Monday, August 31, 2009

Grad School - Just What Did I Sign Myself Up For?

I know this was not going to be easy. But I'm up for challenges, and I'm up for completing goals I set for myself.

I knew in advance that I would probably have to rearrange my leisurely summer schedule to accommodate the extra reading and coding (depending on the class) I would need to do in order to complete the course requirements for this degree.

But holy crap. At least 80 pages of technical papers (not including the papers on how to read technical papers and write research papers), plus 4-5 chapters of textbook before Friday afternoon? Just what did I get myself into?

OK, at least the "Implementing Remote Procedure Calls" paper sounds like fun to read. Am I so disturbed?

I'm going to have to learn some mad speed reading skills or something to get this accomplished. Either that or just not sleep for the next 15 weeks.

If anyone out there has any hints or tips, please leave a comment. Even if it's funny. :-P

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Note Organization

When I took my algorithms class last semester (Spring 2009) I bought a nice little Moleskine notebook to put my notes in. And then I proceeded to go overboard with my note-taking.
I left a few pages in the front blank, to later serve as a table of contents. As the semester wore on, I would number the pages, and then go to the contents page to put the topic of the lecture (sometimes there were two or three) and the page number you could find it on. I took it a step further when I included homework assignments and pasted in the given solutions.

As the semester progressed, I kept up with this psychotic scheme. It actually did come in handy once or twice when I was studying (cramming?) for the final. It was really nice to just look up a topic by going to the table of contents and then flip to the page where the notes were located. But I slacked on keeping up with the homeworks (they weren't mandatory). Because I have a good half of the notebook to fill, I need to paste in the remaining homework solutions into the book before the first lecture of my next class starts tomorrow night. For completeness.

Don't think I'm so crazy. I earned an A- in the class. If I hadn't been so stressed the week of finals, I definitely believe I would have earned an A.

If only the rest of my life could be so organized.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

When Zombies Attack

A scientific paper.

I'm not a fan of horror films, but I love Shaun of the Dead. I' m a big Resident Evil 4 fan as well, even though the player doesn't deal with zombies in that game.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Anticipation

I gripped the paper ticket in my hand. It was a warm day, and I had really booked it down to the train station after work. The sweat from my hand softened the cardstock of the one-way Green Line ticket.

I had woken up early that morning, so I could go to work early and leave early enough to drive home and walk down to the train station, about a mile and a half away. This elaborate scheme was so that I wouldn't have to leave my car at Hawthorne Airport, and also (apparently) so I could get some exercise in. He had raised some concerns about leaving my car at the airport after dark, and also it would be more convenient if we didn't have to stop on the way back to pick my car up on the way back to my place.

Plus I like public transportation, even if the train system in L.A. is woefully inadequate. And the airport is just right across the street from the station.

Man, where is that train? There must be three of them down at the Marine Station by now. What's holding them up?

A Raytheon employee had joined me in wondering what was holding the trains up. He had bowling league tonight, and a Tom Clancy book to finish. The Bear and the Dragon. He only had about 20 pages to finish, if that. If only my time weren't so valuable and I still had a long commute that I could make by train. I would get so much more reading done.

A train finally rolls in, about 15 minutes behind schedule. It had to be today, huh? Oh well. It's not like he's going to strand me at the airport. Plus he has to refuel and everything. I might still make it there before he does.

I tick off the stations as we come to them. Mariposa. Aviation. Hawthorne. The next one is Crenshaw. I glance at the airstrip and don't see his plane on the tarmac. I run down the wrong stairwell and end up on the opposite side of the street I want to be on. I cross Crenshaw, then Imperial Highway, impatient that the lights take so long to turn. All the while I'm glancing at the sky. I see a couple planes land; neither of which are his.

I run to the terminal. As I pass the runway I see his plane parked in front. He must have landed after I got off the train but before I reached the bottom of the stairwell.

The two guys who were working the desk last week are still there, and recognize me. I guess they don't have too many passengers fly out of Hawthorne. Or at least pilots who pick up their dates there.

Pretty soon he strolls into the terminal and we hug. We head to the pilot's lounge so he can call the briefer and check on the weather. Before I know it we're heading out onto the tarmac and he's telling me to get into the plane first. He does his pre-flight inspection, checking the flaps, making sure everything is good to go.

