Bits & Pieces

Hard at work

2009-04-05T03:17:00.002-06:00

I was gone for a while there, but now I am back! Over the past two quarters, my classes are have rocked me. It was a new experience for me. I wasn't the one of top students, far from truth be told. I didn't hard enough and found myself behind. In grad school, once you're behind it is almost impossible catch up. I worked really hard, but I couldn't make up enough ground. I did improved great deal in quantum, not so much in E&M. Now is a new quarter.

Time to step up my game!!

Eff My Cube

2008-07-23T23:59:00.006-06:00

That's right, Eff my Cube! I guess that I work at a desk, and not so much in a cube. So in that case, Eff my desk! Either way, you get the point. I am really starting to hate my lab.

I don't have the right to complain because it really is my fault. I work too hard. I pushed and pushed. I would get to lab in the morning and stay until late into the evening. I would say to myself, "I am just going to finish this little thing up, then I'll leave." A few hours and a few task later, I find my self saying the same thing. When I came home, I would just go to my room and do more work. I started off the summer with the idea that I could finish one paper and put a major dent in the research needed for another. But you know what, research takes time.

I did a terrible job of setting reasonable goals. To write a research paper, and then start (and finish) another paper, in just a summer is a bit much. I realized this early on, but thought to myself that if I just work harder, the benefit of having two paper under my belt going into grad school would outweigh the cost. And so I did. Each day I worked a little longer, and I did get more done. It was tough, but I was happy with the progress that I was making. However, I the days went by, I started to feel a little lonely.

Like I said before, it really is my fault. Before I know it, I had locked my self away in the lab and away from others. Aside from GTalk, I didn't interact with anyone. Under normal conditions this is fine (actually kind of normal), but I also realized that this summer is the last time that I will see most of my friends. What have I been doing? I am working my self to death, not hanging out with friend I my not see again, and I feel like crap for both. It is sad that it took me so long to see it.

I am sorry.

I don't know how I thought the benefit of having two paper done would outweigh the cost, when the cost is not seeing my friends during my last summer in Boulder. I can't believe that I am just figuring this out now. I know it's a little late, but I am still going to trying. I plan to taking the next few weeks easy and trying to see all of you.

Accepted

2008-06-22T15:47:00.004-06:00

Great news, my paper was accepted upon revision into the journal Genetics. Other a few minor changes, the paper is in its final form. I am not really sure when it will be published, but I am hoping it will be in the next few months.

My First Paper

2008-04-24T05:50:00.003-06:00

It has began. I submitted my first paper. It is being reviewed now, but a prepublication version is posted here. The topic of the paper is population genetics and it is kind of dense, but I welcome everyone to take a look. I am hoping to get one more out before I head off to grad school. I guess we'll see...

I Love the Avs

2008-04-24T05:34:00.002-06:00

Most of you that know me are aware they hockey is my favorite sport, and at the Avs are my favorite team. The Avs made it to the second round with a 4-2 series win over the Minnesota Wild in the first round, ending in three straight wins. With all of the talk about how the Wild's defense was too much for Colorado, they only lead for 4 minutes, 31 seconds out of a possible 384:23. The Avs did much more then just hold their own.

Sweet! Now the Avs face the Red Wings in a series which contains a lot of history. Despite what some may think, I'm happy we get to play Detroit. I don't feel that the Avs should shy away from a challenge that is the Red Wings nor do they need to. The Avs are at the top of their game and their goalie, Jose Theodore, is playing out of his mind. Theodore is easily the best goalie in the playoff and a large reason the Avs made it to the second round. I also feel that a Avs-Red Wings series would get better TV rating (which we all know hockey needs).

Either way, it has been decided. Go Avs!!

Heading to UCLA

2008-04-12T17:17:00.002-06:00

After fighting with this choice, I finally decided to attend UCLA for graduate school. I really did enjoy my visits to the other schools I (UCSD and UT Austin), but I am happy with my choice. At first, I has my doubts about living in either L.A. or Austin and finding research that I am interested in anywhere, so I am really glad that I decided to visit these schools. However, when it cames down to it, UCLA was a better fit for me.

It surprises me to say it, but I really like L.A. (aside from the traffic) and the UCLA is beautiful. Westwood is a really nice city and far different then what I expected for L.A. The downside to being really nice is that it is also really expensive. OK... it is ridiculously expensive. Luckily for me, I received a couple of fellowships and I'm not a big spender. I even believe that I can save money throughout grad school.

Being in L.A., I thought that UCLA would be all concrete and asphalt, but it was really green. There are a lot of different types of trees on campus. I kind of think that a couple of landscaper decided to have a contest to see who could plant the larger variety of tree. Oh yeah, they also added the rule that there couldn't be any logical pattern in the placement of different types of trees. It's kind of funny, but there really isn't any discernible pattern in the trees' placement. Nevertheless, it still looks nice.

Another thing that is nice about UCLA is that my family is close by. I spent a day down in Long Beach with my cousin Ray. It had been about eight years since I last saw him, which is too long. My aunt had a barbecue and I was able to see a lot of family member I hadn't seen in many years. I love my family, but to be honest I was unsure how I would be received. I thought that I might be treated as and outsider, but I don't things could have been better or more fun. I am looking forward to hanging out with Ray and my other cousin more often.

I know that I'll hate the moving process and I don't want to leaving all of my friends behind, but I am excited about starting grad school at UCLA.

