Headache Relief

Last night, we watch a National Geographic program on a Brit who climbed Mt. Everest. He got altitude sickness from his brain swelling due to the decreased atmospheric pressure. So next time you get a really bad headache just think of him and you will feel fortunate.

Home Schooling

In order for my son to get his science education at the level that the public schools thought he should be at, I home schooled my son part-time for one year. It worked and it has made a huge difference on his life. During the process, I met with the county curriculum specialists multiple times a year. This was to make sure my instruction was synchronized with the county instruction to my son would be aligned properly when he entered the public school system again as a full-time student. The curriculum specialist who reviewed my science instruction gave me accolades; and in fact, told me that I thought more proficiently than most of the science teacher actually out the schools. She asked if I would be interested in teaching home schooled students as their science instruction was usually extremely poor to non-existent. I said "N0." and the main reason is that I think home schooling is wrong.

The wrong people typically do the home schooling and for the wrong reasons. If home schooling i done then it should be by parents who at least have college degrees, and never by anyone who does not even have high school degree or a GED. the thought that they could instruct a child past elementary school is ludicrous.

The primary reason as expressed by home schooling blogs is parents want complete control over their children, and the reasons why they want such extremely levels of control is due to problems they had in their childhood. This is a self-centered (nothing to do with the actual child but instead the irrational fears of the parent) and control-freak approach to raising children and to life in general. Children are individuals separate from their parents. They may make some of the same choices in life but chances are they will make different ones. Parents should guide, not control. I even read where one parent's attitude was so immature as to blame the public school system and her school peers for getting into trouble! My guess is that she is raising her children to view the decision they make in the same manner; that if their decisions end up being incorrect it has to be due to someone other than themselves. Her children will never fully mature just like the mother has been unable to do.

Nothing in life is perfect and the public school system falls into this category just like everything else. But it exposing children to multiple teaching styles. As the children are away from the parents, it allows children to find out better who they are not just who the parents want them to be. Different clubs and after-school activities facilitate this. It allows the children to develop appropriate social skills; and yes, this is sometimes through failure and difficult situations, but they learn and grow and mature. They make their own decisions and must learn to accept these as their decisions no matter what the consequences are. Home schooled children tend to have all of their decisions made for them by their parents as they are constantly sheltered from life, and all that comes with it. A protecting parent is always in their lives. No risk, always safe, and totally unreal. Home schooling is wrong.

Mobius Strip

A mobius strip is delightfully fun. An intrigue to the mind. Chiral depending on which way you do the half-twist, two completely separte surfaces become one. Fascinating. Geometry and topology and impetus to knot theory.

Triangles

• Equilateral triangles are always similar triangles.
  
• Isosceles right triangles are always similar triangles.

Hug A Tree

Hug a tree today. They give us fresh air and they will out live us all. My son and I have been hugging trees for years. Give it a try and feel it hug you back.

Friends

Friends are so important to life. Sharing with them in good times is so important and they emotionally support you in rough times. I love my friends.

Some people can consider family as friends. Unfortunately, I can not. When I tell my friends about either my birth family or my in-laws, I usually get the response "You can pick your friends but you can't pick your family." This is SO true! Even by marrying, you can pick your spouse but their family is not a matter of choice.

Thank goodness I have my friends, They are dear people with whom I can share anything. They have similar ways of looking at life that allows closeness; and we learn from each other through our differences. And they are all great huggers! Hugs to all of them!!!

Sum of N-gon Angles

All n-gons can be broken down into triangles by creating line segments from a single angle to the points located at other angles (Theorem 3.25). The number of triangles formed can be determined by identifying the number of interior angles and subtracting the two angles located next to the chosen angle (line segments from the chosen angle to these angles would trace the two sides of the chosen angle). The number of sides on an n-gon equals the number of angles; so you can also use the number of sides less two. In other words, the number of interior triangles that can be formed in any n-gon equals the number of sides on the n-gon less two sides.

According to Theorem 4.53, all of the interior angles of a triangle sum to a linear angle which, as shown in earlier problems, is 180. The measure of the angles can be determined by multiplying 180 (per triangle) times the number of sides on the n-gon less two (number of interior triangles). Therefore, if n is the number of sides the following applies:

Number of angle degrees = (n-2)(180)

Comfort Zone

My entire life I have had to worry about other people's comfort zones -- myself and others need to change.

I have abilities that cross many areas. As a young child I figured out on my own, prior to kindergarten, how to add and subtract. Recommended by my math teachers to tutor others, I was a math prodigy; but I was also a girl. As I got older, I also showed artistic abilities. People who were not comfortable with my math ability steered me towards the artistic side in order to increase their comfort zone when they were around me. Unfortunately, although being an artist is suitably feminine, it is not considered a serious occupation.

