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!

Quote of the Day - I love to be human

Foreword

In my past few months as a graduate student, I have read many, many papers - as all grad students do. Many have been dull, some have been entertaining and enlightening, few have inspired and energized me. In fact this might be the first one that truly made me excited. And it made me excited about nothing in particular...just excited to be able to experience the world. I read this paper and felt like I wanted to go out and paint or invent something...anything. There are two quotes from this wonderfully idealistic paper that I wanted to share. The second one is lengthy, but I feel worth the read.

1st Quote

"The richness of human life is that we have many lives; we live the events that do not happened (and some that cannot) as vividly as those that do; and if thereby we die a thousand deaths, that is the price we pay for living a thousands lives" (Bronowski, p. 25, 1977)

2nd Quote

"I have described imagination as the ability to make images to move them about inside one's head in new arrangements. This is the faculty that is specifically human, and it is the common root from which science and literature both spring and grow and flourish together. For they do flourish (and languish) together; the great ages of science are the great ages of all the arts, because in them powerful minds have taken fire from one another, breathless and higgledy-piggledy, without asking too nicely whether they ought to tie their imagination to falling balls or a haunted island. Galileo and Shakespeare, who were born in the same year, grew into greatness in the same age; when Galileo was looking through his telescope at the moon, Shakespeare was writing The Tempest; and all Europe was in ferment, from Johannes Kepler to Peter Paul Rubens, and from the first table of logarithms by John Napier to the Authorized Version of the Bible" (Bronowski, p. 29, 1977)

Circle Game Saturday

We skipped a week, so I had to make sure we played this weekend. Don't forget the rules...Everyone has to play. Even you circle game haters. Sticking to the theme of domesticity...

What is an item in your kitchen that you could not live without?

For me, it's my automatic egg boiler that my MIL (mother-in-law) got me a few years ago. As an egg lover, it is absolutely wonderful. I get 18 eggs at a time; 9 stay raw and 9 go into the Egg Head (that is truly it's name). The part I love...you have to poke a tiny hole in the eggs before you boil them, so you always know which are cooked and which are not. Instantly I have breakfast for a few days, all the ingredients I need to quickly whip up egg salad, and an automatic salad garnish. Love it! Your turn.

Can't help it, it is my geeky nature

This is too cool. Saturn has a weather pattern that has formed itself (a while ago) into a hexagonal shape. Click here for the story.

See, there is math in nature. Math is not an innovation that humans dreamed up so that they may torture their youth. (I truly believe some peoplel in society feel that way...unfortunately).

It's the thought, right?

I was excited Monday. At the end of my grocery shopping excursion at Giant Eagle I ran into some canvas shopping bags.

"That's it!!" I thought to myself.

Canvas shopping bags...it's the item I am going to add to my life for Lent. (See blog from February.) I know...sounds silly and trivial. But, although I do little to actually reuse, reduce, or recycle, I am interested in environmental issues. I felt canvas shopping bags were something I could successfully add into my life routine while doing my part to reduce the number of plastic bags I use. I think I will be successful with adding this habit into my life...it just isn't going to happen today.

I was visiting the doctor (story for a later blog) today and then headed in the grocery store. I had my mantra..."Don't forget the canvas bags...Don't forget the canvas bags." Of course, you know what I do...I forget the canvas bags in my trunk. Somewhere between picking up the jar of mushrooms and the bottle of Windex, I remember the bags. For a moment, a brief moment, I envision myself leaving my very full grocery cart in the aisle so that I can quickly snatch the bags from the back of my car. Alas, my desire to do my part for the earth was overcome by the fear that my grocery cart and everything in it would be captured and put away before I could return. So I will save practicing my new habit for a later date. It will happen. Fly Lady, author of Sink Reflections and my personal home organizing hero, told me it will take 27 days to develop a habit. I guess the 27 days starts to tomorrow.

