So what do we do about this? We can be aware of when we're using a fixed mindset, when we think we can't do something and attribute it to the lack of ability on our behalf. The greatest ability that we have is the ability to learn and persevere, and in doing so, you will exercise a growth mindset.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Growing your mind
Psychology, how I have missed you. What's interesting is that I learned about psychology in my Gender and Sexuality Studies class today, and had literally nothing to do with G&S. This is all about mindset. That which can fall into two categories - a fixed mindset, and a growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset are under the impression that intelligence and talents cannot be changed, that they are not malleable. If you're smart, you're smart, and if you're not, you're not. There's not much you can do about it. People with a growth mindset see the potential - if you're smart, you did something to be smart, and if you're not, then there's something you can do. A study that does this to perfection is one that took seventh graders, and gave them a test. Half of the students were randomly told "you scored well, you must be smart," where the others were told "you scored well, you must have tried hard." The students who were told that they tried hard wanted harder problems for their next test, and showed better scores than students who thought they were naturally smart. The whole fixed/growth mindset is beautifully explained in the TED Talk I've posted below (thanks YouTube), and offers some really interesting insight on intelligence and talent.
So what do we do about this? We can be aware of when we're using a fixed mindset, when we think we can't do something and attribute it to the lack of ability on our behalf. The greatest ability that we have is the ability to learn and persevere, and in doing so, you will exercise a growth mindset.
So what do we do about this? We can be aware of when we're using a fixed mindset, when we think we can't do something and attribute it to the lack of ability on our behalf. The greatest ability that we have is the ability to learn and persevere, and in doing so, you will exercise a growth mindset.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
"The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place" running diary, revisited
I was going to do a running diary of Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, Explosions in the Sky's most recent studio album (2011), but I want to do another one of The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place. I know that I'll get way more meaning out doing this again than doing Take Care for the first time. Here's what I wrote the first time I did this, and you can find a YouTube link to the continuous album at that post as well. I'll have that post up and refer to it, but I'm still anticipating new thoughts as I listen to and dissect this album once again.
First Breath After Coma
0:00. No, seriously, I totally smiled as soon as I heard the first note. There was a span of maybe three seconds where I knew they were going to open with this when Vicki and I saw them live, and I'm pretty sure that I achieved perfect bliss at that moment. I didn't even hear any of the song yet, but I just realized that I was seeing it live, right in front of me, and it was going to be amazing.
2:28. This feels like the first verse to me, and it's because of the drums in the background. It took me a while before I really appreciated the drums throughout this album, and it certainly drives the music, and is what makes it so powerful for me. I know I'll be talking about this soon....
3:21. These are the drums I was talking about, this is the driving force of "First Breath." The guitar around 3:43 is just perfect, so much so that I can't even figure out how to explain it. It happens again around 4:08, and that guitar with the drums is what the first half of the song is all about.
6:43. These drums are just perfect here.
7:47. The heartbeat drums come back, and this is when I know the end of the song, that final note, is coming. It's an awesome anticipation.
9:18. Again, the last note, and live, they held this last note, this feedback sound, while they set themselves up for their next song. It was really cool, and it made it feel like it lasted forever.
The Only Moment We Were Alone
0:27. Just for my own information, this is when the first smash comes in. And by smash, I mean one of the guitarists hits the base of his strings with his hand. Didn't know that's how they made that sound, and it was really cool to see it happen live. There was also some kind of intro that made it seem like they were playing this song, but could have been anything else; it was neat.
2:09. This is my favorite song off this album to play on the piano. Probably because it's the only one I can actually play most of, but this minute or so here is what I really want to learn all of. I can just do a couple parts' worth, and the whole thing together would sound really good, and feel crafty as a pianist.
3:24. EITS once said that this album was their attempt at love songs, and this part here makes that seem true for me. The way that they put everything together, all the sounds they use, kind of represents all the emotions that we feel. Just a feeble attempt at an interpretation.
5:29. One time long ago, while listening to this album, I came up with a theory that this album could be considered a metaphor for life. Or perhaps metonymy, if my literature studies are accurate. "First Breath" is the baby being born into the world, this song is the excitement of growing up, "Six Days" is the true growing up, "Memorial" is the swan song, and "Your Hand In Mine" is the sendoff. It was more elaborate when I came up with it, and have since forgotten, but that seemed fairly accurate to what I remembered.
7:54. I never fail to get goosebumps during this part. The buildup is absolutely spectacular, and I can always feel a hand squeezing mine tighter and tighter until the song ends.
9:28. I know the click is at 9:27, but for the first time, I'm thinking about what happens after, and all I can picture is one of the first scenes in Inception.
Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean
2:13. Great guitar interplay here.
