Sunday, June 19, 2011
Greetings from...Charlotte?
My what a crazy week this has been. I finished my finals Wednesday morning and otherwise my last few days in Provo were spent packing. On our last night we stayed up ridiculously late, so we were pretty tired on our way down to Vegas. The call of the neon lights certainly woke us back up though and we enjoyed the evening seeing some of the sights. Friday was a mile-a-minute sort of day where we saw lots of things in a short space of time. Our visits included the Luxor, the Coca-Cola Factory and the M&M Factory, as well as Caesar's Palace, where we did some shopping and ate at Serendipity 3 (a personal favorite for Julie and me). We also got to go up to the top of our hotel, the Stratosphere, where we got a birds eye view of Las Vegas. Saturday we got up early to catch our flight over to Charlotte, and from there we were supposed to leave an hour later to head for the Gatwick Airport. Plans have changed a little though, so for now it looks like we'll have to wait until 5p.m. Eastern Time to head off on a much more complicated flight since our previous flight got cancelled (only after making us wait an appropriate five hours, of course). So we're now just waiting with bated breath for the time when we'll by flying over the Atlantic!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
At Long Last! An Update! (4-10-11)
After nearly a six-month hiatus, I've finally made it back to writing on the blog! As you might have guessed, a lot has happened since I last wrote back in October. This semester has been especially brutal. Obviously I won't have time here to detail everything here, but I figure those of you reading this (or at least most of you) have at least had some contact with me in the past six months anyways. I could probably write entire entries just about some of the things that have happened, but as stated, such would not be practical. I'll try to keep this mostly to the biggest and most recent events, and hopefully this will suffice.
Just for a brief overview of more distant events, last semester ended well, being a good help for my GP (as I'll mention later, it'll probably be balanced back out by this semester). After finals Julie and I had a lot of fun getting to see both our families. We spent the first part of our Christmas break more with Julie's family, then got to see my family for the second part. With both families we had the happy opportunity to see siblings who came to visit--it was an especially notable change at my parents' house! I got to go cross country skiing once with my dad, Karen, and Jeff, which I was very glad for since it was the only time I was able to go. We got plenty to do with Julie, Mike, and Kadin as well, which was very fun. Unfortunately these things can't last forever, and so Karen, Jeff, Julie, and I headed back for Provo before class started the following day.
The next few months of school feel almost like a blur, with so much happening and yet so much of it the same. This semester has been my last French class, ending with the 202 level. It's been a lot of fun getting to learn the French language for the past year and I'm grateful for all that I've learned. This final class has been substantially different from previous classes with a heavy focus on French culture and literature. French has officially taken root even in my Spanish language, albeit not so much as it had a year ago. Now instead I'm more consistent in the French words I use when I'm speaking Spanish (mostly using "avec" where the word is "con", as Julie can attest). It's generally become the language I think in if not in English, though given the circumstances perhaps that isn't so surprising. For those of you Spanish speakers, I can still speak Spanish quite fluently, which I had to prove the other night during family prayers.
As my time learning French comes to an end, I'm also coming to other changes. Last semester was the last time I had a religion class chosen by the university. Having completed two courses in the Book of Mormon and one each of New Testament and Doctrine and Covenants, this semester (and for two more after) I get to pick from the myriad of other religion classes offered here at BYU. This semester I decided to take a course on the Pearl of Great Price, which has been very informative and uplifting. It's amazing how much has been fit into less than seventy pages of text. As such a small book, we've had the opportunity to go a bit more in depth and to discuss more of the history of this marvelous book of scripture.
Of course, getting further along in my education also means more classes in my schedule devoted to my major. I had a break from them since last winter since I needed to take Ordinary Differential Equations before I could take almost any of the courses remaining for my major. Having gotten that behind me last semester, this semester I've been back at it full swing with two classes. One of the classes should almost count as more of a math class. The official name of the course is "Introduction to Classical Field Theory." It might be more aptly named "Partial Differential Equations with Physics Applications" or "We're going to test all of the math you've learned so far and add one more complication." I suppose that's how most classes work though. But despite how bad it might sound, it's actually been a fairly easy class. The professor is very willing to help (even with assignments from other classes) and he's pretty funny (he even writes comics, which you can see at http://www.sqcomic.com/).
