Career fair went surprisingly well considering that I fell flat on my face in my first couple talks with recruiters. Just as I was getting ready to call it a day I decided to go back in just to check out a couple more booths - and ended up talking with a great technology company that has offices in Seattle. Best of all, I got an interview scheduled with them for tomorrow! It's for their summer internship program, which is just for supply chain majors and - get this - is in Everett, Washington! They apparently rent out housing for all the interns to live together in and pay for it. Sounds awesome to me - I get to go home without really going "home." It's eerily perfect.
Also, I went and saw Pan's Labyrinth tonight. GO SEE THAT MOVIE. It is AMAZING. So well done, so much depth. It's a Spanish film (yes, there are subtitles) and it's just beautifullly done, very imaginative. You can watch the trailer here. It is truly a crying shame that we don't make movies like this in this country anymore - Hollywood is too busy churning out prepackaged, predictable, and formulaic blockbusters to bother making movies with incredible messages like this one. GO. SEE. IT.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Career Fair
I have been dreading the career fair we're having at the business school tomorrow for the entire week. That is, until I saw that Hewlett-Packard was going to be there. And that they have internships for supply chain majors. Lots of them. In Germany.
In Böblingen, of all places.
For those of you unaware, Böblingen is no more than 20 minutes from Tübingen.
This suddenly just got fun.
In Böblingen, of all places.
For those of you unaware, Böblingen is no more than 20 minutes from Tübingen.
This suddenly just got fun.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Along the Way: Now with 25% More Awesomeness!
Well, you've probably noticed things look a bit different here (that's because they are). I've changed the color a bit, and FINALLY figured out how to get rotating headers. So each time you view the blog, you'll see a different picture. Hope you all like it, cause I certainly do. Now I don't have to go through excrutiating shenanigans to get the blog to look different - all you have to do is hit refresh!
Quote of the Day
A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.
-C.S. Lewis
-C.S. Lewis
Friday, January 26, 2007
Sigh...
It's only 2 weeks into the semester and I'm already behind. I remain trotzdem vigilant and am totally determined to be caught up by the time Monday rolls around. It will happen.
In other news, I accept with great honor the award of Weirdest Person Shannon Conley Knows. Please, hold the applause.
Also, it is most definitely time to go back to Germany. I miss it something terrible.
In other news, I accept with great honor the award of Weirdest Person Shannon Conley Knows. Please, hold the applause.
Also, it is most definitely time to go back to Germany. I miss it something terrible.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Saturday, January 20, 2007
The Law of the Laundry Room
All seven of the washing machines in the laundry room are busy. And they are all on the same cycle (spin) which leads me to believe that they are all washing one person's clothing.
Allow me to make something clear to you, you seven-washing-machine-using person:
There is an unwritten Law of the Laundry Room. Evidently you have never been exposed to it. It is as follows:
1. Never, at any time nor for any reason, may you use more than 2 washing machines at once. Using two in the first place is a stretch. Seven washers is far beyond insane. I am not sure what disturbs me more; your lack of consideration for others, or the fact that you actually own enough clothing to fill seven washing machines at once.
2. Clothes should be removed from the washer no more than 15 seconds after the cycle ends. It is your responsibility and duty to keep a sharp eye on the clock so you can collect your clothes as soon as they're done washing. There are hundreds of people living in this building, and we'd all (or at least the vast majority of us) like to not smell bad. Keep it moving. Same goes for the dryers. Also, you should know that while I was in the laundry room inspecting your handiwork, no less than three of the washing machines finished their cycles and you were nowhere to be seen by the time 15 seconds were up. That's three counts of a Class 2 Violation.
3. On the subject of dryers: it is also your responsibility to clean out the lint collector after drying your clothes. None of us, least of all me, want to be the one who have to take in hand the soft and hair-filled fluff of lint that you leave behind.
Allow me to make something clear to you, you seven-washing-machine-using person:
There is an unwritten Law of the Laundry Room. Evidently you have never been exposed to it. It is as follows:
1. Never, at any time nor for any reason, may you use more than 2 washing machines at once. Using two in the first place is a stretch. Seven washers is far beyond insane. I am not sure what disturbs me more; your lack of consideration for others, or the fact that you actually own enough clothing to fill seven washing machines at once.
