Dan's Friends, This is Renee his wife,

On September 30th around 11:15 am I woke  up and looked over at my husbands side of the bed, he wasnt there, I thought " oh, he must be out on the couch on the laptop talking to you guys or doing homework, So i get up out of bed, and i walked out and found my husband laying on his back with no BP or Pulse, I am a nurse, and i did CPR on him, I dont know how long he was there,but they never was able to establish an airway to the ER, they worked on him for an hour in the ER, finally they got a faint heart beat  and pulse, He could not breath on his own, ventilator was breathing for him, BP was 83/50, they did a cat scan and EEG, ran all the tests they could, It was awful, my world STOPPED, TIME STOPPED, He was placed in ICU on ventilator, He never came back around, It was  and still is the most awful experience to have, I am 39, He was 46, His last class @ IVY Tech he made 5 A's, I am and always will be so proud of him!, He was the best husband and friend, I MISS HIM SO BAD, He passed away while still on the ventilator, It was an Pulmonary Embolism, ( blood clot to the lung) Dr's stated " It was a significant large Blood clot, WHIY??????? Did God decide to take him?? He had so much to offer to the college kids and he was so inspiring, kind hearted! This is very hard for me to write, but i am doing this for Dan, He would want you guys to know, Thank you for being such good friends to my husband!, He passed away with me by his side and laying on his stomach, I did not want to let him go, It was @ 5:01 am on October 1st, He was layed to rest on October 6th, with Marine Corps Military Salute, He was in the corps from 1981 to1984, I just dont understand and i guess i will never know untill God decides to take me. We don't have children together, I had 5 surgeries to try, but it never happened, I found my mother deceased as well 3 years ago, she layed there for 48 hours, October 8th was our anniversary, Married 14 years, Together for 17 wonderful years. There is a new CD out of Kid Rock, If you get a chance listen to number  7 and 4, It's just so hard to believe, I still think he is going to walk through the door, I am going to get off of here, Thank you again for the friendship you shared with him, He truly enjoyed talking with all of you!

  I had just awakened, grabbed my morning coffee and the TV remote, and sat on the couch. I was flipping through the channels when I saw one of the towers in flames. A reporter was saying that an accident had happened. An airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I remember thinking to myself, "This was bound to happen sooner or later. A single engine plane pilot may have had a heart attack, and his plane flew into a sky scraper...." And then it happened again as the reporter was speaking. I was stunned for a moment, trying to wrap my brain around what I had just seen.

  What were you doing that morning?

         Pulled out the telescope during the wee hours of the morning on 9/2/08, and pointed the 8 inch reflector and the SBIG camera at the Pleiades. They are also known as the Seven Sisters, or M 45 and are about 440 light years away.  Only a portion of the star cluster is visible in this photo due to the cameras FOV, or field of view.

 

 

 

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(BELOW) ANDROMEDA GALAXY

 

 

   After an incredible Summer, and a holiday the second week of the Fall semester, I'm afraid the party is over. I have had a lot of time to ponder some wonderful mysteries inspired by some recent on-line friends and neighbors, and I will miss asking ~smiles~ "dumb questions" to subjects which have no answer.

   But, alas, the time has come to pick up where I left off back in May, and return my attention  to writing psychology essay's, creating speeches, pondering the enigma of art and culture throughout history, and refining the art of interpersonal communication. They are all great subjects and I'm looking forward to learning everything I can from them.

   I have had a great time, but college is calling my name.

   I wish all of you love, prosperity, and above all else, peace of mind.

 

 

  

It's hard to believe that Summer has passed by so fast! But,alas, it's time to get back to hitting the books. I'm not going to tell a fib, I really enjoy college. Maybe it's because of my age (46), or the fact that I didn't do so bad this past semester. What ever the case might be, I'm looking forward to going back for another semester.

  My courses are; Public Speaking, I P Comm, Psych 101, and Survey of Art and Culture.  I took two classes my first semester, then 4 classes Spring 08, now 4 more classes this (Fall 08) semester. I have two more semesters, and I'll have an AA in Liberal Arts & Science. Phi Theta Kappa has a great program that will help me transfer to a 4 year University, and hopefully a B A in Humanities. If I have any time and money left, I'd like to take as many classes as I need to in order to also earn a B A S in Astronomy.

However, regardless if I win or lose, pass or fail, I have my number 2 pencil, overpriced textbook, and a notebook in my book bag. I'll get a kiss from my wife as she hands me my car keys and wishes me luck.

So ready or not, it's time to drag all my toys back in the house and get ready to go to school. 

