I was tagged on Jeanine Brown's blog , alas here it goes.

The rules:

1.Go to your document/pictures file on your computer

2.Go to the 6th file

3.Go to the 6th picture

4. Blog about that picture

5. Tag 6 other people

Here's my picture:
This was from christmas day, we got a new camera. You can really see the macro effect from the lens here and it gives you a chance to imbibe the larger things in life. It really makes you realize how small and insignificant we are compared to everything else in the universe...are you there God, it's me Mar.... uh sorry, either that or we were still figuring out the camera.

as for passing it on, I leave that up to you, the viewers at home.

p.s. don't worry about the satanic overtones of the 6th pic in the 6th file passed on to 6 people. I'm sure it's merely chainblog coincidence.

With just less than one year left to get my degree, I am trying to wrap up what is required to graduate. One of those pesky requirements is a master's research paper aptly named the MRP. My employer kindly agreed to let me take on one of the projects they had goin' on and use that for my research. This was beneficial in more ways than one, most notably the fact that I could use work time to do the research for school. Just to clarify, I am paying for the joyful experience of going to school. While not a perfect counterbalance, it helps. Also, I had a deadline to complete the project which injected itself into my motivational unit and produced results.

There is a distinct relationship between the amount of free-time a graduate student has, and how much time they spend doing school related stuff. Keep in mind that part of the "school related" bit includes avoiding doing anything school related. Anyone who has worked with criminal offenders will notice this phenomenon at work: an inmate/offender/resident/probationer/parolee (in no particular order) will spend vast amounts of time an energy attempting to get out of doing whatever it is "the man" told them to do. Now, while often times the level of innovation is clever and even astounding, the end result is usually the same- disciplinary action for not following the rules or conditions of release.

Similarly, a graduate student, or perhaps any student for that matter, uses a tremendous amount of energy attempting to get out of doing exactly what will allow them to graduate.

Lucky for me, I have a wonderful adviser who does not go easy on me, but is still encouraging. Alas, I have the first draft turned in, and back to me. I wonder what's on T.V. this weekend...

Angie and I went to see Fred Eaglesmith and the flying squirrels. it wasn't bad. Note the excitement.

thats right. We were there!

There is a strange bit of excitement in the air every time a new semester is about to begin. Up until the beginning of the semester the campus is basically dead. Then something amazing happens. The campus begins to blossom, no not that kind, the kind where people and cars and bicycles and skateboards all crowd the sidewalks to get their piece of the action. Woah! Students break the binding on their $200 communications 1010 textbook and stare in awe at the plethora of words and dearth of pictures.
Students eagerly download the course syllabus and calculate just how long they can put off the midterm and final papers to accommodate their xBox 360 schedule. (which by the way, you can now stream Netflix movies on)

I too, get excited. Especially now that I can see the light at the end of the masters degree tunnel. Yes, it really is Matrix green, and yes I took the red pill.

Coming up this semester I learn how to design research and how to policy health. Whee!

Angie and I went to a burrito joint* the other night. As we entered the establishment the electric heaters above the patio tables gently warmed us. I thought in awe about a business that would consider the feelings of someone wishing to procure a thin round of unleavened wheat flour bread filled with charred beef and pico de gallo, and taking time to consider that they may wish to enhance the experience with 5 degree weather. Long story longer, we waited in line, admiring the simple menu. Burrito, Burrito Bol, Taco's, Salad. Simple menu notwithstanding, we began to wonder why someone a mere 3 people in front of us was having such a hard time deciding. We quickly determined that it was the "new employee effect" at work. We could have opened up our own tasty burrito establishment with a catchy slogan in the time it took them to make our order. Clearly they assumed that, being Monday night, business would be slow and why not put the FNG on the front line, even though he clearly was not up to par, or up to sub-par at the time. Before you get mad at me, I am sure that he is a wonderful man with a sweet spirit who pays his rent on time and helps his elderly neighbor across the street take out the trash. (Keep in mind that's what they always say about serial killers...) However, he was clearly not ready to be "on the front line." He at least needed a helper to prompt him on what he needed to do next. Not being a regular customer of the fine establishment, I couldn't prompt him myself.
Alas, we managed to gather our foil wrapped manifestations of spicy goodness and eat. We sated our hunger and we left, once again warmed by the electric heat lamps on the patio, fearful of the warming to follow the next day.


*If I were to establish my own burrito joint it would be self serve. The slogan would be "At this joint, you roll your own." You'll come hungry, but you'll leave starving. With cottonmouth.