just say no to (cheap) drugs...
The cover story in the local paper today asks the question why crystal meth (which has become "The Scourge of the Nation"!) hasn't gained popularity here in the NY area. Any guesses as to why? I didn't even have to read the article to figure it out.
Give up?
Cheap, plentiful, and readily available heroin and cocaine!! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!!! I knew there was a reason I moved back to NY, though... as if people who spend $600 on shoes would be caught dead using off-the-rack DRUGS.
The thing that amuses me about crystal meth is... you know the Sudafed people love it. They have to pretend NOT to, but seriously... what LUCK!! I bet the people who make Tylenol have a lab set up trying to figure out a way to make Tylenol into something to get you stoned, so they can leak the info to the Street.
Friday, September 30
hey kids! what's the best kind of night...?
A VOMIT NIGHT!!
Ah well... it was one kid, one vomit, before bedtime, well foreshadowed, and mostly trashcan-contained. This, I have decided to label a "Category One Vomit". (One step above an "Intestinal Depression".)
This is what parenting does to you. You can actually find yourself fairly pleased whilst cleaning up vomit.
A VOMIT NIGHT!!
Ah well... it was one kid, one vomit, before bedtime, well foreshadowed, and mostly trashcan-contained. This, I have decided to label a "Category One Vomit". (One step above an "Intestinal Depression".)
This is what parenting does to you. You can actually find yourself fairly pleased whilst cleaning up vomit.
Thursday, September 29
the wisdom of dr. dave does not come cheap...
I just got an email from the science teacher who has my old job at the Old School, and she heard I'm back in NY, and she wants me to come give a guest lecture to the seniors. ("The Fate of the Universe") She's not offering to PAY me anything more than just travel expenses.
Uhh... no? From where I live now to the Old School is FOUR HOURS... whether by car, train, or bus. Getting out there for a lecture at 9:30 in the morning is no small feat. I don't even think it's possible. They'd have to put me up out there the night before. And even still... we're talking about a whole day of my time... if not a day and a half. Besides it's time away from home on a Friday, which is a day that I'm usually on kid duty so the wife can WORK. I'm not giving up a whole day of my life for $50 of bus fare and lunch at the cafeteria. I want at least a TOKEN fucking speaking fee, for christ's sake.
So I replied with that argument... although phrased a bit more diplomatically. If she can come up with some money from the administration, I'll consider it. I would like to see some of the gang at the Old School again. And if they were willing to put me up the night before the lecture, the night in question (Thursday Oct 20th) would be a VERY nice night to have an excuse to NOT go home after work... for reasons I'll not go into right now.
Anyway... the moral of the story... DAVE IS A PHYSICS WHORE!!!
I just got an email from the science teacher who has my old job at the Old School, and she heard I'm back in NY, and she wants me to come give a guest lecture to the seniors. ("The Fate of the Universe") She's not offering to PAY me anything more than just travel expenses.
Uhh... no? From where I live now to the Old School is FOUR HOURS... whether by car, train, or bus. Getting out there for a lecture at 9:30 in the morning is no small feat. I don't even think it's possible. They'd have to put me up out there the night before. And even still... we're talking about a whole day of my time... if not a day and a half. Besides it's time away from home on a Friday, which is a day that I'm usually on kid duty so the wife can WORK. I'm not giving up a whole day of my life for $50 of bus fare and lunch at the cafeteria. I want at least a TOKEN fucking speaking fee, for christ's sake.
So I replied with that argument... although phrased a bit more diplomatically. If she can come up with some money from the administration, I'll consider it. I would like to see some of the gang at the Old School again. And if they were willing to put me up the night before the lecture, the night in question (Thursday Oct 20th) would be a VERY nice night to have an excuse to NOT go home after work... for reasons I'll not go into right now.
Anyway... the moral of the story... DAVE IS A PHYSICS WHORE!!!
"You might have Mail...!"
I have to remember to always sit in this train car on the way home... when we pull up to the first stop, we are close enough to a neighborhood of houses that I can pick up a weak open network and check my mail really quick. Not that I actually GOT any mail just now, but the whole idea just strikes me as TOTALLY NAUGHTY AND COOL!!
I have to remember to always sit in this train car on the way home... when we pull up to the first stop, we are close enough to a neighborhood of houses that I can pick up a weak open network and check my mail really quick. Not that I actually GOT any mail just now, but the whole idea just strikes me as TOTALLY NAUGHTY AND COOL!!
entry 1,139... in which Jesus gets dissed...
Believe it or not, I wasn't TOO sore yesterday. Granted, I couldn't really easily raise my arms above shoulder-height... but my legs were ok and my abs were ok. Then I walked up to 20th street to look at some Timbuk2 messenger bags (I may order a custom one with my birthday money in a few weeks, but I wanted to see them "in-person" first)... and then I walked down to NYU to grab some books from the library and suddenly my legs started to complain a bit. Now... TODAY?? NOW I'm sore!!
So... the committee assignments came down yesterday. I'm on the "Academic Standards Committee". According to the announcement the committee is "responsible for reviewing student appeals of grades, mediating in cases of charges of plagiarism and other academic standards issues". Great... so all my LEAST favorite things to have to deal with in my OWN courses?? Now I have to deal with them in EVERYONE'S COURSES!! Oh well... there are worse committees, I guess.
I just realized yesterday that I have pretty much a 5 day vacation now... given that I don't teach on Fridays or Mondays, and that next Tuesday is Rosh Hashana. Yay for the Jews and their scattered fall holidays! I have no idea what Rosh Hashana IS, really... I just know we're celebrating by driving to IKEA and spending our house-sale money on a custom closet for master bedroom.
Speaking of religions, I had a great experience at the Unitarian church last Sunday. It was the first time we've seen a sermon by the actual minister of the church. (Meetings are often congregation-led, especially in the summer). He was going on and on and decided to illustrate his topic with a reading from the Book of John (from, as he called it... "a book called 'The Bible'..." as if perhaps many of us had never heard of it.) He reads this thing about sheep, and thieves coming over the fence, and Jesus coming through the gate, and sheep following the voice of their owner... and.... who the hell knows... once the Bible comes out, Dave begins to tune out a bit. Then after he reads the thing, the Minister says... "What John is saying here, and what Jesus is saying... if in fact he did say these words..."
Hmm? What? I'm awake!!! I perked up even more when, after explaining the meaning of the parable, he added... "This is one place where I think the Bible is wrong. There is NOT just one path to spiritual truth. I think ALL world religions offer a path to enlightenment..."
Dude... did you just dis' JESUS?? I SO have to trick my Mom into coming to Church with us when she visits. SHE WILL FUCKING EXPLODE!!!
Alright... time to think for a few minutes about what I'm teaching this morning. This is the 4th week of classes, folks. THE SEMESTER IS 1/4 OVER!!
Believe it or not, I wasn't TOO sore yesterday. Granted, I couldn't really easily raise my arms above shoulder-height... but my legs were ok and my abs were ok. Then I walked up to 20th street to look at some Timbuk2 messenger bags (I may order a custom one with my birthday money in a few weeks, but I wanted to see them "in-person" first)... and then I walked down to NYU to grab some books from the library and suddenly my legs started to complain a bit. Now... TODAY?? NOW I'm sore!!
So... the committee assignments came down yesterday. I'm on the "Academic Standards Committee". According to the announcement the committee is "responsible for reviewing student appeals of grades, mediating in cases of charges of plagiarism and other academic standards issues". Great... so all my LEAST favorite things to have to deal with in my OWN courses?? Now I have to deal with them in EVERYONE'S COURSES!! Oh well... there are worse committees, I guess.
I just realized yesterday that I have pretty much a 5 day vacation now... given that I don't teach on Fridays or Mondays, and that next Tuesday is Rosh Hashana. Yay for the Jews and their scattered fall holidays! I have no idea what Rosh Hashana IS, really... I just know we're celebrating by driving to IKEA and spending our house-sale money on a custom closet for master bedroom.
Speaking of religions, I had a great experience at the Unitarian church last Sunday. It was the first time we've seen a sermon by the actual minister of the church. (Meetings are often congregation-led, especially in the summer). He was going on and on and decided to illustrate his topic with a reading from the Book of John (from, as he called it... "a book called 'The Bible'..." as if perhaps many of us had never heard of it.) He reads this thing about sheep, and thieves coming over the fence, and Jesus coming through the gate, and sheep following the voice of their owner... and.... who the hell knows... once the Bible comes out, Dave begins to tune out a bit. Then after he reads the thing, the Minister says... "What John is saying here, and what Jesus is saying... if in fact he did say these words..."
Hmm? What? I'm awake!!! I perked up even more when, after explaining the meaning of the parable, he added... "This is one place where I think the Bible is wrong. There is NOT just one path to spiritual truth. I think ALL world religions offer a path to enlightenment..."
Dude... did you just dis' JESUS?? I SO have to trick my Mom into coming to Church with us when she visits. SHE WILL FUCKING EXPLODE!!!
Alright... time to think for a few minutes about what I'm teaching this morning. This is the 4th week of classes, folks. THE SEMESTER IS 1/4 OVER!!
Wednesday, September 28
TV updates...
First 2 minutes of the "West Wing" premier? Inexcusably lame. I hope Aaron Sorkin watched it... got all whacked out on heroin... showed up on John Well's doorstep... and beat the living fuck out of him. (The rest of the episode did not suck too terribly badly, but I will never forgive them the "flash-forward".)
"Lost"... never ceases to elicit a "what the fuck?" at least once an episode. Although Jack's flashback came too close to the next scene and my wife and I both guessed it was the Australian jogger guy in the bunker. But the opening scene... where you're trying to guess what character we're seeing in a flashback to the 70's and it turns out not to be a flashback but some guy living in the bunker RIGHT NOW!!! Nice...
Not impressed with "Survivor" so far... but it always takes a good 6 weeks before I get into it anyway. "The Amazing Race" also started last night. Not sure how I feel about the family-team idea. I feel sorry for the people with the young kids. We can't even take ours to NYC for an afternoon without wanting to kill one of them... what are they THINKING?? And God, please let that Brooklyn family with the two sons get eliminated... I can't listen to them shout at each other for another episode.
That "Geena Davis is President" show is on the TiVo, awaiting a watch. I hear the Republicans are claiming the whole show is a liberal-Hollywood conspiracy to soften people to the idea of a female President in preparation for a 2008 Hillary run. Really? How do we know it isn't it a Republican conspiracy to get people read for a Condi candidacy? Because that would be paranoid and silly.
First 2 minutes of the "West Wing" premier? Inexcusably lame. I hope Aaron Sorkin watched it... got all whacked out on heroin... showed up on John Well's doorstep... and beat the living fuck out of him. (The rest of the episode did not suck too terribly badly, but I will never forgive them the "flash-forward".)
"Lost"... never ceases to elicit a "what the fuck?" at least once an episode. Although Jack's flashback came too close to the next scene and my wife and I both guessed it was the Australian jogger guy in the bunker. But the opening scene... where you're trying to guess what character we're seeing in a flashback to the 70's and it turns out not to be a flashback but some guy living in the bunker RIGHT NOW!!! Nice...
