Self-Investment on a Shoestring Budget

            I’ve enrolled in this regression analysis course and the instructor wants us to use either SAS, Stata, JMP or other commercial statistical software. Well. SAS wants $199 for a 6-month license so I check to see if StatCrunch processes the same and viola it does!  This move has saved me $199 and much needed time in learning how to do regression in SAS.  The great part is that I can use StatCrunch for the upcoming logistic regression next June. I truly want to improve my job performance and advance my career and thanks to StatCrunch, I don’t have to break the bank!

Moving Forward Faster

            I refused to let someone’s monkey see, monkey do behavior get to me! First thing this morning I took my second PMP practice exam scoring 62% (passing). These haters weren’t going to hold back! Later tonight I will write down all of the project management process’ definitions to increase my score to above 70%.  I know that by next Friday, May 31th, I will achieve that score. Getting over 70% positions me to pass the actual test. I am ready to tackle the challenge because the MBA/PMP combination raises my competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Haters Are Going to Hate. Don’t Fall for the Bait!

Today I learn from our office secretary that another person in our office has asked the quality manager for a PMP exam application reference.  This is the very same person who has taken project management training money before my arrival to the agency but now nearly 14 months later he decides that he needs to get serious and apply for the PMP July 31^st exam change deadline.  All this time I submitted my application, secured my references, and already scheduled my test.  Instead of fretting, I have been studying since May 3^rd. I’ve made substantial progress scoring over a passing 61% on the last two knowledge area practice exams.  Thursday I will review my practice study guide chapter 7 and complete cost management practice exam. This weekend I will take my second PMP practice exam scoring over 70%.  I don’t sweat the competitors because I’m on my A game all of the time. Furthermore, with less than 2 months before the PMP change, there is no room for error.  

Fashionably Late to My Textile Class

Saturday all dressed in my new Juicy Couture waxed floral jeans for my textile class, I missed the bus there.  Rats!  I would be late for the very first class.  I boarded the 10am X2 bus headed down H street.  It was okay at the White House but once it hit Gallery Place, all kinds of characters started boarding.  There was this one woman who once had a shape but didn’t anymore. That didn’t stop her from wearing stretch pants. That was an embarrassing visuals because her butt wasn’t round but squished together and formless. Then there was this old man selling incense.  He was (probably still is a weedhead) talking about a song that he heard and an affair he had. He lied about earning a store 40 years but I seriously doubt it because it didn’t take much to keep an incense store going. Man just get off of the bus and give me peace of mind!

Thinking that things couldn’t get any worse, I exited the wrong stop forcing me to walk an extra four blocks. Now 25 minutes, I thought I was going to be the last one arriving and chewed out by the instructor.  I signed into Sherwood Recreation Center. Taking a deep breath as I climbed up the stairs awaiting my fate, I opened the classroom door where lo and behold there were two women there: the instructor and the organization’s president. Flabbergasted, I introduced myself breathing a sigh of relief.  That serenity lasted all of 10 minutes because I learned that there were a book and textile kit that I needed but weren’t told. That was more money already out of my pocket which was unfair to me because I just paid $499 for my online regression analysis course and budgeted another $199 for a six-month SAS license.  Now these things were added.  I purchased the book off of Amazon but the textile kit must wait until next pay because I wasn’t going into debt over fashion! I learned some very good tidbits:

·         My instructor was from Columbus, Ohio

·         I was one of two people who paid

·         The class would be delayed until June 1^st in observance of Memorial Day and held at the textile museum

·         The three of us had business backgrounds dealing with ‘creatives’ who were brilliant but mentally scrambled (and couldn’t come up with the money by the 15^th)

Since my textile class is delayed for 2 weeks, this delays the pattern making class meaning that once again I must go for dolo and register for Bits of Thread’s June 2^nd pattern making tutorial. DC Fashion Incubator isn’t putting me in limbo again with its inconsistent schedule and payers! I have my money by the deadline. I am going to be okay.  This missing the bus pattern continues because I miss the return X2 bus forcing me to wait at the bus stop for 10 extra minutes. It also starts raining.  I get back on the bus where this man in a winter coat boards smelling like ‘cold piss’ (a rider’s comment not mine because I don’t know what that smells like).  Once we hit the Gallery Place stop things calmed down allowing me to catch my breath a couple of minutes before exiting the bus. After this commute, I need the three-week break!

Returning home, I order my book via Amazon and start researching the websites that the instructor provides.  Next I go through my closet to see what I can wear for the June 1^st museum visit.  The Gilt Groupe’s Haute Hippie knit maxi dress is a winner because it incorporated the whole textile museum theme. This’ll be perfect!

Findings from Fashion Week Cleveland

            Last night I attended Fashion Week Cleveland’s fashion show. I wore my silver-sequined Vince cocktail dress at the behest of someone working for the organization.  Though the event said black-tie, I could get away with a cocktail dress.  Right after hearing that I shopped my closet wearing my Vince.  I switched out my boots for black flats because it was a fashion event and I should shiver for the greater good.  When I left the hotel, the weather wasn’t that bad.  Upon arriving there I was happy at my decision because none of the women wore boots.  I signed in receiving my VIP wristband then proceeded to have my photo taken against the fashion week ad.

