Done!

I successfully defended my dissertation yesterday, and I somehow managed to finish my talk at 11:11 AM.  I would say that is quite a successful corduroy day if I say so myself.

All written up and ready to roll!

Well, I did it. I finally finished writing my dissertation, and I distributed hard copies to my committee today. If you would like to download a copy, visit the following hyperlink:

http://users.ices.utexas.edu/~evans/Dissertation/Dissertation.pdf

As the date of my defense approaches, I have been feeling all sorts of waves of emotion. I have been in school for 24 continuous years. It is pretty much all I know. That being said, most of the emotions I have been feeling are of joy. I am very excited with where my life is heading. I am happy with the direction my PhD research took, and I am excited to advance it in my future postdoctoral work. I feel privileged, and I am ever so glad not to feel burnt out at this late stage in the game.

Naturally, with the dissertation out, I am now able to catch up on fun things I have desperately been missing. Long talks with Sarah, running, cooking, wine, Arrested Development (it's coming back!). And I am pretty sure those are the things life is all about.

Deep in the Throes of Dissertating

I know. I am a bad, bad blogger. But seriously, I am dissertationally (yes, that is technically a real word) running down the last stretch. I defend the eleventh of November. Wish me luck.

Texas, how could you?

So, last week, an old roommate e-mailed me about a new gluten-free beer a Catalonian friend had made him try, and it actually wasn't half-bad. Well, when I asked him the name of the beer, I got increasingly excited. You see, Estrella Damm Daura is a special kind of beer. They actually make their beer with barley, but they use a special procedure to remove the gluten before the brewing process. The result is a product with less than 6 PPM (parts per million) gluten with the official label of "best gluten-free beer in the world".

So, naturally, I started a frantic search for the beer after my roommate e-mailed me. If they had it in Boston, they had to have the beer in Austin. Right? Austinities love beer, and they love their gluten-free diets. Well, I scrambled around, hitting up two different Whole Foods, two Specs, and a variety of other locales to no success. Finally, I decided to e-mail Daura itself to ask about the availability of Estrella in Texas. Unfortunately, this is what I got back:

Hi John,

Thanks for your interest in DAURA. Unfortunately, due to labeling laws DAURA in not available in Texas. Bummer, we know. Should that change, I will reach out and let you know ASAP.

Many thanks,

Stacie

In conclusion, Texas just became a lot more lame. Fortunately for me, I will be hitting up Boulder, Colorado soon where I know they have Daura. And it will be a joyous day. A joyous day indeed.

Update: Daura is available in Virginia as well! I now have new inspiration to visit my fiancée in Williamsburg!

Second Update: Apparently, the specific law prohibiting the sale of Daura in the state of Texas is the following: any beer with more than 4% alcohol per weight (about 5.1% alcohol per volume) must be labeled as an ale, not as a beer. This is one of the more severely stupid laws I have heard of. Apparently, there has been some talk in the legislature regarding overturning this law, but no luck yet. For more on this, check out this blog entry.

Running is a contact sport.

I really need to buy a headlamp for when I run at night. Sheesh.

Erik Demaine and His Cubes

Last August, a team of international researchers were finally able to show any position of a $3 \times 3 \times 3$ Rubik's Cube could be solved in 20 moves or less. Well, Erik Demaine, an associate professor at MIT, has upped the ante, proving that a general $n \times n \times n$ Rubik's cube can be unriddled in $O(n^2/log(n))$ moves. I actually had the chance to meet Erik Demaine four years ago at the 2007 DOE CSGF annual conference, where he gave a very interesting talk on his work in computational origami. Yes, you read that correctly, computational origami. Who said mathematics couldn't be fun? Well, it turns out that computational origami has a number of real-world applications as well, from sheet-metal manufacturing to protein folding. Anyways, if you are interested, I recommend checking out some of Erik's work - it brings a breath of fresh air to a field that can be altogether too stiff.

A Triumphant Return to the Blogosphere

I know I have been quiet for the last month, so I decided to give you an update on my life via photo blog.  A pat on the back for anyone who can identity all of the objects/places/etc. appearing in the pictures.

Chile Rellenos!

So, Sarah had sent me a vegetarian chile relleno recipe the other night, and I finally got to try it out tonight.  I basically followed the recipe verbatim, except that I decided not to seed the jalapeño peppers in order to spice things up a bit.  And wow.  These were amazing.  Definitely an A+.

