Apples. A lot of apples.

As we come to the end of another busy semester, my brain is continuously on the edge of melting down since the demands on it are peaking. Sound familiar?

It kind of reminds me of this.

Except in my case it's "All homework and no sleep makes Kate something something."

My worst enemy this semester was not procrastination (for the first time!), but mental blocks. My brain would just give up, even though my will hadn't. Initially, I thought that if I studied harder I would get better at math and would avoid mental blocks. Although that will help in the long term, I also tried some short-term-mental-block-busters. I have to admit, I was skeptical. To my surprise, some of them were extremely successful. Here are some tested brain decloggers:

1. Apples. A lot of apples.

Maybe its the shot of glucose to the brain. Maybe its the vitamins. Maybe its some combination.
An apple makes math easier for about half an hour. A friend of mine coined the term "mapples," meaning "apples eaten to ease the study of mathematics." Mapples are now a staple in my diet.

2. Getting up at 6am.

Sometimes, getting up early may feel like this:


But you may surprise yourself with the results that you get before sunrise. One of my profs suggested to me that if I was stuck on a problem, to try to solve it the instant I opened my eyes in the morning. I have to give him credit for his suggestion; I got some of my best results this way. It was as if I knew the answer all along and as if math is the easiest subject on the planet.

3. Get moving.
When apples and early morning study sessions just weren't enough, I took a long ride on the city bus. You know, the bus that goes down every single side street. It takes you an hour to make a trip that, had you gone on a direct route, would have been five minutes. That bus is the Solution Express. There is something about watching the houses and streetlamps pass you by that makes equations appear like magic.

More important than any of the above tips:

You're brain is an organ in your body and it will work best if you take care of it. Adequate sleep, proper nutrition, and regular physical activity are compulsory to keeping your brain functioning well.

Happy studying! Good luck to those writing exams.

Snow is for Children to Play In

My apologies for the drought in blog posts. I've been doing math.



Autumn in Nanaimo is a transition from the constant stream of sunshine to the perpetual parade of precipitation. Each day is different, and as a result it is fresh. Our landscape undergoes a metamorphosis, from green to fiery to subdued. Our evenings progressively get colder. Our sunshine supply is decreased, so its value increases to the point where we truly appreciate our lovely sunny days (thanks for the economy lesson, Alek). Our heating begins to get turned on in the morning, sporadically at first as we get into the routine. Our hot coffee drinks become more sophisticated. And at some point, we begin to entertain the idea of snow.

Did you hear? It's going to snow this weekend. Definitely.
Maybe.

My father is a man of catch-phrases. Every time the flakes start falling, he says, "Snow is for children to play in." As a child, that made perfect sense to me. Why else would snow exist? Its only practical application is for construction of fort walls, projectile ammunition, and friends with carrots for noses. 10-20cm meant hot chocolate, a happy mum and, if we were lucky, an extra five minutes at recess.

As an adult I am still pro-snow. I know that it makes commuting a God awful nightmare, but I still love it. Especially right now. We are in anticipation of the very first snowfall of the season as we transition into winter. That anticipation drives us to do things that we associate with winter, like bake cookies, brew some tea or coffee, and snuggle in to watch Elf. If this precipitation materializes, I highly recommend a late night walk, complete with a hot toddy in a travel mug and a midnight kiss. And hiking boots and reflective clothing of course; safety first.

Autumn is my favourite season in Nanaimo. Everyday is a little different from the last, and the anticipation of the beauty of winter keeps me tuned into my environment. I hope you enjoy the weather this weekend, snow or not.

And now for that hot toddy.

I've Got Problems

Have you ever had a teacher tell you the following?

"If you can solve the questions, then I will give you more, and they will keep getting harder and harder and harder until I crush you."

Neither had I, until yesterday.

I'm taking a class on problem solving. Unlike the prescriptive learning style of other classes (read: you demonstrate, I repeat), in order to learn problem solving you need to challenge your mind (read: you blindfold me and stick me in a hole of unknown size at an undisclosed site and leave me for dead, and I find my way out. Alone.) I am the most frustrated and the most content that I have been in a long time. My sleep is being replaced with a scratch pad. That's okay. That's what espresso is for.

Here is a logic problem that my teacher gave us to try. I have already heard this one and I know the answer. Since I can't enjoy it, I thought I'd pass it along to you.

You are alone in the basement of a house. In the basement there are three identical light switches. One of the switches can turn on a light bulb, which is located in the attic. The other two switches are broken and have no function. Your mission is to determine which of the three switches turns on the light bulb. You can flick as many switches as many times as you like, but you can only go to the attic once to check. How do you do it?

Many people ask questions like, "Can I phone a friend?" or "Is there a window in the attic." The answer to these, and any other "Can I..." or "Is there..." type questions is always NO.

Have fun with this one! It's a mind bender. It helps to think outside of the box.

Enjoy!

