RCG

I am working diligently in my office at the U so that I can finalize date adjustments and THEN print out hard copies of my syllabi, due dates, and other paperwork so I can build my semester's notebooks that I carry for each class to the rooms I teach in.  In these notebooks I have:

• Printed and slid in the 3-ring binder's front cover (replacing the blue sheet show in the image) a page that titles the course, has the photographic image of the historical figure atop of the syllabus for the course, and my name and contact information in case I leave the notebook/binder somewhere.
• Printed and slid in the 3-ring binder's spine (again replacing the blue spine in the above) a listing of the course so that I can easily locate the specific binder when it is on my office bookshelf
• Printed and slide in the 3-ring binder's back cover, an abbreviated listing of week-by-week topics I am supposed to be hitting in my lecture and a listing of exam dates.
• Inside the binder..... a copy of the full syllabus
• Inside the binder.... a copy of the full listing of due dates for every assignment
• Inside the binder..... for courses that have a laboratory component as well..... the laboratory syllabus
•  Inside the binder.... a three-ring, zippered "pencil holder" that contains a pen, a pencil, five different dry-erase markers (black, red, blue, green, purple), a "Post-It" pad to jot down notes from student inquiries before and after class, a replacement "AAA" battery for my "gizmo-ey" slide advancer/red dot pointer in case the one in the contraption loses power (I now have this "gizmo-ey" device which has replaced my old-school "antenna-style" pointers I used to use), and a flash drive with back-up copies of my PowerPoint slides in case the U's LMS goes on the fritz (happens occasionally) and the LMS files of my "electronic classroom" are not accessible when I get to class. 

With the above.... I will have created 5 different binders…. one for each of my courses for the upcoming semester.  This then allows me to simply "grab-and-go" a notebook/binder and scoot off to whichever lecture hall I need to be at for a given class.  

* * * * *

• Running was happily uneventful this morning.  I am thinking I am FINALLY (knock-on-wood) through the recovery of the heel pain (an offshoot of the plantar fasciitis) issue I had been grappling with.   
• Because New Year's Day is on Thursday, this has impacted the Retiree's Cigar Group.  The shop is sadly CLOSED on Thursday.  However, I saw my friend at Mass on Saturday, and he told me that at the group last Friday (the one I very sadly missed due to the ice storm.... but THEY DID MEET, and I was sadly foolish to not have gone it seems) that they would again convene the Retiree's Cigar Group on FRIDAY this week too, to compensate for the closure on Thursday.  So, I have that to look forward to.  
• Not attending the group last Friday has been gnawing at me a bit after he told me that most of the guys did go even with the storm.  I am not sure yet if I will... but I have been contemplating seeing if I could head over there TODAY for a sort of "after Christmas gift" to myself and spend a part of the afternoon there.  IF I do go, I have a bit of a plan... if any of the regulars happen to be there, I would allow myself a cigar.  If none of the regulars are about... I am also taking a pipe and pouch with me which I MAY indulge in instead.   Actually, I am not even sure if I will head that way or not.... depends on what I get done here over the next while.  BUT, if I do grant myself this bit of an "after Christmas gift" that is the plan I may allow myself.  

PipeTobacco

 

Syllabi of Life

 

Today, I have been at home working on syllabi, rubrics, LMS preparation, and other documents for next semester.  The work is primarily a bunch of tedious date changes and examining things for typographical errors.... rather mind numbing. But these are important things in order to get the new semester started off on the right foot.   

Atop of all the syllabi I have made over the decades (below the title of the course, of course), I have always had a quote and (beginning when computer internet accessibility occurred) a photographic image of an historical figure of importance relative to the particular discipline of that course.  I do this in part because I LIKE learning and knowing about historical figures of science.  But, I also do this because I INTEGRATE scientific historical figures, their discoveries into my lectures…..  and I also like to give flavor and nuance.... the socio-political climate of their environs when these discoveries were accomplished.  I do this because I believe it a) helps students better retrain the "more dry" facets of the discoveries themselves, but also b) it helps students see a more temporal and world view of how the scientist's ENVIRONMENT can shape their thoughts, reasoning, and aspects of their discoveries.  Hell, I think in a broader sense, any person's environment does the same.  

On the top of one of my syllabi this upcoming semester is a photographic image of the pipe smoking fellow you see above.  He is Konrad Lorenz, the Austrian physiologist (along with Niko Tinbergen and Karl vonFrisch) who received the 1973 Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology for their (all three of them) establishing the framework and underpinnings for a "new" branch of biology formalized as ethology.... the study of the physiology of animal behavior. 