It's a beautiful day, but he cautions me that there is a lot of turbulence and take off would most likely be bumpy.

He climbs in, buckles up and we close the canopy. He rattles off the take-off checklist from memory (the first time he took me up he pulled it out and went over each step very methodically). "Cle-ar Prop!" he calls before he starts the engine. He contacts the tower and we get permission to take off.

He pushes the throttle forward and when we get enough speed he pulls up on the stick ever so delicately. And then we're airborne. Free.

Movie Review - (500) Days of Summer

I saw this delightful romantic comedy a few weeks ago and have been slacking on blogging about it.

Here's a link to the trailer.

The film bounces around to different days in the relationship. You'll see Tom and Summer (played to perfection by Joesph Gordon-Leavitt and Zooey Deschanel) share an in-joke together, and then you'll see how the in-joke got started, for example. I'd love to see this film again and take notes, just to reorganize the days in order and see if the relationship becomes even more clear to me.

Tom is a true romantic, who believes he can never be happy until he finds The One girl for him. Summer is the delightful free spirit who becomes Tom's muse. She's independent, funny, charming, and doesn't believe in love. You can already see the disaster in the making, but like a car accident, can't tear your gaze away. Tom loves without reserve, and it's refreshing to see this in a film (as opposed to the woman-who-loves-without-reserve, which is more common).

Tom and Summer meet at work, but it doesn't seem there's a corporate fraternization policy in place at the greeting card company. Tom is bored to tears over his job (he quit following his calling to be an architect) and Summer has just been hired as the boss' new assistant. Tom falls in love immediately.

The song-and-dance number is fantastic and fits the film's quirky style perfectly. For Tom, on that morning, it's only natural that the sun will be shining, bluebirds will be singing, and the rest of Los Angeles will want to take part in his joy.

I think this is a romantic film for those who have already had some disappointments in love. Many of the behaviors remind us of similar crazy (or stupid) things we have all done or can relate to in relationships, and it's nice to see characters who actually grow in this film.

There is one fantastic scene which juxtaposes reality with Tom's expectations, and this was one of the most brilliant pieces of film I've seen all year.

Once the viewer can accept that Summer will definitely not end up with Tom in the film (it's hard to believe even though we're told the film is not a love story, and we're as blind as Tom when it comes to looking at Summer), the story becomes a font of possibilities. At a certain point I wanted to start pushing Tom to forget about her and go do his own thing, which he does, admirably. But only after several days of living in his bathrobe and going down to the convenience store in his slippers to buy bourbon and twinkies.

The film does toss the viewer one romantic bone at the end, and while it caps the film nicely it does seem to be overly predictable and disappointing compared to the 90 minutes that precede it.

Overall, this was a refreshing, funny, and very enjoyable film. It's probably not necessary to catch it in theaters, but there is a scene which highlights some of L.A.'s architecture that is nice to see on the big screen.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

San Francisco Half Marathon 2009 Race Report


I know this is a little late, but I was waiting for official photos. I'm getting super skinny (I've dropped a few pounds since this race as well) and my parents have been bugging me for running photos. . . so I might as well get ones where I'm looking damn good if I'm going to pay through the nose for them. . . .

Wow. This was an awesome experience. I'd never run a race out-of-driving-distance from my home before, and I was pretty ambitious in my goal setting (2:30:00 was my goal time). This was the most challenging half marathon I've ever run, yet the most satisfying and the one with the best recovery. I was energized when I finished the race, and wasn't even sore or tired. I was a bit stiff afterwards, but the next day I went to yoga and was just fine. I also PR'd (personal record) on this race: 2:37:07. So I was very satisfied with my performance.

I drove up a couple days before the race, and my good friend Krista ran it with me. We split up a mile or so into it because my leg was nagging me (it tends to do that the first few miles, and then after I'm warmed up it's fine and I really start to pick up the pace).

It was really cold that morning and if I had known better I would have brought warmer clothes overall. The race also started earlier than the other two half marathons I've run. By the time we were shuttled back to downtown it had turned into a nice day.

As far as races go, it was very well organized and well run. The recovery goodies were great and I really liked the Cytomax energy drink they used. The flavor is light and not too sweet.

