first day on the job

Yesterday morning, I attended a four hour human resources briefing for new faculty and professional employees which started at 8:30am. I learned everything that I might want to know about investing for retirement using TIAA-CREF. After the HR briefing, I had a quick lunch and then I started setting up my computer. Nick got it out of the work room and helped me carry it to my office. I put it together but Fedora 9 is still installing. I called the apartment complex and they told me that the dishwasher is controlled by a switch in the kitchen. Then I went to an ice cream social at 2:30pm. I didn't stay long, though, as I was working on installing Fedora on my computer. About 3pm I went to Walmart where I picked up some items I had on a list as well as some hamburgers and hamburger buns to cook for dinner.

When I got home, I ran the dishwasher on a load of dishes and then cooked two hamburgers for dinner. Later, after dinner, I did my laundry so that I will have clean clothes to wear to work. Today I need to go to the state of the campus meeting at 9:30am followed by the luncheon for new staff at noon.

off to work

I am getting ready to go into work. While I was waiting for Lincoln to get up yesterday, I set up my computer. Later, Lincoln and I put together the one remaining piece of furniture. Lincoln and Swim helped me put all of my furniture together this weekend. Lincoln slept until about 10:30am yesterday morning, then I gave him apple turnovers and coffee for breakfast. We talked and I gave him a dvd-r full of music. He left at about 1:30pm. After he left, I went grocery shopping and bought sheets. Then I put four or five boxes of books into the bookshelf. Then I cooked a giant piece of salmon (1lb). It was so big that I had to cut it to make it fit on the Griddler. All in all, it was an exciting day.

moving part three

Yesterday morning, we slept until 7:30am. Then I cooked bacon and coffee for everybody. We put the desk together and then we went to SUNY IT and I showed them my office. Then we got a pizza and some groceries. We had some pizza and beer, then we went to the farm and picked up the stuff that I had in the garage there. No one was home, but we got the stuff and Swim fished a fish out of the creek and said that it was a black-nosed dace. He said that that type of fish is not tolerant of pollution so it was a sign that the water was clean. We brought the stuff back to Utica and unloaded it. Then we drank a little beer and talked for a while. Then Swim had to leave, he was headed to Binghamton to see his son. Lincoln and I went to the supermarket and got some steaks. Then Lincoln went to Walmart and bought me bookshelves as a house warming gift. I cooked the steaks on my Griddler GR-4 and some garlic butter rice in my rice cooker. Then we sat down and ate it on the wicker bistro set on the balcony. After dinner, I discovered that the dishwasher doesn't work. We sat on the balcony drinking beers until the bugs drove us inside and then we put together the bookcase.

move part two

I left the orphanage before 7:30am and completely avoided rush hour. I got to my complex at 11:30am, got the keys by noon and Lincoln turned up. We unloaded the Jeep, went to the supermarket and waited for Swim. Around 5pm, after the cable guy hooked up the Internet, we went to Walmart to pick up the site-to-store stuff. We picked that all up (it almost didn't fit in my Jeep) went back, and Swim was waiting for us. We unloaded. Then we went to Walmart, got needed things including a shower curtain, took showers, and went to the Albany Street Cafe for dinner. I had the chicken parm. Today we will pick the stuff up at the farm.

moving

Yesterday morning, Swim arrived at 6:30am with his van. I cooked bacon and coffee for both of us and then we loaded the stuff from my room and the kitchen. The Chinese kid who is moving in my room helped us load the two 45-gallon bins and the locker. Then we went to the Optimum Store, where I returned my cablebox and cablemodem. Then I Swim on a tour of campus and we had lunch at Robongi. After lunch, we went to Englewood and loaded stuff from my mother's house. Then we had dinner at Bangkok Gardens in Hackensack. Then my mother brought me home and I sent her home with my propane tank.

Today I plan to leave for Utica early to beat rush hour traffic and meet Swim and Lincoln in Utica.

packing

I will be busy with Swim tomorrow morning, so I am posting my Thursday blog entry now. I will probably post my Friday blog entry tomorrow evening. This morning I sent my phdthesis to my adviser to approve for distribution to the committee, signed off my workstation in the lab, packed up my stuff and came home. Very emotional. When I got home I tore down my computer and packed up most of my electronics including my cablemodem (more emotion). Now I am using my laptop and have it plugged into the building network.

