So, after a weekend of galvanting around in our nation's capitol, I returned to Austin. Monday night, I partook in the 4th bi-annual Crown vs. Ginny's Bone to Own tournament. I only played one game, which I won, but us crownies didn't seem to need much help. We stomped the Ginny-atrics 11-3. We didn't even need to play the last round. That's how completely we destroyed them. We rule.
Then again, at the level we're playing, 70% of the outcome is dependent on the bones you draw.
In other news, I think I've decided to toss my hat in the ring for the Texas Water Safari this June. It's a badass 260 mile canoe race. That is, if Ginger will paddle with me. She holds the record for oldest female to finish the race solo. She's a bit of a bad-ass herself. And an amazing canoe driver.
We'll have to see if my 2nd year defense preparation will throw a monkey wrench in the gears. I'd really love to put this feather in my cap though...
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
visiting the colombian... and julie
So, I went to Virginia over the weekend to visit Nathalia.
all in all, it was a fun trip. Expensive, but fun.
Friday, I got up at the ass-crack of dawn and had Vince take me to the airport. As payment, I bought him Mi Madre's. I
Chicago was f-ing cold.
Upon arriving at Dulles, I waited for Nathalia, since my flight was ~30 minutes early. Then, when she arrived, we went to go pick up my rental car. When I rented the car, I almost couldn't believe the price. $30 for 2 days. Not too shabby, I thought... However, I forgot about insurance. That raised the price to ~$100 + gas. Oh well... it was nice to have a car.
As southwest is not famous for their extravagant in-flight meals, I was famished. She navigated me to "Tyson's Corner", a ginormous mall. Seriously... this was an industrial size/strength mall. I grabbed a burrito in the food court, and we made small talk.
After lunch, we went bowling. I don't see how she bowled with her long nails, but she did very well.
After bowling, we went back to her host-family's house. Oh my... they have a monstrosity of a castle. There's 3 stories. Each floor is comprable in square footage to the size of the house I grew up in. AND they're adding on. A new "wing", if you will. They have a walk-in wine cellar. It looked a bit like the potion room in Shrek 2.
After lounging around the house for a little bit, we got ready and went salsa dancing. Some business professionals association was sponsoring salsa lessons, so there was a $15 cover, which was a bit steep, I thought. I did learn a bit of salsa though :-)
My knee, while healed enough for hard-core mountain biking, is still a little tender when it comes to salsa dancing. It was fun though. She's a pretty good salsa dancer, and she humored me. After the lesson, there was a live salsa band. They were pretty good. The lead singer could speak spanish faster than even Nathalia could understand it.
We dipped out of Cecilia's (the salsa joint) around 1:30 and headed home. Driving with someone whose first language is not yours can be interesting... Apparently, in Spanish, derrecho means "go straight", while derrecha means "turn right". A single vowel separates two fundamentally different directions. Kinda like the well-known exchange in english:
"so I turn left here?"
"Right"
"What? Right left or right right?"
*crash*
Saturday, we went to visit Julie in Fairfax. We ate lunch at a Thai restraunt which was, suprise, expensive! Julie paid for it, so she's awesome. Then we went to go see Pan's Labyrinth. Probably not the greatest choice for a movie, but hey, it was in spanish.
In the evening, we rode into DC with Julie and her roommate on the metro. We ended up at Club Citron, where we spent the rest of the evening.
I can do clubbing in small amounts. Especially when they are not overcrowded. However, when people are packed so close around you it would make a nazi train mashall start to wonder if they'd overloaded the trains, I start to get a little claustrophobic. I really hate it when someone (usually drunk) thinks it is perfectly alright, nay encouraged, to throw his/her shoulder/hip/purse into me with all their weight repeatedly. I can deal with the occasional bump and unintentional grind, but people, there's something called personal space!
Other than that, it was fun. I got to meet one of Nathalia's friend, Flor. She's from Peru, so they spent a lot of time gabbing in spanish, and I tried my best to keep up, but they speak so damned fast, I could only catch every fifth/sixth word.