My other physics class is...well, interesting. My other physics class (more like an actual physics class instead of a math class) is Statistical and Thermal Physics. This is the class which is rumored to be the most difficult undergraduate physics class, and from what I've seen, I'm apt to agree with that statement. If the title doesn't describe it well enough, here's the basic rundown: we spend the first three weeks talking about the usual thermodynamics, including discussions on engines, and of course lots of talk of entropy (the measure of uncertainty of states). Thermodynamics is a general topic that applies to many large systems without much thought given to how those systems are made. The world turns upside-down after that crash-course though, as we head into the world of statistical physics. What this basically does is it takes your nice, simple world of physics and turns everything into thermodynamics in a very specific way. From magnets to Fermi and Bose gases, we consider the microscopic properties of these systems and show how things like the number of possible states gives macroscopic quantities for things like entropy, chemical potential, and the Gibbs Free Energy (which I won't bother trying to explain here). There are few ruling fundamentals here, instead giving way to lots of specifics, making for a very difficult course. If there's one thing I've learned from it, it's that I do NOT want to be taking many more courses on statistical physics.
The class that's probably brought me to the biggest decisions has been Theory of Analysis 1. This class has really showed me what proofs are all about. It makes last semester's "Fundamental's of Mathematics" seem like a review in college algebra instead of a class on proofs. The class hasn't necessarily been that exciting or eventful--quite the contrary, in fact. We've gone over calculus using proofs, which has been only somewhat interesting. Really the only thing that really stood out as having any real significance to me was our proof of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus during this last week, in which I finally saw how the anti-derivative of a function can tell you about the area of it, and that was more of a personal satisfaction than something very important. No, it hasn't been what the class has taught that has lead me to the biggest potential decision of the semester, but rather the dry, almost ridiculous exactness of the class. I've come to realize that learning proofs, while mildly interesting, is not something that will likely be of much help in any field I might go into. It is for this reason that I am thinking that I might be better off not getting a double major in math. I have already earned the math minor, and taking this last class has been a good way to see just how rigorous proofs have to be. But by not doing a double major I will be opening up more time which would allow me to take a graduate level physics course or two, as well as take another minor and a few more electives. Considering how my research has been so computer based, and just from listening to professors, a computer science minor seems as though it would be more advantageous than further study of mathematics. Of course, making that decision will have a substantial impact on my future.
While on the topic of the future, Spring term is coming in just two weeks! I'm already signed up for my two classes. I will be taking yet another physics course, this time learning about Mechanics. It should be a good break from Thermodynamics, as it would seem that Mechanics will be quite a bit less abstract. The other course I will be taking is German 101, which I will be taking in preparation for our trip to Europe. I know I mentioned it in the last blog, but obviously lots has happened since then. For a brief overview (any who have talked to Julie much in the past 3-4 months will probably already be aware of this), we're planning to head out in mid-June and be over there for two months. Our primary reason for going is so that Julie can do an eight-week study abroad program in Berlin and Tübingen before she graduates. We'll be heading over a couple of weeks early, going first to London for a week, then parting ways as Julie goes to Austria to do research for a professor while I go over to Paris. We then meet back up in Berlin where we will be staying for the next month. I will be taking a course in German while Julie gets to take classes on German art and art history as well as a language course. The German courses will be offered through the Goethe Institute and will be very different from the classes at BYU (I'm expecting a greater mix of cultures and many people who are older than me). We will then part ways as Julie continues studying in Tübingen while I head off for a couple more weeks in Europe. I'll be heading to Italy and to Spain before heading back and getting ready for school. Julie will be arriving two weeks after I do, so I'll be roughing it on my own for about a month. When she gets back she'll be starting right into her graduate work, doing the Comparative Studies program.
Well, this blog has already gone much longer than I had anticipated, but I guess that's what happens when you don't write any of this stuff for six months. I hope you all are doing well, and I'll try to be more frequent in my posts!
Just for a brief overview of more distant events, last semester ended well, being a good help for my GP (as I'll mention later, it'll probably be balanced back out by this semester). After finals Julie and I had a lot of fun getting to see both our families. We spent the first part of our Christmas break more with Julie's family, then got to see my family for the second part. With both families we had the happy opportunity to see siblings who came to visit--it was an especially notable change at my parents' house! I got to go cross country skiing once with my dad, Karen, and Jeff, which I was very glad for since it was the only time I was able to go. We got plenty to do with Julie, Mike, and Kadin as well, which was very fun. Unfortunately these things can't last forever, and so Karen, Jeff, Julie, and I headed back for Provo before class started the following day.
