Feet Issues

For the last two months I have been having some kind of problem with my feet - to the point that it is painful for me to walk with them for more than 30 minutes. Coincidentally, this started when I purchased my new car, and the problem is made 4x worse after I have driven the car.

I fear that something with the car (excessive vibration, as I have complained about earlier) or perhaps the ergonomics (the pedals are in a strange position) may be affecting my feet. Of course, correlation does not imply causation, and it could be coincidental that my feet are having issues that are purely from my own body.

I have an appointment with a podiatrist on Friday, so we will see what happens.

Career Fair Fun

For the last two days, I attended the Georgia Tech Career Fair. Almost 300 employers were on hand and thousands of students crowded the basketball courts in the CRC to get face time with the various employers.

Being an engineering and tech school, it was no wonder that most of the companies present were there hiring aerospace engineers, industrial engineers, computer science people, etc. But I did find a few companies looking for EAS grads. Here is a listing of companies with which I spoke:

• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - I worked as an intern at Goddard back in 2001 and so I know that they have positions in climate and climate change. Whether or not they are hiring is another story.
• Los Alamos National Laboratory - This lab is mainly focused on remote sensing and cloud physics, but one of my friends told me about an alleged opening for a climate dynamicist there as a postdoc. The guy with whom I spoke seemed interested in my credentials.
• Naval Academy Research Laboratory - Working for the Navy may not be on the top of my list, but nonetheless they are looking for meteorologists, climate folks, and oceanographers so the CV is in there.
• General Electric - The shocker for me. I saw the big booth and decided to stand in the medium-length line and talk with them. I saw a talk at Tech on GE moving toward wind energy and so I thought that they might be in need of modelers or climate people to help them with that venture. Indeed, when I got up to speak with the representative, he was quite impressed with my resume and also enjoyed the break from speaking with all the EEs and IEs at the fair. He told me that indeed they were looking to hire some modelers and also there was a chance that they were looking at hiring climatologists.
• Trinity Consulting - As some of you might know, I have been considering non-traditional job routes for climate scientists, and climate consulting is a growing area, especially with the current threat of global warming looming in the political and public discourse arena. A former EAS Ph.D. grad currently works for them, and so I stopped by to give my resume. The gentleman seemed impressed though he wasn't too thrilled I was still a year away from graduating. Oh well - it is what it is.

So overall, I think that the Career Fair was a good learning experience for me. It gave me a chance to talk with some interesting folks and also to get together a resume and CV. Granted, I still have to revise both of these, but this was a learning experience, and that is what I intended it to be. Nothing will be perfect.

My New Car

I got a new 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5S about 2 months ago. The car is navy blue with a charcoal cloth interior, has a sunroof, alloy wheels, rear spoiler, and radio controls on the steering wheel. I got a ridiculous price for the car - $19,500 + TTL. The KBB value of the car right now, as used, is still more than this (private party sale), so I think I made an EXCELLENT deal.

So far the car has been an "adjustment" for me. I have found some quite annoying things with the car that I am not sure how to rectify. These include:

• Vibrating floor board - This is especially annoying on the highway. I have yet to look into why it is doing this, but my guess is that it has to do with the tires, the wheels, and the wheel bearings.
• Vibrating steering wheel, particularly when the A/C is turned on - I think this is just a symptom of a 4-cyl. car.
• Vibrating pedals - This is by far the most annoying part of the car. The pedals have an annoying vibration / "massager-like" feel to them when operating them, particularly on the highway. It is to the point that driving for long periods of time without cruise is annoying and somewhat hurtful to my feet. I again have no answer for this problem.

But not everything is bad with the car! First off, the car is really great looking (take a look at the pic!). Secondly, for a 4-cylinder car, it takes off! And I mean, it takes off quickly. I love getting on the highway and getting up to 65 - 70 mph in no time. The inside of the car is very roomy (especially for a mid-side vehicle). The dash is laid out nicely and the orangey backlight on the gages and the radio are extremely pleasant and sporty.

So, in the end, it's a mixed bag of sorts, and I am not sure how or what to feel about the car. I am considering keeping the car for about a year and then look into trading it in for another car (e.g., BMW 335i). I'll keep you posted.

