Spring 2010

The spring 2010 semester started 2 weeks ago, and Doug and I are still getting used to our new class schedules! I am enrolled in 18 credits, including classes on electronic circuits, mechanical behavior of materials, corrosion, and law in literature. This is the semester for my junior lab, to start getting ready for senior project! I am also in Pilates and mountain biking.

Doug is enrolled in construction management, introduction to engineering, university, and english. We are both going to be so busy this semester!

In other news, I officially need to get new figure skates. My old pair weren't designed for jumping, and I have been jumping and spinning on them for a year now! I think I'm going to try to get them in summer, so I don't have to worry about them during the school year. It will be so nice to have better fitting skates. :)

Doug and Pammy Continued

Pictures of Doug, me, and family:

Zzzzzz......

How I feel right now. :) School is really wearing me out. We had, I think, 5 band events in 4 weeks. I'm finally enjoying my classes, but this rhythm of stress, stress, stress is wearing me out! This picture really says it all. Have you ever been to DailySquee.com? They have the most adorable pictures of baby animals. It reminds me that it's not all about us (humans) and that the world really is a wonderful place.

Doug and I are just wrapping up our semester. After next week, there are only TWO weeks before finals. Eeek! I feel like I don't do anything but sleep, school, study, band, study repeat! I think Doug is feeling the same way.

Yummy Dinner

Next week is Thanksgiving!! Tuesday is almost done with, so I just have to make it through Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. In one of my classes, Electrical Properties, we have a big homework set due every week. They are very challenging. The following week, our professor posts the solutions. This weekend, the power was down at BSU, causing the COEN website to be down as well. Professor Knowlton e-mailed out the solutions for LAST week and the new homework for THIS week. Except he made one BiG mistake. He e-mailed us the solutions to this week's homework!! Good news for me. I still have to work really hard at it, but at least I know I can't get stuck.

Since I had a good handle on my homework, and I was wanting something new for dinner, I decided to make a good dinner. Doug REALLY wanted chicken strips. Solution? I made mashed potatoes (from scratch!), breaded chicken breasts, and corn.

Mashed Potatoes:

1. Scrub potatoes. I think we used 5 small Russet potatoes and 5 red potatoes.
2. Dice into small cubes so they will soften quickly.
3. Boil until soft and the skins fall easily off the potato.
4. Add butter, mash, and season to taste.

Breaded Chicken:

1. Defrost chicken cutlets.
2. Beat two eggs in a bowl.
3. Fill another bowl about 1/2 way with bread crumbs. Season this as desired. (Garlic!!)
4. Coat the chicken generously in egg, then generously with bread crumbs.
5. Place chicken in greased baking pan. (I also sprinkled the little bit of leftover crumbs on top.)
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

I was so excited for this delicious, easy meal. In other news, I am going to be skating in a holiday show in December 19. That is only one month away! I am excited, but nervous. I wish I had more time to practice and prepare for it. Since Christmas is approaching, Doug set up a tree this weekend. It is gorgeous! I love laying under the Christmas tree and reading a good book.

About Me: School Edition

I am a student at Boise State University. This is my fourth year attending, and I am majoring in Materials Science and Engineering. This fall semester, I am taking 12 (?) credits. They are:

• MSE 310: Electrical Properties of Materials
• SPAN 101: Spanish 1
• MSE 465: An Introduction to Mathematica
• MSE 497: Communication in Nanotechnology
• MATH 360: Engineering Statistics

My favorite class by far is Statistics, much to the annoyance of my study buddy. :) I am greatly enjoying all of my classes. I can't believe there are only a few weeks left of the semester! If I stay on top of my classes, I might be able to graduate as soon as Spring 2011! Some days that sounds so close, and other days it seems so far away.

I was fortunate enough to land a job working in a research lab under Professor Bill Knowlton. He is a brilliant man, and I am so thrilled that I get to earn such valuable work experience as an undergraduate. If you don't know, undergraduate research is incredibly rare in universities. This is what makes BSU one of the top schools in the country for engineering. The hours are sooo nice compared to what I'd been used to. I was working 19 hours a week, and now I only have to work a minimum of 7 hours. I get to do things like fabricating electrodes in a clean room.

School is hard work, and it's not for everybody, but I am definitely glad that I chose this route. Most days. ;)