Three weeks of this life and I am peacing out to Korea. About ten years ago we flew halfway around the world on Baby M's birthday. He ended up having two birthdays and got to pick out chocolates on our flight. Then we learned English. Then we ate too many Cheetos and began the life cycle of American-style over-consumption.
About my break home-home: I asked my dad if I could visit another neighbor country up north (you know the one) and he said "NO!". So what can I do? I could learn how to roller blade. Travel around. Learn Korean fan dance. What do you do when you have nothing to do?
This weekend my task was to come up with the answer to this question: What would I do if I had $965 million dollars? My initial answer was: pay for dental school, of course! But wait, really?
Would I still become a dentist if I had enough money to do whatever the heck I wanted? If I was set for life financially? There has to be something else I want to do. Travel and see beautiful scenery. Swim all day in my private pool. Go to auctions to bid on all my favorite Matisse pieces. But at the end of the day, I could never "just" do this. My answer remains the same: with that $965 million dollars, I would pay my dental school tuition. Actually make that my entire classmates' tuition. The rest? I'd probably give it away to everyone I care about (this includes you if you are reading this).
This realization made me unbelievably happy. No matter what my circumstances are, I would still go to dental school and pursue what I'm pursuing now. I can't imagine doing anything else for the next four years.
I dropped by Houston Museum of Natural Sciences this weekend. But perhaps more importantly, Saturday morning I went out of the loop! I live inside the loop and rarely venture out. I was out for the first time since... spring break when I drove people to the airport. That's about two months living inside the loop. Whoa.
Since I'm on my No Spend Month, I parked on campus and walked over to the museum. I didn't mind too much because the scenery en route was beautiful.
Sam Houston statue
The Reflecting Pool
I wandered around the museum. I liked the Wildlife Exhibits because there is no other way we would actually observe these scenes in real life. The animals would run away three miles before we got there. Many of the animals were donated from zoo's... which made me picture zoo's as stuffed animal factories. Look at this Circle of Life in action.
I made my way to the Gems and Minerals, where I actually recognized and appreciated the minerals and gemstones displayed (thanks Petrology!). I went inside the Gem Vault (probably the most popular exhibit here- so many ladies ooh, aah-ing). The jewelry pieces were beautiful, but I thought it was fascinating that these gemstones- rocks, really- have no intrinsic value. Humans have arbitrarily assigned them to have value, mean something, cost $$$$.
My favorite exhibit was the Energy Hall especially the Geovator. We went down 7,000 underground into an oil well with a guide! I learned what fracking is (Hello, I was down there when they used it- boom!) and learned a bunch of interesting information I never thought about (How do we find oil? What does it look like when we drill into it? How do we get oil out?).
I feel I have come in a full circle. About a year ago, Lo and I went on a field trip here. I had decided to take a gap year but had no definite plans. By the time I came back from the field trip, I had a job.
I'm totally re-inventing myself in dental school. For one, I won't care about school. I mean, I won't only care about school. I will also love and enjoy school. I mean....
This weekend was just lovely. Take a look at this scene outside of our department:
After thundering and pouring all afternoon on Friday, this weekend's unexpected beautiful weather coaxed me to work outside.
I finally made it out to Rothko Chapel. A friend from work who is new to Houston enthusiastically agreed to check this out with me, so off we went. The weather was gorgeous outside and there were people sprawled out on the green lots around the museum buildings.
The building sort of looks like a bomb shelter from the outside. It is tiny for a museum. And of course, there is The Broken Obelisk in a rectangular reflecting pool outside the building. Heading into dark the chapel, I pushed the glass doors, turned around, and saw this:
Um.
The black cushions are seats for people to sit closer to the art and think. There were books for spiritual reading on the benches outside the exhibit space.
We walked over to the Menil Collection couple of steps away. I didn't know this was an entire museum. They had galleries of ancient artifacts: pieces with wood or human hair stayed preserved for hundreds of years!
The special exhibit of Richard Serra Drawings was interesting. Many of his drawings used paintstick, which I learned is thick and sticky almost like crayons. Some of his paintings that looked similar had wildly different titles.
A note about abstract art: it gives you nothing to think about. What I think when I am looking at these pieces: This is too much. Or maybe this isn't anything. Am I not feeling enough? Am I just not getting something? Wait, did so-and-so text me back? And my thoughts wander off to whatever has been lurking in my mind. Maybe this nothing isn't the absence of something, but the presence of this thing called nothing.
But I do love surrealism. ("Is that gin bottle part of the exhibit? What about that chair?") Like when we used to drive on I-275 over the ocean to the Dali Museum in St. Pete. The seven mile stretch over the ocean with turquoise water on both sides was part of the experience too.
Francie came away from her first chemistry lecture in a glow. In one hour she found out that everything was made up of atoms which were in continual motion. She grasped the idea that nothing was ever lost or destroyed. Even if something was burned up or rot away, it did not disappear from the face of the earth; it changed into something else- gases, liquids, and powders. Everything, decided Francie after that first lecture, was vibrant with life and there was no death in chemistry. She was puzzled as to why learned people didn't adopt chemistry as a religion.
I recently got into watching the miniseries Dating Rules from My Future Self. The main character's future develops an app that sends texts to herself. At a team brainstorm meeting, Kelcy initially thought about developing an app that "creates" you (or who you wish to be) 10 years from now, who would answer your dilemma questions.
With Facebook, Twitter, and Google already gathering so much personal information on individuals, I think it would be very easy to create an immortal persona of anyone. People dying is sad partly because every knowledge they have becomes buried forever. But if a model was created of a person: ("When someone posts this status, you would respond with this sorta thing." "When this kind of picture is posted of your sister, you would comment this.") you could essentially interact with others and live forever.
Also, something about facebook: when someone passes away but hasn't deleted their facebook yet, their walls filling up with memorial posts? I think it's a little weird...
Heathen matters: this weekend has been delicious so far: our department threw a crawfish boil and I made a batch of delicious yellow cake fudge for N-cakes whose MCAT is next Friday.
Everyone is away for the long weekend - maybe if Rice was a Catholic institution?
Raceshots took pictures at our race, which were finally up this morning on their website. Look at this shot of me seconds from the finishline. I die.
Trust me, this is the better picture
But see how wet the pavement is? How dark the streets are at 9 in the morning? My Philly host and I are already discussing running schedules! There's the Philadelphia Marathon late October...or more realistically the 8k. Baby steps, people.
I ran my first 5k this morning, the Bayou City Classic. Couple of weeks ago, a bunch of my runner friends decided to run this race, and I figured why not? After sleeping through the thunderstorm, I woke up to a breezy 55F, sprinkling outside with the roads already flooded.
mid 50's plus rain and some winds...
10k lined up at startline
The start is a little less dramatic than expected...
Here we are, after the 10k racers have ran off. At this point, we're already soaking wet and waiting. I was nervous since I had not run an entire distance of 5km since... maybe 2011, that one morning when I was so inspired (caffeinated) and ran along University. I don't particularly enjoy running.
Our course looked like this. The first mile up to the post office was easy breezy, although some people began jogging full speed. Since I didn't have music, I tried to distract myself by looking for orange colors. The little loopy ramp was difficult due to the incline (and eventual decline), but once I made it back onto the streets, this was the last stretch. Just keep running, just keep running, just keep running!
The final stretch had people lined up cheering us on, so I sprinted the last block to the finish line. The 5k-ers didn't get a chip or a timer, but the guy who ran in with me had one: 30:09. My somewhat arbitrary goal was 30 minutes, and considering it was pouring and windy, I am happy.
We grabbed after-race snacks/goodies/beer and trotted home.
Chicken and fruit in one bowl. Peppery apples-mmmm.
Happy and dry at home with goodies
We are already brainstorming which next race to run together. When I told a neighbor that I was running a 5k, she told me "Congratulations!" which seemed like an interesting thing to say. But I feel so accomplished and inspired after running this mini-race that this compliment makes sense. Now I have a baseline to improve on and quantifiable goals to work towards, a minute at a time.
Today at 6:40AM, I hopped out of bed and zipped over to Oyster Creek (45F means a perfect morning on out the water). Since we didn't race today, I was spared that traumatizing experience.
Our quad warmed up first with isolated movements- moving only the arms then arms with the back- which I found extremely difficult. I felt like a sloppy turtle; I couldn't just do just one thing. Once we started actually rowing (using the entire legs-arms-back sequence of motion) I was fine, but it was either all or nothing for me. I had to activate the entire sequence of fluid motions... just like a FAP (I couldn't think of this term for an agonizing five minutes!).
Fixed Action Pattern(FAP) is a sequence of coordinated movements that are performed together as a "unit" without interruption. Each FAP is triggered by a unique stimulus variously known as a sign stimulus, a key stimulus, or a releaser. A praying mantis striking at prey is a typical example... Once initiated, the mantis cannot change direction in mid-strike or abort the mission if the prey escapes. (ENT 425 site from NCSU)
Or just watch this video:
I am extremely proud of myself because:
1) I didn't catch any crabs.
2) I hardly have blisters= I was using "monkey fingers" like I'm supposed to instead of gripping the oars too tight.
3) I decided to train for the Olympics.
Good morning, you!
Okay, the third one is a joke. One of the coaches told me, "Hey, keep coming out to practice and you will compete in the Olympics... in 2100." I don't think that would be such a "S.M.A.R.T. goal", but I did sign up for my first 5k for March. It will be a fun 5k with a bunch of friends, but at least now I have a goal + a deadline to train to, plus a way to quantify my achievements (number of blisters, Olympic trial offers, mile split time).
I thought tornadoes only existed in Kansas. But this morning, we had a tornado warning for Fort Bend County and eventually Harris County. The radio was interrupted from regular programming with the three long beeps and everything! I fortunately made it to work before it began pouring. Remember that scene from Big Fish when Edward is driving and it begins raining, really pouring, then plain ridiculous buckets of water falling from the sky? The front side of my shorts were a different color by the time I came into the office.
New pond in front of my building
Inner loop completely flooded
A little rain would have been nice, especially with this year being so dry, but this weather was unbelievable. Little Brother almost got trapped in downtown since the lightrail was down, so Kasey and I braved through the rain to save him. (mini-celebration at Chipotle complete with lime chips!)
I've gone grocery shopping three times in less than seven days, at three different grocery stores. Where I live, there are more than a dozen grocery stores within a five mile radius, and I feel productive when food-shopping because I need to eat anyway.
Oatmeal. My go-to food for every meal. I finally finished off my huge cylinder of oats and wandered through the aisles of Fiesta searching for oatmeal this afternoon. There were three different kinds: old-fashioned, "ready in 5 minutes" and "ready in 1 minute!". I don't even know what kind I am used to, let alone how different these are. Turns out the answer is simple, the same two words you put down on every AP Biology exam if you didn't know the answer: surface area. The quick-"cooking" ones are rolled flatter and chopped up smaller in order to cook faster.
In addition, the usual oats we eat are rolled oats. Another kind is steel cut oats(also called Irish oats), which look different from the rolled oats which are literally rolled flat:
Met up with friends to check out the Farmer's Market on Eastside this morning. I had an Egg in the Basket. (did you know the popularity of this dish rose by 27.5% after V for Vendetta?)
walk and chew Saturday breakfast
Fact: adding oatmeal makes pancakes, cookies and muffins exponentially delicious.
I finally made it to rowing today after weeks of being unable to make group rows. Since I was finishing up the class much later, I was the only novice this morning. There were sixteen people, so we naturally divided up into four quads- prelude to my traumatizing moment.
