My recent bike project

So a very good friend of Heather and I's (see her blog here) has graciously agreed to be our "day of" planner for the upcoming wedding. This is such a huge task to take on and we are so grateful because she is doing this out of just kindness and a good heart. Said differently, she is asking no monetary compensation...amazing!

Heather and I (as I've commented before on this blog about our Neighborhood friends) have enjoyed a good life with amazing friends along the way. This most recent event with Mairead and Sham helping organize our wedding, letting me live in their house, spending endless hours helping with projects and hanging out is just another chapter in what I would call "our good friends".

So when Mairead came to me awhile ago with an old Nishiki that her mother had that was...shall we say...in less than great shape and asked if I could help her out...I couldn't say no. Not to mention this gave me a great chance to test out my bike mechanic skills and build something beautiful.

 
The modifications weren't that big of a deal...but the work needed to be done! So we decided to convert it into a fixie/singlespeed. Replaced the crankset, brake handles and cables, new set of wheels, new handle bar tape, some new brake calipers, and a deep clean.
I have to say I am proud of the finished product

With a clean set of White Deep V's and some baby blue this bike really sparkles...and runs like a dream. I did a blue/white 1/8" chain combo and she runs great!
I learned a lot during this job (I hate doing breaks!!!!) and if I had to do it over again I would change my approach and focus on getting the paint job first and done early. But for a job for a friend and a learning experience I have to say...good deal!
Building a new Neighborhood isn't just about bikes, fun, and favors...but is also about life and doing for others and spending time doing what you love. Sham and Mairead teach me this every day and I am looking forward to a fun wedding coming soon

Strange ways we can change a life

So a theme I've often thought about post-living in the Neighborhood is the strange ways our interactions can change each others lives.
There is no doubt in my mind that the funny interaction I had with the many gifted and special people from the Neighborhood changed my perspective on life, goals, what matters, and how to conduct my behavior. Likewise, I have been told by a few of the people that the valued time and experiences we shared together really did change their lives as well.
This idea was recently solidified for me in an off-hand conversation I had with a friend on Facebook about a week ago. We had been friends in high school but by no means close. Often we would share in a deep discussion or be at the same event at the same time...but often did run in different circles. I hadn't spoke with my friend Matt for probably 4 years and found out through Facebook that he was pursuing a PhD in Mathematics.

Turns out that in high school I had been reading a book by John Gribbon called In Search of Schrodinger's Cat. I was fascinated by the book and it was a great introduction into the realm of modern physics. Since you can't tread into the world of Quantum Mechanics without getting sucked into a philosophical discussion on the nature of reality I shared this book with my friend Matt. From the conversation I'll post below he credits this chance encounter with a book and a discussion with a friend into starting him down the road that has lead him to his career in mathematics.
Obviously there is more to the story and one doesn't go get a degree in mathematics because of one book...but I thought this story was a nice reminder to SHARE YOUR PASSIONS AND DISCUSSIONS.

Matthew
I started reading Shankar's quantum mechanics textbook

Jonathan
How do you like it?

Matthew
Not too far yet, but it's well written
Dirac's notation for linear algebra is pretty amazingly creative though

Jonathan
certainly...Shankar goes in a neat direction that keeps most of the book accessible throughout, even if it is your first go at Quantum Mechanics...I used it as a supplement book during my QM II course a few years back

Matthew
it's been a while since i dealt with any real physics, so i think the second chapter may be tough going for me

Jonathan
Why did you pick up Shankar?

Matthew
iv'e fogotten alot of my E&M I think
I started reading Dirac
The internet told me i may be better off with shankar

Jonathan
That is probably true...are you trying to learn to DO Quantum mechanics or understand QM?

