Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Hip to be Square


It only happens nine times a century, people. Happy Square Root Day! I am such a pitiful geeky girl. To celebrate I consumed a root crop. There were carrots in my soup this evening. Alas, they were round slices, not square chunks. The last SRD of the twentieth century sticks in my mind. 9/9/'81. A sun-drenched late summer morning when I dropped by the construction site where my boyfriend was working. I was on my way to work myself and I don't remember why I felt compelled to stop and see him. What I do remember very clearly is that I looked at him that morning and knew I didn't want to be with him any more, that I didn't really like him very much. But it's hard to let go of what is familiar, and I clung to that relationship for several more months, way beyond its expiration date. I'm smarter about letting go, now, and it's easier for me to accept the fluid nature of life. Change is inevitable and predictable and perennial. Count on it like its comrades death and taxes. Another fascinating numerical holiday occurs a week from this Saturday, 3.14, aka Pi Day. Bake a pie, eat some pie, create a pie chart and see how many decimal places you can recite pi to beyond 3.14159. And I'll see you back here on the next SRD, April 4, 2016.

4 comments:

Tantra Flower said...

Hello. And Happy Square Root Day to you too!!! Being a bit of a numbers geek myself, I'll admit to having a little more spring in my step today (out sprung only by the math teachers, of course). I wish I had eaten something special today, but I didn't. One of the math teachers brought a photo cake in, but I'm a little wary of those. Edible paper just isn't something I want to put in my mouth. It isn't what may or may not be in it, it's that I imagine what it may feel like on my tongue and I just can't make myself do it. LOL

I just wanted to tell you how much I've enjoyed the few posts I've been able to read so far. I'm looking forward to reading more from you. I found you during a search for fellow Susan Tedeschi fans. Anybody with good enough taste to love her is definitely a good egg. She is brilliant.

You take care. Peace, Lisa

P.S. For what it's worth, I see being a geek as a positive. One of my students said to me just the other day, "Ms. T. you're such a nerd!" My instinctive response was just, "hey, thanks!" I am also reminded of an occasion when I referred to myself as a geek at a dinner party and one of the guests, a really self-righteous personality type, said "oh stop being self deprecating", to which I replied, "and here I thought I was giving myself a compliment." :)

Anonymous said...

What about cube roots? Huh? Don't make me holler discrimination!

Bellona of Avalon said...

Ed: You do the math, plan the party and appropriate food and beverages and get back to me.

Lisa: Welcome! I'm so glad Susie brought us together, she ROCKS! I saw her in concert in 2003 at the Surf Ballroom in Spirit Lake, IA. She was amazing. It was a very cool, very relaxed atmosphere. We stood up right next to the stage and set our beers up there and danced. Tickets were ten bucks! I would love to see her again.

Tantra Flower said...

The Susie concert at Spirit Lake concert sounds awesome! I'm trying not to be jealous! I have never seen her in concert (sadly), but I am going to get out to enjoy more live music this year so hopefully I'll have the opportunity. *crossing my fingers*