ot4 - 01 (beginnings)
Title: descriptive introduction to physics
'Verse/characters: ot4 (nash and daniel)
Prompt: 01 - beginnings
Word count: 1710
Rating: g
Notes: physics 10 is an actual class at uc berkeley (class schedule and course descriptions), and i, uh, borrowed from the course web site for ideas.
On Nash's first day teaching his first big lecture course, Daniel buys him coffee and goes with him.
"I'm not seven, Daniel," Nash protests, but he doesn't look offended. "I can walk myself to class."
"I know."
"And get there on time." The lecture is scheduled to start at 9:30, which is criminally early for someone like Nash but no big deal for someone like Daniel.
"I know."
"And be awake."
"I know."
"You just want to sit in front and make faces at me."
"Actually I want to sit in back and text Megan and Neil to tell them how badly you suck." Daniel grins.
"I must be rubbing off on you. I'm so proud."
The door to the lecture hall is unlocked and there are two students already there, sitting in the front row and chatting.
"Good grief," Nash says to them, "don't you people have homes?"
"No," one of them says, deadpan.
"Daniel, this is Maria and Lee. Two of my grad students. Lee is apparently homeless." Lee shrugs. Daniel wonders if the guy is really couch surfing or if he just has a very inexplicable sense of humor. Nash digs a sheaf of paper out of his shoulder bag, splits it in half, and hands Maria and Lee each a smaller pile. "Syllabi," he tells them. "Split them up with Cory, Tom, and Soren when they get here so you can hand them out when class starts. Wait, give me one." Maria does. "Good. I put your office hours and email addresses on the syllabus. You have your sections straightened out, yes? I know Tom had a scheduling issue."
"He worked it out," Maria says.
"Good. You have problems with administration, tell me and I will beat them into submission." Daniel snorts. "Problem, Daniel?"
"No, no problem." Daniel has a very clear memory of Nash ranting about his classes last semester and swearing he was going to beat someone to death with his shoe for their utter inability to get him the resources he needed when he needed them. Students have started trickling in by now, so he just tells Nash "I'll go sit in the back."
"You're really going to stay for my lecture?"
"Sure. Why not?"
"You are so strange."
"Do you want a syllabus?" Maria asks, holding one out. Daniel takes it.
"He's a linguist," Nash tells her, in a tone of voice that Daniel understands really means "Don't bother, it won't make any sense to him."
"He's also curious," Daniel says. "When I teach my first big lecture, you can come and make faces at me."
"Promise?"
"Yes." And he turns and heads to the back of the lecture hall, where he takes a seat in the last row. He looks over the syllabus, which contrary to popular opinion does make sense to him - he's seen enough syllabi in his life to understand how they're put together - and watches the students filtering in and finding seats. Some of them notice him and give him a weird look, probably wondering why this older guy is sitting in their lecture hall, but he just smiles at them.
At 9:45, someone who Daniel assumes is another grad student walks up the aisle between seats, sticks his head outside the door, yells "Last call for Physics 10!", pulls his head back in, and goes back to the front of the room. Daniel can see him giving Nash a thumbs-up.
"The hell was that?" the student sitting in front of Daniel asks the girl next to him. She shrugs.
"Good morning, my little savages," Nash says from the front of the lecture hall, not yelling but loud enough to carry. Daniel thinks that the years Nash spent fronting a band have really come in handy, because he can make himself heard without having to really raise his voice. "I'm Dr McGowan and this is Physics 10, Descriptive Introduction to. If you're in the wrong place, you're late. My lovely GSIs will hand out the syllabus" - he gestures to the front row, and his grad students stand up and move up and down the aisles, passing out syllabi - "that's Tom, Soren, Lee, Maria, and - Cory, what are you doing?"
"Tying my shoe," Cory says. He's bent over in front of his seat, but straightens up to answer.
