Reading: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
Addicted to watching: Dexter
Learning to: use my mat board cutter for framing, and cook eggs in new ways
Hoping to: go hiking with friends more often
Trying to: go to the gym every day
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Keeping myself entertained
I am currently....
Reading: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
Addicted to watching: Dexter
Learning to: use my mat board cutter for framing, and cook eggs in new ways
Hoping to: go hiking with friends more often
Trying to: go to the gym every day
Reading: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
Addicted to watching: Dexter
Learning to: use my mat board cutter for framing, and cook eggs in new ways
Hoping to: go hiking with friends more often
Trying to: go to the gym every day
Geography of Bliss
In this book Eric Weiner quotes an Indian guru saying: "Life is a combination of freedom and destiny, and the beauty is you don't know which is which" This quote reminded me of my favorite quote from the movie Forrest Gump: "I don't know if we each have a destiny or if we're all just floating along accidental-like on a breeze...but I think maybe both is happening at the same time"
Forrest Gump, the Indian guru, and Eric Weiner all have a good point, and for now at least, this is how I choose to view things like destiny and free will. I think the two are intertwined so deeply that we can't tell the difference, and maybe it's a little bit of both.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Bon Voyage, Tyler!
A friend-of-a-friend, Tyler, has just begun his Semester at Sea this week! He's got a great blog going and it's so much fun for me to read about his experiences and how much they are the same as mine when I went! It also makes me miss it very much. My friends, the ship, the experiences and adventures! What an experience. Months ago Tyler and I exchanged many many emails with me prepping him for things he should know before he goes and him asking questions. I think my ability to get carried away has caused him to be the most prepared SASer in the history of the world :-) I tried to leave some things for him to experience for himself and not give away TOO much of the good stuff that was to come. It seems to be true what they say about studying abroad...when you come home everyone wants to hear all about it but there's a certain "saturation point" of stories where even the most interested of friends and family just can't relate to your experiences abroad. This is why it was probably just as beneficial for me as it was for Tyler for me to get to tell him about it and give him tips and advice and stories. I also recently got to talk to Kristene in France, one of my very good friends from SAS and it was so great to talk to her again and remember our experiences on the ship and all that good stuff! I miss all my SAS friends so much!
But I wish Tyler the best of luck and the most amazing adventures the world has to offer as he begins his journey. And I am grateful for having those experiences in my lifetime too!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Lost Art of Compromise
Here's a very interesting paragraph from the book I'm reading: 'The Geography of Bliss' by Eric Weiner:
"...The road is only wide enough for one car at a time. Passing is negotiated through a series of elaborate, poetic hand gestures...Everything in (Bhutan) requires cooperation....In the west and in the United States especially, we try to eliminate the need for compromise. Cars have 'personal climate controls' so that the driver and passenger need not negotiate a mutually agreeable temperature. That same pair, let's say they're husband and wife, need not agree on the ideal firmness of their mattress, either. Each can set their own 'personal comfort level.' We embrace these technologies. Why shouldn't everyone enjoy their own personal comfort level, be it in a car or in a bed? I wonder, though, what we lose through such conveniences. If we no longer must compromise on the easy stuff, like mattresses, then what about the truly important stuff? Compromise is a skill, and like all skills it atrophies from lack of use."
He points out something I never really thought of, but it's so true! We're becoming out of practice on compromise. Children become increasingly convinced that the world revolves around them. Our country is based on the idea that if you put your mind to something and work hard you will achieve what you've been striving for. If you work hard enough you can do anything. This causes people to be so angry and frustrated when they can't do something, or it proves more difficult than they expected. No wonder our country, collectively, is not very happy. I see this in politics as well. If, say, a president isn't making everyone in the country happy he's not doing a good enough job. We can't compromise and admit that our country is still a work in progress. We want policies and action to directly, immediately reflect our own beliefs. I'm pretty sure, though, no matter who our president is and no matter what the country is like there won't be a time when everyone is satisfied. That shouldn't even be the goal though. Thanks, Eric Weiner, for reminding me to work on my ability (an willingness) to compromise!
