Tag Archives: winter

Winter Break: To leave or not to leave

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This year I chose to not do any international or cross-country travel. Instead I took short trips with my family to Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Chicago.

Our first day trip was to experience Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo. Where we enjoyed the holiday lights event, partook in kids activities and caught a glimpse of some of the animals.

Next was our visit to the Fort.  Fort Wayne is the second largest city in the state after Indianapolis, and has many attractions. The activities range from shows at the historic Embassy Theatre to an outdoor stroll through downtown and Headwaters Park. While visiting family there we went ice skating at the Headwaters outdoor rink, and later got some hot chocolate at DeBrand–a local chocolate shop.

From there we headed three hours west to the windy city. While in Chicago we visited the LEGOLAND Discovery Center and did some last minute holiday shopping at the Woodfield Mall.  The next morning we had brunch at Restaurante Aguascalientes at La Villita ( Little Village).   La Villita is densely packed with Mexican businesses and what I consider the closest thing to being in Mexico as I can get in the Midwest.  ;)

While we didn’t go very far, the quality time spent visiting friends and family at these locations definitely took me out of the everyday routine. 

Next on the list…outdoor winter activities in the area.

Winter Break

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So… for the first time in a long time. I actually enjoyed a white Christmas in my home state of Texas. We had a full two inches of snow! For my friends from the midwest and northern states. A white Christmas is nothing to write home about, but for this Texan (whose normal Christmas attire is traditionally shorts and a t-shirt) two inches of snow is extraordinary. So what follows are a couple photo’s from my snow day. Enjoy!

PS – FTOD do your part to fight against climate change, because while snow in Texas is cool. It’s indicative of climate change. Let’s take care of our planet. Peace & Love – J.T.

Amor y Pasión

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I used to be a Valentines Day fanatic, giving in to the pressures of consumerism and purchasing high cost candy, teddy bears, and flowers for the loved ones. I’ve sort of grown out of this, but still, during the month of February I can’t help but to spend moments thinking about all the things that I love. A lot of them are typical things, like my family, my partner, and my puppy (thats her in the picture), but I am also a little bit of a nerd and I love to play trumpet (see my next blog), and I have LOTS of love for the work that I do, particularly sitting down in front of excel sheets and playing with numbers, managing the small group of undergraduate students that help me conduct my research, presenting (mostly null) results in front of fellow graduate students and faculty, and sitting around and thinking critically about scientific problems. I also love that I love what I do.. because I have done work that I don’t particularly like and I know how it feels to get up in the morning and have to drag myself to my job. So, really, (I can’t believe I am saying this) I actually love being a gra… wait.. maybe I shouldn’t say it. Or maybe I will.. ok, here it goes…I actually love being a graduate student (disclaimer: the degree of truth to the last statement will vary depending on the time of the semester, and how many deadlines I have to meet).

Bad Weather, a Good Break!

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Here in Bloomington, Indiana, we are experiencing ice storms, which cause our roads to be slippery and dangerous, and businesses all over town to slow down or close. I.U. canceled classes today, so I’m home, listening to freezing rain and enjoying the beautifully frozen sights–from a distance.

Since I am too afraid to drive to the library in this weather, I have decided to shut in, grade papers, and work on my dissertation. As my sons’ schools are also closed, I will spend some time with them playing board games, reading, and watching movies.

Although this is not the way I intended to spend my day, I am happy for the break from monotony.

(Photo by Mack Hagood)

2010: Year in Review

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Last time, I blogged about my 2011 New Year resolutions, in that spirit I decided to go back and review my first 18 months as a PhD student in Bioinformatics at Indiana University-Bloomington (IU). Among the many components of being a PhD student (e.g. courses, research, teaching, and community involvement) I will attempt to “impartially” review my performance across each component during that time.

My goals for my first year were: 1) take as many required courses as possible, 2) pick an advisor, and 3) develop a strong application for external funding. Looking back I must admit that fortunately these goals turn out to be met in their entirety. First, in my courses, I learned a great deal and performed at a high level in all of my classes. Additionally, I was able to cross out 8 course requirements, which put me in great shape to finish all course requirements by Spring 2011. However, on the downside, I think I spent too much time on classes which is something that I need to balance out as I become fully involve in my research projects. Second, I did two research rotations, picked my advisor and started working on several research projects. Finally, the fellowship application I worked on with the assistance of many people got me an external fellowship, thus, securing funding for the next three years!!