Overall, it was a good trip. It's amazing what can happen from a chance encounter on an airplane... It's a shame we don't live closer to each other.
On the flight back, I actually got a fair amount of work done. I wrote an SED plotting program, which I think will turn out to be very useful.
Some observations...
Virginia is EXPENSIVE!!! 2 glasses of red wine + 2 beers + tax + tip = $30!!!! 2 beers + 1 crappy tom collins + 1 mojito = $27!!!
all in all, it was a fun trip. Expensive, but fun.
Friday, I got up at the ass-crack of dawn and had Vince take me to the airport. As payment, I bought him Mi Madre's. I
Chicago was f-ing cold.
Upon arriving at Dulles, I waited for Nathalia, since my flight was ~30 minutes early. Then, when she arrived, we went to go pick up my rental car. When I rented the car, I almost couldn't believe the price. $30 for 2 days. Not too shabby, I thought... However, I forgot about insurance. That raised the price to ~$100 + gas. Oh well... it was nice to have a car.
As southwest is not famous for their extravagant in-flight meals, I was famished. She navigated me to "Tyson's Corner", a ginormous mall. Seriously... this was an industrial size/strength mall. I grabbed a burrito in the food court, and we made small talk.
After lunch, we went bowling. I don't see how she bowled with her long nails, but she did very well.
After bowling, we went back to her host-family's house. Oh my... they have a monstrosity of a castle. There's 3 stories. Each floor is comprable in square footage to the size of the house I grew up in. AND they're adding on. A new "wing", if you will. They have a walk-in wine cellar. It looked a bit like the potion room in Shrek 2.
After lounging around the house for a little bit, we got ready and went salsa dancing. Some business professionals association was sponsoring salsa lessons, so there was a $15 cover, which was a bit steep, I thought. I did learn a bit of salsa though :-)
My knee, while healed enough for hard-core mountain biking, is still a little tender when it comes to salsa dancing. It was fun though. She's a pretty good salsa dancer, and she humored me. After the lesson, there was a live salsa band. They were pretty good. The lead singer could speak spanish faster than even Nathalia could understand it.
We dipped out of Cecilia's (the salsa joint) around 1:30 and headed home. Driving with someone whose first language is not yours can be interesting... Apparently, in Spanish, derrecho means "go straight", while derrecha means "turn right". A single vowel separates two fundamentally different directions. Kinda like the well-known exchange in english:
"so I turn left here?"
"Right"
"What? Right left or right right?"
*crash*
Saturday, we went to visit Julie in Fairfax. We ate lunch at a Thai restraunt which was, suprise, expensive! Julie paid for it, so she's awesome. Then we went to go see Pan's Labyrinth. Probably not the greatest choice for a movie, but hey, it was in spanish.
In the evening, we rode into DC with Julie and her roommate on the metro. We ended up at Club Citron, where we spent the rest of the evening.
I can do clubbing in small amounts. Especially when they are not overcrowded. However, when people are packed so close around you it would make a nazi train mashall start to wonder if they'd overloaded the trains, I start to get a little claustrophobic. I really hate it when someone (usually drunk) thinks it is perfectly alright, nay encouraged, to throw his/her shoulder/hip/purse into me with all their weight repeatedly. I can deal with the occasional bump and unintentional grind, but people, there's something called personal space!
Other than that, it was fun. I got to meet one of Nathalia's friend, Flor. She's from Peru, so they spent a lot of time gabbing in spanish, and I tried my best to keep up, but they speak so damned fast, I could only catch every fifth/sixth word.
Overall, it was a good trip. It's amazing what can happen from a chance encounter on an airplane... It's a shame we don't live closer to each other.
On the flight back, I actually got a fair amount of work done. I wrote an SED plotting program, which I think will turn out to be very useful.
Some observations...
