Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
So What If It's Been A Month...
... since my last post.
I'M COMING HOME TODAY!
I have a quick breakfast with the other TAs from this quarter and our professor, then it's off to the airport!
I can't wait to get home to Raleigh.
I'M COMING HOME TODAY!
I have a quick breakfast with the other TAs from this quarter and our professor, then it's off to the airport!
I can't wait to get home to Raleigh.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Biscuits
Yesterday, among doing other things, I made Grandma's buttermilk biscuits for the first time. They turned out pretty good, and were liked by everyone!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Professor for a Day!
Yesterday I made my first foray into teaching... to a huge lecture hall full of second-year students! Talk about being thrown into the fire. I got to develop the lesson plan, prepare example problems, and teach the whole class (Statics) from start to finish. The topic for the class was the Method of Sections for truss analysis, plus a bit of coverage of the problems that had been on the previous day's quiz.
Altogether it went very well; I stumbled on one of my example problems because I was too into explaining one concept that I neglected another simple step in the calculations. Thankfully a student pointed it out and, after fixing the error and laughing about it a bit, all was well. I very much enjoyed the experience and am thankful for Dr. Van Den Einde for allowing me to give it a try. I'm hoping to do it again next quarter in the next class of the sequence, which is Dynamics (then Vibrations in the Spring).
Best of all, UCSD records a lot of lectures of undergraduate classes to publish as podcasts for students. You guessed it, there's a podcast of my lecture! For the so-inclined, you can find it here, lecture number 19 from November 5th.
Besides teaching my week was very busy with 3 different assignments and a midterm, and this weekend will probably entail just as much work. But, it's still beautiful in Southern California, so I don't have too be too unhappy about that.
All my best to everyone at home!
Altogether it went very well; I stumbled on one of my example problems because I was too into explaining one concept that I neglected another simple step in the calculations. Thankfully a student pointed it out and, after fixing the error and laughing about it a bit, all was well. I very much enjoyed the experience and am thankful for Dr. Van Den Einde for allowing me to give it a try. I'm hoping to do it again next quarter in the next class of the sequence, which is Dynamics (then Vibrations in the Spring).
Best of all, UCSD records a lot of lectures of undergraduate classes to publish as podcasts for students. You guessed it, there's a podcast of my lecture! For the so-inclined, you can find it here, lecture number 19 from November 5th.
Besides teaching my week was very busy with 3 different assignments and a midterm, and this weekend will probably entail just as much work. But, it's still beautiful in Southern California, so I don't have too be too unhappy about that.
All my best to everyone at home!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Pumpkin Carving!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Don't Panic Just Yet
I promise I haven't fallen into the ocean and been eaten by a shark, been attacked by a swarm of killer bees, or been kidnapped in Tijuana. I've just been busy!
More to come soon, I hope!
Peace, love, and banana pudding.
More to come soon, I hope!
Peace, love, and banana pudding.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tsunami Advisory
I've had four days of graduate classes and I think I just might make it through this program without getting too stressed, too overwhelmed, or too busy... Which is fine by me!
Thursday and Friday of last week were really not much in the way of barometer days as to how the semester, err, quarter will likely go. Yesterday and today, however, have been more like my schedule will likely turn out to resemble. I've now attended all my classes (which have changed since I posted my schedule previously - see below for the updated scoop) and have held my first session of office hours as a TA, which went very well. All in all I think that if I can stay current on my assignments (I have two already) that I should be just fine!
Here's a low-down on my classes for those who are interested:
SE201 - Structural Analysis - Very similar to the structural analysis classes I took at State as it will employ matrix methods, though it sounds like we will be employing a bit more computer programming to solve problems, which will be cool. The professor, Dr. Shing, seems to be very knowledgeable though doesn't do nearly as good a job presenting the material as Dr. Matzen did for me the last 2 years. Nonetheless, because most of the class should be a review, I'm looking forward to a new perspective on the topic.
SE212 - Steel Design - This class should be excellent. Dr. Uang (pronounced "Wang") is combining steel and seismic design methods into one class, two of the things I was most looking forward to learning about during this program. I had my first lecture with him today and I think, so far, that he's an excellent teacher - he did a great job of helping the class to visualize and conceptualize the essential design procedure, and I'm eager to really get things going in the class.
Thursday and Friday of last week were really not much in the way of barometer days as to how the semester, err, quarter will likely go. Yesterday and today, however, have been more like my schedule will likely turn out to resemble. I've now attended all my classes (which have changed since I posted my schedule previously - see below for the updated scoop) and have held my first session of office hours as a TA, which went very well. All in all I think that if I can stay current on my assignments (I have two already) that I should be just fine!
