We saw The Dark Knight today, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I also loved the Watchmen trailer. It looks perfect, but the potential for suckage with such a complicated story is high. It's been a good summer for comic book movies, though. Maybe the trend will continue.
We had a great trip to Northern California. San Francisco, Fort Bragg, the Wine Country... it was hard to leave! Here are a few pics to show you why!
Spent a few days in San Francisco and one night in Fort Bragg. Spending a couple of days in the Napa Valley before returning home. A few comments:
If any of my pictures turned out, I'll post them when I get home. Hope y'all have been having a good week!
First, congratulations to our dear David Moles for being honored with the Sturgeon Award.
Second, because the best thing about living in Southern California is its proximity to Northern California, I head north tomorrow. Behave while I'm away!
To the neighbor who hurriedly turned off his music after his shuffle playlist started blasting the theme from Chariots of Fire: You shouldn't have fumbled about playing snippets of two rock songs while regretting your Vangelis choices. We all have guilty pleasures when it comes to music. Heck, I have some Vangelis myself - the theme to Cosmos! ;)
Spent a lovely Fourth of July with family and friends. Much yummy food was eaten, fireworks exploded without scorching people or property, good conversations abounded.
Just finished reading Superpowers by the wonderful David Schwartz. I really enjoyed it and recommend it.
If you're like me and you're still worried about the fires near Big Sur, this site is useful: http://surfire2008.wordpress.com/
I'm at that point of the summer where I feel worthless as a human being because I'm not accomplishing much, but don't want to work because I'm still on summer vacation. I have two trips to look forward to before going back to work, but I have a feeling that my physics and astronomy schedules for Fall 2008 will be completed by the end of the week. Y'all know I like my job, but I think having a month or two when I'm not working sixty hours per week is a good thing.
I have been accomplishing something, though. One of my favorite authors, Laurie Halse Anderson, has started the "Write 15 Minutes a Day Challenge". She's given prompts for those who do not have a work-in-progress, and I've been participating each day. It's been fun, and it's reminded me that I like to write and perhaps can take time from writing exams, class notes, etc... to do some other forms of writing. (There is, of course, the "does blogging count?"-debate, but we won't go there!)
Almost time for NFL training camps to start. Twitch, twitch...
And because I haven't harassed you with space pictures recently, here's Saturn, from Cassini:
I've been watching the news about the Basin fire in Big Sur with great sadness. I love that area. The region is the most beautiful place I've ever visited, and I sometimes think that my love of nature comes from childhood trips to the sea, particularly this region. When I left Sacramento earlier this month, I took the coastal route back down to San Diego and took a few photos. I hope you enjoy and send positive thoughts to the firefighters, not only in Big Sur, but in all of California, battling a fire season that has started too early and unprecedentedly aggressively.
Last month, much beloved Kirsten forwarded an article from The Atlantic Monthly to me to get my opinion, and it has been a recent topic of discussion on Female Science Professor's blog. The title of the article is "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower" and supposedly is about the "destructive myth" that college is for everyone. It is written by an anonymous part-time instructor (Professor X) at a "college of last resort." First of all, I agree with the notion that not everybody needs a college education. I think a good debate about society's attitude towards higher education is in order. I think a discussion of how institutions of higher education continue to take money from students who need remediation without providing them such is warranted. However, that isn't really what this article is about, and it horrifies me that people may read this article and agree with the author. I'm going to highlight some of the comments from the article and address them with my experiences.
By colleges of "last resort", the author means a small private college and a community college that he teaches at. He describes the student population: "Mine are the students whose applications show indifferent grades and have blank spaces where the extracurricular activities would go." Because we all know that university students are NEVER like that. Let's see... in my community college experience, I've had students who volunteer at clinics and emergency rooms, work as tutors, are members of national honors societies, etc... And I'm particularly proud of those with "indifferent grades" who come in and live up to the expectations I place upon them.
Another quote from the article:
"Ms. L. had done everything that American culture asked of her. She had gone back to school to better herself, and she expected to be rewarded for it, not slapped down. She had failed not, as some students do, by being absent too often or by blowing off assignments. She simply was not qualified for college."
Why isn't she qualified? Especially for Professor X's discipline of English, which Ms. L. would have been required to take in high school, it seems to me that Ms. L. was let down by her K-12 education. Is that necessarily all her fault? Perhaps she didn't put in appropriate effort in high school, true, or perhaps she was just funneled along like so many of the students I see with math deficiencies.
And then later: "I knew that Ms. L.’s paper would fail. I knew it that first night in the library. But I couldn’t tell her that she wasn’t ready for an introductory English class. I wouldn’t be saving her from the humiliation of defeat by a class she simply couldn’t handle. I’d be a sexist, ageist, intellectual snob."
So basically Professor X doesn't want to do his job. He could have referred her to a remedial English class, one that doesn't count towards a degree, but would have prepared Ms. L. to then take his introductory English class. I've had this discussion, and it isn't pretty. I've had to tell students, "No, I'm not teaching the class too hard. YOU don't have the math skills necessary for this course. Come back when you have made up your deficiencies." It's an awful confrontation, but I've had a few cases where I've seen these students later, after they have obtained the necessary remediation, and they've thanked me for it.
