I did it... all by myself...

My day's work...

Private Sub BtnRunModel_Click()

SolverReset
'clears solver parameters/constraints
SolverOk SetCell:="$J$16", MaxMinVal:=2, ValueOf:="0", ByChange:= _
"$F$2:$F$16,$J$2:$L$2,$K$5:$L$5"
'minimizes cost cel J16 by changing dispatch, voltage magnitude, voltage angle
SolverAdd CellRef:="$F$2:$F$16", Relation:=3, FormulaText:="$C$2:$C$16"
'constraint: dispatch levels must be >= min gen limits
SolverAdd CellRef:="$F$2:$F$16", Relation:=1, FormulaText:="$D$2:$D$16"
'constraint: dispatch levels must be <= max gen limits SolverAdd CellRef:="$J$2:$L$2", Relation:=3, FormulaText:="$J$3:$L$3" 'constraint: voltage mag must be >= min voltage limits
SolverAdd CellRef:="$J$2:$L$2", Relation:=1, FormulaText:="$J$4:$L$4"
'constraint: voltage mag must be <= max voltage limits SolverAdd CellRef:="$K$5:$L$5", Relation:=3, FormulaText:="-Pi()" 'constraint: voltage angles for bus B and C must be >= -pi
'note: voltage at bus A = 0
SolverAdd CellRef:="$K$5:$L$5", Relation:=1, FormulaText:="Pi()"
'constraint: voltage angles for bus B and C must be <= pi
SolverAdd CellRef:="$D$38:$D$43", Relation:=1, FormulaText:="$E$38:$E$43"
'constraint: apparent power flows into each bus from each line must be <= thermal line limits
SolverAdd CellRef:="$J$11:$L$11", Relation:=2, FormulaText:="$J$12:$L$12"
'constraint: real power injection balanced in each bus
SolverAdd CellRef:="$J$13:$L$13", Relation:=2, FormulaText:="$J$14:$L$14"
'constraint: reactive power injection balanced in each bus
SolverSolve UserFinish:=True
'skips user dialogue box when true
SolverFinish KeepFinal:=1, ReportArray:=Array(2)
'1 means final results kept; Array(2) returns sensitivity report

'copies shadow prices from sensitivity report and pastes into model spreadsheet
Sheets("Sensitivity Report 1").Select
Range("E43:E48").Select
Selection.Copy
Sheets("Rounds and Model").Select
Range("G21:G26").Select
ActiveSheet.Paste
Sheets("Sensitivity Report 1").Select
Application.CutCopyMode = False
ActiveWindow.SelectedSheets.Delete
'deletes sensitivity report when finished

End Sub

I Know Damn Well What Time It Is...

But I can't sleep. Had one stupid cafe Americano at St. Elmo's tonight while I was working on some homework, and now I'm wide awake. How about that...

So, earlier tonight I made a phat phat spreadsheet to run my reactive power auction next Friday. It looks a little something like this...

I need someone who knows how to code in VBA to help me write a few macros tomorrow (today actually... Sunday). I'm willing to buy you a pizza if you can do what I need. Not kidding. Pizza. Macro. Let's make a deal. Tyler... I just thought of her. I bet she knows VBA. I'll have to get up with her tomorrow... Or Andy.... Am I forgetting any computer nerds we know?

Talked to my dad today about Christmas gifts. He tried to get me the ties I wanted apparently, and Brooks Bros is all out already. And they told him they didn't know why he was asking for those ties because they are "summer ties." Well biznitches, they were in your f-ing November catalog! I'm no meteorologist, but unless you're in Australia, I don't think November is anywhere near summer. Anyway, the point is that my poor dad went all around trying to get me a tie that doesn't exist.

OK, I should try to go to sleep. But just remember...

Anywhere you go, I am gonna find you.
Every time you flow, I'll be right behind you,
Just to let you know and constantly remind you,
You can never be as dope as I am, god damn.

That's what I'll be rapping in my head, as I drift off...

This Post is All About Germany...

OK, this computer is friggin hot! Not in a sexy way either. Like in a 170 degrees way.

Well, this Thanksgiving was fairly uneventful. I did watch Borne Supremacy though, and it reminded me of a story I'm not sure I've told anyone. Borne checks into that hotel, and the hotel clerk says he needs to hold his passport. That's when it all came back to me...