2. Clothes should be removed from the washer no more than 15 seconds after the cycle ends. It is your responsibility and duty to keep a sharp eye on the clock so you can collect your clothes as soon as they're done washing. There are hundreds of people living in this building, and we'd all (or at least the vast majority of us) like to not smell bad. Keep it moving. Same goes for the dryers. Also, you should know that while I was in the laundry room inspecting your handiwork, no less than three of the washing machines finished their cycles and you were nowhere to be seen by the time 15 seconds were up. That's three counts of a Class 2 Violation.
3. On the subject of dryers: it is also your responsibility to clean out the lint collector after drying your clothes. None of us, least of all me, want to be the one who have to take in hand the soft and hair-filled fluff of lint that you leave behind.
Friday, January 19, 2007
If You Love Data Backups, Raise Your Hand
Today I ordered an external hard drive to back up all my data on for safekeeping. Not only is it a good idea to have copies of my photos and music (much of which is from Germany last year) and movies, but since I'm also going to be using my computer more than before for school organization and assignment tracking I need to start regularly backing it up.
Anyway, in about a week I will have a sweet, sweet 250 gigs at my disposal. Combined with my current 80 gig hard drive, I'll have a total of 330 gigs of storage. Practically limitless as far as I'm concerned. I couldn't fill that if I tried. Then again, I said that about my current hard drive when I bought this computer and now it's stuffed to the gills. In any case, I got it for a really great price at Dell, just $100. I am quite pleased.
Anyway, in about a week I will have a sweet, sweet 250 gigs at my disposal. Combined with my current 80 gig hard drive, I'll have a total of 330 gigs of storage. Practically limitless as far as I'm concerned. I couldn't fill that if I tried. Then again, I said that about my current hard drive when I bought this computer and now it's stuffed to the gills. In any case, I got it for a really great price at Dell, just $100. I am quite pleased.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
First Thriday!
Well, it's the first Thriday of the semester! This is just cause for celebration. It's been a productive couple of days; at the beginning of this week I ran into my German professor in the grocery store and asked him about coming in to bounce a thesis idea off of him. We got into a 10-minute conversation on how German identity could be based on a conflict between Lutheran (self-abasing), Catholic (naive), and Calvinistic (uncompromising) theologies. All in German, much to the confusion of the shoppers around us and consequently much to my own amusement. In any case, I fee much better having thrown business as a possible thesis area out the window and instead concentrating on German history and identity - ideas are flowin' and the research is goin'.
Tonight is small group Bible study at the new church near campus that I'm trying to get plugged into. Sunday church was more than slightly awkward and I had trouble getting the nerve up to go and just introduce myself to people. Hopefully tonight will be better. It's potluck too, and I'm going to bring a salad since that's the only thing I can think of that's not going to go cold on the 15-minute walk from my apartment to the church. After that, it's basically the weekend, which will be used primarily for getting a leg up on my schoolwork, getting completely and totally organized for the semester, and of more than likely a little celebratory consuming of beverages on Mill Avenue.
Tonight is small group Bible study at the new church near campus that I'm trying to get plugged into. Sunday church was more than slightly awkward and I had trouble getting the nerve up to go and just introduce myself to people. Hopefully tonight will be better. It's potluck too, and I'm going to bring a salad since that's the only thing I can think of that's not going to go cold on the 15-minute walk from my apartment to the church. After that, it's basically the weekend, which will be used primarily for getting a leg up on my schoolwork, getting completely and totally organized for the semester, and of more than likely a little celebratory consuming of beverages on Mill Avenue.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
New Semester
Today was our first day of classes. It was a long day, with me on campus for 12 straight hours. I can tell Tuesdays are going to be the day where I bring lots of homework to work on in between classes to make good use of my 1.5 hour breaks. My classes look like they're going to be okay this semester. A couple are even interesting. I have the great fortune to be taking yet another class with my favorite professor in the whole business college. He is just amazing. Knows his field, has experience in his field, has traveled the world, and teaches with more gusto and passion than all my other profs combined. I love this guy. Plus he's from New York, so he has this awesome accent. It's great.
Tomorrow is book buying day. It's also "get organized" day - the day when I buy all my notebooks and binders and dividers and pens and pencils and highlighters and figure out how I'm going to run the semester. This always means questions like:
1) Should I take notes on paper or just type them out on my laptop and print them out to study?
2) If I use paper, should I buy one multi-subject notebook for all my classes or several individual notebooks? And, most importantly,
3) How should I keep track of assignments and deadlines?
