Final semester

My final semester of college was bittersweet. For the first few months, I dreaded the idea of graduating and having to face the cold reality of a lifelong career. I moped and whined, and eventually went into denial. I began to just completely ignore the fact I would graduate. This period, however, was probably the worst of my semester, as I didn't get much accomplished socially or intellectually. I watched television, read forums and Wikipedia online, and played an exorbitant amount of Guitar Hero 2--something I swore to myself I would never do.

Somewhere around early March I realized graduation wouldn't be all bad. After talking with a friend who was also graduating, I realized some of the best times of my life have been during the summer at home. While college was always a nice retreat and a great place to avoid the parents and drink full time, I missed my old friends and Northern Virginia. As I suffer from mild social anxiety, I tend to enjoy myself more when forced into social situations, like when I'm working full time. Having to interact with new people on a daily basis for hours at a time really opens me up and gets me feeling good. As soon as I fessed up to the fact, I began enjoying myself more. Not only that, but I also start to set goals.

I decided I wanted to finish off my college career strong. I had been floundering academically, satisfied with my almost perpetual 2.9 GPA. After beginning to actually study for tests (i.e., reading chapters and actually memorizing material for more than 2 hours) I noticed a stark improvement in my grades. I posted a final GPA of almost 3.5--my best ever. I also decided I wanted to look good for the summer. I had been on and off short term diets since my first semester of junior year. They were however, too lenient in the amount of exercise and way too lax in terms of diet. I ate nothing but gumbys pizzas, potato chips, French fries, and tater tots for almost three years of college. This semester I was determined to stave off my old eating habits. Despite the fact I would need to spend more money, I realized it was worth the cost. I began to eat only relatively healthy and simple items. The best healthy entrees I could come up with on a relatively thin budget were things like lean Chili, lentil soup, chicken Caesar wraps, and snacks like fat free and baked chips, yogurt, granola bars, and popcorn. I also realized I could eat less and still feel healthy and energetic. Coupled with a healthy amount of exercise (400 step-ups, 200 sit-ups, and 60 push-ups per day three times a week) I managed to lose nearly 40 pounds in three months, going from 205 to 168. I literally haven’t been this thin since high school, and I imagine I weighed more at some point since I was always to scared to weigh myself during my peak girth.
I finally graduated in early May and really enjoyed myself. Although there was still a lingering feeling of anticipation, it was a relief to know I’d never have to study for a hard week of tests, spend 30 hours in a week working on a group project, or deliver an academic presentation again. Now I’m readying myself for work, which I start in mid June at a major computer corporation. I sincerely hope I enjoy my job and find it rewarding but not overwhelming . Things are beginning to fall into place and I would really like to buy a condo sometime toward the end of the summer.
Also, that new Nissan Truck is looking pretty sexy… :)

Reflections on Virginia Tech shootings

Yesterday was a surreal day. I didn't learn of the shootings until after I had returned from my morning classes at around 1PM. The first news reports convinced me it was a fairly isolated incident with only a few casualties, but as that number exploded to over 30, I began feeling more and more frightened and saddened. It's not often there is a school shooting, and its less often there’s a Virginia school shooting, and even less often more than 30 innocent students are killed in less than 3 hours.

I took solace in a letter from the University of Virginia's President John Casteen to the students, available here. His words are heartfelt and powerful, and in my opinion do a better job in summing the thoughts of so many of us than any news report or editorial yet published.

After the initial shock of the event, my fear and sadness began turning to anger. Throughout my life I've advocated more stringent gun purchasing requirements and firearm controls. About two years ago I decided once and for all that no civilian in the United States should be able to own a handgun. There is simply no need for one. Practially all of Western Europe, Canada, and Japan is gun-free and they aren’t anarchical. Many on the pro-gun side of the debate will make the point "guns don't kill people, people kill people". That is undeniable--a gun cannot kill someone without some external intervention. However, the failure of that argument is that we, as a society, have to draw a line as what dangerous weapons civilians can and cannot own. Knives don't kill people, people kill people is also a logical argument. The flaw is that knives don't have the potential to kill tens of people. A person can't walk into a classroom and kill 32 students and faculty with a knife. The opposite of that argument is demonstrated in that we, as citizens and civilians of the United States, cannot own armored tanks with artillery shells. This, from my perspective, is the same reason we should not be allowed to own handguns. They have an enormous capacity for loss of life.

Pro-gun activists will also claim that thorough psychological screenings and background checks will weed out the potential sociopaths and mass murderers. While this is true for the most part, we will never be able to detect 100% of these people. All it takes is one disgruntled and mentally disturbed person to kill so many, as again was evident from yesterday's events.

Virginia has some frighteningly relaxed gun purchasing laws, as noted in this SciAm blog post. We need to address these issues before another Virginia Tech can happen.

Happening in the last two months

I haven't posted an update in a while due to several factors, one is that I've been fairly busy with finishing my coursework for my last semester as an undergraduate, and two is that I've been doing a lot of partying.