Back when I was working for UL and they sent my ass to Germany for my virgin trip outside of the US, I was checking into this hotel. The hotel was near the client I was visiting, kind of in the middle of nowhere. My head was kind of spinning from the million things that I didn't understand that I had encountered from the airport to the hotel.

When I was checking in, the provincial and kinda seedy looking hotel clerk demanded my passport and said he would give it back when I checked out. That didn't make any sense to me, especially since I had just read all of this literature I had received at the post office where I got my passport that had tips for protecting your passport and suggestions that you make copies and take some with and leave some with your family and blah blah blah. They certainly didn't make it sound like leaving it with some stranger at the front desk of the hotel was kosher, and the way clerk was asking for it didn't seem legit at all.

Anyway, I was like "My passport?" He insisted that he was required to hold my passport. Anyway, I refused and it took me an hour to check in, because I had to call our travel agent's "emergency hotline" and see if that kind of thing was normal. By the end of it, I'm sure he thought I was a big American idiot. Maybe he was right.

Hmmm... that wasn't as interesting a story as I thought. I should have stuck with my plan to keep stealing Elaina's blog posts. I'm keeping that as an option for later.

So I got my tix home for Christmas. I get in about 7AM on Saturday, Dec 16, and leave about 6AM Tuesday, Dec 26. That's TEN DAYS in Chicago, folks! I'm planning an evening of drinking gluhwein at the 11th Annual Chicago Christkindlmarkt, which will take place on Saturday, Dec 16. Put it on your calendar... Coincidentally, part of the reason I love the Chicago Christkindlmarkt is because it reminds me (a little) of the Augsburger Christkindlmarkt that I went to during my first trip to Germany mentioned above. I'm currently searching for something resembling a good Christkindlmarkt near DC. Anyone know of something?

OK, must sleep. Happy Thanksgiving...

Rock and Roll Lifestyle

Wow, this NaBloPoMo thing is getting difficult. Let's face it... I'm just not that interesting. I may have to think of a way to keep this up. I have a few ideas. I may implement them very soon.

I'm having trouble keeping up with my own rock and roll lifestyle.

My friends are not allowed to have any more birthdays until next year. I think I'm gonna go back to bed. I'm one tired puppy.

Constant Comment and Oprah

That's what my day was filled with, as a stayed home nursing a cold.

I decided to do some research on some actual real internet service. Turns out Comcast is my only option. It's $58 w/o cable, and $43 w cable. And cheapest cable is $53. So I ask you... When did $101 become a reasonable amount to spend on TV and internet in a month? I don't think I can bring myself to write a check to Comcast. They're such extortionists. But I'll have to figure something out. Or maybe I don't. Is my life really so horrible right now?

I also spent my very boring day trying to think of things I want for Christmas. Every year my parents ask, and every year I can't think of anything. Thought I'd try to make it easy on them this year. Here's my wishlist so far. Any suggestions for things to add?

New Post for Make Benefit Glorious Blog of Tom

Hi all. I'm sick w cold, but still feeling peckish. Just snotty and peckish. But not going to work tomorrow prolly. Already emailed my boss.

Just talked to my little sister for an hour. We discussed water colors, her callouses from gymnastics, our cousin Colleen in Iraq, Yatzee strategy and lucky numbers (related to Yatzee discussion).

Also talk to my mother. Seems my grandmother isn't getting out of bed anymore. Poor thing. Makes me feel bad about not going home for T-day.

Pia and I hung out at Tabbard Inn last night, then went next door and met Aaron and Johanna at Topaz. First time I had been to Topaz. Pia said Tabbard was her "new favorite bar." I'm so glad I can open doors like that. I'm not sure I have favorites, but Tabbard definitely fills a particular bar need of mine.

Hey, speaking of bars, did I tell you all before that Kim passed her bar exam? She got a message while we were drinking beers in Alexandria w Kai and Doug on Friday. So if you need free legal advice, you know who to call (at least until Michelle passes her bar...).

I'm out.

Disaster

Me and my group from class had an experiment we ran on Friday, which is largely why I've been missing-in-action for a while. Anyway, it didn't go well at all. I have my own project that I run an auction for in two weeks. I'm going to make sure that one goes much better.

