In an odd twist of mixing my scientific/mathematical background with my...shall we say, not-scientific background, I've taken the position of science adviser to the Coastal Organization for the Research of Potentially Supernatural Events. Or C.O.R.P.S.E. How could I resist with that name? 
Anyway, I'm actually pretty excited about this. Far too many academics shrug off things that are not 'mainstream' science and although I tend to lean on the more skeptical side of things--my membership in the SG Pagan and Occult groups not withstanding--there are anomalies in this world of ours; simply turning a well-educated nose up at them will not make them go away.
Anyway, the semester is coming to an end. I give my last full, formal lecture tomorrow night. (My last actual lecture will be after Thanksgiving and will be a cobbled-together piece on fluid mechanics that will be extra-credit on the final.) Things haven't been great, but they haven't been too bad either--more or less what I expected for my first time out teaching the subject. Turns out, our text--picked by my research adviser, no less--is way frickin' dense. Subsequently, my lectures have been hellish for the students. Next time around I'm going to have to cut something in order to stave off the aneurysms.
Also, we survived yet another fire in Santa Barbara. This time, however, our house was in the evacuation warning zone. Not as fun as you might think. Ironically, my fire dynamics research is tending towards wildland urban interface fires, which ours most definitely was, but instead of being able to go out and study the thing--as ghoulish as that sounds--I was packing the truck in preparation for rapid flight. I really don't have a desire to study fire dynamics that close to my own home.
Anyway, I'm actually pretty excited about this. Far too many academics shrug off things that are not 'mainstream' science and although I tend to lean on the more skeptical side of things--my membership in the SG Pagan and Occult groups not withstanding--there are anomalies in this world of ours; simply turning a well-educated nose up at them will not make them go away.
Anyway, the semester is coming to an end. I give my last full, formal lecture tomorrow night. (My last actual lecture will be after Thanksgiving and will be a cobbled-together piece on fluid mechanics that will be extra-credit on the final.) Things haven't been great, but they haven't been too bad either--more or less what I expected for my first time out teaching the subject. Turns out, our text--picked by my research adviser, no less--is way frickin' dense. Subsequently, my lectures have been hellish for the students. Next time around I'm going to have to cut something in order to stave off the aneurysms.
Also, we survived yet another fire in Santa Barbara. This time, however, our house was in the evacuation warning zone. Not as fun as you might think. Ironically, my fire dynamics research is tending towards wildland urban interface fires, which ours most definitely was, but instead of being able to go out and study the thing--as ghoulish as that sounds--I was packing the truck in preparation for rapid flight. I really don't have a desire to study fire dynamics that close to my own home.
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Oh and if you need any help with C.O.R.P.S.E. I hear there's plenty of mortitian SG/Hopefuls ;-)
Thanks a lot for your so sweet comment on A Christmas Dream, darling, that's really sweet!