Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Missing in Action
OK. You don't have to say it. I know I have been missing in action for a while..but what is a month and a half between friends. I'll tell you what, to make it up to you I will post 3-4 posts today and tomorrow..just depends on if you count this one :)
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Great News
The expected move to Tennessee has had a consequence I expected, but wanted to avoid. Namely I would have to get my doctoral oversight committee in place before the move and it would have to be staffed with professors other than Dr. Soni. Now this is not normally a big thing, but for the past 2-3 years Dr. Soni has been telling me not to worry about it and that he would have people in mind who would be able to fill out the committee and it should not be a big issue in any case.
Fast forward to today and I am trying to fill the positions and not pick too many professors who will just give me a hard time. Well today (last night really) I got the best news so far - my first choice for the chair of the committee (Dr. Jeff Kerby) told me he would be proud to fill the role. He doesn't really know what his job is any more than I do but I think Kim and the rest of the office staff downstairs will help with that.
Well 2 spots filled, 2-3 more to go.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Tennessee Trip - Day 2
So when we last left our intrepid travelers they were pulling into Nashville around 6:00 Saturday night. Well not exactly Nashville - our hotel was in Mt. Juliet which is about 20 miles east of town.
Since we got in at a decent hour we went ahead and checked into the hotel before dinner. Turns out Mt. Juliet is a rapidly growing area around Nashville and as such there was a ton of stuff right near our hotel room. We wanted to find someplace "unique", but Xander really wanted pizza. The only pizza joint we could really find was a New York style pizza place and Paula and I both dislike New York style so that was out. In the end we ended up going to a blah chain restaurant with o.k. food. Not exactly a meal to remember but there it is. Looking for a place to eat exposed us to a lot of what to expect in Mt. Juliet, and we went ahead and picked up a Apartment Guide to see if any might be open Sunday we could investigate.
After breakfast we got a "semi" early start to the day, we had a lot to do and still wanted to get to Decatur for dinner. We wanted to see how Nashville worked and explore Murfreesboro, Hermitage, Gallatin, Lebanon and Mt. Juliet.
Since we got in at a decent hour we went ahead and checked into the hotel before dinner. Turns out Mt. Juliet is a rapidly growing area around Nashville and as such there was a ton of stuff right near our hotel room. We wanted to find someplace "unique", but Xander really wanted pizza. The only pizza joint we could really find was a New York style pizza place and Paula and I both dislike New York style so that was out. In the end we ended up going to a blah chain restaurant with o.k. food. Not exactly a meal to remember but there it is. Looking for a place to eat exposed us to a lot of what to expect in Mt. Juliet, and we went ahead and picked up a Apartment Guide to see if any might be open Sunday we could investigate.
After breakfast we got a "semi" early start to the day, we had a lot to do and still wanted to get to Decatur for dinner. We wanted to see how Nashville worked and explore Murfreesboro, Hermitage, Gallatin, Lebanon and Mt. Juliet.
- Murfreesboro was o.k. The town looked like he had most of what we would want and they were some nice apartments as well. The problem with the town was location. Most of the areas we were looking at were east of Nashville, while Murfreesboro is more southern. Means my drive in would be 1:20, Paula's would be about 35 minutes. By far the longest drive times for both of us.
- Hermitage was o.k. as well. It is the closest city to Nashville that we looked at, but it is ... old. Most of the apartments were built in the 70's or 80's and so had some issues.
- Gallatin was a definite no. Hard to get to, city looked run down, just over all a bad feeling.
- Lebanon was o.k. depending on where you were looking. Apparently it is a big enough city that 3 different exits off of I-40 lead to the town and one of the exits had a nice looking development.
- Mt. Juliet was the clear winner with everyone. They had a really cool park that Xander loved, good shopping, great school districts and hopefully some apartments coming available.
After checking out the apartments (and a few housing developments) we went to downtown Nashville and got a quick feel for that. Xander was impressed by the football stadium and I liked the size of the town (though the streets did seem to remind me of north Atlanta).
So who wins? Nashville, Mt. Juliet and hopefully us.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Tennessee Trip - Day 1
Had some bumps along the way but we finally made it up for the first of our days in Tennessee.
