dj whitebread
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
At school
While I don't yet have a laptop to call my own, I still do have my CS account, and I have tracked down a public workstation to use. The seminar series I have put on for the last year and a half starts up today at 4 PM, so I felt the need to actually show up to school, regardless of the laptop.
We had a great time at the party this weekend. Thanks again to everybody who was able to make it. The margarita machine was a big hit. I think people enjoyed the food and it seemed like people had a good time.
The dirt dirby started up last night in earnest. It was a lot of fun, even though I didn't race at all. ;) If you have a mountain or CX bike and you live in Austin, you need to come out and do this. There are three skill levels and the dirt provides a very safe racing environment. Not to mention it's under the lights, so the darkness doesn't matter. Come on out!
I am now officially a post-doc. It's strange to not be a student. I also have forgotten just how crowded campus is during the school year, especially in the beginning of the fall semester because everybody actually still feels the need to show up to class. ;)
College football started this past weekend. The Tigers and Horns took care of business, but unfortunately Carrie's Aggies weren't so lucky.
Carrie and I got a lot of stuff done around the house on Monday, which was fun. The kitchen cabinet is painted and filled back up. It's cool to actually see our cabinets all be white, and all have doors. We did some serious cleaning, and I was even able to fit in a trip to Fry's to get a few necessary items.
I have always made a point not to discuss politics on here, but this election is just getting so wacky I may have to break my rule. But I'm holding out as long as I can.
Finally, I'm very glad to know that the family all made it through Gustav. It sounds like a large number of trees came down. Baton Rouge has some gorgeous trees, so I'm curious to know how many of the big oaks took a hit. Here's hoping they get the power on sooner than later... 3 weeks with no power starts to become a real problem.
Happy Wednesday!
Labels: defense party, errands, Hurricane Gustav, politics, post-doc, work
2:52 PM |
Friday, August 29, 2008
Shower
The handyman guy is putting the final touches on the siding outside. That's right... we have a functional shower again. It has been exactly three weeks since we stopped using our shower. I am very happy that this is all done.
The amusing thing was the plumbing repair took literally 10 minutes. The shower pipe just had to be reconnected. That was it. However, getting there took a little longer.
There was the outside siding. Then foam insulation. Then the original masonite siding, which had to be sawed through. Then backer board, which had to be sawed through. Then finally, the puffy fiberglass insulation that just got pulled off... and then, there were the pipes. Amazing... all that for such a simple fix. Our next residence needs to have special plumbing access doors. This is ridiculous.
But, the net effect is that I have a shower. Thank God.
9:50 AM |
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Bathroom update
There is a strong possibility that the guest bathroom will be back to functional as of Friday. I'll see it when I believe, but here's hoping.
4:50 PM |
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Lazy Saturday
We're taking it easy today. It's nice. I think I might try to get some more painting done on the new cabinet in the kitchen before the day is out. I also intend to make it to the gym... both to work out, and of course, because they have a working shower.
The Olympics are coming to an end. It's always sad when they end because they are so much fun to watch. I still can't believe both of the USA 4x100 teams dropped the batons. That's pretty amazing.
I went swimming yesterday... sort of. All gains achieved in the beginning of the summer were gone. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised considering I haven't done anything for the past several months. But, I would like to keep it up and get back to being able to actually do a swim workout. I am thinking of getting on my bike tomorrow. That should be exciting. I'll probably take it pretty easy as I haven't done anything in a while. I think the last time I rode was in June, and I was actually starting to feel pretty good on the bike. But I know that will probably have disappeared at this point. Consistency is the key in getting back that aerobic fitness, so we'll see if I can actually get in a routine.
I'm really loving the watch that Carrie gave me as a graduation present. I've never really had a real "grown-up" watch. It's nice because while it is very pretty, it isn't too big or gaudy. It's just right.
I started to get back to work this week, and I'm really excited about the directions I am going to be pursuing this semester research-wise. I don't remember, actually, the last time I've been this inspired about research. It's amusing, because right before the defense and right after, I really was just so tired of looking at the stuff. It helps that we're taking a little bit different of an approach now, but mainly, I'm working with some new people and that I think is injecting a great amount of excitement into the work.
So my official title this semester is going to be, "Postdoctoral Fellow." It sounds so fancy.
Well, I think I might go try to get that painting done. It involves oil-based paint (yuck) but it will be nice to just get it done and off the queue.
I hope everybody has a good Saturday!
Labels: cycling, olympics, research, shower, work
2:25 PM |
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Relax
Last week was the most stressful 8 days of my life. Starting with the second broken shower and the laptop theft, and ending with turning in my forms a 7 days later, I don't think I've ever been that stressed. But, it's all over. Yesterday was the official, "graduation," and the day on which the university officially confers diplomas. So yep, it's now officially: Taylor L. Riche', Ph.D. Hard to imagine.
This afternoon I'm going to tackle getting rid of the remaining tile in the master bathroom. It has to come down. I'm also going to call the plumbers as I still haven't heard from them regarding an estimate.
Anyway, I hope everybody is taking it easy. Later!
Labels: being done, relaxing
1:47 PM |
Friday, August 15, 2008
Acknowledgments
First, I want to begin my thanking my wife, Carrie. Her love and support is unbounded. Specifically, I want to thank her for one thing that relates directly to this dissertation. I was working at IBM in 2001 when I was accepted into the doctoral program in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. I was somewhat hesitant to quit my job; I honestly had not expected to get in. I figured I would get into the Masters program and go back part-time.