Cycling

So I started taking some cycling classes at the Georgia Tech CRC. So far, they have been fun! They are combination classes - one was cycling with yoga at the end, the other with some weights/toning. Today I am trying one where you cycle for 30 minutes and then use these Gravity Machines for resistance and strength training.

Overall, it's getting me to go to the gym and workout, and that is what I need to do if I want to lose some weight and build muscle.

GT Softball

So, as part of my service to the school, I serve as a volunteer for the GT Athletics Department as their "official" weather forecaster. I work on baseball, softball, and football games and let them know before and during the game about the prospects of severe weather. This has already proven more adventurous than even I planned when a severe cell with the history of a tornado passed over Atlanta during one of the games. I had to make the call and actually help with evacuating the stadium (nothing happened, thank goodness).

So today I went to work again at the softball game. Believe it or not, this was the first women's softball game that I have ever been too. It sounds a little surprising, but considering the major popularity of men's sports over women's in the collegiate setting, perhaps this isn't so surprising.

One thing I found annoying - the dugout cheers/chants. Seriously, they sounded like they were straight out of little league. It was actually beyond annoying. This was especially true for the opposing team (University of Washington). They had some chant when a foul ball was hit about let's make sure that ball is pulled back and hit around the wall, or something like that. I couldn't do it if I were a softball coach or a regular for the games.

By the way, the GT Yellow Jackets lost their super regional.

Kris Allen - American Idol 2009

There he is - the next American Idol - Kris Allen!!!  I am so happy that Kris won.  He showed time and time again that he had talent, poise, charisma, and altogether great attitude to be the winner for this season.  Many of the newspapers and even people are calling this a "shocker", as fan and judge favorite Adam Lanbert was expected to win.  Now that he lost, there are charges going around that it was because of his homosexuality.

Complete rubbish.

Rather, in my view, Adam was a polarizing performer.  His style, including the infamous "scream" inserted into almost every song and the lavish entrances, ultimately made some people absolutely adore him and other absolutely hate him.  Undoubtedly, he was one of the top vote getters week in and week out (save for that one anomaly when he was in the bottom 3).  However, his fanbase was saturated.  As contestants fell, their supporters likely went to other contestants, and I hypothesize that Adam did not pick up a bulk of them.  The final nail in the coffin was when Danny Gokey went home.  There was no way that his fans would turn around and support Adam.

I for one proudly voted for Kris for many weeks.  I think he could have a good career is paired correctly.  I will likely download his single "No Boundaries" (although the song's lyrics are so cheesy) to show further support.

Headin' Home

Tomorrow I am heading home for the weekend to see my cousin graduate from URI (although, as I found out, the rain will force the graduation to be indoors and so tickets are limited and I can't attend).  However, I feel it might be a good thing to get out of town for a while anyways and visit family and friends.  I hope all goes well.

Documentary: Sicko

Along with I.O.U.S.A., I also rented Sicko from Netflix during my time at home while ill.  First, perhaps it wasn't the best idea to watch a show about the lack of our country to provide healthcare to its citizens and the exorbitant amounts of money we have to pay on health insurance and prescriptions.  But, alas, that is what I did.

I am not a big fan of Michael Moore whatsoever (in fact, the man's a jerk), but I respect the material that was gathered to be put in this movie.  Sicko exposes the failure of the U.S. healthcare industry as one that is aimed to make a profit rather than one that is aimed at providing basic care to its people.  It also explores how other countries handle healthcare.

A few interesting points from the movie:

• The lobbying power of medical insurance and pharmaceutical companies in the federal government is astonishing.  In fact, so much so I wonder if we will EVER get comprehensive healthcare reform (I don't necessarily want the government to run everything, but we need to do something).
• The right wingers always talk about the disaster that is socialized medicine and how if we were to use it, people would have to wait 6 months to get bypass surgery or that ERs would be lax and not willing to help people.  That premise (as you might have guessed) is grossly exaggerated.  The level of healthcare in other countries are even superior to ours.  And there is a correlation between those nations that treat healthcare as a right for all citizens and the life expectancy of those citizens and their overall health (positively correlated).  The key - those nations practice preventive medicine.  In this country, we are reactionary, not precautionary.  When we have diabetes, we deal with it with drugs.  We don't take the time or have the resources to explain to everyone the signs of diabetes and why it's bad and how to prevent it.
• To continue from that point, there is of course some explained variance through the different lifestyles that people live in France and Italy vs. the U.S..  In France, the work week is 35 hours.  Here, the typical work week exceeds 40 hours (often 60+ hours).  I will be highly considering a job in Europe for those reasons. :)
• The cost of drugs in this country is outrageous.  Especially when, in other countries, the same dug is VASTLY less.  At the end of the movie, Moore brings a bunch of ailing Americans to none other than the "Evil" country of Cuba.  Granted, the human rights violations done by the Cuban government in the past have been atrocious (well, so has those committed by the Chinese, but we conveniently still trade with them).  However, the healthcare system there is outstanding.  A woman who needed a special inhaler, which costed $120 per inhaler, bought one at a Cuban pharmacy for $0.05.  And the $120 was WITH insurance I believe, which means the cost is even more.  Folks - when are we going to get a handle on these skyrocketing drug companies?

