Not Looking Good

My Spurs are struggling through the middle of the third quarter tonight. No matter what Tony Parker does, the Kings seem to have an answer. Hopefully the Spurs will stage a comeback and finish the series off in San Antonio instead of having to play one more in Sacramento.

I think it's funny

If I were snubbed for Fed Chair, I hope I would have the balls to make something like this.

Give 'em hell, Chopper!

My almost-two year old nephew was expelled from pre-school for biting. I like that toughness, that fire inside. His mother was a champion biter.

Bizarra La Follette

I got an email from my professor saying that he likes how my group's workshop project turned out. He thinks it's a good report. He pushed us really hard. Then I got word that the La Follette editor thinks our paper is very well written and better edited than the other reports. How did this happen? We worked hard, particularly at the end. Kudos to us, I guess.

Fin

Aside for some editing and two PowerPoint presentations, this workshop thing is over, or it will be turned in by 9.00 am. I can't say that I'm sad to see it go. I now understand the struggles of all of my classmates during the CBA project. These group things can be hard if you don't have a Shager in your group. Hopefully our professor will like the finished product. It seems decent. Not great, but certainly a valiant effort at a really hard topic. Now it's our turn, TC. I still don't know what it is that is due tomorrow. Does that make me a bad stupid? An apathetic student? A student who has been worn out by another project?

A little release

I finished up my second round of edits on the project today and went bowling. I did pretty well for myself. I went 152, 124, and 160. My all-time best is 163. I got my second and third best scores of my life tonight. That's something.

I was confronted about not liking Wisconsin tonight. Confronted is such a stupid word for, "I didn't realize that you hate Wisconsin so much." Well, I do. I hate it in a very big way. I don't have to like it. I've put in my two years and then I'll leave. The problem that I've been having lately is that I have this incredibly strong desire to not do anything that has to do with policy. It's the same issue I had last year when the associate director talked me out of leaving the program. I just don't really enjoy doing this stuff. I think I'm pretty good at it, but I'd much rather own a restaurant, or retire or something like that. Maybe I'll be able to make a career out of this stuff. I'm certainly going to give it a shot. I've been in this sort of third or quarter life crisis for a while now. I didn't want to be making sandwiches anymore, but I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. I settled on this, although I couldn't tell you how that happened. But here I am. I just don't know what to do with myself. Any suggestions or jobs available, let me know.

I wasn't even drunk

I saw the sunrise before I went to sleep this morning. That really fucks with your mind.

Only you understand me, AA Netsavers

I think the two people whom I was emailing have since disappeared for the night, or early morning. That's a shame. I was just getting warmed up. I'm just about out of coffee, so I'm switching to gatorade. I think I want to sleep a lot tomorrow. I'm reallly tired right now, but I'm coffee jittery. It's very exciting.

I had a dream that I gave the Commencement Address. It was strange, but I love my closing line. "I want to close with a quote from Davy Crockett, 'You all may go to hell. I'm going to Texas.'"

I don't really want my classmates to go to hell, but I like the line and I think of Wisconsin as hell, so maybe I just meant that they should stay where they are. Who knows?

I've still got a third of the paper to go. Parts of it are so bad. I don't understand how parts can be that bad at this point in the process. I have learned to not make wording suggestions without fulling thinking them out because then I just ended up going back and change them to how they were in the before time. I still have to write an appendix, but I'm not doing that until tomorrow, or later today I guess.

Quick Question

I just procrastinated a little bit by reading some Texas football message board and I notice that when the topic of scheduling Arkansas for an annual game in Dallas comes up, the Texas fans go apeshit crazy. Are Texas fans scared of Arkansas? That's the impression that I get. I don't understand it. I know that the Arkansas folks live to play Texas, but I don't see any reason for fear. Would it change their minds if they knew that the chair of the University of Arkansas faculty used to back up Tommy Nobis?

Man

If you were worried about my mental state before, just talk to me after I get done editing this paper at 4 am. It may kill my spirit, assuming living around all of these yankees hasn't done that already.

UPDATE: Page seven, only 44 pages to go.

Another late night

Do to some uploading errors, I just got the document that I was supposed to have finished editing an hour ago. This process takes about 6 hours, so my math skills tell me that starting at 9 with a daily show break means that I'll get done around 3 or 4. That likely means that work at 8 isn't going to happen.

I learned today that while a 31 out of 60 is failing in most of the world, it's a B in graduate school. Grade inflation rules.

