Turn’s out I got an A in Statistics 2. One down, three to go…

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So, my test today was a piece of cake. I smiled for a couple minutes after I flipped through the pages to see what all was in store for me–I can’t just start on number one, I gotta’ know what else is on the test before I can start–because it was exactly like the practice test we were given as a study guide. My friend and I did the math this afternoon and we agree that we have each invested a total of about 11 hours in our Statistics 2 class this semester. Stat 1 was even easier–or less study-intensive–that Stat 2 was. I use the tense was because, assuming I didn’t actually completely bomb that test, I don’t have to take the final in that class. That works out well since my most difficult final will be occurring next week in the same time-slot as my Stat 2 final would have been.

Enough about school… My buddies and I didn’t make it bowling tonight because some of them seem to have trouble with procrastination and prioritizing things. Apparently, catching up on homework is more important that rolling. I see how it is. I can’t go next week because I’ll have a final exam on each day from Tuesday through Thursday, so that means I won’t be seen in public (except, of course, en route to taking a final) from some time next Monday until Thursday night. I’ll probably go to the Union this weekend and bowl a couple games, just to get it out of my system.

I just realized this post is exceedingly dry and so I’m going to stop writing before I decide not to post it.

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It’s been a bittersweet day. Bitter because my project wasn’t as spiffy as I thought after all. It turns out the software we use to draw the circuit has some restrictions that wouldn’t allow me to minimize the design like I wanted to. That was frustrating because it meant I wasted about 2 hours last night tweaking the design, not even knowing I was running headlong at a dead-end and because my project turned out to be around average (at least as far as I could tell by talking with other people). Hopefully, it’ll be more of an ego-shot than a grade-shot, though. I’m thinking I still have a good chance at an A in that class (better than good… I’ll be pretty disappointed if I don’t get the A). Sweet because I really understand the material for Data Structures and that means I might actually have a shot at acing the final (which is basically a necessity). I worked on the homework assigned in that class today and the solutions were fairly easy to visualize and implement. Now, I have to go study for a quiz that I have tomorrow. A good performance on this quiz is key because it will mean the end of that class for the semester (i.e., no final exam) if I do well tomorrow.

Little by little, I’m tiptoeing into the sunset…

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Sleeping habit update:

Same ol’ stuff. It’s 5 am and I’m just finishing tweaking my project that’s due tomorrow. I really don’t know how anyone else did, but I think mine has a shot at being the overall best project in the class. Basically, the project we’re doing is a competitive one where we have to design a digital circuit. There are two big trade-offs with the circuit: size and speed. The bigger it is, the faster it can move, but the smaller it is, the cheaper it will be to produce. So, 20% of the overall project grade is based on how well we can design the circuit for speed versus size. Not only is my circuit pretty fast, I’ve gotten it down to a relatively small size, too. The graders will multiply the size of the circuit (as in the area it would take up if it were actually being produced like a microchip) by the speed of the circuit (how quickly the output responds to a change in the inputs). The smaller the resulting number, the better the overall circuit.

Anyway, I’m pretty happy with how well it turned out. Hopefully, it’ll earn me an A. And now it’s time to get a few hours’ sleep before I head off to start hitting up office hours to get all the info. I can on the homework I haven’t started yet. Hopefully, the TA’s will be generous and give me lots of hints as to how the homework should be done, so I can get it over with quickly.

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I’m killing time in the computer lab before my next class and I feel as though what I have to say must be recorded. I just left the infamous “office hours” for my Data Structures class and, for the first time since I’ve been at UF in the CISE department, I actually had a pleasant experience. The T.A. that was on duty was very helpful with my homework assignment (I was having a few problems) and he spent quite a while talking strategy with me, so that I can begin focusing on how to ace the final in that class. Up until now, I had never actually even found a T.A. in their office hours when they were supposed to be there! I actually had a class a year ago where I spent the entire semester going to “office hours” about once a week to see if I could find out how I was doing in the class and I never once found a T.A. who could actually give me any information. Nevermind trying to get help on homework, they couldn’t even provide my grades on previous homeworks for me! I ended up with a C+ in that class, but I would bet that no one could actually prove to me that I earned that grade. I would bet that because no one could ever actually prove to me that they had any of my grades recorded for the semester.

