Sad Questions (long)

This week was sad, busy, and stressful. For the first few days of the week, the students were subdued. I don't know that any single action could have prevented the tragedy at Virginia Tech. I do know that letting the students bear arms in the classroom is not a solution. My arguments?

• I have students show up to class drunk.
• I have students who use calculators to multiply by 1.

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One of the biggest problems facing higher education today is dealing with students with mental health issues. Do we expect instructors, who are untrained in this matter, to pinpoint problems? Differentiate between the blues and clinical depression? I have no answers, but anecdotes:

• I wrote an essay in high school that my English instructor praised highly, but also let me know that I should feel free to talk to her about anything and everything. It was a much appreciated offer, but I didn't take her up on it. I am eternally grateful she did not contact my parents, nor do I think the content warranted such attention. Nowadays? At least parental contact, I'm sure, and that would have made matters much worse for me. The catharsis of writing was what I needed.
• Two very important men in my life, Greg and Aaron, would have been detained. Kirsten and I would have been single. Splatterpunk, anyone?
• I had a student once who, quite frankly, gave me the creeps upon our first meeting. My gut told me he had issues, but my Ph.D. in physics doesn't make me qualified to make such diagnoses. I had to treat him just like any other student. I started to notice strange behavior in class on his part, particularly towards young women. Then he even appeared to follow a girl when she finished her lab. I made eye contact with another student, who said to me, "Did you see what I just did?" I went into the hallway and called him back in. For a few classes after, I would distract him with discussion while the last girls left the classroom, because his, um, interest in them was overt. I went to the chair of my department, who is amazing, and he said that he'd have a word with this student with security present. The student didn't show up that day, though, and never showed up to my class again. The chair still contacted his family, who said that the young man had been hospitalized and had problems that were controllable with medication. The next year, he showed up in somebody else's astronomy class at our satellite campus. He made one girl so uncomfortable that she told the instructor, who contacted me. Once again, the chair and I started the mandated steps - first warning, then removal if behavior continues. However, this did not go smoothly. The dean who showed up to monitor this class and make the warning told the instructor after class, "You just don't understand this student's culture." Um, does his cultural background explain why he followed the instructor out to his car yelling threats immediately following the warning? We eventually succeeded in having him removed, but not fast enough. He actually touched the leg of that female student in class, and she withdrew before we finished all of the steps to get him removed. I still have regrets that the system didn't work fast enough, and my chair and I fought to at least have the young woman's registration fees refunded for that class.
• Many students have voluntarily revealed to me that they are on medications - depression, social anxiety, bipolar disorder. I would hazard a guess that as many as 50% of my students in some semesters have been under mental health treatment. Is it my duty to ask them if they are taking their meds? Is it the college's responsibility to monitor this? Force them to take the meds?

So many questions, so few answers...so much sadness.

---

Jamie Bishop was dear to friends of mine. The Jamie Bishop and Jocelyne Couture-Nowak Scholarships will be awarded annually to German and French majors at Virginia Tech. Donations may be made payable to the Virginia Tech Foundation for the Jamie Bishop Scholarship (for German Majors) or the Jocelyne Couture-Nowak Scholarship (for French majors):

Virginia Tech Foundation
University Development
902 Prices Fork Road
Blacksburg, VA 24061

Working things out

Today would have been my father's seventy-fourth birthday. He died in August 1999. It seemed to be a quick death from our perspective, but for the amount of pain he was in, it was agonizingly slow. I regret that I cut short our last conversation - he was in quite a bit of pain, so I told him I'd catch him the following week, but there was no following week.

A colleague has been diagnosed with Pick's Disease. He's only in his fifties. Many of us have been quite affected by this news, putting together all the little symptoms we just didn't recognize, much the same way he suddenly doesn't recognize us. I wonder if he understands that many of us appreciated him?

I have two dear friends making big life decisions, and they both asked me for advice, which I did my best to give them. I think I gave good advice. However, in doing so, I realize how I don't follow that advice. Things that seem so clear in hindsight or from the outside are so blurry in the moment. I guess I'm just dwelling on all of this because there are changes ahead, and I'm faced with uncertainty and situations out of my control. I'm feeling on edge and I'm hoping the choices I've made are the right ones. I can certainly think of things I should have done and things I should have said, but never did.

Sometimes it just feels better to write things down.

It rained tonight, unexpectedly. What a gift.

And there's always Saturn, from Cassini

Good thing I was drinking cocoa...

...while grading a paper from a student. First of all, he referred to "astronomy" as "astrology". Secondly, his summary of a newspaper article derided the idea of being able to infer a previous collision between Kuiper Belt objects as being "too great for a reasonable person to believe" and that humans in the current era couldn't possibly have the ability to make such a statement. In fact, he extols his own skepticism and that he doesn't believe everything he reads. It distresses me, because putting this opinion together with his body language in lecture, I think he's been approaching the whole course this way. Don't get me wrong: I encourage my students to call me out when they think the ideas are too wacky to be possible. It's especially crucial in astronomy. I'm always careful to point out where the error bars are large or what assumptions underlie an idea. The goal of this course is to get enough of a fundamental basis so that you can be a "reasonable" person. To read this with only one month left in the course leaves me feeling a little pointless. Sigh.

It's all clear now

This explains that 98/60 at my last doctor's visit.

Cocoa calms blood pressure.

Hack, Wheeze

Well, the sore throat and the earache are gone, but the plague of snot continues. I can't even taste my cocoa! I did not finish anything approaching the amount of work I should have done this weekend. It's going to be a busy week, but then again, I am at the "one month to go" mark of the semester, so busy is the norm til the end.

But for all that, the weekend was pleasant and mellow. Who can complain about a weekend that involved eating donuts at the park at night? Hope y'all had a good weekend.

Year Zero

Nine Inch Nails has posted their new album Year Zero in its entirety in a streaming format on the website. Very different from previous work, political commentary wrapped in a story arc throughout the album. Noisy in the beginning, beautiful in the end. (Would somebody please convince Trent to do a piano tour? Please?) And if you haven't explored the associated ARG yet, here are a few sites to look at:

http://anotherversionofthetruth.com

http://www.hollywoodinmemoriam.org/

End of Public Service Announcment.

One of those days

Today I'm very tired. I think I got through last week on sheer adrenaline, but my supply gave out last night. I was already feeling poorly when I graded exams that made me feel even worse. I mean, I'm not having an awful day, but a tired and cranky day? Oh, definitely. So I will attempt to dwell on beauty and otters and It's-Its and weekending.

Simple Life

One of my goal's for yesterday was accomplished - I had an It's It. You know how most things from your youth aren't as good when you're an adult? These are still as good as I remember. Mmm...

