Recycling. Compostable. Trash.
The first night in Seattle, I had the room to myself. For a few minutes, I simply looked out the window over the far-reaching string of lights that tied together the city. It was calming. Something about the lights of cars and silhouettes of human beings mingling with one another in apparent silence is aesthetically pleasing.
When I was on the street and able to explore the city, I began to love it. The conditions were comfortable, the food was good; even the homeless people had a sense of humor, evidenced by the "Too ugly to prostitute. I love pot and fat chicks." sign I saw. Compostable products and wastebaskets were plentiful, and being able to see mountains just beyond a vast body of water was a new and beautiful experience for me.
Top Pot Doughnuts really lived up to the hype. They were the best that I've had in my life. I had several while I was there, including an incredible chocolate frosted old fashioned donut. My stomach is rumbling just thinking about it. Also, I believe that Steve Jobs was there the first day we were... it looked like him, at least. Breakfast foods in general were good in Seattle, including Sweet Iron Waffles and Andaluca. A place called Yellow Leaf Cupcake had Pancakes and Bacon flavored cupcakes (which, of course, I tried, though the Chocolate Vanilla was better). The Icon Grill had a chicken sandwich that also had Granny Smith apple slices on it. I had seafood twice. I also had a few good cocktails and martinis and Seattle. The Watermelon cocktail at The Tap House was amazing.
The conference itself was enlightening, to say the least. I talked to several professors from other universities. I had an in-depth discussion with a professor from Florida State during and after lunch at the student conference. He explained his current funding situation, what project he has funding for, and generally seemed like a very nice guy who was really interested in his students. Unfortunately, the current project he has funding for does not interest me all that much, as it deals somewhat with air pollution in Indonesia, and that's not exactly the route I want to take with a Masters project. He e-mailed me later in the week about a project I could potentially get funding for through NASA. I would be required to spend ten weeks in Houston or Huntsville in order to get the funding. The project would be investigating cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning and its relationship with intensification of tropical cyclones. This seems interesting, but I'll need more details. Also, at this time, it seems unlikely to be my top choice for a project.
During the night of the university parties, I went to two different ones. First, I went to Colorado State. After I got there, the Director of the School of Meteorology at OU talked to me. He mentioned that they had finished the rankings for this year's applicants, and I was in the top 3. He also said to tell him who I wanted to work for, and he would make it happen. To hear that was unreal. OU has such a large amount of opportunities for graduate students, and being able to just pick what would work for me didn't really seem like an option before this. Once I heard this, I was incredibly lost, and it confused me even further. However, it was an honor to know how well respected I am at my own school, and he may have offered me a deal I cannot refuse.
Later, I was able to talk to a couple of CSU faculty members along with grad students and research assistants. The atmosphere at CSU seems very nice, and the grad student I talked with for most of the time was very helpful. She actually worked with Nicole's old best friend (who now attends CSU). She actually came to my presentation the next day, and she seemed to be very impressed by both the content of the presentation and the project I had been working on. She took my name down at the party and told me she would pass my name on to her adviser. Further, I met a very distinguished professor from CSU who has been one of the leading figures in mesoscale (on a regional scale) meteorology and severe storms for quite awhile. I e-mailed him tonight. We'll see what I hear back.
On the last day of the conference, I talked to a professor from North Carolina State that I had been in contact with last semester. He seemed like a very personable guy, and he had a couple of projects that he told me about. I can't really recall what they involved at this time, though I believe one had to do with convection (thunderstorms) and another was with lightning. Things are kind of getting all jumbled now. However, I also talked to him about a project I had discussed with another professor at N.C. State that really interests me. He's actually a co-principal investigator for the project, which deals with convection in the southeastern U.S. and would offer a lot of opportunities for me to interact with local National Weather Service offices. I think, at this time, that particular project is at the top of my list. If I was to be offered an assistantship with that particular project, N.C. State would be a clear #1 moving forward. I was also very happy to hear that he attended my presentation the previous day, and he told me he was very impressed with how well I did.