2:31. I love the interplay even more here, specifically at places like 2:43 and 2:55. The best part is at 3:08...the two guitar parts just fight against each other for a brief moment of time, and then resolve together. Goosebumps rereading that sentence.
4:12. It's really cool to think about how my perceptions of this album have changed over time. I remember listening to these songs as early as junior year of high school, and now, four years later (FOUR YEARS LATER), they mean something completely different, despite the fact that it's always been the same music, the same notes.
5:43. I think this is another round of open-palm-on-guitar, and I've honestly thought it was just drums until now.
6:22. The background drums are really cool in this part, and it very subtly picks up more beats throughout the measures.
6:59. Love this part. Totally encapsulates the cat-and-mouse game I describe in my first run-through of this album. Would have been really cool to see the end of this song live.
Memorial
0:00. Really would have loved for them to play this song when I saw them live with Vicki, because she totally hates this song. Because of that, this might be the fifth-most-liked song on the album for me, but it's still a really cool song to listen to, and to pick apart the bass notes for the first couple of minutes.
1:49. I can just picture everyone waiting for one of the bassist to pick up the next note while this is ringing.
3:50. I can't stress enough the importance of the heartbeat throughout this album. At least, it seems so, if you've been following along thus far.
4:18. Cool few measures here.
5:42. It takes a while, but the song quiets down very gradually from here. It might not even start until 6:02 or 6:17 (definitely 6:17).
6:17. The song quiets down very gradually from here. It's really cool because I know it's going to have that awesome crash coming, but you have to get ever so quiet before that can happen.
7:20. I like the guitar feedback more than I like the actual crash here, it's like the downfall of a roller coaster before you catch yourself again.
7:53. Absolutely love the notes of the guitars fighting each other here. The last minute of the song is perfect for this, and there's another ultimate resolve at 8:29.
Your Hand In Mine
0:00. This is the only song on the album that doesn't have a transition at either end of it, which makes it seem kinda separate from the others on the album. I dunno...I go back and forth many times about what my favorite song on this album is, and it depends on what I'm looking for. I feel the most love towards "Your Hand In Mine," but I could see myself having a good explanation for either of the first two songs on the album.
1:54. I actually tried to learn this song on piano last spring, but never really got past the first few minutes. Maybe, by leaving one aspect of this album disconnected (that is, I can't play it on piano perfectly without listening to the album), I can still regard it as this thing which remains a strong part of me. Something equivalent to us not desiring something once we have it.
4:01. Great buildup to one of the climaxes of this song.
4:15. You would think that this is the climax, but it's just another buildup.
4:39. This is the climax, the other guitar coming in for the melody. The drums are particularly nice here, and I just noticed another heartbeat pattern. I'm going to end up associating this album with heartbeats forever, probably.
5:27. Again, the reverb and the heartbeat...absolutely my most-loved part of this entire album.
6:00. The first time through, I picked up the final note in the background at 6:46, but it's around as early as here. It goes away during what one could call the chorus, but I think that introducing it with so much of the album left is perfect. It just feels like a constant.
And there it is, again. The final note at 7:42 comes and goes, 35 seconds of ringing pass by, and everything ends. I started out with this post because I wanted to experience this album in a different way, and I did, and you probably will too if you keep listening to it. Or to your favorite album. Please, please, please give this a shot with an album that means a great deal to you. Even if nothing spectacular comes out of it, you'll hear things that you never noticed. I've listened to this album close to 200 times in 20 months, and I'm still hearing new things every now and then. Worst case scenario, you get to listen to your favorite album. This is one that obviously means the world to me, and I thank you for reading and for hopefully listening along.
First Breath After Coma
0:00. No, seriously, I totally smiled as soon as I heard the first note. There was a span of maybe three seconds where I knew they were going to open with this when Vicki and I saw them live, and I'm pretty sure that I achieved perfect bliss at that moment. I didn't even hear any of the song yet, but I just realized that I was seeing it live, right in front of me, and it was going to be amazing.
2:28. This feels like the first verse to me, and it's because of the drums in the background. It took me a while before I really appreciated the drums throughout this album, and it certainly drives the music, and is what makes it so powerful for me. I know I'll be talking about this soon....
3:21. These are the drums I was talking about, this is the driving force of "First Breath." The guitar around 3:43 is just perfect, so much so that I can't even figure out how to explain it. It happens again around 4:08, and that guitar with the drums is what the first half of the song is all about.
6:43. These drums are just perfect here.
7:47. The heartbeat drums come back, and this is when I know the end of the song, that final note, is coming. It's an awesome anticipation.
9:18. Again, the last note, and live, they held this last note, this feedback sound, while they set themselves up for their next song. It was really cool, and it made it feel like it lasted forever.