We row-row-rowed downstream with me in the 2 seat. Jose sat behind me & yelled out instructions and suggestions: reach with your back, push with your legs, control your slide. So many things to remember, all while you are repeating the same motion over and over again. I wrote about how difficult it is to keep the repeating motion going, and today was equally difficult, but I learned to feel the water and enjoy it a little bit more.
We got to the end of the creek and the other two boats were lined up, waiting.... uh oh. One of the rowers had suggested that we race, and everyone began jokingly dirty-talking the other boats. All the boats lined up and with someone shouting "start!", our stroke began rowing at a ferocious rate, 0 to 60 in two seconds. Holy crab. I panicked, fumbled, my oar hit seat 3's then my ribs, and Jose yelled out "weigh nuff!" (=stop).
Oh-oooooh. That's how a race starts.
All the while my hands were killing me. I refused to look at them until I got in the car, and oh my oars, those dishes will not be washed today or tomorrow. After a painful shower, I called up Sporty Bro who was walking on Times Square & flooding the family chat room with his NYC photos. I uploaded a photo of my own which elicited a stronger response from Appa: "OMG".
A productive weekend minus the fact that I can no longer straighten my fingers. This reminds me of the most heartbreaking interview I heard today with Darrell Hammond of SNL (that he portrays John McCain... is the connection). Spending the evening prepping for my L.A. trip this week.
You know one of those days when everything seems funny? In class last week, the professor repeated the phrase "genetically linked" talking about rocks that come from the same magma but have different textures. Rocks can't be genetically linked, and I understand it is a figurative phrase, but for some reason I couldn't stop giggling. At another point, he said "in this example, for example" at which I had to look down and laugh into my notes.
beautiful lake at Discovery Green
I spent my Halloween weekend at Discovery Green watching the costume contest & also checked out the graduate students' party. My friend T & I noted how funny it was that many of the costumes overlapped for both the family-friendly crowd & the academic students (Mario, Transformers, Snooki!).
Sunday morning, grabbed brunchlegitimate breakfast with Apiepoo at Tiny Boxwood (it is a nursery and a restaurant in River Oaks) where we discovered that this is where all the beautiful people gather on Sunday mornings. He, of course, ran into a professor he knew. This place felt wonderfully Gatsby-esque, with wicker chairs, outdoor futons, and white sculptures on the central green lawn.
pick up a potted plant with your cappuccino?
potato/egg pizza & mushroom quiche- fabulous.
Going to spend the rest of this Sunday getting all the laughter out of my system so the people who sit next to me in class can focus. Also prepping for my trip to Miami at the end of the week. *Gneiss is pronounced just like that synonym of good.
Let me tell you about the insane mosquito invasion of Houston last week. After a particularly warm few days, it suddenly became impossible to walk through grassy areas without suffering (mosquito) battle wounds. In class, it became a common sight to see students scratch themselves, even professors giving into the itch. Performing meticulous tasks became a teed bit harder as we fought the overwhelming need growing on the inside of our arm while sorting through wires, lifting heavy ramps, pipetting exact volumes of solvent.
I did some mini-research to figure out the 5 W's + How. After the much-needed rainstorm on the 9th plus the 10-14 days eggs take to hatch, the mosquito invasion of Houston began on October 20th, 2011. Stores ran out of mosquito repellants, my neighborhood brought back the spraying trucks, people reported swarm sightings on facebook and twitter.
This morning I woke up to surprisingly cold weather. The water from my faucet felt cold and when I pushed the already-cold knob, the outside air was surprisingly crisp and cool: hello, 40's weather!
I was so occupied by the freezing weather (and a dog attacking me in the intramural fields) that I failed to notice the lack of new bites on my usual walk across the grass. It was only while parting with a friend after lunch we noticed that we had been outside for an hour and had no bites to show for it.
How did I fail to notice that the mosquitoes were gone precisely because of the cold I'd been whining about? It's like the "I Hope You Dance" song: "Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens"(sorta? work with me here). So au revoir, mosquitoes.
