I Can Has Funding?

Yes, this is a LOL cat picture.

I created it in celebration of my completing the latest fellowship application - and a chapter of my dissertation. Phew!

For anyone who's wondering... this is Curious Georgette (1991-2000).

Proof That I Really Should Be Graduating

My first semester at UVA, way back in 2003, saw the Dreaded Hurricane Isabel. (Yes, I did just link to Wikipedia. As I tell my students: it does have its uses, but paper citations is not one of them.) UVA closed, though not until the hurricane was already upon us. I vividly remember biking home through the hurricane - not an experience I'd care to repeat. My apartment was full of hurricane refugees from my undergrad institution of William and Mary, which lay close to the coast and got walloped - it was closed for over a week.

UVA hasn't closed since then... until today. The picture above comes from last week, when a "mere" 10" of snow fell (more than we usually get in any given year). As I type, a predicted 24-30" of snow is pouring down outside. After I finish typing, I'm off to dig out my car (again) in the vain hope that when the snow stops (predicted circa 10 P.M. tomorrow night) and they plow my complex, I might actually be able to get it out.

It would have been so cool to start and end my graduate career with UVA's rare closings.

Alas, that is not to be. And after I finish shoveling out my car, it's back to work on writing chapter 2 of said dissertation. Fingers crossed I don't lose power, but at least my laptop has a good 4 hour battery life. Maybe I should figure out where my flashlights ran off to....

XXX

No, XXX is not referring the movie. XXX is actually my Triple-Ex-Roommate Kim (as opposed to my Ex-Roommate Margaret and my Double-Ex Roommate Eleanor - have I mentioned I move around a lot?)

XXX is awesome. She lets me crash in her spare bedroom and play with her puppy every time I visit Charlottesville. She also occasionally even lets me get a math-fix by helping her write logic tests and quizzes.

If you are a dwarf, then you are an Old Narnian.

If you are an Old Narnian, then you are a dwarf.

Converse, inverse or contrapositive? Anyone?

Work accomplished today:

1) Began debating modifications to my dissertation chapter outline. Not like it's due in two days or anything...

Pillows and Packing

This is a special 3-day edition of my blog! (Yesterday, today and tomorrow).

A few weeks ago, I was talking with one of the other fellows here at the Cassatt house and mentioned I'd brought my own pillow with me to PA.

She allowed as how it was lucky I drove, so I could bring a pillow.

I laughed and said the pillow fits into my suitcase. Not only has this pillow been to Philly, it's also spent 3 months in California, 1 month in Illinois and 6 months in the UK. It's been further away from home than a lot of US citizens! Before you think I'm crazy (yes, I know, too late) let me add that this is a foam pillow and, once you've become a foam pillow convert, you'd rather sleep without one than use one of those hard lumps or soft fluffy allergen-filled things everyone else seems to think is a pillow.

Pillow snobbery over.

The point is, when you pack, no matter how long you're going for or how much junk you just have to bring with you, you can make it all fit. And keep it under the weight limit. (50.0 and 49.5 lbs flying out of LAX, and I could still carry my backpack and computer case - though it was close, seeing as how my combined luggage weighed more than I did).

Power to the packers!

Work accomplished yesterday:

1) Wrote some of my dissertation chapter.

Organization In 21st Century America

So I was reading a book on Benjamin Franklin's book collection yesterday, and his attempts to organize it. This made me realize 1) my book collection is completely uncataloged (and, since it is currently in boxes, very unorganized) and 2) I really ought to consider making up a finding aide for my dissertation research notes.

In other news, my friends at the APS let me go up into the rare book vault and browse the shelves that have all the books I've been requesting, in case I missed something in the catalogue. It makes me realize how much, when I'm in open stacks, I like to do shelf browsing around the books I request. The difference between the online organization and the physical organization is pretty incredible. And I find it much easier to scan a shelf of books than to scan a list of books by shelf number. Of course, I also find it easier to scan/read a book in its original than flip electronic pages. Does this make me the electronic-age version of a dinosaur?

Research accomplished yesterday and today:

1) Read a bunch of political pamphlets.

2) Read through a couple of algebra and Latin arithmetic textbooks

3) Discovered the London Gazette online (thnx Taylor!)

Now I'm taking off researching early to go dissertate. A week to the ACLS deadline and counting!

Probability, Fortifications and Some Moving Math

So this weekend I was proud to field a phone call from my baby brother (I have to add the baby part because he's like six feet tall so I can't call him my little brother anymore, and he looks older than me, so I want to make sure no one's in any doubt that I am the big sister here). He had some questions about probability.

Now, it's been probably eight years since I had much to do with probability, and it was never my favorite subject. In fact, I seem to remember calling a certain course "Probability and Sadistics." Nevertheless, I actually knew what he was talking about! And sorta helped him out! I'm so glad to know that I can still legitimately call myself a mathematician.

On another note, yesterday I was also randomly looking up something re: the US Navy on wikipedia and followed a few links to discover some guy called Vauban, who I'd never heard of before but was a French fortifications expert in the 17th century. Cool.

Then I went into the APS today, pulled the first of my manuscript sources, and discovered it was on Vauban. Creepy, bizarre, coincidence?

At work today, I got to talking with another fellow today about moving. A few quick calculations lead to some very frightening results. I think I need a job. And to not move for a few years. Because here's my current track record:

In the past 18 months I have lived in 8 different cities. Not counting all the moves of the past 18 months, I have still moved 14 times and had 13 different roommates in the past 10 years. (So that all took place in a 8.5 year time frame, for those who are counting.)

Research accomplished this weekend and today:

1) Wrote up more stuff for my current fellowship application.

2) Outlined a chapter of my dissertation.

3) Read a couple of manuscript sources.

4) FINISHED the almanacs at the APS.

Whew!

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock

If you've ever watched the Big Bang Theory, you know exactly what the title of this post refers to. If you haven't, check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iapcKVn7DdY

You can take the girl out of the math department, but you can't take the dork out of the girl!

Research accomplished today:

1) Read a lot of almanacs, including several that exist nowhere else in the world and one that ESTC doesn't believe exists!

2) Promised my advisor both a revised dissertation proposal and a chapter of said dissertation.

Um, I think I might be blogging a bit less in the upcoming weeks!

Filthy Lucre

So I realized today that I've got a little over two weeks to write a chapter of my dissertation in time to submit for a dissertation-writing fellowship. Maybe I should spend a little more time dissertating and a little less time blogging if I want to bring home the filthy lucre....

In other news, my newest house-mate is also working at the APS with me. Yea - I'm no longer the only one!

Research accomplished today:

1) Read another half dozen almanacks.

2) Got started on my Folger homework assignment: figure out some primary source of mine that might me useful for my assigned partner's own dissertation. Hmm... anyone want to read some fun account books??