Infinite Discontinuity

Today was the last day of finals.  I’ve been studying everyday since last week.  I did well overall, in calculus, econometrics, I expect excellents grades.  In Cost Benefit analysis, a class that was a lot of fun considering it is the hardest class I’ve ever taken, I will accept whatever I get.  I worked hard for that grade, and it represents a lot of sweat and tears.  The linear algebra final I took, inspired me to go home, and change my schedule to avoid ever taking that teacher again.  My grade in there is a big question mark.  The professor was a nightmare, and I’m frustrated with him for how much he may have ruined my understanding of the subject.  We’ll see how it goes, but I hope I get a least a B.

Now, for some time off…

For Keely, because:

Fundamental problem
All need to face
This is important
But I know you’re not listening
No I know you’re not listening

The last time I heard this song, which is everytime I hear this song; I remember what it means, then I immediately forget.

This week, I have thrice experienced people at their worst.  What’s with the world?

On Friday, I was running in Memorial Park, and I stopped at a water fountain for some rehydration.  There were two water fountains, as you may know if you run on the running trail in MP.  This woman was filling her water bottle at the fountain while her children played around her.  One, on top of the fountain she was filling her bottle from and one practically in the other fountain.  I ran up, clearly sweating, and stood there.  The woman looked at me, and went on filling her bottle.  She never once asked her children to get out of the way so other people could use the fountain, and she never once chided them that the fountain is not for shoes.

Then, Saturday, I checked my account on eHarmony as I apparently had a message from another member.  The eHarmony process is a series on questions that you go through before you can just send “emails” through the site.  This member and I were at the point where we could ask “essay” questions, where the interogator chooses or makes up questions that the interogee can respond to with a paragraph.   Here are the questions I was asked:

1. Are you worried that I am too short or you are too tall?

2. Where are you in getting your degree?  Did you go back to school or are you continuing something you started before?

3. Can you afford a girl?  Do you work at all or do you just go to school?

The first two are not that big of a deal, but I can’t believe that someone who didn’t know me asked about my financial picture.  I closed out communication so that I won’t be getting any more messages from her.  Not just because she is so rude to ask the question, but also because I don’t think a person who is concerned about that this early on is someone I need to date.

Then the last.  I share a little culpability here, but I think the egregiousness of the behavior of the other individual far out-strips my behavior.  I was driving down a one lane portion of Memorial Drive during rush hour.  I have a small 2-door Civic.  This guy in a Lincoln Navigator comes up behind me, clearly annoyed by my mere 5 miles over the speed limit.  He tailgated me for a long portion of the road we shared.  Think about that for a second, because his car out weighs my car by probably atleast twice as much.  If I had to stop suddenly, he could have plowed me under.  I get really annoyed when people do that, so when he whizzed past me doing way over the speed limit at a light, I got out of his way and gave him the finger. 

Now, this is the part I can’t get over.

We turned on to a two lane road.  He apparently realized I was flipping him off, so he brakes hard, pulling into my lane to force me to stop.  When I braked harder, and pulled into the opposite lane to avoid hitting him from behind, he manuevers to stay in front of me.  I managed not to hit him, but once we came to a complete stop, he flips me off.  Then floors it out of there doing atleast 50.  You endangered our lives for that?!?!  You effing child!

That’s the world we live in.

There has been a flurry of economic “rhetoric” in the media lately, and today is no exception.  Today, the Labor department announced that nonfarm payrolls fell again, thus unemployment has risen to 5.1%.  If you listen to the Cable New Nitwits, you might think the sky was falling.  It’s not.  Any unemployment rate below 6% is excellent.  Sure, we’re in a recession, but the data shows that firms had already cut production, lowering inventories, before the recession began, so the “big axe” isn’t going to come, ceteris paribus.  This recession is not going to be like the 80’s where unemployment was upwards of 8%. 

The last few weeks, I have started to really see different things I’m studying come together in a way that lights the path to my future.  I’m taking econometrics, which is using statistics to measure changes in multiple variables, while holding other variables constant.  It’s based in matrix algebra.  I’m learning that too, though my class is called linear algebra, and I’m in calculus II.  Since econometrics is so important to my grad school ambitions, it’s exciting that the picture is coming into focus.  So today, I was in lecture and the prof. brought up this point about graphing error terms in the multiple regression model.  I noticed that the graph she used was parametric and asked about it later, which clearly impressed her.  She asked if I was in higher level-math.   

 Parametric equations are hard to explain, even for a textbook, but it’s as though you make the x and y terms into their own equations and then find a relationship for them. 

Anyway, the same thing happened last week, when my prof. was explaining the vectors/matrices of the regression model, and I realized the importance of linear independence to the model.  Linear independence means that the columns/rows are a not functions of other rows.

It’s exciting to see it coming together, like my world is lit a little brighter.  Cheers!

I took these in the bathroom.  The lights in there are tungsten, and the yellow paint on the wall makes the light warm.  I was home after a few beers and started playing.

 I think I’ll start using my old blog for pictures, save this one mostly for writing.  Click here for a link.

I was in Memorial Park today, running, and I have to say that Houstonians were really showing their lack of respect, today.  There was trash EVERYWHERE from all the picnics.  It was as if no one even bothered to clean up after themselves.  I noticed that several of the trash cans were overflowing, which to be fair, is a problem too.  Still, I think that just because a trash can is full, doesn’t mean you get to litter.  You bring the garbage in, you can bring the garbage out.  Shameful.

Not the check, the digital SLR.  I can’t wait till it gets here.  I really can’t.  I haven’t felt like this in a long time, it’s nice to be excited about something.  Here’s what my new baby looks like.   And to brag a little, I’m paying a lot less than the price they list there–a LOT less.

No Padre Island, but it is spring break.  I spending it working on catching up on homework.  How exciting, you might think, but it’s not all work.   Thanks to an especially generous Christmas and Birthday endowment from my progenitors, I am working on re-activating a part of my life that has long lay dormant: the photographic part.  I am awaiting delivery of a shiny new Nikon digital camera with a few lens.  I still have some funds to get a few more accessories thanks to some careful price comparisons.  I’m really excited, I think that next to school, this will be the best thing that’s happened to me in  awhile.  I’ll post a few choice shots here in the future.

I already know that I’m interested in surfaces that reflect an unconscious design generated by human activity.  I guess I can show it better than explain it right now.   I’m also interested in competing philosophies that collide in a single object.  For instance, there is this graffitti all over the train cars that pass by the tracks near campus.  I’m not so interested in the comment of the graffitti itself, but I find the color choices interesting; the indutrial, utilitarian of the train cars, and the commercially created spray paint.  Even though the graffitti is intended as a subversion, the color of the paint was chosen for commercial appeal.  That juxtaposed to the choice of colors of the train cars makes for interesting color collisions, and it’s really an unconscious choice of juxtaposition.  I mean, the graffitist didn’t paint the cars to make them “pretty” they were making another statement, the color of the cars were chosen not to make a statement except for the ownership of the car.  So I think it’ll be fun to make these colors my own.

Lastly, I’ve been somewhat obsessed with this song lately.  SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE.