Coffee from a Reusable Ceramic Mug

It’s been a nice day so far. I woke up and virtually hung out with Matthias (on Skype). He had gone out to Walhalla today and enjoyed a beautiful Saturday over there. Tomorrow, he will meet up with Christian, who works at the Max Plank Institute in Garching. In all of the time we were in Regensburg, Christian has never been to visit the town. He has traveler a lot, and our schedules never matched up. Finally he’ll come see our little place.

After chatting with Matthias, I had some quiet time listening to the NPR chatter in my little place. The stillness was broken by some protester! You are probably thinking the same thing I am - “Protester? In Arlington? On Saturday?” I saw them appear from my balcony screaming great things like:

“Whatta’ ya want?”

“(garbled, loud response)”

When da ya wann it?”

“Now!”

I finally made out the words union and justice in the loud shouts, so I guess they were union people. But really, Arlington is dead on Saturdays.

I headed out toward Georgetown to pick up a book and find some lunch. On the way, I got on an extremely crowded metro - I think the population of DC has doubled this weekend because of the cherry blossoms. Matthias and did a virtual nature walk (we chatted as I walked along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal). I walked back and followed the canal along Georgetown and had lunch at a chute little overpriced restaurant on the canal. By this point, I needed a rest because I had walked for miles in my flip flops and made myself a little blister. The sun slowly started to fade by this point and I got a bit chilly so I headed to Trader Joe’s to pick up some food.

I had a bit of a little spasm in Trader Joe’s and gloriously spilled a bottle of Balsamic vinegar on the floor :-). The manager was gracious and seriously concerned that I may have cut myself - I didn’t. I did manage to cover my right foot in vinegar though. Perhaps is was good that I had my flip flops on because I could just stick it and my foot in the sink and everything was clean! The same can’t be said for the floor. The nice manager cleaned that up.

Now, I am back home and I need to actually do some chores (taxes, work stuff, etc). I may stick a nice yoga practice in there. I think it will be another quiet Saturday night in Arlington.

I went to the career fair today and chatted with kids about being an astronomer for about 4 hours. We were across from a park ranger (he gave me a badge that says junior ranger) - I want to be a park ranger! Anyway, it was a fun morning of kids coming up to me and having the following conversation over and over again

Kid: (reading off of a list of questions that prepared) “What do you do?”

Me or Android: “We are astronomers! (with great enthusiasm)

Kid: (blank stare)

Me: “Do you know what an astronomer does?”

At this point we got several answers, mostly “no,” but as the kids go older, we got different versions of ‘”ook at outerspace.” Strangely, this idea doesn’t seem to change for the rest of many people’s lives. They some how seem to think we count stars or something (for those of you who are fans of the Little Prince). We actually stopped doing that as soon as telescopes were invented, and more recently, we even started doing some science out there. We brought a telescope and a hand held spectograph so they seemed to like that. I showed a lot of kids their first emission spectrum!

I went back to work afterwards (in my flip-flops and cargo pants - I remember the days of going to work like that every day!). I felt wiped out all day from talking so much and basiically trying to entertain kids. When I got home, I thought, OK, I’ll lay down for a second. That was at 7:00. I woke up, looked at the clock, and said “Agh!” as it was 9:30! Apparently, talking to kids for 4 hours is really, freaken’ exhausting! Now it’s 10:00 and time for bed I have my second long meeting tomorrow. We get to talk, once again, about astronomy - all day! I can’t even look at science magazines these days….

Oh yeah, one strange thing happened at the science fair. There was an anthropologist there, and he stopped by our table and asked some questions about the picture we had. At some point, while standing in front of great images of the Universe, he said, “I don’t believe in the Big Bang - I am more of a Steady State guy.” Wha???! I was a bit taking aback considering the source of this statement. I said, “But you are an anthropologist!” That’s like me walking up to him, as an astronomer, and saying (while standing in front of his really old skulls), “I don’t believe in evolution, I am more of a creationist woman.”