Over the Edge

You're in the front seat of a roller coaster car, waiting impatiently for it to load with passengers. Your heart beats wildly and your pupils are dilated - your sympathetic nervous system is pushing its boundaries. Even though the car is not yet moving, excitement rushes through your body. After all, you love roller coasters. Right?

The car shudders to life and turns onto the conveyor that will pull it up the first hill. There's no turning back now. You're committed, whether you like it or not. As the mechanical chain pulls you and the other passengers up, you can't help but think, "What have I gotten myself into?" As you get to the top, you peer over the edge. The view from the top doesn't quite mentally prepare you for the thrills, screams, and fear that lie ahead. But, as you know, you are going over. Hang on tight, and try to enjoy the ride.

After a few years of a chemistry and biology degree, I had a change of heart and decided to give mathematics a try. So I signed up for four university mathematics courses, three of which are upper level courses. This morning, as I headed to my course on Problem Solving, I had that gut-dropping feeling that I get on the way up the highest roller coaster hill: I want to get out now, please. Why would I sign up for this? What was I thinking?

During the first few minutes of class, the teacher said exactly what I was feeling. He told us that if we didn't try then we couldn't fail. For many students the prospect of failing is more frightening than the prospect of giving up. If you give up, you will never know if you have the ability to accomplish something. But if you fail, you know that you can't do it. End of story.

Then we started with the problems. My heart beat loudly and strongly and I began to sweat. I felt like a teenager trying to impress someone of the opposite sex who was, quite frankly, out of my league. Instead of getting discouraged, I loved every minute of it! I sat and puzzled and puzzled and puzzled... and didn't come up with a single solution (yet.) But even though I couldn't get to the solution, my euphoria verified to me that I belonged in this math class. I had the adrenaline rush of the nerd world.

I don't know how many hills and valleys make up this roller coaster, but I'm holding on tight for now. And here we go, over the edge.

Back To The Grind

It's 8:46pm on Labor Day. My dishes are drying in the rack as I listen to the low rumble of my dryer as it sucks the last bit of moisture out of my clothes. Binders, stocked with crisp new paper, lay by the door in anticipation of tomorrow morning's excursion to school.

Good bye free time. You were fun. Hello assignments, midterms, and espresso. Gotta love espresso. Best thing next to Ritalin.

One summertime luxury that I miss during the semester is the ability to cook complicated, time-consuming recipes. During midterm season time, money, and patience are limited in supply and cannot be doled out in front of the stove. However, I am not willing to compromise nutrition. Here are some tips for the student (or busy mom) that I have learned thus far:

1. A slow cooker is the BEST invention in the history of all inventions.

2. Many recipes (chilies, soups, dips, pasta sauce, etc) taste the best on the second day. This is a great excuse to make lots and have leftovers.

3. Buy seasonal, local produce. It's cheaper, more nutritious, it tastes better, and the environment will thank you. Many summer fruits are still in season in September, and winter vegetables such as winter squash may start coming in at the end of the month.

4. Canadian Living magazine's recipes are seasonal, quick, delicious, and use common ingredients that most people have on hand. Also, I have been impressed by every single recipe that I have tried from Anne Lindsay.

5. Try to set aside one day a week for each of beef, pork, chicken, fish, and vegetarian cuisine. This helps to ensure diversity in your diet.

6. Having pizzas or lasagna in the freezer to pop in the oven is a great idea. Let's face it: some days are exhausting. It's okay to take a break from cooking once in a while.

I'd like to know: what can you teach me? What is your favourite weeknight meal?

Have a great semester!

Don't be a square. Get well rounded.

I have just ambitiously signed up for four math courses which begin next week.

Am I terrified?

Yeah, a little bit. But I am also very excited. Multivariable Calculus, Real Analysis (as opposed to imaginary analysis.... seriously!), Problem Solving, History of Math. I'm not ashamed to admit it: I like numbers. Quantities and algebra weave through my mind like verbiage in the brain of Mordecai Richler.

Okay, maybe I'm no mathematical Mordecai. But I still love algebra.

Unfortunately, mathematics have become esoteric. Recreational mathematics doesn't exist for the general population. People don't tend to whip out geometric proofs to kill time at the bus stop or solve matrices at the beach while relaxing in the sun. Why? It's too hard. It's no fun. I wasn't good at it in high school. It isn't useful.

Does this approach to math look familiar?
So how do we raise our kids?


Do we only encourage the children who excel at sports to be active? NO. Everybody needs physical activity to be healthy.

Do we only encourage the children who excel at music to be creative? NO. Everybody needs to develop creative intelligence through music, art, creative writing, drama, or some other media.

Do we only encourage the children who excel socially to develop their interpersonal skills? NO. Everyone needs to practice social skills to build and maintain relationships.

But math and science... that's a different story for many kids.