Beef, Tomato, & Noodles

I loved this recipe. It was easy, tasty, and made leftovers for two lunches. A normal sized crock pot is sufficient. Give yourself 6 to 8 hours to let it sit and cook. Sorry, veggie friends, this recipe is not for you. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs stewing beef, cubed
1/4 cup flour
2 cups stewed tomatoes (if you like chunks), or 2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup water
12 oz bag of egg noodles

Directions
1. Combine meat and flour until cubes are coated. Place in slow cooker.
2. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and onion. Add water.
3. Cover. Simmer on Low 6 - 8 hours.
4. Serve over cooked noodles.

SPRING BREAK

I love the fact that because of my profession...teaching...I will enjoy "Spring Break" until my 50's. I am not doing anything outrageous or taking any trips that require me to leave the state. Instead I am enjoying the fact that I may go into work without anybody else there; I may enjoy my friends and family without worrying what papers I should be grading; and I am enjoying the fact that I have the urge to do domestic things. Watch out kitchen! HERE I COME!

N. Ireland Peace Talks

I have to admit that after my three months in N. Ireland in the year of 1998, I have not kept up well with the peace process. However, whenever I see headlines I eagerly read them. Today, good news was announced. After years of turmoil, the country of Northern Ireland has come up with a plan to share power between Sinn Fein and the Democratic Union Party. The road to healing for this country has been a long one and at least the parties have decided to walk the road together...although not necessarily hand in hand. I hope for patience and perseverance for the people of that beautiful country. Here's the article if you are interested in reading.

Battery Blues

I went to take a picture of my 3 hour old nephew on Monday. The batteries in the camera that I had not picked up for about a month were dead. So in the age of technology, I turned to my trusty back up - my razr cell phone. Of course - batteries were too low to take a cell phone picture. AGH!

Why is it that I feel like I have bought 390,561 AAA batteries and cannot find ANY of them. Anyone have a good method of keeping these necessary but annoying things organized? Will we ever be free of these pesky things?

FISH TACOS

I recently read my friend's blog at Dos Pretzels regarding fish tacos. It reminded me of a conversation I had with my co-workers. I told them I really enjoyed fish tacos. (Breaded fish, guacamole, tomatoes...it goes on and on...I love it!) They thought that the concept of fish in tacos was the most disgusting thing they had ever heard of. Your opinions? Yay or Nay for the fish taco?

Welcome, Xavier!

I recently visited my brand new 9lb, 21 in. nephew. He's a cutie! His mom and dad are doing well. His older sister is already learning to share (she put her favorite blanket over him and let him "hold" her new paintbrushes she got from NaNa and Poppa). Pretty good for a two year old.

Circle Game Saturday - One Day Late

Sorry it's a day late - but I had a good excuse. I was celebrating a beloved friend's birthday.

So here it is...

In honor of St. Patrick's day....What are your family roots? German, Italian, Hungaria (inside joke - let's just say that it's a good thing I teach Math and not geography)? And...Do you have any traditions that stem from family origins? This answer may have several parts to it and feel free to share more than one.

I am a European mutt. On my mom's side I have Irish, Welsh, Swedish, and I think a little French. On my dad's menno side we have a little French (I think), German, and some Russian. Any one of my family members is free to add, delete, or correct this list. As far as traditions...my cousin A. makes some YUMMY swiebach (sp?) - type of bread and my uncle D. always makes great pfernessee (sp?) for Christmas. There might be some more - but that's currently all I can think of.

Nicknames

My mom had five other siblings in her family. One of her siblings produced a boy and four girls all with names starting with "K" (they are my first cousins). I always find it amusing that these four women who are in their mid 30s and 40s are still referred to as "the girls". Even my cute, little cousins who are 7 and 11 year refer to them as "the girls". And if I had to take a wild guess, they will be affectionately known as "the girls" for the rest of their life.

Anyone else have affectionate nicknames for family members?

SUPER DUPER EXCITED

Tomorrow my brother and sister-in-law go to what is supposed to be their last doctor's visit before their little bambino is born. I am super excited. Boy? Girl? No one is sure yet. Either way, I can't wait to welcome little Xavier or little Keri to our family. This will be our fourth neice/nephew, and they all make T. and I very happy. Above are our nephews on T's side.