Posted by Robyn on Oct 24, 2008 in
Politics I was deliberately vague in my last journal because none of us are ever exempt from thinking about our choices. But what brought on this thought process was the chain of events which led up to our current economic crisis.
Should I buy a house when I have no down payment and can’t really afford it?
Should I sell this house when I know this family can’t afford it?
Should I lend someone money for a home, when I know they will eventually lose it?
Should I design deceptive and predatory mortgages whose payments are likely to double?
Should I repackage bad loans into securities, then rate them AAA (the highest rating), just because there is no regulation?
Should I run a hedge fund based entirely on these crappy investments?
Should I take the money and run when it all starts to go bad?
Should I beg for the government to bail my company out, when I caused the problem?
Should I keep shorting stock when the market starts to crash, even thought it makes everything worse?
Should I start laying off employees, to prepare for a recession?
Should I scale back my spending, in case I lose my job?
Should I point fingers at everyone but myself?
If you take no responsibility for your actions, then you are part of the problem. If you could put yourself in the shoes of a CEO, and honestly say you would never “take advantage” of anyone or any situation just to make money, then you are a better person than I am. IMHO, the entire psychology of humanity needs an overhaul. 
Posted by Robyn on Oct 24, 2008 in
Politics As I sit here watching global markets crash all over the world, I have been thinking about the word “should”. I don’t think people stop to think about what they should or should not do. This isn’t anything new, just something that has been brought into sharp contrast lately by the devastation of our global economy.
We all think about what we “can” do. We are programmed to think in terms of what benefits us personally. Unfortunately, we don’t always look ahead to the possible repercussions of our actions. Even when we do, we often ignore potential consequences if we think the personal gain is too great.
And yet, at the core every world religion (that I’m aware of) there sits a lesson on morality.
More than ever before in history, we are all connected. Regardless of who you are, or what your religious affiliation is, please stop to think about what you are doing before you do it. And remember, the more wealth and power you control, the greater your responsibility to the rest of us.
Posted by Robyn on Oct 23, 2008 in
General Let’s see… what’s new with PN?
I still love my new job as a software trainer. The hours are long-ish sometimes, but my boss is cool, and tries to make up for it with time off. I had a prep day today, which was nice. I got to work mostly from home, though I did need to swing by the office briefly to pick up some materials.
I snagged a Wii Fit this past weekend, and man, is it fun! I am totally exhausted and sore all the time, and totally loving it. It’s like working out with a personal trainer and BS meter all in one. The “balance board” knows if you’re “cheating” on your form because it tracks your movements! It also gives you “credits” based on how much time you spend actually exercising (not just with the game turned on). The more you earn, the more stuff you unlock. It’s very well designed.
What else… I’m feeling rather meh about all my favorite TV shows this fall. ER is clearly going to be an entire season of “goodbye” episodes, which sucks. That show totally jumped the shark when the helicopter landed on Romano, so I’m not even sure why I still watch it. I’m kind of glad it’s ending. Heroes has me a bit thrown by the direction it’s taking, but I don’t really want to give out spoilers.
On the other hand, House is being a jerk as usual, so that’s all more of the same (which is good). I absolutely loved the first couple episodes of Terminator, but I only watch that one with Justin, and we’re several episodes behind now. I can’t watch it by myself, though, because the best part is actually watching Justin while he’s watching the show. 
That’s about it for now. What are you guys up to?
Posted by Robyn on Oct 17, 2008 in
Movie Reviews Starring GLaDOS.
Go see it. Best movie ever made. Nuff said.
Posted by Robyn on Oct 17, 2008 in
Technology Okay, I take back everything negative I said about these new MacBooks. I am typing this from the new 15″ MacBook Pro at the Apple store, and I am in love. The keyboard and new touchpad are both awesome. 
Who wants to buy my 6-month-new MacBook Pro?
Posted by Robyn on Oct 7, 2008 in
General I started my new job today, and I can’t even begin to describe how awesome it is! I have always thought I was a bit of an… oddity. But everyone I work with is exactly like me. Exactly. They are all female computer-geek teachers. They talk like me, they think like me, they like to rant and rave about all the same things I do. They are all over-educated techy bookworms, and I love them all.
When I lost my contract with Insight (my prior employer) due to low student enrollment, I was pretty devastated. That was an awesome job that gave me the freedom that comes with working from home. It was hard to let that go. Now that I have this new opportunity, I believe that things sometimes happen for a reason. This job is a perfect fit for my abilities and personality.
Posted by Robyn on Oct 5, 2008 in
General I was just formally offered a new job as a software trainer with a small firm here in Portland. I will be designing curriculum and teaching courses on a variety of Microsoft and Adobe software. The job pays well, has full benefits, and perfectly utilizes both my teaching and technical skills!
Considering the current economic crisis, and what happened with Justin’s job prospects on Friday, I have learned not to take anything for granted. I am incredibly thankful to have an opportunity like this.
Posted by Robyn on Oct 3, 2008 in
Politics Let me give you an analogy for this “bailout” package.
“I lost my job because I was gambling with my employer’s money, but I took out a payday loan against my son’s paycheck to pay the rent. We’ll still probably get evicted next month, but hey, we had to do SOMETHING, right?”
Thanks, Congress. I really appreciate that. 