38</a
Or 41.75 %. Ask me the state capitals. Those I can name.
I had read about MIT’s OpenCourseWare some time ago, but I had never followed up on the knowledge. Last night, in a fit of inspiration, I did a Google search and then started browsing the course offerings. After just a few minutes I settled on MIT 6.092, which is an introduction to Java Programming.
Although I have been involved in object-oriented programming, as well as object-orient analysis and design, for the past ten years, I am not a proficient Java developer. I get by, but I don’t consider myself a Java coder. I want to change that. So, MIT 6.092, to be followed by 6.170. And maybe <a href=http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Electrical-Engineering-and-Computer-Science/6-171Fall2003/CourseHome/index.htm" title=“Software Engineering for Web Applications”>6.171.
You are never too old to learn new tricks.
A year ago when I signed up for the NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) I saw a surge in site visits. A typical month for me sees about 525 page views and maybe 350 visitors. November last year had more than 850 page views, largely due to the NaBloPoMo. This year I have seen no difference in my site visits or page views. In fact, November maybe lagging a tiny bit behind the average.
I suspect that there are far more participants in the month of blogging this time around, so that my site is lost in a bigger field of possibilities. I also fully understand the idea of a power curve, and recognize the zanshin.net is way out on the thin part of the curve.
All the articles I’ve read about creating a site that will generate visitors center around the idea of a theme for the site. Not a visual theme, but rather a contextual one. Sites that focus on some specific topic or genre collect a following and that following starts to attract links from other sites. My site has been, and will continue to be, a place for me to explore topics that interest me. I guess you could say that the genre here is Mark.
So to those of you who are regulars here, I say thanks.
Recently I’ve been up to:
This morning, in a lightly falling snow, I took the Jimmy over to the nearest GMC dealer to have the flickering lights diagnosed. On the way, just to reenforce that the Jimmy needed attention, all the lights and gauges not only flickered, they went on and off several times.
When the service coordinator tried to start the car it wouldn’t. It was dead. They jumped the car and took it around to the service bay and I went into the lounge to be bombarded with obnoxious television commercials and overly perky newspeople gushing about an upcoming football game and the weather.
After a while the service coordinator came in and told me that the battery needed to be replaced as it was corroded and leak acid. When I asked how much a replacement was, and he said $185, I about fell off my chair. One-hundred-eighty-five dollars? Yikes.
Sibylle and I talked about it on the phone, and after she did a quick Google search to see what other people were charging, we agreed that his price was reasonable. This being the end of the month, a near $200 charge isn’t really feasible, but we need the Jimmy, so we’ll find the money somewhere.
Update: The service department just called, other than the battery everything is fine with the Jimmy. Whew! $196.06 to get it back, but we get it back whole and healthy.
On our way to the laundromat to dry a couple of loads of wash, Sibylle pointed out that some of the lights on the Jimmy’s dash were behaving weirdly. The intensity of the lights was flickering, and it looked like one of the gauge lights was trying to come on.
After our drying was completed, and on our way home, all the gauge lights suddenly lit up, and then every light on the Jimmy went off. Within a second everything was working again, but obviously something was wrong.
In the morning I’ll have to take the Jimmy to the dealer and see what’s going on and what our options are.
“Ah!,” said she.
“What?”
“I’m filling out a survey and I’ve moved from the 36-44 category to the 45-54 category.”
“Oh.”
“At least it’s a palindrome.”
“…”
“And both are divisible by nine.”
This year Sibylle and I are staying close to home for Thanksgiving. We had talked about maybe going to see my family in Illinois or venturing to the far north to visit her sister, but in the end we decided to stay home.
The weather today certainly reenforced our decision. Yesterday afternoon it was a balmy, almost summery, 77 degrees in the late afternoon. By ten o’clock it was already down to 50 degrees. Over night it rained and turned much colder, with today’s high barely above freezing. About noon it started snowing, and the wind was raw and biting.
We did some last minute shopping this afternoon, and then came home and bolted the door behind us. I napped for a short time on the couch while Sibylle baked cookies and then made us dinner. We both relish Friday evenings because the entire weekend extends out in front of us like an unexplored road leading over the hill. Having a four-day weekend is delicious.
Where ever you are, dear reader, I wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend.
We are nearing the end of the calendar year and that means only one thing. That’s right, annual employment evaluations. Joyous tidings to us all.
For the first time in about eight years I’m employed in a situation where annual evaluations are actually performed. What’s more, there is a process to follow, software to be used, and deadlines to be met.
I’m supposed to develop some goals (three to five) and then describe how I met or exceeded those goals. (Since I get to write the goals now, at the end of the year, I shan’t be including any that I failed to meet.) (Well maybe one that’s on-going and will be met in the future, just to show humility.) The employee goals are only 50% of the evaluation, however. There are Competencies as well.
The Competencies are broken down into organizational, job family, and key job. There’s also room for you to record any major accomplishments for the year. These accomplishments don’t count towards your final score however, they are just gloss.
Self-evaluation is always an uncomfortable exercise. I suppose there is something to be gained by seeing, on paper, how you see yourself compared to how your boss sees you. Still, as introspective as I am at times, I don’t always like the process. Writing in the third-person about your self is always a bit weird too. (Mark is outstanding in his job.)
This being the first year I’ve gone through the process at this employer, and therefore the first time with this manager, I don’t really know what to expect. In most areas my manager is fairly easy-going, laid-back even. Will that trait carry over to the evaluation? Or will he become Mr. Hyde? Being new I personally think that there is no way I can be “clearly outstanding” on any of the scored portions of the evaluation. I’m still learning the ropes, the players, and where I should be focusing my talents. Will my boss understand this dynamic? I think so, but I won’t know for sure until our face-to-face.
I have no reason to believe that I’ll get anything but a good evaluation, but that belief doesn’t calm my apprehension or ease my anxiety much.
This morning I forgot my parking transponder and work badge. Naturally I didn’t discover this oversight until I was completely downtown, 25 miles from home. And, this being Monday, I had an eight o’clock meeting meaning no time to return home to retrieve them.
A bumpy start to the week.
Deciding that half a day in the pay lot was cheaper than a full day in the pay lot, I went out after lunch to move the car to the lot used by new employees while they are in training. It’s two blocks further away from the building, but since we are having spring-like weather today, it would be a pleasant two-block walk.
When I got to the exit of the parking ramp the parking lady greeted me and asked where my transponder was. I explained that I’d left it in the other car and so I was without today. She said that she wasn’t going to charge me. All she wanted was for me to write my name, work location, and work phone number on the ticket. Free parking. All as a result, I believe, of a morning smile and wave.
You see, ever since I’ve been parking in this lot, I’ve taken the time to wave and smile at her as I go past her booth in the mornings. She always has a big smile in return, and a wave of her own. The world is full of good people, we just have to open ourselves to the possibility and they will be in our lives. My leaving my badges at home is making today a bit awkward, but my life is enriched because I was helped by someone I smile to every day.