Dulcet

Bears are NFC North Champions!!

I just got myself a Switch in prep for the new Smash Bros Ultimate game. I’ve been playing Octopath Traveler on it so far and it’s a great JRPG. I was sad to give up my Wii U but all my favorites (like Bayonetta & Mario Kart) are on the Switch as well. @Timberwolf what’s your friend code?

I’m finally getting the hang of this grad school stuff that’s been kicking my ass lately. All my late work grades came in yesterday so it was nice to know I’m not failing.

Water. Actually I bought this soda stream thing that has been helping me lose weight by kicking my pop addiction.

@Timberwolf I’d check again.

I know I was just bragging that we’re in first.

@Timberwolf what’s that number in the third column? Mitch is still our QB and the football gods have granted us first place in NFC North Week 3. I can say no one expected this, but I’m ok with that. Also @Ren, somewhere Tim Russert is smiling. Go Bills!!!

It’s online at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). I would go brick and mortar but most data science programs are online and those around here that have it aren’t well established. I got to peek inside my classroom this week and I’m excited. I’ll soon be able to fiddle with datasets and I’ll post stuff here and on my site. I bought a domain but it’s under construction now but when I have stuff to post I’ll probably duo-post it here as well via blog. My first two grad classes are Project Management and Foundations of Data. I’m nervous because I tested out of stats and the basic IT crap since my undergrad was in IT. So far the people posting have at least a decade of industry experience. But I’ll be ok. I prepped pretty well these last few months. I wish you luck @fox in your graduate endeavor.

Words cannot describe my happiness right now. I’ll be starting grad school in October to pursue data analytics. I’ve been in school since 2004. It’s kinda my favorite topic. I recently completed my bachelors in IT. Student advisers are why. So much props to you for taking on that role. Seriously, you’re awesome. I’m a bit nervous going into grad school as this time I actually have to get one of those gigs that actually pays money. But data science is hot so I’m not too worried. But I can say being an online student gets lonely. Lots of people hate communicating so group projects suck. @fox is your school online or brick and mortar?

Load on the meats and cheese. I can tolerate anchovies actually. Pineapple? As long as its combined with something else.

I like the Marvel shows over the movies. Even with cheese like Iron Fist and Luke Cage, I still like the side character stories they let crossover (Claire, Hogarth, & Turk). Particularly, the end of Jessica Jones Season 2 was interesting because something very important develops in my opinion. But yes, overall it's gotten boring.

I’ve been obsessively playing Fire Emblem: Tokyo Mirage Sessions it is quite possibly the girliest game imaginable where the US took out all the scantily clad scenes. The plot is not the draw. The dialogue is hilariously cheesy and very much airheaded. However, the game combines the best of the Fire Emblem series as well as ATLUS’ Shin Megami Tensei making the battle system absolutely the BEST. And I’ve played all the top rated Final Fantasy battle systems, which I still find dumb. The DLC I just bought for Mirage Sessions is even more amazing. You can level up super fast but that doesn’t mean you cheat. The actual character levels mean less. Stage Rank is hard to level up even with the DLC and that unlocks more and means more to the main story. It’s essentislly revolving around pop idols so there are a lot of singing sequences and overly hyped masculinity in the two male cast members I’ve encountered. I just ordered more games for my 2DS XL: Metroid II: Samus Returns (Deluxe Edition) Zelda: Link to the Past Zelda: Link Beteen Worlds Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked I also have Bravely Default which is nice but it requires help from friends to make leveling fun. That’s why I was hungry for something different.

I’m loving it in mobile form. Very classy. After two years of what my school called a message board, it’s nice to have standards back.

Made a bunch of Happy Graduation to Me purchases in the video game department. Still within my budget!!

My capstone project grade. My area of expertise being right and not knowing hardware finally paid its reward.

