I guess this is what old people do....

I went to the Gastroenterologist yesterday. He checked out my stats and is now trying to narrow down what causes my stomach to be so prone to irritability. Since it has been going on for the last 20+ years he says he can rule out cancer and most ulcers and such. He thinks he can narrow it down to either a buildup of bacteria in the digestive system or the more common irritable bowel syndrome. To further narrow it down I need to come back next month and they will take a series of breath samples to determine the bacterial content of my digestive system. While sitting around in a doctor’s office for 4 hours, breathing in a bag occasionally sounds boring and tedious. I have to believe it is a much better option than a colonoscopy. I was relieved to hear that he sees no reason to do one and that I don’t need one till I am 50.

He also gave me a prescription for Hyoscyamine. It is apparently an anticholinergic sedative. Which means it relaxes the muscles in the bladder and intestines while reducing stomach acids. It is a mixture of belladonna alkaloids and barbiturates. So, I am guessing it will come with one of those warnings to not operate heavy machinery while taking. So, I guess I better lose some more weight. It would be really nice if this works to reduce or mitigate my symptoms. I guess the only way to find out is to take it and see what happens.

On a funnier note, I have some friends out visiting in the valley this weekend. The husband is on this survivalist kick and I think his wife is just along for the ride. It is pretty funny to see the suburbanites come out to the woods. I am not saying that my wife and I are die hard outdoors people. But, I will say that we have learned a lot living out in the middle of nowhere. They are technically roughing it out in the woods in the rain right now. But, once they got everything setup last night it kind of looked like a Pottery Barn catalog picture morphed with a LL Bean catalog picture. It is truly amazing how much stuff some people think they need to survive in the woods. I am thinking that if they continue down this path much longer that they will reduce their foot print considerably. Mainly because they will tire of carrying so much stuff with them to their campsite and getting it all setup. Oh well, at least it is entertaining to watch. As soon as I am done with this blog I need to go deliver them water since they accidentally let their seven gallon jug drain out last night when they left the spigot open.

Well, off to make breakfast and deliver water. Then we will see what the day has in store. I think the wife wants to blow some of our tax return windfall on a new washer and dryer. Woo hoo…. :-/

Up is confusing

I am still chugging away on the data center move at work. There is so much to do to get this all ready, but, it is nice to have a change of priorities for a bit. I am knee deep with Linux from teaching the class, so it is nice to not have to do a lot of Linux administration at work for a bit. I’m currently setting up a bunch of servers in the new data center to do a load test of the system. It is a lot of manual labor, but, it gets me out and about and it has the added bonus of getting me in shape. I have been working like a dog carrying tons of equipment. I actually think it is starting to pay off in toning up my physique.

I am still completely torn about what to do with grad school. I think my next step is to go take the GMAT and see how I do. That should answer the rest of the big questions and then I can focus on the last few issues. It would be awesome to blow away the GMAT, but, I am sure I will do average, just like most things I try to do. I still have to give it my best shot and see what happens. Or I will always have the what-if in the back of my mind. The last thing I need is yet another what-if in my head.

Class is coming along ok. I handed back the latest quiz in class and there were a few 100s but, several Ds and Fs. I am trying to help along the slower kids without sacrificing the education of the faster students. I think I am going to give the slower students one last chance at working back into the class and then I am going to have to cut the line for them and get the pace back up to where it should be. It is frustrating to see some of them struggling along, but, at the same time it is nice to be the teacher and know that I can progress at the pace I think we should be at.

The good news this week was we got our taxes back from the accountant and for the first time in many years, we do not owe anything. We are actually getting a refund. It is just crazy to think about it. We usually owe thousands every year. This time we are getting back enough to cover the cruise. The sad side is that it is a sign of the times. I think part of the change is a realignment of deductions. But, partially it comes from our capital gains form showing capital losses this year.