Goal for today: see an otter.

So pretty

Saturn makes my job easy - Rhea and Saturn, from Cassini

Moments

Monday was the first day back from Spring Break. My first class had just started when one of the students walked in. Before Spring Break, and for at least the year I've known him, he had a long blond ponytail. But this day, his hair was much shorter, and it looked great. The class watched his progress as he walked to his usual seat in the front of the class. One girl's jaw dropped. (And if you're reading this, no, I will not tell you who it was.) From my point of view, it looked like one of those slo-mo scenes out of a high school movie. Just awesome.

On Tuesday I handed back the physics exam I was fretting about last week. It had the lowest average of any exam I've ever given, but also had a lot of high scores. An inverse Bell curve. I was still debating what to say to the class when one of my students came to my office asking if he could make an announcement about a new honors society. I handed his exam to him, telling him that he had the only perfect paper. "Really?" he asked. "Yeah." "But this exam was so easy. Maybe I shouldn't announce the honors society to this class." Between his comments and a helpful talk I'd had with Greg, I felt so relieved. Then I went into the classroom and told them they had three more exams to get their acts together.

On Wednesday, a former student (in fact, the one I ran into at a NIN mosh pit) dropped by my office. We had a nice long chat. He's at one of the state universities now and he's a physics & astronomy major! Yay!

Thursday was a 15-hour day. Started at 8:30 am, ended around 11:30 pm. I had to substitute for one of my AST TAs, so I spent the evening at the university. I must say, I enjoyed eating dinner in the student union, watching the NCAA tournament with all the other folks on campus. And I had a chance to talk to my Padawan about his grad school decision - Brown or UCLA. I think UCLA is the better choice, but this Bruin might be a little biased.

My week ended with an email from a former student, because the following reminded him of me. It does suspiciously sound like one of my lectures. :)

I can't draw

I just had to give in to the meme floating around. First of all, I can't draw by hand, and on the computer, it's just that much worse. But I was curious to see what it would say if I did the drawing I remember always doing as a kid. Here goes:



What does your drawing say about YOU?

Your friends and associates should generally find you a dependable and trustworthy person.
You are a thoughtful and cautious person. You like to think about your method, seeking to pursue your goal in the most effective way.
You like following the rules and being objective. You are precise and meticulous, and like to evaluate decisions before making them.
You have a sunny, cheerful disposition.

One Question, One Meme

After grading physics exams, a question came to me: do I kill them or myself? Sigh.

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A meme, from EssentialSaltes - Spell Your User Name in Songs. I choose Nine Inch Nails songs, of course:

Dead Souls
Underneath It All
Sin
Terrible Lie
Closer
Help Me, I am in Hell
I Do Not Want This
Complication
Kinda I Want To

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Despite the tone of the above, I've had mexican food, cocoa and chocolate cake today, so I'm quite chipper.

King and Queen

I've seen two movies this week - two! There are some years when I don't see that many. (I know. I suck. I am out of touch with mainstream culture.) I enjoyed both movies, but in very different ways.

The first movie I saw was 300. The good: the movie looked absolutely gorgeous. I was also impressed with the pacing, considering the movie was all action. The not-so-good: the depiction of the Persians...um...there could have been much better judgment employed there. Also not a very good representation of women in Spartan culture. Am I the only one who wanted to scream "Just say Thermopylae!"? And am I the only person who thinks chocolate instead of king when hearing the name Leonidas?

The second movie I saw was The Queen. Better late than never, that's what I say. This was a great movie, with amazing performances not only by Helen Mirren, but also by Michael Sheen, who played Tony Blair. I am not much interested in celebrity and seldom have sympathy for celebrities, who know the life they choose. But to be born into a life of scrutiny, all duty and no time for self? It is not a life I would choose for myself. I found this movie to be an insightful love-letter to the Queen, while also showing the royal family at its weakest.

Hmm...maybe I should try to make it three movies this week. Hmm...

Today

Work:

• Went to the gym.
• Graded at the coffee house.
• Did laundry.

Play:

• Went to the Phoenix Art Museum to see the Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art and the After Dark: 100 Years of the Evening Dress exhibits. I also love the Philip C. Curtis permanent collection. Such whimsical work.
• Went to Pane Bianco for lunch. Limited menu, but it really doesn't get any better than this: Italian imports plus local produce plus housemade mozzarella...mmm...
• Sat on the couch and watched the Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks in double-overtime with Steve Nash making his claim for a third MVP award. Shazam!

Good day!

Fare

We had a good weekend in Los Angeles. We spent some time down at the beach with the folks. We attended a friend's 40th birthday bash. We managed to grab some time with Kirsten and Aaron and ran into a bunch of friends experiencing the Pinkberry phenomenon. (Hi, Riz!)

I also indulged in a lot of pub food this weekend.

• Friday - Irish pub - potato chowder
• Saturday - British pub - Cornish pasty and chips
• Sunday - German Tavern - sausage and spaetzle

Tasty fare, all, but if I hadn't eaten chorizo and eggs on Sunday morning, I'd be insane. I mean, really, how many days can I go without spicy food and tortillas? None of you want me to find out.

Now I'm back home, where there is plenty of work to be done over the rest of Spring Break, but I'm aiming for plenty of play, too.

Spring Break!

I was taking a poll of the other faculty to see how many of my 45 students would show up to my Friday 1pm AST class on the Friday before Spring Break. The popular consensus was 15 students. I had guessed 22. The result: 28 students showed up! Love my students!

Now I'm in a coffee house in Santa Monica, about to read a friend's script...hoping to hang out with friends later...enjoying the first day of Spring Break! Woo!

Good Test

I'm giving a physics exam to the pre-meds at the university right now. I allow students to listen to headphones, if they let me hear what they are listening to. I cannot tell you how much Christian crap I've had to listen to as a result. One person has walked out, writing only that their time could be better spent elsewhere. If I took a picture of the class right now, you'd see one chick totally ready to burst into tears. Do I write a good exam or what?

Lemons, Lemonade

Today sucked. Sucked on many levels. Sucked in many ways. Sucked, sucked, sucked. My mood is not pleasant, so I shall endeavor to overcome that by noting the following:

• New NIN songs are available at http://www.myspace.com/nin.
• One of my university students came over to the community college for two hours of additional help for the exam this week.
• Even though I was sorry that Greg didn't feel well enough to go to his martial arts class, it was nice to spend the evening on the couch together.
• Many good folks have good things happening to them, much deserved!

Alright, I feel a little better.

I adore y'all, but...

...if I request that you start treating your TA with more respect, don't say that my email left you feeling "violated."

...please don't show up to class reeking of marijuana.

