“Religion is not just a set of practices or a singular monolithic belief system. Religion is a response to revelation, and different people respond to revelation differently. We cannot continue to assume that each religion represents only one set of ideas.” - John Green
I uploaded tomorrow's episode of the Quad N early, since I'll probably be gone until almost 10 tomorrow night. Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct-1qMfdrlo&feature=player_embedded
Sunday, October 17, 2010
A Link to a Post About Gay Rights
Read this post I am linking to, please. Thank you. http://www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com/2010/10/17/ask-mj-conservative-christians-and-gay-rights-living-together-in-peace/
This isn't the first time I've linked to Maureen, nor will it be the last. I recommend that you read the satire list of "why gay marriage shouldn't be allowed" that someone posted in the comments. It's funny.
Since I'm writing a post anyway, I may as well tell you that transforming an envelope into a SASE feels like digging your own grave. My rejection letters will be addressed in my own handwriting.
I may have convinced my other sister to do NaNoWriMo as well. She's afraid of failure, and afraid that what she writes will be bad. I told her I've spent the past year editing for a reason. Sarah's all set up on the YWP website, shooting for 25,000 words. She says she would go for 30,000, except she wants to make sure she'll win.
We found it amusing that the highest recommended goal for her age is 3,000 words for the entire month. She's done that much in a day.
While I'm only on page 12, The God Debates has been an excellent book so far. However, it's so densely academic that I've resorted to taking notes just so I remember what the chapter actually said. It's a good way to use up the blank pages at the backs of my notebooks from 3rd grade, though.
Also, I'm going to (hopefully) go see Scott Westerfeld on Friday, and there's a wizard rock concert tomorrow. Yay.
This isn't the first time I've linked to Maureen, nor will it be the last. I recommend that you read the satire list of "why gay marriage shouldn't be allowed" that someone posted in the comments. It's funny.
Since I'm writing a post anyway, I may as well tell you that transforming an envelope into a SASE feels like digging your own grave. My rejection letters will be addressed in my own handwriting.
I may have convinced my other sister to do NaNoWriMo as well. She's afraid of failure, and afraid that what she writes will be bad. I told her I've spent the past year editing for a reason. Sarah's all set up on the YWP website, shooting for 25,000 words. She says she would go for 30,000, except she wants to make sure she'll win.
We found it amusing that the highest recommended goal for her age is 3,000 words for the entire month. She's done that much in a day.
While I'm only on page 12, The God Debates has been an excellent book so far. However, it's so densely academic that I've resorted to taking notes just so I remember what the chapter actually said. It's a good way to use up the blank pages at the backs of my notebooks from 3rd grade, though.
Also, I'm going to (hopefully) go see Scott Westerfeld on Friday, and there's a wizard rock concert tomorrow. Yay.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Word After Word After Word
"I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear." - Joan Didion
That quote comes from the beginning of a book entitled Word After Word After Word by Particia MacLachlan. This quote comes from the book itself:
"'I, myself, write to change my life, to make it come out the way I want it to,' she said. 'But other people write for other reasons: to see more closely what it is they are thinking about, what they may be afraid of. Sometimes writers write to solve a problem, to answer their own question. All these reasons are good reasons. And that is the most important thing I'll ever tell you. Maybe it is the most important thing you'll ever hear. Ever.' 'Some writers write to earn money,' said Evie. 'They do,' said Ms. Mirabel. 'But that is only one reason to write. And usually not the most important.'"
This comes from the page before that:
(After a student has asked her whether or not she writes with an outline) "Ms. Mirabel laughed loudly...'Of course not,' she said. 'Outlines are silly. Once you write the outline, there's no reason to write the story. You write to participate...to find out what is going to happen!' Miss Cash frowned. This is not what she had taught us in creative writing class. 'Actually, I loathe outlines!' said Ms. Mirabel with great feeling. Miss Cash closed her eyes as if her head hurt."
That made me laugh. Up until high school, I also loathed pre-writing, as we called it. I wrote because I liked it. I had the story all in my head. It wasn't until I started writing longer things that I was serious about (beginning with Clockwork) that I started outlining, and that was only because I couldn't wait for NaNoWriMo to start. This year, I've only been outlining Ishaera because I found a cool spreadsheet to help me do it, and it's a re-write in which a lot of things have changed (mainly names).
