Optic flow

I've felt like a passenger sitting in the car of life lately. I look out the window and stare at the scenery, and I have to wonder where the car is going.

Lately though I've not been questioning the destination so much -- if I'm in a car, I figure that it has to be going somewhere. And that's...okay. But as I look out the window, I have to be amazed at the wonders of the human eye as it gauges distance travelled. You look at trees far along the horizon, and you feel like you're moving along SO slowly. But then you switch to looking at trees right along the road, and you feel like you're zooming along at warp speed.

So which is it? A turtle's pace or warp speed? I don't know -- but I guess I can't keep looking out the window wondering these things. There are people in the car to talk with. And there's a driver that I have to stay in touch with, because He is ultimately in control anyway.

Ideals

Hm, combine the fact that I'm human with the fact that I used to be a math major. The result is that I like for things to be tangible, well-defined, and logical.

Or, in other words, exactly opposite to how life usually operates.

The past couple of weeks, for who knows why, I've had trouble feeling and sensing God's presence around me. It seems ridiculous because I've had some really good experiences, and I've witnessed people working for God and for others. But still, I feel frustrated. I want God to be more tangible, and I want His creation (including me) to act in more logical and loving ways.

In Mass today, we sang a song that usually doesn't do much for me because I don't really like the melody. But today the lyrics really stuck out and challenged me. In particular, the following line terrified me:

(God speaking): "Will you let me answer prayer in you?"

That question, for me at least, is really challenging. Will I let God use me to help answer the prayers of others? What are those prayers? How much initiative should I take in this process -- do I wait for God to hit me over the head or do I consistently and willingly give to others? When something hurts, could it be because I'm more focused on what I want than what God wants? How am I letting God answer prayer in me when I act selfishly? When I hole up and hide from the world? When I find excuses to not participate in whatever activity God might be calling me to do?

Yes, this entry is a bit choppy. Somehow these points seem very connected in my mind, but I can't really articulate it very well right now.

To bee or not to bee...creative

So this is going to sound like a very silly request, but I thought I'd try anyway.

I'm not going to go into depth about my research project on my blog, but one of my research goals this summer is to compare some decisions of honeybee colonies that experience a period of good foraging weather to the decisions of honeybee colonies that experience a prolonged period of bad (rainy) weather. To induce a prolonged period of bad weather, I've constructed a device to make colonies think that it's raining (without having to use a sprinkler and tons and tons of water).

This device is basically a circulating pump system that showers water onto the entrance of a hive, collects the water in a tray underneath the hive, and recirculates the water via a small fountain pump from Home Depot. The bees won't come out of the hive when they think that it's "raining" like this. I've plugged the pump into an outdoor timer, so that the rain will automatically begin at early in the morning and continue until a set time in the evening.

I'm not the first person to do crazy things like this to a bee hive/colony. A professor on my committee has used a sprinkler in some previous research, and a research group in Europe has constructed a device like this for an observation hive. In their papers, they refer to their device as a "rain machine." My device/system is a bit different because it is meant to fit regular-sized colonies out in a bee yard.

So here's my silly request: I want to give a name to my "rain machine" -- just a way to refer to it in presentations, mainly. I could just call it a "rain machine," but I'd like to get something a bit more creative (but still informative) going. My advisor even mentioned that I should have an acronym contest. ;)

So yeah...here's a try at that. :)

The name for the device doesn't have to be an acronym, but it might make things more interesting. :) Keywords might include things like: individual hive, individual colony, bad weather, rain, shower, honeybees, Apis mellifera, etc. I'm looking for a name that's informative, creative, and perhaps intuitive. Bonus points for being (beeing?) corny, too -- I'm a big fan of nerdy humor, as you all should know by now. I accept suggestions via blog or e-mail. I'll be trying to think of something too.

The winner gets...hm. Respect? Nah. Coauthorship on a manuscript? Nah. Ice cream? Now that's a possibility. :)

Thanks in advance for some professional silliness!

Gateway to the past

Ooooh, music and dancing. If either of those interest you, check out this absolutely awesome video. It's 6 minutes long, but I guarantee you'll want to watch the entire thing -- it's great!

Courtesy of the Kiwi, may I present: Evolution of Dance

Providing for others while they provide for you

'Tis the season...for potlucks! I am attending three potlucks in three days this week, which makes me very happy. Things I like about potlucks:

- Everyone brings some type of food, and thus everyone contributes to the meal (usually about equally). I very much like the idea of a meal experience emerging from the work, traditions, and creativity of individual people. And the nerdy side of me likes drawing symbolic parallels between that and other areas of life, such as marriage and the Church community.

- Potlucks often give me good recipe ideas. Sometimes I ask people for their recipe, or sometimes I just come away thinking of good food combinations that I might want to try in the future (raspberries and pineapple together, for example).

- Potlucks provide a great excuse to try a new recipe for an appetizer or dessert.

- I almost inevitably go searching for interesting recipe ideas before I decide on what to make. This means that I get to search for recipes online or go sorting through the earmarked pages of my absolute favorite magazine, Cooking Light. Yes, I find this to be a fun process. :)

- Potlucks usually have lots and lots of food. I like lots and lots of food. Therefore, I like potlucks.

- Potlucks are fairly economical. You might spend as much as $5-10 on a dish to pass, but you have flexibility on the amount you spend (usually, you choose the recipe to make anyway), and in return you get a multiple-course, all-you-can-eat meal, and a fun time with friends. It's way better than going to a restaurant, and cheaper overall too. And I've never come away from a potluck hungry. :)

- Potlucks usually involve some other good group activities, like good conversations, outdoor fun and sports, or the celebration of an event. Two of my friends had a potluck reception at their wedding, and it was an absolutely fantastic experience. All of the guests loved contributing to the special day, and it made for a very personalized reception.

- A good potluck is not an exclusive event; since the food merely grows with each additional attendee, there's often a "the more the merrier" attitude. As a result, potlucks are a great opportunity to meet new people -- especially friends of friends or the family of friends.