But for me, this is the statement that demonstrates that this article is NOT about whether college is for all.
"Our presence together in these evening classes is evidence that we all have screwed up."
I think I've made my feelings clear about my evening classes. Being in my night-time classes does not mean any of my students have screwed up. And, I haven't screwed up either. I have often weighted my schedule towards teaching in the evening, even while full-time and tenured. I'm sorry that Professor X is so miserable, but I'm even sorrier that he takes it out on his students. How can he possibly give the students the education that they are asking him for, when he is full of self-loathing and despises them?
I just want to make sure that my students know this: we are in nobody's basement. And, if you feel low, I will do my best to bring you higher and will never resent making the effort.
I had my first teaching anxiety dream for the Fall semester last night. The anxiety always boils down to lack of preparation, so I guess it's time to buy a new teaching planner and get ready for fall. I do wish my subconscious would have waited til July, though!
Hee hee hee! I'm so happy! Go away, Kobe!
Congrats to KG for his championship, to Ray Allen hitting all those threes, and to Paul Pierce, who really won me over during this series.
I'd also like to point out that the owner of the Phoenix Suns traded away the rights to Rajon Rondo, and I've never been more upset about that.
Kobe lost, yay!!!!
And, from Jackie:
Okay, if you must know, I'm the blue one, and K is an absolute genius costumer.
Summer gold coastal range to the west, lingering snow dusting the Sierra to the east, old shady trees, large meandering rivers.... Sacramento.
I accompanied my mother to my father's grave on what would have been their 52nd wedding anniversary. He passed away almost nine years ago. She said, "I didn't think I would live more than a year after he was gone." I told her that I was happy she was still around. She said that she was, too.
I had an interesting discussion with my newly-diabetic brother about his, um, qualms about injections. I'm glad he's doing well so far.
My almost-three-year old grand-nephew is acquiring a good vocabulary, but still doesn't string together many long sentences. He did, however, look at my car and then said to my mom, "Her car is dirty." Yup, I inspire educational leaps in my own special way!
Location:
Mom's house
In attendance:
Me
Mom
Sis
Bro
3 nieces
1 toddler grand-nephew
The food:
ribs
baked beans w/ham
baked beans w/o meat
potato salad
macaroni salad
caesar salad
green salad
au gratin potatoes
rosemary potato bread
dinner rolls
peach pie
lemon pie
Conclusion:
This is why I shouldn't go home more than once a year.
By rooting for the Celtics, I have not jumped on a bandwagon. I have always despised the Lakers and have always had a little lust in my heart for KG. Just so we all have that straight.
Woke up this morning at a decent hour, around 9 am. Not too bad for vacation. We went to a bookstore, where we spotted SarahP's book in the wild! The Magic Thief was released today. I've read it, loved it, and heartily recommend it for kids and adults alike. Have food nearby while you read it, trust me.
Then we had a nice lunch, eating grilled mahi tacos at a bar by the beach. To walk off the tasty tacos, we ventured out onto Sunset Cliffs. There's a storm front offshore, so the waves were big and billowy.
Greg was enjoying himself.
Me, too.
We ran some errands. I spent the afternoon drinking hot chocolate and doing sudoku. I exchanged a few emails with a student from this past semester who is thinking of becoming an astronomer. (Bwah ha ha!) Later I decided that I needed a few more things for dinner, so I walked to the grocery store. Here's the view on my walk back home:
Can you tell I like living near the water? And I really like vacation.
It's been bothering me for a few years that the Mars Phoenix mission is based in Tucson. It's already hard enough to get people to keep UofA and ASU straight in their heads. However, this image from MRO of Phoenix descending can make me forgive just about anything.
I woke up at 9:33 am. I ate four chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. This is Day One of summer vacation.
The commencement ceremony was last night. Last year, I had a discussion with a friend about community college students. From his experience with friends who have attended community colleges, his perception of the typical student was, um, slackers who didn't really have a focus in life. Whereas that does represent some community college students (and more than a few university students, I might add), I thought it would be interesting to share some of the statistics of those graduating this semester at my institution. There is a bias here, as many students never file for graduation but rather just transfer, but the statistics are not atypical for the general population of students.
Youngest graduate = 17 years old
Oldest graduate = 61 years old
Percentage of associates degrees awarded to females = 60%
Age group with the most students graduating = 35+,
Average age of graduates = 29
Number of students who stand when asked who is the first in their family to be awarded a college degree = over 50%
Number of photos taken by a fellow faculty member of a young student who had no family members present because they do not believe that females need an education = as many as could fill up the memory card to document this amazing accomplishment
Plus one hug from a very happy student for this very content professor
Last night was the final meeting of my once-per-week, three-hour long night-time astronomy class. As an attempt at something different, I gave their final quiz last week and told them to show up this week to talk about the fate of the universe with cookies provided. They were also told that there'd be no grade attached to this week's meeting, I just thought that teaching cosmology would be fun in sort of a laid-back format, letting their questions really drive the discussion. This, of course, would depend on participation, so my plan would fail horribly if people didn't show up.
