I have a check-list of things I need to do in order to apply for a Masters degree, according to the university’s requirements.

Here’s a quick status update:

• Addmission Application – Status: In progress. Today I registered on the university’s websites, and filled in most of the items I have the information for. I still have a few things to complete, including the payment part which will send my application to the university.
• GMAT scores – Status: In progress. I’m working hard on this one. I’ll probably take the test around the end of January, but I haven’t registered yet.
• Academic transcripts – Status: In progress. I wrote a letter to the university I graduated from. Now I need to send it, along with all the request forms and the required payment. Hopefully, I will have the transcript soon enough.
• Letters of Recommendation – Status: In progress. I already asked two people to recommend me, and both agreed. I need to give them the forms that they will need to fill in.
• Career gaol statement – Status: Not started. This is the hard part. I have no idea what I am going to write. Any suggestions?
• Official TOEFL scores – Status: N/A. I may be able to apply for a waiver, depending on the results of the verbal section in the GMAT exam. After all, I did manage a Bachelors degree in the UK, so I guess my English is good enough.
• On-line application confirmation – Status: Not started. Once I complete the first step, this will be the easy part.

Praise the goddess of Good Parking Spots!

She heard my plea, as I was driving home late at night in the pouring rain.

She knows the ones who had a crappy few days are worthy.

She vacated a Ford Fiesta from a wonderful parking spot just as I arrived home.

Praise the goddess of Good Parking Spots for her goodness!

It is finally raining. Winter is here for a few day, but there is already a forecast that it will be sunny and warm by the end of the week.

The heavy rain woke me up in the middle of the night. For some reason, the first thought that came into my head was about some annoying things that have been going on at work. As the rain was pounding on the plastic awning, I just got angrier and angrier. When the rain subsided at last, I started crying, as if it wasn’t enough that it was wet outside. After that I calmed down. I read a few more pages from my book, so my thoughts will be directed elsewhere, and fell asleep.

Waking up this morning wasn’t easy. It was cold and wet and I was tired, but the most difficult part was knowing that what went through my head last night wasn’t a nightmare. It is real, and I have to deal with it.

Happy List

1. A workout for the brain – After years of neglect, I am finally working my brain out for the GMAT preparation course. Unfortunately, lack of time means my body remains idle.
2. I’m looking into the future and I see a light – Things are looking good for our academic plans. The process is developing in interesting direction both of us.
3. Time for new music – Driving in heavy traffic to my GMAT course means I get more time every week to listen to music. There may be some good CD shopping to be done soon.
4. Time to breath – The past couple of weeks finally brought in some cool weather. I used to think of myself as a summer person, but since I realized that winter in Israel is actually like summer in Europe or other northern parts of the world, I learned to like it much more. I’m happy to show off my sweaters and enjoy the cooler sunshine outside.
5. TV is good when it is done right – The recent episodes of Heroes are surprisingly engaging. Good stuff.

Sad List

1. Blogging is Out/Facebook is In – I am not a fan of Facebook, even though I’m there. I find blogging much more interesting, and there are much better forms of socializing. Oh well, trends come and go…
2. Distance – E is flying away for a week of work. Need I say more?
3. Broken – My broken tooth is annoying me.
4. Workload – The GMAT course requires a lot of practice. I want to do all the homework and dust-busting, but there just aren’t enough waking hours in a day. It stresses me out, and I don’t like stress.
5. Becoming round – See item #1 in the Happy list above.

I broke my third tooth.
No time to go to the dentist.
It is a bummer.

I must admit to a crime. Whenever I buy any clothing, I feel the need to try them on first, to make sure they fit. Hold on, this is absolutely legal. No crime here.

I might be a criminal after all, though. I also try on music before I buy it. According to a recent research, sponsored by the Canadian government, a lot of people do. The research finds that downloading music increases the rate of buying physical CDs. They did not include the influence on legal download, but this is still a considerable finding. The numbers show a considerable increase:

…our results suggest that for every 12 P2P downloaded songs, music purchases increase by 0.44 CDs. That is, downloading the equivalent of approximately one CD increases purchasing by about half of a CD.

This research makes me happy for a few reasons:

1. It finally dismisses the silly accusations made by record companies against file-sharers. It means that the record companies now need to do the hard work of actually checking their numbers, rather than just suing everyone around and hope it will work.

2. It proves that technology provides better chances for exposure to young artists. The radio stations are no longer in control of what goes through our ears. Power to the people!

3. It makes me feel less guilty for doing something that is officially illegal, while I know it is the right thing to do. I know that in the past few years most of the albums I purchased were a direct result of listening to downloaded music of artists I did not know before. I tried it on, it fitted, and I bought it.

Isn’t it funny to read about someone stupid shooting himself in the leg? If it was more than an idiom, Prince would have made it into the Darwin Awards!

Just as Radiohead thought they were going indie, following their independent release of In Rainbows with signing a deal with XL Records, their former label decided to do exactly the opposite.

There is nothing as cynical as riding the wave of hype created by In Rainbows to re-release the whole of Radiohead’s Parlophone back catalogue in various special formats.

I have a lot of catching up to do. It is obvious that almost a decade away from a studying atmosphere has rusted my brain to a level beneath basic arithmetics. Now all that dust needs to be removed, and it is a lot of effort.

I don’t mind the hard work, but I just don’t seem to have the time for it. I am limited by my brain’s curfew, which has always been around 7PM. Again, this wouldn’t have been so bad if I was at home earlier than 6PM, but as things stand, I only have about one hour left to study. From this, take out all the time I need to deal with Sebastian’s demands for attention, which cannot wait for one hour, and not much is left. Even during the weekend, when I had more study time, Sebastian kept coming to sit on my papers wherever I put them down, constantly interrupting my concentration. Even now he is in my lap, pushing is had to my palms to make sure I don’t give too much attention to the keyboard.

I don’t blame Sebastian. I love him to bits. It’s myself I am angry with, not being able to operate my brain long enough to get something in. I don’t know how I’ll manage the required 10 hours a week of studying at home.

Timing is everything.

Strangely, just when my free time is running out, my gym has gone bust. With a short notice, I was let know that as part of a deal, my subscription was moved back to the gym I used to go to previously.

Now I’m wondering what to do. On the one hand, I do try to stick to a training regime, even when I’m busy, and the old gym wasn’t too bad. On the other hand, I wasn’t completely happy there, which is the reason I left in the first place. In addition, studying for GMAT will keep me very busy for the next few months. Should I take the opportunity and ask for a refund for the remainder of my gym subscription or keep it, despite not being able to go much in the near future?