Here's a low-down on my classes for those who are interested:
SE201 - Structural Analysis - Very similar to the structural analysis classes I took at State as it will employ matrix methods, though it sounds like we will be employing a bit more computer programming to solve problems, which will be cool. The professor, Dr. Shing, seems to be very knowledgeable though doesn't do nearly as good a job presenting the material as Dr. Matzen did for me the last 2 years. Nonetheless, because most of the class should be a review, I'm looking forward to a new perspective on the topic.
SE212 - Steel Design - This class should be excellent. Dr. Uang (pronounced "Wang") is combining steel and seismic design methods into one class, two of the things I was most looking forward to learning about during this program. I had my first lecture with him today and I think, so far, that he's an excellent teacher - he did a great job of helping the class to visualize and conceptualize the essential design procedure, and I'm eager to really get things going in the class.
SE271 - Solid Mechanics - I was originally doubting the necessity of another solid mechanics class (after having seemingly more than enough experience in undergrad) but that all changed after attending just one lecture with Dr. Lubarda. The class uses tensor calculus, a branch of math I've never employed, so I'm very excited to pick up that new skill while applying it to mechanics problems. He also seems to be a fantastic professor, and I've heard good things from students that had him during their undergrad at UCSD, so it should be another great class!
SE290 - Graduate Seminar/Invited Speakers - I guess I lied about having been to all my classes - I've not yet attended this one, because it doesn't start until next week! However, the first presenter is supposed to be Ronald Eguchi from ImageCat, Inc., speaking on the topic of "Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Other Disasters: A View from Space." It sounds very intriguing - I'm looking forward to it!
SE101A - Statics - This is the class I'm TAing along with 2 other graduate students. It should be very straightforward, though it may provide the majority of my work during the week, as the TAs are required to complete the homework sets (which are optional for students enrolled in the class - homework isn't graded) in order to be helpful in office hours. It's all stuff I've seen before, though, so it should be relatively easy!
SE290 - Graduate Seminar/Invited Speakers - I guess I lied about having been to all my classes - I've not yet attended this one, because it doesn't start until next week! However, the first presenter is supposed to be Ronald Eguchi from ImageCat, Inc., speaking on the topic of "Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Other Disasters: A View from Space." It sounds very intriguing - I'm looking forward to it!
SE101A - Statics - This is the class I'm TAing along with 2 other graduate students. It should be very straightforward, though it may provide the majority of my work during the week, as the TAs are required to complete the homework sets (which are optional for students enrolled in the class - homework isn't graded) in order to be helpful in office hours. It's all stuff I've seen before, though, so it should be relatively easy!
Believe it or not the West Coast is under a Tsunami Advisory after today's magnitude-8.0 earthquake near Samoa. Here's an excerpt from the Union-Tribune article about the advisory:
Coastal areas of California and Oregon, including San Diego County's shoreline, are under a tsunami advisory from Tuesday night through Wednesday morning after a powerful earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa.I guess I should add 6" tsunamis to the list of earthquakes, sharks, wildfires, and poor drivers as things to avoid in California. (Not to make light of the serious situations that tsunamis like today's cause in the Pacific realm - it is sobering to hear news of the deaths caused by this force of nature.) Anyway, there's always something to look out for!Significant, widespread inundation is not expected, and estimates are that the tsunami will likely add no more than 6 inches to expected wave height locally.
Still, Ron Lane, director of the San Diego County Office of Emergency Service, issued this advisory Tuesday night:
“We recommend that coastal residents stay out of the water and boaters stay docked tonight due to the strong currents and choppy waters.
“While we do not expect any damaging waves or inundation, for safety purposes we are discouraging people from going to the beach or harbors and marinas to view the event."
That's about all for now - more to come later this week or during the weekend! Love to everyone at home!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
38-31
What a huge win for the 'Pack! Just wrapped up watching the game versus Pitt, trying to figure out what's next for my day. Ryan and Gil are cleaning out a fish tank they got for FREE, so we'll have some new, fishy additions to our household in the coming days.
Anyway, that's what's going on in my world currently. More to come about school, etc., in the near future.
Go State!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Statics, Snorkeling, and Water Polo
This is the story of my (quasi) first day of graduate school.
This morning I got up, showered, grabbed some breakfast, and headed for the bus. I started freaking out when the first bus, around 8:30, passed by because it was full. Having to be in class at 9:30 I was worried that if the next bus passed by that I'd have to try and drive to campus, try for a parking spot, and dash off to class. Needless to say, the 15-minute wait between the first and second buses was a bit uneasy. Thankfully the 8:45 bus was not full and I was able to get on board!