I finally got a job as a consultant/IT specialist with IBM Application Innovation Services, which is both exciting and somewhat overwhelming. Previously, I've only been employed by public sector government entities, which are typically considered some of the laziest jobs on the face of the Earth. This is pretty much true, as I've based my performance in these jobs on Peter Gibbon's philosohpy in Office Space of "working just hard enough to not get fired". I'm used to being lazy and not facing any consequences, but I do know I have the capacity to work hard if I enjoy something and find it challenging. Also, they're paying me a ridiculous amount of money, so I have a huge incentive compared to my past jobs where I've earned no more than $15-17/hour.

A Question to Ponder

In a November 2006 interview by Charlie Rose with Bill Gates, Rose asked the question "Is there a downside for us [Americans] that the center of innovation, creativity and technological discovery maybe moving off the American shores or is this meaningless because of the free exchange of information [globally]"?

For some reason this question stuck in my mind and I can't quite come up with an answer.

eBay Stupidity

I've blogged about how shitty a website it is before, but this post will focus on a different aspect of the beloved auction site--shitty people.

I've noted that many people seem to think eBay is the only place to buy products on the internet, and that may explain why most of the people who buy things from my auctions are completely retarded. In the past month, I've sold probably 10 items on eBay, ranging from old clothes to new cell phones to guitar pedals. From these 10 auctions, only about 2 were completed smoothly. In one case, a man (presumably a very old man) from Montana bought a mount for a GPS unit from me. Upon completion of an auction, the winning bidder is sent a "YOU'VE WON AN ITEM, PAY NOW DUMBASS" email. When I hadn't received payment three days after the auction ended, I attempted to email him, only to immediately receive a wonderful "mailer daemon" email not found reply. This guy had been bidding on items for months with a non-working email. I then sent him a message through ebay's messaging system, however, this system heavily relies on the fact that when you receive a new message, an email is dispatched to let you know you have a new message. Quite the Catch 22. I eventually had to use his address information I got from ebay to look him up on google phonebook and actually CALL him to request he pay. I left a message on his answering machine, and that night I received a request from him via ebay for the item total. THE AMOUNT YOU BID PLUS THE SHIPPING COST IS THE TOTAL. Honestly, how can someone without the reasoning ability to determine the final cost of an auction use a computer at all? And when he finally did pay, he used a money order which I explicitly forbade in the auction listing. I seriously considered just keeping the money order and sending him a piece of paper with MAILER DAEMON ITEM NOT FOUND written on it.

The next sale I made, the winning bidder contacted me after the auction and tried to renegotiate the price based on the fact he found the same item at Circuit City for less. I declined his request.

The other winning bidders all took between 3 days and week to pay via paypal. I realized people are busy. I realize people have full-time jobs and may not check their personal email on a daily basis. But come on, if you know you're bidding for something on ebay check your mail every so often to see if you've won. It takes literally 2-3 minutes to checkout via paypal. If you can't make time for that in less than a week you have serious problems.

Shop Target

Jesus, this blog is beginning to look like one long advertisement for Target. I assure you, I am in no way associated with Target Corporation and in no way benefit from plugging them.

The reason I'm endorsing Target in this post is that I recently learned they are partnering with my university to promote local Martin Luther King day events. I'm continually amazed by Target's philanthropic efforts, especially those aimed at the communities surrounding their retail locations. Here are some interesting Target facts:

• Forbes Magazine ranked it as the highest cash giving company in America in percentage of income given (2.1%)
• Target provided monetary and product donations during the September 11th terrorist attacks on the U.S.
• Target donated $1.5 million (U.S.) to the American Red Cross in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005
• Target operates two sophisticated criminal forensics laboratories that offer pro bono services to law enforcement agencies across the country. Target's Forensic Services has assisted agencies at all levels of government, including Federal agencies such as the Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Not only does Target donate to worthwhile charities, they also avoid assisting discriminatory "charitable" organizations like the Salvation Army, and do not participate in biased surveys like the NAACP's diversity report. The NAACP failed Target in its report on "commitment to the African-American citizenry". In 2006 when Target was asked why they didn't participate in the survey, a representative explained "Target views diversity as being inclusive of all people from all different backgrounds, not just one group."

In conclusion, shop Target and avoid shitholes like Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart: How I Loath Thee

I live in a relatively small town in Virginia. The population consists almost entirely of the locals (farmers, transients, meth-dealers) and students/faculty from the university. Being as it is a small town, there isn't exactly the multitude of grocery stores we're blessed with in the Washington DC Metro area. Up north, we've got Wegman's (which is pretty much the greatest store in the universe), Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and even some decent Safeways and Giants. All of the aforementioned stores are relatively clean, and seem to have good turnover (ie, no eight month old bleached turkeys). Here on the other hand, the cleanest true grocery store is Wal-Mart.