Overall, I found this movie to be quite informative and also helped expose some of the faults of our system and why we shouldn't be scared of healthcare reform.  My one criticism is that the movie really didn't present a way of how things could change or what we could do towards that effort.  Not that I would necessarily trust Moore on that front, but it would have been helpful.

In the meantime, I'm taking out the classified ads for jobs in France and England next year.

Documentary: I.O.U.S.A.

During my recent bout with severe sinusitis, I decided to rent a whole bunch of movies through Netflix.  One of them was I.O.U.S.A.  It's a documentary detailing the history of the national debt of the United States of America, explaining why it continues to grow, and what the reprecussions are.  After watching the documentary, I think I am more scared of this than anything the global warming super-activists can throw out there.

The bottom line is this - the United States is headed to bankruptcy.  I know that sounds like some Bill O'Reilly talking point, but it's true.  We have turned from a nation that produces goods we consume to a nation that consumes and doesn't produce.  This in turn has lead to a major trade imbalance, one major component of the national debt.  Furthermore, the national savings rate is currently negative and has been on average negative for decades (there was a time of positive savings in the 1950s and then I believe again in the 1980s).  Folks, we can't do this.  I watch everyday as people talk about how they bought this and bought that.  I watch many financial news shows, including the Suze Orman Show, and I see the financial predicaments that people are in and how they still want to spend lavishly.   What have we done to ourselves as a civilization, folks?

One of the major parts of the program that worried me is - our debt is continually being financed by foreign powers.  What happens when they come to collect?  Many people will say, "oh, they won't do that."  Really?  OK, let's just say that, sure, we aren't going to be harassed by Chinese collection agencies.  But the wealth of the U.S. being held by people abroad weakens our national security and it also increases the influence that other nations have on our country's policies.  For example, the documentary highlights the Suez Canal Crisis that ensued in the 1950s.  France and England were fighting Egypt, who was threatening to close and take over the Suez Canal, a major lifeline for trade between Europe and the Middle East.  The British were ready to attack and invade Egypt to retain control.  However, they needed U.S.-backed funds.  Why?  At that time, the U.S. was financing most of England's national debt.  President Eisenhower was opposed to any more involvement of U.S. troops after just coming out of WWII and also the recent conflict in Korea.  So, what did the U.S. do?  The U.S. threatened to call on the debt owed by the British.  Immediately, if the British continued their aggression in the Suez Canal region.  Days later, the British withdrew.

Don't think that could happen again, with this time the U.S. on the other side?  Absolutely.  Folks - we need to do something here.  People in this country treat money like it just pops out of thin air.  They expect the government to do this and that, provide this service and that service, fund schools and our military and our roads, etc.  But people - we need to realize that we CANNOT do it.  And when the time comes, taxes will be rising.  It's inevitable.  I hate it when people talk about how they are overtaxed as it is.  No you're not.  Not for what is being provided to you.

Anyways, this is a wake-up call for all Americans.  The documentary opened up my eyes to the problem and the crisis, and how it is looming for my generation to handle.  I recommend the movie to anyone interested in the topic.

Sweatin' The Small Things

My mom has a saying - don't sweat the small things.  Focus on the important things in your life.

So what are these important things?

• Finishing my Ph.D.  This is actually something that has come to the forefront recently.  Basically, I have reached the point in my life where I feel like I need to get moving along.  get out of school and get a job.  I also want to leave Atlanta.
• Staying healthy.  I think this is a goal for almost anyone, at some level.  For me, it's more important because of my condition.
• Being happy with who you are.  This is one of those things that people always say.  However, I have yet to find someone who is truly 100% happy with everything in their life.  I guess it's a nice goal to have.

