MrsDrPoe: The Land of the Samurai

Happy Foto Friday to all! Today I'd like to share with you some pictures from my recent trip to Japan for the first ASME-JSME-KSME Joint Fluids Engineering Conference. After 15+ hours of flight time (from ATL to SFO to TYO) we arrived at the Tokyo-Narita airport at 4:40 pm local time, but the conference was in Hamamatsu, which meant we had 2.5+ hours of train rides before we reached our final destination. The trains themselves were pretty cool:


As were the views from them (rice patties and Tokyo):


Hamamatsu Station was almost adjacent to our hotel, which was fantastic because by the time we got there, it was 9:30 pm local time, and we were exhausted. After checking into my room at the Okura Act City Hotel, I immediately showered and settled in for Sunday morning services. Right after the closing prayer (which happily coincided with my goal of staying up till midnight local time to help my body get acclimated to the current time zone), I tumbled into my small, hard bed that was surprisingly comfortable.

The next morning I felt fantastic (or at least a lot better than I did when I got to my room the night before). After Sunday evening services and daily Bible reading, I checked out the view of the city, mountains, and the Pacific) from my room:


While Japan is totally clean (I saw maybe two pieces of trash on the street the whole time I was there), downtown Hamamatsu is definitely prettier at night. Another thing I noticed my first day there was the bathrooms. The toilets were either porcelain holes in the ground (not the first thing you want to see when you get off a plane you've been in for 10+ hours) or highly technical machines with bidet buttons:


The shower had three knobs- one to turn on the bath faucet, one to turn on the shower head, and one to select the temperature (no guessing at the perfect temp there). And the mirror had an area above the sink that wouldn't fog when you took a shower (love it).

After meeting my advisor for breakfast, I went across the street to the hotel conference center where all the presentations were being given:


Every day from about 8:30-6:00 someone was lecturing about something- I heard about A LOT of different research projects going on...so much in fact that I realized how much I miss going to class. One of the most interesting presentations was about the vortices formed by the flapping of butterfly wings. My presentation went alright; although, I wish I would've done a better job answering the few questions that were asked about my work.

Lunches were provided for us each day as well:


We received green tea in a juice-box and a box with 6-9 compartments containing various Japanese delicacies. Each lunch box came with a guide to what was in each compartment; some of the descriptions on this guide were quite interesting, for example:

"food boiled and seasoned"

"boiled rice with assorted ingredients"

"Shizuoka Oden - Japanese dish containing all kinds of ingredients cooked in a special broth of soy sauce, sugar, sake, etc."

Tuesday night I spent going to a Technical Committee meeting and working on my presentation (which I gave Wednesday at noon). Wednesday night there was a banquet for all the conference participants- it was opened with the smashing of a Sake barrel by the leaders of each society, closed with a Japanese word and a clap from the crowd, and filled in between with Japanese culture. There were Japanese style dishes (both sweet and savory), green tea, and music on Japanese harps from a group called the Harp Queens:


Since the purpose for my trip was the conference, I didn't get to do much sightseeing; however, Monday and Thursday nights I did get out of the hotel complex for a bit. The first night out it was me and a map (with the locations all in Japanese). I struck out to find Hamamatsu Castle, but I didn't make it there before dark (at about 7:00 pm). Since the castle was in a less populated area of town, I decided to go back to the hotel (Japan has a low crime rate, but I didn't want to take my chances). On the way back, I got lost for about 20 minutes before finding a sign that said "Hamamatsu Station"...then I followed the train station signs home.

Thursday night was less adventurous; my advisor and I went to try and get souvenirs for our families. While wandering around the city, we ran into another conference attendee with his Japanese "sister" (who had been an exchange student in his home when he was younger). We went to a Japanese BBQ place with them, where the sister ordered various items (from a Japanese Mr. Robinson) that were brought to our table along with what was essentially a mini charcoal grill. The food was wonderful- especially the beef- and I can now say that I have tried cow tongue. Here some random pictures from my wanderings:


And that was my trip to the land of the Samurai in a nutshell. It was a great experience that I was so thankful to have had, and if I can ever go back, I will (but I am definitely taking Mr. Poe with me next time)!

MrsDrPoe: Biblical Definitions

It's another Theology Thursday, folks! Please open up your Bibles with me as we look at a few passages from God's word. Today's topic stems from one of the things that our friend, Ms. Long, loves about language- the fact that it's a living organism, constantly growing and changing. Because of this, there are several Bible words in the current vernacular that may bring different ideas to mind than the ideas the Biblical contexts present. We'll look at two for now: profane and visit.


