Book Review - Einstein's Heroes

Ever have those feelings of "I wish I would have paid more attention in (fill -in the blank with a high school/college subject)________________________ class"? If you've ever had those feelings about science or math, I've got the book for you. I will not pretend it's another Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia. It is probably not a book that you'll stay up until 3 in the morning to finish. However, it does a very good job of making math and science discoveries interesting. It has a nice combination of personal stories intertwined with the nitty gritty details of science and math. One does not feel as if she/he is laboring through a 300 page physics text with no pictures, and one does not need to be a PhD to understand the phenomena being described. So, if you'd like some good, educational reading this summer, pick up Einstein's Heroes by Robyn Arianrhood (yes, I spelled this last name correctly). If you do, let me know what you think. Happy reading!

Circle Game Saturday

I spent 30 minutes of this gorgeous day inside cleaning our shower. I got out the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, got out the clorox (sp?) shower cleaner, and even got the old toothbrush out to scrub the caulking. It needed it, but I hated doing it. In fact, cleaning is always something I am glad I did but never enjoy doing.

In honor of my sparkling (kind of) clean shower...here is the circle game question. Format is different. It's fill-in the blank this time.

"I'd rather kiss a pig than clean _____________________."

For me...I'd rather kiss a pig than clean my refrigerator. It's messy, cumbersome, and it never seems like a good time to do it.

P.S. As a side note...I badly burned a pot this week for the first time in my life. I didn't put much water on the green beans and then covered them with a lid. 30 minutes later when I dished out the beans the bottom of the pot was BLACK! We were able to scrub off the charred mess, so the pot looks normal. Is it still safe to use? I didn't melt off any protective covering that will poison us or anything, did I?

Curry-Cajun Spiced Chicken

I've found another recipe I like. I have to, once again, give a hand to my Menno folk who created a recipe book that I am currently investigating. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Yields 6 servings.

1/3 c of honey
3 Tablespoons water
3 Tablespoons prepared mustard
2 Tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
2-3 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
2-3 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced, or garlic powder
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, or about 1 1/2 pounds
hot cooked rice

In 3-quart rectangular baking dish, combine honey, water, mustard, margarine, Cajun seasoning, curry powder, lemon juice, and garlic. Mix well.

Add chicken breast halves, turning to coat. Arrange in single layer.

Bake, uncovered, at 350F for about 30 minutes or till chicken is tender and no longer pink.

Serve chicken and pan drippings with hot cooked rice.

YUMMY!

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!

Free next Friday night? Come hear the Boondogglers play! Check out their link on the left.

Get out the Map

Today I took the long way home from meeting my family for lunch because I could. I did it because I needed the reminder that as I grow older and my personality and sanity seem driven more by routine and to-do lists, I can still be (or become, depending on your view, I guess) a spontaneous person. I didn't completely ignore the big highways, but I did not confine myself to them. I got off the highway and visited a college I had never seen before, drove past a couple places that I never knew existed, took some highways that I typical don't drive, and took the "country" roads around my city. It was a beautiful day and a great reminder that I love maps and lazy Sundays. Maybe I should plan more outings like this for myself...but then again that might take away the spontaneity...

Quote of the Day

"...Higher education — especially at the graduate level — involves learning more and more about less and less until one knows everything about nothing."
- David Barash, University of Washington (not a unique quote to him...just found it in one of his papers)

Circle Game Saturday

My birthday is soon. I might blog about it later because it's a weird one as far as ages go, but in honor of getting older here is my circle game question...What age do you feel? Forget your chronological age...

Me? Energy-wise I feel 23 years. My self-image unfortunately does not match my reality. Is that normal?

NPR

I have been exploring the AM dial and lower numbers of the FM (Thanks, Brent and M). I have been entertained by the various talk shows, but I am always drawn back to NPR. It's amazing how much smarter I feel just listening to NPR for 5 minutes in my car. Perhaps smarter is not the correct word, perhaps I feel more exposed to my environment ....more cultured...even if it is sometimes related to the absurd. For instance on my 22 minutes drive home from work tonight I learned three interesting things...

1) There is a book on the best seller list called "The Black Swan". I am not sure of the content, but the author is a professor at the school of uncertainty at U Mass. Huh?!?! Seriously, is someone pulling my leg? Did my not-so-good hearing fail me in that moment?

2) The "grime" is a new music scene springing up in England. It's a combination of rap, techno, and dance hall with an English accent.

3) A man in Nevada (Dr. Hope) has been selling plots of the moon for the past 26 years. He has a couple billion to sell and he has sold $9.3 million dollars worth so far. He plans on building an edifice near the Sea of Tranquility that will house the Galactic Government. Awesome. Any takers?

