Computer Dependent?

So it seems to me, this quarter in particular, I am being continually reminded of how much I depend on my computer.  My internet has been down twice for multiple days and just recently my computer broke and I had to wait it out to see if I needed to get a new one.  It is amazing to me how hard it is to get by without the internet.  It has become a part of my daily life.  Even though it's only been two days since my computer broke it feels like forever.  When I come home from class there is not much to do because I need the computer for everything.

Besides my own experience, I had to take the general writing requirement a couple of weekends ago and the prompt was talking about an application that will block users from the internet for a specified period of time and whether or not you support the application.  I think that is a very good question.  It is a little freeing to not have the internet, but at the same time it is such a necessity.  What do you guys think?  What would you do without the internet?

Half Marathon

I've been trying very hard to keep up my training now that I'm back in classes.  Over break I was running all the time but I wasn't pushing myself too much and my pace definitely slowed down.  I came back to an 8 mile run which went pretty well.  I was real slow and did not want to go any further, but it made a huge difference on my 3.5 mile run today.  I know that isn't very far but I very much enjoyed it.  I think I'm ready to take on 9.5 this coming week : ) 

I have been using map my run lately and I love it.  I went on and found a route to run that is pretty close to 9.5 miles.  Lets hope that I don't get lost though!  I run out in the ag fields at Cal Poly so there aren't really names of many of the streets posted and there are a lot of miscellaneous dirt roads.  Sometimes I get a little scared because there aren't many people around and it' so close to the mens colony.  Maybe I will bring my pepper spray with me...

Where are the Holidays

My mirror is finally completed!  I think I've decided that I'm leaving it with my mom so I don't take the chance of breaking it!

I can't believe that the holidays have gone and passed and that I have to go back to school on Monday already! Where did the time go?  I had some major plans for my break, I wanted to finish reading my book, make a stain glass mirror, get some more work done on the blanket that I am knitting and complete the intro to my thesis.  So I haven't worked on my thesis at all but I have really enjoyed being home for three weeks.  I think that it was just what I needed.  A nice long break to do nothing academic related and now I'm trying to prepare myself to go back full force!  My brother is coming back with me on Sunday to stay a couple days so I am very excited! 

Livin' for the moment

So while contemplating whether or not to get my doctorate I've been thinking about a lot of things.  I know five years from now whether I decided to continue my education or not I will be 27 (wow that sounds old) but it is the quality of those five years that I am worried about.  Right now I spend my life studying, I work on homework all the time.  If I were given the choice to be able to start my college career over I don't think I would want to have to redo it all.  I know college is supposed to be the time of your life but there is no way I could have time for what it needs to do well in all of my classes. 

I suppose the best way I can think of to describe this is my intensity.  When I get a project or goal in mind I think of it as more of an end destination and want to finish it.  I have always been very determined/competitive and I need to work on enjoying the ride rather than looking to the finish.  With all that in mind, still no decision. 

Finals Week

You can always tell when finals week is here because our apartment seems to get much cleaner!  I was lucky this year because most of my work was due the last week of class, aka dead week.  This week I only have one final, so I've been taking advantage and going to a coffee shop everyday to study for a bit.  I can't believe that I am heading home in 2 days!  And then it's Christmas time!  It sure feels like Christmas time if you go outside, it is freezing!

Henry is so happy to have some presents

Tonight my roommates and I are exchanging out secret santa presents.  We were all pretty good this year and as far as I know no one knows who anyone else has.  Hope we all get something good : )

And I hope you all are enjoying your Holiday Season as well.

Pondering

So during my trip to San Diego while we were all hanging out we somehow got onto the topic of the potential of stem cells and the advances that have been made in science and all kinds of things.  But someone brought up the fact that the more you know, the more you realize you don't know.  There is just so much out there, so much to be discovered and researched and understood.  Really focusing in one specific area portrays all the infinite details and how oversimplified we as a society tend to make things.  Nothing is that simple, nothing is a 100% guarantee.  Within almost everything there is so much more going on than you can ever imagine or is even understood.  And this translates into everything, into surgeries that are done routinely and even into dealing with people.  Speaking of which, as one of my (blogger) friends mentioned the other day, I need to be more understanding of others.  Nothing good comes out of judging.  Just a thought for the day.

Student for Life

I recently made a quick trip to San Diego, and by quick I mean being in SD for less than 24 hours with a five hour drive on each end!  But it was a lot of fun and a good way to get to know all the CIRM students and professors a little better.  It was a very different atmosphere than when in class. 

The point of this trip was to get to know all of the host institutes a little bit better and learn what they are researching about and discuss some logistics with the matching process of our internship.  I was thinking after this meeting I would have a very clear idea of where I want to go but there is just so much potential in all the different aspects, I don't know where I want to go!  I loved Novocell but from networking with all of the postdocs it sounds as though if I want to be able to do research then I need to get my PhD.  I was kind of hoping in two years I would be completely done, so now how do I decide if this is something I should do?  It is likely that I could double count a couple of my classes from getting my masters and that my internship could be the basis of my research for my doctorate, so I don't know exactly how much time I would be looking at. 

I guess I should just let the information sink in a bit before I make a decision.  I just don't know what I want to do for my career.  Should I continue my education to ensure there aren't any doors that are closed in the future?  Should I look for a job after I get my masters and go back to get my PhD if I do later decide I want to do research? 

If only I were better at making decisions!