Boloco

Dear Boloco,

I wanted to thank you for the yummy wrap you provided me tonight. While, yes, I did have to in turn pay your for a chance to eat it, I do enjoy your Buffalo wrap - it's just plain good. Now, while my stomach does thank you for filling it, it also would like to inform you that it may not be wanting a refill any time in the near future. Not sure what it was tonight... maybe the fact that it was 8pm and I was eating a Buffalo wrap or maybe it was the fact that I ate it in about 10 seconds... I don't know, but either way, it ain't feelin' too well right now.

Sincerely,

Me

P.S. ~ It could also have been the Vitamin Water, so don't feel bad.

Smell the Roses

We've all heard it and are constantly reminded to stop and smell the flowers. Ironically, the statement is normally given by some two-bit writer in New York City trying to access their philosophical side and push deeper into the crux of human emotions in order to trigger the primeval urge, present in all of us, to just slow down and take it easy and appreciate the world around us, as they stand in a crowded Starbucks howling at the Barista because they used whole fat whip instead of the organic non-fat whip while simultaneously flicking off the person next to them, simply because they can, and creating the scene for what will become headlines on the 6 o'clock news; "Mass riot unfurls after minor scuffle over whipped cream spills into the streets" which has the inevitably tragic, yet poetic, conclusion of the entire block being set aflame, vanquishing the local flower population.

I digress. Look up the next time you're outside. Maybe it's my philosophical side and my urge to slow down and appreciate the Universe (at least a riot on Earth can't destroy that!), but it's something people rarely do. We live in the age of technology, which, while infinitely good, has created a nation of robots staring down at little screens, typing senseless combinations of letters that to any normal person would seem like a toddler got a hold of their parents phone and started smashing buttons (LOL!? ROTFLMAO!?). It seems that a lack of curiosity has begun to set in amongst the younger population (namely those I've come in contact with) who care more about Kanye's recent act of idiocy further proving how ignorant and disrespectful he is; thus raising his "coolness" factor by a whopping [insert random made up number]%.

Maybe this is just the rant of a disgruntled astronomer who has seen the History Channel take Astronomy and turn it into a joke science of soothsayers predicting the death of the Earth any second now... wait for it... damn. We're all still alive, but just wait until 2012, it'll be bigger than Y2K. Remember that? Did you hoard toilet paper to prepare for the end of the world and the beginning of the age of Toilet Paper Currency? Silly? I remember seeing it on the news. Can a disaster of astronomical proportions destroy the Earth? Yes. Right now, though, I'd be more worried about a disaster of economic proportions than a GRB.

So before I completely lose track of what my initial intention was for writing this post, look up, smell the air and stare at the stars... just get out of the street before you do and avoid the riot progressing down your street from Starbucks.

Look up, imagine, and wonder... why are WE here and give pause to the miracle that is life, all that had to go right for even a single cell organism to form. I do believe Carl Sagan put it best, we are currently the only known mechanism for "the Universe to study itself".

With Open Arms

Fall. Never has this planet seen a more polarizing season, with some arguing that it must surely be the worst season as it signals the end of the warm spring and summer seasons and beckons forth humanities mortal enemy - or at least the mortal enemy of those who deem 60 degrees "cold" - winter. I, on-the-other-hand, take more kindly to the presence of fall. To me, fall is marvellous, a season filled with a majestic beauty that rivals any on the planet.

As we begin this natural transition out of the summer months, take notice of the slight bitterness in the air, permeating the walls of your nose creating an indescribable tingling sensation leaving you feeling refreshed and satisfied with the current state of life. Yes, fall most certainly lets you know that you are alive and well and, if even for just a minute, it has the power to cause you to forget all of the stresses that life in this era brings - and to think, I haven't even mentioned the changing of the leaves!

Anyone who has never experienced the change of the green leaves to the bright oranges and reds, offset perfectly by the right amount of browns, beiges, and purples, has not experienced the true wonder of nature! I must say, it is easy to take for granted the fact that the leaves change and then slowly wander away from their creator, especially when you've lived with it your entire life, but if you slow down and just watch and listen... nothing more... you begin to gain a greater appreciation for the phenomenon. People travel across the country to watch this event... but I have the opportunity to see it every year.