Ah...Too Be Young Again

Since the beginning of November I have had constant hip pain and sporadic back pain. Finally after pitifully limping around one weekend in March, I decided to go to my trusty nurse practitioner who referred me to a "spine specialist". The spine specialist told me I had something similar to tendinitis and gave me the fashionable SI Loc pictured above.

Here are the lovely advantages of wearing the SI Loc...

1) It seems to be helping, although there are some days that seem better than others in regard to pain. (Unfortunately yesterday and today were not some of them.)

2) It's a constant hug.

Here are the unfortunate disadvantages of wearing the SI Loc...

1) It does not fit nicely under the dress clothes I wear to work. Everyday I have to wake up and make the decision as to whether I am going with function or fashion.

2) No woman wants more "girth" around her middle section.

3) I am a restless sleeper. I toss and I turn. Unfortunately as tight as I may tug on the SI Loc before I go to bed so that it says around my hips, it never stays in place. It usually creeps up somewhere around my shoulders by morning. It's not a pleasant thing to wake up to.

But regardless of the disadvantages...today I make a vow to wear my SI Loc 23.5 hours a day as my doctor told me to. I am tired of pain and I realize that in order to fix this thing, I am going to have to do as I am told. I will try to swallow my pride and pick function over fashion every day until the six weeks is up. For those of you that I see and talk to, please keep me accountable. Thank you in advance for your help.

Sadness

I am very saddened by the events that occurred in Blacksburg, VA at Virginia Tech today. My heart goes out to the victims, families, students, and community.
As I walked across my seemingly serene campus today, I tried to picture what it must have been like, but my brain refused to create the scene of something so horrific. I can not imagine the terror. I take for granted my safety when I am walking around the university of which I attend part-time. I think occasionally about my personal safety when walking alone in the parking garage but never in my wildest dreams do I concern myself about my safety when I walk into my classroom. Instead I think of it as an academic haven...a place to share my thoughts with people who are interested in similar topics. That image of the classroom - as a place of comfort, of community, of safety - has been shattered for the students at Virginia Tech. My thoughts will be with them all in the following weeks.

NEW BLOG ALERT!

I have another friend that just joined the blogging world. I can't wait to read it! Check her out at http://aimlessoasis.blogspot.com. I'll also be added a link to the left.

Circle Game Saturday

This question is in honor of friends Missy, Sherri, Michelle, Tamara, and my SiL, Jessica , who all completed the C. half marathon today. *You all made me VERY proud! Good job, ladies!*

Question: What is your proudest achievement?

My answer...it differs depending on my mood...but starting graduate school is my current answer.

Stoplight

Call me boring, but I love routine. And I am not the best with adjusting to change in my schedule.

For the past 7 months, I could predict which stoplights I would have to stop and at which stoplights I could pass on through without braking on my way to work. It never changed.

Until last week. Early one morning on my way to work, I started slowing down at my first predictable stop, but I was thrown off. The light never changed, I went through, and I was left befuddled. I am sure the driver behind me must have been honking and furious as I slowed down from 50 mph to 15 mph in the face of a green light. But I didn't hear them. My world was thrown off. And it happened again two days later. My morning routine has been altered. No need to worry, though. I will preserver and find new patterns that I can rely on. It's my nature.

Mole Man

My husband is obessed with our lawn. His obsession is not the "roll, seed, and aerate the grass" type obsession (Yes, T, I am making a reference to you). Instead my husband is obsessed with catching the moles that make the unsightly tunnels through our yard. Nothing could make his day better than ridding our yard of one of the pesky vermits. I swear, rain or shine, he is out perusing our yard for new tunnels and checking his trap to see if he caught one of the elusive critters. Today was his lucky day. He comes home from work ...I, of course, am asleep on the couch taking my (almost) daily nap. He is hungry and he's trying to push me out the door. "Wifey, let's go." I move slowly, I'm not feeling the best today. He resigns to my sluggish manner and decides to change his clothes and check his mole trap. I finally gather myself together, grab our coupons for shopping and open the door to the garage. When I step into the garage I am shocked to see T. kneeling over something that is blocked from my view with his cell phone camera aimed at the unknown object. "Stop, Wifey, I don't think you want to see this" he tells me, "I got one!" I know what he's talking about so I shut the door and let him bask in his glory while he cleans up the poor rodent and proudly sends the picture to his dad. I putter around the house until I feel a safe enough time has elapsed for me to enter my garage again. This time when I open the door he is still standing there admiring his kill. When he sees me he starts punching his fist in the air in a victory dance. "This is my fourth one, Wifey. It's not as big as the others, but that's not what matters. Do you want to look at it?" "No, please clean it up," I tell him. But curiosity gets the better of me and I look after he assures me there is no blood and guts. "Oooo, it's cute," I say. T is offended, he feels like I have taken the mole's side and he lets me know. He finally gets the lifeless mole cleaned off our driveway and we get in the car to run our errands. In the car he is still celebrating. "Four! Wifey! I owe all of my success to my dad and mole man on the internet." He is still beaming hours later...and I have to admit, as cute as the little guy was (the mole) I am not saddened by the fact that he will no longer turn our backyard into his wonderland of fun. So the moral of the story...moles of our neighborhood beware...my husband is on the prowl. It is best, for your sake, to pick another yard.

