This semester

Grad school seems so much bearable this semester. I guess it's just the learning curve getting into it. I am taking 3 classes and a seminar this semester. So far, they seem interesting and not too hard. Lab can be a huge commitment - more so than I thought. I am taking a Medical Imaging Lab. We meet for one lecture a week (1 hour) followed by a 4 or more hour lab then writing up a 20+ page lab report with our group plus pre-lab questions, etc. It's pretty nice though because we are really learning how to use all of the medical imaging modalities. Right now, we are working on MRI. Now, we are not taking MRI's of ourselves ... he he he ... though that would be fun. Unfortunately it is just a vial of water, but it's still fun learning how to program and work all those really big magnets and magnetic fields. Later, ultrasound, xray, computer tomography (CT), and nuclear medicine. It should be fun! Besides, I have decided the best way to do school is to take each class twice, sort of. This is my second round of medical imaging. And Image processing is sort of a second round of medical imaging and DSP - which I really need to review before quals. And estimation and detection is sort of a second round of probability - at least it reviews it. So, hopefully, I can pass quals in May ... eek... not to mention finding an advisor.

But besides grad school, we are having fun.

We love our cat Joe - he is so much fun to play with. We just got to figure out what to do with him while we are in London .... I just want him to not miss us too much, but I'm afraid it will be inevitable.

We also have been ushering again - we went and did Take 6 on Monday for MLK day. We really enjoyed them. The UM Gospel Chorale performed before them and I really liked them, too. It was a fun way to spend a day off.

We are planning to go to see the Plymouth Ice Sculpture Festival and the Detroit car show this weekend, so that should be fun. I still am not sure about actually paying to see cars ... but it is like a huge North American show and we live in Detroit so I guess we better get used to it. Seriously, I had no idea how car-centric life is out here. The news, even the TV shows on PBS are all about cars!

So, we're good.

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.