Too Lazy!

I'm too lazy to keep up with this blog, so if you want to see photos from my trips, go here. If you want my Rutgers academic website, go here. Also, I blog every other Friday on philosophy of science in the news at the Philosopher's Eye.

Summer in Boulder

Zak and I spent two weeks in Boulder, enjoying the sunshine, the mountains and the green grass. His parents were able to join us for a week and got their fair share of hiking in the Rockies! View more photos.

Christmas in Boulder

Home, this time to Boulder, Colorado, where we spent a relaxing, wonderful week with my family. The best present I gave was a robotic vacuum and the best present I got was a tie between the delicious food and the pleasure of seeing my family, my friends and my town. View more photos.

Thanksgiving '08

Home for the holidays! We went from Zak's house in Salisbury to his relative's house in Rehoboth on the eastern shore. His relatives are great (but so many new names severely taxed my short-term memory!), dinner was delicious and we got to go for a walk along the ocean. Plus, his parents hosted a bonfire, complete with hot dogs and s'mores.
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Buffalo Philosphy of Physics Conference

Officially, it was my first philosophy grad conference, so I was very nervous to present my paper on statistical mechanics. Luckily, the Buffalo grad students were friendly and helpful and I ended up getting some really good feedback. Also, it was Zak and my first time to Niagara Falls, so the weekend doubled as a vacation for us. View more photos.

Colorado Summer '08

Zak and I went home to Colorado where we enjoyed the mountains (ahhhh, finally some REAL mountains!) the views and the fresh air. Zak was impressed by his first trip west of the Mississippi and especially our hike up South Arapahoe. View more photos.

Italy

After Israel, I headed to Italy, where Zak and I toured through Rome and hiked through Cinque Terre. The highlights for me were the delicious food (gelati, pasta dishes of all varieties and the wine) and the gorgeous views. Highlights for Zak were hiking through the vineyards and Raphael's "School of Athens," which we got to see in the Vatican Museum. View more photos.

Israel

I went to Israel with my mom and my brother for a Catholic pilgrimage. We got to see so much: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Masada, the Sea of Galilee, and Nazareth. Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and everyone on the tour was wonderfully nice. The highlights were spending time with my mom and brother, floating on the Dead Sea and Jerusalem.
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Leaving Oxford

With my thesis handed in, I said "Goodbye" to Oxford and headed back to Colorado for the summer. I had a great send-off, rock climbing and playing soccer in the Uni Parks. I know I'll miss Oxford and all the friends I've made here. Hopefully I'll be back to visit before long!
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Thesis is IN!

This morning I handed in my thesis which means that I am DONE! We all celebrated with champagne in the garden, then punted along the river, then slept for days. Ahhh, finally to be finished.
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Spring Break: Part III

When my mare seemed closer to foaling, I drove up to Montana. I waited (more anxiously than patiently) for her to have a baby and was lucky to be able to stay with terrific friends while I waited. I was finally rewarded when her water broke during my 4am barn check on April 23rd. It was incredible to get to watch her give birth; the filly was on the ground an hour later and nursing after another two. I am so lucky; she is healthy and gaining strength rapidly and will have an ideal childhood, growing up on the hillsides of a Montana ranch. She has a friend too; another filly who was born a few days before her. The ranchers who are keeping her while I finish my degree in England are great and very knowledgable horse-people. I am so happy I could be home to welcome my new horse into the world.
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Spring Break: Part II

After New Brunswick, I headed home to Colorado for some classic winter weather and a fabulous hike with my dad. Spending time with the family is always fun and it was good to see everyone again.
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Spring Break: Part I

As soon as term was over, I went to the picturesque New Brunswick to look for housing and stabling for next fall. The timing worked out really well and I was able to see my brother, Derek, in New York City and a bunch of friends in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia while I was there.
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Iceland

As soon as the party was over, I grabbed a few hours' sleep and then headed off to Iceland for a weekend getaway. It was really relaxing and settling after the bphil exams. I got to enjoy the hot springs, geysirs (the only Icelandic word adopted by English), waterfalls, and the cold but beautiful landscape. The highlights were enjoying a floating massage, eating the delicious lamb, and sleeping in until 11am every morning. . .
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Exams are Over!!!

January 10th, 2007 at 10am, we handed in our dreaded exams. Fourteen weeks of hell. Over. Finished. A calm sense that everything might be ok after all. We lost no time, beginning the day with champagne, enjoying beer and wine throughout the afternoon and then the coup de grace: Philosophy Party 2007 in the evening. As the official "Party Czars," Meghan and I had been planning it for weeks: Philosophically-themed drinks (Ockham's Razor, Locke Lemonade and the Form of the Good), great music, and yummy food (thanks to the always-stellar efforts of Gail). It was fabulous. A well-earned and much-needed celebration!
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Home for a White Christmas

I was so happy to be able to go home for Christmas. I was welcomed by over 2 feet of beautiful snow - which, happily, allowed for many fun winter "sports" like sledding (with Mom in the photo), snowshoeing and skiing. I also got to see my brothers and sister and my sister's family. Her adorable little girls are growing up so fast! I saw a bunch of old friends from Boulder too and caught up on all the hometown gossip. What a great (if short) break from bphil exams.
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Mom and Dad Visit

Mom and Dad came for the weekend. I warned them it would be hectic: They met some of my professors, enjoyed a Balliol exchange dinner, they cycled with me to the stables, watched a soccer game, came to the beginning of a Holywell 'Hillbilly' bop, and got to walk through Christ Church meadow and see the halls, chapels and pubs around Oxford. The timing worked out well and I was so glad they could visit. They are the best and most supportive parents anyone could ever have and it was wonderful to be able to share my life at Oxford with them.
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Oxford Grad Conference

