Triweekly Update (9-26-10)

With school well underway now it seems it's just getting harder and harder to write a weekly blog. Still, I suppose the occasional update is better than nothing, and at least spacing posts out more means more to talk about.

Well, I guess the main thing going on with us is school. I've already had my first two tests and I'm getting ready for my next two this week. Classes have been going well though--I'm really enjoying them for the most part. Differential Equations was hard at the start but got to be fairly easy after the first couple weeks; Fundamentals of Mathematics is really interesting and thus far pretty basic, mostly just using and proving different methods of doing things with arithmetic; French 201 has been pretty easy, mostly review with some more vocab and a bit more depth; and Music 101 is very enjoyable, presenting the opportunity to learn about and listen too lots of classical music. My Math Seminar barely seems worth mentioning, just an hour each week where we hear about various careers in mathematics, none of which have really interested me.

Apart from school, work does a pretty good job taking up time as well. Julie has adjusted pretty well to her job as a grader. Meanwhile, work with MCNP has seemed at a standstill until this last week. The documentation has been poor for part of the input, but after many tries I finally had my first big breakthrough this week and had one of my files run. I was relieved before this point by hearing how long it took the student working on it before me to figure out how to get it to run, and now I should be able to better contribute to the group!

Outside of school and work, we still have found some time to have fun. Friday the German Club had "TECHNOfest", which Julie worked long and hard to pull off. It was a lot of fun and we ended up with over 150 people there. There was a really energetic atmosphere and plenty of glowsticks, making for a great time.

To add to the craziness of this weekend, yesterday morning I headed to Draper for my first bonsai class. The store we bought our serissa from has a free quarterly class on bonsai, so I decided it would be good to go and see what it was like. They mostly stuck to basics of pruning, wiring, potting, and bonsai styles, but there were also some interesting tips which should help in further development of our bonsai project. I also took the opportunity while there to get a new bonsai pot which is now housing several of the serissa cuttings I had rooted in the last month, consolidating it a bit more. On a similar note, with the many oak trees around dropping acorns I've tried planting a few for use in bonsai later, one of which just started sprouting today!

Well, that's about all for now. I'll try to get some pictures of the bonsai up on the website for any who are interested in seeing them!

Weekly Update (9-5-10)

What a week it's been! It seems the weeks just keep flying by, and that's not necessarily a good thing with school now in session! It's been quite a bit of fun, too, but lots of work.

To get things started, this week has been quite busy with school back in full swing. If you've checked the website recently you'll know I'm taking six classes this semester, and five of them are on Mondays and Wednesday. It's been an interesting way to have things scheduled, so we'll have to wait and see how it all works out. Classes seem interesting enough, but I have been getting a fair amount of homework from my differential equations and fundamentals of mathematics classes.

Apart from school there's really just visiting family this weekend. Julie and I went to stay in Cache Valley at my father's parent's house for Friday night, then we went to the Nielsen family reunion the next afternoon. It was a short visit, but it was nice to see family, especially to see my parents for the first time since the wedding.

And that's really about it for now!