Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in a_planeswalker's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
1:49 am	Event Horizon Sucks Hey guys, I just got Semagic for my laptop to facilitate updating. Also just rewatched Event Horizon (i think i saw it my second year in skiffy) with Shawna, so now i'm reviewing it. ( Spoilers! ) (1 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
1:07 pm	Star Trek Review ( spoilers ) (2 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
Thursday, February 12th, 2009
8:06 pm	candidacy exam I just got back from my candidacy exam. What is a candidacy exam you might ask? The candidacy exam is the process in which the chemistry department chooses which PhD candidates will continue as full fledged candidates, and which will either do remedial work or be dismissed with a Masters. So I was nervous. Very nervous. I started preparing for my candidacy exam over a month ago. I spent a whole week reading nothing but papers. My candidacy exam coincided with Tish having to write the paper about our research, so it worked out for both of us to put the lab on hold for a bit. Anyways, after the week reading, I forced myself to start writing. I spent the past month writing and tried my best to seclude myself from wow and other distractions. And so I wrote (with help from Tish and Dad reviewing my grammar). And now today I cast the die of fate. The candidacy exam has many parts. Two weeks ago, I had to turn in a 10 page summary of my research and future plans, as well as a comprehensive research of the background of the field. Then last week I had to turn in my 5 page critique of an article assigned 3 weeks ago by my advisor. Then last week, I made two 10 minute power point presentations about my research and my critique. Then part two was today. First I had to give a 10 min presentation about the above topics. Then I had 30 min of questioning from my advisory committee (with one being out of town and a substitute in his place, and my research advisor is on sabbatical in France, so I had Dr. Yates stand in for him. Then you have 10 min of free time to wet your throat while they talk about your presentation. After they talk, you talk about the critique for 10 min, and field another 30 min of questions. Finally you wait outside while they talk for a bit and then you can collect your computer. They say that the student feels worse about their performance than they actually did, and I hope that is the case because I feel terrible about it. I also have a general sense of “thank god it’s over” and there is no reason to worry about how I did now that I can’t affect anything. The whole faculty will meet on Monday to discuss our (the 2nd year graduate students) fates, and we will hopefully know by Wed. I feel like I wrote good papers, and gave decent enough talks (I was a minute long on my research, and a min fast on my critique), but I failed at questions. I knew some answers, and I fielded more with “here’s what I know, does this answer your question? Or even once I got to say “I did something like that, but with a different intention and what you are suggesting is interesting. I also felt like I blanked on some critical things, like structural orientation dependent reactions (or something along those lines, I can’t remember exactly) and another on why do we use heats of formation if we could eyeball from bond energy. Plus I didn’t know the difference between dehydrogenation and oxidative dehydrogenation (which was dumb of me). I didn’t know enough about late transition states or edge energies, and they made me question some of the fundamentals like the fact that we are seeing a C-H bond break rather than a C-C. I told them what I knew and I hope it was enough. I also shaved for today, and wore a dress casual (with a collar and clean unwrinkled pants) but the other grad students I saw were wearing formal wear (like suit and tie). I didn’t realize there was a dress code, but no one commented on it. So yeah, now that’s over and I hope I pass. Now everyone knows where I have been this past month. And all of this is disjointed, well I just had a candidacy exam, you’ll have to make excuses. (4 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
Saturday, October 4th, 2008