In four years at ASU I have yet to devise an effective and efficient system for keeping track of my assignments. Each semester I try something a little different, and each semester it breaks down and results in me just keeping track of things in my head, which I don't like to do since I do forget things once in a blue moon. I have so many tools at my disposal, yet I can't ever seem to leverage them. I've got a computer with iCal, I've got a paper planner, and I've even got a whiteboard above my desk. It seems that the system requires a careful balance of ease of use, effectiveness, and centrality. It needs to be fast and easy to update and it needs to all be in one place. I don't want some things here and others there. All in one. Gah.
Tomorrow is book buying day. It's also "get organized" day - the day when I buy all my notebooks and binders and dividers and pens and pencils and highlighters and figure out how I'm going to run the semester. This always means questions like:
1) Should I take notes on paper or just type them out on my laptop and print them out to study?
2) If I use paper, should I buy one multi-subject notebook for all my classes or several individual notebooks? And, most importantly,
3) How should I keep track of assignments and deadlines?
In four years at ASU I have yet to devise an effective and efficient system for keeping track of my assignments. Each semester I try something a little different, and each semester it breaks down and results in me just keeping track of things in my head, which I don't like to do since I do forget things once in a blue moon. I have so many tools at my disposal, yet I can't ever seem to leverage them. I've got a computer with iCal, I've got a paper planner, and I've even got a whiteboard above my desk. It seems that the system requires a careful balance of ease of use, effectiveness, and centrality. It needs to be fast and easy to update and it needs to all be in one place. I don't want some things here and others there. All in one. Gah.
Is That White Meat?
On my way home from class today I stopped at Panda Express, which is oh-so-conveniently located directly on the route to the apartment back from campus, to get some dinner to take back home with me since I didn't feel like cooking. There was one man in front of me in line.
Man: How many kinds of chicken do you have?
(Employee motions to the 7 different kinds of chicken sitting right before his eyes.)
Man: Is that white meat?
(Employee, a Hispanic woman who apparently doesn't speak great English, narrows her eyes in confusion. She's tired and obviously doesn't like this unwelcome disruption to the well-oiled serving routine she's built here)
Employee: What?
Man (in a loud voice, as he leans over the counter): IS THAT WHITE MEAT?
Employee (looks even more confused): I don't know.
Man: It looks like it might be dark meat. (Man leans closer into the counter until his wrinkled nose is merely centimeters from the glass and inspects the chicken more closely).
Employee: We have Kung Pao, Orange Chicken, Yaki -
Man: I know, I know! I just want to know if it's WHITE meat! (Man scoffs as if this is a perfectly reasonable request as normal as ordering a "medium" drink instead of a "large").
Employee: I don't know if it's white meat.
Man: It looks pretty dark to me.
Employee: That's the sauce it's covered in.
(At this point, I can't take it anymore and decide to intervene)
Me: I think it's ALL white meat.
Man: You think so?
Me: I'm pretty sure.
Man (pointing to Kung Pao chicken): Have you ever had that?
Me: No, but I'd imagine it's white.
(Man leans into counter again, inspecting Kung Pao chicken more closely. Employee looks at me in desperation.)
Man: What about that back there, the stuff with the zucchini?
Employee: That's lemon chicken.
Man: Hmmmmm. I guess I'll take that. That looks like it'd be white. Looks flatter, not quite so bumpy. Yeah, I'll take that.
And so ended the ordeal. Now, for those of you food buffs, I'm dying to know: does "dark" chicken meat even EXIST?? Because I for one have NEVER seen such a thing in all my life. Turkey, yes. Chicken, no.
Man: How many kinds of chicken do you have?
(Employee motions to the 7 different kinds of chicken sitting right before his eyes.)
Man: Is that white meat?
(Employee, a Hispanic woman who apparently doesn't speak great English, narrows her eyes in confusion. She's tired and obviously doesn't like this unwelcome disruption to the well-oiled serving routine she's built here)
Employee: What?
Man (in a loud voice, as he leans over the counter): IS THAT WHITE MEAT?
Employee (looks even more confused): I don't know.
Man: It looks like it might be dark meat. (Man leans closer into the counter until his wrinkled nose is merely centimeters from the glass and inspects the chicken more closely).
Employee: We have Kung Pao, Orange Chicken, Yaki -
Man: I know, I know! I just want to know if it's WHITE meat! (Man scoffs as if this is a perfectly reasonable request as normal as ordering a "medium" drink instead of a "large").
Employee: I don't know if it's white meat.
Man: It looks pretty dark to me.
Employee: That's the sauce it's covered in.
(At this point, I can't take it anymore and decide to intervene)
Me: I think it's ALL white meat.
Man: You think so?
Me: I'm pretty sure.
Man (pointing to Kung Pao chicken): Have you ever had that?
