Wow! The Wow is for several things. First that J. Krishnamurti quote was one I hadn't encountered before. That truly resonates with me. That is so close to my own personal beliefs and something I say in a way that is nowhere near as short and elegant as that.
I love Stochastics and Chaos Theory. I haven't done much with it in a couple of decades other than some occasional fractals and such for various projects, but it is something I first became interest in around 1988.
I don't consider myself on par with any mathematician (yourself included). I was so much of a computer geek that I could learn math VERY fast but that also made me get bored really fast in mathematics classes. I did do a Stochastics special topic course around 92 or 93, and I went up thru Calc II, but haven't really used it much in the fields I worked in since then. I loved math. I did not like math classes. :) That is still true. I don't have much patience for doing the same form of problem over and over again as homework. I kind of see the reasoning behind such tasks, I just failed in the patience for them. I wanted to apply the knowledge NOW.
Third wow. I've lived most of my life in Colorado (predominantly on the Western Slope) and now live in the Westminster area north of Denver so I definitely can relate to that photo you shared.
I wish you and your fiance the best. You are a very interesting person, I suspect I'll be enjoying other posts from you in the future.
RE: Don't follow me, I'm lost