I actually woke up on time this morning. Sort of. Well, I woke up with enough time to get ready, eat, and not be in a huge hurry. I had oatmeal for breakfast. It was good. When I make oatmeal it's either with brown sugar and maple syrup or white sugar and frozen blueberries. I'm not sure which I like better. I might try just brown sugar... or perhaps honey. Hm. I'm not quite sure.
During investments we started off with a two question quiz over the video we watched on Friday. Originally Dr. Foley was going to give us bonus points for the quiz, but then decided not to. To clarify: he was going to give us 25 bonus points for any class that he is not teaching. So I'm going to see if Mr. Frye will go for it on Wednesday. During the actual class we started talking about forward rates and spot rates, which are a very big theme on exam FM. Dr. Foley introduced this topic with: "We're going to start a section on the term structure of interest rates. Joel, you'll like this. You've had it before so you should know it." It was funny. After class I randomly ran into (almost) someone I'd met on Saturday at the Taste of Africa dinner. Yeah, that's about the end of that short little story.
In between classes Tim got us all up to date on how having a child is going and the adventures that entails. He said that it's going much better than he had anticipated, especially since he had done nothing with a baby since he was about 7 years old (he is now 27). He was telling us about some of the things he has learned so far... like how important it is to have things set out for changing the baby before it is night time, because waking up in the middle of the night gets you very disoriented. And you might just happen to change the wet blanket after changing your child's clothes (that might have happened to him). Then we heard Kathryn's account of watching Erica's dog (Howie) last night. Kathryn is not a dog person... she is a cat person. Her knowledge of dogs is at about the same level as my knowledge of make-up: I know it exists and there a lot of people who know a lot about it... and there are different kinds of it. And people spend a lot of money on it to make them happy. The end. So Howie kept her up all night. It would have been more comical were Kathryn not so miserable from getting all of 3 hours of sleep last night. I don't recall anyone else having super exciting stories to share.
Then it was off to life con. Our quiz got moved back to Thursday, so I am excited. The down side of that is that it's very difficult to be productive when I don't have anything due until Thursday.
Dustin was really tired today, so we didn't go to the gym. I was not sad. So I went home, had a salad... and was still hungry. So I made a bunch of rice and ate it. It was really good. I haven't had rice in a long time, but I still like it a lot. Just so you all know. I played a game for a little bit, then did some dishes. Talked with Andre for a bit about his choice of avoiding red meat... and how much we love bacon. Originally I was going to meet a couple of my students from the Fall at Jamba Juice at 3, but they had to cancel at the last minute. I was sad. So then I went to go do homework.
I started off doing probability, but I got discouraged because I tried 3 problems and couldn't get them. Mostly because I haven't done any probability in about 5 days... I think I'm at the point where I need to study every day from now until the exam. I'm going to start with maybe 1 to 2 hours each day for the next couple of weeks, then go 2 to 3 for the next 2 weeks, then 3 to 4 for the remaining two weeks. That should do it, I hope. I don't feel awful about it because I have 6 weeks of review from this point on. We have gone through the entire manual, so all I have left is tons of review. I was not at this point for FM until about 3 weeks before the exam. So I still have plenty of time.
Kathryn came over for dinner and I made the salmon that I got at the store the other day. It turned out really well. It would have been better grilled... but I do not have a grill. But cooked on the skillet was really good too! Then for dessert I made fried apples, since I had a couple apples that were getting old.
After that Miles and Jared and I were going to play some games together, but Jared's computer wasn't working properly. Then Miles had to go run some errands. So that kind of didn't work. Maybe tomorrow. So I just kind of browsed the internet for a while... and now I'm going to bed! Good night!
Showing posts with label Investment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Investment. Show all posts
4.02.2012
3.28.2012
Day 310
So today started with quite the surprise. My alarm went off at 6:30 as usual. Then I hit the snooze, also as usual. Correction: I thought I hit snooze. I guess I turned it off... then woke up at 7:15. Oh joy. So I quickly took a shower, made coffee, got an apple, and left for class.
I got on the bus and sat down... it was very full. Seconds later I hear a "good morning Joel!" I look around... lo and behold Erica and Jordan are sitting one person away from me. I was so busy waking up that I didn't even notice them. They came to campus early to cram for the probability quiz today. So when I got to class we found out that we weren't going to actually go over new things today. Today was basically about why economists are full of nonsense (from an actuary's perspective). So that was just buckets of fun.
In between classes I got some food because I was starving, then we just studied for probability.
Apparently I guessed really well on my probability quiz from last week. So that was a pleasant surprise. Hopefully that happened again this week. I felt like I knew how to do the problems... but for some reason it just took me forever. I was doing fine on time... and then all of the sudden I had 5 minutes left and 5 questions left to do. I was not amused. So we'll see how that goes.
I didn't have time to make a lunch this morning, so I stopped by Taco Bell. It was good. They have a new taco that has a Dorrito shell... it was amazing. So much amazing.
After lunch I trollied off to the hospital for my appointment with the dermatologist. I filled out all the insurance nonsense, went into the office, and answered some questions. When the doctor came in he looked at it and immediately declared that it was (still is) eczema. I've had this before, so it's not entirely new. I just never even thought that it might be eczema again. So I finished up there and went to Wal-greens to get the prescription. I got it filled pretty quickly. When I got home I noticed that I only had an ointment, but I was fairly certain I was also supposed to have pills. So I called the dermatologist and they were, in fact, supposed to give me pills as well. We got that fixed and I went back to go acquire that.
After successfully getting the rest of my prescription, I picked Kathryn up and we went to go see The Lorax. It was cute. Some of the musical numbers didn't seem to fit wonderfully, but I liked it. Then We came back to my apartment and I made pancakes, eggs, and bacon for breakfast. I tried to make eggs over easy, but I left the stove on too long, so they became eggs over hard. Oh well. I always forget how long bacon takes to make... but it takes quite some time. Dumb. I tried to keep the grease in the pan to a minimum, so I poured the hot grease into a disposable plastic cup...which turned out to be a bad idea, as it melted the cup. But once I got everything cooked, it turned out decently. The pancakes took no time at all since I used a box mix. I'll have to attempt an actual recipe some time. And I will not be adding "eggs over easy" to my recipe blog because there is no way that I can describe the nonsense that I go through to make them.
When we'd finished eating, I cleaned the kitchen, as Clifton was having some guests over and he'd spent a lot of time cleaning for them... so I didn't want to have my dishes out after he'd done so much cleaning. Then Kathryn and I went to Family Video to get something to watch. We settled on a TV show (Modern Family), got the first disc, and went back to her apartment to watch it. Eventually I got tired, so I came back to my apartment. Now I'm going to bed. Night!
I got on the bus and sat down... it was very full. Seconds later I hear a "good morning Joel!" I look around... lo and behold Erica and Jordan are sitting one person away from me. I was so busy waking up that I didn't even notice them. They came to campus early to cram for the probability quiz today. So when I got to class we found out that we weren't going to actually go over new things today. Today was basically about why economists are full of nonsense (from an actuary's perspective). So that was just buckets of fun.
In between classes I got some food because I was starving, then we just studied for probability.
Apparently I guessed really well on my probability quiz from last week. So that was a pleasant surprise. Hopefully that happened again this week. I felt like I knew how to do the problems... but for some reason it just took me forever. I was doing fine on time... and then all of the sudden I had 5 minutes left and 5 questions left to do. I was not amused. So we'll see how that goes.
I didn't have time to make a lunch this morning, so I stopped by Taco Bell. It was good. They have a new taco that has a Dorrito shell... it was amazing. So much amazing.
After lunch I trollied off to the hospital for my appointment with the dermatologist. I filled out all the insurance nonsense, went into the office, and answered some questions. When the doctor came in he looked at it and immediately declared that it was (still is) eczema. I've had this before, so it's not entirely new. I just never even thought that it might be eczema again. So I finished up there and went to Wal-greens to get the prescription. I got it filled pretty quickly. When I got home I noticed that I only had an ointment, but I was fairly certain I was also supposed to have pills. So I called the dermatologist and they were, in fact, supposed to give me pills as well. We got that fixed and I went back to go acquire that.
After successfully getting the rest of my prescription, I picked Kathryn up and we went to go see The Lorax. It was cute. Some of the musical numbers didn't seem to fit wonderfully, but I liked it. Then We came back to my apartment and I made pancakes, eggs, and bacon for breakfast. I tried to make eggs over easy, but I left the stove on too long, so they became eggs over hard. Oh well. I always forget how long bacon takes to make... but it takes quite some time. Dumb. I tried to keep the grease in the pan to a minimum, so I poured the hot grease into a disposable plastic cup...which turned out to be a bad idea, as it melted the cup. But once I got everything cooked, it turned out decently. The pancakes took no time at all since I used a box mix. I'll have to attempt an actual recipe some time. And I will not be adding "eggs over easy" to my recipe blog because there is no way that I can describe the nonsense that I go through to make them.
When we'd finished eating, I cleaned the kitchen, as Clifton was having some guests over and he'd spent a lot of time cleaning for them... so I didn't want to have my dishes out after he'd done so much cleaning. Then Kathryn and I went to Family Video to get something to watch. We settled on a TV show (Modern Family), got the first disc, and went back to her apartment to watch it. Eventually I got tired, so I came back to my apartment. Now I'm going to bed. Night!
3.27.2012
Day 308
I am exhausted.
Today was reasonably eventful. I had breakfast and class and things. Yeah.
In between classes we had a decent discussion about technology. I think it started when I asked Paul what sort of phone he was going to get when the contract on his Blackberry (or as they are more affectionately known, "Crackberries"). So we discussed differences between iPhones and Android phones, how we use phones, GPS versus maps... then on to the differences between Facebook and Twitter and how we use (or don't use) them. It was interesting. It appears that some people do, in fact, use Mapquest. I always thought that was just a saying and that everyone actually used Google Maps. Learned something new today.
I also finally ponied up and bought a mug from the Atrium. I didn't want to, but I get refills for $.70 instead of buying a cup of coffee for $1.65. And the mug was only $6 (including the first cup of coffee). The first mug I got had a leak in it, so I had to get a new one. But that didn't seem to be an issue.
