Interim report.

I woke up this morning, and thought, "I wonder if I can just go home?" mostly because I'm tired of Socorro, and feeling homesick, and missing everybody.

So then, I thought, "How would I know if I could do that?" and then I thought, "Wait, didn't I write a list of goals somewhere?" So I looked back through my posts, and there, on the very first post, was a list. I think I need an interim report on where I am, so I can answer the above question.

"a) The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)... I'm off to Socorro to make myself useful to them. I'll definitely be doing some documentation. I'll definitely be doing some software testing. I'll definitely be doing some radio astronomy..."

I have done some documentation, I have done some software testing. In fact, I did an entire audit of the entire software package that is necessary to handle the ~1,000-fold increase in data complexity that comes with the EVLA. I helped the group figure out where they are (pretty much on time), and then I helped them make a plan. And then I went in and figured out some specifics of specific packages. At the moment, I am the most expert user of the package anywhere. So that's fun. I also did some radio astronomy. I took some data and got a surprising result. I have new collaborators, and I've worked with them to analyze some data they took years ago, and never got around to analyzing. I have a meeting with them on Thursday to talk about it.

Remaining: to write these things up for publication. Arg. There are at least three papers here to be written. I have discovered that I hate that part. Not so much the writing, but the dealing with referee's comments. I have realized that this is because I have never published two papers on the same thing. That means that when referee's comments come back (typically after six months or a year!), I've completely forgotten how to do the analysis, so I fundamentally have to start over, instead of just polish up. I think I'll stick to radio astronomy for a while, and see if I can get my pub. rate up by at least sticking to the same software for a while. ; )

I also need to check with Gustaaf, and find out what else he needs me to get done on the software project before I go.

b) ... the Physics Department has an environment course on the books that hasn't been taught... ever, as far as anyone can tell. Won't it be fun to create such a course and teach it in the fall of 2009, when I'm back from sabbatical? ...to read all about it, and invent fun classroom activities that make the physics of global warming real to my students.

I've created an outline, chosen a book, and done a lot of reading. I've lined up at least one guest speaker, and am working on a couple of field trips. I've put some thought into classroom activities, but have not actually written them up in any sort of detail. I got derailed for a while by discussions that were going on at home about whether I'd teach the class, and then got derailed again by the slumping economy, and wondering whether I'd actually get to teach the class.
Remaining: some classroom activities, a syllabus and a more detailed outline.

c) We've all of us been doing an enormous amount of work lately, that remains completely undocumented. Science in the Parks. The K-8 core. Studies of learning in the planetarium environment. ... and I really should finish that paper that Mike and I worked on.
Remaining: all of this. Sigh. No, wait. I did a draft of the Science in the Parks article for Mercury. I wonder what I did with that?

d) Soon, the planetarium is going to need to be updated again. 'Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but someday...' This is a 1 M$ project, probably. Guess I'd better write some grants. grumble, grumble.
Remaining: all of this. Sigh. And no sign of improvements in staff support anywhere. I really need to think about whether this is even possible without better staff support.

e) I need to find that place in my head where the ideas just come swimming up, rising like bubbles through my mind, and bursting open with a sweet scent and a flash of light that makes it seem like anything is possible.
f) So by the time I come back, I want to feel like I've got the intestinal fortitude to make all those possibilities into realities.
Remaining: Keep at it. But morale is really bad here, and I'm not sure these are going to happen in this locale!

g) If I don't need brain surgery, then there are a number of secret things that I want to see if I can do: a sprint triathlon before I'm 40;
Remaining: Don't need brain surgery! I forgot about that! Boy, that'll cheer a person up, I tell you what. But I've not done much about the triathlon since arriving in Socorro. I've gone for lots of walks, ridden my bike a lot more than usual, and generally been pretty active, but, well, I should probably go running this afternoon.

g2) finish my book;
Remaining: I have to write the concluding chapter, and then the first draft will be done. Then, I have some rewrites. I have some consistency issues, keeping track of items, and how many people are in the room, etc. I also made some later changes to technology to make the story work better, and I have to go back and fix up the earlier chapters. But the first draft is almost done!

g3) learn one-tempi changes;
Remaining: Um, all. However, John's new horse already knows these, so I can learn them from him when I get home! (The horse, not John!) But I definitely can't do this from here.

Ok. So that's a lot. I'll make a list, and get back to you... oh, but before that. I need a ta-da list. That's probably a whole separate post.