"...The road is only wide enough for one car at a time. Passing is negotiated through a series of elaborate, poetic hand gestures...Everything in (Bhutan) requires cooperation....In the west and in the United States especially, we try to eliminate the need for compromise. Cars have 'personal climate controls' so that the driver and passenger need not negotiate a mutually agreeable temperature. That same pair, let's say they're husband and wife, need not agree on the ideal firmness of their mattress, either. Each can set their own 'personal comfort level.' We embrace these technologies. Why shouldn't everyone enjoy their own personal comfort level, be it in a car or in a bed? I wonder, though, what we lose through such conveniences. If we no longer must compromise on the easy stuff, like mattresses, then what about the truly important stuff? Compromise is a skill, and like all skills it atrophies from lack of use."
He points out something I never really thought of, but it's so true! We're becoming out of practice on compromise. Children become increasingly convinced that the world revolves around them. Our country is based on the idea that if you put your mind to something and work hard you will achieve what you've been striving for. If you work hard enough you can do anything. This causes people to be so angry and frustrated when they can't do something, or it proves more difficult than they expected. No wonder our country, collectively, is not very happy. I see this in politics as well. If, say, a president isn't making everyone in the country happy he's not doing a good enough job. We can't compromise and admit that our country is still a work in progress. We want policies and action to directly, immediately reflect our own beliefs. I'm pretty sure, though, no matter who our president is and no matter what the country is like there won't be a time when everyone is satisfied. That shouldn't even be the goal though. Thanks, Eric Weiner, for reminding me to work on my ability (an willingness) to compromise!
New Phase of Life Begins Now!
Today all the CU students go back to school. How weird that I'm not one of them this time! But I'm not too sad about it yet. I'm sure I'll miss it soon enough but for now I'm happy to not be worrying about classes, homework, tests.
As far as work though I'm not exactly a grown up working in "the real world" yet, I'm still working my job on campus for another few months. Then even after that I plan to embrace the bum lifestyle a little longer while I have no obligations or responsibilities before I find a more stable job or figure out what I want to do. I've found myself asking everyone I know what they do and how they got into that, where they've traveled, what they did after graduating college, what they got their degree in, and so on. I guess I figure by gathering as much information and ideas from other people as I can maybe I'll come across something that strikes me as fascinating. I try to pay attention to when I react to someone else's job and say to myself "I could do that". I've had a few of those instances but I think it only fair to myself to keep searching. Of course with all this searching and research in the end my "career" will probably just come upon me in an unexpected way. But in the meantime it's fun to think about all the possibilities.
You know what I do miss already? Buying school supplies :-)
As far as work though I'm not exactly a grown up working in "the real world" yet, I'm still working my job on campus for another few months. Then even after that I plan to embrace the bum lifestyle a little longer while I have no obligations or responsibilities before I find a more stable job or figure out what I want to do. I've found myself asking everyone I know what they do and how they got into that, where they've traveled, what they did after graduating college, what they got their degree in, and so on. I guess I figure by gathering as much information and ideas from other people as I can maybe I'll come across something that strikes me as fascinating. I try to pay attention to when I react to someone else's job and say to myself "I could do that". I've had a few of those instances but I think it only fair to myself to keep searching. Of course with all this searching and research in the end my "career" will probably just come upon me in an unexpected way. But in the meantime it's fun to think about all the possibilities.
You know what I do miss already? Buying school supplies :-)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Back in my day...
A few years ago my Grandma gave me an old German Rolleicord camera that had belonged to my Grandpa. I think she had been trying to get rid of some of the junk laying around her house and she knew I liked photography so she gave me the camera along with lots of gadgets to go with it and a hefty metal tripod which I've used a lot since then. The camera, though, sat in its case ever since she gave it to me. I've finally taken it out and messed with it a little and today I bought film for it (film! What a forgotten commodity it is) so my new task will be to try it out and take some pictures with this awesome 1950s camera! I'm kind of ridiculously excited about this. Not only is this camera awesome, but I also like the thought that my Grandpa used it and probably took some great pictures in his day. He was into photography too and I love sharing that interest with him. The old leather case even smells familiarly like him.
My new photographic endeavors have caused me to think about what ever happened to film photography? What a cool concept it is! I took photography classes in high school and it was all film photography, we never did any digital. We learned about f stop and aperture and how to roll your own film and print your own photos. I think photography was so much more personal back then (I say "back then" but it was only 6 years ago!) you really had to try to get a good shot because you knew you only had 12 shots per roll of film (or 24 if you were lucky) and then to use a dark room and be able to control exactly how the picture turns out without the magic of computers...what a true art form! That's not to say digital photography doesn't take skill or artistic talent. It's just a whole different process that barely resembles old time photography now. I enjoy both. Film is a pain to roll and set up in the camera and I do enjoy the ability to instantly see the photo I took and delete it if I want and try again. But I'm excited to try out this film camera and see what I can create!
