1.
I started a Gratitude journal. I read somewhere
that it can make you a happier person. I have been feeling trapped time wise by
my graduate degree, so I decided I needed to make a change to improve my
outlook on life. I am looking forward to see if some of the commonly held
beliefs in positive psychology actually hold true for me.
2.
My classes have started for the semester. I am
taking dynamics and a controls lab. I am sort of okay about dynamics because
I’ve only taken a lower division physics class that has encompassed dynamics in
the past. It is sort of nice taking an indepth look at it, and I really have
time to put the hours into studying on the semester system. The controls class
really chaps my hide, though. I have definitely taken this class before. I was
optimistic going into it because I was excited to take a refresher and get
hands on experience. The only problem is that the refresher isn’t all that
helpful and the lab is actually a poor quality matlab course. I am hoping that
the midterm will be exciting, but otherwise this class is taking up valuable
space in my four year plan.
3.
I got new prescription sunglasses. The end of
the FSA year really snuck up on me, and I am lucky that I got it in just under
the wire. I was worried it would be hard to spend that much money all in one
place, but lenscrafters really showed me that it actually isn’t very hard at
all. My new glasses are so adorable.
4.
I have been doing a great job on my No Netflix
Saturdays resolution. I haven’t watched Netflix on a Saturday so far this year.
Only 10 more months to go! It was incredibly painful this last weekend because
it rained the entire time. Both our climbing trip and our kayak tour was
canceled this weekend. I couldn’t fall back on my climb hard all morning sleep
all afternoon routine. I just sat around anxiously trying to think of something
else to do while I waited for Netflix Sunday to roll around.
5.
I had to upgrade to an iPhone 6. My iphone 5 was
having trouble, and honestly I think it was a problem that I had ever since I
got it. Every once in a while and for long stretches of time the phone would
hop off the network and say it was searching. It has been painful because my
cell phone is my only home phone line. I was forced to address it this weekend
because I tried to make an appointment at the eye doctor who put me on the wait
list if only I would be reachable by phone. That is when I realized that there
was no purpose having a phone if its not reliable. With me driving back and
forth from school twice a week, it’s a borderline safety risk that I did not
have a cell line. AT&T wouldn’t pay for it either way and the upgrade would
only be 3 dollars extra per month, so I decided to just go for the upgrade. I
should be excited, but it being strong armed into buying another cell phone
when I wasn’t prepared didn’t feel so great.
6.
I gave a talk at UCSD for mentorship purposes. I
spoke to the Materials Advantage group about me and what my experience was like
transitioning from UCSD to working life and eventually grad life. It was really
fun and rewarding. I am not sure how much the students got out of it, but I would
definitely be willing to do it again.
7.
I went to Palm Springs for valentines day. It
was really exciting. You can read more about that here.
8.
I haven’t been doing so good with my running
habit. My evening classes are messing with my sleep schedule. It is hard to
wake up early after staying up late. I have been trying to make up for it by
get into a calistenic routine in the night time, and I am happy to say that I
am actually seeing results with it.
9.
I saw 50 shades of grey in theaters. It was
everything I thought it would be. I actually didn’t think it was going to be as
graphic as it was after I read that it was toned down to reach more audiences.
Alex, however, thought it was a terrible movie.
10. This
month I am obsessed with Stila black eyeliner. I have three other tubes of
black eyeliner in my make up drawer that made me think that I just couldn’t be
an eyeliner person. Stila changed everything. I sort of knew when I bought
Stila Brand lipstick a few months back that they would be a company that could
produce excellent eyeliner. It was something about the consistency and staying
power of the lipstick formulation that made me think that their eye makeup
should be awesome as well. I thought that this would be the month for the
Clinique Chubby Cheek Highlighter and contour set, but they just did not
impress me when I tried it on in the store. The dark color did not look
flattering and the highlighter was barely visible. It looked like something
that I could think looks great in front of the my bathroom mirror but looks
ghoulish in the light of day.
Maria