Anyway, I just thought it was refreshing to have a good experience in office hours for once. Not only did I find out what I need to do to finish my homework, I also got lots of tips on how to do well on the final and an offer to come in any time before the test for help on practicing for the final, so I can perform up to my potential (the T.A. was shocked when I told him I only got a 50% on the last exam). One a side note, I think I know why I was so ill-prepared for that exam: my T.A. apparently didn’t relay the information he was supposed to about its format and how we should study. Apparently, there were several suggested problems to practice before the exam, but no one in my discussion section had ever heard anything about them. I think my T.A. needs to start sleeping more than 3 hours every 2 days.

Off to class…

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Today, my goal is to complete one problem from a homework assignment that is due on Tuesday at midnight in Data Structures. There are four problems total and each can be expected to take anywhere from thirty minutes to 6 hours (although the latter is fairly uncommon these days). I finished one problem on said assignment yesterday and I also intend to do one problem for each of the next two days, in order to have it completed and submitted in time. Here’s the thing, I normally try and get started on this stuff relatively early (a day or two), but this time, I started three days in advance. Why? The answer is frustrating but simple: I bombed the last test in that class and I want to make sure I’m learning the stuff when I do the assignments. Turns out I bombed my last test in another class as well (Discrete-time Signals and Systems) and, coincidentally, both of those tests were on a Friday when I had a project due in Digital Integrated Circuits. I’ve thought it through and these are the reasons I think I failed the two tests:

• I was ill-prepared for such a rough day, mentally
• I didn’t spend enough time studying the material for either test because I managed my time poorly for about a week before that awful day
• For the first test, I did not spend enough time studying the correct material because I didn’t anticipate that the test would be formatted the way it was
• Finally, I didn’t take a few minutes and study the basic concept underlying the material on the second test.

It’s a shame because, especially in the case of the second exam, I could have easily aced the test, if only I’d spent just a few more minutes learning the fundamentals before I dove into memorizing the formulas and “tricks”. The first test would have gone significantly better if only I had used another day to study for it. There is good news: I can probably still pull an A in Signals if I ace the final (which is entirely possible). There is bad news: I think the best I can do in Data Structures is a B, assuming the professor stands strong on his refusal to grade on a curve. There is a little glimmer of hope in that the professor is offering extra-credit for successfully completing one of the homework problems that is due on Tuesday night. I’ve looked over that problem and it seems relatively easy (surprisingly), so I’m hoping to net a few extra-credit points on this homework assignment. And, who knows, maybe he’ll offer extra-credit on our last homework assignment of the semester as well.

I just had another thought in reference to the word “tricks” above. Ironically, in engineering, we are required to learn “tricks” that are generally necessary to complete problems we’re assigned (at least given the time-constraints we usually operate under). The thing is, the professors teach us these “tricks”, so that they’re not really tricks, but methods we have to know. Then, if we haven’t memorized these “tricks” by test time, we will inevitably miss any question on the test that requires this “trick” to complete it. That’s how I bombed the test in Signals: I didn’t memorize a fundamental “trick”. It just seems strange to me that with engineering being as “concrete” as it is, we have to memorize “tricks” to complete the problems we’re given. The word “tricks” just doesn’t seem to gel with engineering as I saw it before I came to the university.

That’s enough blathering from me for now. It’s homework time.

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Tomorrow’s officially designated Sleep-In Day. I have a class, but I figure I haven’t been in ohhhhhh two weeks or so now, so why bother going tomorrow? Basically, all I have to do is get a 75% or better on the next quiz and I get an A in the class. I think I can pull that off. Basically, I’m right on target for the ol’ “4.0″ this semester, save one class: Data Structures & Algorithms. I have a 100% homework average, but my test grades are 71% and 50%. The instructor claims to grade on an absolute grading scale, meaning it doesn’t matter how the rest of the class performs, everyone’s grade is based on the 10-point scale: 90%-above is an A, 80%-90% is a B, etc. Needless to say, I’m hoping he’ll curve it a bit anyway. I don’t want to talk about that anymore.