"Well, stop it." Someone giggles. Nash huffs an exaggerated sigh. "As I was saying. This is Physics 10, and you're mine for the next hour and fifteen minutes. The basic rules are thus: class starts at 9:45 - you get fifteen minutes' grace on the published schedule, so don't be late." Daniel can't help but snicker, because for any given gathering, Nash is one of the least likely to show up on time. "Turn off your cell phones, set them to vibrate, I don't care as long as they don't interrupt me. No texting, no crossword puzzles, no napping. This means you in the fourth row... tenth seat in. Wake up." Laughter. Daniel feels bad for the kid. "If you're going to sleep, do it in the last row where you're less obvious. Those of you with laptops, turn the sound off. No, really, turn it off. If I hear pings and beeps and online messenger noises, I'll turn it off for you. You might even get your laptop back in one piece when I'm done."
Despite his words, Nash looks very serene as he sips his coffee. The grad students finish up passing out the syllabi and return to their seats. "Thank you," Nash says to them. "Now where were we?" He peers at the syllabus he took from Maria. "Grades, right. Come to class, do the reading, go to your discussion sections, ask questions when you're confused, and don't fail the midterms or the final. You're still in school and theoretically still learning, so do your homework. It does count towards the final grade. If I catch you cheating I will bounce your ass out. Do not test me on this."
Daniel is a little surprised to hear Megan's best stern-mom voice behind Nash's words, especially after the mostly casual tone of his lecture so far.
"Have I scared you into doing your own work? Good. My office hours, email, and phone number are on the syllabus," Nash continues, chatty once again, "so if you have problems with the course - any questions, comments, cries of despair - you can let me know. You should all have the book by now, and if you don't, I highly suggest you get your hands on a copy, since you'll need to read it for next class. Any questions so far?" Daniel raises his hand, feeling impish. "You in the back, the... non-traditional student." That being code for "old". "You have a question?" A lecture hall's worth of heads swivel with curiosity. Daniel feels kind of exposed.
"Is that your home phone number?" he asks.
"My cell phone. One of my partners will kill me dead if students start calling the house." Daniel does not miss the fact that it's "partners", plural, and wonders how many students caught that.
"Now that we have the administrative stuff out of the way," Nash goes on, "I can get to the fun stuff. This is a class for non-physicists and people who might not have had physics in high school. There's some math but it won't kill you. You might need a calculator if you don't already have one. Some of you probably hate physics. I don't understand you, but I don't judge you. You'll learn to like it. Trust me on this. I'll cover among other things energy and energy conservation, radioactivity - always a fan favorite - relativity, soundwaves, earthquakes, nuclear physics, some quantum physics, and chaos theory, which is my personal favorite, and you will learn how these things matter to your life. Because they do matter.
"The laptop ate my presentation for today" - Daniel knows this is a lie, as Nash didn't have a presentation, only some notes scribbled down on file cards - "so I have to wing it. Lucky you." He segues into the first actual lecture, and there's a brief burst of noise as students realize they're actually expected to learn something. Daniel flips over his copy of the syllabus, digs a pen out of his shoulder bag, and starts taking notes. It makes him feel less clueless.
Class is almost over when, despite Nash's warning at the beginning, someone's cell phone goes off. Nash stops in the middle of a sentence and scans the lecture hall, evidently waiting for someone to either answer their phone or wait for it to go to voice mail. Someone sitting about halfway back slouches in his seat and Daniel can tell from the way the guy's shoulders move that he's getting out his phone to answer it and shut it up. Nash strides up the aisle, holds out his hand, and says "Give me that," and since the guy is only sitting three seats in, he does.
"Hi," Nash says into it. "This is your friend's professor. He's in class right now and can't talk to you. Call back at about four. Thanks." He ends the call and stuffs the phone in his pocket. "I'll be in my office at three-thirty," he tells the student. "You can pick up your phone then." He goes back down to the front of the lecture hall and continues with his lecture.
"That was interesting," Daniel tells him after class is over and the room has emptied out.
"I thought so." Nash slings his bag over his shoulder. "I think it went well, and I even got a temporary phone out of it. How do you feel about an early lunch? You can pay." He grins brightly. Daniel rolls his eyes. "I saw you taking notes, Daniel. Did you learn anything?"
"I think I did, actually. I don't want to drop the class." He grins back.
"Oh good. What a blow to my ego it would be if you did. You know what, Daniel?"
"What, Nash?"
"That was fun. I'm going to like teaching a lecture hall of non-scientists. I'm pretty sure I can walk myself to class on Thursday, though."
