2008, the year in review

I just read a journal entry from a very good friend, who said she had cried this morning over the loss of the last year. I admit feeling the same way at times; a year's passing is yet another indication that the drumbeat of life continues, that good times have come and gone, that we are relentlessly moving forward.

For me 2008 was a good year, filled with lots of firsts, some "agains after a long time," and maybe a few lasts. I kicked off 2008 in Southern Hemisphere, standing around Mike's pool with a bunch of people I had never met and will never meet again...sometimes those parties are the best kind. We toasted the New Year under the Southern Cross, optimistic about what lay ahead.

Back in Houston three days later, I pushed myself to and beyond my own personal limits to finish my first marathon. My friends and I followed that up with our first-ever ski trip in the Rockies, as eight of us spent a weekend in a Winter Park condo, enjoying snow, sun, and Seagrams. Three ski-holidays punctuated my spring work efforts--our group would crank on a proposal for a few weeks, and then I would take a two day break in the Rockies so clear my head.

2008 was also a year of reunions in a sense. On my first night back in Houston upon return from Johannesburg, I met up with one of my closest friends, who changed her travel plans just for that one evening. We hadn't seen each other in a few years, and had a great time catching up. Unfortunately that was our only such opportunity last year, given that we live in totally different parts of the country now.

Then, two months later, I nearly lost my nerve in an airport terminal, waiting to meet an old friend I hadn't seen (or even spoken to!) in seven years. We had been extremely close, but the years and the distance took us out of touch. Sheer luck brought us back in contact, and we took a bet on each other that we could enjoy a weekend together...yet, waiting in that terminal, I was shaking like a leaf--how would seven years have changed us? Would this weekend be a trainwreck? She felt exactly the same way, and our hello hug was visibly trembly...but that day--and the weekend that followed--ranks among my best this year.

Summer 2008 saw me return to Finland, for a brief but very productive stay in the middle of June. Many of my friends from previous stays were still there, so lots of catching up happened during those few days. I doubt that I'll be there again any time soon, so I really did enjoy that short visit.

I returned to Houston heat and another reunion just a few weeks later. My old roommate and I--out of touch for years yet living 5 minutes apart--met up for a drink on my 25th birthday. He would later move in with me for over a week after Ike struck Houston leaving him powerless (yet miraculously never interrupting my electricity).

Ike proved to be the defining event of 2008 for many of us. It ravaged Houston, yet brought out the very best in all of its residents. Our city came together like I would never have expected! Having been through such an event, I'm a lot less fearful of it happening again...yet hoping I never have to experience it!!

The last few months of the year were a blur of work and relaxing, as I shouldered my biggest (and most fun!) teaching assignment ever: chief TA for ELEC 241. As challenging as it was, it convinced me that if I have my choice, I'd like to make a career out of teaching. Week after week, I looked forward to the opportunity to present new material and to chat with students in office hours. My own research made rapid progress as well, and I hope to propose in the spring of 2009.

The year ended much more quietly than it started; my brother and I visited Winter Park on 31 December, and so I "saw in" 2009 in my dreams. I am excited about the coming 365 days, looking forward to lots of new opportunities and new directions. Hopefully I'll be a little better about posting about them here!

In the Navy

Last time I wrote, it was sometime in October--I definitely fell off the regular-updating bandwagon! Now that things have settled down, it's time to commit some of the last month's events to memory.

Asilomar 2008

Behnaam's entire group went to the Asilomar conference this year, making it my fourth visit. Most of us joined in the capacity of audience-only, but BK gave a presentation of what will soon appear as his master's work. Asilomar was as good as always, but the highlight of the trip for me was a little workshop in the two days after; the folks there gave some of the best talks I've seen in ages!

Barack Obama

We poured the champagne at 10 pm that Tuesday night, toasting and hugging and screaming and generally being psyched about the end of an Age of (relative) Darkness. To be honest I didn't think America had the wherewithal to elect Barack, and so I was doubly surprised when we won by such a convincing margin. Unfortunately though, the country is in steep decline just as he takes office...by his inauguration, over 1 million people will have lost their jobs since that historic night. Good luck BO! We are all behind you, and need you now more than ever!

