Because Shaun asked . . .

I commented on Shaun's blog today, mentioning that I am reading rheology journals. Shaun responded:

rheology: the study of the deformation and flow of matter under the influence of an applied stress

What on EARTH do you do for a living?

Well, Shaun, since you asked - I’m a rheologist, of course!

I work for an oilfield services company, in research, developing and studying drilling fluids. I could give you a couple of references to papers I authored, but that would ruin my anonymity and you would probably lose interest in them before you finished the title. I did post an excerpt from a paper on my blog some time ago, pretty much just to scare people.

For me, I try to make fluids that you can pump down a hole that can be five or six miles long, have it viscous (thick) enough to remove the drilled up dirt from the hole but not so thick that it’s like pushing bread dough through a straw. Plus about a hundred other considerations. Oh, bonus! The common vernacular for drilling fluids is to call them "muds" (since they consist mostly of dirt and water). So I get to tell people I play with mud all day long - every little boys dream!

As for rheology in general, it has great application in everyday life. For example, take peanut butter. You want the processed peanut butter thick enough so that it doesn’t separate into that oil layer on top like organic peanut butters (most people like it this way). If it is too thick, though, you can’t spread it on bread without tearing the bread. There is a nice, non-scary article here that gives a basic explanation. The premise of rheology is that everything flows, everything is deformable, given a long enough timescale and the proper environment.

Rheology trivia:

1. The longest running laboratory experiment (as recognized by Guinness) is a rheology experiment. (Unsurprisingly, I’ve blogged this, as well.) In it, pitch (you know, the stuff Noah used to seal the ark) at room temperature – which will shatter like glass if hit with a hammer – has been left in funnel to drip for the last 78 years. In that time, it has produced eight drops. It has won both an Ig-Nobel Prize and Dull Website of the Year from the Dull Men’s Club.
2. Glass panes in very old churches in Europe are a prime example of everything flows. The glass is noticeably thicker at the bottom of the pane than at the top. Even though the glass seems "solid" it is really flowing over a very long time.
3. There is a rheological parameter named the Deborah Number, after Deborah in the book of Judges. In her song praising God in Judges 5:5, she sings "The mountains flowed before the Lord." She is thus commonly recognized as the first rheologist noting that, given God’s long-term objective, everything does indeed flow.

So, too much information? You can read some more that I’ve talked about rheology on my blog, if you’re interested. I wouldn’t be surprised if that link never gets followed, though.

Music Monday: Being moved

So today Kat is asking about music that moves us. I'm going so show a couple of examples of songs from artists who spiritually challenge and encourage me. These are songs that I can listen to over and over again and still feel something change inside me at the end.

First up is Sara Groves. I know, I know, if you've read anything from me in the past then you know I'm a big fan of Sara's music. But, since I've not talked about her music in a little while, I thought I would remind you of some of her great music. First up is "Add to the Beauty," title song from her 2005 album. This is a live performance, taken from her NOMAD DVD, and features Steve Mason from Jars of Clay. The lyrics from the bridge is just a total killer for me:

This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful
This is grace, an invitation

This is "Less Like Scars", from All Right Here. A great song that really reminds me of what it is to rest in God and persevere in His embrace. Check out these lyrics:

Less like a prison, more like my room
It's less like a casket, more like a womb
Less like dying, more like transcending
Less like fear, less like an ending

Oh, and speaking of Jars of Clay, here is a video of their titular song, "Good Monsters". (Alas, embedding is disabled!) They show an amazing wit in writing this tongue-in-cheek song. You are flayed before you even realize that you are being attacked by the words. Perhaps overshadowed by the many other great songs on this album, "Good Monsters". Here are some lyrics:

Do you know what you are; do you know what you are?
We are bored of all the things we know
Do you know what you are; do you know what you are?
Not all monsters are bad
But the ones who are good
Never do what they could, never do what they could

Tags: Sara Groves, Jars of Clay, Videos, Good Music, Add to the Beauty, Good Monsters

Inbred politics

So, we started this country of The United States of America to free ourselves from the monarchical tyranny of England, right? Well, it didn't work.

I seems that our two Democratic candidates are practically in-laws. Obama is a ninth cousin to actor Brad Pitt, while Clinton is a ninth cousin (twice removed) to Pitt's girlfriend, Angelina Jolie. Clinton is also related to Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette. In addition, she claims Jack Kerouac and Camilla Parker-Bowles (Princess Di's replacement) as distant relatives. So, if elected, There will be blood ties between the American Presidency and the English Throne.

