Something I suggest for every college student...

Get to be known by your Department Chair. Not just known, but well liked.

To do this I suggest you do what you can to help the department. What you put into your team you'll get out of the team. Right? Well maybe not all of it, but at least some, and that can be really handy at times.

Today has taught me that this can be possible by befriending the the department's Student Aid. I ran across LeJoné, my University's Physics Department Aid, and had several questions to ask about the department and classes. In the course of our discussions I was able to see the labs and equipment, meet some of the faculty. I helped out when the Dept Chair, needed a classroom rearranged. Ta-Da! Dr. Chairman (not his name, but I'm not ready to divulge my University to everyone yet.) recognized me, and then latter went out of his way to sincerely thank me for my assistance. That can't be bad. I was jazzed up all day.

Also, today I was able to see the Rec Center and got all the details I need for it. Looks like I'll be getting up at 6:30am for school for my favorite optimization of schedule. That's totally my choice. Whereas I dislike waking up, I really do prefer to wake in the early morning. It seems that's what my circadian rhythm is set to.

During my trip to campus today I also went to the book store and found out that I could order my book online and set them to be paid for by my Financial Aid and Picked up at the bookstore.I guess what really got me is that I could set it up before my financial aid was released. At my previous institution I couldn't order online using my financial aid, and I couldn't use my financial aid in the bookstore until the first day of the term. Every quarter I would spend hours in line to get my books with everyone else. Like cattle.

Also a plus, E-Books are also available at this University. They are affiliated with Barnes and Noble and mostly use the Nook Study.
Now normally I like to sell my books back at the end of term and use the cash to treat myself and friends to a nice dinner somewhere and commemorate the end of term. Sometimes the book aren't available for buy-back. I ran into that often at my community college. The amount I would get back was a third of "new" cost. Also, it's less to carry around campus.

Price of books new for four classes: $500.
Price of books for four classes using E-Book option when available: $250.

So, I'm going to try the E-Book thing this semester.

Today was educational, fun, and possibly more rewarding than I could currently know.
Thumbs-up!

Just over 2 weeks to go till classes start! Starting to get the "am-I-ready" jitters.

Exciting developments in our Solar System and my school e-mail

So I do have some school stuff to talk about, but first 2010 TK7! What are do those letters and numbers mean? Well.. A good bit for astronomers. It's the name of an asteroid in the Apollo Group that had the character of its motion published today as Trojan!

What does that mean? I can't do it complete justice, but JPL can here.




Embedded video from

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology

Yes, very very exciting!

Okay, so back to the mission. Went to school today to get some stuff done. Turns out I spent half of my allotted time trying to get my school e-mail set-up. With the help of the IT department, it has been determined that the cause is a software error in the new system. Apparently of all the new Fall students I'm the first to try and set-up my E-mail. Really? I go to a school packed with Science and Technology nerds and I'm the first to try and set-up the school e-mail? Are nerds getting that lazy? I thought I was behind in that task.

I did however do my initial scouting of the classroom locations. I estimate the daily walk between the parking-lot I think would be most efficient; the Mathematics building; the Rec Center; and the building the rest of my classes are, should be about one mile every day except Thursday. Thursdays I have a third class and that would being the total to 1.5 mi, depending on when I go to the Rec Center.

I meant to check out the Rec Center, and see how their whole system works and scope out the facilities. My time ran short though and I'll have to do that another day. Maybe tomorrow.

Over the weekend I watched Thomas Crowne. The movie where Tom Hanks plays a "middle-aged" man going back to school. This movie has seriously challenged my personal paradigm about scooters. I now want one. Watch the movie and you'll understand.

By the way if you didn't already know The Big Bang Theory is an awesome TV show on CBS! Personally, It has supplanted Firefly in my "best show ever" category. I'm catching through Netflix so I'm a good bit behind, but I am devouring the episodes as fast as I can afford them.

Way to much about me

So here I am. Sitting around failing to get onto a sleep schedule that will accommodate all the things I have to do soon. Work, eating, school, exercise routine, and an array of hobbies. I feel a presence nagging at me to give a basis of who I am on this blog.

So here goes...