During Life Contingencies we discussed some actual formulae for some of the concepts we've been dealing with and just went over why they work intuitively. I like classes like this where we we've gotten to a point that we can imagine a scenario where we need a formula... and we just make it. We don't derive everything from scratch, starting with the normal garbage of mathematical nonsense using phrases like "Let x be a member of the set of positive integers such that for all x in Z+ we can say..." Nope, none of that (though I've done my fair share of them in my time as a maths student). We just look at something like "we want our person to get paid when he moves from state 1 to state 3 and stays there." So we just set it up and do it!
After class I worked out with Dustin. It took us longer than usual, but we were both just being pokey today. We got through it eventually.
When I got home I had lunch and read some probability. It was so much fun. Then I went to the store to get some shampoo since I was out. But no more!
When I got back I made some coffee and relaxed for a little bit. Then I started making dinner.
I tried something new (recipe coming tomorrow). A long time ago I went to a restaurant with Amber and Jesse out in Phoenix that served baked potatoes covered with barbecue pulled pork. So I thought I'd try to make that. It went really well. I didn't have pork, so I used chicken and just used a fork to shred the meat. It worked decently. Then I just threw it in a skillet with barbecue sauce while the potatoes were in the oven. Kathryn came over for dinner and to study afterwards. So studying was all sorts of fun... as fun as studying probability can be, I suppose (which really isn't that fun at all). When she went home I played some TF2 with Miles. And now I'm going to bed! Night!
As random thought, I think I need to start using new tags, but I'm not sure what sort of things I should tag. I don't really ever use the tags I have. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Today was reasonably eventful. I had breakfast and class and things. Yeah.
In between classes we had a decent discussion about technology. I think it started when I asked Paul what sort of phone he was going to get when the contract on his Blackberry (or as they are more affectionately known, "Crackberries"). So we discussed differences between iPhones and Android phones, how we use phones, GPS versus maps... then on to the differences between Facebook and Twitter and how we use (or don't use) them. It was interesting. It appears that some people do, in fact, use Mapquest. I always thought that was just a saying and that everyone actually used Google Maps. Learned something new today.
I also finally ponied up and bought a mug from the Atrium. I didn't want to, but I get refills for $.70 instead of buying a cup of coffee for $1.65. And the mug was only $6 (including the first cup of coffee). The first mug I got had a leak in it, so I had to get a new one. But that didn't seem to be an issue.
During Life Contingencies we discussed some actual formulae for some of the concepts we've been dealing with and just went over why they work intuitively. I like classes like this where we we've gotten to a point that we can imagine a scenario where we need a formula... and we just make it. We don't derive everything from scratch, starting with the normal garbage of mathematical nonsense using phrases like "Let x be a member of the set of positive integers such that for all x in Z+ we can say..." Nope, none of that (though I've done my fair share of them in my time as a maths student). We just look at something like "we want our person to get paid when he moves from state 1 to state 3 and stays there." So we just set it up and do it!
After class I worked out with Dustin. It took us longer than usual, but we were both just being pokey today. We got through it eventually.
When I got home I had lunch and read some probability. It was so much fun. Then I went to the store to get some shampoo since I was out. But no more!
When I got back I made some coffee and relaxed for a little bit. Then I started making dinner.
I tried something new (recipe coming tomorrow). A long time ago I went to a restaurant with Amber and Jesse out in Phoenix that served baked potatoes covered with barbecue pulled pork. So I thought I'd try to make that. It went really well. I didn't have pork, so I used chicken and just used a fork to shred the meat. It worked decently. Then I just threw it in a skillet with barbecue sauce while the potatoes were in the oven. Kathryn came over for dinner and to study afterwards. So studying was all sorts of fun... as fun as studying probability can be, I suppose (which really isn't that fun at all). When she went home I played some TF2 with Miles. And now I'm going to bed! Night!
As random thought, I think I need to start using new tags, but I'm not sure what sort of things I should tag. I don't really ever use the tags I have. Any suggestions? Thanks!
3.23.2012
Day 305
Ok! The weekend is here and I'm about to give you an update.
Morning...omellette...class... you know the drill. My mornings are pretty standard. Last night my investments quiz got canceled, so I didn't have that in the morning. In between classes we went to the atrium and did some studying. We were having trouble understanding why one of the answers worked the way it did (I had a general reasoning, but no sound mathematical argument) so Jacob did a quick and dirty proof and we were all convinced.
For the beginning of life con we just talked about... something involving Markov chain theory. Huh. I remember at the beginning of class we asked Dr. Foley what he was going to be doing this weekend. He said that if the weather was nice he would be having "porch time." We inquired whether that was working on his porch or sitting on it and he said "Nope. Just sitting on it. Probably have a cold beer. Yup, that sounds like a good weekend to me." I don't actually remember what we talked about in class, except for going over some loose ends before the quiz. I think I finished the quiz in about 5 minutes. I like when that happens. I remembered the formulae and could replicated the homework problems. So it was a victory. Or a wictory, depending on how you prefer to spell it.
After the quiz I came back to my apartment, woke Kimmy up, and got lunch. Then we went to tech support on campus to have them look at my computer. It was raining, so Kimmy dropped my off by the library and went to go park my car. She got some on-the-fly experience with Ball State campus. So I went in there and explained my problem. The guy did some standard initial tests and things that might fix it. While various scans ran we just talked about video games and such. We play some of the same ones, so we talked about them for a bit. Eventually he realized that he couldn't figured out what was wrong with it, so he had his supervisor come check it out. She looked around, asked some questions, then just kind of stumbled upon the issue. Somehow I'd gotten a virus (which I'd taken care of previously), but the virus had made some weird changes to the Windows Firewall that pretty much blocked all websites (where the Firewall normally just blocks the bad sites). So we got that taken care of and life was good again!
When we got back we started some wedding things. It started off with working on the guest list. I officially hate that I can't invite all of the people. It's dumb. But cuts had to be made :( Then we moved on to the registry. My brain just can't handle that much decision making. We pretty much worked on wedding stuff from about 3 until 10, with a break for dinner. My brain can't quite handle that. But we got nearly everything done!
Mom and dad arrived around 9:30. They brought Kimmy and me a wedding present from Aunt Terri! But UPS broke it while in transit, so we're going to take it back to Macy's tomorrow to get it replaced. So we talked for a bit about some wedding stuff (since that's pretty much all Kimmy and I did today), then they went to Jessie and Richards. We're going to get breakfast with them tomorrow, but I don't know what the plan is. Either way, it's time for bed. So good night!
Morning...omellette...class... you know the drill. My mornings are pretty standard. Last night my investments quiz got canceled, so I didn't have that in the morning. In between classes we went to the atrium and did some studying. We were having trouble understanding why one of the answers worked the way it did (I had a general reasoning, but no sound mathematical argument) so Jacob did a quick and dirty proof and we were all convinced.
For the beginning of life con we just talked about... something involving Markov chain theory. Huh. I remember at the beginning of class we asked Dr. Foley what he was going to be doing this weekend. He said that if the weather was nice he would be having "porch time." We inquired whether that was working on his porch or sitting on it and he said "Nope. Just sitting on it. Probably have a cold beer. Yup, that sounds like a good weekend to me." I don't actually remember what we talked about in class, except for going over some loose ends before the quiz. I think I finished the quiz in about 5 minutes. I like when that happens. I remembered the formulae and could replicated the homework problems. So it was a victory. Or a wictory, depending on how you prefer to spell it.
After the quiz I came back to my apartment, woke Kimmy up, and got lunch. Then we went to tech support on campus to have them look at my computer. It was raining, so Kimmy dropped my off by the library and went to go park my car. She got some on-the-fly experience with Ball State campus. So I went in there and explained my problem. The guy did some standard initial tests and things that might fix it. While various scans ran we just talked about video games and such. We play some of the same ones, so we talked about them for a bit. Eventually he realized that he couldn't figured out what was wrong with it, so he had his supervisor come check it out. She looked around, asked some questions, then just kind of stumbled upon the issue. Somehow I'd gotten a virus (which I'd taken care of previously), but the virus had made some weird changes to the Windows Firewall that pretty much blocked all websites (where the Firewall normally just blocks the bad sites). So we got that taken care of and life was good again!
When we got back we started some wedding things. It started off with working on the guest list. I officially hate that I can't invite all of the people. It's dumb. But cuts had to be made :( Then we moved on to the registry. My brain just can't handle that much decision making. We pretty much worked on wedding stuff from about 3 until 10, with a break for dinner. My brain can't quite handle that. But we got nearly everything done!
Mom and dad arrived around 9:30. They brought Kimmy and me a wedding present from Aunt Terri! But UPS broke it while in transit, so we're going to take it back to Macy's tomorrow to get it replaced. So we talked for a bit about some wedding stuff (since that's pretty much all Kimmy and I did today), then they went to Jessie and Richards. We're going to get breakfast with them tomorrow, but I don't know what the plan is. Either way, it's time for bed. So good night!
3.22.2012
Day 303
I didn't get a chance to update last night because apparently the internet in my apartment ceased to work. I don't like the Blogger for Android application. So hopefully they get that fixed in the near future. Like... before 2:30 today when I return to my apartment.
So yesterday morning was fairly normal. I had oatmeal then went to Investments. Strictly in that order. After class we had Atrium time and tried to study for probability.
Wow. That quiz... was something else. I generally assume that the number of questions that are dedicated to a specific topic in the manual is roughly proportional to the number of questions for that topic on the exam, therefore it will be respectably proportioned on the quiz. Not the case with yesterday's exam. Nearly all of the questions in the manual had to do with either transformations of random variables or distributions of sum/differences/products/quotients of random variables. But about half the quiz was on order statistics... on which there were not many questions in the manual. So I was clearly quite amused by this. And by that I mean I was not amused at all.
When I got back I was in a fantastic mood. So I ate pizza and played TF2. I felt a little better, but I was still pretty frustrated. Oh well.
Kimmy went home yesterday to do wedding stuff, but she'll be back sometime today. I felt that was relevant but wasn't sure where to stick that in.
