London, Day 9: Eying London

The London Eye is an observation wheel, the only one in the world. It is 135 meters (443 feet) high and provides an excellent view of the center of London. It's on the River Thames, across the water from the Parliament building.

I took a ride on the Eye, which lasted about 30 minutes. Passengers revolve slowly around the wheel in enclosed clear capsules. It's an extremely gentle ride, and it hardly seemed like I was moving. I don't have much to say about the experience, except that it was a breathtaking view, particularly at the top. Instead, I'll share some of the best pictures from my trip.

London, Day 8: Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus is widely considered to be one of Shakespeare's worst plays. We went to see it Tuesday night at Shakespeare's Globe Theater, a modern reproduction of the theater where many of Shakespeare's plays were performed.

The theater is round, with seating to the sides of the stage as well as the front. It is open-air, though the stage and the seats are covered. Those standing in the yard--the groundlings--get wet. Much of the play was performed in Elizabethan style, although the women were in fact played by women, not boys. The actors were enthusiastic, and the comedy aspects were played up, even though the play is a tragedy.

One of the interesting aspects of the play was being a groundling. While it was nice to have a place to sit, especially during the rain, I enjoyed getting up from my seat and walking down to the stage. The actors often used the area around the stage and interacted a bit with the audience. Mostly, they just pushed through the crowd. There was no directional lighting in the Globe--originally, the plays were performed in the afternoon because the highly flammable theater could not be safely lit--so the audience was clearly visible. My favorite part of being a groundling was doing a bit of interaction of my own. Apparently Elizabethan audiences used to throw things onto the stage. This may be the origin of the phrase "peanut gallery." Well, I didn't have any peanuts to throw, so during intermission, I grabbed a few brochures. When one of the bad guy characters came near my position at the side of the stage (he was just menacing one of the minor characters near the curtain and wasn't the center of the action), I participated in true Elizabethan fashion by tossing a wad of paper at him. He grinned and threw it back at me.

My professors, who were standing nearby, were extremely amused. So apparently were the other students, who were delighted to discover after the play that the thrower was one of their classmates.

While Titus Andronicus is technically a tragedy, with nearly all of the main characters dying in the blood-bathed fifth act, the actors played up the comedic aspects. The titular character goes quite convincingly mad (though it's clear to the audience that he's faking), one of the evil characters does an excellent job revelling in his vileness, and the emperor Saturninus is a hilariously childish weakling. Also, the bad guys sang "Hey, Saturninus" to the tune of "Hey Baby." And while several characters lose body parts, the play wasn't half as gory as the movie Titus which we watched before we left. In particular, the character Lavinia, who is raped and has her hands cut off and her tongue removed to prevent her from identifying her attackers, is not half as horrible-looking as she was in the movie. I think it was the twigs she was given in place of hands that made the movie version so disturbing.

Anyhow, the actors did a wonderful job. Afterward, I gave them a hand.

Coming of Age in London

Well, not coming of age in the typical sense. Rather, today is my 21st birthday. I am no longer a minor in any sense. It's sort of funny turning 21 in a country where the drinking age is 18, but it's not as though I was planning to go out and get drunk anyway. I wish I could have celebrated with my family, but I guess it will just have to wait. Meanwhile, I did have some ice cream to congratulate myself for surviving 21 orbits of the sun.

Here I pass the last major milestone birthday in my life for the next few decades. Only 44 years to go until retirement!

London, Day 7: Harrod's

Harrod's puts the mental in departmental store. It's huge, with seven floors filled with just about every kind of merchandise you can imagine. And it truly is a department store. There's an entire room devoted to candy, another to meat, another to CDs and DVDs, another to pianos and musical instruments, another to perfumes and so on. There are several restaurants, numerous lifts, and room after room of things I can't afford and probably wouldn't want to buy anyway. I saw a refrigerator playing Toy Story 2 on a screen set into one of its doors. So many luxury goods that have little practical use.

I did get some raspberry gelato. Here in London, you have to pay extra if you're going to stay in the store and eat your food. So I stood just outside and ate. I still think the gelato in Corvallis is the best I've had.

I spent a significant amount of time just wandering around, looking at all the crazy things for sale. I think I liked the room with the fossils best. (Yes, there were fossils for sale). A giant slab of rock with a palm leaf fossil in it would certainly be a pretty cool decoration for someone's living room. That is, if said someone had a lot of money to burn.

