Twentieth Birthday Eve

 Hi everyone,

I know it's been a while since my last post, but I am certainly in a much better mindset now! Blogging, firefighting, and dog-walking have been quite the remedy!

I've dealt with two decent calls recently that maybe I'll share eventually. 

Also, I might want to post about LSPR. 

Anyway, tonight is special. Tomorrow I turn 20! Does this mean I am no longer a teenager? 

19 has been good to me. I focused on making this year positive, and although there were some rough spots, I think it went pretty well. Now 20? That's gonna be even better. And as Bryan Adams says, "18 'til I die"!

I'm gonna keep this post short because I got a lot to do tonight, but boy has this been a ride.

Here's to 20!

As always,

Thanks for reading,

The Questionable Programmer

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."

- Mae West

Data Structures and Doggies

 Good evening readers,

Well, I took the exam. About 40% of the questions were the same ones on the practice exam. Those were a breeze. There were a few more questions that asked us to evaluate function efficiency and binary tree traversals. The questions regarding efficiency were somewhat challenging, but I think I got most of them. I know I got one wrong. Big-Oh and Big-Omega notation don't make a lot of sense to me. I always think I understand them, and then I find some incomplete explanation that just seems to scramble the bits rather than connect them. I haven't had the best lectures on them, but then again I guess I could've read the textbook a little more often. Oh well. Nevertheless, I think I did pretty well. 

Now. Onto the next part of the title. Up here at Tech I regularly volunteer at the humane society. The Copper Country Humane Society. I typically walk dogs, although I don't mind a little cat cuddling. 

Recently, I've been walking a dog named Blaze. I visit him at least once a week, typically on Fridays. He's a sweet, 6-year-old pittie. I typically don't like pitties, but Blaze is an exception. He's gentle, slower, and super friendly. 

When he gets adopted I'll certainly be upset. Yet at the same time, I'll be happy because I know he's going to his forever home. But as of now, no plans for adoption have been made. I ask the staff every time I visit!

So there you have it. A few pictures of my good boy, Blaze. 

I'll try to keep this blog updated with dogs as I go. Who knows, maybe I'll make a "dog" tag!

Anyway. 

As always,

Thanks for reading,

The Questionable Programmer

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."

- Will Rogers

Exam Tomorrow

 Hi all,

I have an exam tomorrow. I am not looking forward to it. It's just data structures but things such as Big O notation and Big Omega notation confuse me to some extent. 

It's just hard to wrap my head around. 

But I was curious as to if writing it down may make me feel better about it. I guess we'll see.

I know this was super short, but regardless,

Thanks for reading,

The Questionable Programmer

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid."

- Albert Einstein

The Dredge

 Hi all,

Yesterday, a few friends and I visited "The Dredge" . This place is a renowned getaway spot for Michigan Tech students, and it almost seems impossible to graduate without visiting it. 

This was my first time at a place like this, but I certainly don't intend on making it my last! Noah insisted on bringing work gloves so that he didn't injure himself anywhere. I managed without! 

I was the only one who climbed to the top of this one part. Everyone else was too afraid of the sketchy ladder! I guess I'm a real truckie now!

Here are a few photos of the adventure:

I have a few more adventures that I've been up to that I will probably get around to sharing. 

As always,

Thanks for reading,

The Questionable Programmer

"Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul."

- Jaime Lyn

Interview and Review

Hello all,

Two posts in a row? Man, I'm on the ball aren't I?

I found some time after an enterprise meeting and decided to sit down by the Portage Canal and enjoy this lovely September evening. Felt like sharing some thoughts.

I had two interviews today. One with a major automotive manufacturer and one with a major agricultural engineering company. I think they both went well. The first was via MS Teams, and the latter was a simple phone call. The lady I spoke with on the phone could certainly be a 911 dispatcher. Super calm. I enjoyed talking to her. The three gentlemen on my MS Teams meeting were all MTU alumni so that was pretty neat too. 

Feeling pretty good about both of them right now. Now all I got to do is wait a few weeks. But there is a third company. A company that slides in at #1 pretty nicely. I am expecting to arrange an interview with them soon, but I have yet to hear anything. 

Thursdays are typically pretty relaxed. I have one class, two workouts, and two-three meetings typically. Today was a little unique, but it was still pretty relaxing. Perhaps it's the Bible study? Or the endorphins from the gym?

Not sure. But I'm not complaining. 

Today in my communication and culture class we watched a 1985 romcom called The Purple Rose of Cairo. Cheesy, yes, a little bit. Good? I thought so. We watched about a 1/4th of it. Skipped around a bit. But I got the general idea. 

