Of all the things I've ever done, few are as silly as setting the world record for the memorization of e.

In January of this year, the discovery of the Pi World Ranking List rekindled an old hobby of mine from the beginning of highschool -- the memorization of the decimal places of pi. I soon found that there was also an e world ranking list, and that the record was much more accessible! (777 places is a lot easier than 100,000.)

I soon started working on both pi and e. I never got as far with pi as I had in highschool (fell a few hundred short), but once I started focusing exclusively on e, progress was swift. I was memorizing as many as nearly three hundred digits per day at my peak, with a clear goal of 2718 places ("e" thousand) on 2/7 ("e" day).

Then, the real world intervened.

I quickly found that, perhaps unsurprisingly, my mental energy was being sapped by this worthless endeavour. I couldn't concentrate on my research enough to get anywhere. So, I forgot my goal, got a few friends from church together, and just recited what I had so I could make the list. I ended up reciting 1590 of them, and it was good enough for the record!

Of course, I knew it wouldn't last more than a few months. Sure enough, I just got an email from the keeper of the List, letting me know that my record had been broken. The new record is currently 1810 digits, and when it gets broken it won't be by me. It is enough for me that I was the best that anyone had ever been at something very silly, even if only for a short while.

That said, I am a sucker for Pi day, and I crammed as many digits as I could in the 40 minutes prior to the recitation contest. I ended up being able to recall 1000 even, which gives me one more dubious distinction -- I'm officially the first member of the 1000/1000 club, having officially recited 1000+ digits of both pi and e.

While it was a fun challenge, I can't help but long for a more useful hobby. To that end, I've finally started pursuing a lifelong dream of becoming competent with electronics. Right now I'm doing basic circuit theory, but eventually I want to become an expert in both semiconductor devices and wireless communication. At least then I'll have something to show for my time!

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On June 17 of this year, Amy and I got married. No more Amy Lambert -- she's now Mrs. Hogg! The wedding was wonderful, as was the honeymoon; pictures to follow from each. Between work, studying for quals, and particularly my new family, that explains why blog posts will probably continue to be few and far between for the foreseeable future.

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I have two microwaves.

One is a newish Panasonic, which acts like it works great but in actuality doesn't heat things. It used to heat things, so I'm sure it requires only the most minor of repairs.

The other is an older model, with an analog dial instead of push buttons, and no rotating plate. However, I can personally vouch for the fact that it works great, since I've been using it for months on end now.

This weekend, Amy is moving her belongings into the apartment, one of which is a microwave nicer than either of these. So to make a long story short, I need to get rid of two microwaves as soon as possible, preferrably before June 17th.

Now, it would be a (relatively) simple matter to cart them down to the dumpster and toss them. But our society frankly wastes too much as it is, and doing that would make me sick. I mean, the one is perfectly functional, and the other could be made so with a small effort from somebody who knows what they're doing!

So I beg you: If you or anyone you know could use a microwave, please let me know. I'm in Pittsburgh now, but I can probably send them back to Grand Rapids with Amy, and from there I might even be able to arrange transportation to St. Catharines with people coming back from my wedding!

I just don't want perfectly good microwaves to go to waste.

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I just got the email from Prof. Majetich. Turns out there is room for me in the nanoparticles group! It's a real change in direction for me, but I can't help but be utterly fascinated by the things. I'm going to be working on the Spin-NIRT data storage project. I get to figure out how to get nanoparticle monolayers to write to media, which apparently is quite hard. And in the process I will understand electricity and magnetism -- understand them, you see -- down to the very core of my being.

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Went bowling today, for the first time in ages. Things started out pretty grim; I had a whopping 57 even after 5 frames in game #2. Then came a strike, and a 9 -- but when I looked back, the last pin had toppled! I followed that close call with two more strikes, for my first two turkeys ever. I've been trying to do that ever since highschool! It was great to relax and get a bit of a break from school.

