Shallow Thinker

Last night I took my final exam for class #8 in the 10-course master’s program.  I have three weeks and two assignments due in order to complete course #9.  So, in theory, I could finish my degree this summer.  In theory…

I checked the website for the master’s program and they are indeed offering a course this summer.  A course that I have already taken.  In the fall, they will be offering three courses…none of which have been offered since I started the program.  Isn’t that awesome?  So my options were to either wait until the fall and have an abundance of choices or to….well, actually, that was my only choice because I’d already had the summer course.

Seeing my option in front of me, I did what any man would do.  I wrote an e-mail to the program directors and begged for some help.  I realized that it’s difficult to try to curry favor by praising a program while also explaining that you want out as soon as possible.  Either I was articulate, the director had pity on me, or they have contingencies for situations like this.  Whichever it was, I have been allowed to do an independent study for the summer session.

I now have 10 weeks in the summer to do a research project and write a paper.  My course advisers are interested in the topic and have already indicated that the paper could be published.  Now that’s some pressure.  Well, not for me.  It’s pressure for Kelley because she’s going to have to edit this thing.  I hope she makes me sound smart!

I am a sorry excuse for a blogger.  Look at this, I haven’t updated this blog in over a week.  I got on a roll there for a bit, but now I’ve fallen right back off the wagon.

There’s only one way to remedy this situation.  Find something interesting to write about.  But the trouble is, I am not really inspired at the moment.  Perhaps my muse has left me.  Or perhaps my brain is busy with other things.  Or perhaps, deep down inside, I am actually aware of how boring my life is and it causes my brain to subconsciously keep me from writing. Either way, I have been silent for far too long.  So, I break this silence to let you know that I am aware of the silence and that I intend to think of something that will help me prevent similar occurrences.  Unless my brain subconsciously informs me that this is a terrible plan.  Then I’ll have another pointless post.  Like this one.

Have I complained about graduate school in a while?  Probably.  But eh, why not go some more.

If all goes according to plan, I will have one course remaining after I finish this semester.  Conveniently, the illustrious university that I am attending offers a course in my field of study during the summer.  Unfortunately, it is one that I have already had.  So, I e-mailed the director of the program to see what my options are.  There are two.  (1) Wait until the fall and take a different course or (2) do an “independent study.”

Seeing as I’m one of those types that likes to do things immediately and get them out of the way, the independent study seems like a great idea.  The problem is that I will probably have to derive the course description, content, and grading scheme.  I’m all for teaching and grading myself, but doing so in a manner that is approved by the university will probably prove difficult.  So, I have come up with some ideas for my course topic.  See what you think, or add your own in the comment section.  Remember that my degree will be in Engineering Management.

• MWA-605 - (Management by Walking Around) - The course would detail how to walk around an office, make generic statements, and appear way more important than I actually am.
• MCP-514 - “Management Catch Phrases” will work on extending my vocabulary to include the parts of managerial speech that so often eludes the common fold.  From “Strike while the nose is on the grindstone” to “Think outside the mousetrap.”
• MCP-515 - The advanced level of MCP-514 will center around high-level management phrases like “Team Construct” and one of my all time favorites “Hierarchical Analysis“
• ELS-635 - This course details how to utilize extended lunches in order to create a sense of entitlement.
• PTE-538 - People who do crappy work are eventually assigned menial tasks that don’t matter.  Those who excel have more and more work assigned to them.  This is a course in how to continually punish those who excel.

Any other ideas on how to improve my managing skills?

Before I started graduate school, I liked to read a little.  When I say “a little” I mean “maybe a book a year.”  As a matter of fact, I started a page about books that I read so that I could share them with the internets.  But I got so bored with my lack of reading that I stopped updating the page.  When graduate school started, I used that as an excuse to stop trying.  There are some books that I feel that I should read, but I just don’t care for them.  It’s kind of like the movie The Blind Side.  Everyone is raving about how good it is, but I have no interest in seeing it.  Does that make me a bad person?  Probably.  But I’m very content with being a bad person.  The same applies to a lot of books out there.  I want to be cool and be able to discuss stuff with all of my hip, book-lover friends, but I can’t bring myself to do the required reading.

I finally decided to forget about the books that I should read and start getting things that I want to read.  Oh, the good stuff is so refreshing.  I’ve been through a book and a half in the past month.  That’s a record for me!  Granted, I have had to ignore some of my grad school required reading in order to achieve this lightning-fast pace, but I gotta feed my brain some sweets to go along with the bland course requirements.

