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Journals 2007

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Tuesday July 24, 2007 6:20 am Lethbridge

It is +22 C with a high forecast of +31 C. Sunrise 5:50 Sunset 21:25 Hours of daylight: 15:35

A. Morning Musings

6:20 am

We made it to +37 C yesterday. I cannot recall a temperature that high since we moved here in 1985.

I have spent the last hour on the Fountain Pen Forum. It is a neat way to begin the day.

This then leads to the following plan for today:

Immediate	Description	Time
Literature	Complete reading "Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami	1 hr
Mathematics	Continue ch. 1 of "Abstract Algebra" by Herstein	1 hr
Mathematics	Complete problems 2.13 - 2.? of "The Humongous Book of Calculus Problems"	1 hr

C. Actual Learning Activities

6:35 am

1:20 PM

Just as in Murakami's novel, "Kafka on the Shore", many disparate threads are coming together for me. I am spending at least an hour/day on the Fountain Pen Forum and am learning a lot in a short time. Here are a few notes based on feedback that I have received so far:

• Pens
  • Lamy 2000
  • Namiki Falcon
  • Parker 51 Aerometric
  • Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point
• Nibs
  • hooded or semi-hooded
  • fine
• Inks
  • Noodler's Black
  • non-feathering
  • Waterman's Florida Blue
  • Schaeffer's Skrip Royal Blue
• Papers
  • cotton cream
  • Clairefontaine
  • grid ?

Another issue is the notebook format for all of my math notes. My current thinking is that I want to distinguish between the form I can carry with me wherever I go and the form of the final product. Thus I am aiming toward a folder to hold blank pages and a binder to hold the filled pages, and which will remain at home. At the moment I am using a Hilroy Clean Edge Removable pad which fits nicely into a University of Lethbridge folder that is easy to carry along with one maths book.

The idea of using grid paper is at first not very appealing, but I may change my mind if I can find a pad that is very lightly ruled. There are many alternatives ...

While on campus this morning I had a coffee (2) beside the bookstore. I did a quick browse and bought two fiction books: "The Undiscovered Chekov: Forty Three New Stories. (1998) and "The Pillow Book" by Sei Shonagon. The first book is new to me, the second is one I have seen numerous references to over the last 5 or so years. It is a companion to "The Tale of Genji", both of which were written at about 1000 AD. Thus I now have an addition to both my Russian books as well as my Japanese books.

I also saw a mathematics book that looked interesting that relates to what I am studying now (i.e. abstract algebra). The price was definitely high ($125. for a used copy, 25% more for a new copy). This is outrageous. The book is for undergraduate studies and is not very sophisticated in terms of advanced mathematics. However it did appear to be very comprehensive in terms of notation and a careful development of the topics. I am still vascillating over whether I should return and have a second look at it. On one hand the price is too high, on the other hand, what is a $100. if it does a superb job of introducing me to the topic? That pretty well convinced me.

The Murakami novel is fantastic! It is quite different but is almost impossible to put down. I only have about 30 pages left, so I will be back a little later. ...

3:10 PM

Done. Murakami is now on my list of authors to keep an eye on. I need to renew by iRewards card at Chapters: this will be a good opportunity to buy another of his novels. But I need to wait awhile before I am ready for another book like this.

9:00 PM

Two more books to add to my shelves:

• The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable (2007) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1997) by Haruki Murakami

 

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