bleh

Exhausting workout.

Exhausting interaction with UCLA financial aid office.

Horrible day.

I'm done feeling horrible. I'm letting it slide off, like water off a ducks ass.

Edit: Okay, so I checked one little box wrong on my FAFSA application, and it upped my expected contribution from zero to $20k+. I've figured out how to fix it now, but I have to wait a few days.

Thursday...

I haven't updated in a while, but I got an email from UCLA on Thursday saying that dropping ICS 6B will not affect my admission.

So a Bruin I am. Unless somehow I fail statistics, which I need to work on today.

Hence the short post.

What, should I be happy?

Every school I've been admitted to has given me a need/merit based scholarship. UCLA's was among the smallest, so I'm not quite blown away by this dinky certificate. Please, UCLA, up my scholarship!

My financial aid

Here are my financial aid offers. Note that UCLA and UCSB believe I am getting $7129 from a Cal Grant, which I am not. I have asked UCLA to revise their offer.

Sweet time

UCLA is taking their sweet time reviewing (or rereviewing?) my application.
Actually, it has only been a week, and they said it could take three weeks.

Berkeley was much faster in responding to my messages, but it took a lengthy email exchange to clarify my record. In the end they did not rescind my offer of admission, so I'm in there.

I feel will feel a little silly turning down UCB, but if UCLA doesn't rescind the offer I will be going there.

UCB is 21 on the US News and World Report's list of top universities and UCLA is 25. The top 20 are all private, so you can expect to graduate broke and indebted if you go there.

However, on this random sites list, UCLA is number seven on the list of hottest student bodies. UCB does not make the top 50.

Would I make such an important decision based on something so trivial. Of course!

Another crazy week.

I decided to drop ICS 6B, and UCLA will have to reexamine my admission as a result. I (and my academic counselor mother) don't think it will make a bit of difference. The class wouldn't have counted for anything other than units at UCLA.

It also looks like UCB may be a solid backup. I wouldn't mind going there! They are looking at my record again too, for the same reason.

On another subject, this Wednesday, the fine people of AAR at UCI asked me to introduce Francisco Ayala for a lecture. He is one of the top biologists in the world. I'm not sure why they asked me to introduce him, except they know I like speaking in public. Also, they probably wanted to involve me more in the club, thinking I would be an officer next year. I would love that, but I really hope to go to UCLA. I want to live away from home, but not too far. I want to get the Cog. Sci. BS with a computing specialization, which UCI doesn't offer. I know UCLA "ranks" higher but I don't even care about that, I got in at UC Berkeley which is the top public university in the US. UCLA is just the top choice for me, for a variety of reasons. Their "atheist" club has had events with Dawkins and Sam Harris. Why? They are in LA, the media capital of the world. They are probably a weaker club overall than AAR. I just want to live there for part of my life. Maybe act in a student film. Be an extra in a Mentos commercial. Meet Steve Gutenberg. That kind of thing. I also want to live in New York, London, and Tokyo. Who knows?

Overall, finally at 25.75 years I feel like I might find a way through this life. Being in school still, I feel very old, but I think I'm figuring things out. Hell my grandfathers lived to 89 and 91. One of them was obese and one was an alcoholic. I'll probably live to 95+, I'm just getting started in life.

Anyhow, Ayala has an interesting position.
- Evolution and religion don't conflict at all, in fact evolution is the best fit for any theistic philosophy.
- Intelligent design proponents are blasphemous, because they essentially accuse god of causing all the fucked up things in biology (20% of pregnancies end in spontaneous miscarriage.)

I'm glad he spoke at our club, and I appreciate it. I find his position a bit condescending though. He acknowledges that the bible can't be trusted as a literal source of history. However he thinks that all things numinous belong to the religious domain.

I think this is condescending. No good scientist takes the position that phenomenon X is impossible to explain. Even if it something beyond the big bang. They just say it is inexplicable right now. I think everything can be explained through science, but just not yet. Maybe our race will extinguish itself before we explain everything, but that's our fault, not the universes.

Oh well I'm rambling now, tonight, my mother said to me, "It is good you're going on in school, because you'll probably find people to talk to about this kind of thing." Paraphrasing, but something like that.

