Yesterday, I finished all my marking, handed in all my exams and returned all my notes for "my" Water Management class. It felt GLORIOUS!!
In celebration, I'm getting inked today; a little equation to remind me figuratively...and literally..what I went through and accomplished this term. If you know ANYTHING about me, you've probably already figured out which one. (Well, there's 2 possibilities, but one is more symbolic than the other....and prettier)
It feels pretty good. Now I can focus on my project and try to pump out a proposal in 6 weeks....ewww. Gotta find a way to squeeze 5 months of "research" and "writing" into 5 or 6 weeks. After the last 4 months, I'm sure I can do it. I just won't have time to procrastinate, that's all. I'll do what I must, because I can.
I guess it hasn't sunk in that I'm done exams and marking.....I'm still at a reasonable state of "busy-ness", although this weekend is the first weekend since February that I've had to myself...no marking, no planning, no assignments, no papers. AWESOME!! Just me and Chaos. Likely sleeping. AWESOME!!
Either way, I feel relieved, like after a really big poop relieved. (First poop joke...)
I'm also out of creative juices if I have to resort to poop jokes. I've been using all my "good" material in the physics basement I guess. I'll have to stop showing up there, or I'm going to have to scrub harder to "wash off the physics". I've been hanging out there lately, partly because physicists know how to have a good time, and also partly because Engineering has been really, really REALLY dead lately. I'm sure it'll pick up next week, with the new summer students. Honestly, I don't blame them for not showing up. I don't want to be on campus any longer than I have to either.
It'll be 9-5's for the next 4 months....if I have anything to say about it. :D
Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
I found this....it's awesome...
I collect quotes. I have a few journals of them actually, and I usually have one or two good ones to put in at the end of every day....so if I say, "Can I quote you on that?" or something to that effect, I will and I do...as long as I can remember it, and most days I do. I usually have a pretty good memory for important things about the people I meet, as opposed to remembering the scientific theory that I'm trying to master.
Some of the quotes are funny, others are insightful, some witty and some really, really punny. Some are cited, others not so much (oops, my bad). Some I've heard, others I've read. Each and every one of them is meaningful at the time which it's found. That's what makes them special. Some are long, others are short, some complex...like paragraphs long....others, maybe only three or four words. Bottom line is that they are all important and I usually come back to them when I need a little boost or some inspiration. I can tell when I wrote them in my journals too, the things I was going through at the time. That's the weird part, because I don't date my journal....and that's on purpose. I find that some of the most meaningful statements are the ones that are still relevant when I was younger.
Tonight, I found a keeper:
Here's why it's meaningful: (Get comfortable, could be a long ride)
People think I'm awesome. Some days I know why, most days I don't. I don't feel awesome most days, at least not on my own. Obviously people see something in me that's pretty amazing. You just don't go around telling people that they're awesome without proof. That would be lying. It's not nice to lie.
Either way, I am the way I am because of the incredible and not-so-incredible people in my life.
I am the way I am because of giggly, clicky teen aged girls. To this day I'm deathly afraid of giggly, ditzy girls. I'm almost 30 years old, and I still get paranoid that the annoying girls at the bus stop are snickering at me, because I'm a "loser". It's sad. I hope I never have a daughter, mostly so she won't have to go through the "You're a loser" phase...because if she's my kid, she's gonna be fucking brilliant. She's going to get made fun of....poor kid.
I think it started in grade 6. I was dorky, I'll admit it. Hell, I'm still dorky...it's part of why I'm awesome. I wasn't one of the "cool girls". I didn't get to sit with the pretty girls at lunch; I didn't get asked to go to dances; I didn't fit in.
I know exactly what it's like to not fit in. In fact, I don't think I finally "fit in" somewhere until I hit Engineering....I was 21. I spent the first 21 years of my life bouncing around trying to figure out where I fit.
Looking back on it, it's OK. I turned out pretty OK. I cared then, I still kind of care now, but I care less and less each day.
My friend Dana calls it "Ugly Duck Syndrome". I agree. I'm still dorky, nerdy and a loser, but I've grown into it, and it's made me beautiful.
Now for the analysis:
The first line is about believing what goes around comes around. Totally agree. That's why I try to be as nice to everyone as I can. I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, only because I'd like to hope that they would do the same for me.
I want to touch on "hopes for a better day", but it's late...and boy do I have a philosophy on "hoping for a better day"....I'll save it for another post. Remind me in a week.
The third line is what hit me, "She's the one that won't give up on you". Maybe that's why I'm awesome. I don't give up on people, and mostly I don't give up on myself. That's why I'm awesome.
The rest of the poem cuts deep, mostly because I do put on a good front and spend my days smiling. I come home and yeah, I may spend my night crying. It's OK. I'm the crier. I'm cool with it. That's why I'm awesome.
I'd love to be loved....and I know I am....thanks. I love you guys too. Thing is that I'd love to be loved romantically, I think we all would. That's why I'm awesome. (I'm purposefully repeating this. You have to hear something 9 times for it to sink...I figure "hearing" and "typing" are the same thing here. I may not hit 9, but I'll come close) That's also why you're awesome.
I look pretty strong....and I am pretty strong (physically at least)....but I feel really vulnerable and weak too, which is why I put up the titanium shield. Last time I let it down, I got burned pretty bad. It's gone back up. I'm still weak in behind it.
Either way, every time I fall, I do manage to pick myself up. Sometimes it's instantaneous, other times is takes a little time. That's cool. I manage, because I'm awesome.
I am the way I am because of all the people in my life, the bad ones....and the good ones. I'm awesome because you all are awesome.
Some of the quotes are funny, others are insightful, some witty and some really, really punny. Some are cited, others not so much (oops, my bad). Some I've heard, others I've read. Each and every one of them is meaningful at the time which it's found. That's what makes them special. Some are long, others are short, some complex...like paragraphs long....others, maybe only three or four words. Bottom line is that they are all important and I usually come back to them when I need a little boost or some inspiration. I can tell when I wrote them in my journals too, the things I was going through at the time. That's the weird part, because I don't date my journal....and that's on purpose. I find that some of the most meaningful statements are the ones that are still relevant when I was younger.
Tonight, I found a keeper:
Shes the girl
that believes that what comes around goes around.
The one that hopes for a better day.
The one that won’t give up on you.
She’s the girl that’s unlike the rest.
The one that spent her days smiling,
and her nights crying.
She’s the girl that would love to be loved.
The one that looks so damn strong, but feels so weak.
She’s the girl that picks herself up every time she falls.
that believes that what comes around goes around.
The one that hopes for a better day.
The one that won’t give up on you.
She’s the girl that’s unlike the rest.
The one that spent her days smiling,
and her nights crying.
She’s the girl that would love to be loved.
The one that looks so damn strong, but feels so weak.
She’s the girl that picks herself up every time she falls.
Here's why it's meaningful: (Get comfortable, could be a long ride)
People think I'm awesome. Some days I know why, most days I don't. I don't feel awesome most days, at least not on my own. Obviously people see something in me that's pretty amazing. You just don't go around telling people that they're awesome without proof. That would be lying. It's not nice to lie.
