Update and Issues

I have been out of commission for a bit due to a couple personal issues. I have literally been lying low for a bit. Down but not out. But I have not been idle neither. The Paleoclomatology class got withdrawn from - taking one massive issue off of my shoulders. All that has happened to me over the past few months reminds me of a character from one of my favorite novels when the enemies knocked part of a building down on top of him. I mean, really. What happened to my luck? It certainly went south - and me unable to do a damn thing to stop any of it. Yoi!

I did finally register for the Plate Tectonics class here at Pitt and am waiting to hear back from the professor about when and where we are meeting for class. This will be the third graduate level class I have taken so far. I did pass the other two, albeit one without the best of outcomes and the other almost did not make it at all - but turned out ok in the end. Wish me luck.

I am a bit undecided about whether to register for the department's colloquium class. It's only one credit and I do need it. I just wish it were still like it was years ago in my old geology days when it was not mandatory to attend and you did not have to register for it. I believe they changed it so that the department gets enough money to get the speakers - who are typically all from other colleges and other organizations. I wonder how other science departments handle funding problems for their seminar series. There's got to be a better way.

It reminds me of the last class I needed to take for my B.A. in History and Philosophy of Science right here at Pitt. It was also one credit and a seminar type class. We also had to write two research essays on the class topic and readings - which happened to be on Descartes - with Dr. McGuire presiding. It was not a series of lectures by speakers from outside, however. I do recall both our HPS and our Philosophy departments having colloquium type seminars.

I have also been going through all my old research paperwork on the Intelligent Design situation - a la the Discovery Institute. So far, I have only reread and organized into a file folder three old articles from back in 2002 about the Columbus, Ohio scandal. I have plenty more where that came from. I still cannot understand how that Guildenhuys ass of a grad instructor was able to say I was off topic on the essay I wrote for my first attempt at Intro to Philosophy of Science. That is one mistake I have not gotten on any paper since maybe grade school. Well, he got his comeuppance - he ended up on academic probation - on an unrelated issue. Why am I not surprised! I think he might need to take a class on ethics and maybe one on morality - since the "man" did not have any at the time. And not much in the brains category, neither. And Logic is a mandatory class requirement for a Bachelors in our HPS department. He apparently slept through those classes.

Gotta get to class. Till later... Cha Ching!