Obama can call no less than six U.S. presidents his cousins, including both Bushs, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Harry S. Truman and James Madison. He is also cousin to V.P. Dick Cheney (Does that make Bush and Cheney related? And does it makes Cheney's selection for the V.P. spot nepotism?), Winston Churchill, and Robert E. Lee (I'll let Obama unpack that baggage).

McCain even gets into the familial action, as a sixth cousin of Laura Bush.

Take it as you will, but I find this very suspicious. Can anyone say Illuminati?

Talk about your feelings of inadequacy . . .

So at the end of this week I'll be headed up to Boston for a couple of days. What will I be doing while I'm in ol' Bean-town? Teaching some folks at MIT, of course. While I'm up north (going from highs around 80°F in balmy Houston to highs of around 40°F in frigid Massachusetts) I'll be learning a little and teaching a little about the oilfield.

Okay, I still can't say that without getting a little weak in the knees.

Maybe you're thinking, "But Euphrony, I thought you were an expert in the field of drilling fluid rheology! What do you have to worry about?" What, indeed? I may know my stuff, kinda, but I'm going to be talking to people who know there stuff, as well. I feel a little like ol' Wile E. Coyote up there - a genius in his own right, but woefully inadequate to the task at hand. So I'll be going up to MIT (a place so genius that they refuse to take themselves too seriously, even in the small things like quirky messages appearing when resizing the online campus map) and converse with a professor and a few of his students in relation to a couple of papers we are coauthoring. Oh, there I go again, feeling unbalanced in the face of working as equals with a professor who is a bit of a legend in his field. I guess I'll get over it, eventually.

So, I'll be in Boston a couple of days. I should have a little free time one evening (it was $600 cheaper to stay an extra night than fly back early) - any suggestions on what I must hit while I'm there? Remember, I'll be either on foot or in a cab, it will be raining and near-freezing, and I'm a deep-Texas boy.

Tags: MIT, Boston, Inadequacy, Teaching

New Music: Laura Story Great God Who Saves

This past Tuesday saw the release of Laura Story's new album, Great God Who Saves. Since most of you have probably never heard her name before, let me give you some introductions. Laura Story originally wanted to conduct music before falling prey to the lure of writing/singing. She was with the band Silers Bald for most of a decade before setting off on her own. She's worked with artists like Andrew Peterson and written and co-written several familiar songs. Oh, yeah, she wrote that song "Indescribable" that Chris Tomlin sings. See, you do know her, don't ya?

Great God Who Saves finds Story on her label debut with INO Records. Her music is a worshipful offering, in the vein of what one could expect from Twila Paris. The two most easily recognizable songs on the album are the aforementioned "Indescribable" and a cover of Hillsong's "Mighty to Save", both of which she makes her own. The album shows a light production touch (from Ed Cash, who produces Tomlin's music) and that is a good thing. Where this album succeeds best at is presenting heartfelt worship that is honest and sincere - something I find sorely lacking in much of the worship music genre. In the case of "Indescribable", you get a song that sounds like how she wrote it - a prayerful expression of a woman driving through the mountains, beholding the majesty of God's creation, and praising God for those things. In many ways, I find this better than Tomlin's version which popularized the song.

Read more . . .
In addition to the sincerity that comes across in the music, Story's voice is enjoyable to listen to and the music is beautiful. Where the album fails, though, is in the overall lack of charisma that comes across in the music. In listening to the album, this was my biggest disappointment; and then I watched the press video I received with the album and I really began to wonder. In the video (seen below from INO's YouTube channel) you find Story to be quite charismatic, with a big smile that draws you in to her good mood. I wish that charm had come across more in the album.


I've mentioned before that I am not a big fan of the overall praise and worship genre, but personally enjoy good music that is worshipful. In speaking about an album like Great God Who Saves, I try to separate it from the genre and look at it on its own merits. When I ask myself if it succeeds in its intended goal (drawing people into worship), I have to answer that it does; at least for me, it does. Not every song is a winner, but I find myself wanting to sing along with songs like "Mighty to Save", "Bless the Lord", and titular "Great God Who Saves". One could argue that much of Story's lyrics are too complex for easy singing in a group setting, being more suited for listening. Story would say the same, herself, never expecting a song like "Indescribable" to become popular in congregations everywhere for that very reason. More often than not, her lyrics come across as a modern rewriting of the Psalms - not a far stretch from the truth in many cases.

Overall, I find the album an enjoyable listen and good worship experience, though not one that will occupy my CD player like an military dictator. (Did I just say that? Uh, yep.) While wishing for more charisma in the album, I do enjoy the bare-bones production approach that allowed Story's sincerity to shine through. If you want to hear more, you can watch three teaching videos for Mighty to Save, Great God Who Saves, and Indescribable. You can also watch a video of Story talking about her husband, Martin, and the struggle to make this album as he battled a life-threatening brain tumor.