Oh yeah, and Tuesday night I saw Expelled, the Ben Stein movie. Utter tripe. No, not tripe, shit. I've eat tripe, it is fine.

Update

Once more, looking back on my post in December...

• Berkeley - Cognitive Science Accepted
  
• Davis - Linguistics or Science and Tech Studies Accepted
  
• Irvine - Informatics or Earth and Environmental Science Accepted in History :/
  
• Los Angeles - Cognitive Science (Pre) or History (Pre) Accepted in Cog Sci!!!!
  
• San Diego - Cognitive Science or Linguistics - Cognition and Language Rejected!
  
• Santa Barbara - Psychology or History Accepted, I emailed their admission counselor
  
• Santa Cruz - Linguistics - Computation or Classical Studies. Rejected!

I apologize for the blink tag.

Another short summary

This week has been very busy.

Monday, I think I did brazilian jiu jitsu, and hurt my ribs. Can't recall what else, except I know I completed some Stats homework.

Tuesday I went to muay thai, not knowing how hurt I was. Ended up bleeding from my knee, and developing a huge blister on my toe. Then I went to the Villa Park city council to speak against another "In God We Trust" motto. A bunch of friends went along. The meeting was a mindfuck, I still can't describe it. We didn't win, but we scared some people. Afterward I talk 4 people into going to Honda Ya, which is a favorite restaurant. Ate crazy stuff. Chicken hearts, eel, herring (head and all,) natto...I will eat anything, and everyone there had a good time I think.

Wednesday I felt tired, but I had to scramble to finish my Math 6b homework. I didn't. After that class I met with David Fitzgerald who is involved in San Francisco Atheists and the Garrison Martineau project. He was there to moderate a civil dialog between AAR and a Christian group called Stands to Reason. He bought me a pitcher of beer. Really cool guy. We had our AAR meeting and then we went on to this civil dialog. It went off really well, people just talking about how they came to believe what they do about metaphysics. A lot of people hung out afterward and chatted, no one convinced anyone, but at least they were educated on the arguments, and they weren't young-earth creationists or anything.

Thursday -- I don't remember much. I think I skipped muay thai. I finally got things together around 4:30pm. Then I checked my email and there was a note from UCLA about my provisional financial aid award. My first thought was, "What the fuck? I didn't get in to UCLA."

Looking back on my post in December...

• Berkeley - Cognitive Science "Decisions will be available 4/30"
  
• Davis - Linguistics or Science and Tech Studies Accepted
  
• Irvine - Informatics or Earth and Environmental Science Accepted in History :/
  
• Los Angeles - Cognitive Science (Pre) or History (Pre) Accepted in Cog Sci!!!!
  
• San Diego - Cognitive Science or Linguistics - Cognition and Language No word.
  
• Santa Barbara - Psychology or History They asked me to call them, and I didn't bother
  
• Santa Cruz - Linguistics - Computation or Classical Studies. Rejected!
  

Well, my top choice accepted me, despite me fucking up in math.

Actually, it still makes sense, even though I convinced myself they wouldn't take me.

My GPA was a 3.64, and I will only have about 17 courses to complete to finish the major. Of course that only puts me at 160 units, I need 180 to graduate.

Anyhow I SIRd, I applied for housing, parking, I sent my Saddleback transcript.

I was just getting accustomed to the idea of staying at UCI, and I have a lot of good friends there now that I will miss, but I believe that this is the best move for me.

I'm now awake at 3am, because I have a Stats midterm tomorrow. I should be fine, but I had to finish some work to prepare, and I took about 4 shots of espresso to get there.

Speaking of friends, I flaked out on a poker night so I could study. I simply have to pass Stats to get anywhere.

On Thursday I had a bit of a stressful event, where I was afraid I might hurt a very good persons feelings --all I'll say on that.

Today I also emailed UCLA to try to see if I can drop the one class I'm taking at UCI. Hopefully if they reply in the affirmative I'll be rid of one source of stress.

Yeah, so that's the short summary.

Next quarter

So I was thinking about taking Boolean Algebra at UCI next quarter, however it may not be the best idea.

I've tried to change my application at UCLA to history, and if they accept that, I may get in. As I've said previously, the UCLA rep said my GPA was good.

I think I'd prefer UCLA, even though I would probably need to stick with the History major, they have a Cog Sci minor I could do.

