Goodbye QUBITS version 1.0
and hello QUBITS version 2.0
I will now do that sad thing where I mimic becoming a father, but for a car, and with ownership to boot: I am now the proud owner of a Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. That’s right, no more excuse for why I can’t drive cus I can only take one passenger. Bah!
Twenty Nine
Happy Birthday to me!
Rough year, that 28th: dad died, sister’s kidney is failing, family dog put to sleep, the list goes on and on. However, as anyone who has gambled knows my 29th year can’t be nearly as bad as my 28th. Oh wait…doh!
Pepper
Goodbye Pepper. You threw up on me (twice!) on the ride home from where we picked you out. You herded the washing machine and the lawn mower. You barked at everyone except family. Mostly you snored loudly. The floor will be a little dirtier, the days a little quieter, and the washing machine will be much much lonelier. RIP Pepper (1995-2004)
Living In LA Is Like Smoking
Today I sent in my acceptance for a postdoc at the Santa Fe Insitute. 16 miles to Ski Santa Fe and 72 miles to Taos.
A Koan
Email from a master:
Two theorists were walking through the forest of quantum mechanics.There they came across an ATM machine.
In front of the ATM machine was a long line of experimentalists.
The student asked,
“Surely master an ATM machine deep in the forest of Quantum Mechanics must have an incredible surcharge.”
The master,
“Can the hive steal money from a single bee?”
The student
“Without the bees, there is no hive.”
The master,
“Without the hive, there are no bees”
The student
“This honey is bitter”
The master,
“Fear not, we are not bees.
Blue Buddha
Today I learned that they offered the job I interviewed for in Vancouver to “an experimentalist.” Today is Buddha Day. Repeat after me: “I will not lose my Zen-Buddha nature, I will not lose my Zen-Buddha nature…”
BC
The trip to Vancouver: a full plane with lots of smiles. “Heading home?” they would ask. “No,” I could only envy. From Vancouver at night you can see the lights from the local ski areas. “Nobody seems to leave UBC,” the faculty tell me.
The trip from Vancouver: a 20% full plane with lots of sleepers. And then there was the 1 1/2 drive back to South Pasadena. At night in LA you can sometimes see the moon if the smog isn’t too dense.
I have seen the promised land and it is good. Whether I am saint enough to ascend to such heights remains an open question. Any supersticious acts performed on my behalf will be duly noted in my big book of karma.
Job Talks
Job talks in the next few weeks, so I have been wandering around looking for advice. Here is a nice, calming quote from the Chronicle of Higher Education:
As a doctoral student or postdoc seeking a professorship, your academic job talk may well be the most important presentation you will ever give. An excellent talk can get you the job, while a poor one will almost surely eliminate you from contention.
No pressure, eh?
Weight Loss
Well, I’m almost to my goal! Over the past few months I have lost a small child’s worth of weight. The key? 1hour exercise every morning, low low caloric intake, and if I feel stressed I go to the gym and take it out on the machines there.
My Dad
For those interested, I’ve pasted the article from the local newspaper, the Siskiyou Daily News about my dad.
Continue reading “My Dad”