Astronomy and Fall Break

I am just going crazy about my Deep Space Astronomy class right now. It’s the most poetic science to me – quasars and parsecs and questions posed in class like “Where does a thought exist on the space-time diagram when you’re not thinking it?” It has no timeline! We've covered the history of cosmology from ancient Greece and Babylon to medieval Christian influences to the spread of Islam to Newton and Kepler and now we’ve arrived at the mind-blowing concepts of the curvature of space-time and the formation of galaxies. The math is tricky for me but I love everything else. It’s inspiring. I am not sure where to turn next in my studies though. Metaphysics/philosophy or physics or keep on track for English or anthropology? History? Classics? Can I just study everything? Well, the answer to that last question is as close to yes as possible since L&C is a liberal arts school and there is plenty of room for all my experimentation. I think I might take a calculus class next semester in case I do want to pursue physics further. We’ll see. There’s a lot to consider.
                Isn't cosmology fantastic?




                Since it was fall break for part of last week, I’ve also been watching Doctor Who too much lately. Seriously, it’s a supplement to what I’m learning! J It’s science, I swear! Along those lines, my fall break was fairly laid-back, but I did go out to Portland twice, which was fun. My roommate’s older sister was visiting from California so the three of us and my other friend Sarah went out for Mexican food one night and Japanese food another night (Shigezo, again, since it’s so close to the bus stop!). It was all delicious. Speaking of Portland, here’s a picture from that one time when we went downtown and it was really beautiful and sunny and warm! It’s sunny now, but delightfully cold (my kind of weather). I told my roommate Sully and my friend Kat to strike majestic poses as if the waterfront was the most beautiful thing they had ever laid eyes on!



                …and the Saturday Market…


                Hope you are all doing well! My next-door neighbor India just came by and gave me a Snickers bar, so you could say I am certainly doing well. Sweets are a huge part of my life here. The dining hall (or as we say, the Bon, which is short for Bon Appetit) has amazing baked goods like moist and delectable vegan brownies and yesterday there was pumpkin pie with whipped cream! Mmmmm…
                Questions? Don’t forget to email me at jessicakostka@lclark.edu!

                Until next week,
                Jess