Really, I think it was Google Trends that broke me of the habit. Usually, when I would check it, the top slots would be dominated by some celebrity or another. Most of the time, I had not idea who these people were. Even when I did recognize the name, I couldn't care less about whatever new public drama they had initiated/gotten tangled in. Plus, I've been extremely busy for the last month. So I let a few things slide.
So, a bit of news. I took the LSAT a few days ago. I believe I did fairly well. I'll know for sure in about two and a half weeks (they're supposed to email my results to me). After that, I can start to seriously plan out my next move. Until then, I'm in an all too familiar holding pattern.
I have been contemplating a few new projects. Now that the LSAT is done and I'm in a pretty reliable pattern at work, I have a little bit of free time on my hands. I'm certain nothing but trouble will come of this, but it should at least be fun.
Enjoy now, orbiters! In the final analysis, it's all we've got.
OrbitDestination
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Overdressing for science
So, obviously I stopped even pretending I was going to update daily. Life happens, and it's been happening a lot faster and more abundantly recently. I update when I have both the time and inclination. I have the inclination this morning and, thanks to an odd inversion of my usual sleeping patterns, I have the time too.
A few weeks ago, I began an experiment. I started wearing dress shirts, slacks and ties every time I left the house, apart from going to work. Whether I was meeting friends for drinks or just running to the grocery store for beer and bagels, I was dressed up. The idea was to see if people would treat me differently.
Not surprisingly, they did. But not exactly in the way I was expecting. I anticipated that people would treat me more formally but, while it certainly started out that way, it really wasn't the case as conversations and interactions progressed. In most cases, people actually seemed more relaxed, casual and friendly than they had when I was wearing my usual jeans and t-shirt ensemble. I have no idea why that is.
Maybe dressing up in nicer clothes is having some sort of effect on me; making me more confident and outgoing without me realizing it's happening. Maybe the mismatch between my formal dress style and my naturally goofy demeanor is responsible. Probably, it's something I haven't thought of yet. I'll keep pondering the subject, and perhaps it'll come to me.
Mark Twain said "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." He might be right. Testing that statement could be my next experiment. If I ever do decide to roam around naked to see how people react, I'll let you know.
A few weeks ago, I began an experiment. I started wearing dress shirts, slacks and ties every time I left the house, apart from going to work. Whether I was meeting friends for drinks or just running to the grocery store for beer and bagels, I was dressed up. The idea was to see if people would treat me differently.
Not surprisingly, they did. But not exactly in the way I was expecting. I anticipated that people would treat me more formally but, while it certainly started out that way, it really wasn't the case as conversations and interactions progressed. In most cases, people actually seemed more relaxed, casual and friendly than they had when I was wearing my usual jeans and t-shirt ensemble. I have no idea why that is.
Maybe dressing up in nicer clothes is having some sort of effect on me; making me more confident and outgoing without me realizing it's happening. Maybe the mismatch between my formal dress style and my naturally goofy demeanor is responsible. Probably, it's something I haven't thought of yet. I'll keep pondering the subject, and perhaps it'll come to me.
Mark Twain said "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." He might be right. Testing that statement could be my next experiment. If I ever do decide to roam around naked to see how people react, I'll let you know.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Packrat rehab
I have way too much stuff. This has always been the case. I had hoped that, between moving to Japan and moving back, the stuff-valanche would somehow sort itself out, but it didn't. Just looking around the room I'm in, I can see shirts I haven't worn in years, folders full of miscellaneous papers from grad school, a broken wireless mouse, a box full of worn out shoes... That's barely getting started.
The thing is, I don't tend to save new stuff anymore. I thought that was the end of it, but I was wrong. The packrat urges are still alive and well, and as a result, I'm keeping lots of old stuff that I really have no business keeping. Obviously, packrat rehab is in order.
I remember Kaleena writing about a hanger trick for clearing out your closet (turning all the hangers around and turning them back to the regular direction when you used the item in question). That's a good idea. I'll assemble a few other tricks, and let you know how it all turns out.
The thing is, I don't tend to save new stuff anymore. I thought that was the end of it, but I was wrong. The packrat urges are still alive and well, and as a result, I'm keeping lots of old stuff that I really have no business keeping. Obviously, packrat rehab is in order.
I remember Kaleena writing about a hanger trick for clearing out your closet (turning all the hangers around and turning them back to the regular direction when you used the item in question). That's a good idea. I'll assemble a few other tricks, and let you know how it all turns out.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Google Trends serves up... My lake kiln
Here we go again... It's 11:15 am, and the number one hottest search according to Google Trends is... Minka Kelly. Huh. Evidently, she and Derek Jeter are splitting up. I have to say, I have no idea who those people are. So I'm not going to talk about Minka Kelly.