Holy smokes Batman.

I won't spoil the surprise, but what a race.

Jalapeño Black Bean Tacos and Beirut at the Moody Theater

In short, last night was a great night. I finally crafted a taco recipe I really enjoy, and I got to see Beirut in concert with the lovely fiancée.

Despite their simplicity, tacos have always thwarted me. I find my creations turn out so dry that you need to douse them in copious amounts of salsa to avoid dry mouth, literally drowning out the original flavor of the taco. This has especially been the case since I have gone gluten-free as I find myself needing two corn tortillas per taco just to keep all the ingredients intact. For this reason, I have been on a quest to build a better taco. Last night, I think I finally nailed down a decent recipe while making dinner. It involves combining the sensibilities of refried black beans, fried onions, tomatoes, and jalapeño peppers. Combine these ingredients with shredded cheddar cheese, a few slices of avocado, two heated corn tortillas, and a douse of sour cream, and you've got yourself a helluva taco - moist and delicious, spicy yet not overwhelming. So without further adieu, here is the recipe for the filler.

John's Jalapeño Black Bean Taco Filler

Ingredients:
1 16 ounce can of refried black beans
1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped
1 large jalapeño pepper, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup of medium hot salsa
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt

Steps:
1. Begin by heating the olive oil in a medium to large non-stick skillet at low to medium heat.
2. Gently fry the onions in the oil for 4-5 minutes, adding the jalapeño pepper in around the 2-3 minute mark.
3. Add the refried beans and salsa to the onion-pepper mixture, stirring until the mixture fully warms.
4. Salt to taste.

After dinner, Sarah and I headed downtown to check out Beirut at the Moody Theater. I have been wanting to see Beirut ever since I heard their debut album during my first year of graduate school. Beirut is the brainchild of Santa Fe native and multi-instrumentalist Zachary Condon, and with Beirut, Condon seamlessly combines elements of Eastern European and Balkan folk music with Western pop music and Mariachi. Yesterday was also my first trip to the Moody Theater, and when I entered the theater, I was taken aback with the theater's striking contrast of enormity and intimacy. I had previously heard the theater has capacity for 2,700 people yet there is no bad seat in the house. Now I cannot disagree with that statement as Sarah and I could see and hear everything perfectly in one of the top rows of the balcony. That was another thing - the acoustics in the place were absolutely pristine. Beirut and their opener, Long Island-based Twin Sister, sounded flawless and gorgeous in the theater.

As for the concert itself, Twin Sister opened with some fun and gentle indie pop. I especially enjoyed the whispy vocals, fun hairstyle, and awkward hipster dancing of Andrea Estella, the group's lead singer. She was backed by a collection of dreamy and funky pop sequences. Then, before you knew it, Condon and Beirut had taken to the stage, and the crowd went wild. My first upon seeing Beirut was honestly: "Wow, it's the old high school marching band." The band had on hand a huge collection of brass instruments - from the french horn and trombone to a variety of trumpets. Then Beirut began to play, and I was sucked quickly into the fray. Condon and his band began with a few Mariachi-inspired numbers from their latest, March of the Zapotec/Holland. Following, Beirut played some selections from their first two albums (including "Cliquot" and my personal favorite, "Postcards from Italy") and a few rather poppy new songs. In reflection, it is incredible to hear a pop song heavily reliant on an accordion. Throughout, Condon was the definition of confident and sexy, switching between instruments flawlessly, truly leading the band from song to song. Beirut finished their initial set with the Flying Club Cup's dreamy closer "After the Curtain", and the crowd begged for more. Sure enough, Condon came back and hopped on the keyboard. Beirut then played through a few more poppy renditions and closed with the anthem-matic "Gulag Orkestar". Good stuff. Anyways, Sarah and I left with huge smiles on our faces, and I recommend you check Beirut out if they swing out to a town by you. Highly worth your time.

Family Tree!

My mother's parents have always had a thing for family trees, and they have traced my roots all the way back to Fergus, first king of the Scots, born in 330 BC. My cousin Chandler just developed a Javascript library in order to visualize our family tree, and I must say, exploring through the tree is a lot of fun. Click the “Draw Family Tree” button below to see my personal tree. It will take a few seconds to draw everything out and then you can click & drag around. Drag up and you will be able to eventually see Charlemagne, William the Conqueror, and Henry II. Pretty cool stuff, though I suspect many of us are descended from royalty.