Original plan was to get into Knoxville around 6 or 7 last night and get a good look around town before heading to the hotel. That would allow us to spend tomorrow morning investigating areas that looked promising and enjoy ourselves before getting a start over to Nashville around 2-3 this afternoon. Remember what they say about the "best laid plans"? Well yeah I remember it now.
For starters Xander had a eye checkup yesterday at 1. I had made the appointment well before we planned the trip and did not want to cancel it but really, how long can an eye checkup take? Four hours later I had my answer. Seems that UAB Eye Care does a REALLY thorough checkup. Good news is Xander's eyes are just about perfect - slight astigmatism but nothing really bad - bad news is I was planning to be almost to Knoxville by now. We started on our way and had a really pleasant drive until the second hiccup happened. Seems that unknown to me Knoxville is in the Eastern Time Zone..so there goes another hour. Anyway, we stopped north of Chattanooga and had dinner and made it in to Knoxville around 10. So no late afternoon cruise, no early investigation.
When we went to check out this morning I asked the desk clerk what a good way to spend a Saturday morning in Knoxville doing was. Surprisingly she mentioned nothing about Knoxville, instead sending us off to Pigeon Forge. Seems kind of strange that a bigger city has nothing to call its own, and this place is beginning to remind me of Huntsville. However, we drove out to Pigeon Forge and enjoyed our time. Xander got some shopping done, we played some Putt Putt and had a pleasant day only marred by Paula's sun burn.
On the way out of town we dropped through Farragut. Not like most of the nicer areas I am used to seeing this was much more spread out..but you could almost smell the money. Seemed like a nice place but not sure we would enjoy Knoxville enough to make it work.
On the drive out to Nashville we stopped by Cookeville to see the campus for Tennessee Tech. Even though the town looked a little sketchy, the campus was surprisingly nice. Traditional looking campus buildings and lots of trees etc made me feel a lot more happy about my prospects there.
Even with the stop over in Cookeville we made it into Nashville around 6. But more about that on the next post.
Original plan was to get into Knoxville around 6 or 7 last night and get a good look around town before heading to the hotel. That would allow us to spend tomorrow morning investigating areas that looked promising and enjoy ourselves before getting a start over to Nashville around 2-3 this afternoon. Remember what they say about the "best laid plans"? Well yeah I remember it now.
For starters Xander had a eye checkup yesterday at 1. I had made the appointment well before we planned the trip and did not want to cancel it but really, how long can an eye checkup take? Four hours later I had my answer. Seems that UAB Eye Care does a REALLY thorough checkup. Good news is Xander's eyes are just about perfect - slight astigmatism but nothing really bad - bad news is I was planning to be almost to Knoxville by now. We started on our way and had a really pleasant drive until the second hiccup happened. Seems that unknown to me Knoxville is in the Eastern Time Zone..so there goes another hour. Anyway, we stopped north of Chattanooga and had dinner and made it in to Knoxville around 10. So no late afternoon cruise, no early investigation.
When we went to check out this morning I asked the desk clerk what a good way to spend a Saturday morning in Knoxville doing was. Surprisingly she mentioned nothing about Knoxville, instead sending us off to Pigeon Forge. Seems kind of strange that a bigger city has nothing to call its own, and this place is beginning to remind me of Huntsville. However, we drove out to Pigeon Forge and enjoyed our time. Xander got some shopping done, we played some Putt Putt and had a pleasant day only marred by Paula's sun burn.
On the way out of town we dropped through Farragut. Not like most of the nicer areas I am used to seeing this was much more spread out..but you could almost smell the money. Seemed like a nice place but not sure we would enjoy Knoxville enough to make it work.
On the drive out to Nashville we stopped by Cookeville to see the campus for Tennessee Tech. Even though the town looked a little sketchy, the campus was surprisingly nice. Traditional looking campus buildings and lots of trees etc made me feel a lot more happy about my prospects there.
Even with the stop over in Cookeville we made it into Nashville around 6. But more about that on the next post.
Monday, May 20, 2013
I was always more into Star Wars...
OK, had to steal the title from John McClane.
Paula and I went to see Star Trek: Into Darkness over the weekend. We really needed a break after the events of the weekend so a movie seemed like a good idea. How was it? It was probably the best movie I have seen this year. Granted with this years movies, that might be damning with faint praise but it was a good movie. Were there problems with the movie? Sure. What movie doesn't have some problems? But for the most part it kept Paula and I engrossed for two and a half hours at a time we really needed to be distracted.
