Full of Excuses, That's Me

I have an excuse... I really do. There was this holiday and it was, like, an important one. Like, it was so important that I didn't go to class or go shopping or even brush my teeth (just kidding!!) for three days! Egads!

I've never been so psyched to just be a normal person again with my email and cell phone and hot water.

Last week I had my 8 consecutive hours of class and they were, as I should have guessed, no big deal. In fact, they were actually really exciting and I was completely energized by all the new concepts... yes, I am that big of a nerd, I admit it.

Early in the week I spent quite a bit of time in classes, figuring out where the volcanology building is (yes, that's right), and trying to determine whether the outside temperature demanded shorts and tanktops or scarves and raincoats. (The answer to the last one: both.) By Friday, my sukkah had survived two fairly serious bouts of rain and I stopped running outside every time I heard the patter of droplets, knowing it was going to keep standing.

Also, due to my hydrology class, I now know how droplets form in the clouds to produce rain. And because you asked, well you would if this was that kind of forum, I will tell you. Basically there are two processes. One: collision. Droplets smack into one another, they get heavy, and fall out of the clouds. Graceful in its simplicity. The other process, two: Bergeron. This refers to the microscopic ice specs that form in clouds with low water vapor pressure attracting regular droplets that have higher water vapor pressure. When they get heavy, they also fall out of the sky and any amount of ice usually melts on the way down, giving us regular ole rain.

I am such a science dilettante. I love this stuff but I've never taken a serious science class. I blame Mr. Foster, high school physics teacher, for turning me off. I am also making terrific headway in the new Isaacson book on Einstein. The bits I love about Einstein are when he admits that the study of physics is really just trying to understand the underlying order that God created in the universe. I feel that way about Geography!

Ok, I'm tired. Here are some pics of the sukkah while under construction and with the final touches, pre rainstorm.