Things I Find Important

Beach and Dog Pics

2011-09-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

Summer is over, and the first two weeks of the new academic year are behind me. I didn't do much this summer, except for spend time with Greg and the dog on the beach. Looking at the pictorial evidence, I must say that it made for a fine summer.

From Dozer

From Summer 2011

Endings

2011-07-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

Warning: This might turn into a long rant.

Last week marked two major events for America's space program: the last Space Shuttle launch and the recommendation by a House subcommittee that the James Webb Space Telescope be canceled. First, the shuttle...

I never got to see a shuttle launch or landing. I'm sad that I've lost my chance.

However, let's face it, the shuttles are an old, depleted fleet. They need to be retired. If you're feeling sad about the space shuttle program ending, it should be because there is no program to take its place. There is no replacement. Sure, there is movement towards private launch vehicles, but there isn't anything NOW. We won't be seeing any more pics like this one from Astronaut Ron Garan, currently on the ISS:

We are now dependent upon Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get our astronauts to the ISS. (That whirring sound you hear is Kennedy spinning in his grave. Have we retroactively lost the Cold War?) This didn't need to happen. But funding for NASA is allotted by politicians who only see as far into the future as the next election cycle.

This brings me to the James Webb Space Telescope. This is an infrared observatory, often called the successor to Hubble, that is in line with what NASA used to call its "Great Observatories" (Hubble, Compton, Chandra, Spitzer - by the way, except for Compton, the others are still operating many years after launch). JWST is an ambitious mission, and yes, it is over-budget. But so was Hubble, and who would argue its value now? And do you know one of the reasons why JWST is over-budget? BECAUSE YOU CAN'T BUY THE COMPONENTS OFF THE SHELF!! This mission involved developing new technologies, not just building a telescope out of existing components. And that's what the best science experiments should do - push the boundaries of our capabilities, as well as our knowledge. Science requires a long-term investment, but now a group in the House is recommending the cancellation of JWST when it is already 75% complete. Yes, you read that right. As I wrote to my Representative, "Canceling this mission now is not a savings of money, but rather a great waste of money due to the completed equipment being idle on the ground."

But what else do you expect when knowledge is under attack in so many venues. Instead of funding education to the fullest, states all over the nation are making drastic cuts and undercutting their futures. Instead of trying to keep quality educators in the classrooms with fair compensation and benefits, the media devotes time to those bizarre few who retire with outrageous salaries. And how many stories have you read recently that college isn't for everyone, when the statistics show that college-educated folk were far less likely to have become unemployed during this recession? Is it any wonder that our desire for an instantaneous payoff now threatens our future, scientifically and economically? Look at this following graphic, representing NASA's astrophysics missions timeline:

This is not a prudent restructuring of our fiscal responsibilities. This is the end of dreaming.

Boy

2011-06-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

This week marked the publication of The Boy at the End of the World by my beloved companion of 21 years, Greg van Eekhout. Isn't the cover lovely?

Greg, along with Timothy Power and Cynthia Hand, will be discussing books at a signing tomorrow at Mysterious Galaxy.

Really, I couldn't be more thrilled that this book is out in the wild.

Just can't get enough

2011-06-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

Really, would it ever be possible to get bored of images of Saturn?

(From Cassini)

Yesterday

2011-06-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, our dear friend Colleen came to visit us. We hung out by the sea and provided puppy therapy for her. It was a lovely day!

From Summer 2011

Also, yesterday I saw a beautiful video of Cassini raw Saturn data set to the music of Nine Inch Nails. Favorite planet and favorite band!

Survived

2011-05-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

The academic year is over, and I am glad. The students were the usual mix of awesome and exasperating, but overall a good bunch. This was an exhausting year for other reasons; the budget crisis dominated most of our days. In fact, almost all summer classes were canceled. No equipment can be ordered. Not all adjunct faculty can be given their positions. We're told to anticipate more cuts in the fall. There haven't been any layoffs or furloughs, but faculty and staff who leave are not being replaced. Everyone - faculty, staff, student - is under more stress. The school year ended on a high note, a lovely commencement ceremony in Balboa Park. Most of my end-of-semester paperwork is done, with just a few days of office time still required of me this week. My muscles are starting to relax and it's easier to breathe, now that my summer (unpaid) vacation is beginning.

So now that the academic year is over, and some of the stress has been relieved, I hope to more regularly populate this space with the requisite beach and space and dog pics again. Hope you're all well!

From Dozer

Stress Relief

2011-04-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Between a very late spring break (not til next week!), overcrowded classes, and budget crises, it's been quite a stressful semester. I'm particularly grateful to come home and play with my two favorite guys.

From Dozer

Dose of Dozer

2011-03-19T20:25:00.001-07:00

So many serious things going on in the world. So much going on in the life of family and friends. So much going on at work. Time to appreciate the little things, like this little guy:

From Dozer

Distraction

2011-02-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

The semester is well underway, which would be distraction enough, but there's another distraction who has taken up residence in our home. His name is Dozer, which is short for Dozer the Malfeasant. But Dozer the Distraction would work well, too.

From Dozer

Funniest Thing Ever

2011-01-19T14:37:00.000-08:00

Alright, I should be working. Really. Perhaps if I could use this awesome xkcd joke in class next week, I'd be inspired to work harder?

Review of Books - 2010

2011-01-11T20:39:00.000-08:00

Alright, I'm a little late, but here's my review of books for 2010. I read 66 books, meeting my goal of reading an average of one book per week. Here are some of the standouts:

Kid vs. Squid - Greg van Eekhout - Yup, I'm biased here, but this was fun and gross and sweet and whimsical and all the things that middle-grade readers like. I also got the bonus audio version, a chapter per night read by the author himself!
Flash: Terminal Velocity and other Flash back issues - Mark Waid, writer - At Comic-Con this past summer, I was at a panel where Matt Fraction gushed at Mark Waid about how awesome the issues of Flash were that Waid wrote. Since Waid's Flash, Wally West, is the one I'm familiar with from the Justice League animated series, I picked them up and really enjoyed them for their simple, yet emotional storytelling. Now, if only Waid would write the only Green Lantern who matters, John Stewart.
The Conspiracy of Kings - Megan Whelan Turner - I reread the other Attolia books before reading this, and you'd be hard-pressed to find another series as strong as these. You'll find these in the Young Adult section, but any fan of fantasy would enjoy these books.
Cryoburn - Lois McMaster Bujold - Another Vorkosigan book, finally! No spoilers here, but this whole book seemed like a setup for the final chapter and epilogue, and I found them just devastating.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green and David Levithan - Two teens with the same name, their lives intersect. I don't know how to describe it other than to say that it explores the issues that all teens face in honest ways and I'll never hear Tiny Dancer by Elton John without thinking of this book. And this is the book that introduced me to David Levithan's writing and he was the discovery of the year for me.
Boy Meets Boy and Realm of Possibility - David Levithan - I read almost all of Levithan's singly-authored works this year, and these were the two standouts. Boy Meets Boy is more well-known, but Realm of Possibility is one of my favorite books of all-time. Yeah, these are young adult books, but one never forgets being a teen, right? Levithan's characters are almost brutally honest and emotionally raw and bracing. Love him. Love love love him. Picked up his latest, a book for adults called The Lover's Dictionary today.

Hope your readings were as enjoyable as mine. Here's to another great year of books!

Astro stuff

2011-01-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

I am not at the current meeting of the American Astronomical Society, but thanks to Twitter, I've been able to keep up with some of the more exciting news.

Hubble observations of Hanny's Voorwerp, first discovered using the citizen science project Galaxy Zoo:
The very awesome and somewhat disturbing discovery that, not only do thunderstorms produce gamma rays, they also produce anti-matter!
>
And, most importantly, the first discovery of a rocky planet outside of our solar system - only 1.4 earth masses!

