9.23.10 - September End Update

Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday Jack gets off work at 4pm, comes by my apartment for an hour or so, usually does homework while he's here, and then goes to class.  And every time I see him off I'm just so damn happy and proud of him for being in school.  It feels incredibly right to me. :)

I've been studying for the LSAT, and I think it's going pretty well.  When I was a kid sometimes I'd go through phases of playing chess a lot for awhile, and if I played too much I'd start to think of my own movements through a room as those of chess pieces.  Well lately I've been studying for the LSAT, and in a similar way I'm starting to think of conversations in terms of logical connections.   I mean, I would hope I am always thinking of *arguments* that way, but just day-to-day conversations?  It's kind of funny.

Today I am listening to the "Michael Buble" Pandora station, which also includes Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, etc.  You should try it.

I have to write a project proposal on the CIN8 gene, so if anyone has suggestions on why CIN8 *really* needs to be studied, feel free to throw them out there. :P  I'm going to start reading up on that after this update.

9.4.10 - Bagel date

This semester is looking to be much more relaxed than last semester.  I'm taking less classes and they are less intimidating, and I'm filling the extra time working in the lab I worked in over the summer.  It's a good learning experience, but given that I'm practically positive I will not be going to grad school for the sciences, I'm not sure how I feel about it.  I figure it can't hurt, and is still probably more useful than taking "Learn to play Scrabble" or whatever other DeCal.

It's nice to be familiar with campus.  I found all my new classrooms, no problem.  It's nice to already know some people here.  I've already got study partners for each of my classes that I studied with last year.  But most of all, it's nice to not be taking Physical Chemistry.

I love my apartment.  It's cozy and very clean, partially because my roommate happens to be a neat freak.  I'm fairly clean already but she's sweep-and-dust clean.  Our apartment is perpetually immaculate.  I love it.

Jack and I have always made a point to go on at least one date every week to ensure we get one-on-one time together regardless of schedules.  With recent finances we've been trying to make those dates more inexpensive, and I've actually found they've been better dates overall.  We used to go to dinner once a week, which adds up, and also becomes very routine, sitting across from each other, not always much to say or if there is it's not much different from what we always talk about.  But this morning, to save money, our date involved buying Asiago cheese bagels for $0.69 at Safeway and tall nonfat no-whip hot chocolates at Starbucks, and then going for a walk together.  The Starbucks we went to is one I used to work at from time to time, but it was only a handful of times and it was over a year ago, so I was very surprised when the cashier recognized me and hooked us up with a discount despite me no longer working for the company.  It was sweet.

Jack and I had our cheese bagels and hot chocolates as we walked in the cool foggy weather to the edge of the bay.  We sat at a bench and fed pigeons and seagulls.  Jack tried to get the seagulls to fight over bits of bagel, and he nearly succeeded once.  We watched the people walking their dogs and joggers too.  It was just a very pleasant date.

Asiago bagels for the birds.

There's an empty store space on my bike ride to campus that has big posters saying "Coming soon! Halloween Store!"  It makes me very happy.  I hope I have kids someday so I can re-live Halloween vicariously from their POVs.