Thoughts on Graduation

So this is my last week of classes as an undergrad. It doesn't seem quite real yet. I suppose that is just because it has been such a long time coming. I feel like there should be more. How long? lets see..

Approximate start date: Aug. 15, 1998.

Time Elapsed: 5000 Days


That's a lot of time.

• 13 years, 8 months, 8 days
• 714 weeks
  
• 120,000 hours
• 7,200,000 minutes
• 432,000,000 seconds

I have been pondering where I go from here. I of course plan to have a job, and I will be getting married in a couple months. That much is known, but what else. I have a sense that my days of education are not yet over. It is possible I will get a job that I really like and not want to go back to school, but right now I just feel like I am incomplete as far as my education goes. Perhaps I will seek out a job that will help me move towards that desire. Right now I do know I am ready to move forward. I have been in kind of a holding pattern for years, and it feels great to be able to say that I will finally be done.

I have met a lot of great people along the way, and seen a lot happen. And now.. I'm ready for a nap.

From Beethoven to Calculus

I have recently been inspired to get back to listening to some classics. After watching a video on youtube of an 11 year old "conducting" Beethoven's 5th I remembered just how awesome his music was and how much I enjoy just listening to it.

So I bought all 9 symphonies on itunes. good news is they only cost like 10$ total. which is a steal by today's standards of music pricing. It has been years since I listened to any "classical" music for any longer than just a couple minutes. It is so easy to get lost in, and is my current choice to put on my iPod while I code for one of my CS classes, or just have stuff to do and I do not want to be distracted.

Speaking of CS classes, I have figured out what classes I will be taking next semester, and it looks like I may graduate on time. (and by on time, I mean 10 years late.. ;) ) here is what the spring holds for me.

MAT 3501 Differential Equations I MWF 11-11:50
MAT 2443 CALC III MWRF 12-12:50
MAT 2670 CS-II MWF 1-1:50 R 1-2:40
MAT 3770 Combinatorial Computing MWF 2-2:50
ANT 2200 Intro to Anthropology TR 9:30-10:45

It is a little busier than I would like. One good part is I really don't have many classes in the morning, but at the same time I do have four classes back-to-back-to-back-to-back. I prefer to have some time in between classes but this is just the way it will have to be since they all only have one section each. So when you add all those hours up I will be taking 17 hours.

One thing I really need to start doing is writing covers letters for my resume and getting it out to companies for internships. An internship is the one thing I am actually worried about for my degree. My overall GPA is only a 2.42 right now because of my escapades as a music major. It is going up considering my average since returning is a 4.0, but I kinda worry that my field is pretty competitive and I will get overlooked for an internship just because of my GPA. Right now I only have a couple prospects but that should get a little better as we get into the winter and companies really start to think about what interns they need and such. Only a couple at the IT fair this semester were actively looking for people for this coming summer, and a couple others said to check back in at the spring fair when they will have a better idea what they will need. So there are opportunities out there, I will just need to work on finding one that will work for me.

As far as, what the rest of my time here at EIU looks like it isn't too bad. It looks like I will have 12 hours in the fall and another 12 hours in the spring.

fall 2011 (12 hrs)
Data Structures
Problems and Statistics I
Linear programming (elective)
and some other course..

Spring 2012 (12 hrs)
Algorithms
Operating Systems
Problems and statistics II
Numerical Calculus

That is all I have left to do in my major. If this is gonna be the case for sure and I won't have to take any last minute classes like Mike did, then I may drop one class next semester and put it off til the fall so that I don't have to just take some other class to fill space. Plus, that will lighten my load a little bit this spring, and maybe save me from accidentally killing Erin. :)

Anyway, Beethoven rocks.

--Chuck

Let the games begin..

Well, another summer has come to a close. Was pretty busy for a while but the last few weeks have been great. I finished up my summer classes with 3 A's so i am still holding my 4.0 since returning to EIU.

After my classes finished, Erin and I headed to NC to visit some family i have out there, was so good to see G'ma, Aunts: Ruth, Rose, Mary, and Ginny, and Uncles: Keith, Steve, and John. It also didn;t hurt that we spent 2 days in Myrtle Beach. All in all it was a nice relaxing week after working my butt off for summer classes... well maybe not my butt, maybe a part of my gut though.