Dustin and I went disc golfing yesterday afternoon. It was fun. It was kinda toasty so we decided to be semi-white trash and go shirtless. Exactly zero regrets were had. Then we got milkshakes at DQ. It was a fantastic choice. When I got back to my apartment I finished my milkshake, then did some cleaning. And showered. I did a little bit of laundry, did some dishes. You know, fun stuff.
For dinner I tried a recipe that I made over the summer. It was ok, but I wasn't very impressed. It was a pasta, chicken, green beans, and squash dish. But they didn't have the right kind of squash at Marsh. I was not exactly happy with how it turned out, but it was edible. Kathryn came over to partake in the eating of the aforementioned meal and she said it was good. So I guess that's comforting.
I didn't really do anything after dinner. Just kind of sat around, not using the internet because it wasn't working. Then I went to bed. The end!
So yesterday morning was fairly normal. I had oatmeal then went to Investments. Strictly in that order. After class we had Atrium time and tried to study for probability.
Wow. That quiz... was something else. I generally assume that the number of questions that are dedicated to a specific topic in the manual is roughly proportional to the number of questions for that topic on the exam, therefore it will be respectably proportioned on the quiz. Not the case with yesterday's exam. Nearly all of the questions in the manual had to do with either transformations of random variables or distributions of sum/differences/products/quotients of random variables. But about half the quiz was on order statistics... on which there were not many questions in the manual. So I was clearly quite amused by this. And by that I mean I was not amused at all.
When I got back I was in a fantastic mood. So I ate pizza and played TF2. I felt a little better, but I was still pretty frustrated. Oh well.
Kimmy went home yesterday to do wedding stuff, but she'll be back sometime today. I felt that was relevant but wasn't sure where to stick that in.
Dustin and I went disc golfing yesterday afternoon. It was fun. It was kinda toasty so we decided to be semi-white trash and go shirtless. Exactly zero regrets were had. Then we got milkshakes at DQ. It was a fantastic choice. When I got back to my apartment I finished my milkshake, then did some cleaning. And showered. I did a little bit of laundry, did some dishes. You know, fun stuff.
For dinner I tried a recipe that I made over the summer. It was ok, but I wasn't very impressed. It was a pasta, chicken, green beans, and squash dish. But they didn't have the right kind of squash at Marsh. I was not exactly happy with how it turned out, but it was edible. Kathryn came over to partake in the eating of the aforementioned meal and she said it was good. So I guess that's comforting.
I didn't really do anything after dinner. Just kind of sat around, not using the internet because it wasn't working. Then I went to bed. The end!
3.19.2012
Day 301
Hi friends! Good to talk with you all again.
I had a rude awakening this morning. My alarm went off at 6. I don't know why it did that. Well actually I do. On Friday I set my alarm for 6 because I was going to get up and get stuff done. But I forgot to set it for a normal time. So I went back to sleep for a bit.
I was not happy when I did get up. I was sleepy and wanted to go back to bed. But I got up and made some eggs for breakfast. Then I went to class.
Not much to say about it. I went. I was tired. No one wanted to be there. I believe that today is the first time I've ever seen a professor wear shorts to teach. Good ol' Foley.
In between classes we went to the Atrium. We discussed the size of Muncie. I thought it was about 100,000 people. Tim thought it was closer to 40,000. According to Wikipedia, it was about 70,000. So good for us.
Then we had life con. We learned more about stuff and things. It was super interesting, clearly. Afterwards I went to the gym with Dustin. But I forgot socks. I was sad. But it's ok. When I finished working out I noticed that I had a voicemail from Central Mutual, just saying to call back. I was hoping for the best (since usually you get a rejection email, not a rejection phone call), but I didn't want to get my hopes up.
Kimmy was awake when I got back. I gave her a pretty flower that I'd found (a dandelion). Then we got lunch. I was tired after lunch, so I took a nap. For like an hour or so. I felt much better after that. Then I called Central back. And they offered me an internship! I was so full of excitement. They even agreed to work with my crazy schedule (starting in early May and finishing in late July). The drive will be rough, but it's worth it. I have employment for the summer and great experience. So I'm very excited. I need to get some more shirts and pants to wear, but I have time for that.
Then I made pizza dough and put it in the microwave to rise. And then I did more dishes. After all that I finally started some homework. Bleh. I do not like studying. Around 6ish Kathryn came over and had dinner with Kimmy and me. The pizza turned out pretty well, I thought. Except that I didn't put enough oregano and Italian seasoning in. But it was still good.
I pretty spent the rest of the evening studying. And now I'm done. Yup! So...good night!
I had a rude awakening this morning. My alarm went off at 6. I don't know why it did that. Well actually I do. On Friday I set my alarm for 6 because I was going to get up and get stuff done. But I forgot to set it for a normal time. So I went back to sleep for a bit.
I was not happy when I did get up. I was sleepy and wanted to go back to bed. But I got up and made some eggs for breakfast. Then I went to class.
Not much to say about it. I went. I was tired. No one wanted to be there. I believe that today is the first time I've ever seen a professor wear shorts to teach. Good ol' Foley.
In between classes we went to the Atrium. We discussed the size of Muncie. I thought it was about 100,000 people. Tim thought it was closer to 40,000. According to Wikipedia, it was about 70,000. So good for us.
Then we had life con. We learned more about stuff and things. It was super interesting, clearly. Afterwards I went to the gym with Dustin. But I forgot socks. I was sad. But it's ok. When I finished working out I noticed that I had a voicemail from Central Mutual, just saying to call back. I was hoping for the best (since usually you get a rejection email, not a rejection phone call), but I didn't want to get my hopes up.
Kimmy was awake when I got back. I gave her a pretty flower that I'd found (a dandelion). Then we got lunch. I was tired after lunch, so I took a nap. For like an hour or so. I felt much better after that. Then I called Central back. And they offered me an internship! I was so full of excitement. They even agreed to work with my crazy schedule (starting in early May and finishing in late July). The drive will be rough, but it's worth it. I have employment for the summer and great experience. So I'm very excited. I need to get some more shirts and pants to wear, but I have time for that.
Then I made pizza dough and put it in the microwave to rise. And then I did more dishes. After all that I finally started some homework. Bleh. I do not like studying. Around 6ish Kathryn came over and had dinner with Kimmy and me. The pizza turned out pretty well, I thought. Except that I didn't put enough oregano and Italian seasoning in. But it was still good.
I pretty spent the rest of the evening studying. And now I'm done. Yup! So...good night!
3.17.2012
Day 298
Hi everyone! I was too tired to update last night, so here is yesterday's update!
I had a lot to do yesterday morning. I was going to wake up early to get everything done, but I was just too tired. So I went back to sleep and elected to skip my 8am class. I have 0 regrets. When I did eventually get up, I showered, ate, then packed and got ready for my interview. The plan was to leave right after life contingencies for my interview.
Life con was fine. We just talked more about this new modeling that we'll be using and how to transition from the older models we've been using. Nothing too life changing.
Whenever I go on a trip I forget to bring something. I've just accepted this about myself. It doesn't matter how much preparation I put into it, I will inevitably forget to bring something. So my task is to make sure that thing is as insignificant as possible. This time it was the invitation to the wedding I'm going to today. But I was able to get the address from a friend, so no issues were had.
So my interview. First of all, the building for Central Mutual is just gorgeous. It looks like it's the mansion for a millionaire back in the 19th century. I was really surprised. Anyhow, Central recently purchased a local golf course, so we had lunch at the club house associated with it. The food was very good. I had chicken and rice with a little serving of spinach cooked in a raspberry sauce. It was amazing. Lunch was with the head of H.R and the Chief Actuary/CFO. After lunch I got tour of the facility from the Chief Actuary/CFO, then interviewed with the head of HR for about an hour. We mainly talked about my work experience and how I could see it being beneficial to the company, as well as what I wanted from an internship. Then I met with the Chief Actuary/CFO for a while. He asked me things more directly related to how I would fit in as an actuary, things like whether I work better in groups or individually, my knowledge of Excel, things like that. I explained that I'd never written a macro, but that I have some experience programming in C++ and he confirmed what I've heard before that it's a very easy transition. Now let's see how well I remember C++... Overall I thought it went well. I was told that there really wasn't a lot of competition for the position and no other potential interns, so if they decided they wanted to hire me on for the summer they could probably get the money and work for me to do. That sounded promising to me.
Then I went to Findlay. I got there just as mom and dad were starting to eat, so I joined them. I told them about the interview and all of that business. Kimmy arrived around 7:30. So we all sat around and talked for a while. At 8:30 Kimmy and I had pre-marital counseling with Dave, so we went to that. Except that he kind of forgot that we were coming, so we just caught him before he was walking out the door. But he and Tracy were able to get everything figured out. We went to the church and had our session and it was good.
After that we stopped at Max and Erma's to so hi to Becky, then went to Steak and Shake to get food. Then we came back and it was bed time!
I had a lot to do yesterday morning. I was going to wake up early to get everything done, but I was just too tired. So I went back to sleep and elected to skip my 8am class. I have 0 regrets. When I did eventually get up, I showered, ate, then packed and got ready for my interview. The plan was to leave right after life contingencies for my interview.
Life con was fine. We just talked more about this new modeling that we'll be using and how to transition from the older models we've been using. Nothing too life changing.
Whenever I go on a trip I forget to bring something. I've just accepted this about myself. It doesn't matter how much preparation I put into it, I will inevitably forget to bring something. So my task is to make sure that thing is as insignificant as possible. This time it was the invitation to the wedding I'm going to today. But I was able to get the address from a friend, so no issues were had.
