I haven't mentioned my job situation for a while, because there wasn't much to report. To recap: I moved here in September to work at the ocean engineering department. My advisor resigned in January, giving me only three days notice before leaving the state. She eventually settled in Australia and invited me to join her. Lynn had just moved here, and moving around the world is expensive, so a move to Australia was out of the question. In retrospect, I realize she must have known she was quitting for months without telling me.
We tried to collaborate via email, but it wasn't really working out, and I eventually quit. So, I've been effectively unemployed for about two months. I did temp work for a while, and applied for a number of jobs I didn't really want.
Finally, Lynn recommended that I try for a job at her research team. Long story short, I did so and I got the job.
The job involves MRI research. Specifically, we program the scan sequences, run the scans and analyze data. One of the projects that I will probably work on is an optical tracker that will automatically adjust the system when the subject moves. It is hard to stay perfectly still for 30 minutes, and typically they have to repeat portions of the scan, so such a system would improve the quality and reduce the duration of a typical scan.
Once again, I'll be starting from scratch, and learning a new field. Fortunately, all of the other physicists in the lab were new to magnetic resonance when they started, so they are used to people learning on the job.
If anyone's interested, the group's (somewhat crappy) website is here, and a layman's description of MRI is here.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Hang Loose...
...it's the law. (This is a real sign near UH: right turn only, no parking, and the shaka aka "hang loose" sign.)
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Luau
When my mother-in-law, Marlene, was in town we went to a Luau at a beach on the western side of the island. This is actually the second Luau we've been to; two years ago we went to a luau during a visit to the Big Island. The agenda was pretty similar both times. First, there is some music and relatively mellow hula dancing,
Here you can see the sun setting behind the dancers. Traditionally, they cook the pig by filling the cavity with hot lava rocks, wrapping it in taro leaves, and burying it in the sand. Here is a shot of them ceremoniously pulling it out of the ground.
They then reenact the arrival of the king and queen by canoe.
Next, it is time to eat. It's usually buffet-style, though we paid extra for good seats and to be waited on. There is the kalua pig, chicken, lomi lomi (diced salmon sashimi and tomatoes), fish, rice, beer and, of course, mai-tais.
After dinner, it's time for the show. The emcee sang a few songs and then introduced the dancers. He they are, striking a pose,
As you might guess, for the faster songs (just drumbeats, really), there is some lightning fast hip shaking going on. Probably the coolest part was the guy who twirled burning torches,
Last, they pull some people out of the audience and "teach" them to hula. One of the people who was singled out was a family friend, Seth,
Here he is getting down with the ladies,
Everybody had a good laugh.
Obviously, a bit of cheese is part of every luau, and, not surprisingly, they are tourist-heavy events. Though luaus are loosely based on traditional polynesian feasts, tiki culture has long had an element of camp in it. It is fun, though. The food and drinks are good and it gives you at least a taste of the culture (i.e. an idea of what the hula looks like and what the Hawaiian language sounds like).
Here you can see the sun setting behind the dancers. Traditionally, they cook the pig by filling the cavity with hot lava rocks, wrapping it in taro leaves, and burying it in the sand. Here is a shot of them ceremoniously pulling it out of the ground.
They then reenact the arrival of the king and queen by canoe.
Next, it is time to eat. It's usually buffet-style, though we paid extra for good seats and to be waited on. There is the kalua pig, chicken, lomi lomi (diced salmon sashimi and tomatoes), fish, rice, beer and, of course, mai-tais.
After dinner, it's time for the show. The emcee sang a few songs and then introduced the dancers. He they are, striking a pose,
As you might guess, for the faster songs (just drumbeats, really), there is some lightning fast hip shaking going on. Probably the coolest part was the guy who twirled burning torches,
Last, they pull some people out of the audience and "teach" them to hula. One of the people who was singled out was a family friend, Seth,
Here he is getting down with the ladies,
Everybody had a good laugh.
Obviously, a bit of cheese is part of every luau, and, not surprisingly, they are tourist-heavy events. Though luaus are loosely based on traditional polynesian feasts, tiki culture has long had an element of camp in it. It is fun, though. The food and drinks are good and it gives you at least a taste of the culture (i.e. an idea of what the hula looks like and what the Hawaiian language sounds like).