Thanksgiving

I took a slightly longer (though now usual for me) Thanksgiving holiday, spending nearly a week in Denver. It was great to get out of Houston, but it wasn't entirely a break...my colleague and I remotely collaborated on our project for what might be my last course at Rice! Nevertheless, I got in lots of R&R and some good family Thanksgiving time, which may be our last for some years, as I'll describe below.

241

On the Tuesday night after Thanksgiving, I delivered my last 241 lecture to a packed room. It was the 15th (I think) such lecture, and the progress I've made as a teacher is (I think) readily evident. Compared against my first tentative, unsteady session, this ran as smooth as butter! I spoke with hardly any notes, to a standing-room only audience. When I closed and signed off, to my utter surprise, the entire classroom broke into a round of applause! For a young teacher, there can be no greater compliment than a jammed room giving an ovation. Although the time investment was considerable, I'll miss teaching--it's been a great experience, and I've come to know some great students. I'm not sure when my next opportunity will be, but I'm certainly looking forward to it!

the Navy

Chris is now in his last year as a Midshipman at USNA, finishing up a few more months of courses before standing up in May to become a commissioned officer. This is the time of year when the Academy begins assigning its future officers to positions in the fleet, which (for many of them) will determine their careers. Chris has--for the longest time--dreamed of being a Navy pilot, though unfortunately the Navy dashed his hopes with another, diametrically opposing assignment. For my family and I, this made absolutely no sense, given that Chris tops his class in virtually every category...we felt blindsided, and (for a time) appalled.

He handled this crushing news with a grace that leaves me in amazement--the depth of his character seems now to be truly boundless, as is the pride I feel in being able to say to anyone who'll listen, "he's my brother."

And so, despite my considerable disenchantment with the Navy in the past few weeks, I showed up at the Army-Navy game in Philadelphia with a tremendous amount of excitement for Chris and his classmates. Sitting in that stadium, looking out across the sea of 8000 midshipmen and cadets, I couldn't help but be stirred by the power of their collective commitment. Each of those folks is willing--without question--to put others first, to stand by the ideals of our country before anything. It takes my breath away to just think about it; needless to say I was awash with tears as the Midshipman Brigade marched onto the field yesterday...they just make me so proud! I wrote more about that game here...back then I watched it on TV; all those feelings and more are brought forth at the real thing.

We now turn our attention to his Commissioning in May, a week-long event which will culminate in the commissioning ceremony itself, hosted by (hopefully!) our new president! After that, Chris's Navy career begins in earnest, and will likely take him to all corners of the globe, on a new military timetable. That's why we've been having such close holidays this year...we don't really know how the picture will look in the years ahead.

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OK, now that things have settled down somewhat, I'll try to be more regular about updating. Everyone enjoy the beginning of the holiday season!

Teaching

is AMAZING. I love it--I really think I've found my calling.

Drama

I'll confess it. I'm a closet "Sex and the City" fan. I'm not a diehard, and I couldn't honestly tell you when it comes on TV--but if I'm flipping channels and I find it, I'll usually stop and watch it.

This weekend I saw the S&tC movie, which came out ten years after the series premier. It was exactly what I expected it to be: basically like one long episode, filled with personal drama. Since it was a movie, the personal drama had to be intense...and it was. I won't give away the plot for those who haven't seen it, but it suffices to say that the two hours passed very quickly as I watched these four women come to grips with their daily lives.

I've often felt that my own life would be fit for a TV show, much like Carrie's in S&tC, or like Lauren's in "The Hills"...they aren't always at the center of the storm, but there's always plenty going on around them. The interesting thing is that the TV drama isn't necessarily "big time" (well ok, it is in the movie), but it somehow makes for good entertainment.

I think that's why I like watching shows like S&tC and Hills--the issues surrounding the characters aren't so different from the issues surrounding me and my friends, but they give me a chance to take a break from my own drama. Even though the issues are largely the same, other people's drama is always more interesting than our own!

politics

it just...might...HAPPEN. After Sarah Palin's laughable (pathetic is a better word) attempt at relevance on the national political stage, something acknowledged even by conservatives, we might have a chance. Gobama!

Float on

Modest Mouse would say that "we all float on ok," I think they're right--this Saturday we did exactly that, packing up the Altima and heading to New Braunfels for five hours on the Guadalupe River.