Virginia is EXPENSIVE!!! 2 glasses of red wine + 2 beers + tax + tip = $30!!!! 2 beers + 1 crappy tom collins + 1 mojito = $27!!!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
don't be a dodo
So, Dr. Tron and I went with a few other astro geeks to go see a showing of Flock of Dodos. Apparently, Caroline was there too, but we didn't run into each other.
It was a good documentary, in that it treated the "debate" fairly even-handedly. I say fairly because the director was, before becoming a film-maker, an evolutionary biologist. He does give the ID'ers their fair due, and goes so far as to concede that most of them are not complete nut-jobs, and do believe that the earth is indeed 4 billion years old.
The main message of the movie is that the Scientific Community has done a crappy job of communicating with the public, while the ID movement has appealed more to the layperson. Because of this disconnect between scientists and the public, people are more prone to accept explainations aimed at their level.
The film is sprinkled throughout with various evolutionary scientists, and while they do make some very coherent arguments, they also come across as pompus and asinine. A perfect example is way some scientists have categorically refused to debate ID. While this gut-reaction feels rather satisfying for most scientists, to someone on the fence, it comes across as quite condescending. We scientists should never be afraid to discuss our science. In fact, if we never communicate our results with the general public, our pursuits become pointless and meaningless. By sharing our results with the world, in some small way, we hopefully will help contribuite to a more educated populace. There's no way in the world that can be a bad thing.
Outreach is quasi-important here in the Astronomy department. I say quasi-important, because we have quite a large outreach program (Stardate, for one), but it's almost an afterthought. People are so focused on the cutting edge, the general consensus is to look down upon people who spend part of their time doing outreach. Sort of a "those who can't do, teach" mentality. It shouldn't be that way.
It was a good documentary, in that it treated the "debate" fairly even-handedly. I say fairly because the director was, before becoming a film-maker, an evolutionary biologist. He does give the ID'ers their fair due, and goes so far as to concede that most of them are not complete nut-jobs, and do believe that the earth is indeed 4 billion years old.
The main message of the movie is that the Scientific Community has done a crappy job of communicating with the public, while the ID movement has appealed more to the layperson. Because of this disconnect between scientists and the public, people are more prone to accept explainations aimed at their level.
The film is sprinkled throughout with various evolutionary scientists, and while they do make some very coherent arguments, they also come across as pompus and asinine. A perfect example is way some scientists have categorically refused to debate ID. While this gut-reaction feels rather satisfying for most scientists, to someone on the fence, it comes across as quite condescending. We scientists should never be afraid to discuss our science. In fact, if we never communicate our results with the general public, our pursuits become pointless and meaningless. By sharing our results with the world, in some small way, we hopefully will help contribuite to a more educated populace. There's no way in the world that can be a bad thing.
Outreach is quasi-important here in the Astronomy department. I say quasi-important, because we have quite a large outreach program (Stardate, for one), but it's almost an afterthought. People are so focused on the cutting edge, the general consensus is to look down upon people who spend part of their time doing outreach. Sort of a "those who can't do, teach" mentality. It shouldn't be that way.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
on the trail again....
Jarrett and I went mountain biking again today. This was the first time I've hit the trail since my accident. We didn't go to Emma Long, as I'm still a little leery of that place. Instead, we went to the Barton Creek Greenbelt. I biked over to Jarrett's place, and then we biked down the shoal creek trail until we ran into town lake, bike across the 1st avenue bridge, and then around the lake to the trail. It's not, by any stretch of the imagination, a hardcore mountain biking trail, but it is fun. You're able to build up some pretty good speed in a few places, which is nice.
My knee felt pretty good the entire trip. I think commuting with Gertie has built up some muscles in my legs, as well as some endurance, because Jarrett got winded on the way coming back, and I felt just fine. It felt really good to kick his ass in something. In every other way, he's a much better mountain biker than I am.
I'm still on the exercise high... all the dopamine is still giving me that after-glow. Now to the store to buy some ground turkey for spaghetti
My knee felt pretty good the entire trip. I think commuting with Gertie has built up some muscles in my legs, as well as some endurance, because Jarrett got winded on the way coming back, and I felt just fine. It felt really good to kick his ass in something. In every other way, he's a much better mountain biker than I am.