...don't blame every mistake you make on how the lab is written as opposed to your poor reading comprehension skills.

Thank you for your attention.

Little Things

It's been a pleasant weekend. There was pizza, cake, cookies, and cocoa. There was time at the gym and time on the couch. Last night at the coffee house, I didn't do work, but instead wrote a few pages of fiction. Today, after a walk to the grocery store in the gorgeous weather, I cooked a tasty and satisfying meal. Yes, I am fairly content right now.

I hope y'all had a nice weekend as well!

Counter-counterpoint

After posting a few words in defense of college kids, I was rewarded this morning by a student showing up mindboggling shitfaced drunk to my 9 am class.

For Aaron, Some Hope

Aaron recently linked to the story about how today's college students are more narcissitic than their predecessors. As a college teacher, I have witnessed this behavior in the classroom: reluctance to do homework, expecting As, gasping in horror when test averages fall below 85%... It isn't that they are bad kids, but many of them are B students who think they're A students and have never been assessed an honest grade in their lives.

As a counterpoint to this article, I'd like to relate a story from my office hours today. A student came in for help on physics homework. He's really good and capable, so he was just fine-tuning his understanding. Once we finished up, he asked me a question about the lab course, which I'm not affiliated with. He said, "Why are the labs so easy?" "Easy?" "Yeah, I mean, we go in, take our data, and plug the numbers into the equations. I just think we should have to do more." This young man plans on going into the Air Force and med school, so he can be an astronaut.

It isn't that there aren't good students, with drive and ambition and work ethic. It's just that the others are, well, narcissistic, and just demand more of our attention.

I am Jack's inner teenage boy

I worked from 9 am to 10 pm today. Greg, although feeling poorly, went to several stores so that I could come home to the new NIN concert DVD that was released today. (Thanks, dude!) Of course, that meant I had to watch it before I could try to go to sleep. Not exactly sleep-inducing. And then I checked my email to find out that one of my TAs is dealing with a belligerent student. Oooohhh...sweet anger... One of these days I'll let my alter-ego start that soap business.

Crap. I have to teach soon.

The Things They Say

Some of the typical mnemonics for remembering the spectral sequence of stars are "Oh Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me" and "Overseas Broadcast Alert Flash, Godzilla Kills Mothra." I always ask students to come up with some of their own, and this is what I got:

Oh Boy, Astronomy Fun? Geez, you're Killing Me

O Baby Aiden Forever Giving Kim Migraines

Orbiting Bodies Are Far Greater Killing Machines

Old Bush And Family, God's Killing Machines

I love my students.

Other things they say:

Your lectures don't make me want to stick needles in my eyes. - Thank you.

I like to talk to you about these things because I don't have many friends. - Awww...this was after a science vs. religion conversation with a young man who is perfectly presentable and intelligent. Made me a little sad.

That's just how I bump. - This was a response to me teasing a student about how loud his music was blaring through his headphones.

I've spent many a long night alone with my telescope. - I had to respond to that with a straight face to distract this young male student from the fact that one of the other lab groups burst into hysterics when overhearing that comment.

Gotta love 'em!

Seventeen

Last week marked our seventeenth anniversary. Tonight we went out for a celebratory dinner. We decided we wanted a unique Arizona experience, so we went to Lon's at the Hermosa, a restaurant set in an old hacienda. When we arrived at our table, there were a dozen long-stemmed pale pink roses waiting for me. Just lovely. We had a leisurely meal with appetizers, salads, entrees, dessert...mmm.... The restaurant itself is beautiful, the food was wonderful, the staff was competent, but not stuffy, and of course, the company was great. Just a perfect way to celebrate 17 years.

Thanks for putting up with me for so long, Greg.

Sunlight and Shadow

This has been a busy weekend, but so fun that I'm sad it's over. Philip was in from St. Paul. It had been over a year since I'd seen him, so I enjoyed sharing a few meals with him very much. Kirsten and Aaron drove in from Los Angeles. It's always great to see them! We went on a couple of day trips - to the Boyce Arboretum (and a scary bar on the way back), and also up to Flagstaff, where we went to Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument. I miss all you guys already!

I can't head up to Northern Arizona without a few lame attempts at capturing the natural beauty. I posted a few photos to my Flickr stream, but I thought I'd post a few here, too.

Snow and lava flows at Sunset Crater:

Wupatki Pueblo at sunset:

Sunlight and shadow in the Painted Desert:

Stress Relief

I haven't had the time to make a to-do list in three weeks. This is agonizing. I usually prepare very detailed to-do lists every week. Because I teach 1 physics lecture, 3 astronomy lectures and 4 astronomy labs, as well as supervise 3 adjunct faculty and 8 teaching assistants and their 27 combined sections at two different institutions, I have a lot to keep track of. I haven't been able to spare the time it would take on a Monday to write the damned list. For the past three weeks, I've been walking around in a panic that I've forgotten something important. It's only a matter of time. Gotta make that damned list!

But tomorrow afternoon I will forget all that. I have a three-day weekend ahead. I've worked really hard to catch up so that I can spend this weekend with the friends who will be coming into town. I shall eat too much good food in wonderful company, and I will allow myself to relax...at least til Tuesday morning.

Frontiers

I spent my Friday afternoon giving a talk about Pluto. The talk was for a program called New Frontiers for Lifelong Learning, which is geared towards retirees. I was so happy to be asked to present to this group. My department is very involved in public outreach, mostly geared towards elementary school students. But what better way to foster a love of learning in children than to encourage the adults in their lives to remain learners, too? I think I even managed to convince them that Pluto is not a planet! And I fielded great questions about the Hubble Space Telescope and retrograde motion and moons... gosh, I'm such a geek.

---

Speaking of Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft was launched on its mission to Pluto last January. The fastest spacecraft ever built, it's passing by Jupiter this month - just 13 months later!

Important Dates

NIN - Live: Beside You in Time - DVD - February 27, 2007

NIN - Year Zero - CD - April 17, 2007

You've been warned.

Breakfast of Champions

I'm at a coffee house. I have a chocolate croissant and a 16-oz Pepsi. I think I'm ready to write the talk I'm giving on Friday. Woo!