So my interview. First of all, the building for Central Mutual is just gorgeous. It looks like it's the mansion for a millionaire back in the 19th century. I was really surprised. Anyhow, Central recently purchased a local golf course, so we had lunch at the club house associated with it. The food was very good. I had chicken and rice with a little serving of spinach cooked in a raspberry sauce. It was amazing. Lunch was with the head of H.R and the Chief Actuary/CFO. After lunch I got tour of the facility from the Chief Actuary/CFO, then interviewed with the head of HR for about an hour. We mainly talked about my work experience and how I could see it being beneficial to the company, as well as what I wanted from an internship. Then I met with the Chief Actuary/CFO for a while. He asked me things more directly related to how I would fit in as an actuary, things like whether I work better in groups or individually, my knowledge of Excel, things like that. I explained that I'd never written a macro, but that I have some experience programming in C++ and he confirmed what I've heard before that it's a very easy transition. Now let's see how well I remember C++... Overall I thought it went well. I was told that there really wasn't a lot of competition for the position and no other potential interns, so if they decided they wanted to hire me on for the summer they could probably get the money and work for me to do. That sounded promising to me.
Then I went to Findlay. I got there just as mom and dad were starting to eat, so I joined them. I told them about the interview and all of that business. Kimmy arrived around 7:30. So we all sat around and talked for a while. At 8:30 Kimmy and I had pre-marital counseling with Dave, so we went to that. Except that he kind of forgot that we were coming, so we just caught him before he was walking out the door. But he and Tracy were able to get everything figured out. We went to the church and had our session and it was good.
After that we stopped at Max and Erma's to so hi to Becky, then went to Steak and Shake to get food. Then we came back and it was bed time!
3.15.2012
Day 296
It was especially difficult to get up this morning. I hit my snooze a few times... and eventually determined I had to get up. Ugh.
I got to class a couple minutes early, so I ran up to put the grading in Dr. Nelson's box, then went to class. I studied for probability for a bit. Dr. Foley never showed up to class. We were really confused. One by one we started to leave. Just as I was leaving the secretary from the Math department came down to tell us that Dr. Foley had a family emergency, hence his not being at class. Hopefully everything is ok...
During Atrium time I was super productive. And by that I mean I did absolutely nothing. Then we all went to probability..... I actually think I did ok on this week's quiz. But I guess we'll see!
After class I went to Wal-mart to get stuff to make pie, as it was Pi Day. When I got back I ate lunch. I was going to work on homework with Timbo and Dustin, but we went frisbee golfing instead. Way more fun. So we played for a couple of hours at a course near the edge of town. It was a lot of fun, even though I'm not very good at all.
Afterwards I came back and showered. It was wonderful.
I had leftovers for dinner. Then I worked on a homework assignment with Kathryn. We got it mostly done, but I'm going to finish it tomorrow with Timbo and Dustin (hopefully). Then we had some of the aforementioned pie. Jessie and Richard came over and partook in the pie-eating as well. It was a good time.
And now I'm going to bed. So good night!
I got to class a couple minutes early, so I ran up to put the grading in Dr. Nelson's box, then went to class. I studied for probability for a bit. Dr. Foley never showed up to class. We were really confused. One by one we started to leave. Just as I was leaving the secretary from the Math department came down to tell us that Dr. Foley had a family emergency, hence his not being at class. Hopefully everything is ok...
During Atrium time I was super productive. And by that I mean I did absolutely nothing. Then we all went to probability..... I actually think I did ok on this week's quiz. But I guess we'll see!
After class I went to Wal-mart to get stuff to make pie, as it was Pi Day. When I got back I ate lunch. I was going to work on homework with Timbo and Dustin, but we went frisbee golfing instead. Way more fun. So we played for a couple of hours at a course near the edge of town. It was a lot of fun, even though I'm not very good at all.
Afterwards I came back and showered. It was wonderful.
I had leftovers for dinner. Then I worked on a homework assignment with Kathryn. We got it mostly done, but I'm going to finish it tomorrow with Timbo and Dustin (hopefully). Then we had some of the aforementioned pie. Jessie and Richard came over and partook in the pie-eating as well. It was a good time.
And now I'm going to bed. So good night!
3.13.2012
Day 294
Well. Class started today. Woo hoo.
Today actually started quite unexpectedly. Around 7 I was just sitting down for breakfast when I get a text from Tim, asking if I can give him a ride to class. I figured that I could make it if I hurried. So hurry I did! Tim is oh a medication currently and he can't drive while he's on it. His wife (Erin) was going to bring him to class, but she pregnant and officially full-term. And she was quite sick this morning. So that plan didn't work out so well, but it's all ok. He got to class. Tim got his official acceptance as an intern for the Indiana Department of Insurance. They want him to start as soon as possible, so he'll be starting some work at home at the beginning of April. He's hoping that since they are giving him work that can be done away from the office that perhaps they will occasionally let him work at home once the summer starts. Currently he'll have to drive about an hour and a half each way to his internship. Miserable, but that's reality.
Anyhow. We got our tests back in investments today. I did well, so I was happy. He also assigned our take home exam, do next Monday. It looks a lot like the in-class midterm, but with a little more information. Hopefully it's not too bad.
Then we had Atrium hour. I don't remember any significant discussions... but it was a long time ago. Who knows.
Then we had life con. We talked a little bit about the project that's due tomorrow. Dr. Foley was very clear that we won't be getting the exact answers, and I kind of wondered why he kept saying that. Turned we learned why. A few of the assumptions we'd been making (which he reminded us are very reasonable assumptions) are not accurate. Actuaries make the kinds of assumptions that we made all the time because it's not worth an extra hour or so of work if the work is going to make less than a 1% difference.
After class Dustin and I went to Taco Bell for lunch, since I didn't have time to make a lunch this morning. As always it was fantastic. We had a nice nostalgic discussion of video games growing up. Even though "growing up" was at very different times (he's 7 years older than I am) we still played some of the same games. It was fun. I remained on campus because I was supposed to meet someone on campus to return a book I had borrowed from him. I did a little probability... but not as much as I should have. I talked with my friend Saha for a little bit. He's from Bangladesh and he is putting on a "Bangladesh night" with some of his other friends from there. At first we were just talking about break and I mentioned that I like to cook. So he asked if I'd ever had any Bangladesh food. I told him that I haven't, but that I used to eat a decent amount of curried food because a house mate of one of my co-workers was Indian, and I'd go over there every week or so for curry meals. So Saha invited me to this Bangladesh night, where he and some of his friends are going to cook native food (which he said is also a lot of curried food) and do some other stuff to just show us what their culture is like. I'm pretty excited. At the end of the month I'm going to an "Africa night," which is pretty much the same thing... but put on by the students from Africa. I'm pretty excited.
Anyhow. When I got back on campus... I didn't really do much. I did a little probability, but I just couldn't focus. I hate days like that.
Around 6 I went down to the FedEx office to pick up my package... since apparently the delivery guy couldn't figure out where I live. Not a huge deal. When I got back I started to make my new phone usable. At first my contacts weren't syncing... so I was getting text messages but I had no idea who they were. Well, I had a decent idea. But it was nice when my contacts actually synced to my phone like they were supposed to.
Also I learned that when you go through the set-up on the phone and it says "you're done!" you aren't really done. You still have to call Verizon.
Umm... I made my salads for the week. I'm going to try just making a big salad mixed before hand and see if that stays reasonably not-brown.
Ok. I'm tired. So I'm going to bed. Night!
Today actually started quite unexpectedly. Around 7 I was just sitting down for breakfast when I get a text from Tim, asking if I can give him a ride to class. I figured that I could make it if I hurried. So hurry I did! Tim is oh a medication currently and he can't drive while he's on it. His wife (Erin) was going to bring him to class, but she pregnant and officially full-term. And she was quite sick this morning. So that plan didn't work out so well, but it's all ok. He got to class. Tim got his official acceptance as an intern for the Indiana Department of Insurance. They want him to start as soon as possible, so he'll be starting some work at home at the beginning of April. He's hoping that since they are giving him work that can be done away from the office that perhaps they will occasionally let him work at home once the summer starts. Currently he'll have to drive about an hour and a half each way to his internship. Miserable, but that's reality.
Anyhow. We got our tests back in investments today. I did well, so I was happy. He also assigned our take home exam, do next Monday. It looks a lot like the in-class midterm, but with a little more information. Hopefully it's not too bad.
Then we had Atrium hour. I don't remember any significant discussions... but it was a long time ago. Who knows.
Then we had life con. We talked a little bit about the project that's due tomorrow. Dr. Foley was very clear that we won't be getting the exact answers, and I kind of wondered why he kept saying that. Turned we learned why. A few of the assumptions we'd been making (which he reminded us are very reasonable assumptions) are not accurate. Actuaries make the kinds of assumptions that we made all the time because it's not worth an extra hour or so of work if the work is going to make less than a 1% difference.
After class Dustin and I went to Taco Bell for lunch, since I didn't have time to make a lunch this morning. As always it was fantastic. We had a nice nostalgic discussion of video games growing up. Even though "growing up" was at very different times (he's 7 years older than I am) we still played some of the same games. It was fun. I remained on campus because I was supposed to meet someone on campus to return a book I had borrowed from him. I did a little probability... but not as much as I should have. I talked with my friend Saha for a little bit. He's from Bangladesh and he is putting on a "Bangladesh night" with some of his other friends from there. At first we were just talking about break and I mentioned that I like to cook. So he asked if I'd ever had any Bangladesh food. I told him that I haven't, but that I used to eat a decent amount of curried food because a house mate of one of my co-workers was Indian, and I'd go over there every week or so for curry meals. So Saha invited me to this Bangladesh night, where he and some of his friends are going to cook native food (which he said is also a lot of curried food) and do some other stuff to just show us what their culture is like. I'm pretty excited. At the end of the month I'm going to an "Africa night," which is pretty much the same thing... but put on by the students from Africa. I'm pretty excited.
Anyhow. When I got back on campus... I didn't really do much. I did a little probability, but I just couldn't focus. I hate days like that.
Around 6 I went down to the FedEx office to pick up my package... since apparently the delivery guy couldn't figure out where I live. Not a huge deal. When I got back I started to make my new phone usable. At first my contacts weren't syncing... so I was getting text messages but I had no idea who they were. Well, I had a decent idea. But it was nice when my contacts actually synced to my phone like they were supposed to.
Also I learned that when you go through the set-up on the phone and it says "you're done!" you aren't really done. You still have to call Verizon.
