StarWitch

California!

2008-04-25T13:24:26Z

I'm off to California for the weekend - so I'll be more MIA than usual. :P This will be the first time the cats have spent the whole weekend alone with the hubby - we'll see how they fare. And before people start wondering why I'm going and Jason's not - it was a budget thing. It's not cheap to fly these days!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I'll take lots of pics.

I can't wait for July!

2008-04-21T13:59:25Z

I've already got it pre-ordered, but I can't wait!

Picture time!

2008-04-19T16:51:19Z

So it's been a while - sorry about that. The semester is quickly coming to an end, which means everyone goes nuts for a month.

Anyway, I'm sure everyone has heard the phrase "if you don't like the weather, just wait 10 minutes" in regards to Minnesota weather. While it is true about Minnesota, it's almost more true of Oklahoma. Take for example this past Thursday. The sun was shining, but we had a 20 minute rain/hail deluge:

No joke - it was like somebody turned the faucet on full blast. One minute: no rain; next minute: so much rain we can barely see. Crazy Oklahoma weather!

I'll be heading out to California next weekend for a friend's wedding and then we go into the home stretch of the end of the semester. There are 3 weeks left and I've got a ton to do. Where did the semester go? I'm still trying to figure out the paradox of how time can go both very slowly, yet very quickly. Once the semester ends, I have about a month off before I begin research. Yea! I'm not sure if we'll be heading up to Minnesota yet - it will depend on what the hubby finds for summer work. We hope to take a long weekend to visit some friends up in Boulder, but we'll be flying there.

And to end and just because they're cute:

Hope spring is coming to everyone!

Some Friday fun...

2008-04-04T14:17:48Z

You Are A Green Girl

You feel most at home in a world of ideas.

You're curious and logical - and enjoy a good intellectual challenge.

You're super cool, calm, and collected. Very little tries your patience.

Your only fear? People not realizing how smart and able you are!

What Color Girl Are You?

You Are Mint Green

Balanced and calm, you have mastered the philosophy of living well.

Your friends seek you out for support, and you are able to bring stability to chaotic situations.

You're very open and cheerful - and you feel like you have a lot of freedom in life.

Your future may hold any number of exciting things, and you're ready for all of them!

What Color Green Are You?

Your Thinking is Abstract and Sequential

You like to do research and collect lots of information.

The more facts you have, the easier it is for you to learn.

You need to figure things out for yourself and consider all possibilities.

You tend to become an expert in the subjects that you study.

It's difficult for you to work with people who know less than you do.

You aren't a very patient teacher, and you don't like convincing people that you're right.

What Kind of Thinker Are You?

You Are Not Stupid

You got 10/10 questions right!

While acing this quiz doesn't prove you're a genius, you're at least pretty darn smart.

Are You Stupid?

What Your Pizza Reveals

People may tell you that you have a small appetite... but you aren't under eating. You just aren't a pig.

You aren't particularly picky about pizza. It's so good... how could you be? You fit in best in the Western part of the US.

You favor foods that are simple and high quality. You believe that showy ingredients only serve to cover up mediocre cooking techniques.

You are eclectic, stylish, and totally random with your choices.

You are definitely unique and artistically inclined. You should consider traveling to Prague.

The stereotype that best fits you is hippie. You knew it was coming.

What Does Your Pizza Say About You?

Hmmm... pizza. Now I've made myself hungry! :D

For all you Star Wars fans...

2008-04-03T14:53:51Z

I just received this video from a friend of mine. I giggled insanely and thought I'd share both the laughter and the meaning behind it.

Wow, it appears I'm on a kick lately... definitely hanging out too much with Stephane. ;)

Up next... Earth Day!

2008-03-30T17:58:45Z

I've really become aware of how "green" Minnesota is since moving to Oklahoma. Although Norman is becoming more progressive, it still has a long way to go to catch up! And to think that Norman is more progressive than OKC...

Anyway, curbside recycling just started here in Norman a few weeks back and I've been urging all my friends with houses to try it out. Unfortunately, our apartment has yet to offer us this choice. So my "I'm making a change" goal is to try and get curbside recycling to our apartment, as well as try to raise recycling awareness at OU. I'm amazed at the amount of students who don't recycle, even though OU provides recycling containers near all garbage cans. I've taken to going through the garbage in our office and pulling out all the items that can be recycled.

