For this Valentine’s Day I do not have a valentine. This blog entry isn’t going to be a love story. I certainly don’t want to kiss and tell. So I’m not going to write about any old flames. I’ll write about a crush, which I can safely assume all of us have had.

In high school I was in a data processing class typing at a console. From next to me came a strange sound that I can only describe as a whooshing sound that folks make when with their mouths when they’re bored. I turned to find the source was Jadwiga, our French foreign exchange student. I laughed because it was completely unexpected. She looked up and smiled.

When we finished our work, we started talking. Back at our desks she talked about a physics class she took. She produced a copy of a test she had taken before coming to America. The pages were filled with mathematics that were as foreign as the French in which it was written. I wouldn’t understand that math until my freshman year in college. She was a beautiful oracle showing me my future in a language I couldn’t comprehend.

I realized that she was at least a couple years older than me and definitely smarter than me. Of course I developed a crush on her. Thanks Jadwiga for the friendship and for inspiring me to expand my knowledge of math and science. I hope you have found happiness in your life. And, I wish all of you have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

photo credit: Andreanna Moya Photography

Merry Christmas everybody! Brace yourself for 2009!