Stuff

• I started and successfully finished the first year of my Master’s program at VCU. Since this blog is still running under graduate edition, this is a topic worthy of its own post in the near future.

• In less than a week the boy and I are moving to a new place. After almost a year of peaceful cohabitation in a rather small, yet incredibly cute one (and a half) bedroom apartment, we decided to relocate to a bigger place, where my shit (notebooks, lose sheets of scribbling, books and computers) can be somewhat contained in one specific location instead of being scattered all over the place.

• So we passed the test: we can manage a small place without killing each other and/or burning it to the ground. The question is how we’re going to manage all this extra space that neither of us had the luxury of having in the past. This means making joint decisions on investing in new furniture (dining table and chairs, new office desk, bookshelves, etc. ), equitably sharing additional household chores that come with the added rooms, as well as giving the place some personality in terms of decorating and stuff. This means that I’ll have to contribute with my “feminine touch” even though the thought of matching sheets, towels and pillows still gives me a shudder.

• The extra bedroom upstairs means that we can now have out-of-town guests, so this is an open invitation to everyone to come and visit the wonderful city of Richmond. We are still in the Fan – the hippest, one of the most historic districts of the town. Added bonus: I make fantastic French toast and incredibly rich coffee.

• In three weeks or so I will be going to Armenia, alone, leaving the boy to his own devices with an ultimatum – next year he gets to come with me or else (after all, it’s high time he met my mother).

• I am currently slaving away as a research assistant for my department on a project on summer knowledge loss (yawn). The research question is whether increase in instructional time and/or alternative school calendar has a positive effect on kids' achievement test scores. While the studies that I have read so far have given me an interesting fact or two, I wonder whether I am the only one dissatisfied with the lack of statistical rigor in articles published by those who write them…

• With the help of a very kind Math professor, I am also trying to conquer differential equations. The said professor is an endless source of awe and inspiration, who not only encourages my still clumsy efforts, but also tries to talk me into doing my PhD in Mathematics. To be honest, I’m really tempted.

• I am currently obsessed with the NCIS show to an extent that its characters feel like family members of sorts. Must have something to do with my past affinity for the marines or something. Plus the show has a kick-ass forensic scientist who happens to be a vampire!

• The summer in Richmond is truly beautiful…