dead week

I only have one more class for this term, although I do have to go in and teach a lab at 3. This morning we had crash course in parallel computing and the physics department's Beowulf cluster - apparently this is going to be a major focus of my computational physics class next term, so I'm kind of looking forward to that. The department just got a whole bunch of dual-core computers and now I'm eager to get some money and build a new desktop. When I get a real job I might be able to afford things like $500 dual-core Athlons.

weniger nights

I did some hardcore exam grading last weekend - until 2:30 AM on Friday night and midnight on Saturday. That may have been a mind-numbing waste of time, but the scary bit was that there are other grad students still there at that time of night. Who aren't grading exams. I mean, seriously - how mental do you have to be to stay in the physics building on late late Friday or Satuday night by choice? I don't hate what I do but I get the hell out of there the minute the opportunity presents itself. I guess that's one of the differences between me and the Ph.D students.

monetary policy

I (and all the other TAs) got a $250 in this month's paycheck for no reason. I suspect the grad student union has something to do with it. I don't know what to spend it on. I am so used to being miserly and poor I can't bring myself to buy anything big, or even medium. Part of it is a time issue - I could buy games, but right now I have no time to play them. And then Christmas is starting to get close so I'm not supposed to buy stuff for myself anyway. My trusty TI-30x Solar calculator is dying, so I put in a bid on eBay for three more at $1.99 each. I'm a big spender.