I spent the morning recording and mixing a song for The Leaky Cauldron's Jingle Spells 4. Up until this year, the CD was invitation-only, but this year they're having a contest. If I'm one of the winners, my song will be on the CD. If I don't win, it becomes available online for free. All money from the CD is donated to charity. My song is a filk (same music, different words) of "I Wonder As I Wander." My singing isn't the greatest (it was either slightly too high or slightly too low for me to sing comfortably, depending on which octave I tried), but I think it sounds pretty cool anyway.
The afternoon was devoted to printing, signing, stamping, and addressing queries and envelopes. There's five or six ready to go to the post office sitting on the floor of our study. Two of them have the first 50 pages of Clockwork, and the rest have the first three. The comments on the Ask Daphne post were incredibly helpful. Depending on when Mom gets them mailed, I expect responses to start coming in in late November or early December, and don't think I won't tell you the moment I hear anything.
That quote comes from the beginning of a book entitled Word After Word After Word by Particia MacLachlan. This quote comes from the book itself:
"'I, myself, write to change my life, to make it come out the way I want it to,' she said. 'But other people write for other reasons: to see more closely what it is they are thinking about, what they may be afraid of. Sometimes writers write to solve a problem, to answer their own question. All these reasons are good reasons. And that is the most important thing I'll ever tell you. Maybe it is the most important thing you'll ever hear. Ever.' 'Some writers write to earn money,' said Evie. 'They do,' said Ms. Mirabel. 'But that is only one reason to write. And usually not the most important.'"
This comes from the page before that:
(After a student has asked her whether or not she writes with an outline) "Ms. Mirabel laughed loudly...'Of course not,' she said. 'Outlines are silly. Once you write the outline, there's no reason to write the story. You write to participate...to find out what is going to happen!' Miss Cash frowned. This is not what she had taught us in creative writing class. 'Actually, I loathe outlines!' said Ms. Mirabel with great feeling. Miss Cash closed her eyes as if her head hurt."
That made me laugh. Up until high school, I also loathed pre-writing, as we called it. I wrote because I liked it. I had the story all in my head. It wasn't until I started writing longer things that I was serious about (beginning with Clockwork) that I started outlining, and that was only because I couldn't wait for NaNoWriMo to start. This year, I've only been outlining Ishaera because I found a cool spreadsheet to help me do it, and it's a re-write in which a lot of things have changed (mainly names).
I spent the morning recording and mixing a song for The Leaky Cauldron's Jingle Spells 4. Up until this year, the CD was invitation-only, but this year they're having a contest. If I'm one of the winners, my song will be on the CD. If I don't win, it becomes available online for free. All money from the CD is donated to charity. My song is a filk (same music, different words) of "I Wonder As I Wander." My singing isn't the greatest (it was either slightly too high or slightly too low for me to sing comfortably, depending on which octave I tried), but I think it sounds pretty cool anyway.
The afternoon was devoted to printing, signing, stamping, and addressing queries and envelopes. There's five or six ready to go to the post office sitting on the floor of our study. Two of them have the first 50 pages of Clockwork, and the rest have the first three. The comments on the Ask Daphne post were incredibly helpful. Depending on when Mom gets them mailed, I expect responses to start coming in in late November or early December, and don't think I won't tell you the moment I hear anything.
An Explanation of The Socratic Seminar
I don't know why I assumed all of you would know what I was talking about, or maybe I thought I'd explained it to a greater degree than I actually did.
First off, to answer Kenny's question, I go to a public school, so none of my classes are online.
The day before a seminar (or earlier), we're given Pre-Seminar questions to answer. My longest one was 10 pages of tiny margins and text crammed into every available space via tables on Romeo and Juliet. The Lord of the Flies one wasn't as intense, but the answers must be detailed and full of support.
In our seminars, the desks are arranged in two circles- the Inner Circle and the Outer Circle. The teacher divides the class into two groups, usually hand-picked for maximum effect. The people on the Inner Circle are the only people allowed to talk. The teacher will pose a question drawn from the Pre-Seminar, and the students take it from there. We're graded on whether or not we speak the required 3 times, how insightful we are, and whether or not we support our opinions using quotes from the book. Meanwhile, the Outer Circle folks are listening and filling out a worksheet based on what is being discussed.
