First week of grad school = done! There are 13 people in my cohort (first year MS Sociology students), with 11 women and 2 men. Poor guys. We have a good mix of people from all over, one from NC, one from NY, one who hasn't been in school for about 20 years, about half or more of the women are married, and we have pretty varied interests in what we want to do with our degrees. Everyone seems pretty nice so far, and we're all making friends because we're in the same classes and grad lab all the time. Five of us went and got lunch in the Cougareat today, and like the creative people we are, we decided to give fake names to the Taco Bell people. We decided to give them the names of sociologists, so A told them she was Karl Marx, T said she was Emile Durkheim, I said my name was Weber (the guy wrote down "Vaber"), and then I heard C tell them he was "Brianne Burr", hahaha. It was silly.
I think I've read probably 400 pages just this week of sociology books, and written three papers. I was also supposed to present on a few chapters in one of our readings, but we didn't have time. I get to present that on Tuesday along with another topic for a different class. Lots of presenting and trying to impress, woo hoo. Next week the real fun begins, when I get to start working, too! I haven't heard back yet if I'm still accompanying that jr high musical this fall (did I blog about that?), but I'm hoping to hear back soon because she wanted to start that asap. So soon enough I'll be working about 26 hours per week (20 doing research and roughly 6 for the musical), with classes M-Th, and lots and lots of homework. Doable, but exhausting. I was hoping to make it to the gym and the temple regularly, too. Sigh.
Also, there was a HUGE spider on our door, just sitting on the middle of the outward side. Luckily one of the guys outside was able to kill it, but seriously, I'd never seen one so big. From one end to the other it was probably two inches, and a dark reddish brown color. FREAKY. My roommate C and I have been freaking out ever since about there being more...and then there were two more in our bathroom! Smaller ones, but still. I hate spiders! ("I hate sunshine! I hate horrible wholesome sunshine!!")
Things are turning out okay with my freshman roommate, L. She's gotten better about her alarm (setting it and turning it off), lights, leaving things out, etc. but there are other struggles. She's gone to bed between 9:30 and 10:30 almost every night (usually 10 or earlier), which is frustrating for me since I live in that room, too. No, she doesn't work early in the mornings; this means that she gets approximately 9-10 hours of sleep per night. She doesn't really have freshman friends, though we keep encouraging her to make some and hang out with them because she seems so overwhelmed by how "old" our ward is. (Here she is, thinking we're all old, and here I am, thinking that they're all young.) That, plus the fact that she doesn't work, means that she is home all the time, not really doing anything, just sitting around, occasionally reading or writing, but mostly seeming to wait for something that she never expresses, not even when you ask her. She doesn't ask questions or try to keep a conversation going...I'll ask her tons of things about herself, and she'll give very short answers and say nothing back. It makes for a lot of awkward silences. She has also already shown a tendency to judge those around her by what she deems to be their unrighteous behavior...hooray for yet another roommate who is like that! (I need to move out of Utah, they seem to flock here.) Thoughts on how best to handle this situation?
I am SO STOKED for Bones and for Glee. =) I want them to start right now!
"It took Linda, then it came after me. It got into my arm, and then it went bad, so I lopped it off with a chainsaw. But that didn't stop it, it came back big time..."
Showing posts with label Glee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glee. Show all posts
Friday, September 3, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
...Aaaaaand we're back!
My Trip to California:
I had a great time with family! I got to celebrate my dad for Father's Day (yay Dad! He's awesome!), which was definitely worth the trip. We also went to visit his dad and wife, and we played games sporadically throughout the week. I had a facebook date with my dad in which I taught him all the ins and outs of using facebook (be jealous). My mom and I played games/watched the tube together, and we gymmed it up a bunch. Her trainer worked me to the GROUND, but showed me some great workouts and how hard I really need to be pushing myself if I want to see results. I also got to spend pretty much a whole day with my brother and his family. I love my nieces and nephews, and I love any chance I get to spend time with them. We watched Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and played/sang some Beatles songs! It was awesome.
I also got to spend some time with friends--beach, Ruby's Diner at Huntington Pier, making pizookies, watching Labyrinth (man, it had been years since I saw that one! LOVE David Bowie), playing games, watching Toy Story 3 in 3D (super funny), just chatting, chilling, etc. J decided to dress up as David Bowie next Halloween, and I think she'll be absolutely awesome as him. Really. She could totally pull it off. M and A are moving to Indiana, so it was the last time I got to see them in probably a long while. They said we should do a road trip out there but I'm not sure if it'll work out. We'll see. Last Saturday was E's wedding, which was a lot of fun. B gave me a ride, which was fun because I hadn't seen her since high school, and then I saw a million other people at the reception that I hadn't seen in forever. It was great. Lots of dancing, lots of slightly toasted people (only E, the groom, seemed to actually get drunk from the amount of alcohol he was drinking). Lots of fun, and I'm glad I got to come down for it.