Oh yeah, I’m sleeping in tomorrow. I’m pretty excited about that, too, because it’s been almost 4 days now since I last slept in. There’s just something magical about waking up because I’m good and ready to, rather than waking up because some electronic demon is screaming relentlessly at me in harsh, prolonged beeps. I got my room cleaned and my hair cut last weekend, but I never got around to cleaning my car and since it needs it pretty badly, I’m hoping to get to that tomorrow. I’m also going to go ahead and start studying for my finals. Now, my alter ego, whom I’ve put to rest for a short time, so I can succeed in my classes this semester, would be thoroughly disappointed in my for fending off the procrastination bug. I’ve decided I don’t care what the other me thinks and, by golly, I’m going to do well. It’s been a while, but I remember a time when I shacked myself up in my cruddy little hole-in-the-wall garage apartment for five days studying for finals and I actually did very well on them all. I’m hoping to pull off a similar miracle this semester, particularly in Data Structures. A friend and I have both decided we’re going to get 100%’s on the final–I’m doing it because if I don’t, I could end up with a pretty nasty grade in this class; he’s doing it because his ego’s at stake.

We played basketball tonight and, for the first time in a while, I played how I expect to play every time I walk onto the court. I was knocking down open jumpers, knocking down not-so-open jumpers, making lay-ups and, best of all, making some really nice passes when and where they needed to be made. It’s been a while since I felt so good about my own performance; hopefully, I’ll be able to do that again soon. On a related note, I saw three of our men’s basketball team players playing a pick-up game today at our recreation center. I have decided I’m going to try and run at least one game with those guys before the end of the semester, just to see what I’m really made of. I think I have between two and three weeks left to try and arrange something.

Bedtime is near and, as my mom has always told me, I’ve never been one to fight sleep when it begins to take over. I honestly don’t remember ever complaining about being told to go to bed. I’m sure I did at some point, but it was so scarcely an occurrence that I’ve blocked it from my memory. Good night to all, and to all a good night…

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It’s late and I’m not tired, but I need sleep. I just spent a few minutes looking over the script from what is possibly my favorite movie: Good Will Hunting. I was looking for a part where Sean, the psychiatrist, says “I know who I am!“, in a heated conversation with Professor Lambeau, but I’m afraid I was mistaken in thinking he said that. I’ll have to take a look at that scene tomorrow and see if maybe Robin Williams did a little adlibbing there. Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is that I’m trying to find a title for a post that I’ve been constructing in my head. I think I’m going to title it I know who I am. I don’t intend to write it tonight–at least not on my blog, although I’ll continue piecing it together in my mind–but I’m hoping to post it tomorrow. The general idea will be that I’m happy with who I am and I often wonder why other people are so adamant about suggesting (sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly) that I change my personality, or even my physical appearance. I’m starting to get fired up just thinking about it, so I’ll move on.

I had a great time tonight, playing Spades with some of my buddies; the same buddies I’ll hopefully be going bowling with tomorrow night. A local alley has a deal on Tuesday nights where you can pay a ten dollar cover and then everything costs a quarter after that–bowling, pool, shoes, hotdogs, beer (although I can’t stand the stuff myself)–so a few friends and I are going to start hittin’ that up on Tuesdays. We’re meeting at eleven, so we can reserve a lane and avoid the fiasco we had last week with trying to get a lane, but not wanting to pay the cover till we knew for sure we’d get to bowl. Anyway, I’m looking forward to it because I like bowling (especially now that I’m proud owner of a bowling ball and shoes) and I like hanging out with my buddies and making movie references and stupid jokes.

One of my professors finally posted the solution to our mid-term exam a few days ago. I’d been anxiously awaiting it because I was certain I’d lost points for something that I did correctly. Well, it turns out I lost points for stupidity. Not only stupidity, but stupidity regarding very simply mathematics. I basically had a little trouble adding and that trouble cost me about 1.5% of my maximum final grade in that class. Normally, I wouldn’t give 1.5% a second wink, but this class is graded on an absolute scale–90% is an A, 80% is a B, etc.–and that means I’ve only got 8.5% left to give up before I lose my A. That’s frustrating and I don’t understand why the guy won’t just grade on a curve like everyone else in engineering. I’m starting to get riled up about that too, so I think I’m gonna’ call it a night and get some shuteye before my classes tomorrow.

