Hi Everyone. Welcome back to Astronomer in Shanghai! I hope all of you are having a safe, happy, and healthy first month of the summer. I hope you are enjoying the warm summer weather and if it’s not too hot, getting to spend some time outside with friends and family.
Even though Shanghai is no longer locked down, I am going to spend the first part of this entry updating you all on the current covid-19 situation (because sadly, it’s not as simple as everything being back to normal). Before doing so, I want to again thank all of you who have continued to reach out to me either via the blog, e-mail, or have checked in with my parents. It’s really heartwarming to hear from you all.
In my last entry, ~ 4 weeks ago, I described how on June 1st, Shanghai officially reopened. Thankfully, that reopening has remained true. However, each time there is a reported case of covid-19 (outside of central quarantine) the neighborhood where that person lives goes into lockdown and individual buildings where close contacts of the person who was infected live are also locked down (though this lockdown is shorter). While this has not happened to me, it has happened to a few of my friends. So, even though Shanghai hasn’t locked down again, I remain on edge about the current situation and have continued to maintain a stockpile of food for myself and Scottie and Charlie.
For the latter half of June, until about the first week of July, things seemed to be slowly returning to normal. On June 30th Gyms finally reopened and restaurants were able to resume indoor dining (though at less than maximum capacity). Unfortunately, over the past two weeks, the situation in Shanghai has become a bit worse. I’m sure many of you saw the Washington Post articles describing the situation, which noted that many in Shanghai were preparing for the possibility of a 2nd lockdown. Thankfully, at this point, another lockdown has not happened. I saw so many rumors posted about a 2nd lockdown on WeChat, that it became quite stressful for me to look at WeChat last week. The ramped up stress surrounding Covid-19 in Shanghai had a number of causes. First, there was a sizeable outbreak in neighboring Anhui Province, which had some people fearful of cases spreading. Second, there was an outbreak of ~ 200+ cases associated with a KTV bar (a karaoke bar, which is extremely popular here). Third, the first confirmed cases of the BA.5 variant of covid-19 were detected in Shanghai (the same variant that is currently widespread in the US and Europe). As a result of these events, there was additional PCR testing, as well as the closing of many bars, KTV establishments, and sadly for me, gyms in different parts of Shanghai (each district can decide what to close, and in Xuhui, where I live, gyms and pools are currently closed). Moreover, for ~ 10 days the number of reported cases was rising daily in Shanghai from ~0 to ~ 70 per day (the significant majority of which were in central quarantine). Thankfully over the past few days the number of cases plateaued and then has been decreasing (currently down to ~ 30). Hopefully this downward trajectory continues and things will be able to reopen once more.
On the topic of PCR tests, I mentioned last month that we are required to take PCR tests at least every 72 hours to enter stores and use public transportation. Additionally, each weekend, we have to take another PCR test (this is to make sure that people who are not going out are still being tested). While these tests all remain free (for now), it remains rather stressful to have to be tested so frequently. Moreover, as a result of the spike in cases, over the past two weeks, we’ve been required to be tested on both Tuesday and Thursday in Xuhui district, in addition to the Weekend (Sunday for me) testing. In total, since my last entry on July 19th, I’ve had 13 PCR tests and taken 13 at home antigen tests as well. While occasionally, I had to take an extra test to make sure that I could go somewhere (like the vet), most of this is trying to fit in the 72 hour requirement. While I would rather be free to move around and just have to test than to be locked down, the frequency of testing has become somewhat annoying.
I also wanted to comment about the testing situation with respect to the heat. Shanghai is currently experiencing it’s summer heat wave, yet the volunteers who test us are still doing so in full hazmat gear, which under this circumstance can’t be comfortable (though some testing areas, like in my compound, move the volunteers to a building with AC). While I’m grateful for the hard work and dedication of these volunteers, I hope that this continuous testing ends soon.
While life in my neighborhood has mostly returned to normal, I did want to highlight that that’s not the case in all parts of Shanghai. I was walking by my old neighborhood in Xintiandi and was startled by how altered it looks.
For those of you confused at what you’re seeing, you can still see the barricades that were set up to isolate and divide buildings and neighborhoods. These were primarily setup in places with large numbers of cases. While I’m not entirely sure of the current situation in the Danshui road neighborhood (though almost all the stores and restaurants seemed to have closed), I’m fortunate that I chose to move from my apartment in Xintiandi to my apartment in Xuhui, where the situation never escalated to that level.
Thankfully, as of writing this, Shanghai has not gone back into lockdown, each of my PCR tests and antigen tests has been negative, and it remains relatively easy for me to get food delivered (though the deliveries are still being made to the shelves by the gate and not to my front door as before). I hope that things improve and that the restrictions within Shanghai lessen in the coming weeks.