All in all, a very good and much-needed trip to California. No Disneyland this time, but at least I got to go to the beach! I really didn't need Disney, though...I got to see family, I got to see friends, and it was definitely worth the $65 to pay for gas (thank you, BYU Ride Board, for saving me!). Now it's back to Utah, with no roomies and no life. Time for research, reading, and practicing!
Oh, P.S. - I got an A in my class. Woo hoo!
Oh, P.S. - I got an A in my class. Woo hoo!
You know what I will do? I will go to the animal shelter and get you a kitty cat. I will let you fall in love with that kitty cat. And on a dark cold night, I will steal away into your home and punch you in the FACE. -- Thank you, Sue Sylvester, for bringing us today's quote. You are hilarious.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Glee!
LOVED last night's Glee episode. Matthew Morrison and Neil Patrick Harris singing Aerosmith's "Dream On"...that was awesome. I don't care how gay he may be, Neil Patrick Harris is still just as attractive as (if not more than) Matthew Morrison. Both of them have fantastic voices, and they sang an amazing song...man. LOVE IT! Haha.
Here's the full episode if you want to watch it. If not, just watch the video clip of them performing it. I highly recommend you watch at least the clip. It is awesome.
Here's the full episode if you want to watch it. If not, just watch the video clip of them performing it. I highly recommend you watch at least the clip. It is awesome.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Your basic D.I.D.
Hmm...lots of thoughts tumbling around today...but which ones to talk about? I know, ALL of them! Or maybe just the ones that pop into my head as I'm writing. Okay.
RESEARCH: So I'm working on some sociological research right now, basically continuing what I was doing last semester but now for academic credit and not for pay. Kind of a bummer that I don't get paid, but at least I get something out of it. I'm working with the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS), gathering information that will show us whether or not there is a significant difference in a child's health and sexual outcomes when raised by a single mom or single dad. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? I didn't choose the topic, Mikaela did (my professor), but it is proving interesting. The ECLS was given to a specific set of kindergarteners and their parents, and their progress has been followed up until the current year, their 8th grade year. If only the program would work, though...unfortunately, this little dataset requires that you order a CD for full access to the data and codebook, which we did, but then you have to download a program from the CD onto your computer. (P.S. the data is the actual results from each respondent, and the codebook is the list of questions a.k.a. variables that were asked with the numerical values given to each answer so that we can actually read the data.) The ECLS program won't download to a flash or anything else, it has to be onto a computer, and it is very finicky, so finally after a zillion tries, I was able to download it to my home computer. However, it's a really random weird program that nobody else has, so I can't take what I do to the data anywhere else unless by some random chance another computer also has this program. Which none do. In other words, I'm stuck at home. At my first real research meeting with Mikaela and the other student researchers to show what we've done, they were able to pull out and show her everything because while they're answering the same research question, they're working with normal datasets like the NLSY79 that give you access online. I, on the other hand, had to paste print screens into a word document and show her that because my work couldn't be saved into any other format, not even one to be read by notepad. ANNOYING. It gets better, though--this step is just reading the codebook and choosing the appropriate variables to be used, but the next involves actually cleaning up the variables and making them usable for the study...which requires SPSS, an expensive data analysis program that of course, I don't have. There are a few select computer labs at school that have the program, but--surprise!--those computers won't let you download ANYTHING onto the computers, and if you are given permission to download something, that something is erased each night. In other words, I can look at the variables at home, choose the ones I want to use, but then I can't do anything with them because I don't have the program at home (and can't afford to buy it). BUT I can do stuff with them if I use a computer with SPSS--but then I won't be able to work with the variables as easily because I won't be able to see them. Logical, no? Argh, frustrating. That's it, I'm movin' to Sparta.
CLASS: I'm taking Comparative Perspectives on Marriage and Family, which is very interesting but requires a LOT of reading. Knapp loves huge reading assignments; he thinks they make us smarter, which may be true, but certainly makes us get behind in our work. We have our midterm next week, then it's off to the second half of the class. I can't believe we're already half done! In the second half, we get to read Anna Karenina--supposedly not the whole book, just segments of it, but the course outline currently shows that we're reading the entire 817 page Russian novel in three weeks. Yikes.
