As you can probably see from the time I've spent not writing, I've been rather busy. This could be attributed to either an increased work load school wise, or more time spent socializing. I'm (half) happy to say that it is both. I woke up pretty early Sunday and began doing math problems. If you can call them that, they are more like Hungarian bullshit. That's my opinion, anyway. Did those till after lunch and decided to go on a little walk to the North of Cambridge, an area I hadn't been around much. It was pretty, less touristy, but still with nice building. However, the problem of how to catch evil when it moves an arbitrary step value k each second and starts from arbitrary value l plagued my mind for most of the hour or so walk. Bleh.
That night I met up with Sarah and Dmitri at the King's bar to work on more problems. Yes. They are that difficult. We didn't work on problems that much, though, and mainly talked about how much the class is horrible. We planned to meet up the next night at 9 to get some more work done.
Monday I didn't have seminar until 3.25, so I got to sleep in once more. More problems, studying, class. Sarah paid for my dinner in the King's cafeteria (you can only eat off of your own account at the college where you are staying and I'm in Pembroke). We ate and chatted and got started trying to figure out some strategy for the games (in no sense a fun game) around 7. Thirty minutes later we started drinking. Dmitri also joined us about this time. About 9, a few more people showed up. At this point we had developed a strategy and tested it with the newcomers, and decided it was good. I had done the rest of the problems, some of which involved modular arithmetic--something which they hadn't really taught us, but that most non-math majors don't really know. I had spent some time teaching myself the method, so I taught everyone else. About 11 everyone was ready to fall out. Sarah had had 2 Corona Extra and was wasted (impressive I'd say). I helped her upstairs to her room, we chatted for a bit, and I went back to my place and crashed.
Tuesday I had the most class that I will have any day of the program (well except for the drug out 6 hour maths workshops on last and this coming saturday. I still only had 4.5 hours of class but it was divided among three classes). That was enough for it to be exhausting in its own right, but I hadn't slept well the night before. Seminar went by just fine. Went over the effects of nicotine in lecture. And guess what! At the end, I got picked to present AGAIN in the next seminar! It was the third powerpoint I had to make, but the fourth time I had to present because one time someone couldn't make it and asked me to. I don't mind the experience...just the lazy asses that make up excuses when he asks them to present. "I don't have a computer." It's called a computer lab. "It's my birthday." Then grow up. "I have a paper due in another class." That one is just extra pathetic, I don't even have a comeback.
That afternoon was the shortest of the maths class--a two hour session. It was at least made better by the fact that at this point Sarah and I were pretty good friends, and we are both probably at the bottom of the class. Its better doing terribly together. Alright, so one of the questions was this, "You are a secret agent and you have a type writer that you use to send messages back to your country. You have only 1 key that still works, and you need to send a message back to your home country to tell them to send you a new typewriter. You can agree on the code beforehand with your country. What is the message you send?" My answer was, "Code: 1=send new typewriter. Message: 1" The instructor got quite offensive when he read this and said, "These problems are NOT here for you to abuse them." Apparently they wanted a code which could send any message, even though they had said to send a message back home to get a new typewriter. So yeh, thats not the first time the professor has gotten a bit irate with me, so I'm certainly assured a low grade.
Sarah and I picked up a pizza from Sainbury's after and ate it in her dorm. We talked for a bit and then I finished up my presentation. A good evening.
Presentation this morning went well. Just hung around afterwards until making a very long pilgrimage to ASDA. It is 1.6-1.7 miles one way, so the trip back loaded down with goods is pretty tedious. I got a small set of pots and things to cook spahgetti for Sarah and I because she had a midterm that covers the whole time the cafeteria is open. Well, that and I have missed cooking and wouldn't have bought the things to do it if I was the only one eating.
As you can see, not too much exciting going on right now...but I'll keep you posted.
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