my life, my thoughts, my world.

Yesterday’s trip down to the University of Houston was somewhat productive. Actually speaking to a staff member is so much more effective than going through the motions on the phone with a student-worker. By the end of Monday I should have my decision and be able to start moving to either Houston, or Arlington.

Earlier this morning, I determined that my MacBook Pro has met its end. The beer I spilled in it last Monday would appear to have damaged it enough that another resurrection is unlikely, or at least cost-prohibitive. The machine made it through a tour in Iraq, and three years of heavy use. Not quite as impressive as the Fujitsu P5020D on which I am typing this post. It has made two trips to the sandbox, and been physically abused beyond the norm for a laptop over the last six years.

Losing the MacBook Pro hurts, but at least the iMac is easy enough to take with me. I brought it home this weekend without much trouble. At least everything of any importance that I had on the MBP has been transferred to the iMac.

The University of Texas at Arlington has been kind enough to take me back as a returning student. Right now I am waiting to hear from The University of Houston to find out if they’ve accepted me or not. While both offer excellent Mechanical Engineering programs, I would prefer to attend UofH as it puts me closer to home. My desire to be close to home is not for the typical reasons, save for the economic advantages. If I’m home, I have near-immediate physical access to what one might call a “team of engineers.” That team just so happens to have known me for essentially my entire life. I think I would be hard pressed to not finish with honors if I complete my studies surrounded by that kind of support network.

The decision is supposed to be made by tomorrow, which means I may well have to go there physically to find out what is what. Hopefully they accept me, and I can move on with something that resembles a plan. As I must be out of my apartment in San Marcos in a month, having some idea where I am going would help a lot.