Saturday night...

So it's 9 PM on Saturday, and what am I doing? Watching a movie that, so far, is pretty dull, and I have justin.tv on my computer.

Lauren has been feeling under the weather over the past few days, so it has been relatively quiet around here. Not that Lauren is a loud person or anything.

Questions from 1A class

I got my calculus class to ask me some questions. Here they are...

Where did you attend college?

Michigan State University

Why do you teach math?

It's a long story. I kind of stumbled into it.

Do you love math?

I think I love teaching more than I love math. Although, math can be really beautiful.

What is the date of your wedding party?

We got married on December 28, but we're having our reception on August 11.

What job can I get out there (if I intend to major in math) besides teaching?

There are tons of jobs for math majors, depending on what you want to do. You could do things like work for government agencies, work in consulting firms, insurance companies, or even go to law school. These were all things that I thought of doing myself, but decided to go into teaching, because it seemed the most fun to me.

Why was I not invited to your wedding?

Because it was just for family.

Where were you born?

Zaria, Nigeria

What is your middle name?

I have two: Kodwo and Robert. You can find more information about my name here.

What's so awesome about Sudoku?

I don't know if I'd call Sudoku "awesome". It can be frustrating at times, and addictive, which might not be so awesome.

Why do you teach at De Anza?

Because they offered me a job, and I wanted to move out of Michigan.

How old are you?

I'm 30.

If you were stuck on a desert island with another De Anza teacher, who would you choose?

Probably Sal Breiter. He always has interesting things to say, and I always feel like I learn something new when I talk to him.

Have you ever experienced racism?

Yes. I have experienced racism both in the U.S. and in West Africa. I'm seen as a minority in both places, which is unfortunate, because my father is from the U.S. and my mother is from Ghana.

Do you like your name? Have you ever thought of changing it?

I do like my name, and have never (seriously) thought about changing it.

What is your favorite color?

Forest green.

What made you play soccer?

Nothing "made" me play soccer. I grew up in a country where everyone plays soccer, and I started playing at about 2 years old.

Do you like cheese?

Of course. I'm a cheesy guy.

Where do babies come from?

I think you need to take a biology/health class.

Do you have a best friend?

No. I dislike the term "best friend".

How old is your cat?

He's going to be 3 in June.

Do you like cookies?

Who doesn't?

How was spring break?

I didn't feel like I had a spring break because I was so busy.

Can I see your cat?

Here is a picture of him:



You can see a video of him being annoying here.

Do you have a Boy or Girl friend?

I had a girl friend, but now she's my wife. Here is her blog.

What is your favorite calculator?

The TI-89 platinum edition. I just like the fact that it's called the "platinum edition". What does that mean?

How long does it take to do your hair?

I have to twist my hair 2-3 times a week, and it takes about 30 minutes each time.

What's your favorite function?

sin(1/x). There's a story behind this, but I won't get into that now.

How many children do you plan to have?

2-3?? I don't really know.

What jobs other than De Anza have you held?

I was a tutor in college, taught as a lecturer at Michigan State University, taught at Lansing Community College, in Michigan, taught at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and the most interesting job I had was as a janitor, which I did part time while I was in grad school.

What are your hobbies?

I would say soccer, but I've decided to take a break from that for a few months. I could also say a hobby is taking MBA classes at SJSU, but that's not really a hobby. I just asked my wife and she says my hobbies are baking and taunting our cat, so I'll go with that.

Why don't you add more people?

If it were up to me, all calculus classes would have less than 20 people, but I am required to take 40, so I don't go over that number. When you get that many people in a class, good learning doesn't happen.

How can I improve interest in mathematics?

I think you need to either find things that relate to math that you enjoy, or find topics within math that interest you. I don't know if I can tell you how to improve your interest, because it's "your" interest.

Why do you like maps?

I think they are useful, and everyone should know how to read one, but I don't think I'm a map-lover, or anything.

What was your first computer?

Some Toshiba I got in 1994.

What music do you like?

Go to pandora and search the following: Manu Chau, Blossom Dearie, Jamiroquai, Chi-Lites, and Maria de Barros, and you'll get an idea of the type of music I have been listening to lately.

What car do you drive?

A 1997 VW Golf.

What was your GPA in grad school?

GPA is not really a big deal in grad school, and I honestly don't remember. I would guess 3.9??

What other ethnicity are you?

I don't get this question.

Do you have an intel or AMD processor?

I don't think I have either, but I don't know. Whatever the iBook G4 has.

How much RAM does your computer have?

I honestly have no idea

Will you teach 1B, 1C?

I'm sure I will, at some point in the future

MSU Hockey is #1!!!

For many readers of this blog, NCAA hockey might not mean very much. However, for many followers of college hockey in the Midwest and the Northeast, college hockey, and the Frozen Four is a huge deal. If anyone has seen the movie Fargo, there are a couple of scenes where the 'Gophers' (of the University of Minnesota) hockey team are discussed.

Anyhow, Michigan State's hockey team just beat Boston College, to become the 2007 NCAA hockey champions. This is a big deal. Hockey is HUGE at MSU. Tickets to hockey games are often as difficult to come by as tickets to basketball games. I was lucky enough to see two hockey games while at MSU (I never saw a basketball game), and I have to say, seeing a hockey game in Munn Ice Arena, with 6469 other people, is truly one of the most exciting sporting events I have ever witnessed.

Congrats MSU hockey! Someone in Mountain View, CA (where it's about 70 degrees) was very happy to see you win.

The Slowskys

I'm just posting to spread the word about the Slowsky's Blog.

The Slowsky's are the turtle couple that do Comcast ads. I don't get Comcast cable or or broadband service but, I have to say, I love their ads.

Sanjaya and Caché

I don't know who out there in blog world follows American Idol. I'm not as much of a fan of the show as I was a few years ago.

Anyhow, fairly early on this season, I told Lauren that I thought Sanjaya (by far, the worst singer on the show this year) would make it to the top 8, because of the 13-year-old-girl vote. I was willing to put $5 where my mouth was.

Little did I know that Sanjaya would take on minor celebrity status; Howard Stern asking his listeners to vote for the kid; having Vote for the Worst become a much bigger website than it had been during previous American Idol seasons. Anyhow, as of today, Sanjaya is in the top 8, and I am $5 richer!

On another note, I saw a great movie today, Caché. It's a very good French movie, that you've probably never seen. One reviewer says "it's like a Hitchcock movie, only creepier", which, I think, is a perfect description of the film.