Boston Tea Party
I just got back from the Boston Tea Party and my oh my, it was a fun weekend. I’ve been craving a weekend like this one. I’ve been seriously lacking inspiration. The weekend was definitely a challenge – mentally, creatively, and most definitely physical as well (judging by the achy-ness I’m experiencing now that the weekend is over). I remember thinking (before the weekend) that I’d probably wander over to the crossover room for Peter’s dj-ing once I got a bit tired and wanted something slower to keep me dancing, but I just couldn’t drag myself away from the lindy livingroom. It was just so much fun.
I competed in the Strictly Lindy with Carl. I was very nervous. But the music selection was fun and mellow and once I started dancing I calmed down. We made finals. It was exciting and nerve-racking all at the same once but it was a really good experience. It gave me more things to work on in my dancing, and things to aspire to. Similarly, I competed in the advanced lindy Jack and Jill. I was originally registered for the intermediate division but enough people advised me to switch. I’m glad I did. It was challenging. I also got the chance to dance with leads that I otherwise wouldn’t have had the nerve to ask for a dance. I didn’t get into the finals, but I was listed as the alternate follower in case someone scratched from the final competition. I seriously didn’t even expect to be on the list at all.
Spent the whole ride back to Rochester discussing the weekend with Bronwyn and Connie (my westie friend). I can’t wait to go back next year.
This is me… taking a break
*beware – brain melt spewiness ahead*
School is insane. If I don’t take breaks from time to time I’ll be needing a small padded room….
hmmm…… a padded room could be tons of fun :-p
bouncy.
I want to play with a trampoline. A trampoline would be fun.
Seriously contemplating going skydiving next month. I always wanted to.
Next time I’m home I think I’ll take a trapeeze class with Jenn. *sings* she flew through the air, with the greatest of ease…
shit… I should get back to doing work.
So true…
I found comic – it’s EXACTLY what I go through every time I have to run the Young’s double-slit experiment lab with my students…
Tag – You’re It
I don’t really know how to begin this post, but, to cut to the chase, I got tagged by Carl at Jazzdance Blog. So here goes…
The rules:
1 – Link to the blog who tagged you (above)
2 – Post the rules on your blog
3 – Share seven random and/or weird things about yourself.
4 – Tag seven people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
5 – Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Seven random things about myself:
- I have a pet hedgehog. He’s a year old African Pygmy Hedgehog and his name is Hiccup. The spiky little guy fits in the palm of my hand and yes, the quills hurt, but he’s quite used to being held so he doesn’t go into “defense mode” much anymore.
- I used to be captain of my high school’s girls’ bowling team. Not much else to say about that. No, I am not an awesome bowler. My highest score in a game is 159. Yes, I have my own bowling ball and shoes.
- Along similar lines of nerdiness, I’m a complete band geek. I started playing flute in 6th grade. A few months after I began learning, I auditioned for Juilliard’s Music Advancement program – a free Saturday music program for minority music students. Thanks to that program I got private lessons, music theory instruction, participated in orchestral and smaller woodwind ensembles and attended private workshops created just for the students in the program (I met Tito Puente at one of these workshops!) In 7th grade I was in two school bands (the senior band and my own) and was in a flute quartet with some seniors. I went to Bayside HS which is known for it’s music program. I was in Junior concert band my freshman year and in Senior concert band the rest. I was first chair flute my senior year and also played in the school orchestra. I was also inIwas in a marching band for the last two years of high school. It was the NYC All City HS Marching Band. We did city parades We marched in the 2000 Yankees ticker-tape parade, where we got harassed by Yankees fans because our uniform happened to be Mets colors (it was a subway series year).
I continued playing flute while in college when I joined the RIT Philharmonic Orchestra. Sadly, rehearsal times are very conflicting with study time and class scheduled. Sometime after gradation, when I”m slightly more settled somewhere, I’ll start taking private lessons again. I want input on my playing. And I really miss being challenged in that way. - I collect I Love Lucy memorabilia. I’ve loved the show since I can remember (used to sneak down to the livingroom at wee hours of the morning just to catch a rerun episode on nick at nite). Started collecting the Mattel dolls from different I Love Lucy episodes some time ago. I have every episode on tape (now getting the dvd’s), and I can pretty much act out every episode by heart.