Speaking of Guts.. I bought a Wii, and no surprise, it told me I am a fat-ass. (you know its a bad sign when your gaming console is telling you that you are too fat.) So I have decided that I am going to try my best to work out atleast 5 times a week. The running i had planned for this summer just didn't jive with my schedule nor the fact it was stupidly hot outside. Currently I weigh 217 lbs and it is my goal to get under 200 in 2 months (so far about 2 weeks in and i started at about 220). I should be able to do it as long as I keep my mind set. I am making better decisions when it comes to what I am eating (especially foods high in fiber) too.

Something else i did this summer was get the old colon scoped. I'm the last rice kid to get it done. I guess i can be a bit stubborn, who knew... Everything turned out fine. final tally 4 polyps and all turned out to be benign. so no cancer for me. Considering my family history they would like to see me back every 3 years to make sure it stays that way.

Erin and I are also moved into a new Apt in Charleston. this one is more than 2x the size of the old one and once we finishing unpacking and getting stuff where we want it, we will give a little tour like we did for the last one. :)

Anyway, classes start again tomorrow and i am looking forward to getting that much closer to graduation. On the Plus side, i already have my financial aid stuff finished and the appeal is in to be reviewed, so i can just relax and focus on my classes and erin.

Now I am going to go and enjoy my last day of summer.

--Chuck

Get your ass in shape

Ok so summer is here and I have less responsibilities, so I have decided to get my butt off the couch and start eating healthier and exercising daily like I did last year.

so my main goal is to be able to do 30 minutes of jogging solid by the end of the summer. its a tall order, but I think I have it in me. Last year I lost quite a bit of weight and was able to get myself into some old jeans I had outgrown several years previously. Due to a Lack of scale in our house at the moment i can;t keep track of that ATM, but as soon as I have access to one I will set a weight goal as well.

--Chuck

End of semester

Well my first semester back has been fun. lots of frustrating philosophy papers, but had tons of fun programming in Java and even calc was entertaining.

so this is unofficial, but here are my grades for the semester assuming my philosophy teacher doesn't change his mind:


Course | Grade | Credits|Quality points

MAT

1441G

UG

Calculus Analytic Geometry I

A

5.000

20.00

MAT

2170

UG

Computer Science I

A

4.000

16.00

PHI

1000G

UG

Introduction to Philosophy

A

3.000

12.00

4.0

I feel as though I have accomplished exactly what I set out to do, and I am very happy with the results.

Here's hoping i continue this trend this summer and next fall.

Cheers to everyone who kept prodding me to go back. Especially Uncle Mehli and Dad.

--Chuck

Last set of Apps

Well I just finished my 14th and final lab for Java. Check it out!

last couple weeks of labs have been pretty boring but were necessary for me to learn how to do stuff. I'm sure next year will be loaded with more fun things.

gonna be pretty busy this next week. i have a calc take home test to finish, plus my dreaded philosophy exam and final paper. lots of typing.

once all that is done all I have left are the finals in Calc I and CS I.

It has been a good semester and first I have had in a long time that I did so well. I should end up with a B in Philosophy, maybe an A if I pull a miracle out of my ass. I should have an A in both Calc I and CS I. so pretty good.

I'm lookin forward to my summer classes and gettin a nice little break in July/August.

Lastly.. Praise to the Unmoved Mover! I can now sit on my butt and not worry about money. My Suga Momma is now employed by America's most popular quick sustenance establishment. McDonalds! woo. We are set!

--Chuck

um excuse me?

It's been a weird day. Started off well with the news of getting an A on my calc exam. yay go me. You're children is learning.

I proceeded to go to the union and get some breakfast. Steak n eggs over-easy with shredded hashbrowns and wheat toast. Eventually Erin shows up and we start having a private intense discussion. We aren't yelling by any means mind you, and no one is really getting upset but, the guy in the next booth couldn't help but get angry with my use of "Cuss words." Apparently I used more than his daily allotment so he decided to start yelling at me, telling me that we needed to shut up, because he wants to sit and enjoy his time and not have to hear me say "the f-bomb 27 times."

