What are you doing over winter break?

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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses various plans and activities participants have for their winter break, encompassing personal, academic, and leisure pursuits. The scope includes informal sharing of experiences, holiday activities, and reflections on work and study commitments.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants mention traveling to visit family during the holidays.
  • Others share specific personal projects, such as studying for exams, engaging in creative activities like pancake art, and working on physics-related analyses.
  • Several participants express feelings about the weather, contrasting summer in Australia with winter in New Zealand.
  • Some participants plan to read, spend time with family, and enjoy leisure activities like skating and coffee outings.
  • There are mentions of academic responsibilities, including exam preparation and self-study.
  • One participant humorously notes the inevitability of working during the break despite scheduled time off.
  • Another participant reflects on the challenge of learning new topics in physics, such as quantum field theory.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants share a variety of individual plans and experiences, with no consensus on a singular approach to winter break activities. The discussion remains diverse and unresolved regarding the best ways to spend the holiday period.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about their plans, indicating a range of personal circumstances and commitments that may influence their winter break activities.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals looking for ideas on how to spend their winter break, particularly those in academic or family-oriented contexts.

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Mostly for those in academia or anyone taking a vacation etc over the holidays.
 
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We’re going to travel to visit family but my personal list includes studying for the SAT, making pancake art, and finishing up some posters that need to be printed.

...But mostly pancake art.
 
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Well apparently, I'm going to be working despite being scheduled for 11 consecutive days off -- either working at my job or working to repair a caved-in basement ceiling. :frown:
 
russ_watters said:
a caved-in basement ceiling.
Serious cave-in, or more cosmetic?
 
well, it's summer break here in Oz, it's stinking hot so we ( wife and I) are heading to the cooler climes of southern New Zealand
to have Christmas with my familyDave
 
davenn said:
well, it's summer break here in Oz, it's stinking hot...
Trade ya.... :ok:??

Bit nippy.JPG
 
davenn said:
southern New Zealand
Sigh.
 
Bystander said:
Sigh.

my family are around the Dunedin city area an d a little further inland from there
 
OCR said:
Trade ya.... :ok:??

View attachment 110483

yeah, that's just a tad chilly. We, on rare occasions, get down to 0C (32F) in my part of Sydney, Oz. Have had only 1 day under 30C in the last 2 weeks with the top of 40C (104F).
It's nite here as I type 9pm, it's 31C in the shack and 29C outside and the bedroom with the aircon beckons me :)Dave
 
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  • #10
In no particular order ...

1. A friend and physics colleague has done a semi-empirical analysis on some of the physics involved in a popular winter sport. I am supposed to use computer analysis to turn his complicated equations into stuff that can be compared to what actually happens in this sport, hopefully for publication.

2. In January, a bright senior student will be doing a project-based course with me. I need to attempt to get up to speed before then. I will be relying on this student to do a good job of teaching me.

3. Read a little about quantum field theory, which I didn't learn as a student. My wife, who has an M.Sc. in physics, is a great source of encouragement: "You're to old to learn quantum field theory!"

4. Go (ice) skating with my daughter.

5. Go to coffee shops with my wife and daughter, where my wife and I like to talk, and where my daughter likes to sit and read.

6. Have friends over for meals.

7. Read the 700-page novel "By Gaslight".
 
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  • #11
Eat way too much yummy food cooked by relatives.

Do my annual clean the house thing...or leave it another year again.
 
  • #12
George Jones said:
A friend and physics colleague has done a semi-empirical analysis on some of the physics involved in a popular winter sport. I am supposed to use computer analysis to turn his complicated equations into stuff that can be compared to what actually happens in this sport, hopefully for publication.
Road Trip! :smile:
 
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  • #13
This year is unlucky - all the holidays fall on Saturday and Sunday - so it's all work.
 
  • #14
I have my first semester exams in mid Jan so I'll be sat revising most of the time unfortunately.
 
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  • #15
Well, after having finished my exams just before the Christmas break... I suppose I'm still a little bit at a loss as to what I'm going to do. School starts in January 16th so, I suppose I could do a little bit of reading and self-studying.

The more prudent things to do would be to get more physical exercise and try to get a job in the next spring.
 
  • #16
I'm decompressing, and trying to clean up the junk that's accumulated on my desk at home.
 
  • #17
The right answer is hanging out at PF :biggrin:
 
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  • #18
Greg Bernhardt said:
The right answer is hanging out at PF :biggrin:
yes, sir!
 
  • #19
Hibernating.
 

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