Time has simply whizzed past since my last post as has the semester, albeit with its occasional dull moments that seem to take forever to pass, which, I am told, is normal. I have gotten into a mindset in which anything more than one course a semester seems daunting and terribly impossible to see through. That is more than easily made up for by the several hours a week spent teaching basic dynamics, a task which in itself can be quite tricky, partly due to the vast disparity in mathematical aptitude amongst the undergraduate students in these parts. The rest of my time, and almost all of my mental capacity is occupied by my research, and freed most effectively by the time spent in the kitchen. This is the story of Fall 2011.
The end of last semester also involved an renewed interest in instrumental music, thanks to the virtuosic Guthrie Govan, a terrific musician whose weapon of choice is the guitar. A renewed interest in the guitar itself followed soon after and I have since been trying a more systematic approach to learning guitar than the one I had previously employed - a chronological study of the Beatles being my first (non-pedantic) undertaking. The arrival of migrants from warmer parts of the world made the semester break very enjoyable indeed, although at the cost of my guitar regime, a small price to pay for the profits that were reaped. Winter was anything but wintry; I felt very much at home.
After a month-long break, my fourth semester here begins today. Research-wise, I find myself quite comfortable, high on some fresh home-grown stuff on eigen modes of bubble oscillations. A meeting with the other TAs is in order, to smoothly accommodate the new masses of unenlightened sophomores. In addition, I intend to transfer to the PhD program around May, not to mention the Spring birding which which I must strive to wake up in time for, the overdue travel that better happen this Spring break, the bicycle that I must build (and then ride) and the camera that I must explore in detail. Add the guitar to the mix and I'm looking at a semester that is far denser than its predecessors. It's time I got cracking, no?