I'm still on the exercise high... all the dopamine is still giving me that after-glow. Now to the store to buy some ground turkey for spaghetti
Friday, February 09, 2007
whoop!
I went to the PCL library today (t.u.'s version of Evans Library). Many times I've come across many t-sips who decry the fact that aggies call their University t.u. instead of UT.
ALL the books in the main stacks of PCL are stamped "TxU", not UTx. I rest my case.
WHOOP!
ALL the books in the main stacks of PCL are stamped "TxU", not UTx. I rest my case.
WHOOP!
Thursday, February 08, 2007
dinner and a joke
Vince made hamburgers today for dinner. They were amazing. He sauteed some mushrooms marinated in red wine.
I think I'll cook on saturday. Any suggestions?
That reminds me of a corny joke my advisor told us in class on wednesday:
Q: Why is a hamburger an unexcited meal?
A: Because it's in the GROUND state
yuk yuk yuk
Update:
--------------------
Instead of saturday, I think I will be cooking on sunday. Feel like eating spagetti? gimme a call
I think I'll cook on saturday. Any suggestions?
That reminds me of a corny joke my advisor told us in class on wednesday:
Q: Why is a hamburger an unexcited meal?
A: Because it's in the GROUND state
yuk yuk yuk
Update:
--------------------
Instead of saturday, I think I will be cooking on sunday. Feel like eating spagetti? gimme a call
grinding sounds while you're not shifting are generally a bad sign
So, a few weeks ago, I gave Gertie a bath. Basically, I took her rear wheel off, took the rear dérailleur off, degreased everything, put it all back together, and lubed her back up. She seemed to respond well to the attention, and she was shifting a lot more smoothly.
Last night as I was coming home, I noticed that her chain was grinding, as if the shifter was mis-aligned. It was late, so when I got home, I grumbled at her, and put her in the garage and went to sleep. Today, she was still growling at me while I was riding into work. When I got to work, I took her upstairs and parked her in the computer room. As I was gathering my things to go into my office, I noticed that her rear dérailleur was missing a cogwheel. Yes, folks, that's right. She hobbled back and forth to campus on one cogwheel. Apparently, I didn't tighten down the bolt which holds this particular cogwheel in, so after riding for a few miles, it decided to pop out.
Needless to say, Vince gave me a ride home. We stopped at a bike store and I bought a new dérailleur set for $30. It sucks that I'm going to have to junk the one that's already on there. On second thought, I could just grab the missing cogwheel from the new one and replace it. That way, in the not-too-likely-but-still-possible event that I find the cogwheel (I think I've got a pretty good idea where it popped out) I can use the new dérailleur for Bucephalus.
Speaking of Bucephalus, I bought a rear tire for his rear wheel. Now all I need is a chain, an inner tube, a seat, and some new cabling, and he'll be ready to go.
Last night as I was coming home, I noticed that her chain was grinding, as if the shifter was mis-aligned. It was late, so when I got home, I grumbled at her, and put her in the garage and went to sleep. Today, she was still growling at me while I was riding into work. When I got to work, I took her upstairs and parked her in the computer room. As I was gathering my things to go into my office, I noticed that her rear dérailleur was missing a cogwheel. Yes, folks, that's right. She hobbled back and forth to campus on one cogwheel. Apparently, I didn't tighten down the bolt which holds this particular cogwheel in, so after riding for a few miles, it decided to pop out.
Needless to say, Vince gave me a ride home. We stopped at a bike store and I bought a new dérailleur set for $30. It sucks that I'm going to have to junk the one that's already on there. On second thought, I could just grab the missing cogwheel from the new one and replace it. That way, in the not-too-likely-but-still-possible event that I find the cogwheel (I think I've got a pretty good idea where it popped out) I can use the new dérailleur for Bucephalus.
