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If you don’t watch Lost, then you are missing out on what was the most exciting and intriguing new show last season.  Last night was the second episode of the new season.  The season premier last week was everything I expected:  new twists, deeper character development through back-story flashback, some interpersonal tension between the characters.  Last nights episode left me a bit disappointed.  Most of the episode was a retelling of the previous episode from a different perspective.  It was nice to fill in some details but nothing new was revealed.  Only the last 10 minutes provided any new events.  Of course, this was all exacerbated by the previews that claimed "the fate of all the survivors will be revealed."  Well, they are all still alive I guess, but nothing was revealed. Ugh!  I’m still excited about next week though.

Last weekend I got a new Xbox game, Fable.  It is a role-playing game in which you begin as a young boy who becomes a warrior.  You take on quests and each decision and action determines how you look and whether you develop into an evil or good person.  It is quite enjoyable and a little addicting.  In addition to your quests, there are lots of other interactions available between your character and the other characters in the game.  For instance, you can flirt, fall in love, and get married, join a group of thugs, or drop by the pub for a drink.  I decided it would be fun to see what happens when you get married.  I quickly found an interested woman.  My character would finally have a little love in his life.  Then I had buy a wedding ring for her followed by a home.  Finally, she agreed to marry me.  That was when I realized there is a stats page in this game.  The stats page lists everything–how many monsters I killed, my favorite weapon, hours I have played the game, etc.  To my surprise the list gets more explicit–number of marriages, divorces, time to have sex, number of beers consumed, number of time you passed out…Games are getting a little too real. 

I have decided that I am a weekly poster.  I have trouble coming up with blog topics everyday.  This is caused by my boring day at work (e.g. "Today I read technical papers then tried to write a thesis outline.  I followed up with some email and ate lunch.") and the fact that Megan catalogues all the fun stuff happening with the boys at home.  I’ll try to be more frequent if I can.

If you haven’t seen it already, check out the iPod Nano. I always thought it would be cool to have an iPod but couldn’t bring myself to get one.  I hardly have time to listen to the radio.  I spend only a few minutes a week in the car.  The iPod was always so expensive.  Now those things are changing.  Prices are coming down, I will soon have a job with a commute, and this new iPod is "impossibly small."  I think I need one.

As Rita begins encroaching on the Texas coast, we are wondering if my job might get washed away with the storm.  I guess it is a good thing that we haven’t departed California yet.  At least, we will get a good idea about which houses are susceptible to flooding.  I just hope that the housing market doesn’t inflate much if there is extensive damage.

Megan has had a few mishaps while trying to blog lately.  It seems that her browser has been uncooperative, sending her hard work hurtling into the cyber ether never to be seen again.  After losing two long entries, she swore off blogging altogether.  I hope she wasn’t serious because I really enjoy reading her blog. 

Today, I moved one big step closer to becoming a Ph.D. chemist.

In order to fulfill my degree requirements, I must research and prepare three original research propositions and defend them in front of my Ph.D. committee.  To complicate matters, one of the propositions must be outside of my field of study.  I have been working on these props since June.  This morning I sat in front of my committee to prove that I could recognize scientifcally significant problems and propose reasonable strategies to solve them.  In addition, I had to demonstrate my ability to defend my ideas in written and oral form.

I passed.  I have to make some revisions to one of my props (the out of field one, of course), but I passed.  Now, I need only to write my thesis before I officially become Dr. Derek. 

As I grow older and each year seems to come faster, I realize that life’s lessons are often punctuated by poignant moments–brief encounters that make an deep impression, defining all the events that led to that instant.

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost 1 year since I first started thinking seriously about graduating.  Last year around October or November I thought I could be rolling out of Caltech as early as April or May.  As it turns out, that was a bit premature but now that time is drawing very near.  Today, I am reminded of an important turning point that occurred last fall.

After spending 5 years at Caltech and still not seeing a clear ending point, I was more than a little bitter and depressed.  I was performing only the bare minimum tasks at work and had old and new work piling up.  I saw many of my classmates graduating and my situation seemed bleak.  I was in a rut; the more work that I had to do, the less I wanted to do it.  Had I continued at that pace, I may have become a 10th year graduate!  But, that is when it happened–one of the defining moments of my marriage.  My lovely wife was supportive, loving and courageous enough to tell me to get of my slump and to get busy.  And she was able to do it in a genuinely loving way that enabled me to move on rather than crippling me with resentment.

Megan may not realize exactly what impact that conversation had on me.  It motivated me to set a consistent but not too aggressive schedule and has enabled me to steadily reach my goals. More importantly, it made me realize I was not alone in my struggles.  The amazing thing to me was (and still is) that her concern and support was far more effective than any chiding or nagging could every be.  I thank God for preparing her for that moment.

Megan, I love you very much.  Thank you for helping me be a better man and making one of my moments.