Snow and San Diego

Hmmm... what to talk about?... Well, for starters it snowed 17 inches Tuesday night. For the first time in 20 years, classes were cancelled at UW. That didn't stop me from getting to campus (thanks to my Mexican neighbors and their Ford F150!). it was easier going than the previous night when I needed the help of 4 passersby to get out of the Institute Parking lot and back home. Nor the weather nor the clearance process at ATK or AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratories) could keep me from making the trip out to San Diego to present at the JANNAF conference. It was -2 F as I scrapped of my windows at 3:30 in the morning Thursday and just under 70 when I walked out of the San Diego airport. At that moment, I understood why one would want to live in SoCal. However, I still am glad to be in Madison. It's a fantastic place to be living, killer course load notwithstanding. By the way, the presentation went well. My only complaint: I wish I had known my audience better so I could have tailored my presentation more towards them.

I am very ready to be done with this semester. I feel like I have chronically underperformed this semester, primarily due to my being stretched too thin. I dislike what I have become, neglecting some important areas of my life in order to complete even the bare minimum that is asked of me. Never again will I fill my schedule so completely. I have had no time for myself. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to work at the University of Utah but the pay has not compensated even 1% of the price I've paid, both in terms of my happiness and academic performance. I made this mistake of taking on too much once before during my last semester at BYU and I hope I don't make it again.

To conclude I include 2 car pictures. The first is of my car post-snow dumping. The second is my little rental Yaris in front of the San Diego temple, only 2 days afterwards.

Obviously I'm no aspiring Ansel Adams... :)