Matthew
understand
though i;; probably do the excersizes in shankar for amusement

Jonathan
I don't even know if I'd waste my time with Shankar then...starting with Feynmann and his work "6 easy and not so Easy pieces" as well as some essays on QM might get you there quicker...then maybe use Shankar as a check of understanding

Matthew
well ive read QED a cople times, how that book complare?
i mean, i want to understand it, not "understand" it
ie. i want math in my quantum mechanics

Jonathan
ummm...it is close together...if you can follow QED and you want to get some math Feynmann is the way to go...then maybe go to Griffiths "Intro to Quantum Mechanics" I used that in undergrad and it was an awesome bridge between words and math

Matthew
ok, ill look at that in the library tomorrow

Jonathan
nice to hear from you and it sounds like you are keeping up the deep thoughts...that is awesome

Matthew
yah
actually, you gave me a book in high school
like schrodengers cat or something
that one thing probably has alot to do with me becoming a mathematician actaully
so thanks ,i was origionally gonna study physics but found out in college that i was really good at math

Jonathan
that is too cool...glad I could help someone along their path in life

Matthew
well we all do what we can

You never know who is listening...what they will take away from it...or where it will lead. Certainly, my exposure in the neighborhood and the direction and personality it placed in me as a human being helped in the meeting of my future wife. At the very least these people introduced me to soccer, which got me to play on an intramural team, which Heather was a part of, and therefore we became acquainted. Who knows if the passion for this sport was kept away from me would I've ever met her?
So, share your thoughts...they lead to amazing places!

From the Neighborhood to the Lab

I hope in the upcoming posts to catalog what my life has been like during the transition from the life in the neighborhood to the life at Fermilab. More than anything I don't want to say that one was better than the other...they are both great times in my life and I think in seeing how these two communities work and influence the world around them I have a blueprint for building a better life.

So in the neighborhood there were twenty or so central people who lived and gave to one another. A perfect example of this was an art show that was put on primarily by three girls (Mary Ellen, Carie, and Claire) but became the pet project of everyone in the Neighborhood. This show was called "Barefoot Art Guild" and was held about once every two months. What was truly amazing about this show is that what started as a small gathering of friends to share the art they created quickly grew to a show that spanned a city block, had live musicians come in from many different cities, would last 8 hours, and never charged a dime (except for food...which was still primarily given away)

In this example of my community I found the meaning of selfless enjoyment. Putting together, organizing, and breaking down these art shows took many hours and often a lot of resources. But the neighborhood always banded together, giving time, money and equipment to make sure that a good time could be had by complete strangers. All this was done without expectation and with very little drama. It was at one of the last Barefoot Art Guilds that it struck me why the Neighborhood functioned so well. Simply put, we were all interested in having a good time, and what was the unsaid truth is that we had a better time together than apart. So, by giving of what little we had to a common cause that would gather friends we could have a better time.

Seems simple enough. Give to your friends for the sake of fun. Don't be selfish with your resources and try to benefit those around you. The concept of the Neighborhood was all these things...but it was also more than that. It was a desire to be larger then our parts. We were becoming a force in College Station because there were many of us all contributing, watching out for one another and working for a greater good. Barefoot Art was just one of the many facets that the Neighborhood gave and in the future I will write more as to exactly what it was and maybe produce a timeline.

But more to the point I realized how this idea has leaked into my professional life here at Fermilab, and it is a good thing. I work with an amazing adviser (Prof. Dave Toback) and two other graduate students (Eunsin Lee and Adam Aurisano) on Supersymmetry searches at CDF. We do our work for the most part without a post-doc, and without our adviser being on site. Moreover, we all have wives or girlfriends, and Eunsin and Dave have kids. We have outside interests and responsibilities, however we are leading the way in photon searches and I see our institution as a leader on CDF.

 How is this possible? Simply, we give to one another, we support each others research, we give to each others lives. I wouldn't say that we are necessarily best of friends, but most of us in the Neighborhood weren't that way either. Instead we see that we are better when we give to each other and build something bigger than the individual. We support each other without ego or selfishness, and very little drama.

This idea, how did the Neighborhood change my life and how do I apply this to the world I am stepping into. Be it in particle physics, rock climbing, social life, moving...or whatever is part of the subject of this blog. The connection between Fermilab and the Neighborhood I hope can be teased out even further in future posts.