Either way, I am the way I am because of the incredible and not-so-incredible people in my life.
I am the way I am because of giggly, clicky teen aged girls. To this day I'm deathly afraid of giggly, ditzy girls. I'm almost 30 years old, and I still get paranoid that the annoying girls at the bus stop are snickering at me, because I'm a "loser". It's sad. I hope I never have a daughter, mostly so she won't have to go through the "You're a loser" phase...because if she's my kid, she's gonna be fucking brilliant. She's going to get made fun of....poor kid.
I think it started in grade 6. I was dorky, I'll admit it. Hell, I'm still dorky...it's part of why I'm awesome. I wasn't one of the "cool girls". I didn't get to sit with the pretty girls at lunch; I didn't get asked to go to dances; I didn't fit in.
I know exactly what it's like to not fit in. In fact, I don't think I finally "fit in" somewhere until I hit Engineering....I was 21. I spent the first 21 years of my life bouncing around trying to figure out where I fit.
Looking back on it, it's OK. I turned out pretty OK. I cared then, I still kind of care now, but I care less and less each day.
My friend Dana calls it "Ugly Duck Syndrome". I agree. I'm still dorky, nerdy and a loser, but I've grown into it, and it's made me beautiful.
Now for the analysis:
The first line is about believing what goes around comes around. Totally agree. That's why I try to be as nice to everyone as I can. I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, only because I'd like to hope that they would do the same for me.
I want to touch on "hopes for a better day", but it's late...and boy do I have a philosophy on "hoping for a better day"....I'll save it for another post. Remind me in a week.
The third line is what hit me, "She's the one that won't give up on you". Maybe that's why I'm awesome. I don't give up on people, and mostly I don't give up on myself. That's why I'm awesome.
The rest of the poem cuts deep, mostly because I do put on a good front and spend my days smiling. I come home and yeah, I may spend my night crying. It's OK. I'm the crier. I'm cool with it. That's why I'm awesome.
I'd love to be loved....and I know I am....thanks. I love you guys too. Thing is that I'd love to be loved romantically, I think we all would. That's why I'm awesome. (I'm purposefully repeating this. You have to hear something 9 times for it to sink...I figure "hearing" and "typing" are the same thing here. I may not hit 9, but I'll come close) That's also why you're awesome.
I look pretty strong....and I am pretty strong (physically at least)....but I feel really vulnerable and weak too, which is why I put up the titanium shield. Last time I let it down, I got burned pretty bad. It's gone back up. I'm still weak in behind it.
Either way, every time I fall, I do manage to pick myself up. Sometimes it's instantaneous, other times is takes a little time. That's cool. I manage, because I'm awesome.
I am the way I am because of all the people in my life, the bad ones....and the good ones. I'm awesome because you all are awesome.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Black and Tan Week - Day 6
I'm glad I'm only making this a week, not only are my knees giving out on me, but my guts are none too happy. Oh the things we "must" do for SCIENCE! On the plus side, my liver will be well-prepared for anything and everything that could be thrown at it this summer. I like to think of it as "intense training".
Today was Stella Artois and Guinness. I had one of these at Andy and Timmy's party on Friday, but I was pretty loaded when I made it, so I couldn't make a fair assessment at the time. Tonight's a little different. It's my first drink of the evening.
Visuals, I give it a 9/10. Definite division. Beauty. I am going to have to change my pouring strategy. I'm pouring the Guinness so slowly that it starts to run down the side of the can and the outside of the glass, not really what I intended (and it makes a mess of my countertop). I'm wondering if it's too cold....
Tastiness, I give it an 8/10. I'm not a huge fan of Stella to start with, it's too smooth. Yeah, I'm complaining about a beer being too smooth. I like my booze to bite back, and not just the morning after. Call it aggressive, but I like to live on the wild side. The Guinness gives it a little bite, but not enough. Still pretty tasty. Something worth trying again.
Today was Stella Artois and Guinness. I had one of these at Andy and Timmy's party on Friday, but I was pretty loaded when I made it, so I couldn't make a fair assessment at the time. Tonight's a little different. It's my first drink of the evening.
Visuals, I give it a 9/10. Definite division. Beauty. I am going to have to change my pouring strategy. I'm pouring the Guinness so slowly that it starts to run down the side of the can and the outside of the glass, not really what I intended (and it makes a mess of my countertop). I'm wondering if it's too cold....
Tastiness, I give it an 8/10. I'm not a huge fan of Stella to start with, it's too smooth. Yeah, I'm complaining about a beer being too smooth. I like my booze to bite back, and not just the morning after. Call it aggressive, but I like to live on the wild side. The Guinness gives it a little bite, but not enough. Still pretty tasty. Something worth trying again.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Black and Tan Week - Day 5
Well, I found a little gem in a blue can in the back of my fridge when I was restocking about a month ago. I brought it to the front but never drank it, because like Lays potato chips, one GW Premium is never enough. I only had one. Had. One. I haven't restocked "Old Reliable" yet. This coming week, I'll have to. After this experiment I'll have to restock on quite a bit, but I'll have enough to get through the end of my take-home final.
I specifically saved the GW Premium for Saturday night, simply because I didn't have any plans (I think it was the first Saturday since January where I didn't have an offer to go somewhere or do something....I blame the long weekend and exams). I knew this drink was going to turn into something to enjoy, something special. I was right.
Layering and visuals, I give it a 9. No vortex like last night's disaster. I'm finally getting good at pouring this stuff. The chilled glass may have had an effect too. There wasn't a clear line, but like the Pil, there was a definite break.
Tastiness, I give it a 9.5. I think I'm biased because I'm using "Old Reliable" and honestly, there's nothing better tasting than GW Premium after a long day of procrastination.
Well, even if I didn't have a "hot date" booked for tonight, I definitely had something worth coming home to. This drink had the brain, the brawn and the beauty to keep me interested. A rare treasure.
I think I found a keeper. Cheers!
I specifically saved the GW Premium for Saturday night, simply because I didn't have any plans (I think it was the first Saturday since January where I didn't have an offer to go somewhere or do something....I blame the long weekend and exams). I knew this drink was going to turn into something to enjoy, something special. I was right.
Layering and visuals, I give it a 9. No vortex like last night's disaster. I'm finally getting good at pouring this stuff. The chilled glass may have had an effect too. There wasn't a clear line, but like the Pil, there was a definite break.
Tastiness, I give it a 9.5. I think I'm biased because I'm using "Old Reliable" and honestly, there's nothing better tasting than GW Premium after a long day of procrastination.
Well, even if I didn't have a "hot date" booked for tonight, I definitely had something worth coming home to. This drink had the brain, the brawn and the beauty to keep me interested. A rare treasure.
I think I found a keeper. Cheers!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Black and Tan Week - Day 4
Well, today's weapon of choice was a test in patience. (...and after revisions, a test in keeping my mind out of the gutter. Ok....GO!)
I found a stray Boddington's Pub Ale in the back of the fridge today. I don't think it had been there for long, 2 or 3 months, tops. I thought for a moment:
Light color - check
Tasty - check
Loads of head - not good, but I think I'm up for the challenge (Yes, in this case "loads of head" happens to be a bad thing. When I talk mixology, it will be the ONLY time I will consider "loads of head" as a hindrance. Now that we have that covered, get your head out of the gutter.....)
