Submitted

So I still don't have an introduction and a conclusion, but the rest of the paper is completely done (20 pages too). I took a two page summary of the work in to my advisor and asked him to read it and see if he had any critiques or suggestions before I turned in the actual paper.
He looked over it, said he liked the idea, liked where I went with it and said that it should be accepted. I went into the director of graduate studies and asked if he needed me to submit the papers to him as well, and he said an e-mail from my professor was all he required.

So in other words, when I go to turn in that last completed MA paper tomorrow, I'm pretty much graduated. Just need to finish the last of my coursework in Microeconometrics (due around May 8th). I think I just graduated.

If anyone is interested I'll post a brief review of the second paper as well. So far the title is: "The Effect of Remittances and Emigration on Human Capital Development in the Origin Country."

Indian Student Update: While little is being said about the new arrest warrant out for Richard Gere (aside from a few light hearted jokes), they are still mad as hell about losing to Bangladesh. I've heard everything from exiling the entire team, to "making an example" of the coach, to.. other... less pleasant alternatives. Most of them produced by those students who are usually pacifists, and extremely anti-violence. At least Gere didn't kiss a cricket player.

Chavez Says Ethanol is Crazy

To put this in a more eloquent Internet dialect:
ROTFLMAO

Seriously though... c'mon, US. You know you want the sugar cane ethanol. You won't even have this whole food-price argument that Castro/Chavez are putting up. Eh, eh? As Homer Simpson once said:
"In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the women."

LOWER THE CANE-ETHANOL TAX!

Edit:
I have apparently misquoted Homer Simpson. The correct quote is:
"In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women." Which is much more appropriate. Sugar. Power. Get it?

Countdown

Well considering that classes are over by the very beginning of May, I really only have one month left. The papers are coming along nicely (the MA paper at least, and really that's the one I need to graduate), all but three responses are in for grad school programs, and I've got a pretty good idea of where I'm going to be next year (given certain things happen).

Also one more month(ish) until I get to see la Ardilla. Jejeje.

Back to work though. Got a presentation that I need to prepare on "Adolescent Child Birth and Life Cycle Wages." Fun stuff.

Birthday

Birthday plans for the day:
Class from 9 to 1.
Working on my MA paper.
Working on my labor presentation for Tuesday (paper on adolescent motherhood and lifetime earnings. Real page turner).
Working on my econometrics paper. (???)

Yet another birthday well spent.

What I want to do:
Spend a few minutes going through back strips of Achewood, Get Fuzzy, and Pearls Before Swine.
Have a good drink.
Have a good meal.
Read more of 1453.
Watch South Park.
Chill.

I recall a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon where Calvin asks Hobbes what he wishes for most, and Hobbes says he wants a sandwich. Calvin berates him saying that he should want to be all-powerful, or fly, or something cool like that. Then it shows Hobbes with a sandwich and a very frustrated Calvin, and Hobbes contentedly saying: "I got my wish."

Here's to birthdays :)

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes. Love you all!

Why I Boycott Nickel Creek

I just wanted to post on the internet something that has bugged me ever since it came out. And that thing is those squeaky clean little youngsters from Nickel Creek. I liked their music, and I still do. It's quite fun to play. But if you ever read the liner notes on their CD, you'll see a funny thing. "Bass: Edgar Meyer." Hey, sweet. Meyer is perhaps the greatest bassist living in these United States. If you ever get a chance to see him live, do it. The stuff he does on a bass is amazing, and he's spent years honing a tone which is quite unique and fun. It's a sound that I think is distincly American. It just sounds like our history.

So I was shocked and appalled when those squeaky clean youngsters put out a video for "Smoothie Song" with Edgar nowhere to be found. In fact, they made it look like the bassist from Metallica was playing the song. I kid you not. Go here to see the horror.

So who is this magic man who plays the actual bass to that song? Well, there's finally youtube evidence that I can share thanks to the further musical aspirations of their prodigy mandolin player.


Yeah that's right. He's not some dreadlocked rock star... no no. That there is a pudgy Tennessee Good Ol' Boy who as I hear is fond of wine, kickin back, and playing practical jokes on the audience with his cell phone.

Now perhaps these kiddos were swayed by their producers to put in a young hip face to give them "street cred." And perhaps Meyer was busy and they had to fill in somebody at the last minute. But we've just hit Milli Vanilli territory here people. I've heard all sorts of excuses from Nickel Creek fans: "Well it will bring in people who wouldn't normally listen to the music."
... you really think a Metallica fan is going to put down money for that CD? What about the people who listen to the song, like it and say, "Wow that bassist is good. Who is that?" Oh? The Metallica guy? They go buy a CD and find absolutely NOTHING comparable to it, skipping right over the bluegrass and classical section. They've just missed out on hearing at least half a dozen CDs full of inspiring bass work over several genres, because they believe what they saw on CMT. Good going kids.
On top of that it implicitly gives credit to some one who didn't do the work. It just seems wrong to me. Meyer is in the liner notes, but he's not good enough to be in the video? Really?
Lastly, if you've ever seen the guy actually play, its amazing. You hear it, and wonder how he does it, and then when you see it, his technique and his manner seem so relaxed and easy that you start thinking you can do it. Then you pick up an instrument, and you try. Certainly a lot better to watch then some hard rock bassist pretend he knows how to hold a bow, while plucking the wrong notes to the song on a video (take a look. He goes down the neck to a lower note sometimes when the sound of it goes up).

But Meyer apparently never made a fuss, and from what I can tell he got the same treatment from Garth Brooks (check the liner notes). I guess that's just the business. Still. I expected better from Nickel Creek.

More Meyer Goodness with Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Mark O'Connor, and Jerry Douglas. I highly recommend checking out all of them. Let's see the Metallica bassist do this.