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Words meme
[Um, so, yeah. I have been really, really bad about posting recently. There is a reason for this, which I'll get to at some point. Meanwhile I think I may be able to get back to posting.]
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ase [an unfortunately long time ago, now; sorry!]: reply to this meme by yelling (or even saying gently) "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.
Science - Five years ago I was a physicist, as demonstrated by a shiny new physics Ph.D. I loved being a scientist. I loved being a grad student (I was very lucky -- my advisor was totally awesome). However, I didn't love science itself enough to do it all the time, part of the reason I didn't much want to be a professor. So now I'm an engineer. Somtimes I'm sad about it, though I madly love the company I work for so I've never really considered alternatives seriously.
Often, though, when I talk to people who really think in a mathematically/scientifically-rigorous way, I worry that I can only aspire to the kind of clarity and precision to the way they think about science, and that I'm really just a science groupie (as I am extremely attracted to that way of thinking).
Though I have, over the last couple of years, realized that actually my sister and I have done quite well in thinking scientifically/rationally considering our upbringing. Our parents are really very smart people (our dad is one of the World Experts in his particular specialized field, actually, and our mom is probably smarter than he is, though without the professional markers), but it is certainly true that rational/reasoned argument has never been a skill that was much valued in our household. Okay, now, everyone go read Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman, which besides being compulsively readable and highly entertaining also has some really, really true things to say about science.
Novels - Books keep me alive. Especially novels. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout says, "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." Although hopefully I will never have to fear losing it, that's how I feel about reading. Some favorite novels, off the top of my head: LotR, Memory(Bujold), Possession (Byatt), To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee).
Choral - My high school choral director seems to have imprinted me with five-part Renaissance choral music. My college choral director finished the job... Books may keep me alive, but choral music keeps me happy. I have no idea why, having been brought up on instrumental and orchestral music. My happiest memories from both college and grad school involve not physics, but choral music, and it's the one thing where, if I were offered a chance to sing in a really really good choir as a career, I would chuck my job instantly. Some favorites: Bach Mass in B Minor, Tallis' Lamentation of Jeremiah, Brahms' Requiem.
California - I grew up in NC and went to college in Massachusetts. After two winters there I decided I was going to go to California for grad school. When I was accepted to my first California school I threw away all my non-California applications. It would be hard for me to leave the happy sunshine and awesome climate, though I guess the utter stupidity of California government (*cough*proposition system*cough*) might one day convince us. Favorites: Yosemite. Period. Yosemite Valley, Cathedral Lake, Glacier Point (Taft Point, Sentinel Dome).
Camera - Much of the time I am kind of relentlessly non-visual. But then D showed me how to work his old film SLR, and I started getting interested in cameras. I think photography is pretty cool, it being a mix of technical ability and artistic ability. Also around this point we got married, and our wedding photographer used a roll of IR film, and I also got interested in IR photography (though I haven't done too much recently); my dominant userpic is an IR pic of a California live oak. We just got a new DSLR (Nikon D90, as D has Nikon lenses; totally kicks butt), though D rarely lets it out of his sight. Also, I have a new dream camera! The Olympus EP-1. Oh, I'm not going to get it; I got my Panasonic LX-3 not long enough ago, and also I imagine Panasonic will come out with a similar small interchangeable lens large sensor shiny toy before too long. But still, I can dream, right?
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ase [an unfortunately long time ago, now; sorry!]: reply to this meme by yelling (or even saying gently) "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.Science - Five years ago I was a physicist, as demonstrated by a shiny new physics Ph.D. I loved being a scientist. I loved being a grad student (I was very lucky -- my advisor was totally awesome). However, I didn't love science itself enough to do it all the time, part of the reason I didn't much want to be a professor. So now I'm an engineer. Somtimes I'm sad about it, though I madly love the company I work for so I've never really considered alternatives seriously.
Often, though, when I talk to people who really think in a mathematically/scientifically-rigorous way, I worry that I can only aspire to the kind of clarity and precision to the way they think about science, and that I'm really just a science groupie (as I am extremely attracted to that way of thinking).
Though I have, over the last couple of years, realized that actually my sister and I have done quite well in thinking scientifically/rationally considering our upbringing. Our parents are really very smart people (our dad is one of the World Experts in his particular specialized field, actually, and our mom is probably smarter than he is, though without the professional markers), but it is certainly true that rational/reasoned argument has never been a skill that was much valued in our household. Okay, now, everyone go read Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman, which besides being compulsively readable and highly entertaining also has some really, really true things to say about science.
Novels - Books keep me alive. Especially novels. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout says, "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." Although hopefully I will never have to fear losing it, that's how I feel about reading. Some favorite novels, off the top of my head: LotR, Memory(Bujold), Possession (Byatt), To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee).
Choral - My high school choral director seems to have imprinted me with five-part Renaissance choral music. My college choral director finished the job... Books may keep me alive, but choral music keeps me happy. I have no idea why, having been brought up on instrumental and orchestral music. My happiest memories from both college and grad school involve not physics, but choral music, and it's the one thing where, if I were offered a chance to sing in a really really good choir as a career, I would chuck my job instantly. Some favorites: Bach Mass in B Minor, Tallis' Lamentation of Jeremiah, Brahms' Requiem.
California - I grew up in NC and went to college in Massachusetts. After two winters there I decided I was going to go to California for grad school. When I was accepted to my first California school I threw away all my non-California applications. It would be hard for me to leave the happy sunshine and awesome climate, though I guess the utter stupidity of California government (*cough*proposition system*cough*) might one day convince us. Favorites: Yosemite. Period. Yosemite Valley, Cathedral Lake, Glacier Point (Taft Point, Sentinel Dome).
Camera - Much of the time I am kind of relentlessly non-visual. But then D showed me how to work his old film SLR, and I started getting interested in cameras. I think photography is pretty cool, it being a mix of technical ability and artistic ability. Also around this point we got married, and our wedding photographer used a roll of IR film, and I also got interested in IR photography (though I haven't done too much recently); my dominant userpic is an IR pic of a California live oak. We just got a new DSLR (Nikon D90, as D has Nikon lenses; totally kicks butt), though D rarely lets it out of his sight. Also, I have a new dream camera! The Olympus EP-1. Oh, I'm not going to get it; I got my Panasonic LX-3 not long enough ago, and also I imagine Panasonic will come out with a similar small interchangeable lens large sensor shiny toy before too long. But still, I can dream, right?