Of course, now it's back to the grind, back to the stat mech homework. I simply cannot get a handle on the Bromwich contour, and my ground state energy for the oscillators is double what I'd expect it to be. I hope I can finish the assignment tomorrow, and get my programming done! I'll be glad when this semester is over.

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Just paid off the last of my student loans! Now I'm totally free from debt. It feels really, really nice. I'm going to start saving immediately so that Amy and I can attack our debts right away when we start our marriage.

Debt should not be an acceptable way of life! The financial irresponsibility of our culture as a whole really bothers me, and I hope I can always live up to that.

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So I'm kind of new at this bridge thing, I admit it. I only know enough to know that it's the best card game ever, hands down. I decided to get my fix by playing online -- a bit of a crapshoot as far as partners go, but considering I don't exactly have the bidding down yet, I can't complain. My first partner was quite good and we played well together, and when he left I had high hopes for the next one. Then the unthinkable happened.

I found myself staring at a 19-HCP hand. In my hand alone I held over half the strength of the entire deck, which doesn't exactly happen every deal. And who should open the bidding before I even get a chance? My partner.

This happens approximately never.

A little mental math tells me it'd be a crime to quit before slam level, unless partner's opening was really scraping the bottom of the barrel. If memory serves, I responded to his 1C opening with 1D. When he rebid 1S, I was scratching my head for a way to show my strength without jumping to a game contract, which would be a signoff. (Remember, I'm new at this!) Then it hit me -- jump to 2NT!

At least, I think that's what happened. All I know for sure is that we agreed on a trump suit, and I jumped at the chance to bid a Blackwood 4NT to ask for aces. He responded 4D, showing one ace, and considering I had the other 3, I knew this might just be the big time! I asked for kings with an artificial 5NT, and got the shock of my life.

He passed.

So there I sat, an easy small slam, stuck in a 5NT contract. The highest risks for the lowest rewards. What happened next was pretty predictable: I yelled at partner, he hit the road, and I won all 13 tricks without breaking a sweat.

I really want to play some more! But considering I've come down with a nasty cold and can't think straight and can hardly breathe, I'd probably better just force myself to hit the sack.

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It's been a real pain to be without a working laptop. Here's a brief history of my tale of woe, right up to the happy ending.

I was trying to get the new cedega version to work, and somehow I got the idea to run the python updater. I eventually was able to play Deus Ex on my laptop -- or, at least, to run it. It played at twice the normal speed, making it effectively impossible. Meanwhile, a staggeringly diverse array of essential programs (evolution, openoffice, ghostview, firefox, etc.) just started crashing. So Tuesday of exam period, I decided to wipe it & reinstall.

I thought I'd save myself some time (heh) and use genkernel for a default config. My reward was a non-working wireless card and the inability to start X-windows, among other annoyances. Attempts to "patch it up" with a regular kernel didn't really help, so I decided to wipe it and reinstall.

Well before I could get too far into it, Amy got to town, and you can guess who took priority between her and the computer! Not having time to finish up before we hit the road, I decided to wipe it and reinstall.

I never got home for more than a day at a time until it was practically New Year's, and we never stayed anywhere with wireless internet for me to get the installation done. When I finally got settled at home, it was a matter of getting the essentials up and running and sniping at individual problems, one at a time. It wasn't until yesterday that I finally got something genuinely new.

Apparently X does true transparency, and it looks very neat indeed. Be sure to check the transparency screenshots to see what I mean. Well... right now I only have one since my screenshot program is being finicky about actually picking up the transparency. But trust me, it's cool!

I still have to get a few more things done, like getting the USB ports running for digital cameras, or fixing the obnoxious vim scripting error that kills ftp browsing. And, not having a laptop prevented me from getting caught up on my email, not to mention the grant proposal deadline I missed! But at least I'm back in business, and ready for round 2 at CMU.

