Mardi Gras

I bought the last component of my costume for Friday's dance today. Jo-Ann Fabrics was having a sale on this gorgeous bit of sheer ombre fabric that fades from blue to green. That will go on a skirt that I already have - make it really flowy - then I have a bunch of feathers. The feathers are going to be glued together in bunches of three (green, gold and purple), then attached to a top somehow.

I still need a top of sorts. I'm thinking a cheap white tank top would be best, then I can sew the feathers on as needed. It should be really cute, and photos will be up here Friday or Saturday.

School is consuming me. I have the feeling I won't get home while it's still light outside this week. The thing that keeps me going is faith, and then the advice from my research adviser - that I will get this time back someday. To that end, when I have the resources to do so, I'm going to the real Highland Games, Paris, Italy, Brazil, and several other places - as I have always wanted to travel there.

My arms are sore from playing volleyball with a great group of people, so it's time to go rest. Sleep would be lovely also.

Addendum

So I'm sitting here watching TV while taking a break from my reading and problem solving. One commercial features a little girl and her mother shopping. The girl is small enough to sit in the shopping cart, so there she is. The mother walks along naming off the ingredients to a meal: chicken, broccoli, and so on. To each ingredient, the little girl claims "I don't like (insert ingredient here)".

The solution proposed is PediaSure. Let your kids eat whatever they want, just make them suck down this stuff and they'll be fine with those vitamins and minerals! Yay!

If I ever have kids, they're eating the veggies, and they'll have to deal. Maybe this was showcasing how obstinate 2-3 year old children can be, but give me a break.

This morning I went off to Home Depot to purchase a new water filter. It was a pretty mundane errand, but walking in and hearing "The Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani playing in the store made me crack up. The image of burly construction workers singing and dancing around to the song was just too much. Not that it actually happened, but I'd find it pretty hilarious.

Speaking of burly, I found this article on Digg this morning. From the way they polled, I imagine the numbers are off by a percent or two, but it's pretty sobering. The results by region are fairly close to what I'd expect - Colorado being the lowest in particular. My friends that have visited out there tell me they have a lot of natural foods and good things to eat, so that helps. Then, you have three states relatively in the south being the highest. I need say no more there, because southern food is generally fatteningly delicious.

I'm having issues with my stats class. We just went over Probability and Bayer's Theorem last night, and my teacher presented it via a Power Point slide show. From my experience with engineering courses, it's a lot easier if you present via the document camera and write out examples.

I'm going to the discussion section soon and asking the TA to go over some things. It's an odd sensation to be more concerned about my performance in statistics rather than, say, heat transfer.
Research is moving along as always; I have a boatload of new stuff to read and a partner in the independent study, so that is good also. I need someone to bounce ideas off of.

Speaking of bouncing, tonight is swing again, and I am relieved - that dance always signals to me that the weekend is well on its way!

Back again

Tuesday (yesterday) was a bit of an off day, so here we are again. I have only a bit of time before meeting with my research adviser so away we go:

• I have to confess that I enjoy guys in kilts, so the Highland Games this weekend was a good time for that. There were many kilts, delicious shortbread and curly fries, and even some steel (armored) fighting to be seen! I also remembered my maternal grandmother - there were some tears but I know that she would be happy that I'd gone.
  
• Went out to Cocoa on Monday to visit a friend from engineering and swing - she and I had a good conversation about life and a few other things, which I needed.
• I replaced my screens in the front and repaired a toilet. I feel like an adult, sort of. That's what they do, right?
• Church on Saturday as usual, with an excellent homily by Father John. Go here and click on Father John for January 19/20. It's not audio, but is still an inspiring read.

Off I go to the rest of today.

I was going to make this a happy weekend post but heard Friday that Bobby Fischer passed away. An odd man for sure, but one that will go down in history for his chess skills and his win against Boris Spassky.

This is a long weekend so I'll return on Tuesday with updates.

