May 2, 2011 issue, completed April 18, 2012

It took me 8 days to read the May 2, 2011 issue, which means, again, that I am not keeping up with the schedule I will need to maintain if I am to achieve my goal. I'm counting on catching up during some future vacation or road trip. This issue, with its cover and inside story about last year's Royal Wedding, reminded me of how busy and stressed out I was at that time. On the date of the Royal Wedding I was traveling for work, away yet again from my young family and leaving my husband to deal with no end of stress. I'm so glad we decided to change the way we live since then, and things have improved immeasurably. Note to Will and Kate: marriage is hard - even for people as fortunate as yourselves. It's work. But ideally, you love the work!

Anyway, in terms of the issue, I skipped a few articles but the one that really stuck with me was the one about building a quantum computer. I really appreciate the way that the New Yorker can sometimes convey the most complex concepts and arguments in a cogent, understandable way. Such was the case here. After years of watching "The Big Bang Theory" and listening to them refer to Schrodinger's Cat and other physics-related theories, I now "get" what quantum physicists are trying to do. It was a fascinating article that got me thinking that there is a fine line between really, really brilliant and completely nuts. Also, I wondered what makes some kids (mostly boys, truth be told) go into physics and/or advanced math and obtain Ph.D.s in quantum mechanics and the like, spending their lives in universities trying to prove theories or build conceptual computers, while others think, "what geeks" and go into something else, perhaps something more practical and likely to get them a good job, never realizing that quantum mechanics would have been something that they loved. In a way, I think it must take enormous strength of character and certainty about what you want to do in life to go into such a field of study, given the societal pressures to be well-rounded and useful. I have to envy that kind of certainty and the satisfaction of having found your passion, especially at a young age. Not that I'm sure I would have wanted to be a quantum physicist, but how would I have known if I did?