For the last few weeks I have been feeling pretty confident in my abilities and knowledge about computer programs. A couple of weeks ago I was able to connect our wireless printer to our wireless network. That may not sound like much to those of you who are digital natives but for me it was a major accomplishment. Now I can print from my laptop in the family room to the printer in my office/craft room. I was so proud of myself because I did it all on my own and was able to even set up my husband's laptop to print!
This semester at school I have been taking two statistics classes which rely heavily on SPSS (IBM's Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). I have also been able to navigate that program quite well and successfully complete all my homework assignments. Then we got to the last assignment that was Confirmatory Factor Analysis! It uses a statistical package called "R" which is developed by statisticians. Well, I hit my digital wall. I installed R on my laptop using the directions from my professor. Then I tried to complete the analysis using the software. Unfortunately this package was not developed by someone who is a digital immigrant such as I am. I read the directions, watched the video from class, looked online for tips, tried it again and again and got NOWHERE. So all my confidence evaporated in an instant! It seems that "R" depends on FORTRAN programming language and that may as well be Klingon for me. I just don't get it. Now I'm sure if I had someone to walk me through it I could understand it but for the assignment it was just impossible. So I did something for the first time in my academic career, I told the professor that I could not complete an assignment.
These were also my last two classes for my doctoral program so I was just over it. Hopefully I can still pass with not turning in one assignment and will have my classes all completed.
It's interesting to me that when it comes to digital type things that I seem to take one step forward and sometimes take an occasional step back when something just does not make sense to me. As with life, I can choose to focus on my lack of knowledge about digital things or I can just continue to learn and move forward. I choose to move forward. Defeat is not an option! (Except when it comes to FORTRAN based statistical programs)
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Vortex of Chaos
Have you ever had a week when you wonder "What in the world is going on?" My last week seems like that. I have had the most odd encounters with people the last week. This morning as I was driving to work on the interstate a woman passed me who had a book on her steering wheel and she was reading! We are traveling at 70 miles per hour in rush hour traffic and she is distracted with a book? What the heck? I'm just glad she passed me and moved on ahead.
In the last week I have had a police officer honk his horn at me when I stopped at a traffic light that was yellow and turning red. He did not have his lights and siren on I guess he was just in a hurry. If I would have run the light would he give me a ticket. Again, what the heck? I'm sorry I'm in your way Mr. Policeman but most of us have to abide by the traffic laws.
It just seems like I have had multiple incidents of oddness, rudeness or outright idiocy occur in my day to day activities of life. While shopping in the grocery store I was yelled at by an old lady who thought I was moving too slowly in the aisle.
I'm not sure if the cause of all this odd activity is because it is tax time in the United States or because the Aurora Borealis is active right now because of sun spots or what is going on. All I know is that I seem to be stuck in some type of vortex of chaos that won't go away.
My husband and I were talking about this the other night and trying to decide what was going on. He thought we were stuck in a cycle of evil. Even though evil things are happening - just look at the carnage at the Boston Marathon and the hundreds of lives devastated by the act of someone. Yet my experiences seem to be more odd that evil. That is why I named it the Vortex of Chaos.
I will probably revisit this idea over time as other odd things happen. I'm just hoping that my life gets back to the point where the oddness moves on or I just don't notice it!
In the last week I have had a police officer honk his horn at me when I stopped at a traffic light that was yellow and turning red. He did not have his lights and siren on I guess he was just in a hurry. If I would have run the light would he give me a ticket. Again, what the heck? I'm sorry I'm in your way Mr. Policeman but most of us have to abide by the traffic laws.
It just seems like I have had multiple incidents of oddness, rudeness or outright idiocy occur in my day to day activities of life. While shopping in the grocery store I was yelled at by an old lady who thought I was moving too slowly in the aisle.
I'm not sure if the cause of all this odd activity is because it is tax time in the United States or because the Aurora Borealis is active right now because of sun spots or what is going on. All I know is that I seem to be stuck in some type of vortex of chaos that won't go away.
My husband and I were talking about this the other night and trying to decide what was going on. He thought we were stuck in a cycle of evil. Even though evil things are happening - just look at the carnage at the Boston Marathon and the hundreds of lives devastated by the act of someone. Yet my experiences seem to be more odd that evil. That is why I named it the Vortex of Chaos.
