Sound of Music Sing-Along

" nothing comes from nothing,

nothing ever could "

especially friendship.

it's give and take.

and outrageous trips to sound of music sing-alongs with middle-aged women 

who think they are extremely funny. they're not.

Manifold Mystery

After scouring YouTube for a certain video evidence, I came up short. However, as I was watching Dawson's Creek tonight, I instantly recognized something. The episode I was watching concerned the gang's trip to a Boston college. Joey was accidentally roomed with a boy, AJ. Anyway, long story short, as they are saying goodbye on the train platform, AJ goes into a speech about the math concept of manifolds. I RECOGNIZED EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS SAYING. No, it wasn't because I understood the concept or learned about it. I had read about manifolds in a book (A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar) and AJ very much said, word-for-word, a paragraph in the book.


Here is the quote from the book:

"In one dimension, a manifold may be a straight line, in two dimensions a plane, or the surface of a cube, a balloon, or a doughnut. The defining feature of a manifold is that, from the vantage point of any spot on such an object, the immediate vicinity looks like perfectly regular and normal Euclidean space. Think of yourself shrunk to the size of a pinpoint, sitting on the surface of a doughnut. Look around you, and it seems that you're sitting on a flat disk. Go down one dimension and sit on a curve, and the stretch nearby looks like a straight line. Should you be perched on a three-dimensional manifold, however esoteric, your immediate neighborhood would look like the interior of a ball. In other words. how the object appears from afar may be quite different from the way it appears to your nearsighted eye."


Here is the quote from the show:

A.J: Do you know what a manifold is?
(she shakes her head)
A.J: It's a math thing. It's hard to explain. But, imagine yourself shrunk to the size of a pin point sitting on the surface of a doughnut. Look around you and it looks like you're sitting on a- a flat disk, right? But go down one dimension and sit on a curve, and suddenly it looks like a- a straight line.
Joey: You kinda lost me somewhere around the doughnut.
A.J: In other words, the way something appears from afar might be quite different from the way it appears to your near-sighted eye.
Joey: So in order for me to figure things out, I should get myself some distance?


Coincidence? I think not! The book was published in 1998 and there is no reference to the quote in the back. The episode aired in 1999. So take it as you wish but I was really excited when I heard those lines. I ran up to my room to find the book. One mystery that I can't solve tonight. Good night!

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Happy Holidays!! Santa was very good to me this year. I got a few sweaters, an Etch-a-Sketch, pentominoes, Little Rascals, a Herschel backpack, Dawson's Creek Season 4, a NASA t-shirt, and Lonely Planet Rome guide. Thanks mom and dad Santa!! Here are some pictures of the gingerbread house I made. It was part of a village but the other four buildings are currently in the trash. I was frustrated. Anyway, I cheated when I made this house: I used glue and paint, rather than icing. Oh well!

cute, huh?

a blurry santa! he's moving too fast!

backyard

sleigh!!

Trip

Yesterday, we day-tripped to New York. First, I was literally frozen. My fingers were purple. So I was a little uncomfortable for most of the day. Second, my sister planned our "tour" and we walked loads of miles. It was very nice to see Central Park--I had never been there. But Rockefeller Center was crammed and I had no idea why we even went. Overall, it was a pleasant and cold day with the family (minus the mother).

some buildings

otha buildings

crazy outfit, I know

the fam squad, minus mother

empire state building is a ghost

Shoes

As I was Christmas shopping for my sister, I naturally found something for myself. These shoes:

Now you might think they are ugly or whatever, but I really like them. They are sharp and smart looking--I can wear them with green and black and orange and brown or anything, they are very neutral. When I was in line, I heard a girl say to her mom that she liked the aforementioned shoes.

Library Trip

I hate break. I always get up so late so it seems like my day is half over. I woke up at 9:30, was running by 10, and back home by 11:15. I was planning on going to the movies today but 1. I didn't have a car 2. I wasn't going to walk/run 6 miles there and back 3. My bike's tire is flat and it is 6 miles uphill 4. I didn't want to take Septa. I was going to see "Silver Linings Playbook" but I really wasn't in the mood to spend $5 or even see the movie.

