Ten Good Reasons for Tom to Live in Chapel Hill

The rumors are true. We're moving back to Chapel Hill probably late this summer.

Ya-hoo!

Here's a partial list of why:

1) It's closer to my Dad
2) Fitch Lumber Company for Hardware
3) Intrex Computers for parts
4) My daughter's old enough to enjoy the Morehead Planetarium
5) UNC Season Football Tickets
6) Occasional UNC Basketball Tickets
7) Pound cake from the Carrboro Farmer's Market
8) Other goodies from the Weaver Street Market
9) Allen & Son Barbeque
10) Summer Movies on the Lawn in front of the Lumina

Mmmm Mmmmm Good!

There are very few human problems that can not be solved by the skillful and timely application of two hundred and forty pounds of manure. (You might want to cut and paste that somewhere for future reference. It comes in handy at the oddest times.)

The garden soil tested great for phosphorous and potassium, but was very low in nitrogen. I suppose the weeds/shrubs/trees I dug out took it all away. I find it strange that although the atmosphere is more than 75% nitrogen, I've still got to go buy some to put in my dirt. Yet another example of the Perversity of Nature. I spent over an hour mowing the lawn again (ie beating back that which nature wants to grow), and another hour or two digging and fertilizing the garden (ie forcing the growth of that which nature doesn't want to grow). I guess it's Human Nature to seek a challenge, and Nature's Nature to whack us on the head for it.

Further updates as warranted.

Road Trip

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this one comprises a near perfect essay of how I perceive South Carolina.

My Cat Eats Science

So the Vet said that we should feed our cat "Science Diet" cat food. That's fine. I've got no problem with that. She eats it well enough, it doesn't smell bad, it's not too expensive. As cat foods go, it seems like a good one.

Then I start to wonder, "what kind of science am I giving her?" I'm all for science in general, but some sciences are better than others, at least in my opinion. The science she's eating is very crunchy, which leads me to believe she's getting at least some hard science, but she often wanders off by herself just after dinner, so maybe there isn't enough social science in the mix.

Now I'm starting to worry about the various implications of the hard sciences to which I'm exposing my pet. Too much Topology? Not enough combinatorics? It's hard to say, but she is very productive in the biochemistry department. Is she getting her proper allocation of the cognitive sciences? If she is I sure can't tell it. Her high energy physics might be a tad overdone, if anything.

It's such a mixed bag these days, and the product label is no help at all. I'd like to be sure she's getting enough evolution, but not so much that we have to redefine the nature of our relationship. Life is complicated enough already.