London, Day 7: The Globe

Along the River Thames stands the Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare's plays were once performed. Of course, this is not the original Globe, but a modern reconstruction, finished in 1997. It is true to the original--as true as can be when no blueprints or drawings survive and when modern fire codes prohibit certain features of the old building. The new Globe does have a thatched roof. While this was common in earlier times, London has not permitted this sort of roof since the 17th century, mostly due to the fire hazard. After all, the first Globe burned to the ground during a play because the roof caught fire from a cannon shot. The city required the building to have sprinklers to wet the thatch in case of an emergency. Still, despite the occasional anachronism, the theater is an interesting and reasonably accurate. There is even a yard in front of the stage for part of the audience to stand--these were the cheap seats back in Shakespeare's time. Well, not seats, I guess. Fortunately, we'll be sitting rather than standing. This has the added advantage of being in a covered area, unlike the yard. So when it rains, we won't get too wet.

This morning, the entire class went to a workshop at the Globe. It included an introduction to the building itself--we were taken inside and a bit about the structure and construction of the theater was explained. Then we all went inside, where our guide, professional actor and director Nick Hutchison, told us about the ways in which theater was different back then. For starters, they performed a different play each day, given that there wasn't an influx of new people into London ("There weren't busloads of American and Japanese tourists keeping your theater afloat"). This means that they had a few days to learn their lines and just three hours each morning to rehearse a three-hour play. Additionally, no one wanted to write out the entire script 20 times, so each actor received only their lines and the three words before their lines as a cue. These lines are written on a scroll which is rolled up, and are only part of the play (hence, apparently, "role" and "part"). There really aren't stage directions, either. So these performers go out, not knowing the details of the play, and perform it. Many of the stage directions and settings are given in the lines. When a character talks about it being night or dawn, it's because there's no lighting to indicate time of day (plays were performed in the daytime, and lighting would most likely have caused the Globe to burn down even earlier than it did). And if the character says, "Bring me the book in the orchard," it tells the other actor to bring a book, and it tells the audience that the setting is an orchard. Rather clever. It does mean that the actors have to be very quick on their toes, because they don't know when their cue line is coming, and they have to react quickly to stage directions in another character's lines. Furthermore, if the script calls for one character to hit another, the hittee might not know it's coming. I guess that results in a very authentic performance. Ouch!

We'll be seeing a play in the Globe tomorrow night. They cram a lot of people into that little theater--though only half as many as would have been there in Shakespeare's time. Speaking of crammed, the tube was absolutely packed on the way to the Globe. It's been awhile since I last played Sardines. I wasn't exactly hoping to ever have to do it again.

London, Day 6: A Rest and a Walk

On Sunday, I slept in and spent much of the day lying around, recovering from all the energy I'd spent this week running around. In the evening, I decided to try one of the London Walks, a guided two-hour stroll around a part of London, complete with stories about the history of the area. Well, the most interesting one running on Sunday night was the Jack the Ripper walk. We walked around an old, somewhat run-down part of London and discovered what transpired during the few months that Jack the Ripper was active. The serial killer, whose identity is a subject of fierce debate today, brutally murdered several prostitutes in a seedy part of London in late 1888. In addition to finding out about the murders and possible suspects, I learned a great deal about Victorian London. We were able to see some buildings that were much like London had been in those days--the roads were narrow and dark. For those in poverty, London was a squalid and horrible place to live. Many women, a majority of them middle-aged, had to work as prostitutes to survive and afford alcohol to drown their sorrows.

Of course, the entity responsible for these murders eventually ended up on Argelius III, where it was apprehended by James T. Kirk after killing several more women there.

London, Day 5: Birmingham

I spent much of Saturday visiting some friends in Birmingham. My former youth pastor and his wife had moved to England awhile back, and we decided to meet up for lunch. They graciously paid for my food, and we had a wonderful time catching up on everything. They showed me a bit around downtown Birmingham. We were downtown, where there were a large number of shops, a cathedral or two, an open-air food market, and a ton of people. Much of the area was closed off to cars, so there were wide streets to walk along. The city appears to be a bit more modern than the parts of London I've seen. It was interesting to look at the city, but I don't think I'd bother going back to visit again.

