Two Important Things End Today

Today is a big day in my life. It is the ending of two major things. I'll begin with the one that I'm happy is ending.

My stats class ends today. We have our final exam tonight, and I think I'm ready for it. I've been taking an engineering statistics course for the past seven weeks, twice per week, 3 1/2 hours per meeting. It's been exhausting and trying. I didn't have the necessary calculus prerequisite, but I was admitted anyway. I'm happy to report that I currently have a 90% in the class. I have the good folks over at MathTV to thank for helping me catch up on the calculus portion of things. Those YouTube videos have been a lifesaver.

The second, and perhaps bittersweet ending is the end of my contract here at KF. As documented earlier, I've had an awesome experience here. I'm ready to go forth, but I know that I'll miss the 9-5 lifestyle here. I know it isn't goodbye, only a "see you later."

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

One thing that I'm going to miss about the 9-5 life is the routine of it all. Even though my job varies in terms of day-to-day activities, there are some mainstays that I really enjoy, one of which is visiting some of my favorite websites first thing in the morning. These websites have made a big difference in my daily functioning, and I'm going to have to incorporate them into my new routine. I figured since I found them so useful/enjoyable, I'd share them quickly with you.


Newser -- www.newser.com
Newser is a news aggregator. If you don't know what that means, well, prepare to have your life revolutionized. It takes all of the major (and even some obscure pieces), abstracts them for you, and puts them together in a nice, easy-to-use format for you. It's also very customizable so you can get the news you want very quickly. If you want to read more than just the short abstract, it provides the link to the full article below. Check it out; I promise you won't be disappointed. http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Freakonomics Blog -- http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/
The authors of the wildly popular book, Freakonomics, have an excellent blog on the NY Times site. It covers a wide array of topics, and I read it daily. They get a bevy of cool guest authors on the site to answer reader questions. I once had my question answered by the MythBusters, so it's a winner in my book.

Fark -- www.fark.com
This is a news aggregator on steroids, plus incredibly witty titles. You know all of those crazy news stories you hear about a snake living inside a toilet bowl, or a woman giving birth without knowing she's pregnant? They're reported on fark at least two days before the mainstream media get them. It's a guaranteed laugh every time you visit. Oh. There's real news on there, too.

WatchTVSitcoms -- WatchTVSitcoms
How this site is still operational is beyond me. It's a huge collection of free music, new and old movies, and TV shows that are embedded into the site so you don't have to download anything. I mainly just listen to the music on there. I especially like the Top 2000 Songs Ever mix.

Lifehacker -- www.lifehacker.com
I only recently stumbled across this site. It's tagline is, "Tech tricks, tips and downloads for getting things done." It's a clearinghouse of sorts on how to make your life better (read: "hack your life"). It has incredibly useful tips about how to get your security deposit back in your apartment, where to get free legal advice, how to clean your bathtub, among many, many others. Hope you find something on here that will hack your life.

I hope these are helpful. More importantly, do you have any sites that you visit regularly that you love? Leave me a comment!

Things I'll Miss about Ohio, Part IV - KF

There's no doubt about it -- I'm going to miss this place. I'm not sure I'll ever have another job quite like this one. It's a strange place, but in a very good way. I will miss the relationships that I made here and the work that I'm able to do here.

I always joke that I'm surprised that they pay me to work here. I get to sit around reading fascinating things, explore ideas with others, work on my writing, AND get paid. I really think I've got the better end of this deal.



It all started with a curious beginning. I had a few failed job searches (either I turned them down or they turned me down), and I had no where else to turn. It just so happened that this position came open, and I jumped on it. I had a very dear friend who was familiar with KF tell me that I would be working in an interesting environment with an eclectic group of characters, and I would probably become a liberal. My friend was right on both accounts.

My first week on the job I attended a farewell party for the person who was in my position before me. One of the program officers remarked to my predecessor in her acknowledgments that KF was like Hotel California, "You can check out any time you want, but you can't ever leave." Those words ring true as well. I'll still stay involved with the wonderful work that KF is doing through contract research. It will be a way to stay engaged in an awesome network of folks doing amazing research to make our democracy stronger and improve the welfare of its citizens.



I'll also miss the curiosities that come with working 8:30 - 4:30 here. Trying to build and maintain a learning organization comes with all sorts of funny quirks and unintended consequences. I think the biggest takeaways from a theoretical standpoint from working in a learning organization I have are: 1) Decentralization can lead to oversight and overlap, thus resulting in waste, and 2) Feedback channels must be actively maintained and reviewed.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how much I'm going to miss the relationships and daily interactions with folks around here. With only 45 or so people who work full-time here, there is an immense of diversity on all fronts. Like any place one works, it really is the people who make or break the experience. These people have definitely "made" the experience a great one. I admire the candor, balance, and intelligence that people here have. I think it's very special.

