A much needed update.

Well, I've been pretty quiet this month, so I'm going to go ahead and do a much needed update.

I took a formal logic exam and I got 97%. I went ahead and calculated my grade and it came to a 96%. On the syllabus, it says "92-100% - A" but it also says "Plus and minus grading will be used." Since there's no such thing as an A+, at what point does an A become an A-? I was worried about this with my grade currently at a 96%, but then I looked and noticed 10% of the grade is attendance and 5% is participation. So I've got 15% guaranteed to me already, I don't think I have anything to worry about.

I get rather annoyed in formal logic sometimes. The professor asks a question, so I answer it. And then another. And then, with the next question, even if I know the answer, I don't say anything and wait for someone else to answer. Most of the time there's silence. So I end up quietly answering again. I really don't want to seem like a know-it-all, but if no one else is going to say anything, I don't feel I have a choice.

Though, as I said, most of the time it's silence. Not all the time.

I finished The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov. It was pretty good. It's not an "OMG READ IT NOW" book, but if you are looking for an interesting sci fi novel, go for it.

I had a pretty good lab in astronomy. The lab was about the Doppler effect. For part one, we had to find and record three examples of the Doppler effect. For part two, we had to look at two graphs to estimate numbers and fill out a chart. The SI was meant to have the math ready to show us, but he wasn't prepared. I asked the professor to show me the math, just for funsies. It's written on the back of my lab sheet. We estimated the numbers, then we had to show them to the professor. He asked about them as if they were wrong, and I started to explain how I got them in a panic. He laughed and said "No, they look good. I just wanted to make you sweat." After the professor asked us to come up with the relationship between the numbers, I responded with an "Oh, okay!" I noticed that the further an object is from us in space, the faster it's moving away. I said that to my group, but they didn't believe me and fought me hard about it. That's a good thing, it just means they're thinking. We finally agreed on my answer (after other people in the group threw out different ideas), but then I started to feel sick because I had been sick the whole weekend. I felt like I was feverish. Looking at the clock, I noticed it was about 21:10. I had 15 minutes to catch the 21:25 bus, otherwise I would have to wait until the 22:20 bus.

Anyway, I mentioned to the professor that I thought my fever was coming back. He quickly showed me the math for the Doppler effect, but I didn't really have time to get into it. Ryan and the professor told me to leave an go catch the bus, even though we (as in my group) weren't entirely done with lab. Under normal circumstances, I would have gladly waited until the 22:20 bus. I hope my professor knows that. Them telling me to go made me feel happy because people who barely know me care, if even just a little bit.

That next Wednesday, I also had a good time in class. We looked at Hubble Telescope images the whole time. I never get tired of looking at pictures of space. We had lab after class and we did "Guess the Gas" which involved looking at a tube that had been electrified to make the gas in the tube glow through a spectroscope. Only problem is, my medication makes my pupils HUGE all the time and with all the lights off and an incredibly bright tube of gas I started getting a headache, then started feeling queezy. I ended up having to shield my eyes for half of the lab.

Around 21:20, while my eyes were still shielded, the SI slid into the seat next to me and spoke, asking me when the bus came. He startled me, and I had to suppress an "AH!" reaction. The bus comes at 21:25, so I told him I was already missing it because there was no way I could have made it. I was going to just wait until the 22:20 bus. Lab ended at about 21:30, and when I mentioned to someone in my group (that I'd been doing group projects with the whole class) that I'd have to wait for the bus for an hour or so. They told me they weren't going to let me wait that long and gave me a ride home. It was really nice of them since it is a 25 minute drive to my house from the campus.

Formal logic was amusing the next Monday (April 11th). My professor was talking about the state the U.S. is in, and he said "I don't know, but I'm optimistic." I laughed and responded "Really? That's good, 'cause I'm not." Then we had a rather nice discussion about pessimism, realism and optimism. It was actually a decent conversation because he's a philosophy professor. You can see my stance on these things from an entry I wrote a while ago here.

We covered the Big Bang Theory in astronomy. It involved this huge diagram, and I managed to get it all on one sheet beautifully - it's actually quite impressive and I'm proud of myself. I wish I knew people that would appreciate it if I showed it to them. I mean, I know a few - but not nearly enough. When my professor was drawing his diagram on the board, Ryan had said "It looks a little short." and the professor said "It's about 3.7 yards." and proceeded to pull out a meter stick to measure. 3.78 meters. The SI, the professor, and I laughed about it - but no one else really did. Or at least, I didn't hear them. What? It was amusing. I'm frequently entertained by amazing skills in estimation. My professor also called the "Inflation Epoch" the "Reagan Epoch" - I said "That's horrible." in class and the professor laughed and said "I know." Ah, astronomy class, you never cease to make me laugh.

Astronomy on Wednesday was fantastic, as always.

I got to the school at about 16:30. I went into the lab where people often are before the classroom is open at 17:00. There were so many people doing their HR diagram projects RIGHT BEFORE class. The SI was busy answering questions, and so some people started asking me questions. I was flattered, but I really didn't want to help them. Of course, I did help and I was nice about it, but I didn't enjoy it. I ended up having to leave the lab to go into the classroom when it was open, even though most people stayed in the lab. I just wanted to get away from it.

I had the most memorable lab yet that night. We went out to look at the stars and it was just amazing. We watched them come out. It got annoying though, because while we were out there, people kept running into me. My personal space was really being violated. And no one apologized, except for the SI, once. I'm not the one moving here! I also had to dodge the laser pointer. Was no where I stood safe?

At about 21:30, we headed back in. I had already missed the 21:25 bus, but I was okay with that. He allowed everyone to leave, but you were allowed to stay to look through the telescope at Saturn. I got so excited! When I finally saw it, I was in awe. The only way I could stop looking at it was if it moved out of the view of the telescope. It was the SI's job to adjust, so you had to move out of the way to allow him to do so. I went up to that telescope a million times it seems, and it still wasn't enough. Right next to Saturn was one of it's moons, Titan. That was the coolest part.

Before I had to leave, they moved the telescope to the moon with a moon filter. I got to be the first one to look because I had to go catch the bus. The terminator looked spectacular! It was brilliant.

I ran to go catch the bus, and as I was waiting, a person in my group pulled up and waved me into the car. I got a ride home, again! It was awesome.

I had a good meeting with my group the next morning (Thursday). We had to get together to discuss the constellation project. Everything is coming together nicely. My diagrams are done, and the lights work well.

On Saturday, while I was out in downtown Royal Oak in the rain, the wind blew my umbrella inside out and it snapped in half. As in two pieces. I guess that's what I get for paying $10 for an umbrella. It turned out alright, though, because my mom took me to get a new one. I also managed to pick up some leggings and a dinner to bring to class on Monday. I'm really happy about that.

I guess that's about it. Tomorrow is Monday, and I'm more than excited about it. I'm more excited for Wednesday when I get to bring those diagrams in.