The Exams are Coming II ! In 3-D! (Forget the Holy Water-- Where's the Gasoline?)

So, the culmination of all things thus far doth approacheth. The studying must begineth. People paniceth. There are 8 days of actual class left before the end of all things-AKA: Finals. Shudder and gag. I think things will be fine: I've got a plan laid out for studying time, creating bibles, going to review sessions. Sticking to that plan will prove the difficult part: time is constrained now that I have a UROP. Oh yeah, by the way, I have a UROP- Undergraduate Research Opportunity. I'm working in a Mech. E. lab, helping with the literal dozen projects they've got going, running data on soldering connections in the near future, and becoming a guru with the 3-D printer. It's a big, shiny toy capable of big (or small), shiny things. They've become widespread only recently, since they've become much cheaper, and they're nifty things to have about a Mech E. lab, especially, because they can fabricate anything you can draw on a computer. The process is verbatim as follows: Hey, I need a part shaped like this. Click click, drag drag. Print! 3 minutes and some time for the lowly UROP (your's truly) to scrape off the resin, and you have the part in the polymer material of your choice, ready to use in the crazy device you're scheming up. As we're fond of proclaiming in the East Campus dorms, "SCIENCE!" This, by the way, is an excerpt from xkcd, a nerdy webcomic that's great for procrastinating--I mean, it's time management website feature...
Thanksgiving, that American holiday of...wait, it's the only one...has come and gone, only decidedly more corporate. Lots of people went home, Sarah Palin didn't pardon the turkeys, a guy got trampled at a Wal-Mart--a great year, overall. I had a metric butt-tonne of work to do and no inclination to pay an arm and leg for a plane ticket, so I stayed up here, going over to a friend's house in Watertown for dinner. And getting more dinner from Aunt Marcy the Too Kind of Weston later. And learning lots of SolidWorks for the UROP. Life is good.
Life is good for this kid! We, as a people, should kick things more often. Come on, everyone, turn to your neighbor and fire away! You'll feel better, promise...
Life is very good. I like life.
I have also not yet had a final...
Until then, ciao. Always keep on the Bright Side of Life...