So. Life. Let me talk to you about life.
Jan. 18th, 2007 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackofallgeeksIt's going alright, actually. I've become accustomed to my room, though it's only now half-set up and really quite messy. Books, clothes, and trash are scattered fairly evenly over the whole of the floor, though it seems each faction has decided, for the moment, to gather in a different corner, which suits me just fine as it makes room for my bed -- by which, er, I mean the sleeping bag and several blankets that I've been sleeping on. And Annie, love her, is still set up on some over-turned moving boxes.
All of this should begin to change though tomorrow. A guy is going to help me move my old kitchen table out of storage, and this will become my desk. Then I will get my futon mattress from Laurel, and that will be my bed. I'll set my books up in some reasonable fashion and, hopefully, find somewhere that I can keep my clothes generally neat -- or at least in more-distinct 'clean' and 'dirty' piles. Anyways, I like it here, which is good -- my room is and ever has been my sanctuary.
School is going well enough, considering. I have two classes right now, plus my thesis research. My first class is a very interesting, practical look at software vulnerabilities, and the homeworks and projects for that class are very much like solving puzzles. I love it. My only complaint is that I really, *really* wish I had Linux machine; it would make said puzzles so much less... troublesome to solve. The more I learn about the computers, the more I hate Windows for what it won't let me do. My other class is kind of a standard theoretical class. Not boring, per se, but not that engaging, either.
There are a couple issues, though. Firstly, a full load is four classes and (including my thesis research), I only have 3 right now. This is because the professor for my 4th class has decided to not offer it again until after my scheduled graduation date. Which would be fine by me -- I didn't really want to take that class, anyways -- except that it's a core requirement. Lucky for me, he was 'kind' enough to offer the few students who'd signed up the opportunity to do a self-study type thing. Unfortunately, the procedure for getting something like that involves a lot of footwork and getting signatures from very important, very busy, very uninterested people. Add to that the little DC trip I was made to take, and my time was cut very short. This morning I got the paper to the last secretary (she's actually much more than a secretary, and a wonderful, helpful woman) who said she'd get the signature and fax the sheet over to the registrar. Which is very good, because today was the last day to add or drop courses.
And on top of that, I can't get my thesis advisor to meet with me so we can establish, you know, exactly what it is I'm researching.
Finances are giving me a little bit of a headache, too. I owe lots of money on credit cards, not to mention student loans (though those are mercifully deferred until I graduate). And on top of that I accidentally spent the money mom reimbursed me for picking up some Christmas gifts, instead of paying it to my credit card. That's not going to ruin my finances -- part of the point is I didn't notice -- but it was foolish of me and I should have been paying more attention, and the fact that I messed up bothers me more than whether or not there will be any real consequences. I'm not really a perfectionist, though I'll admit that I have moderately high expectations for myself, but even at that you'd think I could get simple things like that done. Never mind that I still live fairly well for being a young, fulltime student, and never mind the fact that I'm still generally unconcerned with going to the MtG Prerelease this weekend (which is going to cost me upwards of $50 or $60, easy). None of that's the point.
There were a couple more points I wanted to touch on -- my aspirations to keep in better, more personal contact with those I would call friends, and the last few days' onset of ennui and dysphoria -- but I find I am far, far more tired than I realized. And there's still a few things I wanted to take care of before bed. So, I'll end this here, and maybe write more later.
All of this should begin to change though tomorrow. A guy is going to help me move my old kitchen table out of storage, and this will become my desk. Then I will get my futon mattress from Laurel, and that will be my bed. I'll set my books up in some reasonable fashion and, hopefully, find somewhere that I can keep my clothes generally neat -- or at least in more-distinct 'clean' and 'dirty' piles. Anyways, I like it here, which is good -- my room is and ever has been my sanctuary.
School is going well enough, considering. I have two classes right now, plus my thesis research. My first class is a very interesting, practical look at software vulnerabilities, and the homeworks and projects for that class are very much like solving puzzles. I love it. My only complaint is that I really, *really* wish I had Linux machine; it would make said puzzles so much less... troublesome to solve. The more I learn about the computers, the more I hate Windows for what it won't let me do. My other class is kind of a standard theoretical class. Not boring, per se, but not that engaging, either.
