Graduated

Done with school. It is a weird feeling. I don't know what to do with myself now. I am excited, don't get me wrong, it's just that I have been going to school since I was 5 or 6 (I went to an advanced learning course....). That is a long time. Methinks a long time.

I had imagined I would throw my binders and notebooks, like I did in high school, and would have partied with my buds. That didn't happen. It was really anticlimactic. I went home and watched The Godfather. Yes, I need your sympathy.

I'm not super jazzed because I know I will end up going back at some point.

PREACH

This kid did exactly wish I could have done in many of my classes.

The DREADED group project

Do you remember the first day of school? Your teacher said something like this, "So, for 40% of your grade, we are going to a group paper and presentation. That will be due at mid April. Which is plenty of time for you to get it done."

ACTUALLY, it is plenty of time to forget and procrastinate. Oh, and another thing, thanks for the group project, because nobody will take ownership - besides me, and even if they do help out, guess who is going to muck through all the crap to get it to sound cohesive - me. Thanks teach, nice work on being a total clown. I wanna grab your nose and make a 'honk' sound, but I can't because of certain social boundaries. 

Needless to say, I have been put into another stellar group for a paper. I started on the paper about ten days before it was due. It is due this Thursday. Did I mention that it is worth 30% of our overall grade? So, we decided to break into into sections, which is fine if everyone owns up to it. 

Tonight I get this email: I have completed questions 3 & 4. 

What do you want, a hug, a toy? Good boy, you did something? WE DELEGATED THE WORK! This was the intent. 

Then I get this: I'm not going to get to my section until Thursday morning. 

So I wrote this email draft, which I won't send: Great job team, way to do what is exactly expected of you. I am so unimpressed with your lack of initiative and conviction. I appreciate you waiting till the last minute to get this project done and then send out emails that seem to be asking for some approval. I don't need you to check in with me. I need you to do the work. 

I am probably overreacting. 

Of significant note: Songza.com, an agnostic pandora, has updated their cite... I don't know how recently, but it has improved greatly. 

Free loaders

School is coming to an end. for some reason, I have two large group projects due this week. I have done my best to contribute and further my groups. It is a frustrating when people in your group just freeload. I hate it. Peer-reviews are good I guess, but I don't feel justice in the freeloader getting a lower grade than me because they do not care. I want something more severe.

To improve the education system we should have a demerit system, which will begin as soon as the person enters high school. If the student fails to meet group expectations or take initiative to help, besides getting a poor grade, the student will receive a demerit. When you have accumulated enough demerits, say 5-8, you are subjected to public humiliation, which in itself is up to interpretation and could be interesting.... if they continue to underperform, reaching a level 10-15, the student will be exiled to a foreign country to work in a sweat shop. FOREVER.

Something Interesting

I hate introducing myself. Whether it is in class, a group, a training session, church, or a new job, I hate it because the same question always comes up that stumps me (besides what are you going to do with your life) "Tell us something interesting about yourself." What kind of loaded question is this? Now I have to impress you before we've even formally introduced ourselves and we aren't holding Dixie cups at a party?

Let me give you a recent example... based on true events.

The intros are going around in a circle and everyone is new. The first kid starts, "My name is Robert. I am from Germany," Already more interesting than me. "And I have been to every country in Europe." Thanks Robert you have set the bar extremely high.... "My name is Chris and I am double majoring in economics and finance, and something interesting about me is that I play the accordion." I can play the Mission Impossible hook on the piano with one hand... I need to think of something fast. Maybe they will come back to me if I pass? Who passes on this? Losers do. "Hi, I am Ashley. I go to school at the U. And something interesting about me is... I uh....Oh good, she is struggling too! Good. Please think of something so dull... every two years I cut all my hair off for locks of love. I've done it since I was eight. Are you freaking kidding me.

At this point I am racking my brain for anything. I peed my pants in second grade. The only high school prom I went to was with my sister. I do not mind eating onions whole. I suck at math, all of it. NO! NO! NO! It isn't "tell me something weird and embarrassing about yourself."

It is somehow my turn, just in the same way that 6 is after 5. "My name is David." Hold on, you just started. I thought you were going to crawl under something...great... well don't stop now. GO! Say something from that dumb mouth..."I am from a small town in Nevada...." Clap for the kid from Nevada everyone...

"Yeah... I am Jeffery, I... I am from Nevada? That is what you spewed from your lips. Nice brain drain.... and I built my own car from junk yard parts. Turning my ears off now. Time to think of interesting things that you could lie about.

After I am home I think of several good answers. I have killed an aligator, I have chased wild cows, I fought as the main event for a school sponsored and organized fundraising boxing match, I have directed and starred in my own movie productions, my favorite food is home made soft tacos, my right ear is a half inch longer than my left ear, or even I have caught a seagull while wake-boarding.

Do not find yourself in a bind like mine. Think of things beforehand. Have a list in your mind.

yo, teach, some help?

This semester has been a struggle for me. My New Year's resolution was to be on time to EVERY single class EVERY single time. I did not do that. I'm ashamed. I am probably the only one that didn't keep all of my resolutions. I'll go put my nose in the corner after I am done writing. It is too bad that I am so undisciplined.

Finance has been a real problem class for me. I don't like my teacher at all, not that she isn't nice, but she sucks at teaching. Her main problem is that she can't speak clearly or simply. She is too damn smart for me. Most of the class has quit going all together. I went the other day and there was 15 kids. I kept my backpack on the whole time, just in case I needed to leave like the rest of the cool kids, or to make me look more nerdy.

In my absences they have gone over simple finance subjects, which seem super complicated in my book. On one of my problems I thought I could e-mail her and get some help. This is how it went:

David Hyde	Apr 24 (6 days ago)
to yihui.pan

I have a question on number five. How do I convert the book values to the market values with the given information that I have?

Yihui Pan	Apr 25 (6 days ago)
to me

Yes, it’s the right way to go – use the market values.
Thanks... for the help. How is now a yes/no question.