So I poured...slowly and waited 4 mins for the foam to settle (should have been a sign). Nothing like trying to pour along the side of the glass when it's full of foam.
This was the weirdest mixing experience I've had yet. The reason a B&T works is because the stout is considerably less dense than a pilsner, lager or ale (and has more anti-oxidants than red wine....another neato factoid from my new buddy John..which kind of started the whole B&T week idea to tell the truth). Unfortunately, it's about the same density as a pub ale, which is a little thicker and creamier, like a stout. Shit. Forgot about that detail. Life's an experiment, right?
Gotta make a few mistakes to get it correct I guess.
It wasn't a tragedy, but it definitely wasn't "Great Success".
See for yourself:
This was the weirdest mixing pattern I've seen to date. Kind of swirly, kind of not. Not a definite line like the Pil, but not a total disaster. Looks-wise, I give it a 6. Not impressive, but not ugly either....I'd tap that I guess. Just satisfactory. (I'd tap that...hee hee....double-pun/double entendre intended. Does this make it a quadratic pun?) It looks better than the Smithwick's, that's for sure.
Tastiness....I give it a (take a sip).....8. I give it an 8. It's pretty damn smooth with a little bitter-sweet punch about 4 seconds after the swallow. (OK, now it's my turn to take my mind out of the gutter :S) Either way, it's not bad. Not a total disaster.
I have no idea what to call it. I could call it the "Black Boddy"..??? Actually, I kind of like that, seeing as I've just finished writing a quantum paper. I'll call it the "Black Boddy". Kind of suits the mixing pattern too.
(I'm going to go "wash the physics off" now. :$ Damn basement....you go in there once for lunch and it all goes to shit. As long as I don't smell like physics....right? When I start smelling like physics, you'll tell me, right? Right?)
Lesson learned: In this case, 2 rights make a tasty, but don't make a pretty. Sounds like my sex life.....
(OK. That's it. I'm done. That's 4 tangents related to my non-existant sex-life. I'm apparently still thinking about the "Baby Making" conversation from yesterday....shit, I'm done. Stopping before I can no longer climb out of the hole.)
Over and out.
I found a stray Boddington's Pub Ale in the back of the fridge today. I don't think it had been there for long, 2 or 3 months, tops. I thought for a moment:
Light color - check
Tasty - check
Loads of head - not good, but I think I'm up for the challenge (Yes, in this case "loads of head" happens to be a bad thing. When I talk mixology, it will be the ONLY time I will consider "loads of head" as a hindrance. Now that we have that covered, get your head out of the gutter.....)
So I poured...slowly and waited 4 mins for the foam to settle (should have been a sign). Nothing like trying to pour along the side of the glass when it's full of foam.
This was the weirdest mixing experience I've had yet. The reason a B&T works is because the stout is considerably less dense than a pilsner, lager or ale (and has more anti-oxidants than red wine....another neato factoid from my new buddy John..which kind of started the whole B&T week idea to tell the truth). Unfortunately, it's about the same density as a pub ale, which is a little thicker and creamier, like a stout. Shit. Forgot about that detail. Life's an experiment, right?
Gotta make a few mistakes to get it correct I guess.
It wasn't a tragedy, but it definitely wasn't "Great Success".
See for yourself:
This was the weirdest mixing pattern I've seen to date. Kind of swirly, kind of not. Not a definite line like the Pil, but not a total disaster. Looks-wise, I give it a 6. Not impressive, but not ugly either....I'd tap that I guess. Just satisfactory. (I'd tap that...hee hee....double-pun/double entendre intended. Does this make it a quadratic pun?) It looks better than the Smithwick's, that's for sure.
Tastiness....I give it a (take a sip).....8. I give it an 8. It's pretty damn smooth with a little bitter-sweet punch about 4 seconds after the swallow. (OK, now it's my turn to take my mind out of the gutter :S) Either way, it's not bad. Not a total disaster.
I have no idea what to call it. I could call it the "Black Boddy"..??? Actually, I kind of like that, seeing as I've just finished writing a quantum paper. I'll call it the "Black Boddy". Kind of suits the mixing pattern too.
(I'm going to go "wash the physics off" now. :$ Damn basement....you go in there once for lunch and it all goes to shit. As long as I don't smell like physics....right? When I start smelling like physics, you'll tell me, right? Right?)
Lesson learned: In this case, 2 rights make a tasty, but don't make a pretty. Sounds like my sex life.....
(OK. That's it. I'm done. That's 4 tangents related to my non-existant sex-life. I'm apparently still thinking about the "Baby Making" conversation from yesterday....shit, I'm done. Stopping before I can no longer climb out of the hole.)
Over and out.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Best. Meeting. With. Adviser. Ever.
I had a meeting with my adviser again today. I always dread having them, simply because I usually feel like I'm never doing enough work. For some reason or another, he thinks I'm doing just fine. Cool.
Why was this the best meeting yet, you may ask....
Well, I sent him a schedule with the goals and such that I want to accomplish this summer and where I'd like to be at what date. He said it was do-able, a little aggressive, but do-able. We finalized that I should be able to easily finish in 18 months, as long as my Committee doesn't rip my project to shreds. That's why I planned 18 months. I'm expecting my project to be ripped apart 3 ways from Sunday. That's not the awesome part.
This is the awesome part:
He showed me his calendar and how he organizes stuff. One version with actual deadlines, another with lists of stuff to do. He scrolled down...."see, you can see how I've kind of partitioned stuff....ignore the two weeks marked 'Baby Making'...and how I have 1 deadline, and then it coincides above...."
"Whoa, did you just say 'Baby Making'?"
"Yeah"
"OK, so I should ignore that?"
"Yeah"
I said "OK, cool, that's awesome. So when you decide to take a month or two off about 10 or 11 months from now I know what you're up all night and changing diapers. Neat!", when really I wanted to stand up and scream "Awesome!" and high-five the guy. Who puts "Baby Making" in their work calendar? That's amazing!
We all know that I was totally thinking about the lead-up to baby making instead of the result of baby making right? Right?
After the diapers comment he replied with, "Yeah, I guess when you put it that way....sure, I guess"
I know he was totally thinking about the lead-up to baby making too.....we both had some pretty ugly smirks on our face.
This is why my adviser is awesome. In all honestly, I kind of wish I could schedule "Baby Making" in my calendar....but without the baby outcome of course. Awesome.
As far as my goals, we never really got to them.....but as far as we're both concerned, I'm on track.
BLACK & TAN WEEK
Tonight I tried Keith's Dark Ale and Keith's Premium Ale. This is the second time I've tried it. Taste-wise, I give it a 7. Nothing I'd call home about. Tastes like dark ale mixed with pale ale. I did pour this one better than last time. It's tougher pouring a dark ale as opposed to a draught stout. Pours too fast.
Here's the picture:
Turned out OK. It's not as delicious as the Guinness and Pil, sadly.
Why was this the best meeting yet, you may ask....