9:06 pm	Popcorn So I was guarding Liz's drink outside of Rugged Warehouse (a cloths place that Liz was going to buy pants), when i got tired of reading and went over to the cub scouts selling popcorn. I debated for a bit about whether or not i wanted to buy some popcorn (since i don't agree with the BSA policy on homosexual scouts or on religion). I finally decided I had had more good experiences than bad ones, and that hopefully these scouts would be able to think for themselves like I can. So I walked over and started looking at the popcorn, trying to discern the difference between "kettle corn" and "incredible kettle corn" (the incredible has 30 more units of calories and more calories from fat, but the regular has more sodium, and they have the same ingredients), when the scout mom told me they didn't sell those boxes individually, but part of a 30 pack for 30 dollars. So i was thinking about it, and decided what the hell, might as well get thrifty purchase. t So i was getting out my money when they mom noticed my eagle card strategically located next to my drivers license (I heard it helps if you get pulled over). She asked if that was an eagle card and I pulled it out and she put the sign up and got all the cubs attention and fussed a little about it. I ended up having to explain my eagle project and they were all talking about how I had earned the highest rank and scouting etc. Finally after they all said thank you for my purchase (I joked about a discount, but no dice. You can always justify it under thrifty) I was able to leave. Just as I was going the scout dad came over for a hand shake, so I reached back in my memory and pulled out the scout handshake (how many years has it been since that? 5?). He didn't return it but hey, I'm just supposed to be the best scouting has to offer. Now I've got a big box of popcorn with light butter, regular butter, extra butter, kettle corn, and incredible kettle corn sitting in my living room. (3 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
1:47 pm	Origins I plan to post a write up, as soon as I get back to a computer with my posting software (Semajic or something) suffice to say, it was awesome. (Cast a Spell)
Friday, May 2nd, 2008
1:08 am	Best Backstory Ever! Here is something i tossed off in half an hour, It is the greatest backstory ever, and definitly worth posting ( Ever! ) (2 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
Thursday, March 20th, 2008
8:22 pm	Post for mom Mom wanted me to post this http://www.wm.edu/dcoffice/ it's a job offer for WM graduates (Cast a Spell)
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007
6:08 pm	I hate giving crying girls a 60% I really do, she came in about 3 min till the end of lab with her results and i graded it and it was not well. It hurt. In other news, my first test went meh, in the region of 60% myself (but i think i can pull that up) and I have a meeting to work on the Quantum chem problem set tomorrow. Liz was here this weekend and it was wonderful, we alternated playing Xbox and working. I've been feeling burned out on wow lately, so instead of getting completely burnt, i'm taking a break and playing KOTOR. (2 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
Thursday, September 20th, 2007
1:14 am	First Birthday present Fresh Hot Pizza: from me, to me. Really bouys the spritis (5 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
12:41 am	This sucks I'm tired, lonely, have a quantum chem problem left, (which i'm doing in the morning) and neither my mic nor my phone works ( i can't find my phone) so i can't even hear liz's voice. this sucks and a buldozer is blocking my car in. Happy Birthday (2 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
Monday, September 17th, 2007
10:52 pm	I am the Iron Man (to be said in an austrian accent) There are many sissy girly men who would like to call themselves iron men, but to be a real iron man, you must be strong, and do the real iron man challange. The sissy fake girly men swim a mile in cold water, then hike 6 miles and canoe another six. That is because they are weak. Today I woke up at 6:30 in the morning, and drove. Drove from williamsburg to charlottesville. Then you go to Advanced Analytical Chemistry, and Biochemistry. After that is lunchtime. But will you eat food like sissy girly men? No! your lunch will be to prove the othornomality of wave functions. Then you will Teach a lab for pre-meds who only care about grades. And have never taken a labratory course. And have to use 6M sulferic Acid Then you will skip dinner, and run a roleplaying game. Then, you are an iron man /flex (Cast a Spell)
Thursday, August 30th, 2007
1:28 pm	Questions by Meg ( Here are the questions posed by meg ) Rules of the Game: 1. Leave me a casual comment of no particular significance, like a lyric to your current favorite song, or your favorite kind of sandwich, maybe your favorite game. Any remark, meaningless or not. 2. I will respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better. 3. Update your LJ with the answers to the questions. 4. Include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in your own post. 5. When others respond with a desultory comment, you will ask them five questions. (2 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007
5:09 pm	My answers to becky ( quiz-thing ) Rules of the Game: 1. Leave me a casual comment of no particular significance, like a lyric to your current favorite song, or your favorite kind of sandwich, maybe your favorite game. Any remark, meaningless or not. 2. I will respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better. 3. Update your LJ with the answers to the questions. 4. Include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in your own post. 5. When others respond with a desultory comment, you will ask them five questions. (Cast a Spell)
