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