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uncle-father

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Well I haven't signed up for a new forum in quite some time, so I'm not too good at the intro thing anymore. But I'm not new to forums or astronomy so that's good, right?

So my name is Todd. My screen name is from Shakespeare's Hamlet, when he refers to his parents as his Uncle-Father and Aunt-Mother. I always found that pretty amusing. I come from Middle Georgia and I am going to graduate college next year with my Secondary English Education degree (fancy for "I want to teach high school literature"). I'm pretty excited for that. (Can you see why I chose a line from Hamlet now? ha-ha). In the mean time, I pay for classes and my other hobbies while working at a sandwich shop.

Like I said, I'm not exactly new to astronomy, although I am not the most experienced. I took an astronomy course at my college three years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. It's my guilty pleasure, I have to admit. The observations, the lectures, and the lab experiments were just so cool. I've been researching, reading and observing ever since. I have a basic off-the-shelf Smithsonian refractor telescope which my friend recently gave to me. It's actually not bad - Saturn's rings, Jupiter's moons and even some detail are all visible with it. The Mizar-Alcor pairing is also surprisingly pleasant to observe. I rigged up a green laser beam to use as a sight on it (people always think that's so cool when I host little campus observing sessions). I want to build a (very) low-budget Newtonian reflector soon, which is actually why I signed up for this forum.

Other academic guilty pleasures I have are literature of course, writing, and science. Physical, environmental and astronomical sciences are my favorite - unfortunately I'm terrible at math so physics and chemistry, etc are my weak points (although there is a ton of knowledge in those fields I'd love to gain). I'm also a bit of an environmentalist. My girlfriend refers to me as a 'neurotic recycler' sometimes. Gotta love her. I'd love to start an astronomy or environmental club at a school once I get hired somewhere.

My other hobby is working on things. I love building stuff and working with my hands. My two biggest achievements are my 1990 Mazda MX-5 and my rat rod style bicycle. I compete in local autocross events with my Miata and get around campus with the bike. Maybe I'll throw a motor on the bike sooner or later. I get my mechanic genes from my dad - he is a retired Air Force mechanic who built R/C planes when I was a kid and now rides motorcycles. He also has fully restored a 1947 Whizzer motorbike. Oh, I also used to do a ton of skateboarding back in high school.

So I guess that's me. I'm looking forward to posting here and gaining some insight on things! Here's some pictures of my Miata and the bicycle I made. I hope you all don't mind.

The Miata is a bit ratty at the moment, in true race car fashion. But it is also my daily driver and will be going in for paint next week with a complete overhaul of the exterior. So excited!

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The bicycle I bought as a complete rust bucket from Goodwill for $18 and restored from the ground up:

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Welcome to SGL

I suspect your home made scope will have a black, white & red colour scheme? ;)

Good luck with the build - I can manage scope enhancements but going back to basics and building one from the ground would be, I suspect, beyond my capability.

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Wow. I honestly never noticed my disposition to those colors LOL. I guess it would only be right to scheme the telescope like that!

The plan is a very, very low budget Newtonian. Like I said, I work in a sandwich shop. The build will be more focused towards experience, not as much results (although that would be nice).

Where would the most appropriate section for me to post a thread for guidance through the build? Is there a DIY section? I must have missed it, if there is one.

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Wow. I honestly never noticed my disposition to those colors LOL. I guess it would only be right to scheme the telescope like that!

The plan is a very, very low budget Newtonian. Like I said, I work in a sandwich shop. The build will be more focused towards experience, not as much results (although that would be nice).

Where would the most appropriate section for me to post a thread for guidance through the build? Is there a DIY section? I must have missed it, if there is one.

 

Here...http://stargazerslounge.com/forum/18-diy-astronomer/ :)

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Hi Todd and welcome to SGL - That car's an MX5 isn't it? Gee, what is it with you guys - You change the names of cars, call your boot a trunk and your bum a [removed word] :grin: Oh for heavens sake!! You know the word I mean right? Funny, with an 'a'

Look forward to seeing you around :smiley:

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Welcome to SGL Todd, love the MX-5, is that the NA 1.6i model or the 1.8i? I know there are a million variations but it really is a fabulous rear drive roadster, exceptional handling, I bet you absolutely love it to bits! :)

Good luck with your scope build, you are in the right place to tap a wealth of info.

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Welcome Todd!

I am a high school teacher in the extreme north of Quebec (yes, I am told that polar bears have been seen on the bay).  Here I teach Language Arts, Science, and History (grade 9 and 10).  I wish you clear skies and a wonderful career!

Isabelle

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