Lambda Calculus

So today I learned of the existence of Lambda Calculus. When I explained to Clint that it was the mathematical foundation of Recursion (and Caculability) and that I was changing my middle name to Recursion (or at least making it recursive somehow), he walked me up to his office and pulled a bright yellow book off of his bookcase entitled The Lambda Calculus: it's syntax and semantics by HP Barendregt (North Holland Press, 1981), put it in my hands and said: "This book will kick your ass."
So today I started getting my ass kicked in a slightly more serious way. I'm very glad now for the class I had last semester in discrete math, as my first glance at LC showed some symbols that were a little familiar. But my first glance also showed me a typesetter's nightmare of symbols that really really weren't. In fact, it looks like the kind of text that Lovecraft might have described in a story shortly before the protagonist's clothes are found in a noisome puddle of primal goo. My lucky day, then. I probably need help.

Spring

Spring invariably starts with a big heaping dose of Winter, so I'm not surprised that my plans have been changed. As a post-baccalaureate student I'm not really eligible for much in the way of financial aid, and being new to Idaho, I'm still paying Non-resident tuition. This is the rate that they are charging wealthy Saudis, which is private-school high. So I'm only going to take one class this Semester: CS210 Programming languages. I'm not too discouraged, I will just keep plugging away at it until I can either get residency or get into graduate school and get the non-resident tuition waived.
A slight edit is in order. I have discovered that I need to take six credits per semester in order to qualify for financial aid at all, so I have added CS270, System Software. This class will put me deep into the guts of Linux, emacs and so on. And thus hopefully I'll get less in the way of frosty glares from Clint for not knowing how to do anything.
The down side to this turn of events is that I only have one class with Ser this semester. She in taking Calculus II.

Grades

My final grades turned out about how I expected, an A in math and a B in computer architecture. Clint was going to wait to see what they were before asking the head of the graduate admissions committee whether they wanted to consider me again yet or whether I should wait a bit longer. I'm not sure I should rush it, I'm fine with with waiting until the fall. Doesn't matter much, and I'd have trouble adding classes at this late date.
So it's my Birthday today. I am fifty-one. I got a slice of Seri-baked cake and a big smooch from Fiona. A very good day. Many greetings on Facebook. Tomorrow I shall go and visit my Aunts and Uncles in Grangeville and say Hi to them.
Spring semester starts in a week. I have signed up for Math 175 (Calculus II) and CS210 (Programming Languages). Math175 is Integral Calculus, which I got a B in at PCC. Stupid transfer articulation, I have to take it again because I only have 9 quarter credits in Calculus, and they want me to have 8 semester credits, which leaves me about 2 short. Oh well, it will be fun.
The CS department hasn't even really decided who's teaching what this spring, so far Bruce Bolden is scheduled to teach CS210, but they may re-arrange things  and get Clint to teach it like he usually does. That could be fun, but hard. We'll just have to see.