This semester vs. last

This semester is, so far, a million times better than last. But it's also busier. Funny how that happens.

My classes are ME 513 (Convection) and ME 522 (Fluids 2). Last semester I took Conduction and Fluids 1. So far, Convection is much, much, much easier, slower-paced, and has less homework than Conduction did. And Fluids 2 is pretty much the same as Fluids 1, except the homework tends to take longer (or I'm just spending more time on it...one of the two...). I have a homework buddy that helps keep me motivated to stay on task most of the time, he even was able to get me to do homework on my birthday! I sometimes wish I had more homework buddies though...occasionally we get visitors from our class on Thursday nights (homework is due Fridays), but not too often. I miss our Fluids 1 study group, they were the best!

Work has more responsibilities, and so that's slightly stressful, but I am keeping it so that my "work stays at work," as a good friend put it last week. It's absolutely necessary not to think about, stress over, and worry about what needs to get done at work while I am not at work. Otherwise, life will be miserable, because there are ALWAYS things I could be doing. When I leave work (and a conscious decision needs to be made to leave...otherwise I could find myself spending way too much time there), I change my focus to either homework, eating, or (rarely) doing fun things. I know that there will always be things to get done, deadlines to hit, and I will work as hard as I can to hit those in a reasonable amount of time. And if I don't...oh well. There are other things that define my life. Keeping myself sane is much more important than getting this stuff done. Orders of magnitude more important. If I were to do a dimensional analysis on this, the research would not even exist on the importance scale.

I also am enjoying not having two jobs. I've been keeping track of my hours spent on things this semester, and compared to last semester I spend a teeny bit more time on work than I did combined with my two jobs last semester (like, 2 hours a week more...barely counts). But I don't have to run around back and forth between offices/buildings/class. It's nice. And I have fun at work. Last week I got silicone in my hair and got to spend time on a ladder. Way better than grading homework. It's good stuff.

I will be in Erie on February 11-13. Pray for safe travels, and no snow storms.