Tomorrow morning, I am off to Kentucky to attend a College Personnel Association of Kentucky Conference at the Holiday Inn. A colleague of mine invited me to go down with him, which I am greatly appreciative because it will be a great learning and networking experience, as well as a great opportunity to catch up with some old friends and colleagues from Kentucky.
In other news, another hour of my masters is complete assuming that I passed the final in Law (1 hr, 8 week course). It also means that I have one less class to attend for the rest of the semester, which normal equates to additional free time but not for me. Instead, I will be at work and actually getting to partake in the other half of my job, which is attend University and Bloomington faculty council meetings. I am looking forward to the opportunity to actually experience an entire meeting for the first time since I began in August and actually go to a University Council Meeting.
Next week, I am also getting a student personal trainer. Every semester there is a personal training course and students are paired up with individuals interested in having a personal trainer for the last 8 weeks of the course. I missed out last semester and signed up too late, but was able to get on the list this semester. I am hesitate but at the same time excited about the opportunity to develop a routine for working out. I will update you on my progress as the semester goes.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday was a very interesting day for me this year. I attended a very nice Ecumenical Service in the Auditorium at IU. I had no clue what to expect exactly and was unsure about the delivery of ashes. It was a fairly traditional Catholic Ash Wednesday Service, not Mass. It did make me think what do other churches do for Ash Wednesday, so maybe I will explore that in more detail in the future.
The more interesting part of the day was when my boots began to fall apart. When I got to work, the sole and shoe were separating but it was just a minor separation. Prior to leaving for the Ash Wednesday Service a piece of metal fell out of the bottom of my shoe as I walked to the bathroom. When I returned, 75% of the sole was detached from the shoe. I had about 5 minutes to determine the plan of action. The rest of my day including going to the service and then to SAO mtg, luckily at least in the same bldg. Then I had a 10 minute walk across campus for class and then to a basketball game. Luckily, I drove to school and was parked in the Ed parking lot.
It was very wet outside and how the heck do you tape boots together that look somewhat okay and will survive the weather. My supervisor had an extra pair of slip on shoes at her desk, but they were size 8. I wear a size 10 to 10.5. With 5 minutes to decide and really not wanting to try to tape my shoes, I tried on her shoes. My feet fit into them and they didnt seem to bad so I said sure why not. Well the first hour was okay, but then blisters started to form on my heel especially the left foot and my toes were very cramped. I set through both the mtg and class with the shoes off (No socks either because the thick socks and my feet would not have fit into the shoes). Needless to say after class, my left heel was killing me and I walked carefully to the car and went home to get some new shoes. There was no way that I was walking to the basketball game in those shoes. Though a painful experience, it reminded me of the suffering that Jesus went through to forgive us of our sins. I thought it was fitting for the start of Lent.
The more interesting part of the day was when my boots began to fall apart. When I got to work, the sole and shoe were separating but it was just a minor separation. Prior to leaving for the Ash Wednesday Service a piece of metal fell out of the bottom of my shoe as I walked to the bathroom. When I returned, 75% of the sole was detached from the shoe. I had about 5 minutes to determine the plan of action. The rest of my day including going to the service and then to SAO mtg, luckily at least in the same bldg. Then I had a 10 minute walk across campus for class and then to a basketball game. Luckily, I drove to school and was parked in the Ed parking lot.
It was very wet outside and how the heck do you tape boots together that look somewhat okay and will survive the weather. My supervisor had an extra pair of slip on shoes at her desk, but they were size 8. I wear a size 10 to 10.5. With 5 minutes to decide and really not wanting to try to tape my shoes, I tried on her shoes. My feet fit into them and they didnt seem to bad so I said sure why not. Well the first hour was okay, but then blisters started to form on my heel especially the left foot and my toes were very cramped. I set through both the mtg and class with the shoes off (No socks either because the thick socks and my feet would not have fit into the shoes). Needless to say after class, my left heel was killing me and I walked carefully to the car and went home to get some new shoes. There was no way that I was walking to the basketball game in those shoes. Though a painful experience, it reminded me of the suffering that Jesus went through to forgive us of our sins. I thought it was fitting for the start of Lent.
Friday, February 23, 2007
New Look-What do you think?
The other day I was forced to upgrade my blog to the new blogger format. At least, I was too tired to figure out how to get around it so I did it. Then this evening, I was playing around and decided it was time for a change. My blog was getting out of control. The archive list was insanely long and some order needed to be added to the site. Therefore, I have upgraded the template and a few other items. I added labels to the latest 25 posts and decided that I had no clue what I was doing so I decided to stop labeling. Once I figure out a method to the labeling madness, maybe I will label the 239 posts, excluding this one.
