014.

It's already a week into September? Time flies so quickly!

This labor day weekend was fun, I spent time with my parents, the girls, and my boyfriend. I saw Hubble 3D in IMAX, which was really cool! I took an astronomy course this summer so I understood a lot of what was going on in the movie (although it was made for no previous knowledge). Leonardo DiCaprio was the narrator! My parents and I also walked around Navy Pier for a while, took some pictures, and had an awesomely expensive lunch at Gibsons Steakhouse.

Saturday night was girls night, I got to catch up with my friends from home over some manicures and a movie. I finally got Katie to get a french manicure, it looked good! I've been doing my nails in french myself for the past few weeks in order to save money vs. going to the manicurist. So far so good! Katie and I also went cellphone shopping, but to no avail we are still using our old, discontinued phones. We also got some cool new sunglasses, awesome for driving when the sun goes down.

Dan and I watched all of House season 6. It came out on DVD last Tuesday and I ordered it on Amazon for us since I have free 2-day shipping (Amazon Prime! It's amazing!). Can't wait until next August for season 7! We're also winding down on our Frasier marathons too, we're on season 8 of 11. Any suggestions on what to watch next?

Starting my teacher education program has shown me new things about being a teacher, I'm super excited to finally get in a classroom. Two years will pass by quickly, and then I'll be in charge of my own set of students (x6, for 50 minutes lol). I wonder if this is too much to share, since everything now is the "digital age," I figure a blog is okay, right?

013.

This diary of a math student is surely lacking in math, correct?

I'm taking a course with Mathematica, and I'm definitely struggling to figure out the program, also how the lessons are set up to teach me anything. I'll find out how it works eventually I suppose, otherwise my grade will definitely suffer. My real analysis class is also being a bugger, I'm not sure how to do a certain proof :( But I'll get it, it'll be like a eureka moment.

I particularly like this comic:


I also found a project which assigns a musical note to each digit, and you can play the digits of pi as a song, go check it out: http://www.avoision.com/experiments/pi10k/index.php

Other fun math things
* Calculus Made Easy
* Random Math Proof Generator
* Project Euler

012.

Hello! Summer school has finally ended. Astronomy and Physics all summer was fun, but now for two weeks off and then fall semester starts. The 4.0 transfer will definitely boost my GPA. I visited my parents last weekend and I had a lot of mail there, lol. I saw that I made Dean's List, which is awesome.

I ordered my books from Amazon this semester, I'll see how well that works out. I'm still waiting on one more, hopefully it didn't get lost in the mail. I'm not going to be a happy camper if that happened. I'm taking two math courses and a few education courses next semester, and I'm excited to start observation hours! I went shopping with my friend, Kelly, for some school-appropriate work clothes, so I'll be fashionable when I watch children to math.

I'm sad that summer's coming to a close, but this next school year will be great. I'm thinking about getting a personal trainer, or if someone my fitness level is also interested we can get discounted group rates.

Welcome back to Chambana, everyone!

011.

I know I haven't updated in a while, so now is a good of time as any to do this.

I birthday passed since the last time I wrote, I turned 20! No more being a teenager. With this birthday I've decided to take a new view in life, hopefully to help me stress less and be a healthier me. My parents came to visit for my birthday, and my roommate was out of town so Dan came over to stay for a few days. It was a lovely week. And then the following weekend Dan and I went on a trip, which was his birthday present to me. He surprised me and took me to see House on the Rock. I had a wonderful time, it is a very beautiful place and I love antiques and architecture. We met with our friends Jim and Amanda for dinner at the Bravo, an Italian restaurant, and then had our usual Frasier marathon to end the night. We're already on to season 6! That's over half way done, I don't know what I'm going to do when we finish, Frasier's been one of the things getting me through previous terrible semester.

Finals went well, I pulled off a 4.0 semester (even with all the distractions at home). After school ended I went home for a few weeks, saw my friends and family. I went back and forth between campus and home for another two weeks for work and family parties. Dan and I took our summer vacation trip to see the the Biltmore Estate. 8,000 acres of land and a 250-room mansion with amazing gardens and tons of other things to see. I got stung by a bee that flew up my pants, I was so freaked out because I didn't know what it was until I got to the bathroom so that I could take off my pants. It's a nice way to find out that I'm not allergic to bees, I guess. My dad's 50th birthday passed in the beginning of June, so I went back home for a surprise party that my mom didn't hide too well. It was fun, I saw some extended family that I hadn't seen in a while. All in all it was a good party.

I'm trying to train for a 5k. I know it's only 3.1 miles, but it will be my first race and I'm just going to build myself up to however far I feel satisfied (half marathon?). I had a 2 mile run this morning, I need to get faster somehow. My goal is to run the 5k in 30 minutes, and right now that's how long it takes me to run 2 miles. I'll get there, it'll just take time.