Umm... I made my salads for the week. I'm going to try just making a big salad mixed before hand and see if that stays reasonably not-brown.
Ok. I'm tired. So I'm going to bed. Night!
3.03.2012
Day 284
Good morning! I was too tired to update last night, but fear not! My post has finally arrived.
Yesterday morning I got up a little early to finish packing and study for my test. On the way to my test I realized that an equation I sort of derived on Thursday was incorrect, so I went about memorizing the proper one. As it turns out, I was so focused on getting mentally prepared for the exam that I neglected to inform Dustin that this formula was incorrect. So....yeah I felt bad.
I finished the test in about 15 minutes, which was about the time that the last person came into class. That never made sense to me, but oh well. I always try to get to tests early. But I'm not them. When I'd finished, I went to the computer lab to print off a map of my journeys today, since I never anticipate there being a consistent GPS signal. Especially in West Virginia. But apparently whenever you save a map in Google maps, it doesn't save directions? Only destinations? So that was incredibly useful. Oh well.
In between classes we went to the Atrium and discussed the problems that had been on the exam. I think I did well, but we'll see.
During life con we finished up talking about our project that's due after break. I think the current plan is to work on it next weekend, since Dustin and I will be back from out trips, and Timbo will be back from Cincinnati.
After life con I gave Kathryn a ride back to her apartment (since she watched the shuttle pull away just as we left the building), then just waited in her apartment as she and Dustin finished getting ready. We went to go pick Dustin up, then off we went! The plan was to take Kathryn to the airport, then Dustin and I would go to see Amber in West Virginia.
So we'd just left Dustin's apartment when it started to storm. Like...rain so hard that it was difficult to see. Yay. We drove through that for about 15 minutes, then it lightened up a bit. It rained moderately until we got to the outskirts of Indy. Then it cleared up for a bit. Our goal was to first get lunch at a restaurant I'd discovered called Shapiro's Deli. It had really good reviews, so we gave it a try. And it wasn't too terribly difficult to find. It was pretty intimidating when we first walked in because it wasn't at all what I was expecting. Deli's I've gone to before we just little places with a counter where you ask for a sandwich. No, this place was almost cafeteria style, but with just one serving table area. So we got trays, decided to not get dessert (which they fiendishly placed right at where the trays are), and tried to figure out what was going on. The display cases were full of desserts and salads and side dishes and behind the counter were people making sandwiches. As I'm trying to look at the menu, this guy slicing meat say "Hello young man! Would you like to try my Reuben today!?" I thought about it for a couple seconds and said that I would. I noticed a sign saying that the Reubens were $12, but I figured that was for something else. It wasn't. But oh my goodness... it was totally worth it. So completely worth it. I highly recommend it.
Anyhow, after lunch we went to go search for a coffee place, since I was getting a bit drowsy from such a big lunch. The first place we found was not longer in business. But there was another one in the near vicinity. It had a super scary bathroom though. After we had gotten our drinks and such (Dustin got cheesecake on a stick). We were just getting ready to leave when it started raining. So Dustin and I were nice and went to go get the car, since we neglected to bring an umbrella. After we picked Kathryn up it was off to the airport!
So we dropped her off, then it was off to Salem, WV! The drive was pretty boring, aside from the fact that it rained nearly the entire time. It got pretty bad at points, got better at others...and 6 hours later we were in Salem!
Just for the record (before Amber corrects anyone), they seriously live in the middle of nowhere. Their house is really nice... but it's pretty far removed from anything.
Anyhow, we found it, talked for a little bit, then went to bed! For it was a long day. The end!
Yesterday morning I got up a little early to finish packing and study for my test. On the way to my test I realized that an equation I sort of derived on Thursday was incorrect, so I went about memorizing the proper one. As it turns out, I was so focused on getting mentally prepared for the exam that I neglected to inform Dustin that this formula was incorrect. So....yeah I felt bad.
I finished the test in about 15 minutes, which was about the time that the last person came into class. That never made sense to me, but oh well. I always try to get to tests early. But I'm not them. When I'd finished, I went to the computer lab to print off a map of my journeys today, since I never anticipate there being a consistent GPS signal. Especially in West Virginia. But apparently whenever you save a map in Google maps, it doesn't save directions? Only destinations? So that was incredibly useful. Oh well.
In between classes we went to the Atrium and discussed the problems that had been on the exam. I think I did well, but we'll see.
During life con we finished up talking about our project that's due after break. I think the current plan is to work on it next weekend, since Dustin and I will be back from out trips, and Timbo will be back from Cincinnati.
After life con I gave Kathryn a ride back to her apartment (since she watched the shuttle pull away just as we left the building), then just waited in her apartment as she and Dustin finished getting ready. We went to go pick Dustin up, then off we went! The plan was to take Kathryn to the airport, then Dustin and I would go to see Amber in West Virginia.
So we'd just left Dustin's apartment when it started to storm. Like...rain so hard that it was difficult to see. Yay. We drove through that for about 15 minutes, then it lightened up a bit. It rained moderately until we got to the outskirts of Indy. Then it cleared up for a bit. Our goal was to first get lunch at a restaurant I'd discovered called Shapiro's Deli. It had really good reviews, so we gave it a try. And it wasn't too terribly difficult to find. It was pretty intimidating when we first walked in because it wasn't at all what I was expecting. Deli's I've gone to before we just little places with a counter where you ask for a sandwich. No, this place was almost cafeteria style, but with just one serving table area. So we got trays, decided to not get dessert (which they fiendishly placed right at where the trays are), and tried to figure out what was going on. The display cases were full of desserts and salads and side dishes and behind the counter were people making sandwiches. As I'm trying to look at the menu, this guy slicing meat say "Hello young man! Would you like to try my Reuben today!?" I thought about it for a couple seconds and said that I would. I noticed a sign saying that the Reubens were $12, but I figured that was for something else. It wasn't. But oh my goodness... it was totally worth it. So completely worth it. I highly recommend it.
Anyhow, after lunch we went to go search for a coffee place, since I was getting a bit drowsy from such a big lunch. The first place we found was not longer in business. But there was another one in the near vicinity. It had a super scary bathroom though. After we had gotten our drinks and such (Dustin got cheesecake on a stick). We were just getting ready to leave when it started raining. So Dustin and I were nice and went to go get the car, since we neglected to bring an umbrella. After we picked Kathryn up it was off to the airport!
So we dropped her off, then it was off to Salem, WV! The drive was pretty boring, aside from the fact that it rained nearly the entire time. It got pretty bad at points, got better at others...and 6 hours later we were in Salem!
Just for the record (before Amber corrects anyone), they seriously live in the middle of nowhere. Their house is really nice... but it's pretty far removed from anything.
Anyhow, we found it, talked for a little bit, then went to bed! For it was a long day. The end!
2.29.2012
Day 282
Well, my morning started off like most. Just... getting ready and such. I actually got to class early, so I went to the computer lab to scan some stuff. Except that the scanner was broken. I also forgot to take my grading to turn in to Dr. Nelson...so you know. Win. During class we went over the practice midterm. I don't think that it will be too bad. I just need to make sure that I have all of the formulas down and everything.
In between classes we just studied for probability. Woo.
During class we got last week's quiz back. Most of us did pretty poorly on it. The only positive is that at this point, my score is pretty well set (averages and all), so even though this quiz wasn't so great my grade isn't moving as much as it was early on. But extra studying during/after spring break will certainly benefit me. I think today's quiz went decently. There were just two questions on which I could not get any of the answers. And another that used some identity I did not know. But I confirmed my answer with Timbo and he said it was correct.
Let's see. When I got back to my apartment I got some lunch. I finished the chili I made the other night. And I don't believe that I will be getting that again, as it does not sit well with my stomach. Yay.
I did some studying for investments, then realized that pretty much the first month of class was just setting groundwork for this month of class. So I didn't actually do much that was productive, which was frustrating. Later on in the afternoon I got a phone call from Sheryl at Central Mutual. I'm going to go to Van Wert for a lunch meeting on March 16th. She said she couldn't guarantee an internship, but she still had some people to talk to and was going to keep pushing for one. So I'm pretty excited. I just need to send them some paper work (application and transcripts).
I went to dinner at Jessie and Richard's. Jessie made a really tasty pizza casserole type thing. It was really good. Then I came back, did a little studying, chilled. Then finished my night off with a little TF2 with Miles. Now it's off to bed. Night!
In between classes we just studied for probability. Woo.
During class we got last week's quiz back. Most of us did pretty poorly on it. The only positive is that at this point, my score is pretty well set (averages and all), so even though this quiz wasn't so great my grade isn't moving as much as it was early on. But extra studying during/after spring break will certainly benefit me. I think today's quiz went decently. There were just two questions on which I could not get any of the answers. And another that used some identity I did not know. But I confirmed my answer with Timbo and he said it was correct.
Let's see. When I got back to my apartment I got some lunch. I finished the chili I made the other night. And I don't believe that I will be getting that again, as it does not sit well with my stomach. Yay.
I did some studying for investments, then realized that pretty much the first month of class was just setting groundwork for this month of class. So I didn't actually do much that was productive, which was frustrating. Later on in the afternoon I got a phone call from Sheryl at Central Mutual. I'm going to go to Van Wert for a lunch meeting on March 16th. She said she couldn't guarantee an internship, but she still had some people to talk to and was going to keep pushing for one. So I'm pretty excited. I just need to send them some paper work (application and transcripts).
I went to dinner at Jessie and Richard's. Jessie made a really tasty pizza casserole type thing. It was really good. Then I came back, did a little studying, chilled. Then finished my night off with a little TF2 with Miles. Now it's off to bed. Night!
2.27.2012
Day 280
Ok, the first day of pre-spring break week is over. Just a few more days and I get a nice week of rest. And by rest I mean "studying for probability." But really it's the same thing. Ha.
Anyhow, I actually got up when I planned on getting up, got a shower, and left for class on time. It was crazy! When Dr. Foley got to class I told him that I was really close to emailing him last night to say that I wouldn't mind if he canceled class. He laughed and said "you know... I was *this* close to canceling." Oh well. After class I got my life con exam back. I did much better than I was anticipating, so I was happy.