Southern Cooking

Southern cooking, take one. Shrimp, bacon, jalapeno, and polenta with basil garnish. Need to use less water next time for the polenta.

Get ready for 11:11 AM on 11/11/11.

If all goes according to plan, you will be finally able to call me the doctor. Although I don't think I will ever be as snazzy as David Tennant or Matt Smith.

Some Interesting Perspective

Gaza Strip's first-ever marathon was held this past Thursday, with runners trailing the entire length of the coastal enclave. None of the runners had numbers and the roads along the enclave were not closed off. As one of the spectators put it, "The people find it strange -- if they see someone running, they think they are crazy. Usually Palestinians only run when there are air strikes or when they are frightened." This sure puts the popularity and relative safety of running in the United States in perspective.

Source Code: A Very Short Review

Last night, to celebrate the end of classes at the University of Texas, my roommate and I headed down to Alamo South Lamar to check out Duncan Jones' sophomore sci-fi flick, Source Code. Thoughts? I am growing tired of today's predictable and literalist "sci-fi light" films, though, by comparison, I did enjoy Source Code more than Chris Nolan's popular yet flawed blockbuster, Inception. Source Code hinges delicately on two popular sci-fi concepts: (1) transmission of consciousness and (2) the notion of a multiverse. Unfortunately, these concepts are fouled with literalist, unintelligent, and incoherent techno-babble, and the hardcore sci-fi viewer is left wondering why such techno-babble is employed in the first place. Moreover, Source Code's plot is spoon-fed to the viewer, and I was able to unravel the film's mystery within the first 20 minutes or so of the movie. That being said, the movie does not pretend to be a monumental feat of intellectualism, and I was able to partially overlook Source Code's psycho-babble and predictable plot to instead focus on and enjoy Jake Gyllenhaal and cast's acting and character interactions.

Rating: C+

God loves ugly.

I may have missed out on the Railroad Revival Tour featuring Edwarde Sharpe and Mumford and Sons, and I might be missing out on the Arcade Fire tonight at the Backyard in Bee Caves, but I was not going to miss out on Slug and Ant last night at Stubb's. The weather was picture perfect for a hip hop group hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota - a chilly 47 degrees with a hint of rain. Tough for Austin, but it set the mood. Atmosphere opened up with a collection of songs that were sure to get you moving and put a smile on your face, such as Sunshine from their 2007 EP Sad Clown Bad Summer Number 9. Soon thereafter, Atmosphere unleashed their 2002 classic God Loves Ugly, elicting massive crowd participation. However, before you knew it, Slug had strung together a quieter collection of songs whose lyrics told a story, and the crowd chilled down a bit and began to listen to the spoken words to songs such as Guarantees. Slug's intimacy and crowd interaction really made for a great experience. He kept insisting that we put our hands in the air for our own sake, to forgot about the usual crap we have to deal with day in and day out. In Slug's mind, Atmosphere's show is a celebration of the everyday man, but of course, any casual observer can notice the power Slug has over his audience. Soon enough, Atmosphere began to amp up the volume again, and the show ended with a bang and a whisper.  And all before 10:30 PM.  After seeing Slug and Ant perform twice previously at Emo's, I was worried about seeing them perform in a larger, outdoor venue.  Luckily, they killed it in pretty much every respect, and I left with a smile on my face.  Of course, that might have been due partially to the large amount of gin I ingested last night.  But seriously, fun times were had by all.

William Gibson, you're so cool.

"They sent a slamhound on Turner's trail in New Delhi, slotted it to his pheromones and the color of his hair. It caught up with him on a street called Chandni Chauk and came scrambling for his rented BMW through a forest of bare brown legs and pedicab tires. Its core was a kilogram of recrystallized hexogene and flaked TNT. He didn't see it coming. The last he saw of India was the pink stucco facade of a place called the Khush-Oil Hotel.

Because he had a good agent, he had a good contract. Because he had a good contract, he was in Singapore an hour after the explosion. Most of him, anyway. The Dutch surgeon liked to joke about that, how an unspecified percentage of Turner hadn't made it out of Palam International on that first flight and had to spend the night there in a shed, in a support vat."