I traveled to Birmingham by train. It was pretty simple. I bought tickets online, took the tube to the station, got on the train, and that was that. I did have a little difficulty getting to the station. Parts of the tube were shut down due to engineering work, so I had to take the long way around. I actually missed the train that I had intended to take. Fortunately, trains run to Birmingham from London about every five minutes, since Birmingham is also a major city. And most of the tickets available are flexible--you take whatever train is convenient on that day. In fact, the return trip could be taken any time within a month. I guess this wouldn't work so well in the U.S. with our infrequent trains, but it was convenient, and something I wish we had available. I was also suprised that no one really checked my tickets. It looked like they were doing a few random checks, but I still have my return ticket because no one took it. In short, I love British mass transportation.

One of the interesting things about the train was getting to see the English countryside (something which is not exactly readily available in the middle of Kensington). Strangely enough, it looked a lot like Oregon. In fact, I was reminded of a train trip up the Willamette Valley that I took last year. How odd, that I should find something so familiar so far from home.

London, Day 4: Victoria and Albert Museum

I've been so busy that I haven't updated in awhile. I'll do a few posts to tell about what I've been up to.

On Friday afternoon, after going to Buckingham Palace, a group of us went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It's a large art museum right by the area where we're staying. Best of all, as a national museum, it's free!

The museum houses a fair number of sculptures, many of which are amazingly realistic. There are also paintings, plaster casts of architecture, copies of famous works of art, and other random interesting pieces. Some of the exhibits were even a bit interactive.

The rest of the museum photos I've uploaded can be found here.

London, Day 4: Changing of the Guard

This morning, a couple of us students went to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. When we got there, a large crowd had already gathered. Two guards in bright red uniforms with fluffy black hats were standing in front of the palace. They stood very still and occasionally marched back and forth very stiffly. There were police officers all over the place to keep everyone where they wouldn't get in the way.

At about 11 am, a bunch of guys in red coats riding horses passed by and entered the park. They were followed by a bunch of guys in red coats on foot. After awhile, the men on foot came back around and marched into the palace grounds. Then a marching band in red followed by a group in modern uniforms went around the street and into the grounds. The marching band was playing some pretty typical marching music. The men in charge of the red group and the modern group yelled a bunch, and walked around. Occasionally some other men walked around too. Eventually, the two guards were replaced. After that, the marching band began to set up to play. Strangely enough, they began to play a song that sounded like a modern soft jazz song--the sort of thing one might hear at a formal dance with good music (i.e. not hip-hop or rap).

The whole ceremony was long, thoroughly confusing, and hard to see because of the crowd in front of me. I'm enjoying looking at my pictures, because that's the best view I've had. You wouldn't believe the number of people holding up various recording devices over the crowd.

It's amazing, all the ceremony and ritual required to replace two guys. Well, I guess marching around in front of the palace every day in a silly uniform is better than being sent off to Iraq.

London, Day 4: Riding the Tube

I rode the London Underground for the first time today. It was far easier than I expected. We all received rail passes as part of our trip package, and all I had to do was stick the pass in a slot that let me into the station. From there, we selected the appropriate rail line and boarded the train. The trains were pretty crowded, but the ride was short. I noticed that the tunnels were very dusty. The trains come pretty frequently. When we got off, another train had arrived at the station before we left the tunnel. So to sum up, riding the tube is fast, convenient, and easy.

The view, however, is lousy.

London, Day 3: Class

I had four hours of class this morning. I'm taking two classes. One is Religion and Culture in Shakespeare's Britain, a study of the life and times of William Shakespeare. We'll be reading several of his plays and examining their relationship with the environment in which they were written. The other is Culture and Society in England, Ireland, and Scotland, which are the three countries we'll be visiting on the trip. So far, we've talked about the early history of England, beginning with the Roman invasion in 55 BC. Turns out that this little island has been invaded several times. The classes were relatively interesting this morning. Facinelli, the professor teaching the culture and society class, makes these great sarcastic comments. She told a story from the guide for the tour of London yesterday. Apparently the guide had once asked a bus full of schoolchildren who had invaded Britain 2000 years ago. Their answer?

Jesus.

Sometimes, Jesus is *not* the answer.

London, Day 2: The Rest of the Day

As you might have noticed from the many pictures on my flickr account, we went on a bus tour all over the main part of London. Turns out that London proper is only about a square mile in the middle of the city. The rest is technically Westminster. We saw Buckingham Palace (alas, the Queen is around right now, so there won't be tours), Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, the Thames, the Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Harrods, and the Globe Theater, as well as a bunch of other buildings that I don't remember because there were so many. I'm not even sure what all my pictures are of anymore, so if you know, be sure to tell me!