Looking ahead

2011-01-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

I hope y'all have been having a lovely 2011 so far. The holidays have been leisurely and mellow here, which is how we like it. The rain has returned, so nesting at home has been encouraged.

So many people make resolutions at this time of year, but I prefer to call them "goals". Here are mine for this year:

Continue to read books at a minimum of a book per week. (I'll post my yearly book review in the next day or so.)
Allow myself some "me" time by doing my best to NOT work on Saturdays, with the exception of responding to student emails.
Focus on living healthier by cooking more at home, with the following specific cooking goals

Prepare interesting weekend breakfasts
Cook enough on the weekends to provide leftovers during the week
Learn how to make nasi kuning and rendang
Cook with fresh ginger
Develop more satisfying vegetarian meals

Exercising more, especially enjoying the lovely climate here in San Diego
Take more photos

Alright, when I started this blog entry I thought the list of goals would be shorter! I wish all of us a happy and healthy 2011!

40

2010-12-23T22:02:00.000-08:00

Turning 40 years old isn't so bad. My wonderful Greg took me to see TRON: Legacy in IMAX 3D. Then he took me to Mysterious Galaxy, where I pointed at books and he purchased them for me. I also received some Star Wars bakeware from family members and the Jedi bathrobe! Basically, I spent my 40th birthday enjoying geeky things and feeling loved by friends and family, and it was great! I know that 40 is a milestone year, and I'm looking forward to the decade ahead. Thanks for your well-wishes and your friendship!

Semester in Review

2010-12-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

Read that a former student died in freak accident.
Coped with student reactions to fellow college student being murdered by her estranged husband in the room next to my office.
Offered new astronomy lab course.
Sweltered while college A/C was out during the hottest week of the year.
Shivered while college heating system was out during coldest week of the year.
Facilitated design process for new science building.
Learned from students that Al Gore invented global warming to make money off of green technology.
Fielded waaaaaay too many questions about 2012.
Exploded many brains while teaching cosmology.
Informed that I will be recommended for tenure effective in the Fall.
Described as "absolutely adorable" on Rate My Professor

Colors and shadows

2010-12-06T21:22:00.000-08:00

Views from tonight's beach walk:

Earth and Space

2010-10-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

Lovely ISS view of the Southwestern United States:

And I can never get enough of the light and shadows of Saturn as seen by Cassini:

Still here, just tired

2010-09-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy September, but largely work-related stuff. Most of my students are bright and interested, so that's a plus. There have been many trips for katsudon and ramen, comics and hot chocolates in between all the grading and writing new lab exercises. Thunder and lightning freaked out my coastal dwellers in class today. Um, yeah. That's about it!

Survived!

2010-08-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

The first week of classes is over, and I survived despite the following:

Between 25-50% more students showing up to each class than were enrolled in the hopes of getting in. I'm allowing people in my classes up to the fire code limit on the capacity of each classroom.
A construction accident knocked out the air conditioning to the entire campus during San Diego's warmest week of the year so far. Combine that with the overflowing classrooms and it was quite uncomfortable. Many thanks to the students, who all remained in good humor.
A minor lab disaster in which the internet capability (or lack thereof) of the available laptops made me send the students away to complete the lab on their own. Sigh.
The State Legislature has yet to pass a budget. Look at these statewide numbers: The 58 day delay in the California budget has resulted in a blockage of all state payments to the community colleges including $116 million that was due in July and $277 million due in August. Deep budget cuts and more than $1 billion in funding deferrals have left the colleges vulnerable. The state’s September payment, scheduled to go out on September 28, is one of the largest payments of the year at nearly $450 million. If this payment is missed, it will bring the cumulative funding delay to $840 million, or roughly 15 percent of districts’ total annual funding. And yet the State keeps taking taxes out of my paycheck. At least I'm still getting a paycheck.
Spent the week hobbling around on a bum left foot, due to a mole removal that I had done two weeks ago. Pathology came back okay (remember to get your moles checked, people!). Greg drove me to and from school, to get me as close to my office as possible. He was really the key to my survival last week.

I did manage to stick to my goal of taking Saturdays off, except for answering student emails. I really can't handle working seven days per week any more. The new crop of students seems like a good one so far. One week down.... sixteen to go!

End of Summer

2010-08-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first day of the fall semester. I'm materially, but not emotionally, prepared. Summer is never long enough. Where did the time go?

Did enough classroom prep that this past week hasn't been too bad.
Went through the first half of a general chemistry text, to brush up.
Visited a few museums in Balboa Park.
Finally visited Julian and Oceanside.
Performed the July planetarium shows at the RH Fleet center in Balboa Park.
Quick trip to see the family in Sacramento.
Visits from Paolo, Carl, Bob and Laura and kidlings, and Kirsten and Aaron.
Saw four (FOUR!) movies - Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (awesome), Inception (solid), Predators (silly entertainment), and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (enjoyable, sorry it isn't more successful).
Glorious, glorious Comic-Con
Concerts - Rush and w00tstock.
Great staycation, with pics below.

Took the train to Carlsbad.

From Staycation August 2010

Visited the USS Midway with its spectacular view:

From Staycation August 2010

Took the ferry to have lunch on Coronado:

From Staycation August 2010

Got in some quality beach time:

From Staycation August 2010

Looks like the time mostly went to having fun! Hope y'all had a good summer, too!

Perspectives

2010-08-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

Crescent Enceladus above Saturn's cloudtops, from Cassini:

Earth and its moon, from MESSENGER:

Comic-Con in pictures

2010-07-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

I might do a full Comic-Con report, but until that mythical time allow me to share with you a brief summary of the glorious experience:

From Comic Con 2010

Pretties

2010-07-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Once again, I have been remiss in updating this page with pretty space images. Time to rectify that situation.

Last week's total solar eclipse, as viewed from Patagonia and presented on Astronomy Picture of the Day:

City lights and moonlight glinting off the Mediterranean as seen from the International Space Station:

Saturn in the quarter phase from the Cassini spacecraft:

A beautiful star-forming region from ESO's La Silla Observatory:

Have a great weekend!

Stream of consciousness

2010-07-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

For the second summer in a row, I had the opportunity to present the planetarium show at the RH Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. As always, the questions from the kiddies hearten me. I just wish we could find a surefire way to keep them asking such insightful and free questions as they get older.

The open letter from Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert to LeBron James is one of the most amazing pieces of writing I've ever seen. Is it the height of professionalism? No. But then again, neither is letting your team and fans know that you're dumping them on national television. It'll sure be easy to cheer against the Heat next year.

Speaking of heat, May Gray and June Gloom have turned into Misty July. Haven't seen the sun in awhile, not that I'm complaining!

The Comic-Con schedule is slowing coming out. Getting excited!

Now I'm at the point in the summer when I am officially freaking out that I haven't done enough work to prep for the fall semester. Vacation... bah!

I have been going through an introductory chemistry book as review, and I've found some interesting uses of terms that I want to discuss with the chemistry faculty. The term "nature" is used instead of "Earth, one atmospheric pressure, room temperature", so sometimes the authors say that something does NOT occur in nature but I know that we witness it in space. Also, "air" = "O₂", but air is mostly N₂ so I find this disturbing. And we wonder why our students have so many misconceptions!

Mellow

2010-06-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying a very mellow summer so far. Sure, I've done some work - planned out most of my fall semester courses, worked through about one-third of a general chemistry text as review - but mostly I've been reading and resting and enjoying the outdoors.

