wordsworth

So tonight I started the Fundamentals of Biology Class. The Intro to Bio class that had videos from last years seemed to start at the end of the textbook. Something about the chapters seemed weird. Anyway some other classes were recommended, I think they are all part of the same series basically just from different years.  Anyway, I watched about an hour’s worth of videos and then did answer some of the questions. It seems pretty easy so far. The bonds are something that really confused my in high school so I am paying more attention to those. So far I am feeling very confident, though I think my brain can only handle so much of that vocab before it starts to hurt. Good thing I have two other classes to go to if that happens.

On a side note, I when to check my “grades” for this last semester to see if any of the new one came in. Turns out I got a 97 on my last abnormal psych test. I was really freaking out about it the night before because I had not felt like I had studied enough. Apparently I did J. That made me happy. Now I am just waiting on the number theory results. That is the only other one I was worried about.

Hey. I’ve been remembering this one moment over and over.

 

I was there with you and your mom in the parking garage

beneath the tons of concrete and steel that hold together 

Ocean View

and you were saying good-bye to your mom 

as she got into the passenger seat

of the truck I would be driving

away from everywhere you are

and your eyes were tracking your friends

as they walked away from us

absorbed in themselves

and heading to where ever 

the fun would take you together

and

 

I

inhaled slowly

deliberately

focusing on the air

expanding my nostrils

filling my belly

and I surrendered 

to the loss 

of you

again

and reached

for the door handle

of the truck I would be driving

away from …

 

and then

I heard you say

"Hey, Dad!"

and 

I saw you

moving toward me

arms outstretched

and mouth embracing

the words

"I want a hug."

 

I’ve got a rainbow ’round my shoulders, and the sky is blue above, and I’m shouting so the world will know … 

So calculus has gotten really really hard. Any I haven’t been able to do as much as usual because essays and stuff. So I still haven’t taken the first test. To be honest I should probably go back and re watch all of part B because I got really stuck on all those problems.  I am going to try to do at least one hour a week from now until the end of school and then this will probably extend into summer? So ya. But anyway back to the hard stuff. I have done some work with the problems in the book because I wanted to understand derivatives more.

Anyway, within the videos I really got stuck on a^x derivatives. Right when I thought I was getting derivatives down they throw in something new. I think I will be able to understand it but I have to do a lot more practice.  I guess that figuring out the derivative of a^x is more like a theory then actually solving an equations. Finding the derivative of a^x means that I will then be able to solve other equations of the same for in an easier fashion. So I guess it is good that I know the derivative. Either way it was not all that fun to learn.

The next problem I had was the value of e. Apparently it is call a moving exponent? Anyway, first you are supposed to use a logarithm to figure it out. Whenever we used logarithm in high school things got interesting because some were on the for ln so I thought people were saying my name when they were not.  The teacher did a lot of equations on the board and then they became e. And that is what magic is.

So now I have to work on problem set two and then work on the first exam! Woot! This has taken me a lot longer then I originally anticipated. I guess this math is just hard. So next week I will be working on problem set two and hopefully be able to understand things more.

Anyway, on an un math related topic I had to go to some thesis presentations for one of my classes. The one that I went to was one by Candice Frances, the girl that dad invited to go to dinner with us over the parent weekend. I thought she had a really good presentations. A majority of her participants were not New College students, which I found interesting. Her 15 minute presentation was very informative and her method was very intricate. Then after her presentation the panel ask her an hours worth of questions. Most of them I did not understand because they asked about specific pages in her thesis. She definitely knew her topic. The audience was not able to ask questions at all, though even if I could I do not know what I would ask. After the questions everyone in the audience had to leave so that the panel could talk to Candice along. Then she had to leave to so that the panel could decide whether or not Candice passed her thesis. I am pretty sure that she passed though I did not stay around to find out.