Enjablog

Sigh… So I may have been a cranky-pants yesterday. Like, a lot. At first I thought I was just hungry. But halfway through a nervous breakdown I figured out that nothing made sense and my behavior was completely illogical. I blame the drugs.

There is a possibility not everyone is a jerkface. I’ll re-evaluate tomorrow.

People are so irresponsible. I’m trying to be nice and give away free stuff instead of being wasteful and just throwing it out. If you want something, pick it up when you say you will!!

And, really? You want to drive all the way over here from Woodbridge for a beat up futon? That should’ve been the first sign. He’s half an hour late, I just called and he said that he was on 95 and running late, but didn’t have my number. So, fine. Now you have my number. And then he asks for my address… and is walking around looking for a pen. How are you on 95 again? But right… he’ll call me when he gets here.

Then, I was reading through some stuff on Freecycle. Someone was looking for clothes for someone they knew who is going through a rough patch and doesn’t have dress clothes to wear to her new job. That sounds like a good sob story. I can picture that. I can even help! So, I emailed back on Monday offering Thursday or Saturday as pickup times. I got an email about an hour ago offering to pick up on Friday night because he’ll be off work early then. Oh. Helpful.

I’m sure by now, most of you have seen the video of Miss Teen South Carolina and her bumbling explanation of why 20% of Americans can’t find the US on a world map: kids in Iraq and South Africa don’t have maps, so let’s help Asia.

This was brought up at work today and one of my coworkers tried to explain to me that even though I think people [in general] are dumb as rocks, they’re much dumber than I think. He broke it down to essentially surrounding ourselves with the top 1% of the population (intelligence-wise) and never really interacting with the rest of the population except in passing. I was skeptical because this would mean that everyone I regularly interact with is over 2.5 standard deviations from the mean. But he threw out some plausible percentages, so I didn’t argue.

His argument: Only the top 10% goes to college, so everyone I met there was already well above the norm.
Counter: There were plenty of people at VT who were/are dumb as rocks. *Insert cheap shot at the Vick brothers*

Argument: Of that, only about half of them study something that would require them to be “smart.”
Counter: Not even the people in the smart majors were necessarily competent.

Anyway, reduce that percentage by the people who finish and/or go on to do something productive, etc.

Now, I know anecdotal evidence isn’t a good argument, but there are plenty of people I know who didn’t finish college and are smarter than the ones I went to school with. Granted, I have to factor in my personal filter. But I still found the whole discussion interesting. So, I decided to find out what the numbers really were.

I looked up the US Census Bureau to calculate the percentage of the population with whom I associate.

Approximately 54% of adult Americans have attended college in any form. About 30% earn an Associate’s or higher, but I’ll bump this up to 35% to be more representative of the people I know.

This might be an incorrect assumption, but I assumed that the breakdown of occupations in the civilian population was proportional to the people who studied those areas in school. The percentage of the population studying something that would require them to be “smart” is about a third.

Of course, the definition of smart is arguable, but I’m going with my biases since I’m calculating the people I would associate with. I took the percentage of people identified as professionals (professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services) or related to education (educational services, and health care and social assistance).

So that brings us down to 12% of the adult population. And from that, I still think about half the professionals I meet should find something else to do. 6%? But that’s another anecdotal assumption…

Alright, so my coworker may have been using hyperbole with the 1%, but he wasn’t too far off. Man, anyone remember the Seinfeld episode where they calculated that only 1% of the population was datable? That’s how I’m feeling right now…

I woke up yesterday convinced that it was Sunday. I was very confused when my alarm clock went off, so I tried to remember what had happened on Saturday. Maybe I accidentally set my alarm? I didn’t even remember Saturday. What did I do? Did I have lunch with my family? Did I go out after work on Friday? I don’t remember the whole week!! The last thing I remember is Monday. I must have amnesia. Remember. Remember. What happened?

Ian explained to me very calmly that it was Tuesday.

QOTD:

Classmate1: Class is at 6, correct?
Classmate2: 6:30 I thought
Classmate1: well, that would explain why no one is speaking….thx!

S-M-R-T.

I was looking through my stats for the first time in a long while and saw that I recently had a search result from Google for weed jar. I vaguely remembered the story, but couldn’t remember why I blogged about it since it happened well before I started blogging. I clicked through and saw that it was part of The Lying Game that I played a couple years ago.

So, I am going to start it again.

The Game:
On Friday, September 14th you’ll post 3 stories.

* Two false and one true or
* Two true and one false

Readers have to pick the false story(ies), leaving their guess in the comments. (Make sure you let them know which version of the game you’re playing.)

On Monday, September 17th you’ll post the correct response.

The stories can be as crazy as you want them to be. But you want to make them all believable enough that the reader has to give the game a little thought.

You have over two weeks to work on your stories and get the word out. Let me know if you’re playing, so I’ll be sure to read your stories. Feel free to post early if you want, but let’s all wait until that Monday to ‘fess up.

Went to see my doctor this morning about switching meds. The magical drug Provigil was not as effective as I had expected.