I got my Parkland student id yesterday, I start summer school on Monday. I'm taking Physics and Astronomy so that I can pursue a Science: Physics endorsement for secondary education alongside my mathematics endorsement. Hopefully it all goes well, I imagine a lot of work ahead of me.

010.

Since, you know, it's called Diary of a Math Student, I should talk about math from time to time, right?

I found this cool proof the other day:
Optimizing your Wife

It's basically a statistical proof of meeting eligible women, and how to calculate after how many N women you meet, which is the best. At the end it mentions the "Amanda Rule," which I thought was funny since Amanda and Jim are getting married (engaged in less than a year of knowing each other, must be the Amanda rule!).

Peace out.

009.

Ah, blogging? Yes. Something that I said I'd try to do at least once a week. And it's almost been a month.

Some things that have happened:
* Spring break was amazing, we stayed at the Palmer House Hilton. Pictures are up on facebook if you want to see them.
* My roommate finally paid me $118, but now has incurred another $74 of payments that she hasn't made.
* I got a 90% on my CHEM 102 exam from right after break, a 110% (!!!!) on my STAT 400 exam, and a 98% on my IB 101 exam. I'm rocking it :)
* My quizzes on the other hand haven't been going so well.
* I donated blood last Monday. I'm a good citizen :)

So, there's a list of things that happened. I went home this past weekend, hung out with Katie and Dan. I was supposed to see Ryan, my friend from high school (and the guy I've had the longest crush on, but Dan totally beats him in every category <3), but he flaked on me. Oh well. I had a cinnabon at the mall! I haven't had one in about a year. It wasn't as good as I remembered, so maybe I won't get it from now on. That'll save me, what, 3000 calories a sitting? Yes.

I did my pilates for the first time in about 3 months. I used to do it every morning, but then I got sick and school picked up and I stopped waking up early. I could barely stretch and touch my toes, it's so sad. And my hip was hurting more than usual. I definitely need to get back in to my quasi-shape that I was at the beginning of the semester, my entire body hurts nowadays.

I'm starting a running contest with Dan today. We're running a mile today to see our time and then we're going to talk about what the actual contest is going to be later.


My 20th birthday is coming up! I'm excited! Dan is taking me on a surprise trip. I don't know where we're going, all I know is that it's in Wisconsin, and that he, Amanda, and Brian have gone there together. And we're going to meet up with Amanda and Jim for dinner on Saturday night. I'll be sure to take a lot of pictures, I love having memories of these things :)

I have two quizzes this week, an exam next week, three projects due the next, and then finals start. School is going to be over soon. I can't believe it!

008.

I'm going to be a teacher! I got accepted in to the Secondary Education program! I have a meeting on the 1st to learn all about what I need to do now. I'm still waiting on hearing back for the Noyce Scholarship, Noyce Summer Internship, as well as the LAS 100 internship. I'll keep you (and ultimately my future self) posted about this.

Spring break is here. It was gorgeous yesterday, about 67 degrees. It was gorgeous all week as a matter of fact. I wake up this morning and there's snow everywhere! And it's been consistently snowing all day. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, and hopefully get warmer by Monday. Dan and I decided to go to Chicago instead of traveling out far. We're going to see Policeman's Log at Gorilla Tango Theatre in Chicago, and then Tuesday we're going to the Shedd Aquarium. I'm excited :)

Otherwise not much else is new. I have two midterms when I come back from break, so I'll be studying like mad when I get back. I'm just going to enjoy break, get my laundry done, and not do anything stressful until I need to drive back to school.

Happy Spring Break everyone!

007.

Happy Pi Day! One of the few mathematical days that I can enjoy. I think I'm going to go and find out the birthday's of some important mathematicians and start to celebrate those too. I want to go get some pie and celebrate, but honestly I don't feel like buying a whole pie and just having it sit around my fridge for the week, tempting me to eat it. I would go and just buy a slice, but the only place I know that had decent pie was Za's, and they stopped carrying apple pie. Sad day that was.

So, I'm in IB 101 - Biological Sciences right now, and we've just started doing protein synthesis and stuff like that. So I brought up Folding@home on the Moodle forum and my professor was really excited! Folding@home is a distributed computing project that simulates protein folding in order to study mutations and the like. My boyfriend has been doing this for about a decade now, and I decided to start recently too. It's like donating your computer's processing power while you're not using it in order to research proteins. And there's competitions you can do with other people who fold, it's pretty geeky. I love it. You can find out more about the science behind it here. Dan's really excited that I started :)

I've decided that since it's warm out I'm going to start running around my apartment in the mornings. I really want to get that Nike sensor thing, especially since I now own a pair of shoes that are compatible with it. But, as things always end up, I'm probably going to stop about a week into it and buying the sensor would have been a waste of money.

