Over the past couple days I have spent about 200 dollars on electrical devices that I was not planning on replacing. Maybe I should just give up on electricity in general.
1.) On Friday I had a meeting with the guys from Sandia to discuss our summer working goals. Before the meeting however, we grabbed some lunch with one of my professors and another graduate student who will be out at Sandia also. Lunch was good but it was soon time to return to NETL for the actual meeting. They all hopped into one car, and I got back into Rumpo. Except Rumpo refused to start. Didn't even pretend like she wanted to. My battery was completely dead.
Luckily I was able to wave them down before they left, got a ride back with them, and was able to have a successful meeting.
However, after the meeting, I had to try and find someone who had jumper cables. It turned out the only person fitting this description was Dr. Landsberger, my program head. Luckily he's a really nice guy, so he drove me back to my car, tried to give me a jump, and when that didn't work, helped me remove my old battery in the rain, take it to Batteries+ to buy a new one, and then made sure that fixed the problem before shaking my hand and telling me to have a great weekend. A pretty swell guy.
2.) Earlier today, while completing some homework, I realized that my computer was running on battery power even though it was plugged into the wall. Picking up my power adapter I was first surprised by the fact that it was painfully hot. I then noticed that the little operations light was out and it seemed to be making a high pitched squealing noise.
No good.
So, a trip to Office Depot and 109 bucks later I have a universal power adapter. So it goes.
I have to present at the American Nuclear Society's annual meeting in Atlanta on June 14th. Over the past month or so my stammering has gotten a lot worse. This worries me.
This has been a busy month. Much of the content of this blag post won't be new to the people who might read it, as they were either there, or have seen the pictures on facebook.
Anyway: 1) Vince's birthday party.
Was awesome. Vince turned 25, so naturally a margarita machine was rented. As was a bouncy castle! A pedo-bear cake also figured into the festivities. The usual suspects showed up, drinks were imbibed, and a bit of relationship drama went down.
After the party broke up we found 3 people who none of us knew lying in the bouncy castle. They left once we deflated their environment. Good times.
2) Fredericksburg trip
Amy and I went to Fredericksburg, filled with nifty shops, fun restaurants, excellent amaretto fudge, and Enchanted Rock.
All of these would be definitely recommended. On the way back a stop was made at the Austin zoo, where we saw tortoises, tigers, wolf hybrids, and an emasculated lion. Lots of small yammering primates as well.
A few days were spent in Angleton, including a side trip to Houston to see a concert: Andrew Bird, with Heartless Bastards opening. Bird was good, and Heartless Bastards were surprisingly awesome. All in all, spring break was excellent.
3) Maldon Palace Rod & Gun Club
We shoot guns and wear hats. Much fun is had by all.
I had a bunch of weird dreams last night. In one of them, my Mom was intent on decluttering our house back home (which really isn't all that cluttered in real life). Except it wasn't really our house, it was the public library in Fredericksburg. And there was so much stuff!
We had removed all the furniture, and built huge shelfs, like the kinds you see in warehouses, on which we were organizing all of our things. I remember asking Mom why we had 30 something umbrellas.
A couple weeks ago we had the second Hunter S. Thompson Memorial Bender. The experience was excellent in many ways, decadent and depraved.
To start things off we, the brave party goers, went to a shooting range in Manor, TX. We only had one shotgun between the 8 of us, Will was kind enough to let everyone take turns using his, but it was still a lot of fun. I am a terrible shot ( I think I was 1 for 16 ). But still fun.
In any case, today, Vince and I bought shotguns. Hopefully, assuming I get all my homework/research work done, we'll be able to go to the range again tomorrow and blast some clay pigeons.
Well the semester has started in earnest now. How have you all been?
I'm taking two classes this semester, both of which seem like they're going to be pretty brutal. Additionally, I'm taking a 3 hour Thesis A class in which I'm supposed to be working on research/writing my Master's thesis.
Unfortunately however, that will be have to wait for a couple months due to funding issues. Also, physicists are cheap flinty bastards.
Let me explain.
My research program is tied to a certain government program. In some sense you can break this program into two parts. The first is called GNEP and is essentially all the politics and international agreements that are involved with the program. The second is called AFCI and is the actual technical work of research and design.
The problem is GNEP is dead in the water, and with the change in administration all funding tied to the entire program is pretty much frozen. So my work, on the AFCI side, is on hold.
In the mean time, since I have to do something to get paid, my professor put me on a project he's been working on as a technical advisor with the physics department. All of his work has been pro-bono, as a favor to these guys, but he got them to fund me (pay my stipend, but not my tuition).
However, shortly after I got my research assistantship transferred to their group, I received an email saying that they felt my pay should be commiserate with that of the other grad students in the group (physics students rather than engineering students), so I'd be getting a 10% pay cut. To work on a second project that doesn't in anyway help me towards my degree.
Thankfully I talked with my advisor about it and he said our department would make up the difference, but still, what a shyster move!
