Current Happenings 2001
Home Page > Current Happenings 2001 > Nov 22

Thanksgiving Day -- Fall 2001

The semester is almost over... two more weeks then finals.  I spent this semester teaching 10 units at Biola, and taking 6 units at USC.  I've spent most of the semester right here in Southern California, except for a quick trip to Newport, Washington over Labor Day weekend.

Major Events (Since Last Issue - July 23)

Trip to Tucson. Tuesday morning, July 24, my parents called from Tucson, AZ.  They were spending their last few days of their half-year furlough in Tucson before going back to Mexico.  On a whim, I decided to drive out there that afternoon, to see them and my brother Joel.  I got their late Tuesday night, in time to spend a couple hours with my Uncle Dale, who was there for just a few hours (drove down for an evening during a conference in Phoenix).  I spent a couple of days helping my parents get their new laptops up & running (installing software, etc).

I drove back on Friday, the 27th in time to go watch the "Planet of the Apes" with Eric Oldenburg and a bunch of people on opening night.  Eric likes to plan these outings where we go to "The Big Newport", which is the largest regular movie theater screen west of the Mississippi, to see a big movie on opening night. We had to stand in line for a few hours.  It was fun.

The first week of August was Brent & Jill's wedding.  I was one of the groomsmen, along with Isaac Rodriguez, Ryan, Rob Olden, and Justin Peters. There was a bachelor party, rehearsal dinner, the wedding on Saturday, August 4th, and a gift opening party on Sunday, the 5th.

At the end of August, school began (see my Fall 2001 Schedule).August 28, 2001 was my first day of graduate school.  I registered kind of late because I wasn't sure exactly what classes I was going to be taking. I went to four the first week, and decided on two.  I thought I was going to get a Research Assistantship to pay for USC, but that didn't happen because I was working part-time at Biola.  I almost dropped out about half-way through the semester when I found that out, but by then it was too late to get a refund, so I stayed in, and have to pay for this semester myself (about $6000).

My brother Joel arrived arrived in town for a few days just as school was starting, then he flew up to Spokane, Washington to visit my Uncle Dale & Aunt Sue, and cousins Nathan & Daniel.  I flew up there about a week later, for just Labor Day weekend.  Joel & I got back Monday night, September 3. It was really busy at LAX.  We spent a full two hours between landing & getting on the freeway.

The rest of the semester has gone by without much out of the ordinary. My first midterm this semester (which is the first I've taken in 5 years or so), I got a 32 out of 60.  The class average was 34.  But I'm hopeful I'll still get a decent grade in that class.  In my graphics class, I spent about two weeks solid working on a big assignment that was due all at once at the beginning of November.  Our landlord tented the house for termites on November 14 & 15th, so I stayed with the Olden family.

Thanksgiving. As usual, I had several Thanksgiving dinners. The first was the Saturday before, with the Olden family. Then, Tuesday, my roommate and I met some friends at the Biola cafeteria for the annual Thanksgiving dinner. Clyde Cook, the president, carved the turkey, as did some of the vice presidents. Thanksgiving Day, I went to Dave & Sheri Peters house. Dan Yim, Justin Peters, Haley Peters, and Virgil and Edna Kleinsasser were there. Finally, I stopped by Frank Luna's house for a piece of pie after leaving their place.

Plans

My immediate plans are to work hard the next few weeks of the semester to finish up a project for my USC Graphics class, study hard for my Algorithms class, and finish my semester at Biola well.

After the semester ends, I'll spend some time relaxing, then drive over to Tucson for Christmas.  Andy & Kristen are arriving back from Africa December 2, and I'll spend Christmas with them and my brother Joel, and family friend Faith Nam. Then, Dec 31st, the five of us will fly down to Mexico City to visit my parents. We'll be back January 11.

Next semester (Spring 2002), I plan to continue teaching at Biola half-time, but I'll only take 1 class at USC, because I'll have to pay for it myself again. Starting Fall 2002, I'll start going to USC full-time, taking a two- or three-year leave of absence from teaching at Biola to concentrate on getting my PhD class work done.

From: (your name or email address, or anonymous) Your message to Matthew:

Created and maintained by Matthew Weathers. Last updated Apr 20, 2006.