In my current English class, but not in the one I was in last year, there is a Hot Seat on the Inner Circle. In this case, it was the remains of a wheely chair- a Wheely Stool. Anyone from the Outer Circle is allowed to sit on this stool, share one comment, and then they must leave.
Halfway through, the Circles swap, the teacher poses another question geared toward a different aspect of the Pre-Seminar (which is annoying for those on the Outer Circle who wanted to talk about that), and the rest of the class period is spent in discussion. (Except for when there's a line for the Hot Seat and the Inner Circle people don't want to say much anyway.)
Examples from this past Pre-Seminar (some spoilers, if you care):
I hope that clears it up a bit. If you want my answers to any of those questions, say so in a comment and I'll post them as soon as I get my pre-seminar back.
"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why." - Bernard Baruch
There's a quote in honor of Socrates, for whom our types of seminars are named. It was he who said "The unexamined life is not worth living," and while I think that's a bit harsh, I mostly agree.
First off, to answer Kenny's question, I go to a public school, so none of my classes are online.
The day before a seminar (or earlier), we're given Pre-Seminar questions to answer. My longest one was 10 pages of tiny margins and text crammed into every available space via tables on Romeo and Juliet. The Lord of the Flies one wasn't as intense, but the answers must be detailed and full of support.
In our seminars, the desks are arranged in two circles- the Inner Circle and the Outer Circle. The teacher divides the class into two groups, usually hand-picked for maximum effect. The people on the Inner Circle are the only people allowed to talk. The teacher will pose a question drawn from the Pre-Seminar, and the students take it from there. We're graded on whether or not we speak the required 3 times, how insightful we are, and whether or not we support our opinions using quotes from the book. Meanwhile, the Outer Circle folks are listening and filling out a worksheet based on what is being discussed.
In my current English class, but not in the one I was in last year, there is a Hot Seat on the Inner Circle. In this case, it was the remains of a wheely chair- a Wheely Stool. Anyone from the Outer Circle is allowed to sit on this stool, share one comment, and then they must leave.
Halfway through, the Circles swap, the teacher poses another question geared toward a different aspect of the Pre-Seminar (which is annoying for those on the Outer Circle who wanted to talk about that), and the rest of the class period is spent in discussion. (Except for when there's a line for the Hot Seat and the Inner Circle people don't want to say much anyway.)
Examples from this past Pre-Seminar (some spoilers, if you care):
- "What is the most important symbol in the entire book? What does Simon's bower represent? Provide a list of all of the beasts within the novel. Are the beast, the Lord of the Flies, and the parachutist connected?"
- "Many of the characters are allegories for greater concepts. Explore some examples. (Research the origins of names, famous people with similar names, etc.)
- "Think of what the author might be trying to tell us about human nature and society. Is the island a microcosm of the world at large? Consider both the physical aspects of the island itself and the mental/emotional aspects of its young inhabitants. Was the author successful at this? Is it complete or lacking in certain important characteristics? Trace one theme throughout the novel and discuss what the author is attempting to tell the reader."
- "If the boys had not been rescued, what would have been their fate? What kind of government did the boys adapt at the end of the novel? Is the author making a social critique of different government systems?"
- "What if girls had been on the island? How would things have been different? Please look deeper than the obvious 'relationship' answer. What would have been different if only girls had crashed on the island?"
- "Do you think the ending is a good ending? Why or why not? How would you change it?"
I hope that clears it up a bit. If you want my answers to any of those questions, say so in a comment and I'll post them as soon as I get my pre-seminar back.
"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why." - Bernard Baruch
There's a quote in honor of Socrates, for whom our types of seminars are named. It was he who said "The unexamined life is not worth living," and while I think that's a bit harsh, I mostly agree.
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Quad N: My Deeply Fascinating History
The comments on my query are slowly trickling in.
Here's the latest installment in the Epic Saga of the Quad N:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At9iJ-6QFoo&feature=player_embedded
Sorry for talking a bit fast. The first take was almost 10 minutes long, so I had to cut out a lot of stuff that was even less interesting than what I ended up including. Enjoy or ignore at your discretion.