As far as I can remember I have been in love with Science. In the 1st grade, my first book report was about a book discussing Jupiter's moon Io. Space Science has been the major focus of my passion. Family always patted me on the head and was encouraging in the way that suggested that I was like most other boys my age dreaming of being an astronaut. No one in my family knew what kind of passion I had for Science, except maybe my older brother.

When I was seven, David gave me a very low mag telescope for my birthday. It was all he could afford to get me back then. I remember it cost a small fortune from Radio Shack. It was the last science related gift I would ever receive. I spent a significant part of the next few years looking up at the moon through that telescope.

When I was ten my family moved to the Atlanta area. We had moved before back and forth between Arizona and Oklahoma. This move was completely different though. The culture of the South East United States in the late 80's early 90's was not welcoming of outsiders. I spent the next six years tormented for my lack of accent. One classmate thought I was from England since I spoke so strangely to her. I spent more time in suspension than in the class room. I also learned that it is easy to break your own bones by throwing punches wrong.

Not to go into all the failing of Georgia Public Schools, I left school at sixteen in a decision that was only motivated by survival, and haunted me for more than a decade later. Having dropped out of High School I wrote off all my dreams of going to college and becoming a Scientist. Living on the streets of Atlanta I looked to fulfill my unresolved issues with an array of really bad decisions.

By the time I realized that I was a product of my own design, I was pretty deep in. I began making changes, like getting my GED, and my life began to get better. Just like they say! I got married and lived in a little house in a great suburban neighborhood. Of course like most other marriages, mine ended within the first 3 years and again I faced losing everything. A friend suggested going to college. I didn't think it would be possible for me to go. After some real healthy discussion about it I got charged up about the idea. It seemed like a plausible idea. I enrolled in my local Community College and BOOM! I was off and at it like a man possessed.

All I was looking for was to complete the Associate's Degree. However, my first quarter I received all A's, including my Macroeconomics class! I was instantly challenged by myself to maintain the highest GPA I could. Every quarter I would get extra worried that I would lose my 4.0 GPA, and every time I would blow up the curve in the class. There was one exception, though. Accounting.

I had a great Professor. Ms Trumbo made the material as fun as it could be and was very engaging and encouraging. If it wasn't for her teaching prowess I would not have done as well as I did. I pulled off the lowest A one can get.

During my time at the Community College I had began to change. My passion for Science began to manifest itself once again. Peering out from the many layers of depression I had buried it under. I was enrolled in an Associate of Science, Computer Information Systems, and the first year I loved it. Someone pointed out my passion for Space Science and asked why I wasn't studying in that kind of field. The last shred of sediment I had covered my passion with was swept away. I sat there dumb-struck at how I hadn't thought of it before. Instantly I began looking into my options.

As it turned out I decided to finish my AS before transferring to a school that offered a BS in a field I was interested in. I graduated in June and had several prospects for Universities. I even was offered a $10,000 Scholarship to the University of Arizona. However after all was factored in, I was $13,000 shy of "out-of-State" tuition. So I'm staying in Georgia.

Classes begin August 15th and I'm totally psyched!

In the beginning...

So, something struck me today. Not any object. Rather it was the desire to start a blog. I have never been one who had anything in particular to say about anything in particular to a possible mass audience. I guess I still don't. I have decided to chronicle My educational pursuit of Science.

I don't expect to have anyone follow my pursuits. To be honest I think that's the best way in which to do so. However, if anyone wishes to follow along with me on this adventure, it would be nice if you commented from time to time and validated me in some capacity.

So my mission is to journal my experiences in college. Mostly, so others can get an idea about what college is like in the Atlanta area for Science students. Also as a record of my epic accomplishments and colossal failures! Woo Hoo!

A little background:
Currently, I have an AS in Computer Science. I have just transferred to a University in the Atlanta are and am studying Physics. I know you're on the edge of your seat now, huh? I know me too. I haven't started my semester yet, but will be soon. I've already registered for my fall classes and need to complete some core classes before I get into the actual Physics classes.

I have friends who blog, so I have seen that an 'everyday' schedule is rather intensive. I would like to put up a new post at the end of any day I go to class... and for Fall Semester I'll be in class Mon-Fri.
So...... We'll see.

I'm going to wrap up this intro post. If you have a topic idea or question just comment below and if it's good enough I'll use it. Otherwise I'm going to just blather on like you're interested in the same thing I am.