Projects
The graphics project I refrenced a few posts ago is about to get revived for the next wave of (class mandated) improvements, but I keep coming back to it on my own just to make it look better or play around with a new idea. One change I already made is a better terrain generation algorithm, except for the fact that it has a terrible memory leak somewhere, but I am working on fixing that using some custom memory-management macros and functions. Both the terrain generation and the memory debugging process will make some great blogging material for my monosource blog. But before I find the time to post there, I’m going to have to finish my networking project, which is implementing a UDP server and client with my own checksum and timeout capabilities. That project might also make some fun code. Good thing I enjoy programming… I’ll be doing a lot of it this comming week. By the way, there are a suprising number of people in this major, in the Turing Scholors Honors program no less, that just don’t enjoy programming, and don’t plan on doing pogramming when they graduate. Weiiiird.
Summer Job
I’ve been playing phone and email tag with several people from Southwest Research Institue (SwRI) over the last week or so while trying to get a job. I just got the final call today. I have job!!!! A good one too. I’ll be doing programming, probably some little python projects, possibly a proof of concept thing. yaaaaaay!
My life has been a lot more normal since I dropped EE316. I still have spanish to worry about, and I’m kind of fretting over the Graphics test, but all in all I think I’m finally managing to get up to a solid A-B average. Its about time I make up those first 2 semesters. Elissa keeps life interesting, and provides me with daily breakfast company after my 8am class, even when she doesn’t have any classes that day. Today was the first day all semester we didn’t eat breakfast together i think: she had to go to some office hours.
I saw V for Vendetta at the draft house. Nothing better than spending quality time with elissa, a milkshake, and natalie portman. I wasn’t sure what to expect from V. Its gotten a lot of mixed reviews, but I have to say it was an interesting plot with good characters – and natalie portman was amazing as always. The Drafthouse was kind enough to show SNL’s natalie portman rap video just before the movie started. I thought that was a good addition.
EE 316
Its official – i just got all forms turned in. I have no more Electrical Engineering 316 class. I Q dropped it so i could focus on spanish and graphics.
Currently I feel very motivated to try to do perfect on my spanish final and get the A that was said to be “very difficult to get at this point” by my spanish prof. Getting a semester of A’s would make me feel justified in dropping a class. Lets see if I can maintain this motivation level and pull it off.
Spring Break: the ultimate study break
today’s accomplishments:
- drive to austin
- get parking ticket
- reduce parking ticket to a warning with my charming good looks
- see demolished mobile home blocking traffic for 7 miles
- search (without success) dorm for camera
- take and pass two EE tests (yay!)
- find another route home to avoid said 7miles of traffic
- search (without success) home for camera
- completely give up on ever finding that camera
- decide i’m going to play pool with erik
- end up at a coffee shop with no clue of where the pool hall is
- sipped a latte while chatting with an old friend (*flicks wrist*)
- missed being killed by only 3 feet due to female driver
… its been a full day
Thunder and Lightning
I hadn’t realized how long it has been since I have seen a thunder storm until it started pouring a second ago. Mike and I ran out to the front porch of Carothers to watch it, where we were joined by others who had come outside at 1 in the morning just to watch it rain. I think its been at least 4, maybe 5 months since it has really poured.
mmmmm texas thunderstorms :-)
Blue Bloated Backpack Breaks Badly
Well that Dell backpack that came with my laptop finally died. The zipper seperated from the bag….. stupid cheap nylon. I decided I wanted to try the messenger bag approach rather than a backpack this time around, so I ordered a “Victorinox Fudan” from ebags.com. The site said I’d get it tomorrow, but I don’t think thats going to happen. I do hope to get it before I leave for spring break though. Oh, and looks like I’ll be spending spring break in SA for most of the time after all, since the EE lab is closed except during thursday, and none of the cafeterias will be serving food.
On the academic front, I just got back my Automata Theory test with a grade of 35/40, the average being 27! Yay! If I can do just as well in Networks and Spanish, I’ll have an exceptionally good week!
Carothers Kitchen: revisited
We finally got into the kitchen last week, turns out the muffin man accidently locked the key in the kitchen and then skipped town to dallas. So on the monday after he got back I was able to get in and make some pie. But instead of the scrumptious pie I had come to know and love from my family’s cooking, I ended up making a healthy, low-sugar version of the pie. I had forgotten to to double the sugar when I doubled the rest of the recipie. So next time I get time I have to save face by making a new, better, correct pie. Classes have been ruling my life lately, so I’ll probably be making it after spring break.
current schedule:
Thursday – Networks Test
Friday – Spanish test
Friday:Saturday – Visit Elissa and hit the galveston beach
Sunday:Monday – Visit SA
Rest of Spring Break: Electrical Engineering work (the evil EE316 class)