On that note, it has been a perplexing last couple weeks. I have become so comfortable sitting on the positions that were upside down and just trading in and out of the SDS that I am now all befuddled with this latest strong upturn in the market. Luckily I didn’t buy too much SDS last week. But, now I am still holding it and the S&P has just gone up, up, up. I see no reason to really sell out of any of my long positions; since they are all more dividend based and core positions. I will revisit that if we break across where we were before the Fed said they had a plan coming but, no details. Which I think was still up in the mid 8000s on the Dow. Until then, I will just keep a sharp eye on the morning markets and maybe buy some more SDS in the next few days to enjoy the next leg down on the market. Who knows, I may get my wish in the morning. I have to think that politicians talking about the economy on primetime television should be good for a double short of the S&P.

What a nice weekend

Yesterday was frustrating. I went to the Center for Innovative Technology to sit in a on a couple EMBA classes. I was hoping that this would finalize my decision to go with the Technology Management program. Unfortunately, my experience was the exact opposite. I really enjoy the classes I attended and the program looks exactly like something I would enjoy taking. The subject matter was riveting and the class structure is the kind of environment I learn best in. It was interactive and participatory.

Although it created confusion in what I wanted to do, it did help me gain confidence in one thing. I had absolutely no trouble following along with the material they were covering. This was a second year class and I had no trouble understanding where the instructor was going with his questions and what the answers were. This was a relief, because I have had some apprehension about how I would do up till now. Most of this stems from the fact that I do not have an undergrad business degree. It looks like my passion and interest for economics and finance has paid off in me learning enough over the years to do just fine in a business program.

I spent the rest of the afternoon visiting an old friend in Herdon since I was in the area. She just got FIOS and it looks really cool, but, I cannot imagine I will be using it very soon. The two main reasons I see standing in the way are: It won’t be in my area for another 10 years and we got rid of ALL of our TV service about 7 months ago and have not missed it. So, she can enjoy her 1000 channels. I will continue to enjoy the beautiful area I live in.

I picked up a new Daytimer and gave the wife back her old one. My new one has a larger 2” ring and is more along the lines of what I need. It may look like a man purse, but, it is getting the job done for me and that is what matters. We met some good friends for dinner last night and I was about 10 minutes early, so I sat at the table working on my to-do list for the next day. Needless-to-say, they teased me a good bit when they saw it. Oh well, I will just have to be comfortable with who I am and accept it.

Speaking of the Daytimer, it has really increased my productivity. Today is a great example. On sunny, warm days like today in the past, I would have just lazed around all day and not got anything productive done. Now with the planner, I can sit down in the morning and get my list of things I need to do down on paper. Then I can start knocking them out. Today I have knocked out the following this morning: Situps and Pushups, Fed the goats, Cleaned the Ninja, Cleaned the garage, tilled the garden, cut down the birdhouse, mowed down the tall grass from the old brush pile and chocked the grill on the back porch. Not a bad morning. All I have left on my list is to complete the quiz and projects for Chapter 9 in my class and to update my blog. So, I pretty much have the rest of the afternoon to truly enjoy.

Ha! The neighbor just pulled up on his four wheeler. I am assuming he is wanting to go buy hay. It is a great day for a drive. So, I am outta here.

Life is one big continual lie

It has been a week since I blogged. Alot has happened in that week, but, alot of it I cannot blog about. That is why I haven't really had any updates. As far as what I can say.... this is what went down over the last week:

My wife and I are going on the cruise. We have booked it and are in the room next to our friends. I am still a little curious how it will be, but, I think it will be fun. It has to be better than my last vacation, but, that is not setting the bar very high.

I have been back at work for a full week now. It is good to be back in the grind and things are going really well at work. My boss seems to be very pleased with me and I am getting positive feedback from people outside my group even. While this won't translate into any real financial gain, it is nice to know that you are appreciated and are doing a good job.

The boss has added to my list of responsibilities at work the title of HP Blade Expert. Thus he is sending me to Columbia, MD for 3 days of training next week. It will be nice to be back in the learning world for a few days instead of the teaching world. I have been messing around with a couple blade chassis we have at work, so I should be fairly up to speed for next week's class.

I have ridden the Ninja three times in the last two weeks. Maybe the weather is starting to make a turn and we will see some warmer weather soon.

Speaking of warmer weather... I signed up for hockey again this summer. I thought long and hard about not doing it. But, I really do enjoy it and the team I play on is a group of good guys. So, I am signed up for another season.

