Multicultural Grad School

So I am not the only one that noticed that I am minority in my graduate program.

Slashdot Post with interesting comments. The value in reading is in the comments.

I am not complaining as I believe there is much to be learned from folks that come from different and diverse cultures than my own. Inevitably someone has an alternate angle to attack a problem with.

Have a nice weekend,

BD

Jena 6 to Into the Wild

Some interesting tidbits from my part of the world. If you haven't heard the huge rallies for the Jena 6 have clogged the airways for the "Jena 6." I think some folks from my work even took the roadtrip up to protest but I have to wonder what they are truly protesting. I know Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are using this for a moment in the national spotlight and some hidden political agenda but what are the people truly protesting about?

Are they genuinely upset that the students were charged after mob beating of another student? Is this ok for teenage boys to do?

Are the upset because the assailants are black and the victim is white? Were the students reacting to the growing tension and insane crap in the small town? Is ganging up on one person and savagely beating them justified in the face of racial tension?

Do they believe that the students are getting too severe of punishment based on the color of their skin? Would they rally if it was six white students beating the crap out of a single black student? Would they in turn rally because the punishments were too lenient?

Are they upset that a FOUR time violent offender is getting treated and judged like an adult?

I think I will not understand why so many folks protested and walked on Jena until I understand why the United States has become such a racist country again. The pendulum has swung from one side of the spectrum to the other and I am here to tell you there is no such animal as Reverse Racism. It is just racism and it isn't justified regardless of what you think.

Here are a pair of brilliant individuals that did their little part to help ease the tensions of the Day. This might be in the realm of freedom of speech and venting frustration but these guys are MORONS.

With that little bit of disgust and confusion off my chest.

I am pleased to see that Sean Penn is adapting Into the Wild to the big screen.

Have a nice weekend,

Cobol Freelancer

Don't let the title trick you, there are no freelance jobs for Cobol programmers. Of course you could go the client facility or work for the local government whom always seems to have a mainframe stashed away. This is not what I am looking for nor what I have in my mind as an ideal freelancer position.

What I am looking for is a pure telecommute project that I can work on from home. I would devote a few hours here and a few hour there, maybe even a weekend afternoon. I know with the dwindling amount of Cobol literate folks out there that the need is present but I just don't know how to tap it.

If anyone knows some good sites with genuine good leads please clue a clueless dude in.

Have a nice night,

Outsourcing College Research to India

That darn book has me thinking again. The author spoke about outsourcing almost anything to a Virtual Assistant (VA) even personal items. I instantly thought about outsourcing my college research for papers to a Chinese or Indian VA. I thought it was brilliant. 4 dollars an hour? I think it is a great trade-off.

I think I am going to start an online business selling Nalgene bottles plus set up a site for my wife to start her own Customer Service online business.

Just thought I would get it down on paper.

Have a weekend that is good,

Fend for Yourself Friday

I just read an interesting article about what not to write in your blog if you don't want to get fired. I will have to read back through all my blogs over the years and make sure I haven't hung too much of my dirty laundry out for the public eye. It all seems like common sense but I guess we don't all possess that currency.

Well it is an utter surprise that I made it to training this morning as NO ONE CALLED TO WAKE ME. Now don't tell me that I am a 32 year old man and I should be able to get my own ass out of bed. I don't think I was the only one with that issue as one of the neighborhood boys had to poke his head into the house to scream to my youngest that the bus had arrived. Of course like a good parent I sprinted to the door in my underwear to make sure he had made the bus. The neighbor boy's mother was at the end of my driveway in her pajamas AGAIN, I am glad she didn't see me because that would have just started another one of those uncomfortable moments.

I might be long in the tooth and wordy in these blogs but I am really mastering the short email. I am taking some of those recommendations from 4-Hour Work Week and implementing them into my business life. I just wonder if I can leave my Out of Office responder up and running.

Have a nice weekend,

ps I have decided to donate my long hair to that wigs for kids organization.

Home Sweet Bloody Home

I know you might be expecting endless photos of Boston in this blog or post but someone forgot the camera in the last cab ride of the trip. Seeing that I went solo on this trip, you can guess who to point the finger of blame at. Yep it was the cabbie's fault.

Another important date has come and gone at work without different departments providing yours truly with the necessary SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) to do my part of the big picture. People will be mighty upset when I leave work tomorrow afternoon and their without their all-important documentation.

Another training in the morning to make the day an absolute waste of time. Hard to get into a productive rhythm when the world is up your ass kicking footballs.

