Friday, August 08, 2008

Common Ground


I'M SLOWLY COMING BACK TO life.

About six months ago, 2 friends of mine and I, who had artistic inklings, decided to get together and expose ourselves.
So, On Thursday, September 4, I'll be participating with j.stacey grayson and melvin dozier in the opening of our first collective public visual art exhibition, "common ground."
Above is a sneak preview of four of my 10 pieces. Their titles (counterclockwise from top left) are:
  1. "cooperation"
  2. "osun"
  3. "ere ibeji (twins)"
  4. "be fruitful"
Dimensions of these range from 25" x 25" to 33" x 33".

If you're in Atlanta, mark the event on your calendar. Have some vino. I'd love to see you.
what:
opening reception for common ground
where:
the atrium
236 auburn ave., n.e.
atlanta, ga 30303
when:
thursday, 04 sept 2008
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
how much:
free

Sunday, August 03, 2008

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED # 43: I'm a P(i)MP


AS I'VE BASICALLY FALLEN INTO a black hole, albeit a blissful one, I figured now's as good a time as any to send a status report back to Earth. Seven Saturdays ago, I joined _atrese, _remain_, and _urti_ in a weekly study group to prepare for the ever-ethereal, ever-nebulous, ever-controversial Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam.

Some employers think the certification is trash. Others won't even talk to you unless you have it. So, for once again in my life, I'm playing the paper game and erring on the side of killing trees. (That is, I'll take the paper for $500, Alex.)

After weeks of Pareto charts, Ishikawa diagrams, Earned Value Analysis, Delphi techniques, and critical paths, on Thursday, after work, I sat for the 4-hour, 200 question exam and...

Passed.

I shared the news with the other members of my study group this Saturday over sushi, and I won't stop until we're all certified! Promise.

If you happened to arrive at this entry via a Google search for how to pass the exam, here are some tips:

1) Create a study group. To say the PMBOK is dry is a gross understatement. Having a group of compadres with which to chew the chapters of rice cake made them much more palatable.

2) Teach it to someone else. I've always found that the best way for me to learn material is by teaching it to someone else. We covered two PMBOK chapters per week. On a rotating basis, one of us led teaching each chapter to the rest of the group.

3) Buy Rita Mulcahey's PMP Exam Study Prep, Fifth Edition. Everyone I spoke to who passed the test swore by this book. I'm gonna swear by it, too. About 15 - 20% of the test covers material not in PMBOK, and Rita's book is the most comprehensive source of material not covered in PMBOK. Also, her practice tests most closely resembled the types of questions on the exam. When I was scoring 80% or higher on the practice tests, I scheduled to take the actual test.
4) Take the day off on test day. Either take it on a weekend, or take the day off from work. I underestimated what it was like to sit for a 4-hour exam after a full day's work. It took me about 3 hours to finish, but the last half-hour was grueling. In hindsight, I wish I'd had a fresh mind.

5) Memorize all 44 processes inside and out. I did not take the time to learn every input, output, tool, and technique, however. I did take the time to memorize the recurring ones - Work Breakdown Structure, Risk Register, the various quality, cost, and schedule techniques, etc.

And if you have any questions about the exam, shoot me an e-mail at ayospeaks@gmail.com.

I'm here to help!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED #43: Become PMP Certified


Friday, November 23, 2007

Ascension




WHILE THE WRITING WELL HAS been experiencing a drought lately, this day after Thanksgiving, I'm thankful all artistic expression is not lost.

Above is my latest painting endeavor, which I'm calling Ascension. It's 8 panels, mixed media on canvas, roughly 42 inches tall by 70 inches wide.



Wednesday, November 21, 2007

...

I apologize.
I've been corporatized.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Adventures in Playwriting: The First Reading

TODAY, I DROVE TO EAST POINT to obtain a Tarot reading - not for myself, as one might expect for someone in my precarious situation. Rather, I got a reading for Nigel and Asha, two characters in my first play.

This might seem a rather odd practice - that one would seek a Tarot reader to get a reading for two fictional characters - but they're not fictional g*ddamit - I talk to them everyday!

The reading began with _a_u asking the purpose for the reading.

"Nigel and Asha have received a small inheritance - a very small inheritance from Nigel's Great Aunt," I said. "They're seeking advice on how to proceed."

_a_u whispered into his deck, shuffled his cards, and gave the couple a 5-card Crossroads spread:

which is used when the client is at a crossroads in life and is contemplating a change. The five cards tell you what happens/happened in the 1) Past, 2) Present, 3) Future, 4) Visible World, and 5) Invisible World.
Here is what the reading revealed:



1) PAST

CARD: SANTERIA-OGUN

CONTEMPLATION: An iron gun, old yet capable of firing a lethal bullet. This gun was not made for target practice or the hunting of food. It has but one purpose. It has but one target.

INTERPRETATION: There has been violence and/or a possible conflict with the law in either Nigel or Asha's past.

2) PRESENT

CARD: SANTERIA-YEMAYA

CONTEMPLATION: Honey flows freely from Our Lady's gracious bounty.

INTERPRETATION: This card shows Yemaya as a beautiful pregnant orisha standing in the foaming sea. She is about to give birth. This means that either one is literally pregnant with a child or metaphorically pregnant with an idea. It also means abundance and wealth.




3) FUTURE



CARD: CONGO-WATER-GRANBOIS

CONTEMPLATION: Favorable outcome when last words are said and last things done.

INTERPRETATION: Keep quiet about your inheritance and you should have no difficulty.




4) VISIBLE WORLD

CARD: PETRO-FIRE-ERZUILE

CONTEMPLATION: Rage and hate binds you to your object as closely as does great love. Hate and love are both sides of the same coin whose denomination is union. Will is the name of the Hand that distributes these coins.

INTERPRETATION: Not all will be easy in the transference of this inheritance. There is jealousy, anger, and hatred - perhaps from family, perhaps from elsewhere.

5) INVISIBLE WORLD

CARD: SANTERIA-OLODUMARE

CONTEMPLATION: Accepting one's personal failures. Embracing one's sadness. Usg these sadnesses and failures to build a house of peace and purity, an impregnable abode fit for the indwelling of Obatala (God).

INTERPRETATION: Whatever material goals you are seeking, God will provide them.

Oddly enough, or perhaps not, the reading is pretty in-line with the plot I've envisioned. The most surprising piece of information was that _a_u correctly read that Asha is pregnant.

In fact, she is and has not yet told her boyfriend, Nigel.

If _a_u can see into the world of fiction, maybe I should ask _a_u for tonight's Cash 3 numbers... Maybe not.

Since I've got nothing better to do, I may as well write a play. ;-) Thirteen pages and counting...