I remember being captivated by this fellow even at a very young age.  I do not remember the exact program, but somehow I saw a bit of footage about him somewhere on some television program and I strove to remember his name, and when my parents were next able to take me to the big public library, I searched the card catalog for one of his books.  The one that was there was "Man Meets Dog" and after I checked it out, I devoured every page.  It is a book on the human and other animal interactions and it fascinated me completely.  

His works, and also the work of Niko Tinbergen, Karl vonFrisch, and (even though he did not share the Nobel Prize (he probably should have) B.F. Skinner.... (who was a psychologist, which likely excluded him from consideration for the Nobel in Medicine/Physiology).... were major influences on me as a child and into high school and college regarding my development of curiosity about science.  

* * * * *

• We are in the midst of a "Wind Advisory" with considerable snow squalls as well.  Winds are constant, with gusts up to 55 mph (~89 kph) are expected through about 10pm tonight.  Expected snowfall (though it is not falling.... it is blowing damn near every direction) is ~2 inches (~5 cm).  
• I am glad I ran at the indoor track close to home this morning.... so it is out of the way.
• Sadly, on Friday, I DID NOT get to go to the Retiree's Cigar Group.  I was just starting to pack up my work at the U and head in that direction.  But, while inside working, freezing rain had started, and I slowly navigated away from the U, I saw three different vehicles that had slid into various ditches, and at one corner came across an accident that blocked traffic while tow trucks attempted to collect and remove the damaged vehicles.  I felt rather annoyed at the weather, and I was still thinking about crawling slowly across to the neighboring town.... until I saw the accident.  That convinced me, with deep regret, that it would be wiser for me to simply head home.  

PipeTobacco

The Real Book

One gift I have been especially enjoying from Christmas has been a pair of books my wife obtained for me called "The Real Book".  These books are compiled sheet music melodies of many classic JAZZ standards.  There are actually a few volumes of "The Real Book" but I have the first volume in these gifts.  

"The Real Book" is a name given to this jazz compilation.  But, in reality the books are what are more typically (and generally) referred to as "Fake Books".  Broadly a "Fake Book" is a compilation of song melodies (basically the right hand on the piano) and devoid of the rest of the full sheet music (typically the left hand on the piano).  Instead of the left hand (bass clef), these fake books include chords which then can allow a competent pianist to improvise a left hand part to accompany the right hand's melody.  

What I received are two VERSIONS of "The Real Book".  The first one is Volume 1 in Concert Pitch (meaning the key non-transposing instruments like piano, guitar, flute, oboe, bassoon, trombone, tuba, etc).  But, my second copy is Volume 1 in Bb (B flat) which is for the transposing instruments such as clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone and trumpet.  

As I primarily play bass clarinet and tenor saxophone, having the Bb version is tremendously useful to me for playing.  But, as I want to attempt to learn appropriate progressions (in whole chords or in patterns such as arpeggios) for these songs that I can play on the piano that would work along with my Bb instrument, having the concert pitch volume is also very helpful.  

I am thankful to my wife for these two spiral bound books.  I think I will have fun with them.  And, I think they will help me with trying to develop more of a sense of improvisation as well.  And, I am hoping too that these books will help me to move beyond my rather rudimentary knowledge of chords into a greater understanding and ability to apply, shape, and develop more spontaneously.... chord progressions and more successfully improvised harmony to songs I like.  

And, perhaps more of a "pipe dream" I hope/imagine working with these two books together will help me to build strength in actually being at least better in being able to transpose in my mind, music that I am sight-reading.  That may end up being beyond my abilities, but many folks can and do do this.... and I would like to try to develop the ability myself... even though it will be hard or perhaps near impossible for my old neurons to become adept at. 

I will be heading out to go to a special, non-Thursday, rendering of the "Retiree's Cigar Group" this afternoon!  Everyone there decided we should do this since the shop was closed on Thursday due to Christmas.  

PipeTobacco

Merry Christmas

The above cropped image of one of Normal Rockwell's many Santa illustrations has always been the one to me that formed the deepest impression for me of SANTA.  Even as a very young little boy, this was how I imagined the real Santa to be.  The disheveled desk, Santa's ornate pipe...... even featuring an ornate wind cap (!), the fullness of his beard and mustache, and the cragginess of his face.  

I hope that all of you are able to have a joyful, very Merry Christmas today!  May the day also be peaceful, calming, and kind!