I will probably revisit this idea over time as other odd things happen. I'm just hoping that my life gets back to the point where the oddness moves on or I just don't notice it!
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
What do you collect?
Recently my husband (the Pack Rat) and I have been involved in a project to clean out our house. It was getting to the point in our garage that I was embarrassed to open the door because I feared one of our neighbors would call for a hoarder's intervention for us. Now cleaning out is a hard process for us (Did I mention that my husband is a Pack Rat?) because it usually involves shouting and tears (on my husband's part). I don't understand what is so emotional about donating 30 year old suits that no longer fit and are out of style. My husband says that he may lose weight so they will fit and and he could wear them again. Really? They are no longer in style and have been stored in totes for years!
Now to be fair I also have things I collect. No, not 30 year old clothes or all my papers from elementary school (those were a gift from my husband's mother - the Pack Rat Matriarch). I have two things that I cannot resist. The first is pens. My husband calls me a Pen Whore because I will walk up to any table, display or anything where they are giving away pens. I don't know why I need so many other than the fact that I am always on the lookout for the perfect pen. I love gel pens with soft grips that just flow so nicely when I am writing. Not that I write so much any more with a pen. Most of my writing is done on a computer. But I still do that occasional note, "to do" list or grocery list and a pen is a necessity. Usually I will collect pens until they are everywhere and then I will go through them and get rid of the ones I don't particularly like by taking them to work for the front desk or faculty resource room. So I don't really hoard pens, I just appropriate them and then recycle them at a later date. I am really doing a service to my employer bringing in lots of pens for staff and faculty to use.
The other thing I collect are tote bags. You know the ones that are made now to bring home groceries or purchases. I also collect canvas tote bags, straw bags, microfiber, leather and any other bag that will carry stuff. The best are the free ones that are given away by vendors or businesses at trade shows or community events. Last summer one of the local banks gave away very cool purple tote bags at the weekly farmer's market we visit. What a coup! I got a new bag every week and now have a great collection of vibrant purple bags. I can carry stuff everywhere. I do the same things with the bags as I do with pens, collect them and then give them away when I get too many. The students at the college where I work love it when I bring in extra bags. So again someone else benefits from my pathological collecting.
The difference between my husband (the Pack Rat) and me (the Collector) is that I collect for a while and then either sell my stuff in a garage sale or give it away. He would gather his around him and just keep it there if he did not have me prodding him to get rid of stuff.
Still I know I am not perfect. Things get messy in my life because I get too busy to clear out stuff I have collected. Often when I am cleaning out things I wonder what was I thinking when I acquired those things. Yet my stuff gets circulated and culled out periodically. You always need room for new stuff and you never know when you will find the perfect pen or tote bag!
Now to be fair I also have things I collect. No, not 30 year old clothes or all my papers from elementary school (those were a gift from my husband's mother - the Pack Rat Matriarch). I have two things that I cannot resist. The first is pens. My husband calls me a Pen Whore because I will walk up to any table, display or anything where they are giving away pens. I don't know why I need so many other than the fact that I am always on the lookout for the perfect pen. I love gel pens with soft grips that just flow so nicely when I am writing. Not that I write so much any more with a pen. Most of my writing is done on a computer. But I still do that occasional note, "to do" list or grocery list and a pen is a necessity. Usually I will collect pens until they are everywhere and then I will go through them and get rid of the ones I don't particularly like by taking them to work for the front desk or faculty resource room. So I don't really hoard pens, I just appropriate them and then recycle them at a later date. I am really doing a service to my employer bringing in lots of pens for staff and faculty to use.
The other thing I collect are tote bags. You know the ones that are made now to bring home groceries or purchases. I also collect canvas tote bags, straw bags, microfiber, leather and any other bag that will carry stuff. The best are the free ones that are given away by vendors or businesses at trade shows or community events. Last summer one of the local banks gave away very cool purple tote bags at the weekly farmer's market we visit. What a coup! I got a new bag every week and now have a great collection of vibrant purple bags. I can carry stuff everywhere. I do the same things with the bags as I do with pens, collect them and then give them away when I get too many. The students at the college where I work love it when I bring in extra bags. So again someone else benefits from my pathological collecting.
The difference between my husband (the Pack Rat) and me (the Collector) is that I collect for a while and then either sell my stuff in a garage sale or give it away. He would gather his around him and just keep it there if he did not have me prodding him to get rid of stuff.