All of the students showed up. Every single one.
Do you know how much fun it is to teach a class of interested students? This group had been great all semester (averaging almost 10 % above the scores of my day-time classes), so I had confidence that I'd get a good turnout, but all of them? I was really impressed, but not necessarily surprised. I've always enjoyed teaching evening classes at community colleges. The demographic leans towards older, full-time employed people. They may be tired when they show up to class, but they attend because they really want to be there. That's a good thing, because when I teach at night, it's usually the end of a long day; this semester's Tuesdays went from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm. If the students weren't as dedicated, it'd be difficult for me to keep up the level of energy required to teach a three-hour lecture. So thank you and good luck in the future to my evening students!
Next week is the last week of school. Yay! I love my students, but I'm as eager for the semester to be over as they are. This past week was difficult, and I'm glad it's the weekend. Of course, there's a pile of grading weighing upon my conscience, but I'll deal with that tomorrow.
I had some interesting conversations with students the past few weeks. One student has been in my physics classes both semesters. He's really smart, but also... well, he describes himself as lazy. He is content with doing the minimum needed to earn a passing grade, but he could achieve so much more. And he knows it. But last week he started talking about sustainable architecture and went on and on and on. That's it... that's what makes him tick, and I wish I'd found that out during the first week of the fall semester.
One of my astronomy students mentioned that he wanted to be a teacher. Specifically, a special needs K-12 teacher for deaf students from Spanish language homes, a niche that is probably woefully unfilled hereabouts. He has some friends who are deaf, and he has been disturbed by the quality of education they receive in traditional special ed classes.
Another astronomy student started off the semester a little rough. You can tell that his educational background is not the best, yet I never doubt his desire to learn. And he's been bitten by the astronomy bug - ha! But what I found most interesting is why astronomy has started to appeal to him. He feels like he is at a crossroads in his life, open to new possibilities and new ideas, whether that be in regards to career or faith. He says he feels like he's searching for truth and that the astronomy class has become part of the journey.
I wish I had time to find out the things that make each student twitch, you know?
Before an astronomy class today, one of my students told me that I seemed smarter than his other instructors and that he thought I should be doing research instead of teaching at a community college. He asked why I was an instructor. I told him the truth, because I enjoy teaching, specifically at the community college. He seemed confused by the notion of someone actually liking to teach, which saddens me with regards to his K-12 education.
When my officemate unlocked the door to our darkened office early this morning, a man darted out of it. Nothing appears to be missing, but from the way my keyboard had been moved, he was probably sleeping in my chair with his head on my desk. I wonder who that was? Whoever he is, he must have a key and our alarm code.
Today is the 18th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. When I mentioned that to my astronomy classes, a few of the students commented on the fact that they're eighteen years old, too. Most of my students don't remember a world before Hubble. I do. It was a quieter universe, beautiful and placid. We now know that is not the universe we live in, and I'm forever grateful to have seen the heavens through Hubble's eyes.
To commemorate today's anniversary, here are some colliding galaxies, from Hubble:
You know, after a 13-hour day at work, I was thinking it would be so nice if my favorite musical artist would release a new single for free. What's that you say? Thanks, Trent!
It was Greg's idea to have chocolate chip cookie sundaes for dinner last night. It was a splendid idea, in my opinion.
I had to yell TWICE at a group of students in one of my classes today. I resent having to apply discipline in a college classroom, and getting angry always leaves me unsettled and in a crappy mood. Needless to say, I did not have a good day.
However, when I got home, Greg made a yummy dinner, I baked chocolate chip cookies, and I received an email containing an apology from one of the troublesome students. Not such a bad day after all.
My astronomy students turned in their first papers last week. The assignment is an article summary, in which they read a newspaper/magazine/internet piece on an astronomy topic and summarize it in one page. Nothing high stress, but rather my way of getting them to read science in the news. As part of grading, I mark spelling and grammatical errors. I did have a student object to this once, because I'm not an English teacher. Egads! I do think it is my duty to have them write as part of the astronomy curriculum. My physics students also have to write a short paper. I think it's important that students are held responsible for their writing skills, even outside the English classroom. After all, the goal of most composition classes is to prepare the students for their other courses, right?
I receive notices about students who take advantage of campus tutoring to proofread their papers for spelling and grammatical errors. One of these students turned in a paper full of errors. To whom do I give the benefit of the doubt - to the student, who perhaps did not receive the help she needed? Or to the tutor, who perhaps helped, but my student didn't follow through? Sigh. More hot chocolate is required.
On Friday, I attended a six hour-long meeting focusing on student learning outcomes. It made me ponder some recent examples I have of the outcomes that different people expect for student learning. All of these examples are from colleagues, near and far:
I think I'll go drink hot cocoa now.
On several occasions this week, I found myself dealing with students discomfited by the universe. The Sun dying out was particularly perplexing for them.
"What will happen to us? What will we do?"
