And We're Home Again

Back to ol' Ann Arbor with all our Christmas presents in tow.

We came back on Tuesday and already we have a new cat and have started classes - it's been a busy week.



We love our new cat, Joe Black. He is mostly black and about 1 1/2 years old. He is a cutie. He was a little shy when we first got him, but has really warmed up to us. He wants lots of attention though. He is always following you around, bringing you his toys to play with, laying around and rolling around to get you to pet him. We both love him! He has a few infuriating tricks up his paw ... like instead of drinking his water, using it to splash and wash himself with ... and crying when we won't let him into our room at night. But all in all, we love him.


I have been reading a new book the past couple days - Tolstoy's Anna Karenina which I am really enjoying, oddly enough.

Merry Christmas

We are here in Texas having so much fun! This has been a fabulously fun Christmas with family and meeting Michael's fiance Meghan. And I got my grades - A, A, A-! Hallelujuah - I won't lose my fellowship after all.


Merry Christmas to everyone!

Finals are done!

As of 12:30 today my finals are done. Thank heavens. I think I did relatively well on at least two of my finals. My Medical Imaging grade is out - A- and I am happy for it. I was worried that I would go down, but I got a 51/60 on the final which I am very very pleased with. Especially considering my 75 percent average on the homework ... he he he.

Katsu already got both his grades - an A- and an A!!! Yeah, for Katsu! I think he will probably have a higher GPA than me.

We are so excited for Christmas and to see the family!

Snowy Day Thoughts

Yesterday, I was just minding my own business, studying, when a guy from my Medical Imaging class started talking to me. After a few minutes of homework related questions, he said, point-blank, "Are you Mormon". To which I responded yes, followed by him asserting that he was also Mormon and he had figured I was because 1) I had a wedding ring and I was a young woman, 2) I always wore modest clothes (this baffled me as it has been winter/fall for a while here and as far as I can tell, cold-weather clothes are always modest), and 3) I just kind of had that look about me (ha - me! the girl who is quiet and rarely ever talks to anyone in this class and just tries to pay attention during class). So, it turns out he is a Masters student about to graduate with a wife and a baby who is in the Ann Arbor 2nd ward. He asked me wheat I was doing. Of course, I have no clue, so I said I wasn't sure ... masters or PhD. I said I would take qualifying exams and see from there. And he asked about my husband, etc. When he found out that a) I might just end up getting a Masters and 2) we would be here a long time because of Katsu's schooling, he said there are lots of places to work here - he recommended a place that he was going to work out ... for one of the auto companies, or he said I could be a nanny - his wife was one and made almost $25 an hour. This is perhaps what I found funniest(?) of all. I am sure he was just being well-meaning, but I found it hilarious. What if I suggested that after receiving his Master's degree, instead of that well-paying job in AZ that he was going to take, he be a nanny! Ha ha ha. What a conundrum, but perhaps expresses the feelings I feel quite nicely. I really fell stuck between a few different worlds here. On one hand ... I am a Mormon, I do wnat to have children, and ideally I want to stay home with them. On the other hand, I am in a masters/doctoral program in electrical engineering at a top university with a full fellowship and am doing well. And these two seem often contradictory at times, especially now when I know people who are in both places - Mormon and in engineering graduate school, albeit they are all men. I think they see me as a sort of misfit. Not quite sure how I belong - but then, again, am I really sure of this either. Anyways, I should go study for my quiz that is in half an hour.

Bye!

Thanksgiving Was a Success!

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving. We got up early and put the turkey in around 8:00. I was kind of worried how it would turn out, but five hours later it was perfectly done! It tested just like Mom's even though we cooked it a totally different way. Everything else was fabulous too. There was a total of 8 people there - two couples from church (one with their baby and dog) and a friend of mine from school and one of Katsu's coworkers. THe food was fabulous and tons of it! We had so much fine. We're so grateful that we have so many great friends after being here only a short amount of time.

Happy THanksgiving everyone!

Some Pictures of our Trip to Detroit

http://amandatsu.dell.shutterfly.com/

Christmas

Okay, so yeah, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but it feels like Christmas this year. Maybe I am just feeling like I missed Christmas last year (Christmas in Japan is just not the same as it is in the states ... I missed having a stocking) so I am trying to over-compensate this year, but we are all excited about Christmas.

We have never had a Christmas tree before - well, unless you count those little tiny ones that are like 1 foot tall. So, this weekend we went out and bought a Christmas tree, ornaments (big red and small green and silver balls), that silvery stuff that you wrap around the tree, lights, and a gold star to put on top. It was so much fun. Yes, it's fake - we've always had a fake tree in both my and Katsu's family, so we are content with it. So, it was so much fun to put it up together. And it really feels like home to turn off all the lights except for the Christmas tree lights and watch them twinkle away. And of course, you can't forget the Christmas music - I found Detroit's only 24 hr a day Christmas music station. So, we are already getting all the Christmas music stuck in our heads.

On another note, the 18 lb. turkey is defrosting in the refrigerator, ready to be stuffed with our new stuffing recipe - sausage, apricots, and pecans ... yumm. I just love the holidays.

Promise to post some pictures soon.

Thank Heavens it's Almost Thanksgiving

Soo ... instead of doing something productive like studying or homework, here we go with updating the blog.

Life is going well. This November has been the prettiest November that I have ever seen. Warm, bright, perfect weather ... until yesterday where we had torrential rains and I got completely soaked through on my 20 minute walk home. But really, in all truth, it has been a beautiful month. Thouroughly enjoyed by all ... well, at least Katsu and I.