Math History Monday

I love my grad class...
Why I love my class REASON #1. Tonight we talked about the first discovered artifact that signals mathematical thinking. It is called the LeBombo bone and was discovered in 1970 in South Africa. The bone is from a baboon and has 29 distinguishable notches carved into it. Scientists date it back to 35000BC. They also believe that tool might have been created by a woman who was tracking the lunar phases (29 days) in relation to her menstrual cycle. Could it be that women were the first mathematicians?
If you are interested in more information on ancient mathematical artifacts (you know you are...don't deny it!) head to www.wikipedia.com. P.S. Picture is of the 2nd oldest known mathematical artifact.

Why I love my class REASON #2. I swear this quote came out of one of my fellow students' mouths..."Scientist have to play within the realm of reality. If our concept of reality changes, scientist have to change. Mathematicians, on the other hand, can ignore reality completely. Reality does not exist. They can play in Euclidean land forever". I LOVE IT! (Euclidean is the geometry we all learned in high school)

You have one month to get ready

Come join the fun! The Boondogglers will be back at Mickey's on May 4th. Check them out at www.myspace.com/boondogglers or at the link provided on the left. Don't miss out!

What is WRONG with me?

I cooked again last night and it's not even spring break. I loved the recipe. Easy and yummy. That is all one can ask for.
I have to give appropriate applause to my Mennonite folk recipe book from CMF that provided me with this recipe. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 T of taco seasoning
1-2 T of vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 c chunky salsa
3/4 c peach preserves
Cooked rice

Directions:
Place the chicken in a large plastic bag. Add taco seasoning and toss to coat.
In a skillet, brown chicken in oil.
Combine salsa and peach preserves, stir into skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes until meat juices run clear.
Serve over rice.

NEW BLOG ALERT!

This is my cousin Brent. I am not allowed to call him B. Read his blog and you'll find out why.

He is hysterical, I laughed out loud already when reading his first blog entries. Check him out at http://arghitsdrivinmenuts.blogspot.com or the link provided on the left.

Canvas Bag - Take Two

I did it. I remembered my canvas shopping bags. I can't say it's the first time I went shopping since the last canvas bag blog, but it doesn't matter. I remembered to take the things out of my trunk and use them. Day 1 of my 27 days of forming a habit. The trick now - put them back in my trunk so that I may have them for the next trip. And for the record, I am pretty sure I saw the cashier cussing under her breath as the bags refused to stay upright in the grocery loading position (just as my friends had reminisced on the earlier blog). I wonder just how many cashiers I will be able to annoy on my mission to rid the earth of my plastic bags.

Teaching - It's the Career for Me

Today was tough. Getting up at 5:45 am to work a job that I haven't done in a week is not a pleasant feeling. I considered begging my husband to figure out a budget that would allow me to stay home with...myself, I guess, since we don't have kids. Once I got to work, though, it felt right. I love talking with the students. They make me laugh, and I hope that every once in a while I can brighten up their day too. And, of course, I hope that when they leave my classroom they feel that they have received a quality education that prepares them to think.
I didn't always feel this positive about teaching. My first two years of teaching were shaky. I didn't know if I could handle the responsibility. I frequently commented those first two - three years that I felt like the oldest 23 year old in the nation.
Right now it is the right place and the right career for me. There are the ups and downs, but that's not unique to teaching. I am happy to be doing what I do, and I am proud to be teaching where I teach.

36 Sports in 36 Months

Calling all OSU fans! My cousins M and B had a great idea. They wanted to support all Ohio State athletes by attending all 36 varsity sports at The Ohio State University. I hopped in on the fun, and the idea became attending all 36 varsity sports in 36 months. M made the great shirts we are wearing in the picture with Jim. We are also planning on making scrapbooks and keeping a blog of our experiences. You can find the blog at http://osuchallenge.blogspot.com. (Link will also be provided on the left).

GO BUCKS!