This is my current telescope / astrophotography set up.
 The mount is an Orion SVP
 The telescope is a 6 inch dia. Mak-Cass
 The camera is an SBIG XT 2000XCM CCD
 The computer is a Toshiba Satellite.

This is a closeup of the star VEGA.

This is a super enhanced image of the Ring Nebula.

 I am thrilled to share with you that I have been inducted into the National Honors Society, Phi Theta Kappa.

   About 40 family and friends gathered together at a beautiful park in Peru, Indiana. They were gathered to watch 12 (the following are their words)>of the brightest, most exceptional students<(wow!) experience the event which we had all worked so hard to achieve.  An invitation to join the honors society for two year colleges, Phi Theta Kappa. The requirements were to maintain a GPA of 3.5 (an "A" average) or higher for 12 consecutive credit hours. There was fellowship with other students who thought, behaved, and acted just like me. Talking was easy. The question posed to the group was to define the paradox of affluence.

 Then the ceremony began. The Chancellor of Education for the state of Indiana gave a speech, then one of the regional officers gave a speech that hit me like a ton of bricks. The experiences she was sharing were the same as mine! I was stunned!  It was at that moment when I realized that everyone in this group was like me. I had found a family!    They then began the induction. They called my name first, then asked me to stand with the officers to be recognised. They said a few very positive things about me that I thought no one had noticed. I was almost drawn to tears. They called the others forward until everyone was facing their families and friends, then applause and cheers broke out. I felt more emotion. I remember telling myself, "Think about why a broken clock is right twice a day."  They then said a few things in Greek, and then we were to repeat a pledge. I was really fighting back the emotion. Then more applause and cheers broke out, and I looked out in the group and spotted my wife, Renee. She was cheering and clapping. My eyes filled with tears and I thought to myself, "A broken clock is never really broken if you see it at the exact time the hands stopped moving, therefore, a broken clock is only broken if you look at it at the wrong time of day, which means that I am wrong for having a broken clock in the first place." Renee told me later that she understood how important this was to me, and that I deserved everything, including the emotions, because of how hard I had worked, and that she was so very proud.

  We then began to mingle and talk about things like 4 year colleges, degree goals, life experiences that brought us to this point, and how we made it this far, and where we planned to go from here. It was a very proud moment for everyone. Families proudly gathered around their loved ones and began sharing stories with other groups of families and friends. There were lots of hugs and handshakes, kudos and pats on the back. Then slowly but surely, people began to leave, turning to wave good-bye to those who were still sharing, listening, and asking questions about opportunities and upcoming events. Then it was our turn to leave, and we,  like the others who left before us, gave hugs and handshakes, and waved good-bye to those remaining, who wished us well, and a safe journey. 

  I learned a couple of things that day. Hard work does pay off, people do really care, and most importantly, no man is an island. I have found a group of like minded friends. Renee kept her promise she had made during our wedding vows so many years ago. For better for worse, for richer for poorer. She was there clapping and cheering for me through one of the better times, the proudest moment in recent memory, the day her husband was inducted into the honors society, Phi Theta Kappa. 

 Hello Friends,

   I almost can't believe it. The semester is over, and my grades came in. For the first time in my life I have straight A's !!! My subjects were Sociology, New Student, English Comp, and Philosophy of Religion.

  My last class was English Comp, and the final for that class was an essay exam. After I finished the exam it was graded on the spot. (48/50). Then the Prof figured my grade for the class, and it was an "A". I mentioned to her that this gives me straight A's for the semester. As I turned to leave, she called me back and informed me that this qualifies me for a membership in Phi Theta Kappa. I couldn't believe it! Me? A member of an Honors Society? Wow!  Absolutely incredible.

 This semester has given me the chance to teach philosophy, join an honors society, join a philosophy major who wants me to help with with a PHD thesis, and a class of philosophers want me to run for the Indiana State Senate in 2012.   I must say that this has been one of the most successful moments of my life.

       Wow, what a semester!

Hello my friends.

 I would like to begin by apologizing for my absence of late. I am taking my third semester of college, which includes these four courses; English Composition, Critical Thinking, Sociology, and The Philosophy of Religion. Each of these classes require an essay, journal, or some other type of written argument nearly each session. This keeps me incredibly preoccupied, hence the absence from the site. I would like to thank all of you who have not given up on me, and I am thankful to have on-line friends who are as understanding as you guys have been. Thank you. 

