Sunny Florida & the Keys

Earlier this month Kate and I took a trip out to Florida for a medium-sized family gathering, followed by a quick trip down to the Keys for just the two of us. We were quite shocked by the intense heat and humidity of mid-June in the sunshine state, but we had a great time visiting three generations of relatives as well as exploring Key West for the first time! I have pictures up on my Picasa page, but here are some highlights. Thanks to our friends for watching Banjo while we were gone, and thanks to Auntie for hosting Fam-Fest '09! Hope we can do it again sometime.

First, from our family visit:

Family Picture (can you tell which of us is related to these people, and which two are sisters?)


Relaxing by the pool at Auntie's, which was pretty much our modus operandi for the weekend.


Grandpa in one of his great t-shirts, Wendy


Kate, Claire, & Wendy feeding the giraffes at the Brevard Zoo - it was very cool how they came right up next to us to grab some veggies and treats!


Rhino!


Kate on our airboat ride in the FL swamplands - we saw lots of gator eyebrows and nose-tips


The evening peacock arrival - they were not very timid

Next, we drove down to the Keys for a few nights, stopping in Islamorada and Key West:

Kate


Quintessential "Keys" boat docked in Islamorada


Tom on the old railroad bridge at Bahia Honda State Park


Tom looking ridiculous making an "S" at the southernmost point in the continental US as dozens of other tourists with cameras give him strange looks out of the frame to the left


The nightly "Sunset Celebration" at Mallory Square in Key West, featuring lots of street performers of all types and species


Us on the Key West waterfront


Sunset over Sunset Key

Banjo and the Basenjis

Last weekend we got to dog sit for a couple of Basenjis. They're an interesting breed - they're African and are pretty far from the genetic tree of most dogs. They're notable for their thin, bristly fur, "aloofness", and their yodel (they can't bark!). Contrary to popular belief, being barkless doesn't mean being quiet. We found that out this weekend, for sure.

Banjo wasn't sure what to think about these intruders, so he put on a bit of an attitude. What a tough guy!


















But soon he discovered that the basenjis could do things that he couldn't, like get the stuffy toys down from their high shelf, get into the trashcan, and snitch things from tables. So they decided to form a posse, Banjo and the Basenjis. And they all lived happily ever after, the end.

Kate and Tom and Banjo in 2008

Tom and I just finished putting together our 2008 photo album. Even though these photo books seem sillily overpriced, we've really enjoyed being able to look at an actual paper copy of our pictures from the past four years. If you'd like to take a look at the most recent version, click on the link below:

2008

Marshmallow Launchers and Other Physics Projects

After my Physics students finished their standardized tests, I decided to give them a break from the lecture circuit and turn to some research and engineering projects.

First they spent about a week researching a Physics topic of their choice and then gave a poster and presentation on it for the class. I was amazed at what a great job the kids did, as a whole. They had some really interesting topics (MagLev trains, Speedo swimsuit designs, Astronaut Ice Cream, LRAD, body heat powered pacemakers, etc). One set of kids really wanted to do something related to birth control (I think they were in the middle of health class) but had a tough time coming up with a solid connection to Physics. They tried to convince me it was related to "fluid dynamics" but it got vetoed.

Then, for the last couple weeks in class we built marshmallow launchers with popsicle sticks and a rubberband. They had two goals - to launch a marshmallow as far as possible, and to be able to hit a bucket at ten feet. The "winning" team managed to launch the marshmallow 36 feet AND hit the bucket! Of course, we also had a major marshmallow war one day in class and ate a bunch of marshmallows along the way, so everyone was really a winner. There were a huge variety of designs, ranging from a standard catapult to a bow-and-arrow to a slingshot to a rubber band cannon. This project was interesting for me as a teacher because the kids who had struggled with the more academic material this semester really embraced it and often were more savvy and intuitive than the top students.

Anyway, the success of the marshmallow launchers makes me want to incorporate more engineering-type projects into my class next year - hopefully spaced throughout the curriculum instead of just at the end. I've got a few ideas, (mousetrap cars, rockets, build-an-instrument, blimps, boats) but haven't really built many of them myself, so if anyone out there has any suggestions I'd be happy to hear them!

Job Update!

Looks like I have a job next year! I'm going to be at Pioneer High School (where I did my student teaching) teaching Physics and Conceptual Physics (2 sections of each). I'm really excited about it because I had such a great experience there last year - I know the kids and will have the benefit of teaching with my mentor teacher for another year.

It has been a strange year to be looking for a job. Apparently in past years, teaching offers were made in April and most new teachers (especially in science and math) would have 3-4 offers to choose from. But this year the education budget in California has been cut so much that schools just aren't hiring. Prevailing wisdom seems to be that most job offers will start appearing in late July and August once schools have a final budgets and enrollment count - giving many new teachers only a week or two to prepare for the new year. Brutal.

At any rate, I feel very lucky to have landed on my feet at a school that I know I'll like. Here's hoping all my friends from the SJSU credential program find what they're looking for, too!

Big Brother vs. Carpal Tunnel

Today at work I noticed that some new software was automatically installed on my machine, but I didn't think much of it until this afternoon when I heard a "bloop" over my music and saw a window telling me it was time for an exercise break! The software was this ergonomic monitoring program that prompts you to take a break or do a short exercise if you've been computing too long...

Anyways, I thought the pictures and exercise names they have "tutorials" for were pretty funny. Some of the images really demanded a more accurate name based on the picture:

"Go Speed Racer, Go!"

"Smell my pits!" or "Check me out"

This one is just funny on its own.

Do the "Sock Adjust."

"Pretend you are a corpse"

"Shoot lasers out of your fingers"

"Aghghhh! Where did everyone go?" or "Ostrich hide"

Heh. This one is much funnier to watch the video for. No, there wasn't a "Love Handles" or "Spare Tire" exercise.

"Office Ninja!"

"The Bionic Elbow!"

Got any better name suggestions? Uh-oh, I'm overdue for a mousing break, better stop and do a Speed Racer or two...