Category: K-State University

This Is Growing Up

James AsherLeave a comment

In the last two weeks my life has changed drastically. Let me explain…

Exactly two weeks to the day I graduated from Kansas State University. This accomplishment alone was four and a half years in the making. I got a B.S. in Computer Information Systems (bottom half of the page). My grandparents from Reno, NV came into town, that was nice. I don’t get to see them very often and they’re wonderful people, so that was quite nice.

My biggest problem in life was that I didn’t yet have a job yet. Numerous interviews, something close to ten, I think. However, in one whirlwind day, December 21st – ten days later, that changed. I had an interview with XTEC. I had talked to the president a bit on the phone the day before and he asked me to come down the next day if I wasn’t busy. Actually, he asked me to come down later that day, but I had to work at K-State, so I suggested the next day. Oh, and by “come down,” I mean Olathe, KS. My interview went quite well, we talked about the company and what I would be doing and things of that general nature. A little while later he offered me the job. So then my biggest problem was rectified.

The company needs me to start fairly soon. Some projects have been put off until my position was filled. Consequently, after I accepted, we went apartment hunting. I called up Ashley. She lives in Overland Park, but that’s just 5-10 minutes away from where I work in Olathe. I figured she might know of some good places to live. We ended up being referred to Stonepost Ranch Apartment Homes by a leasing consultant from a different company. The place is brand new. So new, in fact, my apartment isn’t built yet. The reason I chose this place is because, although my apartment is small, 592 ft2, the amenities of the place are top notch. Too many to list, in fact. Come by the new place, I’ll detail it more then. Perhaps whilst playing putt putt or at the driving ranges. 😉 So, again, new job and new place in one day.

Moving along to December 24th. Actually, let me back up two days. Long story short: the transmission in my Ford Bronco II has been dying lately and then around the 22nd or so, it really died. So, I needed a new car. Early Christmas Eve morning, dad and I went out looking for new cars. Not really sure if anyone would actually be open. We shopped around a bit. Dad test drove this Cadillac that he had no intention of buying whatsoever. I think that’s customary when legitimately looking for cars, honestly, I really wanted to get a car from http://www.intelligentcarleasing.com/deals/mercedes_benz/a-class they seemed to be the best. We eventually made our way to Midwest Auto Search (don’t judge my new car by way of their website design). They seem to deal with trucks mostly, which is what I was interested in. We test drove a ’99 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a ’00 Isuzu Rodeo. I ended up getting the Rodeo. I got a good deal on it and it’s a nice car. Everyone that I’ve shown it to agrees with me.

So, to sum up: two weeks to the day, I have graduated from college, got a new job, a new apartment, and a new car. Life is sweet. Everyone wish me luck.

Using K-State’s Listserv

James AsherLeave a comment

So here I am, three days after I walked for graduation, studying for my philosophy of art final. Blah to that. However, I just made a discovery.

I, rather unluckily, seemed to have misplaced my original reading list for the semester. What to do?

Ah ha! He sent it out in the listserv, I’ll just check my trash folder (because I probably deleted it).

My philosophy professor has randomly sent out emails to us through a listserv throughout the semester. It was never that often, but every once in a while. In particular, he sent out a rough estimate of what we’d be reading for the rest of the section we were on (and mind you we read a ton). But, wouldn’t you know it, I deleted it andmy trash folder is set to auto-dump files that are over 15 days old. Crap.

Lo, Ah ha! again! There is some secret archaic code you can send to the server to get listserv stuff (whatever that may entail). I think I did this once, oh, I dunno, three or four years ago. So a little trek through K-State’s search located me some useful info. And I now present it to you:

All emails will be addressed here: listserv@listserv.ksu.edu. No subject is necessary, either.

To find out what list’s you’re subscribed to, send an email with this as the body:

query *

To get a month’s log of correspondence, send an email with this as the body:

get listname logyymm

where listname is the list’s ID and yymm is the 4-digit number for the year and month. Example: get introphiloart log0412

Other, more mundane, commands can be found here: http://www.ksu.edu/cns/services/listserv/basics4members.html. One key point to remember is that page says to send these commands in the subject line, but actually you have to send it in the body.