Hiking
So Brian and I have hiked up Diamondhead, the Manoa falls, and now the Puu Ohia trail. The Puu Ohia trail climbs steadily up the Tantalus cinder cone above Honolulu and offers some good views.
We started by driving up Tantalus road which is a treacherously winding road that climbs steadily up into the mountains. The trail is hard to find when driving as it is off the road and marked with a small sign.
While hiking, we gained about 1,200 feet in altitude, but it was only a moderate hike in terms of fitness ability. The trail switches back and forth along the side of the moutain and can be very narrow in some places, but it is well kept. There are lime and gauva trees growing along the trail. Every now again there is a glimpse of Honolulu and Diamondhead through the trees.
We hiked up through rain forest until we came to a bamboo forest that seemed to go on forever. When the wind blows, it sounds like the bamboo is falling down as the trees bump into one another. It is eerily quiet when the wind is still and we could hear an occasional bird that we haven't identified yet.
Briefly we walked on a paved road that connected the two parts of this trail to two other trails that we haven't explored yet. We also saw what may have been a pig trail and there are signs warning of pig hunters in the area on certain days of the week. We didn't see any pigs or hunters.
Sorry we have only one picture...we were so busy oogling nature, we forgot to take pics of it. I'm sure we will hike this trail again and this time we will use the camera instead of just carrying it with us.
We started by driving up Tantalus road which is a treacherously winding road that climbs steadily up into the mountains. The trail is hard to find when driving as it is off the road and marked with a small sign.
While hiking, we gained about 1,200 feet in altitude, but it was only a moderate hike in terms of fitness ability. The trail switches back and forth along the side of the moutain and can be very narrow in some places, but it is well kept. There are lime and gauva trees growing along the trail. Every now again there is a glimpse of Honolulu and Diamondhead through the trees.
We hiked up through rain forest until we came to a bamboo forest that seemed to go on forever. When the wind blows, it sounds like the bamboo is falling down as the trees bump into one another. It is eerily quiet when the wind is still and we could hear an occasional bird that we haven't identified yet.
Briefly we walked on a paved road that connected the two parts of this trail to two other trails that we haven't explored yet. We also saw what may have been a pig trail and there are signs warning of pig hunters in the area on certain days of the week. We didn't see any pigs or hunters.
Sorry we have only one picture...we were so busy oogling nature, we forgot to take pics of it. I'm sure we will hike this trail again and this time we will use the camera instead of just carrying it with us.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Volcanoes
There are a number of volcanic craters on Oahu. Most notable is Diamond Head, which is visible from all over the Southeast part of the island and is an iconic feature of Waikiki. I've mentioned in previous posts that we live next to a volcanic crater, called Punchbowl. It's worth noting that Oahu is not considered volcanically active, so you can rest easy knowing that Lynn and I are not going to be killed by molten rock.
The same cannot be said of all of the Hawaiian islands, however. There are nine major islands in Hawaii, and hundreds of smaller, uninhabited islands. The oldest islands are to the west (Kauai) and the younger islands are to the east. The volcanoes on Maui haven't erupted in a few centuries, but are still considered active. The easternmost island, the Big Island, is still growing, and contains one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Kilauea. Here's Kilauea, making the Big Island bigger:
It has been active recently, not only near the ocean, but closer to where residents and tourists are - exploding and shooting ash and rocks on people's homes, causing lava flows that destroy houses, and pumping dangerous level of sulfur into the atmosphere. The trade winds blow this pollution in our direction and cause a good deal of haziness, known as "vog" (volcano+smog). In appearance, vog is not unlike DC's summer haze, but apparently it can be damaging to lung function.
Vog:
The same cannot be said of all of the Hawaiian islands, however. There are nine major islands in Hawaii, and hundreds of smaller, uninhabited islands. The oldest islands are to the west (Kauai) and the younger islands are to the east. The volcanoes on Maui haven't erupted in a few centuries, but are still considered active. The easternmost island, the Big Island, is still growing, and contains one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Kilauea. Here's Kilauea, making the Big Island bigger:
It has been active recently, not only near the ocean, but closer to where residents and tourists are - exploding and shooting ash and rocks on people's homes, causing lava flows that destroy houses, and pumping dangerous level of sulfur into the atmosphere. The trade winds blow this pollution in our direction and cause a good deal of haziness, known as "vog" (volcano+smog). In appearance, vog is not unlike DC's summer haze, but apparently it can be damaging to lung function.
Vog:
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