The Only Moment We Were Alone
0:27. Just for my own information, this is when the first smash comes in. And by smash, I mean one of the guitarists hits the base of his strings with his hand. Didn't know that's how they made that sound, and it was really cool to see it happen live. There was also some kind of intro that made it seem like they were playing this song, but could have been anything else; it was neat.
2:09. This is my favorite song off this album to play on the piano. Probably because it's the only one I can actually play most of, but this minute or so here is what I really want to learn all of. I can just do a couple parts' worth, and the whole thing together would sound really good, and feel crafty as a pianist.
3:24. EITS once said that this album was their attempt at love songs, and this part here makes that seem true for me. The way that they put everything together, all the sounds they use, kind of represents all the emotions that we feel. Just a feeble attempt at an interpretation.
5:29. One time long ago, while listening to this album, I came up with a theory that this album could be considered a metaphor for life. Or perhaps metonymy, if my literature studies are accurate. "First Breath" is the baby being born into the world, this song is the excitement of growing up, "Six Days" is the true growing up, "Memorial" is the swan song, and "Your Hand In Mine" is the sendoff. It was more elaborate when I came up with it, and have since forgotten, but that seemed fairly accurate to what I remembered.
7:54. I never fail to get goosebumps during this part. The buildup is absolutely spectacular, and I can always feel a hand squeezing mine tighter and tighter until the song ends.
9:28. I know the click is at 9:27, but for the first time, I'm thinking about what happens after, and all I can picture is one of the first scenes in Inception.Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean
2:13. Great guitar interplay here.
2:31. I love the interplay even more here, specifically at places like 2:43 and 2:55. The best part is at 3:08...the two guitar parts just fight against each other for a brief moment of time, and then resolve together. Goosebumps rereading that sentence.
4:12. It's really cool to think about how my perceptions of this album have changed over time. I remember listening to these songs as early as junior year of high school, and now, four years later (FOUR YEARS LATER), they mean something completely different, despite the fact that it's always been the same music, the same notes.
5:43. I think this is another round of open-palm-on-guitar, and I've honestly thought it was just drums until now.
6:22. The background drums are really cool in this part, and it very subtly picks up more beats throughout the measures.
6:59. Love this part. Totally encapsulates the cat-and-mouse game I describe in my first run-through of this album. Would have been really cool to see the end of this song live.
Memorial
0:00. Really would have loved for them to play this song when I saw them live with Vicki, because she totally hates this song. Because of that, this might be the fifth-most-liked song on the album for me, but it's still a really cool song to listen to, and to pick apart the bass notes for the first couple of minutes.
1:49. I can just picture everyone waiting for one of the bassist to pick up the next note while this is ringing.
3:50. I can't stress enough the importance of the heartbeat throughout this album. At least, it seems so, if you've been following along thus far.
4:18. Cool few measures here.
5:42. It takes a while, but the song quiets down very gradually from here. It might not even start until 6:02 or 6:17 (definitely 6:17).
6:17. The song quiets down very gradually from here. It's really cool because I know it's going to have that awesome crash coming, but you have to get ever so quiet before that can happen.
7:20. I like the guitar feedback more than I like the actual crash here, it's like the downfall of a roller coaster before you catch yourself again.
7:53. Absolutely love the notes of the guitars fighting each other here. The last minute of the song is perfect for this, and there's another ultimate resolve at 8:29.
Your Hand In Mine
0:00. This is the only song on the album that doesn't have a transition at either end of it, which makes it seem kinda separate from the others on the album. I dunno...I go back and forth many times about what my favorite song on this album is, and it depends on what I'm looking for. I feel the most love towards "Your Hand In Mine," but I could see myself having a good explanation for either of the first two songs on the album.
1:54. I actually tried to learn this song on piano last spring, but never really got past the first few minutes. Maybe, by leaving one aspect of this album disconnected (that is, I can't play it on piano perfectly without listening to the album), I can still regard it as this thing which remains a strong part of me. Something equivalent to us not desiring something once we have it.
4:01. Great buildup to one of the climaxes of this song.
4:15. You would think that this is the climax, but it's just another buildup.
4:39. This is the climax, the other guitar coming in for the melody. The drums are particularly nice here, and I just noticed another heartbeat pattern. I'm going to end up associating this album with heartbeats forever, probably.
5:27. Again, the reverb and the heartbeat...absolutely my most-loved part of this entire album.
6:00. The first time through, I picked up the final note in the background at 6:46, but it's around as early as here. It goes away during what one could call the chorus, but I think that introducing it with so much of the album left is perfect. It just feels like a constant.
