This week went by way too fast. We are already well into the first week of May; the sun sets past 8p.m.; and the class of 2008 at UW graduates in little over a month–which means the countdown to my own graduation begins very shortly. I can’t believe either of these three things. The year is going by so fast. I start my new job (still with the bank) on Tuesday. I am so grateful and thankful for the opportunity, as it was completely unexpected and I will do a great job.
It was a rare yet beautiful day in Seattle today. All is going well, but I have lots of homework to do. Papers to write; museums to visit; research to do; and a midterm to take tomorrow–though I think I am pretty set for a 4.0 on that one. I am starting to turn a new page in the discipline of my life. Tomorrow I plan to start running at 5a.m.; make my own breakfast and lunch; get into shape. We’ll see how it works.
If I hadn’t told you already, I am learning Chinese and I am pleased with the progress I am making. It is not nearly as inaccessible a language as once I thought, but I still think that Romance languages, owing to their Latin alphabet, are far superior–logically speaking–to the ideogram-based Asian languages.
I’m pretty bummed the Rockets lost YET ANOTHER playoff series after making the second-longest winning streak in the history of the NBA. They were simply out-played, badly matched, and badly seeded. The Rockets had a real good shot at the #1 seed this year and that was their own doing in not getting it.
According to the HBJ, Texan hybrid auto sales were up 37% over 2006, which garnered the Lone Star State fourth place among the top states for hybrid auto sales at 4.9% of the total market. California continues to lead the nation with 26% of the nation’s hybrid sales occurring there. Leading Texas also were Florida at 5.5% and New York at 5%. Just behind Texas, Washington state came in at number five.
The Rockets won their first game in their first round post-season series against the Utah Jazz. While the game went tit-for-tat most of the second half, Houston built a small lead in the closing minute of the game, leading by as much as 93-86 in the final two minutes of the game. The Jazz kept it close though; narrowly missing out on the win with a few last second throws. Tracy McGrady had 27 points for the night.
Just a quick midweek update. Finally my grades for the winter quarter are set and done and I am most pleased and thankful to say that my quarterly GPA for Winter quarter was a 3.65. Now, if only I can duplicate that success for the remaining four quarters, and achieve phenomenal scores on my GMAT/GRE–then I will be set for graduate school. And in case you didn’t get my slightly subtle hint with the four quarters remark, pending successful completion of all my classes, I will be FINALLY graduating in June of 2009. Mark your calendars; the day is set. You are cordially invited. What I will graduate in? Still up to the gods. Lately, I’ve taken a fondness for Apollo. So maybe he will shoot some arrows into the right people and things will pan out the way I am hoping.
As far as graduate schools go, Professor Laird has stated that she and I will begin discussing what options are available to me and what directions I may want to explore soon. She is such a great professor; it would be awesome to do graduate studies under her. This quarter I am truly having a blast going hands-on (well almost) with the Roman art from the Louvre. Oh that I could only show pictures of those amazing objects I am researching now. Getting back to graduate school for a moment: the short list currently includes Rice University, Notre Dame, and the University of Texas.
So work continues well, school is busy and hectic as usual–THREE papers due this week–and the prospects of saving up some money to take a much needed vacation home in a few months seem good. Or maybe the parents can help with that–since I know you read this…
It feels so good to be a freaking SENIOR! The end.
More pictures from my brief trip home last week. My sister and I went to town square to check on its progress. still a lot of construction. I’ve always lamented how my entire life–at times–it has felt like Houston is one big, endless construction site.
NEW: Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter James Wallace says that a source close to the company has indicated that Boeing will announce further delays for the problem-plagued 787 Dreamliner. The latest delay, Wallace reports, will set the beleaguered jumbo jet back at least another six months, further tarnishing a corporate image which was already in need of polishing.
The Houston Airport System (HAS) announced that Continental airlines and the City of Houston have reached a $1.2 billion agreement to renovate terminal B at the Bayou City’s largest airport. The project which is expected to be constructed in a phased program lasting seven to ten years, will more than quadruple the size of the existing terminal from 360,000 square feet to 1.7 million square feet.