My reply was, "If we're still around in five billion years, we'll need an exit strategy." Truly, the students looked like I just killed their pets. The Greenhouse Effect also bothers them, but not in the "I should curtail my carbon emissions"-way.
"What will happen to the Earth if the runaway greenhouse effect happens?
"Um, nothing? The atmosphere will change, some living things will die as others flourish, and the rocky ball we live on will continue to orbit the Sun just fine. Oh, and the atmosphere has changed before."
Aiieee!
I showed a few of my favorite images: the Peekskill meteorite and the Chicago meteorite. Obviously, very few people were affected by these events, and thus they are considered to be of no consequence. My students did not consider these impacts to be trivial, and strangely, most had not heard of the possibility that an impact contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs. One student has now deemed my class "creepy."
Since I was a small child, I've spent much of my mental life in outer space, so I guess I've become used to being part of the universe, a vast and awesome place. Just a part - not in control, not special, not important. And just amazed that from this tiny little land-locked corner of the universe, we can look out and learn so much.
Today I am not going to do any work, not even open up my work email accounts. Yup, it's my Spring Break, and I think I deserve one totally free day! The week has been both full and fun so far:
And that's just Friday thru Tuesday! Much beach-walking has since occurred.
Other random bits:
Happy Saturday, everyone!
It's good to get a fresh perspective - Earth and its Moon, as seen by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Nine Inch Nails just released a 36-track instrumental album called Ghosts I-IV on the website this afternoon. Ahhhh!!!! Ahhh!!!!! The servers are overwhelmed, so I haven't been able to complete my order yet, but the streaming audio still works. Ahhhh!!! Ahhh!!!!
Maybe I'll cancel class tomorrow - it's two hours of new music!!!! Ahhh!!!!!
A meme that's been making the rounds: "123" meme:
1) grab the book that is physically closest to you at this very moment
2) turn to page 123
3) give the sixth, seventh, and eighth sentences that appear on that page
He cleared his throat. "I am here, as I'm sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore's will." Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another.
Gee, that's obvious.
If you're interested in sports or the separation of billionaires and state, take the time to read The Sports Guy's mailbag of emails from Seattle Supersonics fans. If you're not aware of what's going on, the most recent owners of the Sonics have been holding the city hostage over a new stadium that they never really wanted, their true desire being to move the team to Oklahoma City. Not that OKC doesn't deserve a team (the city was a great host to the displaced New Orleans Hornets), but should that be at the expense of a city that has supported their team fiscally and emotionally for 41 years? Sports fans, this could happen to your team. And I think it's a horrible statement on the values of a society that allows billionaires to have their fortunes subsidized by public funds as we find ourselves falling into recession.
If you missed last night's lunar eclipse, SpaceWeather has an eclipse image gallery, including this lovely image from Iran:
Tonight Greg and I went to 1500 Ocean at the Hotel del Coronado for dinner. Our meal involved shrimp, braised short ribs, kurobuta pork, filet mignon, almond butter cake and warm chocolate chipotle cake. Tasty, fun, and worth the extravagance as we celebrated the eighteenth anniversary of our first date.
Thanks for eighteen years of fun and companionship, Writer Boy.
It was a glorious brisk sunny day here, and we could see ocean to the west and snow-capped mountains to the east. I felt well enough today to go to Solana Beach and eat pizza, splash in the Pacific, and experience a donut incident. It was a nice start to a long weekend.
There are ants in the kitchen. My dear Greg commenced battle against them before I got home from work, but some still linger.
I'm not usually squirmy over bugs, but ants really bother me. I think it goes back to Winter 1986, growing up in Northern California. That year there was a lot of rain. The ground was saturated. Wind-blown rain was actually leaching through the walls of my bedroom. One of my bedroom windows didn't close properly, and sometimes I'd wake up soaked from the rain. Nothing wanted to be outside in that weather, including ants. I can still see them on my walls, on my floorboards, my bookcase... everywhere. The only time a bug ever lasted more than a millisecond in my mother's impeccably clean house were those ants, that winter.
I feel like they're crawling all over me, damn them. Hate ants.
Sat on the couch and watched the Super Bowl, while my good Greg brought me snacks. Some commentary:
But now, after such sweet brief elation, the long off-season begins. Sniffle. Must console myself with chocolate.
It's Super Bowl Sunday, and I have a decision to make. It's already the saddest day of the year, with it marking the end of football season. I'm prepared for the game - snacks are in place, much of the weekend's work is done. But I haven't decided who I'm rooting for yet. Do I root for the Patriots, to witness history? Do I root for the Giants, to witness another sort of history, one with a twist? Let's face it, the Patriots have been annoying in their smugness and allegations of cheating. But I have no love for the Giants, a playoff nemesis of my 49ers from the 80s/90s. Perhaps I shall merely root for the game to be a good one and start my countdown to next season.
It's been an exciting week around here, with Greg selling his first novel! I just wanted to note for the record just how proud of him I am. I've watched him progress from sending stories out hoping they'd sell to knowing they'd sell and now this! I'm glad I've been along for the ride. Congrats, Greg!
When the alarm went off this morning, I awoke from a dream in which I was cutting and pasting student records in Excel.
Help me.
I awoke this morning from a vivid dream in which I'd been playing with my dog. In reality, she died while I was away at college as an undergraduate. It was nice to spend time with her this morning, but I really missed her when I woke up. I rummaged through some old photos this afternoon, and they brought back memories of my dog and the house I grew up in. That house also went away when I was an undergrad; my parents sold the home after Spring Break my freshman year. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to the only house I'd ever lived in; I didn't know when I walked out the door at the end of break that they were going to sell. But in my dreams, when I think I'm at "home", it's still that house.
Here is Muffin (named for her toasty brown color) in one of her favorite spots, a grungy old rocking chair. Will ya take a look at that shag carpet?
She also loved to sun herself in the backyard. My mom spent a lot of time gardening, and in the center of this photo, you can see the roses (Sutter's Gold, I believe) that made orange roses my favorite.
Muffin loved to look out the door. I think meerkats remind me of her in this stance. And, my gods, I grew up in the stereotypical 70s household. Wood paneling! Slipcovers! Shag carpets! You can even catch a hint of the humongous console TV off to the left . You can also see the mantel where the stockings were hung with care and glimpse the tree I used to climb.
And this picture is just to prove to Kirsten that I have legs!
This year, I only read 28 books. That may be my lowest total for any year in my entire life. I guess searching for a job, moving to another state, and starting a new job had an impact on my reading. Oh, let's be honest... extraneous web-surfing and obsessive watching of Battlestar Galactica DVDs had an effect, too. I'm hoping to read much more this year, but let's take a look at the best of last year first:
Here's to great reading in 2008!
Greg and I returned from Austin yesterday. It was a good trip, a nice mixture of work and vacation. Now I'm feeling a bit of post-con letdown. Yes, I know it was a "conference", not a "convention", but it rather serves the same purpose for me. I saw many people I haven't seen in months, if not years. It felt good. But it also feels good to be home.
Greg and I flew into Austin yesterday, after a slight weather delay in Phoenix (of all places). I finally got to meet Maureen and her husband Bob, who generously treated us to Texas BBQ. A wonderful way to start our Texas working vacation.
Today was the first full day of the AAS Meeting. My presentation was today, so I can relax the rest of the week. Today went by in a blur: saw an astronaut, saw a Nobel Prize winner, attended a speech by the NASA administrator, shook hands with a NASA director, chatted with old grad school friends, got a hug from an old prof, cheered on many former TAs, judged student posters for a prize, and listened to two current grad students vent their frustrations for about 45 min (each - I think they're ready to graduate).
We'll see what tomorrow brings!
As in "Enjoying the Weather" - 2008 started just like 2007 ended: clear and sunny. That worked out nicely, as dear David was visiting from Switzerland. It would have been cruel if he didn't have sun shine upon his trip. Here are some recent pics:
Greg and David in Ocean Beach.
Views from Bird Rock:
As in "Under the Weather" - I've been battling allergies or a cold or something. Slight earache, slight sore throat... just enough to make me feel blah. Of course, it isn't like I have to prepare for a conference or anything. Or want to be healthy to get on a flight on Monday. Oh, wait....
As in "Stormy Weather" - It's gloriously gray and gloomy this weekend, though. Coziness-inducing. Mmm... maybe it's time for curative cocoa.
Stolen from a lot of people, this meme is based on the work of Dr. Will Barratt, apparently.
Bold (with asterisks to help it show up)for what applies; italics for what might apply.1. Father went to college My ex -brother-in-law was an attorney - does that count? Dr. Barrett's Measure of Social Status rates firemen lower than high school teachers, so no. Ballet, for two years Let's see... I was considered fat even though I was the ideal weight for my height. And women with Ph.Ds in physics abound in the media, eh? Two summers, mandatory for high school marching band. I know some of the cost was ameliorated by fundraisers. Sometimes even something as high class as a Best Western! Most new, but some was made by hand or were hand-me-downs My parents did not buy a car for me, nor my siblings. I remember one painting - original or not, I don't know. **25. You had your own room as a child. 26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18 28. Had your own TV in your room in High School 30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 18 32. Went on more than one cruise with your family 34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
**9. Were read children's books by a parent
**10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college cost.
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs.
16. Went to a private high school
**17. Went to summer camp
**19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
I don't consider someone to "own" a home until the mortgage is paid off, so no.
It's 2008. How weird does that sound? Plenty weird.
My major goal for 2007 was to find a job and move back to California. As I now live in San Diego, I think I'll consider 2007 to be a success. My goals for 2008 are a bit more modest:
Here's to hoping we all have a wonderful 2008!
Today started off with a breakfast featuring these fresh-baked cinnamon rolls:
(Yes, I'm having a good baking week. )
And then there were many presents. I received chocolate and books and chocolate and a CD and chocolate and clothes and chocolate and kitchen supplies and chocolate and gift cards and chocolate and a necklace and chocolate. Spent the rest of the day watching basketball, cooking dinner, and having a cozy evening with Greg. Just perfect! I hope you had as wonderful and bountiful a holiday as I did.