I am off today to attend a couple EMBA classes at GMU. I am still leaning towards the Masters in Technology Management. But, who could turn down a chance for a couple free classes in a graduate program? I think it is only fair to give each program as much consideration as possible anyway. Today should also do a good job of shoring up my decision.

OK. I better go get ready. When I have some free time I will try to get a rant in on how f-ed up the concept of a democracy is. Have a good day and enjoy the weather.

Mooooooooo

I am sitting here contemplating something I didn’t think I would be considering any time in my near future. I am considering going on a cruise with another couple at the end of May. They are really nice people and I know we would enjoy hanging out with them for the week. I just have never thought I would enjoy hanging out on a boat with a bunch of other people. I don’t like Disney World or Branson Missouri. I don’t even really like amusement parks. These experiences are just too many people being herded around doing mindless things.

In light of all that, I find it surprising that I think I would actually enjoy the concept of having nothing to do for 7 straight days. Not in that I would sit around bored, but, that I would have no set schedule or list of things I had to get done during that time. I think there would be enough things on the ship that I could do, that I wouldn’t feel totally under stimulated. I could also easily avoid the big cattle lines and heavily organized pieces if I wanted to. It may actually be really good for me to just take it easy for a bit. I could go work out in the gym and then sit in the hot tub for a bit. I could just lie in bed or sit on my balcony for the day if I wanted to. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea actually.

The destinations sound interesting also. We would be going to Grand Turk, Little San Salvador Island and Nassau. Nassau I am sure will be a zoo. But, the rest look like they would be fairly quiet and interesting. I don’t think I would enjoy the shore side planned activities, but, I would enjoy just getting off the boat and wandering off onto the island. My only regret is that we wouldn’t be going to the Dominican Republic. I have always wanted to go there, but, I am sure I can get another opportunity since one of my good friend’s mother built a house there and lives full time.

Well, we will see. For the meantime, my quizzes from Wednesday and graded and put up on the blackboard for the students. I am going to bed. It was a long day out shooting on the range and visiting the pig.

And the beat goes on

It is official; I am now back on contract at my job. I will find out tomorrow how long this extension is for. Regardless of length, it is nice to have a steady income stream again. The hardest part will be getting back into a routine. I have been slowly getting up later and later as I went through the week. Tomorrow I will have to actually get up and go to work on time. It will be very nice to not have to commute into the city tomorrow. That part I will not miss.

In general, everything seems to be going pretty well right now. It is such a change from the beginning of the week. On Monday I was trying to find out why I still did not have a contract, picking through the wasteland of an office space where everybody was laid-off and the market was absolutely in the dumper. Now I have a new lease on my career life, I am almost wrapped up with the vulture fest down in the city and the market is screaming to the upside.

On another happy note, I had lunch today with a friend who is back in school, working on her undergrad. She declared her major this week and is going down the finance route. It was really good to have a chance to bounce my thoughts off her today and to listen to what she has experienced along her journey over the last few months. I was relieved to find out she had toyed with Economics as her major. This gives me comfort to know that I am not alone in this desire and that maybe I am not completely out of my gourd to want to get a doctorate in Economics at some point. Who knows....

I know she occasionally peeks at this blog, so I want to congratulate her on her endeavor. I think it will set her on an exciting and interesting chapter in her life.

Well, I better go grade quizzes. I'm sure my students are interested to see how they did on the exam. I am just as interested to see how they did. I was concerned that this quiz may have been a bit hard. But, from what I have glanced at they seem to be doing alright on it. We will see when I am done grading.

A different kind of capitulation

Lately the only real capitulation I have felt is in the stock market. Unfortunately, this has happened a few times over the last year. This morning one year ago today for example... The cost to insure $10Million of Bear Stearns Debt in Credit Default Swaps shot past $1Million. Two days later they were sold off to JP Morgan for pennies on the dollar. Those types of moments were real capitulation moments for me and the market.

