My afternoon

Sold an old desktop computer on eBay yesterday for a little over $100 (yay). Now have to figure out how to erase hard drive (boo). Found free open-source software that will do it (yay). Copied it to CD from new computer, carried to old computer to install. Needs to connect to internet (boo). (Old computer is dial-up only!). Better to purchase reputable product from Best Buy ($20, boo). Came home, inserted CD, it ALSO needs to connect to internet (boo)! Tried connecting phone line... nothing. Oh, yeah, fried internal modem years ago in lightning storm (boo). Where did we put that external modem? Hmm, think we donated it (boo). Okay, try ethernet from newer cable modem we are now using. Nope, doesn't work (boo). Okay, how much would computer store charge to perform service? Umm, $75 (boo). Back to square one. Need a cheap modem. Almost out the door to Radio Shack but dark recesses of brain remembered old Bluetooth modem. Where did we put that? Hmm, found a Dynex Wireless dongle (don't ask). Doesn't look like a modem, but what the heck, plug it in. System recognized it (yay). Asked for accompanying CD (boo). Found CD in old storage (yay). Installed and connected to Apple Airport (yay!). Logged in and finally installed Drive Scrubber (yay). Rebooted three times (this old computer is GLACIAL!) before looking for more info at iolo.com to find I needed to change boot order (boo). Finally figured out how to do that and it is now "scrubbing"! Yay! (Maybe not worth $100+!). Tomorrow: packing and shipping!

I think there's less competition

Lately I've noticed something about my accounting class that seems a little different from last semester. The really smart kids aren't quite as smug. Can't put my finger on it, and maybe its just me and a shift in MY attitude, but I do hear the smart kids haggling more with the prof over a point here and there on a quiz or exam as though they think they're going to need that point when the final tally is made. They're still smart, just not so cocky now. Don't know if they're finding the material more challenging... I'm actually finding it just a sliver easier - maybe due to an adjustment downward in my expectations! Anyway, it's a refreshing change.

By throwing caution to the winds and allowing the department to place me in a random Business Communications class this semester, I ended up in a 3:30 pm class with the "PM Cohort" and learned something that seems so obvious now. I've always been a "morning person" - more energy and/or active brain cells happening before 10:00 am than anytime after. So my assumption was to select the "AM Cohort" preference on my Eller entrance paperwork. Turns out I'm SO MUCH happier to have mornings to STUDY and prepare for an afternoon classtime. Huh! Better late than never, I guess!

My summer classes are in place now. Macroeconomics in the super-condensed Pre-session (so I guess I'll learn a LOT about very LARGE economic theories in a very SHORT time period! Ack!). Then Summer One is my next accounting class - an elective: Intro to Federal Taxation. (Hoping this one will be a bit easier due to my H&R Block experience... hoping!) Then Summer Two is Quantitative Financial Management. I'll be available to analyze your portfolio in August... NOT!

Constant measuring is tedious

My second accounting exam is behind me and coming up next is the Business Communications writing assessment. Won't know until Monday how I did on accounting - she never releases the grades early; we have to suffer in a classroom of our peers as we are handed back our exams and peek nervously at the score hidden on page 8!

In the writing assessment, we are expected to study a business case this weekend and know enough about the basic elements of a local business to write a moderately complex business letter to match a specific issue we won't know until we walk into the classroom. Then we have an hour to analyze and craft our message.

Like Gilda Radner used to say, it's always something! The perpetual nature of learning - testing - learning - testing gets really old about this time of the semester. The end is in sight, but so much more to get through.

There is such a stark contrast between the cloud that hovers while studying for exams - especially the accounting ones - and the sunshine that appears when you leave the classroom after turning in your test. It doesn't really matter how well or poorly you've done on the exam, the sun is always shining at that moment because you have three or four days' rest before picking up the textbook to start the next chapter. And there's a renewal of hope as you determine to really study this time and do so much better on the next exam!

Wow, where'd the semester go?

Spring break is already over, and the semester is shrinking by the day! Just six weeks to go and probably the most difficult part yet to come.

Financial Accounting Part 2 is as hard as Part 1 was last semester, but with a different professor. I like both profs, actually. Had this one for Introductory Accounting in Fall 2008 (wow, that seems like forever ago!), so I'm already familiar with - and like - her teaching style. But the material is very difficult and we move much too fast for my liking. My first exam grade wasn't great, but was good enough to make the rest of the semester salvagable as long as I continue to work hard. Exam 2 is coming up fast, and Exam 3 (the Final) will be (horrors!) cumulative! (Ack, ya mean I gotta remember this stuff??!)

The Business Communications class, which I had somewhat dreaded, is actually fun. The professor is a kooky/likeable guy who isn't all that personally invested in the outcome of our collective performance (the way I heard some of the BNAD professors have been in the past... and present!). He's a professional writer by trade and has taught us a lot about condensing our writing and polishing up what I thought was pretty decent writing. We've covered routine, negative-news, and persuasive letters, memos, emails, formal reports, and a presentation. The group project is starting up now and it looks like I'm in a fun group.

Working at the H&R Block tax office around 15-25 hours a week cuts into my study time a bit, but I'm handling it. Enjoying seeing most of my repeat clients even though our numbers are down a bit overall this year. I'm anxious for April 15 to get here.

Took quiz #5 in accounting just this morning. Don't know yet how I did, but having that quiz score in the gradebook is something of a turning point in the semester. All future quizzes will only count if I score better than the first five (only our highest five scores count). I always like having that flexibility - and it helps (a little) with the old test-anxiety ogre that sits on my shoulder and tries to scramble my brain!

So it's onward and upward from here. Already planned out my summer sessions (all three of 'em), fall semester (just two classes), winter session (one class), and spring semester (two more). With any luck I'll graduate a year from this May and only have two "fun" sophomore-type classes to finish that summer after graduation. They let you graduate as long as your core courses are complete and you can finish up the leftovers in summer session.

I'm seeing a faint glow on the horizon, now!

Legos in college?

We're studying Process Selection and Facility Layout in Operations Management and yesterday we got to build with Legos! It really was a useful exercise that gave us hands-on practice with Cycle Times, Line Balancing, Precedence Diagrams, and, of course, teamwork. In teams of four, first we built the plane (pictured here) and took it apart a couple of times. Then we created a list of steps and put it into a precedence diagram so we knew what parts preceded which other parts. (This was a LOT harder than I thought!) We timed each step (on average it takes 3 seconds to pick up two Lego pieces and put them together). Prof gave us a cycle time of 25 seconds (this would be the station that took the longest time) and we assigned steps to each station based on the cycle time. This is called "balancing the line." We each took a station and sorted out the parts we each were responsible for. Although I insisted we needed to be sent to Las Vegas for a week of training, the prof wouldn't go for it and made us implement the line anyway. Dry run of the entire process showed that we hadn't quite balanced the line efficiently because two of the stations had too much idle time. Adjustments were made. Then each team was timed with winning team rewarded with leftover Christmas candy. We didn't win, but then we didn't lose, either. And we actually LEARNED something. Imagine that!