PROFANE
1) not connected with religion or religion matters; secular 2) not initiated into the inner mysteries or esoteric knowledge of something 3) not hallowed or consecrated 4) showing disrespect or contempt for sacred things; irreverent*

bebelos - permitted to be trodden, accessible (related to koinos - common)**

Typically when we think of the word profane, we think of the related word profanity, which then leads to the thought of trash or filth. Even the phrasing of the dictionary definition above brings to mind that to profane something means to drag it through the mud. But examining the Biblical definition, we see profaning something doesn't just mean heaping trash on it, but also simply making it accessible or common.

So if we consider what it means to "profane the name of [our] God" (Lev 18:21, etc.), we need to realize that it doesn't just mean pairing "God" with curse words. Any time we use His name other than when we are consciously speaking of Him or to Him, we are profaning His name by making it common. We need to be mindful of flippantly using phrases such as "Oh, Lord" and "Oh my God," realizing that there is a context in which these phrases should be used and a context in which they should not. We must take great care to not make common anything that is holy.

VISIT
1) to go or come to see out of friendship or for social reasons 2) to stay with as a guest for a time 3) to go or come to see in a professional or business capacity 4) to go or come to in order to inspect or investigate 5) to go or come to for a time so as to make use of , look at, etc. 6) to occur or come to 7) to bring suffering, trouble, etc. 8) to inflict (punishment, etc.) upon someone; to afflict (with punishment, etc.); to avenge*

episkeptomai - to inspect (a late form of episkopeo - to look upon, care for, exercise oversight)**

When I say something like: "I'm going to go visit ___," I am usually employing one of the first six dictionary definitions of the word, meaning I'm visiting someone for social or business reasons. But these definitions don't encompass the full Biblical meaning of the word. Take Ruth 1:6 for example: "Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread." Prior to this visit by God, there was a famine in the land of Israel (Ruth 1:1), and this verse tells us that God visited the children of Israel by giving them bread. Here we can see the Biblical definition of "visit"- to supply a need.

So when we are told in Jas 1:27, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world," we know this doesn't necessarily mean stop by and say hi (although social interaction is important and can be a valid need- especially for shut-ins). To truly visit orphans and widows in their trouble, we must help supply their needs in whatever area their lives are lacking; this is pleasing to God (Matt 25:36-46).

Another verse that talks about visiting is Ex 32:34, "...Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin." In this verse we see God planning to visit to supply another need- the need for justice and punishment for sin. We should remind ourselves daily of this need and strive daily to remove sin from our lives, seeking the grace of God when we stumble. Ironically, in a world full of sin, visiting to supply the specific need of punishment has remained a valid dictionary definition for the word "visit."


I hope these thoughts have been helpful to you, and until next time...happy studying!

*From Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition
**From Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words

MrsDrPoe: Corn Fritters

Today's What's for Dinner post could actually be an appetizer or side dish: Grandmama Wolgemuth's corn fritters. When I visited the great state of PA a few weeks ago, my uncle mentioned these in passing, and I knew I needed to get the recipe because 1) everything my grandmother makes is superb and 2) Papa Poe loved the corn fritters we ate in Gatlinburg last year. So without further ado...


Ingredients: 2 large ears of corn (as dry as possible), 1 egg, 0-4 tablespoons of flour, and oil for frying (not pictured).


Remove the corn from the cob by grating each ear; you should have approximately one cup of corn when you finish.


Beat the egg in a small bowl, and add the corn. If the corn wasn't very dry, add a few teaspoons of batter to stiffen the mixture slightly; the drier the corn, the less flour that you need to add. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil.


After a minute or so, flip the fritters. After the fritters are cooked through and golden brown, remove them from the oil and let them drain on a papertowel. Serve with ketchup or maple syrup (Papa Wolgemuth's and my favorite fritter-dip).


Notes: This recipe (which makes about 10 half-dollar sized fritters) is not exact; try to stick to the 1 egg to 1 cup corn ratio and to add as little flour as possible when trying to obtain the thicker consistency that holds together when dropped into the oil. To dry my corn, I leave shucked ears in the refrigerator (uncovered) for several days. In the future I'd like to try this recipe with other produce (apples, etc.); I'll be sure to post my results!

MrsDrPoe: Ms. Ledbury

Good morning all! For today's edition of Poes' Pals, I introduce you to...Ms. Ledbury:


Although we have not known Ms. Ledbury as long as we have known most of the friends that have been featured so far in this segment, it truly seems like we have. We first met her when she visited the land of the Bulldogs to check out the mechanical engineering PhD program. Ms. Ledbury had graduated at the top of her class from the University of Memphis a few years prior and was debating whether or not to return to the wonderful world of college.