Not impressed with "Survivor" so far... but it always takes a good 6 weeks before I get into it anyway. "The Amazing Race" also started last night. Not sure how I feel about the family-team idea. I feel sorry for the people with the young kids. We can't even take ours to NYC for an afternoon without wanting to kill one of them... what are they THINKING?? And God, please let that Brooklyn family with the two sons get eliminated... I can't listen to them shout at each other for another episode.
That "Geena Davis is President" show is on the TiVo, awaiting a watch. I hear the Republicans are claiming the whole show is a liberal-Hollywood conspiracy to soften people to the idea of a female President in preparation for a 2008 Hillary run. Really? How do we know it isn't it a Republican conspiracy to get people read for a Condi candidacy? Because that would be paranoid and silly.
O, Alabama... Where Art Thou?
Hey... I have a question. Didn't there used to be a season between summer and winter that lasted more than 4 days? Because it's FORTY-ONE FUCKING DEGREES THIS MORNING!!!
Also. Can I just say how much people who SNORE on the train piss me off? I mean... dozing off a little is fine, but there is no excuse for a non-homeless person to be in such a deep sleep on public transit.
Hey... I have a question. Didn't there used to be a season between summer and winter that lasted more than 4 days? Because it's FORTY-ONE FUCKING DEGREES THIS MORNING!!!
Also. Can I just say how much people who SNORE on the train piss me off? I mean... dozing off a little is fine, but there is no excuse for a non-homeless person to be in such a deep sleep on public transit.
Tuesday, September 27
o(m) my GOD...
Oh... I have another equation for today... one I just discovered myself...
Holy fucking FUCK. There was WAY too much of THIS going on...
Umm... hello? My schedule says "Yoga Basics"? I'm pretty sure the 90º feet-on-the-fucking-wall handstand DOES NOT QUALIFY AS BASIC!!! (**)
It was rough. And HOT in there! (Where on the schedule does it say "Bikram"? Hmmm?? NOWHERE!!) It was so brutal that the additional NYC-sexiness of the women in class DID NOT EVEN MAKE UP FOR IT!!
Worst of all, the hour-fifteen class went fifteen minutes OVER. Meaning that I had to SPRINT back to the office and the subway in order to make my train. Yoga classes are supposed to help me RELAX, which doesn't really help if they are followed by 30 minutes of "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!". Y'know?
Anyway, I fully expect to need assistance getting out of bed tomorrow.
Namasté!
Dave
(** Although... truth be told, I rocked this pose. Because the second part of it is to take one foot OFF the wall and stick that leg straight-the-fuck-up in the air. And while the yoga instructor chick was standing in front of (behind?) me holding my hips square, the back of my calf touched her head. "Ooh!" she exclaimed, "That one touched my head! You really don't have to do that. I mean - it was nice, but... yeah... that's plenty." Yeah... you're damned right it was "nice". NOW EASE THE FUCK UP!!)
Oh... I have another equation for today... one I just discovered myself...
(beginner's yoga class in NYC) = ((beginner's yoga class in Alabama) 2 + 30 minutes) x (ouch)!
Holy fucking FUCK. There was WAY too much of THIS going on...
Ok, now we're going to do another downward dog, heels against the wall, now lift your right leg BACK hip height, right foot against the wall, now straighten your right leg and lift your left leg, left foot against the wall...
Umm... hello? My schedule says "Yoga Basics"? I'm pretty sure the 90º feet-on-the-fucking-wall handstand DOES NOT QUALIFY AS BASIC!!! (**)
It was rough. And HOT in there! (Where on the schedule does it say "Bikram"? Hmmm?? NOWHERE!!) It was so brutal that the additional NYC-sexiness of the women in class DID NOT EVEN MAKE UP FOR IT!!
Worst of all, the hour-fifteen class went fifteen minutes OVER. Meaning that I had to SPRINT back to the office and the subway in order to make my train. Yoga classes are supposed to help me RELAX, which doesn't really help if they are followed by 30 minutes of "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!". Y'know?
Anyway, I fully expect to need assistance getting out of bed tomorrow.
Namasté!
Dave
(** Although... truth be told, I rocked this pose. Because the second part of it is to take one foot OFF the wall and stick that leg straight-the-fuck-up in the air. And while the yoga instructor chick was standing in front of (behind?) me holding my hips square, the back of my calf touched her head. "Ooh!" she exclaimed, "That one touched my head! You really don't have to do that. I mean - it was nice, but... yeah... that's plenty." Yeah... you're damned right it was "nice". NOW EASE THE FUCK UP!!)
speaking of geniuses...
I had a pretty clear idea what I was going to do in my classes today, but then yesterday I received an email from an APS mailing list reminding me that today is the 100th anniversary of the publication of Albert Einstein's first paper on relativity, containing (a form of) his famous equation E = mc2. So in celebration, I'm going to trash my planned lectures for the day and talk about Einstein instead. It actually dovetails quite nicely with what I'm doing in "Foundations of Physics"... not so much with "Astronomy", but... it's Einstein, so...
Oh, also... I'm wearing my Einstein tie. (Although I was unable to find my E = mc2 tie-tack.)
--- --- ---
I spent most of yesterday lying about the house and recuperating while the wife took care of Important Parenting Business like doctor's appointments and teacher conferences. The teacher conference was scheduled so that we could begin to address issues with our daughter's classwork. The basic phonics and "what letter does this start with" assignments she's been getting have us somewhat worried. (Just this past weekend, while we drove to the Ren Faire, she read aloud to us two chapters from C.S. Lewis. I think the only word she stumbled on was "prodigious".) We went to an open house at her school, and even the most "advanced" readers in her classroom bookset were at a level FAR below where she is now. So we wanted to talk to her teacher about options for enriching the curriculum and so forth. While nothing was decided, a few ideas were tossed around... and the idea of "skipping" her was also put forward. So now we have to agonize over THAT decision.
I'm not worried about 2nd grade or 3rd grade... she does well with older kids... she makes friends pretty easily... she was in an accelerated Kindergarten class last year with kids who were all a year older and didn't have any problems. What I'm worried about is 6th grade... or 7th grade... or 8th grade... Jesus, middle-school is hell enough ANYWAY without being a year younger than everyone in your class. So the social ramifications have me a little resistant to the idea. But then... do I really want her as bored in school as I always was? My wife skipped a grade in elementary school... I was offered the opportunity but my parents decided against it. Who got the better deal? Probably my wife. I was quite the slacker from 7th grade on. Every class my quarterly grades would go B, C, D, A. (bored... bored... bored... oh shit! I'm gonna fail!) Maybe if I was "challenged" early on, those bad patterns would never have developed. Who knows? All I know is I'm going to stop teaching my 2 year old son the alphabet NOW and start working on football. At least that PAYS for college as opposed to giving us ONE LESS YEAR to save!
I had a pretty clear idea what I was going to do in my classes today, but then yesterday I received an email from an APS mailing list reminding me that today is the 100th anniversary of the publication of Albert Einstein's first paper on relativity, containing (a form of) his famous equation E = mc2. So in celebration, I'm going to trash my planned lectures for the day and talk about Einstein instead. It actually dovetails quite nicely with what I'm doing in "Foundations of Physics"... not so much with "Astronomy", but... it's Einstein, so...
Oh, also... I'm wearing my Einstein tie. (Although I was unable to find my E = mc2 tie-tack.)
I spent most of yesterday lying about the house and recuperating while the wife took care of Important Parenting Business like doctor's appointments and teacher conferences. The teacher conference was scheduled so that we could begin to address issues with our daughter's classwork. The basic phonics and "what letter does this start with" assignments she's been getting have us somewhat worried. (Just this past weekend, while we drove to the Ren Faire, she read aloud to us two chapters from C.S. Lewis. I think the only word she stumbled on was "prodigious".) We went to an open house at her school, and even the most "advanced" readers in her classroom bookset were at a level FAR below where she is now. So we wanted to talk to her teacher about options for enriching the curriculum and so forth. While nothing was decided, a few ideas were tossed around... and the idea of "skipping" her was also put forward. So now we have to agonize over THAT decision.
I'm not worried about 2nd grade or 3rd grade... she does well with older kids... she makes friends pretty easily... she was in an accelerated Kindergarten class last year with kids who were all a year older and didn't have any problems. What I'm worried about is 6th grade... or 7th grade... or 8th grade... Jesus, middle-school is hell enough ANYWAY without being a year younger than everyone in your class. So the social ramifications have me a little resistant to the idea. But then... do I really want her as bored in school as I always was? My wife skipped a grade in elementary school... I was offered the opportunity but my parents decided against it. Who got the better deal? Probably my wife. I was quite the slacker from 7th grade on. Every class my quarterly grades would go B, C, D, A. (bored... bored... bored... oh shit! I'm gonna fail!) Maybe if I was "challenged" early on, those bad patterns would never have developed. Who knows? All I know is I'm going to stop teaching my 2 year old son the alphabet NOW and start working on football. At least that PAYS for college as opposed to giving us ONE LESS YEAR to save!
Monday, September 26
white stripes concert review...
It was a good concert, all in all. I wish I hadn't seen the "Blackpool Nights" DVD... I would like to have been a little more surprised by the tone of the live shows. The mix of songs was good. The live "arrangements" (if you can call them that) were good. The "sound" was about as good as you could hope for / expect... given the fact that the band consists of essentially a really distorted guitar and a bass drum.
There were more than a few screw-ups, musically... and not just the Jimmy-Page like sloppiness, which is part of his "technique"... A few places where Jack's fingers were in the wrong place... and a missed cue by Meg which earned her a positively withering look from Jack. But the interplay between the two if them is really nice, most of the time. It seems really loose... the way he cues her on all the accents. He even chokes her cymbals for her sometimes, which I think is really... cute? I dunno... it amuses me.
I have to say I can do without the thing where he just unstraps his guitar and drops it on the floor between songs... letting it feedback for 20-30 seconds while he switches instruments. I know it's part of his bad-boy-rock-star "schtick", but really... it pretty fucking obnoxious.
There is very little between-song-banter. I think he spoke to the audience 3 times. One of the exchanges went like this...
He was also dressed like some sort of satanic bullfighter. You really have to be a "Rock Star" to pull off wearing a hat like that.
The crowd was far more diverse than I expected. I thought it would be all black-clad greasy-haired hipsters, but no... there were both younger AND older people there than I expected. It's nice to see that they have such a broad appeal.
(I also ran into a former student from the college there, which is always good... helps to reinforce my 'cool prof' street cred!)
Anyway... it was a long night. I didn't quite realize that the drive would be THREE HOURS. Plus, lots of standing around. Fuck "general admission"... I want a CHAIR!! I'm taking many naps today in an attempt to recover.
Dave
PS> The opening bands didn't suck either, particularly "The Shins" who were quite good, if a bit... "flippant"!