One of the things I've noticed about London is how tall it is. I'm not sure that I've seen a single-story building yet. Most of the buildings in Kensington are four or five stories. It's an odd feeling having all those buildings looming over me, particularly since they're so close together.

London, Day 2: Westminster Abbey

This afternoon, we all went on a tour of London. Specifically, we went to Westminster Abbey, the site of many royal ceremonies and the burial place of kings, brilliant scientists, and literary geniuses, many of whom I've never heard of. My first impression upon entering the building was how tall it was. It's over 100 feet high, taller than it is wide. It's in the English Gothic style, apparently, and it is extremely ornate. I have never seen anything so elaborate. The stained glass windows are quite detailed and colorful.

One of the amazing aspects of Westminster Abbey is its age. The building certainly is not modern; many of the tombs are worn. Another striking feature is how close people are allowed to get to much of the Abbey. Few of the tombs are roped off, though many are so tall that no one could easily reach them. I was very surprised at the accessibility.

Despite its function as a tourist location, Westminster Abbey is a functioning church. There are apparently services there, and during our tour a minister came on the sound system and asked everyone to stop and be silent for prayer. Queen Elizabeth had been there that morning to knight three people, and because of that, he prayed for God's guidance for the leaders of all the countries represented by the people visiting the Abbey. The whole place had a sacred feel to it. It was well-lit due to the profusion of windows, but there was little internal lighting. There were religious depictions everywhere. Interestingly, the abbey does not allow photography, out of respect, I suppose.

Westminster Abbey is the final resting place for several monarchs, as well as people such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Alfred Tennyson, and Geoffrey Chaucer. Many people were buried under the floor of the abbey, so I just walked on the graves of quite a few famous historical figures. One grave was that of the unknown warrior, much like the tomb of the unknown soldier in Washington, D.C. The Unknown Warrior was killed in World War I. The plaque over his grave commemorates all who the soldiers who died during that war. "They buried him among the kings because he had done good toward God and toward his house."

Another somewhat moving tomb is that of Mary I and Elizabeth I, half-sisters who were queens of England. Mary, often known as Bloody Mary, was Catholic and killed about three hundred Protestants as heretics. Elizabeth, whose reign followed Mary's, was Protestant. While she was not as harsh as Mary, she did return England to Protestantism. The plaque near their grave is in memory of those who died for their faith and mourns those who were divided from their loved ones due to the Reformation.

Many of the people buried in Westminster Abbey played pivotal roles in English history. Therefore, I learned quite a bit about the history of England while visiting.

I very much enjoyed my visit to Westminster Abbey. The beauty and age of the building left me in awe. I just wish that I'd had a little more time to take a closer look at some of the inscriptions--we moved pretty fast.

Also, I wish they'd let us take pictures.

London, Day 1

Hello, everyone! I'm here in London, and everything is going reasonably well so far. The plane ride over here wasn't as bad as I had feared. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep much, so I was quite tired when I arrived. The plane was pretty nice, though. We got free headsets, plus a travel kit that contained socks and a nifty toothbrush and toothpaste set. The food wasn't bad, either, and there were movies playing the entire flight on individual screens on the seatback in front of us.

On approach to London, the city looked pretty much like any other city. It was hard to believe that I was in another country. However, as we got closer to the ground, I could see that the streets were lined with tall houses all run together. And the ride through London was definitely eye-opening. People drive on the left here, of course, and the driver's seat is on the right. Riding on the left side of the road actually felt somewhat natural. Must be the left-handed thing. The other weird thing was that the street signs look very different here, and apparently whoever was laying out the roads was unfamiliar with the concept of a straight line.

The scenery actually reminded me of Oregon a bit, minus all the evergreen trees. London is very green, and the houses in the less dense part of the city were surrounded by plenty of trees and grass. Even in the more crowded part of the city where we are (Kensington), there are trees lining the walkways, and most of the houses have a great variety of plants in their yards; many of the windows have planters. It's a beautiful city. Downtown had some very interesting architecture. Some of the buildings look very modern, though in this area, most of the buildings are brick or plaster and look like they were built a long time ago.

Our accommodations are less than stellar. Better than camping, worse than my dorm. The bathroom is across the hall and lacked toilet paper. The room is tiny, though it is equipped with a mini-fridge and TV. I'm on the 4th floor and there is no lift, as they call it here. I'm going to be so very in shape by the time we leave. The basement has some computers, a TV and a decent kitchen.

