Quench my thirst...

{found this poem I wrote last year, July 21, 2014, and I thought I'd share}

Maybe this is God's plan for my life, and I have been chosen to never wed.
Maybe there is supposed to be no one ever laying beside me in my bed.
Now that doesn't necessarily make me lonely because I love my "Me" time and personal space.
However, sometimes I have cravings...not even BOB can erase.

No, it's not only the physical touch that my body tends to yearn.
I want to grow with someone on a plethora of levels...spiritually being #1.
Let's start a business together; let's even build a house.
Let's travel the world together -- You. As. My. Spouse.

The only dilemma is, "you" are a figment of my imagination.
Lord, what have I done to deserve such condemnation.
"You" are an illusion...a fantasy...a mirage on a hot desert day.
So tempted to quench my thirst, but I'll die of dehydration before I ever let you fade away...

Ok....I am not the best at updating my blog :/

Sooooooooo on December 9, 2014 I successfully passed my PhD Proposal and officially became a PhD candidate!!! My thesis is titled "Developing an Engagement and Social Interaction Model for a Robotic Educational Agent," and I will be completing my PhD journey this Fall semester. #PraiseHim #WontHeDoIt ....this is bitter-sweet because completing my program this Fall semester also means that I will be neglecting you all yet again :( I am in high hopes that you all understand that sacrifices need to be made to obtain greatness :)

Unfortunately, so much happened since my last post in September that I will be unable to brief you on everything. I will attempt to hit the highlights. Following my proposal, my baby Blossom and I sent out Christmas cards to family and close friends (hopefully if you're reading this, you received one as well, lol). This was my first year sending out cards, but I would like to keep this up moving forward for the years to come. It's a wonderful feeling to wish those I love many blessings over the holiday season.

In early March I was FINALLY able to attend a speech given by President Obama (amazing speaker btw)...

...and then stumbled across Tyler Perry while waiting for the POTUS to make his appearance :)

By the end of March I submitted a paper to the IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics (SMC), and last month I was notified that the paper was accepted with great reviews! The conference will be held in Hong Kong, China in early October, and I'm excited that I'll be able to add another stamp to my passport :) The paper is titled, "Evaluating the Effect of Robot Feedback on Motor Skill Performance in Therapy Games," and we show that a combination of verbal and nonverbal cues provided from a robotic playmate yields the best performance from individuals in physical therapy. I am currently conducting a follow-up study...and I will give more details upon completion.

Last week I celebrated another birthday...it seems like they come so fast now. I decided to go home and celebrate it with my family over Father's Day weekend. As you can see below, going home always brings out the inner child in me :)

Well I think that's all I have for now. I'm going to finish up some miscellaneous things and call it a night. Goodnight folks....and until next time...TOODLES!!

God Bless,

Future Dr. Brown, FDB