A project that I’ve been wanting to get off the ground for quite awhile is coming to fruition! A site strictly dedicated to geology news! Check it out. 🙂

I’ve written about this before, but it’s really sad that two people who were awesome friends at one point in history probably won’t ever speak to each other again. It’s even worse when the friendship ended for rather dubiously weak reasons.

Anyway, for some odd reason, I had an urge to try to start our friendship over again. Perhaps it’s because she’s been on my mind lately. Or how random things associated with her seem to keep coincidentially popping up. Or her best friend sending me an email that said she “missed having me around.”

After exchanging a few emails dealing with random science stuff, I asked her if she’d like to get together for lunch one day, just to talk, when I’m home for spring break. The response I received flat out rejected that idea, or even the idea of friendship. So much for trying to be mature and extend an olive branch. That makes one feel like crap. The tone of this email (as well as the initial email that set things in motion a year ago, or rather, killed them) and its negative message make it seem as if I did something to wrong her. Why is there so much animosity there? For no apparent reason too.

Regardless, the email this evening stated that “I am being direct and honest when I say that I have moved on in life.” Moved on from what exactly? Not to mention a recent email reply that said, “I’ve been thinking about you lately.” It just seems rather curious to claim to have moved on and want nothing to do with someone when still interested about the events going on in their life (i.e., consistently checking their webpage roughly once a week… according to site access logs). Because “moving on” somehow involves knowing what’s going on in my life. Whatever.

So however petty it may seem, I’ve decided to ban that IP address from this website. I think it’s better for both of us. Though I have no illusions that the ban is fairly easy to circumvent if one is dedicated enough, but it is peace of mind for me. And it helps her to actually move on. Of course it probably makes me look like a petty asshole, but I no longer care what her opinion of me is anymore. What’s the point?

After thinking about it for quite awhile tonight, I feel better though. I basically got the (final) answer I needed, and I guess I can move on myself, rather than still clinging to some false hope of trying to be on friendly terms again. It also solidifies my feelings and opinion of her, in an unfortunately negative way. Perhaps that makes it easier to forget someone. Perhaps that explains the animosity of her previous letters.

It looks like I did well in the student research competition. I just found out today that I won in my category (Mathematical and Physical Sciences) and will be going to the statewide competition in Sacramento at the end of April! Yeah!!

So I decided to take the time and compile a list of freely downloadable programs that I think most people should check out, given time and patience (and in some cases, how much they value their sanity). Sorry Mac users, this post is fairly PC-centric. Let’s begin! (more…)

Just got back from a jog in Golden Gate Park. There is something about hearing the wind gently blow through the trees and seeing bats fly above you that is just downright freaky, not to mention being one of the only people out going for a run. However, it was an awesome and peaceful sight, all the same.

Spring break is a mere 2 weeks away! This semester is flying by surprisingly fast. Though this might have more to do with that fact that I’m constantly busy. Next week is going to be pretty brutal: Petrology lab exam on the 15th, Volcanology midterm on the 16th and a Petrology lecture exam on 17th. I almost feel like my fellow friends who are on the quarter system at other schools. That alone would make a pretty intense week of finals.

Lucky me though, I am only on the semester system… this means that we can add more work! So on top of finding time for 3 exams to study for, I also need to write a 10 page paper in Engineering Geology and create a presentation based off of it, which are due on the 16th. Also need to finish a lab and complete a load of work for my group in Quaternary Geology for our grant proposal. Oh yes!

Speaking of presentations, I haven’t heard back from the Office of Graduate Studies yet in regards to my presentation for the student research competition. In the Physical Sciences/Math category, I competed against 3 other people, who were all grad students! I think I managed to hold my own though… 😉 I had quite a few people from class come to check it out and my sister even managed to stop by. That was definitely awesome to have support from both friends and family.