In terms of teaching, I was not required to work as an Academic Instructor (aka Teaching Assistant), however, I took a pedagogy and professionalism course, where I learned many valuable lessons of how to approach teaching in an efficient manner. The two most significant techniques I leaned in this course and that will shape my courses design in the years to come were: 1) the backward design technique and 2) classroom assessment techniques. Regrettably, my community involvement during my first was non-existent which I considered to be unacceptable. Since then I have been more involved in the community by enrolling as a Emissary for Graduate Diversity for IU’s Graduate School Office, as well as participating in many events across campus.

Finally, my first year and a half at IU has been quite successful and enriching. Furthermore, I have enhanced my professional skill-set, while identifying areas where I need to improve as I keep maturing and moving forward as an Informatics PhD student.

New year resolutions

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It is a new year and we (grad students) make resolutions too! This is my last semester of taking classes, so I am really excited about that. Anyway, here is my list of academic and personal goals for 2011: 1) move to my new office space, 2) engage on a 10k running plan, 3) work no less than 14 hours a day, 4) get more involve with undergraduates organizations, 5) publish at least 2 papers. Some of these goals are more ambitious than others; however, I consider them to be quite simple. It has only been a month since New Year’s celebration and I have already made significant advances on each goal. The key thing is, as Brian said in his post, to celebrate every step because those little victories are the ones that give you the strength to keep moving forward and closer to your ultimate goal.

Winter Break at "sunny" Puerto Rico

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This past semester was quite intense and tiresome, so I was really looking forward to getting some time-off to go home for a much needed vacation. I am from Puerto Rico, so going home during the Winter break enables me to escape Bloomington’s cold weather and jump into Caribbean’s sunny and hot winter weather! (or so I thought). My plan was to visit my family and friends, as well as the beaches in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, the entire time I was home, the sun never showed up! Additionally, I spent most of the time working, even though, I did manage to spend some time with my family and friends, sleep 10 hours a day, and eat all those delicious home-cooked meals that I have missed so much.

Anyway, the highlight of my stay at home was being able to celebrate my birthday with my loved ones. Overall, my winter break, although short, was great and a wonderful way to recharge for 2011!!

Reminiscing about winter break

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Sitting here trying to do some work (a few readings that I have to have done by tomorrow), my mind wandered off a little bit to think about my winter break, and how relaxing and good it felt to be in a warm place, with friends and family, and celebrating some very fun holidays. One of the life changing events that happened to me over winter break was the new addition to our family, a beautiful baby that has made me a proud aunt for the very first time, and marks the beginning of a new generation. The cake in the picture was given to the proud mother a couple of days after giving birth. She definitely needed all the pampering she could get, especially after all that work!

I also did very little work, and spent most of my time eating a lot, hanging out with the family, and helping care for the little one. Of course, I am now paying for the fact that I did so little work, but all in all, I don’t regret it, because it was one of the best winter breaks that I have had :)
Now.. about those readings…

My New Year Resolution

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My New Year Resolution

Having been a big fan of marathon since my early childhood, I can understand why many athletes barely cross the finishing line. This is my fifth year of being a full-time graduate student and I am beginning to sense the fatigue that athletes experience toward the end of a competitive race. To prevent the lingering fatigue from derailing my ambitious goal of completing my dissertation in 12 months, I have decided to enroll in an indoor soccer tournament. My team meets once a week for a 45-minute game. So my hope is to combine sports with studies in order to attain the ultimate goal which is the latter. 45 minutes of intensive exercise may be inconsequential to regular athletes but I think it is a good start for beginners.

I am currently putting in at least 10 hours a day on the dissertation proposal. I took a resolution not to take more classes after my Qualifying Exam in order to focus on my dissertation research. So far, I am still resolute on that resolution.

Staying Healthy, Keeping Fit

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One of my goals this year is to practice healthy habits. Besides eating healthy, well-balanced meals, I have started exercising on a regular basis. I love to walk, but since it’s still pretty cold outside, I use the gym. When I cannot make it to the gym, I brave the cold and take a nice brisk walk in my neighborhood.

Indiana University is the perfect place to develop a healthy lifestyle, as we have “over 400 pieces of strength-training and cardiovascular equipment at two different facilities (SRSC and HPER).” In addition to “machines,” there is wide range of other fitness and sporting activities offered by I.U.’s Recreational Sports.

This year promises to be productive one :)

Helpful Link:

http://www.iurecsports.org/