Speaking of Bucephalus, I bought a rear tire for his rear wheel. Now all I need is a chain, an inner tube, a seat, and some new cabling, and he'll be ready to go.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
rare political post
Ok, I don't do this very often, and I try to stay un-noticed in political debates, but I'm just going to post some observations I came up with in the shower...
Hugo Chavez has done something unforgivable. He's gotten his democratically elected congress/parliament/what-have-you to cede power to him for 18 months.
I say "democratically" elected, because the members were "elected", but every single member belongs to Chavez's party. The opposition boycotted the elections. Pretty stupid move on their part, if you ask me.
Now, Chavez claims that he'll use his newfound power to transform Venezuela into a socialist paradise. I'm not questioning his motives (although they do reek of power-lust, given that he tried to lead a military coup in 1992), but this is a BAD move.
He's essentially become a dictator, and once the state becomes unquestionable and single-sided, you by definition, alienate the people who aren't being represented. Now, in Venezuela's case, it's the rich people, so he's winning by sheer numbers. However, by alienating the opposition, he's immediately sowing the seeds of discontent. Maybe not now, maybe not next year, but sometime in the future, these seeds will sprout into dissent. Now that he's gotten a taste for power, he will probably try to quash the dissent (be it through censorship or military force), which will further fan the flames, creating a resistance movement. I'll say it right now: If I were a betting man (which I may be, I'm not sure), I'd bet that in 10 years, Venezuela will be embroiled in a civil war. The members of the parliament will be Venezuela's version of the communist party: elite corrupt fat-cats who are riding the coattails of the ruling party.
One more little observation. Hugo Chavez and George W. Bush are two different sides of the same coin. GW's enemy of the state (1984 anyone?) is al Qaida. Chavez's enemy of the state is Bush. Now, I'm no expert, but it seems to me that they both resort to the same tactics in maintaining popular support: blaming their problems on someone external to the country, claiming "if you're not with me, you're with _fill in the blank_".
Thankfully, GW doesn't have a dictatorship. I'm glad our system still kinda works. Now, if they could just reign in the administration a little on things like wiretapping and the Geneva convention.
Ok, rant over. Comment if you like. I'm interested in seeing your thoughts...
Hugo Chavez has done something unforgivable. He's gotten his democratically elected congress/parliament/what-have-you to cede power to him for 18 months.
I say "democratically" elected, because the members were "elected", but every single member belongs to Chavez's party. The opposition boycotted the elections. Pretty stupid move on their part, if you ask me.
Now, Chavez claims that he'll use his newfound power to transform Venezuela into a socialist paradise. I'm not questioning his motives (although they do reek of power-lust, given that he tried to lead a military coup in 1992), but this is a BAD move.
He's essentially become a dictator, and once the state becomes unquestionable and single-sided, you by definition, alienate the people who aren't being represented. Now, in Venezuela's case, it's the rich people, so he's winning by sheer numbers. However, by alienating the opposition, he's immediately sowing the seeds of discontent. Maybe not now, maybe not next year, but sometime in the future, these seeds will sprout into dissent. Now that he's gotten a taste for power, he will probably try to quash the dissent (be it through censorship or military force), which will further fan the flames, creating a resistance movement. I'll say it right now: If I were a betting man (which I may be, I'm not sure), I'd bet that in 10 years, Venezuela will be embroiled in a civil war. The members of the parliament will be Venezuela's version of the communist party: elite corrupt fat-cats who are riding the coattails of the ruling party.
One more little observation. Hugo Chavez and George W. Bush are two different sides of the same coin. GW's enemy of the state (1984 anyone?) is al Qaida. Chavez's enemy of the state is Bush. Now, I'm no expert, but it seems to me that they both resort to the same tactics in maintaining popular support: blaming their problems on someone external to the country, claiming "if you're not with me, you're with _fill in the blank_".
Thankfully, GW doesn't have a dictatorship. I'm glad our system still kinda works. Now, if they could just reign in the administration a little on things like wiretapping and the Geneva convention.
Ok, rant over. Comment if you like. I'm interested in seeing your thoughts...
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