You Know You Want a Pair!

Interview Done & Done

So I had my interview yesterday which I think went pretty well. It would be working with a small consulting company and starting in an apprenticeship role to learn how to do things correctly instead of my current stream of conscience method of programming. All the people there were really nice and I was surprisingly not as nervous as I thought I would be.

After the interview I got a super cool pair of converse that are white with silver stars on them. Everyone should be jealous of them.

We went to dinner with Jake and LaurA! and my Dad at good old Miller's Pub, which is one of my favorite places in Chicago. It hasn't changed ever and all the old men that seat you are the same. I love when things don't change.

After dinner Jason and I and Jake and LaurA! went to see Kids in the Hall at The Chicago Theater. It was a really good show. It looked like the guys were just having a great time on stage so if that comes to your town I would say check it out.

So yeah. Thursday = Pretty good.

A Week Later....

Well ok.

Ok.

Well I have my head kinda back in the game. Enough anyways that I can make some progress on my thesis during the days. My interview is tomorrow which I'm a little nervous about but hopefully I can rally to be myself by 1pm. I think I should be fine. I would like to give Adviser something from my thesis to read by Friday. It's in better shape than I had thought so that's good.

I have to say that I have just about the best support system ever as my parents, step parents, in-laws, cousins, aunts etc have been all up in my kool-aid to see things are going around here. So a big thank you to them. Looks like my dad and stepmom are going to be around for the next few months which is awesome and will be nice to have them here.

Not much else to update. I have been getting out for a 3 mile run here and there but nothing consistent. That obviously needs to change.

Alright, well back to Thesis.

Just because...

I don't want yesterday's post to be the top post.

Yesterday we did go running. We ran to the FedEx building to pick up an envelope and then ran/walked back. It felt good to be out there.

Also I had ordered these Tootsie Pop Drop candies online and they happened to show up on the first day of the delivery estimate...and they are delicious. Highly recommend to anyone.

Yeah. Not much else. Just trying to keep on breathing and hoping that the saying, "this too shall pass" is going to be true here.

I'll Be Ok

So I've not completely disappeared.

I've been trying to be busy with thesis work amid daily panic attacks about my own mortality. This has happened to me in the past, I just can't seem to get out of the fog this time around. I am sure running has something to do with keeping me level, and as I'm not running maybe things are getting a bit unbalanced. As an atheist.....well it's hard. It's hard to think about, and then quite rightly it's hard to not think about. Like if there is a big pink elephant in the room...ok don't think about it. But how can you not? It's days, or apparently weeks, like this, that I have such jealousy for those with beliefs of higher powers.

I don't know what brought this on, a favorite professor of ours passed away a couple of months ago, friends have recently lost those who are dear to them. The pressure of finishing up this thesis and starting something new I'm sure has something to do with it.

I don't know, but I can't get out of it and the days until the thesis are due are counting down quickly. I am going to go run tonight, maybe start to pound things back into control.

LeahC is Everywhere

So I'm reading The Chicagoist this morning and I see a post giving the CTA closures and track reroutes and with the post is a picture that looks familiar, I scream at Jason to get in the office. They used a picture I had tagged with 'Chicagoist' on my flicker account months ago! They gave me a credit along with the title I had given the photo "CTA's new Motto".

Anyways, it's really not that big of a deal, but just nice to see something I took somewhere else in the internets. I was going to try and post one chicago picture post to that flicker account but as with most stuff of mine it ended up being 3 pictures. Anyways. Very. Exciting.

Eddie Izzard, Brother-In-Law & an Interview

Ok, Eddie Izzard was awesome. For those of you that have never heard of him, he’s a transvestite standup comedian. He’s also on a show called The Riches which I haven’t seen yet. Jason’s brother, Jamie, gave us a DVD of his show Dress to Kill a couple of years ago and it is hilarious. An old friend e-mailed me about tickets to his current show, Stripped, and would I be interested blah blah. So I was and so we went and it was Fantastic. His topic this time around was religion and talked about/made fun of that. Just more like, "Wait, really? Every animal on a boat? Didn't happen. How do I know? Go try and put every animal on a boat and see how it works out". Good good stuff and given that our views and his views seemed to be just about the same we especially loved it. So if his show is coming to your town go and see it. You will LOL.