READING: I've been whipping through the Percy Jackson books lately, which have been fantastic. Definitely written for children, but still, very enjoyable. Much like a Harry Potter series for Greek mythology lovers--very similar in style, character development, and basic overall plotline. I highly recommend them. After that, I'll proceed onto the Fablehaven books. I've gotten finish them before Amy leaves at the end of summer, because she's taking them with her.
TV SHOWS: Glee and Bones are where it's at right now, my friends. Those are my t.v. shows, and if people try to bug me between 8-9 on Tuesdays (Glee) or 7-8 on Thursdays (Bones), I am not happy (same goes for Amy!). I apologize in advance if you try to talk to me during those times and I ignore you, but consider yourself warned. Yes, I've heard of Hulu, and yes, I'll watch the shows on Hulu if I can't do it live. But my old school computer hates Hulu and pretty much any online videos; they don't work half the time and the other half of the time are very skiddish and just really not worth it. So yeah. =) Glee has taken some interesting turns lately, and I'm wondering how the season will end. I have mixed feelings about the show; I love the music and I've grown to love the characters, but some of the plot developments are not that great. They've been throwing in a lot of dirt lately, too, so we'll see whether or not it's worth it to keep watching. Bones is fantastic, as always! Last night's episode with the Gravedigger's court case was extremely intense; all the important evidence kept getting thrown out because of legal issues, and when they finally found her guilty (on only one charge, though), it got even more intense. Max's wallet was stolen while he was in jail, so I'm thinking the Gravedigger will somehow get someone to work for her or escape from prison and attack Brennan's father, whose information she probably got from his wallet. I had a dream about that very possibility last night, haha. By the way, for those of you who don't follow Bones, which is many of you, I'm sure, the Gravedigger is a serial killer that they've been fighting since early season 2 (we're about to finish season 5). She captures individuals, typically using a high voltage stun gun, then buries them alive in various places, telephoning with a distorted voice recorder to demand ransom. If the ransom is paid, GPS coordinates are provided for the victim, and if not, the victim dies and may or may not be found later. Brennan and Hodgins were buried alive together back in season 2, and because of their brilliance and the brilliance of their colleagues, they were able to be rescued barely before suffocating. In season 4, Booth was captured by the Gravedigger, and they were barely able to get him out only because they found out who the Gravedigger was--a woman named Heather Taffet. Taffet wouldn't tell them anything because she's a brilliant psychopath, but they found Booth and had her thrown in custody. Unfortunately, Taffet is also a really good lawyer who defended herself in last night's court case and almost got herself cleared. Booth, Brennan, and Hodgins were only allowed to testify as expert witnesses if they were not considered victims, which meant she was only tried on one case. Anyway, the jury found her guilty, but I don't think it's over yet. What is really surprising to me about the show is that they threw us for a loop again--Brennan told Booth that she's getting tired of the whole catching murderers thing. She said it weighs her down, all the sadness, the difficulty, the stress, just the heaviness of the work. Will she quit?! If so, what will happen between her and Booth?! Next week is the season finale, and I've gotta know :-o
Uhh...that's it for now. I've already written too much, so I'll close. Have a great weekend! As my high school AP English Language teacher used to say, "Just because they pass it doesn't mean you have to smoke it." We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, we go home happy. What do you say? Come on.
RESEARCH: So I'm working on some sociological research right now, basically continuing what I was doing last semester but now for academic credit and not for pay. Kind of a bummer that I don't get paid, but at least I get something out of it. I'm working with the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS), gathering information that will show us whether or not there is a significant difference in a child's health and sexual outcomes when raised by a single mom or single dad. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? I didn't choose the topic, Mikaela did (my professor), but it is proving interesting. The ECLS was given to a specific set of kindergarteners and their parents, and their progress has been followed up until the current year, their 8th grade year. If only the program would work, though...unfortunately, this little dataset requires that you order a CD for full access to the data and codebook, which we did, but then you have to download a program from the CD onto your computer. (P.S. the data is the actual results from each respondent, and the codebook is the list of questions a.k.a. variables that were asked with the numerical values given to each answer so that we can actually read the data.) The ECLS program won't download to a flash or anything else, it has to be onto a computer, and it is very finicky, so finally after a zillion tries, I was able to download it to my home computer. However, it's a really random weird program that nobody else has, so I can't take what I do to the data anywhere else unless by some random chance another computer also has this program. Which none do. In other words, I'm stuck at home. At my first real research meeting with Mikaela and the other student researchers to show what we've done, they were able to pull out and show her everything because while they're answering the same research question, they're working with normal datasets like the NLSY79 that give you access online. I, on the other hand, had to paste print screens into a word document and show her that because my work couldn't be saved into any other format, not even one to be read by notepad. ANNOYING. It gets better, though--this step is just reading the codebook and choosing the appropriate variables to be used, but the next involves actually cleaning up the variables and making them usable for the study...which requires SPSS, an expensive data analysis program that of course, I don't have. There are a few select computer labs at school that have the program, but--surprise!--those computers won't let you download ANYTHING onto the computers, and if you are given permission to download something, that something is erased each night. In other words, I can look at the variables at home, choose the ones I want to use, but then I can't do anything with them because I don't have the program at home (and can't afford to buy it). BUT I can do stuff with them if I use a computer with SPSS--but then I won't be able to work with the variables as easily because I won't be able to see them. Logical, no? Argh, frustrating. That's it, I'm movin' to Sparta.
