The Start Of The Semester
Tuesday, 12 January 2010 11:45![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dr_phil_physicsAnd So It Begins...
Interesting that when you've been away from a machine for a little over three weeks, one sometimes has to look up a complex password, rather than depending on finger memory. (grin)
Yesterday, Monday 11 January 2010, my classes consisted of my usual shock-and-awe opening and an introduction to Dr. Phil which lets everyone know that (a) I'm crazy and (b) there's a method to my madness. Students never seem to believe me when I say I'm handing out a 14 page syllabus... Today we begin PHYS-2070 University Physics II (Electricity & Magnetism for Scientists and Engineers with Calculus) for real -- two shows at Noon and 2pm, I'm here all week -- and start doing some Physics.
Yesterday my office was toasty warm when it was 20°F outside in the morning. Today it was 19°F and not so toasty -- had to put my sweater back on. But it's sunny outside. Overhead murk from Allendale to 100th Street on the southside of Grand Rapids, then the sky opened up as in coming out of Mordor.
We did manage to snag a 50¢/gal discount slip from Family Fare on Saturday -- Mrs. Dr. Phil hadn't been sure we'd spend $100+ on groceries, but apparently that was no problem. And my fear that gas prices would irrationally spike by more than 50¢/gal did not materialize. Indeed, gas "dropped" to "only" $2.71.9/gal for regular, so the 50¢/gal discount actually amounted to something.
The deer were running this morning. I turned off Warner at 84th Avenue, but down the road by the campground -- now a KOA Campground -- I could see a trio of deer cross Warner in front of a car. Then two more. Then another. Then another, this one strolling across the road. Then I guess the car tried to move forward and three more deer wanted to cross, but turned away, followed by another clump of deer. Must've been a herd of a dozen or more. Great...
WLAV-FM is doing a bit of silliness -- they are clearing out 200 parking spaces at the Getty 4 Drive-In in Muskegon MI and will be doing an outdoor movie in the snow and a fish fry competition coming up. The movie? Fargo. In the cold outdoors. (grin)
*** UPDATE: (1) Fargo outdoors is for Saturday 23 January 2010, (2) the Getty 4 opens at 3pm, (3) the fish fry competition starts at 4pm, (4) Fargo begins at 5:30pm, and (5) I'll be at ConFusion 2010 on the other side of the state. (grin)
Let's hear it for irrational exuberance.
Dr. Phil
Interesting that when you've been away from a machine for a little over three weeks, one sometimes has to look up a complex password, rather than depending on finger memory. (grin)
Yesterday, Monday 11 January 2010, my classes consisted of my usual shock-and-awe opening and an introduction to Dr. Phil which lets everyone know that (a) I'm crazy and (b) there's a method to my madness. Students never seem to believe me when I say I'm handing out a 14 page syllabus... Today we begin PHYS-2070 University Physics II (Electricity & Magnetism for Scientists and Engineers with Calculus) for real -- two shows at Noon and 2pm, I'm here all week -- and start doing some Physics.
Yesterday my office was toasty warm when it was 20°F outside in the morning. Today it was 19°F and not so toasty -- had to put my sweater back on. But it's sunny outside. Overhead murk from Allendale to 100th Street on the southside of Grand Rapids, then the sky opened up as in coming out of Mordor.
We did manage to snag a 50¢/gal discount slip from Family Fare on Saturday -- Mrs. Dr. Phil hadn't been sure we'd spend $100+ on groceries, but apparently that was no problem. And my fear that gas prices would irrationally spike by more than 50¢/gal did not materialize. Indeed, gas "dropped" to "only" $2.71.9/gal for regular, so the 50¢/gal discount actually amounted to something.
The deer were running this morning. I turned off Warner at 84th Avenue, but down the road by the campground -- now a KOA Campground -- I could see a trio of deer cross Warner in front of a car. Then two more. Then another. Then another, this one strolling across the road. Then I guess the car tried to move forward and three more deer wanted to cross, but turned away, followed by another clump of deer. Must've been a herd of a dozen or more. Great...
WLAV-FM is doing a bit of silliness -- they are clearing out 200 parking spaces at the Getty 4 Drive-In in Muskegon MI and will be doing an outdoor movie in the snow and a fish fry competition coming up. The movie? Fargo. In the cold outdoors. (grin)
*** UPDATE: (1) Fargo outdoors is for Saturday 23 January 2010, (2) the Getty 4 opens at 3pm, (3) the fish fry competition starts at 4pm, (4) Fargo begins at 5:30pm, and (5) I'll be at ConFusion 2010 on the other side of the state. (grin)
Let's hear it for irrational exuberance.
Dr. Phil