'Verse/characters: ot4 (nash and daniel)
Prompt: 01 - beginnings
Word count: 1710
Rating: g
Notes: physics 10 is an actual class at uc berkeley (class schedule and course descriptions), and i, uh, borrowed from the course web site for ideas.
On Nash's first day teaching his first big lecture course, Daniel buys him coffee and goes with him.
"I'm not seven, Daniel," Nash protests, but he doesn't look offended. "I can walk myself to class."
"I know."
"And get there on time." The lecture is scheduled to start at 9:30, which is criminally early for someone like Nash but no big deal for someone like Daniel.
"I know."
"And be awake."
"I know."
"You just want to sit in front and make faces at me."
"Actually I want to sit in back and text Megan and Neil to tell them how badly you suck." Daniel grins.
"I must be rubbing off on you. I'm so proud."
The door to the lecture hall is unlocked and there are two students already there, sitting in the front row and chatting.
"Good grief," Nash says to them, "don't you people have homes?"
"No," one of them says, deadpan.
"Daniel, this is Maria and Lee. Two of my grad students. Lee is apparently homeless." Lee shrugs. Daniel wonders if the guy is really couch surfing or if he just has a very inexplicable sense of humor. Nash digs a sheaf of paper out of his shoulder bag, splits it in half, and hands Maria and Lee each a smaller pile. "Syllabi," he tells them. "Split them up with Cory, Tom, and Soren when they get here so you can hand them out when class starts. Wait, give me one." Maria does. "Good. I put your office hours and email addresses on the syllabus. You have your sections straightened out, yes? I know Tom had a scheduling issue."
"He worked it out," Maria says.
"Good. You have problems with administration, tell me and I will beat them into submission." Daniel snorts. "Problem, Daniel?"
"No, no problem." Daniel has a very clear memory of Nash ranting about his classes last semester and swearing he was going to beat someone to death with his shoe for their utter inability to get him the resources he needed when he needed them. Students have started trickling in by now, so he just tells Nash "I'll go sit in the back."
"You're really going to stay for my lecture?"
"Sure. Why not?"
"You are so strange."
"Do you want a syllabus?" Maria asks, holding one out. Daniel takes it.
"He's a linguist," Nash tells her, in a tone of voice that Daniel understands really means "Don't bother, it won't make any sense to him."
"He's also curious," Daniel says. "When I teach my first big lecture, you can come and make faces at me."
"Promise?"
"Yes." And he turns and heads to the back of the lecture hall, where he takes a seat in the last row. He looks over the syllabus, which contrary to popular opinion does make sense to him - he's seen enough syllabi in his life to understand how they're put together - and watches the students filtering in and finding seats. Some of them notice him and give him a weird look, probably wondering why this older guy is sitting in their lecture hall, but he just smiles at them.
At 9:45, someone who Daniel assumes is another grad student walks up the aisle between seats, sticks his head outside the door, yells "Last call for Physics 10!", pulls his head back in, and goes back to the front of the room. Daniel can see him giving Nash a thumbs-up.
"The hell was that?" the student sitting in front of Daniel asks the girl next to him. She shrugs.
"Good morning, my little savages," Nash says from the front of the lecture hall, not yelling but loud enough to carry. Daniel thinks that the years Nash spent fronting a band have really come in handy, because he can make himself heard without having to really raise his voice. "I'm Dr McGowan and this is Physics 10, Descriptive Introduction to. If you're in the wrong place, you're late. My lovely GSIs will hand out the syllabus" - he gestures to the front row, and his grad students stand up and move up and down the aisles, passing out syllabi - "that's Tom, Soren, Lee, Maria, and - Cory, what are you doing?"
"Tying my shoe," Cory says. He's bent over in front of his seat, but straightens up to answer.
