The danger in talking about weather in this house is that N will start talking actual science when folks just mean to shoot the breeze. I find it entertaining when that happens. The downside to having my man be a weatherman (which he hates being called, since it conjures up images of news-weathermen) is that I find myself thinking about weather often and talking about it more than the average bear. Like right now. This is a blog bost about the weather. We need to get out more.
20120218
Is it really February?
Because it was just short of 60 degrees yesterday. That's a California February, ladies and gentlemen, and in case you haven't noticed, I don't live in California anymore. I'm still biking or walking to work every day; last year I wimped out an started taking the bus in December. And it's not that I'm less wimpy. Yesterday, I drove to the grocery store with my windows down and a light sweater on. What is going on?!?
20120207
how isolated are you?
There's a quiz based on the recent discussion of the cultural isolation of the elite: "On a scale from 0 to 20 points, 20 signifies full engagement with mainstream American culture and 0 signifies deep cultural isolation within the new upper class bubble." I score a 6, which isn't terribly unexpected, but it makes me kind of sad.
It also makes me wonder about what defines "mainstream American culture." Hunting and fishing? Seeing Transformers? Stocking your fridge with mass market beer? Buying trucks? This is mainstream American culture? Really? I feel like all of those things breathe privilege on some level, like you have the money (and time and energy) to go hunting, see Transformers, stock your fridge, and buy a truck.
Then again, it's an online quiz...I don't know what I was expecting.
Update: I also like that this whole discussion of "mainstream American culture" is exclusively about non-hispanic white people, who make up like, what, 64% of American society? It makes sense in that white folks have been the majority of the American population for a while and so we can talk about the changes, but it also seems like we're talking about the wrong thing. American society is no longer as homogenous as it used to be, and that change means that we need move away from the idea that our culture is homogenous. Remember: salad bowl, not melting pot. That doesn't mean I think that the elite should be isolated, but it does mean that everyone (especially the elite), needs to be aware of the other facets of American culture, which means going beyond trucks and Transformers.
Update: I also like that this whole discussion of "mainstream American culture" is exclusively about non-hispanic white people, who make up like, what, 64% of American society? It makes sense in that white folks have been the majority of the American population for a while and so we can talk about the changes, but it also seems like we're talking about the wrong thing. American society is no longer as homogenous as it used to be, and that change means that we need move away from the idea that our culture is homogenous. Remember: salad bowl, not melting pot. That doesn't mean I think that the elite should be isolated, but it does mean that everyone (especially the elite), needs to be aware of the other facets of American culture, which means going beyond trucks and Transformers.
20120201
noodle
I just got back from a trip up to Boston, which was excellent. N left for Niger last Saturday, and not wanting to be a lone woman in the garden of Eden, I took to the north. All I can say is that my friends and family are wonderful.
After a long drive home, my todo list for the evening was: 1) unpack 2) go grocery shopping, 3) work out at the gym, and 4) do some work-type stuff (prepping for an HCI event tomorrow).
Number one has resulted in an explosion all over the living room. Number two involved dropping a 1 gallon glass bottle of apple juice in the apartment parking lot (I sense a pattern...). Number four I might put off until the morning.
Number three, though. Man, oh man. I'm not really a gym person. I've tried various things, but none of them have stuck thus far. The machines scare me. But! My cousin-in-law Rachael is totally amazing and got me to get over my phobia and try getting serious about working out at the gym. We're trading personal training for coding lessons, and it's awesome.
Tonight was my first night trying the workout she's given me, and whooaoao. I have a long way to go. My legs seem strong enough, what with all the walking and hiking I do, but everything else? I feel like a total noodle. For some of the machines I was like, "What do you mean you don't go any lighter than that?" And the machine responded, "Suck it up." Noodle. I haven't felt this kind of adrenaline for a long time, and I'm stoked. And laughing at myself, but still stoked.
After a long drive home, my todo list for the evening was: 1) unpack 2) go grocery shopping, 3) work out at the gym, and 4) do some work-type stuff (prepping for an HCI event tomorrow).
Number one has resulted in an explosion all over the living room. Number two involved dropping a 1 gallon glass bottle of apple juice in the apartment parking lot (I sense a pattern...). Number four I might put off until the morning.
Number three, though. Man, oh man. I'm not really a gym person. I've tried various things, but none of them have stuck thus far. The machines scare me. But! My cousin-in-law Rachael is totally amazing and got me to get over my phobia and try getting serious about working out at the gym. We're trading personal training for coding lessons, and it's awesome.
Tonight was my first night trying the workout she's given me, and whooaoao. I have a long way to go. My legs seem strong enough, what with all the walking and hiking I do, but everything else? I feel like a total noodle. For some of the machines I was like, "What do you mean you don't go any lighter than that?" And the machine responded, "Suck it up." Noodle. I haven't felt this kind of adrenaline for a long time, and I'm stoked. And laughing at myself, but still stoked.
20120128
20120123
little moment of compulsion #2
I have a favorite type of pencil. It's the Pentel Twist-Erase III with 0.9mm lead, preferably in black. I don't just like them, I hoard them. I have eight of them in a box hidden in the house, plus the one I use regularly. If I lose the one in current use, I'll take out a spare. If I find the one I've lost, I'll put the spare back. It's a good system.
N uses these pencils too, except he uses the 0.7mm ones (which I used to use--that's how we got them in the first place). At one point, he couldn't find any of his and wanted to break into my store. It's embarrassing in retrospect, but I had an emotional reaction and refused to let him have any. Even when I eventually conceded, I gave him the one dark blue one that I had.