PipeTobacco

Too Much

There are some (many) things that are just too much, in my opinion.  Modern society has several things that are just TOO saturating and overstated and overboard.  I feel in many ways I am needing to figure out some way to be less exposed to SO MUCH of these things.  It feels unhealthy to my mind, my body, and my soul.  What things are too saturated in modern society:

• too much politics... both the side I tend to disagree with and the side I tend to agree with
• too much over-the-top behavior from too many people
• too much spotlight seeking behaviors from too many people
• too many social or political groups shouting louder and louder and spewing more and more nonsense to get attention
• too many things are too electronically focused

On this Christmas Eve, I am hoping that I can move away from the EXCESS to something that is more balanced.  I need more balance between work, rest, family, and myself.

I hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas Eve today!

PipeTobacco

Comments on Comments in the Last Week

 

AC stated:

I think that you had an unusually hectic semester. Enjoy what rest you can and hopefully have a slightly reduced load next time around. 

I actually have one extra upper division course next semester.  But, all things considered, I am working/aiming to have a smoother semester.... with hopefully no phone issues at least, and I am striving for calmness and routine by trying to better plan ahead the majority of the semester.

Whether running or otherwise, you do keep up quite a pace.

I guess I have a somewhat heavy pace.... but I keep coming back to the idea that it sure did not feel like such a pace previously.  I am still not really sure why it feels so different.  Of course, electronica is part of it, and a major new wrinkle is that the U has adopted "Workday" which is a management system for paperwork and it is really horrendous.  It makes MORE paperwork for everything sadly, and because no one seems to really know how to use it, it typically requires multiple attempts even for the most seasoned folks in HR and Purchasing... let along how difficult it is for us faculty who get very mixed messages about how navigate this horrible system.

If our brains are developed and settled by 25-28, when does the decline begin for the average person? I realize there are many variables, but can a rough average date be established?

There has been a lot of recently discerned work on this and according to the most current literature, there are four (some say five) distinct stages of neural development:

Prenatal to ~9 years old - young brain - major active growth

~10 - many now say to ~30 - the adolescent brain

~30 - ~60 - the adult brain

~60 - ~80 - the aging brain

80+ the elderly brain

With the above, the development of new connections is in the young brain and to a lesser extent the adolescent brain.  The adult brain is considered a stable/status-quo state, and roughly 60 or so, there is the start of decline.  But, as with all science, it is based upon probabilities... so the ages of onset and transition should really be viewed as ranges.  And, the above is based upon what has been SEEN, not necessarily what CAN be.

DMP stated:

aren't they (filberts) a problem for kidney stones? oxalate content?

I had not thought about the oxalate issue with nuts in quite a while, as I fortunately, have not had issues with kidney stones and hopefully will not.  But, I did some exploring to refresh my understanding.  As you stated.... almonds ARE very high in terms of oxalates and ARE very risky for folks prone to kidney stones.  But, from what I found, it appears that filberts (hazelnuts) are more in a "medium" oxalate level category.  From what I found, filberts have only 1/8th ( ~12.5%) the amount of oxalates per ounce compared to almonds.  Filberts appear to be similar to several other "medium" nuts..... like cashews and pecans.  The "low" oxalate level nuts appear to be macadamia nuts, peanuts, and walnuts.... which roughly have only 1/20th (~5%) the amount of oxalates per ounce compared to almonds.  

Margaret stated:

The expectations of the holidays are something I've fought against, but I usually lose. I want the traditions to be less stressful and joyous, but they often turn into pressure and disappointment. I hope that your holiday isn't too chaotic or upsetting and that you can find some peace and happiness in the midst of the family doings.

What you state above reflects very well my own feelings but is said more eloquently and succinctly than I typically manage.  I am trying to find moments and times of tranquility during this season.  

I didn't realize that filberts were the same as hazelnuts. I like them a lot in things but don't generally eat them by themselves. Unstructured time with pressures on isn't relaxing at all. 

Yes, they are synonyms for each other that are frequently not well known.  Another food item that seems to have similar recognition of not commonly being known in both forms is the chickpea that is also known as a garbanzo bean.  I am not sure why.... but it seems that most folks learn and recognize ONE name for either of those two items.... and their alternative synonym is new to many folks.  I think I remembered the filbert/hazelnut synonyms especially... from my childhood as most of my aunts and uncles always called these nuts "acorns" which I sadly figured out when I opened and tried an actual acorn from an oak tree when I was small.  Acorns are very bitter, unlike hazelnuts/filberts that are (IMO) exceptionally delicious.  My many relatives referring to them as "acorns" also was one of several impetuses that had me relish pouring through the large, Merriam-Webster Dictionary I received as a young kid one year.  I always cherished that book:  

Paper does tend to accumulate TOO fast! I'm so happy you've found and bonded with the Cigar Group. I remember how apprehensive you were at first. Like many things, you don't know how it will go until you try!