Astronomy in Shanghai
Given the recent cases in Shanghai, it should come as no surprise that I’m still working exclusively from home. While SJTU has reopened, you need permission to enter campus and are not allowed to take public transportation to get to campus (I live ~ 30km from campus). Moreover, my supervisor, Ying, is also not going into campus at the moment. That said, I’m still trying to be as productive as possible while working from home.
In terms of Project Outskirts, my DES ICL project, the paper has been resubmitted to the DES internal reviewers. I’m hopeful that this paper will continue along the DES review process (next step collaboration wide review) and be submitted for publication later this summer. Once it’s submitted and posted on arXiv, I look forward to sharing it with you all! 🙂
Much of my time has been spent on Project Population, my luminosity function project. Currently, I’m comparing the measurements of the luminosity function using two different cluster finding catalogs the redMaPPer catalog (which relies on elliptical galaxies with a red color that lie along the red sequence to detect clusters) and the Yang cluster catalog, which uses a more traditional friends-of-friends group finder algorithm (looking at overdensities in all galaxies). By using these two different catalogs, we’re hoping to identify whether there’s any bias in our cluster selection or luminosity function measurement. We’re still fine tuning some of the mechanisms for this comparison, but so far, we’ve been able to look at the impact of color (red vs. blue galaxies) and radial distance on the luminosity function. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to start writing up this analysis later this summer and submit it for publication in the fall, as well.
Additionally, I’ve finally gotten back to work on Project Proxy and should have some interesting results on that project soon. Emmet and I have also been working on Project Low-Z, where I’m currently attempting to download the SDSS fits data so that Emmet can cross-correlate the optical and radio properties of the clusters. Lastly, after a long delay, I’m finally starting to work more on my DESI projects! So, even with one project wrapping up, I still have a lot of different things that I’m working on.
I also wanted to take the time to talk about my excitement about the new images from JWST (the James Webb Space Telescope)! I hope all of you have already seen them, but if not here’s a great link. The images are stunning! I loved the comparison between the Hubble and JWST images because it highlights just how fainter JWST can detect and the added benefit of the IR light! In terms of my research, the most fascinating image is the first image of the Deep Field and galaxy cluster! While I don’t have any plans to use JWST in the immediate future (my friend Dr. Guillaume Mahler, who was a postdoc at Michigian when I was there, has already published a paper using the JWST data working with Prof. Keren Sharon, who served on my dissertation committee, and others), I do think that it opens up many avenues of research for me. In particular, though not the usual large samples that I study, any JWST images of clusters would allow us to study the faint ICL in both the optical and IR wavelengths. Moreover, the much deeper data may also allow us to more accurately constrain the faint end of the luminosity function, a region where there is often little data and large measurement noise at higher redshifts due to the brightness limits. So, just like many of you (I hope), I’m excited to see and learn more from JWST!
Life in Shanghai
As I previously mentioned, I thankfully was never locked down this past month. However, since I’m still working from home, my schedule remained relatively similar. For the remainder of June, I would do the daily F45 Zoom classes in the morning, then work and play with Scottie and Charlie (taking some breaks to read comic books and eat). Once F45 reopened on June 30th, I switched to going to the gym in person (it was really nice to see some of my workout friends again). However, this past week, when Xuhui closed all gyms, I switched back to online workouts (this time from Zeus fitness). I hope I’m able to go to the gym soon and get back into my more normal routine (branches in other districts aren’t closed, but the heat has discouraged me from going further away).
Before I discuss some of the fun stuff, I wanted to comment on the weather. Over the past few weeks, it has been extremely hot in Shanghai. Temperatures have reached as high as 105 F, with ~ 90% humidity. While this comes as no surprise to me (I’m very grateful for my AC), this year was actually hotter than normal. In fact, some of the days this past week were the hottest on record since the late 1800s! While I know Shanghai won’t cool off anytime soon (it will by October), I’m hopeful that the temperatures drop just a bit so it’s more comfortable being outside, even if only for a short while.
Since I wasn’t locked down this past month, I was able to get to do a few more fun things, as well as getting to see more of my friends! One highlight was a movie night with some of my friends to see CODA! If you haven’t seen CODA, I highly recommend it. I found both the story and the acting to be excellent. In particular, the interactions between Ruby and her father Frank after he “hears” her singing were very powerful!
Another fun activity was a group run that one of my friends from F45 organized for her birthday! While it was way too hot (already ~ 85 F at 7am), it was a lot of fun to run to the Bund and to see the Bund again!
While I probably won’t be going running anytime soon, I look forward to a few more runs to the bund during the fall!
