4.30.2005

7th Street.

So, yeah. It was the last straw. The camel's back and has been irreparably broken and it'll never be able to walk again. We didn't bother to shoot it though. ;)

In any case, I'm making this entry from a Kinko's down the street from Howard simply because there is nowhere I can go on campus and actually get work done. I would have made use of the wiFi in the main computer lab, if it worked. That's really a point of contention for me. The last time I checked, Paul was complaining about something regarding the antenna on the access point being messed up. Well, fix it.

Also, there is no wiFi in the Undergraduate Library, or Founder's as far as I know. This is a deficiency the University needs to go ahead and fix. Spending about $300 on a good group of routers isn't going to kill anyone. Take it out of that technology fee we pay.

Furthermore, I can't go in Health Sciences Library anymore simply because it'll quickly morph into social hour just like being at UGL. I wave at at least 10 people before I sit down to study and spark up a conversation with at least one of them before I ever start studying. It becomes social hour. You can't possibly study under conditions like that. So, I avoid the place like the plague.

I could stay in my room, but of course, I have those damn speakers and a serious mp3 collection. I blast, my neighbor blasts, folks run up and down the hallway having loads of fun. The dormitory is no place to study.

So, here I am at a Kinko's.

4.21.2005

The value of the company you keep.

So, last night I finally met a friend that discovered me via thefacebook. He owns a local IT consulting firm called NetVisor and wow, he's been one of the most interesting people I've ever met. Another friend of mine happened to be leaving the HUES (Howard University Entrepreneurship Society) meeting and said he was going down to his shop. Now, considering the rundown state I was in, I seriously considered not going. But, how can you pass up a chance to meet somebody you've talked to online for like 2 or 3 months?! You can't.

So I went.

Wow. He's even cooler in person. Ron, Derrick (sp?), and Chinelo (my facebook buddy) were all together in the same room and listening to them talk was soooo...awe-inspiring. There was so much business acumen in that room last night that I felt squished under the weight of it. I sat there and just listened mostly. It was absolutely great. To hear Ron talk about business is like listening to a business great who's been in business forever. I told him something like this last night and he thought I was attempting to just flatter him. No. I was dead serious. No flattery intended. I know that doesn't work with him. Also, Derrick is a new acquaintance as Chinelo's business partner and he was very interesting too. He seemed to be a walking lesson in persistence. That's a key thing I've been trying to develop.

I don't know if it was because I was hella sleepy, or just in need of a spunk-inspiring activity, but I left their offices full of energy--even though I crashed as soon as I got back to my dorm. That's why this post is at 1030am. I finally voluntarily woke up before 10am for once.

But, the company you keep is important, Ron says. I fully believe it. I do admit that I know some very interesting people at Howard.

Also, while I'm at it, full congrats to Carrie for becoming the new president of the Howard University Entrepreneurship Society. I trust she'll carry on the torch that Augustus totally transformed into a flame on its own. HUES is a very dynamic organization and I seriously wish I was going to be on campus for the fall to truly immerse myself in it. I would have run for Chief Technology Officer of HUES if I was going to be here for fall. It's seriously my most favorite organization on campus. It's basically the only thing I feel bad missing meetings for.

I suffer to think that I will not be productive today.
Mea culpa?

One more day. Find it in your heart to stay. Yeah, this Glenn Lewis song that came out a full year or two ago is being played out in my room like it was released yesterday. Something about it just really makes me want to go out and do something...BIG.

Exculpability is an important concept when dealing with the dealings of others. As a teaching assistant, I have a certain level of responsibility for the success of students. Or at least I believe I do. Others may agree to disagree. Either way, one student consistently tells me I "let him down." The very thought of someone saying that about that class is preposterous to me. I've done really everything in my power to help those people pass and make the grades that they need to make. Up to a certain point, it's out of my hands. Not only does the class persist in failing to ask for my help, they persist in not doing the work, and not acknowledging that they need help. At one point, I started a witchhunt campaign for those "unlearned in Fortran who were enrolled in Fortran." I found a few people who seemed to be relieved that I came searching for them.

Others saw it as a crutch. This has been on my mind lately in seeing how various people in the class talk to me and how much of the class is doing poorly, although on the last test grades were much better. Finals time is coming up soon and I know I could very well be swamped with last minute help requests. I'll be prepared to answer them. But, at what price? I know I get paid for this, but it was supposed to be a labor of love--as in...I was just doing it because I wanted to help people learn to program.

Back to basics.

So, I've gotten back up with my two of my best buddies of all time, Kim and Ebony. Looks as if things are going pretty nicely for them; they'll be graduating next year!

4.11.2005

The meat of the matter.

So, another night passes by where I cannot sleep. Why? Because I've gotten my hands on too much stuff that I'd like to stay up and read. I spend increasingly large amounts of time everyday reading, and it really seems as I cannot get enough of it. I have a stack of things that I bought from Barnes and Noble on Saturday during my trek around DC, the Barron's I picked up today from CVS, and a bunch of eBooks that I'm going to read through eventually. I'm really interested in the whole "knowledge advantage" thing. It's not like that's a new idea, but it's new in terms of I never had the patience to read as widely and as much as I do now.

I don't care very much for things assigned in class, but anything else is fair game. If you have a recommendation, shoot it to me.

4.10.2005

Long time, no blog.

You know, there comes a point in a geek's life where they have to get out more. I did last night. Brandon, Toni, and Bill held a party at their apartment where all these people showed up from both Howard and UDC and basically trashed the place. It was a great party, though. It's interesting to note how you find out somethings about your friends that you never knew. LOL. Wow.

But, I've been recently out redefining my strategies for life and success. What I've found is quite interesting, and I'll be sure to post all my findings here later. The biggest thing, however, is my transition in thought. I totally shun negativity now. For some reason, I'm hellbent on possibilities. So much so, that I'm almost getting over my head. But, that's not exactly true, either.

It's been an intriguing look into my mind and all of the things it's capable of now that a lot of the cobwebs and garbage have been moved out. Specifically, I've come back over and over again to the ideas of developing self-confidence and realizing that yeah, anything your mind can come up with can be done. This simple idea that is not new (it's new in my life, however) is the start of a few very big things that I will be doing over the next year during my time on my sabattical from school.

Right now, I'm really into great ideas and making interesting things happen. Everything on my plate, for the next two years and beyond, will be very, very interesting. I really want to see where it will all end up. Persistence. The key to getting every and any thing done.