What do you think of the new look? Any suggestions of things to add or remove? Remember I dont have a lot of time to play.
What do you think of the new look? Any suggestions of things to add or remove? Remember I dont have a lot of time to play.
Daylight Savings Time Change - Another Y2K
If you have not yet heard, Daylight Savings Time occurs the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November starting this year. Check out the US Naval Observatory Website for some history of DST.
The big question is what happens to all the electronics. Are they prepared to change for the new daylight savings time periods?
Here are a couple links that I found. I am sure those of you still working in IT might can provide some better and more useful insight into all of this than I.
ZDNet Article
Microsoft Article
If anyone has any true insight of what we all need to do in order to survive the change in DST from April to March, please let us know.
On top of this, I just realized that I will not be in town during the change so will get to enjoy coming back to start the last half of the semester and hope my computer hasn't blown up.
The big question is what happens to all the electronics. Are they prepared to change for the new daylight savings time periods?
Here are a couple links that I found. I am sure those of you still working in IT might can provide some better and more useful insight into all of this than I.
ZDNet Article
Microsoft Article
If anyone has any true insight of what we all need to do in order to survive the change in DST from April to March, please let us know.
On top of this, I just realized that I will not be in town during the change so will get to enjoy coming back to start the last half of the semester and hope my computer hasn't blown up.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
How Well Traveled Are You?
| Your Travel Profile: |
 You Are Well Traveled in the Midwestern United States (50%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the Southern United States (31%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the Northeastern United States (29%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Australia (13%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Latin America (7%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in the Western United States (5%) You Are Untraveled in Africa (0%) You Are Untraveled in Asia (0%) You Are Untraveled in Canada (0%) You Are Untraveled in Eastern Europe (0%) You Are Untraveled in New Zealand (0%) You Are Untraveled in Scandinavia (0%) You Are Untraveled in Southern Europe (0%) You Are Untraveled in Western Europe (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Middle East (0%) You Are Untraveled in the United Kingdom (0%) |
Thanks to Chris for finding the quiz!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy Valentines Day!
Happy Snowy, Icey Valentines Day to many! Please travel safely in whatever your plans are for the day. Personally, my plans are to stay right here and get a lot of paper writing complete. Campus is closed this morning due to the inclement weather which we had Tuesday night into this morning. It reopens at noon but by then, I am off work and my late afternoon class was canceled by the professor. Therefore, I have decided it best to just stay put enjoy the sunshine and daylight.
My car is the blue one with antennas on the windshield and tons of snow and ice :-) and it will most likely stay snow covered til this weekend. My car is in total shock these days. Luckily it had a nice trip to Kentucky this past weekend. Otherwise it pretty much sits right there never going anywhere. The goal is to not get gas until I hit Kentucky again in early March.
My car is the blue one with antennas on the windshield and tons of snow and ice :-) and it will most likely stay snow covered til this weekend. My car is in total shock these days. Luckily it had a nice trip to Kentucky this past weekend. Otherwise it pretty much sits right there never going anywhere. The goal is to not get gas until I hit Kentucky again in early March.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
55 Minutes of Live Basketball Action - One Day
Wow, what a Saturday I had to continue from the previous post and concentrate a bit on the games, especially UK. 180 miles apart across state lines and fan divide sit Rupp Arena and Assembly Hall. Miraculously, I landed in both venues on Saturday two watch two very exciting NCAA basketball games and 55 minutes of live basketball action.
The IU game was fun, but the UK game was exhilarating. The atmosphere in the two gymnasiums on Saturday is no comparison. UK was lit up though I do think that the openness of Rupp Arena helps the atmosphere over the very enclosed feel of Assembly Hall. You can see the expanse of people at Rupp Arena, where at Assembly Hall I could barely see the score from my seats on Saturday.
Both games were huge though the UK vs Florida was similar to the IU vs Wisconsin game in which the atmosphere at Assembly Hall was much more electric that it was on Saturday at the Illinois game. I was really looking forward to another electric atmosphere in Assembly Hall and was slightly disappointed. I am looking forward to hopefully cheering the Hoosiers on to an undefeated season at home for the first time in many years. Two home games left against Minnesota and Penn State.
Back to the UK vs Florida game. Wow what an exciting game and all those fans who gave up with a bit over a minute to go. Shame on you. One thing I hate about fans in general is the early departure when you think the game is over one way or the other. If you have watched much basketball this year, you know its almost never over until the final buzzer sounds. All you have to do is watch some UK games for that matter.