So what awesome books have captured my brain?  Um….well…..

See, here’s the thing.  You have to promise that you won’t laugh at me for this.  I mean it.

PROMISE!  OK, here they are:

So be honest.  Does this selection make me look nerdy?

Just under two years ago, I put one of my friends on notice.  Last spring, I felt a bit renewed and gave running another try.  I actually felt good and made some decent progress through the summer.  But, in the fall, running started to be much more painful than it was rewarding.  The pain in my legs seemed to go all the way to the bone.  So, I took a month off around Thanksgiving.  I tried again.  The pain returned.  My doctor advised me to take more time off.  So, I focused on my strength training and doing cardio on the elliptical machine.

This week, I decided to try, try again.  I hadn’t run in more than a month and a half.  If there were some type of injury to my bones, surely they’d have healed by now.  My first run was on Wednesday.  It was slow, horrible, painful, and nothing I hoped it would be.  I thought that it might have just been some rust in my system, so I tried again on Saturday.  Slower, more painful, and even less than before.

What’s the cause?  Here are some options:

• I am getting old.  If this turns out to be the case, boy did old age strike fast.  This would explain why all the music I hear is too loud and why I have started to use the phrase “Wipper Snapper.”
  

  This is not my leg. I don't shave mine.

• Too much pressure on my legs.  I have put on some weight in the past year.  I’d love to think that I’m nothing but solid muscle now, but even if that were true, my legs still have to absorb 30 additional pounds each step.  Maybe my legs just aren’t built to carry these big guns that are attached to my shoulder.  (The ever-growing bomb on my belly doesn’t help, either.)
• There is some type of injury.  Well, obviously, it’s an injury because the dang thing hurts.  But you know what I mean.  Maybe it’s something deeper than just muscle soreness.  Even after a long time off, this came back pretty fast.  And, it’s happening in both legs.  So, I’m inclined to think that it’s not a bone issue, but a muscle thing.  Because I have my MD, you know.

But what do I do?  More options:

• Ask everyone I know about this and see if they offer some magical advice.  I should probably start by bugging people who run because they have to know exactly what’s going on with me.  Right?
• Go back to the elliptical for a couple of months and then try it all again.  Just because this didn’t work the first two times doesn’t mean that it won’t help again.
• Forget cardio.  Forget the legs.  Just workout the upper body.  There’s no downside to this, is there?
• Seek medical attention.  No no no.  I don’t mean go see a doctor.  I mean that I should get some medicine to help.  Maybe some steroids or some of that HGH that has worked so well in baseball and football.  The roids will not only help me heal, they will also help me meet my goal of being huge.  The only problem is finding a dealer.

So, there you have it.  If you have any guidance on any of these options, please feel free to let me know.  Especially if your dealer offers first time buyer discounts.

Please join me in congratulating Alana and Xander on their good news.  In May (perhaps…maybe….hopefully), Alana and Xander will be bringing home two beautiful little children (twins!) to spoil and love.  Kelley and I are very excited for them and know that they will be wonderful parents.  I know that they have waited for months on end with no word and now they have a finish line in sight.  Now they have a bit more waiting and I’m pretty sure that Xander will have to use duct tape to keep Alana from grabbing the first plane to Ethiopia.  But, I think she’ll manage.

Three years ago, our little Ladybug entered made her appearance.  As is my custom, I acted like a nerdy father and kept a log of the day she was born.  The only thing that I have edited below is to change the names of our girls and the doctor.  The rest is just as I wrote it that day.

march 21, 2007

5:15 - Butterfly tries to wake Mommy and Daddy. Daddy puts her back to bed

5:45 - Daddy gets in the shower and Butterfly gets in the bed with mommy.

6:15 - Mommy showers and Daddy feeds Butterfly breakfast

6:35 - Mommy eats breakfast while Daddy and Butterfly play with playdough

7:00 - Daddy head off to work

8:50 - Mommy and Butterfly left our house for a scheduled visit with the doctor.

8:55 - Mommy calls Daddy and tells him that she thinks today is the day. Daddy finishes things up at the office and heads towards the hospital/dr’s office.

9:10 - Mommy dropped Butterfly off to play with her best friend while she’s at the doctor.

9:30 - Arrived at Dr. Delivery’s office

9:35 - Daddy meets Mommy at the doctor’s office

9:50 - went back to see the doctor.

