Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! Have a safe and joyful 2007!

Knee Update

I went to see the orthopedist yesterday for my knee. He told me that it looks like the physical therapy is helping. My right knee is getting stronger, though not as strong as he would like. Of course, I've only been to the PT for a month. Plus, as long as I keep up my physical therapy and the exercises that the PT wants me to keep performing, I'm sure my knee will continue to improve and get stronger. I'm sure I'll have problems with it for the rest of my life, but as long as I keep up with the exercises, it won't be as bad as it could. I also found out that I may not have to continue the physical therapy much longer since the knee is improving. I should also go back to doing the exercises for my shoulder and improve it's strength as well. Now, if could find exercises for my back to keep it from hurting as well.... It sucks getting older. I'll also do what my sister suggested. Ride my bike more often. I'll have to get it fixed first, and wait till it's warmer as well.

Christmas Pics

Here are some pictures taken while I was in Kansas City for Christmas.




Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Happy New Year!

Semester is OVER!!!!

I had my last final yesterday. I'm so glad the semester is over. I can relax now for a little bit until the spring semester which will be my last semester ever!!!!! At least full-time. I may go back part-time for another grad degree. But for now, I just want to be done. I'll be home this time next week, and want to come home again a couple of weeks after Christmas. I want to bring someone home. And I will.

Update

For those of you who did not know, I spent my Thanksgiving on Long Island with my girlfriend Alia and her family.


Here are a few images of us in New York. With my knee, we weren't able to go into the city to walk around. We figure when we go again, we'll get to walk around the city. I really want to go to Hayden Planetarium as well as Brookhaven National Lab. Still love science.

And speaking of my knee, I was diagnosed with arthritis. My knee does not sit properly in the joint and therefore, hurts. I'm starting physical therapy this weekend, and this time I plan on keeping up with the exercises. I think Alia will make me keep up with it. I should also go back to my shoulder exercises since that is beginning to hurt again. I'm falling apart.

Well, soon this semester will be over, and I'll be starting my last full-time semester. Hopefully, I'll be working in an engineering job as well.

Knee Problem

Okay. So I found out today that I have lateral patellar tilt. Still not sure what that is, though it doesn't sound too good. It could have come from athletic activity, growth spurt, or hereditary. I know it is not from athletic activity as I don't do much athletically (though I'm still hoping to play baseball or softball next summer). It could be from my growth spurt when I was 16, or could be from hereditary. I wonder if Dad had similar problems or anyone else in the family did. I was referred to an orthopedist, but I'm not sure if my insurance covers it. I guess I should call and find out. So right now, I'm wearing a brace and I'll call the orthopedist later today. Hopefully, it is something that can be fixed with therapy and not surgery. I'm so lucky that I haven't had to have any major surgery before, and I don't plan on having major surgery anytime in the near or distant future. So wish me luck.

Knees

Hopefully, Mom doesn't read this. My right knee has been hurting more than usual for the last week, and on Saturday, I woke up and it was swollen. Not overly so, but enough to be noticed. I did nothing most of Saturday, so I was able to stay off it and the swelling went down. But since I have to be on my feet a lot, the pain is not going away. Hopefully, it is nothing serious and I don't need anything, but I am going to the doctor on Wednesday, though I really don't think I need to. Better be thankful for Alia, or I wouldn't be going. We'll see what the doctor says. So far, I've been lucky since moving to Pittsburgh. Nothing major has happened to me, in terms of my health. Let's hope it stays that way.

Bored and at work

It's 2:20 in the morning and I'm still awake. Of course, I'm at the observatory working tonight. Don't get me wrong, I love astronomy, but with my wacky schedule, I'd rather be at home asleep in bed. I have to be at school at 10 in the morning (not too bad) and it's my only class. Then, I have to do laundry, buy a couple of birthday cards, tutor someone in physics at 2 pm, then bartend Friday night from 6 to close. Yeah. Good times. I'm just glad I get to see Alia more often than not, or she would probably be highly upset with me. I like it that I see her all the time and miss her when she's not around. She says that about me, too. I think we make people sick but oh well, their problem.

I can't believe that my life is still this boring. Hopefully, I can get a real job soon, so I don't have these wacky hours and can actually be asleep this late at night (or early in the morning, depending on how you look at it). I just wanted to complain. Y'all have a good one.

It's Over!

