Closing Things Out for MMIX

We had hoped to have Sophia home by now, but it looks like she'll be in the NICU until at least Monday, the day I go back to school. I'm working on a summary of our experiences so far in this regard; I hope to have it posted in the next day or two.

Until then, let me wish you a Happy New Year, loyal reader(s). I hope that 2009 treated you well, and I hope that 2010 will be even better!

Holiday Awesomeness!

For this year's Christmas season, I offered my students an opportunity to earn a little extra credit. The assignment was Chemistry Carols—in other words, some chemistry-related lyrics set to a recognizable holiday tune. Oh, and to get full credit, they had to perform it in front of the class. I got a lot of interesting submissions, but this one, from one of my AP students, was the best.

The Twelve Days of Chemistry

On the twelfth day of AP Chem, Mr. M gave to me:
* A twelve page chapter test,
* Eleven pounds of flash cards,
* Ten tiny test tubes,
* Nine moles of magnesium,
* Eight graduated cylinders,
* Seven nerdy jokes,
* Six grams of iron,
* Five hours of homework,
* Four little beakers,
* Three sexy aprons,
* Two unbalanced equations,
* And a pop quiz arbitrarily.

Even though she didn't perform it in class, she's getting full credit.

Borrowed from Facebook

This was a meme quiz that Lord Mhoram did on Facebook. So I decided to do it too...and then I decided to re-post it here.

If You Could, Would You:

Throw a chair at Barack Obama?
No. And anyone who answered "Yes" should have a chair thrown at them. Even if you don't like him, have a little respect for the office...and for a fellow human being.

Cancel NASA?
No. I'd actually increase their budget. I think what NASA does is important.

Run for president?
No, thank you. I don't need that kind of grief.

Eat the world's largest pizza?
Yes! (Not the whole thing, of course.)

Marry someone just because they're rich?
No. I've seen what happens to people who do. I don't like it.

Own a gun?
Why not? It's my right as an American citizen! :)

Run over an IRS representative?
No. See "Throw a chair" above.

Throw up on your worst enemy?
I don't have a "worst enemy".

Steal $100 from your parents?
I don't need to. My parents are very generous; we'd only need to ask.

Kill someone you hate?
No. Killing and hatred are both bad.

Destroy a type of species? If so, what would it be?
Yes. How about the virus that causes the common cold? I think we could all live without that one.

Make it snow forever?
No. If I wanted perpetual snow, I'd move to Antarctica.

Be a member of PETA?
Absolutely not.

Murder a celebrity you hate? If so, who?
No. See "Killing and hated are both bad" above.

Donate half your life savings to the homeless?
Sure. Twenty bucks isn't that big a deal.

Go back in time? If so, to what year?
I'd like to go back and see the debut performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. It's a pretty cool story.

Rather have no friends, or no family?
My family are among my best friends, so there's no way to give a meaningful answer to this question.

Just a random question: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Wherever Nancy and Sophia are.

Our New Celebrity

Here are some pictures of the new arrival, Sophia Rose. These are cell phone pics, so they're not the greatest quality, but you get the idea.

First, little Sophia with her daddy:



Another pic of father and daughter:



Crouching tiger, hidden baby:



Isn't she cute?

These are all three days old or so, which means she doesn't really look very much like this anymore. More updated pics will follow as time allows!

Welcome Sophia!

IT'S A GIRL!

Sophia Rose arrived tonight at 7:41 p.m. MST. She weighed 6 pounds 5 ounces and measured 19 inches in length. She's gorgeous.

Pictures to follow!

Early Riser

Nancy woke me up at 5:00 this morning with the words, "I'm pretty sure my water just broke."

More details as they become available....