I've hoarded them since high school. When we were in California, I found two packs of the 0.9mm version (totaling 4 pencils) unopened in my dresser. N claimed them as his, and I started fretting about how we were going to tell his pencils apart from my pencils, since each pack had one black and one blue.
In addition to the pencils themselves, I have spare erasers and lead for them that will last until doomsday. Come the apocalypse, or Pentel's bankruptcy, or the illegalization of mechanical pencils, I'll be prepared.
N uses these pencils too, except he uses the 0.7mm ones (which I used to use--that's how we got them in the first place). At one point, he couldn't find any of his and wanted to break into my store. It's embarrassing in retrospect, but I had an emotional reaction and refused to let him have any. Even when I eventually conceded, I gave him the one dark blue one that I had.
I've hoarded them since high school. When we were in California, I found two packs of the 0.9mm version (totaling 4 pencils) unopened in my dresser. N claimed them as his, and I started fretting about how we were going to tell his pencils apart from my pencils, since each pack had one black and one blue.
In addition to the pencils themselves, I have spare erasers and lead for them that will last until doomsday. Come the apocalypse, or Pentel's bankruptcy, or the illegalization of mechanical pencils, I'll be prepared.
20120122
Faith and Apologetics
The Story of Vedanta, courtesy of Wikipedia:
Once in a tree there were two birds, one at the upper branch, serene, majestic and divine, and the other at a lower branch, restlessly pecking fruits, sometimes sweet sometimes bitter. Every time, when the restless bird ate a bitter fruit, it looked at the upper bird and climbed a branch up. This occurred a number of times and eventually the bird reached the topmost branch. There it was not able to differentiate itself from the divine bird, and then it learned that there was only one bird in the tree, the upper bird, which is described as divine, the real form of the other restless bird.
One thing that I have faith in is that I can be better than I am. I've learned a lot from past mistakes, and it's my hope that I can keep on learning. Thus there is some factual evidence in support of this faith, but not enough to prove it unequivocally to anyone, which is what makes it faith.
I feel that apologetics often gets a bad reputation, claiming that it's missing the point of faith or that it's focusing on the wrong things. But I wonder, is it possible to have faith without being apologist in some way? I don't think so.
My breed of apologetics tends to be inclined toward defending faith (and religion) as a mechanism for personal change and as a lens for understanding the world. While traditional apologetics focuses on more physical and historical truths, how is this side of apologetics much different? It's still defending faith with reason.
Once in a tree there were two birds, one at the upper branch, serene, majestic and divine, and the other at a lower branch, restlessly pecking fruits, sometimes sweet sometimes bitter. Every time, when the restless bird ate a bitter fruit, it looked at the upper bird and climbed a branch up. This occurred a number of times and eventually the bird reached the topmost branch. There it was not able to differentiate itself from the divine bird, and then it learned that there was only one bird in the tree, the upper bird, which is described as divine, the real form of the other restless bird.
One thing that I have faith in is that I can be better than I am. I've learned a lot from past mistakes, and it's my hope that I can keep on learning. Thus there is some factual evidence in support of this faith, but not enough to prove it unequivocally to anyone, which is what makes it faith.
I feel that apologetics often gets a bad reputation, claiming that it's missing the point of faith or that it's focusing on the wrong things. But I wonder, is it possible to have faith without being apologist in some way? I don't think so.
My breed of apologetics tends to be inclined toward defending faith (and religion) as a mechanism for personal change and as a lens for understanding the world. While traditional apologetics focuses on more physical and historical truths, how is this side of apologetics much different? It's still defending faith with reason.
We're mostly rational creatures. Even though faith is supposed to be belief that is not based on proof, individuals still cite spiritual experiences as the reason for belief. I had this feeling at this time, thus this belief must be correct. Isn't that the basis of faith for most believers? I live this way and I appear to be blessed. Is this not the evidence, or "proof" that believers show themselves?
My question is: what role should faith and religion play in a society and for an individual? Teaching morality requires instilling faith in a system of rules, be it secular or religious. Likewise, coping with death and sorrow, and achieving other kinds of healing (e.g., getting over one's own mistakes or being wronged) requires faith. But all of these examples can be achieved without religion. Is the biggest distinction between religion and faith organization? Does that make religion just mass perpetuation of culture? I think to some extent yes, but there are lots of advantages to having an organized, unified community, which religion tends to provide.
I think it's interesting to note that teaching religion requires apologetics, because you can't teach without justification and reason.
20120121
Gumboots and Ensemble ACJW
N and I had the chance last week to see Ensemble ACJW. One of the pieces they performed was Gumboots by David Bruce (embedded below), which floored both of us. I had never seen a bass clarinet before, and N declared it "the most awesome instrument." We also had the chance to see one of the violinists' strings break, with a graceful recovery; the cellist said, "There are times to break a string. This was not one of them." It just meant we got to hear the movement over again: "There's no way to start in the middle of that movement. For those of you who couldn't wait for it to be over, oh well." The whole performance was fantastic.
20120120
recovery
I just finished my last class for the semester. Whoooew. After three years off school, it hit hard. I'll still be doing a bit of research for the next little bit, but I'm also going to plan my garden, take a trip to Boston, clean the house, read like mad, paint, sew...you name it. This here brain is tired. Speaking of which, a nap is in order; my sleep deficit is high.
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