It was an impressive last minute comeback, but at the same time they were there because of a lot of poor execution in the second half. Granted I can mostly only talk about the second half, since I missed all but the last 5 minutes of the first half. (Yes, we got a few words thrown at us for being late. Trust me fans it was not my intention to be late.)
Synopsis of areas the CATS must improve to be successful:
- Free-throw Shooting (They lost the game right here at the end of the game.)
- Offensive Execution (If you don't penetrate the ball in the 3 is never open and always forced, resulting in 3-22 shooting behind the arc. 2 of which went in during the last minute of the game.)
- Ill advised shots (Stop running down the court and shooting a three with no one around to rebound and a man in your face. Its most likely not going to go in and the opponent will have the ball in their hands again. I really don't understand this one. UK is not the only team that does this. I see IU do it all the time. They are lucky a lot of the time, thank goodness.)
- Scoring and Failing on Defense (I don't know how many times UK cut the score and turned around and let Florida hit an easy layup. You will never win a game if you don't get back on defense.)
I have to say having not been able to attend and search out tickets for numerous UK games this year. I believe I attended two of the more monumental games of the season at Rupp.
- UK vs IU was a 50th meeting of the two teams, though a poor show of talent by both teams.
- Last night, enjoyed being part of a record crowd of 24,465 patrons in Rupp Arena and a very exciting battle against #1 Florida.
Now that I have procrastinated enough this weekend. I better go write a paper or two. I will be going in hiding for the next two weeks. See you on the other side.
The IU game was fun, but the UK game was exhilarating. The atmosphere in the two gymnasiums on Saturday is no comparison. UK was lit up though I do think that the openness of Rupp Arena helps the atmosphere over the very enclosed feel of Assembly Hall. You can see the expanse of people at Rupp Arena, where at Assembly Hall I could barely see the score from my seats on Saturday.
Both games were huge though the UK vs Florida was similar to the IU vs Wisconsin game in which the atmosphere at Assembly Hall was much more electric that it was on Saturday at the Illinois game. I was really looking forward to another electric atmosphere in Assembly Hall and was slightly disappointed. I am looking forward to hopefully cheering the Hoosiers on to an undefeated season at home for the first time in many years. Two home games left against Minnesota and Penn State.
Back to the UK vs Florida game. Wow what an exciting game and all those fans who gave up with a bit over a minute to go. Shame on you. One thing I hate about fans in general is the early departure when you think the game is over one way or the other. If you have watched much basketball this year, you know its almost never over until the final buzzer sounds. All you have to do is watch some UK games for that matter.
It was an impressive last minute comeback, but at the same time they were there because of a lot of poor execution in the second half. Granted I can mostly only talk about the second half, since I missed all but the last 5 minutes of the first half. (Yes, we got a few words thrown at us for being late. Trust me fans it was not my intention to be late.)
Synopsis of areas the CATS must improve to be successful:
- Free-throw Shooting (They lost the game right here at the end of the game.)
- Offensive Execution (If you don't penetrate the ball in the 3 is never open and always forced, resulting in 3-22 shooting behind the arc. 2 of which went in during the last minute of the game.)
- Ill advised shots (Stop running down the court and shooting a three with no one around to rebound and a man in your face. Its most likely not going to go in and the opponent will have the ball in their hands again. I really don't understand this one. UK is not the only team that does this. I see IU do it all the time. They are lucky a lot of the time, thank goodness.)
- Scoring and Failing on Defense (I don't know how many times UK cut the score and turned around and let Florida hit an easy layup. You will never win a game if you don't get back on defense.)
I have to say having not been able to attend and search out tickets for numerous UK games this year. I believe I attended two of the more monumental games of the season at Rupp.
- UK vs IU was a 50th meeting of the two teams, though a poor show of talent by both teams.
- Last night, enjoyed being part of a record crowd of 24,465 patrons in Rupp Arena and a very exciting battle against #1 Florida.
Now that I have procrastinated enough this weekend. I better go write a paper or two. I will be going in hiding for the next two weeks. See you on the other side.
Assembly Hall, Rupp Arena, One Day
Yes, I know putting Assembly Hall and Rupp Arena in the same title together may make some of you skirmish around the countryside but here me out. The best way to outline what occurred in my life on Saturday is to give you a somewhat detailed time table of my day. So here it goes, please enjoy vicariously as I enjoyed Saturday immensely.