Completing my bachelor's degree has always been one of my long term goals. My health, living situation, and drive have been major road blocks along the way, but now finally i can take my hands off the wheel and coast to graduation. My degree is in Information Technology with a Specialization in Software Analysis and Design. Most of the people I go to school with are already employed in the field one way or another and just need a piece of paper to advance their career. Me, I only come from retail experience and what professional experience I do have, no one cares for it being that I have no certifications. When people hear I'm in IT they immediately assume I can do X, Y, and Z to their computer and fix it or create stunning websites on the fly or for free. Nope, I'm a dumbass on hardware. Utter dumbass, self admitted. Do I know terminology, yes. But my hands get sweaty pretty quick and wet hardware is not so sexy. My area of expertise is more regarding software, but not programming. Let me explain specifically what I mean by the class I'm currently in. Buy the end of it I'll get to my point so you have some context. In our capstone class we were assigned the mother of all group projects. Each class is 5 weeks long and this was no different except we had to contribute each week individually and to the group. The scenario was as follows: Pretty daunting right? Other specializations in our IT cohort are Network Administration, Digital Investigations, and Information Assurance and Security. I was coming in from the software end. My three group mates were networking/hardware guys. So we were evenly stacked and they were very heavy on the hardware end as far as specs and network topology goes. Each of us contributed equally to the project and we each pulled our own weight. One person was assigned to each area: networking, security, and hardware, software. Some groups had less tow work with so it was nice having all areas covered and all group members actively participating. Week 4 was my area in software and it was my time to shine. Being the lone software expert in the group, I felt the weight on my shoulders. My group had done a stellar job on their ends and my end only had one week and then we got out grade. My end involved the functionality of the proposal. Here's the important part. i may specialize in software development, but coding is NOT my forte. NO CODING WAS REQUIRED FOR THIS. This made me happy because I knew that meant diagrams. Attached below are the diagrams I created for the project. Which I'm damn fucking proud of: We ended up with an A. Now here's my point. I hated doing all that. I hated working with folks that dreaded any form of communication and refused to let down their ego. With the exception of this last group, that was the norm. The diagrams may be fancy, but they were too easy. Data science has always fascinated me since I took an independent study course at my community college. Yes I could go out and pursue software development but I hate coding and I hate all that I learned in my program. Data science is a more solid career and having a graduate degree in my passion has always been my goal. I have a domain set up for when I'm ready to post my portfolio. It's going to be stuff not normally seen due the casual eye. What spawned this passion was the recent outcry over children being separated from their families here at the U.S. border. There was a call to match a parent with child. What steamed me was our country's Homeland Security [expletive] could not answer for where a certain kind of child was. With all do respect to our government, Obama has released data that has been in statistics textbooks for ages. Ya'll seen Avengers: Infinity War? I have not, but I'm pretty damn sure there's a growing need for more people studying data science than being entertained by Marvel and the media.

Those are some awesome jerseys!

I've been attending this neat therapy group both my case worker and therapist teach that is really cool. It uses this new method called ACT which I never used before. It goes along with lines like CBT, DBT, etc but it's different. It seems to involve more acceptance which is more in line with my beliefs. Attached is a worry box I created. Each week I put my worries/anxiety on a note card and look at them each week. If the anxiety no longer exists on that topic, I tear the card up and throw it away. If the anxiety still exists, I simply put it back in the box. It's a great way to visualize and deal with anxiety in a heathy way.

I'm one assignment away from completing my degree. I had to push back some classes to make it an easier load. I'm doing awesome though. July 3 is my last day and I start grad school in October at Southern New Hampshire University Online to pursue my dream of becoming a Data Scientist. I already have a domain bought and paid for and I plan on giving you guys here an exclusive look. Right now my focus is on learning the craft and building a small portfolio for you all to see. here is a view of my updated workspace which I'm pretty proud of:

I've finally reached that point in my schooling where I can fuck around again because all my serious work is done. Actually, the class I'm in now is easy because the prof hasn't taught it before and the deadlines are super lose because she didn't read the syllabus all the way through. I graduate in July and I could not be more thrilled. The job hunt has gone depressingly awful, but in the fall I plan on using this grant money I got and pursuing my dream of entering the data science field. I just need to actually start a blog and whatnot to get my stuff out there. I also plan on rewarding myself with a Nintendo 3DS this week as my graduation gift to myself.

My apologies for my absence but school has kept me quite busy. But the time has come for me to announce some big ass news. I'm moving. It's Section 8/HUD housing with the cheapest rent based off my income and me being a student. Since 2009, I have been a part of a residential program in my county's health department program. I've lived with all sorts of crazy room mates. Some good, bad, and the current two I have are actually decent human beings. Unfortunately, we tried living together and it did not work out, so I doubt it'll work out in the community (with no staff). About a month ago a got the letter my name had come up on the list. After going on an interview and filling out more paperwork than I'll ever do again, the process is finally OVER. I was given permission to tour the place and move in. It's on the 4th floor with an elevator. Because this is literally the ONLY forum on earth I can say this without offending those here It's ABOUT FUCKING TIME!!! I'll be on Facebook if you need me. Just happy I could check in. For those sending xmas cards, hopefully the mail will forward because not even I know my exact address yet. Just thought I'd pop in and make this announcement.

We won minus the flags and you know it @Timberwolf.

@Timberwolf we need a pepper emoji Or if there's such a thing as NL air conditioning.