This weekend was the 2006 Oxford Graduate Philosophy Conference. As per usual, I met some really fun philosophers from around the world and talked philosophy into the wee hours.
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Oxford Dinners

Meghan and I invited John and Frank to a Balliol Exchange Dinner. Here they are, having just learned Balliol's toast: "To the tranquil consciousness of effortless superiority." These events are really fun since you get to dress up and have a fancy-schmancy dinner in hall. True Oxford pretentiousness.
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The Riding Stables

Many people claim to be confused as to why anyone would voluntarily elect to wake up at 6:30, cycle 10 miles through the dark (often rainy) morning to shovel manure. Well, here are some reasons:

1. It's a beautiful bicycle ride.


2. I get horseback riding lessons from Caroline, whose knowledge of horse behavior and training is staggaringly vast:


3. Cycling through these hilly villages is great exercise:

4. I get to ride horses that are incredibly talented and well-trained.

But most importantly, as only true horse-lovers understand, riding is an addiction and just being around them keeps me sane.

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Summer Vacation Part III: Colorado and Banff

While I was watching my money dwindle in Norway, Jay suggested I use my airline miles to fly back home for a few weeks. It was a brilliant suggestion and I did just that. I surprised my mom for her birthday and got to spend time hiking in my beloved mountains. Then, as an added bonus, my aunt invited me to Banff where some of the relatives were going for a vacation. It was so much fun; we had daily spa treatments, delicious (oh so delicious) meals at different resort restaurants and went rafting, horseback riding and even heli-hiking. I had forgotten how cool helicopters are! It was great to spend some time with my family and reconnect with my cousins a bit. They're all going back to school and I can drink a lot more than before so we had a lot more in common. Then, I returned to Boulder for another lovely week before coming back to Oxford. It was such a relaxing summer. I really felt like I got away from it all and was able to recharge for exams in the fall.

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Summer Vacation Part II: Norway

After Scotland, we flew to Oslo, where we enjoyed some Norwegian licorice, the young and hip bar scene (complete with Norwegian Fatøl beer), and the fact that all the Norwegians seemed to speak perfect, fluent English! Then, it was off to Hardangervidda National Park for five days of backpacking through some of the most beautiful, desolate country I've ever seen. It rained throughout the second day, which really made us appreciate the good weather for the remainder of the trip. In the park, we met a guide who said "there is no bad weather - only bad clothing!" which I will definitely remember the next time I am so far north. In fact, we were so far north that it only got dark for a couple of hours each night! After hiking, we took a train to Bergen where our exploration of the city included a Ferris wheel, a leper museum, a traditional Norwegian dancing show, several pubs, an outdoor market (with caviar, fish and tons of tourist trinkets) and bizarre, communist-style buildings blighting the otherwise beautiful city. Then, we took a ferry through the fjords which was a great way to see how the cliffs rise out of the sea. That dropped us off in a little town whose only point of existence seemed to be to herd tourists onto a train that went up a steep canyon - the guides were keen to emphasize that it was the steepest railroad in all of Norway. At any rate, we ended up at the top of the canyon in a big basin, surrounded by spectacular peaks with eight hours to kill so we started hiking. We made it to the top of one of the peaks in time to see the sun just over the horizon, slowly making its way down. Then we took the night train back to Oslo for Jay's flight back and I waited another day in Oslo - which turned into two when I slept through my flight (at the gate!). We didn't make it as far north as the arctic circle, which has been one of my lifelong goals, but that's really just a great excuse to go back! View more photos.

Summer Vacation Part I: Scotland

Jay, one of my best friends, had leave from the army to travel, so we decided to go to Scotland and then Norway. It was a much needed break for me to get away from Oxford, and I got a bit carried away and ended up returning to Boulder for a while as well. Jay and I traveled up the west coast of Scotland to see the Hadrian Wall, castles, the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and many Scottish towns. We climbed Ben Nevis, tasted some good Scottish whiskey and were blessed with (geographically uncharacteristically) great weather. The Highlands were my favorite, followed closely by the stunning Isle of Skye. My favorite city was Inverness where we listened to a genuine Scottish band with bagpipes and all. View more photos.

Metaphysical Mayhem!

Another great trip with Meghan . . . this time to the land of plenty via New York City. The Metaphysical Mayhem was a conference at Rutgers where professors lectured to a group of graduate students about their new ideas on a specific metaphysics topic - this year the topic was the nature of time. Many of the discussions lasted until the wee hours of the morning often ranging from philosophy of language to physics and what they might tell us about the nature of time. So cool. It was philosophy at its best and reaffirmed my decision to go to Rutgers after Oxford. After the conference, Meghan and I headed to the Big Apple for some sightseeing and to see some of her friends from UVA - good people.

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Philosopher Pilgrimage to Athens

Meghan, awesome philosopher friend, and I took a week and a half to travel to where it all (i.e. philosophy) began. My personal highlight: we stood where Socrates, Aristotle and Plato discussed and argued and taught. Our tour went from London to Venice to Patra to Athens to Santorini to Athens to Olympia to Patra to Venice to London. It was a crazy amount of traveling, but enough to give us a feel for all of these places.
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Last Website

I have scrapped my old website because it's much easier and cheaper to post stuff here. But, rather than lose all the old content, I decided to put it all below:







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