Lately

I was surprised when I realized I haven't blogged in like a month and a half. I hope I still have readers out there.

There have been lots of things I've thought about blogging about, some I even started, but never got around to it.

But let me catch you up on the last two weeks, as it's been the most eventful. There's just a lot that happened.

First. This summer I've been working on research. My main goal is to finish a project I started working on while I was at STScI. I worked a lot on it back then, but it wasn't publishable yet, as we were waiting (and waiting, and waiting...) for STScI to come out with better calibration files for the relatively new instrument. ("Why would we get decent flats out for WFC3 when it's only been up for 18 months?") They came out with them literally 2 weeks before I moved to Virginia. Then teaching started, and I had no time. But I still worked on this project on all my school breaks, trying to make progress. But in reality, not moving fast enough. During that time, the data went into the public archive. When school ended, I attacked it full time. I'd made some good progress in the last month.

My former supervisor at STScI was at a conference last week. The first day of the conference, he ran into a member of a competing group. This guy informed him that they had a paper coming out very soon with our data. My supervisor sent me an email to that effect. The subject of the email (appropriately so) was: "Scooped!"

My life over the next week was a lot like this:

Only with more crying.

I still haven't seen their paper, so I don't know if anything I've done is still publishable, or if it's all in vain now. We'll see soon, I suppose.

Second. This happened a week later (so this past Monday). Around 9:45am, I got a call from my department chair on my cell phone. (I was still at home.) He told me that, while he didn't have details yet, he had learned that the professor in our department who was teaching the non-calc intro physics class during the second summer term (which started last week), didn't show up for class that morning, and was in the ER. He wanted to know if I would be able to cover the class, starting the next day. (Or, he said, if I needed time to get my wits about me, we could wait until Wednesday.) I agreed. (Hey, I suddenly had a lot more time, right?)

He called me again 30 minutes later with more details. Professor had been in a bad car accident, and was being flown to the hospital at UVa in Charlottesville. It looked like they'd need me to take over the remainder of the class. I agreed. I said I would be ready to start the next day. (Tuesday.)

I was worried about Professor. He occupies the office next to mine, and he and I would talk often. He gave me a lot of help and advice as I attempted to navigate my first experience teaching physics. Sometimes he would just come by to say hi, or tell me a joke. Often when he would leave at the end of the day, and I was still working busily, he'd stop in my doorway and say, "It's time to go home." He was probably the oldest non-emeritus professor in the department, and his health had degraded somewhat in recent years. Any injuries could be serious.

While all this uncertainty was happening, I had to turn on teacher mode. Summer term at JMU is intense. The term is only four weeks long. Class meets for 3 hours everyday. Exams every Friday. One day of class is like a week during the regular semester. Missing Monday was going to be tough to make up. And this class, second semester non-calc physics (E&M, optics, and modern), is a TOUGH one for the students. Fortunately I just taught it last semester, so the material was fresh and I had everything ready to go. However, there were tons of logistical things, like getting me access to blackboard, the online homework system, and re-configuring my powerpoints for 3 hour lectures, rather than hour-long lectures. (Honestly, I think anyone who takes this class during the summer is certifiably insane.) And what about all the work they did last week? Their exam from Friday, and quizzes during the week? (I didn't know where they were.) Lots to sort out and figure out, and not much time. But the good news is, since this is the second summer term, and the second half of the class, the students I have are those that passed the first half. (There are 14...whittled down from the term last month.) So my students are good and know what they're in for. (But let's be honest...no one REALLY knows what they're getting into when they start studying E&M.)

I survived the first week. We got back on schedule. The students are being great about it and helpful. We're going to get through the next few weeks together. Honestly, despite the extra stress, I'm just so glad to be able to help the department in this way. This week it seemed like every time I walked down the hallway, the other faculty would say to me, "Thank you so much for taking this class."(And you know they were also relieved that they didn't have to.)

As I was leaving Tuesday, we got another email from the chair. Professor wasn't going to make it. He never regained consciousness. He passed away on Wednesday.

I don't know what to say. I still don't really. Professor had one of the most brilliant minds in the department. Or maybe of any other department anywhere. He'd taught here for over 30 years. He was an amazing teacher, and had so much knowledge and wisdom that he was willing to share when asked. (I certainly took advantage of being his office neighbor on more than one occasion.) And all of it was gone. Just like that. It didn't seem possible. This is a huge loss for our department.

This is one of the comics he had hanging outside his office door. It was appropriate because this was totally him. Anytime during faculty meetings, whenever I'd look over, he was almost ALWAYS sketching diagrams and writing equations out.

In the meantime, I've got to keep focused on keeping the class running. Just over two weeks left. Still lots of things to figure out. (Like how to incorporate the stuff they did last week -- which I finally got Thursday morning -- with the stuff they'll do here on out, etc.)

