So, my mom, who loves having her family together, decided to have a family get-together. We went down to the lake and started to have a grand ol time.

It was really windy, being right on the edge of the lake and all, and luckily, I brought a kite! Carrie bought me two kites (with an extra 500 feet of line) for Valentine’s Day, so I brought them along.  The first thing I did when we got there was let one of the kites loose. It went up immediately (I didn’t even have to run). I let it go to the end of the string and then I tied it to a garbage can so I wouldn’t have to hold it. I also brought along my camera and but didn’t get any kite pictures. Here are a few pictures of the whole event.

After a while, my older brother, Wayne, showed up.

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I have always wanted to build a computer. Back in the day, my brother built one, and would never let me play on it, so I decided that one day I wanted to build one of my own! I’ve been considering it for about a year and haven’t had the funds (actually, I did – I bought my Macbook Pro, instead). I have compiled a list of parts, links, and prices. So, you computer geeks, give your advise/opinion and let me know if anything is missing (part-wise).

If you want to download the Excel Spreadsheet, complete with prices, descriptions, and links, click here.

Hard Drive – $60 – http://www.tigerdirect.com

Power Supply -$50 - http://www.tigerdirect.com

Tower – $40 – http://www.tigerdirect.com

CD/DVD Burner – $40 - http://www.tigerdirect.com

Motherboard – $120 – http://www.tigerdirect.com

CPU – $200 -http://www.tigerdirect.com

keyboard/mouse – $20 – http://www.tigerdirect.com

RAM – $40 – http://www.newegg.com

Monitor – $190 – http://www.tigerdirect.com

Things I don’t have to buy:

• OS (compliments of LSU)
• Speakers

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

I just wanted to let ALL of my avid readers know that I removed WindowsXP from my MacBook Pro (MBP) and installed the Windows 7 RC on it. It works fine, so far. I will update this post as I use it more and get more “data.” Here’s a picture and a video, though.

Being a college student looking for a summer job, I didn’t know where to begin. Like many other people, I decided it would be best if I asked my mom what I should do. Being an avid Dave Ramsey fan, she recommended that I watch her  Financial Peace University DVD – Working Your Strengths. Dave had some good things to say, so I figured I would share them with the world! Here they are, Dave’s tips on how to get a job:

In this economy, there are hundreds of people looking for jobs. Be different from the other people sending out resumés. The following steps outline how to set yourself apart from the crowd:

1. Before sending out your resume, send an introduction letter. Say this: Hey, you guys are awesome and I want to develop a dialogue with you. One step in developing this dialogue is that you’ll be seeing a letter in a few days with an attached resume. You can toss the resume, but keep the letter because I will be following up. I will be following up on “friday the 28th” and actually DO IT!

2. When you follow up, one of two things will happen. You will be asked to come in for an interview or you will be turned down. If you are turned down, start over. However, if they ask you for an interview, pull out your dress clothes. Know that you are the product! Sell yourself! Present yourself well. Look sharp. Believe it or not, your appearance affects your ability to get a job!

3. Be on time. Keep eye contact. Give a firm handshake. Women, don’t dress too sexy – it might make your potential employer uncomfortable. Be sure to put on deodorant and to carry breath mints. Do all the things that you would think you should do in a job interview. You potential employer is likely to decide whether or not to hire you within the first 30 seconds.

4. Before you leave the interview, set a followup time. Ask them if it would be OK if you follow up on ___ date at ___ time. Ex: “Would it be OK if I follow up on next Thursday? Morning or afternoon? Ok, I’ll call at 10:00.” This way, you have no excuse to call them back. They’re now expecting your call!

5. As soon as you leave, send a thank you note! Stop by a drug store and get some stationary, hand-write them a letter thanking them for having you, and drop it in the mail. That way, they get it the next morning and say ‘hey, this one is a little different.’

If anyone does this and has great success, let me know!

I’ve been very busy with school. I can’t think of anything else to say that I’ve been busy doing because it was ALL school. This semester has definitely been the most stressful, sleep-depriving time of my life. I am SOOO glad that it’s finally over. Scratch that, it’s not quite over yet. On May 15th, our architecture portfolio is due. This is a big deal — it decides whether or not we get into 3rd year. I am really stressed out about it, but at the same time, I am confident that my website is a strong one. Anyway, it’s basically summer now – I’m sitting in the recliner at home. All I have left to do is upload pictures to my blog. I want to make a short video, better than my introductory video, to show a little more of myself (lol) to the panel of judges (executioners). We’ll see how that goes.

Also, after my future is decided (it should be around July), I will most likely make this wordpress blog my official site. I will try to update it regularly, but we’ll see how that goes.

Cheers,
Jeremy