Easter's coming up! Which means I'm going to be going home for a week, go to school for 4 days, and then go back home. I know U of I is secular, but it would be way easier to plan spring break to be during the holidays. Other colleges do it :( I don't really feel like going to class on Good Friday, not that it's a holiday but I like any excuse to not go to my MATH 403 - Euclidean Geometry class.

006.

Not much has been happening since my last post. I find out if I get into the Secondary Education program early next week. I haven't heard anything back from Noyce or the LAS 100 internship for next spring.

Fall 2010 schedules we posted last week, and if I get into the program next semester doesn't look too pretty. My education classes are only offered at one time since it's specific to what subject, and I have to take an 8am and a 3pm, so my classes are all over the place. I was trying to avoid taking classes later in the day on Friday so that I can travel easier, but no luck. I'm taking MATH 406 (History of Calculus) and it ends at 3pm on Fridays, so that sucks.

If I don't get into my education program I'm most likely transferring schools. I've looked at NIU, EIU, SIU, WIU and Illinois State because they're cheaper and I'll have a high chance of getting in. I haven't looked at many other schools because I don't want to stress myself out over nothing. I'll deal with it if I have to, I just wanted to make sure it would be possible to transfer for next fall semester.

My roommate issue hasn't really gotten resolved. She just plain doesn't talk to me, and she owes me about $83, soon to be $100 when I get the AT&T bill. I need that money, I plan to use it for a spring break trip.

Speaking of spring break, Dan and I are trying to plan a trip somewhere. We're not entirely sure where yet, but we're thinking or North Carolina or South Dakota. More news on that once we start finalizing plans.

Pi Day is Sunday! Yay!

005.

Welcome to the inability for me to commit to anything.

So, lots of things have been happening since I last updated. Most importantly, my boyfriend and I are back together and I'm overall much happier. I got the ring that I mentioned in the post before this, and we had ladies' night at Olive Garden, it was definitely something we all needed.

School is going well, I got an A on my biology exam today, and I got my grade back from my statistics exam from last week and I got a 66/60, which I'll just take as getting an A and those extra points will help me when I mess up later because I forgot how to take an integral (yes, math major). I did well on my chemistry exam too, which is exciting. I know this is just first rounds of midterms and everything is predictably going to get worse, but I'm ready for it. Bring it, especially you geometry. That is definitely my hardest class this semester, if not to date.

I've been having roommate issues to say the least. Story in a nutshell: I told my roommate that she cannot smoke pot in the apartment, she took it as a personal attack and has taken to locking herself in her room and only coming out for food or using the bathroom, which I'm okay with if she wants to sit in a 10x10 box all day. The problem I have with this is that she is no longer talking to me, and if she is it is via text message (so mature, right?) and it consists of an average of 0.5 swear words per sentence. And she hasn't paid me her share of utilities, which she claims she doesn't owe because my boyfriend was staying and that he should pay for it instead. And she paid rent late last month, so a $25 late fee is looming over my account which remains unpaid. She also said she paid rent for the rest of the semester, which she hasn't, so if she thinks she did then we're in for some big trouble when April rolls around.

I'm applying for an internship for next fall semester, and I'm super excited. It's for a TA position in LAS 101, so I'll be showing freshman around campus. Lovely, and I get paid $500 for about 3hr/wk for 15 weeks. Sweet deal, I think. I don't know when I'll find out about the position, but I'm also awaiting reply on the following:

* Secondary Education Admission

* Noyce Scholar Admission and or Interview

* Noyce Summer Internship

This is a lot to look forward to, on top of my job at Kumon Learning Center and school. 2010 is looking to be a good year so far!

004.

So it has been a while since I've updated, but that's fine. I'm still here, I'm still on my journey to a healthier me. I'm starting to lose weight, but I'm hitting obstacles everywhere and it's definitely hard without a support group. I've been having a lot of issues with my new roommate, making me think I should just live on my own, but I already signed to have a roommate for next year. Maybe senior year I will be on my own for first semester.

School is doing fine so far, no really big assignments yet. Chemistry is going to kick me in the ass, I know it. I'm going to have to start taking more hours per semester if I want to get that physics endorsement. I don't know how I'll be able to handle it. I felt like I could do anything when I was with Dan, which is why I did so well last semester (I got on Dean's List!). I'm not sure what my future holds, but I know I will eventually be able to do it.

I'm trying to make friends, but it's hard. I've never been the socialite. My friends from back home and I are getting rings together to symbolize our friendship and stuff.

"I'm thinking of all the girls getting the Irish Claddagh rings with our birthstones. Something cute we can all have together, and no matter who our heart belongs to we'll always have each other."

