Sunday March 18, 2007 7:15 am Lethbridge Sunrise 7:39 Sunset 19:39 Hours of daylight: 12:00

A. Morning Musings

7:15 am It is +2 C at the moment with a light rain. The temperature will fall during the day to a low of -6 C.

CBC Headline: Election Call Could Come At Any Time, Harper Tells Tory Party

Harper was speaking at a Tory planning meeting of 2,000 members as they receive training for the next election, which could come at any time since the government is in a minority position. The Tory budget will be brought before parliament tomorrow.

Canadian Headline: see above

Australian Headline: (from The Australian): Emergency Landing in Iraq For Howard

PM Howard was in a top secret hurcules transport plane flying to Baghdad when the plane was forced to land when the plane filled with thick smoke. Howard was transferred to another plane and continued on to Baghdad.

My weight is down 1 to 190.

From rear window	South patio
Both images taken at 2:00 PM

 

B. Plan

Immediate
Mathematics	Complete chap 2 Polynomials from "The Humongous Book of Calculus Problems	1 hr
Literature	Continue reading "Baudolino" by Umberto Eco	1 hr
Technology	Convert two LPs to MP3 format	4 hr
History	Begin reading "Maya"	1 hr
Later
Technology	Read manual for cell phone
	Make notes for chap. 4 of "Switching to the Mac"
	Burn backup of images onto DVD
Mathematics	Make notes for "Mathematics: A Human Endeavor" ch 1
	Read "Fearless Symmetry" chap 9: Elliptic Curves
	Begin reading "Algebra: Abstract and Concrete" by Frederick Goodman
Model Trains	Add ground cover to oil refinery diorama
	Follow tutorial for version 8 of 3rd PlanIt
	Continue assembly of coaling tower
	Purchase DCC system
History	Read Watson "Ideas"
Philosophy	Read & make notes for "Breaking the Spell"
GO	Complete reading "Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go"
Puzzles	The Orange Puzzle Cube: puzzle #10
Major Goals
Learning	Review week's pages each Sunday
	Review all pages for the month at the end of each month
Technology	Review & edit iPhoto files for 2006
	Become proficient with cell phone
Model Trains	Become proficient with 3rd PlanIt software
	Install DCC on model train layout
GO	Learn to play GO at something better than a beginner level
Drawing	Learn to draw!! (I keep saying this, yet I have yet to put a pencil to paper).
Mathematics	Continue to play with mathematics.
Literature	Continue to read Literature
Bird Watching	Continue to engage in bird watching activities.

C. Actual/Note

7:40 am I am awake and alert this morning. First, a cuppa. Mmmm. The rain has changed to snow.

Yesterday I found a Web site with a link for downloading a complete book on modern algebra. I want to have a closer look at his book this morning. I glanced at the first few pages which began with a discussion of symmetry, so it looks promising.

This morning there was an ad on the CBC web page for a travel discount service (TravelZoo). I have bookmarked that site for future use.

Thinking about today, I have two recipes that I want to try. One is for a Broccoli and Red Pepper Medley and the other is for an Avocado & Lime Black Bean Salsa. We have a head of broccoli that needs to be eaten soon and the avacados now appear to be softening.

With the weather the pits, this looks like a fine day to relax and do very little.

I have had another look at the book "Algebra: Abstract and Concrete" by Frederick Goodman. It looks very promising for my purposes. I will play with it for a couple of chapters and if I continue to use it, I will send a donation to one of the charities mentioned.

Once again, I am in danger of spreading myself too thin. I will put the topic of algebra on my list of Later activities.

Identifying activities for today, I want to stay with my review of topics related to learning calculus. "The Humongous Book of Calculus Problems" by Kelley has 8 preliminary chapters before discussing the concept of limits. Larson has one chapter, with 4 sub-sections. Spivak has 4 chapters, two on numbers and two on functions and their graphs. The Spivak book appears to be the most formal and detailed, and the one I want to study carefully. But Kelley's chapter two on Polynomials provides a number of basic practice problems. I shall begin there, then have a look at Larson, and then focus on Spivak.

I am thoroughly enjoying Eco's novel "Baudolino", a farce of delightful proportions, and will definitely spend an hour with this today.

Given the weather, this may be a good day to have a fire in the fireplace.

6:50 PM The main time consuming activity today was converting 2 LPs to iTunes. The first went quite smoothly but the second was badly scratched and I spent quite a bit of extra time trying to edit them out. It was tricky as removing too much of the noise would also distort the sound. At one point I tried to see if the LP was available on the iTunes store (answer - nope). I then tried to see if it was available anywhere as a CD (again, nope).

I have now converted 6 LPs but still have many more than that to go. But it is very satisfying to hear some of these records again, after a period of over 20 years.

Cooking went well. I had two new recipes:

• Avocado and Lime Black Bean Salsa
• Broccoli and Red Pepper Medley.

They were both very easy to prepare but for me they were new adventures.

	Recipe of the Week 08 Avocado & Lime Black Bean Salsa March 18
Recipe Notes
7:00 PM Our avocados have softened up and it is time to find a couple of recipes for them. Original recipe in http://www.tostitos.com/recipe.php Ingredients (serves 8) Main Ingredients Actual 2 ripe avocados   3 sliced green onions   1 can black beans, drained and rinsed   1 cup sour cream   2 limes for juice and zest I used about 4 key limes, which are smaller. 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese   1 jar salsa (size not mentioned) I used a little over a cup of salsa. 1 bag tortilla chips We have some guacamole chips that are very delicious. Steps 1 Peel and mash avocados and sprinkle with lime juice; season with salt and pepper. 2 Place as a layer on the bottom of a 9" pie plate. 3 Mix sour cream with lime juice and zest, and chopped green onions. 4 Spoon mixture over avocado layer. 5 Add a layer of black beans. 6 Add a layer of salsa. 7 Sprinkle top with shredded cheese. Comments This was delicious, but it has a few more calories than one wishes when one is trying to lose weight.

	Recipe of the Week 09 Broccoli and Red Pepper Medley March 18
Recipe Notes
7:20 PM We have had a couple of heads of broccoli in the fridge that should be used soon. This is an easy recipe that will help. Original recipe in http://www.recipeamerica.com/ Ingredients (serves 8) Main Ingredients Actual 1 head broccoli   1/2 Tbsp olive oil   1 small red bell (sweet) pepper I used half of a large pepper 1/3 cup thinly sliced leek white part only 1/2 tsp dried thyme I used about 4 key limes, which are smaller. 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese   Steps 1 Wash & trim the broccoli. 2 Cut the flores so they have a 1" stem and are about 1" across. 3 In a 10" round pie plate, arrange the florets in the center with the stems around the outside. 4 Sprinkle the broccoli with 2 Tbsp of water. 5 Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes. 6 Let stand, covered, for 3 minutes. 7 Uncover and drizzle with olive oil. 8 Sprinkle the peppers, leeks, and thyme over the top. 9 Re-cover and microwave on high for 1 minute. 10 Let stand, covered, for 3 minutes. 11 Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. Comments This was a very attractive dish to place on the table, but it should be an accompaniment to a more substantial main dish.

D. Reflection