Archive for the ‘Life’ Category
It’s March 17 already. St. Patrick’s Day. In one respect, it’s hard for me to believe that a lot of time has passed since I was in grad school (9 months), since my sister had her daughter (8 months), and since I got married (20 months). But at the same time, considering that so much has happened in my life in the past few years since I left San Diego, I’m surprised that it’s only March 17.
I have a standard set of things I always do: work, eat, sleep, play video games, ride my bike, and hang out with Christine. I also read when I get the chance (although lately I’ve just been reading about cycling). I am really enjoying my life, but lately I’m trying to do things that don’t necessarily fall in that set (in addition to continuing to do those things in the set).
For instance, I now have tangible fitness goals when I ride my bike, whereas for the past six months or so, I’ve just been riding for recreation (not that this is a bad thing, I just think I need a goal to keep myself motivated to ride more often). I want to become a stronger and faster cyclist, and I eventually want to enter local races. I’ve even gone as far as isolating an event in which I intend to compete (a time trial), and I’m training specifically to be at my peak when that even comes around.
I’ve also decided to learn a new language (I know, this is something that I should wait to do until my mid-life crisis, but I like to get things done before they become a problem). Right now I’m learning Russian, mostly because I’ve always loved the way it sounds. I’d also like to visit Russia someday, so it might come in handy to know some of the language.
I’ve mentioned in previous posts that it is a goal of mine to read more actively, and I’ve been doing that. I know I promised a couple of reviews for The Three Musketeers and Dracula, so maybe I’ll post them soon. I’m going to start reading Wilkie Collins’ Woman in White before the end of the month.
I went snowboarding this weekend for the first time in about 10 years, and I rediscovered how much I enjoy it. I enjoyed the trip so much that (unfortunately for my pocketbook), I want to go again before the end of the season, and get some gear so I can go frequently next year (I know I have at least one reader who goes to Mammoth fairly regularly).
I’ve been playing electric guitar in church for the past few months. Every other Sunday, I get up before dawn to meet the worship team for practice at 7:00 a.m. (this is earlier than I get up for work). I’m not complaining though; I love the experience and it is great to be able to play music with other musicians, as opposed to sitting in a room alone with my guitar, playing rhythm through a loop and playing lead over the top of it (although I believe spending time alone with my guitar is also necessary and good).
There’s not a real focus to this post, and I realize that. I don’t think I have much hope of salvaging this writing, so I suppose I’ll just conclude by wishing all of you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t forget to read the wikipedia article about the history of the holiday!
It’s been some time since my last update, and quite a bit has transpired since then. So here is a laundry list of what’s going on in my life these days:
- I graduated from my M.S. program at UCI. It was a tough process, and I spent a huge part of my free time during the Spring quarter preparing for one thing – a 2.5-hour date with destiny. That’s right, the real analysis comprehensive exam. After I had studied the hardest I have ever studied for anything, I took the exam on Monday, June 15. After taking it, I felt like I had failed (yet again). I conferred with a few friends in my situation, and they shared my feelings. I was mildly depressed after that, and it wasn’t until the end of the following week that I learned that I had actually passed the exam, along with all of my second-year friends. Needless to say I was ecstatic as this was the last step I needed to take to guarantee my degree, so I am now officially Todd R. Royal, M.S. (although you’ll never see this written anywhere).
- In addition to passing my real analysis comp, I also decided to take a qualifying exam in complex analysis (a test reserved for Ph.D. students), because I had taken the course and felt pretty good about my chances. Turns out I was right, and I passed that exam as well, sort of as a “hey, I’ve still got it” message to the UCI math department. I was pretty happy when I learned that I had passed that exam, especially since I really only studied for it for two days (the exam was on Wednesday, June 17, two days after my real analysis comp). I thought it was a nice way to wrap things up at school.
- I got a job. In my last post, I mentioned that it looked like I wouldn’t be able to stay on at Western Digital, but as it turns out, my boss was able to get a requisition for me to do the same job I had been doing as an intern during the school year, but now with a greater salary, benefits, and all the other good stuff that goes along with working full-time. The timing of it was pretty awesome – I finished school on the 17th, and I started my first day as a regular employee on Monday, June 22. So far, it’s been an awesome job, and a welcome change from the stresses of grad school.