2006 Review of Books

Last year, I read forty-four books. Not my best year, but not too shabby. Here are some of the standouts, in the order in which I read them:

• Archangel - Sharon Shinn - This is the first of the Samaria books, which deal with a world in which angels are real. Despite that description, the books are definitely science fiction, and I enjoyed this book enough to seek out a great deal of Shinn's other works.
• Spin - Robert Charles Wilson - This is a very strong book. The characters are all quite intriguing and the extrapolations dealing with the science were fascinating.
• Memory - Lois McMaster Bujold - Thanks to SarahP, I tore through the whole Miles Vorkosigan series this summer. Although I would not recommend this book as a jumping off point for a new reader, I found the character development in this book to be the most beautiful. Bujold is soooooooo very good when it comes to creating characters to love. There is not a wasted character in this entire series.
• A Sense of the Mysterious: Science and the Human Spirit - Alan Lightman - This is a collection of essays, some more autobiographical than others, dealing with science as a human pursuit. As I've noticed so often in my students, the perception of science and scientists is cold, stolid, rigid, passionless - nothing could be further from the truth, and Lightman does a good job of conveying this.
• The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party - M.T. Anderson - If you have not read this, drop what you are doing and go to a bookstore or a library NOW! Really, I'm hard-pressed to come up with a better writer right now than M.T. Anderson.

I'm looking forward to what 2007 will bring!

Urp

I just ate a chocolate chip cookie the size of my head. Oof. Bad Lisa.

Ew!

I swear, I just found boogers on an assignment I have to grade. This is college, people! Argh!

The first week of classes

Perhaps if you've failed my class two times, we are not meant for each other. Move along.

I'm sorry that you are a senior and desperately need an override into this class where we are already violating fire code due to crowding. Perhaps you should go back to your counselor and ask why they advised to you put this 100-level course off til your last semester.

I'm sorry math isn't your friend. Prepare to get chummy.

Your telescope's clock drive emits a frequency that attracts bats to mate with it?

Stressed

Going to the conference last week left me behind in my prep for the Spring semester, which starts on Tuesday. There have also been some events beyond my control that are affecting my prep, and it all just makes me cranky. I'm a mild control freak, and I hate hate HATE the fact that I can't clean this particular situation up on my own. Argh. Feh. Blah.

Home

I presented our paper at the conference today, had yummy clam chowder with Carl, and chatted with a retired physician/aspiring mystery writer on the flight home. It's good to be home, although reality will hit tomorrow with all the classroom prep for next Tuesday.

Almost there

Today was more mellow. I decided to sleep instead of attending the morning talk. My body thanked me. Then went to a session of talks about intelligent design, which was so well-attended that we hand to change rooms from one that seated about 50 people to one that seated over 300. The talks were good and the q/a period was only moderately painful.

For lunch, Carl and I walked the half hour each way to go to Salumi, where we ate bread, cheese, various salamis, and gnocchi that was being made by an old lady working at the front window. I spent an hour and a half wandering through the posters and that was followed up by two talks - one on the Stardust mission results and one on high-redshift supernovae and the accelerating universe. Both of those were excellent talks. I harassed various grad students from my university about not being at the posters (mean Dr. Lisa!) and then had dinner with Carl and Dr. Bob, which was really nice.

Tomorrow is the last day of the conference and I'll be presenting a poster. Whee!

Blur

• Particle physics lecture
• Judged four grad students
• Quick hug from Robert as we both rushed to talks
• Talks on Tunguska, Einstein, dust in galaxies
• Planetary formation lecture
• Piroshky Piroshky with Carl
• Intelligent design talks
• Hundreds of posters
• Free cookies
• Judged four undergrads
• Talks on covariation in intro physics courses
• English pub with Carl, Ravi, Seth, Karen, and Greg

Two more days to go. Whew!

Judgment

Today was the first full day of the conference. I actually made it to the morning talk; I can wake up for an astronaut - Kathryn Thorton gave us her overview of human spaceflight. I'm also an award judge and I interviewed eight undergrads today (1 male, 7 female).

Along with the AAS meeting, a wedding show was being held at the convention center. If I might be somewhat judgmental, those two demographics have very little overlap.

Who are these other people?

Oh, it's like some astrology convention or something.

My most profound judgment, though, was that the tomato soup and Flagship Grilled Cheese sandwich from Beecher's make a damned fine lunch, and Carl and Ravi agreed.

I'm a geek

I took the Monorail to the Science Fiction Museum today. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

Oh, it's definitely winter

On the flight to Seattle, I noted the reason why the Eastern U.S. has no snow - it all fell out West. Whoa. No snow in town, but lotsa rain.

Ate crepes at the Public Market, indulged in asian fusion tapas with Carl, and got some work done. Oh, and I fell madly in love with my hotel room. It's fancy. There's even a switch which lowers darkening shades on the big wall-sized window. Good for sleeping, but I'd hate to obscure my view of Elliot Bay during the day. I don't know how I ended up in this room, but as I type in my fluffy white robe after a bubble bath in the soaking tub (separate from the glass shower stall), I'm sure enjoying it.

Winter request

For those of you who think that winter never comes to Arizona, here are a few pix from our weekend in Flagstaff:

That mountain has a rock on Mars named after it:

Glittery snow:

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I don't usually ask for love, but I have a cold and need to catch a flight to a conference in the morning. Please send healing vibes to my eardrums!

Lakes on Titan

Nature presents an article today outlining the best evidence yet for liquid on the surface of a solar system body other than the Earth. Here is the link to the Cassini news release.

In with the new

Greg and I are celebrating the New Year up in the crisp cold clear air of Flagstaff. There has been much good food, warm beverages, and walking through the snow. Flagstaff is a mellow place to ring in the New Year - I am very content to be here.

I set some modest goals for 2006. I came close on some and succeeded in a few others, so I can't complain. In fact, I'll roll over a few of the goals into the new year. This upcoming year will see some big changes, and I'm both apprehensive and optimistic, if that makes any sense at all.

I hope that you all look back at 2006 without regrets and look forward to 2007 with hope and dreams. Happy New Year!

Perfect fit

Greg had this quote generator on his blog, so I gave it a whirl. Hee hee.

Many Bothans died to bring us this lisa.

Which movie was this quote from?

Get your own quotes:

Happy Holidays!

I hope y'all are as spoiled and cozy and well-fed and loved as I am.

From Hubble:

36

Today's my birthday - thirty-six years old. I have no complaints. I talked to friends and family, received wonderful gifts, went out to dinner (burger and fries!), and remained generally cozy. The weather even gave me a nostalgic treat - fog! Just like growing up in Northern California. Not a bad way to spend the day at all.

Oops. Gotta go. Greg is taking presents out of his stocking while I'm distracted by typing!

Remembering Carl Sagan

Today is the Carl Sagan Memorial Blog-a-thon. I've actually been meaning to write about Sagan for quite some time. I have students today who are as enraptured by Cosmos as I was as a child. I caught some of the episodes recently and the music brought me to tears, it resonated so deep within me. I spent so much time watching Cosmos and read the book over and over again. What a magnificent gift that was to all of us.

