Strange Day

I had a Matrix test today. My version of studying was to work on the homework that is currently late (close to being done now) and look over the Polynomial Matrix division algorithm in the book (which I couldn't follow, but I figured out my own way that seems to work), since there hadn't been any problems over it. I concluded that such a problem was likely too long for the test, unless the polynomials were of degree two or less.

I had no clue how I'd do on the test, but I think I did all right. There were 10 problems, and we needed to work 8. I got seven of them done... One of the remaining three was about elementary forms of polynomial matrices, which I had essentially ignored. One was three canonical forms for one matrix... I could think of two (Row-Column equivalence and RREF)... Possibly Diagonalizing it would have counted, but I wasn't sure. The last one was to prove that an eigenvalue of (A+B) must be a sum of the eigenvalues of A & B. I tried many things, and kept getting stuck. Then I reread the instructions: Prove or Disprove. I picked two random matrices, tried it, and NOPE. Not true. So that got me up to 8 problems, and I was done.

The others were mostly straight forward, since I had mostly finished the homework.

Then I was starved and couldn't breathe (and it was after 16:00 so I was already late to help with Melissa's taiji class), so I made a run home for decongestant and food. While I was there, my mom called. Grandma's in the hospital again. She fell on Tuesday (and was stuck till Mom got home; I wonder if she'd accept an emergency notification device if I bought one for her...) and today when she went to Dialysis, they decided she'd probably injured something in the fall. So they sent her up to the hospital for something that sounded like "pistogram" or "pistulegram" or something like that. Mom thought they might be done by 19:00, but wasn't sure. To be honest, I think Grandma would be better off in the hospital at the moment. She's been off all week, and 'round the clock observation would be a very good thing. So I was more relieved than worried to hear she was in the hospital again. *sighs*

Last night I stopped over at Grandma's house after work, and Grandma was already in bed. Mom said Grandma wanted some support handles put in on one of the upstairs toilets, so I helped figure out how to put the thing together. We're not sure why she wanted handles on that toilet, since it's no closer to her room than the main bathroom, and it's smaller, so harder to get her walker in there, but the handles are on now.

No time for writing since Sunday, mainly because of writing and grading tests. One more to write for next week, and I have 015 tests to grade, but those tend to go quickly. I do need to get Math 123 homework graded this weekend, before their test, but that's doable. There are less than 20 people in that class.

Random connection: I've got the first draft of next fall's schedule now. It's a nice schedule, actually. I work MW evenings, two classes, and TTh from 9 am to 14:15 (with a break in the middle). Which leaves Fridays free (except for the new Math025 testing center, possibly), and most of MW free. I like this. I've got one section of Stats, so I'm hoping to restructure my teaching style there. I was getting so bogged down in HW grading last fall (partly because of Grandma being in and out of the hospital, but still, not good). I also have one that I haven't taught: 257, which is apparently a math class for elementary ed majors. Annik says it's fairly interesting (except she's done it 6 semesters in a row and is now sick of it).

Background Noise: Ahsan and Dina seem to be having a major fight in her office. It's quite distracting, and loud enough to be heard despite her door being shut. I'm not sure that shutting my door would help any.