So, those should be my main concerns, right?  But they aren't.  Instead, what am I concentrating on?

• Selling the condo.   OK, I am nowhere near that, but with the housing market the way it is, I am worried about it.  I am worried that we won't be able to sell and the investment will be for nothing.
• Flooring.  After having issues with the first floor laid down in my condo, the replacement seems to have some new issues.  The problem is basically my subfloor is a piece of s*** and it needs to be leveled and severely corrected.  Do I have the money for that?  Of course not.  So that means I have to deal with the moving table and little "Mt. Jason."
• Money.  Yep, the "root of all evil", right?  Well it certainly is the root of all distractions in my head.  I have suddenly been on a "lower my costs" kick and have reduced my spending.  Granted, I have savings and all that, but I just am worried that things will get worse.  Plus, I saw the documentary I.O.U.S.A. (see other posts above), and now I am almost sickened by spending money frivolously.

I fear I will not be able to maintain complete focus on the important things and get done.  But I want to.  I need to.  I think it really is a necessity.  So, I need some new strategy.  Maybe a hypnotist is in my future.

It's Been A While

So it has been a while since I made a post on here, and I apologize for that, but things have been chaotic on my end.

There is just too much happening right now in my life.  Research stinks, I am overworked and under-exercised, my folks are having some issues, the economy continues tanking, my country is turning away from capitalism... it is enough to give someone a headache.

I have a migraine.

Softball Game 1 - Them 17 Us 3

Our first softball didn't exactly go stellar - we lost by the mercy rule at the end of the 5th inning.  The important thing with intramurals is to have some fun with the game.  I hope my team did that.  I wish I could say the same for myself, but I got irritated at a few things, which I won't share on here, but nonetheless I am not sure if I want to participate again or not.

If you want more info, I can share it with you offline.

Softball

I decided to join the EAS Intramural softball team as a way of getting some recreation, dealing with stress, and trying to get outside.  For those of you who know me, I am not the greatest athlete, and my previous softball adventures have met with not so great results.  But, it's intramurals.  We're not supposed to be great, right?

Trying to Stay On Pace

The last two weeks have been a complete whirlwind, thanks to meetings, writing papers, a midterm exam, and prospective students visiting EAS.  I have been running on overdrive for too long, and I need a break.  But there isn't much room for a break in my schedule.  That's the tough thing.

I need 3 days to refocus and clear my head a bit.  I'm not sure how I'll do that, but I have to make time for it.

Paper Writing Can Be a ...

So I am in the middle of writing two journal articles, and it is slow going.

Paper #1 - A New Paradigm for Pacific Decadal Variability - This paper examines offering another framework of examining climate variability in the Pacific Ocean looking at the North Pacific Oscillation and the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation.  Traditional views observe Pacific Decadal Variability as being  both intrinsic in the North Pacific (Aleutian Low variability) as well as having a forcing component from the tropics (ENSO/the atmospheric bridge).  This new framework works differently - it focuses on extratropical North Pacific forcing of the tropical Pacific and possible feedbacks that way.

Paper #2 - Past and Future Changes in Pacific Climate Variability in the IPCC Models - this paper focuses on assessing climate variability modes in the observations and then seeing how the various IPCC models capture those modes.  Bottom line - the models are terrible and only a select few really capture the right spatial and temporal scale of these modes.

So, it's a lot of writing to do and lots of stuff to be involved in.  I really want to get both papers done in the next 2 months, so we'll see!

Bad Behavior and the Economy

This week has been in interesting one for the US economy.  As I write this, the stock market continues to fall to levels we haven't seen in almost a decade.  This is despite the following events this past week:

