Post-Holiday Debriefing
January 13, 2005 @ 01:12 AMSo how’d you do for the holidays?
Personally, I don’t really care for the holidays. It’s not like I hate them, it’s just that they’re stressful. Overall it was fairly fun. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see the family much. I was sick on Christmas day and had to leave the party for my father’s side of the family fairly quickly, and my mother’s side of the family had to reschedule to a day that I was working.
Interesting little tidbit: the word Xmas is actually misinterpreted by most religious people. The word Xmas actually has Greek origins, and X was intended to be shorthand for “Xristos”, the Greek work for Christ. Early greek Christians understood Xmas to be a perfectly acceptable word, while more contemporary Christians - with no understanding of the word’s origins - view the word as disrespectful.
Anyway, enough of the holidays! Update: I DID pass my Sun Microsystem’s Java 2 Certification exam! So I’m officially certified! That also started kind of a desire in me to acquire more certifications. Not having a 4-year degree has always frustrated me. As someone who values intelligence extremely highly, and considers himself fairly intelligent also, not having that stupid little piece of paper is like a constant jab in the ribs. However, at this point actually pursuing my 4-year degree would be costly and could take a while, which would not help my career at this point. So instead, I’m going to pack on the certifications. Yes, it feels a little bit like cheating, but it seems to have the most bang-for-the-buck for someone in my position at the moment.
That said, I’ve been studying for the Project+ certification. Project management… I’m halfway through the book, and wow… I never knew project management entailed so much stuff! I’m just getting in to the Execution Process Group. Already I’ve had to memorize like 6 documents… scope docs, Work Breakdown Structure, etc… I would like to try utilizing what I’ve learned, but any kind of “process” seems to be frowned upon here at work. If we’re not heads-down coding, it’s a waste of time… according to management. So, no such luck.
Lastly, I’d like to strongly reiterate my love for the city of Portland. I have every intention of moving there as soon as realistically possible. As a reference, please check my .Mac photo albums:
That’s it!