10:01 - Daddy feels awkward in the waiting room with all these ladies

10:25 - Dr. Delivery decides to admit mommy to the hospital…she’s at 5 cm!!

10:43 - entered OB assessment (daddy carried the pillow and the pink bag)

Dr. Delivery said that she would come by on her lunch break to break mommy’s water. the nurses will give he petosin as soon as they can.

11:40 - drew blood & started IV. asked a bunch of questions, too.

12:00 - GG picked up Butterfly from her friend’s house and took her to eat at chicj-fil-a. The report we get back is that she danced and showed people her light-up shoes and helped GG eat her chocolate shake!

12:04 - Hospital has finished the grand inquisition

12:25 - Mommy has started pitocin

12:30 - Dr. Delivery dropped in and broke mommy’s water

12:42 - filled out paperwork for epidural

1:04 - Nana and Pappy leave their house to come to the hospital.  About an hour and a half away.

1:29 - Sat up for epidural

1:35 - we think that Daddy came close to passing out when he was helping hold Mommy while they were administering the epidural. He claims that he was perfectly fine the whole time and it just got really hot in the room…stupid air conditioner must have temporarily broken

1:40 - test dose (epidural)

2:05 - the epidural seems to be working, so all the hired help leaves the room.

2:17 - installed catheter - ewwwwe, gross!

2:25 - a little oxygen for good measure

2:30 - we settle down a bit for a little rest. Daddy updates this schedule with a few whitty comments. Once little Ladybug starts to come, he’ll have to pay more attention to Mommy.

2:50 - Nana and Pappy arrive for a vist

3:05 - adjusted the epidural (it was only taking to one side)

3:23 - anterior lip - don’t know what that means, but they called Dr. Delivery to tell her

3:33 - started pushing

3:40 - paused pushing

3:50 - while waiting for dr., the nurses swap stories about the weird deliveries they’ve assisted with

4:10 - still waiting. the nurses say that Ladybug is moving down on her own which will keep mommy from pushing so hard.

4:30 - dr arrives

4:52 - delivery! 7 lb 15.7 oz. 19.25 long 13.5 head 13.5 chest

5:10 - tried a little snack!

6:15 - moved into our room (346) and mommy got to eat supper (corn, salsbury steak, mashed potatoes, roll, jello, and sprite)

My company usually hires engineering interns each the summer.  We provide them with some real-world experience, a little money, and a nice bullet point on their resumes.  In return, they give us cheap labor, quick work, and, on occasion, enough information to know that they are worth hiring.

So, it’s that time of year when the students start sending their resumes.  For some reason, I decided to do a little sleuthing this year.  I simply type the name into Facebook and see what comes up.  (I’ve used this same research method on full-time positions, too.) Oh what fun!

Student #1

I have actually met student #1.  He has been in a couple of my graduate school classes.  I have had enough interaction with him to be amazed at how telling his profile picture is, not to mention the remainder of gems hidden in his profile page.  Lets take a look:

So, let’s look at the picture and see what it tells us.  He’s a small portion of the photograph and is not the focal point of the camera.  The picture is taken with just him by himself in a large room.  Note the pose.  It’s a telling sign of his level of self-comfort.  A bit awkward of a stance, wouldn’t you say?  He’s posted this picture as his profile picture.  The one photo to show the world who he is, he ensures that he is not the center of attention.  The shot is framed like he is standing in front of some type of important landscape, but the background has nothing remarkable in it.  By posting this picture, he’s trying to become lost in the noise.

Here’s the amazing thing, his Facebook network groups (and my interactions with him) indicate the same type of behavior.  Most notably is the desire to be associated with any group that will accept him.  A number of his FB groups are college groups for different races, specifically in different college disciplines  (for instance, one is a group for black law students).  The race grouping on its own isn’t remarkable, but coupled with the fact that they are completely different disciplines makes them telling.  It’s almost as if he’s so uncomfortable with who he is, he feels the need to identify with anything that is not him.

At any rate, I knew of this guy well enough to be amazed at how telling his profile was.  So, I went out and looked at one of the students that I have never met.  Let’s see what we can get from this guy.

Student #2

Since we can derive some good information from someone that we know.  Let’s try with a student that we don’t know…

So, let’s start with the obvious.  He’s not the brightest person out there because he is applying for jobs with this set as his profile picture and his profile open to the public.  But shall we did deeper?

