After a very brutal first year, Ph.D. candidates are required to take the qualifier exams. These exams occur one week after finals and consist of three tests: Math, which everyone takes, and two tests of the takers choice. I took Optimization and Fluids. In order to get ready for the math test, I joined up with some other students for a study group. Starting the week of finals and lasting until the math qualifier, we studied nothing but math for at least 4-5 hours every day. It was very depressing to break for dinner and come back to study. Professors leaving for home would just walk by our group shaking their heads. By the Friday before the test, I started to go a tad insane. Tuesday hailed the start of the tests with Optimization. While not too bad, it was harder than expected. Math was Wednesday and was horrendous. I knew how to do some of the problems, but completely guessed on others. My only hope at this point is if enough people did worse than me I might eke by with a pass. Thursday was Fluids. I would like to say I was confident about what I did, but I was so out of it by that point, I really don't know how well I did. I know I made some really stupid mistakes, but hopefully I didn't screw the test up too much.
With the tests over with, it was time to leave for vacation. Michael and I were supposed to leave 7:30 pm Friday night, but our plane was canceled and so we had to leave Saturday. Actually, the plane was first delayed, but no one bothered to let any of the passengers know until after the time the plane was supposed to have left. There weren't even any gate agents on our side of security to ask about the flight either. The plane ended up being delayed until 10 pm and everyone would miss their connecting flights at O'Hare so everyone rescheduled and caused the flight to get canceled.
When we finally made it California, we were ready to relax. After a day of rest, Michael drove his grandfather, sister, cousin, aunt and me to Yosemite. It was an interesting day since it was sort of rainy and there was construction throughout the park. Each time the road would collapse down to one lane, we would have to wait in line for the lead car to come and take us through the construction. Even with the slow progress we were able to see some stunning vistas.
We also made it into San Fransisco where we walked the Golden Gate Bridge, shopped at Pier 39, and wandered around Chinatown. We had dinner at a restaurant in Chinatown called Hunan Homes. We enjoyed a nice quiet dinner in the back room until a tour bus unloaded. After dinner we headed home.
Another awesome aspect of the week were the cherries. Michael's grandfather has a small orchard and several of the cherry trees were ready to be picked. A couple nights we would walk down to the farm and eat cherries off the tree for desert.
The week went by quickly and Sunday we flew back to South Bend.
Kerrigan went the vet yesterday. She was absolutely mortified the whole time. Her goal was to make herself as small as possible and limit access to her rear. She doesn't mind the shots so much, but it is the temperature taking that she hates the most. In two weeks she goes back for her spaying. We are still debating if we are going to de-claw her. I don't want to, but I can't go around with scratches on my arms for the next 10 years. She isn't scratching maliciously, but accidents still hurt. We are trying Kitty Caps right now. I don't think she likes them.
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