random stuff

So for the past 2 hours I have amused myself by re-organizing and updating my "travels" page. I know, you're thrilled and I am sure you're going to click on the link the moment you finish reading this. Eh, I was bored and I wanted it to look more like a travels page, instead of what it used to be, my I'm-living-in-Europe page. So I updated some text. Added a few new pages. Made it amenable to future travel updates (because there better be some). All the old stuff is still there. Just some new tweaks.

I'm home in RI right now, because it's fall break, a glorious invention, if you ask me. I feel like I have tons of things to write about from last week (Bierabend, Halloween Party, midterms, home with family and friends) but I just can't find it in me to write any of that down now. Maybe I'll do it later, and include some photos. Maybe you'll just have to hear it from me first hand. I'm just tired now from staring at a computer screen updating a multitude of web pages. Ok, done complaining. Time to take a bath ... because that is what I do when I go home.

how i didn't fall asleep in math today

I finally managed to load and run Super Mario Brothers on my TI-89 calculator. It's amazing. This has just opened the door to a whole lot of possibilities.

i <3 chinatown

It's pretty cool living so close to New York City. Case in point, yesterday I went to NYC simply to have lunch at the Sahara Grill (only place in the US where you can get doener: corner of 7th and 40W) and to peruse Chinatown for a shirt for my awesomely cool Halloween costume. That's right, I'm going to be Ten-Ten from Naruto (yeah, it's anime). I will most definitely post pictures of me in my costume when I wear it. Anyway, yesterday was just a gorgeous day so Luc (plasma physicist I have met ... real name is Lucius, wicked cool) and I hopped on the train from Princeton circa 10AM and enjoyed a day in New York. He was a good sport as we traipsed around the city from anime store to anime store in search of Naruto costume accessories. He was also very good at helping me pick out a shirt for my costume. Couldn't have done it without him ... literally. We also had a really enjoyable walk through the entire length of Central Park. The leaves are just starting to turn and the afternoon sunshine was warm and welcoming. It was really fun. We even ran into a roller disco in the middle of the park. Those people are intense. After our nice day not doing anything related to school, we hopped on the train back to Princeton. I was exhausted. I don't know how I didn't fall asleep on the train. Must have been the good company. I need to go back soon. More lunching need to occur at obscure ethnic hole-in-the-wall eateries.

Oh, and I uploaded pictures I took in New York.

visitors

This weekend was marked by three lovely visitors from RI and VA. Well, I suppose they are all from RI, but Travis is living down in VA right now, so he had to drive up. Anyway, Mart, Brian and Travis spent the weekend with me and it was quite a weekend. They all made it safely, even though Travis drove about 40 miles north of Princeton before he realized he was going away from it. I wasn't much help when he got lost, I don't know the area yet. I don't even know what towns surround Princeton. My ventures off campus have been relatively few so far. Upon arrival we had dinner at Hoagie Haven (good place) and then just relaxed/crashed in my room. We all managed to fit among my bed/floor, so it worked out well. On Saturday we got up and had breakfast at PJs Pancake House. It was good. This was after I told them we would get free breakfast at the dining hall, which I didn't realize did not have breakfast on Saturdays. I'd never been up early enough for breakfast on a Saturday before. Then we just explored campus and Nassau street. Seems like they had fun. We went all over and then were tired around 4 so took mini-naps on the grass by the golf course. That was followed up with some comedy (Comedy Central Presents ...), dinner, more comedy and then we met up with Super Pete at Winberies, a pub/restaurant in town. We had a few pints (we being Pete, Brian and myself) and a little later Tom and Bob (two of my classmates) showed up. It was quite fun. The visit ended with taking the posse to Sunday brunch at Proctor Hall (my dining hall), where Martha had ice cream and oreo pie after her pancakes. Then the troops left. It was sad to see them go. I miss them already.