I drove Kai to the train station this morning, in his car, cuz I don't have one. Anyway, the deal was that I can use his car (a BMW) to do some errands and such. So, I've of course been speeding around town with a vengeance.

Hey, I got some promotional Nicorette gum in the mail the other day. I tried it out. One word: tingly.

So, after studying and driving Kai's car recklessly most of the day, I broke down and started looking at computers that I can't afford. I also started planning out races for next year. Those of you in Chicago, put the Shamrock Shuffle 8k on your calendar please. It's March 25, and I'll be in for it. My sis will probably run the Kids Shuffle again. Anyway, registration opens January 1, so put that on your calendar too. And I'm tentatively planning to fly in to do the Chicago Triathlon on August 26. Registration for the triathlon is open right now, and fills up really really early (don't remember exactly when, but maybe by late 2006 or early 2007), so if anyone is up for that, sign up now...

OK, must go make myself pretty for going out...

2059

OK, this is kinda dark, but I just watched the finale of Six Feet Under, where Claire drives off and streams through her mind all of the future deaths, including hers. It disturbed me. Anyway, I did a little research, and according to statistics, 2059 will be my year to go. Here are the stats...

Life Expectancy Results

Life Expectancy: 84.42
Lower Quartile : 76.88
Median Lifetime: 86.82
Upper Quartile : 94.66

Viva Africa!

You know where I just was? The Acoustic Africa concert at the GW Lisner Auditorium. It rocked, seriously. My fav was Habib Koité. That's right, it's got an accent mark. It's French, bitches. Anyway, that guy can fucking play the shit out of a guitar.

Anyhow, I'm totally late on finishing some homework, so I'm just making my token post for the day. But there'll be more tomorrow...

Ut Oh...

Shoot, I totally lost the NaBloPoMo challenge yesterday. It was partially alcohol induced, partially homework induced, and partially tennis induced. Anyway, I'm so ashamed at my lame NaBloPoMo performance. But I'll try to play out the game for the rest of the month...

OK, totally just got a dirty message on Friedster this morning. Some young friendly lady who just moved to Silver Spring and invited me to visit her website where she has special pictures for me. These porn guys went through some effort to solicit me, cuz her message is quite personalized to my profile. I'm quite impressed.

Marty sent me a random text msg last night asking what a "dangling participle" is. I responded that "Being in a drunken state, I was unable to understand the purpose of the strange grammar requests my friend sent me via text message." I woke up and found a text message from Marty and George requesting a "dirty" version. I didn't send one, as I didn't get the message, but let's see what the best we can come up with is... the best "dirty and classy" dangling participle... What about this dirty double entendre?

"Because it was dangling and distracting, my participle was ineffective at making my grammar teacher happy that evening, as her naked arm hung off the side of my bed."

Hmmm... not that tight, but the best I can do in two minutes.

What's Real in Borat?

What's real in Borat? Well, we have some idea now...

Busy w homework. We'll chat later...

You Can Thank Me Later...

Now, one of my rules when I started this blog thing was "no politics." So I won't get into that much, but I do want you all to know that you can thank me, as I voted in VA.

I saw this image from DCist. It's awesome. (For those of you who don't know, we passes a very bigoted constitutional amendment in VA that not only bans gay marriage, but also bans unions with the same rights as marriage.)


OK, one more thing about voting: This story is pretty much awesome.

Moving on... I started a six-week class in bicycle maintenance at Capitol Hill Bikes tonight. I'm going to overhaul my (formerly stolen and retrieved) blue cruiser bike and learn a lot in the process. I was kinda hoping there'd be some cute biker girls in the class, but no luck. A bunch of tools (not the bike kind), two crabby old yuppie ladies, and me. But the mechanics teaching the course are pretty nice. I was worried, as bike mechanics can be kind of snobby and clickish and sometimes I want to whack them in the head with a pedal wrench. But these guys were pretty good. Anyway, I can't wait for all of these yuppies to bring in their Kestrels and Litespeeds, and I'll bring in that blue steel piece of crap! I guarantee the mechanics are going to love it to death.

