New Years

Last New Years Eve, you called to tell me how I was missing out on the delicacies you purchased for the New Year celebration. Raw oysters, caviar with home-made deviled eggs, expensive champagne... You said to me how this would be the first new years we spent apart in... how long? We didn't even know. It's hard to think that we won't spend another one together.

When will I stop wishing I would have gone home?

I miss you, Dad.

Television the Drug of the Nation - The Disposable Heros of Hiphoprisy

I've heard this song on the current a lot, but I don't think I've ever posted it.

It is amazing.



The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy youtube playlist.

Merry Christmas

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/music_blog/archive/2010/12/peace_on_earthl.shtml

Quote

Saw this on reddit today:

Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for -- in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it. — Ellen Goodman

Fortune Cookie

"Embrace change, don't battle it."

2010

January brought me my first real job.
February took my father.
March... lost.
April made me pushed through my schoolwork.
May brought me a Master's and the burial of my father's ashes.
June gave me a home with Moose.
July was another blur with a lonely holiday.
August burned me on a boat in the sun, listening to Dr. John.
September moved me again, this time to the suburbs.
October was chilly and made me realize nothing is static except love.
November told me things are still changing; people are moving and trading places.
December will bring me woe as the holidays are spent without my father.

The next one should be better, the next one should be better....

Ratatat- Neckbrace

Listen to this song a few times. I guarantee it will have you grooving.

Matt & Kim - Cameras

CAMERAS

sun’s going down let’s get together
on the bridge we’ll meet up tonight

black pants red sweatshirt and brown bags
above the East River’s northern lights
——————————————
you see what I see
I thought it make believe
watched the sun rise
on my street

old cement makes for
a solid place to lay
bed of light grey
my bed of light grey
——————————————
while I know it’s letters
that can spell
I hear now it’s words that can say

I decided to start writing less
and I’m talking more everyday
——————————————
sixteen of our friends
a five seat bright red van
curbside view
turn off of grand

pound my steering wheel
we yell to the windshield
I’m finally home
I’m finally home
——————————————
no time for cameras
we’ll use our eyes instead
no time for cameras
we’ll be gone when we’re dead
no time for cameras
we’ll use our eyes instead
I see flashes of gold
——————————————
every single car alarm we hear
we’ll steal and throw through their window
my water comes straight from the tap
and those bottles are all just for show
——————————————
I see that we’re made of
more then blood and bones
see we’re made of
sticks and stones

don’t forget to breathe
need locks for your keys
don’t forget to breathe now
forget to breathe now
——————————————
no time for cameras
we’ll use our eyes instead
no time for cameras
we’ll be gone when we’re dead
no time for cameras
we’ll use our eyes instead
I see flashes of gold

Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn

Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight



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NWA - Findum Fuckum and Flee



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Pitbull - Hotel Room Service

Twinkie Diet

This has to be one of the greatest things I've ever read.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html?hpt=Sbin

As with any diet, I think I'd get tired of the food I was using to lose weight. Maybe that would be a good thing in this case!

What?

What is this I don't even...

"e.d. sampler"

This is on my mp3 player. I can only assume it's a playlist made by my dad. Will update with links to songs soon.

Ben Watt - Attack Attack Attack
Mouse on Mars - Gogonal
Spektrum - Kinda New
Green Velvet - La La Land
Orbital Lush 3.1
Chemical Brothers - The Private Psychedelic Reel
Sasha - Xpander

Maximum Balloon - Tiger

I haven't been able to get this song out of my head since I heard it on the radio on the way to work. If you love TV on the Radio, you'll love this.

Basement Jaxx - Supersonic

I've been listening to my MP3 player at work, trying to pick some upbeat tunes.

I like this one.

Basement Jaxx - Supersonic



Reminds me of my dad.

Symphony of Science

http://www.symphonyofscience.com/

Synthetic Biology and Microsoft

So, back a year or so ago, I was a full-fledged grad student studying synthetic biology.

Well... it turns out Microsoft is also in on the synthetic biology game. And I believe they've done something similar to what I was researching. They've made a "synthetic biology programming language."

Check it out for yourself here.

I love my kitty

Oh Minnesota

Oh Minnesota. You're not blue at all, are you.



George Bush Billboard, I-35 Near Wyoming, MN:


Ronald Regan Billboard, I-94 outside of Albertville, Minnesota:




Image of 2008 Election results from: http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/states/minnesota.html

Prelim Exam Results

Adriana,

You failed all 3 subjects. I am sorry that you did not pass the WPE.

