Odds & ends

I spent part of this past weekend in North Carolina, joining Mom, Dad, and Kim in the 4th Annual Run, Walk, and Roll 5k race in Greenville. Dad and I were going to go to a football game afterwards, but the rainy weather (or chance of rain/drizzle) squelched those plans. While the trip was short - arriving 8:45 p.m. Fri, leaving 4:45 p.m. Sat - it was fun. Plus I set a personal best 5k time - 21:27! Maybe next year I can shoot for < 21:20? I've included a few photos below.

Fall weather is finally up us! We have had stratus clouds and highs in the 60s F the past few days, definitely a stark change from the humidity and sun of June, July, and August. The week after Hurricane Irene brought a taste of that weather, although the week was very sunny. Two more cold fronts are expected this week, with high temperatures behind each falling back into the 60s.

On Tuesday my colleague and I are presenting highlights from our SWIFT internship to the Annapolis USNA Alumni Chapter. I think we've built up quite a bit of goodwill from the USNA administration with this internship, one that can only help its future longevity.

Next month I'm connecting with Cru, Navy's Christian extracurricular activity, in two significant ways. First I'll be speaking to the chapter on Tue 04 Oct, and after that, I'll head to southern PA to their Fall Retreat on 14-16 Oct. I went on the retreat last year, too, and enjoyed the opportunity to connect with students in a way very different from the normal classroom interaction.

In November I'm considering visiting Scandanavia again - I spent Spring Break 2009 in Norway; this time I'm looking to fly into Helsinki and work my way down to Copenhangen, spending one night each in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Copenhagen. Anyone who's been to any of those countries have any tips? Things to see, eat, etc.? The plane fares are reasonable that time of year, so why not take advantage of the holiday?

Finally I've applied again for funds to take students to the Andes Mtns, this time during Spring Break 2012. Will see how the process goes (the due date for proposals was just this past Fri.), but hopefully I'll get to lead 4 more students in an exciting trip discovering language, culture, and science in South America.