Speaking of the presentation, it went well. I had a large amount of OU people in the crowd supporting me, which was nice to see. I stumbled a bit out of the gate, but I quickly got into a groove and felt pretty good about the majority of it. A recording of the presentation should be online in a few weeks. I'll post a link once I get one.
The best night I had in Seattle was on Tuesday, once I made it to the OU party. It took place at the Showbox, which is a Seattle concert venue (Pearl Jam actually played and recorded a concert there which was released on DVD). About half an hour in, the place was packed with hundreds of OU students, grads, faculty members, affiliates, sponsors, and just other people who managed to get tickets, including students from other universities. Beer and wine were free, so I got my share of Bud Light. Plenty of food from P.F. Chang's was available, and though it wasn't all that great, it was also free.
The musician was Vince Mira, and he sounded a lot like Johnny Cash. He and his band were incredible, and it was such a comforting scene. There with friends, I was so confused about my future. I didn't know what I wanted to do, and the quip from the Director regarding how I wouldn't get this kind of party at Colorado State along with the alcohol continued to build the haze.
"But nobody asked me how I feel, I've got 22 minutes to go."
Where will I be in a year? Who will I be? Who will I be with? Will I be happy? Will I still be in touch?
"But this is real, so forget about me. Got 8 more minutes to go."
I'm not necessarily afraid of where all of this is going to take me. I think I might be more concerned about how I'm going to get there.
"With my feet on the trap and my head on the noose, got 5 more minutes to go."
At the party, I was at ease. I was pounding on the bar, stomping my feet, singing along. I felt like it was all ahead of me, that there was no such thing as a rearview mirror.
"I can see the mountains, I can see the skies with 3 more minutes to go."
No regrets, no fears, just that lake and those mountains. And the lights of the city out my window. The sirens going past from time to time, but overall a sense of detachment from the bustle thirteen stories down.
"And it's too dern pretty for a man that don't wanna die. 2 more minutes to go."
It made me remember that there are so many places and people in this world. There are countries I'll never see. There are people just like me that I'll never even know existed.
"I can see the buzzards I can hear the crows. 1 more minute to go."
But I have my friends. I have my family. I have my future. Now I just have to hope they can work together.
"And now I'm swingin' and here I go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!"
When I was on the street and able to explore the city, I began to love it. The conditions were comfortable, the food was good; even the homeless people had a sense of humor, evidenced by the "Too ugly to prostitute. I love pot and fat chicks." sign I saw. Compostable products and wastebaskets were plentiful, and being able to see mountains just beyond a vast body of water was a new and beautiful experience for me.
Top Pot Doughnuts really lived up to the hype. They were the best that I've had in my life. I had several while I was there, including an incredible chocolate frosted old fashioned donut. My stomach is rumbling just thinking about it. Also, I believe that Steve Jobs was there the first day we were... it looked like him, at least. Breakfast foods in general were good in Seattle, including Sweet Iron Waffles and Andaluca. A place called Yellow Leaf Cupcake had Pancakes and Bacon flavored cupcakes (which, of course, I tried, though the Chocolate Vanilla was better). The Icon Grill had a chicken sandwich that also had Granny Smith apple slices on it. I had seafood twice. I also had a few good cocktails and martinis and Seattle. The Watermelon cocktail at The Tap House was amazing.
The conference itself was enlightening, to say the least. I talked to several professors from other universities. I had an in-depth discussion with a professor from Florida State during and after lunch at the student conference. He explained his current funding situation, what project he has funding for, and generally seemed like a very nice guy who was really interested in his students. Unfortunately, the current project he has funding for does not interest me all that much, as it deals somewhat with air pollution in Indonesia, and that's not exactly the route I want to take with a Masters project. He e-mailed me later in the week about a project I could potentially get funding for through NASA. I would be required to spend ten weeks in Houston or Huntsville in order to get the funding. The project would be investigating cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning and its relationship with intensification of tropical cyclones. This seems interesting, but I'll need more details. Also, at this time, it seems unlikely to be my top choice for a project.
