journal

Poster & Abstract for MIT Haystack Observatory REU Summer 2011

2011-11-06T10:07:00.002-08:00

--Poster--

--Abstract--

Sanibel and Captiva Islands, FL -- December 2010

2011-02-18T11:40:00.001-08:00

Sanibel and Captiva Islands, FL -- December 2010

2011-02-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

Everglades, FL December 2010

2011-02-17T22:08:00.000-08:00

Grinnell is 3rd "Most Intellectual College" :)

2010-10-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/07/intellectual-colleges_n_707087.html#s128867

Solar Physics REU Presentation

2010-09-12T01:29:00.000-07:00

My presentation slides from this summer

As you can see, I tried to do more talking than reading.

Summer

2010-07-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

A video summarizing my summer, made by a fellow REU student (Lauren Woolsey)

Sets American record with first 10k

2010-05-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama - BubbleSort

2010-05-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Nashville Country Music 1/2 Marathon

2010-04-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Not a PR but not bad considering I haven't been running regularly in 2yrs! All that training 2004-2007 must have paid off.

Distance HALF MAR
Chip Time 1:56:36
Overall Place 2804 / 24636
Gender Place 866 / 15643
Division Place 257 / 3634
Pace 8:54
5 Km 27:52
10 Mi 1:29:30

2010-04-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

Stereotyping people by their favorite authors

-credit to [rathodja]

interesting

2010-04-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/15/AR2010041500800.html?hpid=artslot

2010-04-09T13:13:00.001-07:00

"Those who succeed in any endeavor bring the right environment with them. I like to think of it as a little bubble that surrounds them and everything they do. And despite what everything else is like outside that bubble, inside the bubble, conditions are optimal for success." - John M. Berardi

Where I'll be this summer!

2010-03-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/sao/

More specifically, I'll be modeling solar flares.

2010-02-17T16:20:00.000-08:00

My blog is becoming a depot of everything interesting I read on GrinnellPlans!

http://chronicle.com/article/The-Big-Lie-About-the-Life-of/63937/

2010-02-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

"I don't mind working harder than the other guy" -Barack Obama

2010-02-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126911.300-our-world-may-be-a-giant-hologram.html?full=true

In other news:

I thought both Moon and Solaris were good movies

2009-11-19T20:02:00.000-08:00

I like Nora Jones' new Album

2009-11-17T15:28:00.001-08:00

Wow this is pretty cool:)

Me!

2009-11-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

Rafting trip

2009-10-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

A positive attitude means everything

2009-10-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

Neat exhibit at Grinnell

2009-10-09T09:19:00.001-07:00

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009909270301

Please help us find our bike, that has been stolen

2009-08-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

When we arrived in Nashville, we realized that Jonathan's bike had been stolen, along with a bottle of Hennessey cognac. If you live in Nashville, please keep your eyes open for us. The bike says "Trek" on the frame.

Thanks ~

Hiking in the Swiss Alps, Day 2 (15-20 miles; I didn't have room on my camera to capture the final trek home from the mountains to the city)

2009-07-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hiking in the Swiss Alps, Day 1 (in chronological order; covering roughly 10 miles)

2009-07-10T05:09:00.000-07:00

Berne, Switzerland (in reverse chronological order, sorry!)

2009-07-10T04:48:00.000-07:00

1-pre and 1-post Vesuvius + videos from the walk

2009-06-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

The post-Vesuvius meal with Susan, Steve and Chuck at Chuck's Italian restaurant pick was amazing. I was too busy enjoying the food to photograph it (all) this time..

The music in the first video was broadcast from a restaurant or home nearby...

Our 18-mile trek up and down Mt. Vesuvius; pictures (for once) in chronological order

2009-06-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Sistine Chapel

2009-06-30T09:40:00.001-07:00

The Vatican Museum

2009-06-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize that in order to get to the Sistine Chapel, one must walk through a long, extremely beautiful, maze of hallways and chambers first.

The first eight photos come 'after' the Sistine Chapel, the rest are on the way to it.

Around Rome again, plus a couple from outside the Catacombs of Callixtus

2009-06-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

The Catacombs of Rome contain half a million tombs spread over 20km of underground labyrinth. They were used by the Roman Christians from the 3rd to the 9th century, then lost until they were rediscovered in the 1800s. The walls are covered with dug out spaces, most only about 1 foot high, and 2 feet deep, where bodies were placed laying face up to rest in peace. 40% of the crypts were reserved for children, and are only a few feet long. There were also interspersed, large dome-shaped crypts for whole families.

We saw the place where St. Cecelia (the Roman Catholic patron saint of music) was buried, although her remains had been moved for safekeeping.

Trip to St. Peter's Basilica

2009-06-30T08:22:00.001-07:00

Around Rome

2009-06-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Naples

2009-06-26T05:37:00.000-07:00

Jonathan and I ended up hiking 20+ miles on Saturday, 18 up/down the infamous volcano that burried Pompeii in 79AD, Mt. Vesuvius. You can see our route here

Sunday we hobbled around the remains of Herculaneum. Streets and rooms, complete with ancient "graffiti" (I need to find the quote), pillars, mosaics, frescoes.. all amazingly in tact..

