Charge!

It was a bit cold this morning.

In fact, the weather has been bizarre this week. On Tuesday I wore a fleece over a flannel shirt in the morning. By the time I headed back to my car at 11:00 am to get my gym stuff I ditched the fleece. I was even fine in just the flannel walking back to the car at about 9:00 pm.

But the past two days have been different. Winter coat weather. Which means that things can get a little more complex when you’re navigating entering a classroom, putting down your coffee, taking off your backpack, taking off your coat and putting it on your seat, taking either your notebook or your computer out, and… doing exactly the same in reverse to get to the next class. And the library. And somewhere else across campus. I really would like warmer weather to come soon and stay…

Yesterday’s psychology class was a continuation on a discussion about ethics. Our professor began the conversation by citing an article I had read a day earlier in the Washington Post about Kevin Euceda, a Honduran teen who sought asylum when he crossed over into the USA with his sister in 2017. While being housed in detention he met with a therapist and was encouraged to talk about his traumatic past: having been abandoned by his parents and neglected by his alcoholic grandmother, having had his living quarters hijacked by MS-13, and being forced to sell drugs for the gang that took over his home. The therapist had assured Kevin that their conversations would remain confidential unless he showed risk of harming himself or others. Yet since he mentioned gang affiliation the therapist’s notes were turned over to authorities, and it has prolonged Kevin’s detention. He has been incarcerated for almost 900 days. It’s a moving piece — you can read it here.

Biology — I really think I’m getting the hang of it. Our first major exam is this coming Thursday. And today I stayed at school way after my psychology lab in order to attend an undergraduate TA’s review session. I wasn’t really into attending voluntary review sessions my first time around — but I knew it was likely the best option now. The classroom was packed when I got there. And the review session was quite good! I was relieved that I could figure out many of the sample problems (from past years’ exams).

Today’s psychology lab had to do with data analysis. Each of us had created a survey measuring our chosen construct — and they were distributed around the other lab sections of the course for students to complete. That way each of us would get a good thirty or so participants for our own surveys. However, that meant that each of us had to complete thirty surveys ourselves in a short amount of time. I really found it interesting for the first three or four.

Anyway — data analysis! I had to crunch my data and determine if I have correlation! Which… I don’t. Like — not at all. My scatter plot is the scatteriest plot I’ve seen. I guess my analysis will be interesting…

Since we’re using statistical analysis tools like JASP, my Chromebook isn’t the best tool for number crunching. I could (and have) remotely access my desktop machine at home, but I’m not going to assume that the campus wi-fi network will constantly be up and running. So I bought a used Dell business-class laptop from 2016 for a not-too-bad price. (When I’m done I’ll hand it down to Avi.) The pitfall, of course, is that its battery life is not nearly that of the Chromebook. So two hours of using the Dell laptop was when it maxed out.

… which was not convenient for me as I had work to do after my lab ended. (and my charger was at home.) So I went to… a computer lab??? Yes, they still exist. There are workstations available to students in most of the libraries. I did some work at the STEM library, and then I thought that this campus just has to have some sort of laptop charger rental of some sort? And if they didn’t — wouldn’t it be something to start?

But they do! On the second floor of McKeldin Library there is this newly-renovated learning space — which includes a podcast studio among other things. But the tech desk there will lend out laptop chargers for six hours at a time. I did that and studied in the adjacent space which has some of the nicest library furniture I’ve seen.

I’m still going to buy an extra laptop charger to keep in my backpack. Just in case.

It’s late. I have studying to do this weekend: a lab practicum on Tuesday and two exams on Thursday. At least next Friday our psychology lab is canceled and I don’t have to go to College Park!

I’ll leave you with this: a time-lapse of my commute on Thursday morning from Alexandria to the University (with a short stop at 7-Eleven). It’s less than two minutes long. I left at 6:45. so you get to see a partial sunrise. And an incredibly long traffic light at the entrance to our neighborhood.

Enjoy.