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.
Well, we're here. We have officially moved to San Diego, after fourteen years in Arizona. I had some very good experiences in Arizona - earned my Ph.D., met good people, ate great food, had a wonderful job, reveled in Flagstaff. But in all that time, I never considered myself to be an Arizonan. Born and raised in California, I've always considered myself a Californian. My time in Arizona had a "Californian living abroad" sort of vibe. But now I'm back, even though it's only Southern California (says the Northern California girl). Now I'll be able to argue both national and state politics with the family. Speaking of which, I leave the state for awhile, and people voted in Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor. I'll never forgive them!
The battle to move to the West Coast is ongoing. The move isn't going as smoothly as we'd hoped, but it's going. I guess most moves go this way... it's just been a long time since I'd made the attempt, and the game-plan has been disrupted.
I can think of few people who brought more high points to my youth than Bill Walsh. I remember "The Catch" and beating the Cowboys in the playoffs. I remember the defeat of the Dolphins (ha ha ha!) in the Super Bowl. I remember almost missing dinner in the dorms while watching the last of his Super Bowl victories in 1989. His influence on the NFL was immense, from the West Coast Offense to the advocation of the recruitment of minority coaches. He'll be missed.
Greg and I, as well as friends Bob and Laura, went to see Rush in concert last night. Rush is always a wonderful band to see live - incredibly tight, fun performance. Before the concert, we all met up at Four Peaks. Even though I'm not a beer drinker, this brew pub is one of the best places on the planet, in my opinion. Great food, great atmosphere, friendly folks - the vibe is always so comfortable and festive. I've been to many brew pubs in many places, and apparently there are many to explore in San Diego, but Four Peaks will be difficult to replace.
Another haunt that I will miss and will find hard to replace is Carlsbad Tavern. It was where we celebrated my Ph.D. with family, the first restaurant we went to after 9/11, the place where I get to watch Aaron eat habanero burgers. We went there last week, and I ordered a plate of blue corn enchiladas with black beans and rice... a plate of Southwestern love.
I think you can guess my dining choices on any return trips to the Phoenix area. ;)
Today we crossed the desert without incident and ended up in San Diego, where tomorrow we'll pick up the keys to our new apartment in preparation for the big move this weekend. I still can't believe the move is upon us. The summer is going by so fast!
As much as I look forward to living near the sea, I will miss our Tempe neighborhood. We have a great apartment (at least when it's clean). I can walk (but not during June-August) to the bank, gym, Starbucks, my massage therapist, and Whole Foods. We're in a little blue island in a sea of red. I have a seven minute commute to work. However, it does seem like we're leaving at the right time. The Whole Foods will be moving a few miles away. A Super WalMart will be moving in about a mile away (over the dead bodies of many of the residents, I'm sure). And many of our baristas have left in the past few months - Katie, to do humanitarian work in Africa, and Ricky, of the perfect hot chocolate, to devote more time to school. Things are changing, and our departure will be part of that change.
We went to get ice cream tonight and enjoyed it while walking around a strip mall with a good independent bookstore. We decided to peek in at the Harry Potter festivities. With over three hours to go and before the official start of the party, the place was already a zoo. Muggles, witches, and wizards will wandering about. As many, if not more, adults than kids were in costume, including a brilliant Mad Eye Moody.
Finally ended up in line with over 500 other people at a different bookstore. Mostly adults, with a significant number being women with their long-suffering men in tow. (Thanks, dude!) Many were making purchases in addition to HP, including one man ahead of me buying an anthology that Greg is in. Yay! And now, after a two-hour odyssey in which I met former students and colleagues, I am home with my book. Time to read! Sleep is for the weak!
I will clean my new office more often than my old office. I will not let several semesters' worth of recycling pile up. I will be better about tidying up and organizing my paperwork. I will shred old student papers in a timely fashion. This, I vow.