I distinctly remember either missing some of the mile markers or they just weren't there. . . .however, there were witty sayings put up along parts of the route, which provided lots of amusement to the crowd of runners (Such as Confucious' saying "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step").

The best part of the race was going over the Golden Gate Bridge. Man, what a beautiful memory. The bridge was wreathed in fog, and three lanes had been closed off for us (two for running, the other to provide a buffer between us and traffic). Sometimes cars would honk at us in support, which was nice. But mostly the only sound you could hear was the sound of cars whizzing past and runners' shuffling feet.

After getting over the bridge and back, the race dropped us down to Golden Gate Park. I knew there were hills in San Francisco, but the big hills were nothing compared to the little rolling hills. Talk about demoralizing. I ended up having to walk part of this section just because I was so sad about getting so close to the finish and having to run up and down these little rollers. Also the mile markers were getting spotty in the park and I would see a lot of finishers walking around, so for the last mile I was wondering where the hell the finish line was. Not necessarily a problem with the race, but it was frustrating to round yet another turn and see nothing.

The line to get my California Dreamin' Medal and Jacket was pretty long - I waited over an hour. I saw my friend Krista finish a few minutes after me (I had passed her after the bridge, and she opted to walk up the big hill after the bridge. I was still feeling strong enough to keep going) and we ended up meeting back at the hotel.

The line to the shuttles was pretty long too; another 45 minute wait. A few runners and myself were amused at one runner who was taking a smoking break in the park. Wow. Just wow.

Overall I had a great experience and definitely recommend this race. You see a great deal of San Francisco and there's nothing quite like the achievement of running over the Golden Gate Bridge twice in one day to make you feel like you've accomplished something rare and fantastic.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Signals

One of the reasons I've kind of dropped off the blogging map is that I've taken up Argentine Tango. I've had a lot of fun and I'm learning a lot.

One thing about social dance is you learn a whole new way of communication with your partner. All of the things in Argentine Tango, all of the fancy stuff you see, is all communicated through signals the lead gives the follower. It's not magic, it's a very complicated bit of non-verbal communication going on there.

I think the lessons I've learned on the dance floor can definitely be applied to real life in general and relationships specifically. If the follower doesn't know what a signal means, the message will be lost and the lead will have to give up executing whatever he/she had in mind. (Yes, a woman can lead in Tango) At milognas I've definitely been inept enough to miss a signal or two. And I can instantly tell who the good leads are after a dance or two with them. Or at least if I like the way they lead me. :)

I've heard of some ballroom dancers who are good enough to "carry" their partners and disguise any skill deficiencies. Not so in Tango. In Tango, you can only be as good as the weakest partner. Good thing I follow well.

Coincidence or Fate?

I definitely think people look for patterns in their lives. After all, with so much chaos, isn't it only logical that we would want to find some sense in all that muck?

I've recently met someone, who, at this point, I think our stars were aligned to meet.

God that sounds so hokey.

He lives not far from one of my favorite places in Los Angeles, in a city that I dearly enjoy to hang out in. He used to work just a hop across the street from where I currently work, and I'm certain we frequented the same Coffee Bean and fast food "grill" for coffee/lunch on occasion. We both knew, not to mention have similar fond memories of a certain burger shack in Playa Del Ray. While we don't work in the same industry, we do have similar degrees and similar skills. Not to mention unparalleled chemistry on all fronts.

The whole experience of meeting this fellow just over a week ago has upturned my exciting single girl's life upside its head. And left me thoroughly confused. I never thought meeting someone new who was also compatible would be easy. I also thought I would be bored to tears by many more dates before I found someone I actually liked.

I don't often talk about my personal life on here, but I wanted to comment on how . . .spooky this whole situation seems. I was just talking to a coworker recently who mentioned how much Life seems to depend on "blind, dumb luck". If this just happens to be a cosmic fizzle in the grand scheme of the universe, then so be it. I have to say I've enjoyed the time I've spent with this fellow so far. But if it turns out to be something more, then I don't know what to call it.

As I've gotten older, the strange giddy excitement of meeting someone new feels the same, yet has also changed into something more nuanced and complex. I feel more cautious now if I really like someone, but I also hold a deep hope that this person might be my match. I've become more cynical with relationships, but still hold out the romantic hope that maybe one day I'll find someone (or he'll find me) who will be my loving companion on this great adventure called Life.