I want to thank roseprofessor for the graduation card he sent me. He's nicknamed me Master Katie :) He's Doctor Bruce.... and yet I can't resist posting lawyer jokes when I find them funny. I won't mind if you post a good engineer's joke

The card had a bunch of light bulbs on it and I thought it was cute being that I work for the electric company.

It's still EMPTY and I'm STILL waiting on IIT.

I e-mailed the office of the registar about getting some confirmation and peace of mind of my graduation status. They referred me to another e-mail so I'm awaiting on their response. In the first e-mail he mentioned that degrees are posted 2-4 weeks after, whatever that means....

I haven't got around to taking serious thoughts and plans on a party yet. I just wanna RELAX and RELEASE.

There have been sometimes in the past week or two that I've felt depressed and EMPTY. Like what do I do now with my life? I've been playing the SIMS 2 like 4 hours a day. going to bed early (except when Joe was around), sleeping in, watching TV, and guess what? I've anxierty-free!!! I haven't had a panic attack in like 2 weeks.

Oh, yes, and I am starting to go back to the gym...

I bought a ton of books on mortgages to read.

My next goal is to buy a townhouse or condo.

I have already applied for graduation about 2 months ago and have not received one letter to confirm or deny my graduation status from IIT. I did get an e-mail to confirm my name for the degree and what it would say. I've counted all my credits, I have meet all the minimum requirements to the best of my ability. Then I keep getting these e-mails aimed at graduating and graduates which is a little reassuring..

A former student e-mailed me congratualing me on my graduation. He said it took them 10 weeks to mail the diploma. sheesh. That means it may not be until August until I get the actual diploma!

ECE -564-051 CONTROL & OP ELEC POWER A

My final GPA
3.250
My total credits
32

This means I have completed all the credits I need to graduate so they better give me my diploma!!!

My Dad Quit Smoking after like 20+ years

I am done with school!! I will be getting my master's degree in electrical engineering as soon as they send it in the mail!!!!! I GRADUATED !!


It's a damn good feeling.


I am FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to

drink
eat
play my sims2 game
watch dvds
take walks
go out to movies
dance
hang out with friends
play
drink beer
go out to bars
window shop
go to concerts
travel
cook
sing
worship
read the newspaper, daily
redorate my apartment
by stuff i want to do
do whatever the hell I want
SMILE
celebrate
shine
make strawberry daiquri's
swim
relax in the hot tub
play with my kitties
blog
update my website!




I'm going to SMILE

When you wake up in the evening and the day is shot
Find yourself complaining about the things you ain't got
Never goes just the way you want it to
Clichè of the day, c'est la vie, that's just life
It ain't easy, it's so tough, it's so easy

Chorus:
(Whatcha gonna do, say, whatcha gonna do)
Put a smile on your face
Make the world a better place
Put a smile on your face
(Whatcha gonna do, say, whatcha gonna do)
Put a smile on your face
Make the world a better place
Put a smile on your face
(Whatcha gonna do, say, whatcha gonna do)

And another thing
You can say I'm a dreamer and you thinks it's all cool
Preaching about the better life I learned in school
But you get what you give in this life that we live
And all that you do will come back to you

Chorus

[Lady Saw]
Yo
When thing's isn't right, there's not need to fight-a
(?), and everything nice (?) Please be polite even when you're hurting
Don't forget to smile
Give love to our nation, big or small
When you do good, you'll get your reward
United with undivided we fall
Put a smile on your face and greet one and all

Life, it ain't easy, oh it's so tough, it ain't easy

Chorus X2

People love you when you smile
And hate you when it's through
Lots of happiness, (?) we are wishing you
If you come from Jamaica or Honolulu, yeah
Keep a smile on your face
I'll see the good that you do, (?)
Smile (smile), and everything will be fine
Love it when you smile, you look beautiful like that
(?), Your dimples are so cute, hahah
I love the happiness and..smile

SMILE by Vitamin C

yeah me, i took all my medicines and a vitamin.
I'm thinking of going to bed soon and hopefully my work pager doesn't wake me up again like it did at 2am

I've got a lot to do!

School

I've got my final project/exam due on Monday at 6pm.
I am done with the first problem except I need to write up a report/summary/solution
Then I've got one more problem to do.
Got to pay my tuition and inquire on when I'll get my diploma in the mail.
Hopefully Joe will be able to drive with me into the city on Monday afternoon. All we got to do is drop of my exam and maybe will go get some chinese, maybe take the train into downtown, etc..

Work

I've been working like 12-16 hr days and weird hours this past week. It's been interfering with my progress on getting my final done for school but work is my number one priority. I've got to iron my outfits!

IEEE
Got a meeting tuesday
got a meeting wednesday

I want to get drunk something after wednesday night. It will be after finals and I won't be on duty. I need release!!!

Or maybe I should go to casino and blow like $100 and get a release that way too... I only do that like twice a year.

Dad is in the hospital and I don't ever remember him ever being in one.

I'm just about done with my Exam that I need to turn in this Thursday.

Tomorrow they will be doing exams on his heart and lungs, etc.

I'm sort of tied and worried and aloft.

My dad's close cousin, a doctor, tried to explain to me, but I got confused in all the medical garble that he said. He said my dad didn't have a heart attack but chest pains and blah.. blah... but they don't know that for sure yet...
so how do you know he didn't have a heart attack?