After an orientation where we all discovered where our classrooms will be, a few of us went looking for food. We got money out of an ATM. It was very weird seeing pounds come out instead of dollars. We went to a pub, and all had fish and chips. After all, what else could I have on my first night in London? Anyhow, it was quite good, which is amazing considering that I don't really like fish. Following dinner, we went to the local supermarket to pick up some food. I really like the labelling on the food; the nutrition information is displayed prominently on the packaging. On the whole, it wasn't much different from a typical upscale American supermarket, although I didn't recognize most of the brand names I saw.

Well, that's about it for my adventures so far in London. Not much of interest yet, although we'll be going on a tour of London later this afternoon. I have my first classes tomorrow.

Check out http://flickr.com/photos/shigosei/sets/72057594137397010/ for pictures of my trip!

It's the end of the year as we know it

My junior year of college has finally come to a close. I'm sitting here in my cleared-out dorm room, nearly ready to pack it all up and say goodbye to Tempe for three months.

On Monday, I'll be leaving for the British Isles on a six-week study abroad trip with the ASU Honors College. It should be fun. Check back here for pictures and stories, coming soon!

Art and creation

I may be a math and science geek, but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy doing art now and then. And I use the term loosely. After all, what I do is not so much about communicating important messages or feelings. It won't cause anyone to consider a new point of view, and I doubt what I make will stick in people's minds for any significant length of time.

I guess I just like to create beautiful things. Most of what I paint--and most of the pictures I shoot--are landscapes or depictions of nature. I love trees and the sky and flowers. Buildings, too, though I don't usually paint them. Part of what I do is practicing technique. And, I think, some of it does create a feeling of tranquility. That's one of the things I like about Japanese woodblock art, which I have somewhat tried to imitate in the painting below. Perhaps that's the message of my art--creation and peace. I guess it doesn't matter if I have some grand purpose. Does art have to have deep meaning to be art?

What is it that drives us all to create? I'm certainly not the only human who likes doing it. Nearly all children like to make mud sculptures and build forts. Do we, like the bowerbirds, do it to find mates? To relieve boredom? To give the world meaning? Is it because we are Makers, driven to create by the forces of decay and destruction which we seek to fight?

I don't know. I just know I like taking pictures, and painting, and shaping pots out of clay. It's fun. I guess that's what matters to me.



Watercolor painting of Mt. Fuji, Japan

Spring Break

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip

That started from this desert town aboard this flying ship

Oh, Phoenix is an arid place, and here the sun is bright

Two passengers took off that day for a three hour flight

A three hour flight

An unexpected rainstorm came, the runways all were wet

And air control, unused to this, couldn’t help but fret

They said, "Between each flight we need a little extra time."

The plane sat on the taxiway, the last in a long, long line

The last in a long, long line

The Phoenix area is not a particularly moist region of the country. In fact, we recently had a record-breaking dry spell, lasting 143 days. While the city's water supply wasn't particularly in danger--at least, I didn't hear too many public service announcements asking us to conserve it--the lack of rain has caused the vegetation around the city to become very dry, leading to a risk of severe wildfires.

But of course, while I'm glad it finally rained, I'm a little annoyed that the one day I was flying out of Phoenix was the day it had to happen. I looked out my window the first morning of spring break to discover that it had rained during the night. This is the courtyard of the complex where I live. It was odd to see it wet.

'A' Mountain on a rainy day

Wet Gammage parking lot

My brother Craig and I set off to the airport. My friend Brandon drove us, which was quite kind of him. Unfortunately, his defroster was broken, so to keep the windshield clear, we had to leave the windows open. Naturally, my leg got pretty wet. When we got to the airport, we saw incredibly long lines at the baggage check-in, most likely because everyone else was flying out for spring break. Craig and I congratulated ourselves for packing carry-ons and checking in online the day before.

When our plane pulled up to the gate, we noticed something rather...odd.






The back of the plane was a yellow and black checkerboard pattern, while the front was red and white. It turns out that the plane was painted in honor of the state of Maryland. More specifically, the flag of Maryland, which looks like this:



Riding in an interesting plane like this, however, did not ameliorate the annoyance of a delayed flight. Not only did the plane arrive late in Phoenix, causing us to board about half an hour later than scheduled, Phoenix airport apparently gets as freaked out by rain as Phoenix drivers do. They'd spaced out takeoffs farther than is typical at the airport. This led to us sitting on the taxiway for quite some time.

