evolution

today is thanksgiving (of course), and i spent it with my family. i got to see almost all of them, except for my stepbrother wes who is in missouri with his dad’s family. i even got to play a bit with my two nieces – one of them is two years old, the other has her first birthday in february.

i went to see a professor of mine, for whom i have a great deal of respect, on friday, about my quest to get into a ph.d. program. he said something that struck me like a bolt of lightning:

“my take on you is that you’re not quite a 24-hour-a-day guy.”

back when i was goofing off in other majors during my undergrad years, i had a lesson to learn. i had coasted through high school – i was never asked to do anything outside of my capability (thereby learning a great deal in the process), and i subconsciously took advantage of that by not doing any work. then i got serious about college, and i learned that i had to treat my undergrad years as a 40-hour-per-week job, just like any other. i developed decent work habits, and i succeeded in my undergraduate math classes.

now i am in graduate school – the next level – and i have had to learn this lesson all over again – at the next level. i treat my school work like a 40-hour-per-week job, just like any other, but that isn’t enough. if i am going to be a good mathematician (as i have every intention of becoming), then i must step up to the task. i have to become a “24-hour-a-day guy”. i have realized this after listening to my professors in class and their command of the material we cover, and i see that they are, deep down inside, “24-hour-a-day guys”. hopefully i haven’t learned too late.

so much for regular posting.

i have not been feeling well lately. last night i went to bed around 10:00 with a mildly sore throat and aches all over. i think, though, that i will feel much better tomorrow – i haven’t felt all that badly today. except for a mild case of stupidity during my complex analysis class, i felt okay.

i got to see my grandparents today. they were well rested after the excitement of last week – my grampa got two good nights’ sleep for the first time in a while, and my grandma can rest easy now. he still has a great deal of weakness in his left arm – it is very difficult for him to open and close his hand. it’s a major hassle because he is left-handed, but his doctors think that some physical therapy should bring back some if not all of the strength in his arm. hopefully, this is the last of the health problems they will face. they have worked hard throughout their lives, and they have faced enough trials already.

my mom and stepdad also baby-sat for my two-year-old niece kailey. she was cranky for part of the day, and ran around terrorizing her grandparents most of the day. i can take it because i still have my youth, but my stepdad is 50, and my mom is in her late-mid-40s, and they work 10-hour days during the week, AND add on top of that my grampa’s stroke; it’s easy to see that they are very tired. but, i think she’s gone to bed by now, and hopefully they will get some peace and quiet as well.

my grandfather had a mild stroke tuesday night. fortunately, he quickly called 911 and was quickly transported to st. luke’s hospital in kansas city, where they put him on blood-thinners. these helped to minimize any damage that may have been caused. he has weakness in his left arm still, but his doctors believe that he will regain his strength in a couple of weeks.

not a lot of people knew their grandparents – i was fortunate to grow up next door to them. they have been a strong presence in my life, and it has recently dawned on me that i will get that phone call – sooner than i will realize – that says they are gone. i don’t know how i will ever deal with it when that day comes.

earlier this evening i locked my keys in my car. thankfully, my roommate showed up and happened to have a coat hanger handy. he bent it and used it to raise the lock button, so i didn’t have to pay the locksmith $30. what a great guy.

what do women REALLY want?

they want a high-powered vacuum from oreck, that’s what!

[cut to scene of shiny new vacuum topped by a flower arrangement.] i just saw this exact commercial on tv.