And there it is, again. The final note at 7:42 comes and goes, 35 seconds of ringing pass by, and everything ends. I started out with this post because I wanted to experience this album in a different way, and I did, and you probably will too if you keep listening to it. Or to your favorite album. Please, please, please give this a shot with an album that means a great deal to you. Even if nothing spectacular comes out of it, you'll hear things that you never noticed. I've listened to this album close to 200 times in 20 months, and I'm still hearing new things every now and then. Worst case scenario, you get to listen to your favorite album. This is one that obviously means the world to me, and I thank you for reading and for hopefully listening along.Monday, August 26, 2013
So long, summer
Three months to the day from my post about summer goals (pure coincidence), I revisit the blog post and have some kind of general recap about my summer. Fall Orientation is in the thick of things, classes are starting in a couple of days, and senior year is here. That being said, this summer was still a lot of fun. Here's how it panned out for me:
1. Live in the Sem. Definitely did this, during Summer Orientation. It was fun and all for the week and a half I was there, and it was really cool having a sink in the room. The Sem wasn't particularly awesome or anything, but it was really cool to live there and to say that I got to.
2. Blog incessantly. Not that I didn't blog as often/much as I wanted to, but certainly not incessantly. I've found it really interesting that I haven't had double-digit blog posts in a month since November 2012, but I think there's something to that. Namely, the content of my posts (which has grown depth over the years (wow, I've been doing this for years.....)).
3. NHL12. Ended up playing out the first 41 games of my 82-game season, and then simulated the rest of the regular season. Then I won the Stanley Cup and all was well, and now I'm back to playing with my friends. NHL really is one of the greatest things ever, and NHL14 will be making an appearance throughout New Hall 315 very soon.
4. Make Baseball Club happen. This totally didn't happen, and that's fine. I'm not going to rationalize any of it either, I just straight up never did it. But I have been really excited for sporting events at Stonehill, and getting people going to the games, staying at them, and being legitimate fans who have an impact on the outcome of the game. Especially for basketball.
5. Research baseball. I did this more in the beginning of the summer than any time after July 4th, but I looked into some interesting thoughts I have. Potentially more on this later, but this kinda happened and kinda didn't.
6. Get colored shorts. Totally did this, and it was totally awesome. It scares me that I've been wearing these mint green shorts outside of Orientation, and it will be interesting to see how many times I wear them during the school year.
7. Read books. I actually did this one! I read Terry Francona's book (awesome), a book I read in high school and have always thoroughly enjoyed (awesome), and 1984 (awesome). Considering I read three books this summer, and 1.5 books last year...big improvement.
8. Quad sports. This didn't happen like I thought it would, but I think that was just because people didn't seem generally excited about quad sports this summer. There was wiffleball once, but that was pretty much it, save for a few rounds of golf on the quad at various points at the end of the summer. What I will say is that there's nothing more relaxing than some pitch-and-putt around campus. Real golf I could never do, though.
9. SH3. The scavenger hunt with my Watertown crew (and a special guest appearance by Vicki) was awesome, and exceeded my expectations. It was good to get some people to Stonehill that haven't visited before, and I'm hoping to do some more of that throughout the school year, as well as seeing other places. I'm already excited for SH2014, and already have a few locations in mind.
10. Go hiking. This never happened, but in all reality, I asked Vicki one thing she wanted to do over the summer, and then typed it out. So hiking never happened, but it was definitely the thing that I was least excited to do over the summer.
All that being said, this was a pretty fun summer, but I have to say that I'm really excited for the year to start. Classes, running around campus, seeing friends, seeing enemies, and making the most of senior year. Yeah!
(I dunno, I felt that I needed some exuberant excitement there.)
1. Live in the Sem. Definitely did this, during Summer Orientation. It was fun and all for the week and a half I was there, and it was really cool having a sink in the room. The Sem wasn't particularly awesome or anything, but it was really cool to live there and to say that I got to.
2. Blog incessantly. Not that I didn't blog as often/much as I wanted to, but certainly not incessantly. I've found it really interesting that I haven't had double-digit blog posts in a month since November 2012, but I think there's something to that. Namely, the content of my posts (which has grown depth over the years (wow, I've been doing this for years.....)).
3. NHL12. Ended up playing out the first 41 games of my 82-game season, and then simulated the rest of the regular season. Then I won the Stanley Cup and all was well, and now I'm back to playing with my friends. NHL really is one of the greatest things ever, and NHL14 will be making an appearance throughout New Hall 315 very soon.
4. Make Baseball Club happen. This totally didn't happen, and that's fine. I'm not going to rationalize any of it either, I just straight up never did it. But I have been really excited for sporting events at Stonehill, and getting people going to the games, staying at them, and being legitimate fans who have an impact on the outcome of the game. Especially for basketball.
5. Research baseball. I did this more in the beginning of the summer than any time after July 4th, but I looked into some interesting thoughts I have. Potentially more on this later, but this kinda happened and kinda didn't.
