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Monday, April 21, 2008

Me and Statistics

Current Mood:
CC is listening to: Carousel--Jim Chappell (Coming Through)

I'm studying the Minitab 15 manual right now, which is software designed to "make statistics understandable to non-statisticians."

I'm on Chapter 3 and so far my verdict is: I hate statistics.

No, let me revise that--I hate that I can't seem to understand statistics, because I know that if I just understood it better, I would LOVE statistics. I've seen a lot of examples about the power of data--and it's terribly frustrating to me that I have such a difficulty grasping the concept of which test to use, and when.

In a nutshell--I hate how statistics makes me feel stupid :-).

Ah well. The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory.

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Friday, April 18, 2008

Did I Say June?

Current Mood:
CC is listening to: Something Left Behind--Jim Chappell (Acadia)

Did I say I was coming back in June? Make that next week :-). I'll be in Manila again last week of April into the first week of May :-).

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Monday, April 14, 2008

I Miss Visine Cool

Current Mood:
CC is listening to: Tender Ritual--Jim Chappell (Tender Ritual)

Grrr--why doesn't Pfizer make Visine Cool anymore?


I haven't been able to find it in Manila, and it doesn't seem to exist in the US. I'll have to see if there's a way I can get it online.

Why do I like Visine Cool? It has this menthol kind of feeling that definitely cools down your eyes, especially if they're all itchy from allergies (darn you, spring :-)). You know those menthol shampoos that cool your scalp when you use it? It's like that, only for your eyes :-). After I tried it, normal eye drops just don't do it for me anymore. It doesn't have actual menthol in it--as a matter of fact it just says "Each mL contains 0.05% tetrahydrozoline HCl in sterile isotonic solution," and I see that in practically all Visine products. I don't know what gives it its menthol-type feel, but it really helps :-).

Not too many people like it though--I told my brother Noel to try it one time when I was in Manila and as soon as one of the drops hit his eyes he quickly shut them, pressed his palms against his face and yelled, "AAaahh!! It BURRNNSS!!"

Steve doesn't like it either. First time HE tried it, he clomped around the apartment, hands to his face, saying, "Oh my GOD what's IN that thing?! Are you out of your MIND putting that on your eyes?!"

And I'm like, "Y'all are sissies, this stuff is great :-)."

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Sunday, April 13, 2008

Which Robotech Character are You?

Current Mood:
CC is listening to: an episode of CSI

Got this quiz from Garry's blog. I have NO clue who she is--she's one of the later characters. Oh well :-). At least I'm closer to Lisa Hayes than Lynn Minmei :-).




Which Robotech character are you most like?
created with QuizFarm.com
You scored as Annie LaBelle

Annie is a free-spirited, talkative orphan looking to live life to its fullest. She is obsessed with finding herself a boyfriend, although has little luck with her outgoing ways. While not the most skilled of the freedom fighters, Annie provides the spirit and energy for the group. She is always willing to lend a hand, regardless of whether she actually can do the task. She is willing to take on the Invid single-handed, if that is what is required.

Annie LaBelle



60%

Rick Hunter



50%

Lisa Hayes



50%

Scott Bernard



50%

Dana Sterling



40%

Max Sterling



40%

Lynn Minmei



40%

Nova Satori



30%

Lancer a.k.a. Yellow Dancer



20%

Marie Crystal



10%


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Monday, April 07, 2008

Back in the States

Current Mood:
CC is listening to: Stars in the Yard--Jim Chappell (Dusk)

I'm back :-)! I've gotten quite a few messages from friends asking me:
  • "How come you haven't blogged?"
  • "When are you going to blog again?" and,
  • "Can you blog about something OTHER than World of Warcraft?"
I was in Manila the past couple of weeks for work, and I had forgotten to bring my videocam with me :-(. Not too many pictures to post this time. But I can give you a rundown of what I did while I was over there :-)...

I arrived the weekend of Holy Week, which gave me a chance to be with family in Tagaytay for the weekend :-). I haven't been to Tagaytay in YEARS and I'm happy to say that it's just as relaxing over there as I remember, even with it having become a little bit more commercial. I spent a lot of my time napping :-D.

While I was in Manila I also got a chance to meet with some friends outside of work: one high school friend actually works at ePerformax as well, Kitch Dalma (who is one of our DIET Trainers), and we were finally able to spend a little time to say hello when we had the new trainer's space blessed on April 1 :-).

The day before I left for the States (which was a Saturday), I got a chance to meet a few of my college buddies for breakfast. Most of them are Steve's friends now too, and Steve said that he wished he was in Manila with me to see them again. I met with Meyan, her fiance Joy, Robin, and Calen (whom Steve hasn't met yet). Meyan's going to send me some pictures to post on the blog :-). It was great seeing everyone, and Calen left us in stitches with his Chinese "Meet my little brother" schtick :-).

CC and Meyan

Joy, CC, Robin, Calen

After that I met with Ana Estavillo, another high school friend, for lunch. I haven't seen her in years, and it was good reconnecting with her :-).

I didn't get a chance to meet Pebbles or Teacher Jed, but I hope to be able to see them on my next trip over. There's been some talk about me maybe coming back in June, but I'm not sure--will keep you posted :-).

One definite advantage about being given the opportunity to fly over as often as I have this past year is that I've hit Platinum Elite status on Northwest :-). Some of the benefits:
  • Can check in at the World Business Class counters at the airport (practically no waiting time checking in :-))
  • Your luggage gets tagged "Priority" (that means it'll be one of the first ones out of the plane when you land)
  • Priority business class upgrades depending on availability (I was upgraded to business class from Memphis-Minneapolis, Japan-Manila, Manila-Japan and Detroit-Memphis)
  • Access to the airport lounges for you and a guest on international itineraries (definitely made the waiting time much more manageable. I took advantage of the lounge shower facilities at the Detroit airport :-)).
  • 125% travel miles earned. If you fly someplace that's 50 miles away, you get credited 112.5 miles :-). Those miles will come in handy for free flights :-)
The only downside is you have to fly at least 75,000 miles a year to hit Platinum Elite (about 4 round trip Memphis-Manila flights), so I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep that status up after 2009. We'll see :-).

And just a TEENY update on World of Warcraft: I just hit level 40, have my horse (it looks really cool--its eyes and hooves are on fire), and was able to get a new pet :-).

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