The complete synopsis of Ishaera can now be found on my NaNoWriMo profile. Add me as a buddy if you haven't already, and leave your username in a comment so I can add you (it's not reciprocal like Facebook, for some reason). http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/502334
Book updates: I read Cloaked In Red, which was brilliant in multiple senses. I especially liked "Deems the Woodgatherer" and "Little Red Riding Hood's Little Red Riding Hood" (the one with the smart cloak).
We're reading Siddhartha in English, which has provoked some interesting thoughts that deserve a post of their own.
Finally, my dad's birthday present for me came, which is a book entitled The God Debates by someone he went to high school with. It's a collection of all of the already-discussed reasons why a higher power may or may not exist, intended to stop ignorant people from repeating stuff that's already been presented. I've only read the preface so far, but I like that it aims to encompass more than the Judeo-Christian God, using "God" when referring to that and "god" when referring to the generic concept of a higher power(s).
Here's the latest installment in the Epic Saga of the Quad N:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At9iJ-6QFoo&feature=player_embedded
Sorry for talking a bit fast. The first take was almost 10 minutes long, so I had to cut out a lot of stuff that was even less interesting than what I ended up including. Enjoy or ignore at your discretion.
The complete synopsis of Ishaera can now be found on my NaNoWriMo profile. Add me as a buddy if you haven't already, and leave your username in a comment so I can add you (it's not reciprocal like Facebook, for some reason). http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/502334
Book updates: I read Cloaked In Red, which was brilliant in multiple senses. I especially liked "Deems the Woodgatherer" and "Little Red Riding Hood's Little Red Riding Hood" (the one with the smart cloak).
We're reading Siddhartha in English, which has provoked some interesting thoughts that deserve a post of their own.
Finally, my dad's birthday present for me came, which is a book entitled The God Debates by someone he went to high school with. It's a collection of all of the already-discussed reasons why a higher power may or may not exist, intended to stop ignorant people from repeating stuff that's already been presented. I've only read the preface so far, but I like that it aims to encompass more than the Judeo-Christian God, using "God" when referring to that and "god" when referring to the generic concept of a higher power(s).
My Query
I'm pretty sure I've posted my query letter on here for suggestions before, but Daphne Unfeasible of http://ktliterary.com recently critiqued it, so this time I'm including her comments as well. Tell me what you think!
Things go pretty quickly bad, I see, within a “few hours.” And the mention of the library immediately brings to mind that fabulous Doctor Who two-parter, “The Silence in the Library.” That’s a lot to live up to, there. Your language moving into paragraph three is a little rough. Can you find a better way to say “a hinting of a secret of epic proportions”? The way it’s worded now, I’m thinking that Terry may also only discover a “hinting” of Colin — although I’m curious to know if he’s the person in the previous paragraph who “keeps melting away in to the shadows.”
As you add in more details, I get a little lost, but overall, it’s something I’d definitely look at the first few pages of.
Readers, what do you think? What advice do you have for O.W.?
This is good. I agree with everything she said, actually. I just haven't been sure what to do about it.
It brings up a question, though: Ms. Unfeasible, I sent you the first few pages. What was wrong with them?
This worries me, considering certain people speak very highly of the first few pages.
Also: HA! A DOCTOR WHO REFERENCE! That, combined with the (regrettably short) nap I had earlier, combined with that I got out of school an hour early, made my day, even though it's in a semi-negative context.
Dear Ms. Unfeasible,Good opening paragraph, although I think, moving on, you can be a little more specific about where Terry arrives.
Nearly every civilization has a coming of age rite. In the 51st century, 15 year-olds travel to the dark side of their tidal-locked planet to live without adult influence for a month.
When Terry Massey first arrives, she’s expecting to have a blast, make the friends she’s never had, and start a new life. Her first few hours are great, but then things start to take a turn for the worse. A gang of thugs is terrorizing a select few citizens for seemingly no reason at all, her new friend is furious with her, and she’s surrounded by robots who might be trying to take over the world. The only person she identifies with keeps melting away into the shadows, and by trying to find him, she only succeeds in further isolating herself from the rest of her peers within the paradise of an enormous library.
