Day 430

Well, today began like many others.  I got up, ate, made my lunch, and went off to work.  When I got there I actually had things to do.  I love that feeling because even though I know it's not really my own work, it feels like it is.  So I worked on a few update assignments and things.


Today in "What's new on the Internet": Google announced that they will be releasing a 1 Gigabit internet connection in Kansas City.  To put it in perspective, a 25 gigabyte Blu-ray movie could be completely downloaded in under 4 minutes.  In current technology, that would take over 12 hours.  Looks like I'm moving to Kansas!


During lunch Lee and I discussed one of our favorite topics: the exams.  They're really atrocious.  I'm only 2 in and I'm ready to be done.  The thought of every evening and half of my weekend being devoted to studying for the next 5 years is not appealing.  I understand now what a lot of my friends go through who work out a lot.  They'll say how much they hate working out, but hate themselves if they don't.  That's now studying for these exams is.  It's addicting in the sense that I feel guilty and awful when I'm not studying, but I also despise how much it takes away from my life.  Especially when I'm still young.  In a way it's approximate to getting a PhD... studying and spending every waking moment on something until your late 20s (if you start right away).  My best hope would to be done by the time I'm 28.  It's really not even about the money for me... it's more about the hope of finding a job that I love with the skills that I have.  There are not many skills that I have where I excel enough to get a job over someone else except in the area of mathematics.  There are a lot of jobs that seems awesome to me, but I simply do not posses the skills to succeed.  I'd love to be a professional stunt man or martial artist (basically I want to be Jackie Chan).  But there isn't a huge market for that and I just don't have the physical capacity for that.  Or I'd love a job where I can develop mathematical theories that somehow alleviate unemployment or inner city issues or AIDS.  I don't even think that job exists.  But I've heard that being an actuary can give you such a sense of helping people through mathematics if you happen upon the right opportunity.  As a probability person... That's wonderful and awful.  Because I'm a probability person, I'm not much for gambling.  But you know, we'll see where this all takes me.  I do my best not to make life choices based solely on feelings, as emotions are fickle beasts.  At the moment: I need a job so that I can pay bills and provide for myself (and Kimmy soon).  So for now: let's kick it into high gear and get through more exams.  It's never been about the money for me.  It's always been about finding a job where I feel like my skills are being fully utilized and people are benefiting from my work.  We'll see how this goes!  Life, as I'm learning, is an adventure.  And the adventure isn't about where you go (entirely), it's largely about how you get there.  I certainly don't want to miss out on all the exciting things that life has for me by always focusing on the future.  I always felt bad for those people who put off everything until retirement.  "When I retire," they say, "I want to buy a home in Florida" or "I'm going to learn more languages" or "I want to travel" or "I want to find my passion."  If I wait another 40 years to do the things I love I'm going to hate half of my life.  Sure I speak with youthful naivety, but I just can't imagine a world where I have to hate my next 40 years of life simply to enjoy the following 20 or so.  I'd like enjoy all of it.  Clearly I won't enjoy every moment.  But I want there to be things I enjoy the entire time.  Maybe it's my job.  Or some volunteer work.  Or playing piano again.  Or getting a degree in Anthropology.  Who knows... but I can't fathom putting everything off until retirement.


I'm going to be busy, that's for certain.  Well, now that I've had my little monologue (I suppose that is a purpose for my blog)...


Anyhow, after work some of the Actuarial Department went to dinner in Delphos at some Mexican place.  We concluded that the menu was identical to one at the Mexican restaurant in Van Wert.  It was pretty good.  It tasted like pretty much every other Mexican restaurant north of Texas.  After dinner we all went putt-putting!  That was a lot of fun.  Like... probably at least a 3 gallon bucket of fun.

We were silly.  This is Lee.  One of the holes had a spinner with different actions you had to take.  Lee's was to hit the ball with the opposite end of the club for the first hit.  It went well.  My action was to take 1 off of my score for that hole!  After we were done Lee handed out our awards for the "First Annual Actuarial Open."  I received the MVP for all of my long years of dedicated service to Central's Actuarial Department.  It was silly.


In other exciting news, I started using Pandora on my phone today.  I'm not sure why I've never done this before, but it's pretty grand.


Then... I came home.  I talked with mom and dad for a bit, then updated this silly thing.


And now I'm off to bed.  One more day of work!  Here we go!