Did you know you can cut your CO2 emissions by about 20,000 pounds (10 tons)? Here are 12 ways to start:

1. Choose clean energy
Where possible select a power plan that uses at least 50% clean energy. To see if it is available in your state, visit the Department of Energy. If not, send this card with your utility bill.
7,000 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

2. Recycle
Recycling saves a lot of energy needed to make new products. Recycle 50% of your glass, aluminum, plastic, cardboard and newspapers.
2,400 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

3. Adjust your thermostat
Turn it down 3 degrees in the winter and up 3 degrees in the summer.
1,050 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

4. Buy a programmable thermostat
Automatically lower your monthly energy bill by giving your heat and air conditioning a break while you are asleep or out.
1,050 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

5. Replace a worn-out refrigerator with an Energy Star model
The US would 30 need less power plants if all Americans used the most efficient refrigerators. Visit EPA's Energy Star Website to see a list of energy efficient appliances.
1,000 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

6. Turn your computer off overnight and put it into a power save mode
A standard monitor left on overnight uses enough energy to print 5,300 copies.
950 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

7. Wash clothes in cold or warm water
Skip the hot water on 2 loads per week. You'll save energy and should have less wrinkled cloths.
500 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

8. Use compact fluorescent bulbs
It's a bright idea to replace 3 incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs that last up to 10 times as long and use 1/4 of the energy.
300 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

9. Drive a hybrid or fuel efficient car
Save the environment and money by driving a car that gets at least 32 MPG.
5,200 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

10. Drive 15 miles less each week
Shrink your gas costs and your waistline by walking, biking and taking public transportation.
900 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

11. Avoid idling
Give your engine and the climate a break by turning off your car when you aren't moving... except in traffic or at a stop light of course. Try to cut out 10 minutes of daily idling.
550 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

12. Keep your tires filled
Your ride will be smoother and you'll save up to 5% on your fuel tab.
275 Pounds of CO2 Savings Per Year

I realize I sound like an advertisement, but it's important to me. :D

So get out and have a great Earth Day!

Earth Hour

2008-03-29T16:13:11Z

I meant to post about this earlier, but this week has been pretty crazy. Anyway, Earth Hour is this evening and I urge everyone to participate. Minneapolis, MN and Norman, OK are two of many cities participating. Here's a video for more information. It's also a great excuse to get out the candles and wine. :D

Mwahhh!

2008-03-16T13:17:07Z

see more crazy cat pics

A laugh was had by all!

On a side note, the parents made it here safe and sound. :D

Almost spring break!

2008-03-12T14:16:42Z

And the Quantum Mechanics exam is over! No more tests or homework this week - woohoo! I'm going to get a head start on the stuff due after spring break, but still...

The Quantum exam wasn't bad - graduate Quantum is so much easier than undergrad, simply because we work strictly in abstract Hilbert space until we're ready to actually write down the wave function in function space. Basically, we're working with Dirac notation and matrices/vectors for 99% of the time. It's great! No crazy complicated WTF integrals that you get with Ψ*Ψ. Though we can't use calculators unlike some people... :P I wish we could though!

I hope no one's brain froze on that last paragraph. :D Anyway, the parents arrive for 10 days on Friday - we're really excited. It's been gorgeous here this week and I can only hope that it stays that way for next week. The daffodils are blooming and some of the flowering trees are staring to bloom, as well. The leaves are starting to peek out of their buds and there are tiny little purple flowers in the grass. I even noticed some dandelions the other day!

And I have a favor to ask of anyone who reads my blog... I'm frantically trying to find the 25th Anniversary Re-Release of the 1984 Rainbow Ponies:

If anyone happens to notice them around, could you let me know? I know some people (in the US) have seen them in KMart, but the nearest KMart is something like an hour away. I'm hoping they get released in other stores...

I've been getting some really cute and funny shots of the girls lately - I'll post those later when I can download them from the camera. I haven't had a kitty-centered post in a while! Well, I'm off to get some work done. Hope everyone in MN enjoyed the warm-up yesterday!

I had a good birthday...

2008-02-27T01:25:46Z

Actually, I had a good weekend. :D No homework was done and good times were had with friends. On Saturday, our friends Julie and Alan picked us up and took us to Royal Bavaria (a German restaurant) for my birthday. More friends - Allison, Kristen, Jeff and Matt - were waiting and beer was had by all (except the pregnant-lady)! The food was great and the company better. I was given an Appletini shot for my birthday. Yum! Unfortunately, the restaurant closes at 9:30, so we moved on to restaurant/lounge near campus known as Blu. We arrived just in time for happy hour! Woo hoo! I finally got my Guinness there. :P

Julie kidnapped me to get a manicure and pedicure on Sunday, my actual birthday. I took a picture of my toes that I'll have to post later - I'm actually in class (the one I teach), but they're watching a video. "The Universe - Secrets of the Sun"... not sure why it's a secret. o.O IT's one of those videos that I've been forbidden to watch by my dear hubby because I get frustrated when I watch them. Back on the subject, we were able to visit with the 'rents by webcam for my birthday, as well. They'll be here in 2 weeks! I'm very much looking forward to having visitors (and no, Mom, I'm not just saying that)!