I meant this post to mainly be about the movie but I think I need to explain why we needed a break. It all began Saturday morning. About a year ago our hot water heater exploded causing about $30k in damages. We started noticing some similar "warning signs" last week and had the installers come out. They said the problem was with a hose that was blocking some piping, they had moved the hose and thought everything would be o.k. Well it turns out that hose was to our water softener and when it recycled water, all the pumped water caused a flood and ruined most of the ceilings in the bathroom and downstairs bedroom. This time we were lucky enough to be home so we could save the bedding, the floors and everything else, but the drywall is gone. We ended up paying a plumber to come out Saturday evening and just totally disconnect the water softener.
Sunday was difficult for different reasons. We ended up putting Buckeye to sleep Sunday afternoon. He had been a shell of his former self for the last few years and we decided to not drag it out longer than necessary. It was a very hard decision and Paula and I were both in tears, but we both felt it was the best option for him.
Anyway, after leaving the vets we decided we needed a distraction and the new Star Trek movie seemed the perfect solution.
The Good:
The cast was perfect lead by Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, and don't get me started on Benedict Cumberbatch. I have been a fan of his since I first saw the BBC version of Sherlock on Masterpiece Mystery, and he was great as the bad guy in this movie
The effects were also top notch, but did not overpower the story of the movie
The Bad:
Some people (not me) are complaining about the casting of Khan. They felt it should have gone to an Indian actor. I can see their point, but I think in a part where the dialogue and intonation are so vital, you want someone with perfect English in the role...and unfortunately I can not think of an Indian actor that could pull it off.
Plot hole. OK holes. The biggest for me was the demotion/promotion of Captain Kirk. He is punished in the beginning of the movie for violating the Prime Directive and "loses" the Enterprise. He goes to a bar and is informed there that he is actually just busted down to being the Executive Officer(XO) of the Enterprise. While at the bar he is called to Star Fleet HQ and after an attack there that kills the new captain is immediately made Captain of the Enterprise again and able to pull Spock back in as his XO. What kind of punishment was THAT?
Paula and I went to see Star Trek: Into Darkness over the weekend. We really needed a break after the events of the weekend so a movie seemed like a good idea. How was it? It was probably the best movie I have seen this year. Granted with this years movies, that might be damning with faint praise but it was a good movie. Were there problems with the movie? Sure. What movie doesn't have some problems? But for the most part it kept Paula and I engrossed for two and a half hours at a time we really needed to be distracted.
I meant this post to mainly be about the movie but I think I need to explain why we needed a break. It all began Saturday morning. About a year ago our hot water heater exploded causing about $30k in damages. We started noticing some similar "warning signs" last week and had the installers come out. They said the problem was with a hose that was blocking some piping, they had moved the hose and thought everything would be o.k. Well it turns out that hose was to our water softener and when it recycled water, all the pumped water caused a flood and ruined most of the ceilings in the bathroom and downstairs bedroom. This time we were lucky enough to be home so we could save the bedding, the floors and everything else, but the drywall is gone. We ended up paying a plumber to come out Saturday evening and just totally disconnect the water softener.
Sunday was difficult for different reasons. We ended up putting Buckeye to sleep Sunday afternoon. He had been a shell of his former self for the last few years and we decided to not drag it out longer than necessary. It was a very hard decision and Paula and I were both in tears, but we both felt it was the best option for him.
Anyway, after leaving the vets we decided we needed a distraction and the new Star Trek movie seemed the perfect solution.
The Good:
The cast was perfect lead by Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, and don't get me started on Benedict Cumberbatch. I have been a fan of his since I first saw the BBC version of Sherlock on Masterpiece Mystery, and he was great as the bad guy in this movie
The effects were also top notch, but did not overpower the story of the movie
The Bad:
Some people (not me) are complaining about the casting of Khan. They felt it should have gone to an Indian actor. I can see their point, but I think in a part where the dialogue and intonation are so vital, you want someone with perfect English in the role...and unfortunately I can not think of an Indian actor that could pull it off.
Plot hole. OK holes. The biggest for me was the demotion/promotion of Captain Kirk. He is punished in the beginning of the movie for violating the Prime Directive and "loses" the Enterprise. He goes to a bar and is informed there that he is actually just busted down to being the Executive Officer(XO) of the Enterprise. While at the bar he is called to Star Fleet HQ and after an attack there that kills the new captain is immediately made Captain of the Enterprise again and able to pull Spock back in as his XO. What kind of punishment was THAT?