Instead, I'm going to tell you about my lake kiln. I took several ceramics classes back in college, so I had to become familiar with different kinds of kilns. My favorite was the wood fired kiln. It was a huge, blocky structure that I thought vaguely resembled a squared-off locomotive engine. I liked it for two reasons: First, the wood fired kiln gave the most interesting and beautiful glaze patterns on pieces. Second, because you couldn't just turn it on and leave it. The whole time it was firing, it had to be monitored. We kept track of the temperature, adding more fuel or opening up ventilation doors as needed. This wasn't a fast process. As I recall, it took almost 2 full days to fire the kiln. So we took turns, two at a time, minding the kiln for two hours at a stretch.
Now, my lake kiln will be like that. I'm going to build it near a lake, with light forest around for preference, on the western shore. That way, when I fire the kiln, I'll be able to sit next to it and watch the sun come up over the lake. I've always liked that time of day, when the nighttime rhythms fade away and the daytime rhythms slowly take over. On boy scout camping trips, I would almost always wake up in the pre-dawn before everybody else.
So, that's what I'll do if I ever own a bit of lake-front property and get back into ceramics. Sit there, sipping coffee, with the soft crackling of the kiln behind me and the warmth from the bricks soaking into my back, watching the mist dance slowly on the surface of the lake as the sky to the east slowly brightens.
In other news, any elk milk? We don't really drink it in the USA, but I'm told that it's commercially harvested in both Russia and Sweden.
Instead, I'm going to tell you about my lake kiln. I took several ceramics classes back in college, so I had to become familiar with different kinds of kilns. My favorite was the wood fired kiln. It was a huge, blocky structure that I thought vaguely resembled a squared-off locomotive engine. I liked it for two reasons: First, the wood fired kiln gave the most interesting and beautiful glaze patterns on pieces. Second, because you couldn't just turn it on and leave it. The whole time it was firing, it had to be monitored. We kept track of the temperature, adding more fuel or opening up ventilation doors as needed. This wasn't a fast process. As I recall, it took almost 2 full days to fire the kiln. So we took turns, two at a time, minding the kiln for two hours at a stretch.
Now, my lake kiln will be like that. I'm going to build it near a lake, with light forest around for preference, on the western shore. That way, when I fire the kiln, I'll be able to sit next to it and watch the sun come up over the lake. I've always liked that time of day, when the nighttime rhythms fade away and the daytime rhythms slowly take over. On boy scout camping trips, I would almost always wake up in the pre-dawn before everybody else.
So, that's what I'll do if I ever own a bit of lake-front property and get back into ceramics. Sit there, sipping coffee, with the soft crackling of the kiln behind me and the warmth from the bricks soaking into my back, watching the mist dance slowly on the surface of the lake as the sky to the east slowly brightens.
In other news, any elk milk? We don't really drink it in the USA, but I'm told that it's commercially harvested in both Russia and Sweden.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Google Trends serves up... Ocracoke Island (and a bit about memory)
It's 11:04 a.m. and the hottest search on Google trends is... Ocracoke Island. Presumably, this is because the island is expected to be hammered by Hurricane Irene as it moves up the east coast.
I have fond, if vague, memories of Ocracoke Island. Years ago, my family used to go camping at Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We got down to Ocracoke Island once or twice. Honestly, though, all I remember of the place is that there were giant horseflies there. That, and I remember hearing something about horses.
It's odd. All of my earliest memories are bad ones. Being bitten by giant horseflies at Ocracoke Island. Losing my grip on my E.T. balloon and having it drift up to the top of the high ceiling in the living room. Having my toy truck thrown into the parking lot by a bigger kid outside the family apartment and crying because I wasn't allowed to go get it and I thought it was gone forever. I don't know what was so compelling about the tiny miseries of being a tiny person, but they're seared into my memory.
As I got older, though, something changed. I think it was sometime during early college. It was a slow change, but the most enduring and powerful memories of my adult life are the positive ones. These days, unpleasant memories tend to go through a refining process in which they're rendered down intellectually to extract any lessons or other useful information they might contain. Any lingering emotional fallout fades away for lack of anything to anchor it to, and I'm just left with an intellectual understanding of what happened. By contrast, if I want to call up the memory of late night improvisational frisbee golf with a good friend, or a cherry-blossom viewing party with BBQ on a perfect spring day in Kyoto, all I have to do is close my eyes, let my mind drift back, and there I am.
If I knew more about psychology, I'm certain I could put some names to what changed and what it is that I do now. But I don't, and I can't. And honestly, I couldn't care less. It works well. If it ever stops working, I'll change it to something better. That's it for today.
The orbit's starting to drift wider. I can feel it!
I have fond, if vague, memories of Ocracoke Island. Years ago, my family used to go camping at Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We got down to Ocracoke Island once or twice. Honestly, though, all I remember of the place is that there were giant horseflies there. That, and I remember hearing something about horses.
It's odd. All of my earliest memories are bad ones. Being bitten by giant horseflies at Ocracoke Island. Losing my grip on my E.T. balloon and having it drift up to the top of the high ceiling in the living room. Having my toy truck thrown into the parking lot by a bigger kid outside the family apartment and crying because I wasn't allowed to go get it and I thought it was gone forever. I don't know what was so compelling about the tiny miseries of being a tiny person, but they're seared into my memory.