I joined Ryan and Sam on this little river expedition, which Ryan experienced earlier in the summer and raved about. He brought the whole thing together from start to finish, from the pre-trip checklist to the post-trip chicken sandwiches. We rented four tubes to go down the river, three for us and one for our little cooler of "refreshments." Tied together in a line, we floated past cliffs and over rapids while enjoying a few drinks. The scenery in the area was pleasant--there was definitely a lot to see, and some of the views were quite dramatic.

The weather cooperated nicely, sunny skies with only occasional clouds kept us warm even though the water was REALLY cold. It was actually warm enough for us to lose the tops we thought we'd need, and (surprisingly) we managed to totally avoid sunburn!

Even though the place is over two hours from Houston, I'd strongly suggest that everyone go and check this out. It was SO relaxing that I almost fell asleep as we floated (probably would have were I not interrupted by, among other things, blaring boomboxes). Just be sure to wear sunscreen and sunglasses, it can get pretty bright out there.

Watch you work the room

That's the second line in the chorus of Fall Out Boy's "The (After) Life of the Party" ...

I'm not usually one to hit up meet & greets, although occasionally I get into the groove and really do "work the room." Usually it's just for fun, such as at the wedding a few weeks ago...but it can be to great effect, such as at the countless parties during the halcyon days of Finland-2005. In all my life, I've never met--and connected with--people in quite the way I did then.

I mention "working the room" because I went to a meet & greet last night, a Rice-TMC mixer. I was in a funk before going, so my attitude was wrong before I even showed up...and I made the mistake of going with friends, which made meeting people irrelevant. We went for the happy hour drinks, and to experience Trevisio...a little restaurant-bar I hadn't visited since attending a wedding reception there in Spring of 2004.

BUT I digress. When I got the announcement, I was nominally interested in meeting people there--from what I hear there are good people in TMC and we ECE kids desperately need to broaden our circle--but it didn't happen. It wasn't lost time though, since my ex-roomie (herein often referred to as my roommate) joined us. After not seeing each other for years, we've spent much of the last two weeks together. It's been GREAT.

COSH-09

Colorado ski holiday 2009 has been officially announced, second weekend of February next year. Join if you can! Let's ski!

Joel

A nugget from the message this past Sunday: "When we have to have something, it's a good sign that we're out of balance."

Think on it; there might be something there.

September 1987

Here's another retrospective:


On the left, I am 4. On the right, two decades later.

That's all I have of these; sentimentality can only float for so long.

yIKEs

This weekend I toughed out my second hurricane, which dealt Houston a direct and punishing blow over the night of 12 September. Hurricane Ike roared ashore at Galveston with winds of 110 mph, and subjected our neighborhood to its western eye wall for over two hours--this meant over two hours of sustained winds over 80 mph.

Following the suggestion of our authorities, I again chose to stay in Houston throughout the storm, taking shelter at Rice and leaving my car in a Medical Center parkade. We were safe and (relatively) comfortable throughout, as Rice provided food, water, and auxiliary power when city services failed. The storm packed a considerable punch--when winds finally died down on the afternoon of the 13th, we ventured out to see downed tree limbs everywhere, and ponding on many streets due to debris in storm drains.

At the peak of the storm, our energy provider estimated that 99% of customers were without power, yet miraculously, my condo never lost power. Nor did it sustain any damage, with the exception of slightly leaking windows and some water pushed up under the door. My block was in (entirely constituted?) the 1% of Houston never to have lost power...which was a real godsend.

The aftermath has been great to watch--Mayor White and Harris County Judge Emmett have been extremely proactive in trying to restore basic services and hold the federal government accountable for delivering aid to the hardest hit areas, which include Galveston (largely washed away). Those of us who stayed behind have all been doing our part to help the recovery, clearing branches and clogged drains. This monumental effort has brought the city back to some form of functionality within 48 hours.

In contrast to Rita, when 3 million people fled the city, only 100 thousand left for Ike--mainly those in the storm surge zone. I think it's because so many people stayed that the recovery has happened so quickly: with everyone pitching in locally, a huge amount of work has already been done.

And so Ike is fading into memory, and things are returning to normal. Now that I've experienced hurricane force winds, been in the Eye Wall, seen rain blown sideways, I don't ever need to do it again. Take a hike, Ike.

Pictures to follow soon!