We are quite excited for Thanksgiving. We are having two other couples over. It should be an adventure because we haven't cooked a turkey before, but I figure it can't be that bad. And if it is ... oh, well. We can eat other food. Maybe I'll even cook a pie - I really want to do a cherry but we'll see how much time we have. It will be so nice to just relax ... and relax ... and relax for a few days!

Life is busy for me and mostly for Katsu too. He was very busy at work and such and research, but thankfully, his lab has submitted their grant and so life is much slower and easier there. It has been a much-needed break for Katsu. One of his classes will be finished before Thanksgiving and so he will really only have one more and his work till Christmas. I am pretty busy in school. It seems like I never get a break ... there's always something else to do. I have a probability exam this Friday and also my MRI project (which isn't going so hot) is due next Tuesday. Hopefully, I can get them both done with flying colors!

We are very excited for christmas. Both for the break of school and to see the family. I would like to buy some Christmas decorations, too, since we don't have very many. I am busy working on Katsu's stocking that I am cross-stitiching. Hopefully it will get done by then ... I will have to work hard on that over Thanksgiving.

Well, that's it for us!

A Post from the Crookston blog - fyi

Here is our little update, so everyone can know what is happening with us in Michigan (also, so I can procrastinate doing my homework for just a little bit longer). We are both very busy with school. Katsu is mostly very busy working. He is a graduate research assistant (that is how he gets his assistantship - i.e. free tuition + health insurance + stipend). It is both good and bad. Good in that he gets paid (yeah!) and he gets a good start on his research, for his dissertation, etc. Bad in that he is working about 40 hours a week (that does not include the school part of his PhD). He is taking two classes - an Exercise Physiology class and a Nutrition class (that is through the School of Public Health). Oh, and for those who don't know, this is all for his PhD in Kinesiology (study of movement).
On a more fun note for Katsu, he is on the soccer intramural team with other church members from our stake as well as some other students. They are doing pretty well and he loves getting a bit back into soccer. He is also very busy with church - he just got called a couple weeks ago to be in the Elders Quroum Presidency (again!) and is busy with that. We are also in the ward choir and Katsu has been asked to sing a solo as part of one of our pieces for next week. Everyone loves his voice.
I (Amanda) am very busy. i have a fellowship this year, so I don't have to work, but school work is really overwhelming in my department. I really am not enjoying grad school, so it looks like I probably won't be pursuing a PhD, but just a Masters at this point. We'll see. I am taking three classes - a probability class, a math class for signal processing majors, and a medical imaging class where we study things like MRI, Ultrasound, etc. The material is interesting, but it's very competitive - about 75% of my classmates are international students who came from top notch colleges around the world. So, that's me - my degree will be in Electrical Engineering Systems with a major in Signal Processing (and maybe a minor in Biomedical).
I have fun, too. Katsu and I are both ushers for the University Musical Society. This is one of the top ten venues in the US for performances. So, we are part of the Jazz and World Music Crew. We come an hour early to performances and take people to their seats and then get to see the show for free. So far, I have seen Sonny Rollins, the jazz great, and Pat Metheny and trio. It's a lot of fun and we get to meet new people too. I am the primary pianist in the ward (again!) and choir, etc. etc.
Miss everyone tons! If you are ever in Detroit or Ann Arbor or even Michigan, come visit!!!!!!!

Monday

It's Monday and once again I have basically done no homework. Last week, my excuse was an eye doctor appt (that was a good one - dilated eyes are absolutely no help); this week, my excuse is a dentist appt that I just got back from. But excuses or no, I really need to do my homework.

So the consensus is ... amanda does not like grad school. I really hate it at the moment. I am only taking 3 classes - really how hard could that be. Well, it's not going so hot. My class that was supposed to be hardest, a probability course, is fast-paced, but by far my favorite class. The exams are going to be a killer (which is why I should be studying now) but I really like the class. My second class has no point yet, at least none that I can see. Midterm is fastly approaching and I still have no idea what the class is about - feel free to enlighten me ... the name is like Mathematical Models for Signal Processing or something elusive like that. And finally my Medical Imaging class. ugh. The class itself is fine, but each week, I optimistically look at the homework, take a stab, and then realize I have no idea how to do any of the problems. maybe I am just not made out for grad school. Who knew half of my life here would be spent in office hours. Oh, well. I really am also not feeling competitive which is part of the problem. I just want to learn something, you know? I don't want to have to try to learn it better than every other person.

But so goes life. Katsu's classes aren't too bad but he's in the lab 40 hours a week (that does not include class time!) which I think is quite a bit for a first year student. I think it stresses him out some. But thankfully, he is doing intramural soccer which is helping. He really enjoys that and it is something new for him. Together, we are also ushers for the University Musical Society. We got the jazz & world music series which I was initially bummed about, but I think it will still turn out fine. I went to do a Sonny Rollins concert while katsu was at the Priesthood meeting and I enjoyed it a lot. And I didn't fall taking people up and down stairs in the balcony before the show. Yeah for us.

We are starting to plan a trip to London for spring break. I am so excited. Katsu is concerned that I have this idea in my head that we are millionaries and thus should go traveling so often. I don't think that ... it's just one more trip, right? Before we settle down? Or something like that. Though I do have that Jerusalem travel book sitting on the book shelf just dying to be used (not to mention Morocco and Italy) .... but don't worry, Mom.

Well, off I must trudge to office hours. "Can you help me, because boy do I need it?"