The faculty have allowed you a 3rd try in Nov.

My best wishes.
KP

---

Hmm, maybe I shouldn't try again. I suppose I can't possibly do any worse than this. At least last time I got two questions right. *sigh*

Today's song: Dosh: Number 41

I love Dosh. He has his own music, along with being Andrew Bird's drummer. This song is from his new album.

This song has Andrew Bird vocals.

Finals

5601 Project Presentations: May 6th during class
4701 Final: Tuesday May 11th, 10:30am-12:30pm
5613 Final: Tuesday May 11th, 4pm-6pm
5601 Final: Saturday May 15th, 2:30pm-4:30pm

The best study food found at Wally's

I go to Wally's often. I sometimes buy pop. I sometimes buy delicious puffcorn.

Today I bought these.



Now I know when I need something sweet, I will spend a whopping $4.69 on these bad boys. They're like shortbread cookies with coconut cream in the middle.

Mmm.

What was I supposed to be studying again? Cookies, right?

"How not to get a PhD"

Article Link

Action summary

Be aware of the seven ways of not getting a PhD:
· not wanting a PhD; · overestimating what is required; · underestimating what is required; · having a supervisor who does not know what is required; · losing contact with your supervisor; · not having a 'thesis' (i.e. position, argument) to maintain; · taking a new job before completing.

Work to understand the implications of these traps fully in your own situation and determine not to succumb to them.

Re-establish your determination regularly when blandishments to stray from your programme of work recur.

From Reddit: "Avatar Dances in Ferngully's Dune"

Home Stretch

Eight weeks.

There are only eight weeks left of my academic career.

Yeah sure, I could miraculously pass the Ph.D. Qualifying exam on the second try with no preparation, but I doubt it will happen. Even if it does, who says I'll even complete a Ph.D. A masters is good enough for me at this point in my life. Maybe I'll go back to school when I decide to have children.

Anywho, we're coming to the end of spring break as I type this. Over spring break, I:

- Attended a LAN party
- Worked a ten hour day, an eight hour day, and a four hour day
- Went to the oxygen bar at the Mall of America
- Completely failed to get any homework done
- Went to Duluth and sampled delicacies such as a BrewHouse Elk Burger, Sammy's House Special, and Italian Village cannolis and lasagna
- Helped my mom construct emails to the funeral parlors in Mount Pleasant and Burlington that also make monuments
- Drove back to Minneapolis and promptly went to Dave's house and watched Twilight New Moon Rifftrax
- Slept several hours past my alarm(s)

I suppose it's been a good spring break. I wish it would last longer. In eight weeks, I will be a fully-fledged MASTER OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING. I haven't heard back from the graduate office... so hopefully I can get this sorted out soon. Hopefully, I will be able to continue to handle 20 hours of work a week, on top of 12 credits of graduate classes. With the added stress and grief of my father's passing, I may have to drop a class and finish in the summer. I think I can manage.

Cross your fingers for me.

Shattered

I am not broken, I am shattered. When the fragments are collected and slowly, carefully pieced back together, there are tiny gaps that remain. Combined, these gaps form a much larger missing piece. This hole in my heart can never be filled.

Al Franken, Google Fiber, The Duluth Answer Man. Genius.

Excellent presentation on the future of technology and gaming.

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2010 - Guitar Hero 5

D. Edward Fitzgerald 1950-2010

Born in Burlington, Iowa to Gerald F. Fitzgerald and M. June Lane Fitzgerald Ruby on August 14, 1950, passed away on February 18, 2010. Ed was raised in Mt. Pleasant Iowa and attended Mt. Pleasant High School where he excelled in academics, football, and acting, graduating in 1969. Ed was offered football scholarships but refused them and decided to go to work at the Bluebird Bus Factory. Recognizing that he didn’t want to continue working in that vein, he then enrolled at University of Iowa, where he graduated with a BA in English. Afterwards, Ed worked for the Iowa highway department, a job which allowed him to read during work downtime. After completing his reading list, he decided it was time to go back to school and attended the University of Iowa Law School where he graduated with high distinction. After passing his Bar Exam, he accepted a position at the Hanft, Fride Law Firm (where he became a partner) and later chose to work for American Family Insurance as In-House Council. His decision to join Hanft, Fride was influenced by the many family vacations spent fishing in Minnesota.

