This is my life

In anticipation of May Day (May 1st), which is a holiday in Barbados, let me give a few more updates on life. (And, YES, this is in list format. Lists rock.)

1- Like my friend Francine (Coram Deo), I have realized that in the tropics, the sun is intense. And I agree with her that really only 2 hours of daylight exist where continual sweat does not: 5 a.m. to 6 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (This does not imply that fast walking at other hours does not lead to a good covering of sweat.) Thus, again like Francine, this week I've woken daily at 5:15 a.m. for a jog or walk, depending on the day (jog MWTh, walk TuF). This little island secret was obviously unknown only to me... for at 5:15 a.m., I pass quite literally several dozen other walkers, joggers, and - towards 6 a.m. - business men/women heading to work. Despite being crazy tired at 8 p.m., the benefits of waking are real.

2- My computer headset arrived today :) I'm going to test it out a little later with a refreshing chat with a friend. We always talk about weighty matters (bed sheets, shampoo, rabies, China, roommates, soup, etc.), so please do not interrupt!

3- I figured out how to plot a high-resolution map on MM5 output using RIP4. Hurray! Now if I could only figure out how to *run* MM5 on more than one processor.

4- Speaking of, do you know that I routinely login to a supercomputer? The thought dawned on me the other day-- 'how crazy is this life? I am a supercomputer user!' Funny story there: yesterday, I got an email from the system administrator warning me that my account was using too much space. He said if I didnt delete, or compress, some files, I could cause the supercomputer to crash! Wouldn't that be a funny story to tell the grandkids: 'yea, buckaroo, back at the turn of the millenium, any old grad student could crash the supercomputer. And I managed to do just that.' (I must admit, it is tempting to go download a 6GB file to overload the partition & make that sentence come true! haha)

5- Less than five weeks before I return to the US. Still no word on Austria or confirmation which class I will teach in the summer. I'll let you know when I know.

(see, aren't lists great? you dont even have to really end the post. but, for closure's sake, this is the end of this post.)

Photo journal

A few photos from the last couple of weeks.

Matu, Marsha, and me before Campus Crusade:


Francine and me (yes, she is standing on a chair):


Hireka and me at CCC:


Josette, Michael, and me, locking arms good and tight:


Corey and me before CCC:


Rolando, Nikay, and me:


Me trying to be hip with Kyle:


Now some photos from the Campus Crusade day trip and picnic to River Bay on the far north coast of Barbados.

The rocky Atlantic coast:


Watch out for the little green apples:


A great way to spend the morning: International Scrabble (Barbadians, Jamaicans, Americans, Trinidadians, and a Dominican to boot!)


The girls:


Group shot at the bus stop:


Another group shot down at the beach:


Nikay at the shore:


Stephen. He's quite a poser.


Me at the shore. Am I a poser, too?



Photos from the Good Friday road trip with friends from church.

West coast, St. James Parish:


Sugar cane fields, St. Lucy Parish:


Typical house, St. Lucy Parish:


Rugged east coast (Little Bay):


Me at Little Bay:


Palm trees in Barbados:


Trevor and Joy-Ann:


Cove Bay:


Restored slave hut:


Brian, Kimmie, and Joy-Ann enjoy some crisps at Farley Hill nature preserve:


Overlooking Cherry Tree Hill:


Beach path:


Crane bay beach:


More Crane bay beach:


Pam and me at the beach (btw, it was REALLY hot by now!):


Dinner meal in St. Philip:

To calm the masses

A brief post. "Tings good wid me". The last few weeks perhaps have been rather uneventful, hence the long return period between updates. Some items on my mind:

1- Running a quadruply-nested 1km MM5 simulation of Ivan. Tricky business for sure.
2- Good Friday road trip was sweet. I'll have to post a photo or two. For now, check out the flickr photos (click on any of the ones on the right, and navigate from peru/colombia/europe to the Barbados set)
3- More holidays to come (Apr 28 & May 1), making a 4-day weekend.
4- Austria: still no word
5- Five weeks and 3 days until I leave for the U.S.
6- There are 14 students enrolled in my August intersession course, but only 1 for the summer course. I think the online system is flawed.
7- Lin Goldston has hooked me up to volunteer with International Student Services this summer. Rock on.
8- I'm house-sitting for a prof & his wife this summer. Sweet!
9- The mangy dog outside my window is inching herself closer to death with every yip she makes. Yips at 2 a.m. result in 'footing' herself closer.
10- As always, list dedicated to Jennifer Williams.

