09:39 – As we build inventory of the biology, chemistry, and forensic science kits for the coming new school year, I’m thinking about which science to do next. Physics may seem the obvious choice, but the truth is that while most high-school students take biology and chemistry, relatively few nowadays take physics. And many of those who do take a physics course do a lecture-based course rather than a lab-based course.
We could do AP biology and/or AP chemistry, but again the potential market for those is much more limited than the market for the mainstream first-year courses. The same is true for more specialized courses like marine biology, anatomy, and environmental science. We’ll do all of those eventually, I’m sure, but for now we want to concentrate on the more mainstream courses. That means working down to the early high-school/late middle-school level. There are two science courses commonly taken in grades 8, 9, or 10 that we don’t have covered: earth science and physical science.
13:52 – My cell phone didn’t last as long as the effects of the Spanish bailout. I ordered the phone back on 21 March. When it arrived a couple days later, I put it on the charger, but never got around to activating it. So late this morning I stuck it on the charger again. It took all of 10 or 15 minutes to show fully charged. Then I went over to the PlatinumTel website to activate it.
As I was doing that, Barbara called to say that her dad was in the emergency room again. She’d taken him to a doctor’s appointment, intending to get him back home and get to work before lunch. But her dad fell, and so she took him to the emergency room. I think his doctor’s appointment was at the hospital, so they didn’t have far to go. Barbara’s cell phone had died, although she’d just charged it. When we hung up, Barbara was leaving to go get her mother and said she’d see if her phone would work plugged into the car charger.
A while later, I heard the key in the front door and was surprised to see Barbara, who was making a flying visit home to grab something for lunch and then head back to the hospital. Of course, I gave her my cell phone. It was all mine for almost 27 minutes. Now it’s hers.
Her dad seems to be okay. He fell to his knees, and doesn’t seem to have done any major damage. Barbara was terrified because he started yelling when he fell and she thought he was seriously injured. So she’s headed back to the hospital to sit with her mom. If they release her dad before 5:00, she’ll take them home. Otherwise, her sister will come over and pick up their parents at the hospital so that Barbara can meet two of her friends for dinner, which was previously arranged.