The next few months of school feel almost like a blur, with so much happening and yet so much of it the same. This semester has been my last French class, ending with the 202 level. It's been a lot of fun getting to learn the French language for the past year and I'm grateful for all that I've learned. This final class has been substantially different from previous classes with a heavy focus on French culture and literature. French has officially taken root even in my Spanish language, albeit not so much as it had a year ago. Now instead I'm more consistent in the French words I use when I'm speaking Spanish (mostly using "avec" where the word is "con", as Julie can attest). It's generally become the language I think in if not in English, though given the circumstances perhaps that isn't so surprising. For those of you Spanish speakers, I can still speak Spanish quite fluently, which I had to prove the other night during family prayers.
As my time learning French comes to an end, I'm also coming to other changes. Last semester was the last time I had a religion class chosen by the university. Having completed two courses in the Book of Mormon and one each of New Testament and Doctrine and Covenants, this semester (and for two more after) I get to pick from the myriad of other religion classes offered here at BYU. This semester I decided to take a course on the Pearl of Great Price, which has been very informative and uplifting. It's amazing how much has been fit into less than seventy pages of text. As such a small book, we've had the opportunity to go a bit more in depth and to discuss more of the history of this marvelous book of scripture.
Of course, getting further along in my education also means more classes in my schedule devoted to my major. I had a break from them since last winter since I needed to take Ordinary Differential Equations before I could take almost any of the courses remaining for my major. Having gotten that behind me last semester, this semester I've been back at it full swing with two classes. One of the classes should almost count as more of a math class. The official name of the course is "Introduction to Classical Field Theory." It might be more aptly named "Partial Differential Equations with Physics Applications" or "We're going to test all of the math you've learned so far and add one more complication." I suppose that's how most classes work though. But despite how bad it might sound, it's actually been a fairly easy class. The professor is very willing to help (even with assignments from other classes) and he's pretty funny (he even writes comics, which you can see at http://www.sqcomic.com/).
My other physics class is...well, interesting. My other physics class (more like an actual physics class instead of a math class) is Statistical and Thermal Physics. This is the class which is rumored to be the most difficult undergraduate physics class, and from what I've seen, I'm apt to agree with that statement. If the title doesn't describe it well enough, here's the basic rundown: we spend the first three weeks talking about the usual thermodynamics, including discussions on engines, and of course lots of talk of entropy (the measure of uncertainty of states). Thermodynamics is a general topic that applies to many large systems without much thought given to how those systems are made. The world turns upside-down after that crash-course though, as we head into the world of statistical physics. What this basically does is it takes your nice, simple world of physics and turns everything into thermodynamics in a very specific way. From magnets to Fermi and Bose gases, we consider the microscopic properties of these systems and show how things like the number of possible states gives macroscopic quantities for things like entropy, chemical potential, and the Gibbs Free Energy (which I won't bother trying to explain here). There are few ruling fundamentals here, instead giving way to lots of specifics, making for a very difficult course. If there's one thing I've learned from it, it's that I do NOT want to be taking many more courses on statistical physics.
The class that's probably brought me to the biggest decisions has been Theory of Analysis 1. This class has really showed me what proofs are all about. It makes last semester's "Fundamental's of Mathematics" seem like a review in college algebra instead of a class on proofs. The class hasn't necessarily been that exciting or eventful--quite the contrary, in fact. We've gone over calculus using proofs, which has been only somewhat interesting. Really the only thing that really stood out as having any real significance to me was our proof of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus during this last week, in which I finally saw how the anti-derivative of a function can tell you about the area of it, and that was more of a personal satisfaction than something very important. No, it hasn't been what the class has taught that has lead me to the biggest potential decision of the semester, but rather the dry, almost ridiculous exactness of the class. I've come to realize that learning proofs, while mildly interesting, is not something that will likely be of much help in any field I might go into. It is for this reason that I am thinking that I might be better off not getting a double major in math. I have already earned the math minor, and taking this last class has been a good way to see just how rigorous proofs have to be. But by not doing a double major I will be opening up more time which would allow me to take a graduate level physics course or two, as well as take another minor and a few more electives. Considering how my research has been so computer based, and just from listening to professors, a computer science minor seems as though it would be more advantageous than further study of mathematics. Of course, making that decision will have a substantial impact on my future.
