Update #6

Hello! Here's what's going on with me:

The Great News: I'm 24! As you may recall, my birthday was Sunday. I had a great Birthday. I woke up to breakfast in bed prepared by Alicia. She even made me a menu, which options. I had big eyes, bringing me to order french toast, scambled eggs, and potatoes. It was fabulous.

Alicia and I then walked around Manhattan, spending money where we normally wouldn't. For instance, I bought a Futurama comic at Barnes and Noble for 2.99. Normally, I'd say "blah, I don't need it." But on my birthday, dall garn it, I blew the money. We started in SoHo (SOuth of HOuston street), moving from the east side of Manhattan to the west, all the while walking up to about 23rd Street.

Some of my swag include new rubber coasters, some new jeans, a book about casinos, and a new Nintendo DS game. Hurray!

The Good News: The middle of the semester is here. Today is officially spring, and the semester is going fast. I'll be giving my students their midterm in just over a week, then I'll jet home to Minnesota to enjoy Spring Break and Easter weekend.

The Bad News: Every semester, a full professor attends one of the classes I teach to give feedback. Normally, I get great comments. This semester, I was evaluated the day after my birthday, which gave me less time to prepare. As a result, three of the four problems I put on the board at the beginning of the day had typos. (I always put a few math problems on the board for students to work through while I take attendence and answer questions). I think the rest of the class went just fine, but that first twenty minutes really shook me.

I haven't actually heard what my evaluater has to say yet. I'll meet with her Monday to discuss how it went and what suggestions she has for me. I'm preparing for the worst now, though.

What I'm Thinking About: I'm thinking a lot about Set Theory. We're working on Forcing Arguments. Now, forcing is a prerequisite for the class but I haven't ever studied it before. So I am at a disadvantage. But I'm extremely interested in the subject, so I've been sticking with it. But this class is why I've been so busy lately. I don't think I've ever felt so busy studying. Even taking over 20 credits at UMD was easier than this.

Here's my quicky explaination of forcing. Suppose we have a mathematics (we do!). It's a system where some sentences are certainly false (like 2 + 2 = 3) and other sentences are true. In the early 1900's, Godel proved that there are sentences that can't be proven true or false in a mathematical system. (Whether these sentences are true or not can't be determined within the system... but we're humans, so we can certainly have beliefs). Forcing allows us to make "Stronger" mathematics, that can show whether those sentences above are true or false.

How's that? Clear as mud? Prof. Hamkins, my set theory instructor, described forcing as "Profound, but extremely difficult." So far, my experience with forcing suggests he's right.

What I've Enjoyed: I've been playing my Nintendo DS a lot more lately. It's perfect for subway rides. I should be reading a book or studying my flash cards (you'd be surprised how much there is to memorize in higher level mathematics). But the subway rides go really, really fast with a video game. And it's about the only time I don't feel guilty about wasting.