I think I am going to enjoy Count Zero even more than Neuromancer.

Holy smokes Batman, I've turned 27 years old!

First and foremost, I must apologize.  I have been a terrible blogger of late.  I could give a million different excuses for my lackluster performance, but honestly, blogging has just not been at the top of my priority list.  That being said, I do have some fun news: I had my 27th birthday two Mondays past!  It was a very exciting birthday for me as I got to drink mimosas while watching a very historic Boston Marathon.  I am really looking forward to this next year and all the craziness it will bring.  After all, I will be getting married to a beautiful woman, receiving a Doctor of Philosophy in Computational Science, Engineering, and Mathematics from the University of Texas, and running a (hopefully) fast time during the 2011 Austin Marathon.  Insanity galore.

Reflecting upon my 27th birthday, I have recognized that I don't have much longer in this wonderful city of Austin, Texas.  Hence, I have decided to put together an "Austin and Greater Texas Bucket List" of things I need to do and/or re-do before I skip town.  So far, I have thrown down the following items on the list:

(1) Attend Austin City Limits, Fun Fun Fun Fest, and South by Southwest.
(2) Make a venture out to Big Bend National Park.
(3) Run the Austin Marathon, the Capitol 10K, and the Congress Avenue Mile.
(4) Attend Fantastic Fest.
(5) Attend the UT-Oklahoma football game in Dallas.
(6) Go to the Texas State Fair.
(7) Attend the Zilker Park Kite Festival.
(8) Go on a grand tour in search of the best barbecue in all the land.
(9) Go on a grand tour in search of the best Tex-Mex in all the land.
(10) Go on a grand tour in search of the best chili in all the land.
(11) Go to an honest to God rodeo and try to enjoy myself.
(12) Go to Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg, Texas.
(13) Attend a concert at Austin City Limits Live.
(14) Go check out some Austin-style roller derby.
(15) Attend Eeyore's birthday (which coincidentally is today!).
(16) Ride the pubcrawler.
(17) Check out the various Texas wineries.
(18) Go to Hippie Hollow (Sarah may have dared me).
(19) Have an assortment of alcoholic beverages and hit a few golf balls at Peter Pan Mini-Golf.
(20) Check out the comedy club Esther's Follies.
(21) Spend a Thursday afternoon at Austin's Museum of Ephemerata.
(22) Get lost in Austin's Cathedral of Junk.

Naturally, I am looking for more items to put on the list, so please let me know if you have any suggestions.  You would have my utmost thanks.

Latest Update: July 7, 2011

One year went past and I didn't even know it.

I just realized that as of last Wednesday, it has been one year since I have tasted any gluten-y goodness.  And now I can drink peppermint tea again.  Win?  I think so.

Computational Architecture

CNN ran an interesting article yesterday on Michael Hansmeyer, a Swiss architect who has utilized some fairly sophisticated mathematics and computational tools to bring a new dimension to classical Gothic column architecture. At this point, there seems to be no general consensus as to the aesthetic qualities of Hansmeyer's work, but I contend no one can disagree with his work's technical merits.

To design his "sci-fi"-style columns, Hansmeyer utilizes subdivision, a computer animation technology that has made its fame in film and gaming. Classically, subdivision generates a smooth surface via the specification of a coarse, polygonal mesh and a limiting recursive process. For example, a sphere can be generated by applying the so-called Catmull-Clark subdivision scheme to a cube (it should be noted that Edwin Catmull, for whom the Catmull-Clark scheme is named, is one of the founders of Pixar Studios).

To create his unique designs, Hansmeyer has modified classical subdivision schemes such as Catmull-Clark in ways such that rougher, fractal-like (though not really self-similar) limit surfaces may be attained. For example, the image below displays the effect of applying one of Hansmeyer's modified subdivision schemes to a tetrahedron.

Here is another thing I discovered while glancing through Hansmeyer's webpage: there is an entire annual conference dedicated to the marriage of art and mathematics, and this conference appears to be both well-attended and chock full of impressive speakers.  For instance, William Paul Thurston, a 1982 Fields Medal recipient for his work on three-manifolds, will be one of the plenary speakers at this year's gathering.  Pretty cool stuff.

