A Beginning Is a Very Delicate Thing

So said Princess Irulan at the beginning of (or somewhere in the middle of) Frank Herbert's "Dune", and I suppose they are. How to start this blog has been the only real thing keeping me from writing it, that and my PhD work, but we'll get to that later. I could start with my motivation for starting such a thing, how I got burned out on uninteresting personal musing blogs in my college years (I'm looking at you xanga), how I wanted to write about something with weight but had no idea where to focus my energies, how I wanted to have something to fight off boredom when my brain was all melty goo from my PhD work. I could start by telling you the story of when my brother one day said "Why not write a math blog? That's your expertise after all," or how my girlfriend has been prodding me to start a blog of some sort, but something with a theme of course. I tried this once already you know? Something based on my music hobby, which is just a hobby and not something I consider bread making if you catch my drift. But again, research got in the way and I had to forget all about the poor little music blog with exactly one (unique heh) entry.

Instead I think I'll start by saying that you don't know anything. You know nothing about math, you think it's boring and dry and terrible and forced on students just to make their life miserable. Guess what, you're right, but there's so much more to it than that. There's a beauty to the subject that you can't find in many other subjects, the only problem is it takes a lot of work to see it. Imagine finding an old canvas in your basement (or um shed if you live in LA and have no basement) and it's pure black from years of grime and dirt, but like me you're curious and you get a rag and with a little elbow grease you wash the dirt off and you find a masterpiece of a painting underneath. That's my goofy analogy about math: it may have a high learning curve but once you rub the grime off you have a beautiful subject to consider.

I suppose I can also start with my credentials, there's no reason you should take me seriously if you think I'm nothing more than a nerdy highschooler with delusions of genius. I got a BS with a major in mathematics and a minor in economics in 2006 at MTSU and I got an MS in mathematics in 2008 and I am currently working on my PhD which, God willing, will be completed in 2011. I have 3 (growing on 4) years of teaching experience at the college level, which isn't that much sure. But it's long enough for me to know what the hell I'm talking about and not so long that I've lost my idealistic piss&vinegar commitment to teaching math. As far as the PhD work is concerned I have a paper published and a second one in the works to be submitted soon (which I should be working on right now, but see the above comment about boredom and brain goo). So if your definition of "mathematician" requires an original addition to the field (i.e. a publication) well I have one of those, thus I qualify (if just barely). You will notice I haven't mentioned which school I'm currently working and studying at, that's because anonymity is my friend, especially if I ever go on a tirade about my math department (which is bound to happen eventually). Just call me Master Z at Some University, SU, I like the sound of that.

So there you go, introduction over, that wasn't so bad was it? If this sounds like something you might be interested in then keep reading. I have some neat things planned, articles about how you don't know shit about algebra, how infinity does crazy things when we aren't looking, and what exactly Buffy the Vampire Slayer and/or Batman has to do with all this. Yeah, no kidding, and that hasn't even touched on the physics of Clint Eastwood. So that's it, no more, no less. Math approached by an irreverent cowboy with tongue set firmly in cheek (and possibly foot in mouth as well). Where other math blogs are BORING, mine will be ... well also boring, but at least mine will have pretty pictures and will mention cowboys every once in a while. Did I mention Buffy? Yes I'm a nerd.

(P.S. the above picture is basically the opening shot of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" which I think is an apt picture to start things off with)