Oops!  I am in big Trouble!

I spent the semester procrastinating.  I have selected a topic which I will be studying for the next two years.  However, this semester, I spent so much time reading PHD that I was left with little time to focus on my project.  I have made slow progress on the project and I have been thinking that I will take the preliminary exam at the end of February.  Well, things is not that easy in the AMS Department.  Yesterday. after a meeting with my advisor to go over a presentation that a group of us had to make this morning, I was told that I have to take the exam in before the beginning of next semester.  Now, it would not be so bad since I work fast and my computer is super fast.  But, the problem is I have to write a 20-25 page paper. 

My problem is I hate to write.  Now, in less than a month, I have to write a paper, schedule an exam, make a presentation and hopefully advance to candidacy.  Well, that sounds good becauce I will be one step closer to getting my degree.  However, it means that I have to lose sleep time to do much work since my days are pretty busy lately.  It also means that I have no personal time left (great).  Anyway, I am looking at this from a positive angle.  I work best under pressure.  Therefore, with that deadline in place, I will be able to focus on what I have to do and make the proposal in January.

I will write mor eabout my progress at a later date.

Wild Animals or just Cats?

Just 40 minutes ago, I was heading home from my office.  When I got outside under the bridge connecting the Math and Physics Towers, I spoted two animals.  They were big, but they look like cats.  I looked at them and they looked at me and I took a U-turn and head back inside of the math building. 

As I was making my way back, of course I was looking at what they were doing to make sure that they did not follow me.  So, they made their ways towards the parking lot by the math tower.  I got so scared that I immediatly have a headache.  I was inside for a couple of second to think of what I was suppose to do.  I know for a fact that I was not going to walk home tonight because of the creatures.  However, I thought about a way of exiting the building in case that it was more serious.  I realized that I had to use the same door because the ones on the S-level is closer to where they were heading.  So, I decided to walk to the SAC loop and get a an Inner Loop Bus and take the slow ride home. 

Anyway, I am now going to walk around with my camera to make sure tht I got a picture of them next time they pay a visit to the school.  Then, I may be able to solve the puzzle.  I know that it was not a pair of cats because they were way too big.  It was not a pair of rabbits because their ears are too short.  So, I have no idea what to think because they are bigger than cat and they have a very long tail.  So, I have a wonderful puzzle to solve a Stony Brook.

More about Area Exam!

The AMS department finally releases the result of the qualifying exam.  On Tuesday, I got a message on my facebook page from another student who took the common part of the test.  She asked me if my notification came in a sealed or unsealed envelop.  I inform her that I had not seen my letter yet because I got tired checking my AMS mailbox on a daily basis for no reasons.  She then informed me that I should check my mailbox because the notifications are in.  She wanted to know if she was treated differently by the department.  During lunch, I head to math tower to check my mailbox.  There, I found my letter in the mailbox.  I was handled more like a memo, rather than a confidential matter.  So, I came back and let her know that mine was not in any envelop.  Then, she told me it was the same with hers.  We chat about it and we came to the conclusion that the department was being cheap and lazy.

About my Area Exam!

I am sure that all my visitors realized that something happen because since January, I never mentioned anything about it.  It's like the department never graded the test and I never found out what happen.  But, nope.  I did not pass the test in January.  I retook it about two weeks ago (I retook the test on June 14-16 2006).  I received an email from the administrator of the minority support program this weekend about the result.  Apparently, a faculty member of the department (he is in high position, so it was not leaking) told her that I pass the test and she sent me an email about that.  I could not be happier.  Now, I just want to concentrate on my research so that I can present a thesis to my committee (i am shooting for mid November of this year) and hopefully my defense and my graduation can happen a year later (i.e. in December of 2007).

Stephan Denis Lominy

This is my handsome nephew.  Ladies, he is already taken!