high school will feel some emotion watching this movie. Beyond that, the movie was funny throughout and I had a hard time to stop laughing. This movie will definitely be added to my DVD collection.

I debated even seeing the movie because it got good ratings. Isn't that crazy? I feel like the movie critics have gone down a path in the last few years of celebrating movies because of the subject matter over the acting or writing. I mean seriously- Brokeback Mountain??? That ranks up there as one of the worst movies I've seen. And it's not about the subject matter; I thought the acting was atrocious and the screenplay was awful. But the critics raved. So now I look for some solid "C" rated movies and stay away from the "A" rated ones. But I guess they got one right: Juno was awesome.

World Without End

I guess the one upside of my being sick is that I got to finish the book I've been reading, "World Without End". It's by Ken Follett and is the sequel to "Pillars of the Earth" which is one of my favorite books. It's been ten years between the two books so it's pretty exciting to people like me who had no idea this was coming. I highly recommend it. It's historical fiction based in the 1300s and deals heavily with the interactions of the church and a small town in England. It focuses on the personal interactions of the people in the town but you get an idea of the time period at the same time so it isn't boring, as historical fiction can often be. If you're looking for a new author, he's one of my favorites.

Something to know about Ken Follett's books: they're located in two sections of the bookstore. He writes both mystery and historical fiction so he's found in the Mystery and Fiction & Literature sections. I'm not a mystery gal so I only read the historical fiction. I've read all of his books in this section and they're all great.

In case you're curious, Books by Follett:
Pillars of the Earth
World Without End
A Place Called Freedom
A Dangerous Fortune

Stomach Bug (again)

Around midnight on Friday my stomach started hurting. I went to bed but then spent the entire night/morning getting sick. I just had a stomach bug in September when I was at Purdue. What's the likelihood of getting a stomach bug twice in 4 months? This sucks! My entire weekend has been wasted lazing around waiting to feel better.

Lost Dog Volunteering

The Lost Dog Rescue has several adoption events every weekend at various Petsmarts in the area. We volunteered tonight at one of them and each spent a couple hours with a dog, walking around and promoting them to the people who came to adopt. I had a feisty 1 year old named Jackie. She was very sweet and very smart but VERY active. My hands are raw from the leash and my back actually hurts from keeping her under control for hours. She was really interested in the small animals in glass cages (stop reading if you are a bird/fish person). She sat staring at the fish for awhile, then snapped at the glass cause apparently she thought she would catch one. It was really cute. We may have also opened a rope in the toy aisle (by "we" I mean Jackie) and chewed on it for awhile.......... While I fought with my pup, Michael had an 8 year old basset/cocker spaniel mix that just wanted to chill. Figures.

The Reality of Statistics

As an industrial engineer, and somewhat of a statistician, I have to comment on these statistics I continue to hear during the presidential debates. I am not going to speak politics here, other than to name a statistic mentioned. On Meet the Press, Huckabee stated that there has been a lower percentage of deaths of our troops since the surge and this indicates a move towards victory. I don't recall the exact numbers, but for the purposes here, it doesn't matter. Let's play with numbers for a moment; I'm going to use small numbers for the sake of simplicity.

If there are 10 troops and one is killed, that means 10% of troops are killed.
If there are now 100 troops (surge) and 5 are killed, that means 5% of troops are killed.

In this example, a surge causes a lower percentage of troops to be killed and yet more of our troops are dying. I take issue with this being considered a metric for victory. It does not seem to be an indicator of much of anything and may in fact skew the data to look like a victory when in fact it is an increased failure.

In addition, delving a little deeper into this metric reveals that the metric itself cannot measure victory. The implication of Huckabee's statement is that a lower percentage of troops killed equals victory. Under this idea, by removing all troops and thereby gaining a 0% kill rate, complete victory would be achieved. By this metric, a surge should never have been considered. So again, the metric appears to measure little, but instead just be another number to be thrown at the public so they will believe something positive is being done.

What I would give to work in the government and establish metrics! I have found in my short career in the metrics field that the majority of people have no clue what they're doing when it comes to metrics. The thing about statistics is that you can interpret them to support almost any argument (with the same data). To have good metrics that measure real issues and make real improvements, you need an expert in the field; you also need someone with integrity that will report the data and metrics for what they really are.

My point? Beware this election season (and everywhere else in your life) as people throw statistics around like they are the selling points to their argument. Things are not always as they appear.

Mission Accomplished!

The painting project is finally complete! It looks so good in the condo now (if I do say so myself). I'm so happy!!! We still need to hang some pictures and then I promise to finally send out some pics of the place for those of you that don't live in the area. I will say that this was one of the biggest projects I've taken on. I mean, it's still nothing in comparison to the wood flooring project at my old condo, but the vaulted ceilings add so much more work than regular height walls. I was planning to do the painting myself (cuz I like this sort of thing) but I had to enlist Michael's help in order to get it done.

For those in the area, come over so we can stand together, look up, and "ooh" and "ahh" at my painting expertise.