So, bored out of my mind, I started taking pictures.

The cool thing about this picture is that you can see the tail of another airplane reflected upside-down in the droplets on the window. The other cool thing is that if you set this as your desktop background, it looks like your computer is a window. If you want to try this for yourself, I recommend using a larger size, which you can get here. Right-click on the image and select "Set as wallpaper."




More taxiing.





It took so long that Craig fell asleep. Awww, isn't he cute? He didn't even wake up when I took a flash photograph.



At last! The runway!




Up we go!




We flew very close to ASU. Here's what the campus looks like from the air. Click the pictures to see a bigger version.





We flew through a particularly thick layer of clouds. It took several minutes. Looking out the window and seeing nothing but white mist is a little odd. Sometimes when I'm flying through clouds I imagine that we're flying through hyperspace, or some other bizarre dimension. Why, yes, I do read too much science fiction. However did you know?




Mountain ranges



And as a finale, a weird cloud formation.

Anyhow, we landed at the Portland airport a couple of hours after we were originally supposed to land. This put our landing just a few minutes before Craig's girlfriend's landing. So he stayed at the gate to welcome her. He was excited about surprising her, since he wouldn't normally be able to see her at the gate. So there I was, walking quickly toward security. And what do I see but my mom waving frantically at me to stay where I was. I stop, and she points at her cell phone. While I'm digging through my bag to find mine (which I hadn't turned back on yet), the security guy asks if I need some help. I explain the situation to him. Meanwhile, Mom's decided to just yell at me from the other side of security. Turns out she wants me to get Craig's luggage from him.

I'm sure we were the highlight of Security Guy's day. I think it's funny; Mom feels a little guilty. Really, Mom, it's okay!

And that's how I got home for spring break. Tune in next week when I'll talk about some of the highlights of my vacation.

In this post, I was experimenting with posting photos in my blog. I'm still working out how to make the layout look good when I use HTML. Sorry for the mess!

Whiteboard Weirdness

Best Hall floor C5 has a very large whiteboard hanging in the hallway. It functions as a notice system and grafitti repository. Occasonally, I take pictures of it to document the fun things written on it. Here's the latest picture.

First Day of Class

Today marks the beginning of a new semester. I woke up much earlier than I usually want to in order to go to my 9:15 cell biology class. Unfortunately, my earliest class of the day is on the other side of campus, so sleeping in won't be much of an option.

When I arrived at the classroom, the professor was playing some very calming music, something he apparently does before every class. It was quite pleasant. Usually, I'm barely awake and stressed from rushing to an early morning class. The music helped me wake up in a relaxing way. Then, to begin class today, he showed us a powerpoint slideshow of some striking photographs. Most were pictures of nature, but there were also a few space shuttle pictures, and one which I believe was of the ant nebula.

I'm optimistic about how cell biology will go. The professor is enthusiastic and energetic. He used his whole body to model the way a cell sends out projections when it is "walking" along a surface. He also told us when we ought to be certain write something in our notes. Occasionally, he would walk around the classroom. He even made some funny comments, such as suggesting a quarantine area for students with colds or flu.

It sounds like the class will be fairly difficult. Apparently, the exams are all essay questions. Fortunately, there's no project. There isn't even any homework. While this does mean I must do well on the tests, it also means less work for me. I'm reasonably good at absorbing information. Overall, the class should be fun. Also, the professor mentioned that tea will be served at office hours. That's one way of getting students to come. I certainly plan to show up once in awhile.
Numerical Methods lab is scheduled today, but is cancelled since it's the first week of classes. We haven't even gone to lecture yet. Other than that, I have Applied Bioengineering Transport Phenomena this evening. I'm not looking forward to that, since Bioengineering Transport Phenomena was really hard.

I had lunch today with Craig. It was great getting to talk to him. Seems as though he's having an okay first day, too.

Hello, World!

I've never been much of an early adopter. Many of my friends have blogs of some sort, even my far less geeky friends. So, I am finally getting a blog. I expect that those of you who don't know me won't find it particularly interesting. In fact, those who do know me might not be all that interested either. Also, I doubt that I'll update it all that often once the novelty wears off. But hey, it might just turn out to be an interesting hobby. In addition, I plan to use this blog to keep all my family, friends and enemies updated while I'm studying abroad this summer. So... Hello, World!