Hexaflexagons: Lesson 1

Another deviation from my norm here of contemplating life and faith:  math.

I have, courtesy of Facebook and YouTube, discovered hexaflexagons. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIVIegSt81k) I am reasonably intrigued by these...things.  I've watched two hexaflexagon videos a few times over, and have spent about 15 minutes so far playing with them myself.  So far, I have learned:

1. They seem to be like this weird multi-messed up Mobius strip...
2. The folds need to be very precise--specifically, all of your vertices of your fold points need to be exact for ease of flipping.

I think that is enough for tonight.  I look forward to sitting down with more paper, a pair of scissors, and a good work surface to explore these orgigam-atical mathematical things of mystery...

Seriously, Mark?

"If you stop to think about your work, what it’s accomplishing, and why you should keep working, you will likely end up very discouraged, start wearing black, and listening to bands fronted by people whose dad did not hug them enough."  --Mark Driscoll

I stop and think about my work, and I am grateful.  I have joy.  It is hard, and I know that inspiring and instructing young minds will never be "done."  But I have joy because each student is one that I can, for the limited time that we interact, encourage and shape.  There's a lot about teaching I love: being creative with my communication and expression, connecting the mundane to the world of chemistry, talking a bout chemistry, being a dork, watching students' lightbulb moments, their questions forcing me to take a closer or different look at "my" subject, encouraging students who are struggling, reminding students that who they are is not wrapped up in a grade, reminding students that there is more to life than grades and major choices, and that God will take them on a fabulous journey, regardless of any of it.  

Is it stressful?  Sure.  Are there days when I feel like teaching sucks? Definitely.  Do I get frustrated with my work?  Yep.  But that's to be expected; nothing in life is ever going to be perfect.  I have *hope* because of who I work for--Jesus.  I have hope because this is where he has called me.  I do not work because that's what I'm supposed to do.  I work because of Jesus.

And, for the record, I love wearing black, I love the bands to which Mark is likely referring to.  I used to do a lot more of it, but those things represent something that is still part of who I am.  It's still a part of my story, my history, and who I am.  And I love my daddy's hugs.

Mark's attitude towards women is disgusting (other blogs around the web have discussed this; no point in rehashing it here, and I'm frankly *repulsed* by it, so I'm not going to touch it anymore), and the snark you have towards those different from you is equally disconcerting, for the above quote was posted just a week apart from this one: "I had to take the dreaded school bus with total strangers. This included the hard edge kids who liked to wear all black, listen to depressing music, and smoke cigarettes because sadly their daddy never hugged them, thereby making them arty."  It reeks of immaturity and snark and nothing of the Spirit.

/ vent

...and now, back to our regularly shceduled programming

"Alister McGrath’s faith biography shows us that the 21st century need not be the story of triumphant atheism or milquetoast do-it-yourself spirituality, but that instead the Spirit is still making disciples out of the least likely persons. " -- Drew McIntyre, here: http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/6551/stones-crying-out-listening-to-former-atheists