Class Changed, Candy Wins!

My professor stated tonight that because many people had emailed her saying they won't be in the chat tomorrow night due to taking their kids out trick or treating we're having the class on Thursday.

This makes me happy. Not only that I won't be missing my first class but that the professor listened when people had an issue and resolved it.

Now I just have to do my math homework.

Big day tomorrow, lots of family stuff during the day and then lots of hyped up kids at night! I love my dogs but I really enjoy these trips where they're not there, I get to sleep all night without being woken up. I think this trip I'm going to need that sleep!

Since I know family reads this, someone remind me next week to get my flu shot. The twins get theirs tomorrow and my clinic is doing them the month of November.

Grades

Nice thing about this phone... Don't have to have the comp on to get
email

Grades are in got a A in Java! Puts my gpa up to 3.65 which makes me
happy. We'll see how math goes this month.

Ester

Test

Just seeing how hard it is to blog from my swanky new phone! Flying
to Phoenix in a few hours so of course I can't sleep.

As for school I don't think my prof this month speaks English as his
first language. The reason I mention this is it makes for some
interesting email conversations. He completely misunderstood my
question. He also doesn't understand why having the first meeting at
6pm on Halloween isn't a great idea for a school that is in part aimed
at older people who most likely have kids... Or nephews.

We'll see how it goes

Ester

Another one done

Java is all in and accounted for, well almost all accounted for but it's all in! The fire pushed things back a bit but we managed to get it all done. Unless I blew the final out of the water (in a bad way) I should have my A no problem.

Next class is calc and my biggest question right now is how do I turn in stuff online? I haven't taken a math class in a long time, but last time I did I tended to use a LOT of paper to do my problems.

I'm sure I'll figure it out but I'm not going to worry about it till tomorrow.

Red Sox are playing game four right now!!!

Sun and the Fire

Still ok here, fires are to the east, and they're scary but I seem to be in a strangely protected place.

I got two phone calls this morning from Sun. I've been an employee for less than three days but they have a program where if there is a national disaster they want everyone to call in. I didn't, not knowing about it, so they tracked me down to make sure I was ok! Kind of cool really.

School seem to be in session tomorrow so I have today to finish up my homework. I supposedly have a final this weekend, I hope it works out alright.

Fires in San Diego

I'm safe, I'm not even in an evacuation area, though it's one of the few in the county.

A friend of mine has a much better update here. I did have trouble finding gas but I'm all filled up and even found a mask when I went out earlier.

If you go to the Google Map, which isn't quite up to date, I'm just north of Miramar base in the big white area that isn't in danger.

It looks like the third circle of hell here, though the sky was actually worse in 03. We're a federal disaster area finally and the Governor is around somewhere. He was bitching out the federal government yesterday and got on TV telling everyone that yes, Malibu was bad, we're all sad the castle burned, but San Diego is in real trouble. We're just not as sexy as a castle burning to the ground.

They got the planes etc in the air today, that will help significantly. Hopefully the winds will cooperate and let us fight these fires.

San Diego has really come together helping people who need it. Every time they make a plea on the local news for help they come back a bit later saying that the response was overwhelming and they're good. It's nice to see the community taking care of each other.

Lots of animal care also, they really took to heart the issues in the past with people not leaving due to not being able to take their pets. Lots of places are set up for animals, everything from gerbils and snakes to horses.

FEMA is on their way and the whole National Guard (well those in the states atm) are coming also. Maybe something was learned from the clusterfuck that was Katrina.


edit: http://twitter.com/kpbsnews

good updates

Midterm

I got a 92 on the written part, a few dumb ass mistakes but it's still a good score.

I had to send him the programming part three times and he never got it. I ended up putting it on my webspace. If anyone cares it's here. I should be ok there, it works and does what he wanted it to.

Leaving obnoxiously early tomorrow and I'm going to do homework while on the train, to a point. There is only so much I can do without internet access, programming is hard without the internet to help.

I'm also going to bring my calc book and start into that to review before the class actually starts.

I'm almost packed, I need to grab some books. No word about Mooky yet but we're having a baby shower on Saturday even if he's not there yet! Stubborn child.

As annoying as the midterm program was it felt really good to get it done. I'm still enjoying this, maybe I made a good choice =) Though ask me that again after all of this math I'm about to take!

Sorry for the gap in posting

Haven't done too much with school this past week, but that is changing today!

I have my midterm, the 'answer the questions' part is due by midnight and the program by 5pm ish on Thursday. Then I have to get my homework done by then also as I'm out of here really early on Friday morning.

I got the job!! I'm getting an offer letter in the mail for an internship at Sun Microsystems. I'm limited to 20 hours a month but it's better than I"m doing now, and it will give me really good contacts. The job lasts until May and I have the option of applying again next year. Not only is it some extra money but it will teach me the Sun tools and looks awesome on my resume!

For those not familiar with the computer industry Sun, amoung other things, writes compilers and tools for the language Java. This is the language that does a lot of the fancy stuff you see on your web pages, among other things. They also have an open source operating system and other things. It's a large well known company and having experience with them is a big plus.

