Sunshine at Midnight

Sunscreen in my eyes cannot keep me from attending my apartment building’s rooftop gathering! The first time it was rained out; and, it looked like it would rain again but, alas, it did not. I am glad to breathe the air, venting all of the trivial details of today. I need to do this more often (and next time wear the maxi dress because this one woman wears a Gypsy 05 dress and I know that I can do better than that! OMG I am so sick of these secretarial support chicks thinking that they are styling and profiling!). Anyway I am so happy to meet with other tenants in building and this rooftop event serves as a stress release from thinking about tomorrow's economist interview.

Ascending the Ladder

Yesterday I nailed my economist interview by asking two very good questions and possessing very solid economics knowledge. I could see myself working for the hiring manager because I could discover new things without competition. After lunch I returned to my desk where another person asked me about my availability for a brief 20-minute interview for the healthcare economist. I replied saying Tuesday, August 11th since Friday and Monday were my off days. Finally, while printing my announcement, resume and application answers I noticed that the agency forwarded my newest application to the hiring official. Immediately I clicked on QuickHire and my III/IV economist application had been forwarded to the hiring official!

I notified my boss about interviewing. Though he had taken it well, this was the hardest thing that I had to do because I really loved my job! In addition with the recovery transfer payments being implemented I knew that next year there would be so many new components! However, getting accepted into ELDP was my primary career objective so if moving on means moving up then so be it! Ever since my friend who took a detail at Main Commerce became section chief at another agency told me that I qualified for higher grades, I knew that I could realize my goal. Never settle even if I liked my current position!

I Don't Need to Surround Myself By Stupid People Like These

Checking my Facebook page, I saw this crap from an atheist white man questioning Christianity and blacks being brainwashed by slave traders. Knowing that Coptic Christianity existed in Saharan and sub-Saharan Africa, this was so dumb that I de-friend him. I know where my ancestors come from and now that they were not pagans. My friend likes my status. Later tonight I will divulge her my reason behind the post. She is a practicing Christian so she will understand my angst! I cannot be around someone that dumb. The Coptic Christianity is highlighted on Wikipedia not to mention Brittanica!

Career Management

Who knew that working with a resume writer rto rewrite my resume would be so much harder than doing it myself! However, it is all worth it because my new resume is way better and reflects my professional growth. Now I can say wholeheartedly that I am a GS-12 subject matter expert and paste it on my Monster, HotJobs, JobBankUSA and USAJOBS tomorrow! Furthermore, I will email all of my prior contacts about the status of my applications because my August 1st deadline is 1 ½ weeks! I need this position because I have done everything good!

The Problem I Have with In Plain Sight

After watching In Plain Sight, I do not know if I could idly stand by and watch my partner kill innocent (well, anyone not associated with the crime) people in the name of ‘justice’. This whole no-snitching thing is stupid and does not save anyone life. Therefore, I totally disagree with this episode because it honesty and the truth do matter. His partner was a hothead who needs to go to jail because he steps over the line!

Ah! I feel better because I have gotten this off of my chest but this still affects me especially since it had a military connotation! This whole thing that some kinds of dirt is okay but others are not does not sit well with the daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of veterans!

Opportunity Journal Entry #26: Aspiring Leaders Development Program Graduation Ceremony

I am happy to have graduated from the Commerce Department's Aspiring Leaders Development Program because it has stimulated my personal and professional growth and many of its participants have received promotions. The senior executive's lobbying us to take American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) detail drives home this point because I highly doubt that he has gone to the average Commerce Department employee asking him to join. He is looking for the best and the brightest!

Even though it turns out to be a sunny day, initially a monsoon sweeps through funneling wind and rain! I return to my humble abode, get my winter coat with the hood, wear my boots and charge outside ready to take on this hurly-burly force! Hey, I, too, am a force to be reckoned! Ever the Type A personality, I think that I am late arriving at 11:08am but hardly anyone is there. I sit in my assigned seat, draft a plan on how to receive my plaque and certificate without bumping into anyone. Afterward, we take numerous pictures. I particularly want our class picture with Brianna's son because when he turns 25 and enters a leadership program I want to be the one who says that I was there in the beginning!