Today I am feeling a different kind of capitulation. I took a job contracting with the government last October. At the time, the market was about to have its biggest down move in... um... ever… and my employer at the time had no sign of turning their ship around in the next... um... never. These two things told me it was time to move to a job where I could hedge the down side as much as possible. Nothing said stability to me like working for the government. I could take a job that is actually half way interesting, a decent commute and would be stable and secure. Unfortunately, I was really really wrong about the last part of that. This job has been about as far from stable as it could ever be. I have yet to go a couple months without some kind of funding issue with my position. This leaves me on the brink of being on the street at any moment. I also have no way to do any long term planning. My current experience is what I would like to think is the nadir of this whole thing, but, what if it isn't? The longer this drags out, the less optimistic I feel about a new contract being signed. And even if one is... how long will it last? Will it go to just June 30th like many of the others? Or will it go out to all the way to the end of September? Either length isn't really much to hang your hat on. Both put me back in this situation again in a short time.

I think the saddest part of this is that it comes at the same time I would have probably been released from my previous employer. Yesterday they had a big round of layoffs and I would have picked up a severance out of that. So, now I am without severance and looking at the same boat. Just another great example of how I make some of the worst choices possible in my life.

Oh well, I guess I will go back today and continue to pack up the laid-off people’s stuff and wait to see if some anonymous faces downtown will sign a contract to give me another lease on life for a few more months. I think the other plan today is to find another job. I have no idea where or doing what, but, I better figure it out. And figure it out quick.

I know that out of great adversity comes great opportunity. I really need to start searching for that opportunity.

Oh joy. I am on vulture patrol.

Boy do I have alot to catch up on. It has been a crazy few days. I will try to go in topic order since chronological will be all messy.

I am still sorta not employed kinda sorta. I am still employed by my employer but I still have no project code to bill to. I am currently billing to overhead each day. The contract is still not signed. It is starting to get me a little concerned. Even more depressing is the work they have me doing while I wait for my contract to be renewed so I can access my job site again. I have the joy of cleaning up an office of my employer where everybody was laid off. I am going through and shutting down all of the equipment and packing it up for shipping back to our main worksite. So, you are thinking it can't get more depressing than that? Wrong. I do not have access to the building, so as a stop gap. They gave me the badge of one of the laid off people to use for access. It is just sad. I have to look at his mug every time I go to badge through a door. I do not know the guy at all, but, I sure feel bad for him. Nothing says vulturing an empty office like using the laid-off guys badge for access.

I did have a good time over the weekend; when I kept my mind off the job situation. The wife and I week ended in the city. We had a series of events evenly spaced out over Saturday and Sunday down in Northern Virginia, so we got a hotel room at the Courtyard. This became our base of operations for the weekend.

We went to an information session for GMU's MS in Technology Management on Saturday morning. It was a very good experience. We got to peek in on a couple classes in session and they introduced us to the two class co-leads of the junior class. One of the students had followed a very similar decision tree to the one I am dealing with and he ended up in the tech-man program. I think this is a good sign that it is the way I should go. I have a pro and con list in my Daytimer now and it is leaning heavily to the tech-man over the EMBA. I still plan to go sit in on a couple EMBA classes in two weeks, but, in the meantime I am going to keep myself busy by working on my application for the tech-man program.

We went to a fun party on Saturday night for my hockey wife. She turned 30, so she is not part of us old people. I had a chance to grab lunch with her today and it looks like she is fully recovered from the debauchery on Saturday night.

On Sunday we had a really nice lunch at Charcoal Kabob with good friends. Unfortunately, I found out that the husband got laid off at his job of 15 years last week. The good news is that he will get enough severance to make it through the end of the year. That should give him enough time to find a new job. He had a good idea it was going to happen, but, I am sure he is disappointed to see the good run come to an end. He is a smart guy with alot of experience, so he should do well out looking on the market.
Sunday ended on a bit of downer as we lost our hockey playoff game 8-3. I was thinking about not playing next season so I could concentrate on all of the other things I need to get done. But, I have decided that the hockey is very therapeutic and is a good break from the rigors of everything else. So, I am going to sign up for another season. I am even looking forward to it.

Well, I have rambled enough for tonight. I am going to go get crap done so I can get up late and wander into a job I really don't want to do. Have a good night and keep shorting that market!

Can haz job? Mebbe?

I am now sort of employed again. The contract still hasn't been signed, but, I do not have to burn vacation days. They are letting me charge to overhead while I wait for the new contract. I will be going into my company's main office on Monday so I have something to do. At least this ensures that I will still be getting paid through all of this.