Yes, paper is such a chore to keep track of.  It is interesting that with the fall of newspapers, I find it challenging that even though I have SO VERY MUCH 8.5 x 11 inch paper in damn near every spot of every U office and lab I have.... plus a whole helluva lot at home too..... besides MISSING reading the actual news in a real "old school" newspaper.... I miss the USEFULNESS and reliable AVAILABILITY of old newsprint for other uses (wrapping, packing, cleaning, etc).  I now HOARD any occasional newsprint I acquire.  The only newspaper available in my region in a real paper format now is the New York Times (other regional papers in my parts are too pitiful, sporadic, and only filled with regurgitated news).  But, with a paper NYT costing $4 weekdays and $6 on Sunday.... it is a guilty pleasure only indulged in perhaps once a month or so.  Reading newspapers on a Tablet/Kindle..... just NOT the same.... even though that IS what I and damn near everyone (who reads newspapers) has to do now.

Pam J stated:

*I was listening to Zadie Smith on the radio this morning, the author of "White Teeth", a book I've never read but have now put on hold at the library. She said, that she was paraphrasing Freud and that she wanted her children to have ordinarily sad lives, to have some work that was meaningful, and to have love. That caught my attention, so I looked up what Freud said, and he did not believe that a life could be lived without ordinary unhappiness. I would have to say I agree with Freud about this.

*Life is full of loss and sadness, intermingled with moments of joy. I suppose it's how we deal with the losses and enjoy the moments of joy that decides how we live our lives.*

Pam.... I agree with your assessment and with Freud and also Smith's interpretation.  But with my penchant for science fiction (not the mumbo-jumbo fantasy genre, which sometimes gets clumped in with science fiction but IMO is polar opposite), I have often imagined a novel with the ability to warp or shuffle time so that we could order and arrange our times of happiness and joy based upon the finite time we would be on Earth.  I had always imagined in that sci-fi mindset I would organize all the horrors and sadnesses first and then have my happy times arranged by degree of happiness within the latter aspect of my time.  

Pat M stated:

I'm sure you remember, Professor, how at the dawn of the computerized office the technology companies regaled us with promises of the "paperless office." Yet somehow we've ended up with as much paper as before... if not more... along with the computers!

Haha!  Yes!  And I would suggest the.... "if not more" that you state is the most accurate!  The number of 8.5 x 11 pieces of paper scattered about every surface is an (annoying) sight to behold in my offices and labs.  It used to be that we had BOOKS we cherished for years/decades, and writings were accomplished in notebooks.  But NOW, damn near everything is computer generated and is printed and distributed as loose paper.... and often times printed MULTIPLE times to correct several times the various typographical errors found.

(referencing my own words).... "ADD is an important word for me to emphasize.... my mind typically thinks of NEW tasks, NEW roles, NEW foci as being ADD-ONS and not replacements or substitutions."

Perhaps the above gives us some insight into one reason why the DELETION of your pipes hasn't given you the solace for which you might have hoped, as making that change didn't ADD to your routine?

Yes,  I can see and understand your idea.  My pipes were deleted.  For reasons..... I thought valid.  I do have to say that I have been ever more consciously considering going back to them as I mentioned a little bit ago.  

More broadly, though, I wonder whether you might be able to think of your activities through a wider-angle lens? If you can think of "professorial duties" as encompassing a wide range of activities, perhaps it's not a "replacement" or "substitution" to focus more on some of those duties (e.g. mentoring) and less on some others (e.g. committee work)?

You are correct that I should do this.  Part of me wishes I had more of a typical workday where after my eight hours, I could traipse out of the building and forget the place at "quitting time" until I have to report back 16 hours later.  But, educators nor scientists rarely if ever get that sort of clear-cut delineation of their work life and non-work life.  Or at least I have never known one who HAS those clear boundaries.  And, the thing is also true.... for me.... right now I am in a state of mind where I just am not wanting to "switch-it-up" to do things differently.... because.... because.... it seems too time consuming and cumbersome to FIGURE OUT the "new paths" to take.  I guess this resistance on my part stems in part from my woefully inadequate attempts to try to "8 hour" things to some degree.  

Somewhat related.... a few years ago there was a phrase coined to describe a work ethos called "quiet quitting".  It typified folks who strived to just "do" their job and no more.  In some ways that concept has appeal.  It seems as if it might be a way to regain time and freedom.  But, I do not really know if that can be done by an educator. 