While on the topic of the future, Spring term is coming in just two weeks! I'm already signed up for my two classes. I will be taking yet another physics course, this time learning about Mechanics. It should be a good break from Thermodynamics, as it would seem that Mechanics will be quite a bit less abstract. The other course I will be taking is German 101, which I will be taking in preparation for our trip to Europe. I know I mentioned it in the last blog, but obviously lots has happened since then. For a brief overview (any who have talked to Julie much in the past 3-4 months will probably already be aware of this), we're planning to head out in mid-June and be over there for two months. Our primary reason for going is so that Julie can do an eight-week study abroad program in Berlin and Tübingen before she graduates. We'll be heading over a couple of weeks early, going first to London for a week, then parting ways as Julie goes to Austria to do research for a professor while I go over to Paris. We then meet back up in Berlin where we will be staying for the next month. I will be taking a course in German while Julie gets to take classes on German art and art history as well as a language course. The German courses will be offered through the Goethe Institute and will be very different from the classes at BYU (I'm expecting a greater mix of cultures and many people who are older than me). We will then part ways as Julie continues studying in Tübingen while I head off for a couple more weeks in Europe. I'll be heading to Italy and to Spain before heading back and getting ready for school. Julie will be arriving two weeks after I do, so I'll be roughing it on my own for about a month. When she gets back she'll be starting right into her graduate work, doing the Comparative Studies program.
Well, this blog has already gone much longer than I had anticipated, but I guess that's what happens when you don't write any of this stuff for six months. I hope you all are doing well, and I'll try to be more frequent in my posts!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Update (10-24-10)
After yet another long hiatus, trying to write every week but failing, at long last I'm writing an update! Things here have been going well, but busy. School and work, as usual.
So first off, school--classes are going well, and I'm really enjoying my classes overall. Differential equations remains the main source of homework, though Fundamentals of Mathematics can provide time-consuming homework occasionally. I've had at least one test for all of my classes (except Math Seminar, which doesn't have tests), and I've had more in Music 101 and French 201. Amidst it all, though, I still find time to spend on work, friends, and of course my adorable wife.
On the work side things are going well. I've had several MCNP codes run and we're starting to learn more about the detector design that we are considering. I'm moving on a bit with MCNP as well, now learning POLIMI which will take my MCNP codes a step further by showing us more about what happens after the neutron is absorbed. Of course, nobody in our group has used MCNP-POLIMI yet, so I get to be the one to figure out how it works...I'll be keeping my fingers' crossed.
In other news, Julie and I are strongly considering a study-abroad this summer in Berlin. We're both excited about the prospect, and hopefully I'll get the chance to tour around Europe a bit (I'll only be in Germany for a month--Julie will be there two). We'll keep posted as things progress.
Well, those are the major details--if I can start posting weekly as I've intended then I'll probably be giving more details, but I figured I better get one out today before another week passes by.
So first off, school--classes are going well, and I'm really enjoying my classes overall. Differential equations remains the main source of homework, though Fundamentals of Mathematics can provide time-consuming homework occasionally. I've had at least one test for all of my classes (except Math Seminar, which doesn't have tests), and I've had more in Music 101 and French 201. Amidst it all, though, I still find time to spend on work, friends, and of course my adorable wife.
On the work side things are going well. I've had several MCNP codes run and we're starting to learn more about the detector design that we are considering. I'm moving on a bit with MCNP as well, now learning POLIMI which will take my MCNP codes a step further by showing us more about what happens after the neutron is absorbed. Of course, nobody in our group has used MCNP-POLIMI yet, so I get to be the one to figure out how it works...I'll be keeping my fingers' crossed.
In other news, Julie and I are strongly considering a study-abroad this summer in Berlin. We're both excited about the prospect, and hopefully I'll get the chance to tour around Europe a bit (I'll only be in Germany for a month--Julie will be there two). We'll keep posted as things progress.
Well, those are the major details--if I can start posting weekly as I've intended then I'll probably be giving more details, but I figured I better get one out today before another week passes by.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
(Sort of) Weekly Update (8-29-10)
Well well, how time flies. It's hard to believe that school is starting again tomorrow. It's probably a good thing though, since it means finally getting back into a schedule. However, it has been nice to have some time to just relax. So without further ado, here's what the last week and a half have been like for us.