I think of Sagan and his wonderful gift for communication often when confronted with pseudoscience and intelligent design. (If you have not read Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, do so immediately.) I sometimes ask myself, "would these ideas proliferate so easily if Sagan were here to refute them?" Sagan, with his simple way of conveying the most complex ideas...surely he could help us. He is sorely missed. There will never be another Sagan, but we do need someone to step up and be the Great Communicator of Science again. Who will be next?

---

Check out Celebrating Sagan for more to remember Sagan on the tenth anniversary of his death.

Winklies

Sparkly, winkly stars - LH 95, from Hubble

Recovering

The semester is over. Yay! To celebrate, I shall display one of the most beautiful images I've seen recently: aurora over Finland, by Vesa Särkelä

Thwarted

I wanted a nice bowl of soup with hearty bread for dinner. We went to a nearby shopping center where we could obtain such yumminess, but were deterred by a big war protest and throngs of people waiting in line for a booksigning. Jimmy Carter thwarted my dinner!

Speaking of thwarted, let's hear it for some Scottsdale valets who called the police on a woman who took her dog into Neiman Marcus, but left her two-year old son in the car. She resisted arrest "stating that she did nothing wrong and that the valets were supposed to be watching her child."

Procrastination

To do this weekend:

• Write a letter of rec for a grad student.
• Do other paperwork of a bureaucratic nature.
• Input astronomy lab grades for the university.
• Write physics final exam.
• Write two astronomy final exams.
• Grade astronomy term projects.
• Grade astronomy quizzes.
• Grade astronomy math exercises.
• Write journal entry that serves both to whine and procrastinate

Hey, at least I can check one thing off the list!

Cookies!

I'm almost 36 years old, yet I still get all excited when my mom sends me chocolate chip cookies. Mmm... thanks, Mom! Of course, I'm mired in grading, so I have a feeling that this batch won't last long. One exam, one cookie, one lab, one cookie... precious, precious cookies.

Good Day

It was a good day. First of all, "Hail to the hills of Westwood." Yes, indeed, UCLA beat USC. That's always good. Dashing USC's national championship hopes? That's outstanding. Makes me wiggle just to think about it.

Secondly, we just got back from seeing Barenaked Ladies in concert. That was an outstanding show. I never go out of my way to listen to BNL, but I think I'll want to see them whenever I can in concert. Beautiful harmonies, and you can tell they're having such fun.

Hope y'all had a good Saturday as well!

More Thanksgiving

Spent a pleasant weekend with friends and family. Ate way too much. Didn't work nearly enough. Came back to the end-of-the-semester frenzy.

I'm thankful for meteorites, especially those I picked up today to show my classes.

I'm thankful for the well-being of my friends. I came back to school to hear that the boyfriend of one of my students was killed in an automobile accident this weekend. Hug your nearest and dearest.

Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for my friends and family.

I am thankful for my health.

I am thankful for my work.

After yet another drive across the desert, I am thankful for peanut M&Ms and judicious use of caffeine.

I am thankful for beauty.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Flagging fan

The Cardinals, Bills, and 49ers (5-5!) all won today. Surely this is a sign of the apocalypse. Just in case, I want you all to know I love you.

I grew up in the Sacramento area, most of that time pre-Kings, so Bay Area sports were what I followed. The As were my American League team, the Giants were my National League team, and the 49ers were my great passion. Now the Giants are tainted by the Bonds scandal, the As are probably moving from Oakland to Fremont, and the Niners...my beloved 49ers...are moving from San Francisco. Most likely they are moving to Santa Clara, but there have been rumors of a move to L.A., at which point I will just gut myself with a rusted spoon. Is there no such thing as loyalty? Sure these places are still in the Bay Area, but what about the communities that have supported them for so long? Grrr....This will test MY loyalty, to be sure.

Speaking of my 49ers, though, reminds me that the great Bill Walsh is suffering from leukemia. I send healing vibes in his direction.

I know it when I see it

Recently I was asked a question during astronomy lab that I hadn't been asked before: "Does this look like porn to you?" Upon this utterance, a black-and-white image of a naked woman, kneeling on a bed with her arms above her head facing the camera, was shown to me. I'm proud to say that I didn't blush, but said, "I could see how some may call it pornographic." Then the student asked, "How about these?" He then showed me more images of the same woman, naked still, but in more chaste poses. Turns out that this was part of an assignment for a photography class, and he had been upset that the instructor deemed them porn rather than art. This led to a very good discussion about pornographic material versus obscene material, whether or not his instructor should be making such distinctions, and questions he could ask himself about his work if he was worried about offending classmates.

But still... it was a different experience that I usually have during astronomy lab.

Granola

I'm wearing a sweater, sipping cocoa, eating granola with soy milk and banana, and listening to a fiddler in the vegetarian coffee house. Ah, Flagstaff...

Transit

With my intrepid fellow astronomer Wayne and with the help of lab tech extraordinaire Todd, I watched Mercury transit the Sun today. We set up a 10-in telescope with a solar filter, as well as a wee, but impressive, Sunspotter and showed passersby Mercury and a glorious sunspot that had just peaked over the limb of the Sun. I wish it hadn't been 90 degrees here in the desert, but the hot, dry, clear sky provided a great view. It also provided us a great opportunity to play with a camera. Not great pictures, but not bad for just pointing and clicking in the heat.

Mercury - yup, it's just a dot against a vast, brilliant background.

Sunspot!

Citizen Lisa

Got up early and voted, leaving raging liberal marks all over my ballot. Depending on the results I wake up to tomorrow, you may all get quite a rant.

Went to work to help out with our yearly Science Day, hoping to show 450 underprivileged elementary school kids that both science and college are fun.

Taught two astronomy classes, focusing on Saturn.

Volunteered two hours in a tutoring center, helping out with physics and chemistry questions.

It felt like a very civic-minded day overall. I liked the vibe.

Let's get this week started already!

We got though last week. Sick computers, sick car, sick me...all on the mend. Of course, the snowbirds have brought the air pollution with them, so there is wheezing and an eerie Moon to enjoy.

Check out Amy and Brian's latest venture, a funky shirt business called "Robots in Orbit".

Gah...how many political ads do I have to sit through just to watch football? I really want this election to be over. Also, if you're not going to vote for the candidates I want and for the propositions I support, please stay home. You're making the country worse.

Now, on to some peanut butter cup ice cream!

Annoyed

I'm still sick, so I decided to sleep in and then curl up on the couch and read all day. It was a good plan that has more or less worked, except that the phone keeps ringing with pre-recorded election crap. There are several propositions on the ballot here that I feel very strongly about, so I will vote on Tuesday, but between these incessant phone calls and all of the negative TV ads, I now have more sympathy for the people who ignore the election altogether.