Oooh, random fact - in 1988 a sun quake occurred that contained ripples that were 2 miles high and would have registered an 11.3 on the Richter scale. That's actually kind of cool. They actually recoreded the footage - it looked like a ripple on a lake. Heh.

OK, enough from me for now - I should probably pay attention to my students. :P

Widgets!

2008-02-23T15:58:40Z

I finally figured out how to put widgets on my blog. :D The one I've added is for finding stores in your area that sell crops from local farmers - in other words, natural and organic food. And it helps to support the local economy. Those of you in MN have a huge selection to chose from. *is jealous*

I think most people have figured out that we're green - the hubby actually beat me to this posting because I've been fighting with the widget. We try to recycle everything we can, use less energy, carpool, eat sustainable foods, etc. I've been on an extra green kick lately due to medical problems, but it's change that I've been slowly moving towards anyway. Yes, it can be more expensive depending on the area in which you live, but it's worth it to me! :D

So maybe approaching 30 has gone to my head, but at least it's gone to my head in a good way.

Lunar Eclipse!

2008-02-21T14:53:31Z

I should be finishing some homework and studying for my exam tomorrow, but...

I didn't get the opportunity to see the lunar eclipse last night due to bad weather, but I know MN was nice and clear. :D But here's a pic taken in Rhode Island (I snagged it from Weather Underground) for those who missed it...

OK, back to work!

As promised...

2008-02-17T21:35:54Z

Yes, I'm very late with the snow pics and the snow was gone the next day. Bad me! But here is a pic of our front lawn with the snow:

As usual, school and teaching are taking up a lot of my time. Though I did get a chance to go see the Body Works exhibit at the Science Museum in OKC. I missed it in MN because I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go with me, but a friend of mine and I went last weekend. It was phenomenal - there's no way I can find the words to describe it. It took us 2 hours or so to go through it and I probably could have spent more time there. :D Just very cool.

Julie and Alan (friends of ours) got a cute chocolate lab puppy a couple weeks back and Julie brings her into the office from time to time. Of course, none of us get any work done, but that's OK. Here's Bella:

We are so getting a lab when we get a house. I was thinking about a pug first, but I was always going to get a lab. But now I'm think labs all the way. I guess we'll see...

And so my girls aren't left out, here are a couple of cute and funny pics:

Yes, that is a Silke foot. I walked into the bedroom and all I saw was a foot - it turns out she was doing her usual laying one her back, but under the covers. Minus one foot, of course. So picture this:

but under the covers. Silly kitty.

Yeah, so nothing much else is new - I hear that's a common ailment for blogs right now. I'm absolutely, positively certain that next weekend will be more entertaining...

Update forthcoming!

2008-02-14T14:34:21Z

I promise - this weekend will include an update and pictures...

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day to all!

It's snowing!

2008-01-31T15:32:37Z

In Oklahoma! It actually looks really pretty and it's much better than ice. :D No pics, but if it stays I'll take some later. Or have Jason take some. :P I guess this means no looking through the telescope tonight!

Quick update

2008-01-29T13:43:57Z

There's really not too much going on - just school and teaching. The classes I'm taking this semester are Statistical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics and Numerical Methods in Physics and Astrophysics. Sounds fun, right? :P I'm teaching Astronomy lab, which has been interesting so far because there's no lab manual. I have to kind of make it up as I go along - the TA who taught it last semester was nice enough to leave all the exercises he did online. Unfortunately, the prof is different this semester so I can't use everything from last semester. It's still much better than teaching Physics for Life Science Majors!

Speaking of teaching, I got my teacher evaluations back from last semester and after looking at the summary sheet... well, I haven't quite gotten the guts up to read the comments from my Tuesday morning section. Man, it looks like they ripped me to shreds! Which is almost funny, considering that my Tuesday afternoon class gave me really high ratings. *scratches head* It's like night and day, though my afternoon kids were definitely much brighter and needed much less coddling than my morning class.

So that's my life right now - if anything eventful happens (aside from staying up all Saturday night due to my stupid digestive track), I'll blog some more. :)

Just... wow.