Me at Cleveland Fashion Week

Next all of the VIP people were lined up in two directions awaiting for the Hyatt Regency staff to let us in.  Once they did, there was a mad dash for front row seats (I managed to get one!).  The Master of Ceremonies welcomed everyone and did housekeeping then the show began.  As an aspiring fashion designer, I watched with a more professional eye than others. I looked at garment construction and color themes.  My favorite was Sorjet because this clothing line was luxurious yet wearable. Below were all of the photos from each designer in order of appearance:

L.A. Gaitors Shoes

Bae Rae

Lindsay Marie

Art of Cloth

Sorjet

Sorjet

Sorjet

Modern Fashion

Jae Jarell Menswear

Lotty by Lotty Lewis

All Designers

I was impressed by these designers. I learned that the Sorjet designers hailed from Lexington, Kentucky.  That was when it hit me that Cleveland fashion week was a big deal!  My hometown inspired me to keep working at my craft because this time next year, I will be ready or at least further along than right now! Finally, I will be back front and center for the tenth anniversary.

Get Used to Seeing My Face Lady

Today I sit in 3C on my flight and the stewardess makes this big production over asking the man seated in 4C if I can put my purse underneath MY own seat. Of course, he has no problem. Upon hearing his response, the stewardess exclaims ‘It doesn’t really matters.’ Well, it if did matter why did you mention it? I feel that she did this because I isn’t one of her ‘regulars.’ A US Representative is seated in 4B and I am a row ahead of her. I will be flying back out of Cleveland Monday seated in 1A and don’t need a repeat of this mess. I file a complaint with the airline to have its customer service team discuss the incident with her. When I return back to Washington, DC this matter better be resolved.

Passport DC 2013: Chronicling Four Embassies and Three Different Continents

            I walked to DuPont Circle to pick up my media badge. When I received it, I thought ‘I could automatically skip the lane because I have credentials.’ I sashayed my way to the Embassy of Argentina with my pass swinging around my neck.  I arrived at the entrance only to be told by the lady that I must get in line because the embassy was filled to capacity. So much for the media pass. The Argentine embassy was fun and informative. I learned a lot of the country’s history, culture, and embassy’s infrastructure. I was disappointed that it did have a pope exhibit since he hailed from Argentina. That was the main reason why I went. Upon leaving, the embassy had a sports exhibit highlighting the 1986 World Cup and 2004 Olympic men’s basketball gold medal wins.

Argentine Embassy

Argentina-US Bilateral Relations Placard

Argentine Ambassador to the US

Tango Lessons

Argentina Sports Superpower Placard

            Next I walked to Chilean embassy where the line snaked to the Trinidad embassy’s driveway. The line moved fast and in less than 10 minutes I was inside. The first stop was the arts gallery showcasing the country’s best photographs. Afterward, there was the food gallery where the crowd sampled the desserts.  Upstairs was the fruit and wine.  The staff let people eat the grapes, blueberries and blackberries but not the pears. (Rats! I thought free grocery shopping!). Anyhoo I enjoyed it. Now onto the Australian embassy!

Me in the Chilean Miner Suit Cut-Out

Outside the Chilean Embassy

The Ambassador's Residence Sign

Chancery of the Embassy of Chile

Office of the Ambassador

Ambassador's Office

Living off of Scott Circle, for years I would dread seeing the long line. Some years it stretched beyond P Street! I gulped walking all the way past the church intent on seeing the inside. A volunteer told everyone that we’d receive bags. Put everything in it because we were going through the metal detectors. Whoa! That was new because I didn’t have to do that with Chile and Argentina. At least they fed up while waiting. Once I passed security, the Aboriginal man blew the horn. There were four lines. The left-most was the nation’s top universities. The next one was to the auditorium. The third line was the wine line. The right-most one had the souvenirs. I went right for the souvenirs. The volunteers gave me two kangaroo pens. Next I went to the Armed Forces area picking up stickers and pamphlets then proceeded to the wine line. Afterward, I stood in the auditorium line to see the amphibians. That was a first! I was giddy because there live animals. Seeing zoologist, I secretly thought ‘That was I would had been if I cut dead frog I got for my science kit during one past Christmas.’ Well, I ended up as an economist so I was okay. Upon leaving the embassy, I snapped photos of the tank. I admitted that the Australian embassy was the most impressive (thus far). Onto the Kazakhstan embassy!

Aboriginal Man

Australian Flag

Embassy of Australia Sign

Australian and American flags

Australian napkin

Zoologist with bearded dragon

Tank

            While in line at the Australian embassy. I saw some people in native costumes across the street. Secretly I thought I would go there after visiting the Australian embassy. Fast forward to walking past the tank, I headed down 16^th street. There was no line because all of the people were inside. I loved it because the Eurasian country’s culture differed from the other three. I took photos of all the hunter-gatherer artifacts. It was great to have someone on staff (I didn’t know if she was an anthropologist) explaining all of this to us. The intimacy was noted because unlike Chile, Argentina, and Australia, Kazakhstan was small.  The other three countries’ staffs expected crowds to know something about them. Here the Kazakhstan embassy projected genuine appreciation that we showed up! I was pretty happy that covered four embassies on three continents. That was major progress!

Kazakhstan people welcoming us outside the embassy

Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Hunter-Gatherer Artifact

Kazakhstan President with President Obama at the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit