Fun with Physics: I am still alive and I’m doing well

I am alive and I’m not in the depths of despair. This week, I’ve been working on a calculation, went running, and have been reading novels before bed. That’s it. I haven’t had any exciting Chinese experiences.

I’m doing this calculation on Mathematica. I prefer to calculate by hand but this one is nasty. So I’ve been battling Mathematica late into the nights, trying to make it obey me,
aided by bad coffee. I was tempted to post my Mathematica workbooks but realized that
1. you would mock my code
2. they don’t make much sense if you don’t know General Relativity and haven’t read a few papers
So I’ve decided to spare you. You can thank me in the comments.

I finished reading “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” and started “A Passage to India.” This is the last of the novels I brought. Mike has agreed to bring me a fresh supply when he visits in a few weeks. Please comment some suggestions!

I have some photos for you. I got these from David and Josh. They’re a few weeks old.

Here are some pics of the guys apartments. Its identical, more or less, to the girls apartment. In fact, its cleaner than the girls apartment. The bedroom shot is Josh’s room. My room is bigger but has the same furniture. I’d show you a photo but it’s a mess and you would mock me.



the bathrooms each have their own hot water tank. You have to turn it on a day or two before showering.

an RV sized kitchen


These are from the party Andy had during the first week we were here.





The fireworks have finally ended. (I now wake up to the sound of a rooster, kids playing basketball and my alarm clock) But here are some pics from when we went out for Thai food on the New Years. I think they are a good portrayal of the smoke and cardboard scrapnel from the endless fireworks that night.








The first hike we took up the hill behind campus:



our offices


these are from the day we walked through the botanical garden, along the lake, and to the silk market.



it was chilly with the wind coming across the lake so Lisa borrowed Josh’s gloves.



On a lamppost at the silk market, we saw some meat hanging up to dry. Right after we took this photo, the meat’s owner ran over and chased us away.