Waiting is boring

I'm supposed to be editing my groups draft, but as of yet there is nothing to edit. The wrong document was passed on and I can't get into contact with the girl who has the correct document. So I wait. It's only due on Wednesday and we're nowhere close to done, so there's really no rush. I have to cut a bit of my section. It's a 45-50 page document of which I wrote just over 30 pages. A lot of those pages are repetitive and/or not central to the main story, so I may turn them into appendices.
I was at my professor's house until 10.30 last night. That makes three La Follette professor's homes that I have been to.

My poor car

The midwest is really taking some aggression out on my poor little car. We got pretty significant hail damage a week or so ago. Today Mrs. LaBlog was rear-ended on her way to the craft store. Thankfully it was a very slow rear-ending with hopefully no pain for the lady and little damage for the car. Add that to a previously acquired dent and you have a sad looking car. The only time it got hit in Austin it nearly got the driver side panel cleanly ripped off. There are no jabs in Austin, only knock out blows. Madison uses the car like a jab drill.

Progress

I think I'm making real progress on the write-up of my data analysis. It's not so easy. The thing I like most about my project is that our professor wants a much more technical analysis than does our client. I think the client just wants us to say that taxes have gone up or down. That's super easy to do. It's the other stuff that is really hard.

West Virginia

Where is all of this preseason West Virginia hype coming from? They're a decent team in a crappy conference, but I think Louisville is much more likely to come out of that conference undefeated. West Virginia had a really good year last year. They surprised Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. It wasn't the blowout people seem to remember. Georgia came back and looked like they would win it, but WV held on. I remember thinking that despite the score it clearly looked like Georgia was dominating after the early WV scores. Maybe they'll win it all, but I doubt it. After all, Kirk Bohls picked them.

Hi

Hi any classmates who might be reading this since a link was sent out to all of my classmates.
Thanks for that. I really liked that this thing wasn't so much anonymous, but nobody knew about it.

Bob LaBlog

I decided to make this blog closer to anonymous for several reasons, primarily the fear that too many of my classmates would stumble upon it. The name is a reference to my school as well as to Arrested Development. Maybe the (slight) change of venue will lead to more positive writing as opposed to the bitchfest it has become of late. I do enjoy writing and I hope that it's occassionally an interesting read.

Triumph

I had one of the stranger classroom experiences of my graduate school career today. I somehow ended up debating my professor about an article for about 30 minutes today. I kept telling her that I didn't agree with her and the class would laugh. She would then restate the exact same thing and I would again state why I didn't agree with her and the class would laugh again. This went on for a while until she decided to agree with me. My two sides were in full conflict during this episode. On the one hand, I would prefer to just listen to classroom discussions rather than participate in them (I accept that this makes me a bad grad student), and on the other hand, I can't stand to be told I'm wrong when I am sure that I am right. The stubborn side won out and I wasted half an hour. I hope that it was at least entertaining for my classmates. I also hope I didn't sound too rude or disrespectful towards the professor. The frustration was definitely leading in that direction. I won in the end, and that's what matters.

A sure thing

If one thing is guaranteed to make me feel better about things, it's going to see Eef Barzelay for free. Meredith's boss got us free tickets to his show at Cafe Montmartre tonight. It was really nice His music makes me depressed in a really beautiful and hopeful way, if that makes any sense. I think that maybe Kevin can relate to all of the associations that I have with Clem Snide. It was a rough time when I first started listening to them. I only went to their show at the Continental Club because I couldn't handle going to my apartment where my dumbass roommate was hanging out. That dude still owes me over a thousand dollars. I don't miss Eef or the band if I know that they'll be in town.

I think I'm going to take the train to Austin. It's a thirty hour train ride, but I love trains. I pay a little extra and I get a little tiny room with a bed. I love beds.

Things are fucked up right now, but I think they'll be better in a few weeks. I hope. I almost cried every time Eef sang the word "Texas" tonight. It's a strange attachment I have with the place of my baptism. It makes sense that I would have strong attachments to the place where my parents are from, where I met my wife, where I met my best friends, where my 871 partner spent some time. I'm prepared to move there and pay the extra rent here. Hell, if Erin can move to California, I can move back to Texas without a job. That's where I want to be. That's where I'm comfortable. That's home. I wish Erin still lived in Austiin and Kevin weren't moving though. That would make it even better.

I miss feeling at home.

It takes a real man...

