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

Much Needed Update

So I just skimmed my past few posts and I haven't updated you on quite a few things. Namely, my Pi Mile (5K) results from April (I know shameful it's been so long), an academic conference I attended last month, and my very first journal publication!!!

For starters, I finished my Pi Mile at my fastest time ever recorded -- 28:03!!! Woo-hoo!!! Look at me go!!! lol. And I'm proud to say that I have been keeping up with the cardio/running ever since. I am currently running approx. 20 miles a week -- 4 miles every morning before I go to campus Mon-Fri :)

Next, my paper was accepted into the IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK!!! I was able to present my research in a poster session, as well as tour the city in my free time :) My work was well received by the community, and I was able to meet/network with some really cool people. 

Last but not least, I also secured an unexpected journal publication this summer!!! So after attending the ASEE conference in June, they extended an offer to also publish a longer version of my paper to their journal!!! It's scheduled to publish later this year (Oct-Dec). I'm so grateful.

I'm currently in the process of writing my Ph.D. proposal, so the next update I give will most likely be after the successful oral presentation this semester when I'll be an official Ph.D. Candidate!!

Alright, back to work I go...

God Bless,

FDB

Why I'm single...

Part of me is afraid of commitment. Every time I turn around, couples are breaking up/husband and wife are getting divorced, and then there are those miserable people trying to "weather the storm" in shitty relationships because they want it to work out…when in reality they need to let go and move on (I know, I know, easier said than done). I honestly don't want to fall into any of these categories, so the screening process is extremely intense when these men "claim" that they have found their other half in me. 

I find that the men who have really pursued me thus far are inadequate. At first, I thought that was bourgeois/shallow to say, but it's just honest. I give these men honest chances and they always drop the ball. As Maya Angelou said, "When someone shows you who they are believe them; the first time." So with that said, I don't waste time with the elimination process. 

And on the other hand, the men that possess the qualities that I would love in a husband seem to never pursue me. Now, I haven't quite figured out why this happens, but I'm definitely going through some self-evaluation and reflection on this matter. However, in any case, I reciprocate the amount of energy put into me. Even if I have fantasized walking down the aisle with this guy, I quickly come back to reality and keep it moving when he's not pursuing me with all of his energy. Simply put, "Men go hard for what they truly want – if he’s not going hard for you, you’re not what he truly wants." Amen, amen. And I know that what God has for me is for me, so I don’t get caught up in the fantasy. Clearly "he" was not for me.

Now, the question of the year…what exactly am I looking for in a husband. I haven't actually attempted to list this in years, but here goes nothing.

1. Must possess ambition & goals: complacency is nonexistent in his mind; wants to build a kingdom WITH me – be business partners and start our own company, etc.
2. "Head over heels" for me & my biggest supporter: he must be a tad more into me than I am into him. I need to feel secure in the idea of US. This may be a selfish request, but it is what I want *shrugs*. In his mind, there’s nothing more important than making sure I am happy and in a good place (and with that said, I will not the bitchy, needy, bossy, selfish wife that is always unhappy about something)
3. No kids:  I would love to share the feeling of starting our "first" family together ☺
4. A strong relationship with Christ: I am still learning and would love to have a partner that supports and aids my growth/relationship with Christ. "No woman wants to be in submission to a man that isn’t in submission to God." Right now in life I am a very self-sufficient/independent, “strong black woman.” However, I would love to submit to the "right," God-fearing man one day. Until then, I’ll keep on keeping on and handling my business.
5. Must be independent/self-sufficient: a job, car, place, no roommates…all are necessities. I don’t want a man that’s going through "the struggle" and trying to make it at this point in his life (a personal preference). And yes, I understand that I may have to be open to older men (30ish), which also means they are more likely to have kids…but I know that what God has for me, is for me. I have all the faith that he will find me in God’s perfect timing ☺ 
6. Must strive to be healthy/workout: I need someone who will motivate me to keep eating healthy/working out by doing the same! When I look back in my past, I seem to always look my worst (be the most unhealthy) when I'm in relationships smh – that's another thing that scares me about commitment. We must inspire one another to be the best we can be, and that applies to all aspects of life, not only our health. 