I think I managed to convince him that what he really meant was that he wasn’t convinced that the Big Bang adequately explains the Universe and that he misunderstood what is meant by a Steady-State Universe. Contrary to the Wiki-link, Fred Hoyle did not develop the steady State theory - as was explained to me at a conference with some of his old collaborators in attendance. It existed long before him as Issac Newton was a huge proponent himself. Ironically, Hoyle was the one who came up with the name “Big Bang” when he flippently called the theory that in a talk and the name stuck; one could almost say he named the theory that contradicted his own. I also have a big problem with how that Wiki site’s claims that the theory was inspired by a movie - really people, scientists don’t just start making crazy shit up (well, at least the good ones don’t - Hoyle was a bit loopy)! I would have put up a different link, but I am a bit lazy, and the secondary links on the first google search page were mostly from pro-creationist websites, and I don’t want to give them traffic.

The Bavarians are stirring up trouble with the Italians. They are like the red necks of Germany

The past two days have been really interesting. I helped run the first meeting of a series of 5 that I’ll be helping to run in the next three weeks. I have been planning and preparing for these since November, so even though it will be a lot of work in the next few weeks, it is such a relief to finally sun the stupid things! The cool part about these meetings is that I get to sit in on discussions about science ALL DAY, for two days at a stretch.

Actually, it’s kind of exhausting (the lack of focus demonstrated by my last post at the end of day 2), but it’s really interesting. It’s also nice because I am locked in a room with a bunch of other scientists during the meetings, and I am getting to know them. I also learn so much about the astronomical community, in general - there is a lot of gossip and many stories. I also am meeting some people face-to-face for the first time, but I have known their names for years because of their work. They also get to know me too, which means that I’ll get to know scientists all over the world in the next few weeks.

Tomorrow, I have a break between meetings. I’ll be going to an elementary school with my co-worker (I call him ‘Android’) to take part in a career day. It should fun. I miss doing outreach with kids. It’s kind of funny that I am going to talk to kids about being an astronomer when I am a failed astronomer, myself I always take comfort knowing that Mahatma Gandhi was a failed lawyer, and he turned out OK.

I have been bad about blogging! I have been sitting in a meeting all day (and I still am), and after some unfocused web-surfing distraction, I noticed that I am not even blogging once a week these days! I need to get a bit better because it is fun to think of things to write. Oh! Gotta pay attention again…..

My honey gave me flowers! I am a lucky lady ! Don’t we look cute in the photo too?

Matthias is doing well - better than well, actually. He’s back at work and getting back into the grove of daily life again. It seems so strange that life was so different just a few weeks ago, but time is a healler of all things, I guess.

I went out last night with the Marzipan Fellows. Joanna, from Cali, was back in DC for a meeting in my agency, and she organized a dinner with some of the local fellows. We went to a great little Mediterranean/Lebenese/Turckish Tapas place called Zatinya’s. It is one of three restaraunts in DC owned by the same owner. I have been to all three now, and they are all fabulous and a bit pricey. They all have an interesting fusion of food and a big selection of really flavorful dishes. It also utilizes te Tapas idea so the portions are small and allow for a nice sampling of flavors.

My neighbor, Rachel was there too. Rachel works, literally, across the street from my apartment and lives a few blocks from there. Last night was the first evening we have hung out since I came here. We just haven’t managed to get it together to make a plan to meet. Hopefully we get a bit better about that. She is really nice. I invited her to my yoga class and that could lead to some Monday night “24″ viewing parties. Actually, after dinner last night, we came here and watched the show. She is even more hooked than me!

I was driving back from my aunt Sue’s place today with mom and dad and we passes this wonderful German landmark! Good old Aldi….

What you can’t see in this photo is the guy sitting in his car staring at Dad and me as we parked, jumped out the car, took a photo and then jumped back in he car and left.

