Spring Break and a hard-fought 92

Last week was Spring Break, so I tried to get in some relaxation. Mostly, I worked at the paralegal job. I did have this one really great run at Memorial Park, 5.9 miles in 44:47. That’s a PR.

Mid-terms were the Weds. before the break, though, and I was worried about the exam from my most difficult class: Intermediate Macroeconomics. At intial glance, I thought I had an 82 which was a little disappointing, but as we went over the test in class, I realized my professor made an error in computing the grade. So, I actually got a 92, which I’m very pleased with.

So, I’m feeling the good nerd-vibes right now.

Internet Radio

This is a really important issue for me. Radioparadise has been an important source of new music for me. Before I found it, I thought that important new music just wasn’t available. Within a year of listening to RP, my CD collection doubled in size.

Now, the US Copyright office has issued new rates on internet “broadcasts,” or webcasting, that are so high that RP as well as many other internet radio stations could be shut down. The new rates are at the behest of the music industry, and the RIAA, who treat their customers like a criminals and can’t figure out why their bottom lines aren’t meeting their expectations. I can’t help but see these people as shooting themselves in the foot, but what can you do with an industry that refuses to change with new technology.

Read this blog by Bill Goldsmith, DJ at RP for a much more comprehensive description of the issue.

EDIT: Here is a site where you can check to see if an album is released by a member of the RIAA. Be sure to avoid buying from them.

School etc. (Jeez, what a week!)

I have not had much blog time lately due to being busy with school. However, so far, my hard work has paid off, an 89+ in Microecon, a 97 in Finite Math and all the multiple choice portion of my Pre-Cal test appears to be right.

Turns out, there is a free response portion to the math tests that takes a couple of weeks to grade. The multiple choice portion of each test is done on computer and the grade is available just after the test. So, I get a portion of the test grade immediately, and a portion later. The trick is guessing how much the multiple choice part is worth. For instance, when I got the first part of the Finite Math test grade it said, 69. That worried me, until my professor announced that the highest grade on that part was a 69. The only non-A, the Microecon exam, will probably be an A after the promised class curve of 2-3 points.

I had a number of time consuming assignments due in Intermediate Macroecon this week as well. As much as I have enjoyed the math classes, Macro shows more and more promise each day. Between both econ classes, I already think differently about many policy issues, but the more in-depth macro is really bearing fruit. I might be easily charged a developing free-marketeer, but I’m not sure that’s a fact. I just feel that certain policy decisions are linked to certain consequences according to economics. I still have much to learn, but I feel so good about this work, which is a nice change from my last job, where I was so unhappy.

So school is going swimmingly. I suppose that is the short answer.

Other than that, I’ve been revisiting the Led Zeppelin albums I used to listen to so much in high school. I guess I wore myself out on them, then, and I can finally enjoy them anew, now. That comes, in part, because walking around campus in very conducive to listening to my iPod, and Led Zeppelin has been my listening choice there lately.

So what?

So, squeeze my lemon till the juice flows down my leg–that’s what.

Enjoy the beautiful weather, everyone.