Real family history

This is the grave of my great-grandfather and great uncle, Dominico and Mike Bertoglio.  (Yes, it’s spelled wrong on the tombstone.)  They died in a mining accident in Utah; my grandfather was a boy then.

I bear some responsibility at church for helping others become aware of the need to learn about our ancestors.  I’ve held this close for a long time; in the past, I always thought it sufficient to complete a pedigree chart and be done.  I’ve found, though, that it’s much more enjoyable learning about who these people were and what they did.  Part of the joy is in the search for information.

For example, my grandmother’s birth certificate says that she was born in Cameron, Colorado in 1918.  The doctor was from Farr Junction.  Neither place exists any longer (Cameron is a ghost town).  For me, part of the fun was in finding out where these towns were and what happened to them.  My grandmother - who turns 90 this year - would also like to know.

This is what relationships are about.  If we believe that we have the opportunity to be with our loved ones for all eternity, then I’d sure like to know something about them before then!

It is now 7:44 am.  I feel like it’s 9:30.  I’ve been up since 5:00, and it’s beginning to mess up my schedule.

No, we don’t have a new baby in our family, although it feels like it.  We have a new puppy.  She’s cute and loves the kids, but it really is like having a baby.

Her name is Sally - the boys named her after the blue Porsche in the movie Cars.  It’s been a bit confusing, because her name is very close to our daughter’s name, and I’ve mixed them up more than once in the past couple of days.

Fun times.  She is a welcome addition to our family, but I could sure do without the 5:00 mornings (let alone the 12:30 and 2:30 wake-up calls).

I survived the GRE and lived to tell about it.  Although I’m a bit frustrated with my 790 quantitative score, which put me below the 95th percentile.  Shouldn’t that be higher for a math major with two math degrees?

The probability got me…

…or the Graduate Record Exam.  Take your pick.

Since I’ve made the decision to go back to school this fall to work on a doctorate, I have to take this beautiful test next weekend.  Honestly, I think I’ll be OK.  I took a practice exam (or two), and they made me feel sufficiently dumb, so I think I’m prepared.

I guess I’m less worried about this than I should be.  That confidence (whether founded or not) comes from the fact that every day of my life (or at least those at work) is spent doing math and writing reports on a variety of subjects.  However, I think I’ll take one or two more practice exams, just to be sure.  My phiolosphy on testing has always been the same: You either know it or you don’t, and there comes a point when studying will give you no further advantage.  (I learned that while working on a minor in History.)

So…wish me luck.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed, too.

So…I can do most two-digit by two-digit multiplication in my head. It’s a binomial expansion, pretty easy. Most people could use a process they learned at some point, FOIL (or some derivative thereof).

But this guy¹ takes it to a new level. If you haven’t seen this, watch it. It’s depressing, but it also gets at the relevance thing big time.  (Thanks to my aunt and uncle for sending this along.)

(cross-posted at Rethinking the Third R)

I like my blog.  It gives me an opportunity to talk about things related to math education that are important to me.  But sometimes I’ve got more to say, and it’s not always about math, and sometimes it’s not even about education.

Enter the new blog.  I’m excited about this, and hopefully it will keep my creativity flowing a bit more evenly.  Look around and comment.  I’m looking forward to this!  OF course, if you prefer the linearity of the old blog, it will still be around.  I’ve got a lot more to say about math education…