E=mc2 (squared)

Albert Einstein, I am NOT! Baby Einstein? Maybe I could handle that level. I am in the process of sweeping the cobwebs out of my brain. Time to use the ole noggin' again.....time to actually think and problem solve. Or at least problem solve things other than how to ramp up someone's workout or how to get patients to exercise at home.

That's right people.....it's been 3 years since I graduated with my Master's in Exercise Physiology and apparently it is time to go bacck to schoo-oooolll!!

I was out of school for about 3 years before I started taking prerequisites for the Master's program at SDSU. And now.....I am taking prerequisites again! YAY! (groan)

So the Fall semester has started and I had my first class today.....Introduction to Physics. SCARY! I have NEVER taken physics in my LIFE! (Much to my BF's dismay) There has never been a need for me to take Physics. We don't need it for Exercise Physiology and I certainly didn't need it for Photography. (I might have needed it for Environmental Sciences but I must have changed my major before I got that far)

Thankfully the class isn't ALL 18-year old's fresh out of high school. There are about 3 other people in the class who are over the legal drinking age....possibly even old enough to rent a car. There is even a woman in the class who is OLDER THAN ME!! Yippee!! Although she is only taking the class for fun. (HUH?) Apparently she has completed all her prereq's to get into Nursing school but is on a waiting list, so she is keeping busy by taking more classes.....like Physics and Trigonometry. (What's wrong with underwater basket weaving?)

So there is a good chance that my professor is the same age as me.....she might even be younger, it's kind of hard to tell. But she seems nice and determined to make sure everyone understands the concepts. (BONUS!)

So we started off with a trigonometry refresher.....good thing since I took that class in......oh.... 1994 or so! Pythagorean Theorem.....hmmmm, yep! I remember that term! COS, SIN, TAN....vaguely recall seeing those in class. Using them to determine the theta (angle) or hypotenuse or the side of a triangle?? FAT chance I'd remember that!! Ok, so after she explains it and goes over examples, I am understanding it better, HOWEVER, I didn't even realize that I'd need something more than a basic calculator for this class. Apparently you need one of the mini computers kids (yes, I called them kids) have nowadays that have a 3 inch screen where you can type five lines of mathematical equations (my heart rate has definitely increased and I can feel my cortisol levels increasing as well). SHIT! I vividly remember avoiding classes where I needed one of those calculators!!

Thankfully, the professor has informed the class that a Scientific calculator....not necessarily a graphing calculator, will work just fine. That I can do...much less intimidating!

So I made it through the first day of lecture with minimal problems (and no panic attacks). We have a lab right after our lecture although today there was about 45 minutes between the two because our lecture ended early. (Another BONUS!) So I ate my lunch at the same table and just hung out.....and discovered that the guys sitting at my table were gaming geeks. FORTY-FIVE minutes they were talking about which game was better on which system and the code behind the games....BLAH, BLAH, BLAH...... I considered using my fork to stab the geek closest to me to make them realize how geeky they were all being BUT I might need his help in class at some point, so I refrained.

Lab was short and sweet. Syllabus handed out.....explained.....and practice problems given. DONE! See you next week! WOOHOO!

So yes, I am taking a Physics class which meets twice a week. I just found out today I was also able to add a class in Abnormal Psychology which is all ONLINE! (DOUBLE BONUS!) Yes, I will be busy but at least I will be able to get two prereq's out of the way!

BTW - the prereq's I am taking are getting me closer to entering into a Doctorate program for Physical Therapy....wish me luck!! Or recommend a good Physics tutor.....although my BF is very well educated in Physics, so maybe I'm okay there......MAYBE! I will definitely welcome any helpful hints or tips for class!!

Chicks in Bikinis

As noted in my previous post, King of Masks, San Diego always has events going on and one of the other events that my friends and I decided to check out this past weekend was the Sand Castle Competition in Imperial Beach. I was the only one who had been the previous year and I remember the sculptures being AMAZING! Better than I could do anyway. So I thought it would make a fun outing for us. Plus it was finally warm enough to go and enjoy the beach!!

Lately the weather has been in the 60's at the beach which isn't so warm and certainly does NOT say "Come play at the beach and dip your toes into the 60 degree water!" (Is that too warm for hypothermia?)

The weather on Sunday was much warmer and the sun was out....GREAT!

So we cram ourselves into my 4Runner and head south. We get about 4 miles from our exit and hit the backup (crap). Turns out, this is a VERY popular event. Actually, the news said that around 300,000 people checked it out!! It seemed more like 500,000!! (double crap!)