My test went well. I know I passed. My interview went well, too. Hopefully, I'll be working part-time in an engineering firm this spring which will lead to a full-time job. That would be so cool. It is time to move on from doing jobs that a college student would have. Time to grow up. We'll see how I did on that test soon.

My Exciting Time

This weekend is going to be so much fun! I get to take my FE exam. For those that don't know, this is an exam like an LSAT or a GRE. When I pass it, it means I can work as an engineering-in-training for about 4 or 5 years, and then, I get to take my PE exam which will allow me to become a Professional Engineer. (I also get to add letters to the end of my name, nice.) Then next week, I have my first interview for a real job for after I graduate in six months. (Wow, only six months left for being in school full-time. I can't wait.) This is going to be a short post because I'm tired and the World Series was not on tonight, so I am going to go to bed. Have a good night, y'all.

This is going to be an interesting weekend...

The Chiefs are in town this weekend. Kansas City is visiting the Steelers this weekend. First time that they have been to the Steel City since 1989, and the first time since I moved here. I have my Priest Holmes jersey on today, and on Sunday, I'm wearing all red. I don't know how many people I am going to upset, especially if we win, but honestly, I don't care. Most everyone I know know that I am from KC, so it is no big deal, but it will be fun on Sunday when I have to work. At least I'm cooking so I don't have to worry about getting tipped. GO CHIEFS!

The Parents

Alia's parents were in town this weekend to visit her, and most importantly, to meet me. We all had a good time together. We went up to the outlets in Grove City, PA for shopping and I bought myself some clothes and watches that I needed. Then Saturday and Sunday, we went house shopping. Alia and I thought it would be for us, but the houses we looked at were way out of our price range. Nice houses of course, but not something we can afford right now. Well anyway, back to her parents. They really like me, but then again, what is not to love? Alia thinks they love me more than her, but I doubt that. She is extremely happy that her parents like me which is very good considering I'm going to New York for Thanksgiving this year. And this will be my first time to New York. I was told that we might go into Manhattan, which will be cool. Things are looking good for us.

I must love having no free time...

So, here I am working a lot again. This summer, I was complaining about working full-time and taking one class, then working on the weekends. Well, at least then, I didn't have a girlfriend. But now, I'm taking classes full-time, tutoring five hours a week (all physics, all the time), working, and making sure I still have time for Alia. And amazingly enough, I do. Too bad the money isn't better, or it would be more worth it. I just must remind myself that I will not be doing this much much longer. April - graduation (again). Then a real 9-5 job that I'll probably be bored with in a couple of years (at least, I hope not). Oh well, I should probably be doing other things now, like clean my apartment and get ready for my next tutoring session. I wish I could sleep.

Philadelphia Trip

I went to Philly on Friday and got home Saturday. For someone who has lived in Pennsylvania for 9 years, this is the first time I ever went. I can't wait to go again. Here are some pictures from the trip. The woman in the first picture is my girlfriend Alia. We went to visit her alma mater, Villanova. The other pictures are at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There is the statue of Rocky (and no, she wouldn't take a picture of me with my arms raised and no, I did not run up the steps. There are a lot of steps. I did, however, hum the Rocky theme.)

Pictures of my Car

My New Car!

I just got my new car today. A 2003 Toyota Corolla. It is silver, and beautiful. I'll show pictures later.

Planet Definition

I know you are all wondering what I think about the debate raging right now about the planets in our solar system. Is Pluto a planet? Are there 8, 9, 12 or 200 planets in our solar system? Well, in my opinion, based on what I have learned in school and what conclusions I have drawn on my own, there are only 8 planets in our solar system. The problem is defining what exactly a planet is. Is it an object that under its own gravity causes it to be spherical? Can a planet be an object that orbits around another object other than its parent star? Well, that's hard to use as a definition. Based on the first definition, that would mean there are over 200 planets in our solar system. Do you think your children want to memorize that many planets? Nine planets that we had to memorize as children was difficult enough without having to resort to mnemonic devices. If we decide to break down planets into two categories which is what astronomers have done for years (with Pluto not fitting into either category), this leaves us with eight planets. There are the terrestrial, or Earth-like, planets and the Jovian, or Jupiter-like, planets. Another way of looking at it, the planet is either rocky or gaseous. Pluto is an icy body, much like a comet. In fact, most astronomers believe that Pluto is just a large KBO, Kuiper Belt Object, which is where many comets come from (Halley's is a prime example). It may be that those categories need to be expanded on. You cannot require an atmosphere as being a requirement (Mercury does not have one, and Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn does have one). You cannot require that the planet has at least one natural satellite (neither Mercury or Venus have a natural satellite, Mars' satellites are captured asteroids, and Pluto does have a satellite, Charon). The way I've been looking at it, is to look at the core of the planet. Is the core rocky and metallic and a significant fraction of the planet's volume (the fraction will have to be determined)? Was the planet formed out of the stellar nebula when the star formed, but formed orbiting the star itself, and not orbiting a planetessimal? These are questions that must be asked and answered. There is a lot about planets and planetary systems that we do not know. Up until the mid 1990's, the only information we had about planets was that within our own solar system. But so far, it appears that our solar system is very unique and not the norm. We had always thought that terrestrial planets form near the central star and Jovians had to form farther out due to the heat. However, in planetary systems outside our own, it appears that Jovians can be close to the central star. This may also be a bias in that we can only observe extrasolar planets outside our solar system if they are large and orbit close to the central star. In the future, this bias may be eradicated.