- We moved. Since I graduated, it was mandated that we could no longer live in graduate student housing (makes sense). We moved to a new apartment community in Irvine called Villa Siena, conveniently located near “downtown” Irvine, just a block away from the 405 (which I take to and from work every day; the song by Death Cab for Cutie comes to mind). It’s also nice because Christine can walk to work instead of taking a bus. We’re still getting settled in, but we are really enjoying the new place.
- I became an uncle. My sister has been pregnant for the last several months (almost nine, in fact), and on Friday, July 17, her daughter Karsie Gene was born. The whole experience has been interesting for everyone involved since Karsie has a physical condition that has affected her in many ways – but she seems to be getting better and better every day. You can read her story at karsiegene.blogspot.com.
- I’ve been riding my bike a lot more these days. It has become a source of great enjoyment for me over the past year or so, and every time I go out I feel awesome. My current goal is to ride from Irvine to Point Loma by the end of the summer, so I’ve been ramping up the distances I ride in order to prepare for it. If you have a bike, or money to buy one, I suggest you get out and ride as often as you can – you’ll feel great. Also, if you have time, you should watch some of the highlights of this year’s Tour de France, which ended yesterday. It was an amazing race, and it has helped launch a very exciting time for the sport of cycling.
That’s about all for now. I hope to update more often now that things are beginning to settle down. Thanks for reading.
I’ve been pretty busy with school, doing homework and getting ready for the last finals week of the Master’s program. I have to take that real analysis exam again on June 15, so I’ve been spending a lot of free time studying to make sure I pass it this time.
That isn’t to say that I haven’t had any free time though. I’ve been able to ride my bike quite a bit still, play my guitar every so often, and last night Christine and I went to a MAE concert in Anaheim. The show was awesome, and we talked to the guys a bit after their performance. It was great to meet the band and hear more about what they are doing. I’m looking forward to seeing them play again when they tour to promote their next EP.
Work is going well, but it looks like I won’t be able to stay in my current department after graduation. I am looking into transferring to another department so that I can still stay at WD, but it seems like resources are stretched a little thin at the moment. I’ve also been looking at jobs at a few places in San Diego. So we may be moving back down south, but it really just depends on the job situation.
That’s all for now, but I plan to write plenty more after school is over.
Please take some time to visit whatismae.com and support their current cause: The House That Fire Built.
This is the premise of what I believe is a really cool idea: each month this year, MAE will be releasing a new song to support a humanitarian effort or charitable organization. Each song requires a minimum donation of $1 to download, which will go towards that month’s cause. Even if you can only donate the minimum (or even if you can’t donate at all), help spread the word by embedding the widget (see my sidebar) in your blog, your myspace page, or your facebook profile.
These three guys are great people and make amazing music, so help them help others, and you can get some cool stuff from them in return.
So, as of 7:00 p.m. this evening, I’m done with my fourth quarter of grad school, which is pretty sweet. It’s nice to not have to worry about homework or tests for a little while. I’m looking forward to this nice long break (one month, to be precise). I’ll be working a full schedule at WD (more on that later) for the first two and a half weeks and then heading on down to San Diego on Christmas Eve. If any of you are gonna be around and want to hang out, we’ll be there until January 1st or 2nd. Then it’s on to the winter quarter.
I’ve been working at WD for the past three weeks now, and it’s been a pretty fun job. I’m learning a lot of things about hard drives that I never cared about before, but that I find pretty interesting. As far as saving on hard drives goes, I get a pretty decent discount for each item, but there are some conditions to using it. Technically, I’m only supposed to buy hard drives for mysef (as in, not for resale), and I can only buy three of any given SKU# per year. Also, WD keeps track of the serial numbers on the drives sold through the employee store, so if there is ever a problem with the drive, maintenance or whatever has to go through me. So that’s the deal. I’m also guessing that if I buy a ton of hard drives all the time someone will catch on. But whatever. If anyone is really in need of a hard drive, I can occasionally help you out.
