Gratitude (Mar. 16 – 22) | Great are the Works of the Lord

Gratitude (Mar. 16 – 22)

Stories of rattlesnakes at the Physics Lunch Club (Mar. 16)
Fun with bad drawings of a reindeer in my class (Mar. 16)
Corned beef and cabbage leftovers
Helping my wife with ideas for her class
Being a judge at the High Plains Regional Science and Engineering Fair (HPRSEF)
Meeting SDSM&T students and staff who were also judges at HPRSEF
Fascinating, well-executed, and memorable projects from 7th graders in physical science, including
1. A study called “Poisonous Kissers,” in which the experimenter used a commercial lead testing kit to determine which brands of lipstick have the highest levels of lead
2. A study of which housing materials resist penetration by various bullets, featuring the experimenter from pistols to an AR-15
An amazing project by a high schooler, who is working with a professor at SDSM&T, to determine which components of tea tree oil have the best antibiotic properties
Hearing about the projects my wife judged at HPRSEF
Our new stove and dishwasher were delivered on Friday (Mar. 18)
I was able to get the power cord for the stove stowed well, at the cost of a cut to my elbow.
We successfully extracted our old dishwasher from a very tight space under the cabinet with after 2 hours of work and a lot of dust.
We were awake until about 3am Sunday morning installing the new dishwasher, but we successfully installed it without leaks or breaking anything
We washed our first load of dishes in the new dishwasher, and they came out clean
My wife cooked the first dish in our stove’s new oven
I made the first dish (popcorn) on our stove’ new cooktop
My wife made more progress in painting the kitchen
Watching UHF with friends, two of whom had not seen it before
Having dinner from Popeye’s with friends before the movie
Many businesses, streetlights, houses, and Main Street Square went without lights for Dark Earth Hour.
At the Main Street Square Dark Earth Hour, we (my student and I) used the physics department telescope to show people the Great Orion Nebula
We were also able to successfully control the telescope from a laptop for the first time
Many people came to the event, despite the cold
Many (about 8) members of the Black Hills Astronomical Society brought their telescopes too
Good conversation with members of the public, colleagues, and students
New gravel on the alley behind our house
Learning from a student in class that a candy bar has more stored chemical energy than a stick of dynamite
Learning about volunteer opportunities to help people transitioning out of poverty
Winning door prizes at the poverty seminar
Meeting students from different backgrounds at the seminar