Approx 9 am - Pressed my blue blouse (Side Note)
11:45 am - Searching for my IU Id and ticket to the IU vs Illinois game
12:05 pm - Packed car for overnight trip and headed to Assembly Hall
12:20 pm - Arrive in section M of Assembly Hall for IU vs Illinois game wearing blue blouse
Slightly before 1 pm - Receive red scarf to finish off my outfit for the IU vs Illinois game (Sampson Out - See Side Note)
1:05 pm - Indiana University vs Illinois Mens Basketball Tip-Off in Assembly Hall
2:30 pm - Depart Assembly Hall with 10 mins to go in second half and a very close game
2:45 pm - Arrive to car, departing Bloomington, listening to the end of the IU game
3:17 pm - IU defeats Illinois 65-61, Turn on to I-65 towards the great state of KY
5:45 pm - Arrive in Lexington, KY for CKRSCCA banquet at the Campbell House
9:15 pm - Two sets of tickets to the UK vs Florida Game with current score of 10-5 Florida, up for auction
Briefly thereafter - Depart with fellow GS competitor with 2 tickets to UK vs Florida
9:45 pm - Arrive in seats at Rupp Arena, mid-court upper arena for UK vs Florida
Approx 11:05 pm - Depart Rupp Arena, after thrilling conclusion but unfortunate loss to Florida 64-61.
Shortly after 12 am - Arrive at competitors house to crash in spare bedroom.
Side Note-IU Athletic Board decided instead of a White Out or Red Out to do a Sampson Out. For those who do not know, Sampson is the head coach of IU and he wears a blue shirt with red tie to every game. I thought it was a great idea since I had to be dressed up for a banquet in Kentucky anyway. Instead of wearing my dress red shirt and getting harassed potentially when I arrived in Kentucky, I was wearing red though I did have my IU pin on the collar initially. One of the ladies whom I have seats with brought me a red scarf to finish off my IU Sampson outfit. In the end, it worked out perfectly because I was actually wearing blue at the UK game versus a potential red shirt or something else, hopefully it wouldn't have been orange.
Approx 9 am - Pressed my blue blouse (Side Note)
11:45 am - Searching for my IU Id and ticket to the IU vs Illinois game
12:05 pm - Packed car for overnight trip and headed to Assembly Hall
12:20 pm - Arrive in section M of Assembly Hall for IU vs Illinois game wearing blue blouse
Slightly before 1 pm - Receive red scarf to finish off my outfit for the IU vs Illinois game (Sampson Out - See Side Note)
1:05 pm - Indiana University vs Illinois Mens Basketball Tip-Off in Assembly Hall
2:30 pm - Depart Assembly Hall with 10 mins to go in second half and a very close game
2:45 pm - Arrive to car, departing Bloomington, listening to the end of the IU game
3:17 pm - IU defeats Illinois 65-61, Turn on to I-65 towards the great state of KY
5:45 pm - Arrive in Lexington, KY for CKRSCCA banquet at the Campbell House
9:15 pm - Two sets of tickets to the UK vs Florida Game with current score of 10-5 Florida, up for auction
Briefly thereafter - Depart with fellow GS competitor with 2 tickets to UK vs Florida
9:45 pm - Arrive in seats at Rupp Arena, mid-court upper arena for UK vs Florida
Approx 11:05 pm - Depart Rupp Arena, after thrilling conclusion but unfortunate loss to Florida 64-61.
Shortly after 12 am - Arrive at competitors house to crash in spare bedroom.
Side Note-IU Athletic Board decided instead of a White Out or Red Out to do a Sampson Out. For those who do not know, Sampson is the head coach of IU and he wears a blue shirt with red tie to every game. I thought it was a great idea since I had to be dressed up for a banquet in Kentucky anyway. Instead of wearing my dress red shirt and getting harassed potentially when I arrived in Kentucky, I was wearing red though I did have my IU pin on the collar initially. One of the ladies whom I have seats with brought me a red scarf to finish off my IU Sampson outfit. In the end, it worked out perfectly because I was actually wearing blue at the UK game versus a potential red shirt or something else, hopefully it wouldn't have been orange.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Would you like to see 52 degree weather?
I am sure many of you said yes to the question posed in the title and hopefully it attracted you to actually read this. Take a 3.5 hour drive west from Lexington or 2.5 to 3 hour drive west and a smidge south. Yes you will still be in Kentucky but at 6:30 pm EST the temperature was in the low 50s. My parents had just been out on some errands , seeing absolutely no snow and 50 degree weather.