Went to Julian with Greg and lunched at an old soda fountain:

From Summer 2010

One of the few things I miss about Arizona is the dry blue desert sky, so Julian scratched that itch (and also the itch for apple cider donuts):

From Summer 2010

Carl visited this past week, which was fun. There was much geekiness - gaming, watching BSG, discussing physics education - and lots of beach walks and good food. Here's the scene from an after dinner beach walk in my neighborhood:

From Summer 2010

Nice view from La Jolla Cove:

From Summer 2010

Lunch at Super Cocina:

From Summer 2010

June gloom at Torrey Pines State Beach:

From Summer 2010

Picnicking with a view of San Diego Harbor:

From Summer 2010

Yup, a mellow and enjoyable summer so far!

Daring to discuss being female AND being good at math

2010-06-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

Many folks more eloquent than me have discussed John Tierney's recent article in the New York Times: "Daring to Discuss Women's Potential in Science". Boing Boing has the views of four female scientists here. Female Science Professor shares her thoughts here. Female Science Professor sums up Tierney's perspective this way:

There are flawed studies that show that females and males have similar quantitative skills and better studies that show that more males than females are extremely talented at math.

Or, as Dr. Isis says in the Boing Boing article:

Personally, I would find it much more interesting if he would start posting recipes for pies we could make with all the cherries he's picking..

Here's my take: you cannot apply the results of subject tests taken by people under the influence of a cultural bias to say that there IS no cultural bias and any difference noted in the results therefore must be INNATE. Period. The girls taking the tests have been influenced all their lives by the cultural portrayals of math as being a male-dominated pursuit and not as necessary or easy for girls. Has Tierney ever heard of the concept of "stereotype threat" or does he dismiss that out of hand? Or perhaps the recent widely publicized study that one indicator of math success rates is tied to the anxiety exhibited by female teachers? (Who, as education majors, come into my classroom already telling me that they are not "math people".)

As an educator, I see so many students coming into my classroom full of doubt about their abilities, and it is true that females seem to lack confidence more than males. However, what the females don't lack is innate ability.

Another week

2010-06-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with Greg

From Summer 2010

View from the beach where I attempted jogging

From Summer 2010

Geisel Library on the UCSD campus

From Summer 2010

Beautiful sight of Saturn's rings and two moons (Rhea and Janus)

And an impact on Jupiter! (via the Bad Astronomer and Anthony Wesley):

The past few weeks

2010-05-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

From Summer 2010

Various bits

2010-05-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

Go Suns!

We had a lovely time picnicking in Griffith Park in celebration of Aaron's birthday. I must remember to hike around there more.

The article "Among Dorms and Dining Halls, Hidden Hunger" in The Atlantic featured my college prominently. At the community college level, I think it is misunderstood how many hungry and even homeless students we serve.

According to the study cited in this article Depressed? You must like chocolate, I am the most depressed person in the history of humankind and should be committed soon.

Speaking of community colleges, a lot of people seem to enjoy the TV show "Community". Would I be able to watch it without wanting to harm the writers?

Greg's next book comes out on Tuesday - Kid vs. Squid! Very excited!

I'm also very excited that there are only two weeks left in the semester. I'm ready for summer! I get to put together curriculum for a new astronomy lab I'll be teaching in the fall. I'm also planning on doing a review of chemistry, because I feel rusty. And yes, I'm excited about this!

Happy 20th Anniversary, Hubble!

2010-04-22T20:14:00.001-07:00

The Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Here are the celebratory images:

More here.

I couldn't imagine the last twenty years without Hubble's views. We truly live in a different universe than we did before it launched in 1990.

Checking in

2010-04-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

Some of the goings-on in April around here so far:

A visit from Kirsten and Aaron, including a lovely Easter picnic by the bay - yay!
A big Easter earthquake that seemed to go on forever - boo!
A new book deal for Greg - yay!
A chipped tooth followed by a root canal (to be followed by a crown) - boo!
A stash of Cadbury Mini-Eggs that will last longer because of the aforementioned dental work - yay!
Several astro students still driving me nuts - boo!
Physics students so awesome I wish I could keep them for next year, too - yay! (boo?)
And many opportunities to take pretty pictures - yay!

From Spring 2010

Mourning inspiration

2010-03-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

Howard G. Voss passed away last night. He was a former president of the American Association of Physics Teachers and a recipient of the Melba Newell Phillips Award. He was my first mentor and left an indelible imprint on my teaching. He gave me a lot of advice that I hear in my head almost everyday. I will miss him terribly and the world is worse off without him here.

The first time I ever taught, I was petrified. Let's just say that those who know me best are probably stunned to think that I get up and talk in front of people everyday. At first, I had been assigned as a grader to a course, but was switched to being a teaching assistant at the last minute. I cried at the thought of having to go into a classroom and have all those eyes on me. Professor Voss was very supportive, though, and had a natural vibe to his teaching which rubbed off on me. A few of the things I learned from him teaching that course (physics for pre-meds, my second-favorite course after astronomy to teach til this day):

If I walk into your lab room fifteen minutes after class starts and you're still lecturing to the students, I will tell you to be quiet in front of your class. - Lab is about the students doing hands-on work, not for the instructor to guide students through the experiment.
Just ask yourself, would you want this kid to open up your guts? - It is difficult to dispense failing grades, but sometimes the failing grades are earned.

Other things I learned from Professor Voss as I was his TA for several semesters:

Night students deserve a chance. He taught physics in the evening for a few semesters, with me as his TA. We had good students and good enrollments, despite many thinking that there would not be a need to teach physics at night. My love for night-time classes remains to this day.
Conceptual questions are important parts of a physics exam. Some students are good at figuring out how the numbers all fit together, but that doesn't mean that they understand the basic physics concepts. Professor Voss would put conceptual questions on his exams that would make me nervous, because he had me make up the exam key before he'd confirm my answers. Those questions showed me a weakness in my own background and a weakness that a lot of students manage to graduate with today. But not if I can help it!

Professor Voss also wrote a letter of recommendation for me on my first job search and just was altogether so important to my career and maturation as a teacher. Thanks for letting me remember him here. My condolences to his family and his colleagues.

Spring Break

2010-03-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

As of 2 pm today, I am on Spring Break. And I really need the break, too. I decided to start it off right by heading a few miles north to La Jolla:

From Spring 2010

Snapshot of my childhood

2010-03-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

Soichi Noguchi has been tweeting images from the International Space Station. Today, he captured my childhood:

Click to see Northern California in all its glory.

Teachable Moment

2010-03-01T22:32:00.000-08:00

One of my astronomy students was in my office hours, taking a makeup exam today. I reserve the right to not give makeup exams, and this student admitted that he did not have a good excuse to miss the exam. However I decided to let him redeem himself. As he was taking the exam, one of my physics students came in to ask questions. The physics student explained that he'd arrived at the library at 7am to read the new chapter in advance of class today. He'd also started on the homework and had a few specific questions about them. We also cleared up a question that we had corresponded about via email over the weekend. The physics student thanked me, and then he left. About 15 minutes later, the astronomy student finished his exam and then told me he was sorry. He said that hearing what the physics student was doing made him realize that he could work harder. He was going to tell his friends (!) what he had heard, that there are people who actually work that hard. He just kept shaking his head, as if he'd been truly jolted.

I'm thinking this might be the best bit of peer instruction I've ever seen, and it was completely unintentional. I hope this astro student really will work harder, in all of his classes. Sometimes it is best to sit back and let the students teach each other, eh?

Twenty Years

2010-02-17T20:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the twentieth anniversary of my first date with Greg. Since Tuesday is my 8:30am - 10:00pm workday, we instead spent the whole weekend mellowly celebrating, watching Justice League and sharing a wonderful meal at Urban Solace. Neither of us feel old enough to have been together for twenty years, having our first date when we were undergrads. That bodes well for many more fun years together!

