December 2004 Archives

I was a little disappointed with "The Last Juror" by John Grisham. The writing was fine, the story was pretty good, but the book was simply too short.

I woke up Saturday at 6:00 pm, watched a movie, baked some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and sat down with my book. I had gotten through about 40 pages on my break on the Saturday graveyard, and before nodding off to sleep when I got home. After I started reading at 8:00 pm or so, I read off and on for two hours, while checking my email, baking cookies, and looking for a decent movie on TV. When I finally realized the book was my best option, I got to the task at hand and was finished by about 5 a.m.

So, the book was good enough to effectively read the whole thing in one sitting, but it also seemed pretty short... and unfortunately a bit formulaic. However, I will undoubtably turn to Grisham again the next time I need a paperback.

In other news, I had a thouroughly relaxing Saturday evening after sleeping all day. I didn't get enough sleep after finishing the book and then needing to show up to work today, but hopefully I'll fix that tonight.

I have been pulling strings and calling in favors from the folks working over Christmas break, and it looks like I'll get out of town nearly 30 hours before I thought I would originally, and if I'm rather fortunate, it won't cost me any hours... two at the most.

Of course I am at work now, the IC is pretty dead considering its 9 pm, and not 3 a.m. I could count the people here now, but I'm lazy. I'd pay money if there were more than 20, and blessedly no one is doing any of the personal projects that can turn a break shift into living heck. No photo albums to be scanned, cropped, and printed. No dance recitals to be transferred to DVD. Tonight's effort has included turning on the photocopier, and actually working on my own personal projects... like this website.

If you don't hear from me for three weeks, don't worry. I'll be at home. With siblings in town this break, things will be markedly more exciting than my rather dull Thanksgiving break... that and I have a ton of shopping to do.

Cross-posted to Torben Reviews: The Last Juror by John Grisham

Finals are over, finals are over, finals are over!!! Yeah!!!

It has just turned 4:01 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and I am unfortunately awake, and will be so for at least another 4 hours and 15 minutes or so.

I could hardly drag myself out of bed this morning, it took me about 2 hours after the alarm rang initially before I finally staggered into the shower. This period involved hitting the snooze button about 50 times, not to mention resetting the alarm back half an hour twice.

After finally getting out of bed and to the b-school around 9:20, I had about 45 minutes to get in some last second cramming for corporate finance. It didn't work. I got slaughtered by the exam. I could hardly stay awake during the thing, and I just didn't do well. Oh, how I hate finals.

Possibly even worse than the corporate finance, I then had 5 hours to wait for my tax final, and I needed to study badly. So I sat in the b-school computer lab for four and a half hours, ordered in Jimmy Johns, and wasted about half my time perusing the internet while telling myself I had to hold it together, and bear down, for another few hours.

The tax exam could have gone worse, it could have gone better. I wouldn't be shocked if I got a B, but I think I might pull off an 'A' in the class. I think I probably deserve one if you consider my overall performance over the course of the semester... but, if you weight the final too heavily, well... then I might be in some trouble.

Once both finals were done, it was 7 p.m. on Friday, and I headed home. I called my mom, returning a message from earlier in the day and found out that I will not be working for UTC next year. I was quite disappointed, although I can't say I was shocked. What did I expect? 12-13 weeks after an interview without hearing back? (That is bush-league in my opinion, and its not like they were the only ones to simply not call me back. :( )

Anyhow, extremely tired, grouchy from both exams and bad employment news, I went home and watched "The Breakfast Club" and ordered a pizza rather than sleeping. I should have slept, because now its 4 a.m. I have another 4 hours of work to go, and I can hardly keep my eyes open.

I'm too tired to work on the websites now, so I'm just kind of blathering on here.

In other news, I made a trip to the evil Wal-Mart today. Everytime I go there, it makes me angry. I don't care about their corporate practices... I just get tired of too many people in cramped aisles with helpless store personnel who are too busy to help the customers.

It took 45 minutes to pop in and buy a christmas gift that I had already decided what to buy, a new ice scraper to replace the one that busted yesterday, and a bag of Peanut M&M's which I'm currently munching on to stay awake. After finally fighting the crowds to whisk away my modest purchases, I got to the car and realized I had forgot something in the store, and then I had to go back into the jungle. I ended up deciding that I wouldn't have enough time to get to the grocery store and drop off some needed groceries at the apartment before work, so I decided to see if I could find John Grisham's latest book at the evil Wal-Mart.

(OK, its not as completely random as it sounds. Kroger's circular this week had two things of interest, Freschetta Pizza for $3.99 mmmmm, and the Grisham book for $5.99, these two items made me decide that I would drive the 17 blocks to the store and stock up on frozen pizza, and buy a paperback to get my Christmas relaxation going.)

Thus, since I wasn't going to get to the store, I needed the Grisham book so that when I wake up sometime Saturday afternoon, I don't have to go buy the book before I can start reading it.

Anyhow, the book ended up being available at the evil Wal-Mart, and $5.97 on the mastercard later, I have a promising read sitting next to me... which of course I can't read because I am 'working.'

