not dead
still here. doing so much nothing that i never get around to updating. it's been two weeks since i've written a real post. oops.
in general, i haven't done that much. i've read more books and watched more TV. after making a good start at cleaning my apartment the other weekend (last weekend in February...not last weekend), i was allowed to go to Metro Video and pick up a bribe / reward. i got the third season of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer and the fifth season of Stargate: SG-1. i'm about half way through both of those. guess i've been doing a lot of reading, but i don't really recall what. well, i read the new JD Robb (Strangers in Death) and Stardust (Neil Gaiman, if you don't know). the book version of Stardust was not nearly as charming and funny as the movie. good story still, but the characters weren't as likable. also, the movie version made a few tie arounds and loops of fate that made the story a little more magical. but whatever. i also finally finished The Night Watch. it took me quite a while to read that, not because i didn't like it or it was hard to read, but because it was a large book. and i don't mean it took me a long time in actual reading time...but the physical size of the book meant i couldn't hold the book in one hand. thus, i couldn't read, which meant i was constantly switching to other smaller books whenever a meal came up. then i'd want to finish the smaller book, too, and would. i had to find myself of nice chunk of time to dedicate to only reading so that i could finish The Night Watch. i'm gonna run into the same problem with the others in the series, but that's not going to stop me. just slow me down. : )
on Monday, i went in to school to discuss defense committee members with RK. it's funny, while he's been a decent advisor in general, i've really found him to be falling down on the job for these last few stages of my degree. he's given me only the vaguest advice on how to do stuff like write my "contributions to knowledge" or how to prepare my presentation for my defense. and i've been pretty much on my own for finding committee members. i don't expect him to find them for me, but i would at least expect him to be able to suggest someone from the other departments on campus (and this is a small campus) when i admit that i don't know anyone. okay, it's a little thing, but it's weird. or am i only becoming dissatisfied 'cuz i expected to be done by now. speaking of which, i also found out the "earliest possible" date for my defense: April 4, a full two months after i turned in my thesis and two weeks later than i was figuring. oh joy. i have another whole month of hanging out at my apartment. okay, i am going to start packing, but it's really hard to figure out what to pack when i still have to live here for at least another month. the timing of the defense will also mean that Mom doesn't get to come...and i think she actually wanted to be here. i'm sort of ambivalent on that, but i hate for her to be disappointed.
my apartment being nice and clean, i was able to have ronluvshermione over on Tuesday. we made sandwiches for lunch and talked and watched The Princess Bride. it was a nice little afternoon. it's nice to socialize once in a while. i spend far too much time as a hermit in my apartment.
woke up early on Wednesday and couldn't get back to sleep. spent most of the day organizing the music on my computer: updating album names and such. made it all the way from De Dijk to Pearl Jam. went to the gym. fell asleep in front of the TV.
today, i seem to be doing the job application thing again. Gwen sent me a couple of job announcements that she found (that i should have gotten e-mails for but didn't, so yay sister!). i applied for one of them, but i'm not sure about the other. while i'm technically qualified, the job has some managerial duties that i'm not sure i'm ready for. so i gotta think about that one a bit. i also put in an application for a position with the USGS in Flagstaff. of all the applications i've submitted, this is the one i'm probably most likely to get (and least sure i want). in the knowledge questions section, they asked a lot of stuff about programming, data analysis, and simulation and modeling. all the stuff i've been doing for the last five years that i don't actually want to do for the rest of my life. the announcement didn't read like that kind of position, so i was a little surprised when those questions came up. i was able to put in lots and lots of "i know this" and "i've done this" answers, more than i've ever done before, so i actually look more qualified for this position than any thing else. bleh. i refuse to be locked up inside all day every day again. please. but, it's a job, so i finished the application. and it's in Flagstaff, so i could still have free rent.
in other job related news, i received notices for a couple of more non-hires. these were for positions where the announcements 'closed' around six weeks ago, though, so that gives me a little more hope for some of the jobs that i haven't gotten responses for. not so much hope that i'll get hired, but hope that they'll actually reply at some point.