Well, I sent him a schedule with the goals and such that I want to accomplish this summer and where I'd like to be at what date. He said it was do-able, a little aggressive, but do-able. We finalized that I should be able to easily finish in 18 months, as long as my Committee doesn't rip my project to shreds. That's why I planned 18 months. I'm expecting my project to be ripped apart 3 ways from Sunday. That's not the awesome part.
This is the awesome part:
He showed me his calendar and how he organizes stuff. One version with actual deadlines, another with lists of stuff to do. He scrolled down...."see, you can see how I've kind of partitioned stuff....ignore the two weeks marked 'Baby Making'...and how I have 1 deadline, and then it coincides above...."
"Whoa, did you just say 'Baby Making'?"
"Yeah"
"OK, so I should ignore that?"
"Yeah"
I said "OK, cool, that's awesome. So when you decide to take a month or two off about 10 or 11 months from now I know what you're up all night and changing diapers. Neat!", when really I wanted to stand up and scream "Awesome!" and high-five the guy. Who puts "Baby Making" in their work calendar? That's amazing!
We all know that I was totally thinking about the lead-up to baby making instead of the result of baby making right? Right?
After the diapers comment he replied with, "Yeah, I guess when you put it that way....sure, I guess"
I know he was totally thinking about the lead-up to baby making too.....we both had some pretty ugly smirks on our face.
This is why my adviser is awesome. In all honestly, I kind of wish I could schedule "Baby Making" in my calendar....but without the baby outcome of course. Awesome.
As far as my goals, we never really got to them.....but as far as we're both concerned, I'm on track.
BLACK & TAN WEEK
Tonight I tried Keith's Dark Ale and Keith's Premium Ale. This is the second time I've tried it. Taste-wise, I give it a 7. Nothing I'd call home about. Tastes like dark ale mixed with pale ale. I did pour this one better than last time. It's tougher pouring a dark ale as opposed to a draught stout. Pours too fast.
Here's the picture:
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Black and Tan Week - Day 2 v.2
I know it's only been an hour or so, but I sat down to start grading the Water Management final exam, and I needed another beer. Yeah, that bad.
So, instead of my usual "Oh shit fuck, I should have never gotten out of bed" routine when I get home after a supremely shitty day and sip a Guinness and shotgun a Pilsner, I decided that I might as well try it together and see what can become of it......
I hate to say it, because it's Pilsner.....but SUCCESS!!
It turns into a reeeellll smooooth operator. I give it an 8/10.
Also, the pour went well, very well. I used the full can of Pil, poured slowly. Waited for the Guinness ot settle for a minute or two and poured reeeaaalllllyyyy sssllloooowwwwlllyyyy.
Ta Da!
Third time's a charm. Too bad it ended up being with Pil. I think I'll call it the Little Black Pill.
Last time I talked with my new buddy John, I explained my really, really bad day routine with the whole sipping Guinness and shotgunning a beer.
He added, "Seriously? Is it a Pil? Please tell me you sip your Guinness then shotgun a Pil."
I replied, "Yeah, lately it's been Pil. I'm emptying the trash out of my fridge."
He replied, "That's my girl. I'm starting to like you more and more."
How do you like them apples now John? How do you like them apples?
So, instead of my usual "Oh shit fuck, I should have never gotten out of bed" routine when I get home after a supremely shitty day and sip a Guinness and shotgun a Pilsner, I decided that I might as well try it together and see what can become of it......
I hate to say it, because it's Pilsner.....but SUCCESS!!
It turns into a reeeellll smooooth operator. I give it an 8/10.
Also, the pour went well, very well. I used the full can of Pil, poured slowly. Waited for the Guinness ot settle for a minute or two and poured reeeaaalllllyyyy sssllloooowwwwlllyyyy.
Ta Da!
Third time's a charm. Too bad it ended up being with Pil. I think I'll call it the Little Black Pill.
Last time I talked with my new buddy John, I explained my really, really bad day routine with the whole sipping Guinness and shotgunning a beer.
He added, "Seriously? Is it a Pil? Please tell me you sip your Guinness then shotgun a Pil."
I replied, "Yeah, lately it's been Pil. I'm emptying the trash out of my fridge."
He replied, "That's my girl. I'm starting to like you more and more."
How do you like them apples now John? How do you like them apples?
Black and Tan Week - Day 2
Today's experiment: Guiness Draught over Smithwick's aka Irish Black & Tan......more like "Irish Black and Dark Brown".....
You can kind of see the Smithwick's on the bottom. Kind of. There's also a huge amount of head. I blame my over-zealousness to pour the Guinness before it somewhat settled within the can....simply because I really wanted to try this drink. Patience is a virtue. I'm not one with many virtues.
There was a lot of head on this drink before I took the picture. I'm pretty sure it affected the mixing, I'll wait a little longer when I try next time. Both bottles came out of the fridge, so they were both the same temperature. If waiting doesn't work, I might try having the Guinness sit on the counter for a few before I pour after that. Warmer Guinness doesn't fizz as much.....
I'll likely keep using GW pint glasses....partly because I'm out of fluted pint glasses, which look nicer and are easier to pour into because of the rounded edge....mainly because I have another 5 of them in my cupboard. Bottom line, they're tougher to pour into because I have to angle my pouring spoon a little differently. I'll adapt.
As far as taste, it's reasonably smooth. No real wow factor. Smoother Guinness with nutty punch at the end. I have no idea where the nutty comes from, but the Guinness kicks in around 5 seconds into the aftertaste. It's a neat experience, but nothing I'd call home about. At least, like most jocks, it looks pretty...kind of.
Lessons learned:
Use the whole bottle of Smithwick's.
I didn't have a lot of issues with the Smithwick's heading up. Win.
Wait until the Guinness settles a little in the can so I don't get so much head.....that's what she said
Tilt the spoon a little more. I'll have to change the design drawings for that one.
Pour Guinness slower yet.
Be more patient
Be more patient
Be more patient
I'll likely add to this or make a new post later tonight, when I 'm thick into take-home final or marking.
I'm making a mental note to pick up some Strongbow, Hoegaarden, Kilkenny, Boh, Corona and Blue Moon (if I can find some) at some point this week. I have no problem with more stray single bottles or cans in my fridge. Makes me look cultured. :P Sorta.
While typing this post, I've managed to finish the entire drink....overall score....6/10. It was satisfactory. Nothing special.
You can kind of see the Smithwick's on the bottom. Kind of. There's also a huge amount of head. I blame my over-zealousness to pour the Guinness before it somewhat settled within the can....simply because I really wanted to try this drink. Patience is a virtue. I'm not one with many virtues.
There was a lot of head on this drink before I took the picture. I'm pretty sure it affected the mixing, I'll wait a little longer when I try next time. Both bottles came out of the fridge, so they were both the same temperature. If waiting doesn't work, I might try having the Guinness sit on the counter for a few before I pour after that. Warmer Guinness doesn't fizz as much.....
I'll likely keep using GW pint glasses....partly because I'm out of fluted pint glasses, which look nicer and are easier to pour into because of the rounded edge....mainly because I have another 5 of them in my cupboard. Bottom line, they're tougher to pour into because I have to angle my pouring spoon a little differently. I'll adapt.