Statics, the class I'm TA-ing for, met from 9:30 to 10:50 in Pepper Canyon Hall. The class itself went really well, as Michael (another TA) and myself were introduced to the 100 or so students, then Dr. Van Den Einde covered some basic material. All-in-all it went smoothly, though we didn't really do much. After class I headed to the bookstore to grab my textbooks before grabbing the bus back down to La Jolla. Upon arriving at home I made a sandwich and then took a nice nap until mid-afternoon.
Ryan and I headed down to the Cove to do a little snorkeling once I woke up. As he had described it, it's kind of like swimming in a big fish tank with all the aquatic life you can see. There were lots of Garibaldi (bright orange, and the official marine state fish of CA), yellowtails, and rockfish, and you could see very well in the clear water - I really enjoyed it! It was my first time to try out my new gear that I'd picked up at Play It Again Sports, and most of it worked great except that the mask I got let in some water around my nose. I'm going to try and re-fit the mask before going out again. I'm also thinking about grabbing a disposable underwater camera so I can show you all how much there is to see!
After we got back, Ryan, Keri, Jon, and myself headed up the street a block to La Jolla High School where the UCSD water polo team was playing Loyola Marymount University. The match had been moved from the UCSD on-campus arena to the school because of some sort of mechanical issue in the on-campus facility, but it worked out really nicely for us since we could walk up there! Unfortunately we lost the match 7-4, but it was a good time and there was a surprising amount of fan support for the team, making a really fun environment.
We just got home and I'm probably going to make it an early night since I have to be on campus by 9 tomorrow for my first real class as a graduate student. I've posted a copy of my schedule so that everyone can have know what my days are like. Here's what each of the classes are:
SE201 - Structural Analysis
SE253A - Mechanics of Composites & Laminates
SE271 - Solid Mechanics
SE290 - Graduate Student Seminar Series
SE101A - Statics
More to come soon!
This morning I got up, showered, grabbed some breakfast, and headed for the bus. I started freaking out when the first bus, around 8:30, passed by because it was full. Having to be in class at 9:30 I was worried that if the next bus passed by that I'd have to try and drive to campus, try for a parking spot, and dash off to class. Needless to say, the 15-minute wait between the first and second buses was a bit uneasy. Thankfully the 8:45 bus was not full and I was able to get on board!
Statics, the class I'm TA-ing for, met from 9:30 to 10:50 in Pepper Canyon Hall. The class itself went really well, as Michael (another TA) and myself were introduced to the 100 or so students, then Dr. Van Den Einde covered some basic material. All-in-all it went smoothly, though we didn't really do much. After class I headed to the bookstore to grab my textbooks before grabbing the bus back down to La Jolla. Upon arriving at home I made a sandwich and then took a nice nap until mid-afternoon.
Ryan and I headed down to the Cove to do a little snorkeling once I woke up. As he had described it, it's kind of like swimming in a big fish tank with all the aquatic life you can see. There were lots of Garibaldi (bright orange, and the official marine state fish of CA), yellowtails, and rockfish, and you could see very well in the clear water - I really enjoyed it! It was my first time to try out my new gear that I'd picked up at Play It Again Sports, and most of it worked great except that the mask I got let in some water around my nose. I'm going to try and re-fit the mask before going out again. I'm also thinking about grabbing a disposable underwater camera so I can show you all how much there is to see!
After we got back, Ryan, Keri, Jon, and myself headed up the street a block to La Jolla High School where the UCSD water polo team was playing Loyola Marymount University. The match had been moved from the UCSD on-campus arena to the school because of some sort of mechanical issue in the on-campus facility, but it worked out really nicely for us since we could walk up there! Unfortunately we lost the match 7-4, but it was a good time and there was a surprising amount of fan support for the team, making a really fun environment.
We just got home and I'm probably going to make it an early night since I have to be on campus by 9 tomorrow for my first real class as a graduate student. I've posted a copy of my schedule so that everyone can have know what my days are like. Here's what each of the classes are:
SE201 - Structural Analysis
SE253A - Mechanics of Composites & Laminates
SE271 - Solid Mechanics
SE290 - Graduate Student Seminar Series
SE101A - Statics
More to come soon!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
On the Eve of Graduate School
Sort of.
Classes start tomorrow on campus, though technically not for me. It's worked out that I only have class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, though I do have to be on campus Tuesday and Thursday for the class that I'm TA-ing. So, tomorrow is the first day in that respect, as I'll be introducing myself to the 100 or so undergraduates who are taking Dr. Van Den Einde's section of SE101A, Statics.