After graduation, the weather calms down and the sun emerges. I drop off my winter gear, wash my face, call my mother preceding her casino trip and head to my favorite steakhouse to celebrate this momentous occasion! Armed with the restaurant's April $49 six-ounce lobster special in my hand, the waiter recommends two $28 soft crab which are pretty good and filling! They are also cheaper than the monthly special and as the waiter quips, 'You have the rest of the month.' True, indeed. With the cost savings, I have ordered a Coke and a peanut butter chocolate cake which has come nearly to the original amount.

This entire yearlong experience has served as a catalyst for personal and professional growth. Without it, I would have never known how much potential I have. I know that I am a good economist but now I know that I am a great economist! I can actually become not just a GS-12 economist but will one day become a senior executive service economist myself!

The Second Time Around

Yippee! I (think) that I have aced my calculus III final Thursday by reviewing my work thrice. It is essential to take my time . This tactic and asking the professor about the error analysis question result in getting four questions right. This caps off a great two weeks because the professor says that no one in the class will fail, I promptly complete my summer tuition assistance for elementary statistics and registered for linear algebra or business statistics for the fall semester. I have regained my life and my doctoral aspirations are back on track! By the end of this summer, I will have twenty-three math credits and halfway towards becoming a statistician and by December 2009, I will have twenty-nine math credits and qualify for the statistician, mathematician and mathematical statistician positions. I want to become a full-fledged member of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) community and am nearly there. During this time period, I will attend the American Statistical Association JSM conference and its continuing education seminar. By December 2009 I will have everything professionally in place.

Retaking calculus III is a humbling journey because this is the first time in over five years that I have received a D in math. Although it is hard, I know that cannot have that blemish stay on my academic record because doctoral school is on the horizon. Therefore, I have put my all into this class because my future is on the line.

Stupidity on Both Sides of the Miss USA Controversy

I think that I need to layoff Twitter a bit after reading Roland Martin’s commentary. Disclosure: I dislike Roland Martin and his ilk because they present themselves as so-called carriers of the Freedom Movement but have left out some considerable amount of its principles; thus, they are watering down the Movement’s potency. I have to post this on Twitter because I simply hate his hypocrisy! Aah! I feel much better after this! Now I am not letting Perez Hilton off the hook because I really do not understand how the pageant allows him within 1000 feet of Miss USA. The problem I have is not with Miss California’s response that she is against gay marriage but Martin’s assertion that being pro-gay marriage is politically correct. This is a disturbing accusation and I refuse to tolerate it or let those who believe or disbelieve be labeled!

En Route to my Hiram College Tenth Year Reunion

2009 commemorates ten years since my 1999 college graduation and I am using my blog to chronicle my feelings about returning to campus.

Hiram was not my first choice. Howard University in Washington, DC was my first choice but I did not have the backbone that I do now so I did what my mother said. She had an ulterior motive which was to prove certain people at her workforce that she could afford to send her daughter to a private school. That was why I disliked it so much. However I managed to create my own life by interning in Washington, DC which was where I currently worked. Needless to say my mother did not like that idea because she was not in control of it. Essentially, she did not like any idea that she did not understand, be it graduate school to earn a second degree or travel to London to accumulate international business experience or relocate here to DC. Prior to DC, I worked at Cuyahoga County and that gave her bragging rights because she could afford it on a clerk’s salary. Working in my major messed her whole fantasy up because she could not control the outcome. Hey! It was my life!

That is a little back story about post-graduation life. Now as I enter my third year as a government economist, the fed will make me a career permanent employee and fully vest my retirement. On the cusp of this milestone, I look at my career progress. In three short years I have gone from GS-9 to GS-12, completing the agency’s mentoring and within one month will graduate from ALDP. In the duration I have broaden my professional networks by joining several economist organizations and have kept my NBMBAA membership up to date. Participating in seminars have helped me stay current of my profession which in turn makes me more successful.