I hope you all have joy and beauty in your life.
From Astronomy Picture of the Day and The World at Night:
Today is my 37th birthday. I had a great day. Greg took me out to breakfast and then on a mini-spree at Mysterious Galaxy. In the afternoon, we walked around tide pools exposed by one of the lowest tides of the year. (Thanks to Voidmonster for pointing that out!)
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| From San Diego - D... |
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Then there was mexican food for dinner and the opening of presents: books, gift cards, jewelry, gym gear... I'm a spoiled brat! And now, a cozy evening at home wrapped up with LOTR and this cake. Lucky me! Thanks, everyone!
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Well, the first semester at my new college is over. The exams, the grading, the paperwork... all done. Some perspectives from the new job:
Now to do my Christmas shopping for Greg! Let's see... what to get him... hmm?
A few of my astronomy students told me that they've decided that they want me to teach all of their classes. Another astro student says that it was his favorite class ever. And one of my physics students, whom I talked into staying in the class after a disappointing first midterm, earned an A in the course.
Sometimes I feel like I'm in the right job.
Sadly, it isn't often that student athletes show up in physics classes. That's why I'm so excited that one of my best students from last spring was named the nation's top kicker. If I recall correctly, he wrote a paper on the physics of kicking for my class. ;)
Congratulations, Thomas!
Greg's parents kindly take us out for Thanksgiving dinner every year. However, that doesn't allow for leftovers! So, today I made our belated Thanksgiving meal: ham, cranberry sauce, dressing, peas au gratin, scalloped corn, and rolls. Sure, it took a few hours, but I won't have to cook again for days! And, because whole milk was called for in one of the recipes, I had hot cocoa made with whole milk for dessert. Mmm... decadence.
It rained all day Friday, a pleasant change. On Saturday, clouds still filled the sky.
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Today, it was all blue and sparkly.
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| From San Diego - D... |
I woke up to the sound of rain. I shall go to sleep to the sound of rain. It's one of my favorite sounds.
Speaking of sounds, my office is next to the men's restroom, and something (I think it's the door) sounds like a TIE fighter screaming over the Death Star. I hear this all day long. Makes me twitch. Sometimes life is very strange.
I'll concentrate on the soothing rain now.
One of my students is wearing an Arizona State sweatshirt. I was very confused about my location for awhile.
So often we complain about "kids these days", but I've found that their parents are equally, if not more, irresponsible. For example, I have a student missing the quiz today because her parents decided to surprise her with a trip for her birthday. I've had parents phone their students during class and, in one case, I actually grabbed the phone and scolded the mother (a repeat offender who was afraid her daughter was lying about her whereabouts). In one instance of a power struggle during a divorce, I've had a father hide a daughter's shoes and car keys in an attempt to keep her at home. (She showed up to class in slippers.) I also had to write letters to her father stating that she had to be in class on particular dates when he wanted her to go on family trips. Parents regularly schedule flights home for break as early as possible (gotta get the good rates!), and pay no attention to students' final exam schedules. If you think the students are pulling scams, I've seen them in tears in my office because their profs won't reschedule exams and their parents don't want to eat the fees from the airlines. So for all my friends with kids, remember that responsibility does begin at home and that you want your kids to become independent adults with their own lives, even if you're still helping them pay for school. And paying for their schooling does not give you control over their lives or their professors.
The student I made the deal with remembered to bring a scantron and a pencil today. Unfortunately it looks like he forgot to study. However, chocolate chip cookies for everyone during the final quiz!
Argh! There are fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies cooling on the kitchen counter. But my kitchen is so small that I need all that counter space! Gotta do something about those cookies then. What to do... what to do? ;)
We'll see how many are left to give to Greg's folks tomorrow.
For reasons that aren't entirely clear to me, classes only met on Monday this week. I'm not complaining. With my first day off, I had breakfast with Greg at a coffee house by the sea and chatted briefly with a student there. Then I wrote two quizzes. Got a haircut. Did some grocery shopping at Trader Joes, where I was amused by the number of people FREAKING OUT because they sold out of turkeys yesterday. Corresponded with distant TAs. Corresponded with distant former students. Made dinner. Kind of a mellow day. I feel restless, though. Like there is something I should be doing that I haven't done. Gosh, I hope it isn't important!
The first time I taught a particular physics course, the class schedule was three days per week, 50 minute class meetings. I designed my exams for that length of time. The students did well and most students finished comfortably within the 50 minute period. The next time I taught the same course, the class met two days per week, 75 minute class meetings. Another difference was that the previous class was a small class at a community college, and the second class was approaching 200 students at a university. Anyways, I gave the same exams, so I could contrast performance. What surprised me was how many students took the whole time and the class as a whole did worse. The next time I taught the course was the same setup - large class, two days at 75 minutes each, at the university. This class also thought the exams were too long, but did really well overall. I'm currently teaching this same course to a small class at a community college, which meets two days per week, 2 hours each time. These students find the exams too long, although these are the same design, and in some cases the same questions, as the very first time I taught the course. In fact, the reason why I'm posting this now is that I had two students this week need MORE than the two hours to finish the exam.