Me: No, but I'd imagine it's white.
(Man leans into counter again, inspecting Kung Pao chicken more closely. Employee looks at me in desperation.)
Man: What about that back there, the stuff with the zucchini?
Employee: That's lemon chicken.
Man: Hmmmmm. I guess I'll take that. That looks like it'd be white. Looks flatter, not quite so bumpy. Yeah, I'll take that.
And so ended the ordeal. Now, for those of you food buffs, I'm dying to know: does "dark" chicken meat even EXIST?? Because I for one have NEVER seen such a thing in all my life. Turkey, yes. Chicken, no.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Germany Internship Verdict
I didn't get the position.
And you know, I'm not even the slightest bit upset about it. It was actually a relief in light of all the stuff that has come up in the last few days with graduation dates. It makes it easier for me to plan for this summer and focus my application efforts here in Phoenix or in Seattle. After they'd broken the bad news, I hung up the phone and just started laughing.
Nope, no way this going to get me down. There are a million fish in the sea, and that one was looking less appealing every day. I have a semester to finish, a car to buy, an internship to snag, a college career to end, and a degree to earn. I'm on a mission. And for some reason I'm in a pretty ridiculously good mood today.
Outta my way, world. I got stuff to do.
And you know, I'm not even the slightest bit upset about it. It was actually a relief in light of all the stuff that has come up in the last few days with graduation dates. It makes it easier for me to plan for this summer and focus my application efforts here in Phoenix or in Seattle. After they'd broken the bad news, I hung up the phone and just started laughing.
Nope, no way this going to get me down. There are a million fish in the sea, and that one was looking less appealing every day. I have a semester to finish, a car to buy, an internship to snag, a college career to end, and a degree to earn. I'm on a mission. And for some reason I'm in a pretty ridiculously good mood today.
Outta my way, world. I got stuff to do.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Interview Done
Went much better than the first one, in my opinion. 3 hours total, all in German. Can we say "exhausted?"
Now comes the waiting for the results.
Now comes the waiting for the results.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Guess Who REALLY Brought SexyBack?
No, it wasn't Justin Timberlake. It was Apple.
Oh my friggin goodness.
Just knowing that this product exists makes me so excited I can hardly stand it. Do you all have any idea what this means for communication technologies? Apple has placed every other cellular phone manufacturer on earth under enormous pressure with the release of this device - pressure to develop new products that try to measure up to the incredibly high standard that Apple has now set.
Just look at it - a complete web browser right on your phone. This is what all the mobile communications providers have been working toward for YEARS, and in one leap, Apple has developed a device that can do it. A new iPod. A way to FINALLY have a completely fully-functional email application on your phone. It's incredible.
So far Cingular is rumored to be the first carrier that will carry the device. We'll see how long it takes for other carriers to jump on the bandwagon, assuming Apple will license it to them.
Oh my friggin goodness.
Just knowing that this product exists makes me so excited I can hardly stand it. Do you all have any idea what this means for communication technologies? Apple has placed every other cellular phone manufacturer on earth under enormous pressure with the release of this device - pressure to develop new products that try to measure up to the incredibly high standard that Apple has now set.
Just look at it - a complete web browser right on your phone. This is what all the mobile communications providers have been working toward for YEARS, and in one leap, Apple has developed a device that can do it. A new iPod. A way to FINALLY have a completely fully-functional email application on your phone. It's incredible.
So far Cingular is rumored to be the first carrier that will carry the device. We'll see how long it takes for other carriers to jump on the bandwagon, assuming Apple will license it to them.
Friday, January 5, 2007
A Beef, If I May
I've noticed that lately it's become all chic and cool to use the phrase "War IS terrorism" as one of the favorite anti-war slogans currently circulating the left side of the aisle. It's everywhere - blogs, newspaper editorials, facebook profiles. College students such as myself, in their self-righteous naivete, are of course lapping it up like cats after milk.
"War" is a conflict between states or nations or people groups within a nation. Generally, "war" is waged by targeting the enemy's military capacities, the idea being to make it impossible for the enemy to continue fighting and thereby win the war. Terrorism, on the other hand, explicitly and exclusively targets civilians for the purpose of political coercion, to undermine a certain goverment's legitmacy, or to instill fear. Guerilla warfare is a sort of blend of the two, when soldiers square off against soldiers using unorthodox tactics a la Vietnam and the Viet Cong. But the key word there is, of course, "soldiers." Not "civilians."