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Am I Doing the RIGHT Thing
Once again I can't sleep and so I sit here writing into a blog that no one but me will ever read. Talk about depressing. As I look back on the last couple of weeks the common theme that keeps coming up is simple - am I doing the right thing?
My life has had its share of disappointments and stress, but things could have been a lot worse. Paula and Xander are always there to pick me up and I am not living in a car or something. So all told I have had a successful life. But through it all I really haven't had time to plan for anything or had the time to stress over details.
As a kid I was a Navy brat. We lived up and down the East Coast, but honestly it never really impacted me. Mom and Dad would come in, say we are moving to XYZ, I would pack and that would be it. Easy peasy. When I graduated college I moved to Houston, but again that was done over the course of about 2 weeks and so everything was rushed. When I moved back to Ohio, same thing. Moving to Alabama? Hired on October 4th, living here before Halloween.
That all leads us to now. I am moving my family to a city I haven't even picked out yet. On top of that I am rushed because we have to sell the house, but at the same time it is the longest period of time I have had to contemplate a move since I went away to college. What does that mean? It means all the little concerns I experience have all the time in the world to percolate into full blown fears. Are we making the right choice? Should we just stay here? Will the house sell? How will we live if it doesn't? Will I be able to get into classes easily at the new school? Will Paula be able to get a job? Will Xander like his new school? Will he make friends?
Don't get me wrong. I am excited about the opportunity that has presented itself. I hope I am up to the task - I think Corey will make sure I am before the end of the summer - but until I start there is just no way of knowing. I think someone with my temperament - a self proclaimed "jack of all trades" will be just what the lab needs to get started. But I wonder about that too. And I wonder about my coding skills, my abilities and my general lack of self confidence.
So what is the answer? I do not know. I think I am making the best decision for the long term. Is it the "safe" option? Probably not. There weren't really any safe options presented, all of them had a risk. Staying at UAB might have been the safe option, if I was sure they would continue to fund my position after Dr. Soni left. Would joining Corey have been the safe option? Maybe. I firmly believe in what he is looking to accomplish and I think they can do it, but that does not mean they will and I could not afford to work the hours required for the salary he was willing to pay. And so that leaves the option I took...open ended employment, lots of chances to do things right...all for the cost of moving from our home of the last ten years, pulling my wife from her job and my son from his friends.
So did I choose right?
My life has had its share of disappointments and stress, but things could have been a lot worse. Paula and Xander are always there to pick me up and I am not living in a car or something. So all told I have had a successful life. But through it all I really haven't had time to plan for anything or had the time to stress over details.
As a kid I was a Navy brat. We lived up and down the East Coast, but honestly it never really impacted me. Mom and Dad would come in, say we are moving to XYZ, I would pack and that would be it. Easy peasy. When I graduated college I moved to Houston, but again that was done over the course of about 2 weeks and so everything was rushed. When I moved back to Ohio, same thing. Moving to Alabama? Hired on October 4th, living here before Halloween.
That all leads us to now. I am moving my family to a city I haven't even picked out yet. On top of that I am rushed because we have to sell the house, but at the same time it is the longest period of time I have had to contemplate a move since I went away to college. What does that mean? It means all the little concerns I experience have all the time in the world to percolate into full blown fears. Are we making the right choice? Should we just stay here? Will the house sell? How will we live if it doesn't? Will I be able to get into classes easily at the new school? Will Paula be able to get a job? Will Xander like his new school? Will he make friends?
Don't get me wrong. I am excited about the opportunity that has presented itself. I hope I am up to the task - I think Corey will make sure I am before the end of the summer - but until I start there is just no way of knowing. I think someone with my temperament - a self proclaimed "jack of all trades" will be just what the lab needs to get started. But I wonder about that too. And I wonder about my coding skills, my abilities and my general lack of self confidence.
So what is the answer? I do not know. I think I am making the best decision for the long term. Is it the "safe" option? Probably not. There weren't really any safe options presented, all of them had a risk. Staying at UAB might have been the safe option, if I was sure they would continue to fund my position after Dr. Soni left. Would joining Corey have been the safe option? Maybe. I firmly believe in what he is looking to accomplish and I think they can do it, but that does not mean they will and I could not afford to work the hours required for the salary he was willing to pay. And so that leaves the option I took...open ended employment, lots of chances to do things right...all for the cost of moving from our home of the last ten years, pulling my wife from her job and my son from his friends.
