Returned

I have successfully managed to get my internet situation all worked out. We will glaze over the fact that I have been inadvertantly (probably more like advertantly) accessing a not password protected wireless network for the past year - and jump to the fact that I feel like an adult for having done this all myself - outside of several rantings to the parents about the insanity of it all.

The whole situation made me feel really disconnected from everything - work that needed to be accomplished online for my classes (not that I really enjoy assigning work online for my students but alas), communication with Andrew, paying bills, wedding planning (yes i do a lot of legwork by checking information out on line), general email, accessing news (yes i have a perfectly good television - but I'm not a fan of news bias), my favorite checking the weather (which should be easy seeing as a have a perfectly good balcony to step out onto). I also felt like I lacked some sort of basic human knowledge on how to lead my life without the gateway of the internet.

I believe what made all of this seem even more out of proportion is the fact that this week was the first full week of classes - I had so many little tasks to get done - I was exhausted by Monday afternoon. What's worse - to use the internet I needed to be in my office at school - and yeah offices are great - but they are in no way comfortable. I feel like I was on the verge of becoming sick from stress and overworking myself. I think that I have calmed down. At the very least this weekend is a long weekend and I should be able to relax.

Sad note: This week two very very close people have decided to put their pets to sleep. Both pets lived long lives - about 17 years in each case. It makes me think about Kona - and even though I'm not there - what a wonderful dog he is. That throughout high school - I would wake up early and he would sit in my lap and watch some silly cartoons before I had to head out. That when I would have the house to myself for a couple of days - Kona always made it a point to fall asleep in my room so I wasn't by myself (not to mention make sure i got up at the crack of dawn by jingling his collar and jumping onto my bed). Pets are so wonderful like that. They make you feel like you are a part of something - or a Cesar Millan would say - part of the "pack" and being part of the pack is all you needed.

boo on decisions and having no internet in your apartment. Trying to get situation rectified. If need me - call cell phone. Probably spending much more time in office because of lack of internet.

Maybe I'll see you....maybe I won't.

Best First Day of School....EVER!

This is my phrase for the day.

This summer has been grueling. Not relaxing, not super fun, but annoyingly filled with work. Last week I took both the Algebra and the Analysis Qualifying exams. The Algebra exam was a bit harder than I thought - but doable if I didn't have a mental road block the size of Texas hanging around my brain. The Analysis exam must have been a god-send for me. The questions were exactly the questions that were on the exams for the semester. It was good then that I had spent a bunch of time on the exams we had done in class.

But still everything this summer has been unsure.

I taught my first class today - an intensive basic algebra course. Forty students. I have felt overwhelmed the past two days with the amount of prep work I felt I needed to do. But that feeling has somewhat washed over me - if I just spend a bit of time early in the semester getting all of this planned out - the course will seem like a non-issue at the end of the semester. I think it will be a good group - but that is just my initial impressions.

When I returned from teaching - I had heard that the qualifying exam results were in. Almost everyone had checked to find out how they did. So I traipsed up the stairs to my mailbox. My mailbox is one of the top-most boxes, so I slowly slid the envelope towards me. I held onto the envelope and walked back downstairs to my office. I opened the letter. First glance - crap there is like nothing at all written in the letter I must have failed. Second glance - "your performance on the blah blah blah exam"..."so we have decided to recommend you"...Third glance - "congratulations on this milestone" What??!?!?! It wasn't until the 4th reading of this tiny letter that it sunk in - I have PHD passed the qualifying exams and I am officially part of the PHD program here at SC.

Now this brings up a lot of decisions - particularly life decisions. I don't know all the possible options I have to complete this doctorate - that is if I still want to. It is quite an ego boost to see that these people believe I have some sort of mathematical ability. The Sparacio theorem is still very tempting to me. But I need to really think this through.

I also had graph theory and fourier analysis today - both of which turned out to be halfway decent and I managed to finish up my work for those classes. It is very satisfying.

Anyway - I am tired from worrying and hungry from a long day. So I might just sign off.

Holy Metal Batman!!!

Oh this has nothing to do with Batman - although lately I have seen Christian Bale a number of times when I have had the opportunity to turn on my tv.

MONKEY!!!
This story by far has been the most amusing thing I have read over the past couple of weeks.

But in less than 10 days - I most likely will have completed my qualifying exams. I will be free to relax for a total of 6 days (yeah right!) before classes begin for the fall.

Who's totally excited?!?!?!
not me.