It was a good concert, all in all. I wish I hadn't seen the "Blackpool Nights" DVD... I would like to have been a little more surprised by the tone of the live shows. The mix of songs was good. The live "arrangements" (if you can call them that) were good. The "sound" was about as good as you could hope for / expect... given the fact that the band consists of essentially a really distorted guitar and a bass drum.
There were more than a few screw-ups, musically... and not just the Jimmy-Page like sloppiness, which is part of his "technique"... A few places where Jack's fingers were in the wrong place... and a missed cue by Meg which earned her a positively withering look from Jack. But the interplay between the two if them is really nice, most of the time. It seems really loose... the way he cues her on all the accents. He even chokes her cymbals for her sometimes, which I think is really... cute? I dunno... it amuses me.
I have to say I can do without the thing where he just unstraps his guitar and drops it on the floor between songs... letting it feedback for 20-30 seconds while he switches instruments. I know it's part of his bad-boy-rock-star "schtick", but really... it pretty fucking obnoxious.
There is very little between-song-banter. I think he spoke to the audience 3 times. One of the exchanges went like this...
JACK: Meg had breakfast with Dennis Hopper today.
AUDIENCE: (applause)
JACK: (pause) ...that's not true.
He was also dressed like some sort of satanic bullfighter. You really have to be a "Rock Star" to pull off wearing a hat like that.
The crowd was far more diverse than I expected. I thought it would be all black-clad greasy-haired hipsters, but no... there were both younger AND older people there than I expected. It's nice to see that they have such a broad appeal.
(I also ran into a former student from the college there, which is always good... helps to reinforce my 'cool prof' street cred!)
Anyway... it was a long night. I didn't quite realize that the drive would be THREE HOURS. Plus, lots of standing around. Fuck "general admission"... I want a CHAIR!! I'm taking many naps today in an attempt to recover.
Dave
PS> The opening bands didn't suck either, particularly "The Shins" who were quite good, if a bit... "flippant"!
Saturday, September 24
cans't thou heareth me now?
It's been a few years since I've been to a Renaissance Faire, but I'm pretty sure there weren't *quite* as many period-inauthentic tattoos and body piercings peeking out of all the costumes the last time... and I know I didn't see nearly as many people in full garb talking on the cellphone.
It's been a few years since I've been to a Renaissance Faire, but I'm pretty sure there weren't *quite* as many period-inauthentic tattoos and body piercings peeking out of all the costumes the last time... and I know I didn't see nearly as many people in full garb talking on the cellphone.
Friday, September 23
what dave's days off are like...
Hung one bathroom cabinet, one IKEA shelf, and four West Elm shelves.
Honestly... I'd really rather go to work... thanks.
(Although I have to say... how anybody ever hung ANYTHING before THIS amazing contraption was invented, I have no idea. Fucking brilliant. Buy one!)
Hung one bathroom cabinet, one IKEA shelf, and four West Elm shelves.
Honestly... I'd really rather go to work... thanks.
(Although I have to say... how anybody ever hung ANYTHING before THIS amazing contraption was invented, I have no idea. Fucking brilliant. Buy one!)
Wednesday, September 21
because 40 gig is just not enough...
I tried to burn a CD yesterday, but my iBook told me it COULDN'T because it had less than 650 Mb of hard-drive space free. Ooops! Time for a good house-cleaning. I discovered that an archive of files and programs called "Old Mac Apps" was taking up 2.1 Gb, so... I think that's going to get burned to a DVD today. I could probably clean out the iTunes folder of downloaded-but-disliked music... not to mention retire some mediocre porn. I should also get rid of the Mac "Developer" tools. It's not like I ever actually write C-programs anymore, even though I like to know I could if I needed to.
I really, really would like a new computer. The problem is... I promised myself I would never buy another iBook. And to do what I want to do is really going to require a PowerBook anyway. (I'd like to be able to run GarageBand and iMovie at decent speeds.) And even a 12" PowerBook is gonna run me $2400 or so. Yeah... it's hard to be a Mac Snob at upgrade time, especially when there's always an ugly Windows laptop at Best Buy for $500.
I'm considering a few options. I could add some RAM, a bigger HD, and a new battery to the iBook for maybe $500 and get another year or so out of it. But hell... for that much money, maybe I should just buy a MacMini to use at home. They are, after all... awfully CUTE!
I tried to burn a CD yesterday, but my iBook told me it COULDN'T because it had less than 650 Mb of hard-drive space free. Ooops! Time for a good house-cleaning. I discovered that an archive of files and programs called "Old Mac Apps" was taking up 2.1 Gb, so... I think that's going to get burned to a DVD today. I could probably clean out the iTunes folder of downloaded-but-disliked music... not to mention retire some mediocre porn. I should also get rid of the Mac "Developer" tools. It's not like I ever actually write C-programs anymore, even though I like to know I could if I needed to.
I really, really would like a new computer. The problem is... I promised myself I would never buy another iBook. And to do what I want to do is really going to require a PowerBook anyway. (I'd like to be able to run GarageBand and iMovie at decent speeds.) And even a 12" PowerBook is gonna run me $2400 or so. Yeah... it's hard to be a Mac Snob at upgrade time, especially when there's always an ugly Windows laptop at Best Buy for $500.
I'm considering a few options. I could add some RAM, a bigger HD, and a new battery to the iBook for maybe $500 and get another year or so out of it. But hell... for that much money, maybe I should just buy a MacMini to use at home. They are, after all... awfully CUTE!
pant, pant...
Is there a better way to start the day than with a brisk, full out sprint from one's parked car to an arriving train? HOW COULD THERE BE???
It was a rough morning... the boy was up 3 or 4 times during the 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM stretch. I'd hate to be HIS preschool teacher today. After all that I couldn't sleep, so I just got up at 5:15. (I'd hate to be MY preschool teacher today!)
Last night we watched "The Day After Tomorrow". Don't ask me why... the wife has been asking to rent it forever... she seems immune to bad movie reviews for some reason. I mean, she knew it was supposed to be "bad" but she thought it might be kinda "funny bad" or "campy bad". No. It was just plain BAD. Maybe the worst movie I've seen since "Mission to Mars." I'm not sure I've ever seen a movie with less buildup. Five minutes in it's like... "Gee, the weather sure is getting crazy". No effort at all is put into building any suspense... not to mention any sense that any of this is remotely plausible. It's all just a lame excuse to show cities being leveled by tornadoes or frozen or covered in water. And the thing is... it's no longer so much fun to see a major American city covered by water when... you know... a major American city has just been covered by water. (Although the portrayal of the arrogant, stubborn, incompetent government officials comes off as somewhat prescient.)
Oh well... I guess the good thing about Netflix is that when you rent a bad movie, you don't feel like you've actually explicitly paid money to watch it.
Is there a better way to start the day than with a brisk, full out sprint from one's parked car to an arriving train? HOW COULD THERE BE???
It was a rough morning... the boy was up 3 or 4 times during the 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM stretch. I'd hate to be HIS preschool teacher today. After all that I couldn't sleep, so I just got up at 5:15. (I'd hate to be MY preschool teacher today!)
Last night we watched "The Day After Tomorrow". Don't ask me why... the wife has been asking to rent it forever... she seems immune to bad movie reviews for some reason. I mean, she knew it was supposed to be "bad" but she thought it might be kinda "funny bad" or "campy bad". No. It was just plain BAD. Maybe the worst movie I've seen since "Mission to Mars." I'm not sure I've ever seen a movie with less buildup. Five minutes in it's like... "Gee, the weather sure is getting crazy". No effort at all is put into building any suspense... not to mention any sense that any of this is remotely plausible. It's all just a lame excuse to show cities being leveled by tornadoes or frozen or covered in water. And the thing is... it's no longer so much fun to see a major American city covered by water when... you know... a major American city has just been covered by water. (Although the portrayal of the arrogant, stubborn, incompetent government officials comes off as somewhat prescient.)
Oh well... I guess the good thing about Netflix is that when you rent a bad movie, you don't feel like you've actually explicitly paid money to watch it.
Tuesday, September 20
tidbits...
* I fucking hate how crowded these trains are. Grr. I always wind up squished in with somebody... that never happened on the Long Island Railroad unless it was rush hour. (This train left NY at 3:45!)
* The closing finally happened on the Alabama House, and the money showed up in our account today. We're going out to dinner tonight... y'know?? Maybe we'll even order a fucking appetizer for the first time since MARCH.
* We got a laser printer in our office today, just for my office-mate and I. Seems like overkill, but I'm not complaining. The fucking thing is FAST!
* The Science Dean is trying to organize a "summit" between the art and science faculty over drinks this Wednesday night. It's a good cause, but two social events in 3 days is a bit much for me. Besides, we've seen what happens when I drink on a school night! And anyway...
* Tomorrow evening is the "Back to School Open House Parents' Night" thing at my daughter's school and we have to go yell at her teacher. I mean... I know it's just 1st grade, and that it's only the 3rd week of school... BUT... we need to make sure that she KNOWS our daughter is reading at a 2nd or 3rd grade level, and that she plans to eventually DO something about it. Uppity parents!! As a former teacher I can tell you first hand... TEACHERS LOVE THAT!!! But if my wife sees another "circle the picture that starts with 'c'" homework come home... I think she may explode.
* One of my students was wearing a "Rush" concert shirt today, and I asked her if it was a true statement of musical interest or an ironic comment of some sort. She replied with a longwinded explanation about it being a sort of Canadian inside joke, and her Dad buying her a Rush album when she was young because she liked one of the songs, and then an ex-boyfriend who used to wear this Rush concert shirt that she would borrow, and the album came out in the year she was born so one day they were "vintage shopping" she saw it and bought one for herself. Ummm... excuse me...? "Vintage???" Jesus... it's not like it was "2112" or something... It was "SIGNALS"!!
* I fucking hate how crowded these trains are. Grr. I always wind up squished in with somebody... that never happened on the Long Island Railroad unless it was rush hour. (This train left NY at 3:45!)
* The closing finally happened on the Alabama House, and the money showed up in our account today. We're going out to dinner tonight... y'know?? Maybe we'll even order a fucking appetizer for the first time since MARCH.
* We got a laser printer in our office today, just for my office-mate and I. Seems like overkill, but I'm not complaining. The fucking thing is FAST!
* The Science Dean is trying to organize a "summit" between the art and science faculty over drinks this Wednesday night. It's a good cause, but two social events in 3 days is a bit much for me. Besides, we've seen what happens when I drink on a school night! And anyway...
* Tomorrow evening is the "Back to School Open House Parents' Night" thing at my daughter's school and we have to go yell at her teacher. I mean... I know it's just 1st grade, and that it's only the 3rd week of school... BUT... we need to make sure that she KNOWS our daughter is reading at a 2nd or 3rd grade level, and that she plans to eventually DO something about it. Uppity parents!! As a former teacher I can tell you first hand... TEACHERS LOVE THAT!!! But if my wife sees another "circle the picture that starts with 'c'" homework come home... I think she may explode.