It has taken me quite a while to develop this list, but I’m glad I now know what I want and grateful that I didn't end up in an unsuccessful marriage or have kid(s) out of wedlock. I think it is important to have this foundation before making the big jump into marriage. It may have taken me a little longer to develop this mindset, but better late than never right ;-) 

Alright, back to work I go. Just had to put that out there so I can focus on my work. If I think of anything else, I will make edits. In the meantime, I will let go and let God! 

FDB

"No woman wants to be in submission to a man who isn't in submission to God!"

My Birthday Weekend Festivities!!!

**If you are interested in attending dinner on Friday and/or brunch on Sunday, please RSVP via text by Monday, June 16th for the reservations. (Most likely if you don't have my number, you probably shouldn't be bringing in my birthday with me anyway.)

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Friday, June 20th

7:30 PM

Dinner at TWO Urban Licks

10:30 PM

Cafe Circa

Saturday, June 21st

1:00 PM

Pool Party

(details sent via email)

Sunday, June 22nd

12 Noon

Brunch at Poor Calvin's

(bottomless everything!!!)

4:00 PM

Movie in Atlanta Station

"Think Like a Man Too"

Get Tickets Here

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**If you are interested in attending dinner on Friday and/or brunch on Sunday, please RSVP via text by Monday, June 16th for the reservations. (Most likely if you don't have my number, you probably shouldn't be bringing in my birthday with me anyway.)

Online Dating

Wellllllll after perusing a few of the online dating websites, it is time for me to give an overall review of this idea. I have/had accounts with Plenty of Fish, Christian Mingle, Black People Meet, Black Celibacy, and Tinder. Some sites/apps are more developed than others, and typically the amount of time put into the user interface is indirectly/inversely related to how ratchet the site has the potential to be (i.e more developed, less ratchet OR less developed, more ratchet). Now for those who are new to online dating, I will list a few things to be weary of in the process.

Traditionally, when you meet people naturally in person, you are able to see their physical appearance, mannerisms, and ability hold an intellectual conversation....all at once. The main thing that you must pay close attention to is what the other person is NOT saying. This is how you learn most about a person...I think.

However, when you meet people online, you are only able to see what he or she wants you to see. So not only must you pay close attention to what they aren't saying, but also to what they are NOT showing you in their images/profiles. Ideally you want to do this prior to wasting your time and meeting someone in person. A quick and painless way to possibly see this is through a quick Skype call, etc. For instance, I caught a guy off guard and asked him if he wanted to Skype. Of course he agreed, then once on cam, I asked who I heard in the background, and it was his mother...because he still lived at home with his parents -__- Another guy I talked to on and off for a while had very handsome pics and was goal oriented. I finally agreed to meet him in person one day (of course in a public place), and he's missing a front tooth! I went back to look at his pics and realized he's never smiling in any of his pics! Prime example of paying attention to what they aren't showing you. And no I'm not shallow, but all I'm saying is if his life was really together like he said it was (career, etc.), I'm more than sure dental insurance would cover that -__- After that, I just couldn't take him serious. He wanted to grab a bite to eat, and I'm thinking "how when you don't have front teeth snagatooth."

Dating in general is very, very time consuming and has the potential to waste my time more times than not. For those who like the online dating, kudos to you, but it's definitely not my cup of tea. I would love to meet someone in action, doing something they love to do candidly. There's no pressure in these situations, whereas online everyone is putting up a front to be the ideal guy/gal.

Oh and lastly I would like to add that even the Christian Mingle type sites have pervs as well...which kind of makes them worse than the Plenty of Fish type sites. You wouldn't expect it at all from Christian Mingle, but it's very prevalent.

Oh and one more thing, height can be deceiving in pictures, and even on Skype. If you're big on tall/short guys/girls, be aware of this.

