This weekend sucks. I thought I had things planned out, but it all fell apart in the end, so I spent two days on my own. Watching some DVDs, catching up with some work, reading some magazines, etc. I am hoping next weekend will be better.
The work is still the good old work. I am definitely getting more comfortable with the types of work we do: a lot of estimates and thinking on the feet. Good-bye, my 95% confidence interval, I do not expect to meet you any time soon again. On the other hand, as the problem-solving on the project gets more and more to the end, I find my way of thinking fits better and better. That's something to feel good about.
Talking about confidence interval, I got an R&R for my paper from Social Forces. Now I have two single-authored R&R in pockets, and I just do not bother to do it any more. Just want to put it out here, in case my readers want to jump on my bandwagon and do the rest of shitty work and co-author these two papers. One about educational stratification 1949-1978, and the other about elite competition 1949-1996.
As you may already know, I am quite narcissistic. I Google myself once a while, So I typed in "Songhua Hu" today and found that I am beating out the lake of "Songhua Hu" as well as a "Dr. Songhua Hu," Chair of Animal Sciences from Zhejiang University. Pretty cool to stay ahead of animal researchers. Of course, the one that followed is my "pimp my date" site. Here is the whole thing why I Googled myself. I got an email today from a friend, asking whether the website was a joke. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was a joke. It is also my problem, because I can never say it is NOT a joke. I am not sure how I am feeling about being single at the age of 30. I can see an irony here. I believe I am okay with it, but at the same time I suspect that it is a lie that I have rationally convinced myself to be okay with. For me being myself, I can never sort out this simple puzzle. I hope I am not confuse you here. Long story short, I am convinced that sometimes people Google my name (or that Dr. animal research). It makes me feel I am still relevant in some way.
There are two friends visiting me this week, one from William's College and one all the way from California. It is good to be with friends, and hey, thanks for visiting.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Work and life
Work is hard. In my last job, the work was so easy that I got restless. Now it is the opposite. For two weeks in the end of September, my time of sleep was an average of 5 hours a day, including one weekend. I was pretty burned out in the end. I thought that those scary stories of consulting was urban legend. How naive was I! On the bright side, however, I think I have adapted quite well. As a person born to work rather than live a full life, I did not feel I lost too much.
But it is educational. Now I see my leisure time in different light. I am no longer satisfied wasting my weekends watching TV or surfing internet. I feel my time deserves better things. So I reach out, trying not to be left alone (being alone is my natural tendency). So yesterday I was volunteering in Rosie's place, a shelter for homeless women. To be honest, it is totally out of selfish reason. Just try to be with people, and they think I was a giving guy. How nice. I then went to lunch with some of my co-workers and talked about some office politics. I went back home and watched some football. Then I went out with my neighbor and his friend for dinner. That was my perfect Saturday.
Today is a little less impressive. I was working in Starbucks in the morning. In the afternoon, I went out for a run. I broke my running record. I was planning for 8 miles initially. Then I felt good, so I kept going. Somehow I got lost, so I ran even more to get back. The final mileage is 11.3 miles. In the end, my heart and lungs were just fine, but my leg muscles gave up in the end. I am recovering now. The thing is, when the job is stressful, the pain from running becomes relatively dull. If I can get out for a run to wipe out all the stress, the pain becomes a small price to pay. Quite a good deal in the end. Not only I got some exercise, but I also got the glory of being a record-breaker.
It is getting cold here. Today the heat was turned on, so I know the winter is coming soon. This coming weekend I plan to have meal with my good friend and her boyfriend. Also, I might go drive out with my friends to see the leaves turning colors. As I grow up, I finally begin to understand the small joy, like enjoying the nature. On the flip side, however, what happens to life's big dreams?
But it is educational. Now I see my leisure time in different light. I am no longer satisfied wasting my weekends watching TV or surfing internet. I feel my time deserves better things. So I reach out, trying not to be left alone (being alone is my natural tendency). So yesterday I was volunteering in Rosie's place, a shelter for homeless women. To be honest, it is totally out of selfish reason. Just try to be with people, and they think I was a giving guy. How nice. I then went to lunch with some of my co-workers and talked about some office politics. I went back home and watched some football. Then I went out with my neighbor and his friend for dinner. That was my perfect Saturday.
Today is a little less impressive. I was working in Starbucks in the morning. In the afternoon, I went out for a run. I broke my running record. I was planning for 8 miles initially. Then I felt good, so I kept going. Somehow I got lost, so I ran even more to get back. The final mileage is 11.3 miles. In the end, my heart and lungs were just fine, but my leg muscles gave up in the end. I am recovering now. The thing is, when the job is stressful, the pain from running becomes relatively dull. If I can get out for a run to wipe out all the stress, the pain becomes a small price to pay. Quite a good deal in the end. Not only I got some exercise, but I also got the glory of being a record-breaker.
It is getting cold here. Today the heat was turned on, so I know the winter is coming soon. This coming weekend I plan to have meal with my good friend and her boyfriend. Also, I might go drive out with my friends to see the leaves turning colors. As I grow up, I finally begin to understand the small joy, like enjoying the nature. On the flip side, however, what happens to life's big dreams?
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Hub on wheels and oxford university
I have not posted photos for a while. Here are some.
I did a bike ride as part of Hub on Wheels. I am in the starting line.
I went to Oxford last week and took some pictures in my morning run and in the training station.