6. Get colored shorts. Totally did this, and it was totally awesome. It scares me that I've been wearing these mint green shorts outside of Orientation, and it will be interesting to see how many times I wear them during the school year.
7. Read books. I actually did this one! I read Terry Francona's book (awesome), a book I read in high school and have always thoroughly enjoyed (awesome), and 1984 (awesome). Considering I read three books this summer, and 1.5 books last year...big improvement.
8. Quad sports. This didn't happen like I thought it would, but I think that was just because people didn't seem generally excited about quad sports this summer. There was wiffleball once, but that was pretty much it, save for a few rounds of golf on the quad at various points at the end of the summer. What I will say is that there's nothing more relaxing than some pitch-and-putt around campus. Real golf I could never do, though.
9. SH3. The scavenger hunt with my Watertown crew (and a special guest appearance by Vicki) was awesome, and exceeded my expectations. It was good to get some people to Stonehill that haven't visited before, and I'm hoping to do some more of that throughout the school year, as well as seeing other places. I'm already excited for SH2014, and already have a few locations in mind.
10. Go hiking. This never happened, but in all reality, I asked Vicki one thing she wanted to do over the summer, and then typed it out. So hiking never happened, but it was definitely the thing that I was least excited to do over the summer.
All that being said, this was a pretty fun summer, but I have to say that I'm really excited for the year to start. Classes, running around campus, seeing friends, seeing enemies, and making the most of senior year. Yeah!
(I dunno, I felt that I needed some exuberant excitement there.)
Monday, August 19, 2013
10 things I'll (never) blog about
In an effort to have double-digit blog posts in just one month this year, I'm kind of forcing myself to. And by forcing myself, the goal is to still have some legitimate semblance of a blog post. Not something that takes something five seconds to read. So as I did earlier this month, I'm tapping into the Internet for some ideas on blog posts. But the thing is, these next ten ideas are things that I would probably never blog about. The incredible irony in this situation is that I'm blogging about not blogging about them, blah blah blah this is going to be fun.
1. How I use Facebook (1). The reason I won't blog about this (again, outside of these sentences) is that I really don't use Facebook to the extent that Facebook probably wants me to. I send messages to people, I post links to my blog posts, and I have some semblance of a connection with the people I have some investment in as fellow human beings. I don't play Candy Crush, I don't have more than 400 friends, and I'm certainly not about to explore all the ways that Facebook can try and distinguish itself from everyone else.
2. How I find blogging ideas (9). Well, the cat's out of the bag on this one, so I probably won't be talking about it in full detail. That doesn't mean that I don't blog about blogging itself, but I think that this is just something a little different that I don't give much thought to - either blogging happens, or something like this happens.
3. ........
Alright, new idea. Seems that this entire list can be divided into 1) social media, 2) blogging, 3) marketing strategies, 4) too-abstract ideas. Since I already took care of the first two items, don't care enough about the third enough, and don't want to put anyone (or myself) to sleep with interpreting abstract phrases ("Letting Go"..."Shaking Things Up"..."Handling Critics"), I've decided that a more profound way to end a blog post about not blogging about stuff is to, well, not blog. Thus I declare this list complete! Note to self: Don't trust the Internet.
1. How I use Facebook (1). The reason I won't blog about this (again, outside of these sentences) is that I really don't use Facebook to the extent that Facebook probably wants me to. I send messages to people, I post links to my blog posts, and I have some semblance of a connection with the people I have some investment in as fellow human beings. I don't play Candy Crush, I don't have more than 400 friends, and I'm certainly not about to explore all the ways that Facebook can try and distinguish itself from everyone else.
2. How I find blogging ideas (9). Well, the cat's out of the bag on this one, so I probably won't be talking about it in full detail. That doesn't mean that I don't blog about blogging itself, but I think that this is just something a little different that I don't give much thought to - either blogging happens, or something like this happens.
3. ........
