After the hectic start to summer, things have slowed down quite a bit. It seems that the pig roast is going to be the high point for at least another month (at which point I begin my almost-month of travel). Work has slowed down quite a bit, leaving me plenty of time to grind out materials for my Fall classes.
I've cranked out 24 videos and start a new channel ("The Math Repository" -- I'm somewhat surprised that name was still available). I've definitely decided that I'm going to try to hit the videos hard for a while and see where it goes. I'm optimistic that I'll be done with number theory by early next week, and then maybe I'll be able to do the precalculus videos. Or if not, I'll at least get started on them and have them ready for the Spring. (I'm expecting to be teaching precalculus every semester for the foreseeable future.)
I've been starting to put together my CS 135 course. It's coming along a little bit more slowly because I don't have as clear of a structure in mind for how to teach that course. I've got a lot of ideas floating around, but since this isn't a course that I've ever taught (or taken, for that matter), and since I'm approaching the course in a non-standard manner, it's going to be a bit of a challenge. Basically, I learned to program mostly by just programming. I remember sitting in front of our IBM PCjr and copying BASIC code out of a magazine or something, and then tinkering around with the code to see what different commands did. I kind of want the students to have that type of hands-on-tinkering experience and not a lot of high level theoretical stuff. Since we don't have a computer science program, I don't see a need to worry about higher level programming concepts. I just want them to be comfortable writing programs that do the things they want them to do. We'll see how it goes.
I really haven't touched the precalculus courses at all. The publisher recently went to a new edition, so I requested a desk copy. That was back in March. At first, I was told that the textbook was on its way. And after a couple weeks of not receiving it, I inquired and they told me that the teacher's edition wouldn't be released for another month (and they won't send me a student edition). So in mid-May, I sent them another email and requested it again. After another three weeks, I emailed them and they told me that the delivery had been rejected. They sent it to the old NSC address, which somewhat explains it, except that the admin told me that we receive stuff sent to that address all the time. But I gave them the new address and the textbook is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I guess we'll see what happens.
I started moving into my new office, then I learned that the move wasn't officially official. So I'm about 25% moved in at this point and am in a bit of a holding pattern. I've already got the new furniture purchased (a table and some shelving units), and they already moved the wall-mounted storage bin to where I wanted it to go, so I'm somewhat inclined to just continue shuffling things over little by little until I get the official official word, and then finish the move as quickly as possible. (I'm going to be gone most of the month of July, so I need to be as ready as possible to make the things that come after me happen as efficiently as possible. It would suck if they couldn't do anything for two weeks because I'm out of the country, and then I only have a short week before I'm gone for another week. So if they make it official too late, they may be stuck waiting a full month before anything happens. And that's not good for anyone.
I finally made it out to Meepleville Cafe the other evening. It's a nice little place with an absolutely gigantic game collection. But what I was there for (besides an opportunity to play some new board games) was that my friend who I helped build the 3D printer is actually going to try to start up a business marketing his 3D printed game containers. So it was half games and half just checking out the place to get a feel for it. The owner seems incredibly nice. He spent much of the time hanging out with some other customers, including showing a group how to play a game they had never played before. So after a few hours there, my friend took a moment to introduce himself to the owner and start the process of setting up a meeting. I'm optimistic that this will go well. The atmosphere seems right for the type of product he's creating and I think there will be at least a few opportunities that come from it.
I'm exactly one month from getting in a plane and heading back to Oaxaca. This trip will be my longest trip so far, as I'll spend the first few days in Eloxochitlan to do some work related to the science discovery center, followed by a full week of camp. I started pulling down all of the miscellaneous supplies. Right now, stuff is spread out between home and campus, and I'll bring the campus stuff home in another week or so after I make sure that I've got everything I need from there. I'm looking forward to having the telescope there because it will be new and different. I need to remember to schedule an evening where I'm on campus super late and can do a little bit of practice with the telescopes we have on campus. (Sunset isn't until 8:00.)
I have an electric bass guitar now. One of the guys in the leadership group at church is also taking the lead on the worship band, and they needed someone. It's been a long time since I've played in a worship band (back in my FBCSD days, so over a decade ago). I've played at the faculty retreat a few times as well, I guess. But that was much more of a spontaneous thing than a planned thing. I played if they needed/wanted me, but otherwise just stayed out of the way. I've spent a lot of time watching videos to learn a few things. Because of my finger-picking guitar experience, I am naturally drawn to using my thumb to pluck the strings. But this is much different from the more standard two finger walking technique. So I'm spending some time playing up and down some scales to at least get that mechanic into my muscle memory. I'm also finding that my left pinky is weak, which causes a little bit of buzzing. But practice will iron that out, too.
And speaking of the leadership group, the last meeting is coming up this weekend, and I haven't finished reading the book (H3 Leadership). It's a pretty fast read, and it's a pretty good book. A lot of these leadership books end up circling around the same core ideas even if they present things differently. So even though I've seen many of these types of things before in other experiences, it's good to get a new perspective with a different emphasis (as well as just being reminded of things).
Also, no word from Leadership Las Vegas. The only possible interview chance I have is one month from today. So we'll see what happens.