Biking and other stories

I am taking pride in having biked and bussed myself to school yesterday. It was rather slow to get from my place to school, slower than driving, but at the same time it was useful for two reasons. First of all, I had exercise from biking 6 miles total during the day. Second of all, there was time for me to return phone calls while traveling - I love to multi-task. Of course, the main benefit was using less fuel on my part. The bus is running already, so why not take it? The only drawback is that today, my legs hate me.

The thesis is chugging along. I have stocked my desk with my books and materials and customized my desktop on the computer my advisers found me. Now it is time to read and learn all that I can, with the comforting knowledge that I am completing my senior project well ahead of time. This will create such a peaceful atmosphere during my senior year and I feel blessed for it. I hope that this effort spreads knowledge and leads to further fuel cell development, with the final result being that solid oxide fuel cells become more prevalent and help create clean energy. I want to share the blessing I've received with the world.

I am looking forward to the Highland Games this weekend as well as an extended one due to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. I really feel at peace despite all the craziness that will be headed my way this semester.

Weekend Update

The first Friday night swing was fun as always. My knees still need to get used to it, but it's not bad. Lots of new people came, some who are quite good, which is great to see. Saturday a friend and I went walking with her poodle. He was running down University and she rescued him, so he's staying at her place until she can find his owner. We went down to the Bear Creek trail near my place, which turned out to be not much of a trail. There was a wooden bridge, but half the boards were missing, so the walk was a bit shorter than we'd have liked. It was a lovely day out, though - about 78 F and partly cloudy.

Before that I also hit church for a Lent planning meeting. The theme ended up being journeys, which I agree with. I also met some of the parishioners, which was reassuring - and reconnected with one of the faculty from the Honors College I'd met over the summer, as she also goes to St. Stephen's.

Sunday became my catch up day for school, as Mass for me is Saturday night. So far, I am understanding what I'm doing in the courses - statistics is cake, vibrations is more interesting than I'd anticipated, heat transfer is fun, and simulations is about midway between easy and challenging for me. The research reading has gone smoothly; I am waiting on my professors to tell me when we will meet, then we'll plan this semester for me.

After classes today, I feel that the semester is fully in swing - and not just in the dancing sense - although the dancing sense is my favorite part so far.

Friday

The first week is officially under my belt! It's been good in many ways, especially now that my Bright Futures business is taken care of. As it turns out, the coordinator was sick, and they will fix everything after add/drop ends today.

My statistics teacher is a hoot as I found out last night. He likes baseball, as do I, so it seems he'll be using that as an example for many things. Also, a couple of kids from swing are taking it, so we can hang out there. It'll be fine.

Short post today because I am off to lunch now then to classes and relaxing. Tonight will be pizza and beer with my guys, then off to swing. Tomorrow: Lenten planning meeting at church, a good long walk with a good friend, then Mass at night. Then, Sunday will be relaxing and giving myself a pedicure.

Off to eat lunch, then rock out with statistics discussion and heat transfer. Also, there is more fuel cell reading to accomplish before I meet with my advisors Tuesday.

Thesis!

I finally met with my two advisors together this morning to discuss plans for the thesis. As far as I see, they're both incredible energy engineers and it's a blessing to work with them. Additionally, a buddy of mine from measurements is working with them, but on a different project. I'm getting a desk and computer to work on, so it makes me feel a little more like a real member of the team. It's going to be a good time. It looks like I'm going to work on it for three or four semesters because there's so much to learn. Also, I may be headed out to the solar energy research center in Cocoa Beach a few times to learn how their machines work.

Also, class from 4:30 to 10, nearly straight, makes the brain quite a jumble. However, having a great professor for simulations makes up for it. I just have to eat a giant lunch and bring snacks and it's fine.

Tomorrow is the first swing club meeting of the semester, and this time around I'm able to make it, as I don't have a 7:30 am class Thursdays this semester! It'll be good exercise and swing is another welcoming place for me. I've made it a goal to get to the meetings and dances nearly every week this semester and it looks possible.

Currently I am sipping on some chai spice cocoa and relaxing, because it was a long, long day. Tomorrow will be fun, I trust.

