2008: An Odyssey of a Year

With just hours left to 2008, I figure it's time to reflect on what I've gained and lost over the past year. This is pretty much a summary of the year, so those of you reading this will probably not get too much out of this post. It will be followed by a look forward into 2009 (time permitting).

First the gains for the year:

1. I was able to serve the church as UCC Council President and Joint Council Vice President. And I was also asked to lead a worship service, sermon included, in a little over a month's time (*gulp*). I've been able to grow a good deal as a leader in those positions.


2. I was accepted into and started my time as a PhD student at the University of Maryland in applied mathematics. It has been enjoyable (and tough), especially my duties as a TA. I had a really good class (10 out of 17 of them got A's). I would like to say that I had something to do with it, but most of these students could have done well had George W. Bush been their teacher.


3. I have moved out on my own. And I'm actually within reasonable driving distance of seeing people. Thus I can actually have some kind of social life.


4. Not so much a gain for me, but in my circle of friends, there were three engagements this year. So congratulations to the couples.

Now, for the not-so-high points of the year:

1. Car issues. One tire and one heating core lost in the span of a couple of weeks (and probably from the same incident).


2. Relationship status.

And Christmas was good this year. I got to see most of my family (there may be a trip back to see the rest after the qualifying exam), and received some needed items (a new suitcase among them). Unfortunately, it appears that New Year's will be spent by myself, unless some of you want to distract me from the studying. I've already conceded that passing a qualifying exam after one's first semester is a bit ambitious, especially since my advisor told me the goal of a first year graduate student is to survive. I still want to take it to see what it's like, though.
So to the rest of you, whether scattered near or far, I hope that 2009 is better to you than 2008.

One Semester Down, How Many More to Go?

As of about 2 p.m. yesterday, my duties for my first semester as a graduate student were completed. My last exam ended at 10 a.m.; all of the grades for my students were submitted yesterday afternoon. The hardest part was getting all of the forms together to turn in to the undergraduate office in the math department (all of the students' final exams, a printout of the online grade sheet, and a printout of the confirmation email that the grades were submitted online to the university's system). Hooray for bureaucracies.

On a more pleasant note, I checked the car this afternoon and the coolant level is holding steady. Thus, I believe the car problems are fixed for now (as I knock on wood). The real test comes next week when I go home for Christmas. I suppose that means I should do some shopping and get cards sent out.

So after a couple days rest, I will begin studying for a qualifying exam I probably won't pass this go-round, but at least I will get the experience of taking the exam. So at 1 p.m. on January 9th, I will have nothing to do until spring semester starts on the 26th. If anyone is in the area, feel free to visit. Please?

Some Luck Would Be Nice

So the car has to go into the shop. Again.

The coolant level has been dropping significantly in the past couple of weeks, but not enough to cause the car to run hot or any warning light to come on. So I will take it into the shop on Tuesday to see what is wrong. Hopefully, it's not too serious. Otherwise, I think I may be relying on others for rides (I don't know that I could justify getting another car seeing as there is decent public transportation around here). We shall see...

On the academic front, one of my four classes this semester is finished, and another ends Monday evening. That leaves two more, one of which ends Friday afternoon, and the last one to end during finals week. Then it's time to grade a bunch of finals and study for a qualifying exam. Sigh, just 34 more days to go until I get a decent break (well, for a couple of weeks, anyway). I do believe the evening of January 9th will be interesting. Then I get to spend the break working on that sermon that I've invited many of you guys to. By the way, thank you to those who've already let me know if you are going.