{"id":1013,"date":"2021-04-06T21:47:34","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T21:47:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/96.66.168.57:8080\/wordpress\/?page_id=1013"},"modified":"2026-08-24T02:53:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T02:53:59","slug":"chapter-1b-intermission-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/?page_id=1013","title":{"rendered":"Intermission 1:  Trips with the Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-1013-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Intermission-1013-P01.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Intermission-1013-P01.mp3\">https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Intermission-1013-P01.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>The previous chapter highlighted the many stressful events that happened in my life after 1998. \u00a0They are discussed because they are relevant to the story told throughout this book. \u00a0I, however, don&#8217;t want the reader to think the entire period was full of stress and turmoil. \u00a0It was not.<\/p>\n<p>As an untenured assistant professor, it was important for me to build a productive research program. \u00a0In addition to writing many research proposals to various government agencies and submitting papers to archival journals, traveling to and presenting at conferences was another important part. \u00a0Since many conferences are in interesting places, I planned as much as possible to bring Rita and the kids along if there were things for them to do. \u00a0Amanda&#8217;s medical needs made this quite difficult as we didn&#8217;t want to risk being away from her regular doctors if something happened.<\/p>\n<p>I think the first conference Caleb went to was one in Las Vegas. \u00a0This would have been the week before he turned one year old. \u00a0I don&#8217;t remember many details from the trip, but I recall visiting Hoover Dam with him. \u00a0We obviously took in all the sites and sounds of Las Vegas. \u00a0I recall getting kicked out of the casino area of one place because I was carrying him on my back, and apparently, &#8220;minors&#8221; are not allowed in the casino. \u00a0I wasn&#8217;t gambling and was only walking through it because Caleb seemed fascinated by all the lights and sounds.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1017 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lip1-e1617752516875-267x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"267\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lip1-e1617752516875-267x300.jpg 267w, https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lip1-e1617752516875-910x1024.jpg 910w, https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lip1-e1617752516875-768x864.jpg 768w, https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lip1-e1617752516875.jpg 1146w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px\" \/>Caleb also came along for a conference in the San Francisco Bay Area in the summer of 2000. \u00a0We met my friend from graduate school, Elaine, at the beach there, and I remember her holding him and dipping his feet in the ocean. \u00a0He had fun playing in the sand. \u00a0It must have been this trip that we also drove down to the Los Angeles area to visit relatives. \u00a0I recall Caleb singing for\/with my Aunt Joanie while my Aunt Charlotte videotaped him. \u00a0Caleb&#8217;s hair basically grew straight out&#8211;we could never get it to lay down&#8211;and because of his glasses, people would frequently comment that he looked like the kid from Jerry Maguire, a popular movie from a few years before.<\/p>\n<p>We took Caleb to Disneyland and Legoland. \u00a0I&#8217;ve always found Disneyland to be kind of a disappointment, and I&#8217;m not sure if Caleb was old enough to enjoy it. \u00a0Legoland, however, was a lot of fun, and I think Caleb enjoyed his time there much more. \u00a0He was never really into Legos but seeing all the amazing things they had built for the park was fascinating. \u00a0Although, maybe it was simply my interest that rubbed off on him. I recall on the trip down to Legoland, near San Diego, that it must have been strawberry season as we stopped twice to pick them. \u00a0These were the huge variety that you often see dipped in chocolate. \u00a0We ate the entire first batch that we picked and decided to go back and pick more. \u00a0I doubt those made it back to Los Angeles. \u00a0I&#8217;m surprised we didn&#8217;t get sick; at least I don&#8217;t remember getting sick.<\/p>\n<p>The most memorable conference Caleb came to was one in 2001 in Pittsburgh from September 9 through 12. \u00a0Rita was pregnant with Amanda at the time. I don&#8217;t remember a great deal besides the obvious. \u00a0I was actually scheduled to give a presentation in the early morning of the 11th. \u00a0As usual, I got to the conference room early to make sure there would be no technical difficulties. \u00a0This conference was a large one, with many sessions running in parallel throughout the day. \u00a0There are usually four or five presentations per session. \u00a0I think mine might have been the first or the second of the session. \u00a0I recall giving my presentation to basically an audience of the session chair and the other presenters. \u00a0You don&#8217;t expect a great turnout for the early sessions, but I was pretty disappointed. \u00a0I&#8217;m not sure if I stuck around for the talks after mine or if the word had trickled in that something major had happened. \u00a0We stayed in the same hotel as the conference was being held, so I decided to go back to the room to see what was going on. \u00a0I recall hearing various discussions on my way there and someone saying he was a pilot, and he couldn&#8217;t understand how it was possible. \u00a0There was just a great deal of confusion. \u00a0I think people forget that at the time, no one had really considered that hijackers would or could fly a jumbo jet into a building. \u00a0I got back to my room, and Rita had the news on. \u00a0I think by that time, both towers had been hit, but they were still standing. \u00a0I also remember there being news of a plane crashing near Pittsburgh, and we weren&#8217;t certain if it was safe to stay in the high-rise hotel we were in. \u00a0Again, at the time, we had no idea how many planes had been hijacked and where they were heading. \u00a0I recall trying to reassure Rita we were certainly safe because it seemed like the Pittsburgh Hilton &amp; Towers&#8211;now the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown&#8211;would be an unlikely target.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#foogallery-gallery-1812 .fg-image { width: 640px; 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class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/11543a300-scaled\/3457275874.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_1809-rotated.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1822\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/IMG_1809-rotated\/530435705.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_0393-2-rotated.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1903\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/IMG_0393-2-rotated\/3496266882.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_0253-rotated.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1902\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/IMG_0253-rotated\/3194228750.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IM001266_1.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1900\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/IM001266_1\/1212747907.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IM001310-1.