Unfortunately for me, I absolutely hate that god damn hell hole. I've honestly never been in and out of that store in less than twenty minutes, regardless of the purchase. I literally walked in once to buy a bag of ice, which is located at the front of the store next to the express check out lanes, and didn't make it out for the better part of an hour. Most reasonable people would think buying a single bag of ice at 11PM on a Saturday wouldn't take more than half an hour. Most reasonable people don't shop at Wal-Mart. You see, Wal-Mart has this ingenious cost-cutting scheme of having only one cashier working from 8PM until the next morning regardless of the number of patrons waiting in line. It took fifteen minutes for the cashier to ring up the four people at the head of the line, most of whom purchased no more than 20 items. Then comes the obligatory check-writer. These people are usually middle-aged women who have not watched television, accessed the Internet, or stepped into a bank in the last fifteen years. Not only do they refuse to use debit cards (which function precisely as checks, only don't piss off everyone else), credit cards or cash, they refuse to pre-print any of the information on the check itself while waiting in line. I swear to god this woman asked how to spell "seventeen" when she was writing in the total. As I finally approach the cashier, I handed her $5 for the ice which she deposited in the register only to realize she was out of pennies and couldn't make change. I tell her I don't even want the four cents, but she insists because it's store policy to always make correct change. When the manager finally brought a roll of pennies and handed me my change, I had been in the store for over forty minutes. Forty fucking minutes for a bag of ice.

Just recently, a Target store opened nearby. The store itself is easily three times as clean and tidy as the Wal-Mart, and attracts 80% fewer townies, which is reason enough to go there despite the slightly higher prices. Unfortunately for me they don't stock a full grocery section, meaning they don't have a deli, fresh fruits/veggies or assorted miscellaneous bullshit, which still necessitates my monthly visit to that glorious shit hole popularly known as Wal-Mart.

Reflections on eBay

Why does the most popular, and easily most profitable, online auction site look so damn ugly? I considered this many times and the conclusion I've arrived at is simply that most people that use auctions sites are 1) stupid, 2)old or computer illiterate or 3) rich. eBay has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, and for the most part, their interface hasn't changed. It is still a garbled, cluttered heap of mostly useless links intertwined with annoying third party advertisements. Their seller tools are mostly useless, and much of their software unintuitive. For example, when a seller receives a question through their messaging system, a copy is sent to the seller's email. The seller can respond via a link within the email, but for some reason, doing so doesn't mark the message as "read" in the sellers area. How can a seller respond to a question without reading it? Also, retail goods, especially electronics, can be had at prices far below the average end-auction price on eBay. By using advance searches that show completed listing prices added to shipping costs, its easy to prove that most widely available items, the Microsoft Zune for instance, sell for substantially less on major retail sites like Amazon.com or newegg.com. So why hasn't eBay addressed these concerns? It certainly isn't a lack of technical ability, but more likely a lack of motivation. They have no competition, so there is no need to streamline their site.

I'm also continually amazed by the fees charged by the site in question. They recently upped their rates even more. It costs anywhere from $2 on up to list virtually any auction and pay the purchased item commission. Realize that eBay has tens of millions of items for sale at any given time, creating extremely large economies of scale. Surely it can't cost eBay any more than 20 cents to handle the traffic and administrative overhead of any item.

The unfortunate truth is that we, as sellers and bidders, have no where to turn. Their is no other major auction site worth noting. I've been hoping for years that google would finally create their own auction site, and this idea seemed closer than ever to fruition when they launched their own payment system (which incidentally was banned by ebay).

Guess I'm just screwed for now. At least we have craigslist for local...

Heading Back to School

So I'm heading back to school tomorrow. I figured this break was going to seem short as it was only three weeks long, but I really can't wait to get back to school. Just sitting around my house without a job for 3 weeks has been fairly mind-numbing. I'm looking forward to getting some stuff done at school and getting back in the swing of a more active social life.

Fingers crossed this semester is going to rock...

Meerkats and Manors

I've been watching a lot of Meerkat Manor on the discovery channel lately. Boy is that show addictive. I'm not sure what it is about the show that I like so much. I'm not particularly fond of Meerkats but I suppose they are relatively cute.

I've come up with a rudimentary drinking game based on the show, since I've noticed it tends to be on Friday nights--prime drinking time. Here are the rules:

• Drink whenever Sean Astin states a meerkat fact


• Drink whenever the Commandos attack the Whiskers


• Drink whenever the pups get into trouble


• Drink whenever Sean Astin says "Zaphod"


• Drink whenever Sean Astin says "precocious pups"


• Drink whenever the underground camera is used


• Drink whenever a splinter group gets in trouble on a foraging expedition


• Chug a beer (and pour a little out) whenever any meerkat dies


• Chug a beer whenever a meerkat hooks up with another meerkat


• Chug a beer whenever a meerkat gets evicted

Let me know if you guys can come up with any other stuff. My pilot study has revealed that there needs to be more drinking cues (or perhaps more potent beverages?). Anyway, I think its not bad for a draft.