• Passage of the $780B "stimulus" bill (I use that word in quotes because some of the pet projects in that thing are completely disgusting.  And for President Obama to even claim there are zero earmarks in this bill is a bold-faced lie.  I was disappointed when I heard him say this, especially given his remarks at the Democratic Retreat last month).
• Obama's announcement of his $75B foreclosure plan, which is aimed at helping people to pay their mortgages by lowering their costs or even forcing banks to lower the principal on the loan to the current value of the house.  I have issues with this plan as it does not discriminate between those people who were living within their means, doing everything right, and suddenly lost their job vs. those who chose to buy some McMansion and knew they couldn't afford it and are now getting help for it.  I am one of those responsible people with my money and my purchases, and now I have to foot the bill for some couple that chose status and image over what they could afford?  That's rewarding bad behavior IMO.
• Sketchy news out of Washington last week from the new Treasury Secretary Geitner on a convoluted and altogether horrendous plan to help banks.  I don't know why he was holding a press conference, but the lack of specific and details got investors more nervous.
• New economic numbers are out this week.  The CPI was up 0.3% for January, but it remained unchanged from January 2008, the first time that has happened in almost 50 years.  This is bad news and may be a sign of deflation taking hold in the economy.

All of these things are taking a toll on everyone's pocketbook.  But I am most worried about the government's response to this mess.  I do not believe in having my money security put into jeopardy because other people were not responsible.  I know that this might sound overly selfish, but the other extreme is even worse - no personal responsibility.  Where is accountability?  Where is the drive of Americans to fight through this by working at whatever job and cutting back expenses.

For those who point to FDR and the New Deal as the shining example of how quasi-Socialist policies cure a depression, I say this - prove it.  Prove that FDR solved the Depression.  The facts are against that premise - the Depression actually got worse by the late 1930s.  In my opinion, the threat and eventual declaring of war in WWII was what mobilized our economy to drive out the Depression and open into a new era of globalism.

We have a long way to go before we are a Socialist nation (despite some of the cries from the far right in this country who think any government involvement is Socialist).  But the latest steps taken by this administration are not helping silence those critics and are not having a profound endorsement from investors who continue to flee the marketplace.

The New LCD TV

I ended up going with the 32" Samsung Series 5 540 model.  After a couple of weeks of using the TV, playing with the settings, getting HD cable (and DVR - how did I live without this before??), etc., I am VERY impressed with the TV.  HD channels are absolutely incredible, and I now have no need to watch those channels in SD.  The picture quality is really great.  PLUS, I figured out how to hook up my Playstation 2 to the TV and get very good quality picture!

I have a picture of the TV, and I tried posting it, but it got messed up.  I'll try posting a picture of the TV later.

More Bailout Money Released

The Senate has agreed to release the remaining $350B to soon-to-be President Obama for his sole discretion on its use.

Look, I trust Obama more than Bush - A LOT more.  But I don't like the idea of the executive branch having virtually all the power is deciding what is the best way to put this money out there to build up the economy.  Plus, Obama threatened a VETO when meeting with the Senate if they did not make and pass the motion.  That is way to Bush-like.  I'm not a happy camper.

I have projections that this economy is going to sink a lot more before we see hints of recovery.  I am very nervous right now.

LCD TVs

My birthday is next week, and as a present, my folks decided that they would buy me a new TV for the living room!  Hurray!  Good bye large, tubey, "flat screen" TV and HELLO world of LCDs!!  I am now in the process of trying to decide which one I should get.  I am debating between two TVs:

(1) The Samsung 32" Series 5, 540 LCD HDTV - 720p, 3 HDMI inputs, great reviews, and one of the most trusted brands.

(2) The Sharp Aquos 37" LCD HDTV:  My parents have the 32" version of this TV, and some friends in CT have this TV and love it.  The picture looks very decent, and currently it is on special at Costco for $599 (same price as Samsung 32").

I am just now sure if I should splurge for the larger TV or go for the sleeker, highly rated Samsung TV.  Decisions, decisions...

IPCC Models and MATLAB

So I am now back into full research mode.  It actually feels pretty good (as crazy as that might sound).  I have had a renewed sense of interest and positive energy since the holidays.  I don't know if this is just some weird "holiday hangover" or maybe just a realization to myself that I want to get done with this degree - now.

So part of my research is working with IPCC model output and trying to get it to read into MATLAB so that I can create separate files for the important variables for easier access later.  However, this is proving to be challenging on both ends:  (1) the OPeNDAP server has decided that sometimes it won't let me access files; and (2) MATLAB has decided that, while for some data it will read in big 4-D fields, for other files (even if they are smaller in grid size), it will "run out of memory."  Short of downloading every file from IPCC for every model, I am in a bit of a tight spot right now.  Plus, my advisor wants an outline for a GRL paper by the end of the week.

Breathe.  Just breathe.