Fishing wasn’t his only passion. He took advantage of other opportunities that Minnesota offered such as downhill and cross country skiing in which he demonstrated a surprising ability to balance on two boards, something he often lacked on his own two feet. Besides his annual fly-in fishing excursions with friends, he shared his love of the outdoors with anyone that was willing. He particularly enjoyed these activities with his children, in which every occasion became an adventure. Another pastime that Ed excelled in was cooking. Everyone that was fortunate enough to partake in the results of his culinary abilities always waited with anticipation for his next creation. His family especially looked forward to the yearly gift of his famous pepper jelly. Ed also taught himself to build computers and became the technology aficionado and expert to many of his friends. He recognized the importance of having computer abilities and built computers for all of his nieces, nephews and even a few friends.

His thirst for knowledge didn’t end with computers. Ed valued education and continually sought to expand his knowledge of all subjects and enjoyed doing so. He shared common interests with everyone and appreciated in-depth conversations on any subject. Ed had an eclectic taste in music and literature. Any gathering was filled with his music, family videos, and fine food.
Ed’s greatest passion was his children. He would bend the ear of anyone willing to listen to him talk about the accomplishments of his girls. He instilled his thirst for knowledge in them and they shared many interests with each other. They were more than just his children, they were his best friends. Ed and his wife Dawn believed that their children were the best things that ever happened to them and shared in that joy.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Lane Fitzgerald. He is survived by his wife Dawn Mitchell Fitzgerald, daughters Adriana and Tara Fitzgerald, a brother John Fitzgerald, a sister Lynann Ruby, several nieces and nephews, and many friends.

The weeks of work and school

*pant pant* It's not February yet! I can still make two posts in January. *cough*

*wheeze*

Anywho, about three weeks ago, I started my new job. For the last three weeks, I've been reading through quality assurance documents, documents describing the design process, documents describing the technology that goes into the machines created at my work... you name it, I've read it. It's been fairly boring, but I've gotten the chance to talk to quite a few people at work and shake some hands and learn some very interesting technologies. Now that school has started, I'm going to be working about 20 hours a week. With 20 hours a week, I'm able to enroll in benefits and start accumulating vacation time. Also, it means that I can actually start working on real projects!!! I'm excited. However, I'm also a bit disappointed as it seems I will only be working on software for the upcoming project as the hardware has already been designed.

I'm finally in my last semester of school (at least for the time being). I'm taking 11 grueling credits... just enough to finish up my master's degree. I even filled out the graduation forms and had them signed by the Dean of Graduate Studies. He kept asking me why I was only doing a master's degree and not a Ph.D. as I had initially intended. Apparently he remembered me from a presentation I gave in his lab group regarding my research my first semester as a grad student. He asked me why I hadn't come to talk to him sooner... he told me that he could have found me a TA position and possibly a new adviser. He sighed as he signed my forms. He told me that if I passed the qualifying exam, I could take one class a semester to keep my graduate student status and he'd help me find an adviser to do a thesis. I told him I'd think about it, even though I know I don't have time to properly study for the qualifying exam. So it goes.

Last semester is going well so far. My classes seem relatively easy... we'll see if I say the same thing when I have time to make another post in 3 weeks. Heh. Well, back to homework, I guess.

100th post, First day of work

This is my 100th post after a long hiatus.

Today is the first day of my new job.

After a nearly sleepless night, thanks to the "help" of my cats, I am awake and ready to start a new chapter in my life. I am starting the transition from school to the workplace. One more semester of classes + part time work, and I'm cleared for a full time position in electrical engineering. I'm excited... and scared shitless.

I went out yesterday to try to find some appropriate attire for my new job. The dress code states that traditional business and business casual are okay. However, it seems like most of the people I've met have been wearing the more traditional business clothing: Button-down shirts and slacks. I have several polo shirts, but my 2 or 3 button down shirts have been through the mill. I bought my current business attire at Old Navy. Upon visiting there, they apparently do not carry anything for women in the workplace anymore. They did not even have polo shirts. So instead I bought overpriced button down shirts and a pair of (mens) dress shoes at Target! They don't look very good, but so it goes. It's better than what I had in my closet previously.

So I'm wearing my new clothes... Waiting until 8 am to travel the 2.6 miles to my new job. I'm hoping I get there too early for my 8:30am appointment... I'm not really sure how bad the roads are. Hopefully, other than the usual ice, the roads won't be too congested.

Anyway, I know I said this before, but I'm going to try to get this blog active again. I think it helps me unwind a bit to post my thoughts and goings on here. Hopefully, I can keep up with my busy schedule next semester.