Well, I'm tired of typing, and I know you aren't actually reading anymore, so too-del-oo. I'll probably check in once more before heading back to Valpo on Tuesday evening.

Two finals, and some excellent 'stone soup' later, my day is over, and I'm pretty happy about it. I am exhausted, and haven't had time to do much of anything recently.

After dinner at c-group tonight, I stopped at Arby's for my favorite, a medium jamocha shake... the prices have increased a dime, and this is upsetting. HYPER INFLATION IS UPON US! This price change won't be as bad as the hike in prices at Jimmy Johns, because its now $2.00 instead of $1.90, so I can still buy one with two bills. Of course Jimmy Johns hiked their sandwiches from 4.96 to $5.04, forcing me to have to have a nickel over and above my Abe for lunch. Jimmy Johns has lost at least three sandwich purchases from me because of the price change.

Wow! I am rambling. Like I said, I'm exhausted and coherent thoughts are a little tough to come by.

Sorry, its been a few days, but I have been busy relaxing, stressing, and generally avoiding the internet and my collection of blogs. I have never done real well on exams, so in an attempt to do better on my exams I am trying to eliminate distractions.

Finals week is always a pain because after weeks of intense team projects and little sleep, you suddenly have a completely unstructured week, but you are supposed to be studying etc.

Honestly, I have 12 hours spoken for between Monday and Friday (13.5 if you include c-group), so I have to schedule in the time to study. Of course I have had time to watch several 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' episodes and 'The Bible' a movie with George C. Scott covering much of Genesis... but I haven't started studying for my F303 (Investments) final which is sometime tomorrow.

Anyhow, I'm posting now as a last gasp of distraction before I get serious and either head off to study or sleep. (It will be about 10 minutes of study before its sleep, but good intentions are better than no attempt.)

As for todays exam, Western European something or another (it turns out it is Western European Politics), the exam went well, not spectacular, but well. However, the 96 I got on the term paper pretty much means I'll get an A in the class unless I completely bombed the final... an A is an A. WooHoo!

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as about 4.5 hours today were devoted to this &*%^ financial accounting project that I have probably put in close to 40 hours on, and the balance sheet is back out of balance, and frustration. Fortunately, that deadline is Wednesday, so I can't possibly spend more than about another 6 hours on it before I just give up.

Well, like I said, investments is tomorrow, followed by financial accounting, and cost accounting on Wednesday. Friday brings corporate finance and tax, and Friday night brings the last full semester of my college career... oh please!

Ok folks, night all.

Oh, isn't this precious. Clay Aiken is on the radio singing me a Christmas song... nothing says Christmas like Clay Aiken! :P

I am twelve hours away from being done with classes this semester, but the last 16 hours have been like crawling around in a parking lot full of broken bottles while wearing shorts.

I had a poly sci 'discussion' today, and managed to get there 10 minutes late, which the professor wasn't too happy about. Then, I did the class routine and felt like collapsing.

But alas, that was before the 10 hours of groupwork I had this afternoon/evening/night/morning. I was supposed to meet from 2:30 - 6:30 with my financial accounting team, but one individual didn't show up, and I ended up working by myself from 2:30-3:00 and 4:00-6:00. I wasn't terribly productive, and now I think my group is getting upset with me because I haven't been there much the last two days.

At 6:30, I met with my corporate finance team and I left at about 1:20 a.m. pretty well tuckered out, but with about 30 pages of report that could be handed in tomorrow. There will undoubtably be some last minute revisions, but I feel good about the project, even if the numbers keep changing.

Anyhow, its up early for another hour of team work tomorrow, before class, presentation, K201, and 8 hours of work. WILL IT NEVER END?

Tuesday was another lengthy day, lasting about 14 hours by the time I got back home a little past midnight. Unfortunately there are papers to write tonight, and I'll be fortunate to be asleep by 3 a.m.

Today was a lesson in the benefits of teamwork. I've been crazy-busy with my three team projects I am working on. Fortunately, my Financial Accounting team had a productive meeting in my absence, while I was busily identifying problem after problem on my corporate finance balance sheet. Luckily, at the end of the day, the balance sheet balances, the plugs behave the way they are supposed to, and the expenses are actually being subtracted from the revenues, rather than added to them. (You know, if companies added expenses to revenues, they would be much more profitable!)

OK, its time to edit my investments project paper. Until tomorrow. Oh, also, the Cubs signed Nomar Garciaparra and Todd Walker today, giving me a happy few hours this afternoon.

Hi agian, its Monday night and I'm only sort of done with another exhausting day. Classes started at 9:30 this morning, and I can hardly remember the beginning of the day.

I've got a ton of group work stuff to do in the next two weeks. I met with two groups today. I'll switch up the groups, but do the same tomorrow. Life is hectic, so I keep saying to myself... "if I can only make it through the next two days."

Oh well, "we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4).

OK, its time to get off this computer and read the articles for Western European something or another for Wednesday.

:)

Hi friends, family, and strangers who got here somehow. Welcome to e-Byron. I have been blogging about the Cubs since March and have had the occasional urge to do something akin to a live journal. Well, I have the ability to do this real easily now that I bought movable type for my Cubs site, and so I give you... e-Byron.