Finally Finished

Whew--I took my Linear Algebra Final this afternoon! And while it would feel a bit better to have aced it, it feels plenty good to just be done with it! That procrastination factor sure made it pretty all-consuming the past few weeks!

Always Good for a Laugh

(Me, trying to find the eigenvalue of matrix A using the characteristic polynomial.)
Xander: Mom, do the funniest word ever!
Me: (distractedly) What's the funniest word ever?
Elodie: Stinky!
Elodie and Xander: (confirming that she's right) Giggle, chuckle, giggle.
...
Me (muttering to myself, unaware that anyone is listening): Now, how do I find the eigenvector?
Elodie: (bossily) You tan't find the eidenvector.
Personally, I think the word eigenvector, coming from Elodie's high-pitched, well-enunciated little toddler voice, is far funnier than "stinky." But maybe that's because I've grown numb to the funniness of "stinky" due to severe overuse around here!

Pack, Unpack, Repack

The middle of May, Aaron finished finals and began his relaxing summer "break." Pack. Fly to San Diego. Come home. Unpack. Do laundry. Repack. Go on an 11-yr-old scout camp out. Come home. Unpack. Do laundry. Repack. Go to Sterling for a week and live in the dorms. Friday night, come home. Unpack (i.e. throw it all in a laundry basket). Do laundry. Madly repack. Leave for Texas Saturday morning. Come home Saturday night (two weeks later). Unpack. Mow the jungle of a lawn. Do laundry. Repack. Thursday morning, drive to Utah for a family reunion. Come home Tuesday night. Unpack. Do laundry. Replace a door. Mow the lawn. Repack. Fly to Alaska Saturday morning. Come home Thursday morning (nearly three weeks later). Unpack. Wait for it to stop raining so Aaron can mow the jungle of a lawn. Do laundry.

The question is, should we leave the suitcases in our bedroom or stick them back in the crawl space while we enjoy our luxurious two weeks at home before we get to repack and head west for Morgan's wedding?

Use it or lose it

I should be carefully writing a proof of one of the following statements right now.
The action of a linear transformation T: U → V is completely determined by its action on a basis B = {u 1, u 2, ..., u n} for the domain U. OR
The range of a linear transformation T: U → V is a subspace of the codomain V. OR
The linear transformation T: U → V is one-to-one if, and only if, ker T = {0}.

Decisions, decisions. Which statement shall I prove? Unfortunately for me, my brain is more used to decisions like which of the following recipes shall I make for dinner tonight, or which of the following parks within walking radius should we visit today. My poor brain hasn't done higher level mathematics since, oh, let's see, 1998. These proofs are making me wonder if that part of my brain has atrophied!

Regardless, I must prove what the online Linear Algebra course tells me to prove, for I seem to have NOT lost my procrastination skills that I had perfected in high school. This online course that you have a luxurious year to complete expires in a month and I'm not wasting my $411! Plus, I really do LOVE math and I'm excited to go back to teaching math at some point in the future. At which point I want to have a teaching license.

So my kids have gotten a little less attention and watched a few more videos from the library in the last week, which apparently put our TV over the edge. I think it's fritzed out for good. (So much for my free babysitter!) That's why Xander is begging me to play Cootie with him instead of being mesmerized by the What's in Space? show I so lovingly selected for him.

The Princess and the Helicopter

Xander and Elodie were making some pretty elaborate plans as they sat in the double stroller on the way to the grocery store this morning. We saw two helicopters flying at the same time, which was pretty mesmerizing. Naturally, Xander declared that he wants to fly a helicopter when he grows up. Elodie took this opportunity to repeat her future plans. "When I drow up, I want to be a princess." I was curious about what she thinks that entails. "They dance at the ball," she informed me.

Xander: "Elodie, I can take you to the ball in my helicopter!"
Elodie: "You tan? Tan I dance at the ball?"
Xander: "Yeah. And you can eat dinner on the helicopter. You fold down the seat, and then you put your dinner on it, and then you pull down the thing, and you can watch a movie. Elodie, You. Can. Watch. A movie. While. You. Eat." (He punctuated each word as if that was the most unbelievable thing.)
Elodie: "Oh."
Xander: "And I'll pick you up in my helicopter after the ball. But you can't marry me, because I'm your brother. And you can't marry Dad. No. ... You can marry Cooper. (He's a cute little 3-year-old from nursery.) Do you want to marry Cooper?"
Elodie: "Um, yeah, I do."


Don't you wish you had a helicopter pilot for an older brother? Talk about first class.

Did I hear that right?

I was just chatting with my survivor man who's currently in Middle-of-Nowhere, Alaska. Before we got cut off, I do believe he said that while the beauty and feel of Alaska is everything he'd built Alaska up to be, he wasn't quite as set on moving our family up there due to the cost of living. Was I really on the phone with Aaron? I guess we've become more unified than I realized over these last 6 years! He's putting practical and frugal over wide open spaces and hunting seasons!? And the funniest part is, when he said that his heart isn't quite as set on Alaska as it was, I felt a little let down. I've been gearing up for an Alaskan adventure for years--I think I was starting to get excited. But with that little reality check, our life-after-medical-school suddenly seems so completely up in the air. Although the cell phone reception was pretty shaky. Who knows what he actually said.

Update: Aaron just called from Anchorage, where cell phone reception is quite clear. The first words out of his mouth were, "I really do love Alaska!" He told me he read this post and that his response was, "What have I done?!"

North to Alaska

Today, Elodie woke up from her nap with some exceptional bedhead. She had taken out the darling princess hairdo (thanks to my niece Alyssa for teaching me another way to do her hair!) which resulted in some gravity-defying craziness off to the sides. I told her that she looked like a mad scientist. "No, I'm a happy scientist," she informed me. I realize that this story would be cuter and funnier with a picture, but our camera went North to Alaska. With Aaron, who is so alone up there in the Last Frontier that he has to take pictures of himself. Here he is in front of the Alaskan Native Medical Center where he is doing a clinical rotation in surgery. Yesterday was his first day, so he just observed. But since today was his whopping second day, he actually got to assist in surgery. I kindly (bluntly?) asked him if these surgeons knew that he has no idea what he's doing. Aaron assured me that you're fine if you just follow their instructions to a tee. Wow--he's definitely getting some good experience! The top-notch surgery department and unmatched hands-on experience offered by these Alaskans is definitely a huge plus, but I'm pretty sure that the main reason Aaron is up in Alaska is to convince me that living there will be a dream come true for the whole family. This is the home where he's currently staying. Our bishop hooked us up with some friends of theirs in Anchorage and they've offered him a couch--and food--at no charge. I'll admit, this house could be a dream come true for a large family. I love the wrap-around porch! Aaron is also trying to disprove my notion that Alaska is all glaciers and tundra. You can actually grow a garden up there, believe it or not. Check out the size of their rhubarb!And he claims that these raspberry bushes are taller than he is. Maybe this IS a dream come true! YUM!Every time I talk to Aaron he tells me how gorgeous the views are--mountains jutting straight up from the ocean's edge, with a glacier nestled right in between. Of course cameras aren't very good at capturing spectacular--he assures me that this view is awe-inspiring in person. Which means that all of you will just have to come visit us when we move up North to Alaska so that you can see the views for yourself!