As part of the annual check on my goals outlined in September, I decided to revisit one of my old posts and critique my progress.

1. Make 250 new acquaintances:
- Eh…Hard to keep track. I was very social at the beginning of autumn quarter, but as my responsibilities tally so does the locked doors between me and the rest of the world. I’ll admit that as of late, I’ve been asocial in sacrifice of better grades.
2. Make at least 10 new close friendships:
- Probably closer to 2-3 so far, but I still have a quarter and a half to go (not including my summer internship).
3. Maintain my GPA within .10 of a point:
- This started better off than expected. For the first time at Ohio State, I achieved all A’s during autumn quarter, raising my GPA .30 of a point!
4. Pass Exam FM of the Society of Actuaries list of exams:
- I took this examination during fall. Let’s just say I’m studying to take it again during May. We’ll check this off in May…for sure!
5. Learn all of the material for Exam MLC & MFE:
- So far, so good. It helps having formal courses that prepare you for these tests. Nevertheless, I understand and remember everything I’ve learned so far!
6. Maintain and improve the level of success of my campus organizations:
- Well, I think the level of success part has been maintained; however, I did feel the need to cut back in actual involvement due to time restraints. On the bright side, with the tradeoff I was able to raise my GPA (#3 on the list)!
7. Improve my relationships with my family:
- I think we’ve grown closer together since the start of my junior year. Thanks, in part, to my brother’s new house, we’ve been able to help with DIY work together.
8. Improve my relationship with my girlfriend:
- After reading my previous blog, I’d say that I’ve completely accomplished this goal. Now, we’re in the process of planning the wedding – which may not be as fun as I had anticipated thanks to some hard-headed relatives that don’t like hearing “NO!"
9. Witness an Ohio championship:
- Well, I had my chance! Actually, I had 3 chances that seemed reasonable. The Cleveland Indians could arguably be claimed the 2nd best team in MLB last year, and the Cleveland Browns narrowly missed the playoffs. As for my beloved Buckeyes, ughhh! We’ll be back next year!
10. Continue to plan for my future:
- I’ll say I nearly completed this goal for the year as well. I’ve confirmed that I’ll again work at Watson Wyatt for the summer in another actuarial consulting internship. Now, I just have to work on crossing off #4 & #5 from this list!

Posted by Signal_Caller at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You read that correctly, I popped the question to my girlfriend of five years…and she said yes!

I had everything planned out: what I’d wear, when I’d do it, what would happen after, my call list of who I ‘needed’ to notify after it happened, etc. Everything went great!

What I didn’t plan for was the onslaught of questioning I’d soon receive. I noticed that when they’d ask these questions they disguised their tone to try to be cute, but really all they were doing was prying into my personal life a little too far while – ultimately – trying to deliver an overarching message of reality. Among the brain busters that people through my way were:

Q: “Aren’t you a little young?�
A: “Ummm…aren’t you a little old? Think about it buddy, I’m old enough to go to war for your liberty and then come back home and buy you a beer. What makes you think we’re too young? We’ve been together for 5 years now, and the wedding probably won’t be until the summer of 2010 - after both of us graduate with college degrees. You know, I had a grandmother that was married at age 14. Compared to her, I’m a seasoned vet.�

Q: “Weren’t you nervous?�
A: “Why would I be nervous? I never understood how somebody could be nervous in a situation like that. That’s a stupid question. Next question please, honestly. Me…nervous!�

Q: “Are you sure she’s the one?�
A: “That’s impossible to explain to somebody who doesn’t know her, buddy. If you met her, you’d be in love with her too.�

Q: “What religion will you be?�
A: “Does that really matter as of right now? Seriously?�

Q: “When’s the date?�
A: “Are you serious? We just got engaged two hours ago? How am I supposed to know that?�

Q: “Your parents think it’s a good idea?�
A: “Uh…yeah. They’re all for it. They love her more than they like me. They have her over the house all of the time even when I’m not there. They know I’ll be out of the house with a job in another year anyway, so they don’t mind at all. They’re actually relieved.�

After the questioning gauntlet, I realized that I never really understood people. They try to be the Good Samaritan by telling me all of THEIR fears and hurdles in life and somehow it’s supposed to pertain to mine. It doesn’t really work like that people. Perhaps if you would take the time to know what kind of people we are and how our relationship works, you might bite your tongue next time you try to put us down.

* Me & Lena with our parents the night of the engagement

Posted by Signal_Caller at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)