Hiking Club 3/20/10

Last Saturday we had the first sunny hiking trip of the year. Although it was technically not even spring yet, the weather was very warm, around 70-80 degrees. We hiked a variety of locations (3 in total) in one session, a nice change of pace from long treks.

Physics Study Group, 11/31/09-01/12/10

Over the past couple of months, the Physics Study Group has been unable to meet. The main reason for this is we have been unable to help each other out as the group is currently structured. The founders of the club are planning a revamp and a different structure should be ready after midterms. Until then, all meetings have been cancelled.

Hiking Club Winter hike 1/9/10

Yesterday we went on a 10 mile across Falmouth. Because of the cold weather I wore a t-shirt, long sleeve over it, and a coat over it. This is also the first hike that I got to use my new hiking sneakers. The improved traction proved useful, as much of the trail was covered with ice. I also brought much less equipment on this trip to lighten the load on my back. Besides what I what wearing, I was able narrow down the contents of my pack to lunch, one quart of water, and a cell phone. I also took a camera and tried to get shots that got a good feel of the trip. Our next hike will most likely be in the spring, so I will have to dress appropriately.

Cover Contest, 12/16/09

Despite the extended deadline, I was still not able to hand in my submission due to issues regarding when the art room was open. Regardless, I think the extra time gave me a chance to make the picture more basic and I am no longer ashamed of it. Even though I did not have it in on time it was ready on time, and therefore is a testament to what I can do in a given time with creative limitations. Being able to work within limits is a very useful skill, even in things besides artwork.

Cover Contest, 12/4/09

Today I discovered that the contest has been extended until the 11th of December. As such, I will be revising my artwork. I've decided to remove everything cartoony from it to simplify the image so it will look more like a cover rather than an art piece.

Cover Contest, 11/23/09

Over the past week my idea for the drawing has changed drastically. At first I was going for a more realistic look, but instead I decided to make it more "cartoony," and more literary journal themed. At first I went a little overboard, changing everything to match the theme. I later tried to make it more realistic, but not completely realistic--somewhere in between my previous ideas. I added small things like the fish holding a pencil, papers falling behind him, and the crab holding a journal. I have also started work on the scales, a long but necessary task if I want it to look realistic.

Cover Contest 11/18/09

Today I began my cover for submission in the contest. I decided to keep it very simple, with a large fish in the center and a jellyfish and crab in the upper left and lower right, respectively. I tried drawing different fish from the fish tank to get the right shape. I used a picture of a crab as a reference for the crab, and drew the jellyfish from my head. So far I have the planning and basic shapes worked out.

Caffeine Formula 11/16/09

Over the past two weeks I have been attempting to acquire data for my formula. I first made googledocs spreadsheets for each of the three testing areas: Coffee, Tea, and Soda/Energy Drinks. I then made the form as simple as possible, eliminating all factors except the amount of liquid and the time until crash. I reasoned that enough data would overpower the error made by such a simple formula. I then posted links to the formula on Twitter and Facebook, and at a suggestion made a Facebook group. Initially it seemed I had a lot of interest, with about 3 sets of data per chart in the first day. The Facebook group grew to about 30 members in 2 days, and it seemed like I would be able to collect real data. Unfortunately, besides the initial turnout all the data has since been my own. I hope to further simplify the process by making the submission process into a survey-type document. I will also be adding an entry for day or night by suggestion of my advisor.

Physics Study Group 11/16/09

Over the last two weeks we have two meetings. During the first meeting we discussed a new topic, relativity, to help those taking the SAT II. This was different then our usual topic selection, and attracted about 10 people due to the nature of its selection. The next week we returned to our "review" topic of Current and finished off the worksheet we had previously done. With the relativity topic, however, I was not able to contribute. I hope I can help people more next week.

Physics Study Group 11/2/09

This past week we did problems on circuits. Although only three people were there, I was able to learn from them, as well as help them derive formulas. On a few problems I was able to show others why a formula worked. Next week I hope there is a greater output.

Cross Country 11/2/09

Over the last week we have had two races, and three practices. During the meet against Pope John Paul and Cape Cod Academy, I was only able to run about 40-50% of the time due to a cramp that lasted throughout about half of the race. Despite this, I posted a decent time of about 28 minutes and managed to pass the person ahead of me in the final stretch. Our team managed to overcome the stormy weather and beat both PJP and CCA. I had to miss the meet on Friday due to our school's "Spirit day" activities. During the next week we will be training hard for our upcoming "weekend" state meets.

Cross Country 10/23/09

Over the past two weeks, we have run a few races. We had one at Southeast Regional High School and one at Nauset. At both races I have seen my improvement soar compared to earlier endeavors. On each course I have been able to jog or run the whole course, and my current "running rate" is about 40-60%. I have also been able to keep up during practices, and my mile times are nearing 8 minutes. I've also found that I run better in the cold weather, since the running keeps me warm. Next week we have two games: a tri-meet with Pope John Paul and CCA, and another meet against Southeastern.

