Can we keep the visiting professor?

I took one course this semester from a visiting professor from Berlin, Germany: Raul Rojas. I don't intend to discount the department's faculty here, but Dr. Rojas was a breath of fresh air in comparison. His genuine love of his research and teaching, and concern for his students was apparent both inside and outside of the classroom. In my personal experience as a graduate student, I would say that the student-faculty interaction at the personal level could use some tutoring from Dr. Rojas. He will be missed when he returns to Germany!

Dr. Rojas is currently working on designing an autonomous car which I find incredibly fascinating. It will be entered in a competition here in the states in November.

Schmoozing

I attended a dinner event last evening with The Husband and colleagues plus clients. It's a treat to see The Husband in his work element. Aside from the good food and conversation, I was impressed by one very important fact: The Husband is in a league of his own. His maturity (most notably), presence, charm, integrity, conversational skills, and intelligence distinctly separate him from the rest. That includes the Bosses. I have no expectations, but I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that if he continues in this business, he will be very, very successful, even moreso than any of the others I interacted with last night. It's plain and simple, and crystal clear.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I'm as confident about the 4.5 pound steak... Sorry, Bud. ;)

God bless Texas (and Texas Bob)

In search of more information about the Texas wildflowers and where to find them, I discovered this website:

http://www.texasbob.com/

The entire website is dedicated to Texas: places to visit, things to do, places to eat, Texas music, sports in Texas, books about Texas, tidbits on Texas history, and just in general, quotations and statements on Texas pride.

"Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word." -John Steinbeck

Now, as much as I do love Texas, I have never been a huge Texas enthusiast, in the sense that I never did hang a gigantic Texas flag in my college dorm room, and I don't believe that Texas is the greatest place on earth. But this website certainly represents somewhat of an obsession with the state...

The website is managed by a 5th generation self-proclaimed "old" Texan who answers all questions about Texas even if he has to "make up the answer." He even includes a link to a personal blog.

Indeed, I emailed him a question regarding suggestions on routes to take for wildflower viewing this weekend and received a prompt response with a link to a suggested detailed driving route. That Texas Bob- I like him!

Next stop: The Big Texan- Amarillo, TX where The Husband can attempt to devour a 4.5 pound steak and all the fixin's in less than 1 hour. If someone can eat the entire dinner in 9.5 minutes, The Husband can do it in 60, right? If a 69 year old grandmother can do it, so can The Husband, right?

Anyway, a very interesting website and resource.

What has this world come to? (Or has it always been like this?)

Utterly horrified by yesterday's Virginia Tech shootings.

I can't decide if there really are increasingly more tragedies as time passes, or if it's just that I am older and more aware of the existing evil in this world.

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21.

Old Extra Credit Essay Photo