Similarly, "parenting" looks different when you are parenting a two-year-old vs. parenting a twenty-two-year-old. Some specific activities and priorities are very different at those two different stages, but they are more like '"refocusings" than "replacements" or "substitutions."

I think you are right.  But, at this moment, my mind really is unable to focus much on how to even potentially "fix" those challenges I have been facing.  I have to reason through it more.  

If you can accept that perspective/approach, then maybe you can even look at something like "exercise" in a broad manner, recognizing that it's not so much that you are "replacing" or "substituting" some activities for others, but more that you are continuing your exercise in whatever manner is appropriate at whatever stage you are in. For example, if you are currently running 10 kilometers each morning, and doing so takes about an hour, you might focus on maintaining the "run for an hour" routine rather than the "run 10 kilometers" routine, and by doing so make an adjustment that is entirely appropriate as you age.

Again, true.  But, I hate the feeling of decline.  This last bout with plantar fasciitis has thrown me for a bit of a loop.  I am still down in mileage and still not fully back up to snuff with regard to it.  It disconcerts me.   

More Randomized Thoughts

 

More random thoughts today, as my mind is all over the map:

• While growing up, and when our kids were young, I always envisioned the Holidays as my wife and I became older.... as becoming more of a fun, relaxing time where family would gather and things would be peaceful and calm, and that we could host gatherings and have kids and grandkids visit and then at the end of the day, folks would go home and my wife and I would peacefully tidy up and enjoy each other's company doing so.  
• The above is unlikely to occur anytime soon if ever.  And, when I (unfortunately) allow myself to think about this, I become sad.
• Mostly what I anticipate for this holiday is my trying as best as I am able.... to manage my own stress.  Basically, what typically transpires is a chaotic mess of stressors from a number of sides.... our kids.... our relatives.... our friends.... where we have various "expectations" we are meant to navigate and do.  My wife has a strong tendency to want to meet all of these expectations.... and most of all.... this leads to continual altering and changing of plans, shifting of duties, shifting of responsibilities.  This constant adjusting and modifying plans keeps me on edge in addition to the other edgy things occurring.  
  
• When what I want to do is rest and to be peaceful and contented, and what actually transpires instead is simply getting things done to "get through it"..... it can be exhausting to my mind and spirit.
• Today (31 years ago) is the evening my niece swallowed a bottle of her parent's high blood pressure medication.  One of her siblings went into her bedroom and awoke her and she was rushed to the hospital and given charcoal and medications to induce vomiting.  She did vomit out much of the medication and was talking with people.  Unfortunately, enough of the hypertensive medication had worked through her system, that overnight her heart stopped and she could not be revived.  She passed away 31 years ago on what would be tomorrow.  If alive, she would now be 48 years old. 
• I still have the present I had bought and wrapped for her stored somewhere.  I had wrapped it the evening before and had packed it into my trusty Rabbit (along with many other presents) the evening before all this transpired.  I lived farther away than at a more distant city I taught at for one year.  I had been so looking forward to Christmas with family that year, as it was only six months earlier that my Dad had passed away in this same year, and I needed to feel the bonding with everyone.  Christmas was not, of course, anything like I had been imagining.  Her funeral, funeral Mass, and her burial were our reality.
• I am just trying to just push through to get to the other side.  It sounds awfully damn pitiful and stupidly maudlin... but I am mainly now looking forward to having the new semester start.... and allowing things to return to a relative sense of normalcy.... even with the work related challenges.  
• Only a small handful of folks were at the Retiree's Cigar Group.  It was enjoyable.  But, I could not really rally and get myself into a sense of "exuberance" or "joy".  I am glad to have gone, but it did not help foster the peace nor tranquility I had hoped.  
• Today I am working to try to get my critters settled away so I only have sporadic U visits to them during the next week or so.  
• I ran (only 5 miles (~8km)) and lifted some weights this morning.  I have started out with a light load that I think I will try to maintain until the start of the year.... to allow my arm and chest muscles used to the added work being expected of them.  At the start of the year, I will work to gradually increase the load bearing levels I am lifting. 
• I look at my pipes, in the various places I have them.  I have the requisite pipe-smoking Santa statue by the round pipe rack in my home office like usual.  I have the Santa hat atop of the glass lid of the pipe tobacco canister in the center of my round pipe rack like usual as well.   But right now, even they seem sad to me.  Only when I drift off to sleep remembering the wonderful times with the many folks I miss, remembering the wonderful times with some folks as they used to be, and remembering the wonderful times with my pipes, am I feeling a calmness.  

PipeTobacco