Anyway, I decided that I was going to walk to the library and read my book there. I am currently reading "A Beautiful Mind" which is a math nerd novel about the mathematician John Nash. I also wanted to get a few Christmas gifts at the used book sale. It was a good time and my mom saw me walking home and gave me a ride. What a sweetheart! I took a few pictures of Roslyn/Abington to make this post more exciting and so I can remember what my home looks like when I leave in January.

da lib

street

sunset over the school grounds

watertower

Roslyn

Roslyn

PS--The last picture is extra special (?). I had never been up on that street so I decided to do something new. It was different and I liked it!

Grandmoms, Computers, and Fortune Cookies, Oh My!

Good news: my computer is finally fixed (for now, anyway). My mom took me to pick it up today after we visited my crazy grandmom. Her apartment is for retired people--it is pretty nice for an old people's home. We had to walk to the back inside. My grandmom walked so slow that the complex seemed huge. However, I think it was just because we were walking slow that made it seem bigger. She also told us three times about a false alarm fire drill yesterday. God bless her if there is a real fire--she needs to pick up the pace.

La Salle

So I picked up my computer and then my mom took me to New China! Yay! Three pizza rolls in a week? Heck yeah! I also ate about 10000000 fortune cookies. Here are some tips from the nine fortune cookies I actually ate:

1. If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.
2. Better to beg than to steal, but better to work than to beg.
3. Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
4. Don't ever slam a door; you might want to go back.
5. For true love? Send real roses preserved in 24kt gold!
6. Everyone has ambitions.
7. If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is it naked or homeless ?
8. Cooking is easy. Good taste is hard. That's why you call take out.
9. Do not hesitate to look for help, an extra hand should always be welcomed.

Pizza Roll Recap

PIZZA ROLL!!!

Quick recap of my past week: FINALS, running, sleeping, eating, eating pizza rolls. I am so privileged that I was able to get a pizza roll two days in a row with different friends each time! Wednesday, I went with my roommate Kristen (I guess she is now considered my former roommate?). Thursday, after my best friends from the track team threw me a great going-away party, we walked to New China to get pizza rolls. It was a whole lot of fun. Although I did stay up way past my bedtime. Anyway, now I am home for Christmas break until I leave for Rome. I haven't done much of anything since Friday so I have to do something really crazy sometime today so I have something interesting to write tomorrow.

PS--Shout out to my only loyal reader for making me post today. What a sweetheart! (Not really though...)

Pizza Roll

Well I feel as if I already talked about pizza rolls before but I guess I will just emphasize my point then. I really really want a pizza roll. It is an egg roll but with sauce and cheese inside. Deliciousness all wrapped up in Chinese goodness. I realized that I haven't had a pizza roll all semester and because I am going to Rome soon, I really need to get one this week. Not to cry a river but no one will go with me to get one!!!!! What the heck people?!? On a side note, last Sunday, my roommate Kristen ran down the hall with me on her tail as she was about to order me a pizza roll. Yeah, you are probably asking why I didn't want this to happen. Well, I wasn't hungry, you know? But I appreciate her consideration and depreciate her excitedness and energy in running down the hall. (I know that depreciate is used wrong and excitedness may not be a word...) Anyway, I am on a mission to get a pizza roll. I have been carrying around two dollars with me since Saturday in hopes that someone, anyone, will take to finally get a pizza roll.

Hopefully I can show you a picture of this heavenly goodness soon!!

Running

"we are always running

 for the thrill of it, thrill of it
always pushing up the hill

 searching for the thrill of it"

-Walking on a Dream

by Empire of the Sun

Listening to my Wombats pandora and this gem came up. It was a complete accident that I looked at the lyrics. I think this almost accurately describes why I run (there are other reasons too). I don't know if the song is supposed to mean something but I am taking it literally. Running just gives that thrill--I love running either really early or really late. It feels like I am the only one alive. Kinda eerie. But definitely cool. That is why I run--I enjoy it. Yeah, it may hurt sometimes but it doesn't always have to. What a common misconception.

Teaching

"If mathematics is important (and it certainly is), 

then so is mathematics education. 

Mathematicians who don't deign to communicate their subject

 to a wider audience are a little like multimillionaires 

who don't contribute anything to charity."

-from Innumeracy 

by John Allen Paulos

This is guilting me into thinking about being a teacher. UGH.

Return the Favor

My computer is currently broken so it stinks very much. This song is stuck in my head. Not really sure why, though I think I it played on Friday? Not too sure. Enjoy.

PS--If the video is bad, sorry! The speakers on the computer I'm using in the lab weren't working!