Shopping. Lots of shopping. Textbooks, clothes, and a few bonsai supplies. With the new school year coming we figured we'd better get ready beforehand, so that left us out of the house a fair amount. That, and when you're stuck in a small-ish apartment for two weeks with nowhere to go it's nice to get out, and shopping can provide a good excuse. We spent some time on outfits for school, but also a fair amount of time trying to find outfits for the Technofest that Julie is hoping to put on with the German Club to enhance awareness of the German techno and German department. As for bonsai supplies, after checking out several books on the subject and doing some more research it became apparent that we were somewhat...lacking in supplies to keep our trees healthy.
Apart from shopping, we also had lots of time to go through our movie collection. We were able to watch The Lord of the Rings over three nights, Napoleon Dynamite, and the new Indiana Jones movie, as well as Back to the Future II when it showed on Nick @ Nite. We've really enjoyed getting this time to watch so many of our movies--a rare opportunity with school now starting.
And who could forget the bonsai hobby? Since bringing our Serissa home we've gone through its leaves turning from green to yellow and finally back to green. We discovered that Siggy apparently prefers our bedroom on the south side of the house to our kitchen on the north side, so for now he's sitting on my nightstand next to our lucky bamboo. Our other bonsai has since started showing a few signs of illness, so we're working hard to improve its health. We're also trying to plant several cuttings--we'll see how that turns out in the coming weeks and months.
And that's about it for now. We're looking forward to seeing some of the family next weekend, and hope all is well for everyone!
As a side note, I have been working a little on the website and there are a few pictures up. Hopefully it'll be coming together more completely soon!
Shopping. Lots of shopping. Textbooks, clothes, and a few bonsai supplies. With the new school year coming we figured we'd better get ready beforehand, so that left us out of the house a fair amount. That, and when you're stuck in a small-ish apartment for two weeks with nowhere to go it's nice to get out, and shopping can provide a good excuse. We spent some time on outfits for school, but also a fair amount of time trying to find outfits for the Technofest that Julie is hoping to put on with the German Club to enhance awareness of the German techno and German department. As for bonsai supplies, after checking out several books on the subject and doing some more research it became apparent that we were somewhat...lacking in supplies to keep our trees healthy.
Apart from shopping, we also had lots of time to go through our movie collection. We were able to watch The Lord of the Rings over three nights, Napoleon Dynamite, and the new Indiana Jones movie, as well as Back to the Future II when it showed on Nick @ Nite. We've really enjoyed getting this time to watch so many of our movies--a rare opportunity with school now starting.
And who could forget the bonsai hobby? Since bringing our Serissa home we've gone through its leaves turning from green to yellow and finally back to green. We discovered that Siggy apparently prefers our bedroom on the south side of the house to our kitchen on the north side, so for now he's sitting on my nightstand next to our lucky bamboo. Our other bonsai has since started showing a few signs of illness, so we're working hard to improve its health. We're also trying to plant several cuttings--we'll see how that turns out in the coming weeks and months.
And that's about it for now. We're looking forward to seeing some of the family next weekend, and hope all is well for everyone!
As a side note, I have been working a little on the website and there are a few pictures up. Hopefully it'll be coming together more completely soon!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Weekly Update (8-17-10)
Yes I know, it's not a Sunday. Why late? Because of a weekend reunion for my wife's family near Morgan, UT! More on that later, but first let's explore the rest of the last week.
So as I mentioned last time, last week was the last of summer term here at the Y. I had my French test and Julie had a test and a paper, and with Julie working at graduation it's been quite busy with school things. My test went fairly well overall I'd say--it's amazing how much you learn in so short a time when you're taking class in the summer term. Julie commented that she was very proud of how much she got done, reading over 8 books in 7 weeks.
Alongside school has been work. I've completed my first MCNP code, though it apparently had a few bugs in it. It is interesting work since I don't actually run it myself, but rather have to send it to the professor. I don't know why, but I guess the people who made it only wanted the professors to use it. :P Aside from that little oddity, though, it's nice to have things settling in there. And while I'm just settling into my job Julie is finishing her time working as an usher for University events, with her last time being graduation last week. She will however be looking forward to being a grader for one of her German professors, and the work will at least provide more hours and at least equal pay.