Dream come true

I'm sick, which makes me very cranky. I have a sore throat and am achy all over, but at least the low fever is gone. I barely made it through teaching today. During my half hour break between teaching lab and lecture, I went into the office and there it was: the dream cake. Moist chocolate cake, whipped cream frosting... a Halloween gift from one of the publishing reps. I took a tiny piece and ate it with my fingers. I didn't care that I was getting whipped cream all over the place - it was my cake! I did not go back for seconds, but I was so tempted! I am sick, after all, and I am convinced of the curative power of chocolate. Must administer more doses!

Weekend in review

This was quite a lovely weekend. On Friday night, we went out on a date. We ate dinner outside in the cool air at a nice restaurant and wandered around a bookstore. Then we went to a concert of spooky music at the university. The acoustics at Gammage Auditorium are really good, and I very much enjoyed the selections from John Williams' Harry Potter soundtrack. "Hedwig's Theme" is just a perfect bit of music - magical and melancholy, just like Harry. I hadn't been to a concert of symphonic music in a long time. Brought me to tears... I used to play flute and oboe and, as a teenager, my goals were torn - pursue music or astronomy? I chose astronomy, arguing to myself that I could continue to play music on my own. There are an oboe and a flute, long untouched, sitting in my closet. I really should drag them out. Warn the neighbors!

The rest of the weekend has involved yummy food, some work, and cozy naps. I also finished The Pox Party - The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation, vol. 1 by M.T. Anderson. The book is amazing. It's marketed as YA, which is appropriate if you go by age of the protagonist, but this book is rich on so many levels. I hope that it receives wide readership. If you haven't read it, do so. I give it my highest recommendation.

Collision

Much like my urge to spend today playing outside is running up against my need to do my $@!# job, galaxies collide - the Antennae galaxies, from Hubble

Muffled

My allergies are bothering me, and their most annoying manifestation is the clogging of my ears. Yesterday morning, I found myself pleading to the kids in the back of the lecture hall to speak up. Blah. Makes me cranky. I've started on some allergy medication, so I'm hopeful things will clear up soon. Until then, I'll just continue on in my soundproof world. Bah.

Bits and Pieces

I haven't written for awhile, so it's time to catch up:

• My talk for Math Club went quite well. Over 50 people showed up on a Friday afternoon!
• We have discovered a tasty bakery in Tempe - Pleaissant Croissants. They only make plain and stuffed croissants, no other pastries, but let's just say that they do one thing very, very well. Mmm...
• A former student was shot two weeks ago. He's going to be alright, but still...
• Along with my cake craving, I have developed a cookie craving. Luckily we found another bakery last night - La Grande Orange Grocery. I had an MJ cookie - a double-chocolate cookie the size of my head. Mmm... the pizza is great, too.
• I spent most of this past Friday in an incredibly dull meeting. I don't feel like I've woken up since.
• Bought the latest Tamora Pierce book today. Yay! I'll start reading it when I finish the latest MT Anderson, which is a well-written, disturbing, not very "young adult" novel.

Yup. That's my life currently. Must go prepare for class tomorrow. Carry on.

Lessons and Loss

My ex-brother-in-law (my sister's ex-husband) died today. He was always very good to me. He was an avid reader, had a wicked sense of humor and a sharp wit, and was a gourmet cook. He had wide-ranging interests, loved his kids (including my niece), and was incredibly generous. He had been a brilliant, well-known trial attorney until he retired to raise cattle on a remote farm in Oregon.

He was also an alcoholic, and that's what caught up to him today. He'd been an alcoholic for as long as I'd known him, although it wasn't obvious at first. He'd had his sober periods, but could never stay away for long. This final binge led to fatal alcohol poisoning. He is the second of his brothers to die of alcohol-related ailments, and the only surviving brother has recently had a liver transplant.

I don't drink. I resist using medication. The closest I get to mood-altering substances are daily chocolate, occasional caffeinated beverages, cuddling, and NIN. My choice to not drink or use drugs is a lesson I learned from my former brother-in-law. I saw him, his family, and indications in my family that my path could lead down a similar road. If such an intelligent man could not battle his demon, this horrible disease, I surely had no hope of doing so. It is a lesson I am glad that I heeded, but I'm sorry it came at such a high price.

Rest in peace, Wade.

Mosaic

More than the sum of its parts - Saturn and newly discovered rings, from Cassini

Good Idea, Bad Idea

I have agreed to do another presentation for the Math Club at my community college. A good idea. Agreeing to do it on a week's notice? A bad idea.

We went to see Michael Chabon give a reading this weekend. That was a very good idea. It was the best reading I've ever attended, with short fragments of existing prose set amongst an interweaving narrative. He was charming, funny and intelligent, and I came away with an even greater appreciation of his work.

What's up with the quarterback rating system? A bad idea. What sort of rating system has a maximum value of 158.3? What got into these people? Normalize that function, please!

I was torn between biscuits & gravy or chorizo & eggs on Sunday morning. So I split an order of each with Greg. I'm still not sure if that was a bad idea or my best idea ever!

Rumble

A storm passed through today. I was in my astronomy lecture, talking about the Moon. I was comparing erosion processes on the Moon with those on the Earth. Every time I said "rain", "running water", or "weathering", thunder would rattle the room. It was like I had a soundtrack for my lecture. My class was in hysterics. It was awesome.

Grumble

The recent school shootings have bothered me more than I would have anticipated.

I have yet to obtain the perfect cake.

It was still 100 degrees today.

I had to skip the gym to get work done.

I keep feeling like I'm supposed to be somewhere else.

And that damned face recognition/celebrity match software said I most resembled a Japanese dude.

Reboot

I sit here using my new 13-inch white Macbook. Just bought it last night! Why? Well, I'd like to say that it is NOT because I dropped my old iBook going through security in the airport a few weeks ago. Not because my machine tried to electrocute me yesterday morning. Not because my machine gave me the "Hard drive? What hard drive!?!?" error during lab yesterday. I'd rather say that I'd been contemplating a new machine and that I decided to reward my new svelte self for a year of not being fat. Yup - that's my story, and I'm sticking with it.

(Incalculable thanks to Greg for talking me off the cliff and helping me to retrieve as much of my data as possible. And thanks to Carl for his physics Powerpoint slides so that losing time yesterday didn't hurt quite so much this morning.)