Alright, new idea. Seems that this entire list can be divided into 1) social media, 2) blogging, 3) marketing strategies, 4) too-abstract ideas. Since I already took care of the first two items, don't care enough about the third enough, and don't want to put anyone (or myself) to sleep with interpreting abstract phrases ("Letting Go"..."Shaking Things Up"..."Handling Critics"), I've decided that a more profound way to end a blog post about not blogging about stuff is to, well, not blog. Thus I declare this list complete! Note to self: Don't trust the Internet.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Best Spongebob faces ever
As a summer Ambassador, I've been getting a lot of questions heading into senior year about post-grad plans. Well, I finally have my answer. Watch the first few (good) seasons of Spongebob. Here are some of the best faces from the glory days....and a surprise combination picture.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Time, pt. 8
Think about the present. That thought is now in the past. Gone forever, except in the recesses of your memory. If you even remember this for more than the few minutes your brain will even allow, that is. If you blink, if you speak one word, if you think one thought, it becomes immediately in the past. Which is a paradox in and of itself, because "immediately" itself becomes in the past upon being spoken or read. Say "future." In the past. Our past is just a collection of present moments, our futures just present moments waiting to happen. Which makes time, and "the present" seem like a construct, some made-up idea for people to live in and read uplifting quotes about. I've talked here before how time is merely one in infinity, but even that seems to be in the question now. There are infinitely many numbers between zero and one, so if one second out of infinity makes zero, what does a fraction of zero make? This is the paradox of time existing, because all that's really happening is a sequence of present moments that are immediately sent to the past. By the time you can imagine right now as the present, it will become the past. There is no present except for the sliver of an idea of time that is continuously moving forward. A sliver so tiny, so minute in the infinity that is the universe, that time can't physically exist.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
100 questions to ask people
Well, all of my stuff is in my New Hall room for the school year, and I don't want to put any of it away. I'm tired, I'm exhausted, and the last thing I want to do is more moving of stuff. So, I googled "questions to ask your friends" and came across this link. So, here we go!
- How are you, really?
I already told you, tired and exhausted. - How do you feel right now? What are you thinking about?
How much this question sounds like the first one. - What’s your favorite color?
Purple! - What’s your favorite food?
Hm...lobster macaroni & cheese - What’s your favorite dessert?
Cheez-Its. Does dessert have to mean sweet and chocolatey? - How old are you?
Older than I was the last time I was asked this question. - What have you learned today?
Cardboard sometimes smells like vomit. - What was your favorite subject in school?
Math. And strangely enough, the tense is more correct than I'd like to believe. - What do you do?
That which I don't not do. - What are some of your favorite books?
Candide, The Dive From Clausen's Pier, This I Believe are three. - What are some of your favorite movies?
Step Brothers, Anchorman, Inception, Awake. - What kind of music are you into?
Most, but mainly rock. And post-rock. - If you were going to write a book, what would you call it and what would it be about?
If I'm ever to write an autobiography, this is the cover, I know that much. Favorite book title? "Somehow I Manage" by Michael Scott.
- What’s one of the scariest things you’ve ever done?
I have no idea. - What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Making it this far. - Are you married?
Nope. - How did you meet your spouse / girlfriend / boyfriend?
Long story, heh. - Do you think it’s better to get married when you’re young or better to wait a while?
Get married when the time is right. - Do you have any kids?
Nope. - Have you ever thought of adopting?
Nah, my lack of religion is fine with me. - When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A baseball player! - How did you get into [INSERT THEIR CAREER FIELD]?
Well if I had a career field... - Would you recommend [INSERT THEIR CAREER] for other people? Why / Why not?
Whatever I'm going to end up doing, I'm sure that few people will want any part of it. - What do you do for fun?
Sports and music, that pretty much encompasses everything that doesn't already involve people. - Do you like traveling?
Not really. - If you could visit any country in the world, where would you go?
See I don't have an answer for this, since I don't like traveling. - Who are some people you’d like to meet someday?
Dave Grohl. - If someone asked you to give them a random piece of advice, what would you say?
I would say that I am incapable of feeding random advice. Arbitrary advice I can do, but not random. - What’s one of your favorite habits you have?
Hunh, I feel as though habits has a negative connotation. I spin pens around my fingers a lot, that's fun. - What are some things that make you really happy?
My friends and family, well-timed music, eating half a box of Cheez-Its while a USA House marathon is on. - What are some things that make you really sad?
Losing, or getting close to losing, things I care about. - What are some things that scare you?
See above, bugs flying around me and landing on me. - Do you like to plan things out in detail or be spontaneous?
90/10 to the former. - Are you a religious person?
Not in any sense of the term. - If you could go back in history, who would you like to meet?
Ted Williams. - Would you rather live in the country or in the city?
City. - What was your life like growing up?
Same as it is now. - What were you like in high school?
Same as I am now. - Do you have any brothers or sisters? How many?
One sister. - What’s your favorite part about today so far?
This, actually. - Who in your life has influenced you the most? How did they do it?
My parents, despite the zero credit I explicitly give them. Did it by just caring about me a lot. - What’s your favorite joke?
"Nooner, nooner, Nolan's gonna spoon her!" "He's gonna fork her." "And then he's gonna KNIFE her!" - Have you ever tried sushi? (Did you like it?)
LOVE the sushi. - Do you like spicy food?
Not as much as I like not spicy food. - How do you like your steak cooked?
Medium. - Do you have a favorite number? Any particular reason why you like that number?
Depends on my mood. My favorite sports number is 4, but when I like pissing people off, I'll pick e. - If you were a type of animal, what would you be and why?
Fox. Foxes are clever, and generally badass. - What’s one of the strangest things you’ve ever done?
