mathing it up

with my big exciting proof explained to dr. z. in our last meeting of the semester yesterday, and me turning in my combo final at the last class today (even though it's not due til next week), all i have left between me and the end of the semester is office hours for my students (tomorrow and thursday), proctoring their final exam (friday), and grading exams all day on monday... exciting, right?

but the math news doesn't end there.

(1) dr. z. and i had been working on an application for a supplement to his NSF grant earlier this fall. today he forwarded an email that NSF accepted our application and we get the grant. this gives me a semester off of teaching next fall, which is fantastic. there was also the proviso though that even though i did this application, if i also get the fellowship i was "interviewed" for earlier this month (find out in may), then eric gets my NSF grant money and i get the other fellowship so that we both get time off, even though i did both applications. technically the NSF money is through dr. z. anyhow so he can arbitrate as he chooses, so this isn't a problem... just it's super exciting that at least one of the two non-teaching funding sources came through for next year. :)

(2) i have a "final" version of my orals syllabus together. it's actually a little intimidating. once i turn in a printed version to the grad director tomorrow and he signs off on it, i have like a month and a half to know all the stuff here forwards and backwards... not excited. but hey, at least there's nothing of my own work for me to do *except* study for this between now and the test, so at least timing it with a break is good for that.... a month and a half of studying h*ll though... joy, joy.

done babbling.

later dudes.