Now get your listserv on.

Happy Graduation

James Asher1 Comment

So this past Saturday I did that whole graduate-from-college thing. Apparently, it’s some big deal. 🙂

But yeah, I did it, I’m happy. I’m also horribly depressed about it all.

On one side, I’m very happy to be done with college, sans this week of finals I have to endure after we’ve walked. I will finally not have any homework, projects, tests, or finals, ever again. That is very happy. I am the second grandchild to actually graduate from college. I’m also only the fourth person in three generations. So, for my family, I am very happy.

However, on the other side, I’m quite depressed about it. I really don’t know what I’m going to do with my life. I know I have to move on to being a nice, responsible adult. I’m ok with that, it’s just that things aren’t progressing as much as I’d like. Job interviews put me in a very up-and-down emotional state. On one hand, I’ve had quite a few interviews, but on the other, none of them have panned out. What makes it worse is that I get to the very last on-site-interview and then I never hear back from them or they just say “no thanks.” So now, none of the jobs I interviewed for want to hire me, school is 100% done in less than a week, no job, my car is broken, I have a huge financial debt that needs to be paid soon. Life just kind of sucks right now and I’m really unsure of what to do about it.

Really, the worst part is the whole job thing. I know I’m qualified to do the work I want to do. I guess other people are just more qualified? I’m not sure. So, yeah, that’s what’s been going on lately.

I’d be writing more, but finals and job searching kind of take a lot of my time. But, schools nearly over, so I should have more time to randomly babble on about stuff.

Oh yeah, and I hope everyone likes the winterized 17th Degree.

The Gideon Invasion

James Asher2 Comments

Update: I added the picture that I mentioned below.

Today, as per usual for this time of year, the Gideon Invasion began.

The Gideons, with their perfect octogenarian strategery, amass themselves in force on important intersections across from the University. As is their custom, they give out these little green bibles to passersby free of charge. ‘Tis a gift. Now that I think about it, they were orange once, but it matters not.

I hate being a wasteful person, I really do. Giving me a Gideon bible is wasteful. I will not read it. I’m sorry, I just won’t. I’m not religious, I don’t feel as though I need religion. I believe in God, although not as most people do – most people believe in an omnibenevolent God, whereas I do not, but that’s neither here nor there. Consequently, I avoided the Gideon’s today. I went out of my way to do so, even. This act, in and of itself, is not typically me, but I figured it was better for both the Gideons and myself.

In a possibly related bit of entertainment, though I’m not sure if it actually was or not:

Flash forward to 11:30 a.m. I’m walking from my technical writing class to my physical anthropology lecture. I have to cross the quad – no big deal. As I’m making my short journey, I notice a girl yelling at people and waiving a large flag. Needless to say this piqued my interest. This fanatic very devout girl was screaming explaining in a loud tone that I, and every passerby, was going to hell. Talk about some bad news on a Wednesday morning. If you know me at all, then you know that I was laughing my ass off chuckling to myself. I then proceeded to continue to class.

It just made me think, though. Is that sort of fanaticism and condemnation of every living soul passing you going to convert someone? I mean, seriously, someone explain their logic to me, I’d love to hear it.

I took a picture of the girl with my cell phone camera, though I’m not sure if there is a free way to get it off and onto the internet. I know there is a service I can pay for, though I’m not so sure it’s worth it. I’ll look into it, worry not.

Here’s that girl:

Religious Fanatic

I was explaining this whole spectacle to classmates in my anthro class when one of them mentioned that it was gay-pride week or national come-out-of-the-closet week [or something to that effect]. That also made me wonder if the Gideons, and associated (or un-associated) crazy-ass people with flags, timed their Invasion to coincide. Perhaps so, perhaps not. Damn those Gideons and their impecable strategery.