graduate school

I'm happy to report that I survived my first semester in graduate school. It was a bit harder than expected, but I didn't realize how good of a school I am at until part way through the semester. As it turns out, Chapel Hill is a really, really good school. And so, I'm very happy to report that I have passed all of my classes.

On an even better note, I recently discovered that I am now doing exactly what I told myself I wanted to do 4 years ago. Four years ago, I took a class called discrete mathematics. I loved the class. The topics we learned in that class are still my favorite topics that I've ever learned. At that time, I told people and myself that I wished I could major in discrete mathematics, but unfortunately it appeared to me that there was nothing in discrete mathematics beyond that course. My school did not offer any classes on the topic, and I thought that was the end of it. I'm happy to report that most of the things I do in my new program are advanced topics of the things I did in discrete mathematics---graph theory, discrete time markov chains, and others. Furthermore, I've discovered a new pastime that I might spend some time with this winter break---binary programming. Maybe I'll write a program that can solve these hard Sudoku puzzles for me. Or maybe I can write a program to solve this impossible riddle I tried to do a few years back.

My New Nephew

I went to Texas for Thanksgiving to visit my sister's family. While I was there, I met my new nephew, Kyle, for the first time. I promised my mom I would take some pictures, so I did. I now I realize, that I didn't take very many, but I promise that there are a lot more on Kyle's mom's camera and Kyle's grandpa's camera! Just tell Kyle's mom to post them on her blog. I think it's time for more pictures on her blog.

The scenery

Here are some more things that I am thankful for:

Color changing trees:
Colorful Trees next to a lake:And the sun glistening over the lake.

The New Hideout

Thanksgiving is coming up, so I'll take some time to show you the new things to me that I am grateful for.

I am grateful for my new bedroom:I have 2 closets
A really cool desk and comfy chair
And a bathroom to myself.

Looking Back

These images are from the place I'll always consider home:

Best Day of My Life

So, let me tell you about my day. If you want the short version, skip to the stars.*****

I woke up as usual on the mattress on the floor of my room. I got ready for my day as usual. I packed my bag overfull of my books and notebooks. I also took my 15.4 inch computer on the side because I wanted to get some help trying to get AFS to work on it. I biked UPhill to class as usual across some major streets. But fortunately, I got to the bus stop at exactly the same time as the bus, so I was able to take the bus from there. Classes were great. I finished one of my homework assignments no problem, and made no progress on the other. So, here is where my day gets interesting. I try using my computer after class, and it fails to boot. I try to boot in safemode and it gets stuck at crcdisk.sys just like last time it broke. Arg! No prob though, they fixed it for me last time using the windows boot disk, so I can do the same, right? I bike home in the rain. It wasn't that hard, but I was still soaked by the time I got home. I tried to fix the computer using the windows boot disk, but it kept having troubles saying I was putting in the wrong CD. That's when I realized that I must be reinstalling windows, not doing the cool fix thing the IT place did. (Looking back, I probably could have retrieved my files, but I did not want to wait in line for IT again.) So, I took a nice nap to forget my troubles. I woke up and then drove to my very first open tutorial session. While driving through campus, I was debating between parking on campus and parking at the institute and walking 20 minutes. That's when my car started making a grinding noise. The battery light and break light came on as well. Shortly after, I noticed that my power steering no longer works. So, I found the nearest parking lot with an empty spot, and parked my car in a parallel parking spot about 3 feet away from the curb. It was last one available, so I didn't think it was a big deal and went to the computer lab. There, I attempted to print out a class roster for my very first open tutorial session in which 250 students are invited to attend. The first 2 computers I tried didn't work, and the rest were taken, so I borrowed a computer from one of the other students and was able to download a list of students to print no problem. I then went to the open tutorial without my handwritten answers because I couldn't find them. The open tutorial went fine. It was kind of scary being in front of 30 students for the first time, but it didn't phase me too much. After class, I found a 3 hole puncher and finally organized my notes for class. I then called AAA. A little over an hour later a tow truck towed my car to the local BP and took me home. And now I'm here sitting on the floor of my roommates room using her computer.

*****

And if you don't want to read all that, let me give you a quick run down:

-Biked to class with heavy pack

-Computer broke

-Got soaked going home

-deleted all files on computer by accident

-Car made horrible grinding noise, power steering broke

-Took tow truck home

So, today was the best day of my life! Don't believe me? Sure a lot of unfortunate things happened to me, but that's OK. Look at the positives! My computer broke now---At the beginning of semester before I got all settled into it. Sure I just starting installing of my programs, but I'm not completely settled into yet. I now have no excuse to not downgrade to XP which will fix all the other problems I've been having (and there are several). I got wet today. That's certainly better than someday in the future when I don't have as much time to clean off and when the weather is cold. Being wet today wasn't that bad. I was actually smiling at the stoplight. My car broke today, right outside of the place I needed to be at. I had time to spare and could call the tow truck later. Plus the people who helped me were super nice. It's still early in the semester. My homework load hasn't picked up yet. I still have the time to have car problems. Better now than later. Now, I just hope that because of the problems I have now, that I can fix them and that they won't be an issue later on.