I can understand someone asking politely if we would keep it down or whatever but this guy went straight from zero to asshat. So I told him we were having a private conversation and to mind his own business. Well I would have if he hadn't cut me off as soon as I started talking. He told me either I can stop cussing or he was going to call the cops. He even pulled out his phone for effect. Wait what?! You are actually going to call the cops.. because I said F*ck? really?? Half of me wanted to say go for it, and was just waiting to hear his explanation of why he called EIU PD. I don't generally shy away when someone tries to threaten me, especially when they do it in a rude fashion but, I simply decided that he wasn't worth my time. By the time he would have called the cops and they got there, I would have been late for class. So I just let it go.

The rest of my day was pretty average though I spent about half of my philosophy class thinking what he would say if I placed a flaming bag of dog poo at his front door. cause when all is said and done, nothing says I Love You like dog poo on your shoe.

-- Chuck...

Chuck bo buck, banana-fana fo... **CENSOR**


p.s. Bourbon makes everything better.... and I <3 my GF. she is amazing.

Chick-en Good.

Made some chicken stuff in the slow cooker today. onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, chicken breasts, garlic n herb soup mix, and cream of mushroom.

I'm not sure what it is gonna taste like but we will find out in a few minutes.

I uploaded a couple more Java Applets to my webpage too, so check em out and let me know what you think.

--Chuck

Hold on to your butts!

Been pretty lazy of late. After I turned in my philosophy paper, I have taken to relaxing and trying not to think. Our weekends are busy as ever, i am starting to wonder if we will ever spend time at our apartment on a weekend. This weekend Becky and the girls are gonna be in Jacksonville so we are heading there to spend some time with them. the next weekend is our anniversary so I was planning on spending some time in Chucktown, but it turns out that we share our anniversary with some friends and they are planning on getting married that day. So we'll be in Jville for that too. Oh well someday we will get to just relax.

We have officially started exercising again. for right now the plan is to walk/run on mondays, tuesdays, thursdays, and on the weekends. Wednesdays are out because we are too busy and friday involves drinking beer. >.< lol It feels good to exercise again. I'm pretty sure I have put some of the weight I lost last year back on. So i am def ready to lose that again and hopefully I'll get rid of this gut.

Well that's about all I can say right now. I've a test tomorrow in Calc, but I'm not too worried.

Here are the newest applets. I didn;t post any last week because it was a two week lab. So check out 10 and 11. I will prolly have another couple later this week but this is it for now.

-- Chuck

p.s. oh duh I forgot to mention I am all registered for classes for the summer and fall. This summer I have classes from May 17 - June 11 and June 14 - July 24.

Time to kick back

I am finally done with all my midterms. I got the only A on my Calculus Exam, however I think a buncha people in the class are non math majors who are repeating the class 'cause they failed it once already. XD

I also just submitted my Aristotle Exam, so I can truly relax now. The sad part is that I have to turn right around and write a paper comparing Plato (Exam I)to Aristotle. yuck!

Seeing as Registration for Summer and Fall terms are right around the corner, I have been looking at what courses I can take. So far, for the summer, it is looking like art appreciation and spaceship earth (Senior Seminar). Taking these 4 week (mid May - mid June) classes will allow me to focus on Math courses in the fall and will still allow me to have a nice summer break.

Speaking of Fall here is what is on tap for that:

Calculus II

Discrete Math

Linear Algebra

Computer Systems

14 hours of fun!

Well that's about it. I also uploaded my weekly Java applets.

-----------> JAVA APPLETS <--------------

So check em out and let me know what ya think.


--Chuck

Do you like fractals?

It's that time again! Time for some more awesome Java Applets!!

-------> CLICK HERE!!! <-------

Today I did these applets while sitting on my couch. I hooked my lappy into my HDTV and BAM! The most comfortable seat in the apartment became my workstation! ;)

Let me know what ya think!!

--Chuck

Enough is Enough!

Attention women and girls around the world. STOP THE MADNESS!! These two articles of clothing do not belong together.

Yes I have complained about this subject before, and I am hardly the fashion police, but I know a bad thing when I see it... And so does everyone else... Ladies you are doing yourself a great disservice dressing like slobs. I assume you have all heard the phrase, "Looks like they got dressed in the dark." Well there ya go. In fact I would probably go a little farther and say that you had been dressed by a blind woman who had lost their sense of touch.