Now, I know that we 20-something college students think we're geniuses and have the world figured out and all, but really, people, only an absolute idiot would embrace a stupid catchphrase like this. I hardly think we'd refer to past wars, such as World War I and II, as "terrorism" against Germany or any other enemy for that matter. There is a HUGE difference between 19 crazed Islamists crashing airliners full of innocent civilians into buildings and the American military engaging in street combat against armed - keyword, "armed" - insurgents or dropping bombs on insurgent hideouts.
The only thing anyone is proving by throwing around the phrase "War is terrorism" is that they have no ability to form a rational argument and absolutely no ability to think for themselves. That, and that they have absolutely no respect for our men and women in uniform. By asserting that war is terror, you label our soldiers terrorists.
I'm not going to try and make some case for why we should be over in Iraq or why the War on Terror is the best thing since sliced bread, because I honestly don't know whether I'm for or against the war in Iraq anymore. But what I am tired of, what I am definitely sick of and definitely against are the lemmings who mindlessly and without any thought whatsoever jump on the popular bandwagon shrieking "Bush lied, kids died;" "War is terrorism;" and compare Bush to Adolf Hitler. There are absolutely NO grounds for such an outlandish comparison, and those people know it.
Be anti-war if that's your kick. More power to you. Be pro-war if that's your kick. But whatever your position, show some maturity, some rational thought, and bring a well-reasoned argument to the table - not a slogan.
"War" is a conflict between states or nations or people groups within a nation. Generally, "war" is waged by targeting the enemy's military capacities, the idea being to make it impossible for the enemy to continue fighting and thereby win the war. Terrorism, on the other hand, explicitly and exclusively targets civilians for the purpose of political coercion, to undermine a certain goverment's legitmacy, or to instill fear. Guerilla warfare is a sort of blend of the two, when soldiers square off against soldiers using unorthodox tactics a la Vietnam and the Viet Cong. But the key word there is, of course, "soldiers." Not "civilians."
Now, I know that we 20-something college students think we're geniuses and have the world figured out and all, but really, people, only an absolute idiot would embrace a stupid catchphrase like this. I hardly think we'd refer to past wars, such as World War I and II, as "terrorism" against Germany or any other enemy for that matter. There is a HUGE difference between 19 crazed Islamists crashing airliners full of innocent civilians into buildings and the American military engaging in street combat against armed - keyword, "armed" - insurgents or dropping bombs on insurgent hideouts.
The only thing anyone is proving by throwing around the phrase "War is terrorism" is that they have no ability to form a rational argument and absolutely no ability to think for themselves. That, and that they have absolutely no respect for our men and women in uniform. By asserting that war is terror, you label our soldiers terrorists.
I'm not going to try and make some case for why we should be over in Iraq or why the War on Terror is the best thing since sliced bread, because I honestly don't know whether I'm for or against the war in Iraq anymore. But what I am tired of, what I am definitely sick of and definitely against are the lemmings who mindlessly and without any thought whatsoever jump on the popular bandwagon shrieking "Bush lied, kids died;" "War is terrorism;" and compare Bush to Adolf Hitler. There are absolutely NO grounds for such an outlandish comparison, and those people know it.
Be anti-war if that's your kick. More power to you. Be pro-war if that's your kick. But whatever your position, show some maturity, some rational thought, and bring a well-reasoned argument to the table - not a slogan.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Quote of the Day
There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.
-John Calvin
-John Calvin
Monday, January 1, 2007
Finally...It Clicks.
About five days ago, I had a breakthrough on the guitar. My hand is limbering up and suddenly playing the chord of G, which was heretofore impossible, is now almost easy. For those of you music-oriented people out there, I'm sure you know that without G, you can forget playing just about everything on the guitar. With G, you're unstoppable. The number of songs that I can play - at least clumsily, has skyrocketed. Guitar is fun again, and I've been messing around on it at least an hour every day for the past week. I'm really looking forward to being able to play my own worship music live!
A couple random things:
1. I am REALLY excited about the new year. A new beginning. A new leaf. Ripe with possibility and the promise of better and best days.
2. I am REALLY excited about the jeans I bought this week. I really needed some new jeans, and wonder of wonders, I actually found jeans that fit me this side of the Atlantic. That, my friends, is cause for celebration.
A couple random things:
1. I am REALLY excited about the new year. A new beginning. A new leaf. Ripe with possibility and the promise of better and best days.
2. I am REALLY excited about the jeans I bought this week. I really needed some new jeans, and wonder of wonders, I actually found jeans that fit me this side of the Atlantic. That, my friends, is cause for celebration.
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