A wake-up call for quals

I still feel a bit "off" in my schedule, mostly like I quite haven't gotten back into the swing of things yet. I've taken it kind of easy since I got back to FL, finishing up errands and making some edits to my proposal before sending it off to my adviser, going out to eat Mexican food with my lab mates...It's been a nice break and with going back home as well, and now my goal is on Sunday and the rest of this week to get back into reading some literature.

I had a good meeting with one of my committee members today, but it reminded me of how big of a deal this qualifying exam will be and how much I still need to prepare for it! Some areas won't be too bad but the things that I've just started learning about (like fin anatomy and development) will require me to do a lot more background reading before the end of next month. Everyone is confident that I'll do well but it will be quite the journey of preparation until I finish the darn thing...

For now I'm going to enjoy my last weekend of non-studying/reading freedom: US Open finals this weekend, a lazy Saturday morning at my apartment sipping coffee, and going to the UAB football match tomorrow night. So I'm thinking about quals in the back of my mind but am going to let myself relax and enjoy this weekend to the fullest!