Spring Semester

I really held on to the three days before today. Friday night was Lazy Moon and bowling with a bunch of great friends from engineering. Saturday was a fiber arts meetup and then Mass. Sunday was an overall chill out and clean day.

I have to mention the fiber arts meetup in particular since I am usually incredibly nervous before going somewhere where I know no one! The ladies were very welcoming and I found that there are a couple groups closer to me (as the meetup was off of Conroy). Additionally, they were able to recommend a few suggestions to repair my spinning wheel. I'm thinking finding a leather shoelace will be my best bet - it sounds the least expensive and will be easy to cut and tie. After 14 years, I am going to finally have a working wheel and will use it!

Today was the famed first day of school.

Ran errands this morning, mostly for the thesis, then saw about everyone from my department before heading to lunch. It was nice to have a relaxed lunch, not one in which I was rushing from a class to lunch then back to another. I also saw a friend from swing who I hadn't seen in some time.

Heat Transfer came first. That particular class is taught by a professor who does time both at our optics institute and the mechanical engineering department. I'm looking forward to his perspective - particularly since he described heat transfer as being "thermodynamics + math". Sounds good to me.

Vibrations was next, a class I am not sure of quite yet. It involves dynamics, which I got a B in, but I am going to have to really work on that one. At least I have had the professor before, so I know his style.

For now it is dinner time and then to reading - I've made an excellent skillet of chicken with black beans, corn and salsa, and have some rice on the side. If this first day is any indication of the rest of the semester, it will go well.

Yoga and HVAC

HVAC - heating, ventilation, and cooling. I just realised this should be added on 1/6/08.

The two don't seem related, but yesterday I found out there's a relationship.

We were doing a technicque today in which you roll your tounge into a "U" shape and breathe in. The air rushes over the saliva in your mouth and evaporates it, prodcuing a cooling sensation similar to sweat evaporating. Then, you shut your mouth and exhale through your nose.

It's a calming, cooling breath good for a hot summer day. We combined it with cobra pushups from the Kundalini school of yoga. The push up begins in a sitting position with the buttocks on the heels. Then, one leans forward and puts the hands down. Next, move slowly forward along the floor and gradually move the torso up and tilt the head back slightly.

I also have thesis news: it will begin this semester instead of summer, which I am fine with - this gives me a safety net of time to finish it in. Furthermore, this replaces senior design, so I will have a senior year of classes instead of scurrying about trying to make something work there. The professors I've found to work with are just starting up a lab, so I am excited! I'll be working more so on the experimental end of everything, which is something I've always wanted to do.

This semester will be an adventure - busy but also fun.

...and a Happy New Year

Hard to believe vacation went by so quickly once again. I'm back once more to my place up here and ready to get back to school (maybe). Just dropped $92 on books; not bad for one semester of engineering. I just had to get books for heat transfer and vibrations, thankfully, because simulations doesn't require a book and I have one for statistics already. I'd planned to take statistics about a year ago, and I didn't quite get to that.

For now, the task at hand is putting everything away, then making arrangements with the two professors I'm in contact with about my research. Thus far that has gone smoothly, which I am grateful.

One of the things to put away is my new set of tools from my parents. They found wrenches and screwdrivers on sale at Sears, so if you know toolmakers you can guess they're Craftsman! So now, everything that is remotely loose around me will be tightened. I also need to make sure that my bike seat is level, because it gave me a scare the last time I rode my bike. Another tool gift was a cordless screwdriver, which I needed. It's Companion, which is the Craftsman sub brand. Not only does it have an array of screw heads and different adjustments for speed, it's blue!

I am looking forward to starting the semester for the research, but also for the fact that I'll be back swing dancing again. It makes Thursday and Friday fun, and it's helped me socialize, which I need to work on, being an engineer. After working away in a lab, reading for hours on end, or doing problems 'till your eraser's worn out, human contact is entirely necessary.

Also, a small guilty pleasure that not just engineers can enjoy: pecan brittle. Pecans seem to edge towards the sweet side, and when they're drenched in hardened, caramelized sugar...oh my. I highly recommend making your own or finding some.