Coupe of weeks ago, I squealed upon discovering two facts:
1. Jeffrey Eugenides is publishing another book titled "The Marriage Plot" available October 11th.
2. He is coming to Houston to speak about it on October 26th.
I absolutely adored his last two novels The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex(for which he won the Pulitzer Prize) and deeply regretted the fact that he's not a very prolific writer. In case of The Virgin Suicides, the narrator observes the enigmatic Lisbon girls in a first person plural point of view. There is not one observer, but rather the collective neighborhood boys who witness the deterioration of the sisters from curtained windows and hallway glances. The movie (directed by Sofia Coppola!) is fantastic (with soundtrack by the French band Air) but reading the book draws in another important sense: smell.
Press play. This is what the movie feels like:
I went with another Eugenides fan S introduced by a mutual friend. We met up at Wortham and took our seats among the mostly middle-aged female crowd. Reading is a pretty solitude act (unless you are reading for a class discussion) and I thought it was interesting to see what kind of people also enjoyed reading Eugenides (sorta like meeting a chat room buddy in real life?).
Jeffrey Eugenides is not as intimidating in person as he looks in pictures. He wore the similar floral patterned shirt as in the book slip, and read an excerpt from the novel (the beginning of Madeleine's relationship with Leonard) in an unexpectedly high and optimistic voice. It was here I realized that I might have taken a wrong approach to this novel- I read it so seriously (well, this guy previously wrote about suicides of five sisters and a confused hermaphrodite who runs away), but you are supposed to laugh at Madeleine's naivety, the typical boy-meets-girl happenings, their private thoughts!
The Marriage Plot has a much more approachable subject and plot- three recent college graduates in a love triangle navigating life- than his previous novels. The novel does not span generations like Middlesex, nor does it keep the main subjects' thoughts hidden as in The Virgin Suicides. Also, contrary to The Virgin Suicides which declares on the first page that all five Lisbon sisters will die, The Marriage Plot kept me guessing until the end: how is it going to end?
With Jeffrey Eugenides, starstruck.
After the Q&A session, we headed up to the second floor to meet Eugenides. The line moved surprisingly fast, and before I was ready, Eugenides was signing my book (spelling my name!). S and I posed for a picture then left, giddy and happy, jumping down the velvet steps and pushing the heavy glass doors to head out of downtown.
Having the author read from the book he wrote felt surprisingly intimate. Since Eugenides wrote from Maddy's point of view a.k.a. as as 22-year-old girl, maybe even more so. During the Q&A he said that he writes from a person's point of view, not a male or a female (especially in Middlesex) and that those very-feminine thoughts, he gathered from observing others. But... many of those thoughts Maddy has, I've never voiced out loud. Power of observation, people.
One embarrassing fact: I learned how to pronounce "Eugenides" correctly from Serena (of all people) on Gossip Girl. I might go back and tackle Middlesex after I re-read The Marriage Plot. Here's a thought I had upon finishing this book & thinking about my own life ahead (this might be a semi-spoiler): You may not "end up" with someone you date, but that person might be what you needed at that stage in life. He may give you the support and confidence you needed to fully realize your potential and grow into the person you are supposed to be.
Not gonna lie, last episode of Nikita inspired me.
One of the things I miss most about college are Sunday brunches. The servery opened at noon, so all of us girls would stroll down in sweaters and flip-flops through the already-bright glass staircase and sit, leisurely chatting over croissants and orange juice. We often spent hours recapping last night's events, playing therapist to each others' problems, and whining about the work we had to do that day. Sunday brunches were extra special- the servery even had grilled omelets to order, scones, and warm kolaches.
This morning, I met up with grown-up friends E and L for brunch at La Guadalupana bakery. I'd come here once before to pick up Mexican pastries with the ex-boyfriend, and had wanted to grab breakfast here ever since. I suggested the place to E & L and being the food adventurers they are, they agreed to check it out. The place is on Dunlavy past Westheimer, and it is easy to drive past its hidden strip mall-esque spot especially since this bakery faces north- look for the Laundromat instead.
desayuno. cafe. agua. on a mesa. Limits of my Spanish.