Dream

2010-02-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

I had a dream last night featuring the Cassini spacecraft. (I know, I know...) In my dream, Cassini was making a very close flyby of the moon Enceladus. In particular, the spacecraft was sending back closeup video footage of the stripes featured in this image:

The spacecraft was so close that we could see through those stripes as if they were clear panes of ice. And behind those icy windows, we could see glorious swimming creatures, similar to large glowing golden jellies. Everyone was so excited - life outside of Earth! So beautiful! So graceful! I got on the phone to tell my mother. I was trying to explain to her what it was that I had seen. I was tearfully saying, "We're not alone! We're not alone!", when reality started filtering into the dream. Cassini has not done any such flyby. Its next flyby is of Rhea. It doesn't send back streaming video footage... this was all a dream. The sadness of that realization has been with me all day.

Game Day

2010-02-07T11:51:00.001-08:00

Three hours til game time, and I'm not sure which team I'll root for. Let's examine the storylines:

The Saints have a great narrative - rising from the ashes of Katrina, a team that did not abandon its city like so many thought. The Saints also have Scott Fujita, who has been using his press-time this week to promote marriage equality. The Saints are the heartwarming feel-good movie with overly sappy music in the trailer. No way a person can feel bad about cheering on the Saints.

The Colts don't have a compelling narrative. When Dungy quit as their coach, the emotional aspect of the team was dampened... until the quake in Haiti, and Colts receiver Pierre Garcon playing brilliantly in the AFC title game to honor his country. The Colts also have Peyton Manning, who has elevated his game even higher this year. Really, if he's still in the game in the fourth quarter, the Colts have a chance, no matter how many points they may fall behind. And I admire that level of skill and competence. If the Colts are a movie, the trailer would have Terminator music with a Manning slowwalk.

Hmm... Still undecided. At least it should be a good game! On the other hand, the snacks were picked well in advance. ;) Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Where does the time go?

2010-01-31T17:23:00.000-08:00

Let's see, what has happened in the two weeks that I haven't posted a blog entry?

Greg's birthday - yay!
School started. Classes are overflowing. When a student was begging me to let him into one of my classes, real kneeling-on-the-floor-begging, other students chimed in and pleaded on his behalf till I gave him the add form. Sigh. Too nice.
After a year of feeling icky if I purchased anything from Amazon, I'm deleting my account. The fact that Amazon pulled both electronic AND print copies of Macmillan authors late Friday during electronic book negotiations means that, as a corporation, they do not deserve my money nor my respect. I encourage all of you to delete your Amazon accounts and support independent booksellers through Indiebound.
Comparing the girls vs. boys rooms in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog means PB will not get my money again, either. As an aside, I know it isn't feasible to boycott every corporation, but when they make themselves so obvious, it becomes more of an obligation.
We went to a concert of Bill Conti conducting his Hollywood hits that was just hilarious fun.
Without getting into specific comments by students, let's just say that my presence in the classroom has never seemed more necessary. It could be a very interesting semester.
We've also been watching Justice League cartoons and reading alot, being just generally cozy.

Hope all is well with you!

Stormy Seas

2010-01-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

Snapped this pic before the rain (actual rain!) started:

From Winter 2009-2010

Review of Books - 2009

2010-01-16T15:27:00.000-08:00

One of my goals for 2009 was to read one book per week. I came up slightly short and have decided to pursue it as a goal again this year. Here are some highlights of last year's reading:

Norse Code - Greg van Eekhout - Okay, I'm a little biased. As I've told Greg, I feel like a happy step-mother to this book ("I couldn't be more proud if I'd given birth to you myself"), so holding Norse Code in my hands was arguably the best moment of 2009. As someone who counts "Viking Civilization and Literature" as one of my favorite undergrad courses, I admire the skill with which the Norse mythology was interwoven with the entertaining story. A fun read!
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie - A young adult (YA) book to be appreciated by all ages, this is a beautifully written depiction of contemporary life on a northwestern reservation. If you haven't read it, you're missing out.
Unwind - Neal Shusterman - Also a YA book, this is an unflinching look at a near-future world where the pro-lifers have insured that all children must be born, but don't necessarily make it to adulthood. This book started me reading Shusterman's back catalog... I've enjoyed all that I've read so far.
In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan - "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I should listen to the man, as I enjoyed and agreed so much with this book.
Nation - Terry Pratchett - Look, I'm a bad geek sometimes. This is the only Pratchett novel I've read. Aimed at a YA audience, this book tells the coming of age stories of survivors of a tsunami and what it means to be bonded together as a nation. One of my favorite books of all time, I can't recommend it highly enough.
Drood - Dan Simmons - Wilkie Collins as a protagonist, about the last days of Charles Dickens' life... not the most obvious choice for a novel, but Simmons makes it work. It's bizarre, but in a good way, with the London of that day being grittily rendered.
A Few Seconds of Panic - Stefan Fatsis - A sportswriter takes on the task of becoming an NFL kicker and goes to Broncos' training camp. If you love football, this is a great inside look.
The True Meaning of Smekday - Adam Rex - Middle-grade, but reads at the upper end of that age range, this book is the story of a girl on a cross-country trip in alien-invaded America. Lots of humor and lots of insight on prejudice and what it means to be human.
When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead - A middle-grade book set in 1970s New York, this novel looks at relationships and individuality. And it's science fiction, really. As an adult reader, I felt like I saw where the story was going to go, but it was so compellingly written, I couldn't put it down.

You might notice a lot of middle-grade and YA books on that list. It isn't that I don't read books aimed at adults (I do!), but there is a lot to love in the childrens' section of the bookstore these days. Here's to more great reading in 2010!

Back

2010-01-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

Had a lovely cold trip to DC. Enjoyed seeing my astro peeps, wandering around the amazing museums and monuments, and using public transportation. Learned that limited internet access results in my reading multiple books in a week. Now back to 70 degree temps. Have already walked on the beach.

From DC January 2010

Started

2010-01-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

The new year started pleasantly: going out to breakfast, buying books at Mysterious Galaxy, hanging out with Brian, Amy, and their kidlets. Now Greg and I are heading to Washington DC, where I will be attending the AAS meeting. I'm looking forward to being in DC again, as I really enjoyed my first trip there. I'm also looking forward to some cold weather, as 70 degrees just ain't right for January!

I hope your 2010 has started out well!

Sunday

2009-12-27T21:32:00.000-08:00

I spent my day hanging out with Greg and David, who is visiting from Switzerland. (Thanks for the chocolate!) It was a lovely Sunday, and a big chunk of it entailed sipping warm beverages while enjoying this view. Hope y'all had a good day, too!

From Winter 2009-2010

Happy holidays!

2009-12-25T13:52:00.000-08:00

Hope you're having a lovely and peaceful day!

From Winter 2009-2010

39

2009-12-23T20:31:00.000-08:00

Today is my 39th birthday. Thanks to Greg and friends and family for making it a lovely day. There are a lot of new books for me to read and a cake to indulge in. Yay!

I must admit to feeling a little weird about turning 39. Last year of my 30s. A milestone year coming up. It seems intimidating. Maybe I should view it as a challenge to branch out a little, break up some of my routines and explore new activities. Here's to hoping the year ahead is a great one! Thanks to all of you for your continued friendship!

Reflection

2009-12-17T18:41:00.000-08:00

Exciting news - Cassini catches the reflection off a lake (of hydrocarbons) on Saturn's largest moon, Titan:

Not many words...

2009-12-13T18:18:00.000-08:00

... but about a million stars. Looking towards the center of our Milky Way, one of many lovely images from ESO's new VISTA telescope:

Why would they laugh?

2009-11-18T20:46:00.000-08:00

Last night, a student waited until all the other students left to ask me a question. He wanted to know what one had to do to become an astronaut. He said he waited til his classmates left because he was afraid they'd laugh at him. Is it just me, or does that make you sad, too?

