Week One of Grad School

Week one of grad school is in the books and we all managed to survive. Granted, the first week will likely be the easiest week, so that's not saying much. But it's something. I didn't have anyone to take a first day of school pic of me, so I did the best I could on the bus as I rode in to campus:

I managed not to get too lost on campus or in any buildings this week, which is saying a lot, especially considering how confusing the Health Sciences Building is. You think you're on the right track then suddenly you take an elevator a couple floors down and find yourself in a different building. Or in a hallway that reminds you of Half-Life 2 and you're sure you'll be stuck there in the creepy lab hallway forever. Thankfully our classes in that building are in easier to find wings, so we only got lost finding orientation stuff spread through the building.

For the first time ever I'm recording lectures in a class. All the 2nd years recommended recording our metabolism lectures. I think it'll be a very useful thing as this professor doesn't put much information in his powerpoints. Everyone I'd talked to about the Epidemiology class had indicated that it was horrible, so I was surprised that it didn't seem all that bad. Granted, I've only been to one day of the class and it could definitely get much harder. We had our Food and Society class today, which the professor refers to as a book club. We read articles or books and then discuss them. Things like Fast Food Nation, Behind the Kitchen Door, and Food Politics. It should prove to be a very interesting course. A classmate and I had a good conversation about themes in the first article and first couple books as we walked to our bus stop after class today.

One thing I can't get over is how gorgeous UW campus is. They have their fair share of ugly concrete buildings (the Health Sciences Building being one of them), but the buildings at the center of campus more than make up for it. For instance, the Suzzallo Library, Drumheller Fountain (and the buildings near it), and the buildings along the Quad. My department (Nutritional Sciences) is housed in one of the old buildings on the Quad. I sat outside it this afternoon to review the reading for class before heading in and this was my view across the quad:

This will be a breathtaking place to sit in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

With 6 classes this quarter my biggest concern at the moment is that I'm going to lose track and forget about an assignment or be unprepared for something. I'm currently trying to determine the best way for me to keep track of everything/when to start working on stuff.

The boys did well this week, though Gareth was disappointed one night that I needed to do work rather than play a game with him. Mal is adjusting better to his new preschool. One day for breakfast they served this amazing French toast and Mal ate a ton of it (or so I heard). Between knowing that will happen occasionally and discovering an astronaut costume and just getting used to the place, drop offs have been going a little more smoothly this past week. Ryan cooked dinner each night and still managed to have some time for the gym. I'm excited for my classes, despite the heavy workload and scary amount of papers. We'll see how I feel once things get really busy and winter weather sets in.