>I also checked Ed Rauh responses to me. For some strange reason I had an impression that he was rather hard on me and often despised my ignorance. I read some of the responses now and I don't see them in this light anymore. They were very helpful and not at all offending...

On a similar note... my Algebra professor, late dr Mirko Stojaković, used to mumble comments to his own lecture in half-voice, but I had a habit of writing down such sentences (which I acquired in high school, where I wrote down entire classroom dialogues, which came handy later for graduation anniversaries :) which was the reason I usually sat in the first row.

Later, when learning for the exam, I actually got the meaning of what he was saying from these side notes, much more than from what he was officially lecturing. They actually helped me understand the theory.

There are wise people who need to be re-read later, and understanding will come.