Introduction To The Formulae

Wow, I've had this blog for 1.5 years and haven't written a thing!! Well, finally, here's something to read...

This is nearing the end of my fifth year in graduate school, and I've been trying my best to get a PhD in mathematics. My last preliminary exam is in 14 days, which I MUST pass or I have to leave school; I feel so unprepared, like I'm taking a final exam in "Chinese history of the last 6000 years" on the first day of class (a class which I would LOVE to take if they offered it).

Why? Why put myself through this torture? I decided to postpone the "real world" for a few more years, and graduate school seemed reasonable. I always liked school, especially math, so it sounded like a good idea at the time. Much to my family's dismay, I chose a school currently 1,500 miles from my hometown, where all my family resides and where I'd lived for 16 years. I did leave to find myself, and I found so much more along the way.