She discovers a hinting of a secret of epic proportions within that library, as well as Colin, the devilishly charming and clever boy who led her to the library in the first place. As events escalate with the unbelievably irrational behavior of the rest of their age-group— especially the thugs— Terry and Colin join forces with several tea-addicts who sound like computers and an infuriating old man with secrets of his own. Together they must discover the truth behind both the actions of their fellow citizens and the enormous conspiracy that’s been lurking in the Palace’s tower for hundreds of years. And with the thugs after them, they’d better do it fast.
THE CLOCKWORK EXPERIMENT is complete at about 83,000 words. I live in [town], North Carolina, and this is my first novel.
Thanks for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
O.W.
Things go pretty quickly bad, I see, within a “few hours.” And the mention of the library immediately brings to mind that fabulous Doctor Who two-parter, “The Silence in the Library.” That’s a lot to live up to, there. Your language moving into paragraph three is a little rough. Can you find a better way to say “a hinting of a secret of epic proportions”? The way it’s worded now, I’m thinking that Terry may also only discover a “hinting” of Colin — although I’m curious to know if he’s the person in the previous paragraph who “keeps melting away in to the shadows.”
As you add in more details, I get a little lost, but overall, it’s something I’d definitely look at the first few pages of.
Readers, what do you think? What advice do you have for O.W.?
This is good. I agree with everything she said, actually. I just haven't been sure what to do about it.
It brings up a question, though: Ms. Unfeasible, I sent you the first few pages. What was wrong with them?
This worries me, considering certain people speak very highly of the first few pages.
Also: HA! A DOCTOR WHO REFERENCE! That, combined with the (regrettably short) nap I had earlier, combined with that I got out of school an hour early, made my day, even though it's in a semi-negative context.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Pirate/Ninja Day
Today I wanted our English journal to be about the psychological differences between pirates and ninjas, and those who dress up as them for Pirate/Ninja day, respectively. The journal was actually "Pirates vs. Ninjas vs. Chuck Norris. Discuss."
One thing I learned by being a ninja today is that non-costumed people treat costumed people differently. Some people looked straight past me (I amused myself by thinking that of course it must have been because ninjas are invisible). Others treated me as more of an object than a person. Example: someone in the hallway saw me and remarked to her friend "That's the coolest ninja I've seen all day."
There are a number of things wrong with that statement, but also: thanks.
So I was an Arabian Ninja Coolest Seen All Day. That's not bad.
My math teacher wore a black dress shirt with black dress pants and said "This is the closest to a ninja I'm ever getting." This is the man with pipe-cleaner ninjas hidden around his classroom planted by a student for his birthday.
My English teacher's shirt had a picture of Gandhi with an eye-patch that read "An eye for an eye makes the whole world pirates." She's also one of the five people who understood my Einstein shirt. Her dad (my Computer Programming teacher) is one of the others.
Also, if anyone happened to see a ninja tearing down the sidewalk today...that was me. I'd forgotten about Ellipsis and got all the way to Grandma's before remembering and then I ran back to school. Fun.
It occurred to me yesterday that when I have a vaguely interesting thought, my first instinct is to stick it on here. I really do still intend for this blog to have more of a theme than "Random Thoughts I Have." Maybe you'd like a Random Thoughts blog written by me, but I don't have one, nor do I plan to. I will try to restrain my random thoughts to my paper journal rather than this online one.
Maybe I just need someone to talk to about my random thoughts, and you guys are it.
One thing I learned by being a ninja today is that non-costumed people treat costumed people differently. Some people looked straight past me (I amused myself by thinking that of course it must have been because ninjas are invisible). Others treated me as more of an object than a person. Example: someone in the hallway saw me and remarked to her friend "That's the coolest ninja I've seen all day."
There are a number of things wrong with that statement, but also: thanks.
- I am not a "that." I am a "she" or at the very least a "they" if you're not sure of my gender. Not that I'm actually upset about it, but I figured I'd mention it.
- I was still in front of her. I have ears. Why not address the compliment to me?
- There isn't a three. I just said there were a number of things wrong.
So I was an Arabian Ninja Coolest Seen All Day. That's not bad.