I did a bike ride as part of Hub on Wheels. I am in the starting line.
I went to Oxford last week and took some pictures in my morning run and in the training station.
My friend: Callow
I started this entry on my laptop on Sept 3, but my crazy work schedule caught up and I did not have much since. We just finished a workshop and now it is time to take a breath. Let me finish this one first and then I will talk about my work and my travel.
Yesterday (Sept 2), I sent away my roommate (probably my last roommate in my whole life). We had a rental car (fricking big Ford Taurus), and we drove all the way to William’s college from Boston. Let me call him Callow.
Callow was born in China. His parents are both academics. His father is in US, and his mother stays in China. Talking about potential marital problems. Anyway, I am not gossipy enough to probe that. Who cares about his parents.
I met his dad once, when he flew from Florida to Boston to see his son. That day I was in kitchen cooking with only underwear. A little embarrassed to see a “Jia Zhang” like that. I put on my clothes and had a chat. The next morning, we had breakfast together. When his father was around, Callow did not talk too much. And his father still treats him like a little kid.
If I have to use one word to describe Callow, he is socially awkward (okey, two words). He does not have the mental readiness to chit-chat. A big nerd indeed. I think I have three majors in college, plus doing all the extracurricular activities. He worked in a hedge fund this summer in Boston, probably in an effort to confirm to the Asian stereotype: always shooting for the most respected and high-paid job. Obviously, that job does not work out too well for him. He did not tell too much about the job, but since he was paid by hours, he had a tendency to flake for one day or two each week. That's how I tell he does not like the work too much.
He is obsessed with Salsa. Twice a week, he would go to Salsa clubs. I am not sure why he liked it so much, but in a way, I can totally relate, as I probably had the same reason to get involved with drama and dance. Lack of artistic genes, we tried to stake it out and prove that we can indeed do it. For me, it was great memory, but never life-changing as I subconsciously expected. I am not so sure about Callow's expectation, but hey, good luck with it. He said he would like to teach Salsa classes in William's College, maybe even find a girlfriend there.
Callow was very good at computer programming. He coded a python script that connect several data sources so that he can listen to all GRE vocabulary on subway. He knows quite a bit about string theory. He will take GRE this year, and is ready for graduate school with his good grades and three majors. A total overachiever.
On Sept 2, we had this long road trip together. It was quite fun. We stopped by a Wal-mart to get some stuff. For me, a bunch of kitchen stuff. For him, it was to pick up a fan. I am not kidding, but it took him 45 minutes to pick a fan. Probably all the mathematical equations went through his mind in an effort to analyze the cost and benefit of each fan model (econ and math are two of his triple majors). After we checked out, he realized there was even a cheaper model displayed in the checkout aisle. He returned the one he picked and got the other way. That way he saved one more dollar. I am not writing this episode condescendingly. I am writing it because it is just like me, who will spend tons of time to make financially sound decision, even in retrospective to be not worth it.
Yesterday (Sept 2), I sent away my roommate (probably my last roommate in my whole life). We had a rental car (fricking big Ford Taurus), and we drove all the way to William’s college from Boston. Let me call him Callow.
Callow was born in China. His parents are both academics. His father is in US, and his mother stays in China. Talking about potential marital problems. Anyway, I am not gossipy enough to probe that. Who cares about his parents.
I met his dad once, when he flew from Florida to Boston to see his son. That day I was in kitchen cooking with only underwear. A little embarrassed to see a “Jia Zhang” like that. I put on my clothes and had a chat. The next morning, we had breakfast together. When his father was around, Callow did not talk too much. And his father still treats him like a little kid.
If I have to use one word to describe Callow, he is socially awkward (okey, two words). He does not have the mental readiness to chit-chat. A big nerd indeed. I think I have three majors in college, plus doing all the extracurricular activities. He worked in a hedge fund this summer in Boston, probably in an effort to confirm to the Asian stereotype: always shooting for the most respected and high-paid job. Obviously, that job does not work out too well for him. He did not tell too much about the job, but since he was paid by hours, he had a tendency to flake for one day or two each week. That's how I tell he does not like the work too much.
He is obsessed with Salsa. Twice a week, he would go to Salsa clubs. I am not sure why he liked it so much, but in a way, I can totally relate, as I probably had the same reason to get involved with drama and dance. Lack of artistic genes, we tried to stake it out and prove that we can indeed do it. For me, it was great memory, but never life-changing as I subconsciously expected. I am not so sure about Callow's expectation, but hey, good luck with it. He said he would like to teach Salsa classes in William's College, maybe even find a girlfriend there.
Callow was very good at computer programming. He coded a python script that connect several data sources so that he can listen to all GRE vocabulary on subway. He knows quite a bit about string theory. He will take GRE this year, and is ready for graduate school with his good grades and three majors. A total overachiever.
On Sept 2, we had this long road trip together. It was quite fun. We stopped by a Wal-mart to get some stuff. For me, a bunch of kitchen stuff. For him, it was to pick up a fan. I am not kidding, but it took him 45 minutes to pick a fan. Probably all the mathematical equations went through his mind in an effort to analyze the cost and benefit of each fan model (econ and math are two of his triple majors). After we checked out, he realized there was even a cheaper model displayed in the checkout aisle. He returned the one he picked and got the other way. That way he saved one more dollar. I am not writing this episode condescendingly. I am writing it because it is just like me, who will spend tons of time to make financially sound decision, even in retrospective to be not worth it.
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