Later.

Worship, old school

Tonight the spirit took me back to my roots, back to good old classic St. James Palm Sunday & Easter hymns. My apologies for the audio quality of some of these links ... they were all I could find online! Join with me in praise of the Lord & Saviour!

All Glory, Laud, and Honor

Refrain:
All glory, laud, and honor,
to thee, Redeemer, King,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.

1. Thou art the King of Israel,
thou David's royal Son,
who in the Lord's name comest,
the King and Blessed One.
(Refrain)

2. The company of angels
are praising thee on high,
and we with all creation
in chorus make reply.

3. The people of the Hebrews
with palms before thee went;
our praise and prayer and anthems
before thee we present.
(Refrain)

4. To thee, before thy passion,
they sang their hymns of praise;
to thee, now high exalted,
our melody we raise.
(Refrain)

5. Thou didst accept their praises;
accept the prayers we bring,
who in all good delightest,
thou good and gracious King.
(Refrain)

How Deep the Father's Love

How deep the Father’s love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory


Behold the Man upon the cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished


I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

(Refrain)
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Christ the Lord is Risen Today!   (or a more traditional version)

1. Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your voice and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

2. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died, our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

3. Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

(traditional)
4. Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Cultural conundrum

On the walk home from ShopSmart (my local grocery store) tonight, I had a rather interesting encounter. The minivan driver stopped and asked me if I "want a drop". It's rather common for Barbadians to stop and offer rides to each other, especially to pedestrians carrying packages. But he was driving a minivan, which costs BDS$1.50 per ride. Thinking he was trying to get me into his van, I politely refused, but as he drove off, I doubted myself and felt bad about (potentially) refusing his hospitality. I asked my roommate & her Bajan boyfriend, and they agreed that the phrase "want a drop" supercedes the fact that he was driving a minivan. Add in that the driver was probably the same guy who drove me to the university this morning, and yea, I passed up a free ride home from the store. It was a crazy cross-cultural conundrum for sure!

Microphone malfunction

So in mid-sentence in a phone conversation with my mother on Saturday, my logitech microphone decided to die. No idea why, but it continues to malfunction today, and I've troubleshooted all I care to. So a few minutes ago, I placed an online order for a replacement USB headset. We'll see how many days it takes to arrive in Barbados (after first going to N. Carolina). I am hoping for April 13th, but realize that might be too optimistic. If you need to call me, I can listen to you no problem, but I cant talk back. Email/IM/Chat is the best way now, until I get the headset back.

** Update: My roommate has a headset with microphone, and I might be able to borrow it if something urgent arises. **

Haircut, before & after

Two weeks ago I went into town (Bridgetown) to get my haircut. The guy left a few (dozen) hairs too long, but after 14 days, I think it has turned out okay. Rub in some gel, go for the "messy" look, and no one can tell that sections are twice as long as the rest.

Open letter* to Senators

Dear United States Senators:

Please vote YES on Senate Bill 1033, "A bill to improve border security and immigration." Our nation was built on the backs of immigrants, and Americans well know the value of our diverse neighbors. This legislation is important to our future. Thanks.

-Brad Barrett

"When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself." -- God (Leviticus 19:33-34)

*this letter was specifically addressed to NC Senators Burr and Dole and transmitted via electronic communication on 27 Mar 2006.

Tyrannis Liberatores

Tyranny of the liberators

With the passing of the third anniversary of the US-led war for Iraqi freedom, I have decided "enough is enough". The 5-page online piece in today's NY Times detailing the long litany of even more abuses of Iraqis at the hands of Americans is sickening. A short summary of some of the tortures at Camp Nama:

Using prisoners as paintball targets: "No Blood, No Foul: The High Five Paintball Club".

An 18-year-old man suspected of selling cars to members of the Zarqawi terrorist network was seized with his entire family at their home in Baghdad. Task force soldiers beat him repeatedly with a rifle butt and punched him in the head and kidneys.

Some detainees were kept in what was known as Motel 6, a group of crudely built plywood shacks that reeked of urine and excrement. The shacks were cramped, forcing many prisoners to squat or crouch.

Jailers often blared rap music or rock 'n' roll at deafening decibels over a loudspeaker to unnerve their subjects.

Some detainees were stripped naked and had cold water thrown on them to cause the sensation of drowning.