I'll finish up here as a full-time employee at the end of the month. I'm taking a lot of solace in that my "good bye" will truly only be "see you later" since I'm really only "checking out."

Vice Presidents

There's a lot of talk in politics right now about who will be McCain and Obama's running mates. Well, look no further. I'm willing to bet it will be Mitt Romney and Jim Webb, respectively. No shot for Hillary, no shot for Huckabee.





Vegas currently has odds of Jim Webb at 15:4, and Romney as a 2:1 in case you're wondering. If you're wondering why odds are posted on this and why people would bet on this, consider that you can bet on occurences from the Super Bowl, including:

1. What songs the halftime performer will sing
2. How long the national anthem will take to sing
3. The coin toss
4. The first commercial
5. The highest rated commercial

Proof being that people will bet on anything, I guess. The other point is that I wanted my predictions to be in writing for all the world to see when and *if* they come true.

Things I'm Going to Miss about Ohio, Part III, -- Princess Theater

There surely isn't a lot to do in Oxford, OH for a mid-20s married couple. There are only so many trips for ice cream, so many visits to the farmers market, and oh so many bagels one can eat from Bagel & Deli. But one can never see enough movies for the sweet price of $4.50 for matinées, or $5.50 any other time.

We've seen countless movies at the Princess theater. We average 3-4 per month, and sadly, I think I'm going to miss it. The Princess a strange, faint odor that permeates the building. It only shows four movies at any given time. The website to check show times works 50% of the time. Sometimes the phone line to call for movie times screeches at you as if you've intercepted a fax. There is the same hole in the bathroom wall since I came to Oxford four years ago (they're working on it, I gather). My feet usually stick to the floor because they aren't much on mopping. It's probably the main hangout in town for the high school kids.

With all that said, it has the two most important things any movie theater could ever have: cheap movies and air conditioning. There's something oddly alluring about the Princess theater in Oxford, Ohio, and I know that I'm going to miss it when I'm paying $10.00 to see a movie I'm not all that jazzed about seeing. Because for $4.50, even if it's not a very good movie, it's strangely gratifying.

Things I'm Going to Miss about Ohio, Part II -- Sigma Pi, Eta-Phi Chapter

For the past four years, I have served as the chapter advisor to the young men in Sigma Pi fraternity at Miami University. Being an advisor meant that I attended almost every weekly chapter meeting, in addition to weekly executive council meetings. I also attended other appropriate events, as my schedule permitted such as BBQs, baseball games, intramurals, and Greek Week events.

It's still a little surreal to say goodbye to them. It's going to be weird when the semester starts up in the fall to know that I won't be making my way over to the house on Sunday night for exec and chapter meetings.

To say that we've survived a lot over the last four years would be an understatement. I won't chronicle the past here, but know that I've dealt with it all. And I think the chapter--and I--are better for it. We've survived the loss of a brother within the chapter, won Greek week three times, narrowly escaped suspension, and, well, I guess I am starting to chronicle things a bit. There are too many memories worth noting, I guess.



Eta-Phi was a little bit more than rough when I started working with them. I'd like to think that they've improved greatly. In fact, they are very close to being a top chapter in the nation according to the national fraternity-- whatever that means. I'm quite proud of them. They've had to stand up to a lot, and often to their brothers within the chapter. I'm becoming even more convinced that there is nothing more difficult in the undergraduate experience than standing up to or confront a fraternity brother whom you love like a blood brother. I think there are other things that are comparable (dealing with the loss of a loved one, for example), but none seem to be as difficult as this. They've made great strides in this area. I think that's been the single greatest joy to watch unfold.

Being an advisor has been even more important to me over the last two years. While my work at the foundation has been very rewarding, it lacks the component of working with students, which I've been able to fill by working with the Sigma Pi's. Some of the relationships I've been able to build with the guys truly feel like brotherhood, even though we were on a bit of a different plane (advisor vs. student). The men are immensely talented, and it's been a pleasure working with them.

When I first began to work with the chapter, I used to always refer to the SVSU chapter of Sigma Pi (my undergraduate chapter) as "my chapter." About two years in, I started calling it "my undergraduate chapter" because I felt as though I now had two chapters -- Theta-Beta and Eta-Phi. I'm not sure anyone ever caught on to the subtle language shift, but it was intentional and was intended to convey an important message. Spending four years with a chapter--coming to every chapter meeting, attending events--is *almost* like having another undergraduate fraternity experience, minus the drinking, living in, and paying dues part.

Playing for Peanuts

Anyone who knows me knows my passion for baseball; that's pretty obvious and well chronicled on this here blog. A lesser known interest of mine is documentaries. I will watch a documentary about anything. Coal miners, dinosaurs, Johnny Cash, autism... I'll watch anything. I've watched all of the documentaries that our public library has in their collection. In fact, I can't *not* watch them sometimes. A personality oddity, for sure.