As I got older, though, something changed. I think it was sometime during early college. It was a slow change, but the most enduring and powerful memories of my adult life are the positive ones. These days, unpleasant memories tend to go through a refining process in which they're rendered down intellectually to extract any lessons or other useful information they might contain. Any lingering emotional fallout fades away for lack of anything to anchor it to, and I'm just left with an intellectual understanding of what happened. By contrast, if I want to call up the memory of late night improvisational frisbee golf with a good friend, or a cherry-blossom viewing party with BBQ on a perfect spring day in Kyoto, all I have to do is close my eyes, let my mind drift back, and there I am.
If I knew more about psychology, I'm certain I could put some names to what changed and what it is that I do now. But I don't, and I can't. And honestly, I couldn't care less. It works well. If it ever stops working, I'll change it to something better. That's it for today.
The orbit's starting to drift wider. I can feel it!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Google Trends serves up... Will Smith.
I'm sticking by my guns. The topic for today is going to be selected for me. It's 12:27 p.m. Central time, and I'm checking Google Trends. Number one is... Will Smith? Seriously? Yesterday at about this time, it was 'HP Tablet.' Oh well.
Evidently, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are separating. I have to admit, I don't really have anything to say about that. Reason being, I can't honestly say I care. I've never met any of the Smiths, and it's extremely unlikely I ever will. They're not in my monkeysphere and, while I acknowledge it's an unfortunate and difficult process they're going through, I don't believe their personal lives are any of my business. I've never really understood why so many people are so fascinated with the minutia of celebrities' lives, especially when I have plenty to keep track of in my own life. I suppose my own perspective might be equally baffling to an avid celebrity gossip aficionado.
As for Will Smith, I have a confession to make. While I really did like 'Pursuit of Happyness,' and 'Fresh Prince' is obviously loaded with nostalgia, my favorite Will Smith performance was in 'Men in Black.' That's a secret I've held onto for years, and now it's out. I feel cleansed. Now I'm going to go get ready for work.
Tomorrow, same experiment. Google Trends gets another shot at picking the topic.
Evidently, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are separating. I have to admit, I don't really have anything to say about that. Reason being, I can't honestly say I care. I've never met any of the Smiths, and it's extremely unlikely I ever will. They're not in my monkeysphere and, while I acknowledge it's an unfortunate and difficult process they're going through, I don't believe their personal lives are any of my business. I've never really understood why so many people are so fascinated with the minutia of celebrities' lives, especially when I have plenty to keep track of in my own life. I suppose my own perspective might be equally baffling to an avid celebrity gossip aficionado.
As for Will Smith, I have a confession to make. While I really did like 'Pursuit of Happyness,' and 'Fresh Prince' is obviously loaded with nostalgia, my favorite Will Smith performance was in 'Men in Black.' That's a secret I've held onto for years, and now it's out. I feel cleansed. Now I'm going to go get ready for work.
Tomorrow, same experiment. Google Trends gets another shot at picking the topic.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Slow Sunday Conversations
A while ago, I had something to say about the conversations I had with guests across the bar. Last night, for curiosity's sake, I kept track of every topic of conversation that came up with all of my guests. It was a slow night at the bar itself, but I did have a few guests.
As an aside, corporate policy is to refer to all customers as 'guests.' I guess I've internalized it. Good thing? Bad thing? Subject for another day's entry.
Anyway, here's a list of the conversation topics. Obviously, I'm not going to include the mechanical conversations at the heart of the ordering process. Those don't really count as conversations, as I understand the term. Everything on this list is outside the business of putting food and drinks in front of guests (directly, anyway).
What it's like living in Delaware
Weather x2
Chips and Salsa (awesomeness of)
Good book to movie adaptations
Different kinds of tequila
That's it. I didn't try to steer the conversations at all. Each of those topics was guest selected. Kind of a fun little exercise, I thought. I may do this again some time, but I think it's time to start expanding the orbit a little. I have no idea what tomorrow's topic will be. Google Trends is going to pick it out.
As an aside, corporate policy is to refer to all customers as 'guests.' I guess I've internalized it. Good thing? Bad thing? Subject for another day's entry.
Anyway, here's a list of the conversation topics. Obviously, I'm not going to include the mechanical conversations at the heart of the ordering process. Those don't really count as conversations, as I understand the term. Everything on this list is outside the business of putting food and drinks in front of guests (directly, anyway).
What it's like living in Delaware
Weather x2
Chips and Salsa (awesomeness of)
Good book to movie adaptations
Different kinds of tequila
That's it. I didn't try to steer the conversations at all. Each of those topics was guest selected. Kind of a fun little exercise, I thought. I may do this again some time, but I think it's time to start expanding the orbit a little. I have no idea what tomorrow's topic will be. Google Trends is going to pick it out.
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