The Workshops Have Ended!

01 August 2008; 2300hrs Bozeman, Montana (USA)

The second (and my final; there are 3) workshop ended this evening. As usual, we had a celebratory dinner at Montana Ale Works. This time I had their ‘Surf and Turf’ – 12 pound beef steak served with shrimp scampi, and potatoes with bacon and vegetables. There was also the choice of soup (clam chowder) or salad with many different dressings to choose from. I took the salad with a creamy balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Yum… The main dish was excellent. I loved the way they cooked the beef and potatoes. The shrimps were fresh and succulent, and were heavenly. I ended dinner with a chocolate bread pudding. Absolutely delightful!

It seems like I’ve been mentioning only the dinner and not the workshop.

Well, the workshop was fine. It wasn’t as informative as the previous one, but perhaps it’s because I already used the software before I came and had previously read up about the theory behind the calculations. So I was a tad bored. I thought there would be more details taught, but as it was, I could easily have taken over the class…

Also, I disagreed with their statistical analyses. They used t-tests without checking if their data was normally distributed. When I pointed that out, he claimed that it was fine. NO! Fundamentally, that would already be wrong, regardless if your results were the same or not! Oh well… I’ll do it my way and leave them to theirs.

I’m rather glad the workshops have ended. That means there are no more classes to attend!

My classmates also scared the hell out of me. Lindsay told me about a beheading incident on a Greyhound bus that happened the day before. And both Lisa and her had already been telling me how sketchy the bus was and that I had to keep one (no, both) eye open, hand around my hand luggage at all times, sit next to a kindly old lady, and to get off at every stop to make sure no one stole my luggage. Frightening, I tell you. Perhaps if I’m with 3 or 4 other friends and there were at least two guys in the group, I’ll find the courage to take the Greyhound. But being all alone? I hastily booked a flight to Rapid City, South Dakota instead. For the sake of my sanity, for a peace of mind and for my safety, who cares if the airfare is 6 times more expensive than the bus ticket. I don’t want to lose an arm and leg in the literal sense, since I’m already losing an arm and leg in the figurative sense. Hahaha…

Safety first! So now you guys know the dangers of the Greyhound. Even the Americans don’t want to take it, then why should I?