I am a little distressed that I will not be able to watch FNC after I turn in my cable box tomorrow, as there is a week-old war between Russia and Georgia which threatens to ignite a wider conflict. Russia has been violating ceasefire after ceasefire and is careening toward military confrontation with the West. I learned that I can get FNC on XM satellite radio for one fifth the cost of cable, so I may pursue that once I get to Utica.

Tomorrow morning, Swim will arrive at 7am. We will have breakfast and the Chinese student moving into my room will help us load Swim's van with my stuff. We will have lunch at Robongi and go to Englewood to load the remainder of my stuff. After we complete that we will have dinner at Bangkok Garden in Hackensack. Sails may join us for dinner.

summer of thesis

The summer of thesis is over. Today I will send my phd thesis to my adviser for approval to send to my committee. Yesterday I read through the entire thing, making revisions. That took me four hours. When I get into the lab, I am going to review one of the proofs one last time and send the whole thing to my adviser. Today is also my last work day in the lab. After I come home from the lab, I will tear down my home computer and start untangling the power cords for my various equipment. On Thursday I will return my cablemodem and my cable box. I better remember to print my cable bill and my Walmart pickup sheet while I am in the lab.

For dinner I cooked skets in beef and skets sauce. I made it more red than usual because I wouldn't have an opportunity to finish off the jar of skets sauce before I left. It was good and I have some left over for dinner tonight. After dinner, I will pack up my pots and pans and dishes and stuff.

Here is the very last picture of me in the LSS lab.

overslept

I massively overslept this morning. I guess that I must have been tired, because I slept the clock around. Maybe I am just avoiding reading my thesis, which I must do today. I sent my adviser's comments back to her Priority Mail yesterday morning, so that she will have them when she checks the thesis. I can't believe that I am about to give me thesis to the committee.

After work yesterday, I took my car to the lab and got my books and my filebox. Then, when it was time for street cleaning, I went to Shoprite and bought some salmon. It came in two pieces. I couldn't find the lighter to start the barbecue grill, so I cooked the salmon on my Griddler GR-4, which I clean this afternoon.

I have to hurry and get into the lab so this blog entry will be short.

freaking

I am freaking because I have to finish my thesis by Thursday. That is because Wednesday night I am going to disconnect my computer with the subversion service and will no longer be able to check work in or out. Today, I plan to address my adviser's comments on chapters five and six. Tomorrow, I plan to read through the whole document. Hopefully that means that I will send it to my adviser on Wednesday.

Yesterday, I mostly slept. I had a Pepperidge Farms chicken pot pie at 2pm and a garlic and butter rice at 7pm. While I was nuking the chicken pot pie, I turned on CNN because FNC had yet another annoying show about the missing kid in Florida.

I am going to eat breakfast and go into the lab shortly.

last weekend in Hoboken

I didn't get much done yesterday. I got up at 6am yesterday morning, ate breakfast, and waited until 9am to go to Shoprite. At Shoprite I bought a steak, string beans, a six-pack of Sam Adams (to carry home in my backpack), and an apple turnover. I ate the apple turnover and took a nap until afternoon. At 2pm I cooked my steak and stringbeans.

I didn't get up until nearly 8 o'clock today. My clothes are in the wash. I believe that this is the last laundry that I will do before I head upstate, unless maybe I do one more load on Wednesday to make sure that I have clean clothes for the trip.

I am getting ready to evacuate this room and the time is coming. I need to finish up my thesis so that I can disconnect my computer and give Cablevision their crappy stuff back.

Happy Saturday

Happy Saturday. Yesterday I made a lot of revisions to my thesis, including finishing up the related work chapter and doing the dragonfire chapter. I plan to continue working on it over the weekend. On the way home from the lab, I stopped at the Howe Center. I gave a change of address card to the post office and had fish and chips at Colonel John's.

After I got home, I attempted to take a nap, but I was largely unsuccessful. I worked on my thesis some more and sent it to my mother to look at chapters 1-4. I am hoping to get my revised thesis to my adviser next week, before I disconnect my home computer (with the subversion server) for the move on Thursday. If I don't, then it will have to wait until I get to SUNY IT.

It was a great day on Wall Street with the Dow up more than 300 points and the price of oil falling below $115/bbl.