Well it's past my bedtime. I hope snagatooth or momma's boy doesn't read my blogs :/

Until next time, toodles :-*

Vonda B.

Forward Movement: #ProjectPhD

Over these past few weeks, I've noticed that's hard for me to focus on school when my life is in shambles...well maybe I'm over-exaggerating a little. My home has to be clean (laundry done, dishes washed, bed made, trash dumped), groceries have to be in my fridge, car has to be washed and clean, I have to be in shape, and my finances must be taken care of...to name a few :) Only then am I able to sit down and focus on research, smh, but I'm currently there now. I had lunch today with one of my mentors, and it was so refreshing and motivating! I was able to listen to his PhD journey, how he did it, things he would've done differently, words of encouragement, the risks he took, the risks he didn't take....the list goes on and on. He honestly has stories for days, but he made it man...so there's hope! I left lunch with so much drive and motivation to keep pushing. Hopefully this fire lit under my a$$ will burn for a while -- I feel like I become complacent at times, and that's not good. But as I said in my last post, I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and even moreso after today.

Well it's getting late; I just finished working out in my gym not too long ago, but the bed is calling my name. Until next time...toodles.

Vonda B.

Loving Life :)

So many thing seem to falling in place in my life, and I know that I have no one other than the Lord himself to thank :) I see the light at the end of the tunnel with my research and graduation....don't get me wrong, it's still a long tunnel, lol, but I know what I need to do to reach the end goal. I have a number of conference publications under my belt, now it's time to tackle a few journal publications...which are a little more difficult to attain, but I'm ready to put forth the work!!! Plus, I can do all things through Christ ;-)

Summer is near, which also means my birthday is almost here! I guess after 25 it's no need to broadcast the actual age unless it's monumental...like 50 or 100 -__- I guess I'm officially old man, but I prefer seasoned ;-) I envision myself laying by a beach for my birthday....well who am I kidding...probably a pool, lol, but I've been hitting the gym hard here lately so I will be swimsuit ready. I ran in the R.O.C. 5K Race this past weekend, and it was sooooo much fun! Lots of water slides, tarzan swings, climbing walls, and jumping balls. AND we completed the race in style in our tutus! Next week is the GT pi mile, which is a more competitive 5K race -- my time has definitely gotten better, so I'm ready for it!

Well it's Robotics Week here at Tech, so it's time to demo my robot to the future engineers :) Until next time...TOODLES!

Vonda B.

July

[Verse 1: Drake]

This verse start’s as my sniper hits they mark

And your guards fall down from a rifle to the heart

Like, clap, clap, let em fall slow

I know you had your fears, you can let 'em all go

And most women are motivated so I act accordingly

But this is so refreshing that it means a little more to me

Dedicating time when I really can’t afford to be

I provide protection if you open up the door for me

Couple stares

Couple text

Couple dates

Couple I think that we’re readys

Couple I think that we should we waits

Are we actin' like a couple

I’m just tryin' to get it straight

Cause I’m over here convinced that it’s too early for mistakes

[Bridge: Jhene Aiko]

Oh, you had to change up the game

Oh, the weather is not the same

Now there’s only cloudy days

Can’t stand the rain in July

Oh July, there were fireworks explodin'

Now it’s getting colder

Leaves are turning color

Why, it’s just not our season

The one and only reason

Baby oh, baby oh

Our summer turned into fall

[Verse 2: Drake]

Damn, tell me where did all the magic go

I followed the rules and told you everything you had to know

Had you over every night

Every night was passionate

Plus, you met my mother even if it was an accident

I’m confused tell me where we go wrong

I was sure that I would be with you for so long

I was planning on this on being something worth mentioning

Energy invested in someone I saw potential in

Who killed chivalry

They need to get they sentencin'

Meanwhile we arguing and I can’t get a sentence in

And just as I predicted here we go again

They always say the hottest love has the coldest end

[Bridge]

[Jhene Aiko]

See it's funny cause I never thought this would end

But then the season changed

[Drake]

You were my, you were my, you were my love

Shoulda made, shoulda made you my world

Shoula done everything to make you happy, baby

Oh yeah

[Jhene Aiko]

Can’t wait for, can’t wait for, can’t wait for springtime

And I will turn into a butterfly

I will spread my wings and fly

And I’m too fly for this shit

Oha wooh

I am Japanese if you please

Greetings ladies and gents!

