Isn't it great when two of your friends (unbeknownst to each other) have exactly the same problem? And they both ask you what you think? And you don't have any kind of good answer? I think it's great. Because it is ironic. But also because it is depressing and sad and it means that two friends have the same sucky question to answer. Sigh.
In other news, I hate George R R Martin for lying to me. He said that the bloody book, A Feast for Crows was going to be published this week, but no. Instead, it isn't coming out until November 8!! God, that is forever away. I was counting on that book to get me through the rest of the summer. I guess I'll just have to turn to my Directed Studies readings earlier than I thought. And I have 30 days left with my family, 26 for the rest of the world. It is coming quickly now. But I am becoming genuinely excited and pleased about it, in large part because I know have access to OCI (Online Course Information) and Facebook. But also because I am ready to be busy again. As much as I love getting enough sleep ALL THE TIME, I am really looking forward to being productively engaged. And also, as much as I love my friends (I really do, guys), I am ready to start meeting new people. I have full intentions of preserving all my old friendships, because I would hate to see them suffer unduly. You know what I mean.
I want my computer! I want my iPod! I am getting them soon, but I want them now!!
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Facebook!
Hurray! I got my Yale email address last night! So, this of course means that I am now on the Facebook. Facebook me! It is eating my life, but also conviniently my time. Again, my life falls into the pattern of a few jam-packed days followed by many empty days. Full, empty, empty, empty, full, empty, empty...
Monday, July 11, 2005
Thinking
I realized today that I very rarely think about what actually makes me happy. This is not to say that I do not have ideas about what makes me happy, but I think that these are mostly scattered. There is no easily discernible pattern. What I do know:
1. Past regrets are not really holding me back. Sure, there are things I wish could unsay or undo. But seeing as this is particularly unlikely to happen, I consider myself pretty good at letting most things go. (This is despite the fact that I know full well that I sometimes hold grudges, though I think that these are rarely against people I actually know. I am much more likely to hold a grudge against a larger entity. Walmart, for example. Also, people I don't know, such as Mr. Rove.)
2. Contentment is not the same as happiness. It just is not enough to be content, though contentment certainly has a place in the grand scheme of happiness. It is probably impossible to be happy without first having some measure of contentment. But contentment seems a shallow measure of pleasure and happiness can be much broader, including things like joy, pride, and satisfaction that aren't necessarily included in contentment.
3. I'm not really sure what does restrain my all-out happiness. While I feel a little strange classing this under "What I know," it is always good to acknowledge the gaps in your information. This is a critical one, which I must think about more. Perhaps if I could come to a helpful conclusion, it would give my life some more direction and give me a little more guidance. If not, it simply means that I know myself better than did before, nothing I will ever complain about.
4. I don't think about these kinds of questions unbidden most of the time. It usually requires some external motivation to figure it out, such as a question or a book or some other outside stimulus. I find this to be a big problem with myself, as I tend to criticize myself for not thinking enough. Also, it is hard for me to be truly clear about some point that I am trying to express if I am limited to my silent thoughts. It comes along much better when put in writing or exchanged in a conversation.
All in all, I am writing mostly because of this last point. At the moment, there is no one here and I cannot share my thoughts on the subject except by writing them down or talking to myself. I do enough of the latter to mean that this is a nice change of pace. So there you go.
1. Past regrets are not really holding me back. Sure, there are things I wish could unsay or undo. But seeing as this is particularly unlikely to happen, I consider myself pretty good at letting most things go. (This is despite the fact that I know full well that I sometimes hold grudges, though I think that these are rarely against people I actually know. I am much more likely to hold a grudge against a larger entity. Walmart, for example. Also, people I don't know, such as Mr. Rove.)
2. Contentment is not the same as happiness. It just is not enough to be content, though contentment certainly has a place in the grand scheme of happiness. It is probably impossible to be happy without first having some measure of contentment. But contentment seems a shallow measure of pleasure and happiness can be much broader, including things like joy, pride, and satisfaction that aren't necessarily included in contentment.
3. I'm not really sure what does restrain my all-out happiness. While I feel a little strange classing this under "What I know," it is always good to acknowledge the gaps in your information. This is a critical one, which I must think about more. Perhaps if I could come to a helpful conclusion, it would give my life some more direction and give me a little more guidance. If not, it simply means that I know myself better than did before, nothing I will ever complain about.
4. I don't think about these kinds of questions unbidden most of the time. It usually requires some external motivation to figure it out, such as a question or a book or some other outside stimulus. I find this to be a big problem with myself, as I tend to criticize myself for not thinking enough. Also, it is hard for me to be truly clear about some point that I am trying to express if I am limited to my silent thoughts. It comes along much better when put in writing or exchanged in a conversation.
All in all, I am writing mostly because of this last point. At the moment, there is no one here and I cannot share my thoughts on the subject except by writing them down or talking to myself. I do enough of the latter to mean that this is a nice change of pace. So there you go.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Movies in the Park
Here is the schedule for the movies in the park. Want to go?