Notice all the snow. It snowed here all day yesterday after being in the 70’s earlier in the week. I was at Princeton for work yesterday, and I ended up leaving early so I could get back safely. It was a really slushy rain and so everything froze solid over night. I had this fantasy about coming up here this weekend and taking a long walk in the park to recover from the past few weeks. Instead, I have eaten lots of comfort food (from mom), slept and goofed around on the computer.

I have been doing tech support since I arrived because mom and aunt Sue both go new laptops for Christmas, and someone needed to go in and tell the software packages to place nicely with each other. Plus I needed to get the communication with the wireless routers going correctly. And my mom has demmanded that I transfer files from the old desk top to here computer tonight too (she said I “gotta” do it - I asked her what happened to her manners and she said she’s desperate ). Actually, I am really impressed with how much my parents have learned about computers. They still have a lot to learn, but they are a lot more relaxed when things don’t work. My uncle George was saying things like, “Oh, we really screwed it up!” today, and my dad said “Oh, you can’t REALLY screw it up.” That was one of his first computer lessons, and he finally learned it. Of course, one can REALLY screw things up, but for what they are doing, they can usually just reformat the drive if things get bad. I need to teach mom how to back up her photos first though.

Matthias is back home after recovering from a nasty Vampire bite (notice the small pucture holes on his neck!). He actually looks less chicken-like than he appears in this photo, but I thought it was cute :-). He flew Jasper (our litle helicopter) as soon as he got home, and I think that helped a lot.

We are still coming down from the stress of the past two weeks, but we are back home together, and that helps a lot! I just have to add about two or three kilos back on his little body before I go back to Washington.

Stupid Vampires.

Dear Universe,

Just in case you are listening, I wanted to say thanks.

Remember last week when I was nervous about the upcoming week at work, which was supposed to be really crazy and the following week when I was supposed to give my fist invited talk at an a national conference, have a big meeting in Santa Cruz and visit my old friends across the country? My head was buzzing with the possibilities and the plans. In the back of my mind was always the issues of the upcoming heavy decisions regarding careers, family and location.

I wanted to let you know that, with that one phone call at 3:30 in the morning, you reminded me of the true clarity there is in my life. Without any fear or anticipation, I can see that there is only one path for me, and it will happen just as it is supposed to, whether I chose to stress out about it or not. I can make it all about me if I want, but it won’t help. It’s not about me, and it never will be.

I know you have taught me this lesson before. I know I have chosen to forget it, again, but I just wanted to let you know that I am paying attention. I know there is much more joy to come in the life and love I have been blessed with. I know that I am not what I do; I am the people I love, and I am the people who love me.

I know that there is a small army of people willing to support me in my times of fear. I know there are people willing to harass doctors on my behalf, in a foreign language, half way across the world just to help ease my heart. I know there are people who will make inappropriate jokes at tense times just to remind me that life is still funny. I know that there those don’t know how to support me in tough times, but they love me none the less.

I know that I take my health, beauty and vitality for granted, and that I can lose them and more in a moment. I know that I have no control over what moment will take any of them from me. I know that the only thing I can control in my life is my reaction to the events that unfold before me. I know that joy, love and acceptance are the only tools I have to help hold on to the peace that sits deep inside no matter what storms swirl around me.

I am grateful for the valuable lessons that I learn with phone calls in the middle of the night and from challenges and pains that are always only temporary experiences. There is always something more permeant.

Thanks for the reminder

You curious observer,

Tammy

Hey all of our friends and family out there, thanks so much for the support this week. If you don’t know what I am talking about, send me an email, and I’ll explain. Things are coming along in Regensburg, but it has been a very bad week for Matthias. All of you are in our hearts. I’ll send more updates over emails once things settle down. I took a few hours at home alone while Brunoa and Gerda stayed with Matthias. I am heading back to the hospital tonight, and I’ll spend it there with him again. I will only have limited emails access, so the updates may be far between.

Thanks so much for your support!