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So, previously, my advisor compared students to rowers. Some did amazing work with crappy oar-substitutes, like disposable cups, challenging your notions of what is possible, even if what they do is not amazing in a broader sense. Others had state-of-the-art oars, but kept paddling in circles.

Guess which one she compared me to. At least it was a novel spin on “Stephen has so much potential, if only he’d apply himself.”

Well, at the peak of my last conversation with her, she extolled my virtues (fun guy, incredibly good at cross-linking/synthesizing information, etc, etc.) and said that some day they’d recognize that my virtues, and make me a manager.

Ouch.

I’m not sure which stings more. =)

Well, I feel like I ought to have a send-me-off thing. Mom and Granny are going to be in town starting on friday evening. Mom is _deathly_ allergic to fur. If she came into our house, because of the bunnies, she’d be leaving on a stretcher or in a body bag. So, can’t have her here. If I have the party friday afternoon, working people can’t come. I’m thinking like 9 or 10 would be a good party time. And if the neighbors don’t like it…. well, who cares, I’m leaving. =)

So all you minneapolis folks, party at my place in a week and 10 hours. =)

“midterm” tomorrow. Really more of a half semester final. Then I’m done with my grad school requirements. At least the pressing ones. I do need to turn in my agenda setting memo, from the beginning of the semester. Heh. Whoops. And put in a little more work revising the capstone document. Actually explaining my methodology instead of leaving it a bunch of pretty pictures with tables. Yeah, but I mean, really, it’s all over tomorrow. No more classes. I’m not sure who I am anymore. I gave up so much in the pursuit of this degree, and it’s now in sight, and I’m not feeling the warm and happy vibes. Graduation isn’t going to do it. I think spending time with friends and family will help.

I think that’s the thing I’ve missed most here. The social angle. Coming to MN early in the summer was probably a bad move for that. If I’d come at the same time as everyone else, I think I would have bonded with them more. *shrug* Oh well, no do-overs on life. =)

But I should take the time and effort to do the real happiness making things for me, rather than the easily obtained pleasures. Real happiness making: extended chat time with friends, preferably more than one at the same time (any wonder why I like LJ?); reading good books, but new ones. Stuff like that. Not that I’m giving up on video games or anything, just keeping them more in their place. =)

While browsing for Marry an American, I ran across this obnoxious website about why foreign women are better wives than american women. 1st, let’s say that gross over generalizations (contradictory between the multiple testimonies) are pretty insulting. Then let’s get into the attitudes these guys have towards women.

Weird, I say, weird.

so, the presentation for my capstone was today. Due to technical glitches and last minute this and that, it needs some serious revision (but not rewriting). Plus I have my agenda setting memo for gay marriage, a 20+ page team written paper on the renewable electricity standard, and a midterm all by thursday.

But the presentation was signed off on.

And ye ol prof has put our capstone project up for an award. Yay? =)

2 weeks until chicago, and no packing has begun. I am soooo screwed. =)

Yay for polls.

So, I have another couple weeks to kill after I get back from SF before the job starts.

ETA: I’ve never been to Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver, but I’ve been to all the others.

Thanks. =)

So, I talked with my instructor this afternoon. And I got some serious barbed suggestions out for improving her teaching style, which she mostly took with good grace. Still stressed, busy, and irritable, but less homicidal. =)

Actually, this is likely a challenge to the webwatcher subscribers rather than the tech subscribers, but, whatever.

I have casually looked for and not found a podcast recommendation site which makes recommendations based on your musical tastes. “do you like song X? radio station Y? Then maybe you want to check out podcast Z.” But, of course, make it dynamic, and participatory, and all that stuff, with a huge list of podcasts. Thoughts?

Today was lobby day, where folks go to the state legislature and say “Bitch, what you thinking? Don’t go banning no gay marriage.” Missed it. Why? Class.

I have never felt less celebratory about my academics, save possibly the semester I withdrew, and the one I had a breakdown outside morewood, crying in the parking lot, where spring carnival is held, where I didn’t go because of the fucking spring banquet for my department. Which blew. Missing lobby day was the least of it. But it rubs salt in the wound that I missed it so I could come to a class where I contributed nothing, and got graded 3rd out of 3. Yeah, competitive grading. Fuck you, prof. That having been said, our group deserved the ranking it got. Our presentation was long and rambling. I wasn’t much help. Our speaker decided that 28 slides was perfectly reasonable for a 15 minute presentation. Despite repeated statements that we needed to slim it down. It also lacked coherent vision. Shocker.

I’m torn between apathy for a subject I don’t care about and disappointment in my performance.

I’m amazed that I cared more about the enteral and parenteral nutrition products spreadsheet I worked on over the summer than this. Yet somehow, it’s true. Grad school has been a giant waste of time. Maybe I’ll be just as disillusioned after two years of working for the man. Maybe not. But I’m ready to find out.

Straight C’s? C is for graduation, that’s good enough for me.

Oh yeah, today is also gay graduation. less than an hour and a half until it starts. I’m sure I’ll summon the motivation somehow, just not real clear as to how. or why.

17 days until graduation. 1 day and 1 week of classes.

This is coming up faster than expected.

Le Bleh.

Le Freakout!