So did I choose right?
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Iron Man 3
School is out for me, just waiting on grades and so my weekends, apart from housework are pretty open. I better enjoy it because summer school starts in about 3 weeks. Don't get me wrong - there is a lot of housework to get done. Especially with the move coming up.
Anyway, today, Paula, Xander and I took a break from housework to go see Iron Man 3 at the local theater. We went with one of Xander's friends, Dylan, and his dad to a early afternoon showing in 3-D. Xander really prefers to see movies in 3-D. If they are done well (which more are) 3-D adds to the enjoyment of the movie. Done poorly and it adds to the annoyance. This one was well done and I tended to enjoy the movie.
Iron Man 3 is a typical Marvel movie. It picks up at some point shortly after the events in the Avengers. Tony Stark is suffering from PTSD after the events of that movie and is afraid to sleep. During his downtime he has built a small army of Iron Man outfits. While this is going on a terrorist known only as 'The Mandarin' has emerged threatening the safety of the United States. Meanwhile, a woman (and honestly a man) from Tony's previous life as a booze hound has reentered his life. If you did not think all of those items were related, well you just having been paying attention. That is about all the plot I am going to go into but I will go into a couple of the problems I had with the movie. Both happen in the last quarter of the movie after Tony has uncovered all the myriad plots going on.
The first is the neutering of 'the Mandarin'. In the comics, Mandarin is one of Iron Man's chief villains. He was rated as the 81st best villain of all time, regardless of comic. In this movie he is a fraud. An actor hired to play a part and that just seems shortsighted. Here was a chance to give Tony a 'reuseable' villain in the same vein as Loki for Thor or Red Skull for Captain America (oh and raise your hand if you think we have seen the last of him). Instead the makers of this movie decide to make him a pawn of the real villains.
The second is the ending itself. Tony destroys all the suits, has the bomb shrapnel removed from his heart, and chucks the miniature arc reactor into the ocean. I know RDJ's contract is up after this movie, but did that mean they had to write themselves out of business. I mean I am sure Iron Man will show up in Avengers 2 but the way they ended this movie makes me wonder if there will ever be an Iron Man 4 - or if he will show up in Av3.
Anyway, today, Paula, Xander and I took a break from housework to go see Iron Man 3 at the local theater. We went with one of Xander's friends, Dylan, and his dad to a early afternoon showing in 3-D. Xander really prefers to see movies in 3-D. If they are done well (which more are) 3-D adds to the enjoyment of the movie. Done poorly and it adds to the annoyance. This one was well done and I tended to enjoy the movie.
Iron Man 3 is a typical Marvel movie. It picks up at some point shortly after the events in the Avengers. Tony Stark is suffering from PTSD after the events of that movie and is afraid to sleep. During his downtime he has built a small army of Iron Man outfits. While this is going on a terrorist known only as 'The Mandarin' has emerged threatening the safety of the United States. Meanwhile, a woman (and honestly a man) from Tony's previous life as a booze hound has reentered his life. If you did not think all of those items were related, well you just having been paying attention. That is about all the plot I am going to go into but I will go into a couple of the problems I had with the movie. Both happen in the last quarter of the movie after Tony has uncovered all the myriad plots going on.
The first is the neutering of 'the Mandarin'. In the comics, Mandarin is one of Iron Man's chief villains. He was rated as the 81st best villain of all time, regardless of comic. In this movie he is a fraud. An actor hired to play a part and that just seems shortsighted. Here was a chance to give Tony a 'reuseable' villain in the same vein as Loki for Thor or Red Skull for Captain America (oh and raise your hand if you think we have seen the last of him). Instead the makers of this movie decide to make him a pawn of the real villains.
The second is the ending itself. Tony destroys all the suits, has the bomb shrapnel removed from his heart, and chucks the miniature arc reactor into the ocean. I know RDJ's contract is up after this movie, but did that mean they had to write themselves out of business. I mean I am sure Iron Man will show up in Avengers 2 but the way they ended this movie makes me wonder if there will ever be an Iron Man 4 - or if he will show up in Av3.
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