Now as I return to Hiram College I will run into the same, old classmates (Hopefully everyone will still have their jobs but given that BLS reports February 2009 has seen 651,000 unemployed, I highly doubt it! Personally, I think that the mixer will turn into an impromptu job session which I am happy to help because the government is hiring!). The one thing that I will do is bury old emotions and realize that the Carla at age 21 is not the Carla at age 31.

I Wish You Well, I Guess? I Dunno

I have accomplished a lot today! I have submitted my ALDP forms so that my matrix spreadsheet will not be blank. Financial empowerment: Saturday I will deposit $375 to replenish my savings account. Tuesday, I will open my online savings account to stash away more money. In addition, next week I will calculate my bills, register for my Hiram College tenth year reunion, and submit my ALDP management interviews and developmental assignment impact paper.

Later this evening, I am happy to have spoken to my friend about her predatory lending situation because I really want to hear what transpire. For three weeks, I have tried to text message her but to no avail. However, she has notified me that she has bought a new cell phone (figures!). Listening to her, I realize that those silly teenage boys are nothing to the very real problems that she has (Although they will probably be in juvenile detention this summer)! Therefore, I am grateful for the problems that I do have: no predatory mortgage, crazy people particularly family whom I can keep at a distance and not having to deal with bill collectors. However, Ellen’s plight just makes me more of an advocate.

My Life (Thus Far) At Age 31

At age 31
I do not look back because
I am happy to be my age
Unlike what society says
I have no desire to be any younger
I can still rock microminiskirts
Still write poems, songs and rhymes
Still express myself my way without regard to anyone's opinion.

The Day After: My Official Inaugural Story

Having spent all yesterday recuperating from attending the inaugural swearing in ceremony, parade, and official ball, I am writing my inaugural ball entry a day later. While at the Western Ball, one of the ten official inaugural balls where both the president and vice-president danced with their wives, I basked in the glow of my hustle and maintaining my integrity throughout the entire waiting process. From November 2008 to January 2009, many party promoters and organizations have flooded my email and Facebook accounts with their own inaugural balls with a higher price tag than the official ball.

I vividly remember last December 2008 when one of the Young and Powerful representatives wanted me to pay $200 to serve as host for its series of unofficial inaugural events. I replied to Crystal that I could not fork over $200 for an unofficial ticket when the official presidential ones were still unavailable. Attending the real ball was my primary objective. During this two-month period, I saved over $1000, forwent buying extravagant Christmas gifts at deep discounts, participated in DC for Obama, subscribed to the Presidential Inauguration Committee's Twitter feed and email updates, and conducted thorough due diligence to discover that the official ball tickets started at $150, $100 cheaper. On January 14th, Adam, the DC for Obama president, sent me an email with the special Ticketmaster link tp purchase my tickets. Immediately I bought the Southern and Western ball tickets at $173.75 ($150 plus $23.75 processing) apiece and forwarded the link to all of my friends.

Beginning Friday, January 16th, I started searching for the perfect ball gowns. My after work trips to Neiman Marcus at Mazza Gallerie, Bloomingdales at Chevy Center and Nordstrom at Pentagon City were unfruitful. Exhausted, I realized that I skipped Lord and Taylor at Friendship Heights and should visit there Saturday.morning before proceeding to Tysons Corner.

Saturday morning bright and early I boarded the red line train for Friendship Heights and walked into Lord and Taylor where I found the prettiest gray sequined gown. I flagged down a retail associate to give me a dressing room but after ten minutes I left the dress on the rack because I refused to wait that long for one to open up. Right afterward, I traveled to Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue to see if they carried the designer I wanted. Upon learning that they did not, I returned to the red line where I rode the train to Metro Center to transfer to the orange line to Dunn Loring to ride the 2C to Tysons Corner's Lord and Taylor store (During this commute, I realized that the 2C bus left after my orange train arrival so I rode past Ballston). While waiting at the bus shelter, I remembered my whole 3T debacle. Boarding the wrong train lengthened my Tysons Corner trip 50 minutes. If I did not have that experience, I would had made the same mistake once it pulled up. When the 2C finally arrived I boarded it and within 10 minutes I was there.

