Gone So Long

Funny thing about blogging: When interesting stuff is happening to blog about, I'm too busy to post, and then when I have time to write, I have nothing to say.

Except, of course, to talk about the past. So here goes.

Top 10 reasons why I've been too busy to blog (in no particular order):

1) Finals and grading. Finals may be more stressful for students than faculty, but you guys get done sooner. Especially since I had only graded one advanced lab report before week 10 (one for each student that is) - whose fault is that, I wonder.

2) Sieglaff sendoff party. A bittersweet affair. Cake and cookies and LN ice cream - that's the sweet part. No need to dwell on the bitter. The few photos I got before the battery died are here.

3)Going and not going to graduation. This is the first time in years that I have missed an Augie graduation. Please forgive me, class of '08. I know my son, Nick, would not have forgiven me had I not gone to his high school graduation on the same day. And I bet the Augie graduation didn't have the excitement of a speaker who denied the big bang* :-p

4) Graduation Party. Nick got the biggest and most awesome graduation party I have ever seen, thanks to the fact that I didn't plan it. It was a joint party with two other friends at one of the friends' house. They had a pool, a pool table, a bonfire, and a moon-walk jumpy thing. We were having so much fun that somebody thought, "That much fun - it must be illegal!" and called the police.*

5) Fundraising. We made a bunch of money selling ice cream outside the science building on hot days at the end of the term. We also sold chances at launching our trebuchet - we had a few people who were super interested, but not a lot of people willing to spend money on it. We also sold our T-shirts for more than we spent on them this year, so we made some money there. I even sold some shirts to Nick's high school friends. One of them got in trouble with the assistant principal, who wouldn't believe it was just a physics equation, no hidden connotations or anything.* All in all, I think we made enough money for the fireworks show. Awesome!

6) Hiring. We've been interviewing in the hope of finding someone who could possibly fill Dr. Sieglaff's shoes. They are big ones, to be sure. Any of you that have met any of the interviewees, please get your feedback to me as soon as possible. Your input is a great help in making a decision.

7) Blog contest. I spent a lot of time hoping for more responses to my blog contest. No one has yet gotten it completely right.

8) Button making. We made a couple new buttons this year. Check them out. Only 50 cents each. No price increase in spite of the cost of oil!

9) SPS chapter report. I am working with the club secretaries and Jess to write up our chapter report by June 15. Let me know if you can think of any events or chapter functions that we might forget - I will go through the blog and get everything that I blogged about (I knew there was a reason for the blog)- but don't let us forget other stuff. If they like our report, we might get an Outstanding Chapter Award. If we get an Outstanding Chapter Award, I would be eligible for an Outstanding Adviser Award - and that comes with money for the chapter. Long shot, but woohoo anyway!

10) Laser lab. We have most of the equipment we need to build and test a fiber laser in the lab here at Augie. Guess what I am doing all summer! That, and figuring out a way to make tattoos on my internal organs ;-)

*_{And you thought Sherrard was just a sleepy little hick town!}