Stephen profile picture

Stephen

I am here for Friends

About Me

I'm one of the lucky ones. Big family. Awesome friends. Cool job. Some inkling of what my place is in this universe, though that comes and goes depending on my mood.

My training (such as it is) is in solid state physics, but I have a few interests elsewhere. I like Gustave Caillebotte, Southern folklore, culinary arts, and "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock," if that tells you anything.

I've got four generations' worth of kinfolk living in Houston. Ours is a Texan family, and we're damned proud of it.

My Interests

Condensed Matter Physics, Art, Theater, Dim Sum, Liquid Nitrogen, Cooking, Folklore, World of Warcraft, Stand-up Comedy

I'd like to meet:

I'm mostly here to keep in touch with old friends, but I'm up for meeting new faces.

Music:

I like songs that either make my neck work or give me something to think about. So long as it's not too heavy or not too slow, I'm down -- 80's, 90's, Pop, Country, Folk.

Movies:

Big Trouble in Little China, Bad Boys I & II, The Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit, Roxanne, Supertroopers, Ghostbusters, Flower Drum Song, Next Friday...stuff that is either really funny or involves massive amounts of ammunition.

Television:

Not much time for TV these days, but I do enjoy Myth Busters, Chappelle Show, Eureka, Stargate, Family Guy, You're Under Arrest, and the occasional Star Trek episode.

.. Spock's Crib

Books:

Journey to the West, Lone Star Nation, Wild Cow Tales, Ender's Game, Fundamentals of Physics, Cyrano de Bergerac, On the Beach, The Masterharper of Pern, Catch-22, The Da Vinci Code, Pygmalion

Heroes:

Heroes handle their business, no matter the circumstances.

My Blog

Playing Doctor

This morning, I defended my dissertation.  After six years in grad school, I have my Ph.D. in Physics.
Posted by Stephen on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:05:00 PST

Got Tagged

Here’s how you play: Once you’ve been tagged you have to write a blog with 10 weird, random, facts, habits or goals about yourself , at the end choose 10 (or more) people to be tagged, lis...
Posted by Stephen on Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:43:00 PST

Just Wrong

I’ve been listening to the new HOT 95.7 radio station, and I’ve really enjoyed it.  There’s not much talk, and Jen was telling me that their gimmick is that they only play what ...
Posted by Stephen on Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:28:00 PST

My Last Spring Break

This week begins my very last Spring Break, and what am I doing?  The same thing I do every Spring Break...work.  But that’s okay.  I just got back from a business trip in New Orl...
Posted by Stephen on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 11:05:00 PST

Merry Christmas

A Winter Tapestry   O holy eve, fast asleep with dreams to weave; Toil the craftsman of my memory, Revealing my soul's placid reverie. Long run the taut fibers of warp and weft, With no happy ...
Posted by Stephen on Sun, 23 Dec 2007 12:57:00 PST

Angular Velocity is Evil

When I teach, I like to bring as many real world experiences into the classroom as I possibly can.  As a result, I'm always on the lookout for new things that I can present in my lectures. Not lo...
Posted by Stephen on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:23:00 PST

Credit Card Fraud

So I received a statement for my oldest Visa account last week. A $10.00 charge showed up for "ONLINETRADE4U.COM" in early June. However, I haven't used this card all year. To be sure, I went back to ...
Posted by Stephen on Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:48:00 PST

Tree Huggers Should Give Me an Award

Over lunch the other day, we were talking about those two "lost" humpback whales out over by San Francisco. Last I read, after about two weeks, the whales have almost made it back to the ocean. That's...
Posted by Stephen on Fri, 01 Jun 2007 10:14:00 PST

Gentlemen, Keep That Backside Clean

This blog is addressed to the swimmer that I saw in the locker room this morning.  You know who you are.  Sir, I would like to explain something to you.  There are some very f...
Posted by Stephen on Fri, 13 Apr 2007 05:05:00 PST

Dangerous Workout?

So I'm staying off my left foot for probably ever, because every once in a while, I can still feel a little tingle from where it hurt from before (I really did a number on it running on concrete a whi...
Posted by Stephen on Thu, 15 Mar 2007 09:48:00 PST