As far as taste, it's reasonably smooth. No real wow factor. Smoother Guinness with nutty punch at the end. I have no idea where the nutty comes from, but the Guinness kicks in around 5 seconds into the aftertaste. It's a neat experience, but nothing I'd call home about. At least, like most jocks, it looks pretty...kind of.
Lessons learned:
Use the whole bottle of Smithwick's.
I didn't have a lot of issues with the Smithwick's heading up. Win.
Wait until the Guinness settles a little in the can so I don't get so much head.....that's what she said
Tilt the spoon a little more. I'll have to change the design drawings for that one.
Pour Guinness slower yet.
Be more patient
Be more patient
Be more patient
I'll likely add to this or make a new post later tonight, when I 'm thick into take-home final or marking.
I'm making a mental note to pick up some Strongbow, Hoegaarden, Kilkenny, Boh, Corona and Blue Moon (if I can find some) at some point this week. I have no problem with more stray single bottles or cans in my fridge. Makes me look cultured. :P Sorta.
While typing this post, I've managed to finish the entire drink....overall score....6/10. It was satisfactory. Nothing special.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
This week will be known as "Black and Tan" week....
From now, until the end of finals, when I sit down to have a beer before homework, I'm going to turn it into a "Black and Tan"....or variation thereof.
I picked another case of Guinness this afternoon, mostly to re-stock, and also found some Keith's Black and Tan. Right now, I can't pour a black and tan to save my life. By the end of the week it will improve. Challenge accepted!!
I found this article with a few other options. Wikipedia, you rock my world, just not in research papers. This will help me enjoy the other imports I have sitting in the fridge. It's kind of like a collection of one-of beers from here and there, mostly Irish, but they're the kind of beers I want to sit and enjoy. This experiment may add to the enjoyment. We'll see.
Maybe this will have to call for "progress reports". The good kind of course.
I may try some of these too, depending on what I'll find in my fridge.
Cheers, (literally)
I picked another case of Guinness this afternoon, mostly to re-stock, and also found some Keith's Black and Tan. Right now, I can't pour a black and tan to save my life. By the end of the week it will improve. Challenge accepted!!
I found this article with a few other options. Wikipedia, you rock my world, just not in research papers. This will help me enjoy the other imports I have sitting in the fridge. It's kind of like a collection of one-of beers from here and there, mostly Irish, but they're the kind of beers I want to sit and enjoy. This experiment may add to the enjoyment. We'll see.
Maybe this will have to call for "progress reports". The good kind of course.
I may try some of these too, depending on what I'll find in my fridge.
Cheers, (literally)
Monday, April 18, 2011
I think I should have studied more....
I think I should have studied more. I also think I should have scanned the calculation pages from my BIOE 898 midterm. The EXACT SAME calculation question showed up on the final. Fuck. Sure wasn't thinking there. Maybe it was a good thing that I didn't scan it. I likely got it wrong. At least this time I get another shot. I wish I would have kept a few more papers too. Shit. Well, maybe I can do better this time. At least I'll be able to thoroughly think things through because I won't have idiot students bothering me over the week. Whatever. I guess there's bigger things to worry about. It's all about perspective, right?
Today's final went badly. I've forgotten how to focus and cram as much into my short-term memory and spit out the same amount and more. The exam was a "footnotes" exam. You know that shit you find in the footnotes of the text, the footnotes you don't read. Yeah. I didn't read them. Fuck.
Good thing I was going in with an 85, because I may have come out with a 65.....shit. I'm really hoping for a 75....a 75 would be awesome. Yeah, real awesome.
On the plus side, I got to party with the AWESOME PHYSICS KIDS again this weekend. Yeah, I just put awesome and physics together in the same sentence when referring to parties. It was pretty awesome. John brought his home brew. To make it taste better, they added ice cream. Eamon put it best when he said, "Yeah, it causes sclerosis and diabetes." Good thing I just watched the story unfold instead of actively participating. I also didn't participate in seeing Steve's ass. I'm sure that was a good experience too, although I have nothing to base my comparison on. Meh. It's all relative right?
On the plus side, if I've already answered a lot of my BIOE final questions, I have more time this week for marking and catching up on neglected research. Cool. More SCIENCE! I might actually put in a 40-hour week. Cool. (Believe it or not, I actually put in an 8-hour day, and I still have about an hour more yet tonight, which I'll likely bump to tomorrow....because I don't want to mark after today's crappy exam).
Yeah. I should have studied more.
Today's final went badly. I've forgotten how to focus and cram as much into my short-term memory and spit out the same amount and more. The exam was a "footnotes" exam. You know that shit you find in the footnotes of the text, the footnotes you don't read. Yeah. I didn't read them. Fuck.
Good thing I was going in with an 85, because I may have come out with a 65.....shit. I'm really hoping for a 75....a 75 would be awesome. Yeah, real awesome.
On the plus side, I got to party with the AWESOME PHYSICS KIDS again this weekend. Yeah, I just put awesome and physics together in the same sentence when referring to parties. It was pretty awesome. John brought his home brew. To make it taste better, they added ice cream. Eamon put it best when he said, "Yeah, it causes sclerosis and diabetes." Good thing I just watched the story unfold instead of actively participating. I also didn't participate in seeing Steve's ass. I'm sure that was a good experience too, although I have nothing to base my comparison on. Meh. It's all relative right?
On the plus side, if I've already answered a lot of my BIOE final questions, I have more time this week for marking and catching up on neglected research. Cool. More SCIENCE! I might actually put in a 40-hour week. Cool. (Believe it or not, I actually put in an 8-hour day, and I still have about an hour more yet tonight, which I'll likely bump to tomorrow....because I don't want to mark after today's crappy exam).
Yeah. I should have studied more.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Luck and Opportunity....
A good friend of mine told me once that there's a big difference between luck and opportunity. Luck is when you jump out of the campus bar and manage to just catch the last bus home. You really can't get anywhere on just being lucky.
You have to find opportunity. Opportunity is about being open to new ideas and willing to leap and take a chance.....hopefully not in front of that bus that you're just about to miss.
Either way, I think I owe a lot to where I am to opportunity, as opposed to luck like I thought.
Here's where the story begins:
Today and tomorrow I'm stuck in a Professional Practice Exam Seminar.....all fucking day. Today we discussed law.
Moral of the story: You're an Engineer, you engineer stuff. You're not a lawyer, you don't lawyer stuff. Don't try, get a good lawyer to do that for you.
Tomorrow is ethics.
Moral of tomorrow's story: Don't fuck up. Ever.
I'm mostly just wanting to get through the bloody thing, because it's taking away my precious study time. I stood in line, said my hellos to the APEGS staff and stood behind a little balding portly guy that I was totally not expecting to see today. I was standing behind my favorite Prof. You know those electives you take, not because you have to, but because of the wonderful little portly man standing at the front of the room. Second and third year mechanics were the classes (which I ended up loving) and Dr. D. was the Prof....whom I still look up to like no one's business.
