Getting Over It

No, not me failing the Foreign Service Oral Assessment... That too, of course, but what I am talking about getting over here is that the Democratic party's presidential nominee is Barrack Obama. I have been delaying the inevitable in accepting this foregone conclusion. Clinton ran a losing campaign and has only herself, her staff and her husband to blame. No amount of Chelsea doing her best with young voters all over America's campuses could help. So now what do I do?
Hillary gave what I felt was a magnanimous speech and came across as a real champion on Tuesday night at the convention. Sure there are hard feelings and a cold, calculating, selfish reason for saving face in front of the party. But it was great to see and much appreciated. She convinced me I needed to do the right thing in November and vote for someone I still do not trust or respect - to help promote the party platform and avoid a worse fate than a lousy Obama presidency. And what exactly am I afraid of with Obama at the helm? Well, there are a few issues at stake:

1. Losing the Democratic Party's momentum. A bad presidency by any Democrat could reverse the gains made in Congress and in state governments everywhere around the country. Obama has a higher risk of disappointing because of his unrealistic promise to change Washington. How can you change Washington from the inside? Obama is a politician within the Democratic party of the two-party system. Why does he or anyone else think he can end partisanship? And, more importantly, do we want to end it? Are two parties too many for us? Do we want a single-party state like China instead? I never understood this campaign platform, I still don't understand it, and I doubt I will ever understand it. I hope he means to "change" things for the better, but I feel like uniting Democrats with Republicans is a no-starter. And I am also unsure about how American citizens will be heard once lobbyists are thrown out of DC. Will there be a national referendum on every bill? Isn't lobbying a way for active members of our society (in this case the monied part) to get their voices heard. I just wish everyone forgets about the "blueprints for change" and not blame him for this crazy campaign rhetoric.
   
2. Screwing up health care. Obama's campaign rejected universal health care. As someone leaning towards the European model of Social Democracy I see Obama's plan as a half-assed strategy. Failing to bring down costs of health care and rationalize the system is going to leave many people uninsured and sick, and without reducing or stabilizing the financial burden we cannot do anything of significance with the budget (forget about fixing any other welfare like the bankrupt social security, or doing something about the economy and our dependence on oil/global warming).
3. Screwing up foreign affairs. We have our hands in more honey jars around the world than ever. I am sure any administration will be better than the Bush Jr one with regards to foreign relations, but it is not obvious how well Obama understands the core issues. Picking Biden was a good start and I would rest easier about this one were it not for the scary potential of failing to secure our old alliances, to reassert our moral dominance (not the military or economic ones), and to insure global peace and cooperation.

Obama, I am planning to vote for you, because you won the right to carry the Democratic platform to the White House. I'm hoding you alone responsible for your success. Please, do not screw this up!

Foreign Service Application: Phase 4

Fail, get over it, and wait another year before trying again...
Alas, I am now another statistic (%90 of those who take the FSOA fail the first time). My quest to become a Foreign Service Officer must pause at this time and resume in March when I can restart the process by taking the written exam. The exam was just as I expected it, but despite preparation and anticipation I did not pull off a passing performance. While I passed the Structured Interview, I failed the Group Exercise (ran of out time during my presentation, among other sins) and the Case Management (ran out of time again) tests. I received a 5.0 score for the day and the passing score is 5.25.
The group of people I was testing with were all really interesting and highly qualified. I would not be surprised if everyone else passed (except that it would be a statistical anomaly). Their experiences ranged from working for NGOs in Baghdad to being spouses of active FSOs. Everyone was well-traveled and educated and the day passed quickly through many discussions and sharing with everyone. Meeting and speaking with them has convinced me further that I am on the right track and that the Foreign Service is a good choice for me, whether it happens or not.
I am glad I have a new job to look forward to next week, and a new baby daughter to pour my energies into!!! The idea of being an FSO and the road I've taken so far toward it have helped me to gain focus in my life and insights into my goals and wishes. I do not regret starting the whole process - I have had a great year and now a new, exciting future to experience...

Back to Work

After months of hunting, interviewing, and dealing with pushy head hunters I am finally in sight of an offer letter, a first day of work and most importantly, a paycheck...
I ended up with a programming job at a big bank in midtown - sigh - but I am very excited about the role, which is as close to quantitative analyst I might be able to get without a PhD. Incongruously, the team works on Mortgage-Backed Securities, so this may be a very short-lived position. I may start sometime next week after I get back from Washington DC and my Foreign Service Oral Assessment. And I will have to take a week off once my daughter arrives (scheduled for the week after). So, it's going to be a slow start to be sure.

Rat-Brained Robot

This is a BBC story about a really cool research program that uses a rat brain to run a mechanical robot (thanks Gill for bringing it to my attention). It reminds me of my days as rat neurosurgeon at NYU Medical Center. I was working on the other hybrid possibility (rat body, machine brain - well, at least machine-influenced brain).

In other news, I have been interviewing almost daily on the phone and in-house with several financial firms, as well as some alternatives to Wall Street shops. I am hoping to get an offer or two by the end of the week. If I start work in the coming few weeks it will be a crazy month ahead - new job, foreign service test in DC, and the birth of my baby daughter. Speaking of babies, today we had our baby care class where we got to diaper and swaddle scary baby dolls. I'm ready for the real thing (or rather, ready for someone else to do it while I watch from an odor-safe corner).

Pachelbel's Canon in D's Nuts

We drove to the Thousand Islands area in upstate NY on Friday for our friends Cris and Margo's wedding. Traffic was horrendous - first on 278 all through Staten Island, then on I-80, then on I-81 with all of its crazy single-lane construction zones. Got to the area really late as the pre-party was winding down. After a week of rushed practice (due to a last-minute notification), Scott and myself (the two best men) finally had a few minutes to see how our Pachelbel's Canon sounded together. Most of that time was spent tuning our guitars to one another, but we did get some confidence and got an idea on how to best arrange the duet.
In the morning, after a hearty breakfast at the Guzzle in Thousand Island Park, we met back for another practice session. We also jerry-rigged shoulder straps so we could play while standing. We finally locked in our arrangement about an hour before the time of the ceremony. We had about a minute and a half prepared and we were worried about not having enough material. But in the end, we had so little time to play we didn't even get through half of our arrangement :( Still, I think it sounded pretty good.
The rest of the wedding ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was fun. We had loads to drink and everyone got silly, but mostly me. After the wedding, we went mini-golfing ("another sport I suck at"). I got a chance to shine at Ms. Pacman in the arcade (high score is mine!) after a frustrating and embarrassing 18 holes of mayhem - clubs flew, balls hit way out of bounds, many language violations were issued by the decorum judge (Todd).
Congrats Cris + Margo!