Wait! Who can forget the pumpkins, apples, and apple cider!? Just to add to the wonder of fall, trees in the Northeast produce the most wonderful apples the world has ever seen and not just one or two varieties, but a plethora of succulent little spheres of goodness. And what else do we get from apples? Apple sauce and the most delicious drink ever created by man, mulled cider! The tartness of the apples mixing perfectly with the spiciness of the cinnamon, allspice and clove - there is nothing better.

Okay, so others I am sure have conveyed the wonderment of fall with a more poetic touch - but I cannot help but write about the coming of fall, for I have already had several encounters with that bitter air, just ever so slightly perking my senses and exciting my mind to the prospect of the coming months. I highly recommend taking a look around in the coming weeks in order to appreciate what is about to transpire - and maybe listen to Evergrey after you do - did I mention that Evergrey is the best band to listen to in the fall? I don't know why, but they are. So farewell and happy autumn!

Physics Question #4

Indeed, the return of the Physics Question post! So, here it is:

Starting with an ordinary cup of water, you add exactly one ice cube. Now, after you add the ice cube, you notice that the level of the water in the cup rises (I believe that everyone would agree with this scenario). After about an hour, you return to your cup of water and notice that the ice cube has melted entirely. Ignoring the evaporation of the water over time, has the water level risen, fallen, or has it remained the same? Explain.

Bon chance!

New Dimensions

I always thought that my posts looked rather long for the lack of information that they contained, and today, I took the initiative and solved that problem. A bit of simple editing and BLAMO! No, not the company which distributes Log (BLAMMO!), but 'BLAMO!' as in, ta-da this is my blog! You didn't need me to explain that, but I just had to cover my bases that no one was stuck singing the "Log Song" while they were attempting to read this post. Feel free to leave some feedback with your feelings about the new dimensions.

Before I let you go, seeing that you can't just click the 'x' on your browser or click on your bookmark to Facebook - WAIT! Okay, good. As I was saying, before I let you go... because I know you want to as much as I do...

The "Qual"

To most all graduate students (including all at Dartmouth), two words provoke primordial fear sending chills down the spine inducing a sweat upon the brow of even the most adept physicist; qualifying exam. Now that you have removed your hand from your mouth, recovering from a most horrifying gasp, let me try and explain just what the qualifying exam involves and some of what it doesn't. I believe it is easier to start with the latter of the two.

What doesn't the qualifying exam cover? Pixies, dragons, and large knights brandishing broadswords. All else is fair game. It turns out that explaining what it involved was easier than coming up with three (lame) examples of what it doesn't. Listing the subjects, one gets the feeling of ease, that it will be okay and it's not as daunting as people make it sound: Classical mechanics (Newtonian and Lagrangian/Hamiltonian), Relativity (Special and General), Statistical Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Quantum Mechanics and Astronomy with a dabble of special topics, mainly Solid State.

Great! Only a select number of topics! Oh but wait... that's pretty much all of physics... and when they say astronomy, they mean astronomy... ALL OF IT! You could easily spend all of your time memorizing the pertinent equations and it's still entirely possible that you'd miss something important. Every time I find that I've (re)learned material, more material comes along that needs to be crammed in next to everything else; a giant orgy of physics concepts and equations in your head.

Aside from research this is my job, save the last bit of grading for the class I have to TA (introductory astronomy). Research and studying encompass most of my day, every day, and will continue to until September 17th at noon when I finish my last exam (there are two, physics short and astronomy long). It is quite possible that I know the most about physics as I ever will, a peak in my general physics/astronomy knowledge base. Or, I could learn more. I'm hoping for the latter if I retain all I am reviewing for the test.

I keep one thing in mind for the upcoming "qual": 60% is almost guaranteed pass!

Summer Break!

Yeah, I don't get one. Not that this is any different from every other job in the world, but still, everyone wishes they could go back to the days when they got to run from the school doors screaming all the way to the big yellow boat sent to deliver you to freedom. The finals have been taken, the classes are over and the grades have been delivered. So ends the first year of graduate school. While the year truly doesn't end until after the Qualifying Exam in September, all there is to do now is research and the occasional studying for the "Qual".

There might not be a summer vacation in graduate school, but research is a far cry from the class work that weighs you down during the rest of the year. Hell, I've been able to sit outside on my balcony and read... leisurely! I may still have to read user manuals, astrophysical papers and the like during the summer, but having the chance to sit down on a Saturday and read to RELAX is wonderful. The Crows, Squirrels, Chipmunks and Nuthatches all providing a symphony with which to sit back, relax and enjoy my day with a cup of coffee and a good book.