There are a couple issues, though. Firstly, a full load is four classes and (including my thesis research), I only have 3 right now. This is because the professor for my 4th class has decided to not offer it again until after my scheduled graduation date. Which would be fine by me -- I didn't really want to take that class, anyways -- except that it's a core requirement. Lucky for me, he was 'kind' enough to offer the few students who'd signed up the opportunity to do a self-study type thing. Unfortunately, the procedure for getting something like that involves a lot of footwork and getting signatures from very important, very busy, very uninterested people. Add to that the little DC trip I was made to take, and my time was cut very short. This morning I got the paper to the last secretary (she's actually much more than a secretary, and a wonderful, helpful woman) who said she'd get the signature and fax the sheet over to the registrar. Which is very good, because today was the last day to add or drop courses.
And on top of that, I can't get my thesis advisor to meet with me so we can establish, you know, exactly what it is I'm researching.
Finances are giving me a little bit of a headache, too. I owe lots of money on credit cards, not to mention student loans (though those are mercifully deferred until I graduate). And on top of that I accidentally spent the money mom reimbursed me for picking up some Christmas gifts, instead of paying it to my credit card. That's not going to ruin my finances -- part of the point is I didn't notice -- but it was foolish of me and I should have been paying more attention, and the fact that I messed up bothers me more than whether or not there will be any real consequences. I'm not really a perfectionist, though I'll admit that I have moderately high expectations for myself, but even at that you'd think I could get simple things like that done. Never mind that I still live fairly well for being a young, fulltime student, and never mind the fact that I'm still generally unconcerned with going to the MtG Prerelease this weekend (which is going to cost me upwards of $50 or $60, easy). None of that's the point.
There were a couple more points I wanted to touch on -- my aspirations to keep in better, more personal contact with those I would call friends, and the last few days' onset of ennui and dysphoria -- but I find I am far, far more tired than I realized. And there's still a few things I wanted to take care of before bed. So, I'll end this here, and maybe write more later.
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no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 01:49 pm (UTC)[This is me helping you keep in more personal touch :D ]
Let me esplain... No, there is too much. Let me sum-up.
Date: 2007-01-19 05:37 pm (UTC)But when I got here to Monterey and tried to meet up with him to, you know, pay my rent and move in, he said he was busy and I should call back. So I did. Two or three times that afternoon. And then once more after dropping Gene and Anastasiya off at the airport. I never heard from him again.
I was lucky, though, that I have friends in the area, and Laurel let me sleep on her couch for a few days. The very next day I got up early and blitzed CraigsList again, calling some half-dozen or so people. I got a few call backs, and finally ended up getting a room here on Via Del Rey. It's a large house holding 5 or 6 of us 20-somethings, with utilities, internet, vague maid service, and most household necessities (like toilet paper) included. It's about 2 miles away from school, about half of which is downhill (which means coming home it's half uphill). I plan on taking advantage of this and riding my bike 4+ miles a day. Unfortunately, it's been cold during twilight hours and I've just been driving Bel in, but I will get better as the weather warms up. Really. No, really.
(BTW: naked time? Should I even ask?)
Re: Let me esplain... No, there is too much. Let me sum-up.
Date: 2007-01-20 02:35 pm (UTC)The naked time was my hint of keeping in more personal touch. I was being ironic and a smart arse, can't help it.
I'm glad you have somewhere to live that isn't Bel. :D
Ohhh.. and you graduate on my birthday. Innit cool?
no subject
Date: 2007-01-20 06:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-20 06:48 am (UTC)Though, I may have to name her new personality Eve, as in "The Three Faces of Eve (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051077/)." Which would be doubly appropriate, as I'm using the Linux bits for my Vulnerabilities (http://www.xkcd.com/c177.html) class...
no subject
Date: 2007-01-20 07:16 am (UTC)Good luck with that project as well as your classes!
no subject
Date: 2007-01-20 07:27 am (UTC)Linux is so very powerful once you learn it, but it does have a pretty steep learning curve.
And thank you for the well wishing; aside from getting myself to sit down and take the time for it, I don't anticipate having any troubles at all. I'm sitting here thinking, "I can't believe they're paying me to do this!" I think I may have found something I could build a career on...