During the night of the university parties, I went to two different ones. First, I went to Colorado State. After I got there, the Director of the School of Meteorology at OU talked to me. He mentioned that they had finished the rankings for this year's applicants, and I was in the top 3. He also said to tell him who I wanted to work for, and he would make it happen. To hear that was unreal. OU has such a large amount of opportunities for graduate students, and being able to just pick what would work for me didn't really seem like an option before this. Once I heard this, I was incredibly lost, and it confused me even further. However, it was an honor to know how well respected I am at my own school, and he may have offered me a deal I cannot refuse.
Later, I was able to talk to a couple of CSU faculty members along with grad students and research assistants. The atmosphere at CSU seems very nice, and the grad student I talked with for most of the time was very helpful. She actually worked with Nicole's old best friend (who now attends CSU). She actually came to my presentation the next day, and she seemed to be very impressed by both the content of the presentation and the project I had been working on. She took my name down at the party and told me she would pass my name on to her adviser. Further, I met a very distinguished professor from CSU who has been one of the leading figures in mesoscale (on a regional scale) meteorology and severe storms for quite awhile. I e-mailed him tonight. We'll see what I hear back.
On the last day of the conference, I talked to a professor from North Carolina State that I had been in contact with last semester. He seemed like a very personable guy, and he had a couple of projects that he told me about. I can't really recall what they involved at this time, though I believe one had to do with convection (thunderstorms) and another was with lightning. Things are kind of getting all jumbled now. However, I also talked to him about a project I had discussed with another professor at N.C. State that really interests me. He's actually a co-principal investigator for the project, which deals with convection in the southeastern U.S. and would offer a lot of opportunities for me to interact with local National Weather Service offices. I think, at this time, that particular project is at the top of my list. If I was to be offered an assistantship with that particular project, N.C. State would be a clear #1 moving forward. I was also very happy to hear that he attended my presentation the previous day, and he told me he was very impressed with how well I did.
Speaking of the presentation, it went well. I had a large amount of OU people in the crowd supporting me, which was nice to see. I stumbled a bit out of the gate, but I quickly got into a groove and felt pretty good about the majority of it. A recording of the presentation should be online in a few weeks. I'll post a link once I get one.
The best night I had in Seattle was on Tuesday, once I made it to the OU party. It took place at the Showbox, which is a Seattle concert venue (Pearl Jam actually played and recorded a concert there which was released on DVD). About half an hour in, the place was packed with hundreds of OU students, grads, faculty members, affiliates, sponsors, and just other people who managed to get tickets, including students from other universities. Beer and wine were free, so I got my share of Bud Light. Plenty of food from P.F. Chang's was available, and though it wasn't all that great, it was also free.
The musician was Vince Mira, and he sounded a lot like Johnny Cash. He and his band were incredible, and it was such a comforting scene. There with friends, I was so confused about my future. I didn't know what I wanted to do, and the quip from the Director regarding how I wouldn't get this kind of party at Colorado State along with the alcohol continued to build the haze.
"But nobody asked me how I feel, I've got 22 minutes to go."
Where will I be in a year? Who will I be? Who will I be with? Will I be happy? Will I still be in touch?
"But this is real, so forget about me. Got 8 more minutes to go."
I'm not necessarily afraid of where all of this is going to take me. I think I might be more concerned about how I'm going to get there.
"With my feet on the trap and my head on the noose, got 5 more minutes to go."
At the party, I was at ease. I was pounding on the bar, stomping my feet, singing along. I felt like it was all ahead of me, that there was no such thing as a rearview mirror.
"I can see the mountains, I can see the skies with 3 more minutes to go."
No regrets, no fears, just that lake and those mountains. And the lights of the city out my window. The sirens going past from time to time, but overall a sense of detachment from the bustle thirteen stories down.
"And it's too dern pretty for a man that don't wanna die. 2 more minutes to go."
It made me remember that there are so many places and people in this world. There are countries I'll never see. There are people just like me that I'll never even know existed.
"I can see the buzzards I can hear the crows. 1 more minute to go."
But I have my friends. I have my family. I have my future. Now I just have to hope they can work together.
"And now I'm swingin' and here I go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!"