I am writing to complain that no one ever told me there was much more to 20th Century American Symphonic music than the same old Bernstein and Copland numbers that pop up time after time.

Think how distinguished you'll sound if someone asks about your favorite symphony and you reply "I'm torn between Roy Harris's 3rd, and Walter Piston's 4th."

(I'm ( Read more... )

Last time I wrote:

PS:  Does playing Arkham Horror with my wife on Friday evening mean that I'm a geek?

Whatever the answer to that question is, I'm quite sure that the answer to

"Does playing Arkham Horror with my wife on Friday evening, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday mean that I'm a geek?"

is "yes".

It's an extremely complicated board game ( Read more... )

After 1 night of reading, I think I can safely say:

Doktor Faustus (by Thomas Mann) = excellent book

PS:  Does playing Arkham Horror with my wife on Friday evening mean that I'm a geek?
 

I thought that the Calc I class I taught this past quarter was the best job of teaching I'd ever done, so I was a bit anxious waiting for the students' written comments.  I think I have a new favorite comment on my teaching!

From a student evaluation:

What was good about this course and/or instructor?   excellent professor; recharged my will to learn ( Read more... )

This is just a general gripe:

I hate the way I write.  Not my handwriting, mind you. I mean the physical process I use to produce marks on paper.

Why?

Because I am right-handed, but I write as if I were left-handed.  My hand twists and curls around the pen, and somehow I manage to leave legible marks on the paper.

What's the problem?

I am condemned to ( Read more... )

Note to self:

Self, please remember to never again be the local organizer of a conference the same weekend you are supposed to supervise the herd of cats TAs as they give their Math 115 exams.  And also remember that you should never be surprised by co-workers' incompetence.  Expect it, and plan for it. You'll be better off in the long run.

I had a very enjoyable couple of hours tonight serving on a faculty panel for the  Honors Tutorial College Freshman Seminar.  We went in there and discussed our "big questions" for a bit, then the conversation took off. My big question had to do with "What is mathematics about, anyway?", or, more precisely "What are the objects of mathematical ( Read more... )

Well, the Ring cycle is finished --- Brunhilde burned everything down, Hagen drowned, and the Rhine-maidens got their gold back.
I feel like I should get some sort of Certificate of Completion for watching it all. ;)

I just finished watching "Siegried" (part III of Wagner's Ring Cycle).  I didn't enjoy it as much as The Valkyrie --- I know we are supposed to suspend belief when watching opera, but Siegfried and Brunhilde looked a bit silly lolling around and singing at each other because they were most definitely *NOT* teenagers --- even with makeup, both ( Read more... )

Cherie and I went to an amazing performance by a Korean percussion group. These guys (and gals) performed at the Athens Olympics, and they were pretty goshdarned incredible.  Of course, my ears won't stop ringing.  I've got tinnitis, leaditis, ironitis, and probably uraniumitis too.