Lunch with Alyssa

My cousin Alyssa came through town with her boyfriend today and we all went to lunch in Old Town Alexandria. I haven't seen Alyssa since her trip here last year. We were able to spend about 3 hours catching up. I love seeing my cousin but it makes me sad too. It would be so nice to live in the same area. I realized last year when visiting Florida that my cousins Amy, Alyssa, and I are a LOT alike. It would be really nice to have that kind of family support system nearby. I didn't grow up near any family and I now wish I had. It's so much harder to keep in touch when you're not in the same state. Maybe that will be my New Year's resolution- to keep in touch with my cousins more.

11 days off!

I have eleven glorious days off from work. I love that about the holidays. We had 2 days off for xmas and 1 for new years. So by only taking a couple of vacation days, I end up with 11 days off. I rarely take time like this, especially just to be at home. I'm not the type that's able to just sit around though so it's now project central at my house. I have finally taken on the huge task of painting the living room. With the vaulted ceilings, it's a pretty big job. But I can spread it out over 11 days, so that's helpful. Just a note for anyone thinking about painting vaulted ceilings: it is seriously hard work. Much more than any normal height room. I've been working for days and it's about 75% complete. But I've got 5 days to go, so not too bad. And it looks great- I love it! It gives the place a much warmer feel- it was white before and now it's a beige color.

I've also spent a lot of time reading, going to the gym, and organizing some stuff for goodwill. I've also thrown in some naps, just for good measure. Someone tell me again why adults don't take naps?

Being PC at Christmas

There's a big controversy over the "appropriate" holiday greeting. Christians are up in arms over people saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". Use whatever greeting you like, but don't get on other people's cases for choosing to use Happy Holidays. And yes, the media and retailers really should talk about the holiday season, not just christmas. It's not about being politically correct. It's about including everyone and not acting like a group of bigots where the biggest religious bully wins.

The same christians that are ranting about the use of a general term and want the term "christmas" used specifically are also offended when any muslim holiday is celebrated. You have to choose: either you want a general use of holiday terms or you want to allow all specific holidays to be mentioned. You can't just have christmas discussed and no non-christian holidays mentioned.

The use of Happy Holidays has come about because of the increased presence of other religious beliefs in this country. America is supposed to be a melting pot of people with all types of backgrounds, including religions. We should embrace these changes and encourage that melting pot theme. The angry christians are trying to present this change as a loss of tradition or that they are being oppressed in some way. But sometimes traditions need to change and grow into something new. It doesn't take away from your beliefs or holiday celebrations. It's not a personal attack. It just encompasses more people.

I say Happy Holidays because that way I include everyone celebrating a holiday this time of year. I think the ranting christians are being selfish. I think if these people would take a second to think about how they would feel if everyone came up to them saying "Happy Hanukah", maybe they would see that the world does not actually revolve around them. Other people have different beliefs- why not include everyone in your greeting?

I personally am not offended by any holiday greeting. You are welcome to wish me a merry christmas, happy hanukah, happy kwanzaa, happy holidays, or my favorite: happy chrismakwanzukah. :)

Puppy Treats Jar

I finally got back the puppy treat canister I made! It took me about a week to finish painting and another week for them to get it fired in the kiln, but it's finally in my kitchen and full of Georgie and Izzie treats.

Everyone Needs a Gnome

Seriously- everyone should have a gnome. I found a Purdue gnome online- it was an immediate must-have. I love him! Check out the sneakers. Now my gnome just needs a name.........

Republican Debate

I finally caught one of the Republican debates last week. I didn't see the beginning but I have many comments on the part I did see......

McCain was disappointing. He used to have real opinions and stand up against Bush but since deciding to run for President, he's become just another uber-Republican robot. The candidates were asked whether freedom or security is more important. His answer: security. This may have been the most important question asked in the debate because it speaks to the foundation of this country. The fear tactics used by this administration have allowed many American citizens to reach the point of being willing to give up their freedom for security. First, the best we're getting is an illusion of security. Products coming into this country are going through no more review than they were before 9/11. And anyone that believes that scanning your 3oz bottles of liquid before flying is keeping you safe has lost their hold on reality. But we have a big Department of Homeland Security that gives us the illusion of security.

Giving up our freedom is a slippery slope to becoming everything America has always stood against. I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who said "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security deserves neither and will lose both". Seems like an ironic position for Republican candidates, who constantly say that they are like the founders of this country, and yet would so quickly give up their freedoms. Correction- would so quickly have you give up your freedoms. The people at the top in our country are rarely affected by these changes.


I'm not sure what to think about Romney. Some of his ideas aren't bad. But he, like McCain, seemed to switch to uber-Republican over the last few years. And frankly, I don't believe him. It's a gut feeling, but I'm going with it. That's the Republican strategy right? If you've seen old videos of Romney, he is strongly pro-choice. I believe he had a family member die from one of the dirty abortions that were done before abortions were legal. Then he suddenly changed his mind. I don't have a problem with people changing their views. I have a problem because he looks uncomfortable when he discusses his new view, as if he's lying to appear to have the Republican pro-life view.