Turns out he took the exam in Manitoba years ago, but never got his P. Eng. Then life happened, and he got to teaching and he figured that it's about bloody time that he should get his designation. The hilight of today, I got to sit beside my favorite Prof.....all day long. He's no longer "my Prof"...he's "my colleague"....I love being able to call such incredible people my colleagues. He's also potentially on my Thesis Advisory Committee.....WTF! Holy Awesome Sauce Batman!
I didn't outright ask him, he kind of brought it up in conversation. I mentioned the other day about who I was working with. He remembered and asked how I enjoyed it so far. Well, you know how much I rave about how awesome my supervisor is and how much I love my project. Dr. D. feels the same way...about my supervisor being awesome, not so much about how he loves my project....that'd be weird He said, "Yeah, he's a real superstar. You're into something really amazing you know..."
Superstar count: Supervisor - 2, Dena - 2 (by association).....and they're both from professors I really look up to, but coming from Dr. D., it means a lot.
How the Committee was brought up was a little weird, but Dr. D. said, "Yeah, he was asking me a couple of weeks ago how busy I was and if I wanted to sit on a new student's Committee. I told him it depended on the student, but likely yes. Now that I know it's you, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find the time." Best. Compliment. Ever. Having Dr. D. on my Committee is as close as I'm going to get to having him as an adviser, simply because he's not accepting too many grad students anymore.....and you know what, I'll take it! Boy, will I take it!
Right out of school I would've liked to do grad studies under Dr. D., but it didn't work out. I think that was for a reason. This is better ;)
For an analogy, it's like an aspiring chef working under Gordon Ramsay....by "fluke". Yeah, epic!
I guess I owe a lot of this to opportunity. I had a chance to work under a pretty chill guy on something that I truly enjoy. I took it. When I made the decision, I regretted it like no one's business...mostly because of the pay cut and the enormous amount of debt that I'm slowly sinking into. I was my own guinea pig.
I don't feel that way anymore. I think this is something bigger. I thought I belonged where I am right now. I don't think that anymore, I know.....I'm exactly where I need to be.
You have to find opportunity. Opportunity is about being open to new ideas and willing to leap and take a chance.....hopefully not in front of that bus that you're just about to miss.
Either way, I think I owe a lot to where I am to opportunity, as opposed to luck like I thought.
Here's where the story begins:
Today and tomorrow I'm stuck in a Professional Practice Exam Seminar.....all fucking day. Today we discussed law.
Moral of the story: You're an Engineer, you engineer stuff. You're not a lawyer, you don't lawyer stuff. Don't try, get a good lawyer to do that for you.
Tomorrow is ethics.
Moral of tomorrow's story: Don't fuck up. Ever.
I'm mostly just wanting to get through the bloody thing, because it's taking away my precious study time. I stood in line, said my hellos to the APEGS staff and stood behind a little balding portly guy that I was totally not expecting to see today. I was standing behind my favorite Prof. You know those electives you take, not because you have to, but because of the wonderful little portly man standing at the front of the room. Second and third year mechanics were the classes (which I ended up loving) and Dr. D. was the Prof....whom I still look up to like no one's business.
Turns out he took the exam in Manitoba years ago, but never got his P. Eng. Then life happened, and he got to teaching and he figured that it's about bloody time that he should get his designation. The hilight of today, I got to sit beside my favorite Prof.....all day long. He's no longer "my Prof"...he's "my colleague"....I love being able to call such incredible people my colleagues. He's also potentially on my Thesis Advisory Committee.....WTF! Holy Awesome Sauce Batman!
I didn't outright ask him, he kind of brought it up in conversation. I mentioned the other day about who I was working with. He remembered and asked how I enjoyed it so far. Well, you know how much I rave about how awesome my supervisor is and how much I love my project. Dr. D. feels the same way...about my supervisor being awesome, not so much about how he loves my project....that'd be weird He said, "Yeah, he's a real superstar. You're into something really amazing you know..."
Superstar count: Supervisor - 2, Dena - 2 (by association).....and they're both from professors I really look up to, but coming from Dr. D., it means a lot.
How the Committee was brought up was a little weird, but Dr. D. said, "Yeah, he was asking me a couple of weeks ago how busy I was and if I wanted to sit on a new student's Committee. I told him it depended on the student, but likely yes. Now that I know it's you, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find the time." Best. Compliment. Ever. Having Dr. D. on my Committee is as close as I'm going to get to having him as an adviser, simply because he's not accepting too many grad students anymore.....and you know what, I'll take it! Boy, will I take it!
Right out of school I would've liked to do grad studies under Dr. D., but it didn't work out. I think that was for a reason. This is better ;)
For an analogy, it's like an aspiring chef working under Gordon Ramsay....by "fluke". Yeah, epic!
I guess I owe a lot of this to opportunity. I had a chance to work under a pretty chill guy on something that I truly enjoy. I took it. When I made the decision, I regretted it like no one's business...mostly because of the pay cut and the enormous amount of debt that I'm slowly sinking into. I was my own guinea pig.
I don't feel that way anymore. I think this is something bigger. I thought I belonged where I am right now. I don't think that anymore, I know.....I'm exactly where I need to be.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Story of my life...
I knew this going in. I've been using "office hours" to get other shit done all term. I just wish that students would come see me in my "office hours" instead of filling up my in-box over the weekends.
If Dilbert is a documentary, so is Ph.D. Comics. 'Nuf said.
I think I've forgotten how to study....and spell for that matter.
Well, I finished my paper on Sunday night. 13 pages of goodness, 3 pages of references. Not too shabby.
Next on the docket...ME 898 final. It's next Monday. It's not urgent, so I'm not panicked yet. I have seminar all day Friday and Saturday, so there's 2 days gone. I guess I'll have to catch up Sunday and Monday morning. I have something booked later Friday night, a couple of things booked on Saturday and an episode of Wipeout on Sunday. I've been through all the material a couple of times and get most of the concepts and I should be able to think my way out of anything the Prof throws at me....hopefully. Sunday morning I'll start panicking I guess.
All I have to do for Tuesday's 309 final is print and copy the exam, pick up a few corrected assignments and show up to laugh at their sorry asses. I can do some other marking and studying while they write. If they don't know the class material, they're screwed...because they've proven to me that they're really not capable of independent thought. It's disappointing really. Very disappointing.
I can't wait until May 1......
Next on the docket...ME 898 final. It's next Monday. It's not urgent, so I'm not panicked yet. I have seminar all day Friday and Saturday, so there's 2 days gone. I guess I'll have to catch up Sunday and Monday morning. I have something booked later Friday night, a couple of things booked on Saturday and an episode of Wipeout on Sunday. I've been through all the material a couple of times and get most of the concepts and I should be able to think my way out of anything the Prof throws at me....hopefully. Sunday morning I'll start panicking I guess.
All I have to do for Tuesday's 309 final is print and copy the exam, pick up a few corrected assignments and show up to laugh at their sorry asses. I can do some other marking and studying while they write. If they don't know the class material, they're screwed...because they've proven to me that they're really not capable of independent thought. It's disappointing really. Very disappointing.
I can't wait until May 1......
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Oh.....the irony.