Our luggage was lost (now found), so waiting on the cords to be able to upload pictures. Also exhausted due to 1 late night/early morning after Vesuvius (plus a few more miles on Sunday), and then a wakeful night spent in the airport last night (as our flight had a 7-hour layover in the middle of the night)...

Rome: Colosseum, Jonathan w/food, and a few streets...

2009-06-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

We're actually in Rome now, and have (in addition to what's pictured) visited the catacombs and St. Peter's Basilica, of course walked miles and miles around the city, eaten lots more amazing food, and (in my case) purchased some amazing cheap clothing...

Milan

2009-06-24T05:33:00.000-07:00

Milan: real Italian pizza, fresh figs, and other foods

2009-06-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Athens

2009-06-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

France (walking around Arpajon)

2009-06-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

A few more from Meteora

2009-06-21T05:15:00.001-07:00

A few more from Volos

2009-06-18T23:22:00.000-07:00

Music in the Metro

2009-06-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Orangerie Museum: Monet

2009-06-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Monet gave these paintings to the Museum and specified that they be hung in this manner. There are two rooms with panels of paintings, as the viewer moves or looks around each room, the paintings show the changing of light over the course of one day.

Paris and La Norville

2009-06-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

A few markets in Paris

2009-06-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

It seems like there are local markets in almost every suburb of Paris, on different days of the week.

Arpajon, town next to the one in which we're staying

2009-06-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

The large wooden structure has housed a local market for 800 years...

The green things are fresh almonds.

There are Art Nouveau structures like this all over Arpajon, and Paris, of course.

A few more pictures from Dourdan, France

2009-06-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Cluny Museum, Paris

2009-06-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

Musee d'Orsay

2009-06-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

Paris Museums, including: Postal Service, Sewers, Inventions, Money, Science and Industry

2009-06-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

Strange.. image from sign in Kalambaka, Greece looks almost exactly like facebook logo..

2009-06-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

Volos, Greece

2009-06-17T00:15:00.000-07:00

Empire of the Sun, We are the People

2009-06-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

This song kept coming up on the Greek radio stations. I was going to try to find it online, but I couldn't remember the lyrics, so I thought I would try listening to an online Greek radio station to see if it would come up (also the Greek radio stations were pretty good in general I thought). FIRST SONG on the online station. Then, I found the YouTube video..

Meteora, Greece

2009-06-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

Volos, Greece

2009-06-12T04:49:00.000-07:00

Volos, Greece

2009-06-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

Ascending the Eifel Tower, and, on the Metro with an accordianist

2009-06-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

Middle Ages Castle at Dourdan

2009-06-01T05:31:00.000-07:00

Jonathan took and added the wiki pic (first picture here):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dourdan

"Latin Corner" in the Latin Quarter (for Lauren;)

2009-05-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

(In reverse order) Gardens at the Cluny Museum, Shakespeare and Company, Eifel Tower, Financial District, and Castle at Dourdan

2009-05-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

At the Eiffel Tower

2009-05-31T02:12:00.000-07:00

Gr(i)nell(e)!

2009-05-24T02:49:00.000-07:00

2009-05-24T02:47:00.000-07:00

More pictures...

2009-05-24T02:38:00.000-07:00

These first two: taken inside McDonald's

At the (generous) Sgards' house

2009-05-20T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hopefully the family we're staying with won't mind me posting a video of their house. It's really beautiful! Bridgette paints and you can see some examples of her work, here.

The exteriors of all of the houses in their neighborhood fit the stereotype of rustic French living.. They are made from stone pieces, not bricks, and many have roses and other flowers growing up the sides.

Walking home from the metro in La Norville

2009-05-20T03:27:00.000-07:00

Monday, Near the Louvre looking for wifi

2009-05-20T02:56:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Libraries with wifi to open (at Starbucks)

The cream in my coffee was AMAZING wow. They must use some alternative pasteurization method..

After this song (not consecutively), I heard Tori Amos, Bob Dylan, and Dar Williams (?!) Ahhh.. Starbucks..

After Carnavalet

2009-05-17T00:57:00.000-07:00

We were all famished after the Carnavalet trip, so Jean-Noel handed out juice boxes from his car :)

(Left to right: Couple who are friends of the family we're staying with, Bridgett, whom we're staying with, Jonathan:)

At Carnavalet Museum

2009-05-17T00:54:00.000-07:00

Brenda, the daughter of the couple with whom we're staying, lent me her scarf, since I didn't anticipate the cold weather when I was packing..

?

2009-05-17T00:51:00.000-07:00

A beautiful (albeit chilly) day

2009-05-17T00:49:00.000-07:00

Practical

2009-05-17T00:46:00.000-07:00

After a person leaves it self-cleans. It was stocked with toilet paper, soap, and hand towelettes, and is completely free.