I would just like to mention in closing the enormous role computation now seems to play in architecture.  One of the members of my research group was actually an architect and part-time instructor at Pratt Institute in New York City before he came to Texas to work on a graduate degree in mechanical engineering.  He has spoken on many occasions about the prevalence of computer aided design (CAD) software in modern-day architecture.  For example, the CAD software package CATIA was used by Frank Gehry to design the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and it was recently used to help build the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics.  And now fractal-like columns using subdivision?  I am anxious to see what crazy things architects will present us with in the future.

...

Well that was embarrassing. That game was almost as difficult to watch as the Wisconsin-Pitt State slug-fest earlier this year.

Oh the anticipation.

In just a few minutes, we get to witness one of the most unlikely Division 1 basketball championships in history. The 3rd-seeded U'Conn Huskies will be taking on the 8th seeded Butler Bulldogs. In retrospect, this final shouldn't be completely unexpected. U'Conn won the Big East tournament, and the Big East was widely regarded as the biggest, baddest conference in the land after all. Moreover, as if we couldn't remember, Butler did almost upset Duke in last year's title game. So this begs the question: why did only slightly more than 800 people have these teams facing off in their brackets this year? Of course there are the obvious answers (U'Conn has got to be tired by now, Butler barely even made this tournament, etc.), but I still feel like we sold these two teams short.

So, who am I going to go with? Butler. I know I am a Big East homer and all, but who can Brad Steven's brilliant coaching? And who can resist his lovable mug? I know I sure can't.

The local supermarket pulls through!

That's right, my local supermarket, HEB, now offers a store-brand gluten-free cereal: HEB Rice Squares. Two bucks a box. Hoorah for the savings à la Walmart!

John-burger Helper

Sometimes, I feel that the blogosphere is dominated by foodies. But I for one don't believe that food should always be pretty and proper, especially after an unplanned gut-wrenching run and core session on the eve of a tempo workout. So I present you this, my friends: John-burger Helper, a gluten-free mess of meat, starch, and deliciousness.

The ingredients? One package of Tinkyada spiral rice pasta, one pound *yes, one pound* of ground turkey meat, two medium sized tomatoes (chopped), 3/4 to 1 9-oz package of spinach, 5 cloves of garlic (diced), a dash of Italian seasoning, 2-3 tablespoons of butter, and a healthy heaping of Parmesan cheese. The recipe? Cook up the pasta, rinse it off with cold water, then set it to the side. Then, brown the ground turkey under medium heat and drain the fat. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for a little while, then stir in the spinach. Turn off the heat. Finally, combine the meat and veggies with the pasta and stir in the butter, cheese, and seasoning. Voila. Who said life had to be complicated?

P.S. The initial marathon training is going well. More on that later.

What a Tournament

U'Conn, Butler, and VCU (!!!) into the Final Four so far.  Seriously, who saw this coming?

Bracket Busted!

With Ohio State's loss yesterday, my bracket is officially busted.  We are now into the elite eight, and I only have two teams left (Florida, Kansas).  Worse yet: my entire final four has been eliminated.  How embarrassing.  In retrospect, I really should have had some teams going further than planned (U'Conn), but hindsight is always 20/20.  I suppose this means it's time to support the underdogs.  Go Rams!

In completely unrelated news, I have taken up the daunting task of determining a selection of beverage for the wedding.  As Sarah and I have already decided to make this a "beer and wine" wedding, it's now just a matter of what beers and what wines.  Naturally, I can't sample a wide variety of beers (damn you Celiac!), but this is a perfect opportunity to explore the vast array of low-to-moderately priced yet delectable wines.  As such, I have been purchasing a $6-8 bottle or two of wine every week and grabbing a glass with dinner.  So far, I have focused my attention entirely on Italian Chiantis (mainly because they are my favorite), but I will be expanding my search to all sorts of wines which complement Texas barbecue (Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz, Beaujolais, Sauvignon Blanc, Australian Reisleing, etc.).  So, if you know of any good low-to-moderately wines that complement Texas barbecue, please let me know!  The search has commenced, and I need your help.

A Post from the Airport

Of all things I am thankful for at the moment, I am perhaps most thankful for airports with free wireless internet.  For without it, I would be very bored during my current sojourn at Richmond Airport.  Instead, I am able to compulsively check e-mail and Facebook and peruse various forum threads on topics ranging from the benefits of home ownership to the relative merits (or lack thereof) of James Joyce.  And, most importantly, I am able to blog.  Anyways, I just wanted to write a little blurb about a couple of places I have found here in Virginia during my latest visit: Harbour Coffee of Williamsburg, Virginia and Ipanema Cafe of Richmond, Virginia. 