Too many to pick just one. - What kind of vacations do you like?
The ones where I do nothing. - What are some of your major goals in life?
Be okay with it when it's almost over. - What are some of your smaller goals in life?
Make it to tomorrow. - What do you like least about yourself?
Like least? Or hate most? Pass. - What embarrasses you?
When I do something embarrassing? I dunno. - If you could try out any job for a day, what would you like to try?
Assuming I have the skills/mindset for it, skydiver or something that I'd never do in real life. - What’s your earliest memory?
The time my dad left me at elementary school because he didn't feel like having to deal with me crying. - What’s the best decision you ever made?
Apply to be a PM at Stonehill. - Who’s your best / closest friend?
I can honestly say that I don't have just one. - What do you think people think of you?
Some good things, some bad things. Hopefully more good than bad. - What were your grades like in school?
I got a smiley face in kindergarten once, that was cool. - If you could learn one random skill, what would you learn?
Being ambidextrous. - Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Introvert. - Have you ever taken a personality test? (How did the results turn out?)
Yes, and as well as anyone's personality test, I suppose. - What’s the first thing you notice about people?
Their eyes. I don't know what that means, but that's what I think I notice first. - Do you think people can control their own destiny?
If you can control it, is it really destiny? Free will. - Do you think all people are equally valuable, or do you think some people in certain situations might be more valuable than others (say, a severely retarded patient vs. a doctor who could potentially save hundreds of lives)?
No, I don't. I'm not saying that anyone deserves to die over anyone else, but I agree in the sense that some people contribute more good to the world than others. - Do you think people are basically bad or basically good?
Basically, as in inherently? No. No one is pure good or pure evil. - Do you think morals are universal or relative to the beliefs, traditions, and practices of individuals or groups?
Absolutely relative, which is a wonderful paradox I talked a lot about freshman year. - Do you think God exists?
No, I don't. - Do you think any kind of afterlife exists?
I can't conceive of one - that is, no afterlife I've ever thought about makes sense. Then again, that could be the point. - Do you vote? Why / Why not? If you do vote, how do you usually vote?
I voted this past election for the first time, and I voted by filling in the bubbles. - Do you think gay people choose to be gay? Do you think straight people choose to be straight?
We choose nothing when we enter this world, which is a perfect irony in the sense that choices may be all that define you from that point on. - Is torture ever a good option? If no, why not? If yes, when?
Depends how it's used. Again, going back to the whole 'nothing is absolute' thing. - Would you kill an innocent person if you thought it might mean saving a dozen other people?
Who are these people? How would I kill the person? Ask these questions all you want, but this is way too heat-of-the-moment for me to know what I'd do. - What’s the most money you’ve ever given away?
Given away, like here, have my money? I have no idea. - What’s the biggest personal change you’ve ever made?
Probably to start wearing jeans. - What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?
Something that I wish I didn't. - What do you think would be one of the best steps we could take toward ending poverty around the world?
Fewer people? More food? We seem to have enough here, let's send some to everyone else. - What do you think we could do to best improve the education system?
Stop patting people on the back when they don't deserve it. - In general, what do you think about art?
Rhymes with fart. Not to say that it's in the same ballpark as farting, that's just the first thing I thought of. - What are some of your favorite websites?
ESPN.com, .....I'm refusing to say Facebook and Twitter so I'm kind of out of options...FanGraphs.com is really awesome, and Baseball-Reference.com as well. - What’s the biggest turnoff in a man/woman?
Women who smoke cigarettes. Call me sexist for not being upset if men smoke, but I hate it when women smoke cigarettes. - What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?
There's a very big difference between telling something hugely not true, and saying something that's just averagely not true, but having larger ramifications. In which case, two different answers for me. - What’s something most people don’t know about you?
Something that people aren't about to find out about right now. - What’s something you wish everyone knew about you?
That I have a blog. But since you're reading this, we're well beyond that point. - What are some of the first things you do in the morning?
I'll either hop right in the shower or go on the computer. - What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you?
Again, too difficult of a question right now. - Do you cry easily?
It really depends. I was thinking earlier today that I haven't cried in a long time, but I'm vulnerable to it given the right circumstances. - How do you feel about public speaking?
I can. - Do you like to talk on the phone?
I don't dislike it. - How many emails do you get each week, roughly?
Very dependent on time of year. During the summer, two. During the school year, seven hundred. - If someone were to make a movie about your life, who would you hope would play you?
Myself. - What’s one of your favorite questions to ask new friends or to get a conversation going?
What's one of your favorite questions to ask new friends or to get a conversation going? - Would you ever sky dive or bungee jump?
Never. - Have you ever been in a fist fight?
Nope. - What’s the best prank you’ve ever pulled?
