GMAT - Practice Test the First

According to the preliminary GMAT test I took on http://www.grockit.com/ this weekend, my projected score is between 550-650.  The actual score I received on this weekend's practice test was a 630.  Though, this was due, mostly, to my verbal and reading comprehension skills.  Out of a total 38 math questions, I got 9 correct.  It seems that I have forgotten everything from high school Algebra, Geometry and Pre-Calculus.  Yes, I transferred from a school that didn't start Geometry until 10th grade so I was somewhat behind my peers at my new school and never even got a whiff of a Trig textbook.

Taking this test, reminded me how much I'd forgotten.  There were things I used to use at my DTB job, like finding the area of a room so we could estimate how much to charge for carpet, etc.  But those things don't jump immediately to my mind.  And things like SAS (Side, Angle, Side) are familiar and I know I need them to help me solve a problem but I can't remember how or what it even means.  It makes me feel old and rusty, with just a little bit of stupid.

My sister said that the first practice test is supposed to make me feel this way.  That this is where I figure out how to improve for the actual test and that in a couple of months, after focusing on these problem areas, I will much better.  She also promised that the questions in the prep books are harder than the actual test.  I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I bought an entire workbook of GMAT "Quantitative" problems to help me.  I have $250 riding on this, not to mention possible B-school, I can't fuck it up now.

Side Note:  http://www.grockit.com/ seems to be a pretty cool site.  It helps people get ready for the SAT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, AP Test, etc.  And it's at least one study resource that will let me work on things no matter where I am as long as I have a computer.  No need to lug all my books with me when I go to work or hang out at my dad's.  It also keeps track of my work and lets me know my strengths and weaknesses so I can work effectively.  I was also pleased to learn that for every subscription purchased, they donate a subscription to an underprivileged students program for those that didn't have a Ms. Hastings to get them through the SAT.  So I am helping myself get to a better future and helping someone else get to theirs.  It makes me feel better about the $29.99 a month I'll be paying for the subscription.

Gearing Up For Pride

from the Advocate's Website

This afternoon, I was reading Old Navy Gets Backlash for Pro-Gay T-Shirts.  And, of course, I immediately had to have one but, sadly, they are only available in a few retails stores and not online at all.  Thankfully, my sister and her girlfriend live in Atlanta near the Buckhead store that's offering them.

I am very proud of Old Navy for offering these shirts, which will benefit the It Gets Better Project with 10% of the proceeds.  They are the next in what I hope will be a long line of supporters for this cause.  (Already we've seen the Seattle Mariners, the Boston Red Sox, the San Francisco Giants, and the Chicago Cubs lend their voices.)  Too many of our LGBT youth feel the sting of bigotry and hatred in this country. 

Thankfully, the LGBT members of my family have the support they need but there was a time when my dad had to go it alone.  I can't even begin to imagine what that was like.  His stories help me to realize how important the It Gets Better Project is to our society; to those kids who don't have an adult to talk to or understand what they're going through.  And the American Family Association and The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission are both calling for a boycott of the retail store because of this support.  Is it any wonder that the It Gets Better Project is needed?

So I hope that you will go to the Facebook Page and/or stop by an Old Navy store and help support this cause and Old Navy.

A Positive View of Japan

I can't help but keep reading the news and blogs about what's happening in Japan right now.  NPR keeps frightening me with their reports about the Nuclear Reactor in Fukushima and then I run back to Barry Brook's blog to check his updates and see how accurate the news really is.  While he does state in his post that the information coming out of Japan isn't complete and he doesn't have 100% accurate data, his entries do help to explain the science behind what's going on.

from Darrell Nelson's post
"Life in Chiba, Japan Goes On"

But then I also came across a post like this: Trends in Japan.  It has pictures from areas outside of the affected areas and shows that life is still going on as normal as possible for most people on the island.  A lot of the media reports make it seem that the entire country is dealing with this crisis in the same way.  Obviously people nearest the earthquake are going to have the hardest time.  But I have to agree Darrell Nelson and Michael Keferi, the authors of the two posts on Trends in Japan, it's important to see that the whole country isn't devastated.  Yes there is some damage, the heart of the country, the people, and their culture is still beating and Japan will recover given time. 