I'm currently sitting in Barnes and Noble preparing to write a paper (as usual), but I have a lot on my mind, so I decided to take a break and let it all out. Because it was only a couple weeks since my last post, I have a brief update. My paper submission to the ASEE Annual Conference titled "A Real-Time Model to Assess Student Engagement during Interaction with Intelligent Educational Agents" was accepted!! Woo-hoo!!! I guess that means I'll be in Indianapolis, IN come mid-June :) This past weekend I went to Princeton and presented my research at the IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC). Our paper was titled "The Positive Effects of Verbal Encouragement in Mathematics Education Using a Social Robot," and we won the Best Paper Award!! Whoo-hoo!! I didn't even know our paper was nominated until a couple days before the conference while perusing the agenda, but all praise goes to God! I couldn't have done it without him :) I know I don't live my life exactly as I should, but he keeps blessing me over and over again.

In other news, I recently found out that I will not be going to the NSBE convention in Nashville at the end of the month :( Bittersweet....I haven't seen my NSBE fam in years, but on the bright side, I won't be missing my Friday class again lol. I'll take that...plus I've already done my traveling for the month of March. 

I'm happy to say that my life has been going well, and I have no complaints. There's always a bright side to everything. My journal submission was REJECTED lol, but I received a lot a good feedback from the reviewers. I will make the needed adjustments, and then resubmit it to another journal in the next couple of months :) 

I have a couple of 5K races coming up next month: a few of us will be doing the ROC Race ATL on April 5th, and the GT Pi Mile on April 12th. Here lately, I've been running 3 miles about 3 days a week, but I would like to shave some minutes off my time -- I'm currently running it in approx. 32min, but I need that time to be below 30 minutes (preferably 28 minutes). The end goal would be to finally compete in a triathlon in June, but I need to get this swimming together if that's ever going to come to surface. 

Alright, well I've successfully completed no work this morning. I'll chime back in sooner or later.

Until next time...toodles!!

Vonda B.

Life Update

When I go months without posting, I feel overwhelmed because so much has happened. Let's see...since November I lost weight, went home for the holidays twice (made a pitstop in Charlotte), had a Fab5! sleepover, Blossom turned 2, went back home for a speeding ticket, gained weight lol, and submitted to 3 conferences and a journal. I've learned over the past few years that grad school is very stressful (nothing new), but I think I've found a great solution to the pressure! I need at least one vacation a month, and since December I've done a great job living up to this. I spent new year's in DC, went to the Dominican Republic in January, and I'm headed to CIAA in Charlotte this weekend. Ironically for all of these trips I have been with the same person...my LS/Front Door/best friend and so much more...Shan R. We've truly been #LIVIN', and she's done a great job making sure I keep a balance between school and play {and is also the reason why I'm broke lol...j/k}. Next month I'll be going to Princeton, NJ and Nashville, TN for academic related conferences; however, I'll be sure to break away and enjoy the city when I'm away.

Fab5!

Baby Maxine and her Mommy/my sissy :)

DC for New Year's

Blossom turns 2 :)

Miami to DR

And the evolution of me :) 

I'll do better next time - I promise :)

Vonda B.

"I Will Wait for You"

A friend shared this video with me today, and I just had to share! I feel like every female should listen -- especially those who think settling is an option. Know your worth ladies and have patience :) God is always working!

Review of "The Best Man Holiday"

***SPOILER ALERT***

IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE AND PLAN TO WATCH IT, DON'T READ THIS POST!!!

Hands down this movie was BEAUTIFUL!! This was really a breath of fresh air to see a movie with so many prominent African American actors/actresses with a great storyline coupled with great acting. The movie was grounded in faith and family, which I loved even more!!! I would even argue that this would be a great movie to watch with the entire family (...minus a few scenes).