Little ups

2009-11-06T21:38:00.001-08:00

I am a content person. I don't experience many lows, but neither do I experience many highs. My emotional state is mellow, almost all of the time. So I was caught off guard on Wednesday when I had an unusually giddy day. Why? Because I treated myself to a hot chocolate after getting out of bed early to run an errand, and my drink was served in this:

Yes, I was rendered completely happily silly by a Starbucks holiday cup. Plus it was foggy! And I was wearing a stripey sweater! I guess it's good that I'm so easily amused. Methinks I'll have to enjoy many red cups of happiness this season.

Another thing that makes me happy - getting the Sports Guy's autograph tonight. I'm looking forward to reading The Book of Basketball!

Taste of Youth

2009-11-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

I spent the past weekend visiting with family in Sacramento. I had a good time hanging out with the folks, but they TIRED me out! My voice is still rough from all the yelling to be heard over the familial cacophony. Still, even though I need a weekend to recover from my weekend, it was good to go home. I don't go home enough, as my mother is sure to tell you. ;)

One of the highlights of my trip home was indulging in my first Lou's jumbo cheeseburger in over two decades. The place has been there for about 50 years, and it was a favorite family treat. I grew up only a few blocks away. A few months ago, I was overcome by a huge craving for this burger of my youth, the one my mother would bring me to tempt me to eat while I was sick.

The place looked the same:

It smelled the same. It tasted the same.

It's been too long. I'll be back soon.

Mars Art

2009-10-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

I've been remiss in my posting of pretty pictures of space. Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the beauty created by dust devils swirling over the surface of Mars. I've been enchanted by this photo since I first saw it last week. Enjoy!

A few links

2009-10-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

This article by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker demonstrates why I feel guilty about loving football so much: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/19/091019fa_fact_gladwell

I saw this video mentioned on several sites this week and finally succumbed to the temptation to watch it. It's worth the first few goofy seconds, I promise.

Desert Behavior

2009-10-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

Greg and I ventured up to Indian Wells to watch a preseason NBA game between the Suns and Warriors. The Suns were the host team, and the crowd was definitely a Phoenix crowd. I've missed going to Suns' games since we moved away from Phoenix, so seeing our team again was definitely a treat. It was a festive atmosphere and a lovely way to spend an evening outdoors in the cool desert air. I was reminded of how frenetic people can get while diving for free t-shirts. Gee, 50ish man, enjoy your victory over the nine-year old much? But still, it was a great evening.

From Fall 2009

We also enjoyed the trip up to Indian Wells, going through parts of Southern California we hadn't seen before:

View Larger Map

Rocky, shrubby, a little piney, and mostly empty of people. Intriguing little roadside stands for us to investigate in the future. Several places advertising "Beer to Go". Fun hairpin turns! On the way back today, we stuck to the main roads and saw freakier things like conspiracy theory billboards. The whole Palm Springs area makes me want to floor the accelerator every time. Sixteen hours there to see the Suns was worth it, though!

Ugly Truth

2009-10-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

Paul Krugman discusses the danger to education during these rough economic times, with a paragraph devoted to California's community college system:

For example, the Chronicle of Higher Education recently reported on the plight of California’s community college students. For generations, talented students from less affluent families have used those colleges as a stepping stone to the state’s public universities. But in the face of the state’s budget crisis those universities have been forced to slam the door on this year’s potential transfer students. One result, almost surely, will be lifetime damage to many students’ prospects — and a large, gratuitous waste of human potential.

I'm grateful that someone is willing to state the ugly truth... that the cuts to education now will have lifelong ramifications to our students. Those of us in the classrooms are trying our best, but I had to turn away a few dozen students from my classes because I just couldn't add anymore. Those who claim the recession is coming to an end are ignoring how much of state budget allocations were backfilled by federal stimulus money. No furloughs or layoffs in my district yet, but we're expecting the worse for next year, which means worse will come for students who are already struggling to obtain the level of education they need to compete for a still-dwindling supply of jobs.

Brief catch-up

2009-09-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Busy with work, exhilarated by NIN concert, disconsolate over last NIN concert, sick with allergies, visited with Carl, missing Greg, winging well-wishes northwesterly, giddy with Greg, awed by Saturn:

from Cassini

Strange, but true

2009-09-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

I have had photographs published in magazines.

That is a true statement, although I bet most of you find it surprising. Me, too, quite frankly. On a few occasions, Greg needed to submit an author photo and chose ones that I took. So strange as it might sound, my photographic work has been published.

I guess all of us have strange, but true, aspects. That's one of mine. Yours?

Too close

2009-08-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Station Fire has come very close to the Mt. Wilson Observatory. Wish luck to the observatory, its people, and the firefighters defending it, please. It's going to be a rough night there.

View from the solar telescope, looking west at 8:00 pm PDT:

Back to school

2009-08-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

The first week of classes is over for me. The classrooms are bursting, and I hate turning away folks. The sad truth is that our budget doesn't allow us to take more students. They ask me, "Don't you want our money?" A perfectly valid question. Here's the answer: the student fees don't pay all of our bills. Despite the fact that the cost of the community colleges in California went up by 30% this semester, it means they're still only paying $26 per credit. It's the best deal in higher education. However, it doesn't generate enough revenue to pay for salaries and utilities and facilities and equipment and so on. That's where the State comes in, but they haven't been so good about paying recently. In addition, the State puts a cap on how many students they will fund. If we go over that cap, we actually LOSE money.

At the start of the week, in our three-college district, there were 11,000 people on waitlists.

In other years, I would allow more people into my classes, but we're in danger of not being able to afford to offer summer classes at this point, because the State LOWERED the cap this year while enrollments are growing. We have already cut about 10% of our course offerings. The good news is that enrollment is also UP about 10%... the courses we are offering are full. It's a good feeling to know that we are serving more students, but it's an awful feeling to know that we aren't serving ALL who want an education.

Most students have been handling the stress well, but there have been some incidents of frustration that required police involvement. Nothing in my department, though... hopefully that trend will hold through next week, as next Friday is the last day that students can add classes. But think about that, will you? People desperate for an education being turned away. Go celebrate that you got Cash for your Clunker... the rest of us are dealing with a very sad reality that will have repercussions extending far into the future.

Summer recap

2009-08-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

My summer unpaid-voluntary-leave-of-absence is coming to an end. (Saying "vacation" would make it sound like I got paid, doesn't it?) I can't believe classes start tomorrow. I spent this weekend in coffee houses prepping my courses, but I'm still not emotionally prepared for summer to be over. What did I do with my summer?:

Visited a handful of museums in Balboa Park.
Went on one trip, a very nice visit to old haunts in Arizona.
Read 15 books.
Spent a lot of time in meetings with architects designing a new science building for the college.
Steadily worked on curriculum for the upcoming academic year.
Wrote many letters to state legislators about the budget situation.
Visited a Congressional office to discuss NASA and NSF funding and relationship to education.
Became a tourist attraction for the evening that I performed the planetarium shows at the R.H. Fleet Center in Balboa Park.
Fan-girled all over Comic-Con.
Saw a musical.
Discovered new beaches.
Ate at many new restaurants.
Finally found chocolate cream pie.
Hosted Greg's folks for a weekend.
Participated in Laurie Halse Andersen's "Write For Fifteen Minutes A Day"-challenge.

I make this list because I always feel like I don't accomplish enough over the summer. Looking at this list, there are glaring absences, goals that just didn't get done. Hopefully, I won't wait til next summer!

Today

2009-08-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

After a nice summer, it's back to work for me. Classes start one week from today, and I am not prepared. The first of many meetings occurred today, none related to getting ready for next Monday. I was stressed and bemoaning the end of summer, but tonight we went to eat seafood and walk along the bay. We walked on the jetty and saw where the bay meets the sea, which makes me want to jump on a ship and sail the world. Living in my neighborhood isn't so bad, eh?

