Quick update on life in general and me in specific…
I’m living in Cleveland,
I’m working for Progressive Insurance’s computer department, and I’m finishing
up the last quarter in my MBA. Other than that, not too much new, except I
started working the night shift. (surprise surprise.) So if you do feel like
giving me a call sometime – feel free to factor that in.
A key part of getting consistent sleep during the day was a
dark room. Curtains don’t cut it. Time for some serious window coverings. Hence:
Experiment A:
Aluminum Foil
Advantages:
100% light blocking ability
Available in nice and wide 2ft
rolls.
Reflective nature saves on air
conditioning bills in the summer
Disadvantages immediately evident:
None
Disadvantages evident once you walk outside of your
apartment:
Looks
conspicuous.
Looks extremely conspicuous.
Aside: at this point I flipped
through the terms of my lease and decided that this was probably nearing not
acceptable. But since it worked so well, I figured I’d give it a go. I just wanted to have a reason more resilient to questioning than "I wanted to." Then a few days later I shared a ride in
the elevator with a local resident absolutely convinced that elevator #3 was
conscious, hated Wednesdays, and was secretly controlled by the Jews. This had
a very satisfyingly dampening affect on rationality. So I figure I'll just play up the
conspiracy nutcase with anyone protesting my metallic window coverings, and
they will let me be.
Disadvantages evident once the wind picks up:
Slight
cracks in window make for a very annoying metallic tinkling sound
Constant
tinkling noises can be even worse than light
My biggest challenge with moving is stuff. Specifically, weird stuff. I knew that
disposing of my basement lab would be a process, so I’ve been working on
downsizing ever since I accepted the job in Ohio. It’s been slow going though,
due to reasons sentimental, legal, and transportational. So, I’ve starting making
a list of items that I want gone each day. [I love lists… they're ... inspiring!]
So Mom asks me at breakfast what's on today’s disposal
list…
“Hmm. This is going to be an interesting day…
several potato cannons
the rail gun
the half-finished jet engine [and I hate getting
rid of uncompleted projects…]
the old workbench/desk
one of the flamethrowers
the canning jars with napalm in them
a tank of helium”
Suggested putting it all in a crate and labeling it World
War III in a box, with desk to hide under included.
In a shocking display of cruelty, the Olympic committee has disqualified double-leg amputee Oscar Pistorius from from participating in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Apparently the springy prosthetic legs provide him with an unfair advantage on the track; they are lighter and more aerodynamic than old-fashions skin and bones. Thus he'll be forced to watch this one from the sidelines, along with previously eligible Olympic hopeful David Payne. Payne reportedly feels "pretty stupid" for his recent decisions to cut off his own legs in an attempt to gain a similar advantage. "I really wish I would have found out I wouldn't be allowed to run with those performance-enhancing prosthetic limbs before I amputated my legs," 110-m. hurdles competitor Payne said from his recovery room at the Johns Hopkins intensive care unit." Nevertheless, the IAAF remains firm on their decision, citing A. A. Milne's declaration that Tigger was the sole licensee of "bottoms made out of springs".
Commentary from the dinner table regarding the disqualification :
I bet he's kicking himself now
Nah - he's taking it in stride.
Yeah, the committee really cut his legs out from under him.
Just what I expected from you guys: lame jokes.
They aren't lame jokes, they're running gags!
Well I guess we have a well-heeled sense of humor...
Today I woke up to my alarm completely refreshed - two days in a row. I don't think this has happened since about 2.5 years ago. I could get used to this... Tis the start of a great year...
The reputation of being the local village test taker has
some, er, interesting [I love that word] aspects.
At Verity I had the Friday test taking experience down like clockwork. Go to bed at 1:30, wake
up at 12:00 [that's 10:30 hours!], drink a cub of apple juice, go downstairs to lunch
and grab a salad, take two aspirins and a large mocha from the character moose.
Test at 1:30. Repeat weekly until finished.
However, this isn't something easy for others to replicate. Thus I have
decided upon a strategy for to deal with the multitudes asking for the great test taking secrets.
Here is an example of what I call "3 Truths and an I-make-fun-of-you."
The 4 Secrets of Test Preparation:
Take two aspirin right before starting the test. That will prevent the
headache you would have gotten half-way though.
Stick a glob of peanut butter to the roof of your mouth before you go into
the test center office; Protein is brain food.
Go to bed extra early the night two nights before the test. (I'd say go early the night before also,
but I know you won't be able too.)
Chew gum while studying and while testing - it stimulates the hippocampus
and improves respiration.
It’s kind of like a mind game. They get the opportunity to
figure out which of the steps is the bum idea, and I get to see if I can convince
someone to go into the testing center wearing their t-shirt inside out. So far: Paul
- 5 : Gullible Testers - 2.