Anyway, we ended up taking a detour and navigating our way around the traffic which probably didn't save us any time at all, but at least we were still moving instead of stopped on the freeway! (I prefer moving if at all possible!)

But of course we were still stuck in the traffic because we started to head towards the beach...with everyone else and their Mother! Sooo....being the practical people we are...and exercise conscious, we decided to park a little ways away and walk instead of fighting traffic to look for parking closer to the beach. DONE!

Well, the walk to the beach was pleasant enough...good company, good conversation, sun getting warmer.......and then our walk turned into 1.5 miles to get to the beach. We finally get there and it is CRAZY crowded with people!!

I feel like I'm at Disneyland in the summertime, with busloads of schoolchildren running around screaming (in other words - HELL)...you have to shuffle and elbow your way past people to get a look at the sand sculptures...ALL 40 of them! Whew!! So we decided to take the easier route. Instead of aiming for the front of the sculpture, we walked around the back of each one....much less crowded that way!! The only problem is that if you want to get a good picture of the sculpture, you have to get to the front.

Sorry folks, but my urgency to get that great shot (from a photographer's standpoint) wasn't with me that day. So you will have to make due with the crappy side and back shots I did take! I was crabby that day.....walking that far in flip flops did NOT help my back that I had tweaked earlier in the week and I swear it was 80 something down there that day!! It was really warm!! Plus, I don't do crowds as well anymore....just don't have the tolerance for idiots or rude people/children, so I chose to remove myself from any sticky situations that could have come up.(I prefer a clean record if possible)

The walk back did NOT help my disposition. I needed my tennis shoes, air conditioning, and a quiet space. Thank GOD Mariana knew of a wine bar near her place that had recently opened. YAY!! We stopped there for some much needed food and alcohol! Someone was celebrating their birthday that day, which was fine since they elected to have their party in the upstairs loft. EXCEPT that they were cheeky enough to bring the party downstairs to the main area to cut the damn cake. Which of course meant that EVERYONE had to be down there taking up seats and tables....RUDE! So we had to wait for them to clear their asses out of the downstairs area before we could grab a table. This waiting shit was working on my last nerve!! But everything turned out great...the food was INCREDIBLE! We had this great appetizer - sliced baguette lightly toasted, topped with melted blue cheese and served with jalapeno champagne honey. OH. MY. GOD!!! It was SENSATIONAL!

I know I am totally getting sidetracked with the wine bar, but how can you not?! Anyway, turns out I was PMSing which is why my patience was slim to none that day. Who knew?! TMI for most of you - get over it!

Here are some crappy photos......ENJOY!

Great sculpture....just not a very exciting subject. Pest control AD!

Was this a child's exhibit?? I'm not sure...

This was more like it! Size-wise anyway

You can't quite see the pool table, but it's a shark and an octopus playing pool. Very cool sculpture!

No clue on this -  looks like something I could have done

VERY cool skeleton of a prehistoric marine mammal!

Sponge Bob - always appropriate apparently

The Las Vegas Strip! Very cool idea....but very tiny

Mermaid laying on the sand...you can kinda see her hair. No clue what the rest of it is supposed to be.

Merlin's something or other....can't remember exactly but check out the HORDES!

I couldn't tell you what this is.....I can make out the boat on the left but other than that, it's anyone's guess!

Chicks in Bikinis!! LOL I LOVED this one! Very cute!

King of Masks

San Diego always has many events going on throughout the year...too many to keep track of really! This past weekend my friends and I went to "Screen on the Green" which is located in Balboa Park. They set up a huge movie screen on the grass just outside the Botanical Gardens and show the movie once it's dark enough outside. Bonus: IT'S FREE!! (one of my favorite four letter words)

We started showing up around 5pm with an assortment of nosh items and libations to make up a wonderful picnic on the grass while we waited for the sun to go down. We had wine, beer, and margaritas.....and water but I think Mariana was the only one who used that to get some spot out of her shirt. LOL

It was definitely a cool experience ....one we are planning to repeat in a week when they play Moulin Rouge! (The original one, not the Nicole Kidman/Ewan MacGregor one)

So here are a couple photos I took with my crappy camera....enjoy!

Here's the mega screen....no clue who the woman is, she was just in my way.

Juan, Pita, Natasha, and Sam.....fellow picnickers!

Mariana and Steve

Paola and I

Lauren...enjoying her popcorn

Mariana and her freaky"two thumbs up"