Monday, August 27th, 2007
11:32 pm	My day well my day is about over, so i'll post it (i'm trying to get back in the habit) I woke up at 6:50am today, and drove to dunkin donuts where i got myself a sausage, egg and cheese crescent (and yes i know that's not how it's spelled) and a large hot chocolate, which was definitly too much. I burned my tounge something wicked on the first sip. Still burnt now. I got in around 10, and then took a bath, changed cloths and hurried to the Chem building for what i thought was an 11am safty lecture. It was actually a 1pm lecture, (which i learned of when i got there) so i went into Dr. Venton's lab and got my desk and my Ethernet port turned on. So now i can spend time online on my laptop at lab. Then after sitting there and reading papers that Dr. Venton had produced (boneing up on the terminology at the least), i went to the safty lecture, which was mostly common sense, with some scare tactics. Plus some ideas if I ever play a dark champions campain. Apparently the Department of Homeland security just figured out that chemicals explode this year and are putting restrictions on higher education facilities. Then i went to the TA lecture, which was pretty boring, mostly about grading and such, then another safty lecture (pretty much the same but with biologicals on it) and then finally to a orientation greeting by the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, which was about the resources available to us, but sadly did not mention Thomas Jefferson once, so i lost a bet. I skipped the honor code meeting, and it's following "wine and cheese" mixer, because i was ravinously hungry (notice no mention of lunch). I ate a healthy dinner of, can, bread, and apple cider. Yes I know i'll die, i'm going out to have peas and cheese before bed. I got home, organized another book shelf, and then chatted on aim with people until now when i need food and sleep. (4 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
7:03 pm	Respones to Erika's Questions ( Responses ) Rules of the Game: 1. Leave me a casual comment of no particular significance, like a lyric to your current favorite song, or your favorite kind of sandwich, maybe your favorite game. Any remark, meaningless or not. 2. I will respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better. 3. Update your LJ with the answers to the questions. 4. Include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in your own post. 5. When others respond with a desultory comment, you will ask them five questions. (6 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
Tuesday, August 21st, 2007
5:13 pm	The move well i'm in charlotettesville now, getting ready for my graduate studies in chemistry at UVA, and it starts tomorrow. I finally got the loft mostly squared away. I'll post pictures eventually, i think. Anyway i'm glad i got that overwith (4 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
Thursday, August 16th, 2007
12:30 am	XH breaking up Xiled Horde broke up last night. I couldn't post about it last night, i was too shocked (and watching I Robot with Matt on his last night) but it's true. I just did a shot in honor of XH and it's memory. I ask all of you out there, who know of XH to lift your glasses and remember it. I was never a member, but to me it was the epitomy of what I could do. The best of the best as it were. http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=965561393&sid=1&pageNo=1 Whitebull's emo video Warning, this video made people cry in rl http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2403063002040248163 Current Mood: Emo /wrists Current Music: jk (Cast a Spell)
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
6:49 pm	What is time? :Liz just poised an interesting question to me, "What is time?" After thinking i came up with ( my answer ) what does everyone else think? (9 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)
Monday, July 9th, 2007
1:12 pm	Origins Hey everyone, i know I haven't posted in a while so here it is. I've been in williamsburg for the past ever, reading "Battletech" books i borrowed from bram. But mostly I'm here to talk about origins. Chris Russo flew up and met us there, and shared a hotel with liz and graham. ( Here is what I did ) (Cast a Spell)
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007
10:37 pm	Spiderman 3 I have been burdend by too much knowledge about how comics really work. I almost blame Russo for this, but i don't mind it and i think knowedge is better than ignorance. That said, i still think marvel New York is terribly silly. They interact. They have cross overs. The avengers exist.and that being said, I have written a small side scene left out of spiderman 3 ( Missing Scene ) (2 Spells Cast | Cast a Spell)