DanO

I graduated from USC about a month ago and things are great.  I am super close to getting a job.  I have done lots of small trips and vacations.  I hiked to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite and I just got back from hanging with family in Arkansas.

I have been asked many times by parents on behalf of their high school seniors if I would go to USC all over again or go to another school.  My answer is honest and is "Yes, I would do it all again."

 I have developed personally in so many aspects of my life: academics, leadership, communication, relationships, and goals.  I am so proud of what I have accomplished on the Aero Design Team.  I have learned so much about myself and others as a Viterbi Student Ambassador and a Freshman Academy Coach.  I discovered my passion for teaching science and engineering through Iridescent Learning.

I am equally proud of my friends.  They have been role models to me in so many ways.  They are motivated to succeed and all manage to achieve their goals in their own unique ways.  We all have different traits, strengths and weakness, that allowed for some really great memories.  In class, at football games, at the dorms, in computer labs at 4am, in the ADT lab, on roadtrips, on retreats, on spring break, and in other countries, I have had truly amazing moments with so many great people.  I would not be the person I am today without the support and guidance of my friends at USC.

I am now moving on the next phase in my life.  I will be starting my career as an engineer.  I will spend time doing the things I like to do: surfing, fishing, sailing, woodworking, making planes, and cooking (no real surprises here).  I look forward to constantly learning new things and meeting new people.  If the past is any indication of the future, things are looking pretty good.

If you would like to keep following me, I will now be blogging at:

http://thedanorr.blogspot.com

Sometimes I get spurts of energy and enthusiasm that I just have to capatalize on.  This latest one is due to a monster of an assignment being turned in after two all nighters.  I am on such an accomplishment high, that I just had to keep up the momentum, so I was talking with friends about fishing, and decided that it is a good idea to go ASAP.  So last night I went out with Sayre and Robby to Long Beach and went to the break water for some twilight fishing.  We pulled in 4 pretty weak fish, but at least we caught stuff.

If that wasn't enough fishing for one week, I went out again with Ben and my brother Andrew, to the same spot today.  We had better luck, pulling in 1 Sand Bass, 4 Croaker, and 6 Mackerel.  The conditions were great for fishing, light wind and easy seas.

Yesterday was Courtney's birthday, and to celebrate I took her to a cooking class at Hip Cooks in East Los Angeles.  Hip Cooks is located in the Brewery Artist's Lofts, and was way cool to see.  Our instructor for the night was Liza, and she really had a connection with the ingredients and cooking methods that she used.  She was awesome.

We lucked out and were able to do the Healthy, Fresh and Zingy menu:

• Yin-Yang Roast Pepper Soup with a Pesto Twist
• Mango Ginger Salsa Seared Ahi Tuna Ginger
• Garden Salad
• Passion fruit Ice Cream Sandwiches

Here is my Seared Tuna with Mango Ginger Salsa and Garden Salad:

 The lighting in this photo is kinda bad, but trust me...I looked and tasted soooo good.

There was one self-proclaimed "Foodie" in the class, that just couldn't keep quiet.  I couldn't take an action shot of him being a Foodie, so Courtney and I recreated the scene on my white board.

I just got back from Catalina.  I spent 5 days in Isthmus and had a rad time.

Just a couple minutes ago, I decided to join my friend from highschool, who is also doing a Catalina Spring Break trip.  I will be stopping in for Saturday and Sunday, then coming back on the ferry so that I can get to class on Monday.

Things are so good right now.

Here are some more photos from my Family Science Animal Locomotion sessions:

This week we made thrust cars that simulate the propulsion that squid and octopus use to move. 

I have my last session this Wednesday on drag and viscosity.  This was so nice to do, that I might do another 4 sessions right away.

This will be one of those weeks when I finish one project to start another.  In just 12 hours my week shifted from easy to intense, as seen on my white board:

If it isn't obvious from the giant red letters, I got my first job interview.  It is tomorrow morning at 8am with PPG.  I just hope I can sound awake.

Also, spring break is quickly approaching, which for me means sailing to Catalina with friends.  Radical!

As promised, here are some photos from last week's Animal Locomotion science session on streamlines and lift.

 As you can see, we weren't making the traditional paper airplanes that you might expect.  We made engineered paper airplanes.

Keeping on the animal locomotion topic, I was walking home with vTHiNKer, Alison, when she found an injured butterfly on the ground.  We thought it would be a fun idea to bring the grounded butterfly in the apartment to keep as a temporary pet. 

It would sometimes glide out of our hands without flapping, gently landing on the floor.  We placed it on their plastic Christmas tree, to simulate its natural habitat.  When Fuz came home, we wanted to show her the new pet, only to find that it actually started flying.  So either it was injured and healed fast, or we just interrupted its intense nap session.  It flew up to a window unreachable by humans to chill in the sun.  Fuz thinks it is dead, but I know this butterfly, its just napping.

This butterfly can't fool me...or as President Bush would say:

 I just watched a TED talk by Barry Scwartz about how our society has lost its practical wisdom.

To sum up his argument, a wise person:

• Knows when and how to make the exception to every rule
• Knows when and how to improvise
• Knows how to use moral skills in the pursuit of the right aims
• Is made not born

He tells stories about when rules and bureaucracy can stuff up our systems.  He argues that rules and regulations prevent workers from having to think for themselves.  It allows people to say things like "I hate to do this to you, but the rules are the rules." without taking responsibility for their actions.  One of my favorite books is You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen, and it teaches you how to navigate this system of rules and regulations which is run by people that are "just doing their jobs".

Truly great musicians and actors improvise, so why does our government structure a precise curriculum for our best educators?  For those exceptional teachers, we must make exceptions that allow them to inspire and teach children in their own way.  On the other hand, below average teachers need to be inspired, rather than structured.  If we can inspire our educators, then they will inspire our students, and our world will enjoy a wiser and more thoughtful society.

Thoughtfulness is the key to practical wisdom. It allows us to think for ourselves and know that rules are a good thing, but not necessarily a perfect thing.

 On Tuesday my lab partner, Robert Ward, went to the Lakers and Hawks game at the Staples Center.  He was lucky enough to be picked for the halftime half court shot for $165,000.

He actually made the shot and stayed as cool as can be.  He is such a superstar right now.

I like hearing Kobe say "Go SC, baby, Go Trojans.  Its about damn time somebody made that shot.  Nobody's ever made it since we've been here at Staples Center."