Update: September 4

Read about half of Chapter 11 of Molecular biology of the cell.

Received The 8th Day of Creation, read to page 26 of 618.

Bought a copy of General Chemistry by Linus Pauling (1970), for reference for my general chemistry workshop.

Looked for a laptop sleeve at Powell's Technical, but couldn't find one.

Update September 3rd

Finished reading Chapter 11 of Molecular Biology of the Cell, still have chapters 12-19 to read.

Finished jury duty, and didn't get selected to serve on a jury.

Progress Report 9/2/2008

Compiled a List of 21 grad schools I'd like to go to. Still need to pare down to 10, and figure out another school I will apply for as a master's student (the only one I've decided for sure on is UO).

Also registered for the Biochem subject GRE, which will happen on the 18th.

September Update

Read Chapter 9 of Molecular Biology of The Cell, still have 10-19 to go.

Ordered The 8th Day of Creation, still need to read.

Other stuff I need to do before class starts..

Get my hair cut before the workshop training session (not too short, though) on the 19th and the 20th.

Register for the Biochem GRE, by the 8th (preferably tomorrow).

Register for Orycon (not strictly necessary, but if I wait too long, I'm bound to forget).

Agenda for September

For September (Really, I need to get this done before I start classes on September 29th), I need to:

• Contact PSU and OHSU biochem professors about doing research. I need to go to their websites, find recent publications, read and highlight them until I understand their research before contacting them.
  
• I need to secure grad school recommendations from one of the biochem professors I took classes under. Also it'd be really nice if I could work in his lab. Need to contact him earliest, this next week if possible.
• I need to study the Cell Biology book in preparation for that class, and the Biochem GRE. Looks like we'll be coving about 10 chapters in total, so I should aim for 2 to 3 chapters per week.
• I need to buy and read a copy of the book "The 8th day of Creation" by Horace Freeland Judson. After I'm done with the book I need to e-mail my summer molecular bio professor about this.
• On the 19th and 20th, I have a class, learning to teach gen chem students in a workshop. Basically, I'll be going over difficult problems from the homework with students in a 2 hour session, and meeting with the main professor. Need to e-mail my old lab partner with a few questions about this.
• On the 3rd, I have Jury Duty.
• I need to write up grad school admission essays. I'm either going to write about how the three months I spent in recovery from eye surgery after graduation changed me, or try to relate my love of music with science.
• I need to come up with a list of 10 grad schools: 8 Ph.D. programs, and 2 Master's programs, and begin their application processes.
• Need to buy a copy of the Neurophysiology book.
  

DnD 4E: Introductory Post

If you're thinking of playing, please e-mail me at Rustybutterknife(AT-AT Walker) gmail(DOT) com

Tell me your preferred class, phone number, and your schedule. If you know anyone else who'd like to play, they're welcome to (besides "you know who"), just have them e-mail me as with the same information. I'm shooting for 5 or 6 players.

Before starting a campaign, I'd like to try a couple of one-off adventures before starting a campaign, partially to get more ideas together for a campaign, and also so that we're all familiar with the rules.

I'm willing to make characters with you whenever you're free, and, at least to start out with I'm willing to make pre-made characters. For the campaign, you'd make you're own, with or without my guidance. You do not need dice (they will be provided if needed) or the books (unless you're making a character on your own) for gaming.

Here's a list of ideas I had for adventures lasting 2-3 sessions, just to start out with:

• I could adapt a classic, relatively short, 1E module. I have one in mind, that's probably not one you've played or heard of (Tomb of Horrors, Keep on the Borderlands, Temple of Elemental Evil).
• Dungeon Magazine online has a pdf of their most recent issue for free, and has two Heroic Level (1st - 10th) adventures inside of the right length.
• A Paragon Level (11th - 20th) adventure involving a Dragon. More details as I think of stuff.
• Keep on the Shadowfell, which is a published adventure that came out at the same time as the new edition.

Right now I'd prefer to do the adaptation, and a paragon level adventure (in that order) the most because it would give me more opportunity to get to know the nuts and bolts of the system than a pre-made 4E module. Let me know what you think.