A Question of Averages

As I sort through all the articles printed for two years of course work in order to prepare for my comprehensive exam (Sept. 10-11) I find myself wondering:

How many average size trees does the average graduate student kill in an average year?

where did all these people come from?

Went to yoga yesterday. Hardly recognized anybody and there were many more people than I'd ever seen. Maybe it'd been a long time since I'd been to a Sat. class. The room (which is big) was so full that a guy who came in late had to set up his mat on the raised instructor platform right next to the teacher.

Today we had a meeting at a coffee shop to coordinate our efforts on the comparative politics comprehensive exam. I figured I'd swing by the grocery store (the Carrboro Harris Teeter) on the way home. I drove around the parking lot for a while looking for a parking space but it was totally full with a good number of cars also looking for spaces. So I just went home. Maybe it's always that busy mid-day on Sunday and I'd always gone later in the day. But I feel almost like our population jumped a bunch in the time I was gone. Of course it did--students came back. Still, it almost feels busier than ever. Just further incentive to walk or bike to shop, which I normally do but I was trying to combine this with another trip.

Sorry if this is boring. My life isn't very interesting right now. For interesting blog posts check out Katie's blog about her travels and her mom's blog about living in Syria.

my new Picasa album with Alaska pics

I'm a picture parasite and let Ben take all the pictures while he was here visiting. I've started the process of putting some of them on a new Picasa site (Google's photo site). 23hq only allows 30 pic uploads a month and Ben took a lot. Picasa allows 1 GB, so I'm checking it out. I still like 23hq, though the use of maps in Picasa is particularly useful with these photos, giving people an idea of where we went.

I realize I may not have kept people up to date with what I'm doing. I came to AK for a wedding and to visit my dad. I head to CA on the 15th to meet with family and bury my grandparents' cremains. Then I'm back in NC on the 20th, starting classes on the 21st. My comp is Sep. 10-11. I should get back to studying for that. It's a pretty pleasant place to study.

Amazon wish list

With my birthday less than a month away I thought it'd be good to pass this on in case any friends or family members are looking for gift ideas. Of course I don't expect anything, especially given the small number of people to whom I give birthday gifts. I've noted where there are items that might be found more cheaply elsewhere.