Yeah for infinite series!

If anybody read my post about infinite series a couple weeks back, I'm proud to say I was able to wrap my head around the topic well enough to score a 95 on my test! That means I have a 94.5 average going into the final on May 1st. That also means I can get an 81 on my final and still get an A in the class. I really hope I mesh as well with my next professor. I've had very good luck with Math instructors at Thomas Nelson, and I'll be a little sad to say goodbye to those folks when I transfer.

I had to leave my Calc. II class a little early the other day, so I had to go to Mr. Tyler's office to get my test back. I always like to talk to him anyway, so I didn't mind sticking around TNCC for his office hours. Mr. Tyler is probably about 70 years old and has spent his whole life in Hampton Roads. I knew from talking to him before that he is from Charles City County, but it took until this last office visit to put the pieces together. His family has been in this area for hundreds of years, and his name should be pretty familiar to anybody with the slightest knowledge of US history. The most notable Tyler would probably be our tenth president John Tyler. John Tyler was the vice president to William Henry Harrison who has some significance in my family. The Tyler's influence in the area can be felt by Sonya and me in pretty much every direction. We live off of John Tyler Highway, Sonya works at William & Mary in Tyler Hall, and the courtyard outside her office is dedicated to the Tyler family and includes a plaque with my professor's name, George Tyler.

As I mentioned before, I really enjoy talking to Mr. Tyler. He was talking to me about his collection of Volkswagens. He has a hobby of finding beat up Volkswagens of any variety and fixing them up. He has had a collection of Beetles, Karman Ghia, Buses, Porsche 914s, and even "The Thing."
He told me about a cross-country trip he took with his wife and kids in an old Volkswagen bus that reminded me of Little Miss Sunshine. I don't think his trip was nearly so calamitous, but it did sound like fun.
We got to talking about how long people have been doing calculus with nothing more than a feather, some ink, and some paper. He showed me his father's Calculus book from 1919. I think I want to collect antique Calculus books. His father's book was small, leather-bound, and filled with his father's notes in pencil. There was even some notebook paper folded in the middle of the book, and Mr. Tyler wasn't sure if it was his or his father's handwriting. It's amazing to me that this man has Mathematics in his family the way my brother and I have photography and chess boards in ours. The difference being that Mr. Tyler teaches calculus, and I can only take photos with an automatic camera, and I don't even know the rules to chess.
The next week is going to be pretty hectic. I've got two more days of classes followed by three days of finals. Wish me luck!