While on the other hand all of towards the east are freezing and snow covered. I hope everyone made it home safely. I took the bus into school today with no snow on the ground but some chilly temps to come out of work about 3:30 to see a good 4-6 inches of snow on the ground and sidewalks not cleared :-( I was able to make it safely to class across campus and then up to the bus stop, where I about froze waiting on the bus. I think they were running early or really late, definitely not on time. The roads are still slushy here though they are trying to clear them off. Looks like the snow is done for now, not sure if we are expecting more tonight or night. I am sure tomorrow will be another day on the bus. I find it a whole lot easier than cleaning the car off, driving, finding a parking spot, and most likely walking more than if I had just taken the bus.
Be careful in all of your travels and hopefully I will see some of you this weekend as long as the weather cooperates.
While on the other hand all of towards the east are freezing and snow covered. I hope everyone made it home safely. I took the bus into school today with no snow on the ground but some chilly temps to come out of work about 3:30 to see a good 4-6 inches of snow on the ground and sidewalks not cleared :-( I was able to make it safely to class across campus and then up to the bus stop, where I about froze waiting on the bus. I think they were running early or really late, definitely not on time. The roads are still slushy here though they are trying to clear them off. Looks like the snow is done for now, not sure if we are expecting more tonight or night. I am sure tomorrow will be another day on the bus. I find it a whole lot easier than cleaning the car off, driving, finding a parking spot, and most likely walking more than if I had just taken the bus.
Be careful in all of your travels and hopefully I will see some of you this weekend as long as the weather cooperates.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Super Bowl - What is that?
I believe that I am about the only person that I have encountered today that watched pretty much none of the Super Bowl game last night. Yes, a lot of people reading this are probably ready to 100% disown me, and at times today, I have asked myself why I didn't find it important to watch the game. Here is my synopsis of that:
Firstly I am so sick of hearing about the Super Bowl and the fact that its the only thing people can talk about. I would say that the IU vs Iowa game was a big deal in Hoosier land this weekend. This is partially due to my basketball bias and the fact that the Hoosiers played a very critical game on Saturday, which I thought deserved more attention than it received. Yes, I did spend my Saturday watching basketball and getting a play by play report from my father of the UK vs Arkansas game (another story) because it was not on tv here.
Secondly, I have no strong affection to either team that played in the Super Bowl and really did not care who won the game. This will probably get me totally mauled in my current location, but those are my feelings. And from what I read in full news reportings, Indiana especially Bloomington fans, really couldn't lose in the game last night. Of course the Indianapolis Colts being the State team but at the same time a Bloomington HS native and a IU football player both were part of the Chicago Bears team. So it was a win win for all around.
Thirdly, I had slacked off and watched too much basketball on Saturday and so I had to get a bit of studies done on Sunday in order to make it through the week. I know a lame excuse but still.
Did I see any of it? Yes, two commercials and maybe 2 secs of play to find out the score during the early part of the 4th quarter. The next time I remember to turn the TV on the game was over and the Colts were celebrating.
I hope everyone had a wonderful time at their Super Bowl parties and I will be glad when the state of Indiana gets back to the important sport of the day basketball. Oh wait, Hoosier basketball spirit is very lacking, but might be on the up and up.
Firstly I am so sick of hearing about the Super Bowl and the fact that its the only thing people can talk about. I would say that the IU vs Iowa game was a big deal in Hoosier land this weekend. This is partially due to my basketball bias and the fact that the Hoosiers played a very critical game on Saturday, which I thought deserved more attention than it received. Yes, I did spend my Saturday watching basketball and getting a play by play report from my father of the UK vs Arkansas game (another story) because it was not on tv here.
Secondly, I have no strong affection to either team that played in the Super Bowl and really did not care who won the game. This will probably get me totally mauled in my current location, but those are my feelings. And from what I read in full news reportings, Indiana especially Bloomington fans, really couldn't lose in the game last night. Of course the Indianapolis Colts being the State team but at the same time a Bloomington HS native and a IU football player both were part of the Chicago Bears team. So it was a win win for all around.
Thirdly, I had slacked off and watched too much basketball on Saturday and so I had to get a bit of studies done on Sunday in order to make it through the week. I know a lame excuse but still.
Did I see any of it? Yes, two commercials and maybe 2 secs of play to find out the score during the early part of the 4th quarter. The next time I remember to turn the TV on the game was over and the Colts were celebrating.
I hope everyone had a wonderful time at their Super Bowl parties and I will be glad when the state of Indiana gets back to the important sport of the day basketball. Oh wait, Hoosier basketball spirit is very lacking, but might be on the up and up.
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