- 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
- 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
- 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
What I Have Read in 2017
Books I am Reading
To Read Next
Dr. Stephen Sekula- Bob on Books
- Jackie Lea Sommers
- Altered Faces
- Politifact
Networked Blogs