I'll admit I was very skeptical of the boots themselves (especially the colored rain boots that have become very popular) but they are growing on me. I have seen many people pairing them with jeans, khakis, among other things and it works. Far be it from me to actually critique a fashion statement (and know what I'm talking about), butt this particular statement is obviously, a largely bad one.


--Chuck (fashion extraordinaire)

Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Spa

So this past Thursday, I went to the emergency room at Sara Bush Lincoln Hospital with really bad abdominal pain, the scoots, and lots of dry heaving. Well after many tests, some morphine, and some benedryl to counter the itchy effects from the contrast CT, I think they admitted me but im not really sure as I went to planet retard about 30 seconds after the benedryl/morphine shots.

So I found myself relaxing in a hospital bed doped on morphine and getting an IV of saline and Zosyn(anti-biotic). I am told there were some pretty ridiculous moments where I made little to no sense. I wasn't allowed anything by mouth until middle of the second day in and then was only liquid diet for 24 hours. I finally got some (hospital) food in my stomach a few hours before i was discharged.

All in all it wasn't really a bad experience. However, i'm pretty sure if I had to spend another night in there I would have been put in restraints. all day saturday I kept gettin outta bed and walking around the floor and pestering Erin, Cindy, and Dad because I was going stir crazy.

Anyway. I am gettin caught up on my work for classes and lookin forward to gettin past midterms. I also have some new Java Applets that I just uploaded to my website:

http://pen.eiu.edu/~cerice

Check out the New Applets and let me know what ya think. Some may seem simple compared to previous weeks, however, the internal workings are more complicated and they were exercises in writing those methods.


--Chuck

Jacksonvile Weekend

The weekend at home was fun even though it rained forever. I was glad to spend some time with my wonderful nieces. Erin and I took Alice out to eat @ Best Buffet. She was awesome, to say the least, despite wanting to play with the germs in the plugged up bathroom sink.

--Chuck

Follow the bouncing ball!!

I'm hoping we will get to interactive applets soon, but at least we did something that moves this week!

Enjoy!



--Chuck

Senators or SenNOtors?

The US Senate has seen manyshades of blue and red over the years. But now the senate has skipped all shades and skipped directly to the color Retarded. OK, so maybe its not an actual color, but hear me out.

Right now the divide between the idealist factions of the two major parties are about like the grand canyon. They are so far apart and so unwilling to compromise that nothing is getting done. This inability to help the very people who elected them to their positions, is driving many good moderates to rethink even taking part is this legislative debacle. I am sure the left and the right are more than happy to see the moderates leave so they can attempt to replace them with people who will say "To hell with getting anything accomplished, lets just play politics and get re-elected!" Yeah that will be great. Lets just make the political divide that much more polarized, I'm sure then they will get something done.

How do the American people benefit from all this political grandstanding and constant posturing. Your guess is as good as mine... Retarded..

--Chuck

Week 5 = Done!

Two tests down, one to go, and the last one is a take home test. Hooray! Too bad I have to cite my work and add in a work cited... for a test.... ugh.. oh well. Week 5 is done, and I am glad to be home relaxing.

I uploaded some new Java Applets a few hours ago. Pretty similar to last weeks uploads but with a little more FLAIR!.

Check em out!! ------------> Java Applets <-----------------

--Chuck

Lions and Tigers and Geeks, Oh My!

So it's my birthday, and to celebrate I decided to buy a new Laptop and head to a LAN party at my friends house in Chicago (lots of computers, lots of caffeine, lots of beer, and lots of RASburgers). It has been a few years since I have been to a LAN and it was a lot of fun to see some old friends and be a bit of a dork for a weekend.

Being in Chicago had an added bonus though. On Sunday, Erin and I went to visit my sister and her family @ her in-laws. We got to see the girls which is always an adventure, and had the most awesome Soggy I-Beef Sandwiches for dinner. Just one more reason to like Villa Park.

Well Happy Birthday to me, and thank goodness the superbowl wasn't a flop!

--Chuck

Yay new applets!!

Just a quick lil post, I just finished my 4th Lab for CS I and uploaded them to my EIU webpage. My applets are getting a tad more interesting.

