I'm so happy today!

I'm having such a nice day already!!!

I took the day off. I slept in and started the morning with coffee and music and books. It's sunny and mild outside, and the sun is pouring in. Aiyana and I went outside to say hi to the snow drops and cows when she woke up.

I deliberately made no plans for the rest of the day, other than dinner out in West Hartford tonight with Aiyana and Ed. I'm just going to see what happens and enjoy each moment, which, somehow feels so easy to do today.

Here's a picture of Aiyana and I this morning, and Sena's profile at her new job.

All kinds of good news

We've had a lot of good news recently:

Aiyana got accepted to Boston University, which was her top choice for schools, and she will be going there next September. She will study international relations with a possible minor in computer science. We're incredibly proud of her, as this is a hard school to get into with only 20 percent acceptance rate, and she worked really hard to get there.

Sena also has some good news: she finally found a job that lines up very well with her interests in DC. She will be working at the Climate Reality Project, a non profit organization founded by Al Gore doing climate work. Sena's position is organizer for the North East region of the country. It's a really nice position with good pay and excellent benefits, and what's really great is that she'll be able to pursue her interest in climate advocacy through it.

Ed's got some news as well: he'll be going half time in his lab at UConn, and the other half time he'll be working in a startup company developing membrane separation technology. This is a company started by the professor Ed's been working with at UConn, and Ed's position will be Chief Technology Officer.

On my end, things are good as well. My aerospace class is going very well, and I'm still very excited about it. We got the wind tunnel in the classroom. We've already done some work with it, and I have a lot more labs planned around it. You can see a video of Ed discussing the wind tunnel here: https://youtu.be/5sDyn0QtxRI

I'm also excited because next year I'll be teaching an AP research class, were I'll be guiding students through conducting academic research on a science topic of their choice.

So that's a bit of news from here. I hope all is well where you are. 

Peace

Howards End

"Mature as he was, she might yet be able to help him to the building of the rainbow bridge that should connect the prose in us with the passion. Without it we are meaningless fragments, half monks, half beast, unconnected arches that have never joined into a man. With it love is born, and alights on the highest curve, glowing against the gray, sober against the fire. Happy the man who sees from either aspect the glory of these outspread wings. The roads of his soul like clear, and he and his friends she'll find easy going."

(E.M.Forster, Howards End)

This is my first time reading Forster, and wow!!! What have I been missing!

Wind tunnel news

The wind tunnel which Ed and I designed and Ed's machinist coworker built for my aerospace class is almost ready. We tested it today and it works, and we got some good data. A few kinks need to be worked out, but we're almost there. Here it is, still in the machine shop at UConn. Can't wait to bring it to my classroom and run it with my students.

Ed, adjusting some sensors 

You can see our test airfoil here. There will be several airfoils that we'll have 3D printed.

me collecting some data

All the data looks good and makes sense so far.

I'm pretty excited. I love being a nerd.

Peace

Going back

I had a really nice time visiting Sena, and now I'm heading back home. It was nice to spend a few days with her, with no plans and no agenda, just do what we want when we felt like it. We slept late and ate out at a lot of great places, and watched Harry Potter last night.

My bus ride back home was good, and I actually enjoyed the fact that we got stuck in NYC for quite a while due to traffic. This city always gives me a good feeling, especially around Christmas time, and today it looked really pretty with all the decorations already put up.

These are a couple of pictures from Bread Furst, a really cute café Sena and I spent some time at.

In DC

Started the day with breakfast at Tatte, my favorite French bakery ☕🥐❤️

Then we went to a Christmas market 🎄

Next, a plant store to decorate Sena's room.

Then, Cuban for lunch, and Sena headed to work in the afternoon.

I walked around the warf for a while afterwards. It was really pretty, all lit up.

And, to top it all off, I found and bought Miyazaki's latest novel. I'm so excited and grateful for this day.

Peace

Thanksgiving in DC!

Yesterday, we had a half day at school, as Thanksgiving break began.  Aiyana and I headed to EuroDeli in Rocky Hill to get some Romanian and Turkish food. Then, we stopped by The Hartford Baking Company and had a treat. But the real treat was spending time together, listening to music and feeling light hearted in the car.

Today, I am on my way to DC to see Sena. Ed and Aiyana are staying in CT to spend Thanksgiving with his parents.

I am very thankful and excited to get a few days to see Sena and relax together. I brought my books and journal, and I want to go to visit the National Gallery, and Sena and I are planning to go to some cafes, and a Turkish restaurant and a Christmas market. I will be returning to CT on Saturday afternoon, just before school begins again on Monday.

Here are a couple of pictures from yesterday, and I will post more as the weekend unfolds.

Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate, and if not, have a great weekend!

I recently discovered the Turkish drink Salep. Wow! I stocked up and am bringing some to Sena in DC.

Sena's TED talk is now available

You can watch it here:

https://youtu.be/S30pevZI7BU

And you can also check out her Instagram post about it if you want, as shown below:

Still

It's still hard that Sena's gone to DC. She came back last weekend for Aiyana's birthday, and when she left it was so hard all over again.

Aiyana is getting her university applications in. Who knows where she'll be next year?

Some nights I can't sleep for worry about them. Other times, I'm so excited for both of them, and all they have accomplished and all they have ahead of them.

As for myself, otherwise, things are intense but good. School can get pretty stressful, like any job I guess, but it's also rewarding. My aerospace class is going very well, and my general science class is a lot easier this year than last, when it was my first time teaching it. The wind tunnel is still in the machine shop but coming along. There's a lot of excitement around it. I plan to use it for my aerodynamics unit în the new year.

My mom is currently in Tunisia, having a great time. She's making me jealous with all the great food and the historical places she's seeing.

I was listening to U2, and thinking how some days, I still want to "reach out and touch the flame". That's never changed. I'm grateful that it's still there despite the many stresses and worries of this life stage.

I hope that you're finding something to hold on to as well, finding some peace and perspective, wherever you're at right now.

Peace 

Incredible Turkish food

I really miss it...

It was so good!

Street food: roasted chestnuts and corn on the cob 

The pastries!!!

All Baklava 

Tea and an empty baklava plate

Coffee cart

Turkish coffee 

Street food morning and night 

The Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. It dates from the 1400s, and has more than 4000 shops in it covering an area of 9 acres! Another must see location in Istanbul.

The ever present Istanbul cats. So happy and well taken care of! You can see 4 of them hanging out at the book shop below.

An assortment of amazing teas.