The Old

We all have bought things that we look back on wishing we hadn't. In no particular order, here are the little things I've bought or paid for (or someone else bought for me) that I don't regret in anyway at all. Most of them are in someone else's hands in Arizona or are long since used up, but they're a good reminder of things I'm happy to have had.

• cran-grape juice, it was surprisingly delicious
• $5 sun glasses, they're perfect and my eyes are so much happier now. They unfortunately broke the day I got here, and the new ones I paid $10 for aren't nearly as fitting.
• This tan wallet from the sale racks at at some jewelry store in the mall, it fits in my pocket, only problem now is that it's getting old. I need a new one and can't find any I like.
• My comforter, $15 at Ross, it's so cute and girly, but not too girly, and so soft too
• $20 bookshelf from IKEA, it's served me splendidly these past 2 years
• Puffs tissues, when I get sick I use lots of tissues and my nose starts hurting from the tissue use, these tissues really are extra soft
• my oboe, it gotten quite a bit of use these past 4 years
• my IKEA desk, just the right size, holds tons of books, and a good price too. I'm going to miss you desk. I wish you could come with me to North Carolina
• my first cell phone, it's been a necessity several times since I've gotten it
• this game called SET, I really like it
• my body pillow, it's great for taking naps with
• Teva flip flops, my feet actually like them, I even wore them to a formal dance once
• Altoids tins and friends, they've made excellent oboe reed cases - If you have any unusual ones, let me know!

• my Math Club T-shirt, it's officially my favorite T-shirt ever
• My caveroom, as cave-like as it is, it's just the right amount of space for me, if only it had a window.
• my black sweater, it's been PERFECT for so many occasions, it saddens me that it's beginning to wear out
• my black dress shoes with treads - these are wearing out too, they're the comfiest dress shoes I own and look good with pants
• my gray backpack, it's the perfect size for all my needs, a neat design, if only I could change it's color to match my mood, that would be fun
• the GPS for the rental car in Rhode Island, I seriously would have been lost for hours in Boston without it.
• the Sims (original), I used to be an expert at that game, no cheating involved
• purple yarn, I made a pretty scarf, and it helped pass time in the airplanes
• fancy mechanical pencils with the long twist eraser, I use that eraser all the time
• colorful 3-ring binders, telling apart your classes has never been easier
• my computer, I use it more than I should, it fits in my desk, and it glows!
• my 2 black skirts, I love it when skirts swirl when you spin, plus I can sit in them Indian style and ride a bicycle with them! (I've done it several time now)
• red pulse hair dye, having my hair red for a week was so much fun
• my red bicycle, it gets good use and rides great
• my blue helmet, thanks to Mandi for the helmet, it actually fits my head when others don't, and now I won't ever fracture my skull again!
• the barbecue chicken pizza we bought during our MCM contest. I didn't think I would really like it, yet I really want some more. Good choice Crystal.
• Krispy Kreme donuts, it's so sad they closed down in AZ
• my pink argyle knee-high socks, they've kept me just a little warmer this winter
• skii rental, I finally went skiing my last semester in Flagstaff
• my computer moniter, thanks to Justin for the trade, it's freed up a lot of space on my desk
• vanilla bubble bath, ever since I got walking pneumonia last semester, I have thrived off of baths, the vanilla makes them even better
  

So that was a lot, and there are more, but I'll leave it at that.

2000 miles

I finally made it to my new destination! The drive over was happily uneventful. Parts of it were pretty, but most of the time we couldn't see anything because the land was filled with so many trees we could not see past them. Still, it's beautiful. We have flowers in our front yard and trees in the back. Our house is great. It's covered in spider webs, but that's okay---I get my own bedroom and bathroom (and the vacuum took care of the spiders). The place is quite hilly. Riding my bike to class is uphill the whole way. Plus, it's humid, so in order to be proper, I have to change my clothes when I get here. I think I might take the bus tomorrow.

To fund my experience here, I'll be responsible for a tutorial class twice a week. Students will come to me and ask for help on their homework. I'm excited. I've always enjoyed helping people figure out their homework problems, and now I will get paid to do it! Plus, I get to keep learning and learning.

It's really weird being so far away from everything I know. The people I've met so far are really great. I've met a ton of people who use statistics all the time. It's amazing. We're going to have statistics themed dinners with a few people from church.

My computer broke the day I got here, so I'm using the school computer right now. Once I get it fixed, I have a bunch of pictures of the old and then pictures of the new I want to post.

Doing it backwards.