Information Overload

Regarding the overall title of this post, it doesn’t just apply to school, but to my whole life in general at the moment. I was thinking about how much information we have access to at our fingertips and how much amazing it is, yet also time consuming. For example, in my case, I’m a member of many different web communities. Among them: Kuro5hin, Metafilter, PhysOrg, Slashdot, and Wikipedia. Checking each of these sites involves quite a chunk of time (though at the same time I learn quite a lot from them).

I need to find out where I heard a quote that goes something like, “We learn more in a single day than a peasant in the medieval era did in their entire life span.” Sadly, what all this information overloading means is that the day simply isn’t long enough.

Cool! Just got an email: My presentation for the student research competition is Thursday at 9AM. It’s time to frantically work on my presentation!

I saw Tsunami Bomb on Saturday night for my thirteenth time! (That reminds me that I need to update my show list on this site) It was a special “bomb-squad” (as they call their fan club) party plus show. Being the incredibly dorky person that I am, I’m a member of this group and was able to buy a ticket for the pre-show event (which started at 4pm). They had something like 200 tickets available for this, but only 80 were sold. Evidentially, this is due to the fact that the show was in Petaluma (about 45 minutes north of here… and their own home town), while the majority of their fans are located in Southern California.

A similar event I attended for them last year in Southern California yielded a packed house. This time was pretty mellow, which was nice since it actually gave everyone a chance to talk to the band. Food and other goodies were provided and we all hung out for roughly 3 hours, before doors opened to the public and it was time to rock!

I saw A LOT of old friends that I haven’t seen in awhile, whom I’ve met through attending their shows… even people I know from Southern California. So it was kind of like a reunion for a bunch of us Tsunami Bomb nerds. It’s pretty neat to see people make a roadtrip go see a great band. I’ve done it myself a few times. 🙂

Their old bassist, Dominic (who parted the band on bad terms quite awhile ago, but I met “way back in the day”) decided to show up and check out the show. I haven’t talked to him in quite a long time, so that was great getting to see him again. He has his own band now (Love Equals Death) who I haven’t yet seen, but I kind of enjoy some of their stuff.. He also introduced me to his girlfriend and she told me about her band. I checked out some of their songs and they are quite awesome! Her band’s name is Gazelle. It’s punkish but has this interesting feel to it. If you’re interested in chick-fronted rock, check it out. For those who know my friend Janice, it is almost akin to her old band (though a little more melodic and with a harder edge), Get The Girl.

I also found a live video of Tsunami Bomb playing a song. You can check it out if you’re interested to see what I’m so excited about. Beware, it’s a 30 MB mpeg. Scroll down until you find the file by Tsunami Bomb.
PunkRockVids.Com Live Videos

School
So in school news (I decided to start breaking this down into sections since my posts tend to wander all over the place), I submitted my paper for the student research competition. I should hear from the Office of Graduate Studies this week to determine when I give a presentation on my topic that will be judged. I’m looking forward to that, especially since I think I’ll do pretty well.

Also, for some strange reason, I’ve also been thinking about a lot of strange physics type of problems recently (perhaps it’s something in the water I’m drinking?). One of them dealt with generators that produced energy based on tidal influxes and whether building lots of these would have some sort of negative effect on overall tidal energy. A nerdy thing to think about I suppose. Another thing I’ve been thinking about is something called Lagranian Points, which are points in space between two bodies where gravity between them is basically canceled out. It’s a pretty interesting phenomenon that I just heard about recently and have been reading about in various publications and articles.

After having some fuzzy thinking about all of this, I decided to email Maureen, who I know would have a lot to say on the matter and be able to offer me some unique insight. However, we haven’t talked in nearly a year, as our friendship basically came to a disastrous end. I guess I did it partly out of curiosity of these questions and partly out of some strange urge to talk to her again. She is one of the few people I know who I could ever have amazingly deep conversations with (I remember we stood in her driveway for 30 minutes one day debating over whether or not Pluto was actually a planet. Oh yes! That should solidify any lingering doubts you may have had over whether or not I’m a complete nerd). So I guess part of me misses those conversations and the friendship we had. It’s a shame that the whole dating thing had to get in the way of what was an awesome friendship and ultimately ruin things in the long run. I’d like to think we’re both quite mature people and able to handle that. Oh well. Anyway, she did write back and offered a great response that opened my mind to some new ideas on the subject (just like they used to).