My Trip to Visit UT Austin

2008-03-29T14:33:00.010-06:00

My first thought about UT Austin was, "But it's in Texas." I am not even sure what that means, but it kind of bothered me. I mean UT is a great school (ranked 12 by US News and World Report, whatever that means), but I'd actually be in Texas. Somewhere along the line, the idea was ingrained into me that Texas was full of... well, I don't really know. I want to blame Boulder, or maybe CU, regardless, I had my doubts.

I first arrived there in the late afternoon and had a few hours to walk around the city. I met couple of guys waiting for the shuttle at the airport. One of them was a guy name Ryan. I mention him specifically, because he was the one I hung out with the most. Well anyway, we spent our free time walk around the 6th Street area looking for a place to eat. I was struck by how quite it was. I would say that about two-thirds of the shops were closed. While we were walking around there was this old homeless man who tried get Ryan to give him his shirt. Ryan tried to ignore him, the old man just wouldn't quit. I told the old man that Ryan needed his shirt and he eventually stopped. We finally found a place to eat at a place called, Torchy's Taco's. They have some of the best tacos I have ever had, but you will need to order 2 or3 to make it a meal. After eating, I just went back to the hotel and slept until the poster session at 9:00 (lame, I know).

The poster session was the first official event on the schedule, and my oh my... was it boring. Not only was the poster themselves designed poorly, but most of the students didn't want to be there and weren't afraid to show it. With that said, it wasn't all bad. I was able to meet a few of the other students and one the grad students was pretty cool (sadly, I cant remember his name). Ryan and I spent about 45 min talking with him. They didn't have a dinner for us, so Ryan and I asked around and found am I.H.O.P. Again on our way to I.H.O.P. we were harassed by a different homeless man. One is OK, but two in the span of just few hours... come on. Needless to say, it was starting to get on my nerves. Asking for money is one thing, but getting upset when you don't get any... are you kidding me? After eating we decided to head back to 6th Street and see if it was still as dead as it was earlier.

Oh My God!! From what I tell, everyone in Austin was on 6th Street... partying their asses off. Whoa! This sleepy little of stretch of road transformed into, possible, the largest party I've ever seen. It was really fun. There was tons of live music and dance clubs. Some places were crazy, raging parties. Others were chill establishments; where one could sit back and talk with friends. This night we decided to hit-up a couple of dance clubs. The game plan was:

Look for some girls to talk to/dance with
After girls seen, go and start a conversation
If step 2 fails, repeat step 1; else proceed to step 4
Talk, dance and generally have a good time

Kidding. To be honest, I was just fine when we were just chillin', but I asked if he wanted try to meet some girls and he said yeah. It ended up being a lot of fun and we didn't do too bad either. Things started to close at around 2am and we headed back to the hotel.

The next day we went to the campus of the first time. I hadn't notice before, but the campus was huge. It was like a city onto itself. The next few hours a were filled with a series of dull talks from researcher and grad students. At 12:30, we broke into small groups and went to lunch. Each group was lead by a grad student working in a different area. Initially, I wanted to go with the student doing research in mathematical physics, but he was late. Consequently, I ended up going with the biophysics group, and I'm glad I did. The general plan was to go the lunch, then visit different departments to meet people and ask questions. However, I just spent the whole day with the biophysics group. If decide to go attend UT I know that I would be complete happy working with either the biophysics or non-linear dynamics research groups.

We finished this day the same way we finished the previous day, on 6th Street. This time we went out with a larger group. Our group consisted of Ryan and myself, as well as three other visiting students we met. We spent most of the night at a really chill, outdoor bar. There was a indoor section with a band playing, but it was too loud for casual conversation. After that we went dancing. One of the the students in our group was a girl named Katie. I spend most of the time dancing with her, occasionally, Ryan would grab me so that I could be his wingman. We were all tired and so we decided to leave at around 1:30.

I have not seen UCLA or UCSD yet, so I am not ready to make any conclusions. There is also matter of money, and small things such as location, climate, etc. to consider. However, I have learned that I would greatly enjoy attending UT Austin.

Which School to Choose?

2008-03-29T03:03:00.007-06:00

"So Craig, where are you going for grad school?" Well the truth is... I Don't Really Know. It is a little concerning because the deadline for deciding (April 15) is quickly approaching. I am about make two more campus visit, UCLA and UCSD, and I don't want to make any decisions before seeing all of the school. Having said that, I have developed a couple of opinions about different schools. Of the four schools I got in to, UCSB is out of the question. I barely got in and was unsupported (support is a must); however, that's understandable. Over the past four years I haven't exactly been the best student (That's a different story). That leaves UT Austin, UCLA, and UCSD as possible options. I have received fellowships from both UT and UCLA, which places them ahead of UCSD. In Addition, the fellowship from UCLA spans the first four years, as appose to the one year fellowship from UT. I am not sure how that factors in yet, but it is something to consider. Next week is my visit to the Californian school. I had better know where I want to go after that. Let hope.

The Name

2008-03-28T03:55:00.000-06:00

I wish that I could claim the blog's title as my own creation, but the credit for that goes to my roommate, Adam. When I decided to start this blog I was stuck on the title... for about 10 seconds. Then I thought, "Who should I ask to help me with this?" Some would say that I'm lazy, I probability could have more effort into thinking of my own name. I say that I am just utilizing my available resources to their fullest extent, because... well, I'm lazy. Either way, I needed to think of who's good at this sort of thing. If you know my roommates, then the answer is obvious. Bits & Pieces was the first idea he suggest, and I like it. The "Dr. Craig" part is a nickname given to me by my friend, Peter, when we lived in the dorms. And there you have it, "Dr. Craig Bits & Pieces." So what do you think? Really! I'm just curious...