Well, imagine my surprise last night when I was flipping through the channels while trying to fall asleep to find a documentary series about a minor league baseball team! It's called, "Playing for Peanuts," and from what I've seen so far, it's pretty fantastic. (Full disclosure: it's actually quite bad quality and production, but it's strangely entertaining and captivating.) Here's a synopsis from their website:

"Playing for Peanuts" is a new TV show about minor league baseball. The show uses reality TV and documentary techniques to follow the South Georgia Peanuts in their inaugural season. The Peanuts are made up of a mix of rookies and veterans, all hoping to get back into affiliated minor league baseball. The Peanuts are managed by former Major League second baseman Wally Backman."

Things I'll Miss about Ohio, Part I - Umpiring

Today will begin a small series on this here ol' blog, called, Things I'll Miss about Ohio." Given the impending move to our nation's capital, there are *some* things that I'm going to miss about Ohio. After all, it has been my home for the past four years.

Umpiring

I've spent all four summers here as a little league baseball umpire. I umpire multiple age groups, from 8-year-olds all the way up to high school. I umpire almost every night of the week, except when it rains. It all started on a whim when I moved to Oxford. On a drive down to Cincinnati, I saw a sign for little league sign ups, so I called the number listed on the sign, left a message, and said that I'd be interested in umpiring if the chance was available next summer. Six months later, they called and asked if I would still be willing. Truth be told, I thought the position was volunteer, but they said they paid $30 per game. What a deal, I thought. I was a broke graduate student, and an extra $1200 for the summer sounded like a good deal. It was such a good deal, I decided to stick with it for four years, even while working full-time.



I think what I'll miss the most about giving up the shin guards and face mask is the connection to the community I feel when I umpire. As a transplant to this strange place called Oxford, I have always felt a real disconnect to the town. Umpiring helps bridge that. I talk with a lot of parents in between innings, not only about baseball, but about life in general. They know my name, I know most of theirs. I know their kids' names; I've watched them grow and develop as baseball players and as kids. I'm able to tell the parents how much improved their kids' swings are, and they appreciate that.

Of course, there is the obvious pressure that comes from umpiring, which is what I shall call "critiques" of my performance, which occur from time to time. I think I would have been more susceptible to them had I been umpiring for the money as opposed to doing it for fun. Oxford has a great little league, and have had very, very few instances with fans, coaches, or parents. Even in the midst of a hyper-involved parental culture, I can honestly say that the parents with whom I interact have been wonderful. It's been a stereotype-busting experience I might say. Coincidentally, whenever I tell people that I umpire little league, the first question they usually ask me is what the pressure is like from the "crazy parents." I like to take that opportunity to tell them that it's not always like that, and in fact, it's quite the opposite.

I don't think I'll continue umpiring when I get to Maryland. I just won't have the time, and I just don't think it'll be the same.

waxing ecSTATic

For the past three weeks, I've been taking a statistics course at a branch campus here in Southwest Ohio in preparation for my Ph.D. program. It is a statistics course for engineering majors, but I figured I would have a good shot at passing it. I had to get a waiver to get into the class because it is the second one in a sequence and requires a calculus prerequisite, which I haven't seen since Bill Clinton was president.

I'm happy to report that after three weeks, I have a 93% in the class, which is quite amazing. I still have three weeks left, though, and it gets nothing but more difficult as we go. I'll be fine -- I think. Anyhow, this experience has taught me a lot about statistics, but an equal amount about being noticeably different from my peers.

First, the classroom in which we have class is filled with old geography maps from the 80s. I can remember getting these while in elementary school and really being blown away at how sophisticated they appeared. I mentioned this during break to a few fellow students, and they mentioned that they've always been a part of their classrooms as far back as they can remember.

I'm the oldest person in the class by a couple of years. This is a very new experience for me, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about playing the role of the old guy.

I come to class straight from work, which means I'm wearing a shirt and tie. I'm more dressed up than our professor. On the first day of class my professor asked why I was wearing a shirt and tie, and I quipped, "I thought we had to." He said that there weren't any dress code requirements, to which I stated that I was just kidding, and that I come to class directly from work. I'm still not sure he realized I was joking. (This is not the first time I've said something stupid in the early stages of a relationship that subsequently strained said relationship henceforth.)

In hopes of spicing up 3 1/2 hours of statistics twice per week, our professor shows us funny email forwards, YouTube clips, and other funny stories every half hour. Surprisingly they are quite entertaining and entirely unrelated to statistics. I wonder if there's a correlation there. (See? I can make statistic jokes, too!)

I find myself being a little gratified when I arrive at a "right" answer after a lot of thought and calculation. In qualitative inquiry (my graduate training), there was never a "right" answer per se, so it was a matter of subjective argumentation and reasoning. Formulas, I've found, can be quite nice.

Just three more weeks... I just keep telling myself that it'll be worth it when I have four less credits to take at Maryland.