Posts in category Faith
Happy New Year
to you, dear reader! I wish you not to get bored, and not to loose your mood in all troubles the year might provide. The Lord will look after us all, just keep fit and open to him.
Old and new
All right, it’s almost time, time to think of good and bad, achievements and losses, old and new, whatever silly it is.
My Lord kept me and keen reasonably healthy and active. Kids gladden my heart. I could enjoy love and friendship. As to research, six papers have been published, two in PRL. We have made 11 arxiv submissions. I got 475 citations this year reaching h-index of 47. I’m happy I could work on Renyi entropies and hope to continue with this, we cracked the polaron in carbon nanotube. I’ve learned about several interesting experiments to think of and had a couple of prospective ideas. I made into several very good grant application teams, this schould work over a time. I collaborated with visitors, Izak Snyman and Tomohiro Yokoyama.
On negative side, my laziness and lack of feeling for my neighbour yet prevail. I could not finish papers I would have to, no grant application was sucsessful, many things planned have been smoothly transferred to next year plans. One of my best scienific achivements has not been sufficiently appreciated. The “weather” for research becomes increasingly bad: less and less money for real science. And overall “wheather” might be better, with all signs of economical and political instability appearing as ugly blotches at the made-up face of our prosperous civilization, that accompany signs of moral degradation and devotion to sin.
And my own aging, on the top of all. Less people smile at my jokes and understand my motives. Less news in my life, all runs along the trajectories known, and to my astonishment I even do not get bored with this…
Challengies for next year. I have to finish the book with Jeroen, and pretty soon. I need to learn how to run the group, and actually why. And grant applications, articles, students finishing, students (hopefully) coming… I just do not want to be boring, you know.
Be yourself
From Lukas 8:
16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”
This I read as: be yourself, while you keep the emitting abilities. Don’t try to adjust your light, so it looks fancier or more standard. Don’t try to hide or mask it if ashamed with it or not sure of its existence. Or?
No bad publication?
It is interesting to note that ‘bad’ newspaper article mentioned in my previous post has not appeared as scheduled. It was supposed to be a part of saturday edition of NRC Handelsblad. Our university chairman call us to “brace yourself” on friday, yet no impact has followed.Is this the way to prevent unfortunate things to happen or just a delay given to us to think through the stuff? Anycase, let His will prevail.
The Protection of the Mother of God 2011
, this warm authumn feast came to us again. I’m confined in my usual squirrel wheel, no real progress in anything, too busy to think why is it so. Mother, protect me and those around me from consequencies of me being unreasonable.
A rumour has come today of upcoming press report that will be very negative for our Delft University of Technology. While the report is aimed at a small group, it is feared that it will have a serious negative impact on our university as whole. Given the fact that our financial position is reasonably close to disastorous, the consequencies can be devastating. Mother, protect the innocent, do not let the cruel things happen.
Col Vert
yesterday there was a free afternoon at the conference. People get to the mountains, so did I. My traversal speed was quite low and I did not feel well. Yet after two difficult hours I reached the goal: pass Le Col Vert in Vercors.
It was magnificient. The pass is very steep and narrow. When after a hard walk I was able to see the next valley, I was overwhelmed with pure joy of detachment. Me or my soul or both have been freely flying over the unbelievably beautiful sunny landscape.
This is the second time I’ve reached this pass. First time it was more than 11 years ago, and the path was significantly less steep:) By that time I could also enjoy this detachment feeling, yet I could not inteprete it. Now I know: there are some places on Earth that directly and evidently put us above the earthy events. Glory to God.
El condor pasa
I must be free to fly where I will…
Hear this here
Mother of God, by your prayings, let your Son to free me from the scum and earthy burdens, let me be His creation, a free flying soul…
Pentecost 2011
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God whoworks wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.
This (Psalm 77) has been sung today. Looks I’ve been waiting for this message. Troubles, big and small, that hem me in, are just delusions: He will free me and save me. If I don’t see the way to deal with my woes, He’ll give the way and the means. If I’m dismayed, He’ll confort me.
Ascension 2011
or Hemelvart, how it’s bluntly called in this country, took place today. So Pascha is over. There’s again a period of confusion imposed on earthy confusions of different kinds…
Therefore I long for certainty and joy instead of experiencing those. I suspect there is a simple way out this state, but it’s perhaps to simple to find.
Let’s wait for Pentecost: the Lord will show me the ways.
Eleventh Lecture Advanced Statistical Mechanics
(posting back again)
was devoted to scaling hypothesis and introduction to the concept of renormalization group. I have had a rather popular introduction with fractal pictures and that was a certain sucsess (modern student seems to know everything about fractal and chaos without getting any lectures on the subject). Making the lecture was an interesting task since I did not take to the stuff since my phd years. I guess I did not depart much from the Kardar, and yet the lecture made sense: much progress:)