scoreboard

Literally.

So, I've been sick this week and sort of out of it. On Monday (which I took off because I was sick), while I was feeding the dog, I noticed that Saber, my cat, had a piece of ribbon in his mouth from a mylar balloon I had got for my birthday. Unfortunately, it didn't register until a few seconds later, by which time, the ribbon was gone.

Now, I didn't actually see him eat it, but it was pretty clear that he did. So, I kept an eye on him that day. During the night, Saber threw up on the floor. When I woke up Tuesday morning I found it,a nd also saw that he hadn't sued hit litterbox, and had not eaten any of his food. He took a treat I gave him, but didn't want to touch his food. I went to work (still feeling miserable, by the way), and when I came home he still hadn't sued the literbox or touched his food.

Of course, I had a hockey game that night, and being the goalie, I had to go. So, since we only have one car, I called Martha. She ended up meeting me at the ice rink (right off the Ballston metro stop) two hours prior to my game. I brought my equipment and the team's jerseys, as well as the cat. Martha then took the car and the cat to the ER vet.

They took x-rays of his stomach, and while they didn't see any bunching or damage, there was considerable back up. The cat was constipated. He was also dehydrated. They gave him fluids, and some stool softener. This all costed us a nice $400. We decided to take him home, instead of leaving him overnight (which would have cost $1200). Martha then left the cat at home to pick me (and Dave) up from hockey. When we got back, Saber had dropped a load, and sure enough there was a ribbon inside it. So, now I'm giving him a stool softener with an eyedropper that I have to shove down his throat. He doesn't like that much, and his nails are sharp.

Anyway, Martha suggested getting the $400 poop log bronzed. That is honestly the most I've ever paid for a piece of crap. Hopefully I never will have to again.

Posted by Jeremy Sarnovsky at 08:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

So, as I said I was going to do, here's an update on the team's first game: we won 7-1. I actually think our team could destroy the team we played last night (Homerhawks), but it was good for a first game. We started off slowly, but luckily they didn't have a goalie for the first couple of minutes, and we got one in on the empty net. WE ended up scoring three each in the first and second and one in the third...

It was different to look at the olive green jerseys in front of me, instead of blue or white. Though, I think that was the case for everyone. The jerseys all looked pretty nice together with the socks. I also think the lines we had together will work better as we get to know each other. We were also missing 4 guys last night, and they will certainly help when they are back. I think we can challenge for the league championship, we just need to iron out the inconsistencies.

As for myself, I could have played better. I counted a total of 12 shots on me, which is pretty low, buy the goal that was scored was annoying, and if it weren't for my defenseman George, I would have had two against me. He knocked one out of the air that had gone behind me. I typically play better against better teams, so next week should be a good challenge against one of the better teams in the B league.

It was a good start, and I think we've got a bunch of good guys who I'm looking forward to playing the whole season with.

Posted by Jeremy Sarnovsky at 06:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Tonight is opening night for a hockey team in the DC area. Not the Capitals, the Washington Wolves Adult Men's B League team out at the Kettler Capitals Ice Plex.

I skated this past summer on all free-agent team that was put together by the K-Plex staff, and it was a lot of fun. So much so, that I decided to try to get a team started out there myself. I've been playing hockey a long time, and it seems like we've got a good group of guys together here. Luckily, I was able to pick up six former ACHA players, including 5 from Richmond and 1 from Johns Hopkins. On top of that, I added about seven guys from this summer's "Caps Blue" free agent team - essentially the core of the team that showed up every night. We plugged in a few more guys who were friends of guys on the team, and we're all set to go.

So, we have a 20 game season running tonight through February, plus playoffs, assuming we make them. Through the Wolves website (link at right), I'm going to keep a running count of our stats and record. I'll also try to throw a few blog entries in about how the team did.

So, hockey season is upon us. Sharpen those skates, and lets get on the ice.

Posted by Jeremy Sarnovsky at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've never been a huge football fan (maybe because the Lions have always been terrible), but I found this statement from ESPN's Article on "The owners we love to hate" pretty funny - especially the part about the Lions.

8. William Clay Ford, Detroit Lions: Forty-three years of ownership, one playoff win. In 2001, Ford was attacked by a band of marauding zombies, who subsequently ate his brain. In related news, Matt Millen has been the Lions' president and CEO ever since.

That reminds me of the game Dave and I went to earlier this summer. A baseball game. Not football. In Washington, DC. The Washington Nationals vs. the visiting Detroit Tigers. These guys were in one of the luxury boxes:

Posted by Jeremy Sarnovsky at 02:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm a few weeks into my Master's Program in Computer Science at Georgetown, and I must say, I'm impressed so far. The professors definitely know there stuff, which is good, because you always want people who are teaching you to know what they are talking about. Not that I thought that would be a problem at all. One thing I was actually worried about was my ability to understand the professors. I, unfortunately, have some difficulty understanding non-native speakers. However, after meeting my professors, as well as those others who are not not teaching me this semester, I don't think that will be a problem. I was a HUGE problem at Oakland University, and unfortunately, OU didn't seem to care....

However, the thing I am most happy with (or impressed with), is the small size of classes. Both of my classes, which are upper/under classes, have only about 10 students in them. In technical subjects, this is an incredibly beneficial situation for the student. I find that I'm getting to know the professors, my fellow students, and most importantly, the subject matter - much better than I have in the past.

At Oakland University - a school somewhat known for its technical sciences - I was often in more advanced topics with upwards of 30-40 students. In particular, my operating systems and databases classes at OU were around 35 students. While I'm not taking an OS class (yet) at GU, I am taking databases, and can definitely say I've learned more in this class. The classes with a large amount of students seem to inherently prevent people from asking questions or from asking the professor to explain in more detail a subject that a particular student does not understand. I know that is the case for me anyhow.