So far this week I've attended two days of orientation and training for Teaching Assistants, as well as Structural Engineering departmental orientation and welcome events, all while still finding time to go to the beach - imagine that. I'll take my camera down there next time I go so I can snap some photos for you all so you'll know where I've been spending my time. Actually, something quite fun I've found, is that there's a large rock in the surf that you can dive off of (don't worry, the water is 8+ feet deep around it) when the tide is right. It's fun!
Everything is going very smoothly and I think that's partially to blame for not having much to write about recently. Perhaps more to come tomorrow once I can say more about this whole graduate school thing!
Late-day sun looking toward the ocean one street down.
Classes start tomorrow on campus, though technically not for me. It's worked out that I only have class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, though I do have to be on campus Tuesday and Thursday for the class that I'm TA-ing. So, tomorrow is the first day in that respect, as I'll be introducing myself to the 100 or so undergraduates who are taking Dr. Van Den Einde's section of SE101A, Statics.
So far this week I've attended two days of orientation and training for Teaching Assistants, as well as Structural Engineering departmental orientation and welcome events, all while still finding time to go to the beach - imagine that. I'll take my camera down there next time I go so I can snap some photos for you all so you'll know where I've been spending my time. Actually, something quite fun I've found, is that there's a large rock in the surf that you can dive off of (don't worry, the water is 8+ feet deep around it) when the tide is right. It's fun!
Everything is going very smoothly and I think that's partially to blame for not having much to write about recently. Perhaps more to come tomorrow once I can say more about this whole graduate school thing!
Late-day sun looking toward the ocean one street down.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The First Week
I'm learning to love the fact that college football starts at 9AM on the west coast. Wake up, breakfast, football. It's a beautiful way to start the weekend! I'm watching the Florida versus Tennessee game and I just realized that if I wasn't sitting here in La Jolla that I'd probably be cheering on the Gators in the Swamp. Nonetheless, I'm a Triton now, and I'm very happy with the decision I've made to move to Southern California.
Thankfully I got to spend most of the last week continuing to get settled. My days have been, for the most part, very laid-back - Keri and I spent time at the beach two afternoons this week, and I made my way down there by myself one day as well. I spent most of the day on Wednesday at the university-wide orientation session for incoming graduate students. It was informative and well-organized, plus I met a couple of other incoming graduates though none of them will be in my department. Those introductions will come next week during departmental orientation and TA training on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Yesterday morning I got up early and went hiking with Gil (a roommate), Mike (a former roommate in the house), and Burcu (Gil's girlfriend's roommate) at Cowles Mountain, just east of La Jolla. It was an early start to get out there and do the hike in time for Gil to get back for an interview, but we had a great time. The trail up was a moderately-steep, 2.1-mile out-and-back route up to the summit, and it took us only about 45 minutes each way... the last quarter mile or so was intense, though!
The views from the top were spectacular despite a bit of lingering morning fog, as we could see many of the surrounding peaks to the south, east, and north of the city - even all the way south into Mexico! We ran into a group of three older gentlemen at the top (there were a lot of older folks hiking up the easier, switchback trail on the front side of the mountain), one of whom introduced himself as former San Diego Chargers Defensive End Earl Faison. He was the 1961 AFL rookie of the year, and was on the 1963 AFL championship team that beat the Patriots 51-10. We all talked with him for a bit and it turns out that he was actually from Charlotte, NC! It was awesome to run into him up at the summit, and one of his friends was nice enough to take our picture. The hike down went well and we made it back in time to have some breakfast at Mike's place before heading home.
Today has been spent, well, watching college football and hanging out at the house... pretty typical for a Saturday in the fall. Ryan just got home from his Saturday morning practice with local high school crew teams, and we've changed over to the USC versus Washington game. It's been a great first week out here, and I'm looking forward to getting more engaged on campus during the coming week with my orientation sessions during the beginning of the week and the first day of classes on Thursday.
More to come from La Jolla in the near future.
On the way up Cowles Mountain.
The view looking back down the trail to the east.
Burcu, Gil, Mike, and the view looking west from the peak!
Looking out toward Miramar from the summit.
Thankfully I got to spend most of the last week continuing to get settled. My days have been, for the most part, very laid-back - Keri and I spent time at the beach two afternoons this week, and I made my way down there by myself one day as well. I spent most of the day on Wednesday at the university-wide orientation session for incoming graduate students. It was informative and well-organized, plus I met a couple of other incoming graduates though none of them will be in my department. Those introductions will come next week during departmental orientation and TA training on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Yesterday morning I got up early and went hiking with Gil (a roommate), Mike (a former roommate in the house), and Burcu (Gil's girlfriend's roommate) at Cowles Mountain, just east of La Jolla. It was an early start to get out there and do the hike in time for Gil to get back for an interview, but we had a great time. The trail up was a moderately-steep, 2.1-mile out-and-back route up to the summit, and it took us only about 45 minutes each way... the last quarter mile or so was intense, though!