Walking from our house to the Metro in La Norville

2009-05-17T00:44:00.000-07:00

La Norville (where we're staying)

2009-05-17T00:32:00.000-07:00

Road near where we're staying

2009-05-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

Arrived in France

2009-05-16T02:26:00.000-07:00

Having an unfortunate time finding free wireless internet access (outside our host family's home).

Apparently the French worry about radiation from wireless internet hubs..

I'm hitting Paris full force today/tomorrow/Monday though, looking for wifi access in libraries.

It looks like Starbucks and McDonald's def. have wifi, as does the American Library in Paris..

I'm still holding out that I can find some _French_ places to grade/study this summer.

Our host family is super sweet and I'm sure would allow me to work from their home (although it does have a router, the wireless has been turned off to 'prevent radiation.')

More Cupcakes!

2009-05-11T18:41:00.001-07:00

And thanks to the girls at The Princeton Review for a yummy Gigi's Happy Birthday cupcake!!

Cakes

2009-05-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Cake Wrecks
It brightens your day..

Related: May 9th was my birthday. Thanks to Matthew and Natalie for these amazing cupcakes :)

2009-05-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

Lol, I think this does remedy depression

Happy Sqrt. 4 Day

2009-04-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Natalie:
"sqrt. 2 = 1.4 (Valentine's Day)

sqrt. 3 = 1.7 (St. Patrick's Day)"

Wellons:
"sqrt. 4 = 2 (4/20)"

...

Happy sqrt. 4 day.

Disorganized Notes for our trip to Europe

2009-04-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

France
South of France: Provence, Moustiers, Islands, Med. Sea

Italy
Meet up w/Jonathan's parents on Islands???
Sardinia
Tuscany
Pompeii
Prodicia

Portugal
Parque Natural Da Peneda-Geres
-Dolmens, stone circles, standing stones, hot springs Caldas do Geres

Ibiza?
Pizza
Beaches
Nightclubs

Austria
Tirol-Innsbruck: hiking (Can use Eurorail pass for Austria)

Norway
Fjords

Hungary

Iceland
Blue Grotto

Germany
Black Forest
http://wikitravel.org/en/Black_Forest#Get_in
Here's the highest mountain in the BF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldberg_(Black_Forest)
Concentration Camp
Rail to Munich, then bus to Dachau

British Isles
Faroe Islands
StoneHenge
Sherwood Forest (sumir)
A Football game (sumir)
The cliffs of Dover (sumir)
Scotland
Ireland

South of France
Hyères, islands

Switzerland
Alps
Berner Oberland/ Jungfrau/ Interlaken
Chocolate

Sweden

Iceland
Lava Tour
Hekla
Vatnajokull National Park
"The park is home to Iceland's
highest mountain (Hvannadalshnúkur),
largest glacier (Vatnajökull), and
Europe's most powerful waterfall (Dettifoss). "
Corsica
Hike part of long trail

Morocco
chefchaouen

The book is out!.. (old picture)

2009-04-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

Apparently I like the left side of my face more than the right.

My symmetric brain..

2009-04-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

Europe

2009-04-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Jonathan and I are traveling to Europe this summer (due to his NRIA internship/job in Rocquencourt). We'll probably live in Paris, and we're hoping to travel to a new country each weekend (with a good Eurorail pass).

There should be lots of pics to come...

My Brain!

2009-01-29T15:29:00.000-08:00

For Matt and Nat

2009-01-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

My aunt!

2008-12-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.americanbanker.com/usb_article.html?id=20080924V2L925QADoesn't she look like me??

:)

Rice paddies in Bali, with bamboo wind chimes

2008-08-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Dutch friend and English friends Chris and Clare :)

2008-08-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

Fire walker at traditional dance

2008-08-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

After this, people came out with brooms and swept all of the hot coals together, and this guy ran through them again! The process was repeated until almost all the coals were burned away. The runner was definitely not wearing shoes or socks..

Traditional Balinese/Hindu Fire Dance

2008-08-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

Bali

2008-08-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

Street in Bali

2008-08-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

Cafe Lotus, Bali

2008-08-27T16:23:00.002-07:00

2008-08-27T16:23:00.001-07:00

Monkey Forrest Park, Bali

2008-08-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hindu Temple

2008-08-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

Bali has an abundance of these... incredible, but true. Ornate temples and statues are everywhere. I hear they are all about 100 years old, though I'm not clear on all the history..

Hotel in Bali

2008-08-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

Those chickens would start at 6am every morning...

I traveled around Bali with a great British couple who'd been exploring Asia and Australia for the last 2 years, and Dutch woman who was retracing some of her Indonesian roots.

My room in Bali; also 6 USD per night, with breakfast included

2008-08-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

This room is part of a Balinese family's "house," which includes four or five individual buildings that surround a small courtyard. There is also of course, a room-sized Hindu temple. (Most of Indonesia is Islamic, however Bali is almost completely Hindu.)