Wow. So today was the first day of orientation for the grad students in the CMU HCI program. I had more than my share of trepidation.

Highlights? Well, at various times through the afternoon, three of my classmates-to-be came up to me and said, "Kevin Fox, eh? I know all about you. I've been reading Fury." Scary. Or should I say, "umm. Hi!" Now I just need to get to know them

I was a little disappointed, as was another classmate I could (but won't (ahh, blesed privacy)) mention, that the interaction seemed so strongly one-way. I'm triply glad that I started the yahoo group three months ago, so we knew each other to a degree already, becuase other than a go-around-the-room introduction and a big group lunch, all the info has been them telling us, without consideration for the fact that we left pretty much everyone we knew, and it would be nice if we spent a little of our orientation week performing teambuilding exercises, or at least breaking off into groups for something so we could talk through something other than the perogies in our mouths...

It's all good though, and I'm sure it's going to be better. My friends that I have here have all been here between one and three months, and so have had plenty of time to crest the isolation wave, emerging on the other side as re-adjusted people.

I know I'll get there soon. 'Till then knowing I'm not far is hopefully good enough.

The other realization of the day is that I didn't leave Yahoo to get my masters in order to get a better job when I get out than I could otherwise have gotten, but to get a better next job after that, or after that. Basically, I expect that this is the last time I'll be in school, and once I know that I'll have the steady income-stream, unterrupted by educational dams, promising power and clean energy (oops, unstretch that metaphor, sir), anyhow, once financial constancy is assured, I can work towards the finer things in life, like a home, and maybe a family (though I, err... well, I'm not there yet. There's that whole girlfriend thing to deal with first, let alone wife thing).

Anyhow, getting my Masters should give me the rest of the educational cards I need for my deck, so I won't feel like I have to go back before moving up to a director role somewhere.

And, of course, I'm going to learn a hell of a lot.

And my apartment is shaping up nicely. My mom and I are the masters of IKEA assembly. We find mistakes in the manuals now.

Final note: How odd is it that my mom picked me up after my first day of (ahem, graduate) school? Well, I'm dropping her off at Greyhound tomorrow morning, so then it'll just be me and me...

...err, and you, of course.