In between classes was our standard Atrium-ing. Yup!
During life con we talked some more about pension calculations and the next part of our project. I'm never really sure when something is part of a test, a quiz, or a project. But we get assignments and I do them.
After class I went to go work out with Dustin. I still hate working out. Blech. When I got back I showered got lunch, and did some reading for investments. I put some moisturizer my rash, because maybe it would do something. It did. It stung like something fierce for about 2 minutes. But afterwards it seemed a little better. I think the pills I'm taking are working, just very slowly.
Grandpa and Pat came down to have dinner with Jessie and me. We went to Amazing Joe's. It was really good. Before Jessie got there grandpa was asking me what I'm doing in my classes, so I explained a little bit about multiple decrements theory and how it's used. Right now he's tutoring some people in math so they can get some sort of license to do something. So we expressed the woes of teaching and all that nonsense. You know, with my vast teaching experience.
After dinner I came back, talked with Clifton for a bit, then just chilled. In other news, tomorrow is free pancake day at Ihop (at participating Ihops). Just so you all know. I'm going before work, so I should go to bed and get some sleep. Good night!
Anyhow, I actually got up when I planned on getting up, got a shower, and left for class on time. It was crazy! When Dr. Foley got to class I told him that I was really close to emailing him last night to say that I wouldn't mind if he canceled class. He laughed and said "you know... I was *this* close to canceling." Oh well. After class I got my life con exam back. I did much better than I was anticipating, so I was happy.
In between classes was our standard Atrium-ing. Yup!
During life con we talked some more about pension calculations and the next part of our project. I'm never really sure when something is part of a test, a quiz, or a project. But we get assignments and I do them.
After class I went to go work out with Dustin. I still hate working out. Blech. When I got back I showered got lunch, and did some reading for investments. I put some moisturizer my rash, because maybe it would do something. It did. It stung like something fierce for about 2 minutes. But afterwards it seemed a little better. I think the pills I'm taking are working, just very slowly.
Grandpa and Pat came down to have dinner with Jessie and me. We went to Amazing Joe's. It was really good. Before Jessie got there grandpa was asking me what I'm doing in my classes, so I explained a little bit about multiple decrements theory and how it's used. Right now he's tutoring some people in math so they can get some sort of license to do something. So we expressed the woes of teaching and all that nonsense. You know, with my vast teaching experience.
After dinner I came back, talked with Clifton for a bit, then just chilled. In other news, tomorrow is free pancake day at Ihop (at participating Ihops). Just so you all know. I'm going before work, so I should go to bed and get some sleep. Good night!
2.25.2012
Day 277
I'm ready for this rash to start getting better. It's incredibly itchy and try as I might to avoid scratching it, I don't do a very good job. Yarg.
So this morning. Not so great. I was running late (I really need to stop that... it's getting old) but got to class on time. Investments was fine I guess. We talked more about the assumptions and set-up for the new model we're going to be using.
Then... life con. We had a test today. Going into it I felt very confident. Taking it I felt very confident. Then 5 minutes after I left I realized two mistakes I'd made. One of them being that I had read a questions entirely wrong and answered a question which he didn't even ask. I was beyond upset. The other question I made one little stupid mistake that I know is wrong, but it didn't occur to me at the time. Two mistakes is a big deal when there are only 6 questions. So that was really frustrating and kind of just started the day off wrong.
Things didn't get a whole lot better when I got home. At the beginning of the semester I got a double paycheck, told payroll about it, and so to accommodate for that, my next two paychecks were going to be half-checks. Well, I thought I had previously received my second half-check and I had just been doing really well with my money. That turns out not to be the case, as I saw on my paycheck today. So that's neat. Oh well. Things are just going to be a little tight for a couple weeks.
So I did some dishes, then graded homework for forever. Seriously, how does grading take so long? But it does. I got it all finished though. So yay. I just didn't have much concentration today. Blech.
I had some left over hamburger stuff for dinner. It was still good. After dinner I cleaned up, then went over to Kathryn's apartment to study for probability. My goal for today was to just read through the section, which I was able to do. It took forever, but I got it done. We also watched the first two Jurassic Park movies, as they were on TV. I think it was the first two? I really have no idea. But they were ok, I guess. I'd never seen them before.
Anyhow, I'm really tired. So I'm going to bed. Night
So this morning. Not so great. I was running late (I really need to stop that... it's getting old) but got to class on time. Investments was fine I guess. We talked more about the assumptions and set-up for the new model we're going to be using.
Then... life con. We had a test today. Going into it I felt very confident. Taking it I felt very confident. Then 5 minutes after I left I realized two mistakes I'd made. One of them being that I had read a questions entirely wrong and answered a question which he didn't even ask. I was beyond upset. The other question I made one little stupid mistake that I know is wrong, but it didn't occur to me at the time. Two mistakes is a big deal when there are only 6 questions. So that was really frustrating and kind of just started the day off wrong.
Things didn't get a whole lot better when I got home. At the beginning of the semester I got a double paycheck, told payroll about it, and so to accommodate for that, my next two paychecks were going to be half-checks. Well, I thought I had previously received my second half-check and I had just been doing really well with my money. That turns out not to be the case, as I saw on my paycheck today. So that's neat. Oh well. Things are just going to be a little tight for a couple weeks.
So I did some dishes, then graded homework for forever. Seriously, how does grading take so long? But it does. I got it all finished though. So yay. I just didn't have much concentration today. Blech.
I had some left over hamburger stuff for dinner. It was still good. After dinner I cleaned up, then went over to Kathryn's apartment to study for probability. My goal for today was to just read through the section, which I was able to do. It took forever, but I got it done. We also watched the first two Jurassic Park movies, as they were on TV. I think it was the first two? I really have no idea. But they were ok, I guess. I'd never seen them before.
Anyhow, I'm really tired. So I'm going to bed. Night
2.22.2012
Day 275
I did not want to get up this morning. There was not a single part of me that had any desire to do anything but go back to sleep. But somehow I managed to get up and go to class. It was not easy. I was running really late, but somehow made it to class by 8, even though I didn't leave my apartment until about 7:47 (and it normally takes a solid 20 minutes to get from my apartment to my classroom).
Investments...happened. I've come to realize that this is basically a "history of investment strategies" course. We started off with the old "Markowitz theory" method, which we just did a project on. Next up in the CAPM model, which we're going to talk about next. But neither of those are used anymore, as the current method of evaluation is the Black-Scholes formula (which I will be using in one of my upcoming actuarial exams).
In between classes I got some coffee and tried to study for probability. After spring break I'm going to begin really studying for my exam. Yup, we'll get there. In the mean time, I'm glad that I did well on last week's probability quiz... because I know I didn't do well on today's quiz. There were 2 out of the 10 that I really had no clue how to do. 1 of those I didn't even know what to write down or where to start... so I just picked an answer that seemed like it could be right. I have no idea.
After class I had lunch, then went up to the computer lab to work on investments with Timbo. We got that finished, then went over to the library to work through the practice life con exam with Dustin. We worked through most of that. I only have 1 question for him tomorrow, but I might have done it correctly? We'll see.
Oh! I finally got something to grade. I believe that this is my first assignment of the month. But no complaints will be issued...it's been amazing.
When I got back from that I... don't really remember what I did. I'm sure it was really important though? Huh. Oh well.
After dinner I worked on some homework with Kathryn. And now I'm going to go to bed. And hope that I can get up early enough in the morning to make eggs. We'll see.
Night!
Investments...happened. I've come to realize that this is basically a "history of investment strategies" course. We started off with the old "Markowitz theory" method, which we just did a project on. Next up in the CAPM model, which we're going to talk about next. But neither of those are used anymore, as the current method of evaluation is the Black-Scholes formula (which I will be using in one of my upcoming actuarial exams).
In between classes I got some coffee and tried to study for probability. After spring break I'm going to begin really studying for my exam. Yup, we'll get there. In the mean time, I'm glad that I did well on last week's probability quiz... because I know I didn't do well on today's quiz. There were 2 out of the 10 that I really had no clue how to do. 1 of those I didn't even know what to write down or where to start... so I just picked an answer that seemed like it could be right. I have no idea.
After class I had lunch, then went up to the computer lab to work on investments with Timbo. We got that finished, then went over to the library to work through the practice life con exam with Dustin. We worked through most of that. I only have 1 question for him tomorrow, but I might have done it correctly? We'll see.
Oh! I finally got something to grade. I believe that this is my first assignment of the month. But no complaints will be issued...it's been amazing.
When I got back from that I... don't really remember what I did. I'm sure it was really important though? Huh. Oh well.
After dinner I worked on some homework with Kathryn. And now I'm going to go to bed. And hope that I can get up early enough in the morning to make eggs. We'll see.
Night!
2.20.2012
Day 273
Well, another week!
I actually woke up with plenty of time this morning, but apparently I took too long doing...something. I don't really know what. Probably eating. Anyhow, somehow I was able to make it to the parking lot before the bus left. It only took me 8 minutes to get to campus today, not the normal 10 or 11. I won't complain though.
This morning in investments I think that for the first time, I finally understand what we've been doing for the past 2 weeks. So that's exciting.
For some reason I was exceptionally hungry after class, so I got some biscuits and gravy as a snack. They were oh-so yummy. Then we all studied for our life con quiz.
In my upcoming life con exam, there is a take-home portion that is to be done in Excel. So Dr. Foley talked more about that and I think I understand what's going on in that as well. How thrilling! Then we had our quiz, which I think I got 100% on.
After class I went to go work out for a little bit. I really wasn't down there for very long, maybe 45 minutes. I just wasn't feeling it today. Apparently this was in my favor, because about 30 minutes after getting home I saw that I had an email alerting all students of a bomb threat in the gym where I had been working out. Thankfully nothing became of that, but I'm glad I wasn't there for it.
This afternoon I worked on probability for a little bit. Then after dinner I played some Left4Dead with Jared, Adam, and Derrick. That was fun. Eventually Derrick had to leave so Miles joined us. Yup, it was fun. Then I talked with Clifton for a little bit about life and such. And now I'm tired.