Jul. 12: 8:59 p.m. "Citizen Kane"
Jul. 19: 8:54 p.m. "Annie Hall"
Jul. 26: 8:48 p.m. "My Darling Clementine"
Aug. 2: 8:39 p.m. "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial"
Aug. 9: 8:30 p.m. "The Night of the Hunter"
Aug. 16: 8:20 p.m. "The Hustler"
Aug. 23: 8:09 p.m. "Star Wars"
Also, there are some neat looking concerts coming up soon...
TETZLAFF PLAYS BRAHMS
Wednesday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Grant Park Orchestra; James Paul, Conductor; Christian Tetzlaff, Violin
COPLAND
Quiet City
ARNOLD
Symphony No. 2
BRAHMS
Violin Concerto in D Major
Internationally renowned violinist Christian Tetzlaff makes his Grant Park debut at this concert in Brahms’ heart rending violin concerto.
RUSSIAN IMPRESSIONS
Friday, July 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Grant Park Orchestra; James Paul, Conductor
RIMSKY KORSAKOV
Capriccio espagnol
PROKOFIEV
Lieutenant Kije Suite
SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No. 6 in B minor
Two Russian favorites and one of Shostakovich’s middle symphonies share equal billing at these midseason concerts.
SUITES FOR ORCHESTRA
Wednesday, July 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Grant Park Orchestra; James Paul, Conductor
BIZET
L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2
DOHNANYI
Suite in F Sharp Minor
GINASTERA
Ballet Suite from Estancia
From Bizet’s famous and frenetic Farandole to Ginastera’s Latin rhythms, this concert offers three very different and colorful orchestral suites.
Jul. 12: 8:59 p.m. "Citizen Kane"
Jul. 19: 8:54 p.m. "Annie Hall"
Jul. 26: 8:48 p.m. "My Darling Clementine"
Aug. 2: 8:39 p.m. "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial"
Aug. 9: 8:30 p.m. "The Night of the Hunter"
Aug. 16: 8:20 p.m. "The Hustler"
Aug. 23: 8:09 p.m. "Star Wars"
Also, there are some neat looking concerts coming up soon...
TETZLAFF PLAYS BRAHMS
Wednesday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Grant Park Orchestra; James Paul, Conductor; Christian Tetzlaff, Violin
COPLAND
Quiet City
ARNOLD
Symphony No. 2
BRAHMS
Violin Concerto in D Major
Internationally renowned violinist Christian Tetzlaff makes his Grant Park debut at this concert in Brahms’ heart rending violin concerto.
RUSSIAN IMPRESSIONS
Friday, July 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Grant Park Orchestra; James Paul, Conductor
RIMSKY KORSAKOV
Capriccio espagnol
PROKOFIEV
Lieutenant Kije Suite
SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No. 6 in B minor
Two Russian favorites and one of Shostakovich’s middle symphonies share equal billing at these midseason concerts.
SUITES FOR ORCHESTRA
Wednesday, July 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Grant Park Orchestra; James Paul, Conductor
BIZET
L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2
DOHNANYI
Suite in F Sharp Minor
GINASTERA
Ballet Suite from Estancia
From Bizet’s famous and frenetic Farandole to Ginastera’s Latin rhythms, this concert offers three very different and colorful orchestral suites.
Damn it!
Few things are quite as subtely depressing as watching Oprah late at night. It sucks. I have obviously never done this awful thing.
Clearly.
Clearly.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Another news article I thought I would share with you.
Astrologer Sues NASA Over Comet Probe
By Associated Press
Published July 5, 2005, 12:35 PM CDT
MOSCOW -- NASA's mission that sent a space probe smashing into a comet raised more than cosmic dust -- it also brought a lawsuit from a Russian astrologer.
Marina Bai has sued the U.S. space agency, claiming the Deep Impact probe that punched a crater into the comet Tempel 1 late Sunday "ruins the natural balance of forces in the universe," the newspaper Izvestia reported Tuesday. A Moscow court has postponed hearings on the case until late July, the paper said.
Scientists say the crash did not significantly alter the comet's orbit around the sun and said the experiment does not pose any danger to Earth.
The probe's comet crash sent up a cloud of debris that scientists hope to examine to learn how the solar system was formed.
Bai is seeking damages totaling $300 million -- the approximate equivalent of the mission's cost -- for her "moral sufferings," Izvestia said, citing her lawyer Alexander Molokhov. She earlier told the paper that the experiment would "deform her horoscope."
NASA representatives in Russia could not be reached for comment on the case.
By Associated Press
Published July 5, 2005, 12:35 PM CDT
MOSCOW -- NASA's mission that sent a space probe smashing into a comet raised more than cosmic dust -- it also brought a lawsuit from a Russian astrologer.
