Enough weather for spring break

Here in Enoughsville, life was rich while being only moderately full this week.   Ahhh, spring break!  

"Spring" is a bit of an over-simplification, though; we've had the Whitman's Sampler of Weather this week.   Sleet and rain?  Check, last Saturday.  Snow?  Check, perfect for stomping on our way to the dog park on Sunday.  Fog so think that my phone issued me weather alerts?  Check; Thursday morning.  Jacket weather, inviting outdoor walks with friends?  Yuppers; Tuesday.   Wind advisory?  Sunny days with temps reaching 80?  Rain?  yes, yes, and yes. What a week.

Monday, Pi Day, was a day perfect for taking advantage of spring break.  It was a staff holiday on my campus for reasons I'm not entirely sure of (aside from the fact that π is indeed very cool).  I desanguinated in the morning, sharing my vital fluids with someone who needs them more than I.  Then I got to give a Zoom talk at [yeeps!] Pixar.   Can I say that again?  I gave a talk at Pixar!  I had to sign an agreement saying that I understood that ideas I shared might appear in their movies, and that I wouldn't disclose any ideas I heard them talking about.   Since my talk was entirely by zoom, and it was basically me talking about my favorite math, I didn't actually hear what they are working on now but I wouldn't tell you even if I had.  If the next Pixar movie just happens to revolve around projective geometry theorems, well, now you know the source of that inspiration.  [She nods modestly.]

Um, yeah. So after I gave a talk via zoom at [did I mention this?] Pixar, I made dinner for a bunch of students who are doing volunteer work on our campus.  That was super fun, too, especially because they asked me what I'd done earlier in the day, . . .

. . . and they were the kind of students who actually geeked out a bit on math, so I got to talk about projective geometry yet again, this time in front of a live group who kept asking me questions.  It was a fabulous, fabulous day.

The home next door seems to be condemned.   By this, I don't mean the home that people live in; I'm talking about the home that the bald-faced hornets constructed last summer. 

The layers that they built up, bit-by-bit, seem to be peeling away.  I'm finding this truly fascinating. 

Will they rebuild the current structure, repairing the parts that are flapping off?  Will they build a new home nearby?  Will they just abandon the site, leaving last year's home to disintegrate as I look out my bathroom window?  I am definitely keeping an eye on what happens.  

Prewash, always a dog inclined to a life of relaxation, has been even more relaxed than usual.  Early in the week, I was puzzled whether this was just my imagination or what.  By later in the week, it was becoming apparent that her appetite was dwindling and her energy level was likewise ebbing.  It's not like I'm an alarmist or anything, so I responded calmly by having the most moderate of nightmares about deadly dog diseases.   Fortunately, we live exactly 0.75 blocks away from an awesome vet.  The diagnosis is "indigestion"; she's now taking an over-the-counter antacid medication, and pepping up accordingly -- as much as Prewash does "pep", that is.  She has had effusive naps, and also spent about an hour as porch ambassador, greeting passers by to tell them all "you are a wonderful human being, and you deserve to be loved."  Her appetite is still iffy, so we'll keep a watch on this.

Nelson got to go to a performance; it wasn't about projective geometry, alas, but he seemed to enjoy it nonetheless.

Toby Mac concert with Sizzling, Kevin and some friends

And OfSnough continues to be active in protests and marches.   

I know other people say the same, but it's so hard to reconcile the horrors happening elsewhere in the world with the delights happening in our own little corner.   We've upped our contributions to disaster relief and international health organizations, of course.  For me, I've taken extra time to be mindfully grateful for what I do have, including geeky students, calm dogs, wonderful offspring, and a devoted spouse.  And did I mention that I gave a zoom talk at Pixar?

And that's the news from our family, which continues to be wealthy in our adventures.  May you and yours be similarly prosperous.