Another weekend bites the dust

I spent another Sunday on grading. Then swim practice. Laundry was aborted because of rain. In the hour or so of consciousness I have left, I shall write letters and tidy up my mental space in preparation for the week.
While grading, I took a break to photograph this lovely tree outside my apartment. Still playing with the different modes of my camera. Above, everything black-and-white except the tree; it is very dramatic. Below, I color-sampled other things and (in-camera) changed the leaves to those colors.

First, a red-covered magazine from the side of my bed:
Then, one of my green shirts reverses autumn:My purple bedspread makes a landscape reminiscent of Dr. Seuss:
This post's theme quote comes from "The Nerd Handbook" (via MetaFilter). I don't agree with everything in the essay, but this rings true:

[The nerd] sees the world as a system which, given enough time and effort, is completely knowable.

Mathematics is fixed again

Earlier this week I thought I had broken mathematics. A meeting with my advisor today cleared this up, and mathematics is fixed again.

I recall breaking mathematics a few times as an undergrad, but always on small problems. Like breaking off a corner of mathematics. Now that I've moved on to larger problems, my mistakes and misunderstandings cause much larger rents in the fabric of the mathematical universe.

Luckily enough for everyone, the thoughts in my head have no direct effect on the universe. You are all safe.


This post's theme word: palinode, "a poem in which the author retracts something said in an earlier poem." If I had to write up my research in poem form, it would be even more unreadable than it is now.