(no subject)
it's a new year, so i figure a new update is due. there's been a lot going on, with most of it being good, but that means this entry will be long. savor it, because at my current pace, there won't be another until flowers are blooming. i'll just stick to the somewhat tabular format:
- yesterday i began my 14th and final semester of college. when this semester is over, i'll have amassed 208 credit hours and have a bachelor of science in civil and environmental engineering, a minor in general business and a master of business administration. it's been a good run and i hope this semester makes a nice ending for my time in tuscaloosa.
- now that i've got that out of the way, i guess i'll mention that i'm considering earning another masters. this one would be in operations management and if i completed it at UA, i would need to take about 8 classes, which could be done part-time and over the internet. i could be earning another masters degree online at night while working full-time in another city. better still, if i could convince the company i was working for to pay for it, i'd be in good shape. that's still a ways off, but i like most of the OM faculty here and since i've had to sit through several classes being recorded for online students, i figure i might as well take advantage of the program.
- i realize that most of those who read this aren't into football that much, i but i figured i'd at least mention that i was on the national broadcast of the cotton bowl for a few seconds during a timeout before alabama kicked the field goal that beat texas tech in dallas on january 2. unfortunately, i haven't actually seen the video, so if anyone has access to a tape of the game, i'd greatly appreciate the opportunity to make a copy for myself.
- speaking of the game, it was a truly impressive performance by the alabama defense. i just wanted to give it just deserves.
- prior to being in dallas, i spent new year's in houston, tx. it was my first time in that city, the fourth largest in the nation. it didn't seem like a bad place, but our visit was made great being hosted by good people. it was good to spend some time on the road in places i had never driven. beyond baton rouge on i-10 and the drive from houston to dallas was all new for me.
- immediately after driving back from dallas, i was on the road again, but for the familiar drive to nashville. we flew with patrick and erin to washington dc to spend a few days in the nation's capital. i hadn't been to dc since 8th grade, so it was nice to go and see some landmarks again, but on my own schedule. the one drawback was there was no snow. it was cold enough for snow, but there was none, just very cold air pushed by very cold wind. we were entertained by our favorite northern irish couple, which was constantly amusing. washington is a great place. i liked the city much more than i thought i would, but for more than the monuments, memorials and other historical sites. i'm not sure if i'd want to live there, but if given the necessary finances, i can see how a suburban life in northern virginia might be nice, complete with metro ride into the district. i guess that's why so many people live that exact life.
- i attended my first wedding on a wednesday over the break. it was also my first catholic wedding and the first time i've attended a wedding that coincided with the anniversaries of both the bride's parents and the groom's. it was nice. and long. but nice would be the prevailing emotion.
- i went to the casinos in philadelphia, mississippi for the second time at the beginning of the break. it was a good time and i actually won $27.50 on a video blackjack machine. i also sacrificed myself to the true attraction at silver star and golden moon resort, the all-night buffet.
- patrick and i attended the seattle seahawks/tennessee titans game in nashville on the sunday after finals. it was my first NFL game, which also made it the first NFL game i attended with tickets acquired through the cheerleading squad of an NFL team. safe to say, we still picked up our tickets at will-call just like everyone else. to make a long story short, the seahawks won and shaun alexander had about 165 yards rushing. overall, a good day.
- throw in some family travel, and the Christmas break was full of travel for me, some more exciting than others. to recap for my own sake, here's the rundown:
12/15: tuscaloosa/birmingham
12/16: birmingham
12/17: birmingham/alberville/nashville
12/18: nashville/birmingham/philadelphia, ms
12/19: philadelphia/tuscaloosa/birmingham
12/20 through 12/24: birmingham
12/25: birmingham/alberville/birmingham
12/26: birmingham
12/27: birmingham/huntsville
12/28: huntsville/birmingham
12/29: birmingham
12/30: birmingham/tuscaloosa/houston
12/31: houston
1/1: houston/dallas
1/2: dallas/tuscaloosa
1/3: tuscaloosa/birmingham/nashville
1/4: nashville/washington dc
1/5 and 1/6: washington dc
1/7: washington dc/nashville/birmingham
1/8 and 1/9: birmingham
1/10: birmingham/tuscaloosa
now thats out of the way, so i'll apologize for taking up so much friends page space. if you didn't see me over the break, this listing might give you an indication of why. i did get to see a good many people, including several high school friends. that was good.
- if there had more time to do so during the break, i might have been able to not have this long a list of movies i'd still like to see: harry potter 4, munich, narnia, capote, match point, king kong and the ice harvest. i'd also like to rent the constant gardner and a very long engagement. one movie i definitely don't want to see in any form is alexander. the few minutes i saw on tv in dc was terrible to a whole new degree.
i'll stop for now, but there'll be something much more compact, but still tabular, coming very soon. look for that.