Marina Bai has sued the U.S. space agency, claiming the Deep Impact probe that punched a crater into the comet Tempel 1 late Sunday "ruins the natural balance of forces in the universe," the newspaper Izvestia reported Tuesday. A Moscow court has postponed hearings on the case until late July, the paper said.
Scientists say the crash did not significantly alter the comet's orbit around the sun and said the experiment does not pose any danger to Earth.
The probe's comet crash sent up a cloud of debris that scientists hope to examine to learn how the solar system was formed.
Bai is seeking damages totaling $300 million -- the approximate equivalent of the mission's cost -- for her "moral sufferings," Izvestia said, citing her lawyer Alexander Molokhov. She earlier told the paper that the experiment would "deform her horoscope."
NASA representatives in Russia could not be reached for comment on the case.
Monday, July 04, 2005
So, this is pretty great. It's a pretty good commentay on Science v. Religion. Keep going-it's part of a little series. I've been spending a lot of time reading these excellent Dinosaur Comics. Each strip has exactly the same image with different text. It's a pretty excellent medium, thogh I was highly skeptical at first. Though Ian advised me to start at the beginning, and I have found this to be good advice so far. They make for very entertaining reading. They have been keeping me busy.
Sometimes, I do a damn good job of keeping myself busy. It is at times like this when I get about 4 hours of sleep on at least two consecutive nights (like the last two...), and then I cease functioning as a normal human being and begin to talk about absurd things like drinking games based on calculus or what truly matters in life instead of holding perfectly normal conversations about fireworks and food and such. Anyway, today my feet made a new enemy (my shoes), and they are complaining about this loudly right now.I have a whole bunch of blisters and several damn inconveineit calluses. I also watched the movie Alien. It wasn't actually a sci-fi movie, because it was actually a horror movie. Even still, it was entertaining. I also got to eat three meals today (I don't actually remember the last time that happened. Since school ended, I have been eating on a terrible and erratic schedule, and some days I hardly eat at all. Even though I ate light at all three meals, it was good because I actually ate like normal people! Hurray. There are few enough things where I really feel normal. You know how that goes.)
And so I had a good day. And it finishes well- with Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Not a great movie, but a few of the shootout sequences are pretty cool. Though overall, the fight scenes are cool and interesting. The plot is entirely summarized by the commercials, but who went to see that movie for the plot? Duh.
Remind me to write about being obsessive sometime.
Sometimes, I do a damn good job of keeping myself busy. It is at times like this when I get about 4 hours of sleep on at least two consecutive nights (like the last two...), and then I cease functioning as a normal human being and begin to talk about absurd things like drinking games based on calculus or what truly matters in life instead of holding perfectly normal conversations about fireworks and food and such. Anyway, today my feet made a new enemy (my shoes), and they are complaining about this loudly right now.I have a whole bunch of blisters and several damn inconveineit calluses. I also watched the movie Alien. It wasn't actually a sci-fi movie, because it was actually a horror movie. Even still, it was entertaining. I also got to eat three meals today (I don't actually remember the last time that happened. Since school ended, I have been eating on a terrible and erratic schedule, and some days I hardly eat at all. Even though I ate light at all three meals, it was good because I actually ate like normal people! Hurray. There are few enough things where I really feel normal. You know how that goes.)
And so I had a good day. And it finishes well- with Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Not a great movie, but a few of the shootout sequences are pretty cool. Though overall, the fight scenes are cool and interesting. The plot is entirely summarized by the commercials, but who went to see that movie for the plot? Duh.
Remind me to write about being obsessive sometime.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Sandra! Noooooo!
So, the news is everywhere. My mailbox is full of emails from liberal lobbyist groups, asking me for money to fund the coming war over the idiot President Bush is bound to nominate. Just yesterday, I regretfully threw out a People for the American Way letter about the balance of the supreme court (also asking for money). I threw it away because I didn't think that this was going to happen quite like this. I suspected that evil Rehnquist would e the first to go, owing to his thyroid cancer. But no, it had to be one of the more moderate ones! At least it was a consesrvative, instead of a true moderate. But the implications for this are very frightening, and it could mean that some things start to change for the worse come October (when they start their next session). I think I may just donate to PFAW or some similar group. That three sentence letter has me quaking in my boots.
If you are of a similar mindset, perhaps you should sign up for their email action alerts, at PFAW. They are often not asking for money- they also want you to write or email or call your representatives and senators or sign petitions. I am not convinced of the efficacy of the petitions, but it's a lot of fun to get letters in the mail from your senators. The best part is the postage- their signature in blue ink. (Confused? Go look up the franking privilege.)
If you are of a similar mindset, perhaps you should sign up for their email action alerts, at PFAW. They are often not asking for money- they also want you to write or email or call your representatives and senators or sign petitions. I am not convinced of the efficacy of the petitions, but it's a lot of fun to get letters in the mail from your senators. The best part is the postage- their signature in blue ink. (Confused? Go look up the franking privilege.)
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