Morris Chestnut and Monica Calhoun (Lance and Mia) - I completely adored this relationship! Lance was the perfect husband to Mia. It was obvious that he cared about her deeply and would do anything to make her happy. He was completely faithful to her and committed to making their marriage work, which was quite surprising being that he was a well-known NFL player....and extremely sexy to say the least. I would've thought he'd have so many "side-chicks" with his popularity, but was pleasantly surprised to see that this movie did not follow the typical trend. Mia had a goooood man :) Their relationship was grounded in faith, and their children were so supportive of everything. I typically don't cry during movies...not my thing, but when Lance broke down when Mia was getting lowered into the ground...a tear managed to sneak its way out. I guess I'm a sucker for a strong Black man crying.

Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan (Harper and Robyn) - Harper and Robyn were interesting. I will say that Robyn is bigger than I am (I still have some growing to do) because if I walked in and saw Harper kiss Jordan anywhere, there would have been problems! I think the tragedy of Mia having cancer was able to help everyone focus less on the smaller issues and more on the things that really mattered :) I thought it was ingenious and ironic at the end of the movie when Lance had to deliver Robyn's baby. Harper had already been "in" Lance's wife Mia, and now Lance had to go in Harper's wife Robyn to deliver the baby.

Harold Perrineau and Regina Hall (Julian and Candace) - This scandal that Candace was in had me cracking up the entire movie. My favorite part of this story was when Candace asked to use Julian's phone while her porno video was up there, and Quentin saves the day by throwing the phone on the ground and breaking it. I'm not quite sure why it tickled me so much, but I'm weak every time I see it in the trailer after seeing it in context in the movie.

Terrance Howard (Quentin) - There is always a need for a "Quentin" in any group of friends. He was very free/liberal and hilarious, and the only one of the "guys" the was not married. He kept them young and alive. I just love how all the characters were so dynamic -- I was touched when he kept pressing the issue of Harper needing money, and was able to help out in his time of need. Prior to watching the movie, I envisioned Quentin as the immature bachelor that never planned on settling down and had no real source of income (the original "The Best Man" portrayed him changing jobs every other week). I'm still quite unsure what his career was after watching this movie, but he clearly had a steady source of money and was able to help Harper out. 

Nia Long (Jordan) - Jordan a.k.a. Nia Long is SEXY!!! Whew lol. I loved her role in this movie as Jordan. She was what I call the triple S's: Strong, Successful, and Sexy. I can honestly say that I identified with her a little as far as how independent she was. When her white boo thing approached her and said "I don't feel like you need me," and she responded and said, "well I don't," I was too done. I applaud her for her honesty though. I can say I feel like that with a lot of people, but I know I shouldn't. When you've gone so long being independent - providing for yourself, taking care of yourself, jumping barriers by yourself - it's hard incorporating other people into the equation. But, even though I currently identify with Jordan a lot, I would love to grow and have a relationship like Mia and Lance in the future :) 

Melissa De Sousa (Shelby) - If Mia wasn't her LS, I'd swear that Shelby was an AKA
-__-  Lol, jk, but really Shelby was over the top!!! I was impressed with her though because she was able to grow in this movie by apologizing to Candace and being respectful of Julian's marriage. She even wanted to be a better mother to her daughter after this holiday gathering -- very moving.

The 4 of these guys had a strong bond that became even tighter after the tragedy of Mia passing. They looked out for one another, and held each other up when times were rough. Now that's a true friendship there...a true bond :)

And yes I know this review isn't well rounded, and may be a little biased in relation to my life, but I don't care because it's my blog :) 

Until next time, toodles!

Vonda

Life Update

After reading the last post I wrote in April, I have a few things to update you all on.