- yesterday i began my 14th and final semester of college. when this semester is over, i'll have amassed 208 credit hours and have a bachelor of science in civil and environmental engineering, a minor in general business and a master of business administration. it's been a good run and i hope this semester makes a nice ending for my time in tuscaloosa.
- now that i've got that out of the way, i guess i'll mention that i'm considering earning another masters. this one would be in operations management and if i completed it at UA, i would need to take about 8 classes, which could be done part-time and over the internet. i could be earning another masters degree online at night while working full-time in another city. better still, if i could convince the company i was working for to pay for it, i'd be in good shape. that's still a ways off, but i like most of the OM faculty here and since i've had to sit through several classes being recorded for online students, i figure i might as well take advantage of the program.
- i realize that most of those who read this aren't into football that much, i but i figured i'd at least mention that i was on the national broadcast of the cotton bowl for a few seconds during a timeout before alabama kicked the field goal that beat texas tech in dallas on january 2. unfortunately, i haven't actually seen the video, so if anyone has access to a tape of the game, i'd greatly appreciate the opportunity to make a copy for myself.
- speaking of the game, it was a truly impressive performance by the alabama defense. i just wanted to give it just deserves.
- prior to being in dallas, i spent new year's in houston, tx. it was my first time in that city, the fourth largest in the nation. it didn't seem like a bad place, but our visit was made great being hosted by good people. it was good to spend some time on the road in places i had never driven. beyond baton rouge on i-10 and the drive from houston to dallas was all new for me.
- immediately after driving back from dallas, i was on the road again, but for the familiar drive to nashville. we flew with patrick and erin to washington dc to spend a few days in the nation's capital. i hadn't been to dc since 8th grade, so it was nice to go and see some landmarks again, but on my own schedule. the one drawback was there was no snow. it was cold enough for snow, but there was none, just very cold air pushed by very cold wind. we were entertained by our favorite northern irish couple, which was constantly amusing. washington is a great place. i liked the city much more than i thought i would, but for more than the monuments, memorials and other historical sites. i'm not sure if i'd want to live there, but if given the necessary finances, i can see how a suburban life in northern virginia might be nice, complete with metro ride into the district. i guess that's why so many people live that exact life.
- i attended my first wedding on a wednesday over the break. it was also my first catholic wedding and the first time i've attended a wedding that coincided with the anniversaries of both the bride's parents and the groom's. it was nice. and long. but nice would be the prevailing emotion.
- i went to the casinos in philadelphia, mississippi for the second time at the beginning of the break. it was a good time and i actually won $27.50 on a video blackjack machine. i also sacrificed myself to the true attraction at silver star and golden moon resort, the all-night buffet.
- patrick and i attended the seattle seahawks/tennessee titans game in nashville on the sunday after finals. it was my first NFL game, which also made it the first NFL game i attended with tickets acquired through the cheerleading squad of an NFL team. safe to say, we still picked up our tickets at will-call just like everyone else. to make a long story short, the seahawks won and shaun alexander had about 165 yards rushing. overall, a good day.
- throw in some family travel, and the Christmas break was full of travel for me, some more exciting than others. to recap for my own sake, here's the rundown:
12/15: tuscaloosa/birmingham
12/16: birmingham
12/17: birmingham/alberville/nashville
12/18: nashville/birmingham/philadelphia, ms
12/19: philadelphia/tuscaloosa/birmingham
12/20 through 12/24: birmingham
12/25: birmingham/alberville/birmingham
12/26: birmingham
12/27: birmingham/huntsville
12/28: huntsville/birmingham
12/29: birmingham
12/30: birmingham/tuscaloosa/houston
12/31: houston
1/1: houston/dallas
1/2: dallas/tuscaloosa
1/3: tuscaloosa/birmingham/nashville
1/4: nashville/washington dc
1/5 and 1/6: washington dc
1/7: washington dc/nashville/birmingham
1/8 and 1/9: birmingham
1/10: birmingham/tuscaloosa
now thats out of the way, so i'll apologize for taking up so much friends page space. if you didn't see me over the break, this listing might give you an indication of why. i did get to see a good many people, including several high school friends. that was good.
- if there had more time to do so during the break, i might have been able to not have this long a list of movies i'd still like to see: harry potter 4, munich, narnia, capote, match point, king kong and the ice harvest. i'd also like to rent the constant gardner and a very long engagement. one movie i definitely don't want to see in any form is alexander. the few minutes i saw on tv in dc was terrible to a whole new degree.
i'll stop for now, but there'll be something much more compact, but still tabular, coming very soon. look for that.