The views from the top were spectacular despite a bit of lingering morning fog, as we could see many of the surrounding peaks to the south, east, and north of the city - even all the way south into Mexico! We ran into a group of three older gentlemen at the top (there were a lot of older folks hiking up the easier, switchback trail on the front side of the mountain), one of whom introduced himself as former San Diego Chargers Defensive End Earl Faison. He was the 1961 AFL rookie of the year, and was on the 1963 AFL championship team that beat the Patriots 51-10. We all talked with him for a bit and it turns out that he was actually from Charlotte, NC! It was awesome to run into him up at the summit, and one of his friends was nice enough to take our picture. The hike down went well and we made it back in time to have some breakfast at Mike's place before heading home.
Today has been spent, well, watching college football and hanging out at the house... pretty typical for a Saturday in the fall. Ryan just got home from his Saturday morning practice with local high school crew teams, and we've changed over to the USC versus Washington game. It's been a great first week out here, and I'm looking forward to getting more engaged on campus during the coming week with my orientation sessions during the beginning of the week and the first day of classes on Thursday.
More to come from La Jolla in the near future.
On the way up Cowles Mountain.
The view looking back down the trail to the east.
Burcu, Gil, Mike, and the view looking west from the peak!
Looking out toward Miramar from the summit.Monday, September 14, 2009
Living Arrangements
Here are a few photos of my room in its semi-unpacked state. More to come later of the rest of the house.
Looking in my room from the door!
Looking back toward the door - the floating shelves were already there!
The closet (same wall as door & shelves) and deep-set window.
Part of my closet.
Looking out from the closet into the room.
Looking in my room from the door!
Looking back toward the door - the floating shelves were already there!
The closet (same wall as door & shelves) and deep-set window.
Part of my closet.
Looking out from the closet into the room.Sunday, September 13, 2009
549A Westbourne Street
It's official - I live in California. I've slept here (549A Westbourne Street, La Jolla, CA 92037) for the last three nights, two of the three on my new bed. Let's play catch up for Friday, Saturday, and today's happenings:
Friday was a busy day of running about La Jolla and San Diego in pursuit of a variety of things to help me get settled. The first stop of the day after meeting up with Mom (she stayed at the Travel Lodge down the street the three nights she was here) was campus, as I had to go sign my employment contract for the TA job, get an ID card made, get some information from Student Health, and then talk to the graduate affairs adviser for the department. I even got set up with my own desk for holding office hours for undergraduate students - so cool! Mom and I grabbed a snack in the student center, stopped by the bookstore to pick up some UCSD apparel, then headed on to run other errands.
Next from campus was going to Big Lots to try and pick up a bed, which we indeed were able to do! I got a full mattress and box spring set for about $200, plus linens and a towel rack - it was a really successful trip! Mom and I cautiously made our way back to the house with the box spring on top of the car and the mattress inside, thankfully making it without losing either. We got back and got them in the room, putting the sheets in the wash to be put on sometime later. The turnaround was quick, though, and we headed back out to Target to pick up some shelving, toiletries, and other assorted items. We stopped through Wal-Mart to return an incorrectly-sized tablecloth that we'd gotten the day before, then headed once again to the house to unload. My room was finally starting to come together!
After collecting ourselves a bit we parted ways for the night - Mom hung out for a bit at the house before heading back to the Travel Lodge, while I went to catch both the women's and men's soccer games with Jon on campus - my first Triton athletic events! Unfortunately the women lost 1-0 late in the game, and the men tied 0-0, both playing San Francisco State University. In between the two games we went to Chipotle to get some dinner - I really enjoyed meeting Jon's friends, many of whom were former players from the women's team, and hanging out with them all night. Post-game we headed to TGIFriday's for a few drinks before calling it a night - it was, like I said, awesome to chill with them and I'm really thankful Jon invited me to tag along.
Saturday morning Mom and I got up to go exploring since we'd pretty much done all the organizing we'd needed to get done. I did a little bit more unpacking in my room during the morning, she worked on getting some airline details corrected, and soon we were off! Our first stop was Qualcomm Stadium, home of the Chargers and former NC State quarterback Philip Rivers. We drove on by and headed through downtown before taking the Bay Bridge over to Coronado. The views from the bridge were awesome - photo documentation by Mom over at her blog - and it was cool to check out Coronado since I'd never been before. We parked and walked along the streets, checking out the famous Hotel del Coronado before grabbing a bite to eat at Coronado Pasta. It was delicious, and I'm probably going to have the leftovers tonight!