We chatted about grown-up issues and life ponderings over migas (so filling!) and coffee (cinnamon-y delicious).
spicy and savory- delicious
The place is small on the inside, but there are outdoor tables sprawled on the narrow sidewalk, perfect on 80's degree weather-days like today. I loved everything about the place- the wobbly tables, the bikers strolling past, interesting building with a gargoyle across the sidewalk- and so did many others, since this place was crowded with other Saturday brunch-ers.
Beware: more pastries inside, proceed with caution... or not.
It is the kind of leisurely weekend brunches I'd loved and missed. Umma once mentioned that she loves grabbing brunches with friends because conversations tend to be happier and upbeat- I agree. I left brunch feeling excited and ready to face the day ahead.
(I love my family- I cannot fudge anything under their scrutinizing eye...)
I love books that come with personal endorsements. Based on what the person knows about you and a quick conversation about what you're in the mood for, you get a story along with a book, and after you are done, there is someone at the end of the book eager to discuss it with you.
A personalized reading list? Best thing ever.
So imagine my happiness when I found out that Houston Public Library provides custom reading lists with its "Have You Read..." program. You fill out a questionnaire listing your favorite (and not-so-favorite) books, preferred genres, tones (sentimental and emotional versus realistic?), what kind of humors you like (wordplay, clever dialogue, bizarre?), content (coming of age, gardens, journey and travel?) plus many more, and Houston librarians will put together a list of books they recommend for you.
Here's what I put down for my reading preference: Liked: Lolita, Flowers for Algernon, Jeffery Eugenides and Jane Austen (tone) Didn't like: Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (for the plot and characters), Jodi Picoult Would like: Poetic language, socially relevant topics, modern setting, character studies, 250-500 pages
I got a recommendation of fifteen books including: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins The Visitation by Frank E. Peretti Kartography by Kamila Shamsie
Based on the short blurbs that came with the list, many have a sci-fi futuristic feel to them, wronged characters, different identities, unexpected situations, and revealed secrets. I am so excited to start this list, like I got an early Christmas present in September!
What better to do on days with rainy clouds like this? Read!
I am currently reading The Beginners by Rebecca Wolff but I can't wait to get started on my recommended reading series as soon as this tense, haunting journey is over. You don't even need to have a current Houston library card to take advantage of this service. So what are you waiting for?
Today at the gym I waited for a Zumba class to finish before my class and saw an older guy shaking it among the all-ladies club- the best. I need to try it out eventually- it looks like a ton of energetic fun!
I've been learning another fun skill lately: rowing! The closest boathouse to my house is the Greater Houston Rowing Club on Oyster Creek in Sugar Land, so I decided to sign up for their introductory rowing class.
During our first on-land class, we learned the basic terms, safety precautions, and instructions for the ergometer. Today was our first on-land rowing session, and I was placed in an eight (sits 8 sweepers). You actually face the stern, or the back of the boat, which makes the terminology a little tricky. Port is boat's left (your right) and starboard is boat's right. You are also assigned a number starting from the bow (front) of the boat, and once you are seated, you are called out by that number ("4! Square your oar!").
Since more than half of us were beginners, our boat did not look like this:
Our coxswain, who sits at the stern of the boat and is the only one facing forward, yelled out directions, cheered, made corrections- "you guys look like a crazy caterpillar!".
The Oyster Creek, calm waters
I already have blisters and jammed fingers. But I like this rowing business, and I think I might join the boathouse once I feel more confident in the water. Rowing is a great exercise because it uses the entire body. You use your legs-back-arms sequentially to row- it requires much coordination! Also, I was surprised at how sleek and light the boats were. We had nine people on our boat keeping us afloat on the water, but it was unbelievably light when we carried it back into the boathouse.
In other news, it finally rained here in Houston! It poured on my way to get gas- this is how I remember Houston summers.
free carwash!
A lot of driving this weekend- I picked up kimchi and am still finishing up the grilled chicken bulgogi from H-mart (finally).