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I'm really tired now from lack of sleep, but I don't care. I got back into Pittsburgh just after 5 this morning, and I have a full day of classes today, but I'm on top of the world.

I asked Amy Jean Lambert to marry me on Saturday, and she said yes!

It's really amazing to be in love. I can remember being anxious for a while, wondering whom I would someday marry. When I asked married people how they knew who was The One, they would always say something useless along the lines of, "you just... know." I'm afraid now that I know, I can't do any better than that.

We are hoping to be married around June 17th, for several reasons. One, it's my parents' 28th wedding anniversary. Also, that makes it a year, a month, and a day of total dating for us. But most importantly, it's as soon as possible.

Thanks to all my co-conspirators who helped me pull it off. Thanks also to my family, for being genuinely surprised by my presence this weekend and the good news. But thanks most of all to my darling fiancee, Amy Jean Lambert, who let me keep thinking I was subtle until after I proposed and who has always been there for me and loves me very much. I love you too, Amy! And I always will.

Now to get that ring resized to fit you! :)

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So today I handed out my midterm evaluations to my students. In theory, this gives them a chance to offer constructive feedback, allowing me to adjust my style accordingly to serve them better. This ended up being the case for the vast majority of students, and they really gave me a lot to go on when considering how to improve my teaching. However, the best feedback ever cannot reasonably be placed in that category. Good thing these forms are anonymous, eh? :)

Also I'd like to apologize to everyone I owe an email to. It turns out that grad school is hard -- in fact, it's very hard and it keeps me busy all the time. Rest assured, though, that I haven't forgotten you! I hope after these next few weeks pass (round 2 of midterms is upon me) I can turn my attention to correspondence once more.

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Yesterday at Church was another first: I joined the choir! Seems that they really, really need tenors, and once I learn the music I will probably be the tenor section. A lot of it is mercifully easy (staying on the same note), although I do need someone to get me started so I can find my note. I'm really going to have to practice!

The view from "up top" was really amazing. We have this icon of the Theotokos in the back -- I'll have to take a picture of it sometime -- and from the moment I saw it I loved it. It just seemed so real to me, and it reminded me that she was there, watching over us, praying for us, pointing us to Christ. As might be expected, going up a story really improves the view, and as good as it looked before it looks ten times better from the balcony. I was also closer to the Pantocrator at the top. I felt dizzy more than once -- partially from the icons, partially from the height, and partially from the thrill of being in a full Orthodox choir.

Amy was there, too. Not next to me, of course -- she being a soprano -- but there in the choir, and there communing with me too. This whole weekend was incredible: we really connected, we got to spend time with family (mine and hers), and I just got to relax and be with the woman I love. I'm really going to miss her now! Fortunately, I don't have to wait too long until I can see her again.

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So I was finishing up my math homework this morning, when I noticed my glasses were a bit dirty. I was wiping the lenses on my shirt, when something unexpected happened.

"That's odd," I thought. "I don't think they're supposed to be able to do that!"

So I stumbled upstairs and asked the secretaries for advice. They sent me on my way to the storeroom, which I never would have found had the door not been open. Luckily the guy there had some superglue. I was skeptical at first, but after I held them together for a minute they seem pretty tight. At least, they've held up well so far.

I guess I can't blame 'em for breaking on me, though. I mean, they've been through a lot.

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Starting yesterday, I've had a burning feeling in my nose and a sore throat. This is usually how I feel when I'm starting to get sick, so I have to prepare to go through that. I also had a hard time sleeping last night, probably because I didn't get up until 11 yesterday morning. I didn't even think I was going to make it to church at all, but somehow I did, and in time for the beginning of the Divine Liturgy too!

I blew my nose just before lining up for communion. It still burned a bit, but I remembered that the Eucharist is for healing of soul and body, so I went up and received the Body and Blood. As I was walking back to my seat, I noticed that I couldn't detect my illness anymore! The feeling of health was restored to me completely.