* One of my students was wearing a "Rush" concert shirt today, and I asked her if it was a true statement of musical interest or an ironic comment of some sort. She replied with a longwinded explanation about it being a sort of Canadian inside joke, and her Dad buying her a Rush album when she was young because she liked one of the songs, and then an ex-boyfriend who used to wear this Rush concert shirt that she would borrow, and the album came out in the year she was born so one day they were "vintage shopping" she saw it and bought one for herself. Ummm... excuse me...? "Vintage???" Jesus... it's not like it was "2112" or something... It was "SIGNALS"!!
a good argument for not drinking on a Monday night...
On days when I have class, I usually wake up at 5:30... leave the house at 6:00... and catch a 6:30 train.
Today I woke up at 6:38.
Oops.
It's not a big deal... I caught a 7:30 train and I'll still be in by 9:00 (class is at 10:00) but it still makes me feel like a bit of a fuck-up. It's not like I was passed out or hung-over or anything... I just forgot to set my alarm.
Anyway... I was going to deliver today's Astro lecture on the blackboard, but at the last minute I decided that a slideshow would be more visually appealing... so I scraped together at 45-slide Keynote presentation out of old lectures... a slide here, a slide there. I've nearly reached critical mass in Astronomy where I have a PowerPoint presentation in the archives with a slide about just about anything I could ever want to teach. It's just a matter of tracking them down and reshuffling them.
So, it's gonna be a whiz-bang astro lecture. Unfortunately my FIRST class is Physics, which is going to be a big problem-solving BORE. Oh well... they can't all be multimedia extravaganzas.
On days when I have class, I usually wake up at 5:30... leave the house at 6:00... and catch a 6:30 train.
Today I woke up at 6:38.
Oops.
It's not a big deal... I caught a 7:30 train and I'll still be in by 9:00 (class is at 10:00) but it still makes me feel like a bit of a fuck-up. It's not like I was passed out or hung-over or anything... I just forgot to set my alarm.
Anyway... I was going to deliver today's Astro lecture on the blackboard, but at the last minute I decided that a slideshow would be more visually appealing... so I scraped together at 45-slide Keynote presentation out of old lectures... a slide here, a slide there. I've nearly reached critical mass in Astronomy where I have a PowerPoint presentation in the archives with a slide about just about anything I could ever want to teach. It's just a matter of tracking them down and reshuffling them.
So, it's gonna be a whiz-bang astro lecture. Unfortunately my FIRST class is Physics, which is going to be a big problem-solving BORE. Oh well... they can't all be multimedia extravaganzas.
Monday, September 19
faculty reception + open bar = wheeeeeee!
Shit... I JUST made this train at 7:50. If I hadn't, the next one is at 9:40!! That would have been highly sucky.
As it is, I'm fine. It's surprising how much more bearable a faculty get-together is after a vodka & ginger-ale... and then a rum & coke... I'm beginning to understand why booze was invented. I stopped short of having a third, since I wanted to be able to find the train station. I know... I'm a lightweight... but in all fairness, the only thing I've had to eat since 10:00 AM was an apple.
So, the upshot is I was dangerously close to having "fun" at the thing. It's funny to see your serious academic coworkers get a little liquored up. God, I would never have thought it was possible for the woman who teaches Bio to talk any faster than she normally does, but... get a couple of mixed drinks into her and... ZING!
Not much else of interest today. I finished my grading this morning (yay!) and that's about it. I'm going to be back at this train station in about 12 hours, which is a little depressing. I should have had that third drink and just slept under my desk. I'm going to read some handouts for our next science meeting and call it a night.
Shit... I JUST made this train at 7:50. If I hadn't, the next one is at 9:40!! That would have been highly sucky.
As it is, I'm fine. It's surprising how much more bearable a faculty get-together is after a vodka & ginger-ale... and then a rum & coke... I'm beginning to understand why booze was invented. I stopped short of having a third, since I wanted to be able to find the train station. I know... I'm a lightweight... but in all fairness, the only thing I've had to eat since 10:00 AM was an apple.
So, the upshot is I was dangerously close to having "fun" at the thing. It's funny to see your serious academic coworkers get a little liquored up. God, I would never have thought it was possible for the woman who teaches Bio to talk any faster than she normally does, but... get a couple of mixed drinks into her and... ZING!
Not much else of interest today. I finished my grading this morning (yay!) and that's about it. I'm going to be back at this train station in about 12 hours, which is a little depressing. I should have had that third drink and just slept under my desk. I'm going to read some handouts for our next science meeting and call it a night.
afternoon trains...
Heading into work late today... no classes, just a faculty meeting at 4:00. It's weird... you meet a whole different cross section of people. Instead of crabby commuting businesspeople who don't even LOOK at each other, much less talk to one another, you wind up striking up conversations with a grizzled Tom-Waits-type trucker on vacation from California, who is complaining about the prices of mass transit and theatre tickets in NY. (Him and his buddies went to see "Cats" in San Francisco for $50 each. Truckers? At CATS?)
Anyway... luckily he was headed in the opposite direction, or we'd probably be sitting together on the train talking more about drag-racing his truck in California...
But instead, I'm on my train... blogging for the first half hour as usual. I have some grading to do... it's a small stack, but I need to do it today. I plan on being too tired to do it on the way home. The faculty meeting is from 4:00 - 5:15, then we are supposedly having a "welcome the new faculty" reception at some tavern somewhere. I assume there will be drinking. Actually... I'm kinda counting on it.
I didn't blog all weekend, I guess. Not much to say. The village we live in had their annual "Harvest Fest" and parade on Saturday. Our daughter walked in the parade with her school. It was cute. We walked a LOT, actually... from home to the parade dropoff, then downtown for the festival, then back home... pulling 2 kids in a wagon for a lot of it. Between that and the yardwork Sunday (rake, mow, seed, fertilize) I lost a good 5 pounds this weekend. I plan to walk to work today rather than taking the subway to continue the activity trend.
(You know... it occurred to me the other day... not only does getting back to NYC mean that I'm walking more... I bet the actual ACT of teaching burns a considerable number of calories compared to just sitting at a desk all day. I mean, lecturing isn't exactly "aerobic"... but it involves a fair amount of movement and activity. At least, moreso than... click... click... click............. click...)
Watched the Emmy's last night. No big surprises. Yay for Jon Stewart and for "Lost". Also for Felicity Huffman. (Love her... she's "smoky".) Letterman's tribute to Johnny Carson was nice and heartfelt (for HIM anyway) but I couldn't help but wonder... "Hmm... wonder how LENO feels about this??" Unfortunately the cameraman never cut to him. Anyway, nothing too exciting. There weren't even many eye-popping dresses to gawk at. (Actually I think the person who looked hottest was probably Naveen Andrews, who plays Sayid on "Lost." I would totally do him.)
In other TV news, the fall premieres are starting to roll out. Not too impressed with "Survivor" so far. Why bring back two moderately-popular losers from last season? Bobby-John?? I'm sorry, but just the name alone should disqualify him from being on television. Hanging on for the "Lost" premiere... we Netflicked disc 7 of the first-season boxed set last week and watched all of the extras, so we're all geared up now. The wife is all excited about "Desperate Housewives" and I'm looking forward to "Gray's Anatomy". (It's a little heavy-handed and earnest, but I think I'm developing a crush on Sandra Oh). We'll watch "ER" and "West Wing" for a few weeks out of habit... but I suspect that this will be the season we give up on both of them. But all in all, our nightly TV menu is pretty full. It was probably a dumb time to start Netflix, huh?
Uhhhh... what else...? (I can't stop writing or I'll have to start grading papers!)
This old man just tried to swat a bee that's been flying around the train. The bee is now wounded and angry!
I saw this chick at the train station whose WRIST was pierced. Not like... top to bottom, Jesus-syle, but like... along the top where you would wear a wristwatch there were two balls about an inch apart, connected, one would assume, by a GIANT METAL BAR EMBEDDED DEEP IN THE FLESH OF HER ARM!!! God, I thought working with Greenwich Village college-kids had me pretty used to all manner of freaky body piercings, but this thing made me woozy. That can't be safe. There has to be a risk of permanent nerve damage if somebody fucks that up. I'm trying very hard NOT to imagine the act of getting such a piercing and the length and width of needle required, and the tortured screams that must fill the room...
Excuse me while I get myself a drink of cool water...
Ah.
OK. I should go grade or something now...
Heading into work late today... no classes, just a faculty meeting at 4:00. It's weird... you meet a whole different cross section of people. Instead of crabby commuting businesspeople who don't even LOOK at each other, much less talk to one another, you wind up striking up conversations with a grizzled Tom-Waits-type trucker on vacation from California, who is complaining about the prices of mass transit and theatre tickets in NY. (Him and his buddies went to see "Cats" in San Francisco for $50 each. Truckers? At CATS?)
Anyway... luckily he was headed in the opposite direction, or we'd probably be sitting together on the train talking more about drag-racing his truck in California...
But instead, I'm on my train... blogging for the first half hour as usual. I have some grading to do... it's a small stack, but I need to do it today. I plan on being too tired to do it on the way home. The faculty meeting is from 4:00 - 5:15, then we are supposedly having a "welcome the new faculty" reception at some tavern somewhere. I assume there will be drinking. Actually... I'm kinda counting on it.
I didn't blog all weekend, I guess. Not much to say. The village we live in had their annual "Harvest Fest" and parade on Saturday. Our daughter walked in the parade with her school. It was cute. We walked a LOT, actually... from home to the parade dropoff, then downtown for the festival, then back home... pulling 2 kids in a wagon for a lot of it. Between that and the yardwork Sunday (rake, mow, seed, fertilize) I lost a good 5 pounds this weekend. I plan to walk to work today rather than taking the subway to continue the activity trend.
(You know... it occurred to me the other day... not only does getting back to NYC mean that I'm walking more... I bet the actual ACT of teaching burns a considerable number of calories compared to just sitting at a desk all day. I mean, lecturing isn't exactly "aerobic"... but it involves a fair amount of movement and activity. At least, moreso than... click... click... click............. click...)
Watched the Emmy's last night. No big surprises. Yay for Jon Stewart and for "Lost". Also for Felicity Huffman. (Love her... she's "smoky".) Letterman's tribute to Johnny Carson was nice and heartfelt (for HIM anyway) but I couldn't help but wonder... "Hmm... wonder how LENO feels about this??" Unfortunately the cameraman never cut to him. Anyway, nothing too exciting. There weren't even many eye-popping dresses to gawk at. (Actually I think the person who looked hottest was probably Naveen Andrews, who plays Sayid on "Lost." I would totally do him.)
In other TV news, the fall premieres are starting to roll out. Not too impressed with "Survivor" so far. Why bring back two moderately-popular losers from last season? Bobby-John?? I'm sorry, but just the name alone should disqualify him from being on television. Hanging on for the "Lost" premiere... we Netflicked disc 7 of the first-season boxed set last week and watched all of the extras, so we're all geared up now. The wife is all excited about "Desperate Housewives" and I'm looking forward to "Gray's Anatomy". (It's a little heavy-handed and earnest, but I think I'm developing a crush on Sandra Oh). We'll watch "ER" and "West Wing" for a few weeks out of habit... but I suspect that this will be the season we give up on both of them. But all in all, our nightly TV menu is pretty full. It was probably a dumb time to start Netflix, huh?