Anyway, I think I’m being a little too nostalgic (perhaps it’s directly related to the fact that it is 1:20AM?). It’s definitely weird how you can go months without thinking about someone and then you just start randomly thinking about them again. The brain works in mysterious ways. Until next time…

If you’re a college student, it’s inevitable that the word “poor” will eventually become associated with you. I think for the most part I’ve managed, but this semester is especially difficult due to an intense school schedule and hardly any time to work. So I’ve been slowly watching my bank account dwindle, while limiting the amount of extra curricular activies that I do. Despite this, it still seems like my bank account is, erm… leaking. Serves me right for living in one of the most expensive cities in the United States.

The job with the California Geological Survey has apparently fell through, since state funding is basically nonexistant. At the moment, I have a few options on my table. I have some guitars I want to sell (hard to believe, I know) and possibly even my huge amp. At this point in time, I don’t think the band thing is going to pan out, and it’s just taking up space and money that could be used elsewhere. I’m also considering posting on craigslist and advertising for any sort of services for webpage design, since it’s something I know how to do and could probably make a few bucks off of.

I even applied at REI today too. While I hardly have any free time to work (and it will cut into study time most likely), it seems like a fun place to work and would be an environment where I could somewhat stimulate my brain, as I learn about various outdoor equipment. Unfortunately, the lady behind the counter said they are not currently hiring. I also briefly considered walking into Trader Joe’s, since they love me there and have said on many occassions that I am welcome back anytime. I think that is my “last resort” option though, since bagging groceries for 7 hours a day isn’t the most appealing task in the world.

Anyway, monetary issues have had me kind of down lately. Other than that, things are going alright. While I’m not a huge fan of rain, it’s amazing to walk around San Francisco at night when it is coming down. Hardly anyone is on the streets, few cars driving and things just appear so clean and crisp. It’s beautiful and peaceful. At least until you realize you stepped in a huge puddle and now your foot is soaked. 😉

Rock climbing at the gym tonight was one of the most fun things that I’ve ever had a chance to do. It was initially stressful, but Meghen kept working with me and offering support, eventually moving me to some bigger and bigger walls. I finally felt comfortable during my last climb of the night (which was convienently the hardest climb of the night for me). There is something about the thought of slipping and falling 40 feet that just isn’t appealing. Granted, the ropes and your belay person will save you, so that if you slip, nothing happens. But it takes awhile to get to that point.

My first few climbs, which were up a small wall were tense and I was nervous (hands were sweaty!), so it made it hard to grip some of the rocks, even with chalk. After doing a few climbs though, I felt comfortable on the wall and with the rope. Eventually, I decided that hanging in mid-air is kind of fun! It takes awhile to get over the feeling of “Oh my God, I’m going to die!!” Unfortunately I wasn’t able to complete the last climb of the night since I kept getting stuck on some slightly technical move and falling off the wall. We finally gave in since I was frustrated and my body was also EXHAUSTED from working so hard.

Meghen was pretty insane. Of course she’s been doing this for something like 6 years too. I definitely want to go back. The only downside is that membership to that gym is $60 a month! They have a student “discount” which only knocks $60 off of the normal initiation fee of $125. Ugh! I’m a poor college student, I don’t think I can justify that at the moment. 🙁 I might drop in once every few weeks though and just pay the walk-in fee. I have to say, it’s somewhat addicting.

Afterwards, we ate dinner at good old In N’ Out (which I’m beginning to think is like a church to me… I’ll explain that one some other time). Then we rented “The Motorcycle Diaries”, which I thought was a great movie. I’m not sure what I liked about it so much though, since the movie wasn’t that deep or particularly moving. However, it was filmed very well and it was interesting to see how Che Guevara started to develop his initial feelings and political beliefs and his empathy of others.

Anyway, it’s been an awesome and long day. Time for some well deserved rest!