Truth is Stranger than Fiction


There is a curse on my masters degree. I'm sure of it. And this curse has taken a turn for the tradgic side.

There is a curse on my masters degree. I'm sure of it. And this curse has taken a turn for the tradgic side.

There was a local 17 year old boy who died while hiking this weekend. I saw a news item about it on my Yahoo! news feed, and it was also in the local paper. I didn't read the article or I might have noticed the last name. It turns out to have been the son of one of my committee members. Obviously that puts a cork in trying to push a Friday defense date.

Another sad bit of news is that the researcher with whom I worked on my research project is not going to be available this week either because his father had a bicycling accident, broke his pelvis and had a hip replaced as well. This researcher isn't on my committee, but I'd hoped that I could spend some time with him doing some last-minute work on my paper. I guess not.

Fortunately the department head (who is supposed to be away on sabbatical) was in the office and overheard my questions as I was trying to find the secretary (who chose to be gone last Wednesday to my chagrin and apparently also today and tomorrow) and told me about the hiking accident. He knows that I drove here from L.A. with the need to defend this paper sometime in the next two weeks, and I trust he will do whatever is necessary to help make it happen.

So I'm still in limbo—hell, I'm a few fathoms deeper into limbo than before—but as we Mathematicians like to say, "A solution exists." For those of you who have a favorite deity, I would appreciate a good thought in your prayers. I can use all the fortune I can get.

Posted: Mon - December 1, 2003 at 05:45 PM      


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