Uhhhh... what else...? (I can't stop writing or I'll have to start grading papers!)
This old man just tried to swat a bee that's been flying around the train. The bee is now wounded and angry!
I saw this chick at the train station whose WRIST was pierced. Not like... top to bottom, Jesus-syle, but like... along the top where you would wear a wristwatch there were two balls about an inch apart, connected, one would assume, by a GIANT METAL BAR EMBEDDED DEEP IN THE FLESH OF HER ARM!!! God, I thought working with Greenwich Village college-kids had me pretty used to all manner of freaky body piercings, but this thing made me woozy. That can't be safe. There has to be a risk of permanent nerve damage if somebody fucks that up. I'm trying very hard NOT to imagine the act of getting such a piercing and the length and width of needle required, and the tortured screams that must fill the room...
Excuse me while I get myself a drink of cool water...
Ah.
OK. I should go grade or something now...
Friday, September 16
kids these days...
It's another sign.
I try to keep up with new music. I listen to "Alt Nation" on Sirius... I try to watch all the new bands on the talk shows... I periodically steal music by new artists when I read about them. But I find myself always having the same reaction when I see one of these bands of youngsters performing...
"Uhhh... Is this a joke?"
It's not that the music is BAD... it's just that... these bands just all seem... flippant. And not just the intentionally flippant bands like Weezer... bands like "Death Cab for Cutie"?? I mean... the music is kinda nice, but... they can't be SERIOUS, can they? I just get a weird feeling like the whole band is just some kind inside joke that I'm not in on. I saw "The Arcade Fire" on Letterman the other night, and I couldn't even pay attention to the music because I spend the whole time going - "Is that a French Horn? Why is that guy banging on a marching band drum? Is that all he does? Why is the singer looking like that? Why is he pretending to play his guitar backwards? IS THIS A JOKE??"
Maybe it's because I grew up in the Pre-Irony Age, or maybe the whole point of being old is not being able to understand anyone under 20. (Or conversely, maybe the point of being under 20 is behaving in such a way that old people don't understand you.) Either way... it's kinda sad that pretty soon all new music is going to seems as stupid to me as mine did to my parents. But in the meantime, I'm a'gonna go see that-there Jack White feller with the red dungarees next weekend. I just hope it's not too loud.
It's another sign.
I try to keep up with new music. I listen to "Alt Nation" on Sirius... I try to watch all the new bands on the talk shows... I periodically steal music by new artists when I read about them. But I find myself always having the same reaction when I see one of these bands of youngsters performing...
"Uhhh... Is this a joke?"
It's not that the music is BAD... it's just that... these bands just all seem... flippant. And not just the intentionally flippant bands like Weezer... bands like "Death Cab for Cutie"?? I mean... the music is kinda nice, but... they can't be SERIOUS, can they? I just get a weird feeling like the whole band is just some kind inside joke that I'm not in on. I saw "The Arcade Fire" on Letterman the other night, and I couldn't even pay attention to the music because I spend the whole time going - "Is that a French Horn? Why is that guy banging on a marching band drum? Is that all he does? Why is the singer looking like that? Why is he pretending to play his guitar backwards? IS THIS A JOKE??"
Maybe it's because I grew up in the Pre-Irony Age, or maybe the whole point of being old is not being able to understand anyone under 20. (Or conversely, maybe the point of being under 20 is behaving in such a way that old people don't understand you.) Either way... it's kinda sad that pretty soon all new music is going to seems as stupid to me as mine did to my parents. But in the meantime, I'm a'gonna go see that-there Jack White feller with the red dungarees next weekend. I just hope it's not too loud.
Thursday, September 15
indulge me...
OK... so when a 2x former student finds out that you're back teaching again... immediately goes to the registrar to drop a class and add yours... comes to class the next day, then comes up after class to announce, "I am SO happy you are BACK!!" It's not really about the physics teaching. right?? I mean... come on. Nobody can make physics that interesting... not even ME.
OK... so when a 2x former student finds out that you're back teaching again... immediately goes to the registrar to drop a class and add yours... comes to class the next day, then comes up after class to announce, "I am SO happy you are BACK!!" It's not really about the physics teaching. right?? I mean... come on. Nobody can make physics that interesting... not even ME.
the paradox of progress...
Well... I wasn't totally fucked this morning after all, but it required some work...
The deal is this. I use a program called "Interactive Physics" to do demonstrations during lectures. The program has been around for years... I have a version of it on my laptop that I swiped from my old school years ago. Now this program is a "system 9" program, or what we in the Mac world call a "Classic" application. Basically when Mac OS X was introduced there was a complete change in the system architecture and old programs would no longer run in the new OS. To make the transition less painful, the Mac OS X includes an EMULATOR of the Classic OS 9. So you can run your old programs in emulation inside of "Classic".
It usually works pretty well, but something as processor-intensive as real time physics simulations? Well... it seems to me they used to run FINE when I was running 10.1... but now that I'm running 10.3? The thing fucking CRAWLS! So the more the operating system advances, the LESS WELL it runs older emulated programs?? Whatever. All I know is... this is NOT running well enough to show my class.
So... what are my options? First check the website to see if the company has developed an OSX native version of the app. They haven't. Fuckers. Inexcusable. Next?
Well... it turns out that since my machine is of a certain vintage I can get it to BOOT into OS9 rather than run it in emulation. The quickest way to do this is from a CD, so I pulled out an OS9 install CD... shut down.. rebooted (hold down the "C" key!) and booted into OS9. Double click "Interactive Physics"... load an old project file... click "Go"... runs like LIGHTNING. Sweet.
Good. Hmm... I'd better see if I can run an external display in OS9, since I have to hook this up to the projector in class... dig out VGA adaptor... unplug monitor on desk from DEll PC on floor... plug into iBook... NOTHING! Well, crap. Why?
Well... turns out the installer CD-ROM I booted from loads an extremely stripped down version of the OS... no "Control Panels"... therefore no external monitor support. Have to load a full version of OS-9, I guess. Reboot into OS-X... System Preferences... Startup Disk... select OS9 folder...
REBOOT!
(I realize this is about as exciting as when Mr. Dooce chronicles his perpetual reinstalls of Movable Type over at Blurbomat, but... it's how I spent my morning...)
Ok. So now the iBook is running a full install of OS9 from the HD rather than the CD-ROM. Interactive Physics? Check! External monitor... CHECK! Check watch... shit... I've been doing this for an HOUR?? Time to go to class.
There were assorted other peripheral issues, but I won't go into it here. Suffice it to say... that is WAY more computer-fuckwithery than I want to engage in before 9:00 AM.
Well... I wasn't totally fucked this morning after all, but it required some work...
The deal is this. I use a program called "Interactive Physics" to do demonstrations during lectures. The program has been around for years... I have a version of it on my laptop that I swiped from my old school years ago. Now this program is a "system 9" program, or what we in the Mac world call a "Classic" application. Basically when Mac OS X was introduced there was a complete change in the system architecture and old programs would no longer run in the new OS. To make the transition less painful, the Mac OS X includes an EMULATOR of the Classic OS 9. So you can run your old programs in emulation inside of "Classic".
It usually works pretty well, but something as processor-intensive as real time physics simulations? Well... it seems to me they used to run FINE when I was running 10.1... but now that I'm running 10.3? The thing fucking CRAWLS! So the more the operating system advances, the LESS WELL it runs older emulated programs?? Whatever. All I know is... this is NOT running well enough to show my class.
So... what are my options? First check the website to see if the company has developed an OSX native version of the app. They haven't. Fuckers. Inexcusable. Next?
Well... it turns out that since my machine is of a certain vintage I can get it to BOOT into OS9 rather than run it in emulation. The quickest way to do this is from a CD, so I pulled out an OS9 install CD... shut down.. rebooted (hold down the "C" key!) and booted into OS9. Double click "Interactive Physics"... load an old project file... click "Go"... runs like LIGHTNING. Sweet.
Good. Hmm... I'd better see if I can run an external display in OS9, since I have to hook this up to the projector in class... dig out VGA adaptor... unplug monitor on desk from DEll PC on floor... plug into iBook... NOTHING! Well, crap. Why?
Well... turns out the installer CD-ROM I booted from loads an extremely stripped down version of the OS... no "Control Panels"... therefore no external monitor support. Have to load a full version of OS-9, I guess. Reboot into OS-X... System Preferences... Startup Disk... select OS9 folder...
REBOOT!
(I realize this is about as exciting as when Mr. Dooce chronicles his perpetual reinstalls of Movable Type over at Blurbomat, but... it's how I spent my morning...)
Ok. So now the iBook is running a full install of OS9 from the HD rather than the CD-ROM. Interactive Physics? Check! External monitor... CHECK! Check watch... shit... I've been doing this for an HOUR?? Time to go to class.
There were assorted other peripheral issues, but I won't go into it here. Suffice it to say... that is WAY more computer-fuckwithery than I want to engage in before 9:00 AM.
no rambling entry today...
I graded papers on the train this morning. I know, it's hard to believe...
And I now present my lesson plan for astronomy today.
That's probably not QUITE going to stretch out to an hour and 20. If I need to fill up time I'll start the first topic of next lecture... my famous "What Can We Learn About Stuff Just By Looking At It?" lecture and talk about how looking at orbits can tell you the mass of the central object.
Anyways... off to make sure that "Interactive Physics" still runs on this machine, or I am FUCKED!!
d.
(PS... I'm fucked!!)
I graded papers on the train this morning. I know, it's hard to believe...
And I now present my lesson plan for astronomy today.
Kepler - rules with no "why"
Newton's law of gravitation. explain. 1/r^2 necc and suff for Kepler.
Interactive physics: show attraction, orbits.
Track orbit... dots conform to Kepler II
Show earth/mars example... more distant planet, lower v
Show OTHER force laws. 1/r, 1/r^3, etc...
Perhaps some discussion of solar system formation... circularization of orbits?
That's probably not QUITE going to stretch out to an hour and 20. If I need to fill up time I'll start the first topic of next lecture... my famous "What Can We Learn About Stuff Just By Looking At It?" lecture and talk about how looking at orbits can tell you the mass of the central object.
Anyways... off to make sure that "Interactive Physics" still runs on this machine, or I am FUCKED!!
d.
(PS... I'm fucked!!)
Wednesday, September 14
Tuesday, September 13
a first...
I actually had my first "in-real-life" meeting with a blogger/acquaintance today... one Caryn from "a picture of me". She and I have chatted a few times on AOL IM, and we recently discovered that we work maybe 8 blocks from one another. So today while I was blowing off yoga class (excuse! fever!) we decided to hook up at the Barnes and Noble down the block. We met in the Physics section, grabbed a drink, had a nice talk... she was very sweet, although both shorter and more animated than her writing would suggest. She also has a very high tolerance for talk about physics. (No, she was NOT just being polite! Shut up.)
