Paper load

I already have a bunch of papers that need finishing. They do not need to be perfect but I would love to get some of them DONE.

I hear this is a common complaint for faculty ;)

Trick is: I have already streamlined the writing process as much as I can. Stuck it all online in Overleaf (I can edit latex on thebus with my phone!) and the references (bibdesk ftw!). And yet...a long list of editing/writing/commenting sits in my todo pile. Some of that will resolve itself (too late to contribute...) but it needs to get addressed.

So today it's paper debt time! Let's see how it goes.

The Eclipse and start of Semester 2

The great American eclipse has happend now last monday and I am just about done procrssing it.

There were all the friends coming through town to see it and we all got to connect with them. There were all the outreach I got to do in connection to this rare event. Or the fact I got to share it with my kids and family. The event itself (totality!) blew me away in terms of its emotional impact. It is really a crescendo of anticipation followed by most everyone leaving after totality.

Some of the cool stuff I got to do was the overshadowed project that used time lapse camera work of the shadow of the eclipse. That led to some media exposure in print and radio. I am now super curious how the photo will come out post-processing.

As opposed to the previous one in 1999 in souther Germany, I did not futz with my camera much and just enjoyed the spectacle. I did take one picture I am very happy with. A panorama of the all-around dusk with a silouette of Charlotte.

So that was a fun-filled weekend and monday. To be followed by a traffic filled journey home on monday night. Tuesday was when my first class on astronomy 101 started. Of course the eclipse was immediately an extra credit assignment.

No pause since. Taught first class in the Planetarium too. 100 student classes are intimidating! And the lab that goes with it is kicking off next week. More on the eclipse and teaching astro 100 level soon.