  I am attending Ivy Tech Community College in an effort to acquire the prerequisites (prereq's), then obtain my masters in philosophy from Purdue University.  However, the longer I found myself in the program, the more I became unsure of the basic skill sets required to teach. Professors are amazing people, in that they can see skills you possess, even when you believe you may not have them at all. - Enter Philosophy Professor Terri See. She came up with the brilliant idea of having each student give a half hour lesson on each chapter. My assignment was to give an exposition on Taoism/Confucianism.

  I was required to create a study guide, lesson plan, and five test questions for the chapter. I didn't have a big problem with this part. What really shook me up was not just getting up in front of people, but how does one teach?  I was really puzzled the night before class. How do I go about sharing the information I have, with people who are counting on me to give it?

 The moment finally arrived. There I stood, alone, in front of fourteen other college students, absolutely shaken to the core, not knowing what to say. At this moment, I began remembering a few of my favorite teachers from high school, and a couple of my favorite professors. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. the reason I liked these people had little to do with their knowledge on the subject. It had to do with their honesty. They were real people with real feelings, and real stories. What impressed me most of all about each one of these people was the fact that the didn't try to teach me anything. They simply put the same information in four or five different examples, all of which were relative to real life situations. Then I thought of the antithesis of what I perceived to be a good teacher, and remembered that they did little more with the information than read it as if it were instructions on how microwave a frozen pizza. I had figured it out. The answer is just be honest about who you are!

 So my opening line went something like, " Hi guys. Man, I am shaking in my shoes up here." It was working! They started interacting with me. I realized that if I followed my notes, and I simply shared what I was thinking, then the class would do the same.... and they did! I would read from the book about the Yen and Yang, then tell a story about seeing this on a TV show, and what the said about it, then ask my friends in the class if they agree or disagree with that exposition, and why? When one of them said something profound (it happens quite a bit in philosophy class), I grabbed a marker, moved to the board, and said "You get a gold star!" And they loved it!

 All good things must come to an end, and my half hour was waning to a few minutes left, so I mentioned about wrapping it up, but the professor insisted I continue! I was both humbled, and elated at the same time. At my professors request, I continued teaching for the entire three hour class. I couldn't believe it! I had actually done it.  Furthermore, the professor wants me to finish the chapter next week.

 In closing, I would like to say that teaching is probably the wrong word for what those people do, who stand in front of the class for three hours at a time. A better word would probably be .... sharing. And speaking of sharing, thank you for allowing me to share my story with you. I hope the days to come find you healthy and happy.

This is a reply I posted to a philosophy group, and then sent to my Philosophy of Religion professor;

  About 4 years ago I was producing a demo for a very talented young lady. She did really well for a while then she just fell off the face of the Earth.  No problem, the music business isn't for everybody and perhaps she just decided to call it quits and move on. Happens all the time.

 Well, Renee got a new job last month and came home and told me that she was working with Laura. What ever happened to her? She said she got married and had a baby and wants to come by and say hi. No problem. A couple of weeks later, in walks Laura and Renee and the cutest little baby in the world!  We were talking about the good old days and what the future holds and then baby Marie picked up the computer mouse and pretended it was a phone. It was time to pull out the camera!

 Renee and I don't have any children of our own together, so this was indeed a rare treat. we were all taking turns talking on the "mouse phone" when suddenly Marie ran over to Renee and gave her a kiss. It was a beautiful moment caught in the cameras eye!

 This picture just melted my heart. Marie is such a cute little baby and and Laura is a wonderful mother. Oh, and Renee and I have been dubbed Aunt NaNa and Uncle Dang. : )

Hello Friends.

   I was doing some online research when I ran across this article on a web site called SBIG. ( www.sbig.com ) They claimed that all you need to do to obtain perfect focus is to cut a circle of cardboard which fits tightly within the aperture of the scope. Then cut one inch triangles at equal distances from the edge of the cardboard.

   Now the cardboard should have equal sized cutouts, which should also be equal distances from the center as well a the outside. It should look something like this.

 Now, with the focus tool in place, align your scope to see any bright object. It was an overcast day when I made this focus tool, so I had to aim at the light on top of a microwave tower about a quarter mile away.

 It is said that a true genius is someone who has the ability to take abstract or lofty concept and define it in such a way that anyone can understand it

 This is one of those instances. If you have ever tried to focus on a deep space object, then you may already know that it is possible to spend several minutes trying to find that perfect mix.

With this focus tool all you need to do is turn the focus knob until the images come together as one. At this point, you have achieved perfect focus! Its a miracle made out of cardboard.

I would like to say that I did not invent this focus assistance device, but I do swear by it!

I hope this article helps budding astronomers and astrophotographers everywhere.

 I wish you a clear sky and a starry night,

   .... Dan