Of course with school over, we haven't slowed down much yet. We headed out Saturday morning toward Morgan for Julie's family reunion. We made a stop along the way to a nursery in Salt Lake City called Cactus & Tropical where we got yet another bonsai, a serissa which we have affectionately named Siggy (after some deliberation). We'll be sure to get pictures up within the next few days. So after our pit stop in Salt Lake we kept on our way to the reunion, getting lost a bit and ending up taking about an extra hour or so before we arrived there. It was a big get together with groups from Julie's maternal grandmother's descendants. It was an interesting experience, but fun since I know some of Julie's cousins already since I grew up in the same ward as them! We had fun being outside, camping, stargazing, and having a fun program put on by some of the people there. We stayed through the late morning the next day.
Even with the reunion finished, our family visiting wasn't over. We went from Morgan to visit Julie's brother Adam along with the rest of Julie's immediate family. We had fun talking, sharing dinner together, and going to the local elementary school to play some basketball, foursquare, and to hit up the jungle gym with the younger kids. We then went with Julie's other brother, Robert, back to Provo to spend the night.
The next day we headed north once more, this time to meet up with everyone at Lagoon. After some issues meeting up we got in the park by noon and stayed until almost 10 that night. There were lots of fun rides for all of us. The more adventuresome of the group rode the Sky Coaster, the Rocket, and Colossus while others of us (namely Julie and I) rode the ferris wheel, Flying Aces, Hydro Tube, and Paratrooper. Julie and I also had some fun playing the midway games where we won a few fun prizes, including a stuffed alligator and a stuffed dragon. By the end of the day we were all exhausted, and at last we said our farewells before going our separate directions.
For the last bit of news, I thought everyone should know that our website is up and running a bit more now, and should be getting those pictures up before long!
So as I mentioned last time, last week was the last of summer term here at the Y. I had my French test and Julie had a test and a paper, and with Julie working at graduation it's been quite busy with school things. My test went fairly well overall I'd say--it's amazing how much you learn in so short a time when you're taking class in the summer term. Julie commented that she was very proud of how much she got done, reading over 8 books in 7 weeks.
Alongside school has been work. I've completed my first MCNP code, though it apparently had a few bugs in it. It is interesting work since I don't actually run it myself, but rather have to send it to the professor. I don't know why, but I guess the people who made it only wanted the professors to use it. :P Aside from that little oddity, though, it's nice to have things settling in there. And while I'm just settling into my job Julie is finishing her time working as an usher for University events, with her last time being graduation last week. She will however be looking forward to being a grader for one of her German professors, and the work will at least provide more hours and at least equal pay.
Of course with school over, we haven't slowed down much yet. We headed out Saturday morning toward Morgan for Julie's family reunion. We made a stop along the way to a nursery in Salt Lake City called Cactus & Tropical where we got yet another bonsai, a serissa which we have affectionately named Siggy (after some deliberation). We'll be sure to get pictures up within the next few days. So after our pit stop in Salt Lake we kept on our way to the reunion, getting lost a bit and ending up taking about an extra hour or so before we arrived there. It was a big get together with groups from Julie's maternal grandmother's descendants. It was an interesting experience, but fun since I know some of Julie's cousins already since I grew up in the same ward as them! We had fun being outside, camping, stargazing, and having a fun program put on by some of the people there. We stayed through the late morning the next day.
Even with the reunion finished, our family visiting wasn't over. We went from Morgan to visit Julie's brother Adam along with the rest of Julie's immediate family. We had fun talking, sharing dinner together, and going to the local elementary school to play some basketball, foursquare, and to hit up the jungle gym with the younger kids. We then went with Julie's other brother, Robert, back to Provo to spend the night.
The next day we headed north once more, this time to meet up with everyone at Lagoon. After some issues meeting up we got in the park by noon and stayed until almost 10 that night. There were lots of fun rides for all of us. The more adventuresome of the group rode the Sky Coaster, the Rocket, and Colossus while others of us (namely Julie and I) rode the ferris wheel, Flying Aces, Hydro Tube, and Paratrooper. Julie and I also had some fun playing the midway games where we won a few fun prizes, including a stuffed alligator and a stuffed dragon. By the end of the day we were all exhausted, and at last we said our farewells before going our separate directions.
For the last bit of news, I thought everyone should know that our website is up and running a bit more now, and should be getting those pictures up before long!
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