Explosive Donut

Forget what the calendar and weathermen say. For the grad students in my lab at least, summer starts when the spring semester ends. Before that point, I wouldn’t even know if it was nice outside. The sun makes it hard to see the screen, so that means no coding simulators or writing papers outside. Sixty and seventy degree weather makes it hard to really panic too.

All of that is behind me now. I’m done with my term project, TAing my class, and writing my conference paper. I have a little downtime right now that should result in a cleaner room, office, and computer. Maybe some of that will happen – I’d put my money on cleaning the computer or at least starting that, anyway.

This weekend should find me in New York. In addition to the usual bonanza of food and Muji frenzy, I’m excited about not one, but two robot stores. I don’t know what I’m in for there. I’m hoping I don’t hurt myself or drain my checking account.

There’s also next week with my folks. I couldn’t visit my mom for Mother’s Day a few weeks back due to the paper deadline, so this trip is partly a make-up for that. This year, my mom eschewed gifts for hard labor. Hopefully there’s no power saws involved.

The rest of the summer is somewhat planned out as well. There’s my research internship, of course. I’ll be staying in the Boston area and the work looks really interesting. I’m planning on learning golf and sailing too, so I’m trying to rope in friends who are equally terrible in either (or both) areas to learn with me and provide mutual moral support.

Oh, and there will be plenty of Wii. Plenty.