Still I know I am not perfect. Things get messy in my life because I get too busy to clear out stuff I have collected. Often when I am cleaning out things I wonder what was I thinking when I acquired those things. Yet my stuff gets circulated and culled out periodically. You always need room for new stuff and you never know when you will find the perfect pen or tote bag!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Spring Cleaning and Stuff
Now that comps are done for school I am looking around the house the realizing that I need to give it some attention. For the last several months I have been just dropping things and setting them aside rather than maintaining order. It's becoming so bad we are starting to look like hoarders!
So the last two weekends I have been giving attention to my craft room. It was a total mess and had piles of stuff everywhere. You could not sit in the chair or even get to the computer. My sewing machine was a disaster area. I have patiently gone through everything, cleaning out things I no longer want or need and throwing away, giving away or donating stuff that I won't use.
I don't consider myself a pack rat but oh my gosh! I have stuff that I am looking at and thinking, "What was I thinking when I bought this?" I found multiple yards of the ugliest fabric imaginable. It must have been a great deal and I had a coupon to buy so much and then set it aside. I can't even remember why I bought it other than it must have been on super clearance. Then I found skeins of yarn which I will not use. So after patiently going through all this stuff I bagged it up and gave it to a friend who is retired and an avid crafter. She was thrilled to get this and will either use it or give it to her friends to use.
Next I attached my gift closet. Usually during sales or after a holiday I look for bargains that I can put away and give to people the next year at Christmas or other occasions. This also got a critical eye and I bagged up 6 shopping bags of items I probably will never give away. They went into my garage sale pile and will be sold this summer when we have our annual sale. If they don't sell they will be donated to Goodwill.
Finally I went through my clothes. Again, they were hanging in the closet and laying all over the room. I was ruthless and got rid of everything that I had not worn or hardly worn in the last year. Again, being a bargain shopper if I go to Macy's or somewhere else I hit the clearance racks. If something is marked down, then with additional off and I have a coupon I just can't resist. Unfortunately some of those items which looked so good in the store and were a great bargain are still hanging in the closet with the tags on them....never worn. So I bagged everything up and donated them to Goodwill. Hopefully someone else will see my bargains and be able to use them.
What I learned from this was that I really need to look at bargains with a more critical eye. Even though I find a dress for less than $10 on the clearance rack at Macy's it is still not a bargain if it is hanging in my closet two years later with the tags on it. Gosh - what was I thinking?
I will continue this process throughout my entire house. My goal this year is to become less mired in "stuff" and enjoy the feeling of less. I will also have to stay away from the clearance sales when I have a coupon for extra off the price.
So the last two weekends I have been giving attention to my craft room. It was a total mess and had piles of stuff everywhere. You could not sit in the chair or even get to the computer. My sewing machine was a disaster area. I have patiently gone through everything, cleaning out things I no longer want or need and throwing away, giving away or donating stuff that I won't use.
I don't consider myself a pack rat but oh my gosh! I have stuff that I am looking at and thinking, "What was I thinking when I bought this?" I found multiple yards of the ugliest fabric imaginable. It must have been a great deal and I had a coupon to buy so much and then set it aside. I can't even remember why I bought it other than it must have been on super clearance. Then I found skeins of yarn which I will not use. So after patiently going through all this stuff I bagged it up and gave it to a friend who is retired and an avid crafter. She was thrilled to get this and will either use it or give it to her friends to use.
Next I attached my gift closet. Usually during sales or after a holiday I look for bargains that I can put away and give to people the next year at Christmas or other occasions. This also got a critical eye and I bagged up 6 shopping bags of items I probably will never give away. They went into my garage sale pile and will be sold this summer when we have our annual sale. If they don't sell they will be donated to Goodwill.
Finally I went through my clothes. Again, they were hanging in the closet and laying all over the room. I was ruthless and got rid of everything that I had not worn or hardly worn in the last year. Again, being a bargain shopper if I go to Macy's or somewhere else I hit the clearance racks. If something is marked down, then with additional off and I have a coupon I just can't resist. Unfortunately some of those items which looked so good in the store and were a great bargain are still hanging in the closet with the tags on them....never worn. So I bagged everything up and donated them to Goodwill. Hopefully someone else will see my bargains and be able to use them.
What I learned from this was that I really need to look at bargains with a more critical eye. Even though I find a dress for less than $10 on the clearance rack at Macy's it is still not a bargain if it is hanging in my closet two years later with the tags on it. Gosh - what was I thinking?
