gotta love DC…

…there’s always something going on! Besides lots of cool astronomy stuff (a White House Star Party?! Awesome!), there are tons of other events for anything one may be interested in.

Last weekend I went to the Green Festival: saw some great speakers (Cornel West!), sampled some great organic food, and attended a yoga class. And did a little shopping at several eco-friendly vendors. The Festival happens in several cities across the US; the next one (in mid November, I think) is in San Francisco, so check it out if you’re nearby! As a scientist, even though it’s not my area of expertise, I’m very interested in environmental issues. I’ve also been practicing yoga for almost five years, and I think the mindset cultivated by a consistent practice has also contributed to my concern for the environment (and ultimately, the people affected by global climate change). On that note, this next weekend, there is a huge climate action rally/festival/march in DC that I’m planning on going to as part of the 350.org project. See? Always something going on. 🙂

Also, in addition to yoga, I’ve been running more consistently lately, and ran my first 5K recently! The thing about running is…I don’t really love it. I tolerate it–I think it’s one of the best forms of cardio, full-body exercise, and there’s something about the simplicity of it that really appeals to me (and if you run at night, you can see the stars! Although looking up while running can be hazardous to your health…). All you need is your shoes and the open road (or trail :)), no fancy equipment or dvds or anything else. Anyway, after a good run I always feel great, but sometimes it takes every ounce of willpower I have to get out and do it. But I’m going to stick w/ it, at least until a 5K I’m signed up for on Thanksgiving day. We’ll see how that goes…

Astronomy! Last week I gave a talk at a the Ocean Explorium in New Bedford, MA, which was alot of fun! I talked some about my research, and also about the newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope, as well as the James Webb Space Telescope (whose website, incidentally, recently got a facelift–check it out!). I really enjoy doing public talks every now and then…it brings me out of the sometimes tedious day-to-day data reduction, coding, etc. and lets me see–again–why I chose to become an astronomer in the first place. Those amazing images of the Universe…that I get to study for a living! How cool is that! 🙂