Breakfast of champions!

It's the Strawberry Shortcake recipe from the June issue of Bon Appetit, which sadly is not up on epicurious.

It's not nearly as sweet as I would have expected, but it's terrifyingly rich - almost enough to make me regret the last bite. N made real whipped cream (while the dogs chased around the kitchen to find all the tiny drips of it falling through the air) and we learned to hull strawberries.

Oh man, I'm sore. I'm sure tomorrow will be fun.

I didn't have to pay for my first time (except the mat fee to the gym). I did have to sign a waiver. Eventually a nice lady with a filebox showed up, and she was indeed the lady with the waivers.

Everyone was kind of flabbergasted that I had no idea what judo was. (What? I know it's got a big turnout, it's at my local rec center, and that some of the instructors are nice. Oh, and it's cheap. Good enough for me.)

We have these huge mats that get rolled out to cover the entire basketball court. Then you have to bow when you step on the mat, stand with your experience group, stand at attention and bow again.

Then warmups. Jogging, stretching, sit ups, push ups. Then drag yourself across the mat on your belly. Then backwards. Then weirdly both ways on your back. Then cartwheels (! I didn't know I could do a cartwheel) then somersaults. Then a few more things, but I had to sit out while I recovered from somersault induced dizzy.

Then a brown belt showed me:
How to fall straight onto your back, from sitting, from squatting, from standing.
How to fall to either side (same deal)
How to fall forward (same deal)
A throw where you step past the guy, pulling his collar and sleeve back, and shoving his feet forward.
A throw where you step into the guy and turn around, lifting him over your hip.
A standard hold (and an easy to remember trick to get out of it.)

Beginners class is listed 6:30-7:30, but I stayed to 8:30 with most people.

The bowing stuff will be hard to remember. And the japanese names for things. (both those throws started with "O".) and I still think a gi looks silly, but I see how it is useful in this. (Much rather have someone grab my sleeve than my tricep.)
So I'll give it at least a month (dues are paid monthly) and see how it goes. The "this is awesome!" moment is when you shove a guy much bigger than you off balance with all technique and no power. N says he'll come with me and try it Thurs.

8.Order that one book from interlibrary loan

I'm excited about mixture models now. It seems like this might be where statistics and datamining get together and have a party.

1. Try Judo
2. Write up syllabus for comps
3. Get comps syllabus signed or otherwise approved in some official way
4. Figure out who is on my graduate committee. Probably let them know.
5. Read Mood, Graybill, and Boes (MGB) from cover to cover. Again.
6. Read as much of Casella and Berger as I need to so that I can work the problems in MGB.
7. Start research!
8. Order that one book from interlibrary loan
9. Actually sew at least one dress from the patterns I impulse bought the other day
10. Work on that economics idea (Dan would not be pleased to see that so far down this list!)
11. Make strawberry shortcake

I'm sure that's not all!

-edit-

12. Set up my XO laptop so that I can actually use it.
13. Figure out how to get pet health insurance

One paper of whatever length necessary to discuss 3 papers for environmental econ. Due Monday at 5.

Tuesday - Math stat final, in class portion
Thursday - Econ final
Friday - Math stat take home portion due
following Monday - Econ paper due

Notes:

I want to try carrots, radishes and fancy potatoes. I kind of want to try sugar snap peas, but maybe not really. (they seem like more work.)

I should do rosemary in a container so that a) it's underfoot and I remember to water it and b) I can take it indoors for the winter.

and leeks! It would be awesome to grow our own leeks. it may be too late for them this year.

Teachers never include finals when you ask them how many weeks are left. It's almost rude how little impact finals have on them.

Tonight we're going to a retirement party for an inspirational economics teacher. I haven't had a class with her, but I hope to know my stuff well enough one day to ask the kinds of questions she asks during talks.

Sometime this weekend - send any last minute Math Clinic report critiques

Monday -
Tuesday - read econ paper
Wednesday - math clinic pres - but I just have to look respectful and interested
Thursday - read econ paper, math stat pres

then 2 more parties, then finals, which includes an econ paper due the following Monday (while I appreciate the time, I very much want to be done with it before that!)

I should start freaking out about that math stat presentation any minute now.

"the old man had insisted that if a man could look into a mirror and respect what he saw, then he would never fear to stand tall in front of God, and God would feel just fine about that."

man, that was a lot of time on planes and in airports. You know what I hate about the Atlanta airport? the way they play CNN really loudly at 5 am so I can't sleep. Delta continues to not do anything to piss me off though, so it could be soooo much worse.

Wait, school is supposed to be my 1st priority, isn't it? Time to switch gears.

Sunday night - Final Math Clinic paper due. No, I don't quite understand why it can't be due Monday. Yes, I'll probably have done everything I'm gonna by Sunday night, but somehow it makes my brain sad to have stuff due then.

Monday -
Tuesday - something for econ? But I don't know what? Maybe he'll lecture
Wednesday - Math Clinic ind. final report. I love the online schedule for this course.
Thursday  - something for econ? Almost definitely should read some paper. gah.

I could probably stand to read the Discriminant Analysis chapter for math stat.

I definitely should work on my projects for math stat and econ.

This is funny - I have projects and finals and whatever hanging over me for the next (3?)  few weeks, but I've also got 3 school parties I have to go to. Thanks guys. I'm sure I'll be all relaxed and thinking about partying and not those papers I have to write for you. I'm sure they all mean well, and I guess it's my own fault for being associated with 2 departments.