Oh, so the fun story of the evening is that about an hour into the class, one of the three mechanics has to go get something from his car. So he walks to the front of the store, then comes back and asks the other mechanics if they have keys to the front door. None of them do, so we're actually locked into the store. (There's gotta be some kind of fire code violation there...) So, they have to call the owner, who has to drive all the way back. At one point, the front door opens, the someone throws some keys on the floor and goes back out the front door. Guess they weren't happy about having to come back.

Anyway, I was thinking maybe we would be stuck locked into the bike store for a while... Like when Bo and Luke Duke get stuck in the airtight vault at the bank... Or when Jamie and Paul get stuck in the stairwell in Mad About You. For a moment I thought we might be stuck there so long that one of us would end up being eaten. But we got out ok. And they had a few stashes of energy bars that probably would have delayed the necessity of cannibalism.

Still here...

Well, I'm sitting here eating my fancy dinner and drinking wine watching the results of the election. This is totally like 2000 flashback for me. In 2000 I totally came home from work, watched a little election results and saw a bunch of stations call it for Gore. Then went in my basement to insulate some pipes, came back a couple hours later and it was un-called for Gore.

Anyway, until a moment ago, Allen (R) was winning in VA for senator against Webb (D), with 97.5 percent reporting. But they just updated and now Webb is winning slightly with 99 percent reporting. The MD governor's race seems to be just the opposite. It was leaning for O'Malley (D) against incumbent Erlich (R), but just flipped back the other way, although only 57 percent reporting.

Anyway, I'm gonna go to sleep soon. But wanted to get my post in. BTW, I notice that blogger actually posts these posts like 10 minutes ahead of real time. So if this shows up as a Wednesday post, that is NOT true. It's 11:58pm on Tuesday...

Whew!

This NaBlaPoMo thing is exhausting. But I think I'm gonna make it...

Grrrr! That's the noise I made when the girl who was coming to get my free art that I posted on Craigslist didn't show up tonight. If I've found one thing about giving crap away on Craigslist it's that it isn't free... for me, I mean. I invariably end up spending time waiting for flakey people who don't even show up to pick up free crap! From now on I'm thinking of saying it's free to the first person to come and get it and refusing to schedule any actual time to pick things up, but I wonder if that wouldn't introduce too much uncertainty into the mix, so that people wouldn't bother coming to get it because they'd assume that it would already be gone. Grrr! I could just throw this stuff away, I suppose. But this is kinda a nice print in a nice frame. Whatever, people are stupid idiots. I mean, not people reading this, but certain other people.

So the reason I'm giving art away is cuz I'm starting new. Getting rid of most of my old crap, much of which was given to me and I didn't necessarily like that much anyway. Anyway, I've got kind of a style in mind, at least for my frames. I think I'm going to hit Eastern Market and get some local art. I bought a print for my office a couple weeks ago that I really like, but haven't gotten that framed yet either. I'm sure this project will take me about a year. Don't worry though... I did not get rid of my kitchy boy peeing into the lake that's hanging over my toilet. Or my asparagus in the kitchen.

I've been thinking about why these kinds of projects take so long. Not just art, but similar things too... buying clothes (casual clothes anyway... I can buy work clothes in a jiffy), that kind of thing. For a while I just thought that I was picky. I think I may have even had a couple conversations w some of you peeps recently about how I pretty much hate every piece of art I've been shopping for lately. Well, I've decided that isn't actually true. I don't really think I'm picky, in the larger sense. I actually do not at all hate most art I see. I like much of it. What I'm picky about is what I actually put in my house. I think I have to get over that a bit, because what happens is just that I end up with empty walls and such for long periods of time. Fucking hang something up there already!

Tomorrow I vote.

Games

Geesh, I don't even like professional football, but was a bit sad that my Bears lost today, for the first time. No, I did not watch, but I saw it in the Trib.

Speaking of games that I do like, Illinois basketball begins Nov. 13 (schedule) against the powerhouse Austin Peay. Yes, Austin Peay. I have no idea what "Austin Peay" is, but we play them Nov. 13. Also, my other good basketball school, George Mason, begins their year Nov. 11 (schedule).

In other games news, I just got hooked on sudoku. I also speedily beat my 9 year old sister in Connect Four several times during my recent visit home. Apparently I am a formidable challenger to a 9 year old. And I totally beat that 20 Questions game ball that my mother bought. It totally didn't get Eric Estrada or anthropomorphism. Stupid ball.