Let me preface this post by repeating a conversation I had over dinner. I told my overachiever friend A that I was going to a talk by Norman Augustine that evening, to which A nonchalantly replied: "Ohyeah, I just had coffee with him. He said really interesting things about innovation." Um, you don't just "have coffee" with Norman Augustine, but A really had- he had been invited as an undergraduate engineering major representative, spending an afternoon chatting with Norman Augustine. He needs to put that on his resume (if there is any space, Apie-poo).
I packed extra snacks for this looong day at school
A towering figure, engaging the audience with his interesting stories
Augustine talked about the history of U.S. space exploration, peppering his talk with funny stories. He spoke about the time when he entertained kindergarten kiddos by having them ask questions on the phone to Buzz Aldrin (he has Buzz Aldrin's phone number!- but should I be surprised?) only to find out later that the kids thought they had been talking to Buzz Lightyear. He noted how fast space travel has been evolving, noting that his mother had been ten when the Wright brothers flew their first airplane and in her lifetime she met astronauts that had traveled to the Moon.
He spoke about balancing humans and robots on spaceships, because although robots can be reliable in dangerous situations, they cannot make spontaneous judgments in novel situations as well as humans can. Much of the focus now seems to be on Mars (Moon may be shoved aside as "been there, done that"). Some of the major problems about humans on Mars may be the potentially dangerous galactic cosmic rays and delayed communication with Earth (may take up to 20 minutes, compared to three seconds on the moon. Ugh, speed of light).
Space exploration may be "something just worth doing, not put a price on".
One thing I found interesting was his attempt at justifying the huge amount of public money we put into space exploration. Dr. Augustine made a bold statement which was questioned later during the Q&A session, that he would choose to explore space with money that could have been used to cure cancer, if it was such a choice. Dr. Augustine admitted that in making this decision he was "reluctant but convinced is correct". He noted that however, this is not the correct way to phrase a question, that we need to consider instead the efficiency of that extra dollar put into either programs.
The role of the space program, beyond its immediate benefits of improved technology and unraveling the mysteries of the universe, may be that it serves as an inspiration for young scientists and engineers. I was somewhat surprised to find that someone rational would choose such an abstract reason to support space exploration- I expected graphs and expected returns to investments charts- but maybe there is a huge benefit of the space program that is hard to quantify.
He ended his talk reminding us of the importance of establishing a "sustainable" plan that can last through multiple presidents, changing Congress, and shifting economies.
A great evening spent in the company of great thinkers. Our auditorium was the fullest I'd ever seen, and there were many people from the Johnson Space Center. I was reminded that I live in Houston, Houston!, as in "Houston, we have a problem."
It's official! I am enrolled in a class- it says so on my transcript. I was excited to find that my neighborhood library had re-opened after being closed down the entire summer for renovations. I drove up to the library on sunny Saturday morning to find a cash cow outside:
It's a ca$h cow... for real$.
What is going on with these cows? Back when I used to bike to school, I would see these cows grazing on lawns outside of houses, all painted differently. I finally looked up "Houston cows" and found out that these are part of a public art project named "Cow Parade: Houston 2001". Artists were selected to design these pre-sculpted cows which were then auctioned off to be put in locations around Houston. Many ended up in government and business buildings, some ended up on peoples' front lawns.
You can look here to find out where your favorite cow has been "grazing".
The project began with Chicago in 1999, and has expanded to over 50 cities all over the world. At their online gift store, you can shop for a cow jewelry box, a miniature cow, or even a life-size one if you want to start a cow-farm in your own city(make sure you have a couple of thousand dollars to spare).
table by the sunny window... studying rocks! (get it?)
heading out, lugging giant bags
Back in Tampa, Umma and I would go to the library on summer afternoons or weekend mornings. We'd check out DVD's, read random DIY guides, or otherwise finish errands sitting at the tables. I love libraries because they are associated with these good memories. A lifetime of learning, I think yes.
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