Ruminating

The first week of the semester has finished. And I think this one will be busier still than the last two: I have 12 teaching hours - two 5-hr classes per week and a lab section of someone else's lecture. Plus I have 5 research students I'm advising, so with our hour of face-time per week, that totals 17 hours. Not a lot of down time, especially when you throw in class preps, advising (which will hit hard in Feb/Mar), and personal research. Regardless of how busy it is, though, I love what I do and am excited to have a full week ahead.

The higher-ups have given tentative approval to my proposal for a colleague and I to take 10 midshipmen to the Plains in May for 2 weeks of storm chasing, seminars, and in-field forecasting exercises. Should be a great time, and perhaps even fully-funded for the midshipmen.

Last night my former small group reunited to say goodbye to Cam and Mary, who are heading west-northwest to Indiana for a fresh start there. I enjoyed good conversation and catching up with friends. It was sad that our small group only lasted for 3 months (well, I think they had been meeting for longer than 3 months... maybe as much as a year before I got there) before we "disbanded". Here are a few pics: Kyle and Craig sampling the yummy deserts, me with Kyle and Jen, and me with Cam and Mary.






Also last night I got a very strange text message from "Tino" (well, it popped up in my phone from Tino...) Tino was our small group leader who went back to Guatemala in December. So either he figured out how to get his US cell phone to work down there (and still show up as the same Annapolis number), or his phone is back in the US and sending text messages. I wonder if he came with his phone? That would make me happy! (I called the number back last night but got an automated message after a few rings... no voicemail setup).