MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH SCIENTISTS

Have I ever mentioned I was, and arguably am, a Trekkie? (A Star Trek fan, I mean). I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with the inexplicably good looking Patrick Stewart steering wildly innocent childhood dreams... (and who I always thought would make a pitch perfect Professor X on X-Men, and what do you know, a decade later...)*

I mentioned in an earlier post that I named my beloved golden retriever after "Ender" from Orson Scott Card's series of the same name, and plan to name my next dog (hopefully a beagle) Android after Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

I think the reason I love sci-fi books and have an obsessive love for all things sci-fi and science related is because I never understood the practical applications of science. I took both the Advanced Placement classes for biology and chemistry in high school (score on both: HARD EARNED THREES, BABY) and my teacher, Mr. K (affectionately referred to as K-dog, no joke, I have the email exchanges to prove it) would ask me what I was doing in his class. I have no clue to be honest, except that everyone else was doing it and I liked feeling smart with my very thick chemistry and biology books.

Sci-fi gives me the smallest glimmer of hope that I can understand science and relate it to the humanities. Same with memoirs of famous scientists and mathematicians (although to be fair to myself, I am a friggin ace at math...there is a time with obsessive-compulsiveness comes in handy and that is called deriving equations and finding areas of three dimensional areas)... they allow me to explore the person behind the science, as if to say, "look, the moral consequences and implications of science are much more important sometimes than the science itself." oppenheimer, feynman, and einstein were all geniuses, sure, but they are badass(es? noun or adjective people? both work I believe) because of their philosophical beliefs and insight into how the sciences are related to humanity. I believe there is a quote at the entrance of Berlin University or some similar European university that has a Marx quote that basically says that the philosophers have interpreted the world, it is up to us to change it. True that, Karl. So if anyone has any recommendations on biographies on "Great Thinkers" that I should read, let me know! I really would love to read a book on Einstein since he was featured so heavily in "American Prometheus" and since I know so little about his personal life.

Oh, to celebrate my last free weekend as a non-working college graduate I baked a very scrumptious cake involving chocolate cake mix AND pudding mix. You can find the recipe here. Death by chocolate. Or more realistically, type-2 diabetes.

oh, I am full. Time for a glorious food induced coma.

currently listening to:
Love for Tender
Elvis Costello & The Imposters

peace, tiffany

* I actually learned English watching Star Trek: TNG after I immigrated from Taiwan to California. I perfected my English over the years as I moved onto Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Most people prefer DSN. I dig Voyager. And I own a Star Trek costume. And perhaps a phaser. And perhaps a model of the U.S.S. Enterprise. And perhaps the official Star Trek Encyclopedia. Will you still be my friend if all these things are true? I will be yours.