Im a pretty pretty princess!

You Are Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

04.29.05 6:48am(0 comments)

Oh fuck a bunch of that….

You know, Mr. Gates, I've been really trying to defend your honor to my linux zealot friends for some time now. How could you betray me? While many love your desktop OS, exchange server, sql server, and active directory with group policy management, I, in particular, may just throw all of that away since you've decided that you need to import all of your talent instead of hiring from an already depressed workforce. However, you are a smart guy, realizing that karma is a bitch, therefore donating so much to charity (hopefully not just for tax purposes, but maybe, just maybe, because you are a decent man). Lets hope, for your sake, that karma takes that into account when she turns on you. She is a bitch after all :)

04.28.05 7:04am(2 comments)

Brain Dump

Taking a break from some db work, I let my mind wander as it is want to do after I've been elbow deep in sql for an extended amount of time. Usual topics range anywhere from the menial day to day planning to more broader life pontification. Today I went for the latter. Additionally, in an effort to keep sane, and to appease the readership of kristyland, I'll use these breaks to do a little brain dump-esque posting. Might as well just keep a window open and fill it occasionally throughout the day. Who knows, this might even help me focus! Good for the company, says I. Gotta get all this stuff out of my head so that I can put more info in :) Hold on folks, this is going to be a bumpy ride.

I've made it, ya' know, accomplishing most of my goals. I graduated with a degree, maintained a great relationship, got a good job, got some experience, learned about life, grew up a little, got a better job, got out of Ohio, and have structured for myself what I would consider a happy existance. So, uh.. now what? Yeah I could lose a little weight, settle down, pop out a few, etc., but those don't really seem like big life changing goals (other than the weight loss thing, which I'm already doing), but more like things that just eventually happen. I've always had this aim of self improvement, so what am I going to do now that I've done a lot of what I've already wanted to do? Expand my hobbies, take up a new instrument, do some charitable work, fight for a cause, go back to school... Hey, that's a good idea.

Being the selfish bitch that I am, since my job is to use technology to fight for a charitable cause, and also since I already have too many hobbies, the choice is clear. Maybe I should go back to school, and by school, I don't mean just a masters degree but maybe some certification courses as well. There are a lot of issues to be weighed when making a decision of this nature, but I think I've got a pretty good idea of what I want to do and a really good idea of what I don't want to do.

I don't want the stigma associated with having certifications, but since all of the employers want them, I would like to have them. I'm not looking for jobs and won't be for a very long time, but it just seems to be *the* thing to have. Although, among IT professionals, having 4 letters after your name really only means that you paid to go to a training course. Unfortunately, MCSE usually means that you don't know shit. Since I know my shit, I don't want to be associated with those who don't. However, the cert people as well as the untalented IT people have convinced employers that you only know stuff if you have a certification (which is so completely untrue). So, to be respected by my employers or my peers. Odd situation to be in.

There's always a masters degree, respected by both employers and peers. Although there's always that 'book learnin' ideology to contend with. Anyway, I don't want to get an MBA and become a business monkey. I don't want to get a CS degree and be a programmer. So, I took a look around and found MITP at Northwestern, which would be an ideal program. 2 years, comprised of 3, 10 week quarters a year, of saturday classes only and $56,000 of my hard earned cash which would pay for tuition, fees, books, supplies, support, as well as meals and snacks during the saturday classes, would get me a shiny Masters of Science in Information Technology from northwestern, complete with the ability to wear purple regalia (I think). But I'd have to take the GRE. And, if you didn't already know, not only do I get test anxiety pretty badly, but also when it comes to standardized tests I'm definitely left brained which doesn't help me in the least.

DePaul also has their computing and telecommunications school campus located right downtown, a few blocks from where I work. I could go there and get a Masters in Information Systems, but it would take me longer, I'd have to go in the evenings, and I wouldn't get to wear any purple :( Im sure they're just as expensive.

Hrm, well it's getting close to quitting time and it looks like I've been able to maintain at least some sort of flow in my mini brain dumps. They'll be more random in the future, I promise :)

04.27.05 4:25pm(1 comment)

Well, if I don’t say so myself…

Your Linguistic Profile:

80% General American English

10% Yankee

5% Dixie

5% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

04.24.05 10:34pm(4 comments)

Oh… that…

I was reminded today of a conversation of note between Tom and I that took place during my first full weekend in Chicago:

me: "Oh (disgustedly).. Oh that... I almost forgot about that..."

Tom: "What's that?"

me: "Patchouli"

Yes, I understand that you want to be all natural and patchouli is all the rave between you and your dirty hippy brethren. But honestly people, who's bright idea was it that taking a fucking rotting tree root and rubbing it all over your body would actually make you smell good? Come on!

04.19.05 2:37pm(8 comments)