I will continue this process throughout my entire house. My goal this year is to become less mired in "stuff" and enjoy the feeling of less. I will also have to stay away from the clearance sales when I have a coupon for extra off the price.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Snow, Sports and Success!
So today is March 25 and here in Indiana we have somewhere between 7 and 8 inches of snow on the ground. This is very unusual for us to have such a significant spring snow storm. Last year at this time we were complaining because it was in the 80's by mid-March. That's the thing about Indiana, we are always complaining about the weather and it is always changing.
It's amazing that with this storm the forecasters were right on. They predicted almost to the minute when the storm would begin, when the snow would be at its worst and when it would start to taper off. The early prediction gave all of us a chance to hit the stores and stock up in case we were snowed in. Technology is really accurate in developing computer "models" that will let us know the path of a storm and what to expect. The forecasters are not wrong very often and I appreciate having information to plan my time.
This was one of my husband's favorite weekends. There was NCAA hockey and basketball on television. As I did some cleaning and rearranging of my craft room my husband was glued to the television. The funny thing was that he would occasionally call out to me with updates. Like I really care? My hockey team (Miami University) imploded in the CCHA tournament and I really do not like basketball at all. There was no joy for the Butler Basketball fans as their team was out of the NCAA tournament early. There was joy for the Indiana University fans as their team made it to the Sweet 16.
The big news for my week was that I successfully completed the oral defense of my comprehensive exams for my doctorate. It was pretty daunting facing my committee and answering questions posed by them on my responses to the questions. In the end they all signed off and I am cleared to present my dissertation proposal in the next few weeks. This has been a five year journey and the end is in sight. Sometimes I wonder why I continue to persevere but this is a goal I will achieve.
So moving on, this snow storm will be finished and the snow will melt. We will be celebrating Easter this weekend and hopefully spring will be close behind. After a short break I get back to work on my studies. College basketball will be done and we will move on to other sports. Happy Spring!
It's amazing that with this storm the forecasters were right on. They predicted almost to the minute when the storm would begin, when the snow would be at its worst and when it would start to taper off. The early prediction gave all of us a chance to hit the stores and stock up in case we were snowed in. Technology is really accurate in developing computer "models" that will let us know the path of a storm and what to expect. The forecasters are not wrong very often and I appreciate having information to plan my time.
This was one of my husband's favorite weekends. There was NCAA hockey and basketball on television. As I did some cleaning and rearranging of my craft room my husband was glued to the television. The funny thing was that he would occasionally call out to me with updates. Like I really care? My hockey team (Miami University) imploded in the CCHA tournament and I really do not like basketball at all. There was no joy for the Butler Basketball fans as their team was out of the NCAA tournament early. There was joy for the Indiana University fans as their team made it to the Sweet 16.
The big news for my week was that I successfully completed the oral defense of my comprehensive exams for my doctorate. It was pretty daunting facing my committee and answering questions posed by them on my responses to the questions. In the end they all signed off and I am cleared to present my dissertation proposal in the next few weeks. This has been a five year journey and the end is in sight. Sometimes I wonder why I continue to persevere but this is a goal I will achieve.
So moving on, this snow storm will be finished and the snow will melt. We will be celebrating Easter this weekend and hopefully spring will be close behind. After a short break I get back to work on my studies. College basketball will be done and we will move on to other sports. Happy Spring!
Friday, March 8, 2013
Answered Prayer
Several months ago the pastor at the church I attend asked us to write down some prayers and miracles we wanted answered. He said if we would write down our prayers we would find that they would be answered by God. So I took him up on the challenge and wrote four prayers on post-it notes and put them on the mirror in my bathroom. My prayers included things that were on my mind at that time.
I included all these things in my daily prayers, along with many other prayer items. Usually I take the 40 minute drive to work every morning and use that time to talk to God about many things that are on my mind. I also use that time to pray for a safe arrival at work through rush hour traffic.
So I was looking at my prayer list recently and realized that all of these had been answered. The answers may not have been what I anticipated but every one of my prayers had a resolution. So I was wondering, have I found the answer to all my problems. Just write them down on a piece of paper and turn them over to God?
As a human I find that difficult to do. I want to use my time worrying and wondering when the answers to my prayers or expected miracles will happen. Yet I wrote these "requests" down and just kept them in my thoughts and daily prayers and they were answered.