Four Special Operations soldiers from the task force were punished for "excessive use of force" and administering electric shocks to detainees with stun guns.

Couple this with the series of photos from Abu Ghraib and the picture of US handling of Iraqi prisoners is downright saddening. The worst part? I suppose that most of my countrymen just don't care. "Iraqis are terrorists." "These people are prisoners, hell-bent on attacking us, why not torture them, they might provide information that will prevent us from dying." etc etc.

I have just 2 thoughts in response: 1- torture is never justifiable, in any situation, ever. 2- is this the way to behave as a freedom-bringing force? The US has lost all credibility in my mind as a force of liberty. I would rather face whatever consequence may come than resort to such humiliating and demeaning behavior, all done in the name of "information gathering". (Yea right, and Hitler should win a prize in medicine for his "experiments" in the 30s & 40s).

The sad reality is that all people - Germans, Iraqis, Afghans, Americans, Brits, Bajans, Romans, Egyptians, Babylonians, Japanese, cannibal tribes, etc. etc. - are innately sinful, possessing desires that we see expressed when people and groups are given such power over their fellow man.

I cannot trust my government and its military representative. Therefore, after wavering for many years and taking a situational approach, I have decided to finally come out against war in all its horrible forms. The quotes below, especially the last two, reveal the true heart of God which I believe is inside of me. What would my life look like if I treated my enemies such?

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." - Jesus.

"It is mine to avenge; I will repay." - God

"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you." - Proverb

Life of a programmer

Today I spent a cumulative 6 hours programming. And I am tired. So I've decided to skip today's jog, post a short blog entry, and perhaps watch a movie or just go to bed early. I am happy to now possess a regional radar reflectivity archive from the 12 March 2006 major mid-west tornado outbreak. I do not have a way (yet) to animate the images (they are in PNG format, which I gather is still relatively new), but I can scroll through them myself via the windows picture viewer. Amazing set of imagery -- you can easily see the *triple* initiation off the dryline in eastern Kansas, watch the storms organize on the micro- and meso-scales into a line of supercells, and follow them as they march east across Missouri into Illinois. I managed to save the 00Z SGF and OUN soundings as proximity soundings to the event. Later I'd like to go back and grab the upper-air maps valid at 00Z (and if I can find it, the 24-h and 12-h previous ETA and GFS forecasts). So, after 6 hrs of programming, I now possess 289 .png images of regional wsr-88d reflectivity (centered on EAX).

In other news:

- My MM5 simulation over the weekend evidenly made it to 43200 sec (720 mins, or 12 hrs). What I dont understand is the stupid errors I get from the Boomer queue, nor do I actually see any detail in the output (granted, Ivan was still in a formative stage, and he was not in my model domain during this 12-hr run). I'm interested to continue the run, and perhaps also output cloud-water or something else useful. The sfc temp and all upper-level plots are relatively meaningless since the gradients of said properties in the tropics are, well, relatively low. I did see that a pretty stout upper anti-cyclone existed ~ 500km to the west of Ivan. I wonder if that is real or a fictious model error of some kind. Stay tuned.

- I've been offered a "visiting lectureship" at the University of Graz in Austria for the winter 2006 academic term. Sweet! :) Anyone been to Graz before, or want to share your insights? I see they have a rather neat clock tower in the middle of town. And there's also a flight from Graz to Antalya, Turkey, that runs at least once a week.

- Only 11 more weeks on Barbados. Wow. Time flies when you're having fun ;)

- Tomorrow I will venture into town and get my hair cut (read: get my head shaved almost clean). Meant to do it today but got distracted by programming (you know how it is, you get started on something and really want to finish it).

- More details on the programming: I started out in Fortran 77, being my most comfortable language, but the system call routine sucks in F77. So I switched to Python, a less-friendly language but more robust than Fortran. After hunting around on the web for insights on how to run a loop in Python (you use a "For" statement), I got things to work. As posted above, I am the proud possessor of 289 radar images from one of the more (the most?) prolific tornado outbreaks in my lifetime.

- I'm a little excited about the NCAA tournament, mainly b/c I can watch it on TV here via the CBS affiliate from Erie, PA. Go Tar Heels, and Go Sooners! :) My wish-pick? UNC. My realistic pick? Duke

Enjoy the week. And sorry for the 8-day delay between posts. I've been kinda busy (applying for the job to Austria, coding, running the MM5, etc.)