The physical effects lasted only a few minutes; it did not cure my nascent illness. But it did give me the strength to face it throughout this coming week. We always pray that it would be for the healing of soul and body. How easy to forget that the Eucharist can work physical good for us; how much easier to doubt it. This was exactly what I needed to boost my faith and give me the strength to combat sin.

Often we wait for great signs and wonders, and interpret their absence as indicating the absence of God. When we do this we forget the Scriptures: when God spoke to Elijah, He was not in the great wind, nor the earthquake, nor the fire, but in the still small voice. Who knows how often God would be able to reach me, if only I were more attentive?

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Apparently when I use my hairdryer in the bathroom, the lights get dimmer. Now call me crazy, but isn't that slightly suggestive of a poor job of wiring? Makes for a fun electronics question, though: is the plug in series or parallel with the lights? Answer: it's in serial, and it shouldn't be.

Further experimentation reveals that the two switches (one for the main light, and one for the shower light and fan) are wired up in parallel, since neither affects the other. What a funny oversight with the plugs!

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Today marks the one-week anniversary of my move to Pittsburgh. It's been slow going, trying to get everything set up, but at last I feel like the pieces are starting to fall together.

For the first 5 whole days, I lacked gas, hot water, a bank card, internet, phone, a bed, a mailbox key, and almost 90% of the money I started my account with. (Apparently, out-of-state money orders for a new account are delayed a few business days. Who knew?) Instead of a bed, I've had an air mattress with a slow leak. In order to get the gas turned on, someone like me with no credit history would have had to pay $105.00. How much did they give me in my account? $100.00. The whole thing has been a comedy of errors.

But I don't mind taking a cold shower every morning, or inflating my bed every night. It builds character, for one thing, as Calvin's Dad might say. Also, it's kind of fun to have something to complain about that doesn't really matter to me. I get to play the role of the starving student, and I'm just eating it up! That said, however, I'll be very glad not to have to disturb the neighbours nightly with the vacuum cleaner-pitched whine of my air mattress inflating.

Orientation week was wonderful, too. I got pretty much everything figured out that I needed to, and I got to meet a lot of people. I'm having fun making new friends and meeting the faculty, and I did well on my placement exams. This year will sure be one heck of a challenge! But I'm ready to meet it head-on. One thing's for certain, though. I'm now convinced that I made the right choice.

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Well, I have officially lost my glasses. I'm trying to get by with my last remaining pair of contacts until (hopefully) someone brings them to me tomorrow. Makes it kind of hard to type/program! Next time I think I'll bring 'em with me. :P

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Well, I finally sent the EDLYA letter about a week and a bit ago. Before I did, I had a good MSN conversation with Greg, and he was both supportive and understanding. It was the first time I'd talked to anyone from EDLYA about leaving Lutheranism to become Orthodox. It made me realize that it was silly of me not to talk to anyone before!

I remember Summer Retreat 2004, which was a definite highlight of the summer. I had really only come back to Christianity for a few weeks at most after losing my faith, and I occasionally found myself disagreeing with what was presented. (Not in the study on Corinthians; I'm thinking more of the falsehoods in the Young Earth presentation in Sunday School.) I felt like I was the only one who was listening critically, and who could see the places where the presenter was mistaken. Obviously it would have reflected poorly on EDLYA to start debating the guy, so I wisely kept my trap shut. But did I talk to people back at the camp, gather their opinions, discuss what we believe and why? I didn't.

I guess I was afraid of people's reactions. Afraid to go against the group; or, at least, the group as I perceived it. The same thing happened at the next Winter Retreat, where an otherwise excellent presentation on Lutheran identity was marred by needless derisions of other faiths, as well as the irrelevant potshots at evolution which comprised the final few minutes. By that time I was already exploring the Orthodox Church (I had still thought it too weird during the last retreat). I was starting to realize more and more that it was indeed the Church Christ founded, and that it had persisted miraculously to the present day. Why, then, didn't I talk about what I was finding, at least with the closer among my EDLYA friends?