Decisions...

I think I've decided I'm not going home for Thanksgiving. This will be the first time ever. That will be such a fabulous time to be at work! No one will be here, and I might actually be able to get caught up on some things I'm somewhat behind on...

Speaking of evaluating travel plans, do you all know about Farecast? It's a fabulous website that not only is like the best way to find good airfares, but also lets you know, based on their statistical analysis, whether fares to your destination are likely to go up or down. It's fabulous. IF I were going home for Thanksgiving, it would save me a lot of money.

That's all... for now.

And you thought I'd missed a day...

Nope!

Just got back from a little hot Borat action at the Regal Gallery Place Stadium. I'm not shitting you, that's actually the theater's name. It's so "regal" that they had exactly two men's bathrooms. One was out of order altogether, and the other had only two of five urinals working. So I peed on the floor. OK, no I didn't, but I should have.

Words to describe Borat. Funny, obviously... not consistently top-notch funny, but in a few places we nearly fell out of our seats and had problems breathing we were laughing so hard. Painful, a few times. Unwatchable, at least once (yes, I actually covered my eyes for a few moments).

Salon has been going crazy with the Borat stuff. They have a few deleted scenes posted. Some are pretty interesting... (See here and here and here.)

Partha and I were debating how much of Borat is really real. I am pretty sure the whole Pamela Anderson thing must have been staged. The frat boys... I dunno. I guess if they did that a bunch of times they might eventually pick up someone that stupid. Most of the rest seemed to be real, but who knows. If that third deleted scene above is real, that's f-ed up.

OK, switching topics altogether, while home sick today I found an online prisoner's dilemma game theory simulator. Go forth, nerds, and strategize... Speaking of simulators, have I mentioned that I'm addicted to this social behavior simulator called Netlogo? If you're a nerd and can program a little, you can keep yourself busy for a long time with this thing...

That's all for now...

Day Two

What did we learn today?

(1) If United Airlines tells you they'll deliver your lost luggage in about an hour, that really means it will show up at 1AM (from a 1PM flight).

(2) Although it's only 12 MB, if you try to download the NOPR for Order No. 888 from FERC's website, it will take all morning long.

(3) It takes about one week for Partha's foot to heal.

(4) USPS can cram a weeks worth of mail into your tiny apartment mailbox so densely that it warps space-time and engulfs your lobby within an event horizon.

(5) Borat comes out tomorrow.

(6) Turbulance is not usually enough to crash a plane.

Babies and Stuff

Just got back from Illinois, where I've been since Friday. Busy time...

First, I met Gillian and Mark's daughter Ellie, and Sarah and Woody's daughter Zola. They're both wicked cute. I found that Ellie likes to squeeze my finger really hard, and Zola likes to throw her bowl from her high chair over and over and over... Sarah calls that the "gravity game." Apparently she's played it before. I suspect Gillian and Mark will be playing the gravity game soon enough.

Then saw the fam. My lil sis dressed up as a cat for Halloween.

Also went to U of I with Alitza to recruit some energy nerds. Went well. We manned the FERC booth at the U of I job fair, interviewed some potential energy nerds, had lunch with some profs, and talked to some electrical engineering students in class. We also had beers at Murhpy's, tried to eat at Radio Maria's (but it was closed Mondays), ate Thai food at the YMCA eatery (yum, it almost makes me want to go back to Urbana just for that), watched some students give "free hugs" on the quad (Alitza opined that "there's no such thing as a free hug"), walked through Krannert Center, drank coffee at Espresso Royale, and other stuff. We drove back to Chicago yesterday. Marty and I showed Alitza around a bit... Giordano's, Signature Room. Then today I met Alitza in the Loop and we went to visit the FERC Chicago field office. It was full of civil enginerds who do dam inspections. Then we walked through Millenium Park and saw the Vagina Building before hopping a blue line to O'Hare.

Pics of my trip here... Still waiting for a few pics of Ellie that have to be emailed to me. Hope to post them soon...

Elaina has informed me that November is National Blog Month, and that there is an open challenge for people to post to their blogs every day in November. I'm not sure if I can do that, but she double-dog dared me, so I will give it my best shot...