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Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

mr_kenny

9:00p Tables and chairs all over the yard Another year, another birthday.  This birthday finds me in Madison, Wisconsin, as a first-year PhD graduate student in the Physics Department.  It is the first birthday that I have not spent in Albany (discounting, of course, all my birthdays  before I was born). The past year has been rather eventful.  This past summer, I traveled with Rachel to China for three weeks, seeing Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai.  I took a two week road trip with Zhao, driving from Los Angeles to Boston, by way of San Francisco, Yosemite, Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New York.  I completed my work in the physics lab in June- coming out of it with a better appreciation for what physicists actually do, and the knowledge that physics (if not experimental atomic physics) is what I truly want to do.  This brings me to grad school- sadly away from friends and family in Chicago and the northeast, but to new friends and new adventures. My experiences here thus far have been rather remarkable- difficult to encapsulate briefly, but I'm enjoying grad school a tremendous amount.  I'm studying what I want to study with an astonishingly friendly and engaging group of colleagues.  I feel that I could ask for little more. And that, as they say, is that. Love, ~Kenny

(1 love love me do | you know I love you)

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

happinesss

10:01p I haven't updated LiveJournal in a very long time, but I love these things. 1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? Start graduate school, fly to a foreign country with someone I had only known for a month. 2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't recall making any last year.  I'm going to try to eat healthier next year, I think.  3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No. 4. Did anyone close to you die? No. 5. What countries did you visit? India and Russia.  6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? I'm pretty content with what I have right now. 7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory? July 14th, oddly enough.  Testifying at the Commission, Bastille Day, first date with Josef. 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting into graduate school and surviving the first semester. 9. What was your biggest failure? Stupid boy stuff, probably. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nope. 11. What were the best things you bought? Plane tickets! 12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Lots of people. 13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? No one comes to mind. 14. Where did most of your money go? Traveling, trail mix, and thai food.  Oh, and graduate school. 15. What did you get really excited about? India, Russia, and graduate school. 16. What song will always remind you of 2009? "The Love You Save" - Jackson 5 17. Compared to this time last year, are you i. happier or sadder? Happier!  I think I am the happiest I have ever been. ii. thinner or fatter? Probably the same. iii. richer or poorer? POORER! 18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Traveling, probably.  And cooking. 19. What do you wish you'd done less of? My job.  20. How will you spend Christmas? Buffalo, as always. 22. Did you fall in love in 2009? In many ways.  23. How many one night stands? That's an interesting question. 24. What was your favorite TV program? 30 Rock, I think?  And Dexter.  And The Office. 25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I don't think I hate anyone. 26. What was the best book you read? Mother Night 27. What was your greatest musical discovery? The song, "Borscht." Ha. 28. What did you want and get? Graduate school! 29. What did you want and not get? Probably something more successful with Josef. 30. What was your favorite film of this year? Probably Inglorious Basterds. 31. What did you do on your birthday? Cafe Lalo and Dead Poet.  Dinner and live music, movie, and wine in plastic wine glasses in Central Park a couple of days later. 32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Less time at my job, which was the bane of my existence.  33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Cardigans. 34. What kept you sane? Friends!  And coffee. 35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? No idea. 36. What political issue stirred you the most? Probably all this health care stuff. 37. Who did you miss? Lots of people. 38. Who was the best new person you met? All the people in the HP program.  And some in the UP program. 39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009: The power of positive thinking!  Oprah doesn't lie. 40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "A diva is a female version of a hustler."

(2 love love me do | you know I love you)