To tuck tale and run back home when things aren't going so well. I am just such a man.

I had a ZiegenBock tonight and it just made me want to go back to where I belong even more. The thing I know I'll have a hard time with if we get back to Austin, by the grace of God, is that we won't have football tickets for at least the first year back. That could be torture, although there were some games that I just wanted to stay at home to watch. It's nice to relax at home and watch a football game. I'd really look forward to getting down to the House of Pies and the Underground world of Houston dwelling as well. I'd love to watch Reggie Bush in person if the Texans draft him.

Speaking of Reggie Bush, didn't he average 6.2 a carry against Texas in the Rose Bowl? Didn't our boys hold him to a mere 179 yards of total offense? We shut that kid down right? Remember when he took off on that sideline run/leap for the touchdown? That was amazing. That did will be a solid pro. If the Texans think that he'll make them a winner, then they absolutely have to draft him. That said, I've never been sold on David Carr. He always struck me as overrated, even as he was leading Fresno State to a pretty good record. I'd take Vince Young in the draft though. I remember saying that I could imagine another guy like Vince Young coming along, but now I have to say that I can't. He can dominate a game like no football player I've ever seen, although Matt Jones in college had some magical games. Derrick Thomas at KC, LT in NY, Jerry Rice, and Elway; none of them could take over a game quite like VY.

Brilliant News

The school where Mrs. LaBlog did her student teaching is currently looking for a new music teacher. Two years ago, before Mr. LaBlog made the biggest mistake of his life, the principal of this school tried convince Mrs. Mr. Brendon to take the job. Alas, we were moving to Wisconsin, making the biggest mistake of our lives.

An experience everyone should have

If you have never spent over 40 hours in a weekend working on a project, I highly recommend it. I thought my brain quit when I did 30 hours last week, but that was nothing compared to this weekend.

Our newest confection

I'm sure somebody else has thought to grill hamburgers with slices of canadian bacon on the patties, but I had never heard of it before we did that very thing last night.

It's true

Michelob really can ease the pain of too much work. Go on, try it.

What the hell

I didn't sign up for this shit. Last weekend I spent about 30 hours working on my workshop project. Including the whee hours of today, I've spent about 15 hours plus another four or five yesterday. It's too much. I go crazy now.

Damn

What did this?

This did.

I am an idiot

I was supposed to have my sections to the workshop draft done by midnight, but I am not close to finished. I came up with a better analytical technique which will make my job more difficult, but the numbers will be more precise. It's a tough life being the data analyst on a large and complex data analysis project. I would describe my slightly new approach, but I don't think anyone would care. Let's just say it involves deciles and changes over time. Okay, that part isn't groundbreaking.

I think my brain stopped

At some point in time I will be forced to take my program evaluation seriously. I think rigging it so that my evaluation project is as simple as possible may delay the inevitable starting an assignment before 11 the night before it's due. I almost think it'd be a shame if I never get to that point. Workshop has my attention right now.

I'm about to go to sleep. I am more than a little tired. I've been tired since I got up this morning. I missed the bus and then I drove to school. I had to hurry up the stupid big hill. I got to class on time, but barely.

I am supposed to have my portion of the worshop project done by 8 am on Friday. I wonder how likely that is. I'll be glad to be rid of that thing. I think it is possible that we will have a good product at the end, but I just want it over.

I'm considering going down to Austin for a week or so after school ends just for the purpose of whoring myself to state agencies. Somebody has to want to hire me. I work cheap. My highest paid job is as a project assistant. I have a long and distinguished career as a sandwich maker too. I am not used to earning a high wage. Take note employers, you can get me cheap.

EKG, I hope everything is going okay. Your last week or two sounds an awful lot like my Christmas of 2000. I know that messing around with an ex-girlfriend is definitely not the best way to make yourself feel better. That's about all I'm good for.

Are you getting ready for gin and tonics?

That's what my professor asked me when he saw me getting limes at the grocery store this evening.

We met with the DOR people today. They think that our paper is looking good. They are most certainly wrong. They gave us some suggestions for additions to our analysis, but we are not sure what those would look like. I don't know how to model some random policy. Maybe that's for another day.

I'm ready for school to be over. I'm ready to move. The nicest person I've met here is from Conway, AR. I really wouldn't mind getting back to that part of the world. So, the places in which I am interested are Austin and Little Rock. I guess I would consider elsewhere, but it would have to be a great opportunity.