Another highlight of this past month was making jam! Once again, I made jam with my Mom on FaceTime! My Mom is a master jam maker, so it was great to have her walk me through the steps of making peach jam! Unlike the yellow peaches that are common in the US, I made peach jam using the Chinese honey peach and they made a delicious and beautiful jam!
It was such great fun to make jam with my Mom again! I look forward to sharing more of my jam with Emmet (if he’s ever able to visit) and my friends here in Shanghai!
With Shanghai opening up, I also ventured back to the IAPM mall to go to the Apple store. There is a really cool kids play area that I had to photograph!
I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but during the lockdown I won a free item from Lululemon (from a giveaway that F45 did)! So, this past month, a couple of my friends from F45 and I went to explore the store (located in a mall right near the Xuhui SJTU campus) and use our coupons. I picked out a nice new pair of running shorts!
I also saw some really cool Gundam statues and some other comic book and anime stuff during my time shopping!
Lastly, I saw some cute cats around or near my compound (not including the always adorable Scottie and Charlie)!
Scottie and Charlie
This was a very eventful month for Scottie and Charlie! Though not fun for them, the main highlight was that they were finally able to get neutered! Thankfully, both of them had an easy recovery (and still looked absolutely adorable with cones on, though I felt bad for them when they kept bumping into things and had trouble getting to their food dishes). Annoyingly for me, both figured out how to pull the cones off, so I had to constantly be putting them back on (especially for Charlie, as you can see below)!
However, they also got a bunch of new toys to play with (fishing wands and more crinkle balls)! After being neutered, Charlie started playing fetch with the crinkle balls with me again, which I absolutely love doing with him (he does it every day :)). Now, Scottie likes to steal the balls from Charlie and bat them around, too. 🙂 So, we all have fun! Though Scottie also likes to play with my shoes and sandals!
Scottie’s also continued to hop on my back (and I always try to take photographs)! Plus, both of them have continued to climb on top of me while I’m working out! Scottie has also taken to cleaning my beard!
Most importantly, they love each other (and me) and I’m so grateful that I adopted them 4.5 months ago!
Food in Shanghai
After months of exclusively cooking for myself, I did treat myself to some delivery (though of course I’m cooking a ton as well). Though some restaurants have closed as a result of the lockdown, most of my favorites have reopened for both dine-in and delivery.
This month, I enjoyed an amazing sesame crusted taco special from Tacolicious! It was a really fantastic fusion of Asian and Mexican flavors! I hope they add it to the regular menu!
Since I had been missing my favorite Chinese foods, I also enjoyed a fantastic delivery from Godly (for two lunches), one of my favorite vegan restaurants in Shanghai. Interestingly, Emmet and I just realized that there is also a branch of Godly in Beijing! I enjoyed homestyle tofu, cabbage with vermicelli noodles, sauteed mushrooms, kaofu (spongy seitan) with mushrooms, and vegetarian duck (made out of rolled tofu skins)! It was a real treat to enjoy Godly’s food again and I hope to go in person with friends when the weather cools off a bit. I also bought frozen dumplings for me to enjoy next week!
In terms of my own baking and cooking, I made some delicious apple pie bars as well as peanut butter thumbprint cookies filled with my homemade strawberry jam (which I made for a fun game afternoon with my friends, Heather and Shimi)!
Jewish Life in Shanghai
As I mentioned in my last post, many of my friends within the Kehilat Shanghai community are leaving Shanghai this summer. So, it was wonderful to have a few fun events to see people one last time. Towards the end of June, Kehilat was able to gather for a Tov (the religious school) farewell party! While I don’t always go to the Tov activities, I wanted to go to see some of my friends that I hadn’t seen in person in months! It was also a really nice opportunity for me to see my friend Ha and her family off before their move. During the farewell party, I got to publicly thank Ha for all her help and hard work in making the Kehilat Shanghai community so wonderful over the last few years! While there will be a few more of these farewell events later this summer, I’m glad we had the opportunity to thank some of the amazing volunteers who (along with me and others) make this such a special community.
While we didn’t have any in person Shabbat’s (we’re still looking for possible spaces), we did have a return to in person Trivia! Sadly, it was the last trivia night that I’ll get to host with my friend and co-host, David, who just moved back to the US with his family. However, this trivia night was certainly an interesting experience. Because restaurants are still subject to random FDC checks, we actually ended up having to sit outside (thankfully Logan and Tacolicious set up fans, cooling spray, and free cold drinks on their patio) after the FDC came and told us there were too many people in our side room. While it wasn’t quite as comfortable as being in the AC, it was so much fun to gather again for Trivia! I wrote two rounds, which I share below.
