Bringing Myself Up To Date

• I am 22 years old
• I am currently living in Portland, OR
• This summer, I will be in New Orleans, LA; Portland, OR; Los Angeles, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Albuquerque, NM; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; Austin, TX
• This fall I am going to the University of Texas at Austin to do graduate work in transportation engineering
• I received a fellowship to do this work
• My weekday consists of me waking up at 5 AM, working 7 AM - 3:30 PM, going to the gym, coming back home, sleeping at 9 PM
• I am in a dodgeball league
• Because of all the bus time, I average 2 - 4 books a week. My last five books have been: Monte Cristo, The Black Book, Remember Me?, The Poisonwood Bible, and this western book whose title I have misplaced (it must not have been very good)
• I have a summer job
  

The Count of Monte Cristo

For the past several days, I have been reading The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. Today I finished the story, all 1500 pages of it. It is a story about a man named Edmond Dantes, and the consequences that ensue after he is arrested and falsely imprisoned for treason on the eve of his wedding. Dantes becomes a man of vengeance, swearing ruin on those that have caused him to lose his happiness and those he consider dear.

The book asks one main question, who can deliver justice?


WHAT IS BETTER, LES MISERABLES OR MONTE CRISTO???

Welcome To Graduation

I took my final undergraduate exam last Wednesday. I did not attend commencement on Friday. on Sunday I packed up my bags and left Los Angeles for good?

Keep Austin Weird, Civil Disobedience, and Other Updates In My Life

This fall, I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin on a fellowship to study transportation engineering. The fellowship will cover my (out of state) tuition. I will also receive a stipend to be a research assistant. I made this decision last Monday.

I am still in somewhat of a shock at this turn of events. I certainly was not expecting to get a fellowship. Quite honestly, I saw myself staying at USC, living in downtown LA, spending the next year and a half studying for a master's in environmental quality management (they make good pay). But when I got the email telling me about the fellowship, I knew that I could not pass on such an opportunity. It is quite satisfying to know that I will no longer depend on my parents for money or financial assistance. And this way I will be able to live in a completely new city, which apparently is THE city for young, single professionals

Also, last week I went to Hawaii with other civil engineering students for a CE conference. My technical paper placed second. I got to paddle a canoe, which was pretty fun.

Street Lights

remaining things for the semester:

spring break, Los Angeles / perhaps somewhere else: March 16 - 20
civil engineering regional competition, Hawaii: April 1 - 4
graduate

I am not planning to attend commencement

I got into the University of Tennessee

IF YOU SEEK AMY

CRANBERRY JUICE
CRANBERRY JUICE
CRANBERRY JUICE
CRANBERRY JUICE

HOPE

history.

Scorned

heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned
nor hell a fury like a woman scorned
-The Morning Bride by William Congreve, 1697

wise, wise words.

Street Lights

So my winter break is quickly coming to an end. It was a pretty good break, probably one of my busiest breaks. I wrote quite a few papers, filled out several applications, read a lot of books, worked out at the gym...it was satisfying. I rediscovered my affinity for the New Yorker magazine - I like the seemingly random and non sequitur writing style. Quality. I really want to subscribe because I enjoy reading it a lot, but I deeply suspect that I would not be able to keep up with the weekly publications once class resumes, and school demands my attention. Meanwhile, my parents subscribed to US Weekly for my for my Christmas present, and the first issue arrived in the mail yesterday, so that was pretty nice. I've been reading the New Yorker when I go to the gym and do cardio. It is a pleasant, educating alternative to watching TV, me flipping pages and working out and listening to my iPod.

I was in a bad mood, but then I listened to Metro Station and it made me feel INFINITELY better.

I'm trying to think of what I want out of my last semester...

Welcome To The World

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2009! holy crap this means the first decade of the millennium is almost over. yikes! gotta make it the best year yet (so far each year has been better than the last, don't worry)

so far during the winter break I have read ON THE ROAD (finally), THE NAMESAKE (VERY, very good), and I am currently double fisting with THE HOUND OF THE BASKEVILLES and NICKEL AND DIMED: ON (NOT) GETTING BY IN AMERICA. I finished quite a bit of writing over the past several days. I wrote a transportation scholarship essay, filled out a bunch of graduate school applications, and wrote a technical paper for my school's civil engineering club (hopefully it will get accepted). I have also continued to go to the gym daily on weekdays

In other news, have you seen the G commercial? the one with a bunch of athletes? it's pretty awesome but I have no idea what it is about. but I googled it, and it's about.....Gatorade!! it's got Dwane Wade, Jeter, JABBAWOCKEEZ, voiceover of Lil Wayne...it's epic

here's the ad if you haven't seen it. G!