The week ended

We ate pizza with Kelly tonight. The Greenbush is very good every time. No word on waffles in the morning at Indie Coffee.

I've seen two movies this weekend. Going to the movies is like my default setting and we haven't been that often recently. It was nice to get out. It makes for a good weekend.

Slutfest is going on this weekend. I have no idea what that means.

Congratulations to the UW men's hockey team. They decided to join the women as national champions. That's fairly impressive.

Why does the President insist on lying to us and then lying about lying when it's quite clear that he's been caught? When will the heat truly be turned on? Nobody should support an executive with less and less checks. Governing should be hard. Protecting the people should be hard. We made the decision to make those things hard when we insisted upon freedom and liberty and democracy. It is absolutely appropriate to regulate the ways in which society can be protected. I thought that we had done that. The President disagrees. His behavior should be starting an outcry from liberals and conservatives alike. Where's my uncle? I haven't heard him calling for impeachment. He was pretty important in the effort to get the last guy impeached, so where is he now? Is he naked in Alabama?

Movies

23. Failure to Launch - Everything about this movie is unbelievable. By that I mean that I don't believe anything that takes place is feasible. I don't believe the people are friends. I don't believe that they those people would be roommates. I don't believe that Ms. Bates and Mr. Bradshaw could produce in Matt. It was kind of entertaining in a totally mindless way. I mean, totally mindless. If you don't want to think and you want to see some killer abs and Terry Bradshaw's bare ass, then this is the movie for you.

24. Lucky Number Slevin - Sort of an interesting thriller type movie. There's a murder and then a lot of stuff happens. That's a succint recap. It's worth seeing. The end gets a bit messy, but it's still entertaining.

School is Schoolish right now

I'm busier than I'd like to be at this point in time. I had a meeting with a professor yesterday that started with him telling my group that we have a lot of work to do in the next three weeks. That's always good to hear. The work shouldn't be too bad.

I think Kelly is in town, but I haven't been able to get an answer from his phone. I'll try again tomorrow. There are so few people whom I really like in Madison that I'd hate to miss out on seeing a friend who makes an appearance here. Even if that friend didn't go to my wedding.

I really like Les Aus. Have I mentioned that before?

I'm ready for college football season. College basketball is done, out with a whimper, and I only care about the NBA if San Antonio is in the finals. It's a long break with no sports for me. The NFL draft is in a few weeks, but that's not really so exciting. Baseball is going on, but I think it's one of the dumber things that Americans care about. I can watch the college world series if Texas is in it, but other than that I think baseball is slightly less boring than hockey. I wonder if BC will win the men's hockey championship. I hear that Texas is almost done with its '07 recruiting class. They've got one of the top 2 quarterbacks in Texas and the top quarterback in Florida. They only have to wait 10 months until they officially have these kids. That's a long time. I'm just looking forward to the North Texas game and then The Ohio State University.

I think Steve Martin and Robin Williams are in a race to see who can have his career complete die first. My money is on Robin Williams. I think his career is pretty much dead anyway.

I saw Sons and Daughters the other day on ABC. They really try to pack a lot in to their 30 minutes. Maybe they could relax a little bit.

Movies

22. V for Vendetta - I don't have much to say about this movie. I found it entertaining. It's preachy, but not nearly annoying as it could have been. It's a nice illustration of the power of fear over a civilization.

Tobin Sprout - Carnival Boy

I haven't posted a record in a while. I've listened to Johnny Cash and three more albums from the Cosmic Debris boxset by Ash.

Has Florida finished destroying UCLA yet? Talk about a boring end to an entertaining tournament. I can't remember being less interested in a Final Four. I know many people who disagree, but this Championship game is a good argument against a playoff in division 1 football. The Rose Bowl featured the two most dominant teams in the country. The lone benefit of a playoff is that the mid-major teams could a chance to compete with the big schools. I don't think that there is any way a playoff system would be implemented in division I-A football that would do much for C-USA, the MAC, or any of the others. No argument for a playoff system holds if there are only 8 teams or 4 teams allowed to participate. The NCAA won't implement a 24 tournament which would be more intersting than any other type of tournament.

I'm really tired today. I don't know why.

Work was weird. I heard noises in the boss' office. When I checked in there after he had left I saw that he had boxed up all of his stuff. Apparently he's leaving soon. I miss a lot only working 7 hours a week.

The Stereo is Dead. Long Live the Stereo

Our new music-listening enabler.

Variety makes life good

So sue me, I like beer.