Thanks to changes in Temple’s Ph. D. program, I no longer have to take the qualifier or any additional coursework (since I’ve completed 8 courses with As). Therefore, I can theoretically complete the degree by the end of next year, though I will probably stick to the three-year plan I devised – I’m already on-track, so I’ll simply be on-track with far less work.

Now all I need is to hear back from Google and I can begin planning 2008. Yes, I try to always have a general plan one year in advance. 2007 was somewhat disappointing thus far, but I couldn’t have predicted that I’d be ripped so forcefully away from algorithms.