More on the Earthquake in Japan

All weekend, I've been hearing about the nuclear power plant in Fukushima.  It's frightening news, even here in the United States.  I did read an interesting blog this morning that put my mind at ease a bit.  In the post, Barry Brook gives what he calls a "simple and accurate explanation" of the situation in Fukushima.  I would have to agree that it is a simple explanation of how a Nuclear Power Plant works and the design that goes into preventing a meltdown.  As for accuracy, I can't judge as I have no background in this.  But I've done a little more searching on the interwebs and found several articles that back him up. 



Example of Brook's Imagesfrom his blog
 http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/13/fukushima-simple-explanation/

 The radio, television, and internet media outlets seem to be over-hyping this part of the disaster.  Though I understand it is a serious thing and should be reported.  I know that it's the trend in news these days to report the sensational, or to report the real news in a sensational manor, so Brook's post was a welcome change.  I didn't feel that he talked down to his audience but rather explained things in a calm manner as a parent would to a young adult.  His use of images and diagrams were especially helpful as I could see exactly what he was talking about in his explanation.  I also appreciate his point that the architecture that went into this power plant lived up to and exceeded its design in the face of an 8.9 earthquake as it was only designed to sustain an 8.2. 

My sister wrote a blog about the earthquake in Japan and in it, she discussed the economic impact of this disaster and the recent revolutions around the globe.  As I said in an earlier post, my mother and her side of the family have an idea that these are signs of the end of times.  My sister goes into an explanation of why this simply isn't the case.  Though she is not as technical as Brook's she is equally as comforting for me to read.

Earthquake in Japan

If you haven't been living in a cave for the last 24 hours, you are undoubtedly aware of the earthquake that took place off the shore of Japan earlier today.  This is the link to the Google Crisis Response Page.  And there are some really interesting and moving images on the Huffington Post Website that show before and after shots of the area.  A couple of the girls at work today couldn't help but cry when they saw videos of the Tsunami.  I don't know anyone there, so I wasn't as emotional about the events but I couldn't help but watch the footage with a bit of morbid awe.

The shear force of nature in this case is amazing.  The destruction and death is truly horrible, but I can't get over the size of the waves or how easily it wiped out entire fields and crops.  I feel badly for the people in that situation and I can't imagine how frightening it must have been in real life.  The after effects will be large and numerous.  I don't know how people will eat or where they will live and I am sending every one of my positive thoughts and prayers in their direction.  I'll make sure to schedule my regular blood donation with the Red Cross and I'll try and give a little extra out of this coming paycheck to the relief efforts. 

But you have to wonder in the game of Man vs. Nature who is ultimately going to win?

Red Cross Blood Donation

Look whom she best endow'd, she gave thee more;
Which bounteous gift thou shouldst in bounty cherish:
~Shakespeare, Sonnet 11

I started giving blood last year around this time, after the earthquake in Haiti.  I was sitting in a bar and watching this news footage on TV.  I wanted to do something to help but didn't have the money to contribute to any of the charities that were helping with the disaster.  I know that my blood didn't go to Haiti, but I figured it would help replenish any blood stores in this country and I still feel really positive about that decision.  Apparently I have some sort of enzyme, or lack of enzyme I can't remember which, that allows them to give my blood to babies in the Natal Intensive Care Unit(NICU).

This time, my technician was a jokester.  Which has its good and bad points.  On the good side, having someone who will talk to you and make little jokes puts me at ease and makes me fill comfortable.  Instead of just marking my arm for the needle insertion, he made it look like a smiley face.  On the bad side, after the needle is in my arm I like to have quiet time to read.  All in all, though, the experience was very good and the whole thing was very efficient.  I forgot to drink extra water, however, and this morning I was very dehydrated.  I still feel a little light-headed today and that is very unusual for me. 

I think I might try to organize a blood drive at work for April, the next time I'm allowed to donate.  I'm not really sure what the minimum requirements are, but I think it would be a positive thing to do at the company.  But given the way the Weight Watchers organization went, I don't know.  We were trying to get a group together for weight watchers at the office and needed a minimum of 15 people.  I could only get 10 to commit and weight watchers won't even come out for an informational meeting without the minimum requirement met.  I am thinking about stretching the truth a little to get the informational meeting here and then seeing if we can get the extra 5 people signed up then, but I don't know how that will work.  If I could get the company to help defray the cost a little bit, I know I could get more people involved.