Housewarmings and Birthdays, Work and More Study

[tcpip]

Last Monday attended horngirl and alchemon second housewarming. Good conversation with some pretty intelligent people (the physics of Newton's Cradle kept us going for a while), and a damn fine feast as well. Following day was caseopaya's birthday, so we went to Healesville Animal Sanctuary, organising the visit to witness the platypus presentation (according to local legend, a cross between a water rat and a black swan), followed by the Tasmanian Devil feeding. Very impressed by the nocturnal mammal collection as well. Following day, before attending an ALP quiz night planning session, purchased a Citizen Ecodrive watch for my beloved. She receives the high-tech gadgets, I still prefer the old-fashioned technologies. Yesterday ran another session of Pendragon, this time with Queen Margawse causing trouble.

Conducted a lengthy presentation this afternoon for a number the VeRSI people on the business logic of the quality management system we use. Future meetings will be held on integrating at least most of the PRINCE2 project management framework as the most appropriate initial activity, given the nature of the two organisations. The new course manuals that I wrote came in today as well; very shiny in full colour, and both of a substantial size. Initial reviews of said publication are extremely positive. Tangentially related to both my work and my studies, but with a public orientation, I have put in an application for another degree, this time a postgraduate diploma in economic policy at the University of London. I am particularly interested in public revenue from resource values and strategic investment for positive externalities (higher education, computational technologies). Anyone would think I'm trying for the top ten most educated people.

Comments

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

Because you can never have too many degrees... Are you aiming for a full set of 360?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I would at least like to pick up one in the sciences (because, well, that's my work), one in the fine arts, and one in divinity at retirement :)

[sebastianne.livejournal.com]

Wow, I don't feel so bad about my degrees after reading that list, though I still want my PhD so I can have one of every type of degree, because fulfilling my OCD tendencies is a great reason for tertiary study ;)

[horngirl.livejournal.com]

I always wanted to get a PhD so I could wear the floppy hat. When I first conceived that idea, I assumed it'd never happen, but it could be a distinct possibility now with the way my academic plans are going.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

The floppy hats are indeed a highly motivating factor. Although I do delight already in having Oxford robes.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I want you to have a PhD as well... :) Apropos this, are you a doctoral candidate? (i.e., working on a PhD thesis?)

[sebastianne.livejournal.com]

Not yet, but the plan is to become one within the next two years- ideally I'd like to do it full-time so need a good savings account to cover the mortgage for a few years :)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Ahh, I thought that was the case. With a brain like yours, I'd encourage you to enrol - even if it is just nominal - as soon as possible.

In any case, the first year (or three if you're doing in part-time) is just working out what the thesis topic is and getting the background reading in place.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

Hooray! There's no such thing as too much education, I feel.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

In hindsight, I sometimes wish I didn't take such an autodidactic path as I did from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. It's not as if I wasn't studying and learning, but there's ten years there which I didn't acquire a stiff piece of cardboard and I really should have, could have, etc.

[horngirl.livejournal.com]

Thanks for coming! I think that part of the afternoon consisted of the most structured discussion I'd had all day ;-)

And that's a mighty nice watch. I may be coveting it slightly!