The small things
Life is interesting about here. It's all about how well you can adjust to the small things. Like always having to wear pants to go eat, all the time. Shower stalls that are so small I always hit the temperature handle and get burned or froze every time I turn around. Bathroom stalls where my knees touch the walls. Food that doesn't quite agree with my stomach but has so far allowed me to lose 10 lbs in about 3 weeks. Dust on everything. No Taco Bell. Occasional rocket attacks. Pollen. Altitude. Only one basketball court. Slow internet. No ATMs.
Most of those are first world problems, so in this particular location, I'll take it. I get a chance to work on my leadership skills in a job that actually makes sense to put on a resume, unlike "Combat Engineer." I get to get healthy and fit again. I get to work on my jump shot. I get to practice violin and even perform a little at the open mic. I get to talk to my girl, my friends and my family. I get to save money. I get to plan for the future and research Grad schools and application requirements. I found a common application I can use to apply to 6 schools for $300 through an organization called the Consortium, and that is a huge time and money saver most schools seem to average about $75, Michigan is $200 by itself. They are an organization committed to helping more minorities get MBAs at top tier schools and their fellowship sounds like the real deal. It would allow me to look beyond the schools that participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, and maybe make staying in DC more of a reality. The area is growing on me. And I got my people here now.
In the news, I am tracking this story of Hackers hijacking the SWIFT network in order to send fake bank messages, enabling them to steal $81 Million from the Bank of Bangledesh's account at the NY FED. This is exactly the kind of event I was getting at in my short story, with hackers becoming so good at manipulating these kinds of bank messages, they become adept at making transactions and begin second careers as bankers themselves with the money they stole. SWIFT is not the only bank messaging service, but it carries the most global traffic by far. I'm not predicting its downfall....but I think its downfall will be an important part of the story I may or may not be still writing. I really do want to write it, though. I also want to do a couple exercises where I write LJ entries as characters from the story reacting to news or reacting to events that happen on the ground here. I think this place is definitely going to be in the back story for one of my characters, so I want to record as much detail as I can.
Randoms:
- I am watching Seasons 1-3 of Archer when I want to turn my brain off
- Reading Stephen King's collection: Full Dark, No Stars. Spoiler: It goes to a pretty dark place
- Playing a little Magic Online. I am really bad at the most recent set (Shadows over Innistrad)
- The Air Force found my missing Rucksack, which is amazing. I missed my knife, my extra workout clothes, my laser pointer and my Kool-Aid T-shirt, Oh Yeah!!!!
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Most of those are first world problems, so in this particular location, I'll take it. I get a chance to work on my leadership skills in a job that actually makes sense to put on a resume, unlike "Combat Engineer." I get to get healthy and fit again. I get to work on my jump shot. I get to practice violin and even perform a little at the open mic. I get to talk to my girl, my friends and my family. I get to save money. I get to plan for the future and research Grad schools and application requirements. I found a common application I can use to apply to 6 schools for $300 through an organization called the Consortium, and that is a huge time and money saver most schools seem to average about $75, Michigan is $200 by itself. They are an organization committed to helping more minorities get MBAs at top tier schools and their fellowship sounds like the real deal. It would allow me to look beyond the schools that participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, and maybe make staying in DC more of a reality. The area is growing on me. And I got my people here now.
In the news, I am tracking this story of Hackers hijacking the SWIFT network in order to send fake bank messages, enabling them to steal $81 Million from the Bank of Bangledesh's account at the NY FED. This is exactly the kind of event I was getting at in my short story, with hackers becoming so good at manipulating these kinds of bank messages, they become adept at making transactions and begin second careers as bankers themselves with the money they stole. SWIFT is not the only bank messaging service, but it carries the most global traffic by far. I'm not predicting its downfall....but I think its downfall will be an important part of the story I may or may not be still writing. I really do want to write it, though. I also want to do a couple exercises where I write LJ entries as characters from the story reacting to news or reacting to events that happen on the ground here. I think this place is definitely going to be in the back story for one of my characters, so I want to record as much detail as I can.
Randoms:
- I am watching Seasons 1-3 of Archer when I want to turn my brain off
- Reading Stephen King's collection: Full Dark, No Stars. Spoiler: It goes to a pretty dark place
- Playing a little Magic Online. I am really bad at the most recent set (Shadows over Innistrad)
- The Air Force found my missing Rucksack, which is amazing. I missed my knife, my extra workout clothes, my laser pointer and my Kool-Aid T-shirt, Oh Yeah!!!!
242