CLASS: I'm taking Comparative Perspectives on Marriage and Family, which is very interesting but requires a LOT of reading. Knapp loves huge reading assignments; he thinks they make us smarter, which may be true, but certainly makes us get behind in our work. We have our midterm next week, then it's off to the second half of the class. I can't believe we're already half done! In the second half, we get to read Anna Karenina--supposedly not the whole book, just segments of it, but the course outline currently shows that we're reading the entire 817 page Russian novel in three weeks. Yikes.
READING: I've been whipping through the Percy Jackson books lately, which have been fantastic. Definitely written for children, but still, very enjoyable. Much like a Harry Potter series for Greek mythology lovers--very similar in style, character development, and basic overall plotline. I highly recommend them. After that, I'll proceed onto the Fablehaven books. I've gotten finish them before Amy leaves at the end of summer, because she's taking them with her.
TV SHOWS: Glee and Bones are where it's at right now, my friends. Those are my t.v. shows, and if people try to bug me between 8-9 on Tuesdays (Glee) or 7-8 on Thursdays (Bones), I am not happy (same goes for Amy!). I apologize in advance if you try to talk to me during those times and I ignore you, but consider yourself warned. Yes, I've heard of Hulu, and yes, I'll watch the shows on Hulu if I can't do it live. But my old school computer hates Hulu and pretty much any online videos; they don't work half the time and the other half of the time are very skiddish and just really not worth it. So yeah. =) Glee has taken some interesting turns lately, and I'm wondering how the season will end. I have mixed feelings about the show; I love the music and I've grown to love the characters, but some of the plot developments are not that great. They've been throwing in a lot of dirt lately, too, so we'll see whether or not it's worth it to keep watching. Bones is fantastic, as always! Last night's episode with the Gravedigger's court case was extremely intense; all the important evidence kept getting thrown out because of legal issues, and when they finally found her guilty (on only one charge, though), it got even more intense. Max's wallet was stolen while he was in jail, so I'm thinking the Gravedigger will somehow get someone to work for her or escape from prison and attack Brennan's father, whose information she probably got from his wallet. I had a dream about that very possibility last night, haha. By the way, for those of you who don't follow Bones, which is many of you, I'm sure, the Gravedigger is a serial killer that they've been fighting since early season 2 (we're about to finish season 5). She captures individuals, typically using a high voltage stun gun, then buries them alive in various places, telephoning with a distorted voice recorder to demand ransom. If the ransom is paid, GPS coordinates are provided for the victim, and if not, the victim dies and may or may not be found later. Brennan and Hodgins were buried alive together back in season 2, and because of their brilliance and the brilliance of their colleagues, they were able to be rescued barely before suffocating. In season 4, Booth was captured by the Gravedigger, and they were barely able to get him out only because they found out who the Gravedigger was--a woman named Heather Taffet. Taffet wouldn't tell them anything because she's a brilliant psychopath, but they found Booth and had her thrown in custody. Unfortunately, Taffet is also a really good lawyer who defended herself in last night's court case and almost got herself cleared. Booth, Brennan, and Hodgins were only allowed to testify as expert witnesses if they were not considered victims, which meant she was only tried on one case. Anyway, the jury found her guilty, but I don't think it's over yet. What is really surprising to me about the show is that they threw us for a loop again--Brennan told Booth that she's getting tired of the whole catching murderers thing. She said it weighs her down, all the sadness, the difficulty, the stress, just the heaviness of the work. Will she quit?! If so, what will happen between her and Booth?! Next week is the season finale, and I've gotta know :-o
Uhh...that's it for now. I've already written too much, so I'll close. Have a great weekend! As my high school AP English Language teacher used to say, "Just because they pass it doesn't mean you have to smoke it." We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, we go home happy. What do you say? Come on.
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