2008-01-17T16:41:46Z

I knew MESSENGER had flown by Mercury on Monday, but I hadn't gotten a chance to look at the pictures it sent back until this morning. And wow, it sent some pictures!

And this is just the first flyby... it will have another flyby in September 2009 before eventually going into orbit around Mercury in March 2011. I believe these are the first pictures we've gotten from a spacecraft of Mercury since Mariner 10 flew past it almost 25 years ago.

Now I'm not a planetary astronomer and I'm certainly not a geologist. When I look at the craters and see smooth centers, that suggests to me that after bombardment some lava must have been flowing to "fill in" the craters and ultimately creating the smoothness we see. It will be interesting to follow what results follow once astronomers have a go at them.

On a side note: it's actually cold here today. With wind chills, it was 10 degrees this morning; we're getting the edge of the Arctic blast that's hitting you guys in MN. Yes, it's still not as cold as MN, but I can no longer go without a jacket! :P

Dedicated to Tobi, one of the "bully boys"...

2008-01-11T00:53:57Z

Tobi loves to beat on butts, so this is for him:

Snh snh snh....

New Colors!

2008-01-09T14:36:02Z

I'm feeling the need for some bright colors and happy flowers. I blame it on the warm weather. :D Though I did see some pansies blooming next to the Physics building on campus yesterday - I'll have to bring the camera with me today.

I'm adding some pictures of the pretty purple pansies next to the Physics building:

They're still in the process of cleaning up the ice storm mess; actually, the whole town is. But the pansies are sure a bright spot! Yes, I know I'm evil yet again.

We're back!

2008-01-06T23:35:43Z

We arrived back in OK Friday evening after spending 2 weeks "home" in MN. We had a great time and it definitely went too quickly. We decided that although 2 weeks may sound like a lot of time, with 2 holidays and miscellaneous family functions it turns out that 2 weeks isn't nearly enough time.

There was much snow in MN and we enjoyed it thoroughly:

Even the squirrels enjoyed it:

There were only a couple of days where it dipped below zero - we had pretty good temperatures, for the most part. It still took some time to adjust (it was 66 degrees the day before we left OK), but we're homegrown Minnesotans, so it wasn't so bad. :D It was great to be able to spend time with both immediate and extended families, most of whom we hadn't seen since July. New Years rang in cold, but fun, as we lit sparkles in the snow and watched Galaxy Quest. I got a great shot of sunrise one morning:

The trip back was mostly uneventful. We awoke Saturday morning to sunshine and temps in the 50's. It got into the high 60's yesterday and was 75 F today (yes, I know I'm evil). In fact, this is what I wore as we wandered through a park next to campus:

Yeah, I look pretty dorky in that shot... But the park was fun and I'll bet certain nieces and nephews of mine would enjoy it very much (hint, hint):

We did have a visit from my brother and sister-in-law and their crew as they drove up from Texas last night. It was great seeing them - I wish we could have shown them around a bit, but that's for another trip. :)

Oh, and the girls are recovering fine from the trip and dealing with the "bully boys":

Now that's an ice storm...

2007-12-15T02:17:16Z

Just a quick update to say we're alive and well. After 2 days of no power, it was restored Tuesday night. We just got our phone/internet/TV back last night. I'll write more later, but here's some pictures of Norman after the storm. There's a lot of damage...

Anyway, until tomorrow!

Almost there...

2007-12-09T18:10:45Z

Yes, I know I've been bad again. We got back from Minnesota late the Sunday after Thanksgiving thanks to back-ups on the Kansas Turnpike and an accident in Norman one exit before ours. Things started off crazy Monday morning and still haven't stopped, but the end is in sight! I turn my last paper in by noon on Friday and then I'm done! Woo hoo! Of course, I have to start studying for PhD qualifiers, but at least my classes are over.

We had our first Oklahoma "ice storm" last night. Granted, we haven't been out driving, but it doesn't look like anything worse than we get in Minnesota. Here are some pics I took this morning:

One of our birdfeeders,

The holly bushed out front (which I might add, have holly berries. Very holiday-ish.)

Remember the Crepe-Myrtle tree I posted a while back? Here's a reminder,

Here's what it looks like now,

We've been entertained watching people try to scrape off their cars this morning - it's that heavy-duty ice that doesn't want to come off. Since we're continuing to get thunderstorms, so will most likely get more ice tonight and tomorrow night. I guess we'll be laughing at ourselves sooner than we think. Hopefully, the car will heat up fast enough so the defrost will help us out a bit.

