In no particular order

Earlier this week, I bought a cheddar aged with red wine, the Roaring 40s Bleu and a link of hand-made dry salami on the occasion of vacation. Thank you vacation.

My semester grades are as follows:

Physics III: A

Physics III lab: A

Numerical Methods: A-

Linearity: A

I spent most of the day staring at MIRL-related stuff, ate a pretty big portion of leftovers while I sorted out everything I dumped in the kitchen when I moved in in September then walked down to the Pub because I felt an urge to be social. Even though I ran into friends at the Pub, I realized that going there was ultimately useful in that it helped me appreciate my quiet apartment.

Oh Yeah...

I forgot to sprinkle pictures into my tales of adventure. I'll just give 'em to you all at once, like those documentary books that have a bunch of glossy photo pages wham-smack in the middle of the regular print pages.

This is meant to give you an idea of the enormity of the poster hall. You can barely see the left and right walls:

Here I am with my poster:

Here is Maggie cleaning my beard:

Here is the room I got at the Intercontinental:

Here is the room I came home to:

So as you can guess, organizing my room is a top priority project for this break.

FYI

I just added a bunch of new posts that I would have posted on a daily basis had I been able to find internet after Friday. The posts below are meant to finish the story of AGU and all that came after.

Christmas part V (Blogger Strikes Back).

It's really part 2 but I couldn't put that next to the Star Wars reference and call myself a true fan.

Anyway, I just lost 30 minutes of writing (after I spent the past two hours catching you up with regard to my trip) because Blogger signed me out without saving my post. Now I haven't the attention span nor the energy to rewrite what I had written about Christmas but that's okay because I it was a pretty bland entry the first time around.

I'll summarize.

Time seemed especially tight around the holidays this year, due in no small part to my adventure so it took me a few days to settle in once I got to New London. I easily got over the what physical fatigue I had built up by eating well and sleeping a lot but mental fatigue is a sturdier demon. We had a great time at the Rhodes' on Christmas Eve but I don't feel like I really settled in until Christmas Day. That morning, we had a breakfast that was even better than it has been in years past, then we spent a few hours leisurely opening presents, at one point breaking to prepare food for dinner at Grammy's. The get-together at Grammy's was really fun and I definitely ended my trip to NL in higher spirits than when I arrived.

On the way back to Dover, my mom, some of my aunts and I had lunch with my grandfather and I got home before the bad weather set in. Melisa made super delish meatballs with pasta then we went to the Pub so I could use the NEW MUG she bought as my birthmas present :-)

This blog is now up-to-date. Over break, I'm going to work approximately full-time at the MIRL and spend the rest of my time doing whatever normal people do so I'll likely return to the once-a-week posting schedule. Thanks for listening!

But Wait - There's More!

My trip out of San Francisco was easy but when I got to O'Hare, I found out that all flights to the North East had been cancelled due to weather. I stood in a long line of East-bound folks for about two hours before my infinitely helpful mother found a ticket from O'Hare to Manchester. The catch was that the flight left Monday morning so, it being Saturday night, I had to occupy myself for a day in Chicago. But hey, I like Chicago and I sure wasn't going to pout and ruin my own mood when I could make an adventure out of it.

United set us up in a nice hotel called the Intercontinental and I ate a pricey dinner at a seafood place next to the hotel. I chalk the price-trap part up to bad luck.

On Sunday, I checked out and found my way to the blue line with all the daring and naivety one needs if one is going to plop himself down in the middle of a city he doesn't know as well as he thinks he does. I figured that if I was to take the rail unto the Loop of Chicago, I could ascend to the street, walk right into a café with free wifi and get on with the business of exploring but I was not as lucky as I have been in the past. First, I should mention that, though I had the foresight to pack a pair of long-johns, I did not foresee the need for a hat and gloves. The last time I took a daycation in Chicago was during the summer so reality quickly bit me in the ears and knuckles when I got to the street and found out that I would have to walk for a while before finding free internet access. I don't know if whole sections of the city close on Sunday or if I just happened to show up on the wrong day but I walked past many cafés before I finally happened upon some chain-type place with microwaved eggs, terrible coffee and spotty internet. However, there was a CVS across the street so I went over there to buy a hat, some gloves and a bottle of water and when I returned to the brisk Chicago December, all things were born anew.