anyway, this is probably a more than long enough entry. sorry about that.
in general, i haven't done that much. i've read more books and watched more TV. after making a good start at cleaning my apartment the other weekend (last weekend in February...not last weekend), i was allowed to go to Metro Video and pick up a bribe / reward. i got the third season of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer and the fifth season of Stargate: SG-1. i'm about half way through both of those. guess i've been doing a lot of reading, but i don't really recall what. well, i read the new JD Robb (Strangers in Death) and Stardust (Neil Gaiman, if you don't know). the book version of Stardust was not nearly as charming and funny as the movie. good story still, but the characters weren't as likable. also, the movie version made a few tie arounds and loops of fate that made the story a little more magical. but whatever. i also finally finished The Night Watch. it took me quite a while to read that, not because i didn't like it or it was hard to read, but because it was a large book. and i don't mean it took me a long time in actual reading time...but the physical size of the book meant i couldn't hold the book in one hand. thus, i couldn't read, which meant i was constantly switching to other smaller books whenever a meal came up. then i'd want to finish the smaller book, too, and would. i had to find myself of nice chunk of time to dedicate to only reading so that i could finish The Night Watch. i'm gonna run into the same problem with the others in the series, but that's not going to stop me. just slow me down. : )
on Monday, i went in to school to discuss defense committee members with RK. it's funny, while he's been a decent advisor in general, i've really found him to be falling down on the job for these last few stages of my degree. he's given me only the vaguest advice on how to do stuff like write my "contributions to knowledge" or how to prepare my presentation for my defense. and i've been pretty much on my own for finding committee members. i don't expect him to find them for me, but i would at least expect him to be able to suggest someone from the other departments on campus (and this is a small campus) when i admit that i don't know anyone. okay, it's a little thing, but it's weird. or am i only becoming dissatisfied 'cuz i expected to be done by now. speaking of which, i also found out the "earliest possible" date for my defense: April 4, a full two months after i turned in my thesis and two weeks later than i was figuring. oh joy. i have another whole month of hanging out at my apartment. okay, i am going to start packing, but it's really hard to figure out what to pack when i still have to live here for at least another month. the timing of the defense will also mean that Mom doesn't get to come...and i think she actually wanted to be here. i'm sort of ambivalent on that, but i hate for her to be disappointed.
my apartment being nice and clean, i was able to have ronluvshermione over on Tuesday. we made sandwiches for lunch and talked and watched The Princess Bride. it was a nice little afternoon. it's nice to socialize once in a while. i spend far too much time as a hermit in my apartment.
woke up early on Wednesday and couldn't get back to sleep. spent most of the day organizing the music on my computer: updating album names and such. made it all the way from De Dijk to Pearl Jam. went to the gym. fell asleep in front of the TV.
today, i seem to be doing the job application thing again. Gwen sent me a couple of job announcements that she found (that i should have gotten e-mails for but didn't, so yay sister!). i applied for one of them, but i'm not sure about the other. while i'm technically qualified, the job has some managerial duties that i'm not sure i'm ready for. so i gotta think about that one a bit. i also put in an application for a position with the USGS in Flagstaff. of all the applications i've submitted, this is the one i'm probably most likely to get (and least sure i want). in the knowledge questions section, they asked a lot of stuff about programming, data analysis, and simulation and modeling. all the stuff i've been doing for the last five years that i don't actually want to do for the rest of my life. the announcement didn't read like that kind of position, so i was a little surprised when those questions came up. i was able to put in lots and lots of "i know this" and "i've done this" answers, more than i've ever done before, so i actually look more qualified for this position than any thing else. bleh. i refuse to be locked up inside all day every day again. please. but, it's a job, so i finished the application. and it's in Flagstaff, so i could still have free rent.
in other job related news, i received notices for a couple of more non-hires. these were for positions where the announcements 'closed' around six weeks ago, though, so that gives me a little more hope for some of the jobs that i haven't gotten responses for. not so much hope that i'll get hired, but hope that they'll actually reply at some point.
anyway, this is probably a more than long enough entry. sorry about that.