CH302 Random Musings February 9, 2006 1. I went to this conference of general chemistry professors this weekend. It was at the Barton Creek Country Club. Big place. I didn’t really know where to go and there are a bunch of groups there. But none of them looked quite right. All of them were well-heeled, and carrying martini glasses and the like. Then I notice this guy who has hair that is two feet long on the sides and he is bald on top. Unpressed Khakis, dirty white tennis shoes, a well used thread bare light blue sweater over a pot belly with a shirt tail hanging out. Something told me to follow him, and sure enough, he led me right to my people, about 100 college science professors. I was home. 2. The average on the second quiz was a 76% which was actually quite good given the level of difficulty of some of the problems and the lack of time to prepare for them. My only concern for the exam is how long you took to take the quiz—over 30 minutes and most of you were still in the classroom completing a quiz with 8 questions. It will be necessary to really speed things up to get through a 30 question exam in 75 minutes. 3. Did I mention an exam? Our first is on Tuesday the 14th during normal class hours. The exam has 30 questions that are equally weighted and will cover material in Chapters 7 though 9. Both the exam format, procedures and content are on an attached musings. Specifically note that you are being divided into two groups to take this exam. One exception, if you are left handed, you may use the left-handed desks in this room. 4. I will have a review session on Sunday from 6:30 till 8 pm in Jester A121A, taking the place of Alexis’ help session. An academic community will follow in Jester. 5. To assist in the preparation for the exam, Minhtran is preparing a practice exam which has questions she has created in response to reading the question types above. She hasn’t seen the exam so she didn’t write the questions with any bias other than trying to approximate the kind of questions she thinks I would ask. She usually does a pretty good job with the effort. The practice exam will be posted by Sunday morning or perhaps earlier. She will hold a review of the practice exam on Monday night from 7 to 9 pm during her academic communities session. The room is BUR 106 (the big classroom) 6. My wife and my daughter share the same birthday this weekend. This makes the middle of my Februarys a bit of a struggle with that, and Valentine’s Day to do. I apologize if I get a bit behind on e-mails and such.8. Poetry Corner. With Valentine’s Day less than a week away it is time to get down to business on the love poetry front. As you can imagine I prefer the poetry that comes on the downhill side of the relationship, and who better to turn to for that than one of my all time favorites, Edna St. Vincent Millay (who, as we will see, wrote the greatest poem ever about Spring, though I am getting ahead of myself.) Anyway, in the sonnets below she deals with a few of the various stages of the ending of a relationship, specifically, the denial phase and the loss of all hope phase. You’ve got to love it. Sonnet V “IF I should learn, in some quite casual way,” IF I should learn, in some quite casual way, That you were gone, not to return again— Read from the back-page of a paper, say, Held by a neighbor in a subway train, How at the corner of this avenue And such a street (so are the papers filled) A hurrying man—who happened to be you— At noon to-day had happened to be killed, I should not cry aloud—I could not cry Aloud, or wring my hands in such a place— I should but watch the station lights rush by With a more careful interest on my face, Or raise my eyes and read with greater care Where to store furs and how to treat the hair. Sonnet II “Time does not bring relief; you all have lied” TIME does not bring relief; you all have lied Who told me time would ease me of my pain! I miss him in the weeping of the rain; I want him at the shrinking of the tide; The old snows melt from every mountain-side, And last year’s leaves are smoke in every lane; But last year’s bitter loving must remain Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide! There are a hundred places where I fear To go,—so with his memory they brim! And entering with relief some quiet place Where never fell his foot or shone his face I say, “There is no memory of him here!” And so stand stricken, so remembering him! Oh, and for those of you who want a shout out to a loved one, or have a favorite bit of hopefully sappy poetry to share (whether you wrote it or not) please e-mail it for next Thursday’s musing. For example, last year this guy sent me this poem he wrote to his girlfriend. And he actually wanted it read to impress on her the depth of his devotion. Here it is, offered without comment or judgment. But a question. Is your love this great? When She Walks By Eyes so dark Heart so pure I could never love another The way I love her Gleam in her eyes Like a candles flame I love when I hear her Call out my name When she walks by Birds stop their flight The dead come to life And the blind regain their sight I could never love another The way I love her Eyes so dark Heart so pure Skin so soft Soul on fire She fills me with Complete desire The way she moves The way she looks One glance at her Was all it took When she walks by People stare At her radiant face And her ebony hair She fills me with Complete desire Skin so soft Soul on fire Perfect body A scholar's mind Michaelangelo would envy Such a find Beautiful smile Always sincere Whoever's around Wants her near When she walks by Angels weep Gods hide their faces And lovers leap Michaelangelo would envy Such a find Perfect body A scholar's
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