I drank a second and far superior cup of coffee, then I began to walk. Here is what I must always remember: the action is north of the river. I suspect that the reason I was more immediately successful in my previous trip is that I stayed near the northern part of downtown Chicago; I even seem to remember getting to the river from the north, crossing over, then turning around because the other side didn't look that fun. This could, however, be revisionist history. Anyway, I felt like if I just stayed between N. LaSalle and N. Michigan, I would be alright so I rumbled along the sidewalks and took lefts and rights as the spirit moved me. I got a little lost at one point when I popped into a bookstore for a warm-up then left and couldn't remember which way I was walking when I entered but Mom came to the rescue again and we talked for a while as I wandered my way back to more familiar territory.

At that point, I had killed enough time for one day so I walked back to N. Clark Street because I thought I had seen some interesting bars and restaurants there earlier. I took a chance on the Clark Street Ale House and was rewarded: there were dogs, there were excellent selections of both beer and whiskey, and there was a kindly bar keep who knew what he was talking about. That gave me a chance to relax and reassess the situation and who should call just then? My friend Chloe! She moved out to Chicago a few years ago and, though she had come home for the holidays, she knew some friends who were still around and could offer me a place to sleep.

I got in touch with her friend Marcos and took a taxi to meet him in another part of the city. After introductions, we two and his brother went down the street for dinner and PBRs at a bar called Cleo's where we watched some football and tried to out do each other in playing crappy songs on the jukebox. I never quite figured out what counted as a crappy song since I thought some of the songs they played were pretty good, so I just played whichever obscure song from my childhood came to mind but it was a good time nonetheless.

Marcos drove me to the airport and Jim picked me up in Manchester. Thus ended my trip.

[AGU] Step 6: Finish Strong.

Friday's lectures were fairly interesting and better-attended in the afternoon than I expected. The posters were good and I met another person to whom I had hoped to be introduced but there was no heavy lifting and I should say that the conference ended nicely. It was a definite success.

I went straight to Aziza and sat at the bar because I was alone and knew that sitting at the bar is always a better way to talk to people while they work. I didn't know any servers besides Manuel but I knew both of the guys behind the bar and I managed to get in a quick hello to Farnoush as she rushed around. They are super busy and I am not surprised. Not only is Mourad a budding television personality or whatever but his food may even be better than it was when I worked there. I begin with the roasted pumpkin salad (fried persimmon, roasted turnip, black garlic and duck emulsion), followed that with sardines (little toasts strips, some fennel and a smear of maybe goat cheese[?]) and ended with wagyu beef (sliced filet[?] over cubes of braised cheek, chanterelle mushrooms, potatoes and other morsels of perfection). The parenthetical comments are only meant to flesh out the description; they cannot possibly do justice to how the food tasted. For dessert, I had a yogurt napoleon that was pretty good. For drinks, I had a dangerously good tequila cocktail with arugula and tumeric, then a Spanish red called Graciano. All this stuff is on the website, by the way.

I walked off my large meal on the way to a bar on Clement called The Bitter End. It is a spot familiar to me from my days living in the Richmond so I decided it would be a good place to meet up with Sean, Manuel and their friend Johnny. We had a few pints and rattled off some of the old stories one more time then went back to Manuel and Denise's apartment. We ate pizza, played with Maggie and hung out a while longer before it was time for bed.

Another wildly successful trip to SF in the books.

[AGU] Step 5: Relax!

Since Thursday was such a smash hit, Sean, Manuel and I decided to have a good ol' hang that night. We went to a place called Grub Steak for some burgers and Portuguese beer. The greasy spoon late evening atmosphere was what we needed to get warmed up and we were all happy to have some food in our bellies to begin the night. Next, we went to Kimo's (where Sean once worked) simply because it was around the corner but we stayed for more than an old-time's-sake beer because Sean's old manager was around and his friend and former coworker was behind the bar. I spent a few hours at Kimo's on Christmas when I lived in San Francisco, partially because Sean was working and partially because I figured I might like to be able to talk about the time I spent Christmas in a gay dive bar. Sean served Steph her first legal drink at Kimo's. Oh the memories.

We left Kimo's for a place closer to home and ended up at Pissed Off Pete's on Mission. They had a karaoke machine set up and, though Manuel showed tremendous restraint, neither Sean nor I could contain our glee. Something like that. I normally cross myself and run in terror at the sight of karaoke but Sean really wanted to sing some songs and I figured, 'Hey, I only come out here once a year at most and I ought to screw around a bit while I have the chance.' We sang "Fly Me To the Moon," "Come On Eileen," and some Bob Dylan tunes. I don't know much Bob Dylan and had to bail on Sean when he wanted to sing a Dylan song I wasn't familiar with, which is when my mood went south. Sean was singing his damn heart out and killing (in the awesome way) this tune but during the whole thing, the DJ was singing along in that stupid nasally Bob Dylan caricature voice and I wanted to punch him, though I be not a violent man. Nothing exciting happened and that was about the end of the night but I think that if a DJ is getting paid to run a karaoke set-up, he should keep his mouth shut.

Anyway, that's the sort of fun I only have in San Francisco and I can't really describe it in words so you'll have to just come out some time if you're interested.

[AGU] Step 4: Show Off.

Of course, I went about my presentation business with utmost respect for my colleagues and a calm demeanor but hey - when we come here to present research, part of what we do is show off how sweet our equipment and analysis are.

Everything today went really well. I got a bunch of business at my poster and most people were very interested in hearing about the final results of whatever this study becomes; I heard a lot of encouragement to publish and that is certainly what we will try to do when we feel like we have examined every angle. There was a good balance between understanding nods and critical feedback so I felt like I got my point across but presented it at a level that didn't sound trivial to professional researchers. The networking highlight of the day came when Marc introduced me to a man whose name I had come across in the literature and that man said something like, "Oh yes! Matt Young - I recognize the name." He could have "recognized the name" because he read it in the daily poster presenter line-up but those are nice words to hear.

This afternoon, Hyomin gave his talk and I think he did a very good job, especially since our statistical findings were sometimes at odds with the theoretical literature. This happens often and is a fundamental result of the scientific process but it is never easy to stand up in front of a crowd and report unexpected results with confidence. For me, his talk was another stern reminder that I need to be certain of what I give him when he asks me to perform small projects related to his study. When I saw my graphs on the screen and heard him incorporate my analysis into his conclusions, I was glad to be able to remind myself that I had triple-checked all that stuff I handed him.

I had yummy Indian food for dinner last night. I left the Moscone Center and walked around for a while and I'm glad I did because it took walking up to the Nob Hill area (that's where Grace Cathedral is and I do mean up) to remember that there is an excellent Indian/Pakistani place called Danbar on Polk. Here's what's even better, though: the bar Blur is also on Polk and it just so happened that ol' Kearsarge boys Ty and Jon were both working (Ty reads trivia and Jon bartends). I had a good relaxing time preparing for this morning and catching up with them. I love trivia nights but I am terrible at getting the actual questions right so it was fun to be able to guess at the answers without laying my pride on the line.

Tonight is Aziza night!

[AGU] Step 3: Focus.

It is not easy being in San Francisco for a physics conference. I don't mean that it is not easy in general, I mean that it is not easy for me and the reason is that the two things I want to do (namely, have a vacation with my friends and be a geek at the conference) are sometimes at odds. So far, I have managed to make it work - conference during business hours, friends during evening hours - but the worlds collide with regularity at 6am, which is not the time of day when I want to struggle with anything.

