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.