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1899\" data-type=\"image\" 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fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IM001273_1.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1897\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/IM001273_1\/687514393.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IM001274_1.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1896\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/IM001274_1\/862982902.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_47a3.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1886\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_47a3\/3340646706.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_4778.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1885\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_4778\/597620216.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/thumb_caleb11_20_1024-1.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1880\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/thumb_caleb11_20_1024-1\/806070014.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/thumb_caleb7_30_1024.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1882\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/thumb_caleb7_30_1024.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/thumb_caleb6_23_1024.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1883\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/thumb_caleb6_23_1024\/3521165917.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IM001912.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1873\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/IM001912\/1893240418.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-loading\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IM001865.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"1872\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img src=\"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2021\/09\/IM001865\/1364670415.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"fiv-ctrls\">\n\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"fiv-prev\" title=\"Prev\"><span>Prev<\/span><\/button>\n\t\t\t<label class=\"fiv-count\"><span class=\"fiv-count-current\">1<\/span>of<span class=\"fiv-count-total\">21<\/span><\/label>\n\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"fiv-next\" title=\"Next\"><span>Next<\/span><\/button>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The entire situation was just surreal. \u00a0I recall seeing the buildings basically burning with huge gashes. \u00a0At first, I&#8217;m not sure it was even clear what had hit them because I don&#8217;t think the news had footage of the planes flying into them. \u00a0I recall some debate about them collapsing, but the consensus (and my feeling as a mechanical engineer) was that if they hadn&#8217;t collapsed on the impact, they probably wouldn&#8217;t. \u00a0Then I remember seeing the first tower collapse. \u00a0It was the second one to be hit but was hit lower. \u00a0When I watched it collapse, I remember immediately thinking, as a mechanical engineer, that I had not considered a collapse happening the way it did. \u00a0As an engineer, you are constantly trying to predict ways something might fail and prevent it. \u00a0I had worked at NASA Langley Research Center the summer before and had watched as senior engineers with years of experience watch experiments fail in entirely unforeseen ways. \u00a0&#8220;Wow! \u00a0Never considered <em>that<\/em> happening&#8221; was heard often.<\/p>\n<p>When I saw how the first tower collapse, I knew the second one was very likely to collapse in the same way, and it did. \u00a0It was clear the floors hit by the planes were severely weakened, but the fact that they didn&#8217;t collapse immediately seemed to suggest they would not. \u00a0However, I didn&#8217;t take into consideration the intense heat from the burning jet fuel. \u00a0I very much suspect that if these planes had not been carrying enough fuel for a cross-country trip, the towers would still be standing. \u00a0As the fuel burned and the structural members in the building got hotter and hotter, their strength dropped. \u00a0At some point, the weight from the floors above caused the weakened floors to collapse. \u00a0The second tower hit was the first to collapse because the building&#8217;s weight above the damaged floors was greater. \u00a0Once the damaged floors collapsed, the impact of the weight from the upper floors hit the lower floors. \u00a0This was too much for the undamaged floors to handle, and they just continued to collapse from the weight and impact from the floors above. \u00a0It was obviously not a situation that the designers of the buildings ever considered.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately for us, we had driven from State College to Pittsburgh, so we weren&#8217;t stranded there like most conference attendees. \u00a0In hindsight, I think we forget just how chaotic the situation was and that no one had really considered the country being attacked in the way that it was. \u00a0The plan they developed to use our own infrastructure against us is troublingly simple and sadistically ingenious. \u00a0They knew protocol at the time was to do whatever the hijackers requested. \u00a0The flight deck was not secure because no one seemed to consider that a hijacker might actually be able to fly the plane. Americans also seem to forget that many people are willing to die for a cause. \u00a0We were obviously aware of the many suicide bombers in the middle east&#8211;it seems like these are <em>much<\/em> less frequent now&#8211;but teaching a suicide bomber to fly a jumbo jet into a building was something I don&#8217;t think many people, if anyone, had considered at the time.<\/p>\n<p>The next conference trip I remember was one many years later after Amanda&#8217;s health seemed to have stabilized. \u00a0This was a conference in Orlando in 2005. \u00a0We decided to make the trip via Amtrak&#8217;s Auto-train service that consisted of an overnight train trip from the Washington, DC area to the Orlando, FL area. \u00a0The unique aspect was that they loaded your car on the train for the trip. \u00a0I suspect this was essentially direct towards retirees making the trip to FL for the winter. \u00a0Thus, we drove down to DC and traveled with our car down to Florida. \u00a0Neither Rita nor I had been on an overnight train trip, and we thought it would be an interesting experience for Caleb and Amanda. \u00a0Unfortunately, the route is not at all scenic, but I think the kids enjoyed the trip. \u00a0We spent time at Disney World and a few of the other tourist attractions in Orlando. \u00a0We took the Auto-train down to Florida again over Spring Break in 2009 to visit my dad.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately for Amelia, she was born after I got tenure and stopped going to as many conferences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The previous chapter highlighted the many stressful events that happened in my life after 1998. \u00a0They are discussed because they are relevant to the story told throughout this book. \u00a0I, however, don&#8217;t want the reader to think the entire period was full of stress and turmoil. \u00a0It was not. As an untenured assistant professor, it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1013","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1013"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3047,"href":"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1013\/revisions\/3047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unstablefocus.mynetgear.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}