Knowing that Nordstrom carried my designer I went there first (plus it anchored the entrance.) but it did not have it. Later I traveled to Jessice McClintock which stocked some very pretty gowns but none of them appropriate for the official inaugural balls, therefore, I continued to Bloomingdales where once again, the larger store did not have my particular designer. Finally, I tried the Lord and Taylor and, viola!, there my dress was but in a size 10. Undeterred, I decided to try it on and it fit. That was amazing because 12 was my normal size. Immediately, I purchased it and headed to the Chanel counter to buy all of the requisite makeup. As soon as I sat down, I told the ladies that this was where I had to purchase my makeup because I wanted to look like a sophisticated lady. This was no time for CVS makeup! After purchasing my lipstick, liquid foundation, lip liner and eye makeup, I thought about how empowering it was to save the $1000 cash and to use the 20% off coupon to save even more money. Having purchased the first gown that I wanted, I boarded the 2C bus to Dunn Loring, transferred to the orange line to Metro Center then reboard the red line to Friendship Heights to buy the second dress that I wanted. Upon returning to a now bustling Chevy Chase store, I managed to try on the black halter sequined dress then bought a black purchase. Cumulatively I saved $131.20 on my total purchases giving me breathing room. Furthermore, it made me almost forget not buying the Badgley Mishicka ball gown that I really wanted.

This shopping experience reaffirmed the importance of hustle and staying true to myself because I could had settled for buying the white sequined dress in a size 12 but that was not the one that I wanted; just like that I could had settled for buying the unofficial ball ticket but I saved and waited for the official one to come. These two examples exemplified how patience and integrity were necessary towards being successful in anything.

My Place in Obama Inaugural History

I am happy to announce that I am the very first person to pick up my official Obama inaugural ball ticket from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center! In the bitter cold I walk down L Street to the convention center, inform the security guard that I am here to pick up my two official inaugural ball tickets. And, because I arrive in person rather than having my ticket mailed, I receive an official inaugural invitation with the president-elect's and vice president-elect's pictures!

Notes on the 2009 Fiesta Bowl: At Least My Buckeyes Have Shown Up!

Even though my OSU Buckeyes have lost to the Texas Longhorns 24-21 in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, I am happy that they have at least showed up to play! Furthermore, I am impressed at Terrelle Pryor's maturity who can hold his head up knowing that as a freshman he has given the Buckeyes the lead and the ability to win the game. Actually this game looks like one of those dandies from 2005 and 2006! Finally, I see Ohio State getting better especially with Terrelle at the helm!

Education and Opportunity for All

Work has paid dividends today because researching some counties using the exception edit let me see how other Americans are using the Pell Grant to pay for their education. Until today I have never known that Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Augustana College and Concordia University exist in Oklahoma, North Dakota, and West Virginia, respectively. These are not numbers but people which motivate me to solidify my spring 2009 plans. I have overcome my fear of submitting the wrong email to a professor(I will still call my advisor for vetting purposes). I will finalize my schedule and aid package and check the bookstore for the new book. Completing these classes put me only my master's thesis away from graduating.

On another note, Tuesday I will travel to UDC to submit my certified tax return. I need to have everyhing aligned because this summer I will have two independent study research seminars. This is my way to bolster my analytical background. Also I will conduct county cycle research because this year has been interesting to say the least. I have had the opportunity to find and fix many errors. This has been a learning experience enabling me to grow from it. Personally I feel that these experiences allow me to ace the SAS certification.

Happy New Year 2009!