Oh on an entirely different note, I got a taste of just how small a town Boulder can be. It's not huge but it's definitely not small either. It's actually a pretty perfect size. But I went out for dinner tonight at a restaurant in East Boulder (with 4 friends, all of whom I went to high school with) and in the time I was in the restaurant I saw two guys I went to elementary school with, one girl from middle school, and two people from high school (in addition to the 4 I came with) plus I saw my teacher from 3rd and 4th grade, and one of my elementary school's administrators. That's 11 people I know in one night at one restaurant! How odd.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Happy 2010!
It's been a long time, once again. Maybe now that I won't have homework to feel guilted into spending my free time with I can keep this thing more updated!
Things I've been up to in the last 2 weeks:
-spent Christmas with my family at my Grandma's house, as per tradition. It was fabulous.
-I got lots of books, a set of jumper cables for my car, food, chai, new headphones, smartwool socks, and a few other things
-getting together with old friends who were in town for the holidays
-spent 2 nights at a cabin in Estes Park
-spent New Years eve in Denver with Heidi
-spent this weekend at Sonlight playing in snow, eating delicious food, hot tubbing, drinking lots of coffee and chai, hanging out with good friends and partaking in a white elephant gift exchange (I brought an animatronic Bill Clinton doll that played saxophone music and people really seemed to like it, haha! Can't go wrong with Bill I guess)
I've got a good list of books to read now. I'm currently reading Eric Weiner's book The Geography of Bliss. The book has three of my favorite things: sociology, travel, and humor. Weiner travels around the world investigating the "happiest countries in the world" and why people there are happy. He's got some really interesting insights into the general topic of happiness and human nature in general which I, of course, find fascinating. While discussing humans and our innate connection to nature he quotes Italian painter Giovanni Segantini: "people of the mountains see the sun rise and set as a golden fireball, full of life and energy, while flatlanders know only a tired and drunk sun". Being a "person of the mountains" myself, and having just spent my weekend in the mountains with some of the most beautiful scenery I spent some time thinking about that quote and decided this Italian painter might be onto something. There's certainly something to be said for, say, a New Mexico sunset where the colors are streaked across the horizon for as far as you can see and the oranges and reds are so unbelievable...but then again, the moment when the sun suddenly bursts above a mountain top in Colorado and in one instant the whole world lights up, well maybe I'm biased but I just can't describe that kind of beauty and plus I see something like that and I'm grateful to have grown up where I have. Anyways this is an interesting book and as of page 39 I really like it!
Things I've been up to in the last 2 weeks:
-spent Christmas with my family at my Grandma's house, as per tradition. It was fabulous.
-I got lots of books, a set of jumper cables for my car, food, chai, new headphones, smartwool socks, and a few other things
-getting together with old friends who were in town for the holidays
-spent 2 nights at a cabin in Estes Park
-spent New Years eve in Denver with Heidi
-spent this weekend at Sonlight playing in snow, eating delicious food, hot tubbing, drinking lots of coffee and chai, hanging out with good friends and partaking in a white elephant gift exchange (I brought an animatronic Bill Clinton doll that played saxophone music and people really seemed to like it, haha! Can't go wrong with Bill I guess)
I've got a good list of books to read now. I'm currently reading Eric Weiner's book The Geography of Bliss. The book has three of my favorite things: sociology, travel, and humor. Weiner travels around the world investigating the "happiest countries in the world" and why people there are happy. He's got some really interesting insights into the general topic of happiness and human nature in general which I, of course, find fascinating. While discussing humans and our innate connection to nature he quotes Italian painter Giovanni Segantini: "people of the mountains see the sun rise and set as a golden fireball, full of life and energy, while flatlanders know only a tired and drunk sun". Being a "person of the mountains" myself, and having just spent my weekend in the mountains with some of the most beautiful scenery I spent some time thinking about that quote and decided this Italian painter might be onto something. There's certainly something to be said for, say, a New Mexico sunset where the colors are streaked across the horizon for as far as you can see and the oranges and reds are so unbelievable...but then again, the moment when the sun suddenly bursts above a mountain top in Colorado and in one instant the whole world lights up, well maybe I'm biased but I just can't describe that kind of beauty and plus I see something like that and I'm grateful to have grown up where I have. Anyways this is an interesting book and as of page 39 I really like it!
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