Intro
It has been a while... I haven't really been able to write much as of recent. That being said, not much has happened... I've really just been doing my summer school stuff, along with some other odd jobs along the way. All of my classes have been pretty easy.
Summer Classes
Circuit Analysis 2 (Lab)
It has been nice to review some stuff, especially the things that I wasn't really able to get into in detail when I was sick :/. Most recently it was resonance in RLC circuits. I really appreciate being able to really take the time to learn and understand this stuff.
Digital Logic Design (Lecture / Lab)
Unfortunately, the lecture section isn't remotely in sync with the lab section, and as a result, I have had to learn everything twice. Honestly, it has sort of worked to my benefit, as I first learn the lab side of things, which is more "hands-on", and then later I learn the more theoretical and in-depth side of things from the lecture series. (I say "hands-on" because I have really only been using circuit simulators.)
Circuit Simulators
I want to include a brief list here because it took me way too long to find ones that were free and relatively easy to use.
Not that these are the best options, but rather just the ones that I have found to work well enough for me.
Something I really like about this class is how broad the concepts are. For example, one thing that was covered not too long ago was Multiplexers, and while I won't go into what they are, they appear all over the place. It was funny, I had just finished working on some DLD homework and had moved onto some cybersecurity practice, and when watching a video on the history of SSH, multiplexers came up again. (It isn't really that funny, I just thought it was a bit cool.)
Fall Schedule
For the fall semester, I am taking four lecture sections and two lab sections. Though technically I am only taking four classes, the lab sections never seem to be in sync with the respective lecture, and will sometimes even vary in the stuff that is taught.
Additionally, I have set up all of my courses to be only on Mondays and Wednesdays. That does mean that I'll have >10 hr. days, but it will also mean that most of my days will be completely empty for other stuff. (More time for rock climbing)
I am hoping that everything works out alright in terms of course load, but if not, I technically only have thirty one units left and a total of three major semesters, so if I do need to cut something, it won't be a big deal.
Summer Goals...
Looking back at the goals that I had set for the summer... I didn't do very much. I had some family stuff that I needed to prioritize and I was all over the place for a bit. Nonetheless, I feel that I accomplished enough to feel okay about this summer.
Toki Pona
I didn't even touch this :/. At most I tried this for like a day and didn't stick to it at all.
Classical Guitar
I definitely practiced occasionally, and even learned a new song or two, but I wasn't remotely intentional with my practice. As a result, while I did improve a little bit, I remain with the same technical ability. Guitar is a ton of fun, though mostly when I am not taking it seriously.
Drums
I improved significantly with the drums. This is not to say that I am even remotely competent with the drums, but rather that I feel that the areas that I was least confident in at the beginning, I am much more confident with them now. Things like limb independence, rhythm, and speed are really the only things I improved upon. (Literally just that, I still cannot hold the sticks properly, and as a result, I accidentally removed like all of the skin on the side of my right index finger.)
The only thing I did to practice was to play along to music. It definitely isn't the best way to practice, as I am sure of, but it is definitely a ton of fun. (Weezer is honestly a great band to play along with, the drums aren't too complicated.)
No Caffeine
I went from having ~500 mg of caffeine each day to, at most, a cup of coffee. (A cup of coffee contains ~100 mg of caffeine.) This one was actually really easy. Without exam season, there really isn't a reason to have that much caffeine. For about a week or so, I just took an extra nap, or slept in a bit, and then that was it.
I know this sounds stupid and incredibly obvious, but that amount of caffeine is like really bad for you :/. My anxiety was reduced, and as a result my sleep and appetite improved noticeably. At this point, I really only drink coffee because I really like the taste. (Specifically this one:)
Sleep Schedule
My sleep schedule was heavily attributed to my caffeine consumption and exam season. For the same reasons above, it was very easy to adjust and the benefits are very apparent.
Drawing
I don't really wanna talk about it :/. I just got lazy.
Wake - Hail The Sun
This is the first album that I have listened to from this band, Hail The Sun. Fortunately, they do have a few other albums, a couple of which I have begun to listen to, and they are also really good. In all honesty, I am really bad with defining genres. That being said, I would say that this album is prog emo and / or hardcore? I'm not too sure, but I really like it :). My favorite parts are definitely the drums and the vocals. Which believe it or not, are done by the same person at the SAME TIME. I honestly don't know how someone trains for that, but it is incredibly impressive. It is hard to say what track is my favorite, just because they're all so good, but as my banner implies, it is currently Relax / Divide.
Other Blogs
I haven't really been able to find many other blogs that are still being kept up to date :/. Like in the list of websites that I have, only one of them is still being used. (At least from what I was able to see.)
If you guys happen to know of any other ones that are pretty cool, let me know. Additionally, the one in question is pretty cool, especially aesthetically. (Cabbage Sorter)
It seems that most of them had a pretty good hot streak, but then were just left and remain as little time capsules. I'll definitely continue to keep an eye out.
Personally, I like to read other people's blogs / reviews in place of social media usage. I feel like maybe it is marginally better, idk. At the very least, it is definitely more intentional, which is more so in the right direction.
All that being said, you guys should make a website :). It would be pretty cool I think, and we could also make a webring :0. Literally all you have to have, is an idea of what you would want to have on your website.
If you aren't super confident in your HTML & CSS skills, you can use teppy's layouts to find a layout that suits you best, and then just fill in the blanks. It is super duper easy, and is still very personable.
End
I honestly just wanted to put something out, considering I updated the website's layout. Within the next month, I will absolutely have more to write about.
I will also likely use this as a way to procrastinate from what I really need to be doing, which is exactly what I am doing now.
Lastly, I honestly think that shorter and more frequent posts will be something that I do, because otherwise sometimes I feel like I put in a lot of random stuff just to make the post a bit longer.