Adderall gave me the jitters for about a week after I started it and made me lose about 15 pounds, but it kept me awake all day long, which left me tired at night like a normal hu-man.

Provigil makes me nauseated and anxious and I fall asleep halfway through the afternoon. Taking half a pill twice a day makes me nauseated twice, less anxious, but also drowsy at 10am.

So… I went to see my doctor about what to do. Now, I get to take the regular pill in the morning and Ritalin in the afternoon. We’ll see how it goes. I think it could be good for me… I could use the help focusing and it should be a low enough dose that it won’t keep me up at night. The Dr told me it had a pretty quick half-life, so if I take it with lunch, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Of course, I got home and looked up side effects and whatnot on WebMD.

QOTD: “Before taking methylphenidate, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it.”

Wow.

Google has its own 411 that they launched a few months ago. I came across it yesterday and I’m so impressed: Google 411 (1-800-GOOG-411).

1) It’s free.
2) They’ll automatically connect you.
3) Or text you with the number if you want.

And if it doesn’t understand you and you can’t get the results that you want, you can always text them (Google) and they’ll text the answer back to you.

I <3 Google.

In the past year, I’ve bought a new pair of work shoes and a new pair of dress shoes. Aside from that, I haven’t bought shoes in years. So, I decided it was time.

I definitely needed a new pair of running shoes since my current pair’s soles are just flapping around and have become worn and unglued. I threw out my black clogs when they cracked and staples started falling out of them. It really was time to let go. My brown clogs are going on 4 or 5 years now and were hand-me-downs in the first place. They’re all scuffed up and wearing away too. I have a pair of black boots that I used to wear as work casual, but they kept catching on my clothes and are starting to get a hole.

So, I purchased two of the most expensive pairs of shoes I’ve ever bought before from Earth Shoes: running shoes (multi-purpose trainer) and clogs. (Don’t worry, Mom… I used a coupon.)

Ian bought a pair of shoes by this company a few weeks ago and could not say enough good things about them. They’re super comfortable and help correct posture, which reduces back strain and the resulting pain that comes with it. It’s basically the same concept as Insolia that I was raving about a few months ago, but moreso. In addition to shifting weight and pressure back to your heels, it raises the front part of the foot, so you’re forced to stand up straight and shift your center of gravity forward.

They arrived today and I can’t wait to try them out. Maybe this will motivate me to run more. And I got them in white/orange! They’re not exactly Hokie orange, but close enough. I think I need to get some maroon laces though, so I can have reverse Hokie shoes. :)

Classes are starting up this week. I ended up dropping one of my classes, so I’m just taking one course this semester and studying up for the Professional Engineers exam in the spring. Turns out the ship design class I signed up for was the first half of a 2-semester course that is intended to be the final project/presentation for a Masters degree. So, I’m going to hold off on taking that until I’m ready to graduate.

In other news, I’m molting. It’s pretty gross. I got sunburned at the baseball game a couple weeks ago and I noticed this morning that patches of skin on my shoulder blades are just pulling off. Ew. I didn’t even burn badly. I started looking a little pink and that was about it. But still. Eew.

Also, Ian ordered a laptop for me! Yay! Dell Inspiron 1520. I spent about 2 months eyeing MacBooks, but in the end, I just couldn’t justify it. I don’t use music/photo/video stuff enough to make it worth it. And the stuff I do need to use it for — homework: MathCad, AutoCAD, MatLab, etc., or specialized industry software for work, would only run on it if I were running Windows anyway. So, I had to take the responsible route and not get the pretty MacBook. Instead, I got a Ruby Red Dell. Also pretty. :)

Saturday lunch at my parents’ house –

Father: So, what’s new?
Me: I got an A in my summer class.
F: Oh, how’d that happen?
Me: Hard work.
F: Haha. Must have been an easy grader.

Hrmph.

There are a number of lessons I learned early on in life that I continue to follow over the years. Ian likes to poke fun at me for some of them — Always hold the hand of someone bigger than you when crossing the street; Don’t talk to strangers. But I maintain that they worked for me growing up. I don’t see how they’re hurting me as an adult. Besides, no one ever told me which things I should keep following and what I should ignore. I suppose I could use my own judgment, but why bother when the default still works?

- Don’t run with scissors.
- Be nice to others.
- Finish your homework before watching TV. (Or playing wii…)
- Look both ways when crossing the street.
- If you go outside, tell someone where you’re going.
- Don’t make fun of people who are different from you.
- Don’t stare at the sun during an eclipse. (They were always so adamant about not looking at an eclipse… It was years later when I learned that the point was that you weren’t supposed to stare at the sun at all. Oops…)
- Double-check your work before you turn it in.
- Don’t tell people they’re dumb even if you think they are.
- Double-knot your shoelaces so you don’t trip over them.

These all sound like good advice still. What did you learn as a child that you still do now?

So, a few weeks back, I was at my parents’ house eating cake and brownies when the doorbell rang. There were already a dozen people in the house and the person at the door was obviously not related to us since they rang the doorbell. Similar to the phone ringing, oftentimes my family will respond to the doorbell with yells of “Door!” while continuing to sit and do whatever we were doing before the bell rang.

My uncle ended up being the first one curious enough to answer the door. Before the other person had a chance to say anything or even introduce himself, my uncle greeted him, “Congressman Davis! How are you?” He stayed long enough to hear the polite response before walking away giving an explanation of, “I don’t live here.”

(Yes, these are the kinds of celebrity sightings my family gets riled up over.)

So, my mom goes to the door, since she does live there, and starts talking to him. Meanwhile, the rest of my family and extended family are milling about asking who was at the door and why he was there.

At the time, I was carrying around a clipboard with a half-written letter to Sonny. We’ve been writing group/family letters to him basically live-blogging our Saturday lunches. And what better way to live-blog than to have a guest blogger, right?

I approached the door… After my mom’s attempts to invite the Congressman in and have some cake were politely declined, I caught his eye; he saw my clipboard and started to look a little shifty-eyed. I explained that my brother is in training and about to get sent to Iraq and we were writing him a letter. Would he like to add something to our letter for that week?

Well, that explained the clipboard, but he still had no interest in blindly writing and signing something some girl just hands to him. So, he pulls out his wallet and pulls out one of his cards to write a note to Sonny, which we can mail with our letter. Seemed like a reasonable enough compromise.

As he was writing, he made some polite conversation with me. He asked if I was still in school. There was the initial look of surprise when I said no, then the next surprised look when I said I graduated about 5 years ago, then yet another when I said I graduated from Virginia Tech (not high school, as I can only assume he was expecting) and am now working as an engineer for a defense contractor.

Anyway, the whole reason he was there was to campaign for his wife, Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, who is running for re-election for Senate. Now, I didn’t realize they were married. The last time I had been in the area when she was campaigning, she woke me up from a nap and didn’t have Davis tacked on to the end of her name. I had no idea who she was at the time either, not that it would have mattered in my groggy state. In any case, this time she sent her husband to come around my parents’ neighborhood and, as always, it was an exciting time at my parents’ house.

Classes start up next week and after my grade for my summer class is official, I should be a regular grad student instead of a provisional. That means I’ll get financial aid next semester. Too bad I already had to pay my tuition bill a month ago… Anyway, I’ve been getting those forms filled out and the forms to take the Professional Engineering licensing exam next spring.

The PE exam is in April, but I have to apply to the state board to get permission to take the exam and then sign up to take the exam. The application requires proof of employment, 3 references from licensed PEs, and proof of graduation. I’ve gotten in touch with 2 of my references and they’re both on board. The third is out of town, so I’ll have to wait until next week to pass the form along. Reminds me of college applications.

On the school front, I’m taking 2 classes next semester. Now, back in my day, when I was doing my undergrad, the course catalog lists the course, days, and times that the class met. The online classes I sign up for don’t have day/times listed, so it’s up to each individual professor to pick a time and notify all the students. Some teachers do all pre-recorded lectures so it doesn’t matter, others do a live class once a week, and still others might do a combination of those. In any case, each lecture is recorded and posted for students to download, regardless of whether it was a live class.

The two classes I signed up for sent out emails yesterday and today letting us know when we would be meeting. Tuesday from 5:30-7:30 and Tuesday from 6:30-8. Now, I chose 2 classes offered online that fulfill requirements for my program. I can only assume that others did the same. And yet with the 3 options, I know that at least 2 of them meet at the same time. How does that make sense?? I’m hoping one of the classes will get moved. I only emailed one teacher, so I hope they don’t both get moved.

Alright, this entry is boring. I’m going to bed. :)

EDIT: WOOOO!!!!! I got an A!! *staying in school dance*

My former adviser is in town teaching a week-long course in DC, so we had an impromptu alum reunion tonight. JL3 and I sent some emails around and a bunch of her coworkers came out. A bunch of people I’ve vaguely been keeping in contact with over the past couple years made appearances. A little over a dozen people over the course of the evening.

Lots of fun and got some gossip that my prof wasn’t allowed to tell when I was in school. ;) I, of course, gave him some gossip back, which he shouldn’t have known when I was still a student. And stories from the other attendees as well. It was an interesting evening of reminiscing.

Oh, and Sonny — Ben says hi!

Oh yeah, and I forgot two more. One of Ian’s cousins had a baby this spring and the other is due this fall.

Baby showers… what fun!

Holy cow. Ian scored us tickets to a sneak preview at the Arlington Cinema ‘n’ Drafthouse for Superbad. It is so much funnier than it looks in the previews. I was laughing through the entire movie.

Sonny: when you’re back in town, go watch it with your friends. Hilarious.

Also, before the movie started, they had a comedian come out for a few minutes. Highlight:

“I’m married to an Asian chick. So… that’s awesome.”

“The first time she brought me to her house, she asked if I had ever been to an Asian home before. I told her no, but I’ve played Dance Dance Revolution.”

Other highlights:
Happy birthday, NewGirl! And, she brought in birthday cookies. Woo!
Got Bust-A-Move Bash from my sis for my birthday and it’s so fun! Played for like 5 hours this weekend and unlocked the extras. And it can play 8-player. Now, I just need 7 friends…