I'm living in the right places at the wrong times. Last week it was freezing in town! And I mean freezing. It's not supposed to be this cold in April. It even snowed! Granted, the snow melted when it hit the ground, but it still snowed. Then, last weekend, I took a trip home. Can we say HOT!?! Next time I go home, I'm bringing shorts and flip flops. It was 95 outside and the thermometer said 83 in the house. That wouldn't be as bad if I hadn't grown accustomed to my apartment which has been as cold as 50 degrees inside, or colder. Fortunately, I've gotten a heater since that time, but I've gotten used to an apartment at about 65 degrees. 83 is just too hot. So now, I'm back at school, and what do you know? It's cold again. SUPER windy, and cold. Now consider how I've been living these past 4 years of my life. Summers in the valley where it's HOT, winters in the mountains where it's cold. I really am doing it backwards.

On the plus side, I've had some excellent adventures in beautifully springy perfect weather. Here is a really cool site I visited of the Palatkwapi Native Americans:
The dagger of light goes right through the center of the spiral at the equinoxes. Pretty neat.

And here is one of the most beautiful places on Earth:I actually didn't take any pictures of the landscape. This was in the background of another picture, but this place really is beautiful if you go. Way more pretty than this picture! While we were there, I spotted something hiding in the brush. Can you see it?

It's a small world

I was recently accepted to graduate school at a university on the other side of the country. In a couple of weeks I plan on visiting to check it out and see how I like it. To make my trip more beneficial, I made a phone call to my church to see what activities they might have while I'm there. The lady I talked to got me in touch with one of the girls who could help me out. Great idea! I've been hooked up with a place to stay and possibly a ride. That'll make my trip a whole lot cheaper. The funny thing is, this girl called me back a little while after we talked and asked if I knew Carlton. "No," I said. Then she asked if I knew him from work over the summer. That's when it clicked. Of course I remember Carlton! We were both interns at the same company last summer. So she put me on the phone with Carlton for a couple minutes. He said he'll be on my welcoming committee when I get there. Who knew that I'd know someone in a small town thousands of miles from home on the other side of the country??? Needless to say, I'm super excited for my trip.

New England

This weekend I flow to Rhode Island. Crazy eh? It was quite the opportunity. When I arrived, my luggage was no where to be found, so I decided to go shopping so that I would be dressed at least somewhat appropriately for my interview on Monday. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, I had a nice car. The lady upgraded me to a Volvo when I told her I didn't want it. Now, I hope I still get reimbursed for the rental car. Anyhow, I took a trip to Boston, MA that evening. Here are some of the sites I saw:

I don't remember the name of this building.

This is how all of the streets in Boston are. Parallel parking times 100!

This has some incredible American history with it. If only I remembered what that was.

The next day, I had my job interview and took a few pictures of Rhode Island:

The Gazebo outside my back door at the hotel.

I thought this bridge was pretty cool.

So cool, I had to pay $2 to get across.

Take a Bath

It seems that I find something to keep myself busy every weekend this semester! This past weekend I worked on a mathematical modeling contest all weekend. You try and find an answer to one of these questions in the course of just one weekend. We chose the bath problem. I think taking a bath is far easier than the research required to even begin to get an idea of how to answer the problem. Still, having a real world problem to work at was fun and a good experience too. Side note: The only problem with being this busy is that I don't have time to do laundry, clean my room, or even buy groceries. I lived off cold cereal and canned soup all last week. Fortunately, a class got out early last Friday so I could buy a few more things.

Now just wait and see what I'm doing next weekend. :)

Adventures in Nebraska

I went to Nebraska last weekend! Why Nebraska in the winter you ask? I attended the Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics. Despite the blistering cold (it really wasn't that bad), I loved the opportunity for adventure to see a new place. AND I got spend 3.5 hours in Denver. Granted, it was in the airport during a lengthened layover. I still had fun. I finished my very first crocheting project. A pretty purple scarf!

First Time Skier

To begin my adventures of this blog, I went skiing for the first time in my life. After taking some quick beginner lessons (more like tips so you don't get stuck or die if you fall), and showing off my skills, my friends thought I was ready to move on. Here are the skills I showed them:

Shortly after this we traveled over to another trail which they said I would be fine on. I later saw this sign in front of the ski lift.

After a few elegant falls, and some not-so-elegant falls I made it down the mountain several times. Fortunately, I made it home without any injury at all except for perhaps a tired spell. Goodnight!

Blizzard!

So maybe it wasn't an actual Blizzard, but it flipped my umbrella inside-out! Poor umbrella. And to think that last Saturday I went for a nice bicycle ride.

My First Blog Post

I should be in bed right now, but instead I decided to create a blog. My purpose for creating this blog is to showcase all the adventures that I hope to go on in the near future. Right now my adventures in Flagstaff are coming to an end, and soon to come are my adventures in . . . ?