Day 5 - 73 -- A Loss for the Universe

The wind let up a bit by morning but it was still strong enough to blow the car door out of my hands. Today is Dietitians Day in Canada and the US. Student representatives of the national professional association had a come-and-go conversation area set up for the dietitians and those in training -- a very pleasant break for a chat this morning. It is also pi day. The Math Statitistics and Computer Science student society had a bake sale to celebrate the day. One of the nutrition students brought me a piece of sugar pie, part of a recipe and cookbook assignment we are doing in the Communication class. Treats all around me today <smile>.

It is also Einstein's birthday. In what a physicist from Ontario noted on the morning show as pure symmetry, Stephen Hawking died today. I had to stop to process that news this morning. While sad for this enormous loss for the world, I felt extremely privileged -- and somewhat at a loss for words -- to have lived in a time when such an exceptional mind worked to understand the cosmos. This outstanding man brought together the two pillars of physics -- relativity and quantum mechanics. Hawking used these when working towards an equation and theory that would explain space and time, with much of his work describing beginning and ending of black holes. I am not a physics expert by any means, but I found the work of this man to be fascinating.

Hawking not only possessed an amazing scientific mind, but he also dealt with adversity in an inspirational way. He found the strength to accept limitations in one area of his life while realizing the potential in another aspect of his being. He once said, "However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. Where there is life, there is hope." That is worth putting on a bulletin board as a reminder when we may feel sorry for ourselves. <smile>. The movie, The Theory of Everything, shows the early academic part of his life knitting in the medical condition and progression well. I recommend this for anyone interested in cosmology and anyone wishing to see the health care system from a different perspective -- or just wanting to see an inspirational story.

Thinking of music today, my mind found two that fit the events of the day. The first contains the voice that we knew to be Professor Hawking. The video is of the solar system and the lyrics do express the need to think and talk. The second is a short, fun recording that fit the date.  Enjoy!

Keep Talking -- Pink Floyd ft. Stephen Hawking

Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky -- The Monkees (Peter Tork)