Hello from Brooklyn!

Leela: The definition of cute.

Instead of my typical update, I thought I'd just give a letter style post.

Everyone, thank you again for the Wedding. It was better than I deserve. The gifts, the fun times... Alicia and I couldn't be happier. I can't even begin to say how your kind thoughts and gifts have bettered our lives. I'm sure I'll brag later about all the cool stuff we got.

On the education front, things are about as normal as ever. I'm approaching day 12, which means I'm somewhere between 1/3rd and half way through with the semester. My students are doing better than average. On my last exam, the average was 80/100, which is a lot better than the typical 70ish.

As for the classes I'm taking, I fluctuate between worried and content. But, that happens every single semester, so nothing new. It's mostly a product of Grad school. Instead of completing assignments and working towards a grade, I'm trying to master the subject. This means there's no end to the work. Unlike my students, I can't finish the homework assignment and be done. I'm supposed to review the notes from class, read the textbook, work on suggested exercises, work ahead... But that's how it's supposed to work. I'm supposed to become an expert in the field, and be studying mathematics because I want to, not because it's my job. I have a love/hate attitude towards it, but it's much easier and comfortable than working 40 hours a week in an office.

Alicia's Birthday was last weekend. I'll let her tell you what we did (it's her birthday, afterall!), but I will show you these:

They were taken at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. It was very tranquil. Surprisingly quiet for a Saturday afternoon. It is a great escape from the city. High recommend!

Lastly, I wanted to show you what has made this semester great:

It's called the inSINKerator. It dispenses near-boiling water at the Graduate Center. I didn't even realize my school had this until three weeks ago. I've been using it every day to make fresh coffee without having to pay Manhattan prices (typically $2 a cup of coffee). I've even branched out and started trying different teas (which are super cheap if you buy loose leaf tea). Here's my setup:

The center is my new ceramic mug from Starbucks. On the right is my AeroPress, a portable espresso pump. I drink fresh espresso from the green mug, I drink tea and Starbucks' new instant coffee Via in the white and black mug, and I go back and forth between the two when I want an Americano (similar to coffee, basically watered down espresso). I've been super caffeinated, but paying practically nothing. Compare this to a year ago, when I'd average one $2.00 cup of coffee in the morning and one $4.00 fancy latte drink in the afternoon. Very sweet. If you ever have the option of purchasing one of these inSINKerators for your home or office, do it. Instantly.

That's about all I've got for now. I'm tweeting more, so keep an eye on the feed on the right side of my webpage. I've got a presentation to a Model Theory seminar on Friday, so back to work preparing my slide show.

Update from the backyard

Hello! Sorry about the week off from blogging. As you know, I started teaching last week Monday. I've managed to procrastinate blogging since then. But not too much to take some photos!

This is my garden after about 5 or 6 weeks of growth. The Zinnias didn't come up in a grid (which I started), but are coming up great in places I just clumped seeds. There might be something up with the left side's soil, as the right side of the garden certainly has almost full growth. Or, it could just have to do with what was accessable when I was kneeling and spreading the seeds.

Here's another shot from the side so you can see how tall everything has grown. The highest Zinnias are around 7-10 inches. No blooming, or anything yet. But, there is this girl:

Alicia and I have been calling her (pretty sure it is a her) Oreo, but that is only because we are not very creative in our naming. I've started feeding it out of pure want for a cat. I went to the 99 cent store and picked those bowls up, bought a pound of cat chow and five fancy feasts at Walgreens, and it lasted almost two weeks now. I don't feed her every day, but everytime Alicia and I am out there. It makes Oreo very friendly. She's cute, doesn't hiss, and likes affection. We haven't figured out whether she is owned. She always comes from the same direction when I come outside, perhaps from her owner's house? She doesn't have a collar, but she is not afraid of people. I've checked outside at midnight, and she was still hanging out, so who knows?

Alicia has more photos and her thoughts on her blog, http://aliciaglaser.blogspot.com.