The second exam went as scheduled for yesterday morning. (I used and revised one of my own exams; I don't have his exams.) Professor's funeral was scheduled for the same time. I wanted to attend the funeral, and sent an email to the entire department seeing if anyone was not going (or had a trusted student) who could proctor my exam. Seemed like no one was available, most people were going. Then I found out the chair had forwarded my email to the chair of the chemistry department, and one of their profs is covered it for me. I was very grateful. So I was able to attend the funeral yesterday. It was the first time I'd ever attended a Jewish funeral. It was beautiful and moving, and at times heart rending. Just such sad circumstances. My heart really goes out to his family, especially his wife.

While it's been a stressful time, and will continue to be as I work to finish up the term and then get back on track with research. But I'm sure everything will go fine with the class and me. And who knows, my career will probably even survive the setback from being scooped too, and maybe I'll actually figure out some answers in my soul searching. I certainly have some renewed perspective. But I know that the department at JMU will never be the same. We've truly lost a giant, and he will be greatly missed.


Here's a local news story about it, including some comments from other professors in the department. There was supposed to be video with it; I saw the reporter, and asked her if the video would be online. She said it would be, but I can't find it. :( Anyway, it's worth a read:

http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/JMU_Professors_Remember_Don_Chodrow_159967725.html

Oh Shenandoah

I'm so lucky in that I live only 30 minutes from one of the entrances of Shenandoah National Park. One of my favorite things to do outside is hiking. This summer I have a goal to spend as much time as I can hiking in Shenandoah. And since I work at the temple every other Saturday, that means I only have every other Saturday right now.

In the last month I've been able to go twice. There are so many trails in the park, it's hard to know where to start. So I decided to start off by narrowing it down, and I am hiking as many of the waterfall trails as I can. First I went to the Dark Hollows Fall trail. This trail is only about 1.4 miles round trip, but it's steep at parts. But it's a relatively quick hike, so it was a fun one to start with. Here are some pictures.

Dark Hollow Falls:

Looking down stream:

A deer at the top of the trail head as I was finishing. (Park literature talks a lot about bears, and I'm hoping I'll get to see one at some point!) (From a distance, of course.)



And then today I hiked the Rose River Trail. They have it so you can hike a four mile circuit that takes you parallel to a stream for awhile, with many cascades and mini-falls. So much fun! And it's fun to see the trees starting to get their leaves again. I can't wait for summer! It will be even more beautiful! Here are some pictures from Rose River Falls hike.

View from the parking lot, just off the Skyline Drive.

Heading down the trail, it comes you pick up the stream just coming off Dark Hollow Falls.

More mini-waterfalls along the way.


First view of Rose River Falls.

My and the falls. This is where I ate lunch.

Rose River Falls.

Hiking back out. Soon it will be a complete canopy as the leaves fill out on the trees again!

DC Cherry Blossoms 2012

We've had an unseasonably warm winter, and as a result, the cherry blossoms in DC were out a bit earlier than normal. Since I was already heading to work my normal every-other-Saturday shift at the temple in DC this past Saturday, I made quick plans to stop by and see them. I was a little worried when I heard there was a rally planned on the National Mall that same day, but the crowds didn't end up hampering my travel at all. And I lucked out with the weather, since the rain held off until just as I was leaving.

Here are some pictures of the tidal basin and Jefferson Memorial:





Some close ups of the blossoms.



Washington Monument in the background:

Proof I was there. (Fortunately there were enough people around that someone was willing to take my picture.)


Here's to springtime! One of my favorite times of the year.

Home Internet

I mentioned in my last post about how I don't have internet at home, but that I was getting it installed this week. Well, they came this afternoon and got me set up. I'm posting this from my laptop, AT HOME. This is the happiest of days.

I was more excited than I thought I would be. Last night I was having dreams about it. Ahhhhh! It's like sweet, sweet freedom. Now I can be more productive and unproductive at home than ever before!

Now to remember how to set up my wireless router... (Here's hoping it still works and is compatible with my modem. I bought this router like 5 or 6 years ago and haven't used it in at least 3.)

And yes, this should mean that I will post on my blog more often...


UPDATE: Wireless works! I got it up and running.

New Haircut

Last week I finally got around to doing something I've needed to do for awhile. I got my haircut. I found a salon near campus that had good reviews on Google, and I liked them a lot. And their prices are so cheap, I feel like I'm in Utah again. I've found myself a salon. Wahoo!

My hair was getting too long to be manageable (which also means the curls get weighed down and don't curl very well). I decided to cut off a lot, like 6 - 7 inches, maybe 8. I think the length is super fun and I like the spring I have back.