When Ms. Ledbury decided that she would indeed join our ranks at State, we were exceedingly happy. Since that time, she has successfully completed her first year of the direct-to-PhD program, scoring amazingly well on her qualifying exams. We have been particularly impressed with her drive, especially having been out of school for a while.

During the overlap of our years in Starkville, we had the privilege of not only visiting with Ms. Ledbury on campus, but also visiting in her home and worshiping with her regularly. Her hospitality and kindness are truly obvious, even to those who know her even a short while. She is always quick to offer whatever service she can provide, and we certainly do miss her!

MrsDrPoe: Conservation of Momentum, Part I

It's another Thesis Tuesday on the blog! Today we'll be looking at the second conservation equation that governs fluid mechanics: Conservation of Momentum (AKA Newton's 2nd Law or the Linear Momentum Equation).

In Lagrangian terms, this equation simply states that the sum of the forces acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object times its acceleration (or the time rate of change of its linear momentum). Recall that we wish to employ an Eulerian methodology; therefore, we must use Reynolds Transport Theorem to convert this equation.

For this case, our extensive (mass dependent) property is linear momentum, and our intensive (mass independent) property is linear momentum per unit mass, or density times velocity. Combining the result from the Reynolds Transport Theorem with the Lagrangian form of the conservation of momentum equation, we get the sum of the forces acting on the control volume is equal to:

sum(F) = d/dt(int(rho*V)dV) + int(rho*V*(V.n))dA

Here, F is a force, rho is the density, V is the velocity, and n is the unit outward normal vector.

The first thing we should notice about this equation is that it is a vector equation and can thus be written as 1, 2, or 3 equations depending on how many dimensions our problem has. For a 3D problem:

sum(Fx) = d/dt(int(rho*u)dV) + int(rho*u*(V.n))dA

sum(Fy) = d/dt(int(rho*v)dV) + int(rho*v*(V.n))dA

sum(Fz) = d/dt(int(rho*w)dV) + int(rho*w*(V.n))dA

The second thing we should notice is the similarity between these equations and the conservation of mass equation. Each one has something equal to a term tracking how our intensive property changes with time in the control volume plus a term tracking how much of the intensive property is crossing the control surface (into or out of the control volume).

We will employ the following methodology to a fixed, non-deforming control volume:

1) Choose the best CV, establishing all bounds and known conditions
2) Apply the conservation of mass equation
3) Determine all forces acting on the CV
4) Evaluate the right side of the conservation of momentum equation in terms of unknown and known variables
5) Combine both sides of the conservation of momentum equation and solve for the unknowns

Now, let that stew, and tune in next Tuesday for some fun examples.

MrsDrPoe: Happy Anniversary, Baby!

Three years ago today, Mr. Poe and I were wed. In my humble opinion, I would argue that Mr. Poe is the best husband ever, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the past three years of companionship and encouragement that our marriage has provided me with. We have grown together in faith and love- qualities that have better developed our relationship with each other and with God. I am blessed beyond measure and thus extremely thankful! In the words of Rick and Bubba:

"Happy anniversary, Baby! I got you on my mind!"

MrsDrPoe: Drug Store Deals, 7/31

Happy Money Monday to all! Due to some technical difficulties at "Poe Central Station," I don't have any pictures of the great deals this week. I did, however, wish to share my scenarios with you:

CVS
1 Gillette Fusion Proglide Razor ($4/1 PG 7/31)
2 Skinny Cow Candies (B1G1 RP 7/31)

Total Sale Price: $11.97
Total Coupons: $4.99
ECBs Used: $1.00
Total OOP: $7.46
ECBs Back: $5.99

Wags*
Transaction 1
1 Goody Hair Clips
1 Allegra Allergy 5ct. (Mail-in-Rebate RP 7/31)

Total Regular Price: $10.61
Total Sale: $0.99
Total OOP: $9.62
RR and MiR back: $8.99

Transaction 2
1 Complete Contact Solution ($1/1 SS 7/31)
1 Folder

Total Regular Price: $10.15
Total Sale and Coupons: $2.47
RR Used: $2.00
Total OOP: $5.68
RR Back: $8.00

*You could probably split these two transactions up differently to spend less OOP, but the Allegra MiR says it won't pay you back for coupons, so I didn't want to use RR for this item since they appear on the receipt as "Manufacturer Coupons." Am I just being paranoid? Perhaps.

Until next week...happy saving!