This week is going to be long, tedious and frustrating, and so is next week. Spring fever has gotten hold of me and I’m having trouble getting motivated to do homework and things. Hopefully, I’ll be getting that second wind here pretty soon and I’ll be able to tough it out for these last few weeks. Only about five weeks and I’ll be in Dallas again, watching The Dave Matthews Band and gearing up to start the eight-to-five routine again. Here’s to hoping for a smooth transition on the heels of a strong finish…

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I don’t own a calendar, but if I did, I’d mark “productive” on the squares for this weekend. That’s right, I actually did something productive this weekend. In fact, every weekend this semester has been productive so far. In fact, up until this semester, I refused to do anything productive on the weekends (including studying, homework, laundry, shopping, etc.) because “It’s the weekend and I’m not doin’ squat!”. Apparently, I’m a changed man. I’ve done homework on Saturday and Sunday most every weekend this semester. Now, some may argue “But Josh, you have a homework assignment due every Monday night. Of course you have to do homework on the weekends. When else would it get done?” and I reply “Why, Monday of course.” That’s right, I’m a hard-core procrastinator at heart; I just happen to be in remission this semester. I also did laundry this morning (although I have yet to fold it, but since I dumped it out of the basket onto my bed when I brought it in from the laundry room, I have no choice but to put it away before I sleep tonight; well, I could just drop it on the floor, but clean clothes have no place on a dirty floor). I also happen to be reading a couple of books right now and I’m really enjoying it. I’m taking guitar lessons (a big step in taming the ego) bi-weekly and I go to see a movie every Sunday night with some of my best buds. What? He considers watching movies productive? You’re doggone right I do! The cinema is a huge part of American culture. Not only do movies reflect the political climate and cultural characteristics in present-day America, they allow for a temporary, normally fullfiling, imaginary engagement to keep the ol’ brain stimulated and kicking.

Anyway, tonight I went to see Hart’s War starring Bruce Willis and some other guy. Bruce actually played a relatively minor role and did a relatively mediocre job in that role (although, for Bruce Willis, I’m learning that mediocre is pretty near top-notch). It was a decent movie, but it was also frustrating because it was difficult to pinpoint the protagonist and antagonist. That may seem insignificant, but it’s a lot more fun for me to watch a flick when I have someone to root for. The theme was good: honor. There was a good bit of irony that permeated the movie and a good irony is always nice to grab on to when I’m floundering for the antagonist. Regardless, it didn’t stink and it made its point, so it was alright with me.

Now begins “mid-term” week. This semester, I don’t techincally have any mid-terms, but I do have two tests, a project and two homeworks that happen to land on mid-term week. Actually, one of those tests is a “quiz”, which is a euphamism for test where I come from. Anyway, I think it’ll turn out alright because I managed to finish one of the homeworks early, that means I’m a day ahead of schedule right now. So, as long as the old procrastination bug doesn’t bite me, I should be able to function normally (meaning get sleep and eat occasionally) for the duration of the week. Then comes Spring Fling. I won’t go over all that again, but I’m about ready to be at Camp Chattooga in Highlands, SC already.

We had our last intramural basketball game today. Well, last except for the division-B playoffs (also known as the loser’s bracket) that start up after Spring Break. We lost by almost fifteen points again and we lost because we self-destructed again. Seems like we always played a solid game til around five minutes in the second half, then we just blew it. I think a lot of it had to do with chemistry–our team didn’t play so well as a team as we did one-on-one, or so we thought–and just the fact that we didn’t have any superstars on our squad. All in all, I’d say I came out of it all a better basketball player, though. I try and learn something every game I play. I figure if I win a game and don’t learn anything, then that game was ultimately pointless because it didn’t make me better. At least I can say that today’s game made me better.

Finally, I’d like to say that I find it hilarious that one of my old roommates saw these bowls with icthus on them (a bunch of little “Christian fish” following eachother around the outside of the bowl forever). He also bought dinner and bread plates to complete the set. I’d never do something quite that unusual, but I’m glad to say that I know guys who would and do on a regular basis. Well, I’m gonna’ fish out the last chocolate chip from my Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream (Bryer’s, of course because it’s all natural and it tastes stinkin’ awesome) and read a bit more from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and then head off to bed.

G’night

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Today’s exam wasn’t all that bad. I’m not sure if that was due to my level of preparation, or if the test was easy. That’ll all be in the numbers: average grade, standard deviation and whatnot. I’m thinking I did pretty well, which is unusual. Generally, after I’ve finished an exam in my typical Electrical Engineering (EE) courses, I feel like I bombed it and I’m hoping that there’s a chance I got the average score or so.

I had a guitar lesson this morning and it was a bit different: my instructor gave me a “work tape”, which is basically a tape with 90 minutes of stuff crammed onto it that I’m supposed to work on for the next two weeks. I don’t know if I’m becoming a better guitarist, or a smarter guitarist, or if there’s even a difference, but I’m definately getting a much deeper understanding of the intrument. Only time will tell if I’m able to work my newfound knowledge into some sort of musical manifestation.

Nap time…

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