I know we didn't get a chance to see too many people when we came up for Thanksgiving (wow, was that a fast trip!), but we're heading back up 21 Dec and we'll be in town for at least 2 weeks. I imagine we'll get the opportunity to see more people then, so beware! :P Until then!

Me brain... eet's dead...

2007-11-17T17:44:18Z

*collapses* No joking - I think I smell fried brain. I had an Applied Math exam on Tuesday and a Mechanics exam on Thursday, which translates into "I've been studying for 5 days straight". Time to decompress! I'm so glad that I have a week off!

We leave for Minnesota Monday after Jason teaches, which mean we'll get to my parents house about 1 AM. The meteorologists are tentatively placing snow on Wednesday, so it's best if we get us there before that. As it stands right now, we'll be traveling from 75 F weather to 30 F weather. That's enough weather to deal with!

It will be nice to be back in Minnesota for a while - see the fam, eat at Noodles, be able to get clothes without sales tax and go to a real grocery store. Did I mention the no tax on clothes thing? I really need some new jeans! It will also be cool to see some snow. :D I know The Boy is looking forward to it and it'd be fun to see him so excited about it.

So, not much else is happening. I'm sure I'll have more updates once we get to Minnesota. And once my brain stops sizzling.

Fall is here!

2007-11-07T00:55:55Z

We've now officially had our first daily high under 60 F - a "chilly" 55 F. Though we're supposed to be back over 60 F tomorrow. :P Granted, we are supposed to get down to almost 32 F tonight, so tomorrow I might consider it a "crisp" morning. But fall is finally here:

These are just a couple from around our apartment - I'll have to take some from campus this week. As always, there are more pictures here. This weekend was a beautiful weekend - we actually hit 80 on Sunday. Crazy weather.

Two weeks from today, we'll be back in Minnesota for a few days over Thanksgiving. We're still working out the specifics and will let everyone know when we work it out. I have the week off, but Jason might have to teach that Monday prior. But we're working on it... ;)

So the big news of the week might take a little while to explain. It all started last spring... *flashback music* When I was applying to grad schools, I had the fortunate opportunity to talk with Dr. Karen Leighly, a professor at OU, who was at the U of M to give a colloquium. I think everyone knows the end of that story, but this is the new part. It turns out that whenever a colloquium speaker comes to OU, the professor hosting that speaker takes the speaker and her/his students out to dinner. A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Dr. Leighly inviting me to dinner with the speaker and her students. Her students. I agreed, of course, and went out to dinner last week with the group I've been trying to get an RA for... and I got offered an RA for next summer to do research on AGN. Yep, you read right. I have an RA researching AGN!

(Slight break: AGN = Active Galactic Nuclei)

Although I'm teaching astronomy next semester, I hope this leads into more research. Dr. Leighly carries a lot of weight in the department, so if by some chance I'm on the border of passing one of my quals, she might go to bat for me. But I'm passing my quals, no problem. *crosses fingers* Though I have a lot of people on my side, ready to help me study, so I'm good. *crosses some more fingers*

OK, so enough from me for now. I hope to see people soon!

Happy Samhain!

2007-11-01T00:14:47Z

It's a beautiful, mild Samhain might here in Oklahoma. 72F today! We're spending a quiet night in with candlelight. I'll spend some of the evening reflecting back on the year as we shift from light to dark, summer to winter. It's the last celebration of harvest and my favorite. :)

We celebrated Halloween with our friends last Saturday, as I've written about before. I also mentioned that Jason was going as Death and I went as Death of Rats. Here's the proof!

No one figured out who I was right away, but a few people figured it out once I mentioned Discworld. We had fun, though, and that's the important thing. We also helped set up the house for the party, which was a lot of fun because I left all my fall decorations in MN and only bought a few for here. I think I took more pictures of the pre-party set-up that the party, but everything can be found here.

We also went to the Indian Diwali Celebration on Sunday. Diwali is the Indian Festival of Lights, the celebration of good over evil. It's analogous to our Independence Day, Winter Celebration and New Year and rolled into one. It's not a celebration that's isolated to India, though, as peoples from Sri Lanka and other countries celebrate it as well. Here's a lot more information. It was so much fun and so interesting, I can't accurately express it. The dancing was phenomenal, from adults to children. I tried to take some pictures, but my camera sucks for clarity when I can't use the flash. I'm going through them now to see what turned out and I'll have to post some pictures later. I'm sure Jason will be blogging about this, too.

Fall is finally starting to come to Oklahoma in the form of color-changing leaves. It's nothing like MN, but there's definite tinges of red, orange and yellow. I'll take some pictures for you guys when they turn a little more. :D

I hope everyone is having a great evening!