Leaving Coronado we blew through downtown on the freeway before taking the back way through Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Birdrock, and finally on to La Jolla. We ended up parking along the water and walking for a bit before heading back to the house to watch some college football. We kept tabs on the State game via ESPN.com and were SO thankful that the 'Pack pulled out that 65-7 win :) Shortly after the end of the game and some overdue blogging by Mom we headed to grab some dinner in La Jolla. We actually went to the same place that Dad and I had dinner when we visited last spring - a delicious, tapas-style sushi place - it was awesome once again!
After dinner we soon parted for the night - I did a little more organizing before crashing. I got up this morning, picked up Mom at her place, and we headed to the airport so she could head on back home to Earl and Mimi. Our goodbye was short and sweet at the airport as we both tried to hold back the tears - no worries, I'll be home soon! Mom was incredible for the whole trip, coordinating our travels and making sure that everything went as smoothly as possible. I owe her more thanks than can be expressed for everything - Mom, you are truly wonderful and I am so glad we got to share the cross-country trip experience!
After dropping Mom off I ran by the grocery store - my first trip to a Vons - to pick up some stuff for breakfast, then came back to the house to make eggs and pancakes for Ryan and Keri. We sat around and chilled for a while after before Ryan and I went for a bike ride down to Mission and Pacific Beaches. He showed me all the cool places to check out along the waterfront and the boardwalk, as well as the boathouse where he works with high school crew teams. The boathouse is on Mission Bay and hopefully I'll get a chance to try out some rowing sometime - it's been since the Lake Wheeler day camp I went to in 6th and 7th grade that I've been sculling!
We made our way back up through Birdrock to the house and met Keri outside on her way to Target. We decided to tag along and I was able to pick up a planner and spend some additional bonding time with the two of them. I can't say enough about how much I like my roommates!
We've been hanging out since we got back, snacking on french fries and macaroni & cheese, organizing our thoughts for the upcoming week. Keri and I both start school back next week so we've been trying to get some stuff settled in anticipation of the beginning of classes. Oh, and I also just got an email from the NC State alumni group out here about a game-watching party for the State/Pitt game in two weeks - I'm excited to check it out!
That's all for now... I'll get some pictures of my room up a bit later!
Friday was a busy day of running about La Jolla and San Diego in pursuit of a variety of things to help me get settled. The first stop of the day after meeting up with Mom (she stayed at the Travel Lodge down the street the three nights she was here) was campus, as I had to go sign my employment contract for the TA job, get an ID card made, get some information from Student Health, and then talk to the graduate affairs adviser for the department. I even got set up with my own desk for holding office hours for undergraduate students - so cool! Mom and I grabbed a snack in the student center, stopped by the bookstore to pick up some UCSD apparel, then headed on to run other errands.
Next from campus was going to Big Lots to try and pick up a bed, which we indeed were able to do! I got a full mattress and box spring set for about $200, plus linens and a towel rack - it was a really successful trip! Mom and I cautiously made our way back to the house with the box spring on top of the car and the mattress inside, thankfully making it without losing either. We got back and got them in the room, putting the sheets in the wash to be put on sometime later. The turnaround was quick, though, and we headed back out to Target to pick up some shelving, toiletries, and other assorted items. We stopped through Wal-Mart to return an incorrectly-sized tablecloth that we'd gotten the day before, then headed once again to the house to unload. My room was finally starting to come together!
After collecting ourselves a bit we parted ways for the night - Mom hung out for a bit at the house before heading back to the Travel Lodge, while I went to catch both the women's and men's soccer games with Jon on campus - my first Triton athletic events! Unfortunately the women lost 1-0 late in the game, and the men tied 0-0, both playing San Francisco State University. In between the two games we went to Chipotle to get some dinner - I really enjoyed meeting Jon's friends, many of whom were former players from the women's team, and hanging out with them all night. Post-game we headed to TGIFriday's for a few drinks before calling it a night - it was, like I said, awesome to chill with them and I'm really thankful Jon invited me to tag along.
Saturday morning Mom and I got up to go exploring since we'd pretty much done all the organizing we'd needed to get done. I did a little bit more unpacking in my room during the morning, she worked on getting some airline details corrected, and soon we were off! Our first stop was Qualcomm Stadium, home of the Chargers and former NC State quarterback Philip Rivers. We drove on by and headed through downtown before taking the Bay Bridge over to Coronado. The views from the bridge were awesome - photo documentation by Mom over at her blog - and it was cool to check out Coronado since I'd never been before. We parked and walked along the streets, checking out the famous Hotel del Coronado before grabbing a bite to eat at Coronado Pasta. It was delicious, and I'm probably going to have the leftovers tonight!