"Well, stop it." Someone giggles. Nash huffs an exaggerated sigh. "As I was saying. This is Physics 10, and you're mine for the next hour and fifteen minutes. The basic rules are thus: class starts at 9:45 - you get fifteen minutes' grace on the published schedule, so don't be late." Daniel can't help but snicker, because for any given gathering, Nash is one of the least likely to show up on time. "Turn off your cell phones, set them to vibrate, I don't care as long as they don't interrupt me. No texting, no crossword puzzles, no napping. This means you in the fourth row... tenth seat in. Wake up." Laughter. Daniel feels bad for the kid. "If you're going to sleep, do it in the last row where you're less obvious. Those of you with laptops, turn the sound off. No, really, turn it off. If I hear pings and beeps and online messenger noises, I'll turn it off for you. You might even get your laptop back in one piece when I'm done."
Despite his words, Nash looks very serene as he sips his coffee. The grad students finish up passing out the syllabi and return to their seats. "Thank you," Nash says to them. "Now where were we?" He peers at the syllabus he took from Maria. "Grades, right. Come to class, do the reading, go to your discussion sections, ask questions when you're confused, and don't fail the midterms or the final. You're still in school and theoretically still learning, so do your homework. It does count towards the final grade. If I catch you cheating I will bounce your ass out. Do not test me on this."
Daniel is a little surprised to hear Megan's best stern-mom voice behind Nash's words, especially after the mostly casual tone of his lecture so far.
"Have I scared you into doing your own work? Good. My office hours, email, and phone number are on the syllabus," Nash continues, chatty once again, "so if you have problems with the course - any questions, comments, cries of despair - you can let me know. You should all have the book by now, and if you don't, I highly suggest you get your hands on a copy, since you'll need to read it for next class. Any questions so far?" Daniel raises his hand, feeling impish. "You in the back, the... non-traditional student." That being code for "old". "You have a question?" A lecture hall's worth of heads swivel with curiosity. Daniel feels kind of exposed.
"Is that your home phone number?" he asks.
"My cell phone. One of my partners will kill me dead if students start calling the house." Daniel does not miss the fact that it's "partners", plural, and wonders how many students caught that.
"Now that we have the administrative stuff out of the way," Nash goes on, "I can get to the fun stuff. This is a class for non-physicists and people who might not have had physics in high school. There's some math but it won't kill you. You might need a calculator if you don't already have one. Some of you probably hate physics. I don't understand you, but I don't judge you. You'll learn to like it. Trust me on this. I'll cover among other things energy and energy conservation, radioactivity - always a fan favorite - relativity, soundwaves, earthquakes, nuclear physics, some quantum physics, and chaos theory, which is my personal favorite, and you will learn how these things matter to your life. Because they do matter.
"The laptop ate my presentation for today" - Daniel knows this is a lie, as Nash didn't have a presentation, only some notes scribbled down on file cards - "so I have to wing it. Lucky you." He segues into the first actual lecture, and there's a brief burst of noise as students realize they're actually expected to learn something. Daniel flips over his copy of the syllabus, digs a pen out of his shoulder bag, and starts taking notes. It makes him feel less clueless.
Class is almost over when, despite Nash's warning at the beginning, someone's cell phone goes off. Nash stops in the middle of a sentence and scans the lecture hall, evidently waiting for someone to either answer their phone or wait for it to go to voice mail. Someone sitting about halfway back slouches in his seat and Daniel can tell from the way the guy's shoulders move that he's getting out his phone to answer it and shut it up. Nash strides up the aisle, holds out his hand, and says "Give me that," and since the guy is only sitting three seats in, he does.
"Hi," Nash says into it. "This is your friend's professor. He's in class right now and can't talk to you. Call back at about four. Thanks." He ends the call and stuffs the phone in his pocket. "I'll be in my office at three-thirty," he tells the student. "You can pick up your phone then." He goes back down to the front of the lecture hall and continues with his lecture.
"That was interesting," Daniel tells him after class is over and the room has emptied out.
"I thought so." Nash slings his bag over his shoulder. "I think it went well, and I even got a temporary phone out of it. How do you feel about an early lunch? You can pay." He grins brightly. Daniel rolls his eyes. "I saw you taking notes, Daniel. Did you learn anything?"
"I think I did, actually. I don't want to drop the class." He grins back.
"Oh good. What a blow to my ego it would be if you did. You know what, Daniel?"
"What, Nash?"
"That was fun. I'm going to like teaching a lecture hall of non-scientists. I'm pretty sure I can walk myself to class on Thursday, though."