They will be running a lot of tests tomorrow on him....

and they will be keeping me updated.

I'm hoping that he will not be scheduled for anything major like surgery and be released. I'd like to drive up to Indiana this Saturday evening and spent the night and Sunday there.

Got problem 1 mostly done of 2 for my exam. Problem 2 is mostly done too, but all that remains of my first problem to write something really detailed and pretty on the "formulation" of the problem and how I got the results.

I love seeing the matlab output "Optimization Terminated"
I love seeing my optimization matrix make sense.

I love making things work.

I now have a fond affection for linear programming, mathematical programming, and mixed-integer programming.

It is logical to me.

I feel so Vulcan.

Am I really gifted to understand complex mathematical equations such as was on my last exam like below:



Who got a 105/100 that 105% !!?? ME!!

I deserve it. I am going to shoot for a good grade on this exam too.

Wish me luck :)

First I want to thank roseprofessor for sending me a nice postcard of Newport, Rhode Island. Keep those roses growing strong.

I haven't been feeling much like writing on live journal lately. I've been having a lot on my mind lately. Stress with school, work, boyfriend, and myself. I've also been feeling kind fo depressed and fat, and lazy.

Balance. Think about balance. I'm also realizing that as much as I like Joe's company it's a distraction from the goals and things I want to accomplish during my free time like exercise, study, sleep, and get personal things done.

My life is going to change after I get out of school. I keep telling myself that.

Today in the mail I received the $110 diploma frame that I ordered through the school's preferred vendor. It's lovely and a bit bigger than my undergraduate degree. I'm not attending the ceremony and do not how I'm going to get through the red tape to get my degree mailed to me.

I'm probably going to have two parties. The first will be a barbecure at my dad's house in Hammond, Indiana with all his friends and our family. My friends are welcome to come to if they want to drive an hour there and an hour back if they got nothing better to do and want to get out. Then I'm going to try and rent the clubhouse at my apartment complex for my graduation party. I'd like to have Panda Express catering (Dave and Amy, I'm stealing your catering idea~!)

So what are my plans after getting done with school?

Drink... drink... oh wait... seriously! I'm looking forward to getting my serious regarding my health and exercise goals.
Another goal of mine uis to read and learn as much as I can about real estate, buying my first home, mortgages, home maintenance, and other issues regarding home ownership.

I will achieve my goals.

I will buy a place to live this fall and it will be a smart decision.

I will be healthier this fall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Got up around 5am to take a shower and drink some water. Laid around in bed before then because I was thirsty, hot, and countless thoughts kept running through my head like complex mathematical equations, lines of code, and my brain consistently going through the solutions. The effects of the mid-term exam crisis in my life still had not abdated. Plus thoughts of work related communications and I self-critiqued myself adding more salt to my fragile self-esteem.

Everything felt better after I drank half a water bottle of cool purified Dasani water from my fridge, took a shower, sipped two spoons of peptobesmol for my Friday night Bacon-butterburger and cheese curd sins, and laid back into bed.

I slept until 10 am and woke up healthy and refreshed. My mid-term exam was removed from my mind.

I tidied up a bit and then logged into work so that I could work on my individual development plan that should have been completed Friday.After doing the dishes and some of the laundry I decided to go out and get a pedicure. The first place I went to was too busy so I left. I ended up going to a Nails store one owened by chinese near the Trader Joes in Lombard on Roosevelt. As soon as I walked in the door, there was a seat ready for my to take a pedicure. I had no wait time and I tipped her well. She laughed as she washed the bottom of my feet and I wiggled them because it tickled. I told her this is why I only get this done twice a year! After my pedicure I went in search of the small Pet Store that used to be in that strip mall, but apparently they went out of business, which is a shame. I walked over to Trader Joes and stocked up on "bag" dinners, mostly chinese food and I happened to buy some fresh flowers, cheese cake, and other delicous items.

After trader joe's I had an inkling for something to drink and contemplated the dairy queen in the same strip mall. I walked in and did not see anything that would satisfy that drink need until I remembered I had about a half a can of diet coke left in the car and left.

I drove home and was lucky to find a space empty in front of my apartment building. I was glad that all my food from trader joe's was packed into one easy to carry brown paper bag. I grabbed my mail on the way into my building.

Did a lot of Bills, yuk, then went to the apartment office to pick up a package. My new DDR pad came in, and I must say I am not impressed. I did get what I ordered, but I thought the pad would be a little bit better. :(

What else did I do today? I made some garlic chicken pasta mix that I bought from Trader Joe's, oh was that oh so good! I cleaned a bit, but not too much. Did dishes, laundry, took out the trash, played some Sims2, studied, played with my kitties, surfed the net at my friend's wedding site. My friend Andrew whom I meet at Valpo is getting married in less than a day (in the Phillipines)!!!! I'm so so excited for them. I want to attend their ceremony in Culver, IN but am getting worried about that weekend. The professor in my class said he would give us another take home exam on the 12th of April, and if it was as difficult as it was before, I will need all the time I can get.

Anyways, I'm enjoying the night on my balcony and reading with nice outdoor lightning. The kitties love it too! Tomorrow I am supposed to visit Joe. I am looking forward to that.