At the Top of the Rollercoaster Ride

This is the time of the year when academics ask each other, "Are you ready for the new academic year to start?" That's the same sort of sado-masochistic question as asking a Christian parent if they are ready for Christmas. Sheesh! Nobody is ever ready for the start of the academic year. I always feel as if I am in a rollercoaster car, just cranking the last few feet to the top of that first hill. The ride is going to take off, whether I am ready or not. It's too late to climb out of the car. All I can do is throw up my arms and scream, with mixed feelings of elation and terror. Get ready for a wiiiiild ride, folks! Ready or not, here we go!

The decoration for this blog entry is from http://www.howard-winn.k12.ia.us/projects/ind_study/h1ind/rollercoasters/index.html, which has a wonderful site with sound effects to explain the physics of roller coasters. Thank you Howard Winn!