This week marks the first time in the last 15 weeks that I actually get to sit home all week after work. I was able to finish this semester a week early! I have two full weeks before it’s back to class two nights a week. I think I’ll use my extra free time to catch up on some reading, do some yardwork, and oh yeah, beat up some midgets. Carpe Diem! –>
A brief recap of my conversation with my cable provider customer service department.
Comcast: Thank you for calling Comcast, my name is…
Me: The picture on my TV is choppy
Comcast: So the picture is going in and out?
Me: No, it’s choppy. It looks like it’s pausing and starting at a really fast rate.
Comcast: So the picture is pixelated?
Me: No, not pixelated.
Comcast: Oh, I have that at my house too.
Me: Really, should you say that?
Comcast: The problem at my house is that the wires between the tv and the box are pulled too tight and they make a bad connection. Can you check those?
Me: (checking…) Everything has slack and is tightly connected.
Comcast: Well that’s usually the problem.
Me: Not for me.
Comcast: Are you sure.
Me: Yes, I’m not an idiot.
Comcast: Well we’ll have to send out a technician. Would you like to buy the insurance that will wave the $20 technician charge.
Me: I refuse to pay for someone to come out and look at your junk box.
Comcast: You will only be charged if it’s something other than the box itself, like the wires.
Me: It’s not the damn wires.
Comcast: Is Friday between 5 and 7 OK?
Me: While we’ve been talking, I unplugged the box to reset the computer. everything is fine now.
Comcast: Really?
Me: Yes.
Comcast: Is there anything else I can help you with?
Me: You haven’t really helped me with anything.
Comcast: Have a nice day.
My buddy Ian got a job where I work. He’s a loud, funny, jovial guy. Add a beard and sans the sketchy past, and you might confuse him for Santa Claus.
He’s working really hard to learn how to sell, how to work in an office environment, and how to not alienate himself.
Today he took a step backwards.
Our HR department hosted a “Get Moving, Get Healthy…” meeting sponsored by the YMCA. Ian was running late. There was a slice of cold pizza on his desk. Chubby guy, fattening food, health meeting, desire to fit in… Ooh, the conclusion was obvious to me.
I offered Ian 97 cents to stroll into the meeting 30 minutes late eating the pizza. And he did it.
I feel bad because the transaction wasn’t fair. I got more than 97 cents of enjoyment, and it cost him more than 97 cents of credibility.
Maybe next time the prank monkey will be on the winning side. –>
I filled out a survey today from Grand Valley State University. It asked me about my opinion of group work as part of MBA courses. Here’s my two cents.
Group work in undergraduate work is OK because it teaches you to interact with people with a goal of finishing a task. Most undergraduates do little more than go to school, perhaps they have a part-time job. Neither of these are true for MBA program.
Most MBA graduate students, at least at GVSU, attend class at night. They do this because the majority of them work full-time. A lot of my peers have children. Persuing an MBA is secondary or tertiary. Compare that to undergraduate students, where school is their primary focus.
Secondly, the group work that I’ve participated in during my time in the MBA program is exactly the same as undergrad work. If you do not possess the ability to work with other people, perhaps an MBA won’t help you. If the MBA program is persistant about group work, it should be focused around the dynamics of leading and following, management and leadership, group behaviors, etc. But it isn’t.
Perhaps my assessment between undergrads and graduate students is incorrect. Perhaps the disparity should be between those who persue a degree in evening classes versus those who attend class during the day. If there are any statisticians or mathematicians in the audience, I would wager that there is a strong correlation between the time of day someone attends school and what they list as their primary short-term goal.
Either way, universities shouldn’t try to cram the same syllabus into classes that meet one night a week and classes that meet thrice weekly. It’s unfair to both undergrads and graduate students alike. I’m a big boy now, treat me like one. –>