#47 The Cranky Mathematician

First, let me apologize for missing a couple weeks of blogging. Two Mondays ago we spent the day visiting a college friend, and the rest of the week filled up quickly on me. Last week I was busy being a counselor for Bible camp and didn't have time to blog. So here we are. Hopefully I'll be regular for a while now.

Being a math major makes me sensitive to some things that most people likely never pay attention to, so this week I'm beginning what will probably become a recurring segment: "The Cranky Mathematician." Let's talk about roads. In Hancock County, where I live, roads are generally a mile apart. East-west roads are numbered, while north-south roads begin with successive letters of the alphabet (e.g. James, Kent, and Ladd are roads near Kanawha.). The east-west roads begin with 100th, followed by 110th, 120th, etc. Homes after 100th are numbered 10xx, homes after 110th are numbered 11xx, and so on. This system, while well organized, drives me absolutely bonkers. First, I think it would make more sense for the roads to be 10th, 11th, 12th, etc. or 1000th, 1100th, 1200th, etc. I can mostly let that go, but I cannot for the life of me figure out why the numbered roads essentially start with 10. The county line should really be 0, but I would be okay with 1st (or 10th under this system). Now you might think that the county wants all the home numbers to have four digits, but, going the other way, homes after A are numbered in the 100s, homes after B in the 200s, and so on. So why do the numbered roads essentially start with 10? I can't explain it. It makes no sense to me. I wouldn't be surprised if no one else in the county has ever both noticed and cared, but I think about this almost every time I run. Such is the curse of being a (sometimes cranky) mathematician.

Grace and peace,
BMH

#46 You Are Not Alone

I'm the biggest Superman fan I know (unless one of my friends is holding out on me). This puts me in a sometimes frustrating position. I have all this interest and knowledge that very few of my acquaintances share or even care much about. Over the years I've had a couple of friends who enjoyed talking comics with me, and Tess—bless her heart—has patiently listened to me talk about way more Superman things than she probably even thought existed. One day in my quest for more Superman knowledge, I stumbled upon the Superman Homepage, which promised "Everything [I] ever wanted to know about the Man of Steel… and more!" Here was a whole world of Superman fans reviewing comics and movies and TV episodes, discussing Superman news, sharing opinions on favorite storylines and writers and artists. I was overjoyed. I wasn't alone. I read page after page. After a couple months I created an account using a picture from one of my favorite Superman comics: 

After a couple more months, I stepped out on a limb and sheepishly commented on an article, even though many other members seem to know WAY more about Superman than I do. And the Superman community, though far from perfect, was gracious. So I've started commenting now and again. Sometimes others disagree with my opinions, but they've been respectful, and I always seem to find somebody else who shares my point of view. It's  a lot of fun to be a part of this online community. It's such a blessing to share interests with others. And maybe, just maybe, this Superman community spares Tess from my ramblings once in a while. That would be the real victory. Until next time, up, up, and away!

Grace and peace,
BMH