I believe the trick to this is that I did write down my prayers. In the moving targets of our lives we often find that the prayers of one day are replaced by the problems and issues of the next day, and every day after that. In writing down my concerns at that time I was able to track them and know that they were answered at some point in the future.
So I have started to write down prayers and requests in the memo pad in my cell phone. Now I can add things as they occur and mark off things that are answered. That allows me to keep a list of prayers and miracles that occur in my life on a daily basis. Sometimes in my hour of greatest need it is comforting to look at my list and see that God is with me always and does hear when I ask for intercession or a miracle. It helps me to see that I am not alone in this journey through life.
Just to cover all my bases I also have written four more prayer requests on post-it notes and put them on the mirror in my bathroom. I will let you know how those progress. They are different requests reflecting where my life is now.
- A mature relationship with the right woman for my grown son
- The end to my mother's suffering with advanced Alzheimer's
- Employment for my husband
- A financial windfall that would ease our money worries.
I included all these things in my daily prayers, along with many other prayer items. Usually I take the 40 minute drive to work every morning and use that time to talk to God about many things that are on my mind. I also use that time to pray for a safe arrival at work through rush hour traffic.
So I was looking at my prayer list recently and realized that all of these had been answered. The answers may not have been what I anticipated but every one of my prayers had a resolution. So I was wondering, have I found the answer to all my problems. Just write them down on a piece of paper and turn them over to God?
As a human I find that difficult to do. I want to use my time worrying and wondering when the answers to my prayers or expected miracles will happen. Yet I wrote these "requests" down and just kept them in my thoughts and daily prayers and they were answered.
I believe the trick to this is that I did write down my prayers. In the moving targets of our lives we often find that the prayers of one day are replaced by the problems and issues of the next day, and every day after that. In writing down my concerns at that time I was able to track them and know that they were answered at some point in the future.
So I have started to write down prayers and requests in the memo pad in my cell phone. Now I can add things as they occur and mark off things that are answered. That allows me to keep a list of prayers and miracles that occur in my life on a daily basis. Sometimes in my hour of greatest need it is comforting to look at my list and see that God is with me always and does hear when I ask for intercession or a miracle. It helps me to see that I am not alone in this journey through life.
Just to cover all my bases I also have written four more prayer requests on post-it notes and put them on the mirror in my bathroom. I will let you know how those progress. They are different requests reflecting where my life is now.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Lion or Lamb?
Today is March 1. I can remember as a child my teachers would always put up a bulletin board for March about it coming in as a lion and going out as a lamb. I wonder if elementary school teachers do that now?
Here in Indiana March did come in as a lion. We have grey skies, snow and cold temperatures. So hopefully as the month progresses we will have milder temperatures and start to see the beginning of Spring.
I love the change of the seasons. The beginning of March marks the end of winter and we know that Spring is only a few weeks away. When winter is approaching I love the idea of cold nights and evenings by the fire. But by the end of February I am ready for the soft rain of spring and the start of flowers and my garden. It seems that in my life I am always looking forward to what is coming. Does that mean I am not enjoying the moment as I should? I hope I am not wishing away my time but rather enjoying the moment as well as anticipating the changes on the horizon.
Last week we were in Nashville Tennessee and there the spring flowers were up and pansies had been planted. It made me all the more wishful for the change of seasons to happen soon.
So I hope your March is starting well and you will welcome the change of the seasons this month (and the beginning of Daylight Savings Time!).
Here in Indiana March did come in as a lion. We have grey skies, snow and cold temperatures. So hopefully as the month progresses we will have milder temperatures and start to see the beginning of Spring.
I love the change of the seasons. The beginning of March marks the end of winter and we know that Spring is only a few weeks away. When winter is approaching I love the idea of cold nights and evenings by the fire. But by the end of February I am ready for the soft rain of spring and the start of flowers and my garden. It seems that in my life I am always looking forward to what is coming. Does that mean I am not enjoying the moment as I should? I hope I am not wishing away my time but rather enjoying the moment as well as anticipating the changes on the horizon.
Last week we were in Nashville Tennessee and there the spring flowers were up and pansies had been planted. It made me all the more wishful for the change of seasons to happen soon.
So I hope your March is starting well and you will welcome the change of the seasons this month (and the beginning of Daylight Savings Time!).
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