Leaving Coronado we blew through downtown on the freeway before taking the back way through Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Birdrock, and finally on to La Jolla. We ended up parking along the water and walking for a bit before heading back to the house to watch some college football. We kept tabs on the State game via ESPN.com and were SO thankful that the 'Pack pulled out that 65-7 win :) Shortly after the end of the game and some overdue blogging by Mom we headed to grab some dinner in La Jolla. We actually went to the same place that Dad and I had dinner when we visited last spring - a delicious, tapas-style sushi place - it was awesome once again!
After dinner we soon parted for the night - I did a little more organizing before crashing. I got up this morning, picked up Mom at her place, and we headed to the airport so she could head on back home to Earl and Mimi. Our goodbye was short and sweet at the airport as we both tried to hold back the tears - no worries, I'll be home soon! Mom was incredible for the whole trip, coordinating our travels and making sure that everything went as smoothly as possible. I owe her more thanks than can be expressed for everything - Mom, you are truly wonderful and I am so glad we got to share the cross-country trip experience!
After dropping Mom off I ran by the grocery store - my first trip to a Vons - to pick up some stuff for breakfast, then came back to the house to make eggs and pancakes for Ryan and Keri. We sat around and chilled for a while after before Ryan and I went for a bike ride down to Mission and Pacific Beaches. He showed me all the cool places to check out along the waterfront and the boardwalk, as well as the boathouse where he works with high school crew teams. The boathouse is on Mission Bay and hopefully I'll get a chance to try out some rowing sometime - it's been since the Lake Wheeler day camp I went to in 6th and 7th grade that I've been sculling!
We made our way back up through Birdrock to the house and met Keri outside on her way to Target. We decided to tag along and I was able to pick up a planner and spend some additional bonding time with the two of them. I can't say enough about how much I like my roommates!
We've been hanging out since we got back, snacking on french fries and macaroni & cheese, organizing our thoughts for the upcoming week. Keri and I both start school back next week so we've been trying to get some stuff settled in anticipation of the beginning of classes. Oh, and I also just got an email from the NC State alumni group out here about a game-watching party for the State/Pitt game in two weeks - I'm excited to check it out!
That's all for now... I'll get some pictures of my room up a bit later!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tusayan to La Jolla!
That's right, we made it!!!
We started early this morning back up at the Grand Canyon, leaving around 7 AM and heading back down to I-40. It was a crisp 55 degrees, though before too long (about 2 hours) we were in the desert of extreme western Arizona and it was approaching 100 degrees! Crazy! The Mohave Valley was beautiful, as was the desert of California. I was able to take the time to set up a bank account, sign the master promissory note on my student loans (oh, fun), and arrange my next week's worth of appointments and orientation events.
Mom made great time driving, making it from the canyon area to Barstow, California - the western terminus of I-40 - by around 12:30. From there I drove us the rest of the way, taking interstate 15/215 south through San Bernadino, then I-5 into La Jolla! The traffic picked up as did the temperature (up to 108) when we got close to LA, though the drive was pretty bearable in all. It was exciting once we got closer to the coast, the temperature moderated, and I could tell we were getting close!
We got to 549 Westbourne around 3:30PM and I finally started meeting my other roommates. Gil, an '08 graduate of UCSD in biophysics, was there to welcome us and provided a huge hand in helping unpack the Blazer. It was so good to have everything out of the car! Mom also did a huge job in cleaning the floors and windows in my room - far more than I'd expected or wanted her to do but she was relentless and wouldn't take a break! Really, though, a HUGE help!
After getting most of the stuff unloaded and starting to get unpacked we headed to Wal-Mart to check out some mattresses (which they ended up not carrying at all - strange), but not before meeting Keri and Ryan, the other two roommates I hadn't met, plus Alyssa, Gil's girlfriend. Jon also stopped through en route to a David Cook concert, which rounded out seeing the whole 549 gang! While we were unpacking and showering Gil was actually spearfishing down at the beach and ended up bringing back some perch and a stingray - the stingray, long since dead, ended up birthing two baby stingrays in the kitchen... pretty wild but the fact that folks in this house go catch dinner on a pretty much daily basis is incredible.
Mom and I had a successful trip to Wal-Mart despite not finding any bedding, picking up some pillows, a laundry hamper, some nail clippers, a tablecloth, and some other essentials! Tomorrow the goal is to scour out some real furniture - a bed, a desk, and some shelves would be great successes. Additionally I think I'll be heading to campus to check in with the department, and we might even get a trip to the beach in if we get enough done in the morning.
