Getting credit for my degree.

So, I finished my Master of Engineering Management over 6 months ago. The degree is from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. The program allowed me to take the classes through the Navy. That let me take exams while at sea. Great!

Except that the Navy lost some of my exams. They admit it. However, they never offered to fix the problem. Just, "Whoops, we screwed you out of college credits". Government organizations are not known for their excellent customer service.

I should have graduated back in December.

I have been trying to solve this problem while moving, traveling, and job hunting.

The good news: After six months of harassing my adviser, my professor, and a couple Naval Officers, it looks like I will be able to finish.

The professor has agreed to allow me to answer a few exam questions and then he will assign a grade based on that. So, here I am, relearning my Statistical Quality Control textbook (thank goodness I kept it) so that I can answer the questions he emailed me. I should be done tomorrow.

Ducks

Behind our property there is an irrigation canal with a trail running beside it. This is great, because I run on the trail. I can follow it for several miles out into the countryside. But the canal has been mostly empty since we have lived here. But now that it is April, the canals have been filled. With the canals full and everything turning green, the birds are showing up.

Today, Jenny and I walked about four miles around the neighborhood. Along the way I took photos of all the ducks.

Two Articles

Today, The Traveler's Notebook posted an article of mine called Join the Navy, See the World.

The title seems a little funny, since I just left the Navy. Obviously, for me, the negative aspects outweighed the positive ones, or else I would still be there. However, I wanted to write an article that outlines some of the travel opportunities in the Navy. I tried to keep it balanced.

The photos in the article are mine as well. In fact, one of them is a photo of me, which makes me feel a little silly. Oh well.

About a week ago, Brave New Traveler posted another article of mine. It is about one aspect of reverse culture shock, which I experienced in college after returning to the United States after living in Britain for a year. It is titled How To Reconnect With Your Friends After The Journey.

Ring Around The Rosie

This is a video I took in Oregon of Jenny, Traci, John, Mary, Willow, and Aspen.

Adults do strange things when kids are around.

Panoramic

I patched together four photos for the panoramic picture above. I think it looks decent, but I am still figuring out the computer programs. Hopefully my next attempt will have more even lighting!

Click on the picture for a bigger version.

Capital City Public Market

Today was the first day of the Capital City Public Market. It is a farmer's market in downtown Boise held on Saturdays throughout the summer. It is still cold out, but it was fun. We bought local honey, wine, and salsa.



Just for some contrast, below is what a farmer's market looks like in Peru.

Boise Overview

I went out hiking in the Boise Foothills again last Sunday.

You'll like Ted Scott.

I found out that the author of the Hardy Boys series (actually several authors writing under the same pen name) also wrote 20 books about a "daring young American" pilot named Ted Scott. Apparently, back in the roaring 20's the Ted Scott books outsold the Hardy Boy books.

I feel somewhat more famous now. I will have to get some of those books.

It seems that in book #1, Ted Scott was the first pilot to fly over the Atlantic. Thus, the character was a copy of Lindbergh and capitalized on his fame at a time when the United States was nutso for airplanes.

From the website:
You'll like Ted Scott. He's a daring young American whose feats of flying thrill the whole world, but he keeps a level head on his shoulders.

Add your own captions.

Boise Foothills

Today, I went out walking in the Boise Foothills. One of the things I really like about Boise is the easy access to trails. I took this picture three miles from downtown. There are over 125 miles of interconnected trails through the Boise Foothills.

Another Article

Brave New Traveler just published an article of mine titled 7 Ways To Thank Someone For Staying In Their Home.

Now I know that the first one wasn't a fluke.