Maintaining

One year ago today, I reached my 50-lb weight-loss goal. I've been at a 50-lb (or more!) loss ever since. One whole year of being a healthy weight. One whole year of not being a fat chick. Still, I want to celebrate with cake. :)

Beauty

The beauty of night - Saturn (and Mimas - can you see it?), from Cassini

Just had to share

Can't let you forget how beautiful Saturn is! - shadows and shade, from Cassini

Sweet Dreams

I had a dream that somebody at work brought in a tray full of beautiful pastries. I tried to behave and just took a tiny sliver of a cake that was topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls. It was so good that I scooped half of the remaining cake onto my plate and darted into my office so I wouldn't have to share and nobody would see how much I took.

Some people need their dreams interpreted for them. Me, not so much.

Strife and Lawlessness

2003 UB 313, previously known as "Xena" has received its official name from the IAU. It is now known as Eris, goddess of strife, and its satellite is Dysnomia, child of Eris, known as "lawlessness". Just the rabble we need for the outer solar system. :)

It's All Sarah's Fault

The much beloved SarahP sent Greg a few of the Miles Vorkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold earlier this summer. Upon seeing how much Greg enjoyed them, I read them, too. And thus started my obsession. Since late July, I've read thirteen novels and two short stories in this series. I've read two novels in the past four days. Now I'm done with the series, and I shall miss Miles.

The Miles Vorkosigan books have shown me how much an author can accomplish in a series. Each novel was truly a self-contained story in itself. The tone of the novels varied wildly - laugh-out-loud funny, rollicking space opera, heartwrenching drama. Miles was deeply flawed, heroic, silly, intelligent, and real. One of my favorite fictional characters ever. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

Hmm...what book will I read tonight?

Happy Football Season! (Or maybe not)

I love football. I really, really do. But growing up a 49ers fan in the 80s did not prepare me to deal with their lack of success now. They're even playing the Cardinals today in Phoenix, but I've been so out of touch that I didn't realize it. No 49ers game for me this year. :( Not that it would be much of a game. I mean, if the 49ers win one game this year, I'll be surprised. The only good move the 49ers have made in recent memory is to sign Jerry Rice to a one day contract so he can retire as a 49er. I know this makes me a bad fan. I wish we had a working VCR because I think I still have the tape of the 49ers Super Bowl victory over the Broncos. Maybe I'll dig out my Ronnie Lott autograph and meditate.

Modes of Transport

We spent the weekend in San Francisco. We ate wonderful food, took long walks, enjoyed the gorgeous weather, brunched with Lori, and shared a feast of grilled meats tastily provided by Tim and Heather. It was a lovely weekend.

Some more thoughts:

• Growing up in Sacramento, I always thought of San Francisco as being the grownup city. It was where we went if we wanted to go to good museums. It was also where I saw my first homeless person. My family would go to Fisherman's Wharf and A's games, but it was also where my schools would take us on field trips to see Shakespeare performed. The city seemed so huge and intimidating, yet this weekend, I walked through much of it. San Francisco is still my favorite city.
• Because of the new security measures, I can't bring hot cocoa with me on the plane to help me through the terrors of take-off. I was dealing with this okay until I realized the guy next to me had little packs of mustard and mayo with his pre-packaged sandwich. If he can bring in his "gels", then I demand my cocoa!
• I had the most perfect food in my life at the Ferry Building Farmers Market - a tiny sample of plum, a perfect piece of plum. If we'd lived there, I would have purchased about 10 lbs of these plums and eaten them non-stop until there were no more.
• If you drive in the city, you miss hearing the Chinese spoken in Chinatown turn into the Italian spoken in North Beach.
• I've learned that I love to watch the geology change underneath me while I'm flying, but seeing the plane route so clearly be "fly towards Los Angeles, then hang a right at that there big fault line til it meets the sea" is a little frightening.
• Flying over the central coast of California was sad, because at that height, the beauty of the coastline was obscured. I hope all the people on the plane someday drive that route, because they'll miss the most beautiful scenery in the world otherwise.
• I miss my home, Northern California.

Just cuz

Night on Saturn, from Cassini

Conned

It had been years since I've had the chance to go to WorldCon, but this year's con was in Anaheim, so I took the opportunity. I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoy cons - seeing old friends, meeting new people, attending readings, and let's not forget all of the book-buying! I also picked up a few meteorite samples. :) I had a wonderful time, but somehow I don't think I'll get to the 2007 WorldCon in Yokohama, alas. Perhaps Denver in 2008!

It's official!

The solar system has eight planets. Here's the new definition of a planet from the International Astronomical Union:

A planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

Pluto fails part (c) because it crosses the orbit of Neptune, only surviving because of its orbital resonance with Neptune such that they are never in the same place at the same time.

Whew. Now that's settled, finally.

Oldies, newbies, outliers, and a barista

Today was the first day of the Fall semester. Summer was too short! I taught two lectures and one lab today. Ah, new students. Some old students, too. I got to freak them out by remembering their names, although it had been years since they had been in my class. And one of our former baristas has shown up - perhaps she'll try to bribe me with a tall non-fat with whip hot chocolate. Mmm.... that's a bribe that might work! :) This semester, I'm teaching two astronomy lectures and four astronomy labs at my community college. At the university, I'm supervising the astronomy labs and am teaching the third semester in a calculus-based physics class designed for engineering majors. Out of 52 students enrolled in that class, only four are female. Sigh. More reason to be proud of the young ladies who are there.

Not so bad

I should be absolutely panicked because the fall semester starts on Monday, and I'm nowhere near ready, but after yesterday morning, I'm just not that worried.

Pluto spam

I'm receiving emails from former students about this whole Pluto ruckus. I'm somewhat vindicated in that I always said if you were going to call it a planet, it should be a double planet. I don't know about "plutons", though. Sigh. And really, rename 2003 UB313 already, but just don't name it Xena, or I may never be able to step back into the classroom again.

(Gotta admit, though, that I love getting these emails. They still think about astronomy! Yay!)

Two years

Yesterday marked two years of being on Weight Watchers. I haven't made much progress since last year, but I did attain my goal of losing 50 lbs on September 26, 2005 and have kept that off (and then some) ever since. Overall, I'm quite pleased.

I'd like to lose a little more weight. I'm still closer than I'd like to the recommended upper limit on weight for my height. Things are going very slowly, though. All my fault, not the plan's. I've been having some discipline issues the past few months. I like soda. French fries...oh, how I love french fries! And if I ever go missing, look for me in a large vat of peanut M&Ms. I'll get back on track, I will. I can do it.

For posterity, here's me in August 2004, compared with me this morning. I don't know which chick looks more like a stranger to me.