So I'm going to bed. Good night!
I actually woke up with plenty of time this morning, but apparently I took too long doing...something. I don't really know what. Probably eating. Anyhow, somehow I was able to make it to the parking lot before the bus left. It only took me 8 minutes to get to campus today, not the normal 10 or 11. I won't complain though.
This morning in investments I think that for the first time, I finally understand what we've been doing for the past 2 weeks. So that's exciting.
For some reason I was exceptionally hungry after class, so I got some biscuits and gravy as a snack. They were oh-so yummy. Then we all studied for our life con quiz.
In my upcoming life con exam, there is a take-home portion that is to be done in Excel. So Dr. Foley talked more about that and I think I understand what's going on in that as well. How thrilling! Then we had our quiz, which I think I got 100% on.
After class I went to go work out for a little bit. I really wasn't down there for very long, maybe 45 minutes. I just wasn't feeling it today. Apparently this was in my favor, because about 30 minutes after getting home I saw that I had an email alerting all students of a bomb threat in the gym where I had been working out. Thankfully nothing became of that, but I'm glad I wasn't there for it.
This afternoon I worked on probability for a little bit. Then after dinner I played some Left4Dead with Jared, Adam, and Derrick. That was fun. Eventually Derrick had to leave so Miles joined us. Yup, it was fun. Then I talked with Clifton for a little bit about life and such. And now I'm tired.
So I'm going to bed. Good night!
2.18.2012
Day 270
Apparently I numbered yesterday incorrectly. Oh well!
This morning was the standard wake up, eat, go to class. We were in the computer lab in investments again this morning, trying to finish up some things in Mathematica. But Foley went way too fast and most of us weren't able to keep up. After he was done (and most of us were still way behind) he gave us the rest of the class period to work on it. Then left. Thankfully I was able to figure out what to do, but not everyone was. We were all pretty frustrated.
After class we went to the Atrium and did a little life con. Jacob and I helped some guy move his sculpture project. It was this 8 foot humanoid made out of metal scrap. It was kind of cool. Then in life con we went over the rest of the homework.
After class Dustin and I went to the gym and worked out legs. That was not fun. Then I came home, ate lunch, and did laundry. After I showered I went to the store to get my prescription filled, but they aren't going to get it in until Monday. Oh well, I can make it to Monday.
I hung out with Clifton and Kathryn tonight. We played some games on Kimmy's Kinect, which I am borrowing. And it was fun.
And now it is bed time. Good night!
This morning was the standard wake up, eat, go to class. We were in the computer lab in investments again this morning, trying to finish up some things in Mathematica. But Foley went way too fast and most of us weren't able to keep up. After he was done (and most of us were still way behind) he gave us the rest of the class period to work on it. Then left. Thankfully I was able to figure out what to do, but not everyone was. We were all pretty frustrated.
After class we went to the Atrium and did a little life con. Jacob and I helped some guy move his sculpture project. It was this 8 foot humanoid made out of metal scrap. It was kind of cool. Then in life con we went over the rest of the homework.
After class Dustin and I went to the gym and worked out legs. That was not fun. Then I came home, ate lunch, and did laundry. After I showered I went to the store to get my prescription filled, but they aren't going to get it in until Monday. Oh well, I can make it to Monday.
I hung out with Clifton and Kathryn tonight. We played some games on Kimmy's Kinect, which I am borrowing. And it was fun.
And now it is bed time. Good night!
2.16.2012
Day 268
So today.
It was Wednesday. My investments class today was in the computer lab, doing stuff in Mathematica. I'm not really sure what it all means, but we did some stuff. We're going back on Friday to finish.
In between classes I studied for my probability quiz. Bleh. I do not want to study for that. Today in class I asked Mr. Frye if the exams got more fun as you go on. He said "Well... I don't know if I would use the word "fun" to describe them..." I was not pleased.
After that I went home, got a quick lunch, then met Dustin and Timbo in the library to work on life con. We were there for a couple of hours and really had no idea what we were doing. We got through about half of the problems. Bleh. I think that tomorrow in class I'm going to ask him to go over some of the important formulae again, because apparently I missed a lot from not being in class on Friday.
Eventually my brain was done. So I browsed some the library and found some text books for probability, in hopes that they will have some good problems for me to do. We shall see.
When I got home it was about dinner time. So I ate. I tried to take a look life con again, but realized that I really had no idea what I was doing. So instead of getting frustrated, I didn't work on it. Later on in the evening I got some equations from Kathryn that Foley talked about on Friday. Apparently half of the homework and 3 of the 4 take-home quiz questions involve things we did on Friday. Lovely.
Meh. I'm tired. So I'm going to bed. Tomorrow is probably going to be a long day.
It was Wednesday. My investments class today was in the computer lab, doing stuff in Mathematica. I'm not really sure what it all means, but we did some stuff. We're going back on Friday to finish.
In between classes I studied for my probability quiz. Bleh. I do not want to study for that. Today in class I asked Mr. Frye if the exams got more fun as you go on. He said "Well... I don't know if I would use the word "fun" to describe them..." I was not pleased.
After that I went home, got a quick lunch, then met Dustin and Timbo in the library to work on life con. We were there for a couple of hours and really had no idea what we were doing. We got through about half of the problems. Bleh. I think that tomorrow in class I'm going to ask him to go over some of the important formulae again, because apparently I missed a lot from not being in class on Friday.
Eventually my brain was done. So I browsed some the library and found some text books for probability, in hopes that they will have some good problems for me to do. We shall see.
When I got home it was about dinner time. So I ate. I tried to take a look life con again, but realized that I really had no idea what I was doing. So instead of getting frustrated, I didn't work on it. Later on in the evening I got some equations from Kathryn that Foley talked about on Friday. Apparently half of the homework and 3 of the 4 take-home quiz questions involve things we did on Friday. Lovely.
Meh. I'm tired. So I'm going to bed. Tomorrow is probably going to be a long day.
2.13.2012
Day 266
So today. I got a little bit of a late start, but still made it to class on time. I missed the shuttle in the parking lot and it was cold. But I survived. We did some stuff in investment. Yup!
During Atrium time we discussed Tim and Timbo's upcoming exams (Thursday and Saturday). Dustin is probably going to start studying for MLC in the near future. That's not going to be fun at all.
During life con we talked more about the multiple decrements model. We have a couple assignments on Friday. Bleh. I need to work on that after my probability quiz on Wednesday.
After class I came back, got some lunch, and played a game for a while. Kimmy got me a new game so I figured I should give it a shot. It's pretty fun. Then I did some probability. I also had an apple as a snack. It was really good, but I don't know that it was worth $1.25.
I did have a bit of an interesting afternoon. I decided to update my resume to include my passed exam and email it to CNO. I had just finished updating it and composing my email when I received a new email. I figured I should see what it was. It was from CNO! What good timing! But, as I expected, it was another rejection email. Shoot. A couple hours later I got a call from an unknown number. I didn't catch the lady's name or company, but she said that I had applied to this place a couple years ago and they wanted to see if I was still interested. As she kept talking, I realized that it was Youthworks, an organization that hosts week long mission trips for junior high and high school students. So I talked with her for a while and everything seemed awesome! Until she told me the dates: May 21 - August 7. I mentioned that there was just an ever so slight issue... I couldn't really work in August. It turns out that this is quite a big issue. Long story short, I will not be working for Youthworks this summer. Bummer.
Kathryn eventually texted me to inform me that her test had not gone so well. So I went over to her apartment to keep her company for a while. I could only imagine how miserable she was feeling, so I figured I would see if I could make the situation better at all. We ended up watching soccer for a while, then funny youtube videos. Then we got some dinner at Scotty's, which is a sports bar and grill near campus. I had the most fantastic* hamburger. Instead of a bun it was a soft pretzel. And the burger was coated with cheese and had fried onion rings on top. And the fries had cheese and bacon and sour cream on it. It was amazing and a half.
*The most fantastic hamburger is, of course, a 2X2 animal style from In-n-Out. the second most fantastic hamburger is the Garbage burger from Max and Erma's. But this one was certainly in the top ten.
When I got home I opted to not be productive. And I was happy with my decision. And now I'm going to bed. Night!
During Atrium time we discussed Tim and Timbo's upcoming exams (Thursday and Saturday). Dustin is probably going to start studying for MLC in the near future. That's not going to be fun at all.
During life con we talked more about the multiple decrements model. We have a couple assignments on Friday. Bleh. I need to work on that after my probability quiz on Wednesday.
After class I came back, got some lunch, and played a game for a while. Kimmy got me a new game so I figured I should give it a shot. It's pretty fun. Then I did some probability. I also had an apple as a snack. It was really good, but I don't know that it was worth $1.25.
I did have a bit of an interesting afternoon. I decided to update my resume to include my passed exam and email it to CNO. I had just finished updating it and composing my email when I received a new email. I figured I should see what it was. It was from CNO! What good timing! But, as I expected, it was another rejection email. Shoot. A couple hours later I got a call from an unknown number. I didn't catch the lady's name or company, but she said that I had applied to this place a couple years ago and they wanted to see if I was still interested. As she kept talking, I realized that it was Youthworks, an organization that hosts week long mission trips for junior high and high school students. So I talked with her for a while and everything seemed awesome! Until she told me the dates: May 21 - August 7. I mentioned that there was just an ever so slight issue... I couldn't really work in August. It turns out that this is quite a big issue. Long story short, I will not be working for Youthworks this summer. Bummer.
Kathryn eventually texted me to inform me that her test had not gone so well. So I went over to her apartment to keep her company for a while. I could only imagine how miserable she was feeling, so I figured I would see if I could make the situation better at all. We ended up watching soccer for a while, then funny youtube videos. Then we got some dinner at Scotty's, which is a sports bar and grill near campus. I had the most fantastic* hamburger. Instead of a bun it was a soft pretzel. And the burger was coated with cheese and had fried onion rings on top. And the fries had cheese and bacon and sour cream on it. It was amazing and a half.
*The most fantastic hamburger is, of course, a 2X2 animal style from In-n-Out. the second most fantastic hamburger is the Garbage burger from Max and Erma's. But this one was certainly in the top ten.