From winning the ALDP slot to receiving my ZP-III economist promotion, I have accomplished a lot of my objectives. However, my American University return has not been as smooth because I must retake both classes after receiving dismal grades. Starting with calculus III, this entire year has been nothing but retakes. Though it looks like 2009 will be a redo, I will still graduate in 2009, conduct two independent study research projects, vie for the GS-12 economist post and expand my career and professional opportunities through earning six statistics credits to become a statistician and attending the NABE, NBMBAA, NAACP and ASA JSM annual conferences. Regardless of circumstances, I will improve my lot this 2009.

A Problematic Idea

This is my comment regarding the New York Times' highlighting Brandon Jennings' move to Europe in its Year of Ideas 2008:

I do not think that Brandon Jennings leaping to play in Europe was a brilliant idea and should have been highlighted here in this Year in Ideas 2008. It is a shortcut and there are no shortcuts to success! This is encouraging high school students to devalue education. Many college basketball players major in business and communication to be able to properly manage their income and images. Brandon will not have this opportunity. Furthermore, there will be a difference in medical care. The United States has the premier medical institutions which are far superior to its European counterparts. Moreover, it is required that all American medical staff speak English. The European Union has three official languages: English, French and German. There is no guarantee that Brandon can effectively communicate with the medical staff when injured. This language gap can lead the premature end of his basketball career and all follow him all of the days of his life. Professionally, the NBA does not have to accept Mr. Jennings’ European tenure because its rule stipulates that he must have one year’s worth of college. Brandon could have gone to any Division I college then to the developmental league before ascending to the NBA ranks. Finally, the most damaging part of this story is that Brandon is surrounded by a bunch of spineless yes-men, including his parents, who do not enforce rules. The college rule is meant to keep players safe by cultivating their games. For every Kobe Bryant there are 20 Sebastian Telfairs who could not make the leap. For 2009 please reconsider including people who take shortcuts for a living on the New York Times list.

What's Happening Now!

Receiving an email from a black businesswoman who has read my blog and become inspired from my life, motivates me to post my first blog entry in over one month! Her remark speaks to what I want to accomplish by sharing my experiences and hoping that people learn from them. I want others to benefit from my mistakes instead of making the same ones. It is all about giving and sharing because we all have a story to tell.

Now what exactly have I been up to since November? The National Novel Writing contest better known as Nanowrimo, has consumed the majority of my time. There have been some monumental stories during this month from Barack Obama’s presidency (I reside off of 16th Street and right after the networks project him as the winner, a horde of 2000 people ran down the street from 11:30pm to 2am chanting ‘Yes We Can’ all the way to White House. One man was even running the street holding a humongous balloon display, like the one you see at the Disney World entrance!), the President-elect’s 60 Minutes interview where he focuses on fixing the college football system instead of the Pell Grant even though it does not match inflation and we have been in a recession for one year, and my grievance process with a crazy instructor which is still in process (the school says that it can take up to 30 days. I pray that it does not ruin my Christmas!), and a well-meaning but evasive professor who believes that if he gives me specific instructions that I am being academically dishonest (Yikes!). This is also ongoing but will conclude next Monday. I have sent my concerns to the proper authority and will see what happens but in the meantime, I have decided to focus on the one thing that I can control: my performance.

The entire grievance process is a blessing in disguise because it supplies me with additional combat skills to face adversity. My agency holds an academic seminar, the morning my final, and throughout it I write down all of my dreams for the remainder of this year and for 2009. With every paragraph, I reclaim my joy and zest for life. I wanted to read the Statistics for Dummies book and take the DSST principles of statistics and the UDC elementary statistics II exams to qualify for the federal government’s statistician classification. It needs 15 math credits, 6 of which must be in statistics. Well, I have 16 math credits but 0 of them are in statistics. Yet, instead of viewing this as a singular opportunity, earning these 6 credits gives me 22 credits, 2 shy of the 24 required for the mathematician position. Here is where the DSST comes in handy again because it also offered the business mathematics exam where I could earn American Council on Education (ACE) credit. UDC accepts ACE credits giving me a total of 25 mathematics credits. Now all I have to do is either retake or test out of calculus III. Personally, after all of this drama, I realize that I can accomplish anything with a little hard work and perseverance. Hey, like the Reverend Joel Osteen preaches, ‘extraordinary people have extraordinary problems’. So I must be at the top of the food chain with all of this swirling around my head like shrapnel (When I swim with the sharks I do the backstroke!)!