Again, I can chalk it up to fear of reaction, fear of being shunned. Compare that with the actual reaction I have gotten since making the announcement, and it's obvious that my fears were groundless. Also, there's the factor that I only get to see these people but twice a year for a few days, and it's so much easier to play euchre and pingpong and enjoy each other's company than to discuss weightier matters. But then that puts me in the awkward position of either a) sending out a mass email briefly outlining what I'm doing and why, or b) arriving at the retreat and saying, "Surprise, I'm not a Lutheran anymore!" Obviously, I chose the latter.

Actually, this reminds me of when I told my family that I had lost my faith. They were very supportive then, too. Not the kind of supportive where they say they agree with you to avoid conflict -- unless they actually do agree, that's transparently false and very off-putting. Rather, they made plain their disagreement but told me they still loved me and would pray for me. And that's what I've gotten so far from my EDLYA friends who've written me back. Like me, they have come to value the friendships we've developed. They have emphasized that I remain their brother in Christ, which is very heartening to hear. And they want me to come to the retreat. If I can get a ride, I am so there!

The difference, of course, is in the nature of my decision. This time the news is positive: I have found the Church and I am joining it! Even if I had talked to everyone from EDLYA, nothing could have changed that. I see now that it was inevitable. But contrast that with my crisis of faith, a fundamentally negative event. If I had talked to my parents sooner, or if I had taken advantage of the fledgeling friendships from EDLYA and emailed them, it might have been prevented. In retrospect, I see how God used even that event to grant me a more mature faith, turning an evil thing into something good as in Genesis 50:20. But there's still a lesson here for the future.

I think the lesson I'm slowly learning is to clue people in about what I'm thinking, while I'm thinking it. Not in every case, of course! But in general it's wrong to assume beforehand that I know how someone will react. Until I actually talk it over with them, I'll never know whether I'm missing some great insight or a whole new way of approaching the subject, even if I see a problem which seems hopeless from my point of view. So long as it's done in a spirit of love, ultimately, only good can come of such a free exchange of ideas.

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So I got an email today from my dad. Short and to the point, he asked me to check out the webhosting service that he apparently signed up for. I was a little surprised that he went ahead without consulting his webgeek son (or his webgeek daughter, who lives in the same house), but I clicked the link anyway. The cheapest plan I found was $14.95 a month -- reasonable by itself, but I had a plan that set me back 8 bucks a month and gave tons more storage and bandwidth. Not to mention, I'd been with these guys for 2+ years, and I know for a fact they almost never go down. Knowing how tight money is for our family, I did what any reasonable and concerned young man would do.

I flew off the handle.

Firing off a hasty email, I questioned whether he knew exactly what he was doing. I used the title phrase, among others. I tried reaching him at work, I tried reaching him at home, and I got a hold of John. John didn't know much about it, but he did know that Matt had helped dad with the hosting.

Another piece of the puzzle.

After sending another, less flabbergasted email to my father, I did a little more research on the company. A quick once-over failed to yield info about specific people involved, but my subconscious was hard at work on the puzzle. I soon noticed that the name of the company had the first 3 letters of Matt's name, followed by the first 3 letters of his wife's. Coincidences were just piling up now... maybe.

So I realized that they probably had a pretty big part to play in the company, maybe even owning it. I realized they knew the dire financial straits of our family, and were probably willing to give a hand up. I realized that dad wasn't the kind of guy to pay first and ask questions later. Most importantly, I realized that in my haste to chastize I'd forgotten to trust my father.

There's a moral to the story. Never send off a hasty email without taking a breather first! It's a bit funny in retrospect, that I treated him so condescendingly when it was I who was playing the fool. But I'm not going to let the lesson pass me by. I mean, what am I, nuts?

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