So what have I concluded from what I have learned and read? In a list:
1) There are only eight planets in the solar system.
2) A planet must be (a) either rocky or gaseous and
(b) have a rocky/metallic core that is a significant fraction of the planet's size
(3) There is still a lot we need to learn.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment and ask. Just a reminder, by no means am I a professional astronomer, though I have taught college astronomy and studied astronomy for many years. A lot of things I have said here are my opinion based on my education.

Addendum (24 Aug 2006): Pluto has been demoted. After years of teaching that Pluto was not a planet, I have been redeemed. Of course, my definition is not the same as that of the IAU, but I like it.

Good News/Bad News

The good news is is that I'm back home in Pittsburgh after a wonderful visit with my family (only two days too long - more on that later). Besides spending time with Mom and Dad, I got to see Tom, Joanne and Maggie and 6 of their combined 8 children (Tom's daughter, Joanne's two youngest, and Maggie's three) and my sister-in-law Chris and Maggie's husband Josh. Aunts Dorothy, Gina and Judy also came by on Saturday and we had a great time (when I was awake - again, I'll explain later). I went to the Nelson for the first time since I was a senior in high school, and attended a double header that the Royals swept over the A's. I have some pictures, but they will have to wait till my camera arrives (again, I'll explain it later). All in all, a great time.

Now the bad news. I drove to Kansas City in my beautiful 1993 Corolla whose color my brother-in-law Birch referred to as "Zinfadel". It was an easy drive to Kansas City. I left Pittsburgh at 5 PM on the 13th of August and got into KC at 7 am the next morning. I was sore as all, but that happens the older you get. I drove to the museum with dad and did some shopping (shot glasses for my boss and some t-shirts for my girlfriend). So basically, the week was great. I was coming back from Kauffman Stadium after the double header and fireworks, and got stuck in traffic on I-70W just before the I-670 ramp to Kansas. Unfortunately, a woman behind the car behind mine wasn't paying attention. She rear-ended the car behind me which in turn pushed that car into mine. Needless to say, when I got home after the accident, I had trouble sleeping, so that is why I fell asleep on Saturday with everyone there (amazing considering how many kids were there). So here I am stranded in KC without my car, far from home. Luckily, I was there visiting family, so I was able to stay with Mom and Dad a little longer, but by Sunday, I was ready to go home. Hence, two days too late. My car was towed to a body shop in Kansas City, MO but I still had to get back home. I ended up buying a plane ticket to Pittsburgh for Tuesday night (which I will get reimbursed for), but still don't have a car. So I'm in limbo till I know what they are going to do with my car, either fixing it (which means I have to fly back to KC to pick it up), or totalling it (which is what I prefer, though I'll have to buy a new car). I'm just glad school starts on Monday, so I can hopefully concentrate on something else for a little bit instead of worrying about my car or lack thereof.

Addendum (24 Aug 2006): My insurance company called me today. My car will be totalled which means I do not have to fly back to KC, but I will have go out and buy a new car.

Going out of Town

I'm heading here tomorrow.I'm going to eat barbeque, watch the Royals, and try to stay cool. See you all when I get back. Except those that live in the KC area.

Bridge to Terabithia

They are making this into a movie. I remember my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Higgins, reading this book to us, but she couldn't finish it. For those who have never read it or heard of it, something occurs in the book and Mrs. Higgins couldn't bring herself to finish it. I might have to go see this movie as I remember the book, but never found out how it ended. I might have to go pick it up and read it myself.