Back to the Drawing Board

On Sunday, I found out that I need to restart on something I have been thinking about/working on the past month or so. Apparently, someone else had the same idea I did, so I don't think it would be appropriate for me to do the same thing. Some people may get a little annoyed if I do.

So, I need a new sermon idea. My preacher essentially gave the sermon I was planning on giving. At least I have a few months.

Also, while grading the latest Calculus II midterm, I think I found a student who graduated from my high school. He had a very unique way of doing integration by parts--using a "Zorro box" (those of you who took calculus at Catoctin should know what I'm talking about).

Now, to finish grading these exams and maybe figure out something to do for Halloween.

Mission: Delayed

As I stated before, I knew this week was going to be interesting. Still, I didn't expect what happened.

First the good news:

• No one liked/did especially well on the complex analysis exam. However, the professor recognized the level of his exam, and "graded" accordingly (and also reminded us that grades are not that important in grad school)
• The PDE exam went from a two-day exam to a week-long exam. Thus, with less stress, I am actually making headway on the last problem.

Also, my church has a congregational meeting three weeks from Sunday (which means I'll be in Frederick County that weekend). I have done a grand total of nothing to prepare for it. I suppose I should get on that. And don't even ask about the sermon in February.
Remember: less than three weeks until the election. So if you're eligible, remember to vote. (And don't forget to educate yourselves on the issues and the candidates first.)

One Interesting Week? Coming Right Up.

Regardless of what happens in the next seven days, my life will be interesting. Whether or not there are any radical changes in my life due to the upcoming week's events remains to be seen.

Monday starts off with my first exam as a graduate student: a one-hour, in-class, complex analysis exam. On Tuesday, I get a PDE exam as a take-home, due on Thursday. Also during the week, plans for a meeting with a good friend from high school will (finally) be settled (hopefully).

On an uplifting note, http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=81308. Stories like this can give even cynics like me renewed hope in humanity.

Did This Really Have to Happen?

Well, the inevitable has occurred. The McCain campaign has made the conscious decision to go negative. Governor Palin decided to bring up one of the controversies against Senator Obama that was hashed out, and shown to be a non-issue, during the primaries. (So Obama met someone who was part of an anti-government organization decades ago. What about her husband, Jefferson Davis reincarnated?) I thought Senator McCain said he was going to run an honorable campaign. I guess that goes out the window when you are behind in the polls. To be fair, I don't expect that the Obama campaign will hold back for long. And so the last month of the campaign will go.

I guess it's too much to ask that we focus on the issues, and not innuendo. But this is to be expected, since people are so emotionally invested in their chosen candidate. This of course presents problems. We need to vote based on reason, not on emotion. Maybe this is why we're in our huge mess now.

The Past Eight Years

This says it all...



Only 110 days left.

A Tale of Four Re's

Reunion:
Friday morning, I ran into someone I had not seen in about five years. As I was leaving the student union after picking up a copy of the newspaper on my way into the math building, I ran into my academic rival* from high school. Unfortunately, she was on her way to a meeting or something and couldn't talk for long (she's working on her PhD in some field of psychology), but I'm confident we'll set a time to sit down and catch up.

Redecorating:
On Saturday, I returned to Rocky Ridge for a family dinner (and didn't have to pay for laundry this week). When I walked into my parents' house, I smelled fresh paint from my old room. Since it is being converted into the home office, my mom had it painted in coral (pink with a slight tint of orange).

Also on this trip, aside from seeing my parents and sister again (one month before she turns 21), I was sent home with two frozen pizzas, a quart of homemade chicken corn soup, three boxes of apple toaster strudels, two Hungryman TV dinners, a pizza baking stone, some dryer sheets, and a puzzle that acts as an election map (there are two pieces for each state, one red, one blue). Plus, gas was cheaper in Thurmont than it is down here for a change.

Rebuttal:
I also watched the debate Friday night. Since I have already made up my mind on how I will vote for president, I'm not going to try to determine who "won" the debate. I'm afraid my bias will cloud my judgment on that point. But I did notice how Senator Obama was able to rebut many of Senator McCain's talking points.

Redskins:
Redskins 26, Cowboys 24. A good day of football. That's all that needs to be said.

* By "academic rival," I mean, "friendly competitor for the highest grades in classes we had together." It was all in good fun, and may have immunized me from senioritis in high school.

Our Republic is in Trouble. Big Trouble

Apparently, the latest scandal to hit the Obama/Biden campaign deals with football. Not even professional football, mind you, but college football. Today, Joe Biden talked about how the University of Delaware was going to beat Ohio State this weekend. No big deal, after all, Biden is one of Delaware's two senators.

Unfortunately, the Ohio GOP chairman didn't get the memo about it not being a big deal. He said that Biden had cost Obama votes in the key state of Ohio.

Really? Is that how people vote, based on college sports preferences. I hope not, but others have observed how no one has lost money underestimating the intelligence of the American people. So either voters are going to vote based on a stupid "issue" or the GOP does not care about people voting on the important things (the economy, energy, health care, Iraq, education, the national debt, Where's Osama?, etc.). Either way, our republic is in serious trouble. We may want to start playing the Imperial March now.

But kudos to Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), who has supported Obama. I guess that just leaves my congressman, Roscoe Bartlett, as the only member of Maryland's congressional delegation to support McCain. Sadly, though, Gilchrest will not be returning to Congress next year. Hopefully the Democrat he endorsed will go to DC.

Also, President Bush stated the other day that the economy is undergoing an adjustment. Yeah, and the deck chairs on the Titanic underwent an "adjustment" during the wee hours of April 15, 1912, too.

Okay, that's enough politics. Now if I can stop with the deja vu I've been experiencing the past couple of days...