First things first, I have had 2 refereed conference publications!!!! Woo-hoo!!! The first one is titled "Applying Behavioral Strategies for Student Engagement Using a Robotic Educational Agent," and was published at the IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics. The actual conference was held Oct. 13-16th in Manchester, England! I was also 1 of 5 students selected as a finalist for the best student paper award :) I had to give an additional presentation of my work in a special session with all the finalists. Even though I didn't win, it was still an honor being selected and great practice for future presentations to come. While in Manchester, I was able to get away for a day and visit London and this city is gorgeous! I definitely have to go back to visit one day.

My second paper was titled "Engaging Children in Math Education Using a Socially Interactive Humanoid Robot," and was published at the IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots. This conference was held Oct. 15-17th in Atlanta, GA. Because the dates conflicted with the previous conference, my labmate was kind enough to attend and present my work in my absence. Along with my labmates, I have also contributed to a book chapter, and I am in the process of writing another conference paper, as well as a journal :) Let's just say, school is going great right now!

As far as exercising goes...I fell off the triathlon movement :/ BUT, I have still been working out. The triathlon has only been postponed, and I will pick that back up ASAP. In the meantime, I have a 5K race next weekend in Charlotte, NC. My friend and I will be doing the Color and Glow Race. I've been training for about a month now, so I think I'm ready for the challenge.

And last but not least....I am now an auntie!! My niece Maxine was born Sept. 25th at 4:03PM and was 5lbs 15oz 19in :) Since then, I have been home twice to spoil her!! I'm soooooooo happy for my sis and brother-in-law!!!! They are going to be really great parents, and I will be the favorite aunt :)

Well I'm going to keep this short and TRY to check in regularly. So until next time, TOODLES :-*

Hair Update - 21 Weeks

19 month Update (2 weeks ago)

Loc Curls w/Flexi Rods (today)

And this is the final product!!!!

Life Update

Good day everyone :) I will not speak on how long it's been since I last posted
-__- ...instead I will bring you all up to speed with my life (I'll attempt to keep this short).

Last semester, December 2012, I was able to walk across Georgia Tech's stage and receive my Master's in Electrical and Computer Engineering (non-thesis)!!! My sister and I actually graduated a week apart, and she received her Associate's in Business Administration. When I came home over the break we took graduation pictures together to pass out to our friends and family. I am currently in the process of conducting more research so that I can get this PhD in the near future. Here at GT, the politics are simple and can be summed up with the following equation:

n*P = phd, 

where n >= 3 and P = publication

Basically this says that I need at least 3 publications to get this PhD degree!!! With that said, I am currently going through the process of getting all the work that I have been slaving in the lab conducting published. I'm feeling good about my submissions thus far, but I will do my best in keeping you all posted with the outcome :) 

I've recently started my annual Spring health kick! I've decided that I want to complete a TRIATHLON for my 25th birthday (June 23rd)!!!! Running alone has become so monotonous for me, and it's such a struggle to workout because of this. My solution is to switch it up and challenge myself beyond belief with a race comprised of swimming, biking, and running. I say "challenge" because prior to March, the only reason why I would get in the pool is because it's relaxing to chill in the water...of course in the shallow end where I can stand up :) Swimming is definitely not a strength of mine, although, I've always wanted to learn because I hear that swimming is the ultimate full body workout.  "Swimming wasn't invented for my body type; I'm too short, and I have too much muscle weight" -- that's what I always told myself, and I never really learned because of that mindset. Yes I attempted and even took a beginner swimming class for adults, but that mindset kept holding me back. I've been going to the pool 2-3 times a week and I can definitely see the progress I've made in this past month (shoutout to all my friends who volunteered their services to assist me). I also have a 5K this weekend on campus (pi mile), so I'm pumped about running that. In a nutshell, I run, bike and swim at least twice a week (not at the same time). My tasks for now are to keep practicing in the pool to better my swimming, and overall build up my endurance for this triathlon. Oh and I have officially transformed my 2nd bedroom into a gym.