So i did not return from Boston with Pictures and I really did not see much of the city. I took in the disappointing Museum of Fine Art which was operating at 50% efficiency with almost very exhibit all closed off for transition. I walked the Freedom Trail to Quincy Market seeing the grave of Samuel Adams on the way and the church where the Boston Tea Party kicked off. I racked up $150 in cab fares and spilled red wine on my hiking pants on two different occasions. I stayed in a Hotel that had rented out 100 of its rooms as dorms for Boston University. I had a beer at Cheers with Three New Friends. Already planning a trip to Puerto Rico with the Wife.

I did not buy a boat or river front property and my wish list of things to do has stayed the same. Maybe my idea to become fluent in French has just turned to German. Funny how random folks you sit beside in a boring class can give you an interesting outlook.

Sleep well all,
A written report and essay due Monday woo hoo. A toast to grad school and ungodly busy work.

DreamLine

This small exercise is from Tim Ferriss's book "The 4-Hour Workweek" and I think it is a toolkit that I am going to use to DreamLine my goals or at minimum enlighten my self-image. The exercise calls for you to pick up to five steps for each of the categories of Having, Being, and Doing. These are put into a six month and twelve month timeline but for this first attempt I am going to leave out the time. Tim demands that you be brutally honest with yourself and not put something down on the list because you think that is what someone else wants to read; be selfish.

Having (For me Own)

1. Water Property
2. Boat

Being (Skill)

1. Fluent in French

Doing (Accomplish)

1. Visit Scotland
2. Visit New Zealand
3. Climb Mount Rainier

I guess I am tired because this is a pathetic list. I am trying to aim for the stars and I am coming short.

Will Try again when we are awake,
Good Dreams

Curry Chicken In Boston

My meal was tasty don't get me wrong but it was lacking several important elements. The glaring element would be that not one of the components that I selected were unique to Boston. I believe this stems from my desire to stay close to a wide screen TV so I could satiate my need for football on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Also I believe my reluctance to do things solo is also a culprit.

Foods that I could eaten if I would have strolled away from the security blanket of my hotel:

New England Clam Chowder
Raw Oysters
Grinder

There is always tomorrow.

Happy Tomorrow Folks.

Ideas on Income - Passive, Primary versus Side

This is how I see it....

The ideal income would be Passive Income. This is what a high percentage of retired Americans use to fuel their retired lives. A 401k or some retirement plan of that nature. A growing number of unlucky Americans that live beyond the age of retirement are forced not to depend on this but instead of Primary Income. Understand that I am lumping Portfolio Income under this umbrella as you don't have to put effort into collecting a dividend check, interest off of savings, or royalties.

Now here are some sources of Passive Income that interest me:

• Dividends from stocks
• Royalties from writing a book
• Offering services that do not require your presence or interaction to complete the transaction (ie a web store that runs itself with minimal upkeep or even better upkeep that can be out-sourced to Hyderabad or Little Rock)

Primary Income is the salary that you draw for doing your daily grind and insane commute. Not much to say in that area except that some measures I am taking to increase my Passive Income in the future might increase my Primary Income in the short term like Education.

Side Income is working at WalMart to catch up on bills, tutoring after school kids in French, or anything above and beyond your regular 9-5 job.

So with this said, I am going to build my new wealth of Mobility and Adventure Time through new forms of Passive Income.

Ok now what? Where do I go? Anyone have a good story idea?

Back Again.... I think

It seems I was not totally back last time but I was in the middle of things like buying a house, moving into house, and shipping children off to visit their short father. I would be the tall father or the one we call "Bread Winner" or "Moral Compass."

Anyways....

I am back and this time around I have a plan. Well I don't have a plan quite yet but I have a destination in mind. The destination is 8-10 years down the road and of course there is no clear cut path to that destination but there is a goal... no dream.

Medium Goal (8-10 year mark)

• work for myself
• work a quarter of what I work now (40 / 4 = 10 hours a week which still might be high)
• spend a 1/3 of my time on vacation doing something that excites me

Short Term Goal (3-5 year mark)

• buy a boat and land on the river or whatever body of water we are near at the time
• visit Scotland

Drawbacks

• must move in 3-5 years to gain or expand experience in career field
• must find a way to distinguish myself from others in my field
• must pick the right education

Well as dreams go this is where we sit presently. Check back and see how we are doing from time to time. I might even come up with an interesting passive income to help finance my dreams.

disclaimer: All references to My or I really mean my wife and I.