It feels incredible to actually be here. I'm so excited to be living where I am with such wonderful, personable, down-to-earth people. They're all incredible, interesting, and I can't wait to get to know them better - I think it's going to be a lot of fun! Keri and I are making plans to go to DisneyLand as well as the San Diego Wild Animal Park (Jon has encouraged us both to check it out).
Enough on this for now... I'm tired and enjoying just hanging out with Keri, Gil, and Alyssa. More tomorrow once I have more details to share - perhaps even some photos of the place and whatever else Mom and I go see and do.
All the best from LA JOLLA!
We started early this morning back up at the Grand Canyon, leaving around 7 AM and heading back down to I-40. It was a crisp 55 degrees, though before too long (about 2 hours) we were in the desert of extreme western Arizona and it was approaching 100 degrees! Crazy! The Mohave Valley was beautiful, as was the desert of California. I was able to take the time to set up a bank account, sign the master promissory note on my student loans (oh, fun), and arrange my next week's worth of appointments and orientation events.
Mom made great time driving, making it from the canyon area to Barstow, California - the western terminus of I-40 - by around 12:30. From there I drove us the rest of the way, taking interstate 15/215 south through San Bernadino, then I-5 into La Jolla! The traffic picked up as did the temperature (up to 108) when we got close to LA, though the drive was pretty bearable in all. It was exciting once we got closer to the coast, the temperature moderated, and I could tell we were getting close!
We got to 549 Westbourne around 3:30PM and I finally started meeting my other roommates. Gil, an '08 graduate of UCSD in biophysics, was there to welcome us and provided a huge hand in helping unpack the Blazer. It was so good to have everything out of the car! Mom also did a huge job in cleaning the floors and windows in my room - far more than I'd expected or wanted her to do but she was relentless and wouldn't take a break! Really, though, a HUGE help!
After getting most of the stuff unloaded and starting to get unpacked we headed to Wal-Mart to check out some mattresses (which they ended up not carrying at all - strange), but not before meeting Keri and Ryan, the other two roommates I hadn't met, plus Alyssa, Gil's girlfriend. Jon also stopped through en route to a David Cook concert, which rounded out seeing the whole 549 gang! While we were unpacking and showering Gil was actually spearfishing down at the beach and ended up bringing back some perch and a stingray - the stingray, long since dead, ended up birthing two baby stingrays in the kitchen... pretty wild but the fact that folks in this house go catch dinner on a pretty much daily basis is incredible.
Mom and I had a successful trip to Wal-Mart despite not finding any bedding, picking up some pillows, a laundry hamper, some nail clippers, a tablecloth, and some other essentials! Tomorrow the goal is to scour out some real furniture - a bed, a desk, and some shelves would be great successes. Additionally I think I'll be heading to campus to check in with the department, and we might even get a trip to the beach in if we get enough done in the morning.
It feels incredible to actually be here. I'm so excited to be living where I am with such wonderful, personable, down-to-earth people. They're all incredible, interesting, and I can't wait to get to know them better - I think it's going to be a lot of fun! Keri and I are making plans to go to DisneyLand as well as the San Diego Wild Animal Park (Jon has encouraged us both to check it out).
Enough on this for now... I'm tired and enjoying just hanging out with Keri, Gil, and Alyssa. More tomorrow once I have more details to share - perhaps even some photos of the place and whatever else Mom and I go see and do.
All the best from LA JOLLA!
Grand Canyon Photos
My first view of the Grand Canyon!
Looking across to the mountains back near Flagstaff.
Big.
Looking west from the south rim.
A condor, I think!
The Colorado River is about 8,000 feet below.
Hopi Point, one of the overlooks we hiked to.
Check out how far down in the canyon the mule trail goes.
Hungry ground squirrels!
The sun started to come out - it was beautiful.
This was worth every mile it took to get there.
One of many photos that made Mom nervous!
Looking at some rapids on the river - it was so quiet you could hear them from around 2 miles away!
Beautiful red stone.
Shadows are getting longer as we get closer to sunset.
Mandatory mother & son photo!
A passing shower on the north rim as the sun starts to set.
Longer shadows as the sun lowers and some clouds form.
Looking east from Yaki Point.
The immensity is indescribable.
Sunset colors painted across the canyon.
Sunset over the south rim!
The canyon lit up for just a few minutes.
The sun's last rays peeking out under the clouds.
A beautiful sunset!
The canyon below starts to fall into darkness.
Elk crossing the road!
This was one of the coolest parts of the day.
The bull elk - enormous!
An elk's rump as a farewell to Grand Canyon National Park - what a GREAT day!
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