I also just started "food prep." This is actually a very popular thing that people partake in, and it saves time, saves money, and sheds pounds! Basically you set aside time Sunday evening/night to prep your food for the entire week. Prior to this, I had problems finding time to pack a lunch and/or cook dinner during the week. Because of this, I found myself spending so much money on food, oftentimes unhealthy, processed food. It's just so easy and convenient to pick up some food from a fast-food restaurant (yes subway is fast-food) and go back to the lab to do work. I was spending at least $25 a day during the school week for lunch and dinner, which is about $500 a month (and this does not include the groceries that I actually do buy for my place). Eating out is clearly not financially feasible nor healthy! But I digress -- yes, so set aside time to cook on Sunday, store meals separately in tupperware, and freeze all meals that are not for the next day. I usually take out meals from the freezer the morning before the day I eat them (Thursdays meals I will take out of the freezer Wednesday morning before I head out). This is my 1st week so I do not have any tips, but with time I will share what I learn. As you can see below for my first meals, I kept it pretty simple: grilled tilapia, grilled chicken, steamed shrimp, and steamed broccoli. If I had to sum this up in 3 words I would say delicious, convenient, and healthy!

In other news, my 1 year loc-versary was March 22nd!!! It has definitely been a long journey for us, but I'm happy with the results thus far. I actually spent this week in Chicago on top of the city with Jasmine!! Definitely good times, and it was a nice little vacation from all my schoolwork.

I need to get back to work, but I wish I talk to you more about the other activities that I have been participating in -- horseback riding, gun range shooting, pole dancing classes, etc. Oh, I found out that I'm going to be an auntie a few weeks ago!! Definitely exciting, and this will slow down my maternal clock for the time being lol. 

Well thats all for now, so until next time...TOODLES!! :) 

Vonda B. 

9 Month Loc Update

This is actually what my hair looked like after I got it done 2 days later...yes I know...my loctician is a miracle worker!

Summer '12 Update

Hello all!!!!

I apologize for neglecting you all :( It has been a long 1.5 months, and so much has changed since the last time we spoke. For starters, I moved into a bigger place for Blossom and me; it's a 2BR 2Bath condo located approx. 1 mile from school and a 1/2 mile from the MARTA (train) station. ***PERFECT LOCATION*** If anyone is interested in getting me any house warming gifts, I will be accepting a treadmill, a futon, and a kitchen table w/chairs please and thanks :D I also invested in a bike to travel to and from school, as well as other places nearby. Her name is Denise...hopefully Dennis (my Altima) doesn't get too jealous. I won't be getting any speeding tickets while riding her!!!

Let's see....what else....oh so my summer classes just ended (which I have been slaving over for the past 2 months), and miraculously I made it!! I passed both my classes with an A and a B. I definitely can't complain with a semester GPA of 3.5 at GT. Hard work does pay off! However, I only have one more week until the Fall semester begins, but I'm ready because I'll be graduating in December with my Master's in Electrical and Computer Engineering!! Whoop whoop!!

This past weekend I was in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon for a "LearnLab" workshop on new innovative learning technologies. Goooooood stuffff!!! I was able to present my research and receive a lot of feedback on things I should look into to better my system. I was also able to see what other researchers were doing in a variety of disciplines such as educational and cognitive psychology, computer science, learning sciences and policy, mathematics, and computer information systems. There was a wealth of information gained and shared from everyone here. Yay!! In my free time, I was able to venture out to U. Pitt.

Early July, I went home because my Aunt Smack passed after a long battle against brain cancer. Although it was good to see all of my family, it sucked that it was for a funeral :( I had the opportunity to speak at her wake and put a smile on everyone's face while sharing a memory that her and I kept. I only hope that I was able to put a smile on her face as well in heaven. You will be missed. RIP Aunt Smack.

Lastly, on June 23rd I turned 24 yrs old!! My sister, LS, and her sister were able to drive down from VA and make sure my BeeDay was nothing less than memorable. I had a cookout in Piedmont Park, and I was able to spend quality time with people who are dear to my heart <3 <3 <3 I will spare everyone the details ;-) 

Well that's all I have for now! Until next time...toodles!!

With love,

Vonda B.

3 Month Loc Update

(Excuse my cold, I was a little stopped up)