My math teacher wore a black dress shirt with black dress pants and said "This is the closest to a ninja I'm ever getting." This is the man with pipe-cleaner ninjas hidden around his classroom planted by a student for his birthday.
My English teacher's shirt had a picture of Gandhi with an eye-patch that read "An eye for an eye makes the whole world pirates." She's also one of the five people who understood my Einstein shirt. Her dad (my Computer Programming teacher) is one of the others.
Also, if anyone happened to see a ninja tearing down the sidewalk today...that was me. I'd forgotten about Ellipsis and got all the way to Grandma's before remembering and then I ran back to school. Fun.
It occurred to me yesterday that when I have a vaguely interesting thought, my first instinct is to stick it on here. I really do still intend for this blog to have more of a theme than "Random Thoughts I Have." Maybe you'd like a Random Thoughts blog written by me, but I don't have one, nor do I plan to. I will try to restrain my random thoughts to my paper journal rather than this online one.
Maybe I just need someone to talk to about my random thoughts, and you guys are it.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
I Am A Teenager
Today I received an email regarding my interview and what steps to take next.
Want to know what I said (not in a reply- I was speaking to my computer)?
"No. Not right now. I am a teenager, and I want to make my Robot Unicorn fly through magical stars with Rainbow Attacks on Facebook and compete with my friends. I want to watch TV on Hulu. I want to sneak the last piece of cake when nobody's looking. I have a limited amount of time supported by my parents, and I am going to have fun."
And I did. I'm now the Robot Unicorn champion once more, I'm caught up on House (but I didn't eat the cake). I enjoyed myself. I am happy.
Now I'm back to work, recording a song that I hope to get on Jingle Spells 4, The Leaky Cauldron's annual holiday charity album, filling out NaNoWriMo pre-interview questionaires, worrying about elementary school writing club next week...and I'm still happy.
But I'm going to go play disc golf with my dad later.
It's not that I'm feeling overwhelmed- far from it. It's just that while I'm more self-motivated than a lot of people my age, it's incredibly fun to ignore stuff I should be doing and do anything but, as long as I'm getting joy out of it. Playing Minesweeper just because I don't feel like doing anything else doesn't count. I have to be actively procrastinating.
How was the PSAT for any of you that took it today?
Oddly enough, I found it to be the most enjoyable standardized test I've ever taken, which is a weird thing to say, but it's true.
Want to know what I said (not in a reply- I was speaking to my computer)?
"No. Not right now. I am a teenager, and I want to make my Robot Unicorn fly through magical stars with Rainbow Attacks on Facebook and compete with my friends. I want to watch TV on Hulu. I want to sneak the last piece of cake when nobody's looking. I have a limited amount of time supported by my parents, and I am going to have fun."
And I did. I'm now the Robot Unicorn champion once more, I'm caught up on House (but I didn't eat the cake). I enjoyed myself. I am happy.
Now I'm back to work, recording a song that I hope to get on Jingle Spells 4, The Leaky Cauldron's annual holiday charity album, filling out NaNoWriMo pre-interview questionaires, worrying about elementary school writing club next week...and I'm still happy.
But I'm going to go play disc golf with my dad later.
It's not that I'm feeling overwhelmed- far from it. It's just that while I'm more self-motivated than a lot of people my age, it's incredibly fun to ignore stuff I should be doing and do anything but, as long as I'm getting joy out of it. Playing Minesweeper just because I don't feel like doing anything else doesn't count. I have to be actively procrastinating.
How was the PSAT for any of you that took it today?
Oddly enough, I found it to be the most enjoyable standardized test I've ever taken, which is a weird thing to say, but it's true.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Real Einstein
Today was our seminar on Lord of the Flies. While I love seminars, it's annoying when I'm on the outer circle and can't say anything. There were certain topics I wanted to talk about that our circle never got to when we were on the inside. There was a "hot seat," but my entire circle used it too much and the hot seat went out of commission for awhile because the people who were supposed to be talking didn't have a chance to get a word in.
When they got to talking about how things would have been different if there were girls on the island and how when reading you forget that they're all under twelve, I wanted to abandon Lord of the Flies right then and there and move on to discussing Ender's Game. But only two people in that circle had read it (I asked), so that discussion went nowhere.
