Disclaimer

All opinions and views are mine. In particular, they should not be interpreted to represent the position of any current or former employers.

Contents

This blog was established in July 2016.  However, it also includes earlier source material that had been previously published elsewhere.  (For more detail, see History section below.)

About the Author

Current version

I am a college professor in my mid-30s. I am currently (2022-23) jointly appointed in computer science and data science at a large (~30,000 students) state university in the US. I am married; my partner and I care for two dogs, one cat, and no additional humans.

Many people have described me as passionate (in both a good way and a condescending way). Here are some of the things I am passionate about: logical thinking and decision making; inclusivity and equity at all levels of society but especially with respect to race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation; learning new technologies; using technological advances to make our world better instead of worse; designing and building mechanical keyboards; many different TV shows; Pittsburgh Steelers football; standup comedy; singing karaoke.

Original version from 2016

I am an “early career mathematician,” ie, an assistant professor of mathematics.  I work for a teaching university, so I spend a majority of my professional time and energy on classroom teaching and all the prep that comes with it.  I also still put as much time as I can into math research.  Research is the thing that enticed me into mathematics as a career so I’m not ready to give it up just yet.

I also have an undergraduate degree in computer science and identify as a computer scientist in a lot of ways.  Interspersed throughout the blog you’ll find my musings on the newest pieces of software and hardware I’ve tried and even stories of coding successes and failures.  Plus, at my current job I get the opportunity to teach both math and computing courses (we are the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology), so that’s fun for me!

I don’t “just” identify myself by my career path, but I guess that’s all I’m going to write “About the Author” for now.  For more insight into the things I care about beyond my professional interests, I guess you’ll just have to read some actual posts!

History and Purpose

I’ve always been drawn to writing as an outlet.  I attempted to write a novel in the 6th grade (and again for a short time in college).  I kept a written journal when I was young.  In 2003, when the Internet was becoming really mainstream (but before Facebook!), I started journaling online.

In 2010, when I moved to Texas for graduate school, I wanted a public way to keep in contact with friends and colleagues.  So, I mostly gave up the private journaling of my tumultuous adolescence and started a “blog.”  The purpose was to feel closer to home by letting friends & family in on slices of my day-to-day life as a graduate student.

After graduating and moving out of Texas, it felt odd to continue blogging at “Angela’s Texas Adventures.”  So, I started a new blog.  I rarely wrote, though, and never publicized it.

This blog contains most of my back-catalog, if you will.  Most of my Texas posts (2010-2014) have been migrated to this server, and my (two) other previously unpublicized posts from 2015 and May 2016 are here as well.  I’ll also be importing various Facebook posts that are better as blog posts than as status updates.  Going forward, you’ll likely see a variety of types of posts here.  Sometimes I may talk about my actual math research in progress.  Sometimes I might tell teaching anecdotes or discuss teaching techniques and theories.  Sometimes (probably rarely) I might get a little personal.  Sometimes I may post links to interesting articles and provide a bit of commentary.  Sometimes I might talk about software or hardware or coding or other pieces of tech culture.

I took another long break from writing during 2017-2022. But I became inspired to write longer-form pieces again after Twitter was sold and gutted but things kept happening in the world that I cared about and wanted to say something about. What is the purpose of resurrecting this blog? Unclear for now, except as an outlet for thoughts I can’t contain.