On another good note, I received my letter from EIU saying my appeal has been accepted, so I'll get my Financial Aid. ^.^ The down side is I have to appeal EVERY semester. Money is money though. Hurray!!

Now I have to go study for my Calc test and pack for my weekend in Chicago. LAN party (known to normal people as a dork-fest) + going to see Becky, Matt and the Girls.

--Chuck

politics is making me sad

The state of our political climate in the US right now is one of, "I'll get mine, and to hell with everyone else." It really makes me sad and ashamed. If we really are the leader of the free world, then we are a poor example for all those who come after us. We should be able to come together to do what is right, rather than bicker and complain that the legislation is too liberal or too conservative. The system has become more and more corrupt. Politicians can no longer just set aside their political beliefs without essentially cutting off an arm or a leg of their finances.

Personally I don't think this is all politicians fault though. Our nation just hasn't been able to adapt quick enough to the information age. A constant stream of fact mixed with 1/2-truths on the internet and 24/7 "news" channels on TV make the price of going out on a limb to do something right very high. With all the exposure these days one simple vote on a seemingly innocent bill could spell certain doom for any politician at any given time. There is not a man or woman in Washington that is immune to this problem. Each and every member of Congress is working to please, not their constituents, but the third parties that hold them in their pockets.

The problem doesn't just stem from third party interests. The Politicians themselves have to step up and try to work together. Over the last year the phrase I think I heard the most from people in congress is, "It's the will of the people." The left used this when they ousted Republicans from the majority, and now the right is touting it around because they are starting to get some of their political capital back. Every time they say this it's used to justify why they are too damn stubborn to consider anything but what fits into their ideals.

Maybe this view is a tad cynical, but it just seems to me that something is very wrong with the way we operate. If we can't come together to solve the problems of our nation, then we have no business being the world leader that we are. Something needs to happen and simply changing out broken parts on a corrupted political machine does NOT get it running again.

Well I hope that all makes sense. I'm still a little tired and my brain is a little scattered, but i was reading another news article this morning where both parties were trying to use the "It's the will of the people!!" line.. and it just made me so sad and angry that I had to write something.

I look forward to seeing nothing accomplished before the election in November.

--Chuck

thanks to dailybiz.wordpress.com for the picture. ^.^

New Lappy

As many of you know I have been lookin' around for a new Laptop. Well.. We have a winner. After much thought, I have decided to stick with a PC. I really like the Toshiba I currently have (well aside from the fact that it is a piece of jun now), and I will eventually need to replace my desktop so I figured why not kill two birds with one Toshiba.

The Qosmio is a bit of a behemoth, weighing in at almost 10 Lbs, but that is in large part due to its 18.4" screen and 12 cell Battery. Plus it also has some pretty good hardware backing it up.

Like I was saying it will replace my desktop as well as my current laptop so it will be useful in that I can take it with me easily for use at school, but I will also be able to satisfy my dorky desire to play graphically intensive games.

All in all, I spent less on it than I would have on building a new gaming desktop, so I am very happy with the $1500 price tag. As an added bonus, I do not have to buy anti-virus software or microsoft office, since we have copies of both still waiting to be used.

I must admit, I was waiting to see what Apple released because I was very intrigued by the idea of the iPad, however after seeing it, it is just too lack luster. I think the novelty of having it would wear off almost instantly. I do think its a great idea, however the implementation leaves a lot to be desired. So the StarTrek data pad is almost there, but it'll have to wait til it is actually good to be in my inventory.

--Chuck

... and in the beginning ...

OK. So I have decided to start a blog. I used to have one, but I got bored and just neglected it until the hosting site decided I no longer needed it. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this one.

My main objective is to keep family up to date on my stuff here @ EIU, but also to keep myself occupied between classes. Right now I have a four hour gap between classes and I find myself getting dumber while I play around on facebook.

So if you are interested in what I'm doing here at EIU, I have put all the Java Applets that I have created, for my Computer Science I class, on my EIU webpage. You can check that out here. The applets should work in Firefox, IE, and Safari. If you have any problems let me know and I'll see what I can do to fix the problem. There is one problem I have run into already and that involves Firefox on Mac. I am not sure why, but sometimes the dialog boxes that pop up cause Firefox to lockup. If you have this problem try using Safari instead.

--Chuck