It's pretty easy to make the above activities fun for kids. Start a band. Enroll in dance class. Join a sports team. Have a playdate. Join a summer camp. But math and science often get labeled as "hard work" and "no fun," discouraging kids from developing healthy curiosity and reasoning skills which are so important for adult life. Math is more than numbers: it teaches logic, pattern recognition, categorizatoinal skills, inductive and deductive reasoning, and many more essentail skills.

Here are ten simple, inexpensive, and FUN ideas to encourage recreational science and math in your household with your kids:

1. Tangram puzzles - seven pieces should be assembled into a square. It's not as easy as it looks. These usually go for about a buck, or you can google and print your own. LESSON: Spatial mathematics.

2. Mix cornstarch and water together to make a thick paste with properties of both solids and liquids. We call this a non-Newtonian fluid. (NOTE: Do this outside and use a hose to rinse off any surfaces that it gets on. DON'T pour it down the sink!) LESSON: types of matter.

3. Go for a walk in a park or at the beach at low tide and see how many local plants or animals you can name. Some parks have free interpretive programs in the summer. LESSON: local ecosystems.

4. Try Sudoku. Puzzles range from easy to very difficult and are often free in your local newspaper or on the internet. The aim is to get the numbers 1-9 in each of 9 columns, 9 rows, and 9 3x3 grids. LESSON: deductive reasoning.

5. Mix a little baking soda and vinegar. Add food colouring to the vinegar for a prettier explosion. LESSON: chemical reactions.

6. Put some milk in a shallow dish. Add a few drops of food colouring to the surface to make a pretty, splotchy pattern. Then add a few drops of dishsoap to see the colour spread like magic.
LESSON: surface tension.

7. Make a lava lamp. Fill a bottle 3/4 full with water. Add a little food colouring. Fill the rest of the bottle with canola oil and a little salt and put the lid on. LESSON: density.

8. Head out to a dark place with a warm blanket and do some star gazing. Search for your favourite constellations. If you go in mid-August, look for meteors (shooting stars). LESSON: astronomy.

9. Next time you are at the beach or river, look at the types of rocks. Are there smooth stones which were eroded by the ocean? Do the rocks have visible layers or shiny crystals? Is there moss growing on the rocks? Are there coloured rocks (other than grey)? LESSON: geology.

10. Google brain teasers and riddles, most of which push your mathematical and reasoning skills. LESSON: analysis and reasoning.

So maybe your kids don't want to take a course multivariable calculus or Einstein's relativity. But math and science (just like physical interaction, social skills, and creative activities) are part of a healthy, balanced, and enjoyable lifestyle. Enjoy! And remember (in the words of one of my chemistry profs), it's all about the journey.

No Eggs, No muffins.

Good morning.

It's 5:08am. I woke up to the pitter-patter of much-needed rain. The muffins that I was planning to bake before dawn are laying disassembled in the cupboard. I forgot that Alek used up all the eggs yesterday. No eggs, no muffins. Thank God there is a Tim Horton's across the street.

These muffins have been promised to my traveling companions in exchange for a ride to Pt Alberni. We are planning to board the M.V. Frances Barkley at 7:30am and take a day cruise through Barkley Sound to Bamfield. (I use the word "cruise" loosely; the Frances Barkley is a packet freighter.) Altough sunshine allows for lovely photos of the picturesque scenery, rain and fog would remind me of everything that I love about Barkley Sound. I love the torrential rain. I love the blinding mist. I love the permeating cold. I love the salt in the air and the spray in my face. I love the concentration of life both on land and at sea. I love the whole package.

Rain or shine, I'll be smiling.

One of the best things my parents ever did for me was to teach me to love my environment. Camping trips to islands or the coasts make up my fondest childhood memories. The radius of Mum's smile was directly proportional to the diameter of the tree closest to her. Dad's mood would improve as he neared the ocean. It also helped that we usually got hot chocolate on such trips. Mum was a happy shutterbug on at least one of her ancient SLR cameras, and I was knee deep in tidal pools or wild flowers, spouting off common names and tidbids of ecology. And today, once we get to Bamfield, I envision myself on the beach, scouring tidal pools and boasting my new knowledge as a BSc student. And I am going to be the shutterbug. And I am going to buy some hot chocolate.

Loving my environment has helped me out for two reasons. 1. I enjoy being outside. This promotes an active lifestyle (blah blah blah). But really, it's just nice to enjoy scenery, since you can never really escape it. 2. Since I love my environment, I want to maintain it for my kids and their kids and their kids. Sure, I ripped some seastar feet off (accidently) as a child. But now the choices I make are to ensure the survival of our ecosystems and our resources. I have something to fight for; my childhood is dissolved in those tidal pools and growing in those rainforests.

So today I am going to go out and enjoy the gift that is waiting there for me. If it's sunny, you may get some photos on here! If it's rainy, I'll smile a little wider and put on an extra wool sweater.

It's time to go and pick up those muffins.