Data, data, data

My class last night was interesting - I think I'm really going to get into it. Since there are so much of us and since part of our class would take place in a computer lab anyway, the WHOLE class time will be spent in the computer lab. I was able to check e-mail *from* class last night :)

It seems like most of the work will involve playing with SPSS (while using statistical concepts that we'll review in the class) - psych! I can see why a former student from the program complained about it, said it was a lot of work, and said she was always in the library. She didn't have SPSS at home, so it made things less convenient. But *I* do (na na na na na na).

God I feel like such a nerd being so actively excited about getting my hands on a big Social Information data file and playing with it in SPSS.

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And a random comment - there was an ice sculpture in between the Umass Buildings to welcome students back to school that had lots of neat colored lights behind it to make it shine. It has our school's symbol/mascot - which looks like a big penis. Yes, we are the Umass Beacons! Its a newer symbol, and I can't imagine how that doesn't set us up for lots of mockery at sports events (not that I care about that kind of thing, really).

Hee hee!

MS Access, again

Can anyone recommend a good MS Access book which includes a good amount of code stuff in it, too? I end up with lots of questions that it takes me forever to track down in the help file or online with Google searches.

That said, every once in a while I have an issue that I can't find the answer to, despite hours searching (I'm going on 4 now). And usually its something stupid, and something really frustrating that I could figure out fairly quickly if I still had access to SPSS or SQL-based software. I even e-mailed the guy that taught a training class that work sent me to back in November and his reply was to the degree of 'sorry, can't help you, I don't code'.

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So my issue is, I have an admission date that I need to add days to so that I can create a discharge date variable. My admit date is in text format however (YYYYMMDD), so I'm guessing I need to convert it to something else, add the days and then convert *that* into my discharge date (also later, in a string format). Its really okay if it involves a messy process with 15 steps - I just need to get the damned thing done!

Any suggestions? Coding is OK, I just can't find the damned syntax (I'm guessing that's where the answer lies).

Thanks in advance!