It's so weird... meeting somebody whom you've been reading long enough to have formed some kind of ill-thought-out "sense" of them from their writing voice. Even though this is the first time I've met someone from the Blog World in person, I've had the experience of seeing people like Mimi Smartypants or Dooce do TV things, or of talking to certain Blog People on the phone a few times... and it's always just a little weird. Not in bad way... just a little... "off" in a way that's hard to pin down. Kind of like seeing a book you really love made into a movie. No matter how amazing the direction or how perfect the casting... there is always a kind of battle between the image you see in front of you and the one you carry inside your head.
ANYWAY, it was a perfectly wonderful way to blow off an afternoon, and we parted with a hug and a promise to hook up again soon. So... it was a good first time.
Speaking of hugs... I also ran into a former student here at the college who gave me a warm welcome back and a big hug. Perhaps I've mentioned her before? Lithe dance student with a Catholic schoolgirl name that is so painfully innocent that it sounds naughty, and who took 3 of my courses for no other reason than her unspoken, front-row, "Indiana Jones" style intellectual crush on me? Yeah. Did I mention the big hug? When I asked her how her professor was for the "Scientific Revolution" course she was taking this semester, she paused and said... "Well... he... He's nothing like you."
You got that right, baby.
Seriously, though. It's good to be appreciated, and missed. I remember remarking to a co-worker once while watching a scene between a teacher and her former students - "See, I'll never be THAT teacher... I have my students' respect, but I'll never be the teacher who gets the squeals and the hugs from their former students." I suppose it's nice that this is not 100% true.
Anyway. That was today. It was a hugfest! Go Dave!
I actually had my first "in-real-life" meeting with a blogger/acquaintance today... one Caryn from "a picture of me". She and I have chatted a few times on AOL IM, and we recently discovered that we work maybe 8 blocks from one another. So today while I was blowing off yoga class (excuse! fever!) we decided to hook up at the Barnes and Noble down the block. We met in the Physics section, grabbed a drink, had a nice talk... she was very sweet, although both shorter and more animated than her writing would suggest. She also has a very high tolerance for talk about physics. (No, she was NOT just being polite! Shut up.)
It's so weird... meeting somebody whom you've been reading long enough to have formed some kind of ill-thought-out "sense" of them from their writing voice. Even though this is the first time I've met someone from the Blog World in person, I've had the experience of seeing people like Mimi Smartypants or Dooce do TV things, or of talking to certain Blog People on the phone a few times... and it's always just a little weird. Not in bad way... just a little... "off" in a way that's hard to pin down. Kind of like seeing a book you really love made into a movie. No matter how amazing the direction or how perfect the casting... there is always a kind of battle between the image you see in front of you and the one you carry inside your head.
ANYWAY, it was a perfectly wonderful way to blow off an afternoon, and we parted with a hug and a promise to hook up again soon. So... it was a good first time.
Speaking of hugs... I also ran into a former student here at the college who gave me a warm welcome back and a big hug. Perhaps I've mentioned her before? Lithe dance student with a Catholic schoolgirl name that is so painfully innocent that it sounds naughty, and who took 3 of my courses for no other reason than her unspoken, front-row, "Indiana Jones" style intellectual crush on me? Yeah. Did I mention the big hug? When I asked her how her professor was for the "Scientific Revolution" course she was taking this semester, she paused and said... "Well... he... He's nothing like you."
You got that right, baby.
Seriously, though. It's good to be appreciated, and missed. I remember remarking to a co-worker once while watching a scene between a teacher and her former students - "See, I'll never be THAT teacher... I have my students' respect, but I'll never be the teacher who gets the squeals and the hugs from their former students." I suppose it's nice that this is not 100% true.
Anyway. That was today. It was a hugfest! Go Dave!
chugga chugga...
Is it bad that it's the second week of work, and I'm already a little tired of riding this fucking train? The commute is just a tiny bit longer than it was from Long Island, but it's also less convenient and more crowded and...
... and I'm also coming down with this fever that the two kids have been passing around all weekend, just like I predicted... right before I have to teach... so, I could be a little crabby because of that. I brought my yoga bag today and everything... but I won't be going to my first class if I have a fever. I did that once. It was a mistake.
Anyway... fuck.
I'm doing a lab activity with the physics students today, so I'm taking a slightly earlier train than usual in order to get into the campus with ample time to dig around in the lab and figure out where they've hid all my physics apparatus after a year of no-physics-classes in my absence. Not that I have a key to get INTO the science lab. Or that I ever had one before when I worked here, even though I was here for two fucking years. Why are the simplest things so impossible to attain at a University? "Hello and welcome, new science teacher! This is your office! And here are the keys to the science lab!!" Wouldn't you think? You'd be wrong.
Anyway... I should probably stop ranting and think about what I'm going to do in Astronomy today. The results of said thinking will be exhibited below...
There you go... that's an easy 1 hour and 20 minutes. Probably more, even. So, if you ever wanted to know what a Dr. Dave "lesson plan" looks like... that's pretty much it. I'll walk into class... jot that list in the corner of the wipeboard in tiny letters that only I can read... and start talking. At least that's the way it works when I'm teaching something I KNOW. Next semester I'm teaching a few things that I don't know much about at all. (More on that later.) I need to remind myself that when I don't know anything about a subject, I kinda need to plan a little bit more what to say.
So... next semester...
There was some discussion last Wednesday at the departmental meeting about what course I should teach as my third class in the Spring. (My other two classes are pretty much set in stone.) There were two options... one a course on the "History of Scientific Thought"... a kind of philosophy-of-science course that I am WOEFULLY ill-qualified to teach. The other course option is a "Physics of Sound" course... which would be easy enough, except that I don't want it to be JUST a "physics" course... I want to talk about the biology of the ear and the neurology of hearing and the psychology and cognition of music perception. Which sounds great, except that I don't know anything about any of those things.
And the thing is... it's not like anybody is MAKING me teach stuff I know nothing about. These courses were MY IDEA!! This is what I do to myself, because I tell myself I like learning new things. Which is kinda true, but I also hate having to work.
(Fever Update: Ooooh, I'm starting to feel like crap...)
So the upshot of all that is... next semester I'm teaching "The Science of Sound and Music", which means I need to find a good textbook and some movies and a guest speaker or two to fill up all the gaps in my knowledge. I also need to make some really gee-whizzy PowerPoints with cool graphics to cover up my lack of expertise. I'm excited about the course, but I think it's going to be one of those situations where the excitement ends when the syllabus is written, and is replaced with... "AAAAAGHHHHH!!"
Christ... it's been a long time since I've rambled on in an entry like this. Maybe this train business DOES have some advantages...
chugga chugga...
d.
Is it bad that it's the second week of work, and I'm already a little tired of riding this fucking train? The commute is just a tiny bit longer than it was from Long Island, but it's also less convenient and more crowded and...
... and I'm also coming down with this fever that the two kids have been passing around all weekend, just like I predicted... right before I have to teach... so, I could be a little crabby because of that. I brought my yoga bag today and everything... but I won't be going to my first class if I have a fever. I did that once. It was a mistake.
Anyway... fuck.
I'm doing a lab activity with the physics students today, so I'm taking a slightly earlier train than usual in order to get into the campus with ample time to dig around in the lab and figure out where they've hid all my physics apparatus after a year of no-physics-classes in my absence. Not that I have a key to get INTO the science lab. Or that I ever had one before when I worked here, even though I was here for two fucking years. Why are the simplest things so impossible to attain at a University? "Hello and welcome, new science teacher! This is your office! And here are the keys to the science lab!!" Wouldn't you think? You'd be wrong.
Anyway... I should probably stop ranting and think about what I'm going to do in Astronomy today. The results of said thinking will be exhibited below...
Review Ptolemy/Aristotle and Copernicus
How to tell the difference... Galileo and Siderius Nuncius
Galileo's physics, the missing "why". The Dirty Secret of Epicycles in Copernicus.
Kepler and his laws. Newton and gravity. (IP orbit demos??)
There you go... that's an easy 1 hour and 20 minutes. Probably more, even. So, if you ever wanted to know what a Dr. Dave "lesson plan" looks like... that's pretty much it. I'll walk into class... jot that list in the corner of the wipeboard in tiny letters that only I can read... and start talking. At least that's the way it works when I'm teaching something I KNOW. Next semester I'm teaching a few things that I don't know much about at all. (More on that later.) I need to remind myself that when I don't know anything about a subject, I kinda need to plan a little bit more what to say.
So... next semester...
There was some discussion last Wednesday at the departmental meeting about what course I should teach as my third class in the Spring. (My other two classes are pretty much set in stone.) There were two options... one a course on the "History of Scientific Thought"... a kind of philosophy-of-science course that I am WOEFULLY ill-qualified to teach. The other course option is a "Physics of Sound" course... which would be easy enough, except that I don't want it to be JUST a "physics" course... I want to talk about the biology of the ear and the neurology of hearing and the psychology and cognition of music perception. Which sounds great, except that I don't know anything about any of those things.
And the thing is... it's not like anybody is MAKING me teach stuff I know nothing about. These courses were MY IDEA!! This is what I do to myself, because I tell myself I like learning new things. Which is kinda true, but I also hate having to work.
(Fever Update: Ooooh, I'm starting to feel like crap...)
So the upshot of all that is... next semester I'm teaching "The Science of Sound and Music", which means I need to find a good textbook and some movies and a guest speaker or two to fill up all the gaps in my knowledge. I also need to make some really gee-whizzy PowerPoints with cool graphics to cover up my lack of expertise. I'm excited about the course, but I think it's going to be one of those situations where the excitement ends when the syllabus is written, and is replaced with... "AAAAAGHHHHH!!"
Christ... it's been a long time since I've rambled on in an entry like this. Maybe this train business DOES have some advantages...
chugga chugga...
d.
Monday, September 12
moving van...
I drove into Manhattan today... in a van!! And I lived to tell about it.
All my stuff fits pretty nicely in my office, despite the "Urban Studies Sprawl" of my office-mate's stuff. I didn't lay claim to as much space as I hoped to, so I'm sure his stuff will leak out to cover every remaining surface. But my greatest fear is that they're gonna move me next academic year, and I'll have to do this all over again!
Anyway, pix of the office will come soon, I expect... as soon as I get back into the habit of using my little "shirt pocket" digital camera again.
Wish me luck on the drive home.
d.
I drove into Manhattan today... in a van!! And I lived to tell about it.
All my stuff fits pretty nicely in my office, despite the "Urban Studies Sprawl" of my office-mate's stuff. I didn't lay claim to as much space as I hoped to, so I'm sure his stuff will leak out to cover every remaining surface. But my greatest fear is that they're gonna move me next academic year, and I'll have to do this all over again!
Anyway, pix of the office will come soon, I expect... as soon as I get back into the habit of using my little "shirt pocket" digital camera again.
Wish me luck on the drive home.
d.
Saturday, September 10
scheduling...
I function MUCH better in life when I have a rigid schedule to adhere to. So I'm trying to get that started... first with work stuff, and then with home. I've adopted Apple's iCal program as my scheduler. I used to use a Palm, but I quit using it at pretty much the same time that my iBook became my sole computer. Since it's pretty much always with me, why use another gadget? Plus iCal syncs with my iPod, and having my schedule on my iPod is just too cool NOT to do.