Tags: Laura Story, Great God Who Saves, INO Records, Praise and Worship, Indescribable

Things to remember at the rodeo

So for my Good Friday holiday, we decided to attend Houston's annual orgy of all-things cowboy, carnival, and concert - the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. If you've never been, here are a few tips to remember to maximize your enjoyment, especially with young kids.

1) Eat. EAT! For example, go to the New Braunfels Smokehouse stand and get a bratwurst on a bun with some sauerkraut, slather on some spicy mustard and enjoy. Chase it with some creamy Marble Slab ice cream. Yum!

2) Get your picture taken with a statue of a pirate mustang. A must!


3) Go ahead and let your kids play some of the carny games. They may get a good haul of stuffed animals from the fishing game.

4) Go to the pig races. Not only is it great family enjoyment, but you can pick up this key chain.

It is called the "Poopin' Pig". Duh!

Tags: Houston, Rodeo, Carnival, Games, Prizes

A conversation with Lil'E

From last night, as I was tucking her in bed.

Lil'E: (puting her hand over her mouth as I lean over to give her a kiss goodnight) Daddy, you're breath stinks.

Me: I'm sorry . . .

Lil'E: (hand still over mouth) Can't you use one of you're mints?

Me: Sorry, I don't have them in my pocket right now. I'll just keep my mouth closed.

Lil'E: (a few moments later as I give her hug) Daddy, is you're mouth still closed?

Me: Uh huh.

Lil'E: I can still smell your breath.

Apparently, last night my breath would have been deemed torture by Congress. I should have been looking for a CIA job as interrogator. Excuse me while I go brush my teeth for the tenth time.

Wastin' away again in Toddlerville

Yes, it's true. As of Saturday week ago we have two walking children in the house. Naturally, Liler'E is into everything


Here is Lil'E, as her alter ego. This is where we really get all our money.


Look dad! This is a blast!


You really should try it for yourself, dad.


This is great!

In Stores Now . . .

Today is release day for Addison Road's new release, Addison Road. You may remember that I recently reviewed the album - one which I have enjoyed listening to over the last few months. Their first single, "All That Matters", is already at #3 on Radio and Records Christian CHR chart, so not too shabby a start for these guys. Right now you can buy the whole album on iTunes for just $7.99 - not a bad deal. (Also their lead singer, Jenny, has taken an interest in our work over on Inspired to Action - thanks, Jenny!)

Another new release today is from Laura Story, with her new album Great God Who Saves. She's been writing and recording music for several years, but this is her debut on INO Records. The first single, "Mighty to Save", is already charting on both the AC and Soft AC/Inspo lists at R&R. I'll be reviewing her album later this week, but as a preview I'll say that her music is worshipful and honest. Oh, by the way, you probably are already familiar with some of her writing - can you figure out what before I tell you in the review? Stay tuned for more of Laura's Story. (Okay, okay, please forgive the play on her name. I just had to do it once.)

Tags: New Music, Addison Road, Laura Story, INO Records

Slainte! It's Irish Music Monday!

For this installment of Music Monday, Kat has asked us what our musical "?" is. For me, in the last six or eight years, my "?" has been traditional musics. From bluegrass to Irish and Scottish Celtic, from the U.S. to Europe to Africa, I've really been interested in traditional sounds. Groups like Moodfaruka, Afro-Celt Sound System, and Native Flute Ensemble often fill my ears. (Do I sound like a musical snob like Tim Robbins' character in High Fidelity? Probably.) So, for this week - and conveniently in conjunction with St. Patrick's Day - I present the group that brought traditional Irish music back from the grave: The Chieftains.

For more than 40 years, The Chieftains have been making some of the highest quality Celtic music around. Their legend has grown so that these days it is almost a right of passage for artists to play with them. From Ricky Scaggs to Alison Krauss, Buddy and Julie Miller to Van Morrison - the people who come to play with them are themselves legends. Here are a few examples of their brilliant collaborations.

"Toss the Feathers" - This features The Chieftains and a group of friends. A classic tune.

The Chieftains and the Irish group Altan:

This is the type of music that I have been seeking the last few years, and very different from my high-school days oriented to music that was "loud, fast, and thrashin'." Even then, though, the seeds were there as I sneaked in the occasional classical album. I'm okay if no one else likes the same music as me; pretty well resigned to it, actually. Just yesterday Lil'E flat out told me that the music I listen too is "not cool" because it is too slow and quiet. Oh, the stab in my heart - but I'll live, and keep listening.

Tags: Traditional, Celtic, World Music, The Chieftains, Altan, Irish