This is the ring that I'm getting. I think it's gorgeous, but I'm afraid that it's too bland, April is such a dull color. Diamonds should be for marriage proposals. Speaking of marriage proposals, Amanda and Jim got engaged. It's terrible, but I want to be Amanda. Oh well, all I can be is Julie, and I have to make myself better in order to be happy. I miss Dan, I miss being important in his life, and I miss feeling loved and cared for. Maybe I never had that, I thought I did. As we all know with Claddagh Rings, they tell about your relationship status, and now I will be wearing my heart outward, even though I am completely in love with a man who doesn't share my feelings. Some day my prince will come.

The other girls are getting February, May, June, September, and December. It will make a cool picture of us all together. I'm hoping to get them in by Valentine's Day, and we all are going out to dinner together where I'll give them to everyone. Girl's night in about two weeks, something to look forward to? I guess.

003.

Time to get myself kicked into gear. I had a terrible setback in my emotional state when my ex came to visit. I was so happy when he was here and as he was leaving it hit me all over again that he's not in my life anymore. I saw my therapist today, we talked about that for a little bit. I need to go deposit my check so that I can go get some things to pamper myself with. I want to get some bubble bath stuff and pick up a book to read so I can enjoy the huge tub that I never use. It's kind of exciting.

School is starting on Tuesday. It's kind of a shock, it's back so soon. I've spent all of winter break being depressed and trying to get over my ex. Hopefully getting back into the rhythm of school will help me back on track, I definitely need it. I have some essays and applications to do before school starts, I should get on that.

I'm sticking to my running routine, I'm on Day 6! If I make it to Day 15 then that's a day to celebrate, that means I'll have to stuck to something for more than 2 weeks. That'll be a big achievement.

I'm going to see my nutritionist again. I need help with my diet. Calorie counting is working, I think, I need more help on what foods I'm supposed to eat, and I need more meals that I can make. I wish losing weight was easier.

My new roommate moved in yesterday. It's kind of exciting, but now I have to rearrange a lot of things in the kitchen because she brought some stuff. A little headache to deal with, but I think that this semester will be rewarding. I don't think I would be able to live by myself, like I thought I did when this whole roommate situation started. I'm glad I didn't sign by myself.

Here's to a new school year!

002.

I'm really having a tough time with this lifestyle change. I think it's just too much stuff going on at once, but it needs to happen. I'm not dealing well with my breakup, and it's definitely showing in my ability to control what I eat. I binged on mostly everything yesterday, I even went out and bought soda and had a whole bottle. I haven't had soda in over a month. I had brownies and candies and double serving of dinner. And I didn't get to work out.

I started seeing a therapist this week. It was just an introduction interview, so I don't know how it's going to work out. I don't really feel any better about anything, but hopefully I can get my self-image problem under control and get over the man who has my heart. I'm at a loss for what to do to make things better on my own anymore.

I've been a member of caloriecount.about.com for many years, unsuccessfully used its calorie counting program and such. I started the daily plate when I finally gave in and saw a nutritionist about what I need to eat (remind me I need to go see her again), she recommended this site to me. It's pretty much like caloriecount, but I clung to the food database easier, and the little gadgets like the daily water consumption are more motivating than a little thumbs up sign at the bottom of the page, even if you didn't lose any weight. Back to my point, I still receive emails and such from calorie count, I find their groups and newsletters more helpful than their actual product. I received an email about six 30-day quick start workout routines, and they don't look that bad. I want to start the running one as soon as my friend leaves to go back home from her week stay.

I need to do this. I need to be healthy. But can I?

001.

This has been my flaw for all of my life, it has ruined relationships with the people I love. As the new year rolls in, I want to make this my priority.

As 2009 ended, my little world came to a crash when the man I thought I was going to marry dumped me, my mother disowned me, and I had a complete identity crisis. I've spent two years in college, and I still have no idea what I actually want to do with my life. I've just always said that I would be a teacher, so I've stuck with that path never knowing what will really make me happy. I still don't know what I want to do. Teaching does make me happy, but it's nothing that makes me as excited as my ex would be when he built a circuit and it worked. I don't know what would make me happy.

I miss my life in 2009, but I can't dwell on it forever. I've been sulking for the past two weeks and it needs to be over. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome, and my cholesterol is getting higher. I'm only 19 years old, I have time to change my life around before what I do becomes permanently damaging to my health.

I've struggled with my weight for as long as I remember, I've done diets from Shakes to Seattle Sutton, with marginal to no success. I need to make a lifestyle change, and I want to start this blog as a motivator, so that I can look back at my previous successes and failures, talk about my experiments with cooking, my exercise program. Perhaps someone will read and participate with me.

In order to fulfill my new year's resolution I need to put myself first, bring my weight under control, change my eating habits, and improve my interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships.