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Nov. 5th, 2004 08:25 pmThis week from hell is more or less over.
The three midterms are done. The Shakespeare wasn't too hard and I think I acquitted myself well enough there. Algebra was just painful. I picked up the paper around 11:00 on Wednesday, worked on it most of the afternoon, and by dinnertime was in a panic. I had solved a grand total of 2 out of 7 problems, for about 30% of the possible score, and was stuck on the rest. I'm glad Wednesday night is chorus night as it was really good to concentrate on Mozart and Beethoven for a couple of hours rather than politics or group homomorphisms. I didn't get a lot of sleep that night but I think I got most of everything by 11 am the next morning. The 111 exam today was pretty hard; I didn't quite finish and anyone who isn't in 112 would have been rather screwed on the gravitational potential multipole expansion problem. It's in Purcell, but I'm not sure we derived the multipole expansion in class during Physics 8.
But it's all over. There is as usual plenty of stuff to accomplish this weekend but I think I can prioritize getting a good night's sleep tonight.
Virtually everyone on my friends list has had something to say about politics and the election, so I might as well throw in my own two cents. It was a tough decision, but I finally decided to vote Kerry. Bush's closeness to extreme conservatives and the arguments I was getting from some of the College Republicans that Bush has not really been a true conservative finally swayed me. I guess I'd consider myself economically conservative but moderate in general, depending on the issue. I'm not forecasting doom and gloom for the country; life will go on no matter what happens. As long as Bush does not do significant further harm to the environment, and doesn't continue to cut scientific research funding to the point where the future job prospects of my colleagues and myself are harmed, I won't be overly upset. I think the fears I have heard from some about the draft are unfounded; today's military is a highly professional, expert fighting force and wants to stay all-volunteer. I suppose if I get called up in a draft I'd go, but don't think I'd just volunteer otherwise. I really don't relish the thought of killing people, as beneficial for the body and mind as the discipline of military service would be. For one thing, a screaming drill sergeant or upperclassman makes it a lot easier to get out of bed swiftly in the morning...
At any rate, the election is over, as disappointed as many Swatties surely are. Let us strive to make the best of the situation. There is a lot all of us can do to make the world better for each other and for humanity regardless of who's in the White House.
The three midterms are done. The Shakespeare wasn't too hard and I think I acquitted myself well enough there. Algebra was just painful. I picked up the paper around 11:00 on Wednesday, worked on it most of the afternoon, and by dinnertime was in a panic. I had solved a grand total of 2 out of 7 problems, for about 30% of the possible score, and was stuck on the rest. I'm glad Wednesday night is chorus night as it was really good to concentrate on Mozart and Beethoven for a couple of hours rather than politics or group homomorphisms. I didn't get a lot of sleep that night but I think I got most of everything by 11 am the next morning. The 111 exam today was pretty hard; I didn't quite finish and anyone who isn't in 112 would have been rather screwed on the gravitational potential multipole expansion problem. It's in Purcell, but I'm not sure we derived the multipole expansion in class during Physics 8.
But it's all over. There is as usual plenty of stuff to accomplish this weekend but I think I can prioritize getting a good night's sleep tonight.
Virtually everyone on my friends list has had something to say about politics and the election, so I might as well throw in my own two cents. It was a tough decision, but I finally decided to vote Kerry. Bush's closeness to extreme conservatives and the arguments I was getting from some of the College Republicans that Bush has not really been a true conservative finally swayed me. I guess I'd consider myself economically conservative but moderate in general, depending on the issue. I'm not forecasting doom and gloom for the country; life will go on no matter what happens. As long as Bush does not do significant further harm to the environment, and doesn't continue to cut scientific research funding to the point where the future job prospects of my colleagues and myself are harmed, I won't be overly upset. I think the fears I have heard from some about the draft are unfounded; today's military is a highly professional, expert fighting force and wants to stay all-volunteer. I suppose if I get called up in a draft I'd go, but don't think I'd just volunteer otherwise. I really don't relish the thought of killing people, as beneficial for the body and mind as the discipline of military service would be. For one thing, a screaming drill sergeant or upperclassman makes it a lot easier to get out of bed swiftly in the morning...
At any rate, the election is over, as disappointed as many Swatties surely are. Let us strive to make the best of the situation. There is a lot all of us can do to make the world better for each other and for humanity regardless of who's in the White House.