UCI's Informatics major is the best fit academically, but the program is struggling...and it is UCI.

So I might just do Stats at Coastline and umm go to No Limits everyday to stay active. AAR meetings too!

I wish all the UCs gave their decisions at the same time. I also wish I'd applied in history at UCLA to begin with. It just isn't in me (or, from what I'm told, 99% of people) to learn precalc through cal2 in 6 months.

Anyhow, if I don't get in to UCLA, I'll take some courses in the summer to prepare for the Informatics major at UCI. That isn't a bad outcome.

I just wish I had estimated my abilities better. I could have applied for Informatics at UCI, history at UCLA and Berkeley, and then I'd have a broader range of choices.

Oh well, I'll be happy to move on anywhere.

So, to sum up, next quarter may be stats, muay thai, brazilian jiu jitsu, and automobile restoration.

Uncertainty is stressful.

History?

Well, I've been accepted into UCI as my alternate major. History.

I can't understand why I didn't qualify for Informatics, except none of my programming/logic courses are in the articulation agreement for Informatics. Actually nothing is in the articulation agreement.

Anyhow, that is still one step forward. o_O

What the hell am I doing?

So now I'm fully on to plan B academically, but that leaves some time before I'll be in classes again.

Stats at CCC doesn't start until 3/31.
I think Boolean Algebra as well, I hope there's no conflict, but not much has been posted about the Stats class.

This is Wed, Mar 12, 2008.

So I need some shit to do.

I've got two new Painless wiring harnesses for my car, I should be able to get them wired up.

I'm going sit today and read Sapolsky's "The Trouble With Testosterone" and think about things.

Hopefully I'll feel up for BJJ tonight, though I suspect that's where I caught this monster cold.

I'll go to the AAR meeting tonight. Actually that's the only reason I'm at UCI today. AAR and BJJ, and I may skip the latter. If I stayed home though, I would have just used my illness as an excuse to play Zelda all day.

That's why I need some solid achievable goals to keep me moving for the next two weeks.

Well this has turned into a really fucking pointless rant.

Feeling slightly better

Dropped Precalculus.
Added Stats.
It should be no problem to add Boolean Algebra, they have 100 empty seats.

Slept all afternoon, and maybe 15 hours last night. WTF?

Anyway, I got a nice new wiring harness for my LT1 yesterday, I guess I'll spend the rest of the week tinkering with it. Vroom.

Soo..

Where were we last?

I ended up getting 39% on the 2nd midterm. As I'm sitting their contemplating just walking out of the class, he writes that the mean is 50%.

On top of that, he's letting us re-do three question at home, and turn them in tomorrow. Essentially, I'm probably going to end up right below the mean--a C. So now it is really iffy on whether I should stay in the class.

Meanwhile, I went up to Westminster to try to place into Stats. and I placed into...Precalc! So after taking precalc for 8 weeks, I'm now prepared to take precalc. D'oh.

However, that placement also clears me for Stats, and there are 17 spaces available, hopefully there will be one left by the time they clear me (don't ask why it doesn't do it automatically.) So most likely path is still stats at Coastline Commy College and boolean algebra here at UCI.

On top of all that, I have a horrible head cold and cough. Thank goodness I don't get headaches with a cold, or the bodies would be piling up.

Oh, and if you aren't bored enough yet, I mounted a shelf in my mom's office with some moly bolts. Pics coming soon! It's basically awesome. Well, aside from not being level. But I didn't have a tape measure or a level, so I improvised with a telephone cord and a pencil. It is pretty close.

So I'm still out there in the ether a bit, so building something real feels really good. Schools are vagarious bureaucracies, but I can build a real fucking shelf. On a fucking wall. And stuff can be put on said shelf. Real fucking stuff.

Apologies to the millions of visitors

Okay, perhaps it is only a couple dozen since my last update.

Anyhow, Saturday I was up at about 6 am. Got donuts, played Zelda. Went to the gym, and had a pretty good workout. Never worked with this trainer before, and I didn't get his name. Real skinny guy, but he seemed to know what his stuff. He probably fights at like 125lbs, and was 5'10 ish. There are only a couple guys in the gym who really look like they can kick ass, so you just can never tell.