So, what's going on here? I've come up with some possible issues:
I've eliminated some possibilities:
Any thoughts?
I have made a deal with an astronomy student: if he can manage to bring both a pencil and a Scantron to the next quiz, I will bring cookies to the final quiz. This deal was made publicly, in front of his classmates. I'll know the results in two weeks.
The things I do...
Did laundry earlier today. As I was hanging my four newly clean shirts, I realized three were gray and one was black. Typical.
Just got back from Extraordinary Desserts. I had a hot chocolate (made with Valrhona) and a piece of Viking cake (chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache...). I may well be drunk.
One of the things I appreciated most about my time in Arizona was that it didn't observe Daylight Savings Time. (Trust me, nobody wants the Sun to set later in the summer there.) I despise changing the time, falling back or springing forward. Nowadays, it's easier. Our cell phones, computers, cable boxes... they all change automatically. But my inner fourth-grader will always remember walking to school, across a vacant playground and then having all eyes turn to her as she walked into class an hour late. Feh.
Today - watched Pats-Colts. It was fun to watch such a good game without rooting for either team, sort of an "NFL Appreciation" class. During half-time, I put together a loaf of pumpkin bread and a dozen pumpkin muffins. Tasty breakfasts await us this week!
Today started off with breakfast prepared for me by Greg. He even brought it to me where I was sitting on the couch still in my robe. I'm a spoiled brat. Later, we went to our favorite pizza place and walked along the beach. I took another walk tonight by the mist-shrouded bay. Not such a bad day, hmm? Hope you're all well!
I think the peanut butter-to-chocolate ratio in Reese's Miniatures has improved. The balance seems to reflect more the perfection of the regular Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Perhaps I shall continue testing this hypothesis.
Happy Halloween!
In the past couple of weeks, I've baked banana nut bread and brownies. There is a coffee cake in the oven as I type. Methinks I've moved back to a cooler climate, and it's baking season! Mmm...
My college has canceled classes through next Monday due to the fires in the surrounding areas. As much as it's annoying to lose a week in the second half of the semester, I won't complain... so far, class time is all I've lost, and so many others aren't as lucky.
My college closed early today and will be closed tomorrow because of the fires in the San Diego region. Several of my colleagues and students were evacuated from their homes. The air quality is bad, the car is covered with ashes, and we are miles away from the fires. As I sit here on the couch in our apartment, I can see ashes in the air outside, and the color of the light coming in through the window is just plain wrong. Although all the windows and doors are closed, I can still smell smoke.
Here's to hoping that the fires are contained soon and to being safe and well.
Last week I did a calculation on the board in my physics class. The physics was simple (just two lines), but the algebra to solve the problem involved most of the board. Must to my dismay (horror? surprise?), instead of writing down the derivation, several of the students took out their camera phones and snapped pics of it. "If I copy it down, I might make a mistake," was the response to my, well, sarcastic questioning. The art of note-taking is fading, fading... gone.
About half of my physics students are architecture majors. If you aren't aware, architecture students get worked hard in their classes. I understand that, truly, but there's a level of work that you need to put into physics to understand it. Problem-solving is a skill learned through practice, not just by watching someone else perform calculations. I approached a few of my students about their (non-existant) homework scores, and they sheepishly admitted they needed to put in more work. But they also said, "At least when you were a physics major, you could just concentrate on the physics, without having all this other work to do." Yes, I remember, back in the day, when I was required to take only one class each semester so I could give my attention solely to learning physics.... Everybody's own major is the hardest, isn't it?
I'm sick. I wanted spicy food. So we drove to a place where we knew we could get really spicy food, but we couldn't find parking. For blocks around. In Phoenix, there would have been multiple choices to get really spicy food, all with ample parking. I usually don't miss Arizona, but today, I miss some of the conveniences.
On the other hand, after we gave up and came home, Greg heated up some chicken noodle soup, which I dosed with hot sauce. He's always a sweetie, especially when I'm not feeling well. In a little while, I will look at him beseechingly, and he'll make me cocoa. Mmmm...curative cocoa...
The week goes by so quickly. The class schedule at my new college is concentrated Mon-Thurs, so I have three day weekends. Yay! But that also means I have four really hectic workdays. It is all a blur, they go by so fast. In fact, I'm writing this during "free time" - my students are taking an exam. Just thought I take some time to jot some thoughts on my blog:
Test is done. Back to work!
When the students ask me what would happen to somebody without a spacesuit on the surface of the Moon, I always blame them for the grim discussion that follows while I smile maniacally. Students seem to find my proclivities for impacts and other cosmic catastrophes to be somewhat unseemly.
After class today, I was paid a high compliment: "This is my only class where all the students pay attention." Think there's a correlation? ;)
I woke up with morning with a horrible neckache and migraine. I only had a 13-hour workday ahead of me, so no problem, right? Greg was very nice to me, rubbing my neck and driving me to and from work, but it was still not how I wanted to start my day. Sigh.
