stoutfellow (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stoutfellow) wrote2007-11-25 03:44 pm
stoutfellow) wrote2007-11-25 03:44 pm
Thanksgiving Break
Under the cut are some (longish) odds and ends concerning the week just past.
There were a number of good things about the break. Thanksgiving itself was the big one, of course; I made a chicken with almond-orange sauce dish that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thnidu posted a while back, supplemented with a Sara Lee apple pie. The chicken was delicious; even though it said "serves six", it only lasted me three days. I'll probably make it again some time. (The dogs licked the plate with their usual relish.)
I spent a good deal of time playing Civ IV as Montezuma. I got fairly deep into the game several times, but each time aborted because something went unexpectedly wrong. (I make backups at many points, but, in each case, going back far enough to prevent the bad thing didn't appeal to me.) I haven't gotten used to Noble level yet.
I've begun reading an elementary text on celestial mechanics. I have several books on the subject, at various levels of difficulty, but haven't gotten around to actually reading any of them until now. This one, by Victor Szebehely, is restricted to orbital mechanics (so nothing about precession, libration, nutation, and such), and it starts pretty slowly, but it's getting into material I wasn't familiar with now - Hohmann transfer orbits and the like. (I'd heard of them and had some idea what they were, but the mathematics of them is new to me.)
It looks like both of my Senior Project students will be able to present this semester. One of them is doing a few minor last-minute revisions to his paper; I have no worries whatever about him. (He's the one doing the brachistochrone problem, which I talked about once before.) The other is scrambling to finish. She came by Friday to go over the organization of her project and a few details of the proofs. (She's doing Burnside's Theorem, which is a neat little application of group theory to combinatorics.)
Less happy things... Murphy's ailments have persuaded me not to go out to California again this year. It would be possible, I think, to arrange for the care he needs, but in the holiday season it's harder to do so. I'll still take part in the family gift exchange, even in absentia, though. I'm hoping I'll be able to get out there for a few days next August, before or after the Denver World Con. (Murphy might be better by then; if not, it should be easier to arrange for his care; and maybe the horse will learn to sing. If not, I'll have to give up on the World Con too.)
I've got a stack of statistics quizzes to grade. I brought them home with me, but, natch, didn't do anything about them. I'll grade them tomorrow, so I can give them back Tuesday. (Only two weeks of classes left, and I want to give (and return!) one more quiz before the semester ends. Have to fit a review day in there too.)
The weather seems to have made up its mind. The last stretch of autumn warmth ended early in the week, and it's been chilly and damp since. They've been predicting flurries, but I haven't seen any yet. Still, it's less than pleasant. (I coaxed Murphy into the back yard again today, but he wasn't happy about it, and we came back in very quickly.)
Ah, well. Two more weeks of classes, then finals week. I'm tired.
There were a number of good things about the break. Thanksgiving itself was the big one, of course; I made a chicken with almond-orange sauce dish that
thnidu posted a while back, supplemented with a Sara Lee apple pie. The chicken was delicious; even though it said "serves six", it only lasted me three days. I'll probably make it again some time. (The dogs licked the plate with their usual relish.)I spent a good deal of time playing Civ IV as Montezuma. I got fairly deep into the game several times, but each time aborted because something went unexpectedly wrong. (I make backups at many points, but, in each case, going back far enough to prevent the bad thing didn't appeal to me.) I haven't gotten used to Noble level yet.
I've begun reading an elementary text on celestial mechanics. I have several books on the subject, at various levels of difficulty, but haven't gotten around to actually reading any of them until now. This one, by Victor Szebehely, is restricted to orbital mechanics (so nothing about precession, libration, nutation, and such), and it starts pretty slowly, but it's getting into material I wasn't familiar with now - Hohmann transfer orbits and the like. (I'd heard of them and had some idea what they were, but the mathematics of them is new to me.)
It looks like both of my Senior Project students will be able to present this semester. One of them is doing a few minor last-minute revisions to his paper; I have no worries whatever about him. (He's the one doing the brachistochrone problem, which I talked about once before.) The other is scrambling to finish. She came by Friday to go over the organization of her project and a few details of the proofs. (She's doing Burnside's Theorem, which is a neat little application of group theory to combinatorics.)
Less happy things... Murphy's ailments have persuaded me not to go out to California again this year. It would be possible, I think, to arrange for the care he needs, but in the holiday season it's harder to do so. I'll still take part in the family gift exchange, even in absentia, though. I'm hoping I'll be able to get out there for a few days next August, before or after the Denver World Con. (Murphy might be better by then; if not, it should be easier to arrange for his care; and maybe the horse will learn to sing. If not, I'll have to give up on the World Con too.)
I've got a stack of statistics quizzes to grade. I brought them home with me, but, natch, didn't do anything about them. I'll grade them tomorrow, so I can give them back Tuesday. (Only two weeks of classes left, and I want to give (and return!) one more quiz before the semester ends. Have to fit a review day in there too.)
The weather seems to have made up its mind. The last stretch of autumn warmth ended early in the week, and it's been chilly and damp since. They've been predicting flurries, but I haven't seen any yet. Still, it's less than pleasant. (I coaxed Murphy into the back yard again today, but he wasn't happy about it, and we came back in very quickly.)
Ah, well. Two more weeks of classes, then finals week. I'm tired.
no subject
It would be nice to see you again at WorldCon.
no subject