First Full Week in Tucson (Weeknotes

Here’s the lowdown on what happened during the week of March 4–10, 2024.
Outside the visitor center at Saguaro National Park
Outside the visitor center at Saguaro National Park

Working Remotely, Remotely

🌵 I finished my first week working remotely from Tucson, Arizona. My wife and I planned to spend the whole month of March here together, but because of scheduling she won’t be able to join me until the third week of the month. So I’ve got the place to myself for a couple weeks.

I rented a bicycle and have been out on the bike paths a couple of times, but it rained for a couple of days. Looking forward to riding more in the coming weeks.

Cycling Tucson (8.45 miles)
Cycling Tucson (8.45 miles)
Cycling Tucson (8.77 miles)
Cycling Tucson (8.77 miles)

I also got out for a couple of beautiful hikes. The weather is perfect for it right now, with highs in the 60s and 70s.

Hiking Saguaro National Park (3 miles)
Hiking Saguaro National Park (3 miles)
Hiking Coronado National Forest, Pusch Ridge Wilderness (6.2 miles)
Hiking Coronado National Forest, Pusch Ridge Wilderness (6.2 miles)

🎓 I started my new gig as Associate Professor of Data Analytics at University of Maryland Global Campus this week. The session doesn’t start for another few days, but I’ve been busy getting ready for the new term.

🌼 I made 32 paper flowers to celebrate the start of spring and I thought it would be fun to share them in a single elimination tournament à la March Madness. I call it Battle of the Blooms. Every day, two flowers (which I made by hand) will face off until only one remains Highlander-style. I’ll post a new poll every day. It’s silly, I know.

Movies and TV

🧑‍🚀 I watched Spaceman, the film adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfar’s Spaceman of Bohemia. It’s a visually beautiful film equal to Kalfar’s poetic prose, but Adam Sandler’s performance wasn’t quite where I would like to have seen it. His Jakub seemed a bit wooden to me, like he couldn’t quite connect with the character. The movie focused much more on Jakub and Hanuš’s relationship than the book does, which actually is a good thing. As Science Fiction goes, you can do a LOT worse.

🚀 I’ve also been binging on season 4 of For All Mankind on Apple TV+. Is it just me, or has this show jumped the shark? 🦈

👯‍♂️ “Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye)” by Cardo Dance Kingdom reminds us that yes, there is still human beauty in the world.

⚽ Columbus Crew beat Chicago Fire in week 4 of MLS action.

That’s all from this end. I hope you have a great week!