The truth is that I have allowed others' thoughts to influence me too much. I am brilliant in both math and art. I am determined to pursue both, and not let others' opinions of what I can and can not do influence me. They need to deal with their comfort zones on their own and stop expecting me to change myself so they can be comfortable.

Questions or Answers

Today I was speaking with a friend about questions and answers. To her, questions and answers are equally important. In fact, she likes to have a question arise in her mind, then delve and search for an answer until she gets one; and she likes getting an answer.

To me, I love have questions come up in my mind, to search for an answer but I an happy to never get one. To me, the question and the journey or quest following the question is the most interesting part! I am as happy to either get an answer or not.

BTW have you ever noticed that the word question begins with "quest"? Differences are great!

Fear

I am not sure which is more terrible -- the fear of failure or the fear of success. Both stifle a person from becoming all that they can be.

I think what both boil down to is a fear of not being loved because of either failure or success. Love seems to be the key, the driving force for most humans. I think it even drives many religions -- love and fear. Hmmm. A wrap-around thought.

The thing to fear the most is probably fear tiself.

New Post

I decided to take a look at this blog since I had not been out here in a while. And...I saw the "New Post". So I am posting.

I miss my math. I have begun doing it again but it is not going very well. I find the English language an interference to logical thinking. The symbols are so much better.

Beef Soup

I have been in an amazing soup mood. So...today I made vegetable beef. Too much broth but it was good.

Life is like soup. It is a conglomeration of things all cooked together at the same time. Every once in a while, a day will be a simple broth but those are rare indeed; especially if you are a parent.

Holes

I have found holes in the geometry class at Stanford. My tutor is amazed. They apparently knew there were some proofs that were not quite provable based on the theorems they use in the class (you have to extrapolate conclusions from them) but they did not think anyone would fin the holes. Wow! I am SO pleased.

Autumn Soup

Years ago,the family got together with part of the family who lived near DC. Soup was served that was totally yummy. I asked for the recipe and got it -- go to the store and buy whatever looks good. So I did. Every autumn since, I make a vegetable soup using that recipe. I am making it late this year as it has been so warm outside. Buy whatever looks good... I could not believe the size of the leeks yesterday. And the collard greens were perfect and equally huge! Serve with crusty bread and a variety of chesses and you have a repast filled with tons of healthy vigor!

Contact lenses

Ah-ha. Contact lenses help when you are cutting onions!

Beauty

I think it was about two years ago when I realized that in order to find something satisfying, I needed to be able to find beauty in it. It is probably something different that other people need to find in what they do, but for me it is beauty.

I find tremendous beauty in math. The beauty is not a visual beauty but an intellectual one. Beauty in its simplicity; beauty in its structure.

Art also holds beauty for me. Its beauty is both visual and intellectual. As an artist, I see a different beauty in art than most people; it is one of conception and creation.

I am lucky. People can spend an entire lifetime and never fully understand what the things are that they most greatly prize. Beauty is my key.

Salt Rub

I had a salt rub today. Wow. My skin feels SO refreshed! It was a wonderful experience to have it along with the massage.

Having massages is doing more for my allergies than even allergy shots. Many days, my nose and sinuses feel completely clear which is truly amazing. The only thing that I can figure out is that the massages compensate for my naturally low blood pressure. And circulating fluids is very good for a person's health.

Today's Activities

Beginning last night, I began to run a fever. I really cooked over night and today I am drained.

Maybe Menopause

Well, maybe menopause is finally approaching. I am 55; I am a senior citizen so it dare well should be!

I raised the temperature in the downstairs by one degree (yes, only one degree as it was just a touch chilly), changed the couch covers and I was drenched in sweat! I thought that maybe I should lower the temperature again until I looked at Esh. He had on his red Cornell sweatshirt! I asked the fated question....."Are you hot?" "No." "Oh." (We are sometimes minimalist conversationalists.) Hmmm. Maybe menopause.

Elastic

Well, it is finally time to put the summer whites away and bring out all of the darker colors. Thank goodness, I only have to do this ritual twice a year. These days, especially with the trips to UVA, I go f0r comfort. Elastic is amazing.

The Mayan people noticed that if they left the sap of various plants to dry, it became springy. They even noticed that when various plants were planted close together and the saps combined, the elasticity of the substance changed.

So thanks to the Mayans, we have comfort waistbands for all of the seasons!