- I abhor public speaking. I had to speak at a research symposium a few years ago and and I pretty much stuttered through the whole thing.
- I almost joined the US Air Force academy.When I was looking at colleges I was looking for programs that would lead me to possible future employment at NASA. The Air Force seemed like a perfect way to get there. Why didn’t I go through with it? I found out about the application requirements and deadlines way too late.
- I really love dancing. My mom would always make me dance with her at family gatherings. She’d spin me as fast as possible as long as it took for me to fall down dizzy and laughing. I started taking dance classes when I was about four years old – starting with ballet and tap lessons. I had to stop ballet and tap sometime toward the end of junior high. The commute and the new class schedule made it impossible. That was when I started taking karate lessons. I took them through my four years of high school. I was able to start dancing again in college. Took ballet and tap classes again as gym credits, and sometime sophomore year took the swing dance class. I always knew there was a swing dance club on campus but I was never able to make the meetings – until mid-junior year. Basically learned lindy hop by going out social dancing in Rochester. I didn’t start traveling until my second year dancing, and now it’s my favorite indulgence. It’s so great to go to a new city and meet different people through dancing.About a year ago I also started taking Argentine tango lessons. Only took lessons for a summer, but I still go out tango dancing from time to time. It’s a beautiful dance. Too bad I can’t dance for my whole life.
Ok. Now that I’ve rambled on about myself for a while, it’s time to tag seven more people… R.B. Boyer, Matt Chan, Mark Molea, Caroline Martin, Jennifer Molach, Rachel Woods, and Robert Schnibbe
Fred Astaire rocks my socks
I was watching “Shall We Dance” today and found myself rewinding over and over to watch this scene:
Fred and Ginger are amazing.
Man, I can’t even stand up on roller skates :-p
*Gems* from my students
I really should have started this little collection of student quotes sooner…
From a lab on ray tracing and lenses:
Q: For a convex lens, what is the image distance when the object is very far away (i.e., at infinity)?
A: “When object is far away, the image distance is equally as close.”
Q: For a convex lens, what is the image distance when the object is very far away (i.e., at infinity)?
A: “You hold the lens from the screen the same distance as the size of the lens. ex. 20cm lens = 20cm distance”
Q: Determine the image distance and its uncertainty.
A: “Golisano building”
Lemon-Lime Goodness
Totally random:
I realized the other day that I haven’t drank a Sprite soda in, quite possibly, years. So I got a case, and now, I’m obsessed. I think I drank about 4 cans today alone… I should probably stop, but it’s so yummy! Tasted just like a liquid lemon italian icee, my favorite cold treat. 
It really makes me miss Summer right now. I’m daydreaming about lounging at the beach, or hanging out at the park, playing some volleyball, reading under a tree.
“Dear Summer months,
Please come faster.
Love, Joanna “
I’m a god damn public service announcement
Or at least, I could be. Yes kids, don’t let this happen to you. See what sleep deprivation and stretching yourself too thin can do? You get a crappy immune system that surrenders at the slightest cold virus that comes along and stressed out so much anxiety attacks come back when you thought you’d gotten rid of them. I’m TA-ing right now, and am quite medicated. The professor is lecturing currently so I have time to play on my laptop. It’s my second (and thankfully last) TA class of the day. I didn’t have time to have any sort of decent breakfast, not that I usually do, and I’m in class overlooking their work. I can barely walk in a straight line – anyone else would think I’m hung over or still drunk from a previous night. I can’t focus. I’m dizzy. And this professor just keeps piling on the work. I sit down for a moment to catch my bearings and he urges me on to do some useless task. He doesn’t know how to utilize me efficiently as a teaching assistant, and right now, I just don’t want to bother. I want to go home and sleep, but I can’t. After this, I have to do work for tonight’s class, then work for an assignment due tomorrow. I have 4 labs to grade over the weekend, papers to write, projects to work on, and hw to do. There isn’t enough time in the day. I need to rest up first, but I can’t afford the time it’ll take. These are the bleak and dreary parts of school… can’t wait to be done. Soon. It’s all I keep telling myself. Get through all this crap. Look for the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m just so worn out right now.
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