When I got home I opted to not be productive. And I was happy with my decision. And now I'm going to bed. Night!
2.11.2012
Day 263
My goodness. What a day.
I got up around 6:15 to finish packing, make breakfast, and get all of my materials together before I left. The plan was to go to Investments, take the quiz, leave to go up to Fort Wayne, then study for a couple hours before my exam. And that's almost exactly what happened, so that was nice.
The exam was on IPFW campus (or whatever that place is called). I realized after I arrived that the email had not specified what building I was in, and only vaguely mentioned where to park. So I found a parking garage, parked on the third floor (in hopes that I no one would notice), and looked for some building that would direct me to the proper location. Thankfully the library was nearby, and one of the friendly staff was able to direct me to the testing center. So I found the testing room, made sure that I had everything in order, and then went to go study for a couple hours. As it turns out, there was a Subway in the basement of that building. I had planned on finding a Subway for lunch, so this made everything way easier.
After lunch I read through some notes, worked through some problems, and just kind of freaked out for a little bit. Eventually I just decided to get it over with and see how bad the damage was. After some rigorous insurance that I wasn't going to cheat (reading two different legal statements about how I promise not to cheat, the ramifications of me cheating, emptying my pockets, leaving my watch and everything else outside the room except for my calculators) I entered the room and began. Due to the agreements I signed I can't actually talk about any of the problems on the exam. But I can say that it was a just lovely time.
But everything went better than expected. After the exam was over, I filled out a questionnaire about my testing experience and preparation. I gave them a nice explanations of how things could have been improved (like being told how to get to the testing building) and a question that I thought was ambiguous. And then when I hit "finish" I saw my results page. And I passed!! I won't get an official score for about 8 weeks, but I know that I passed and I am ever so relieved. I'm very grateful for all the encouragement from everyone for the past couple months of my studying. It's been fantastic.
After the exam, I collected myself, learned how to breathe again, and then waited for Rachel to get off of work. When she was done I met her at her apartment, where we caught up on the past few months of life. Then when Trevor got home we went to Qdoba for dinner. It was good to see them, as I haven't seen either of them since their wedding. We talked about... everything. Weddings, work, college, Indiana... it was lovely. Eventually I had to go, which was nonsense. But it was getting late and snowy and I had to drive to Findlay. So off I went.
When I got home I saw that Mom had made me a congratulatory banner. Thanks mom :) So I caught everyone up to speed on how it went and everything. Then Kimmy got there a little after I did. And now... I'm tired. It was a long day. Time for bed. Night!
I got up around 6:15 to finish packing, make breakfast, and get all of my materials together before I left. The plan was to go to Investments, take the quiz, leave to go up to Fort Wayne, then study for a couple hours before my exam. And that's almost exactly what happened, so that was nice.
The exam was on IPFW campus (or whatever that place is called). I realized after I arrived that the email had not specified what building I was in, and only vaguely mentioned where to park. So I found a parking garage, parked on the third floor (in hopes that I no one would notice), and looked for some building that would direct me to the proper location. Thankfully the library was nearby, and one of the friendly staff was able to direct me to the testing center. So I found the testing room, made sure that I had everything in order, and then went to go study for a couple hours. As it turns out, there was a Subway in the basement of that building. I had planned on finding a Subway for lunch, so this made everything way easier.
After lunch I read through some notes, worked through some problems, and just kind of freaked out for a little bit. Eventually I just decided to get it over with and see how bad the damage was. After some rigorous insurance that I wasn't going to cheat (reading two different legal statements about how I promise not to cheat, the ramifications of me cheating, emptying my pockets, leaving my watch and everything else outside the room except for my calculators) I entered the room and began. Due to the agreements I signed I can't actually talk about any of the problems on the exam. But I can say that it was a just lovely time.
But everything went better than expected. After the exam was over, I filled out a questionnaire about my testing experience and preparation. I gave them a nice explanations of how things could have been improved (like being told how to get to the testing building) and a question that I thought was ambiguous. And then when I hit "finish" I saw my results page. And I passed!! I won't get an official score for about 8 weeks, but I know that I passed and I am ever so relieved. I'm very grateful for all the encouragement from everyone for the past couple months of my studying. It's been fantastic.
After the exam, I collected myself, learned how to breathe again, and then waited for Rachel to get off of work. When she was done I met her at her apartment, where we caught up on the past few months of life. Then when Trevor got home we went to Qdoba for dinner. It was good to see them, as I haven't seen either of them since their wedding. We talked about... everything. Weddings, work, college, Indiana... it was lovely. Eventually I had to go, which was nonsense. But it was getting late and snowy and I had to drive to Findlay. So off I went.
When I got home I saw that Mom had made me a congratulatory banner. Thanks mom :) So I caught everyone up to speed on how it went and everything. Then Kimmy got there a little after I did. And now... I'm tired. It was a long day. Time for bed. Night!
2.08.2012
Day 261
What a day, what a day. It started off with a shower, followed by some eggs. I tried something new today. I put sour cream in my eggs. It was good. It makes them much fluffier. I liked it. I doubt that I would buy sour cream just for that, but I had some from Sunday so I figured I may as well use it.
I got to the parking lot just in time to catch the shuttle. I've finally picked up on the fact that a shuttle leaves the parking lot area at 7:45, so if I can leave be leaving my parking spot by 7:33 I can make it before the shuttle arrives. The shuttle was a little late today, because I wasn't leaving my spot until 7:35 but I still made it.
Anyhow, investments was pretty normal this morning. At one point Dr. Foley was explaining how to optimize a function. To refresh us on "constrained optimization," he did a classic calculus problem* to demonstrate. I thought it was funny.
*Calculus is the study of how things change (and some other stuff). This is often used in a first semester calculus class to study things like speed and velocity. So some of the classic calculus problems include: "A farmer wants to make a fence for his pasture. Find the maximum area if he has X feet of fencing" or "A 25-foot ladder slides down a wall. The sliding rate is 3 ft/minute. The top of the ladder is 7 feet from the ground. What is the rate of change of distance between bottom of the latter, and the wall?" You get the idea. Well, you might. Either way, these problems (and more) are in basically every modern calculus book.
During Atrium time we just did some studying for probability. Jacob wasn't in investments on Monday, so I let him copy my notes. Then we worked through some probability problems. Tim told us a little bit about his exam experience. It's pretty serious stuff. Before going into the room he had to empty his pockets, pull up his sleeves and pant legs, and then room was under camera surveillance. If you had to use the restroom, you had to raise your hand until someone saw you on the camera, then they would escort you out of the room. You would sign out, go use the restroom, then get re-checked before coming back in. So it's a pretty big deal.
Probability went decently. Yeah. We asked some questions on last week's stuff, then did some problems from this week's material. This week we're starting to get into discrete probability distributions, which means memorizing lots of things. So yay.
After class I went home, did the investments homework, and ate lunch. I made some leftover tuna casserole in the skillet. It was every so tasty.
After lunch I studied for FM. I also had two cups of coffee, but that wasn't enough to keep me from being tired. Oh well! I kept on going. I made stir fry for Kathryn and Clifton, then we had a little study party. I actually did a lot of problems today. Probably around 50 or so. I was pleased. I think that if the exam is mostly like the practice I've been doing then I should do fine. At this point my only concern is that there will be things that were not covered in the manual and text books. Which really shouldn't be the case, but I'm just nervous since I've never taken one of these before. But we'll see! The idea of all this practice is just to make the real exam as close to practice as possible.
Anyhow. I'm going to try to get some sleep. Hopefully all this exam nonsense doesn't keep me up. Night!
I got to the parking lot just in time to catch the shuttle. I've finally picked up on the fact that a shuttle leaves the parking lot area at 7:45, so if I can leave be leaving my parking spot by 7:33 I can make it before the shuttle arrives. The shuttle was a little late today, because I wasn't leaving my spot until 7:35 but I still made it.
Anyhow, investments was pretty normal this morning. At one point Dr. Foley was explaining how to optimize a function. To refresh us on "constrained optimization," he did a classic calculus problem* to demonstrate. I thought it was funny.
*Calculus is the study of how things change (and some other stuff). This is often used in a first semester calculus class to study things like speed and velocity. So some of the classic calculus problems include: "A farmer wants to make a fence for his pasture. Find the maximum area if he has X feet of fencing" or "A 25-foot ladder slides down a wall. The sliding rate is 3 ft/minute. The top of the ladder is 7 feet from the ground. What is the rate of change of distance between bottom of the latter, and the wall?" You get the idea. Well, you might. Either way, these problems (and more) are in basically every modern calculus book.
During Atrium time we just did some studying for probability. Jacob wasn't in investments on Monday, so I let him copy my notes. Then we worked through some probability problems. Tim told us a little bit about his exam experience. It's pretty serious stuff. Before going into the room he had to empty his pockets, pull up his sleeves and pant legs, and then room was under camera surveillance. If you had to use the restroom, you had to raise your hand until someone saw you on the camera, then they would escort you out of the room. You would sign out, go use the restroom, then get re-checked before coming back in. So it's a pretty big deal.
Probability went decently. Yeah. We asked some questions on last week's stuff, then did some problems from this week's material. This week we're starting to get into discrete probability distributions, which means memorizing lots of things. So yay.
After class I went home, did the investments homework, and ate lunch. I made some leftover tuna casserole in the skillet. It was every so tasty.
After lunch I studied for FM. I also had two cups of coffee, but that wasn't enough to keep me from being tired. Oh well! I kept on going. I made stir fry for Kathryn and Clifton, then we had a little study party. I actually did a lot of problems today. Probably around 50 or so. I was pleased. I think that if the exam is mostly like the practice I've been doing then I should do fine. At this point my only concern is that there will be things that were not covered in the manual and text books. Which really shouldn't be the case, but I'm just nervous since I've never taken one of these before. But we'll see! The idea of all this practice is just to make the real exam as close to practice as possible.
Anyhow. I'm going to try to get some sleep. Hopefully all this exam nonsense doesn't keep me up. Night!
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