Once again, I should be writing my paper.
Good news: I have 8 edited pages, 3 figures, 4 sections to go and 18 sourced references. I also only have 3 more papers to crunch through before I've hit all my journal sources - 38 total - and I can start compiling ideas. I predict being able to restart writing in the next 2 to 3 hours...barring any unforseen distractions.
The ironic part....I'm writing about bone fracture, strengthening and weakening mechanisms, right? Well...and I knew this before hand, but reading it over, and over, and over again helps the concept sink in....apparently increased physical activity (the right kind....intense swimming actually weakens your bones....go figure! Michael Phelps has dropped 3 respect points as a matter of consequence) helps build strong, healthy bones. In turn, increased and prolonged periods of being sedentary work in the wrong way and decrease your bone strength. This all goes back to the concept that bone is an adaptive tissue and adaptation depends on applied load...which explains why astronauts have decreased bone strength when they come back from space missions. (On that note, I don't think I could date a space-bound rocket scientist.....well, ok, he'd have to be a really, really good looking rocket scientist)
Here's the irony. I'm writing...well at this point researching...about how to increase bone strength by doing physical activity, and what is my body position while I'm writing/researching.....sedentary. Fucking sedentary.
Yup, life's a bitch. It's just a matter of having a sense of humor about it I guess.
This gives me a reason to invest in a treadmill with a desk around it. Gotta practice what you preach, right??
Good news: I have 8 edited pages, 3 figures, 4 sections to go and 18 sourced references. I also only have 3 more papers to crunch through before I've hit all my journal sources - 38 total - and I can start compiling ideas. I predict being able to restart writing in the next 2 to 3 hours...barring any unforseen distractions.
The ironic part....I'm writing about bone fracture, strengthening and weakening mechanisms, right? Well...and I knew this before hand, but reading it over, and over, and over again helps the concept sink in....apparently increased physical activity (the right kind....intense swimming actually weakens your bones....go figure! Michael Phelps has dropped 3 respect points as a matter of consequence) helps build strong, healthy bones. In turn, increased and prolonged periods of being sedentary work in the wrong way and decrease your bone strength. This all goes back to the concept that bone is an adaptive tissue and adaptation depends on applied load...which explains why astronauts have decreased bone strength when they come back from space missions. (On that note, I don't think I could date a space-bound rocket scientist.....well, ok, he'd have to be a really, really good looking rocket scientist)
Here's the irony. I'm writing...well at this point researching...about how to increase bone strength by doing physical activity, and what is my body position while I'm writing/researching.....sedentary. Fucking sedentary.
Yup, life's a bitch. It's just a matter of having a sense of humor about it I guess.
This gives me a reason to invest in a treadmill with a desk around it. Gotta practice what you preach, right??
Friday, April 8, 2011
Technique is everything.
I should be writing a paper. Really I should. I have about 48 hours, give or take to get another 10+ pages of ideas onto my word processor and edit and submit.
I don't remember having this much trouble writing papers in the past. I guess I just didn't care before; it was just a matter of getting the fucking thing printed out so I could move on the next pain-in-the-ass assignment. (Writing puts the "ass" in "assignment" =D...so does engineering)
This time I care, mostly because I need to get at least an 80 in my classes, and I'm sitting at 79.5......so close that it might as well be a 49.5. It's not that I don't get the material....fuck, I totally understand it, I'm damned-near pulling an 80 before the final. Shit, that NEVER happened as an undergrad. It's just that putting a number to my comprehension is a concept that I'm re-adapting to. (I'm guessing after my case study presentation, my grade is likely sitting closer to an 85 than an 80....so that's OK)
Bottom line, I'm having troubles because I'm having issues trying to figure out where my paper is going. It's about failure, strengthening and weakening mechanisms in bone. Thing is, in order to understand all of this, you need a little bit of background, mostly because bone is foreign to most material engineers and scientists. I have 6 pages written, but it's all background. Target for this paper is 10-15 pages. I'm halfway to my upper limit and I haven't even hit the main arguments of the paper.
Fuck.
When I teach, I tell my kids to build an outline, organize your ideas, do your research and write. Try to build an argument. Cool. That's the technique that I used to use too. It seemed to work quite well in my undergrad, I don't see why it won't work now. That's the technique I started with. Problem is, that I'm halfway through my limit and I haven't built my case yet, and my outline has changed 4 times.
Fuck.
Today, I learned about another technique, coined by J. as "Barf and Carve". I think this is what I could end up doing. Barf all your ideas on page, get them on paper, don't worry about length. Then carve your ideas and your argument out of it. Seeing as I have a feeling that I'm going to write more than 15 pages, this seems like a logical method. I'm kind of headed there too. As it stands, right now, I have about 10 more papers to read for the research portion and I should be able to put the ideas on paper and carve a good paper. Maybe I'll try this.
Either way, although it may be rude for me to say this, but I think I have the biggest advantage over all the other students in my class (and my Prof for that matter) because English is my first language. My second advantage is that my writing is very concise. (Tangent, I sent my thought process to my supervisor as a weekly update, thinking it's jumbled garbage....he said it was very concise and the ideas were well expressed. I thought, "Hell, they should be, I teach other kids how to be concise". Instead I said, "Thank you. I try to write very concisely, makes interpretation easier")
With these two powers combined, I should be able to write one of the top papers in the class by default. Yay me! (In other news, I could totally blow it and end up licking my wounds) But, I still have to go through the motions of writing the blasted thing.
I'm going to try something different. I'm going to "Barf and Carve". I hope this works.
I don't remember having this much trouble writing papers in the past. I guess I just didn't care before; it was just a matter of getting the fucking thing printed out so I could move on the next pain-in-the-ass assignment. (Writing puts the "ass" in "assignment" =D...so does engineering)
This time I care, mostly because I need to get at least an 80 in my classes, and I'm sitting at 79.5......so close that it might as well be a 49.5. It's not that I don't get the material....fuck, I totally understand it, I'm damned-near pulling an 80 before the final. Shit, that NEVER happened as an undergrad. It's just that putting a number to my comprehension is a concept that I'm re-adapting to. (I'm guessing after my case study presentation, my grade is likely sitting closer to an 85 than an 80....so that's OK)
Bottom line, I'm having troubles because I'm having issues trying to figure out where my paper is going. It's about failure, strengthening and weakening mechanisms in bone. Thing is, in order to understand all of this, you need a little bit of background, mostly because bone is foreign to most material engineers and scientists. I have 6 pages written, but it's all background. Target for this paper is 10-15 pages. I'm halfway to my upper limit and I haven't even hit the main arguments of the paper.
Fuck.
When I teach, I tell my kids to build an outline, organize your ideas, do your research and write. Try to build an argument. Cool. That's the technique that I used to use too. It seemed to work quite well in my undergrad, I don't see why it won't work now. That's the technique I started with. Problem is, that I'm halfway through my limit and I haven't built my case yet, and my outline has changed 4 times.
Fuck.
