Yesterday, around 6pm, I finished my last project for one of my classes, meaning that I am now officially done for this semester.

It’s been one helluva semester - first time I’ve done a full-time schedule (12 credit hours) in a few years. Compound that with a baby, and the fact that three of the courses were 300-level courses, and you’ve got a formula for disaster!

This semester I had four classes:

• Organic Chemistry I (Chem 341, Lecture only)
• Distributed Computing (Info 320)
• Information Technology for Management (IIM 300)
• Linear Data Structures (CompSci 243)

By far, Organic Chem was the hardest of all of them, and I successfully pulled off a B+ in that class. While I wouldn’t have minded an A-grade, I am completely happy with a high B. Distributed Computing & Linear Data structures were both somewhat difficult — in the former I had to learn the Python scripting language on the fly (I had never used it before), which was very frustrating. In the latter, I learned Java, a really awesome object-oriented programming language. The hardest part about that class though was learning the running times for all the algorithms. O(n^2) and O(n log n) and O(2^n), it was a lot of memorization that I only half-did.

The IT for management class was basically a discussion only course. Every class, people would present topics and we all would discuss them. It was pretty interesting — it definitely made the book more entertaining.

In other development, I am now double-majoring: My Bachelor’s degree will be a General Studies degree (or as my wifey calls it, a “degree in nothing”), and I will also be getting an A.S. in Chemistry. I’m considering a minor in Biology as well. I would major in it, but I would be stuck in classes for at least another 2 or 3 years minimum waiting for the classes I need to cycle in.

I saw the degree requirements for the Biotechnology program and became very envious. Genetics? Cell biology? Sign me up! It’s unfortunate it would take me too long to complete it. I suppose I can look into that for my graduate program?

Next semester’s classload, also full-time, is:

• Organic Chemistry II (Lecture & Lab)
• Intro to Biology (a pre-req for pretty much every other bio course)
• Chemistry Topics: Protein Synthesis

Protein Synthesis should be neat - it’s my Chemistry professor that teaches it, and he’s a neat guy. He said we’ll all pick a protein and learn how to artificially create it from other base chemicals and whatnot. It’s strictly lab and should be a light workload compared to the other courses. (fingers crossed)

But for now, I’m going to enjoy a well-deserved break from school.

Categories: Everything Else
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Every now and then, usually on Saturdays or Sundays, I make Melissa and I some pancakes. It’s one of the few things that I am especially good at cooking. (Melissa cooks pretty much everything else, and she is a WONDERFUL cook)

But I’ve been cooking pancakes since I was very young. My mom taught me how. Over the years, especially recently, I think I’ve got it down to a science, and I’m sharing it here!

What you’ll need:

• Jiffy baking mix (the general stuff — you don’t need to use the “pancake” mix)
• milk
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• lemon juice (yes, lemon juice)
• salt
• a skillet and a heat source
• a mixing bowl, a whisk or stirring device, and having a soup ladle is helpful

Put “some” jiffy mix into the bowl. I’m honestly not sure the exact measurement. A few cups is usually good, but don’t measure it, just pour it in. Add a pinch of cinnamon (two shakes), a dash of nutmeg (one shake), a pinch of salt, and a capful of lemon juice. Now add “some” milk. Pour a little bit in, stir it, then add some more if necessary. Right now, you want the consistency to be slightly less thick than a milkshake — you should be able to stir it easily, but you should feel a *little* resistance. It should be a little lumpy still, but make sure the big lumps are broken up. Add more milk or more jiffy mix until you get that consistency, but do it relatively quickly. Then let it set while you heat the skillet.

After a few minutes when your skillet is heated (if you are not using a non-stick skillet, be sure to use butter or oil to grease the pan first), the pancake batter should have thickened a little bit, and should have the consistency of a thick milkshake, but still pourable. Use the ladle to pour pancakes that are anywhere from 4″ to 6″ across into the skillet. Whatever size you want. Just make sure you get it all in one pour, or they won’t cook evenly.

Watch the top of the pancake — when it looks either porous or like it’s starting to dry out, check the pancakes. This just takes practice to know exactly when. You want a nice golden brown color. If they’re ready, then flip them. I can usually get about 3 pancakes in my 13″ skillet. When they’ve finished on the other side (it will take less time this side) remove it from the skillet and put it on a plate in the microwave or oven.

Some other things to watch out for:

• Do not use egg in the batter. Egg makes the pancakes really heavy and dense. Save the eggs for french toast or scrambling.
• If you make the batter too thick initially, the pancakes will be heavy and may not cook all the way through. If you make the mix too thin, it won’t maintain it’s shape in the pan.
• Don’t compulsively check your pancakes. In fact, when you get good, you shouldn’t check them at all, you should just know by look and smell when they’re ready. It’s just not good to interrupt the browning process.
• If you decide to use human organs in your pancake batter, make sure you drain the blood out first, otherwise the pancakes will taste weird.

Some other things you can try:

• Instead of milk, try half-and-half or cream. It tends to give the pancakes a smoother, creamier taste to them.
• You can add things like fruit bits (blueberries, apple pieces, strawberries, etc.).

Categories: Everything Else, Humor
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I found this through myspace. I find it rather interesting that the top three things listed are three things I happen to really enjoy doing. Ever notice how these surveys are typically only good at reinforcing what you already know about yourself? I guess it’s reassuring that a robot thinks that I’m on the right track…

Your Scholastic Strength Is Developing Ideas

You can take a spark of inspiration and turn it into a full fledged concept. You are talented at brainstorming, visualizing, organizing, and independent thinking. You should major in: Natural sciences Computer science Creative writing Math Architecture Journalism

Categories: Everything Else
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So I’ve been experimenting with an idea I thought of several months ago: using oil pastels on photographic RC paper (developed). It’s pretty fun. The initial pictures look ok by themselves, but adding the colorful pastels can really bring some life to them! I’ll try and take some pics to post them up here soon.

Categories: Everything Else
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Obligatory inclusion / directions:
The 1st player of this “game” starts with the topic “6 weird habits/things about yourself” and people who get tagged need to write a blog about their 6 weird habits/things, as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “You are tagged” in their myspace comments and tell them to read your blog.

Who tagged you? My hot girlfriend.

I don’t think “six” is enough to list all the weird things I do. Nevertheless, here are the first six that come to mind:

1. I have not worn matching socks in over 10 years. (note: every once in a great while, there is that minute chance that the two random socks I pull out of my drawer happen to look identical, but that is *extremely* rare)

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