My physics exam seemed to promote more frustration than work. I can't seem to break some of their bad habits, no matter how hard I reinforce some of the concepts. Don't plug in numbers right away. If you have two unknowns, you need two equations (an idea they can recite, but do not comprehend). Sigh..
After my astronomy class tonight, two students came up to me to complain about another student who asks somewhat, um, well, ...let's just say she annoys them with the questions she asks in class. This is actually my least favorite problem to deal with; how do I tend to an individual student's needs without alienating the rest of the class? It's a fine line, and I need to figure out how to deal with this student in a positive way. Sigh.
Tonight Greg picked me up from work and took me to walk along the beach on the way home. D'aww... We saw a seal on the beach. First we noticed that a man was taking photos of something and then we realized it was a seal. We kept our distance, but we a bit alarmed how close the man was to the seal. Then he started bothering the seal, getting too close, making the seal move away. When we realized that we were rooting for the seal and carnage, we decided it was time to leave. Sigh.
I've purchased new batteries. Didn't help. I've tried resetting the calculator. Nope. The bottom row of buttons are only functioning some of the time. I'm sure you're thinking that I should just get a new calculator, but you don't understand. This calculator and I have been together a long time. How long? I'll be turning 37 in December, and this calculator was a gift from my sister for my 18th birthday. Yup. Half my life. A B.S in astrophysics... a Ph.D. in physics... all with my trusty little HP 20S. :(
My streak of fourteen years without an earthquake came to an end this morning. I must admit, I enjoyed the earthquake-free aspect of living in Phoenix. I guess it's balanced out by the natural disaster known as the months of May-October there, though.
We've now spent a full month in our new home. I've started my new job. I still feel somewhat out of place - not quite settled in the apartment, not quite settled in the office. The new students are good, though - eager, respectful, hard-working, responsive... I like them quite a bit so far. I don't know that they'll see the best of me this semester, as I figure out all the ins and outs of the new workplace. I'll try my best, though.
I continue to enjoy the beachy vibe. We've spent part of every day by the water. I guess that's what happens when you spend over a decade in the desert - you learn to treasure water. I especially like wading in the ocean. During my time at UCLA I was too busy to spend much time at the beach; I can only recall a handful of visits. I think I'm making up for it now. Not that I'm not busy, but I am scheduling in beach time. Very important.
I hope y'all are having a great holiday weekend!
August 2004
August 2007
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| From San Diego - A... |
Click on the above image for some pix of our new locale! To a good year ahead!
We have stuff! The movers finally came today, and I just spent the last hour or so unpacking clothes and linens and such. I've sat on our couch. I've made the bed. Yay for stuff! Although the last week and a half demonstrated that we can do without a lot of our stuff. Of course, we had the internet. I'm sooooooo glad that we had the cable company set up our box even though we didn't have the TV, because we would have gone crazy without the internets. It's good that the movers came today, though, because last night I found myself watching Snape fanvids on YouTube for entertainment.
I cooked dinner. Armed with one stockpot and our new microwave and toaster oven and parsley from our wee herb garden, I made us a meal. Our first home-cooked meal in a very long time. We, um, ate a lot tonight. And there are leftovers!
Still no delivery of our stuff from the movers. Although highly aggravating, this has also allowed us to spend more time relaxing and getting to know some of the different areas in San Diego. I mean, sure, I could have been unpacking today, but then would I have taken two walks along the beach? Had breakfast at a funky cafe? Explored a new coffee house? Hmm? So, in silver lining mode, I will enjoy the free time before life gets busy with unpacking and starting the new job. Hope they don't mind me looking casual, because all I have are jeans with me now!
Tonight featured pizza and a sunset stroll in Solana Beach, a very pleasant way to spend the evening. On the way back, we spotted a donut shop and stopped by to pick up dessert. There was a little boy there, speaking for his mother, and he wanted a dozen donuts. But he only had five dollars - that was enough for half a dozen, but the whole dozen was seven dollars. He looked forlorn and told us we could make our selections ahead of him. He was so sweet and polite and was obviously trying to determine his best options, so we offered him two dollars on our way out so he could buy the dozen. At first he refused, but I told him that I also really like donuts, so he thanked us. On the way out the door, I looked back and the shopkeeper was smiling at us while filling up a box with a dozen donuts. I hope the boy and his family enjoyed them.
I'm slowly getting used to the idea that I don't live in Arizona anymore. We'd lived there so long and spent so much time away the past few months that I still kinda feel like I'm "out of town" for a little while. But it's sinking in.
Today we found a nifty coffee house in Point Loma. We also went to the new Trader Joes in Point Loma, which is lovely and BIG! We also ate fish tacos for lunch, went for a stroll on the beach, and put away some of the belongings that we brought with us. (Still waiting for the darned movers.) The day closed eating yummy Vietnamese food with Greg's Cousin Ellen (hi!) and her husband. All-in-all, a pleasant day here in the new home town.