Here's a picture:


Also, this week I'm doing another thing I've been needing to do for awhile. I've decided to finally get internet at home. I imagine you're thinking one of two things (or both): (a) Wait, you've lived in your apartment for over five months and haven't had internet?? (Answer: yes. I don't have a TV either.) (b) How did I possibly go this long without internet at home? (Answer: Well, I do have it on my phone, so I'm technically not without internet. But sometimes not having it on my computer was annoying.) Maybe I'll write more about that later, after they come to install it on THURSDAY this week. I can hardly wait. I think my life is about to change.

Also...I just noticed. In the background of that picture you can see my cupcake painting. I blogged about it once. Yes, it's hanging proudly in my room.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

While I was home for Christmas my family and I went to lunch at one of our favorite places, The Dairy Keen, a fast food (but better than regular fast food) place up in Heber City, Utah, owned by my aunt and uncle. They had a chicken enchilada soup that was really tasty. We didn't get the recipe from my cousin (though maybe we will still try?), so I set out to find one to try. (I love the internet.)

Here's the recipe I tried. It is really awesome. Even though in my regular enchiladas I prefer flour rather than corn tortillas, making this with corn is fine. It's pretty interesting actually, the corn tortillas actually provide a way to thicken the broth. Reviews I read online say that flour tortillas DON'T do that well, but that they end up more like glue than a nice soup. I haven't tested that. I might not because I like this way just fine.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 10 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 cup green enchilada sauce
• 1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 cooked, boneless/skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 cup half-and-half

Directions:

1. Combine chicken broth and tortilla strips in a large pot. Cook over medium heat until strips soften and broth thickens somewhat.
2. Stir in enchilada sauces and cumin.
3. Stir chicken and half-and-half.
4. Serve with tortilla chips. Optional garnishes also include: diced tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, avocado, jalapeno, etc.

Notes:

• I prefer making it with a little bit more broth. Maybe 1.5 cups.
• It says "large pot," but my saucepan was fine. A stock pot is too big.
  
• The time I made it, I used most the breast meat from a rotisserie chicken I bought, which a decent amount.
• I made it once with 8 tortillas instead of 10 and that worked fine too. Just a little less thick (but not that big of a difference).
• When the tortilla strips are soaking in the broth, don't stir it too much (if at all). Stirring will come later. Every time it's stirred, the strips break up a little more, so save your stirs. (And part of the fun is the chunks of tortilla strips.) Just make sure the heat is not so high that they burn.
• With fat-free broth and fat-free half-and-half, this soup is surprisingly calorie friendly. (Yet so creamy and satisfying!)
  
• Definitely serve with tortilla chips! Yum!
• Recipe says it serves 4, but with a little more broth and less tortillas, I got about 6 1-cup servings.
• Also makes good leftovers!
  

The Thermodynamics of Sarcasm

We've got one week left of classes the semester (yay!!) and so my classes are winding down. The last unit in my physics class is thermodynamics. Last night I finished the last homework for that class (I like to make sure I work all the problems before making my students do them) and got the assignment posted. As I worked problems about heat engines and entropy I remembered why I hated my thermal physics class so much. (Although looking back, I wish someone would have told me how useful and important statistical mechanics was in astrophysics. I mean, seriously.) But as I went home (driving my car with an internal combustion engine) and turned on my heater to warm up my cold apartment, I was grateful that someone loves it, as thermo actually is a pretty important part of our lives. (*end physics teacher PSA*)

As I'm preparing my final three lectures, I actually pulled out "Thermal Physics," the text we used for my senior level, undergrad thermo class. I randomly opened up to a page, and laughed at all the notes I wrote in it. I don't actually make notes in textbooks that often. After leafing through a few pages, it was clear how silly, sarcastic and maybe bitter (about the material) I was while in this class. (Remember that one problem that had like 15 parts?! And the time Kevin drew an analogy between particles moving to an evacuated space and letting loose third graders from one side of a gym when there is a table full of sloppy joes on the other?)

Anyway, I just have to share a few of these gems with the blogosphere.

The first page I saw today. Clearly my mind was on energy and entropy as I read.

I also noticed that a common theme was that I would write notes in the margin, as if I was having a conversation with the author. (Who I have, incidentally, met in real life, since he teaches in the physics department at Weber State where my dad taught. But our encounters were all way before I became a(n) (astro) physicist.)

And in this one I like the edit of "statistical mechanics" to "sadistical mechanics."





One of my sillier moments....

I still haven't read that book....

But as you can see, I wasn't sarcastic or bitter about it all the time.


So on this cold, December day, I'm grateful for thermodynamics and heat engines and the transportation of heat. And even more glad that I'm not the one that has to work those problem out. (At least beyond the intro physics level!) (Of course, I likely just jinxed myself to get a job where I'll eventually be asked to teach thermal physics. Blergh.)