shuffle-o to buffalo

so one day i'm browsing through the bookshelf, and suddenly i realize i cannot find any of my andy mcnab's!! now those of you who don't know me too well probably also don't know how much i love his books, and so it really bothered me to also realize that the books were still in a box back in my old apartment in buffalo! so then i got a-thinking about what the heck else i had left back there! it appeared that there was actually a good chunk of my wardrobe and books and other important documents still back at old 122H..

then i also got thinking, that it would be fantastic to go go check out the Buffalo Sabres play at home, surrounded by raving raging buffalonians rather than in the stodgy confines of boston, in enemy territory! by the miracles of ebay and travelocity, credit card info was transferred and tickets were bought, and before you could say "let's go Sabres" we were headed off to buffalo to watch the Sabres play the Capitals, with the added bonus of watching Ovechkin play - his rugged jawline makes the gf swoon, apparently..



unfortunately the Sabres lost, but the rest of the two-day whirlwind trip was fantastic, despite the snowstorms and biting cold. i retrieved all my missing stuff, had strong sensations of deja vu walking the streets of University heights, past 33H and 122H, eating at Just Pizza, dropping by the library i worked at, peering into classrooms that i rarely sat in and finally meeting up with my thesis advisor and being surprised by how warmly he welcomed me back!


one final note, these small puddle-jumpers for local direct flights make for some rough flying in bad weather, definitely not for the queasy ones!

dog days

contrary to popular opinion, the hot and sultry days of august were not named thusly because animals of the canine persuasion rolled around on their backs and stuck their tongues out.. from what wikipedia tells me, it was coined by the Romans for the period of summer when my zodiac sign Sirius (aka Dog-Star) is directly overhead, coinciding with the period of summer when it is hottest and humidest (can i get away with using that word?) in the northern hemisphere..

if this conjures up images in your head of lying at the beach, or on the patio overlooking a lake, with a colorful drink sporting a tiny umbrella in your hand, while music wafts by on the still air.. then good for you. this luxury seems preserved for those of you still lucky enough to be in college, or else having made your millions, are able to afford taking a vacation at this most unholy time for the beverage production industry..

the end of august also spells the end of summer.. which is a shame, because pretty women every where will soon think of packing away all the itsy-bitsy tops, the teeny-weeny skirts, the yellow polka-dot bikinis.. thus depriving the general viewing (and in some cases, paying) public the small joys of life.. after this the only time you will get to see a fine pair of legs is if when autumn blows around a young lady's skirt and generously billows it up and about a la Marilyn Monroe

and finally, the end of august also means time for school to resume. for most students, it's back to school after a summer.. in my case it means back to college after an almost two-year hiatus. yes you heard it here first, i am headed back to grad school! it's not like i suffer from particularly masochistic tendencies, but this move is the right way ahead for my career. i will still be working, this is all part-time.. though i wish i could go back to full-time college with the money i have now.. heh, that would be real trouble then!

econo-mix

so a book on Project Management actually costs around $144/- and a 12-month Playboy subscription with a free gift costs all of $12/-.. exactly one-twelfth!!

if there ever was a reason to get your kid to become a writer and not a porn star then this has gotta be it!

surprisingly enough though, this flagrant disparity can be easily explained by economics, and the theories of supply and demand

making a few very general assumptions that the supply of paper is consistent for both publications, and that there is just one basic demand curve for buyers of both erotica and textbookotica.. then you can see that the price of the Playboy is driven down by the sheer numbers of people who buy it, as opposed to the masochistic few who choose to inflict personal mental pain by purchasing and then actually perusing (as opposed to using as a paperweight) the textbook shown above.. and their small numbers then proceed to bump up the price of the book..

lesson for the day? let your kids choose to be either writers or porn stars, eventually they will make the same amount of moolah.. what you really want them to become is analysts and consultants, people who make money by telling you what to do with your money.

PS - they could become lawyers as well, but wouldn't you like them to have at least a shred of dignity?

yeah baby!!

the deed is done
it was quite fun
they passed the s!
now he is an MS

all set

DATE: 03/28/06
TIME: 11:30am
PLACE: 202 Parker Hall

freedom is close.

finally

yes, now buzz off!

done deal!

as was famously said by one Dave Chappelle "you're going down biatch!!"

you wouldn't believe it if i said it once, so i will say it twice. besides, when in the SAS they tell you the mission objective, they say it twice so that there can be no mistake. the thesis is done. again, the thesis is done. you will not believe how happy and relieved i am. to all those of you who had to put up with my whining and griping, i thank you wholeheartedly.

just minor editing and corrections left on it now, but i should be defending it in ten days or so. whew, it took a while.. i'm exactly six months off with it in fact, i'd wanted to be where i am now in august '05! anyways, it was more than a labour of love, more than the twelve tasks of Hercules.. it was more like i was the damned thesis' bitch! trust me, not a good feeling!

those who see me on IM will now find me infinitely more pleasant.. that is, until it hits me that i still need to find me a good job. *sigh* the injustice, the damned injustice of it all.

moving on

had my farewell party at the library yesterday. i am nearing the end of my time at Graduate School, and quit my student co-ordinator job at the library. it's been a wild time, since Sept. '04.. a quick browse through the blog archives tells tales of wild partying till 4-5 in the morning, and opening the library at 8, still a tad high.. stories of checking out the local colour and fashions of the month when the Architecture gals come through the library doors.. anecdotes of honest days' work (very few) and times goofing off (very many).. epics of funny moments, mad-hectic days, fixing friends' library fines, cooking the time-sheets to wangle some extra money and a downright good time all through. (follow the links if you are absolutely jobless or bored, and wanna read: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

gonna miss the library, but not for too long.. bigger jobs, and tougher challenges await.. onward ho!