Times change

I have stopped updating this blog on a regular basis. I have decided to not pursue a MSTM or MBA. So, I do not have the need to practice my writing on a regular basis. I am instead pursuing a MS in Mathematics. I will still have to write a bit, but, at least I can break it up with equations. :)

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.

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. :)

Maybe a compromise?

I have a good job and the work I do is interesting.... but....

I feel like I am in a rut. I am tired of dealing with the same IT issues over and over again. I feel like I could do more with my life than fix Linux systems. I know it is a pretty glamorous job and one that many Windows Admins would dream of doing. But, it isn't really as glamorous as it looks on TV.

To remedy this, I think the only route is through grad school. I was seriously pursuing the EMBA program when I was at AOL. But, now I am going to have to throttle back that ambition a bit. I still would like an MBA more than any other degree out there, but, I fear that they are now just a dime a dozen. So, I went off searching for something outside of the MBA tract, but, still interesting to me.

I think I may have found it in the George Mason School of Management. They offer an MS in Technology Management. This would give me the MBA exposure I wanted while giving me a degree in something other than an MBA. It is also in a field I have a good bit of experience in to boot! I have signed up for the March 7th information session. This should be a good opprotunnity to find out what the program is really like and to meet some of the current students and faculty.

Last week I purchased a GMAT review book. I am going to work on a time to take the GMAT in March. I think that regardless of whether the MSTM program is a fit for me or not, I need to get the GMAT out of the way so I can work on applying for whatever program I finally decide on.

The MSTM has a possible start date of Jan. 2010. I think this may be a bit aggressive, but, we will see what I can get done between now and then.

The other bonus to this is that my wife is a Mason grad... So, I am sure she would approve of my school choice. ;)

Ok. Off to bed. I need to get up early so I can be at class on time tomorrow. I am going over inodes and hard and soft links tomorrow. So, it may be a long class.