Finally, if you haven’t seen Coldplay in concert, you’re missing out on a whole different side of the Coldplay experience. We were lucky enough to see them on Tuesday, Nov. 25th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, and I must say that it was one of the greatest live shows I’ve ever witenessed. I’ve always been a fan of Coldplay, but after this show, I have to say that they are even dearer to my heart.
Now it’s time to enjoy my time off.
Well, it’s been about two months, but it appears my efforts to find a job have paid off: yesterday I accepted an offer to work as a part-time intern at Western Digital. The interview process was pretty intense (4 hours long, including a 90-minute test), but apparently I impressed them enough to earn a position. I’ll be doing about 15-20 hours a week writing software to test firmware for hard drives. I start next week.
Needless to say, Christine and I are pretty pleased. This is an answer to prayers (not just our own) and will certainly help out our current situation. Thanks to all of you who thought of us during this time, and please continue to do so as I begin work.
P.S. I’ve already gotten a few requests for discounted hard drives, so I’ll see what I can do. If it turns out that I have access to some type of friends and family discount or something, I’ll definitely let you all know (I only have about three or four regular readers, right?).
If you’re ever in Orange County with a decent bike and a couple hours of free time, go for this ride (if you do go, bring a good amount of water and a snack). I went today, and it was the best ride I’ve been on since I started riding around Irvine last year.
So, I’ve been keeping busy in school while still looking for a job. I spent the majority of today doing complex analysis homework (a 17-problem set, which is basically unheard of around here; most problem sets are 4-7 problems and take 6-10 hours to complete), but I managed to get in a tiny bit of job scouting. I have a few leads around here that I’m hoping will pan out…craigslist and CareerBuilder have been helpful in finding new possibilities (thanks to Mike for the craigslist lead). I’m staying pretty positive about this whole situation (thank you all for the encouragement), and I feel like this will end up being for the best.
In other news, I’ve been occupying my time engaging in conversation about political issues (both online, and offline), and reading things online (and in Time) to stay updated on what (in my opinion) is going to be one of the most important elections of our generation. I think the outcome of this election will shape our nation (and the world’s relations with it) for decades to come, and the changes made (or not made) will have very lasting effects on not only our lives but the lives of future generations.
On a semi-related note, if you are a California native (which I assume most of you are), I encourage you to vote yes on Prop. 1A, which if passed will allow the funding of a high-speed rail network similar to those found in Europe and Japan. You can research the details further yourself, but I have done a lot of thinking about this one and in my opinion this railway would provide a great all-around stimulus (economically, environmentally, infrastructurally [is this a word?], etc.) to California.
In closing, I recommend to all my readers to ride bikes more often, attempt tough math problems, stay informed on political issues (at least for this year), and listen to more Coldplay.
With regard to last night’s post, I’d like to point out that I’m not the only person who has been put in this position. Over half of the second year students that took the exam failed. Several of my friends have already left the program because they can’t afford to pay for this year or they chose not to. The ones that are staying are searching for some source of income in order to support themselves.
The outcome of this exam affected a lot of people, so please keep them in your thoughts as well.
Thanks.
Well, it turns out that I did not pass the all-important test I took a couple weeks ago. What this means for me is that I can no longer continue in the mathematics Ph.D. program here at UCI. However, I’m in the process of petitioning the school to stay on campus until the end of the year to get my Master’s degree. From what I understand, most students are allowed to stay through the end of the year, so I’m not to worried about the appeal process. Unfortunately, failing the exam means I lost my department funding (which came in the form of a teaching assistantship and fee fellowship), and the university will not offer me any other financial support.
So, since I don’t have any funding but we still want to stay on campus, I’m currently looking for a way to pay for a year of school. This kind of responsibility is really making me feel independent and maybe a little worried, but I think that a lot of good can still come of this. Namely, I’m hoping to find a new job that will hopefully help me decide what I’d like to do for the rest of my life.
Irvine is a good place to be for someone with my background, because there are a lot of tech companies in the area: Google, Broadcom, Microsoft and Blizzard all have a major presence in Irvine. Hopefully, one of these places can provide me with a part-time job to at least sustain us for this year. And it would really put the icing on the cake if I were offered a job that I’ll enjoy.
Keep us in your thoughts.