From Summer 2009

Yet more pretty

2009-08-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Our space program just keeps providing the pretty this week. Victoria Crater on Mars, from MRO/HiRISE:

Looking up

2009-08-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

A few astro notes:

The Perseid meteor shower is peaking tonight and tomorrow:

Also, Saturn is at its equinox, and the Cassini spacecraft is sending back some lovely images. Here's a raw image I just pulled:

And here's an image from a few days ago, seemingly showing an object plowing through the rings:

Enjoy!

Big Toy

2009-08-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today I did yet another thing I've never done before: I presented the planetarium show at the R. H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. I was honored to have the opportunity to geek out over the night sky with such appreciative audiences. I've done public talks before, but these were certainly the largest - the planetarium seats three hundred! The planetarium staff was wonderful to work with, and did I mention I got to play with a planetarium?!?! Toy!

I was impressed tonight, as always, with the quantity and quality of questions I received. Young and old alike, nary a bad question in the bunch. I'm reminded that I need to do more public outreach, because the public really does want to be reached.

A new thing

2009-07-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

I did something today that I'd never done before. Earlier this year, the American Astronomical Society called upon its members to volunteer to visit their local Congressional offices to advocate for space research. So today I met with a staffer, doing just that. I focused on the contributions that NASA makes to education, research, and inspiring people to pursue STEM careers. I don't know if I did any good, but I don't think I did any harm, and at least I did something!

Highlights

2009-07-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun at Comic-Con. I'm already looking forward to next year. Two Battlestar Galactica highlights:

Attending a Music of Battlestar Galactica concert. Absolutely amazing. I'm a huge fan of the music, and I'm so impressed at how well Bear McCreary has translated his scores for the smaller, very talented, ensemble. It was also fun to see members of the BSG cast, and Katee Sackhoff was adorable playing the piano for, well, you know.
Just as K and I were looking at James Callis, he gave us a "oh yeah, the chicks dig Gaius" look. He instantly switched into the character and sent us into giggles. So much so that we bolted, not believing we'd been reduced to such behavior. I still giggle when thinking about it.

Other highlights involved hanging out with friends, seeing Robots in Orbit shirts on everyone, sighting random celebrities, and meeting Eoin Colfer. My feet are happy it's over, but I wish the next one wasn't a year off.

One of my goals for 2009 was "to do something I've never done before". The upcoming several days will present two opportunities towards achieving that goal. Wish me luck!

Looking back at Apollo 11

2009-07-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

They aren't superheroes. They are intelligent, determined, disciplined, and immensely competent men who went to the Moon with a legion of brilliant and dedicated people behind them. That's worthy of being remembered today, 40 years later, and every day.

Apollo 11 crew with Chris Kraft:

Apollo 11 crew with President Obama:

(All images from www.nasa.gov)

Moonshot

2009-07-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

I wasn't even alive for the Apollo 11 Moon landing. In fact, I was not yet 2 years old when we last left the Moon. That's a long time ago. I've often thought that the people of Apollo (and Mercury and Gemini) deserved better from us. Where is our Moonbase? When is our Mars Expedition? Why are we still here? The legacy of Apollo is a great one, but what will our legacy be? As our new NASA administrator Charles Bolden pointed out, he used to go to schools and the students wanted to be astronauts. Now, he says, they want to go into business. Really? Instead of spaceships and exploration, our children dream of MBAs? Not if I have anything to do with it.

There are many commemorations of this 40th anniversary of the first Moon landing.

For the uber-geeky amongst you, I recommend the January 30, 1970 issue of Science, containing the first science articles from the mission.
NASA has released some newly restored videos from the Apollo 11 mission.
And then, there is http://wechoosethemoon.org, which is broadcasting the Apollo 11 mission "live" as it happened 40 years ago. Take a few moments to listen to it, will you? The back-and-forth between CapCom and the astronauts sounds like an epic poem. Even the static whispers promises of adventures and knowledge and grandeur just within our reach, if we try.

Fourth of July

2009-07-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

I had quite a lovely Fourth of July. It started off with a picnic by the bay with Greg - chicken, potato salad, chips, watermelon, pretty view, lovely weather. With all the people who have invaded our beach town, I'm glad that we can just walk to the beach. I think half of Arizona is here. Spent a quiet afternoon reading The Patriot Witch, which is appropriate material on this day. Tonight's dessert was red, white, and blue - strawberries and blueberries soaked in sugar and amaretto, poured over vanilla ice cream and cake, topped with whipped cream. After that, we decided to venture out into the neighborhood to watch fireworks. We passed by a house flying the Union Jack and remarked "Tories!" Fireworks started on the west side of the bay. Overheard comment: "I don't know how they can afford all the fireworks. They're just a small yacht club." That firework display ended as we reached the tip of the little peninsula that we live on. Next overheard comment, spoken as a challenge: "Alright, SeaWorld." Yup, we settled in to watch the fireworks from SeaWorld. A good show, I must admit. Watching the armada of boats going from the west bay to the east side of the bay to catch SeaWorld's show was almost as entertaining. All-in-all, a very nice Fourth of July in our neighborhood.

We live in an expensive area. In all seriousness, we pretty much live in a city park. Our rent is high, higher than we'd like. A day like today puts the rent in perspective, though. By the time we had our picnic, parking was scarce. A local gas station was offering spaces for $30 - yikes! We didn't have to drive to get to our destinations. We didn't have to spend $65 each to enjoy SeaWorld's fireworks. So the next time I pay rent, I'll try to grumble a little less.

New view of the Moon

2009-07-02T15:17:00.003-07:00

New images of the Moon from LROC were released today. If you go to this link and scroll all the way down, you can zoom in and see what 73 cm/pixel of the Moon looks like. Lovely. And some people think the Moon is boring.

Here's one of the press release images:

Back from the desert

2009-06-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

I greatly enjoyed my week in Arizona, hanging out with friends and eating at old favorites and hiking amongst the beautiful outdoors. Here's one of my favorite photos from a hike in Sedona:

From Southwest Trip - June 2009

See whole album here:

Southwest Trip - June 2009

It's like looking at a different world, the beauty is so grand and exotic. One of these days I'll have to get back there when it isn't summer, because I had to keep my hikes short! It's good to be home, but part of me already wants to be on the road (and in my hiking shoes) again.

Things I Miss

2009-06-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

Exceptional colleagues.
Good friends.
Red rock country.
Best Starbucks ever.
Amazing desert sunsets.

From Southwest Trip - June 2009

Dry heat

2009-06-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

Back in Arizona. Hitting some of the old haunts. Carlsbad Tavern is as good and tasty as ever. Our old Starbucks has remodeled with many more outlets. And the temp isn't even 100 degrees! With low humidity! Strange the things the desert makes one grateful for.

Productivity

2009-06-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

I've been bizarrely productive this week. Cleaning, organizing, work stuff, car maintenance, car wash, ... even baked cookies! Makes me feel good, actually. I know I'm on vacation and I need to relax, but if I'm not productive, I feel all icky about myself.

Tomorrow, we're heading in an easterly direction. I'm looking forward to the trip, but would the desert please arrange to cool off a bit? Please?

Cell phone manifesto

2009-06-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

There used to be a big problem with cell phones ringing during class. That doesn't happen very often any more. Two reasons: 1) experience evolving into etiquette, and 2) the students are ALWAYS using their phones, so there is NO CHANCE for them to go off.