Everything changed when I got that acceptance letter. I had been given the opportunity to pursue my dream that I had had since I was 13: to get a Ph.D. and become a professor. Still, I was not sure. I remember telling Carrie that I had been accepted. We were not dating at the time, but we were close friends, and she was so happy for me. It was this excitement that helped reignite my own dream and made me realize that we only get to live the dreams we follow. I remember telling her that I had decided to accept the offer, quit my job, and come back to school full time. She seemed proud and happy that I made that decision, and seeing her response filled me with joy. We started dating my first year of graduate school and got married two years later. It has been the best four and a half years of my life since March 13, 2004. I dedicate this dissertation to her, but she shares that line with two other important people.
My parents, Robert and Bobbie Riche, have always supported me throughout my life. I was not a tough kid or an athletic kid. I was a smart kid who liked to talk a lot. My parents always listened, though. My parents always encouraged me to learn more. I thank them for instilling in me the passion for learning that has pushed me this far. I also thank them for teaching me that doing the right thing is right, regardless of how much it may hurt or inconvenience you. Most of all, I thank them for their constant love; without that I most definitely would not be here right now.
I would be amiss if I did not thank my adviser, Harrick Vin. The most important thing that Harrick has taught me is to always ask the question, ``Why?'' It is the perpetual asking, and answering, of this question that sets us apart as scientists. I recently had the opportunity to talk to Harrick at length about his time here at UTCS. Not only am I forever grateful for the lessons he has taught me specifically, I am very grateful for the hard work that he put into the last 15 years to make our department a wonderful place.
There is a chance that I may be Harrick's last doctoral student. While on some level I am honored, I feel more sadness about this fact than anything. I really hope one day I hear that I am no longer his last student, because UT is losing a great teacher and adviser.
Greg Lavender, my co-adviser, deserves my utmost thanks. During several rough parts of my career here, Greg was there to remind me of the positive things and help to get my spirits up and to keep me going. Also, I thank Greg for introducing me to the research areas of programming languages and software engineering. I knew nothing of these things. Greg's instruction in these areas has helped me develop a passion for an entire area of research I did not even really know about when I started.
I would like to thank all of my committee members for their insightful comments and suggestions: Mike Dahlin, Don Batory, and Raj Yavatkar. I hope to continue to work with all three of these great researchers and teachers and to continue to learn from them as well.
I thank Lorenzo Alvisi for continuing to remind me why I want to be a professor.
There are five graduate students that I have had the honor of knowing during the time I spent working on this dissertation---I want to thank them now. Ravi Kokku and Jayaram Mudigonda were mentors to me, and two people from whom I have learned so much. Jeff Napper, Harry Li, and Allen Clement have become some of my best friends and have continued to push me to work harder and smarter. Conversations with a white board and these five people have helped to push many of the ideas in this dissertation forward.
I thank all of LASR. This research group has been an amazing place to work and learn. Seeing it develop from a relatively small group to what it is today has been a great experience. Further, I thank Sara Strandtman for keeping LASR running. Nothing would actually work without Sara.
Finally, I thank God for giving me so many blessings in life. Reconciling faith and science is a tough thing to do, and it is always a work in progress. I feel that God wants us to learn and never stop asking questions. Treating faith as fact does not do the beautiful mystery that is faith justice, and using religion as a tool to judge and demean goes against everything God teaches us. I believe that God gives us all two very important things: brains and love. I intend to use both of these to their fullest extent for the rest of my life.
Taylor Louis Riche'
The University of Texas at Austin, 2008
Labels: dissertation
3:17 PM |
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Limbo
I feel that I'm in a weird limbo right now. I have all the approvals I need, but I still have stuff to do on the actual document. It's an odd feeling. I think with these changes it will read pretty well. Today I hope to get two of the chapters redone, and get all of my illustrations made. Then I will spend tomorrow on the related work areas that I need to add and on polishing up the evaluation section.
Our new iMac is scheduled to arrive Friday morning by 10:30 AM so I am pretty pumped about that.
We are supposed to receive a quote about the guest shower repair today, so I really hope they can get that fixed tomorrow or Friday. I'll deal with the specifics of the master bathroom once we close the deal on the guest bathroom. Next week I'll at least have the time to go workout up at Pure Austin and take a shower there, which will be a nice change of pace from the shower at the gym on campus. Notice the use of the single article... "the" shower. Yeah, not a fan.
I am currently sitting in the discussion area on the corner of the sixth floor. I brought the laptop over here to work for a little bit. It's nice because it has a great view of downtown. I can see the capitol building, the Frost tower, and all the others. I love views.
Well, I'm going to dig into writing. Happy Wednesday!
Labels: dissertation, gregory gym, Pure Austin
10:13 AM |
Monday, August 11, 2008
Success
Just to let everybody know, I passed my defense today. I have a good bit to do to my dissertation between now and Friday at 5PM when all the paper work is due, but being able to just work on the document and not have to worry about whether or not I'm going to pass is a nice feeling. I have all the signatures I need.
Today has been sort of a draining day. It finally all caught up to me a little while ago and I had to take a nap in the lounge... I all of a sudden felt completely and totally exhausted.
I had lots of good commentary from the committee. I think it is going to be fun over the next semester to work on stuff and really take Lagniappe to the next level.
I'm going to grab a light supper and some coffee. Thanks to everybody for the good wishes of luck that were sent my way. I really appreciate it. I could have not done this whole thing without the wonderful network of friends and family that I have! :)
Labels: done
6:29 PM |