After the show we met up with Jason’s oldest brother, Andy at a bar downtown. It was fun to see him as always. He was just in town for about 12 hours so we were happy that we were able to hook up with him.

So blah blah about the stuff up there....looks like I have an interview in about 2 weeks. Yes I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. Actually while I am very nervous, I’m also really excited. I will obviously know more in a few weeks, but it is a software consulting company which has an apprenticeship program for those of us that are pretty smart and know how to program, but probably don’t know how to program cleanly, or smartly. Sounds perfect for someone like me who has been trained to be a physicist that computer programs, and not a computer programmer who knows a lot of physics. This would for sure be taking my career out of academia, but that really has been the plan for the last few years anyways. High energy physics is pretty spectacular, but well...I don’t know....high energy physics as a career and I don’t quite mesh. It’s like those breakups where you’re like what happened there? We both liked each other....but it just didn’t work out. So ok, are we don’t with the analogies now? I think so. I’m really excited to be seeing where my career is heading since it’s been a question for awhile :-)

Alright then. Today is more work on my thesis, I have to finish this one section, then it’s back downtown. I have some non-thesis physics work to do that I want to get started on tonight. There is a new graduate student at IU that needs some guidance on getting started and so I am going to write up some instructions for that. I love helping new students, I just wish I was in Bloomington so I could work more one on one with him, ah well. I obviously like to write a lot and so hopefully I can help.

So that’s it. Happy Friday!

Feeling Good

Well yesterday I sent Adviser the theory chapter from my thesis along with a short introductory chapter. Today I’m working on a short section about particle reconstruction and Monte Carlo. If all that gets done I’m free and clear to work on the last part which although is partially done, needs to be expanded on and reviewed and whatever. It just feels good to get parts of the thesis done like this.

Also my publication is out for final approval which should happen by 4pm tomorrow...which is awesome. With that submitted and off the table, there will only be thesis to work on and no more distractions. Today is May 15th. In about a month I’m guessing, I’ll be down to only revisions and not any more writing.

It’s so exciting and feels so good to be seeing an end point. I don’t have a new starting point yet for a job but I’m working on that too. I am hoping to start a new job around August 10th or so, giving me a week after my defense to not have to think about anything. Of course that’s not really how I roll as I’m sure I’ll find lots of stuff to worry and stress over....BUT it won’t be physics. I could wait until September I suppose...but I’m getting antsy! I think I would get a bit bored waiting around for that ninth month to roll around. So August is the plan.

Last night Lisa and I went to see Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantamano which was pretty funny. I think it might have been written for 18 year old boys....but still funny. No where near as good as the first one but of course it couldn’t be. Tonight it’s Eddie Izzard and then drinks at Rockit with a bro-in-law. I have no siblings (which.....kind of sucks, everyone out there with single kids, try and have another :-) ) and so I always have fun hanging out with Jason’s brothers. It’s weird to me because they are all so much alike. Jason is *a lot* younger than his brothers and yet, they all have the same sense of humor and the same general interests and whatever. So that should be fun.

No I haven’t gone running...although, I might work at home tomorrow and so maybe I’ll go to that Pilates class that is at 9am at my gym and then run with Jason when he gets home. The title of this blog should changed to No Marathon Running....we’ll get back there soon enough I suspect.

I Miss Him & Why at 5am?

Jason and I worked together for the last 6 years...well I mean I guess it was about 5 years in October before Jason started his new job. So many people would say to us, and still do, how could you stand seeing your spouse 24/7? I wouldn’t ever really know how to reply, well...I mean he’s like my best friend....we work well together...blah blah blah. I don’t know, I guess it just worked for us. He was always there when things got stressful or just to laugh with me or whatever.

I knew the days where that went away was going to happen. The real world isn’t as casual as graduate school and us laughing loudly in our cube wouldn’t really go over as well. Mostly I’m ok with it, but I don’t know....today I just miss him. I miss seeing him all day long and now I only get a few hours with him. Now that I am working crazy hours it’s even worse because I come home and crash on the couch. It will be better when we are both working downtown because I’ll see him for the entire commute and we might be able to get lunch together or something. It doesn’t help that my in general freakout level is relatively high because this just adds on. My job search is starting though and there has been talk about his company as a possibility.

Or, maybe we’ll win the lottery and then we wouldn’t have to work and could just play all day. sigh. or not.

Anyways, I guess the good thing is that I miss him now. When you see someone 24/7 there is never a chance to miss them and when you say, “OH MY GOD! The funniest thing happened at work!” they say, “Yeah I know. I was there.” So now at least we have stories to tell each other about our day and we don’t have to pretend we weren’t already there for.

This morning our cat gave us a 5am wake up call. I mean just sat outside our door and screamed. What the hell, she had food and water and her box was clean...well ok relatively clean....but sheesh, give us a break cat. The alarm went off at 6 and the only reason I’m really annoyed is that I just didn’t get up at 5 and go out for a run or something. The running train needs to get started again. We have things happening the rest of this week, so maybe next week either a few miles in the morning can go down or something in evenings. Tonight Jason has a work party (open bar, free food and bowling for 4 hours...pretty sweet!) and so I am going to a movie with the cousin Lisa. Tomorrow night we are going to see Eddie Izzard with some old friends at The Chicago Theater. Then after the show, Jason’s oldest brother happens to be in town and so we are meeting him out for some drinks which should be a good time.

No big plans this weekend though which is good after the last weekend we had. Big goal is to get Adviser the first two chapters of my thesis by tonight, then the 4th chapter by Friday. (Already gave him chapter 3) THEN I will only have the Analysis part to go. Breathe. Breathe.

Being Busy

In general I’m a busy girl. I love being busy. Lot’s happening at work means the hours fly by. Usually I am in some kind of fitness program which keeps me on my toes for the non-work hours. Add in random city events, and dates with friends and city walks and whatever most days of the week are packed to the brim.

However, this thesis writing AND getting my publication approved and out is too much. Because now in my non work hours I am stressing out about it. I have nightmares about bugs in the code. Last night I work up at 2am and just about every half hour after that until the alarm went off at 6am. Crazy dreams, and bad sleep and I feel ok today, but it’s always there.

I realize that I am not talking about much else these days. But this thesis is the culmination of 10 years of my life. 4 years of physics undergraduate work and 6 years of graduate work. So even though my career might not being staying in the physics/academia tract, this thesis is the most important thing I have ever done. Hell I have spent over a 3rd of my lifetime associated with Indiana University and studying physics. Think about that...a 3rd of a lifetime is a lot! Thus I can’t stop thinking about it/worrying about it/talking about it/writing about it. I just wish that I wasn’t *so* stressed out about it, but I guess that’s not really my style and I know that so I should just go ahead and accept the stress so I can stop saying, “I’m so stressed out.”

I am looking forward to expanding my horizons in whatever my new path/career might be and I know I will stay just as busy, I’m just hoping a little less busying in my head in the wee small hours of the morning.

Let’s Walk Some More!

Our weekend can be summarized with, “Well we could just walk there, I think”.

On Friday night I met Jason downtown and we walked North to meet Jake and LaurA! for drinks and a movie at Century theater. On the way we stopped for dinner at one our favorites, The Wiener Circle. This is THE place to go for Chicago dogs and they didn’t disappoint as usual. The food is always just as awesome as the atmosphere and Friday night was great as usual.

Saturday we walked to the library in Bucktown and did some work. Jason was able to read through my theory section and had some organizational suggestions. I think the Adviser is going to be happy that Jason is taking a first look at everything before he gets his hands on it. I’m happy that he read it and I think his suggestions will make it so much clearer and more understandable. I should finish the theory section and the introduction in the next day or so, making me about two weeks ahead of schedule. Even though I’m ahead of schedule I’m still so stressed out, especially on Mondays. I look at the calendar and go, “There is no way, it’s all due like right now” Of course it’s not due right now, it’s due in a month, but I get antsy and nervous. But anyways. It’s getting exciting. I worked on my resume as well because there is a job on the horizon (so. exciting.) and even if that doesn’t work out something has to happen this summer and so the resume needs to be done.

On Saturday evening we went out to dinner with everyone’s favorite Kansas Jayhawk fans at Vong’s Thai Kitchen which was amazing. They have a way that you can order family style and thus get to try more things out. If anyone goes there get the passion fruit suffle for dessert, it was worth the price of dinner.

On the walk back to the bus, Barb and I were squealing like little girls talking about a musical coming to town and the girl in front of us turned around, put her fingers to her lips and went, “SHHHHHHHHH”. Barb and I looked at each other, then back to the girl and were like are you kidding me? It’s 9:30 pm, downtown chicago and you’re shushing us? Seriously? Well of course Barb and I then just rode her all the way until she went into her restaurant. Go back to the burbs lady, sheesh.

On Sunday I got up early to work on my resume and read the paper. Jason got up a few hours after me. At about noon we headed to lincoln park to get some lunch and drinks with other Chicago running kids. A good time was had by all and we started walking back to the bus and soon enough just ended up back at our apartment near Western/Chicago. We started from the middle of Lincoln Park so that was pretty awesome although my legs are surprisingly tired today.

So today is Monday. I have thesis work on on the table today, sending in my resume and finishing up with my publication (seriously...it’s *never* fucking ending and making me crazy every night...sorry Jason.)

Running & Cross Training

oooh what happens when a Mrs. LeahC gets her groove back? She runs again! Another 1.5 miles. Oh that's right.

This time we ran to our weekly kickball game. Yep, Jason and I are on a kickball team and yesterday was the first time I had gotten enough work done that I could actually go to it. Jason and I ran into each other in the field when the ball came our way...totally not my fault as I actually called for it...but whatever :-) I'm kidding. I didn't kick the ball very far on my one and only attempt and thus I didn't really play that much at all. The team that we were playing were big cheater cheaters. They were really good and all kind of big assholes, but whatever still a good time.

Today I'm working at home. I think I have the first two sections of my thesis done. I mean "done". The first section is a 2 page introduction which I have to admit I was able to add some flair to (I know, who would have thought physics could have flair?). However, the second section is the theory section and I have 35 pages on that...now that doesn't mean anything as I don't know what my adviser will think about it. Tomorrow Jason is going to read through it and since he already has a PhD might be able to give me some suggestions. I am about 2 weeks ahead of schedule which is awesome.

So today I am going to work through that section one more time so I can give him a good copy. Then I can start in on the analysis section of the paper, although it's almost all written but just needs to be reorganized a bit.

Alright, so it's Friday and we have a busy weekend coming up. Yay for Friday!

Chicago 5/08/08

What a difference five minutes makes! My commute is pretty long in general. I don’t mind it as it’s just all a part of the routine. I start by taking the Chicago bus to Milwaukee, followed by the Blue Line to Clark/Lake followed by a walk to the Metra. Then Metra to Wheaton, and a car to the Lab.

Fine.

Let’s just talk about the first half or rather first 1/5 of the commute. The bus ride.

Does everyone on the west side of Chicago get up at the same time. And is that time five minutes later than my preferred awaking time. I like to be up and out of bed at 6am, that gets me out of the house at 6:40. There is a bus that gets to my stop at about 6:45 and it’s just about empty. I mean I have an extra seat for my bags kind of empty. I would say I got this routine down and for the past week or so have been sticking to it.

This morning however, in some kind of fog I got up exactly five minutes late. Meaning that I was out the door at 6:45, and thus missing by 6:45am bus. I even looked east and saw the butt of the bus a few blocks away. Damn. So I wait a little bit and about 5 minutes later here comes another bus. I’m not kidding, so crowded I was squeezed on there like....like.....a single sardine in the middle of a can (bad analogy right? I’m not on my game this early).

There are all kinds of people on the bus, pushing and shoving and vying for space. Of course there is no space, and my two bags are taking up their own kind of space. I push my way to the back. Then there is the issue of someone needing to get off the bus, I’m climbing onto people’s laps to get out of the way so they can get to the exit door, as there is no where else for me to go.

The train is still relatively empty, and when I get downtown, five minutes later than I have been...it’s SO busy. Usually I can just jaunt across the street because there is no traffic. This morning the cars, delivery trucks and the bike messengers are all whizzing by me, my hair blowing in my face as they go by. Chicago is a busy bustling town and it’s one of the things I love about it. I am just in awe of the difference a few minutes makes in where the people end up. Instead of finishing off a breakfast meal or whatever, they are pushing and shoving their way into town.

People will read this and think to themselves, “How can you stand it?” All those crowds, being pushed onto people’s laps just to get to work? Everything is easier out of town where you don’t have to deal with that!” To which I would reply, because in the end it’s actually always easier. I would rather have an annoying 10 minute bus ride (sometimes) than be stuck in the suburbs where you HAVE to have a car to get around. Everything in the city is accessible on a bus line, a train line or the two footed motor...a walk away. For example, there are three different grocery stores in my neighborhood, a big Dominicks (which is funny already because to a Suburban it’s very small) a half mile away, a Ukrainian deli next door, and a small grocer two blocks away. All of those are within walking distance and thus I don’t need to drive to the grocery store. I will admit having a car in the city is useful at time. However, what makes the deal for me is that I don’t HAVE to drive anywhere to do anything. Ever.

A ten minute annoyance does not make a lifestyle. My lifestyle is all of Chicago and you have to take the good with the bad. In this chosen life, the good far outweighs the bad.

From now on, though I’ll just try to stick to my 6am wakeup call.

Wait what?... Running?

That’s right people. After so many weeks off I ran last night. My achilles has been feeling better for weeks now and I just need to get out there and run, my body was starting to ache from being so damn static for so long. So I got home threw on running clothes and ran. We ran ALL the way to the gym. That’s right, a whopping 1.5 miles. I don’t care how far it was (or rather how not far it was) because I know that this recovery is still going to be a long slow process. Build up slow. yadda yadda. Plus I don’t want any kind of fake optimism of “now I am going to run everyday or 4 times a week or whatever” Having time to run is still going to be based on how well Thesis is going and as it’s going relatively well these days a run was in order.

So we ran to the gym and then the plan was to do our normal weight routine and then run home. Oh right...but we probably got to the gym at 7:45pm meaning I hadn’t had anything to eat for about 6 hours. So we did a few things but in the middle of some assisted pullups I got pretty light headed and so decided to quit and walk home instead. Which is fine. I should have known better and had a granola bar or something before leaving the house.

The achilles didn’t hurt much, I would say...probably about 99% pain free. Just felt some twinges when we got back to the house. Not so much the pain I was feeling previously, but just more a stiffness type of thing. No running and lots of icing...maybe that could happen.

Who cares. I RAN A MILE AND A HALF BITCHES.

Oh, the glory of small victories.

Oooooh July 1st...It'll be happy hour all Day!

Like a Slug

Although, maybe that’s not fair. I don’t really know how active a slug is in general. Maybe they do more than just ooze around. I don’t know, but it sounds lazy and thus I use it.

I work pretty hard during the week these days. I’m up early and home late and I only think about my thesis. (I know right...talk about something else already!). So the weekends come around and I have the *best* intentions to work on my thesis. Maybe work with Jason on some theory problems. Maybe do some editing of things I have already written. Maybe (maybe!) write a whole new section. That’s always the plan. And not that it falls apart because I’m not out there doing other things. I just end up doing nothing. I still get up early in the mornings thinking that I can get some work done before the JMan gets up...but then I just have a cup of coffee and watch a movie or read the paper or whatever. And I think it’s ok. I think my brain needs the break so that when the week comes I can be charged up and ready to get back on it. Until I absolutely have to work on the weekends I am going to stick with being lazy. I go into Mondays with more gusto (that’s right, I said “gusto”) and in the end I think I get more done.

In the end we had a great weekend. On Friday night we went to see Iron Man with Jake and LaurA! and it was so so so much fun. I think everyone should go see it immediately. The theater that we were meeting them at was about 2 miles from our house. I leave my car in the burbs on the weekend (I’m trying to make my carbon footprint smaller) and so we are carless on the weekends. We decided to walk to the theater since I sit on my ass all day and I just wanted to get my legs moving. We walked all the way there and the great news is that I had no achilles pain. This is the most annoying injury I have ever had but I think it’s come at a good time since I don’t really have time to run anyways. So it looks like there is some progress on that front and I’m hoping that in another few weeks I’ll be really all better and can start slowly adding some runs back in.

On the walk home after the movie we walked right by Margie’s Candies. This place is about a mile from our apartment and we keep saying that we have to go in there but we never do. We noticed a lot of people hanging around outside and then noticed that they were open until one in the morning so we went inside to get some ice cream cones to go. The inside of this place has not changed, I’m guessing, since they opened in 1921. It’s one of those old Chicago places that has stood the test of time. We got giant ice cream cones and walked the rest of the way home feeling like little kids on a warmish spring evening.

We woke up early on Saturday morning and met up with the Lovely Cousin Lisa and her her hubby for breakfast at the Bongo Room on Milwaukee. I am way an eggs and bacon kind of girl, but Lisa gave me a heads up on the pancakes at this place. I took her advice and ordered some oreo-raspberry pancakes. I could have died right after eating them because it was one of the most delicious things I have ever had. Apparently the menu changes and so my mouth is already watering to go back.

After breakfast we headed to the library to work. For 5 minutes. Then we walked home and napped instead. After a lazy day around the house we got dressed and went out to Aki Sushi on Division for dinner. We went there a couple of weeks ago and I wasn’t sold on the sushi, but this time I got some specialty rolls and for the second time that day I was in a state of yummy tastes in my mouth.

Sunday I got up early and did do some edits on my thesis....six whole pages at that. I KNOW! I’M AWESOME. The rest of the day we didn’t do much of anything. We went to the grocery store, took a nap, I went to target with Lisa came home...took another nap....watched the Cubs...I screamed at the TV announcers for their obvious hatred for the Cubs (seriously...we get it. Albert Pujhols is awesome. He’s not batting right now though, so maybe we can not talk about him for the 8th time. Great. Thanks). Went to bed early, was asleep by 10 and as I have been doing recently had dreams about being back in gymnastics (I was a gymnast for 7 years...yes I’m 6’ tall...no I didn’t play basketball...yes I was the tallest person on the gymnastics team). What are those dreams about. I’m like out there and I have to do my floor routine, and tumble and I have no idea how I am going to do anything. Recurring dream....what does it mean!?!

And so I come into Monday refreshed and rejuvinated. I left the house 10 minutes earlier this morning and I was downtown by 7:10 in the morning. I got all the edits done that Jason had for me on one section of my thesis, and half the corrections I had done myself on another section. So yep. Here we go. The rest of the day includes more work on the theory section. Yay!

Happy Monday!

Go See Iron Man

...that is all.

Lincoln Square & 5 IS better than 3

Last night I left the lab around 6:30 or so. I got one small tiny section of the theory section of my analysis done. It's a part that's not super relevant to my analysis, but important none the less. I had to do some drawing in EazyDraw for a figure and that took up the last hour or so that was here. I love drawing things (easy (!) things) on a computer so the time flew by pretty fast.

I drove home last night because we needed to drop our rent off and the office is up north in Lincoln Square. I picked Jason up at the kickball field where the team lost 2-1...although apparently Jason got a hit and then subsequently got picked off first. Yes. I think he should post about kickball too. I'm kidding.

