“So it goes…”

May 6th, 2008
madcrit08

As said by Vonnegut, this currently best describes life for me right now. I have been blessed (yes, I’m using the word blessed!) by the people around me that have helped me in ways I could not possibly imagine.

I am grateful, and far more upbeat than I was about two weeks ago. Only a couple things left this semester, including my final project, my final presentation, and well… finals. Stress is winding down, and work is piling up. Usually they both skyrocket but I’m feeling pretty good right now.

At the start of Summer, I’ll start blogging again. The only bad thing I’m experiencing right now is ugly tan lines from biking miles and miles and miles. Really pounding these legs to a pulp. I figure, that’s the only way I’ll learn how to Crit.

Speaking of Criteriums, I uploaded my data to my computer for the last one around the capitol square and it speaks for itself. It was stupid fast. We averaged over 24.1 MPH… that’s because I got dropped after 10 mins. I kept up for another 15 mins before I got lapped by the field. My average for the entire “half” race was 24.1 MPH. If I got lapped they must have gone much faster at least 26-27 MPH if not more. Do people realize how fast that is? Anyways, I probably could have gone harder, if you look at my heartrate it’s not maxed out, but if I did I wouldn’t have lasted much longer anyways. That’s at 85% of my max HR around 185ish beats per minute. Men’s C’s criteriums are stupid fast.

Worst Week Evar!

April 24th, 2008

Okay… well I guess since I usually start the week on Sunday we’ll start with Sunday.

Sunday was the last criterium and team time trial of the collegiate season (unless you go to nationals), and not only did I wake up at 6am to do the time trial, it turns out I didn’t even have a team to time trial with! So I lost sleep over a race I didn’t even participate in. Sucks. Then later that day I race the Men’s C’s Criterium and got lapped about halfway through, RACE OVER! Thanks hereditary Iraqi diseased lungs!

Then, Monday, I get my Thermodynamics exam back, and yes I failed. Like mondo fail. Like fail beyond that fail back Freshman year in high school when I got a 8 out of 100 on my Pythagorean Theorem Geometry exam. I knew everything on that exam, but I’m just not fast enough to do it all in 50 mins. Turns out a portion of my exam is also missing. I don’t know if it got lost, if I forgot to turn it in, or I did or didn’t do it. But I swear I did it. I doesn’t make sense. Problem 1 is the only problem I “completed” to my memory. Anyways, I’m in fail and fail and fail territory and I don’t know what to do. I’m in the process of working out for some extra time for the final, assuming I don’t drop the class.

This exam wouldn’t hurt so much if it weren’t for the fact that on the majority of the homeworks that exam 2 covered, I’ve gotten AB/B on all of them. The other thing is, I did all these homeworks myself, on my own, without help. I didn’t go to office hours, I didn’t consult another book, I didn’t do group study, I didn’t ask any of my engineering friends, all on my own. This is why the failure hurts so much. I don’t mind failing if I don’t know, or don’t put in the time. But I really believe I do know, and did put the time, and time killed me here. I don’t think I can do problems much faster. Maybe being slow makes me dumb. I mean technically, if given an infinite amount of time, monkeys on typewriters can ace the exam right? But I refuse to believe that, I dunno, I’ve really thought hard lately about my abilities in academia.

Then Wednesday, I get my differential equation exam back. I’m looking for a higher grade than my thermo to boost my self-esteem here. Turns out, the 85/100 I got is good enough for a C. What? This bad luck streak is endless… First two problems 100% correct, last problem, that homogeneous equation I used non-homogeneous methods to solve… -15 pts. 85. C. Fuck.

Then Today, Thursday, I get another homework back in thermo and I get 19/20. I feel sick and I want to throw up.

I lost like 7 pounds in the last week. I’m trying to gain my weight back. Ate fries today, and chocolate and ice cream. I meet with my doc tomorrow, and I have to figure all this out in terms of what are my options this semester.

The only things this week that can top this are: Death, my orchids dying, and my bikes getting stolen. If you want to cheer me up, tell me it’s gonna be alright, or give me a hug. I’m not sure even talking about it helps anymore.

The Best Magazines Nobody Reads

April 13th, 2008
foreign_policy

Aptly named, here is my list of magazines you’ve never read that you probably should:

1) Foreign Policy - This magazine covers politics and humanitarian issues. World stuff. Now I understand nobody in America cares about the world, but frankly, this magazine also covers American issues in a way nobody else is doing it. This sucker is pretty damn open minded, and it’s such a good read that perhaps you might stimulate brain cells from the dead even if you hate politics.

2) Psychology Today -Psych major or not everyone should read this. It is actually geared towards the general public with no medical knowledge, but it’s scientific enough to satisfy those with a background. Reading this is especially satisfying if you’ve taken evolutionary biology or if you like to analyze social situations. There’s so much data that can be interpreted from so many angles and the funny part is… it fits perfectly with what one would expect!

3) PCXL (PC Accelerator)-Officially out of print, this gaming magazine still has a huge following including myself. The reason? It did everything a gaming magazine shouldn’t do. Basically you had Maxim, PC Gamer, Cosmo, Wired, and Mad Magazine all put into one and spit out. As the last issue said: “Girls, Gags, Games, Gone.” I speculate the went under from the sheer amount of complaints from parents who confiscated their children’s copies.

4) Ready Made - A magazine focused on the three R’s and DIY. Combine these two, and you have an endless amount of good reads and projects to follow. There’s a monthly contest with a random item to see which reader comes up with the best project. All the stuff deals with decorating your pad, from tables, chairs, bookshelves and curtains, everything looks awesome and usually can be replicated by most people with opposable thumbs.

5) SEED -This one isn’t published 12 times a year, but it doesn’t have to. Covers science in a way Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, National Geographic and Wired fail to achieve. SEED is king. I am not kidding you, this one is a sleeper.

6) Saveur -Cookbooks you need not. Saveur is the cookbook magazine that’s elegant, and modern. If you need picture to reassure you of what the recipe will look like this is the magazine to get. You’ll never buy another cookbook ever again.

7) Cook’s Illustrated -This magazine is better than Saveur from every angle possible. So why is Saveur on the list? Cook’s Illustrated is pictureless. It is only illustrated via drawings including product reviews. It’s expensive for low production values, but it’s priceless in terms of information.

8 ) Penthouse Forum -This adult magazine has the raunchiest stories I’ve ever read. Oddly enough it uses vocabulary that everyone would understand yet technical enough to be extremely hot. Anyone that has gone through puberty who reads a story out of this would start sweating solely after reading five paragraphs. Conservatives and Republicans and Uptight religious fanatics included. I believe Elliot Spitzer got his ideas from this source. Anyone reading Harlequin novels probably would enjoy this more than anyone though they would not admit it.

9) Mother Jones -Politics again, but more cutting edge than Foreign Policy. Mother Jones does seem to cater to a more liberal audience which gives FP the edge, but some stories are too good to ignore.

10) Ad Busters -This one is good enough just for the pictures contained within. It’s a bit political, a bit artsy… Usually for most this is hit or miss so this is my weakest pick but I still recommend this magazine for it’s willingness to push the envelope.