While it’s sad to see my friends leaving Shanghai, it’s exciting to think of all the places I’ll have friends around the world that I’ll hopefully get to visit in the future!
What I’m Reading and Watching
This month, I finished reading my last physical book (I guess a trip to the foreign language bookstore is in my future), when I finished The Witcher: Sword of Destiny. This is the 2nd book in the Witcher series and I really enjoyed it and will definitely try to get the next one. It introduced Ciri, who is central to the Netflix TV show (that I also enjoy)!
In terms of TV shows, as I’m still working from home (and can avoid a 2+ hour round trip commute), so I’ve been able to enjoy binge watching some great streaming shows including Reacher, an adaptation of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, which is vastly superior to the Tom Cruise Movie. I also watched Peacemaker, a spinoff show from James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. As a DC comic fan, this was great fun with a lot of humor led by John Cena in the titular role. I also finished Turn: Washington’s Spies which tells the story of Abraham Woodhull and the Culper spy ring used by the Americans in the Revolutionary War! For anyone with an interest in American history, I highly recommend this show. It was interesting to see the different sides of the American revolution and be introduced to historical figures that are often overlooked when we study the Revolution in school. Lastly, though not streaming, I did watch a lot of Wimbledon. While I was disappointed that Rafa had to pull out because of his abdominal tear, it was a great run and has me excited for the US Open towards the end of the summer.
If you’ve gotten to the end, thank you for reading and for all of your interest in my life. I hope that this update highlights how my life is slowly returning to some semblance of normalcy, just with a lot of PCR tests. If you have any questions about anything I’ve written, or about the JWST images, don’t hesitate to reach out either in the comments or via e-mail. I hope that you all enjoyed the photos of my life in Shanghai as well as those of Scottie and Charlie! I hope that all of you have a safe, happy, healthy, and productive month.
In peace,
Jesse
Trivia
Famous Jews
1). This band, featuring lead singer Sam Harris, known for songs including Unsteady and Renegades is made up of 3 Jewish men and the band members say Schecheyanu before every show.
2). Name this recently departed actor who twice won Italian of the year in New York (despite not being Italian) who was known for roles in films including The Godfather and Elf.
3). This Canadian rapper and former star of DeGrassi is also a Toronto Raptors superfan.
4). This Comedian also known for roles in The After Party and Girls Trip described her journey of discovering her Jewish identity in her Comedy Special Black Mitzvah.
5). This star of Wonder Woman was born in Rosh Ha’ayin, Israel.
6). This former 3rd baseman for the Boston Red Sox and nicknamed the Greek God of Walks was nicknamed up by Billy Beane in Moneyball.
7). This singer and actress appeared in Glee and starred in Uncut Gems, but is best known for singing the song “Let it Go”
8). This 4x WNBA Champion and 5x Olympic Gold Medalist is the All time leader in assists in the WNBA and makes up one half of what is likely the most athletic couple in sports with Megan Rapinoe.
9). This trained neuroscientist, actress, vaccine skeptic, and current host of prime time Jeopardy.
10). This author known for books including Summerland, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Answers: 1). X Ambassadors 2). James Caan 3). Drake 4). Tiffany Haddish 5). Gal Gadot 6). Kevin Youkilis 7). Indina Menzel 8). Sue Bird 9). Mayim Bialik 10). Michael Chabon
Heat, Hot, Temperature
1). The hottest recorded temperature on Earth occurred on July 10th, 1913 in Death Valley in the US. To within 3 degrees Celsius, give that temperature.
2). Which planet in the solar system has the hottest average temperature?
3). The phrase “He’s heating up, He’s on fire” appeared in this classic video game.
4). This pyromaniac Flash villain was played by Dominic Purcell in the TV shows The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.
5). Including the Miami Heat, how many teams in the NBA have non-plural names.
6). This is the study of the relationship between heat, work, temperature, and energy.
7). Heat, the 1995 movie about of group of high-end professional thieves starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Val Kilmer was directed by this director who also directed The Insider, Collateral, and Public Enemies.
8). When stars run out of fuel, they contract to increase the pressure and temperature of the star. This process can be used to create elements up to this metal on the periodic table.
9). To the nearest 500 degrees Kelvin, how hot is the surface of the Sun?
10). This 19th album released by Stevie Wonder in 1980 features songs including Rocket Love, All I Do, Master Blaster, and Happy Birthday.
Answers: 1). 56.7 degrees C (134.1 F) 2). Venus 3). NBA Jam 4). Heatwave 5). 4 (Utah Jazz, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder) 6). Thermodynamics 7). Michael Mann 8). Iron 9). 5778K 10). Hotter than July