I'm supposed to start on Monday but I'm going to be out of town so I'll start on Tuesday. I just hope I'm here for the offer letter.

iPhone Apps

The iPhone has multiple ways to calculate your tip but no IM client. I'm not getting this phone until they let people develop stuff. There is such a huge interest in making this gadget do what people want it to do, Apple's insistence on controlling everything is just beyond annoying.

I can play poker but I can't IM anyone. Verizon's phone comes out next month, if it allows me to do the stuff I want, and has the Google Apps I'm getting it. If it doesn't then I'll end up with an iPhone and you'll all hear me bitching constantly.

Won't that be fun??

Approved!

My petition for doubling up on classes in Dec and Jan has been approved! I've sent a request for a modified bill to send 'up the chain' and already have my books on order for Dec. Lots, and I mean lots, of math but hopefully it will all work out!

Now I just need to add that Physics class and I'm on my way to graduate Spring of 09!

Java is being easy and kind of boring, it's a nice break honestly =)

Student Loans

Should NOT be this difficult. All I want to do is pay the interest every month, but for some reason that isn't possible, it's a guess on how much is due and they want to apply the whole payment to principle to the smaller loan instead of interest to the larger loan.

This is nuts.

So now they have to call me back 'in a few days' and they will TRY to switch the payment over. Totally stupid and incompetent, their only goal is to fleece as much money as they can out of poor college students.

Anyway class is easy and kind of boring, which in and of itself is kind of nice. Midterm this weekend and a bunch of assignments that will take an hour to do, and only that long if I spell something wrong.

I'm currently listening to the professor drone on about println. For those who don't program it's on the most basic commands possible. If someone isn't getting this they need to be in another major. *yawn*

Grades and Birthdays

Grades are officially posted for September, and, as expected, I got a B. But my final paper's grade still hasn't been posted. I even turned the thing in early. I'd like feedback on the paper, especially as it's a subject I may use again later.

This month seems that it will be an 'easy A', it's an intro programming class, the only real challenge is that it's a new language and a new compiler. I may be able to use my Microsoft Compiler which would make things easier, but we'll see.

I am officially taking today 'off' even though I did do a little homework.

35 is kind of freaking me out a little bit and I need to sit back and figure out what is really bothering me so I can deal with it and move on. I think it's partly looking at myself and seeing a life that I never imagined, that I never expected.

I'm not unhappy with my life, any more than anyone is happy or unhappy with their lives, I just had different plans. I don't regret any choice and I am here by my own choice and as a result of my own choices, but it's just so different from what I expected. I was supposed to have three kids by now, or working on a phD, or running a company while raising a family and all the rest of it. I guess I never dreamed I'd be 35 and alone.

That may be the real issue, I need to do some soul searching today. I can state, for the record, that I would MUCH MUCH rather be alone than in an unhappy marriage or having been through a nasty divorce.

I love where I live, I love my dear friends and family. I have two beautiful nephews that I miss terribly. I have the mortgage of a lifetime and I live in paradise. Materialistically I'm incredibly blessed, I"m not swimming in cash and there is debt, but I'm not struggling either.

I'll figure it out, this birthday is kind of a milestone of sorts, my health insurance goes up of all things. But I'm the same person I was yesterday, it's not like a switch flipped and now I'm old.

So yes, I'm 35 years old, nothing has changed and I am who I am in the life I have chosen. Go me!

Week One Done

The biggest issue with each language is learning the ins and outs of the compiler. I swear more than half my time is spent trying to get the compiler to just compile the damn program!

Week One is done, if I get bored I'll start on week two tomorrow but I'm not stressed about it.

Thanks Grandma for the birthday card!

Some of the grades are in...

Final paper still isn't graded but until then I have a B. Even if I rock the world on the final paper I don't see it bringing me up that much, so it's looking like it's a solid B.

Now I just have to get Aug brought up to the A- and it won't hurt my grade average too much.

Back to Java

New class Type

It turns out this class doesn't have an online spot, it's all the class sessions. This is fine, being in front of a computer twice a week is never a hardship, but it's really different from what I had gotten used to.

I like having an online spot to see my grades, make sure everything has been turned in alright, maybe ask questions of the class. We'll see how this goes but the rest of the classes as of Dec may be this way. Kind of defeats the point of taking them online I think, I want the tools!!

Emailed the professor from August to see if he'll look at that last assignment and give me the points to bring the grade up. Hopefully he will.

Still can't log in

Helpdesk can't figure it out and the people who might be able to help are gone for the day. They're sending me a ticket number as my 'note' for missing class. Hopefully we'll get this worked out by Thursday's class.

Class Issues

So my first class is tonight at 5:30 but the class isn't on the web page. I'm enrolled, my professor sent me an email, but I can't access the class. I've emailed the tech people, they're 'working on it' but this professor counts class participation and it would suck if I missed class.

I emailed the professor so he has a heads up. The best part is my November class shows up on the list, which it shouldn't until this time next month. I can't access it of course but it's showing up.

Worst case I get a night off!