So then we drove up north and decided to park and walk around and find somewhere to eat. It's such a great neighborhood and last night just propelled us to want to live there even more. We are looking forward to the day we can move out of our shitty apartment and be up there. We went to dinner at an Irish bar and had beers and sandwiches. All good things. Wow this post is just about as exciting as eating burnt toast.

On the way home we stopped at a CVS because I needed razors, and here is where the 5 is better comes in. I got the new Venus whatever razor that haas 5 blades on it. I'm telling you, even though I felt ridiculous and like I was in that Saturday Night Live skit where the guy has the really big razor on his face, it's the most amazing thing I have ever used. So there. There is me buying into advertising. And I love it.

Alrihgt. I have a talk to give in about 2.5 hours. No I don't know why I get to the lab so early when I have to give talks because it just makes me more geeked out than usual and then I'm all nerved up and then I talk to fast....AND ... AND....and now I need to calm down.

Happy Friday All!

Mediated by How Early the Doors Open

Every morning I write blog posts after I get on the train and before it leaves the station. The doors to get on the train usually open twenty minutes before the train leaves. Twenty minutes is the perfect amount of time to spend writing this. Hence I get mad when the doors open late...cause 15 minutes is just a bit rushed. Anyways.

I know, right? My posts lately have been *fascinating*

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The guy in front of me is sitting funny...like he’s pushing so hard into the back of the seat that it’s pushing up against my knees. What’s up with that!
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So yes, I would say that I am a routine driven kind of person. I think that’s what makes me love marathon training so much, because it’s pretty mindless. You run when the schedule says to run and you don’t when it says to rest. Now that I’m not running, I have a whole new routine...not a *rut* and yes...it’s *very* exciting...and yes you are very excited that you found this blog today! yay!

6:00 - Alarm goes off
6:09 - I get out of bed after hitting snooze once
6:09-6:50 - Shower, breakfast, quick check of e-mails
6:50 - Out the door.
6:50-7:30ish - Bus/Train downtown - Grabbing a Red-Eye paper if they refilled the box by my apartment
7:30ish-8:15 - Fat-Free latte, return e-mails, work on publication at Cosi on Washington & Franklin (Um..yeah they kind of know me know as instead of me saying “Medium fat-free latte”, the see me and go “medium fat-free latte?”...yes please!)
8:15-8:20 - Walk to Ogilvie
8:20-8:40 - Write posts here!
8:40-9:35 - Read a non-fiction book (this is my new thing, I carry two books with me, non-fiction something in the morning as I am alert and ready (! exclamation point) to work and learn stuff...and then a somewhat trashy easy fiction book for the ride home.) on the way to my stop
9:40-9:55 - Drive to the lab
10-5:15 - Work on Physics stuff. Mainly thesis, a couple of hours for my publication (that fucking publication is why I am going to have to work on weekends)
5:15-5:30 - Drive back to Wheaton to get back on the train
5:30-5:50 - Walk to caribou close to the train station, get a Orange Zest Iced Tea...medium! The staff at this place changes every day so they don’t quite have my order down when I walk in. Who knows I might change my mind anyways...or not.
5:55-7:30 - Commuting back home
7:30-9 - Lay on the couch like a slug, these days so nerved up not hungry enough to eat dinner.
Asleep by 10.

I mean. It doesn’t change, which is good because I tend to work better with a definite schedule (probably the same reason I am a better runner when I am training for something instead of just “running when I feel like it”). Yes a lot of the time up there is commuting, but way worth it as I am getting so much reading done, and I loathe driving anywhere so it’s a nice calm way for me to end or start the day.

Yesterday I came up with an outline of sorts for the theory section of my thesis which helps because now I can put words down on paper sooner than I thought. My adviser is going to get busy at the end of June (of course) and so I have to make sure I don’t miss any of the deadlines I set for myself because there is really no extra or late time.

Well the train is moving and I am now over my alloted blogging time, and thus The Plan of Chicago awaits.

Tomorrow is Friday!