So, my classes and meetings are all in there. The next task was office hours. I have the times set up for office hours, three times a week as mandated. The thing is... nobody actually comes to my office hours... EVER. So I have particular tasks scheduled for each block of time. Tuesday is for short range class planning. Wednesday is for grading and writing assignments. Thursday is for long range course planning.
There are also two blocks of "free time"... one of which I hope to fill with a yoga class. (Tuesday at 2:00) The other block will be for shopping trips around the city, etc.
I also want to schedule my train time, lest those 3+ hours a day be wasted. Blogs in the morning, of course... and class prep on T and Th. I should probably set aside one grading day on the train as well. And one day... Wednesday morning perhaps, for working on papers and publications.
Then comes the at-home hours. Some writing time during evenings when there is nothing on TV... particular weekdays on which we actually COOK dinner... home improvement projects scheduled for particular weekends...
I'm serious about this, people... Dr. Dave is tired of sitting around eating Froot Loops in his sweatshorts. It is not good for him. It is not in my nature to be effective or productive... I have to FORCE those things to happen, and this is the only way I know how. Expect a progress report later this month.
I function MUCH better in life when I have a rigid schedule to adhere to. So I'm trying to get that started... first with work stuff, and then with home. I've adopted Apple's iCal program as my scheduler. I used to use a Palm, but I quit using it at pretty much the same time that my iBook became my sole computer. Since it's pretty much always with me, why use another gadget? Plus iCal syncs with my iPod, and having my schedule on my iPod is just too cool NOT to do.
So, my classes and meetings are all in there. The next task was office hours. I have the times set up for office hours, three times a week as mandated. The thing is... nobody actually comes to my office hours... EVER. So I have particular tasks scheduled for each block of time. Tuesday is for short range class planning. Wednesday is for grading and writing assignments. Thursday is for long range course planning.
There are also two blocks of "free time"... one of which I hope to fill with a yoga class. (Tuesday at 2:00) The other block will be for shopping trips around the city, etc.
I also want to schedule my train time, lest those 3+ hours a day be wasted. Blogs in the morning, of course... and class prep on T and Th. I should probably set aside one grading day on the train as well. And one day... Wednesday morning perhaps, for working on papers and publications.
Then comes the at-home hours. Some writing time during evenings when there is nothing on TV... particular weekdays on which we actually COOK dinner... home improvement projects scheduled for particular weekends...
I'm serious about this, people... Dr. Dave is tired of sitting around eating Froot Loops in his sweatshorts. It is not good for him. It is not in my nature to be effective or productive... I have to FORCE those things to happen, and this is the only way I know how. Expect a progress report later this month.
Friday, September 9
my head...
I'm having a lot of little problems with my head and the area around it. Among them...
1) A zit on my chin the size of which, if I did not have a beard, would frighten children.
2) An ear-fluid issue. When I tug on my right earlobe, my ear makes this kind of sl-u-u-urp sound, almost like when you get water out of your ear after swimming. It doesn't hurt, and I think I can still hear ok, but it just doesn't seem right.
3) A weird little painful lump on the underside of my chin, just left of center. This one has me baffled. I'm guessing either abscessed tooth, clenchy-jaw muscle pain, or cancerous lymph node.
4) Peeling. "Hey, who do you have for physics?" "The prof with the ponytail and the bad case of dandruff." It's not dandruff!! It's the SUNBURN!! I WAS IN CALIFORNIA!!!
I'm having a lot of little problems with my head and the area around it. Among them...
1) A zit on my chin the size of which, if I did not have a beard, would frighten children.
2) An ear-fluid issue. When I tug on my right earlobe, my ear makes this kind of sl-u-u-urp sound, almost like when you get water out of your ear after swimming. It doesn't hurt, and I think I can still hear ok, but it just doesn't seem right.
3) A weird little painful lump on the underside of my chin, just left of center. This one has me baffled. I'm guessing either abscessed tooth, clenchy-jaw muscle pain, or cancerous lymph node.
4) Peeling. "Hey, who do you have for physics?" "The prof with the ponytail and the bad case of dandruff." It's not dandruff!! It's the SUNBURN!! I WAS IN CALIFORNIA!!!
Thursday, September 8
free tech handout day...!
So... I've discovered that you can't get anything you ASK for around this University, but if you're at the right place in the right time you can get random stuff handed to you. I now have an external DVD-RW drive in my office. (PC and Mac compatible.) One more reason to start NetFlix!!
So... I've discovered that you can't get anything you ASK for around this University, but if you're at the right place in the right time you can get random stuff handed to you. I now have an external DVD-RW drive in my office. (PC and Mac compatible.) One more reason to start NetFlix!!
committed...
We got an email from administration with a list of University committees, and we're supposed to pick the ones that interest us most from the list. Talk about the lesser of 8 evils. Um... I mean... "Wow what an exciting opportunity to be involved in shaping the future of the institution."
Bleah.
Can we find out beforehand what times they meet? I like to be done work by 4:00.
We got an email from administration with a list of University committees, and we're supposed to pick the ones that interest us most from the list. Talk about the lesser of 8 evils. Um... I mean... "Wow what an exciting opportunity to be involved in shaping the future of the institution."
Bleah.
Can we find out beforehand what times they meet? I like to be done work by 4:00.
go andre...
I stayed up until after 1:00 last night watching Andre Agassi come back from 2 sets down to win in a 5th set tiebreaker against inspirational whippersnapper James Blake. I have a lot invested in Andre Agassi winning another major, since Andre and I are both 35. Meaning... if he wins a tournament, he provides proof that I am not yet "too old". Proof, that - if I wanted to - I could be out there beating 25 year olds at tennis. Leaving aside the fact that I'm not really up to staying up and WATCHING a 5 set match, let alone PLAYING one.
I stayed up until after 1:00 last night watching Andre Agassi come back from 2 sets down to win in a 5th set tiebreaker against inspirational whippersnapper James Blake. I have a lot invested in Andre Agassi winning another major, since Andre and I are both 35. Meaning... if he wins a tournament, he provides proof that I am not yet "too old". Proof, that - if I wanted to - I could be out there beating 25 year olds at tennis. Leaving aside the fact that I'm not really up to staying up and WATCHING a 5 set match, let alone PLAYING one.
Wednesday, September 7
detail$...
It always feels a little gauche to talk specific details, but fuck it... this is my weblog.
We had the house listed for $215,000. (We bought it for $211,000.) The first (insulting) offer was for $195,000 PLUS they wanted us to pay up to $6000 of closing costs. Umm... no. Yesterday's offer was for $205 with no concessions, we countered with $209, and they accepted. So on paper we lost $2000 on the house... but factoring in closing costs and realtor commissions we actually lost a LOT more. But really... given that we have $25,000 or so tied up in equity in that place, and we're still paying a mortgage and utilities and insurance and landscaping... it's time to cut our losses and just get rid of the place. Luckily, this couple appears pretty desperate, and the fact that our house is vacant and ready for a quick close was a big factor. If everything goes as planned, the deal should be done early next week.
So. Good riddance, Alabama. Fuck you, and goodnight.
It always feels a little gauche to talk specific details, but fuck it... this is my weblog.
We had the house listed for $215,000. (We bought it for $211,000.) The first (insulting) offer was for $195,000 PLUS they wanted us to pay up to $6000 of closing costs. Umm... no. Yesterday's offer was for $205 with no concessions, we countered with $209, and they accepted. So on paper we lost $2000 on the house... but factoring in closing costs and realtor commissions we actually lost a LOT more. But really... given that we have $25,000 or so tied up in equity in that place, and we're still paying a mortgage and utilities and insurance and landscaping... it's time to cut our losses and just get rid of the place. Luckily, this couple appears pretty desperate, and the fact that our house is vacant and ready for a quick close was a big factor. If everything goes as planned, the deal should be done early next week.
So. Good riddance, Alabama. Fuck you, and goodnight.
Tuesday, September 6
first day checklist...
1) beard trim, haircut... check
2) suitably professorial outfit... check
3) laptop, wires, iPod recorder, charger... check
4) personal stash of dry-erase markers... check
5) powerpoints and lecture plans... check
6) wallet, money, train ticket, Metrocard... check
7) coffee mug, tea, sugar, water... check
8) textbooks and coursepacks... (one of two)
9) battery for presentation remote... (no)
10) homework assignments for first day... (no)
11) printed most recent class rosters... (no)
12) fret that I'm forgetting even more important things... CHECK!!
1) beard trim, haircut... check
2) suitably professorial outfit... check
3) laptop, wires, iPod recorder, charger... check
4) personal stash of dry-erase markers... check
5) powerpoints and lecture plans... check
6) wallet, money, train ticket, Metrocard... check
7) coffee mug, tea, sugar, water... check
8) textbooks and coursepacks... (one of two)
9) battery for presentation remote... (no)
10) homework assignments for first day... (no)
11) printed most recent class rosters... (no)
12) fret that I'm forgetting even more important things... CHECK!!
Monday, September 5
first day...
Well, school starts tomorrow. My daughter is starting first grade at a new school... first time on a school bus and all... very exciting. Tonight she and my wife have been laying out outfits and sharpening pencils and stuffing backpacks and pencil boxes with the prescribed allotment of crayons and markers and glue sticks. The funny thing is... I'm doing pretty much the same thing... washing the new shirt, delinting the new blazer, packing my coffee mug, making sure the laser pointer has batteries...
That's the great thing about being a college professor... you can extend your adolescence right on into your 40's.
Well, school starts tomorrow. My daughter is starting first grade at a new school... first time on a school bus and all... very exciting. Tonight she and my wife have been laying out outfits and sharpening pencils and stuffing backpacks and pencil boxes with the prescribed allotment of crayons and markers and glue sticks. The funny thing is... I'm doing pretty much the same thing... washing the new shirt, delinting the new blazer, packing my coffee mug, making sure the laser pointer has batteries...
That's the great thing about being a college professor... you can extend your adolescence right on into your 40's.
laborious...
Ironic, perhaps, that on a vacation whose sole purpose is essentialy "You Don't Have to Work Today Day", that teachers whose classes start the following day are probably all working harder than they have in months.
I know I am.
Astro is all set, but Physics...? I have very little sense of what I'll be doing the first day. I figure... 10-15 minutes of course policies... a 15 minute overview of the history of physics and what this course and the Spring semester sequel will cover... and then...? I don't want to start slamming the poor kids with Aristotle the first day. Maybe I'll start with some ancient cosmology first... explain how Aristotle's physics ties in with the Ptolemaic system... lay out the task that faced Galileo and show how he had to invent a whole new physics in order to support his belief in the Copernican model of the solar system...
Sounds exciting, huh?
Maybe I should blow something up, instead.
Ironic, perhaps, that on a vacation whose sole purpose is essentialy "You Don't Have to Work Today Day", that teachers whose classes start the following day are probably all working harder than they have in months.
I know I am.
