Semester 2 Begins

But let's do a little review first. The end of the first semester was indeed a bear, but I got by and have moved on, so no need to dwell on any of it. I flew home December 15 and was able to arrange a nice welcome home gift. My family and I had dinner in Raleigh with Lydia and the 8th floor Sullivan kids from freshman year: Tim, Austin, Ian, and Drew. It was good catching up with everyone since our hanging out time was severely limited the past couple of years. My break was rather mundane but relaxing and wasn't punctuated by any major events. I didn't get anything exciting for Christmas, mainly practical stuff that would fit in my suitcase. We made our annual post-Christmas trip to Pennsylvania to visit family, which was a good time. I bought a pretty cool picture at the mall that is a collage of hand-painted replicas of photos from the Steelers' Super Bowl XL season. Kristin was in Raleigh visiting some of her friends so I went down New Year's Eve and spent some time with her and Lydia. It was uneventful compared to some of our past adventures, but enjoyable nevertheless. I flew back out January 5th and have been buzzing around trying to get everything settled plus trying to get my body readjusted.

The second semester of grad school did begin and I have another full load. I'm taking Synoptic Forecasting II, Global Climate System, and Advanced Cloud Physics. I also have to get started on the research project, as the abstract was accepted and I am officially on the program of the Tropical Meteorology Conference. I don't know what to expect, just that it will be tough sledding. On a more upbeat note, Casey is scheduled to come visit Thursday through Sunday. I have no idea what we're going to do at this point, but we'll figure it out. At least he's coming now before I get stressed out with all the work I'm sure to have.

The Steelers season ended Saturday and I missed most of the game since I was flying back. They almost pulled off the biggest comeback in playoff history but it wasn't meant to be. Apparently there were a few dumb coach's calls, such as going for a 2-point conversion after a 10 yard penalty, and running a QB sweep on 3rd and 6. The refs also allegedly blew some calls. But the same problems that plagued the team all season resurfaced: special teams, offensive line, defensive lapses at inopportune times. Coach Tomlin talks a good game and I generally like him, but he still has a lot of growing and learning to do. Hopefully the problems can be solved during the offseason and we'll be stronger next year, although the schedule is brutal.