I dunno. - What did you do on your 16th birthday?
Jesus Christ, how the hell am I supposed to remember? - What do you think is one of the most undervalued professions right now?
A company that consults consultants. - How would you explain your basic life philosophy?
Start here, and read. - Would you rather be hated or forgotten?
Great question. I'd rather be remembered than hated, if that answers the question. - If you knew you would die tomorrow, would you feel cheated today?
Cheated out of what, life? There's a lot I still want to do, but that wouldn't give me any reason to be upset on my last night on Earth.
Well, that was fun. It actually was, too. I love these kinds of questions/surveys/games/whatever and if you have the time, it's definitely worth going through yourself to see what kinds of answers to these questions you'd have. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Speed limits
Speed limits are something that just became of interest to me, as recent as a few days ago. The idea to blog about it came about when I was driving close to 80 miles per hour in Vermont, completely aware that the speed limit was 65. I was also aware of every other driver going 80, and posed the question to myself of what speed limits are even around for. I have more questions than answers at this point, but it's still interesting to think about. Are we more likely to conform to a sign or to a mass of cars driving a certain speed? Why 65 as a highway speed limit - why not 64 or 66? Are we really that programmed to think in multiples of five? This article that I came across (thanks, Google) has some other insights on speed limits. Granted, it's not the hardest evidence for any answers to these questions, but it does have some thought-provoking remarks. As an aside, I will say that this is the first time in a while that I've had this short a blog post. I like it. I had an idea, I mentioned, it, and that's that.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
EITS Live
Well, I did it. We did it, really, the collective Vicki and me. After a four-hour drive to Burlington, VT, we saw Explosions in the Sky live. The venue was very similar to a poor man's House of Blues - an open dance floor-type ballroom with a couple of bars. Being some of the first fifteen or so people there (the hotel was a five-minute walk from the place), we actually made our way to the stage and decided we'd be in the front row for a while. So we were right up close and personal with the band for the first half of their set, and then decided to go to the back for the second half of the show. Here was their set:
- First Breath After Coma
- Catastrophe and the Cure
- The Only Moment We Were Alone
- Postcard From 1952
- Greet Death
- Your Hand In Mine
- Let Me Back In
- The Birth and Death of the Day
- The Moon is Down
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| 3/4 of the band during "First Breath After Coma," their opener. |
Saturday, August 3, 2013
The human connection
"In front of him was an enemy who was trying to kill him; in front of him, also, was a human creature, in pain and perhaps with a broken bone. Already he had instinctively started forward to help her. In the moment when he had seen her fall on the bandaged arm, it had been as though he felt the pain in his own body."
- George Orwell, 1984
The human connection is fascinating. Despite the fact that words and language can never exactly describe emotions and feelings, and that we can never have pure empathy for another's experiences, there are existences of the human connection. One is in the passage from 1984, where despite seeing someone whose head he wanted to bash with a stone fall injured, Winston wanted to instinctively help her. This is just one of the ways in which we assume the feelings of others. Watch this football hit and see if you cringe at the anticipation of such a huge hit.
Mirror neurons play a role in the human connection, too. You've probably noticed yourself yawning without fail if you see someone else yawning. Or perhaps even after reading that sentence, you might have yawned. The neurons mirror the actions of others, and when you get the idea in your head, your actions will follow. Ever catch yourself smiling if you're snapping a photograph of your friends? Well, they're probably smiling for the camera, and when you see what the picture looks like, you mimic their actions.
I think that it's really interesting to think about the subtle ways that we do our best to create and establish connections with humans. We do what we can to assume the emotions of others. Maybe this is because we struggle to replace words with feelings, or maybe it's because of the true nature of the human connection. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, after all.
- George Orwell, 1984
The human connection is fascinating. Despite the fact that words and language can never exactly describe emotions and feelings, and that we can never have pure empathy for another's experiences, there are existences of the human connection. One is in the passage from 1984, where despite seeing someone whose head he wanted to bash with a stone fall injured, Winston wanted to instinctively help her. This is just one of the ways in which we assume the feelings of others. Watch this football hit and see if you cringe at the anticipation of such a huge hit.
Mirror neurons play a role in the human connection, too. You've probably noticed yourself yawning without fail if you see someone else yawning. Or perhaps even after reading that sentence, you might have yawned. The neurons mirror the actions of others, and when you get the idea in your head, your actions will follow. Ever catch yourself smiling if you're snapping a photograph of your friends? Well, they're probably smiling for the camera, and when you see what the picture looks like, you mimic their actions.I think that it's really interesting to think about the subtle ways that we do our best to create and establish connections with humans. We do what we can to assume the emotions of others. Maybe this is because we struggle to replace words with feelings, or maybe it's because of the true nature of the human connection. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, after all.
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