Harbour Coffee is a relatively quiet coffeehouse located in the New Town section of Williamsburg, and it prides itself on the quality of its beans and blends (it serves two varieties of espresso).  It even has a chalk board located in the shop, a big plus for any visiting mathematician =P.  I found Harbour's espresso shots to be on the money and a big improvement over the shots served at Aroma's, arguably the most popular coffee shop in town and the one located nearest my fiancee.  Not a hint of sourness.  All in all, I will be returning in the future to sample more of Harbour's coffee and leave my mark on the chalk boards.  And still left to sample in Williamsburg are the Coffeehouse and the Daily Grind.  Hopefully I will have something to say about these two venues after my next visit.

Sarah and I were pointed to Ipanema Cafe by one of the other students in her graduate program at William and Mary.  The cafe focuses on vegan and vegetarian options, but it also has sizable gluten-free lunch, dinner, and dessert menus.  It is located right near Virginia Commonwealth University, so it is a bit of a pain parking-wise, but it is otherwise pretty easy to get to.  Sarah and I actually loved the overall atmosphere of the cafe, which was small and hip yet comfortable and cozy.  We shared a pot of orange ginger tea, and I grabbed a smoked gouda sandwich with carmelized onions, tomato, thyme, and gluten-free bread served with a small side salad with ginger dressing and sweet-potato fries.  Verdict?  Wonderful (especially the gouda), and the various flavors really complimented each other.  Even better?  They didn't charge anything extra for the surprisingly delicious gluten-free bread.  I honestly could barely even tell I wasn't eating a true wheat-filled sandwich.  The sweet potato fries were also very well-done (Sarah were especially digging those), and I think I am going to try my hand at making some of my own sweet potato fries when I get back to Austin.

And with the thought of scrumptious sweet potato fries haunting my mind, I am going to hunt down some food in this here airport.  Until next time, enjoy the rest of the blogosphere.

Sub 2:40 in a year. The new goal.

Over the past few weeks, I have been sitting on my butt, watching my friends run various marathons and the American elites set new indoor track records.  And it made me feel extremely lazy.  So, yesterday, during an easy run, I set a new goal.  I am going to try to break 2:40 in the Austin marathon next February, 6 days before my wedding.  Bit of a reach goal?  Probably.  But I am still going to give it a shot.  So if you see me, make sure to hassle me about running.  I am going to need all the motivation I can get.

And in other news, it is now March, and that means I can now drink Coca Cola (hoorah!).  But I am going to try to resist drinking Coke (and any other soda) for as long as I can handle.  Let's see how this goes.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day y'all!  This year, Sarah and I got to do the long distance Valentine's Day thing for the first time.  Fortunately, with the help of Schmidt's Flowers and Accessories, I was able to pull off the whole flowers bit without a hitch... well, except for the fact that I had to ask Sarah for her physical street address out in Virginia =P.

To celebrate the holiday, Sarah and I had a virtual dinner and a movie night.  Back in Austin, I got the chance to try an absolutely wonderful Italian gluten-free pasta (il Macchiaiolo 100% Rice Riccioli) that Sarah gave me for Christmas.

To be honest, I was a bit nervous about cooking the pasta.  It is super easy to overcook gluten-free pasta, and the Riccioli seemed especially intimidating.  However, with a bit of care, the Riccioli turned out perfect (just keep a watchful eye on it!).  To spice things up a bit, I briefly fan-fried some spinach, garlic, and nutmeg with a heaping of butter, and mixed it all together with the pasta and some mozzarella.  The result was incredible (though I think I may throw in some bacon next time =P).

Sarah and I spent a fair portion of the evening trying to figure out what movie to watch.  In the end, we decided on Being John Malcovich as I surprisingly had not seen it before.  Verdict?  Fun and thought-provoking movie, but (spoiler alert!) I don't think I would have ever crawled my way through that rather filthy tube.  But maybe that's just me.  Anyways, I found it a fun twist on your stereotypical philosophy of mind flick, complete with life-sized puppets and a love rectangle.  And besides, who doesn't enjoy Cameron Diaz wielding a frazzled head of hair and admitting that she's a transsexual?

In closing, Happy Valentine's Day to all, and to all a good night.

Home. And snow.

I'm back in Syracuse for the first time in over a year.  Coincidentally, it has also been over a year since I have seen snow.  Ironically, it started snowing in Austin this morning.  However, the real snow is up north.  Snowshoe race tomorrow?

Withdrawal is in the horizon.

I did it.  I shook someone's hand.  And we made the agreement.  She would do without Dr. Pepper for the month of February.  I would do without Coca-Cola.

I do believe this is in my best interest.  Coca-Cola can't be good for me.  But I can tell you already this is going to be a long month.

Texas Weather

It is currently 75 degrees Fahernheit in Austin, Texas.  And yes, it is January down here in Texas just like it is everywhere else in the world.  This spot of warm weather has allowed me to enjoy breakfast and coffee on my balcony the last few mornings, and I have to say, the experience has been terrific.  Unfortunately, this warm weather will not last, and the high on Wednesday will be a mere 37.  Coincidentally, I will be heading up to Syracuse, New York this upcoming weekend to experience a real winter (snow!).

It will be a little strange leaving this city in the next year or two.  I have gotten quite used to the warmth and twelve months of green (not to mention all of the other lovely experiences Austin has to offer).  That being said, I do miss the snow.  I miss mountains and dense forests.  I miss seasons.  So, we'll see where I end up after all is said and done.

And I just realized where all of this sap came from.  It's the damn post-rock in the background.  Curse you Sigur Rós!

Someone has to throw the dice.

Although the thought of Albert Einstein as a real life "Dungeon Master" is quite frightening.

Grumble Grumble Grumble

Sleep.  Everyone needs more of it.

I have been an extremely light sleeper for most of my life.  If a neighbor two doors down opens a window at 2 AM, there is a pretty good chance that I will wake up.  Hence, when I collected a new neighbor last year that likes to hold loud conversations at 2 in the morning, I reluctantly made the sad voyage to the couch.  Nowadays, I sleep on the couch 3 or 4 nights a week.  That being said, the couch is fairly comfortable, but I would like to reclaim my queen sized bed.  So, if anyone out there has any advice for a light sleeper like me, that would be most appreciated.

Anyways.  I finally began my long trek back into running this morning (post-proposal).  I ventured a whopping 2 miles, but it still stung like hell.  I find it hilarious that the first 2 or 3 miler hurts more than later fartlek and tempo workouts.  I guess that is why they say getting started is the hardest part.  I have been trying to re-evaluate where to go with the running thing this spring.  Originally, I was going to attempt a new PR in the 5K in one of the many races during Austin's Sprint Series.  After a series of injuries last year emanating from track workouts, I am not sure that goal is the smartest idea in the world.  While I do plan on throwing myself into the mix at some local 5Ks, my new plan is to try to get into a general sort of shape for a collection of trail runs and marathons this summer.  I think my body will appreciate that in the end.

Jerseys!

As most of you are probably well-aware, I coach one of the undergraduate clubs at the University of Texas, the Texas Running Club.  Last night, the club had its kick-off meeting, and at the meeting, jerseys which were ordered in the fall were finally handed out.  And I have to say: they turned out damn sexy.  Hot damn.

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.

Now, I usually don't like (cooked) fish.  There is just something about it that just feels off to me.  However, I discovered I had high cholosterol when I was 17 years old, so I usually try to make fish somewhat of a staple in my diet.  Tonight, I tried a simple gluten-free blackened tilapia recipe with a bit of a twist.  Namely, I used this for the base rub and replaced the standard 3/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper with a full teaspoon and a half of cayenne pepper.  The resulting dish had a huge kick, proving the extra cayenne pepper successfully added some flavor to a meal I usually don't look forward to.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Last night, I had the privilege of playing the board game "The Republic of Rome".  I knew I was in for a long night when I discovered the rule book was around 25 pages long and it took around an hour and fifteen minutes for the host to explain the rules.  However, once we really started to get going, I really enjoyed the game.