The attempt of the photo is to say “look at me, I like to party.”  What it really says is “I’m trying to be cool, but I’m not.”  Here’s how we know.  First, the girls are dancing on a stage, oblivious to this guy’s presence.  He’s not even right up by stage getting his picture made.  There is a layer of people between him and the intended focus.  It says “hey, I’m close enough to look cool. Snap the picture.” Next, that pale white skin indicates that he hasn’t been partying shirtless for long or very often.  There’s nothing wrong with not partying, but this picture is obviously a special occasion rather than a common occurrence.  Next, we look at the can in his hand.  It’s a Coke Zero.  That’s right, the boy knows how to get his drank on!  Spring break and he’s going to get some CAFFEINE!  WOOOO!

Some of the other pictures in his grouping indicate that he likes to be thought of as “the man.”  There are numerous photos from his high school days where he has his shirt off and his arms around some girls.  (Looks like after a track meet or something.)  My rule of thumb has always been “If ya ain’t got not muscles, keep your shirt on.”  This rule has kept me happily covered for more than 20 years.

Real Life Application

So now that we’re well practiced on the art of Facebook Psychology, what does this guy’s page say?

I usually try to do my own thing on this blog and not link to other sites, but this one is awesome.  This is an on-line drawing program that helps you make some pretty doggone cool stuff.

http://www.escapemotions.com/experiments/flame/index.html#top

Here is my first creation:

In addition to my attempted journey into the world of deep thoughts, I have been working to find a balance on another front.  This dilemma has plagued me for more than six months.  And now I come to you, my loyal interneterians in search of guidance.

Which is better:  Chocolate Milk or Sweet Tea?

See, chocolate milk has much more protein, but it’s so thick that I can’t drink more than a half-gallon a day.  I can gulp sweet tea all day long, but it’s got all that caffeine.  And, I’ve tried having a gallon of both, but that didn’t turn out very well.  The experiment of mixing them turned out even worse.

Why must life be full of such difficult decisions.  Please, internet, help me choose a vice!

*Side Note* - So, apparently, you can get some “interesting” results when you use google’s image search to find a picture of chocolate milk.  I never knew it was so sexy.  And yeah, don’t search unless you want an education.   I even had the filters turned on.

Sometimes, one post isn’t enough to clear my brain.  Mind if I ramble on a bit more?  No?  Thanks, I knew you’d listen.  After all, I am a shallow thinker, so it takes me a bit longer to figure things out.

While I am a slow learner, I do understand that pain and heartaches are nothing new.  Sometimes we just notice it more than other times.  But all around, people are constantly looking to find the calm in the midst of their storms.  The most typical response that I have seen is that we just grow calloused to the sadness around us and we trudge on with our lives.

Mr. Jones lost his wife. She was always so sweet to me.  I have a meeting in an hour.

The Robinsons are getting a divorce.  I hate it for their kids.  I wonder what we’ll do for supper tonight.

Jennifer seems really upset about something.  I hope someone talks with her.  Ah, I’m already running behind.

Cold and callous?  Sure, but it’s the way we run.  After all, we don’t have the time to sit and listen to every little detail of all these peoples’ lives.  And heck, even if we did, wouldn’t it be depressing to have to struggle through these things with every single person that was having a bad day?

The only true response that I have seen work is love.  Compassion.  It’s the kind of compassion that has you just sit in silence while someone cries on your shoulder.  The love that sends you out in the wee hours of the morning after someone has made a mistake.  Again.  It’s the deep friendship where two people embrace during an emotional storm and they both know that they have a companion through the trials.

As much as the politicians try, government can’t comfort all who are weary.  As much as the congregations gather, the church isn’t comforting those who are heavy-hearted.  There are many who still struggle and long to find some rest.

I don’t even pretend to think that there is anything that I could do to solve the global needs for comfort, compassion, peace, or love.  This void existed before I arrived and will continue long after I am gone.  However, I am reminded of a quote from a guy that loved the teachings of Jesus, but didn’t care much for the actions of his modern-day followers.  “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  The solution that I long to see in my world can only come from one place.  Me.

But how?

I noted on my previous post that Butterfly required a colonoscopy. I have contemplated how much or how little to detail here, but my wife has solved the problem for me. (She usually does.)  Check her post for a much more substantial, and well-written, account of the trying weekend and the pending results. (click here)