Besides this issue, he also seems to have too broad of an agenda (like many of the candidates). He comes across as someone that thinks he will get into office and fix everything- the war, education system, economy, energy problem, etc. The laundry list does not impress me- he's not going to fix everything, or even come close. I think the candidates should be asked what the primary focus of their term in office would be and what their approach would be to improve the issue they choose.

There is not enough storage space for me to comment properly on Giuliani. He literally makes my stomach churn. I believe he's one of those people that was in the right place at the right time. Just because he was there for 9/11, doesn't mean he's responsible for improvements that occurred. If you listen to him speak, he never discusses his ideas, only that he was advised to do X, or told to do Y.

I've tried not to focus on his personal history but someone presented a new way to view his history that I'd like to share. The person said that the issue with Giuliani isn't his divorces, per se. It's that Giuliani either makes poor decisions or he poorly manages the decisions he makes. It really made me think about the situation differently and made me that much more certain that he's not a good candidate. FYI- this was a Republican talking about why he wouldn't vote for Giuliani.

Highlights on stupidity from other candidates:

Keyes- Preacher man says that God being taken out of schools is where our problems lie. Yes, that's it. The problem isn't the rise of extremist Christians who can't even fathom what people with different beliefs might feel like as you continue to cram God/Jesus down their throats. So much for the melting pot idea.

Hunter- We should all just go shopping to support American jobs. If you can't see the stupidity in this, vote for Hunter.

Thompson- He would go over Congress' head if they don't agree with him. I think the country has had enough of that over the last 8 years.

And the final evidence for stupidity (drum roll please): When asked to raise their hands if they believe that global warming is a problem and is created by humans................ not one hand was raised. The evidence is everywhere that it's occurring and, based on history, it is an issue that can potentially wipe out humanity. I would call that a problem.

I do like Ron Paul. I know, he's a little odd. But if you listen to him, he actually has decent and real things to say. And he doesn't get caught up in all the BS. I can at least respect him for that.

Procrastination

It's the last week of the semester. Tonight my project team gave a presentation for our semester project. My team members are in a similar boat as me- lots of other things going on in our lives and not solely focused on school. We cranked out this semester project using the divide and conquer method- I don't think I spent more than 10 hours on this thing. And the best part- we're totally going to get an A. I think I've found my peeps. It's nice having smart team members that I can count on and know they'll be prepared. Not like my summer project where I basically had to do everything on my own. If only all classes could be this way.....

So now that I'm done procrastinating about the project, I've moved on to procrastinating about the final exam. We have a take home test that's due Friday so most likely I will spend the week procrastinating about getting it done.

First Snow

The first snow of the year came today and didn't seem to want to stop. It started overnight or early morning and just kept snowing for the entire day/night. It has been a weird week for weather. The last two days have been crazy windy. Windy like from a storm. Add to that the chilly temperatures and it was fairly miserable. So even though I normally prefer no snow or cold weather, the snow was very welcome after the bitter cold wind. Plus, it's beautiful when it's first coming down. The pups were very excited to play in it so it was fun walking them and seeing them stick their noses in it.

The Dan Band

If I need to explain who The Dan Band is, you need to emerge from the cave you've been living in. Ok, ok. Last time! The Dan Band is the group that played at the wedding in the movie Old School (Total Eclipse of the Heart with some f-bombs thrown in for good measure). The group covers female pop songs and includes dance routines that are hilarious. The main singer (Dan Finnerty) has two backup singers/dancers (also guys). They do songs like "Mama Mia", "Shoop", "Genie in a Bottle", etc. Pretty much 70s, 80s, and 90s pop. Although the dancing and choreography is ridiculous, the guys can actually sing, which I think is what makes the show really good. And they're great entertainers.

Michael and I saw them almost two years ago at the same venue (930 Club). It was one of the first times we went out together. Since then, The Dan Band added a bunch of new pop songs to their act, including some Christmas songs. It was hilarious as ever. And this time I didn't have to drink Toby's Jaeger Bomb for her so I remember the show a little better.

Before the show, we went to The Melting Pot, a fondue place. It was excellent and made me think back to the last time I went there, with all my cousins in Florida a year ago. That was so much fun- we need another reunion. I miss you guys!

Pottery Painting

My friend Bunni organized an outing to one of those places where you paint your own pottery today. I've been to these places before but it's been many years. I picked out a canister and decided to make a dog treats jar since I've wanted one for awhile and can't find one I like. I am not an artist but figured I could draw a cartoon dog on the canister. Between that and having to paint each part three times to ensure the paint is dark enough for when they fire it in the kiln, I was still working 5 hours later when the shop closed. Note to self: pick a smaller project next time.

The girl in the shop was nice enough to let me borrow some paint and brushes to finish it at home. Now I just have to finish it and take it back for firing. I'll post a picture once I get it back in a few weeks and you can all see my top-notch artistic ability. Ha.