Cross Country 10/9/09

These past two weeks, I have been able to be at more practices. However, I had to miss the last meeting and today's meeting in order to make up work and because of scheduling reasons. My times have been better overall, and I'm now able to run a consistent three miles without walking. During one practice, after running the 2.1 mile "triangle" and four double-quarter mile laps, everyone had to run the triangle again. However, many people did not finish, and were sent back. I was one of the two people who did finish. This past Wednesday, we ran against Cape Cod Academy and Pope John Paul II on our home course, our last home course game of the season. Although my placement was worse, coming in 25th, my time was better by nearly two minutes, and only 13 seconds from my best pace on any course. Next week, I will try to run for longer distances and push myself for better times.

Cross Country 9/26/09

Last week we had two meets: One against Mashpee, the other against both Upper Cape and Harwich. Unfortunately I did not run Sunday, was feeling sick Monday and was home sick on Tuesday, making three days without running before the Mashpee race. However the course was quite short (at 2.9 miles instead of 3.1) and almost completely flat. As a result my time was respectable, being about the same as my time on the Upper Cape Tech course. I placed 22nd, one better than last race, however the girls were not counted in this race so in reality I probably did a little worse. I was able to run nearly the whole course due to the relative ease of the course. The next day, I again had to miss practice to do an HL math test, and then there was another race day. This time, the race was in Bayberry, a much harder course with hills and sand. This time I was only able to run 85% of the time, and my time was just under 30 minutes. I only placed 25th by two seconds, having to try and sprint along with another runner for the last portion of the race. During the next week I will try for better times, and to come to all practices.

Cross Country 9/20/09

This past week we did not have any meets. Because of this, on Tuesday we ran 3 miles straight and on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we ran for 50 minutes each day. During the runs on Tuesday and Wednesday, I ran about 70-80% of the time. On Thursday, however, it was up to a solid 80%, and by Friday it was about 85%. This week we also had an unfortunate announcement. Our top runner, Sebastian Jakaus, had decided to retire from the team. However, the coach said that we should not be training harder or making ourselves feel like we need to make up for a lost teammate. On my part, I will continue to run even though we may not win as many games. We have a few games coming up next week.

Hiking Club Cross-Cape #7

This past Saturday, I completed the 7th portion of the Cross-Cape hike, traveling about 10 miles from Wellfleet to Providencetown. I use the word "about" because on this trip, we did not have our guide. We instead had to rely solely on a map and compass. This caused us to get lost quite a few times, resulting in a longer distance than planned. I also learned about having the right gear, as I brought hiking sneakers that I forgot were cut up in the back heel, causing them to constantly cut my right heel/Achilles tendon. I also brought a poncho, which was torn to shreds during the bushwhacking portion of our trip. Our next trip is Sept 25-27, a backpacking trip that I will be much better prepared for.

Cross Country #1 (9/15/09)

Last Tuesday we raced against Cape Cod Technical School. This was my first race, and I was able to attain a time of about 28 minutes, coming in 23rd place of 32 people. Although I was not able to maintain a steady jog or run, I was able to run or jog about 80-90% of the time, a good pace. I was also able to sprint at the end of the race, meaning that I still had energy left. This means that I should use more energy throughout the race, just enough so that it is all used up by the end.

Hiking Club Cross-Cape #6

About a week ago, we finished the sixth part of our journey around the Cape. Unlike the majority of the other trips, that day's was very warm and sunny with only a few scattered showers. I wore a t-shirt and a sweatshirt, normal pants, and sneakers. I only brought my lunch, a water bottle, and a long-sleeve shirt in my backpack, making it very light. Most of the hike was in forest or on paved roads, although the last section was in sand. There, having sandals may have been a good idea, as having sneakers made it very difficult to walk at a normal pace. This hike went from Eastham to Wellfleet, spanning about 10-15 miles. We only have about 18 miles to go until our overall trip is completed. Our next hike may be a week after the end of school.

Hiking Club Cross-Cape #5

Three weeks ago, we finished the fifth part of our journey across the Cape. Unlike on our other trips, the weather was quite warm. I wore a sweatshirt with a long sleeve shirt underneath, and regular pants. I also had to bring sandals, as we had to wade through water on a portion of our hike. This hike was the most varied, including woods, beach, water, "swamp", roads and a bike path. I therefore used my regular sneakers, as they were better all-around. On the beach, however, I wore the sandals. This hike was not quite as long as the others, only stretching about 11 miles. Our next hike may not be during this school year, but I look forward to continuing with the hiking club next school year.