While GU isn't particularily known for it's computer science program, I can already tell you I like it 10 times better than Oakland's program. Better professors who make an attempt to connect with students, small classes, and in-class exercises certainly speed the knowledge process. I don't think I ever did an in-class activity in 85% of my CS classes at OU. In both the classes I'm taking now at GU, we do in-class exercises, and then actually go over them. It's great!

Anyway, I don't think it will be easy from here on out. Databases I have a better understanding of, but the Software Engineering stuff I'm having to work my butt off to understand. I haven't really looked at SE stuff since I was a Software Process Improvement intern at SiemensVDO - nearly eight years ago.

Posted by Jeremy Sarnovsky at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So, Volkswagen of America announced that they are moving to Herndon, VA yesterday. For those of you who know me, I'm sure you understand that this was troubling news. For those of you who don't know, my father works at VW's headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI - and has worked for them as long as I can remember (since they were located in Troy, MI, at least)....

Now, in addition to the move, VW it cutting jobs. My dad doesn't know yet what is going to happen to his group. He is in a somewhat unique situation, working at VW's headquarters as an employee of T-Systems - known best as purvayors of T-Mobile wireless phone service. So, only time will tell what is actually going to happen.

The way I see it, there are three potentialities. First, they may tell him he has to move to VA in order to keep his position. I think this probably won't happen, given the fact that he is actually employed by T-Systems. I think it would be hard to move contracted employees. Even so, if it was the only option they offered, I can't believe my parents would do it. Having just bought their "retirement" house a couple of years ago, I can't imagine them leaving. Not to mention leaving Michigan. I miss it there and want to go back, so I doubt they'd leave at this point.

Second, my dad and his group could be part of the 600 or so employees VW is keeping in the Great Lakes State. I think this is probably more likely. Though, it doesn't bode well for the future, because surely VW will want to eventually eliminate or move those employees to Herndon. Despite that, there could be a positive in this situation. If my dad stays in Michigan, he will likely have to take more frequent trips to the DC area. Obviously, that likely means more visits with me, even if they're short ones. So that'd be a positive, at least.

Lastly, I could see VW offering some sort of buy-out package to employees in lieu of moving. Whether or not my dad would take that (or an early retirement), I don't know. I can't really see my dad retiring at this point, though. He's still pretty young for that.

While this isn't a huge crisis for me personally, I hope it works out for my mom and dad. With the economy the way it is in my home state, it's unfortunate to see this happening now.

Another thing that I have to mention is that I actually find the move quite puzzling. The cost of living in DC is 53.8% higher than in Detroit. Granted, Herndon is not DC, but it is close enough to also be substantially more expensive to live in. To me that says that VW will have to offer higher salaries than they currently do in Detroit. Maybe they expect to get better quality workers than in Detroit, but I actually doubt that. Despite Michigan's horrible economy and worst unemployment rate in the country, I still think it is the best place for workers trained in the technical aspects of the automotive industry. I predice that, in the long run, the move will actually hurt VW.

Also, I have a hard time understand why they think a move to VA will jumpstart their business. While it is true the majority of VW owners live on the east cost (and not in Michigan), slow sales are slow sales. If people don't want your cars, they aren't going to buy them just because you moved your HQ to a new state. I'm sorry, but Michigan's crappy economy has nothing to do with your poor sales. Maybe if you had a truly unique car design, that might increase sales. Perhaps if you changed the cars so they weren't so boring looking, it might change sales. Moving your HQ will have no effect if you continue to have a product line that inspires indifference. (This coming from a guy who drove for the last 5 years - until March of this year).

I'm sure VA is giving all sorts of kickbacks and tax breaks though. Unfortunately, I think VW will end up regretting this decision.

Posted by Jeremy Sarnovsky at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's been a while since I've been in the 'ol blogosphere, so it's time for a few updates and thoughts:

1) I am once again a college student. This time I am taking classes at Georgetown University, pursuing the Masters of Science in Computer Science degree. I'm actually pretty excited about this. This is the first year GU has offered this program, so I'm in the inaugural class, which is neat in itself. I'm also pretty happy to be continuing the CS part of my education. The fact that it is free, thanks to Tuition Assistance from GU, it a huge bonus.

I'm taking two courses (as a half-time student), Databases and Software Engineering. I'm more nervous about SE than DB, but they should both be good experience. I have not decided what I want to focus in yet, though it will likely be SE.

2) I missed my 10-year High School Reunion. I'm not sure if I'm upset about this or not. I suppose it would have been nice to reconnect, but from a couple people who I talked to who went, nobody I hung out with back them was there. Meh.

3) I absolutely HATE phonebooks. With a passion. I feel like buring the next phone book I see. If you work with me, you know why.

4) Fall Hockey Starts Soon! I've got a pretty good team lined up - the Washington Wolves. With about 6 guys from Richmond, one from Hopkins, one from St. Joe's and a couple of guys who are good players, I think it will be fun. Plus we got the sweetest color jerseys. EVER. Hopefully I hear from the Hockey Director at Kettler Capitals Ice Plex soon about the start of season. I suspect it will be after the Capitals' training camp.

5) Visiting Tom. Went to Marietta College to visit my brother, who this summer started his Physician Assistant program. You can see an awesome picture of him here (scroll to the bottom), where he discusses the fact that he is very excited to begin his clinical rotations. Anyway, after visiting, I have to say that there is definitely something to be said for small-town living. The fact that we ate at a nice Mexican restaurant for under $8 a plate was great. That doesn't happen in DC. Maybe someday I'll end up in a small town.

That's about it as far as the updates go. I've got a couple other posts in my mind, and hopefully they make the screen in the next couple of days.

Posted by Jeremy Sarnovsky at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)