But the reward is there everyday; let me tell you about yesterday's reward. Not long after I posted here, I was sitting down next to Marc and he struck up a conversation with a man who had just been talking to someone else about seismic monitoring or the like. Marc asked about the man's field of research (that's what these conventions are for, right?) and the man told us that he is involved in someway (this is a failure of my memory, not his attempt to be vague, at work) in earthquake monitoring in the Northeast. Hearing this, Marc made some sarcastic crack about what an exciting job that must be but that was just the ground tremor. I knew what was coming. Sure enough, Marc posed some crafty leading question about whether the man had ever looked into ultra-low frequency magnetic precursors to earthquakes and the research project that will never die became prime conversation fodder once more. By the time he had filled the man in on the magnetometer signals we have looked at and put away at least three times over a one-year period, I had already brought up the example plot and some supporting information.

In the evening, Jess, Kenn and I went to Sauce and had a delicious meal. We started with a done-up bruschetta and portobello mushroom fries, moved on to lettuce wedge salads then had entrees as follows: Kenn and I had some white fish with cauliflower-potato puree and sauteed Brussels sprout leaves while Jess had a dangerously good mac & cheese. By the end of my meal, I though the sprout leaves were just a bit over-salty but the rest was great and I really had to exercise restraint in sampling Jess's dinner.

[AGU] Step 2: Be a Geek!

The first day went very smoothly and that is especially nice because the lecture topics were mostly outside my narrow scope (i.e. they dealt with the magnetosphere-ionosphere-Sun-etc. system but it will take me some time to realize the connection between what little I know so far and what I heard yesterday), so when I attend lectures on Wednesday and Thursday, I'll have even more fun.

I talked to two men about their posters - one was a first year grad student whose research was also on ducting but in a way I had never heard of and won't try to summarize here and the other was a man whose work I have read in my travels. The latter, like every other Name I have met here and in Toronto, was incredibly approachable and fun to talk to. I hope he comes to see my poster so I can pick his brain a bit more.

Last night, Sean, our friend Chris and I went to two places I used to love: Magnolia for dinner and Toronados for a beer. The former has been given a make-over but the decor is fine, the beer is just as good (they are a pub and brewery) and I am definitely not disappointed in the new menu. The latter still has loud music and an incredible selection, just as I left it.

That's it for now. I want to get back to the geek show!

[AGU] Step 1: Get There

The flight was uneventful and mostly comfortable. I am now sitting in the Moscone Center South building, realizing that I didn't end up in any good nap positions from Dulles to SFO but I'll work all that out as I walk around the city. I am not getting any grandiose moving plans, but I sure do love coming back to this city: the little things like riding the MUNI through the Mission made me feel right at home-away-from-home again.

Manuel picked me up from the airport and drove me to his apartment before he went to work. His girlfriend Denise and I ordered a big ol' pizza and played with their puppy Maggie (a partial terrier to bring a near of nostalgia to your eye) before Sean came over. Sean and I had a few beers, watched television and schemed plans for the week (though I'm sure we'll play most of it by ear anyway).

Like I said, I'm sitting in the Moscone Center. My plan for today and every day is to geek out with lectures in the morning and either lectures or posters in the afternoon, depending upon what interests me. On that note, the next session is about to start to I will sign off for now.

The Usual Suspects.

Coffee.

Adrenaline.

Linearity Take Home (tonight's project).

Numerical Methods Sit-Down Final (review tomorrow).

Pi1B Poster for AGU (very close).

Go to AGU (close behind the poster).

Write a report about my UROP-funded research this summer (extended once already).

Flying Dog Double Dog Pale Ale (thank you).

Nuts, Bolts and Buffalo Chicken Jerky (what passes as a meal).

Indian Food (I am still thinking about how yummy it was).

The Cat (sleeps all day for me so I don't have to).

Baby Physics Lab Activities (one last thing to grade).

San Francisco (I can relax when I get there...).

Poster Presentation (...well, mostly).

Modern Physics (done: I got an A for the semester in a come-from-behind buzzer-beater).

Modern Physics Lab (feels like it will never go away).

Final Numerical Methods Assignment (damn - I keep forgetting about that).

Christmas (is pretty far from my mind).

Music (I miss that stuff).

Burma Shave (obviously).