Today, I learned about another technique, coined by J. as "Barf and Carve". I think this is what I could end up doing. Barf all your ideas on page, get them on paper, don't worry about length. Then carve your ideas and your argument out of it. Seeing as I have a feeling that I'm going to write more than 15 pages, this seems like a logical method. I'm kind of headed there too. As it stands, right now, I have about 10 more papers to read for the research portion and I should be able to put the ideas on paper and carve a good paper. Maybe I'll try this.
Either way, although it may be rude for me to say this, but I think I have the biggest advantage over all the other students in my class (and my Prof for that matter) because English is my first language. My second advantage is that my writing is very concise. (Tangent, I sent my thought process to my supervisor as a weekly update, thinking it's jumbled garbage....he said it was very concise and the ideas were well expressed. I thought, "Hell, they should be, I teach other kids how to be concise". Instead I said, "Thank you. I try to write very concisely, makes interpretation easier")
With these two powers combined, I should be able to write one of the top papers in the class by default. Yay me! (In other news, I could totally blow it and end up licking my wounds) But, I still have to go through the motions of writing the blasted thing.
I'm going to try something different. I'm going to "Barf and Carve". I hope this works.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Rhetorical SUCCESS!!
So my night class tonight started something like this:
Brian: "You up for dollar draft after class tonight?"
Me: "Fuck yeah! My students have driven me to drinking and I honestly need to blow off some steam."
Brian: "Sweet, Landon you in?"
Landon: 'Maybe, I'll have to check with my girlfriend."
Me: "Pssshhh. Where is she?"
Landon:"Hospital"
Me: "Hell, she can walk over. You're coming out"
Sammy, our Prof walks in
Brian: "You forgot to bring a case of beer."
Sammy: "Why?"
Brian: "It's the last class."
Sammy: "When I was a grad student, one professor would always bring a case of beer to share with us during seminar. Maybe I should have brought one, but I'm sure there's rules about drinking in the lecture halls."
Me: "Well, we could just move the lecture..."
...and that's how I convinced my Spectroscopy professor to move class to Louis' for Dollar Draft. It was pretty awesome. Not everyone drank, but there was food. Those of us who did drink, well and those of us who don't, had a good laugh at Eddie, who was well liquored.
It went surprisingly well. It was noisy, so we had to strain to listen; it was casual and I think we learned more after the lecture than we did during the lecture.
Sammy went into stories about his habits as a grad student....they sound surprisingly familiar. They'd saunter in at noon, do some research until about 8 or 9, go to the bar for a few drinks, meet up with their advisors at the bar, then go back around midnight and do some more work until about 2 or 3 and start all over again the next day at noon. Sounds like a habit I can get into, I just need a partner in crime. I think Eddie's halfway there. He had some lab work to finish after "class", and felt kind of sheepish about how his habits are so close to Sammy's.
Sammy also mentioned that some of the best thinkers that he was around were also consequential alcoholics. Honestly, I think I can relate. Idiot students will drive anyone to drinking. A "good" day is a "1 beer day". An "OK" day is a "2 beer day". A "Shit, leave me the hell alone" day is a "Guinness followed by a beer" kind of day.
Yeah, I'm sure I understand why brilliant people are drunks. I think it was Hemingway who said "Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know", and he also coined the phrase "An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools".
I'm no English Lit or History expert, but I'm pretty sure Hemingway was a drunk, a brilliant drunk. I wonder if he ever convinced his teachers to have lecture at the campus bar. :D
Brian: "You up for dollar draft after class tonight?"
Me: "Fuck yeah! My students have driven me to drinking and I honestly need to blow off some steam."
Brian: "Sweet, Landon you in?"
Landon: 'Maybe, I'll have to check with my girlfriend."
Me: "Pssshhh. Where is she?"
Landon:"Hospital"
Me: "Hell, she can walk over. You're coming out"
Sammy, our Prof walks in
Brian: "You forgot to bring a case of beer."
Sammy: "Why?"
Brian: "It's the last class."
Sammy: "When I was a grad student, one professor would always bring a case of beer to share with us during seminar. Maybe I should have brought one, but I'm sure there's rules about drinking in the lecture halls."
Me: "Well, we could just move the lecture..."
...and that's how I convinced my Spectroscopy professor to move class to Louis' for Dollar Draft. It was pretty awesome. Not everyone drank, but there was food. Those of us who did drink, well and those of us who don't, had a good laugh at Eddie, who was well liquored.
It went surprisingly well. It was noisy, so we had to strain to listen; it was casual and I think we learned more after the lecture than we did during the lecture.
Sammy went into stories about his habits as a grad student....they sound surprisingly familiar. They'd saunter in at noon, do some research until about 8 or 9, go to the bar for a few drinks, meet up with their advisors at the bar, then go back around midnight and do some more work until about 2 or 3 and start all over again the next day at noon. Sounds like a habit I can get into, I just need a partner in crime. I think Eddie's halfway there. He had some lab work to finish after "class", and felt kind of sheepish about how his habits are so close to Sammy's.
Sammy also mentioned that some of the best thinkers that he was around were also consequential alcoholics. Honestly, I think I can relate. Idiot students will drive anyone to drinking. A "good" day is a "1 beer day". An "OK" day is a "2 beer day". A "Shit, leave me the hell alone" day is a "Guinness followed by a beer" kind of day.
Yeah, I'm sure I understand why brilliant people are drunks. I think it was Hemingway who said "Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know", and he also coined the phrase "An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools".
I'm no English Lit or History expert, but I'm pretty sure Hemingway was a drunk, a brilliant drunk. I wonder if he ever convinced his teachers to have lecture at the campus bar. :D
Monday, April 4, 2011
One week of "Hell" left...
Gah! Students!! Fuck!!!
I'm pretty sure that this is Karma's way of biting me in the ass for being "that bitch". My students won't leave me alone....or at least it seems that way. I'm sure that they don't think they're taking up much time, and individually, they aren't. But over the period of a day, they take up a lot.
I had all day to work on a 15-page paper due Sunday. I didn't get anything done because my idiot students wouldn't leave me alone. I think I finally got a chance to dive into a paper at about 4:00. I got an hour of "quality" lit review in over a 7 hour day. Well, fuck!
Good thing I have a few extra hours on Thursday and Friday that I normally wouldn't have. My mechanics class and office hours are canceled on Thursday, and I'm canceling my lab on Friday....for a meeting sadly. I'm also canceling my Friday night plans. Not like they were huge, but I'm going to axe them anyways.
If only I could buy time....
I'm pretty sure that this is Karma's way of biting me in the ass for being "that bitch". My students won't leave me alone....or at least it seems that way. I'm sure that they don't think they're taking up much time, and individually, they aren't. But over the period of a day, they take up a lot.
I had all day to work on a 15-page paper due Sunday. I didn't get anything done because my idiot students wouldn't leave me alone. I think I finally got a chance to dive into a paper at about 4:00. I got an hour of "quality" lit review in over a 7 hour day. Well, fuck!
Good thing I have a few extra hours on Thursday and Friday that I normally wouldn't have. My mechanics class and office hours are canceled on Thursday, and I'm canceling my lab on Friday....for a meeting sadly. I'm also canceling my Friday night plans. Not like they were huge, but I'm going to axe them anyways.
If only I could buy time....
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