A sour ending to 2008 means that this is setup for the 2009 comeback which will show up in all of my actions and Christmas gifts! Instead of purchasing a wardrobe of haute couture clothes and shoes (I confess to buying two pairs of Jimmy Choo on sale, of course, because I am an economist!), I will buy the STATA student version, Official DSST Study Guide and the Official CLEP exam to improve my future. The DSST exam costs $90 apiece versus $375 at the USDA Graduate School, $650 UDC credit by examination fee, and $3534 at American University (I remember when I use to make that much working part-time back in Cleveland so to me this is still a lot of money!). That is a significant return on investment! Moreover, after microeconomics, I am shifting my focus to statistics because it is only out of 100 instead of infinity which is easier to handle; therefore, it is important to prepare for by obtaining as many statistics credits as possible and these purchases ensure that I reach all of my goals.

Getting Ready for Primetime

I have bought an extension chord to create a personal multimedia center by linking my tv, computer and radio. Having taken off election day because I am on detail in Virginia but my precinct is in Washington, DC, I want to hear the Tom Joyner Morning Show wire-to-wire right after casting my ballot bright and early 7am. Immediately upon returning to my apartment, I am logging onto www.barackobama.com to share my voting experience and encouraging people to turn out. It's essential to have a three-prong multimedia feed going because there's an abundance of lies and misinformation to combat. And what better way than to create my own news center? Hey I pay the bill then why not?

This newfound blogging fervor results from seeing my 1/10 score and realizing that I have put all of my energy into my Facebook page, thus neglecting blogging on my Barack page. No more because I have already posted two entries! Throughout this campaign I have used my education and connection to advance Barack Obama and believe that many black professionals should bore the brunt of the burden. I have the ability to use my technological savvy to push Obama into the White House and during the next 48 hours!

Looking at the Bright Side

I admit that I have felt pretty bad over receiving my lowest score to date but unlike other times, this bad mark has not deterred me from saying that I can overcome (though I must acknowledge that it stung for a minute!). I guess it is the leadership program, good credit, and working in my major. I am currently working as a statistician at another agency. Even though it is kind of boring, I have learned how to calculate moving averages which is important to statistics. Therefore, in a recession, the fact that I have two jobs when many are searching for one is enough to view myself as successful. See if I was at Cleveland State studying for my MBA and climbing the ladder then I would be concerned with my academic performance. However, as a GS-11 Economist, steady credit, and an emergency fund, I am not clamoring as much over a couple of bad grades. The financial solvency has calmed my nerves because I live in DC on the same street as the university. I am no longer taking the bus to Farragut Square then transfer to the blue line to the Pentagon metro station then transfer to another bus. All I have to board one bus and get off at DuPont Circle then walk ten minutes to my apartment which I have because of solid credit.

However, I refuse to waste any of my scholarship money on getting anything lower than a B this semester. It is amazing that after outlining the chapters and creating practice tests, my microeconomics score is better than my mathematical economics. Today that I have outlined sections 11.1 through 11.4 and solve the homework to submit this Friday after my meeting with my micro professor and slipping my comprehensive exam form under my advisor's door (Yes, I know that I can pull this around even though this professor moves the second midterm to December 1st one week before the final exam on December 8th.). Also later this evening, I will finish outlining chapter 12 and start solving problems 1 and 3 on the fourth homework assignment. I will walk into the office having read all of the material so I can ask more informed questions. In a weird kind of way, I feel that microeconomics not mathematical economics may be my saving grace which is great because I need the former to sit for the comprehensive exam. This is not over by a long shot!