Last night I attended an informational seminar on the different graduate programs for the George Mason School of Management. It was informative, but, I am still up in the air on what I want to do. Both their EMBA and MSTM programs are very interesting.

The EMBA is more expensive, takes longer and has a staggered schedule, but, it has some very interesting qualities. One of those is the fact that it has 3 residencies; one in Asia, one in London and one in New York City. I think all of those would be very educational and informative. The NYC residency would be fascinating in that you would get some exposure to the workings of the (still) financial capitol of the world.

The Masters in Technology Management would still give me exposure to economics, finance and accounting, while costing much less and taking less time to get. It also has the bonus of being only on Saturdays. So, it would work with about any job I would have in the future. Its drawbacks are that it would not get as deep into the business topics as an EMBA. It also has only one residency. Although this year it was in Dubai! That would make up for the lack of the other 2 residencies.

Tomorrow, I am attending an informational session specifically for the MSTM degree. It will be on campus at GMU and will have current students in attendance. So, this will be a good chance to drill down into that program deeper. I am also setting up a visit to the EMBA program. I am going to sit in on a class and then go out to lunch with the group at the end. Hopefully, these two events will help me push forward to making a decision.

One thing I think I have decided on is, unless I blew the cover off the GMAT (770+) I think I will be going to GMU. I would still love to go to Wharton, Kellogg or Booth, but, I am sure it would be a long shot to even imagine getting to go to one of those institutions. But, I can still dream... and besides, it gives me some motivation to study for the GMAT.

Oh, and on an unrealted note... I just have to say. Dropping down from 300 pounds to 230 pounds has made clothes shopping alot more enjoyable. Except when you just happen to walk into Brooks Brothers and try on a Sport Coat that makes even ME look good. Then it is just painful. $585 *sigh*

And the drama continues

I am (once again) in a pickle at work. My contract that I am currently working on ended yesterday. The contract is up for extension and just needs a couple signatures to be extended. But, it is the government, so it is taking forever to complete. This means that I have no project to charge my hours to, so I essentially have no job. I am still being paid by my contracting employer, but, I cannot go into work. It is like a mini-vacation without a clear prospect of whether I will have a job starting next week. This makes it a little harder to enjoy it as a mini-vacation.

My way of handling it right now is I am going to the joint graduate information reception for GMU at the Tower Club tonight in Tyson's Corner. I am also going to work on lining up some temporary work back in the oil industry in case I need something to keep me busy for a short term till I can go back to work. I also think I will go for a hike tomorrow to relax.

This also gives me a chance to take a little time to work on my investment positions. I got a nice bounce off the China news yesterday because I had increased my positions in the energy and materials trade the day before yesterday. It is nice to sometimes get it right occasionally.

Speaking of making money... I won my weight loss contest at work and I picked up $320 for the efforts. I think I will end up just putting the money in my savings account. But, it would be fun to spend it. I had aspirations to go to NYC over my spring break, but, the wife is showing resistance to the idea. So, I think it will just end up in the savings account. I guess it isn't the worst place for it to go.

Well, even though I am unemployed, I have a busy day ahead of me. I just have some extra time to get everything done today. :)

Bleh

I feel pretty blah today. I think it is a combo of eating stuff I shouldn't have yesterday, a market that won't stop going down (depressing even with SDS doing well), the continuing cold of winter and just general thinking about becoming 40 soon. It all combines to a good case of the blahs.

I think the main root of it has been me thinking too much about all of the cool things I have missed out on in life because I talk myself out of them. The main issue is my lack of desire to travel. (especially air travel) I don't understand it. I used to have no problem flying anywhere, then I couldn't do it at all for a while, then I got better and now I am back to just not wanting to do it again. I am really going to focus on taking one overseas trip in the next 6 months. If I am going to do 95% of the things I want to do I need to get this whole issue out of the way.

I think losing weight and getting my stomach in better shape would go a long way, so I am really focusing on that part now. I am down from ~300lbs to ~235lbs so I have to imagine that would help. I also am working with my doctor to get the stomach issues under control. I guess the next step is to pull the trigger and hop on a commercial flight to somewhere.

Ugh. It just sucks.