Besides that, last week consisted of the usual, and I am back in the thick of things after spending yesterday evening writing a snazzy bit of computer code I like to call the shooting method (ok, I didn't coin the term, I'm a fake). I also had Burger King for dinner last night. Very nice. Now it's Monday. Next week is midterm week. Then fall break! Just gotta hold out til then.

I should also mention I took a bunch of pictures this weekend and 3 of my albums have been updated. So look at them.

missing my africuch

In the midst of studying for my reactions exam, I suddenly missed my best bud who is currently in Africa. He also has a blog (see the link under //friends) and after perusing it I found that he did make it safely to Malawi, Africa. I miss him terribly though. I hope to hear from you soon bud!!!!!

light at the end of the tunnel?

Yes, I'm talking about small tunnels here folks. Gotta take baby steps. I'm talking about possibly almost finally getting on top of my work (notice all the uncertainties in that sentence). I have my first exam as a grad student tomorrow, and strangely, I feel rather blase about it. I have heard (from various sources) that this professor (my reaction engineering professor) will not actually give any of us anything lower than a B- in the course (which we need in order to qualify as a Ph.D. candidate in the department) and gives out only 4 grades on his exam: 0, 30, 50 and 80. So if you get a 30, no big deal, you'll still pass the class. Therefore my stress level tonight is at about 1 (on a scale of 0 to 10), despite having a test tomorrow. Perhaps I should be more worried. I feel at this point, though, worrying will not help me do any better. I will study, don't get me wrong, but I'm not stressing about it. It's a good feeling. Other aspects of this week that make me almost see the light at the end of my little weekly tunnel? Thermo homework is 75% done, which, if you've never done thermo homework, is quite a feat. Math homework is finally starting to make sense (this weeks homework actually has number in it and I am finally going to apply some of the analysis I've been learning the past few weeks). Reactions homework has been pushed back to next Friday (courtesy of Tom), even though that's not so much of a big deal since I've gotten most of it done in preparation for the exam. So I may actually have some free time this weekend, which is definitely a cause to celebrate. Especially since hopefully Martha and Brian are coming down this weekend. Things'll be good. Just have to hold on to that.

and the seasons march on

In celebration of the start of my most favorite season (even though it was about 80 degrees here today), I started taking pictures around campus (with my new Nikon zoom lens) of the changing leaves. This will be a season long theme, so be sure to check out the album titled autumnal progression. Maybe I will make this my thesis. Seems more fun.

the neverending cycle

So apparently a goodly number of people actually read my ramblings ... enough that a few people commented to me on SUNDAY MORNING that I had not updated this for the week. Well, I said, it is still Sunday. As you can tell, I just totally failed at updating the site on Sunday because, well, I was busy. These things happen. Anyway, a recap of this past week is pretty dull, so I won't bore you with the details. I have basically sunk into a cycle of receive homework - spend a week doing homework - pass in homework - receive more homework. I know, this, supposedly, what I am here to do. But come on ... every waking (and sleeping, I sometimes dream math) minute? Ok, I'm done complaining. You've just caught me on the "receive homework" day, so I am falling under and avalanche of items on my todo list. Sundays feel better because everything has been completed (mostly) and the new round hasn't been assigned yet (usually). Oh the difference a day makes. I did get to watch a cool German silent movie, filmed right around WW1 time. It is called "Metropolis" and, if you couldn't figure it out by the title, it's about a futuristic city run by a capitalist at the expense of the workers (I think the reason I had to watch it was because the director was perhaps in favor of the German Communist party at the time). So it was good. First silent move I've ever seen, and spending 2 hours watching that sure beat thermo homework (which I am stuck on now).

The only other thing that happened last week of note was that on Thursday I went to a dinner at the Prospect House, which is where the president of the university used to live, but is now a faculty club. So I guess I could say I had dinner at Woodrow Wilson's house, since he used to be president of the university. It was nice, better than dining hall food, and there was free wine and beer, always a good combination.

So that is how exciting my life is becoming, an endless cycle of homework. I feel I will have even less to report in the coming weeks. So stay tuned.