Looking back

I'm back in the desert now, after a few blissful days along the coast of California. The area around Carmel and Big Sur is the loveliest in the world to me. Not only physically beautiful, but peaceful, quiet, healing. I can't spend enough time there, and I never want to leave. I spent a few hours hiking around "Punta de los Lobos Marinos" - point of the sea wolves - otherwise known as Pt. Lobos State Reserve, named for the sea lions always in residence. Along my journey down the Pacific Coast Highway, I saw harbor seals, sea lions, elephant seals, and sea creatures still scuttling in their shells. I saw a California Condor in the wild on Thursday. I have no words to describe that experience.

I'm not a good photographer, but with such beautiful material to work with, I managed to snap a few decent shots. Besides those here, I've posted some to my Flickr account.

Quintessential Big Sur:

Sea Lions at Pt. Lobos

Lichen, Algae, and some of the last wild Monterey Cypress

Cypress and Sea

Sea

Asilomar State Beach



Sea lions in Monterey Bay. Cute!

Feeling Californian

While watching firefighters battle a brushfire not 50 yards from my car, I drove across the San Andreas fault along the stretch of road where James Dean died. My journey ended with a warm bowl of risotto in fog-shrouded Carmel-by-the-Sea. I feel in touch with my California roots.

Ah, summer

Hour at the gym, working breakfast at Starbucks, doctor's appointment, arrival at my office by 10am. Ah, summer vacation... Actually, this past weekend had quite the summer vibe to it - I read an entire book in four hours on Saturday. I haven't done that in years! The book was Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold. If my doctor had been running late as usual this morning, I would have been able to finish Barrayar, too. Oh well, I'll finish it later. Two books in three days - now that feels like summer vacation.

Answer: Both!

Question: Chocolate bread pudding or sopaipillas?

Oof.

Foofy

Morning rain has cooled the air and made my hair all curly and foofy. Happy Lisa. To rejoice, I shall share a pretty picture - NGC 7331, courtesy of APOD and R. Jay Gabany.

Good Reads

The much beloved Jon Hansen has a delightful story up on Abyss & Apex - "Goddess". Go give it a read!

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My favorite writer-dude Greg wrote a new short story that I was lucky enough to read before its official debut next month in "Show and Tell and Other Stories", from the good folks at Tropism Press. The new story "Far As You Can Go" made me feel wistful and small, yet hopeful. It's a beautiful piece.

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ESPN has been running a series on the friendly fire death of Pat Tillman in Afghanistan two years ago. The part that struck me most was the following reaction to Tillman's parents by the Army officer who conducted the first inquiry into the incident: ...these people have a hard time letting it go. It may be because of their religious beliefs. ...When you die, I mean, there is supposedly a better life, right? Well, if you are an atheist and you don't believe in anything, if you die, what is there to go to? Nothing. You are worm dirt. So for their son to die for nothing, and now he is no more — that is pretty hard to get your head around that. So I don't know how an atheist thinks. I can only imagine that that would be pretty tough. It can't possibly be that they just want to know how their son died. Nope, it's because they aren't good little Christians. Sigh.

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I've been meaning to read some of Lois McMaster Bujold's books ever since I saw her on a panel at WorldCon years ago. The wonderful SarahP sent along "Young Miles" to Greg, who enjoyed it, so I had to read it, of course. Fun space opera, with moving character exploration. I'll be spending a serious chunk of time working through Bujold's works this year. I'm always so happy when I find a new author to explore. Thanks, Sarah, for getting me hooked!

This place is stoopid

Valley summer nights hotter than usual - like we needed that! I know, I know...the whole country is suffering a heat wave, but when the low temperature is 93 degrees, it sucks. I'm all heat cranky. This is how I feel:

Five questions

The five questions meme. Here's how it works:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

3. You will update your journal with the answers to the questions (or leave your answers in my comments).

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Greg interviewed me:

1. What's the most beautiful object in space?

Just one? JUST ONE?!?!?! Alright, there's the pretty blue marble. There's also Rho Ophiuchi, but that technically isn't just one object. But it always comes back to Saturn, for me. Especially with the images that Cassini keeps sending back, Saturn is a constant battle of sunlight and shadow, globes and rings...there's a sense of perspective here that we can't get anywhere else (yet).

2. You've got two weeks, a full tank of gas (and means to refuel), snacks and a credit card. Where you going?

Assuming I need to start from home, I drive north from Phoenix, heading through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. I stop for good food in Flagstaff. I then drive north and go through Zion and Bryce National Parks in Utah. Continuing north, I head into Idaho, driving through the Sun Valley area, and continue on to Glacier National Park in Montana. From there, westward to Vancouver. I head south and hit Seattle. Now that I've had a few days of city life, I head out to the Washington coast and then take Pacific Coast Highway all the way down the west coast. I'll take a detour to Powell's, I mean, Portland to restock on books, but otherwise I'll stay on the coast all the way through Oregon and California (stopping off at the Ferry Building in San Francisco) down to Cambria where I'll turn inland because the southern California coast is boring. Time for a quick meal in L.A. with friends before heading back to Phoenix. (My suitcase is calling upon me to fill it. Restless!)

3. Old stand-by: Dinner with any three people, living or dead. Who are they? (And, yes, you can just sit quietly and eavesdrop on the conversation if you want.)

I am obviously well-known by my interviewer, because I would definitely want to be quiet and eavesdrop. This is a hard question, because for the most part, I find ordinary people discussing their daily lives to be the most interesting. Maybe just three people off the street. (The sentimental part of me would invite Dad to have one last meal with Mom because she misses him so much and I'd leave them alone.)

4. You can teach your students one concept and one concept only, but they will completely understand and embrace this concept. What's on the syllabus?

How science is done. So many students want to learn the immutable truth, but science is all about change, a process and not a set of facts. And I would hope that, by the end of the course, I'd never hear the question, "Is that true?", but rather, "How'd we figure that out?"

5. What's one fear you wish you could eradicate from your system?

My biggest fear is of doing the wrong thing. This extends to all parts of my life, and I wish it didn't. It isn't just the big things like where will I move to or what my next life goal will be. I worry about making a bad choice of route to take or dinner I'll cook. We all make bad choices, but I don't want my fears to stop me from making choices at all.

Reflection

Nothing much to say. Just feeling kind of blue and amorphous. Makes me think of reflection nebulae; here are a few in Corona Borealis.

Vancouver

I hope that y'all had a lovely holiday weekend. We spent a blissful few days in Vancouver. The weather was glorious - cloud-free and 70-degree temps. The food was yummy, the scenery was gorgeous, and the downtown area was full of interesting neighborhoods to explore. We logged over 25 miles of walking in two days. Highlights: walking the perimeter of Stanley Park, eating dessert on the balcony of our hotel room, perusing an amazing Chinatown, observing Canada Day celebrants. We definitely want to return to Vancouver some day. None of my pics could capture the wonderful time we had, but I'll post one anyways.