What am I blathering about? Students are now constantly texting or web-surfing on their phones. Up til this point, I hadn't cared. You want to ignore part of the class? Fine, I know it'll show up in your grade. However, for the first time, the correlation between attendance and performance has waned in my astronomy courses. Even the students who know it's rude to use the cell phone during class feel no remorse about jumping in and out of the classroom to use it. So now it has turned into a distraction for more than just the user. Which is funny, as you'd think the cell phone ringing would be more annoying, but it isn't. I have a couple of specific examples from this last semester that have motivated me to come up with a long, clear cell phone policy for my syllabi. Here's a first draft:

CELL PHONE POLICY

All electronic devices must be turned to “silent” before class starts. Cell phones should not be in use during the class period at any time. Usage includes answering the phone, making calls, sending and receiving text messages, browsing the internet, listening to music, taking or looking at photographs or using the phone as a calculator. If such usage is noted by the instructor, the student will be asked to leave class for the day.

Any usage of a cell phone during an exam will mean that the student is finished with the exam, and the exam must be turned in to the instructor at that time.

If there is an extenuating circumstance (ex: on-call at work, family emergency) that means that the student must be in contact via voice/text messaging, the student must inform the instructor at the beginning of the class period. Any voice/text messaging in that case must be conducted outside of the classroom. The student will be as silent as possible in this situation out of respect to fellow classmates and the instructor.

Comments? Suggestions? HELP!?!?! Sadly, this is now the longest part of the syllabus!!!!

Sunday ramblings

2009-06-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely day in Southern California, the type that makes you want to go outside and enjoy the public spaces before the Governator closes them all. Greg and I journeyed up to San Clemente, a beach town behind the Orange Curtain about 45 min north of San Diego. We had yummy Mexican food, ventured onto the fishing pier, and walked along a beachside trail.

From Summer 2009

It's good to know that there are still fun places to explore, that we've barely scratched the surface of what living in San Diego has to offer.

On the drive, we saw a truck marked Observatorio Astronómico Nacional, Baja California. I bet it was headed to the American Astronomical Society meeting in Pasadena. It feels weird not to be there! I had contemplated going for a day this week, but the one-day registration fee was too rich for me! I probably won't be at the meeting in D.C. in January, but perhaps next summer in Miami I'll meet up with my astro peeps again.

That makes me how old?

2009-06-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Tetris has turned 25 years old, all the media outlets tell me. That, um, dates me a bit. I recall spending many an hour in UCLA's Ackerman Union playing Tetris side-by-side with my beloved Kirsten. (If only I had spent as much time in the Physics Library!) Tetris reminds me of Monday nights, World Class Chocolate, and friendship. I look at it and am immediately transported back to my undergrad days. I still see undergrads playing Tetris and its imposters today, except now they play the game on their tricorders, or whatever the heck they call their electronic appendages nowadays. Guess I'm dated in more ways than one! ;)

Action vs. Inaction

2009-06-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

Ah,summer break. I've been trying to develop an adequate balance of productivity and relaxation. So far, that's involved:

Reading Terry Pratchett's Nation, which is a wonderful, inspiring book.
Doing laundry.
Paying bills.
Whipping up a decadent macaroni and cheese.
Wandering around La Jolla.
Doing a survey of physics requirements at local four-year institutions.
Finishing up a story as part of my plan to write three stories this year.
Attempting to calculate the maximum vibrations for an astronomy observing platform on the new building. (Hints, anybody? Please?)
Sending pleas to my legislators about the proposed cuts to California state parks (closing 80%!) and blows to higher education. One proposal cuts the Cal Grant program completely. Another proposes raising community college fees 300%!
Finding ways to calm down about the previous bullet point.

My goal for tomorrow: to not sleep as late as I did today. It's all about balance, right?

Consistent

2009-05-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

I keep having dreams where I'm at the side of the stage during a Nine Inch Nails concert. The thought of this being the last tour and having seen them for the last time must have traumatized me worse than I thought!

I need a piece of chocolate cream pie. It's a very specific craving that has continued unabated for days. Hmm... must find chocolate cream pie.

And despite this being the first week of my summer vacation, I spent the entire day working. Am I nothing if not consistent?

Happy Weekend!

Eventful

2009-05-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

This was quite a week! I attended two Nine Inch Nails concerts - one with Greg and the other up in Irvine with Aaron. There is reason to believe that this is the last tour, and thus these were my last NIN concerts. That thought makes me as sad as I was when Calvin and Hobbes ended.

From Spring2009

Last night was graduation, which made me weepy as always. Youngest graduate = 18. Oldest graduate = 68. Several countries were represented, and so were many without homes. I know at least one student who graduated never went to high school, and yet he now has a college degree. Community colleges really serve as a great opportunity for people who might otherwise fall through the cracks, and I'm proud to be a part of such an institution.

And then, of course, it was the Week of the Book. We caught glimpses of the book in the wild:

From NorseCode

And today there was a book-signing at Mysterious Galaxy:

From NorseCode

Then we finished off the day with celebratory ice cream! Whew! Hope you've all had as good a week!

Happy Book Day!

2009-05-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

Greg's first novel, Norse Code, hits the stores today. So exciting!

Saturday

2009-05-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

I really can't complain about yesterday. First of all, Greg cooked breakfast for us. Then we packed up and headed south (or just north of the border) to feast on mariscos and wander around a huge outlet mall in search of shoes. Seriously, San Ysidro is just north of the border. We were looking straight into Tijuana, seeing the Mexican flag and the border fence. I found the following juxtaposition disturbing:

From Spring2009

After shopping, we headed to Chula Vista to see Nine Inch Nails, on what is stated to be their last tour (for awhile, at least). Here's our view of the stage from our seats before the concert started:

From Spring2009

I take my NIN seriously. They played "Metal" and "I'm Afraid of Americans" - awesome. I was really sad when the concert ended, though. (Warning to Aaron: I might be an emotional mess at the concert in Irvine on Wednesday!)

An eventful, enjoyable Saturday, for sure. I hope y'all are having a great weekend!

Fun Stuff

2009-05-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

Wow, this past week went by so fast. I've been busy, with just one week left to go in the semester. Yay! I've also been managing to have a lot of fun. We went to see Star Trek again, IMAX this time, and still enjoyed it greatly. Then last night, we met up with Colleenky and others to see Jonathan Coulton with Paul and Storm. I'd only heard one JoCo song before and knew absolutely nothing about Paul and Storm, but really enjoyed the whole show. Quite different from the next concert I'll be attending. (Tomorrow.... eee!!!)

Greg's first novel, Norse Code, comes out on Tuesday. I am so excited! You should go read the first three chapters for free:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

And he also has a lovely short story recently posted for free, too: Last Son of Tomorrow

Enjoy!

Weekend

2009-05-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Busy weekend:

lunch at The Bowery in Hollywood with friends
Star Trek at the Arclight , which is simply the best movie theater I've ever been to.
Loved loved loved Star Trek. Thanks to JJ Abrams and his team for not disrespecting The Original Series. We'll be seeing the movie again this week, and I can't remember the last time we wanted to see a movie for a second time in the theater.
Caught up with a group to help Aaron celebrate his birthday.
Woke up with a sore throat from talking to Riz across the table in such a loud environment. Enjoyed it, though!
Greatly approved of Greg's post about Mothers in Fantasy and how Amidala should have been so much better than she was.
Did the Mother's Day thing today.

And now to start the last two weeks of the semester! Woo! Hope y'all had a good weekend!

It's a book!!!!!!

2009-04-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

I interrupt my usual academic blathering to squeak over the fact that I have held in my hands a copy of Greg's first novel, Norse Code (publication date 5/19/09). Pictures available here. Eee!!!!

Not too good by half

2009-04-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Greg and I were in a used bookstore last week and overheard the following conversation:

Customer: How much is this book?

Proprietor: All books are half priced.

Customer: So how much is this book?

Proprietor: All books are half of the original price.

Customer (looking at the book): The original price on this book is $9.99. How much would this book be?

Proprietor: Well, the price of the book would be half of $10.

Customer: So how much would that be?