The game takes place in the Senate of the Roman Republic from about 264 BC to 43 BC.  It is split into three time periods: Early Republic (think the first and second Punic Wars), Mid Republic (the era of the Gracchi), and Late Republic (the civil wars and Julius Caesar).  We elected to go with the Mid Republic.  Each player represents a faction of senators, and the goal of each player is to amass enough influence to have one's faction leader declared "Consul for Life" or have the most influence at the end of a chosen time period.  However, there is a catch.  The game can also win.  Each player must ensure that Rome survives the many crises that may fall upon it such as wars, famines, and riots.  As such, each player must conduct a delicate balancing act between cooperation and competition.

During each year or "turn", there are seven phases during which consuls and province governors are elected, affairs of the state are conducted, battles are fought against the various barbarian tribes, and so on.  To deal with all of these events, the players must interact.  For example, during one phase of play, the current Consul of State makes a selection of governors for the various provinces.  The players then vote on it, with each player's vote being weighted by their respective influence.  It should be noted that once a senator is elected governor, he is no longer in Rome and hence can no longer participate in Senate votes.  On the other hand, he then brings wealth and influence to his given faction.  This complicated interplay makes for a most interesting gaming experience.

At the end of the day, the game won.  We were thrown into the midst of five wars at once, and though we emptied the coffers of Rome to build a massive army, disaster would strike and our army was swiftly defeated due to two unfortunate rolls of the die.   We were not even a third of the way into the game.  That being said, I would definitely play again.  It reminded me vaguely of a board game version of Rome: Total War, one of my favorite computer strategy games of all time.  I await the next opportunity to take the Roman Senate floor.

P.S.  I played this game with a bunch of Classics PhD Students.  And for what its worth, they enjoyed it.  I would say that says a lot about the game right there.

Oh Sweet Wedding

Life has been both very exciting and exhausting the last three months.  As you all know, I have been frantically typing and coding away at my dissertation research, and I have also, with my fiancee and her parents, been planning a wedding.  Well, I can officially now say:

Sarah and I will be getting married February 25, 2012.

We have a chapel booked and a reception hall booked.  We even have a caterer booked.  And I have to say - once we managed to book everywhere we wanted, we breathed out a huge sigh of relief.  We are learning the hard way - weddings are stressful, even during the very initial planning stages.  We are trying to do things on somewhat of a budget, so if anyone out there has any advice, we would love to hear about it.  Anyways, we even have a wedding website if you would like to hear more details about the wedding.  Although I am sure, like all things, details will change as February 25, 2012 draws nearer.

Oh yeah. Happy New Year.

I forgot to say it in my last post:

Happy New Year everyone.  Let's make it a good one.

And I am finally done.

For all of those who did not know, I have been heavily cranking on my dissertation proposal for the last three months and have not had much time for anything else.  I finally had my proposal defense and oral qualifying exam yesterday, and the verdict is... I passed.  I could not be happier right now.  I am actually very excited about my proposal work.  I think it has the potential to make quite an impact in the computational fluids community.  And at any rate, I am just amazed I was able to string together about 12 100+ hour work weeks.  For those of you who are interested, my proposal can be downloaded here:

http://users.ices.utexas.edu/~evans/Proposal/proposal.pdf

And my proposal presentation can be downloaded here:

http://users.ices.utexas.edu/~evans/Proposal/Presentation.pdf

Careful though.  They are both quite long (at my research institute, we tend to present our proposals after 80-85% of the research has already been done).

In other news, I have discovered the joys of Torchlight recently after purchasing it for my Mac for four dollars.  I have to say its one of my best four dollar purchases I have ever made.  For those of you who don't know, Torchlight is a standard hack and slash game which was created by many of the developers of Diablo 2.  Think of it as a spiritual sequel to Diablo 2.  The result?  A great stress relief tool.  The only flaw is that the game has a paper thin plot.  But then again, sometimes you just want to hit the orc over the head without thinking about things like plot.

I have also decided to start casually reading again.  I am starting with Neal Stephenson's Anathem (I adored Snow Crash and have been trying to read Neal's other novels since), and I am going to finally read William Gibson's famous cyberpunk Sprawl Trilogy after that (Neuromancer, Count Lisa, Count Overdrive).  I also want to check out The Well at the World's End, a late 19th century fantasy novel which has been cited as a big inspiration for Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.  The book actually now lies in the public domain apparently.  As I have not taken the time to do some casual reading in a few years, I would love any ideas.  I tend to read anything that is thrown in front of me, but I often drift towards fantasy and sci-fi.

Anyways, I gotta run, but I just wanted to say I am glad to be back in the blogosphere.