I was not a fan of the ending whatsoever. She should've stayed with Tom Baxter. But it definitely seems like a movie I'd watch. Hell, an old movie inside an older movie? That's got my name written all over it!

Anyway, I have to go eat dinner. 

As always,

Thanks for reading,

The Questionable Programmer

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time"

- Abraham Lincoln

Hanging In There

 Hi readers,

College is often described as the best time of our lives. It's all partying, drinking, adventuring, and liking. 

But that's simply not the case. Not for me at least. 

Sure I have my friends up here and we do our fair share of activities. This semester alone I've seen the northern lights, went cliff jumping, and went kayaking down the Portage. The list goes on. 

But I often worry that things may have been better if I hadn't come up here. Allow me to explain a few reasons. 

Jobs. They're already hard enough to get. Networking and connecting with employers back home is really tough from up here. I'm basically riding on previous networking connections to find internships. It's not like there aren't great employers here. Hell, that's why a lot of students come here. 

But do these employers match the life I want? I don't think so. I wish senior year Ben put some more thought into that. 

I'm a sophomore. This upcoming summer or the next is stereotypically the summer I'm supposed to be interning. But I'm worried I may not find one. I have Co-Op opportunities it seems, and I actually have an interview for one tomorrow. I may have an internship with another dream company too. I should be scheduling an interview for that one soon!

But if these don't work, I'd feel pressured to take an internship in Michigan. And I really don't think I can spend a summer in MI alone. That's just not what I want. I have too many things I want to return to in PA.

Next reason. Connections. Sure I'm building connections up here, but are they permanent? Just about as permanent as any college connection. You see them maybe once a year. I can count how many people I'd like to continuously see on one hand if I'm being quite honest. But high school? I have a lot of friends that I'd like to keep from there. But it's hard to keep these connections when I'm 1000 miles away. So that's constantly on my mind and I'm constantly trying to reach out to friends back home and stay connected. But harsh responses or the lack of any response whatsoever is really painful. Especially when it's with someone whom you used to be really close with. 

Sure, some connections back home don't seem to be going anywhere. But what about the little ones? The people who may not know how much they mean to me? Those are the people that keep me up at night. 

Moving on, we look at experiences. Allow me to say this: there are some things I look at in other schools and I say, "man, I wish I had that opportunity". 

But then I am reminded of what I have here. I have the wonderful outdoors, snow, and Tech hockey! But don't get me started on our football.

But there are more experiences than just these. What about everything from my high school career? Robotics events? My day trips with the boys? Birthdays? All the other fun stuff I have going on back home. These kinds of events live rent-free in my head. Not these school events.

Now that I ranted a bit about some of the worries and problems I'm currently facing, allow me to make light of my situation. Or at least try to.

I'm in the middle of nowhere. I'm in a water-winter wonderland. I'm trying to embrace that. To make college and my past decisions meaningful. The sense of independence this builds. The beauty and respect for PA that it builds. 

Moving forward, I'm going to try and have a positive mindset.

On the bright side, I've been working out recently. The endorphins and self-improvement that come from working out are truly something special. It keeps me healthy and makes me more self-confident. And that's important during these challenging times. 

Ever since I returned to school, the VFD has presented itself in a new light. After assisting my hometown department, the age of this department shows. But that just makes me want to step up even more. Is this good? Well, it depends on how you look at it. 

Academically, probably not. Mentally, yes. 

Firefighting and a lot of the culture that comes with it help take my mind off of my worries and sadness. I've grown some connections on the VFD and even made some new friends on campus through it. I'm proud to be a part of such an organization. 

Although my classes may be more difficult this year, I don't think it's too much for me. I still think I have a healthy balance. I was able to find time to write this, wasn't I? 

But anyway. I think that's enough for tonight. 

Writing these thoughts down helps.

I sometimes wonder if anyone reads these. But nonetheless, an orchestra can still perform when there is no audience. 

"When the going gets tough,  the tough get going"

- Knute Rockne

Wait, I'm Alive?

Hello readers,

If that's you. For all I know, this may be an entirely new person reading this.

Sometimes I feel like an entirely new person. 

This year, and most of last year, I do not have a lot of time to sit down and write. My mind is often filled with other things, and as much as this helps, time is simply not on my side.

But I will try to write short anecdotes when I can. But no promises.

I do not have time to write one tonight (I have an early Bible study tomorrow morning).

But I will leave you with this.

" Seems like the light at the end of the tunnel maybe you "

- Steven Tyler