Fuego.
Yesterday I spent time planning out my week and doing some research. I drove around town a bit to explore and hit Balboa Park, since I hadn't seen it during the day before. It was a beautiful day, though fairly humid. My intention was to find a quiet place and sit down in the shade to read but the park was so busy that I decided just to walk the park.
From there, I stopped by The Hole, a dive bar with a cool outdoor patio. Since the weather was so nice, there was a huge line to get in. I waited for about 20 minutes and barely moved, so I decided to bail. I met up with Rob (crimsonsaint ) and Nick, formerly from CT, at their house and hung out for awhile. We talked of the area, the friendliness of the people, the job market, and various computer projects Nick had worked on. For a house from the 30's, they really have it up to date. After a BBQ we watched a few things on TV and the movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno, which was entertaining but fairly predictable.
Today was my main campus tour day. I woke up a little late and scrambled to get to San Diego State University on time. After parking the car, I ran to the Prospective Student Office. Here are my SDSU notes:
03/02/09 10am
Weather: clear, breezy, 70's
Impressions: It was difficult to get ahold of someone to talk to regarding graduate admission requirements. The tour was meant for undergrads and because of my doubted eligibility of the program, I decided to skip the tour until I had a better understanding of Bioinformatics at the school.
I'll try to visit the Bioinformatics professor tomorrow during his office hours.
The school itself was beautiful and very well kept up. I don't feel all that confident, based on the difficulty of communication and because of my lack of preparation for the major, that the school is right for me. Yet.
After I left there I grabbed some breakfast and prepared for the next tour at the University of San Diego, a Catholic school of higher learning. Here are my notes from there:
03/02/09 1:30pm
Weather: partly cloudy, 70's
Impressions: The campus was beautiful, set atop a hill overlooking the ocean. The buildings were decorated in the Mediterranean style typical for this area.
I had to wait for a tram at the parking lot and because one had left while I was looking for a space I had to wait for the next one. Once again, I was late for the tour and they had already left when I found the building.
The graduate admissions people referred me to Cathleen Mumper, the nursing school advisor, who didn't want to answer her phone. I'l try again later an ask about pre-admission requirements.
The school itself seemed very small and I felt like the only who wasn't wearing trendy clothes and sunglesses, wasn't driving a Volvo or an Infiniti, and who wasn't wearing pants. Awkwardness aside, I could tell that you needed some bucks to go to this school. It looks like this will be a last resort.
Pictures can be found here: