Stress Management and New Years Resolutions
Once again my attempts to have a regularly updated blog failed. Perhaps it should have been a New Years resolution, because I'm actually doing ok with those. For those of you looking for an excuse (which is none of you, I know), a few weeks ago some procrastination decisions on homework stressed me out to an abnormal amount for that early in a quarter. Fortunately, I rebounded far better than I hoped for, and I am proud to say that I have kept far ahead of my homework schedule ever since.
I haven't been stressed thanks to this, but I have missed out on some of my more enjoyable time wasters. For example, I have deleted some of the bigger news aggregators on my Google Reader account, most notably Huffington Post which was like crack during the election but now I hardly miss. I also am a few weeks behind on my favorite tv shows with the exception of Lost for which I am nearing fanboy status. Among the things I miss the most are the Daily Show and Colbert Report but getting to sleep early and spending free time on schoolwork has been a staple of my routine lately.
There is good news from school, however. Last week, I sat down with some professors and worked out a schedule for the rest of my graduate degree. I am now scheduled to graduate at the end of this year! Here's how it works. I take 3 graduate level courses plus a 1-credit course next quarter. These classes will focus heavily on what my thesis will most likely be on (embedded systems, microprocessors, operating systems, computer architecture, etc). Over the summer, I take no classes, but I keep in contact with my graduate advisor, Kosuke, while I do all of the research for my thesis. I can do this from anywhere which means a summer internship in Seattle won't slow me down, but it might make it more difficult to be productive. Finally, in fall, I write my thesis, all while taking one last course (on logic machines of all things) and another 1-credit course. Assuming that by the end of that quarter I will be ready to defend, I'll be done and ready to start getting actual jobs. Pretty cool, huh? I definitely would have blogged about this sooner, but I was keeping it a surprise for Valentines Day for Jackie.
With nothing left to say, here are updates on my New Years Resolutions:
1) Run Bloomsday
Not on track, but not far off. I haven't gone to the gym in a while, but that's not to say that I haven't been active. Every Monday and Wednesday is racquetball class and every Tuesday and Thursday is Kendo club. Both of these are quite a workout. The issue that I'm worried about is that they are not the same type of workout as running. While they both build up endurance, they also have a strong emphasis on upper body strength which is not in my set of goals. Next quarter, instead of racquetball, I think I'm going to sign up for the campus fitness class which basically gives credit for going to the gym on your own time and gives you access to a trainer.
2) Seattle Internship
Shortly after making this resolution, I started to backtrack a little. I started to see big benefits for staying in Spokane over the summer, most notably because it would be much easier to start my thesis. Also, all of the school connections as well as the same opportunities to save money are here. Basically, I'm applying for things as I find them, but I have not focused all of my energy on Seattle and have only developed two connections over there thus far without any significant plans for more.
3) Learn Japanese
Here's one resolution that I haven't regretted yet. The audio cds that I got from the county library have been put on my ipod and they get listened to as I drive to school. The company that makes the CDs, Pimsleur, really does have a great system that makes it easy to pick up on new things and retain the information later though I frequently take a lesson over again. At the rate I am currently at, I will be done with the company's level 3 lessons by the end of the year. That's about 90 1-hour lessons!
I haven't been stressed thanks to this, but I have missed out on some of my more enjoyable time wasters. For example, I have deleted some of the bigger news aggregators on my Google Reader account, most notably Huffington Post which was like crack during the election but now I hardly miss. I also am a few weeks behind on my favorite tv shows with the exception of Lost for which I am nearing fanboy status. Among the things I miss the most are the Daily Show and Colbert Report but getting to sleep early and spending free time on schoolwork has been a staple of my routine lately.
There is good news from school, however. Last week, I sat down with some professors and worked out a schedule for the rest of my graduate degree. I am now scheduled to graduate at the end of this year! Here's how it works. I take 3 graduate level courses plus a 1-credit course next quarter. These classes will focus heavily on what my thesis will most likely be on (embedded systems, microprocessors, operating systems, computer architecture, etc). Over the summer, I take no classes, but I keep in contact with my graduate advisor, Kosuke, while I do all of the research for my thesis. I can do this from anywhere which means a summer internship in Seattle won't slow me down, but it might make it more difficult to be productive. Finally, in fall, I write my thesis, all while taking one last course (on logic machines of all things) and another 1-credit course. Assuming that by the end of that quarter I will be ready to defend, I'll be done and ready to start getting actual jobs. Pretty cool, huh? I definitely would have blogged about this sooner, but I was keeping it a surprise for Valentines Day for Jackie.
With nothing left to say, here are updates on my New Years Resolutions:
1) Run Bloomsday
Not on track, but not far off. I haven't gone to the gym in a while, but that's not to say that I haven't been active. Every Monday and Wednesday is racquetball class and every Tuesday and Thursday is Kendo club. Both of these are quite a workout. The issue that I'm worried about is that they are not the same type of workout as running. While they both build up endurance, they also have a strong emphasis on upper body strength which is not in my set of goals. Next quarter, instead of racquetball, I think I'm going to sign up for the campus fitness class which basically gives credit for going to the gym on your own time and gives you access to a trainer.
2) Seattle Internship
Shortly after making this resolution, I started to backtrack a little. I started to see big benefits for staying in Spokane over the summer, most notably because it would be much easier to start my thesis. Also, all of the school connections as well as the same opportunities to save money are here. Basically, I'm applying for things as I find them, but I have not focused all of my energy on Seattle and have only developed two connections over there thus far without any significant plans for more.
3) Learn Japanese
Here's one resolution that I haven't regretted yet. The audio cds that I got from the county library have been put on my ipod and they get listened to as I drive to school. The company that makes the CDs, Pimsleur, really does have a great system that makes it easy to pick up on new things and retain the information later though I frequently take a lesson over again. At the rate I am currently at, I will be done with the company's level 3 lessons by the end of the year. That's about 90 1-hour lessons!