Proprietor (more than a little curtly): You take $10 and divide by two, so $5.

Customer: Oh.

I wonder how often the proprietor has that conversation. I do appreciate he tried to make it a teaching moment, with the whole "divide by two" instruction. That reminds me of a conversation a colleague had with a student this week, which went something like:

Student: How big is Mars?

Professor: It's about half the diameter of the Earth.

Student: What do you mean?

Professor: Mars is about half of the diameter of the Earth.

Student: I don't understand you.

Professor: You take the Earth's diameter and you multiply it by 0.5.

Student: Why didn't you just say so?

Glad that the students talk to me, too

2009-04-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Counselor,

I know things are rough financially on our students right now. I appreciate that you take their finances into account when helping them schedule their classes. However, would you please refrain from telling students to not consider entire MAJORS because it would cost extra time and money? Telling a student that he/she should not be a science major because they'd have to spend an extra year catching up on math and it would cost them some extra money (and at a California community college, we're talking an extra $60 in fees for the math classes in question) is fiscally irresponsible for that student in the long run. It's like punishing the student for going to a crappy high school or having bad counselors in their past. I do sympathize with your intent and acknowledgment of the poor economy, but dampening the goals of the students with deficient backgrounds who want to go into high-tech/high-wage-potential majors does a disservice for all of us in the future.

Thank you for your time,

Science Professor (who is seeing dwindling numbers of science majors)

Adamant

2009-04-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

Greg gets all ranty every time he sees a commercial for the new Wolverine movie. I'm thinking that sitting on the couch watching the commercials with him is likely way more entertaining than the movie will be. ;)

View from here

2009-04-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

It was a pretty day:

From Spring2009

Went to the beach...

2009-04-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

... and so did everyone else:

At first, I was irritated by the sheer number of people. However, since I can walk to the beach from my apartment in a mere twenty minutes, I decided to allow them to share my beach for today.

Counting down...

2009-03-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

... one week to Spring Break! And I need it. My computer at work is not functioning, the pile of grading is growing ever larger, and the students have that look of "please, let me go to the beach." Mmm... beach...

Extra extra!

2009-03-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

Even if the word "extra" is part of the title, it does not mean the assignment is "extra credit."

Really...

2009-03-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

...this stuff exists out there.

Sand dunes on Mars:

Saturn at its edge:

Motivation

2009-03-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

I saw part of an interview with Pat Summitt where she mentioned that the current generation of student athletes seem to be less motivated than her previous players. And her players should be among the most motivated of any college student athlete anywhere. This ties in with a recent discussion amongst the faculty that most of the students who are performing below average are doing so because they simply aren't doing the work. Lab reports? Apparently optional. Regularly turning in homework, if at all? Just busywork. Turning in a paper worth ten percent of the grade? Nah.

Speaking of student athletes, my school's basketball team made it to the State Quarterfinals, their best season ever. Nine out of the thirteen players on the roster have taken astronomy with me.

I do not assign any work that isn't useful. Do I assign a lot of physics homework? Yeah, and if the students do it, they tend to do very well on exams. Do I make my astronomy and physics students write short papers? Yes, I do, because synthesizing and articulating scientific ideas are crucial instructional objectives. I even tell them why I give them the different assignments. I make each assignment worth a decent chunk of their grade in the course, so it is worth their time to do the assignments. Motivation has always come from within for me. I'm most competitive with myself. So I find myself wondering how to motivate students to do work they just don't want to do?

Teaching moments

2009-03-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I had to deal with something that had yet to confront me as a teacher - one of my students committed suicide. I was informed by the college administration, and the campus mental health director offered to come speak to my class. It is a lecture class, but I have my students do group work, so several of the students who had worked with this student were quite upset. It was a rough time, but I'm glad the counselor came and talked to the class. At least one student from that class has gone to seek mental health counseling since, so some good came from it.

I'd also like to say that I would never have suspected this student to have been in trouble from his demeanor in class. You know how after every Virginia Tech-type tragedy there is the outcry to somehow identify troubled students? If I had been asked to provide a watch list, he would never have been on it. He was outgoing, participated everyday, had made friends... the class was stunned to find out what had happened. His family and friends have my sympathies.

On a lighter note, I used Saturn's annoying tendency to gain more moons as a way to talk about how technology enables more discoveries, how the moon is small because otherwise we'd have seen it before, and how silly it is to memorize facts (how many moons Saturn has) as opposed to understanding processes (most moons are small, captured objects, etc...). Having such an example of a fact that changed since the last class seemed to have an impact.

Saturn 61, Dr. Lisa 0

2009-03-03T14:58:00.000-08:00

Before class, Saturn only had 60 moons. Get back to my computer, and now Saturn has 61 moons. Yes, this was directly relevant to the material covered today. No, I don't make my students memorize these sorts of numbers as the universe would simply mock them anyways!

A simple request

2009-03-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

Please, let this week be better than last week.

Assessment

2009-02-19T20:32:00.000-08:00

This article about student expectations in the NYT combined with my observations of students taking tests today spur me to mention the following:

Students now expect tests to be open-book/open-note. They seem to think that's the default mode, so that on the day of the test they are surprised that they can't use their notes. When did the default mode change? Should I start calling my tests "closed notes" to prevent this?
I always tell my students how many questions and what type of questions (multiple choice, problems, essay, etc...) will be on each test. I announce it the week before the test, immediately before handing out the test, and keep the format the same throughout the semester. That withstanding, students still fail to complete the last questions if they are printed on the back side of the last page. I find this odd. Not only have they not completed the stated number of questions, but why NOT flip the page when all of the other pages have been double-sided? Shouldn't they look on the back just to make sure? I now try to remember to announce that questions are printed on the back (when they are), but I forgot in one of my sections today and had to send about 30% of the students back to their desks to finish the test.
Because of the aforementioned difficulties on the last pages of tests, I have the students turn in the tests face-down. In a couple of cases, when I pointed out that the page was blank, the students told me that they didn't answer the questions because they missed the appropriate days of class. In fact one student, in an almost accusatory tone, responded, "You know I wasn't in class that day." And that excuses the students from learning the material how? I even post my course notes on the website!

Sometimes I feel like I work harder on these tests than they do!

Just thinkin'

2009-02-17T22:52:00.000-08:00

Two days a week, as I leave the room in which I teach astronomy, a group of students start trickling in for the next class. It's a math course, but when I asked the students what course it was, the various responses included "Math for Dummies", "Special Ed Math", and "At least it's better than being in Iraq." The students range in age from fresh out of high school to a woman who must at least be in her sixties. From the level of activity before their class starts, it is like taking a step back into high school, into one of the rowdy classrooms full of students who can't settle down after a sugar- and gossip-filled lunch break. Turns out the class has the following description:

Fundamentals of Mathematics serves as an introduction to fundamental concepts of arithmetic. This course covers the arithmetic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and exponentiation on whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percents; ratios and proportions, an introduction to the different systems of measurement, and applications of these topics. This course is intended for preparation for Prealgebra.

No college credit is given for this course. Nor for the course that is next in the sequence. These students are enrolled in the most remedial math course that is offered at the school. I can't stop thinking about how I would approach teaching this course. I can tell that they don't want to be there... either they hate math or can't do math or hate that they can't do math. I can see embarrassment on some faces. But all of them have some goal that brings them there, some certificate or degree program. Wouldn't it be more embarrassing to allow oneself to be impeded? Isn't it empowering to address one's deficiencies? Shouldn't the students be proud of themselves? How can a more positive attitude be instilled in the students ? It's giving me plenty to think about.

Nineteen years

2009-02-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

Today marks the nineteenth anniversary of my first date with Greg. That means I've been with him for half of my life. Whoa! I'm grateful for the years of fun, friendship, and cuddling and am looking forward to more.