Came home exhausted and slept the afternoon away. Then got invited to a small party, which lasted until 3am. Well, 2am, but they were the same thing. Let's just say I will do things to win at charades that I'm not proud of.

I got up about 10 on Sunday, but I think I've acquired a cold. I don't know if it is that or allergies. It makes it hard to sleep though...can't breath through nose. Pretty much all I did was pass the lava/mine level in Zelda and get the bow, which is pretty cool.

So now I'm up at 4am, partly due to the cold, and partly due to the fact that I'm anxious to get back my fucking precalculus midterm. If I do well, I'll start studying for the final, which is a week from today. If I can get a C in the class, I have a good chance at getting in to UCLA.

If I don't do well, I'll drop the class, and drive up to Coastline Cmmy College and try to place into a Statistics class there. Then, I'll also take Boolean algebra in spring quarter at UCI. That will put me in a good position to get in to the Informatics major at UCI. I'll be happy with that.

If I can't place into the Stats class at Coastline, I'll take it during the Summer at UCI, and apply for UCI as a winter admit.

To summarize: I haven't taken a math class since intermediate algebra in 1998, I don't think I finished that either. I thought somehow I would cram all that in to my head in 10 weeks. This week, I'll find out if it worked.

I like UCI. I've met some cool people. I like my gym. I even sort of like living at home. Ironically, staying here a bit longer will probably accelerate my ultimate exodus. I'll have plenty of money when I'm finished, I'll be finished sooner, and I'll have a broader social network when I finish. And, hell, No Limits may turn me in to a pro fighter in the mean time.

I feel old.

Well...

Things my not be working out so great in school at the moment. We'll see soon enough. I did try. At least I can always count on good old dead Fred to put things in perspective.

"On the mountains of truth you can never climb in
vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be
training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow."

Anthill beer menu

I think I need to rotate this.

Edit: Better, but I guess you can find a list on myspace and facebook.

Anthill Pub & Grille
Beer and Wine List

Happy Hour 4pm – 7pm Daily

Most of our beers are $4 per pint or $11 per 48oz. pitcher. During happy hour, most American craft beers are $3 per pint, $8 per pitcher.


ALES ON TAP (light to dark)

Allagash White
Craftsman Heavenly Hefe
Paulaner Hefeweizen
Lost Coast Great White Wheat
Abita Purple Haze
Anderson Valley Hop Ottin’ IPA
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
New Belgium Fat Tire
Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Stone Pale Ale
Anderson Valley Boont Amber
Lagunitas Sonoma Farmhouse
Firestone Double Barrel
Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale
Swithwick’s Irish Ale
Newcastle Brown
Alesmith Nautical Nut Brown
Deschutes Black Butte Porter
Guinness Stout


LAGERS ON TAP

Lagunitas Czech Pils
Kona Longboard Lager
Craftsman 1903 Pre-Prohibition Lager


STRONG ALES ON TAP (10oz. glass only)

Anderson Valley Brother David’s Trippel (10%)
Alesmith Grand Cru (10%)
Port Brewing Hop 15 Double IPA (10.5%)
Redstone Apricot Mead (8%)


CIDERS ON TAP

Fox Barrel Apple Cider
Fox Barrel Pear Cider
 

BOTTLED BEER

Corona
Sapporo
Duchesse de Borgogne Flemish Red
Ommegang Three Philosophers
Port Brewing Older Viscosity


WINE

Mirassou Chardonnay
Mirassou Cabernet Sauvignon
Mirassou Merlot
Roederer NV Brut Sparkling Wine

Bee swarm at Peter's Parade UCI

Hilarious.

Updated: CML/IGB Distinguished Speaker Series: Andrew McCallum, "Bayesian Models of Social Networks and Text"

Okay, the talk was changed. It was mainly about the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm.

I bit above my head, but really I could read most of the symbolic logic and I love the idea of making computers parse through information for me.

I hate reading. I mean I love reading, but only exactly the information I want at that moment.

I probably should have taken more than a few notes on my blackberry, but I just wanted an overview of a topic I hope to study in the future.

Also, Dr. McCallum was a fine speaker. I really haven't seen too many computer science professors who fit the irredeemable nerd stereotype!

It doesn't get icy in orange county

New disinformation campaign

Actually, it is all true.