Astro is all set, but Physics...? I have very little sense of what I'll be doing the first day. I figure... 10-15 minutes of course policies... a 15 minute overview of the history of physics and what this course and the Spring semester sequel will cover... and then...? I don't want to start slamming the poor kids with Aristotle the first day. Maybe I'll start with some ancient cosmology first... explain how Aristotle's physics ties in with the Ptolemaic system... lay out the task that faced Galileo and show how he had to invent a whole new physics in order to support his belief in the Copernican model of the solar system...
Sounds exciting, huh?
Maybe I should blow something up, instead.
Sunday, September 4
Friday, September 2
I paid $260 for this ticket, and I have to STAND...???
The train is fucking insanely crowded this afternoon. Is everyone in Manhattan going to spend Labor Day weekend in Northern New Jersey? What the fuck??
I got done a good bit of what I wanted to accomplish today... A, C, and D below, anyways. The rest of the stuff I can easily work on this weekend. Although we do have some plans. (More houseguests! Yay!) It's actually a little weird that I'm going to be in a classroom in 4 days. It feels kinda alien to me already. I wonder how long it will take until I get my Teaching Mojo back?
I guess that's all I've got to relate for now. Not a terribly exciting day. But on Tuesday, the students show up, and they should give me plenty to write about.
The train is fucking insanely crowded this afternoon. Is everyone in Manhattan going to spend Labor Day weekend in Northern New Jersey? What the fuck??
I got done a good bit of what I wanted to accomplish today... A, C, and D below, anyways. The rest of the stuff I can easily work on this weekend. Although we do have some plans. (More houseguests! Yay!) It's actually a little weird that I'm going to be in a classroom in 4 days. It feels kinda alien to me already. I wonder how long it will take until I get my Teaching Mojo back?
I guess that's all I've got to relate for now. Not a terribly exciting day. But on Tuesday, the students show up, and they should give me plenty to write about.
fuck...
I got a fucking speeding ticket this morning... 46 in a 30. Which totally sucks, because I was making a concerted effort to drive the speed limit in the villages this morning, I must have just opened it up before the actual town limits or something, because it's obvious I was trying to drive 45, which is the speed limit on the next stretch of road. I do NOT speed as a general rule... I rarely drive more than 5mph over the speed limit. My last speeding ticket was in 1997.
What pisses me off most is... not only can we not AFFORD this right now... I can't afford to be THINKING about this right now. I have way too much shit to do today to be brooding over some fucking speeding ticket. And that's exactly what I'll be doing all day, because that's the way my brain works... it broods and replays and...
Fuck.
I got a fucking speeding ticket this morning... 46 in a 30. Which totally sucks, because I was making a concerted effort to drive the speed limit in the villages this morning, I must have just opened it up before the actual town limits or something, because it's obvious I was trying to drive 45, which is the speed limit on the next stretch of road. I do NOT speed as a general rule... I rarely drive more than 5mph over the speed limit. My last speeding ticket was in 1997.
What pisses me off most is... not only can we not AFFORD this right now... I can't afford to be THINKING about this right now. I have way too much shit to do today to be brooding over some fucking speeding ticket. And that's exactly what I'll be doing all day, because that's the way my brain works... it broods and replays and...
Fuck.
work...
The original plan for today was to bring in my vanload of books and office stuff to the city, but... I have a little too much "real" stuff to do today to haul around boxes... things like, oh... I don't know... having a syllabus and a plan for something to TEACH next week. So the plan is...
A: Finish the "reader" for my physics class and take it over to the copy place on 13th Street. I was gonna run off all 15 copies myself and just resell them to the students, but it turns out the University has an arrangement with this copy shop where I can just give them the file, and they do the print job, and the students come buy the thing from the store directly. Which saves me a lot of trouble. (I also get my copy for FREE!) It should only cost the students $3.50 or so, although there will be another reader they'll have to buy at midterm. Still... $7.00 for a class text is pretty nice, considering a lot of undergraduate physics textbooks are running $140 nowadays.
There are a few more texts I'd like to squeeze into the coursepack, but there just isn't time for me to do the requisite editing. So I'll do those as handouts later in the term, and add them to the reader THEN, so it'll be in there next time. I'll also add all the homework assignments and reading questions as Appendices, so I won't have to search for them or make up new questions every week next time. I'm actually very excited about this text... someday it'll save me a crapload of time. And it'll be a nice 150-page book-length "work in progress" for me to wave around at my 3-year review.
B:Work on a PowerPoint for my Astro class for the first day. (I need to stop using the word PowerPoint, because I don't actually USE "PowerPoint" anymore.) I usually start off my astronomy courses with a lecture modeled after the old film and book "Powers of Ten". It's a nice way to get students familiar with the distance scales of the universe, and it lays out the course material almost in the order we cover it. But this year, I've decided that students need one lecture BEFORE that one... a sort of "vocabulary" lecture. Because, believe it or not... a lot of students don't know the difference between a star and a planet, between a solar system and a galaxy, between the galaxy and the universe... I don't see how this is possible, since I had mastery of this material in the 1st grade, but... it's true. So I'm putting together a nice flashy presentation with a lot of pretty space images called "A Tour of the Cosmos" or some such bullshit to give them on the first day. Then for homework I may give them a definition sheet to fill out. That seems a little juvenile, but seriously... if I hear another student say "galaxy" when they mean "solar system", I'm gonna have to smack them.
C: I'm going to go to my assigned classrooms and do a technical dry run... make sure my Mac plays nice with all the AV systems... make sure the batteries in my presentation remote still work... make sure I can still operate my iPod recorder... I don't really want any surprises next week.
D: I need to finish and print all my syllabi and stuff. I've streamlined this process a lot by breaking things down into individual documents. I have a "Contact Info" sheet and a "Course Policies" sheet which are the same for ALL my classes, so I can just keep a single document that I only have to make changes to ONCE. Then I have my proper syllabi for each course. All of these documents need one final "tweak" before I print them out, but I want to print and copy them TODAY, rather than in the morning before class next week, when I'll have to fight for copy time with all the other procrastinators.
E: I really would like to have some idea what I'm going to SAY on the first day of class. I think I have more than enough for Astro... it's the Physics class which is tough. It's kind of a hard subject to just jump into, and harder to give an "overview" of than Astronomy is. I think I have a plan for summarizing not just THIS course, but this course and next semester's course which will give the students a good sense of what we'll accomplish this semester, as well as what cool stuff lies ahead, but I have no idea what to do after that. I hate to just jump right into Aristotle... poor kids.
So... that's it. A pretty ambitious plan for one day. Items B and E can wait for the train ride home, so... I think I can get a lot of it taken care of, if I can only focus and not screw around with blogs and chat and email all day. (How's that going so far, Dave?)
Ok... time to go look at that coursepack...
The original plan for today was to bring in my vanload of books and office stuff to the city, but... I have a little too much "real" stuff to do today to haul around boxes... things like, oh... I don't know... having a syllabus and a plan for something to TEACH next week. So the plan is...
A: Finish the "reader" for my physics class and take it over to the copy place on 13th Street. I was gonna run off all 15 copies myself and just resell them to the students, but it turns out the University has an arrangement with this copy shop where I can just give them the file, and they do the print job, and the students come buy the thing from the store directly. Which saves me a lot of trouble. (I also get my copy for FREE!) It should only cost the students $3.50 or so, although there will be another reader they'll have to buy at midterm. Still... $7.00 for a class text is pretty nice, considering a lot of undergraduate physics textbooks are running $140 nowadays.
There are a few more texts I'd like to squeeze into the coursepack, but there just isn't time for me to do the requisite editing. So I'll do those as handouts later in the term, and add them to the reader THEN, so it'll be in there next time. I'll also add all the homework assignments and reading questions as Appendices, so I won't have to search for them or make up new questions every week next time. I'm actually very excited about this text... someday it'll save me a crapload of time. And it'll be a nice 150-page book-length "work in progress" for me to wave around at my 3-year review.
B:Work on a PowerPoint for my Astro class for the first day. (I need to stop using the word PowerPoint, because I don't actually USE "PowerPoint" anymore.) I usually start off my astronomy courses with a lecture modeled after the old film and book "Powers of Ten". It's a nice way to get students familiar with the distance scales of the universe, and it lays out the course material almost in the order we cover it. But this year, I've decided that students need one lecture BEFORE that one... a sort of "vocabulary" lecture. Because, believe it or not... a lot of students don't know the difference between a star and a planet, between a solar system and a galaxy, between the galaxy and the universe... I don't see how this is possible, since I had mastery of this material in the 1st grade, but... it's true. So I'm putting together a nice flashy presentation with a lot of pretty space images called "A Tour of the Cosmos" or some such bullshit to give them on the first day. Then for homework I may give them a definition sheet to fill out. That seems a little juvenile, but seriously... if I hear another student say "galaxy" when they mean "solar system", I'm gonna have to smack them.
C: I'm going to go to my assigned classrooms and do a technical dry run... make sure my Mac plays nice with all the AV systems... make sure the batteries in my presentation remote still work... make sure I can still operate my iPod recorder... I don't really want any surprises next week.
D: I need to finish and print all my syllabi and stuff. I've streamlined this process a lot by breaking things down into individual documents. I have a "Contact Info" sheet and a "Course Policies" sheet which are the same for ALL my classes, so I can just keep a single document that I only have to make changes to ONCE. Then I have my proper syllabi for each course. All of these documents need one final "tweak" before I print them out, but I want to print and copy them TODAY, rather than in the morning before class next week, when I'll have to fight for copy time with all the other procrastinators.
E: I really would like to have some idea what I'm going to SAY on the first day of class. I think I have more than enough for Astro... it's the Physics class which is tough. It's kind of a hard subject to just jump into, and harder to give an "overview" of than Astronomy is. I think I have a plan for summarizing not just THIS course, but this course and next semester's course which will give the students a good sense of what we'll accomplish this semester, as well as what cool stuff lies ahead, but I have no idea what to do after that. I hate to just jump right into Aristotle... poor kids.
So... that's it. A pretty ambitious plan for one day. Items B and E can wait for the train ride home, so... I think I can get a lot of it taken care of, if I can only focus and not screw around with blogs and chat and email all day. (How's that going so far, Dave?)
Ok... time to go look at that coursepack...
Thursday, September 1
a memo to the university administration...
Please don't send me an email telling me I'm not allowed to make more than three copies of anything for my class, and then let me come in 2 days later to look in my mailbox and find a 50 page packet of shit you've printed out for every faculty member EVEN THOUGH YOU ALREADY EMAILED US ALL THE SAME FUCKING DOCUMENT.
Seriously... NOTHING pisses me off more.
(Ok... passing out printouts of PowerPoint presentations pisses me off a littlemore...)
Please don't send me an email telling me I'm not allowed to make more than three copies of anything for my class, and then let me come in 2 days later to look in my mailbox and find a 50 page packet of shit you've printed out for every faculty member EVEN THOUGH YOU ALREADY EMAILED US ALL THE SAME FUCKING DOCUMENT.
Seriously... NOTHING pisses me off more.
(Ok... passing out printouts of PowerPoint presentations pisses me off a littlemore...)
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