My other problem with seminars is that I think out my point, but then when I'm actually saying it I leave out important bits and it comes across entirely differently than I intended. This is why I loved the forum-based discussions we had on Blackboard last year. It's why I prefer blogging to vlogging.
Today's also "Einstein Day," but since hardly anyone knows much about what Einstein actually did, it turned into more of a "Nerd Day." I heard that they only called it "Einstein Day" because "Nerd Day" would have been offensive. I actually find "Einstein" more offensive, because everyone's representing false interpretations of him. Most people are wearing glasses with tape on them. I have a number of problems with this.
1. Einstein didn't wear glasses, except maybe for reading. I'm not sure.
2. Not all nerds wear glasses.
3. Those of us who do often get contacts.
4. People with glasses TAKE CARE OF THEM. We never allow them to get to the point where tape is needed.
Someone brought a toy lightsaber. Someone wore a shirt with Pi on it. These, while nice things to do, aren't related to Einstein.
Some people have shirts from a nearby planetarium with Einstein's head made out of stars with a quote from him. These are very cool. I wish I had one. Unfortunately, I don't, so I turned an old shirt of mine inside out and wrote on it "Space- it's just a matter of Time." That actually is related to Einstein's work.
Also, my Facebook status now reads "If only Einstein had lived another 20 years, he would have discovered that the Unified Theory of Everything is quite simple: 42." Ha. Geek humor.
When they got to talking about how things would have been different if there were girls on the island and how when reading you forget that they're all under twelve, I wanted to abandon Lord of the Flies right then and there and move on to discussing Ender's Game. But only two people in that circle had read it (I asked), so that discussion went nowhere.
My other problem with seminars is that I think out my point, but then when I'm actually saying it I leave out important bits and it comes across entirely differently than I intended. This is why I loved the forum-based discussions we had on Blackboard last year. It's why I prefer blogging to vlogging.
Today's also "Einstein Day," but since hardly anyone knows much about what Einstein actually did, it turned into more of a "Nerd Day." I heard that they only called it "Einstein Day" because "Nerd Day" would have been offensive. I actually find "Einstein" more offensive, because everyone's representing false interpretations of him. Most people are wearing glasses with tape on them. I have a number of problems with this.
1. Einstein didn't wear glasses, except maybe for reading. I'm not sure.
2. Not all nerds wear glasses.
3. Those of us who do often get contacts.
4. People with glasses TAKE CARE OF THEM. We never allow them to get to the point where tape is needed.
Someone brought a toy lightsaber. Someone wore a shirt with Pi on it. These, while nice things to do, aren't related to Einstein.
Some people have shirts from a nearby planetarium with Einstein's head made out of stars with a quote from him. These are very cool. I wish I had one. Unfortunately, I don't, so I turned an old shirt of mine inside out and wrote on it "Space- it's just a matter of Time." That actually is related to Einstein's work.
Also, my Facebook status now reads "If only Einstein had lived another 20 years, he would have discovered that the Unified Theory of Everything is quite simple: 42." Ha. Geek humor.
Monday, October 11, 2010
For The Love Of...
"Don’t make stuff to make money, because you will never make enough money.
Don’t make stuff because you want to be famous, because you will never feel famous enough.
Make gifts for people. And work hard on those gifts in hopes that those people will notice the gifts and will like the gifts. Maybe they will notice how hard you worked and maybe they won’t, trust me, I know it’s frustrating.
But ultimately, that doesn’t change anything, because your responsibility is not to the people you’re making the gift for, but to the gift itself.” - John Green
And that there is my philosophy on writing, blogging, video-blogging, music, and pretty much every other creative escapade I endeavor to do.
"Most of the best reasons for loving places are people." - Hank Green
Insert some interesting philosophical stuff here for me, will you? I have a Lord of the Flies pre-seminar to write (it's 4 and a half pages so far and only halfway done), so I don't have time.
Good Lord, I just checked the stats and I got a whopping 51 views on the review of Lowecase. Thanks for the re-tweet, DFTBA Records! If any of you ALL CAPS fans stuck around for other posts, hi! That was unexpected. That post is now the second most-viewed, with Fear being the first.
Here's the second episode of the Quad N: Great (NaNo-Tastic!) Expectations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trECt5-TJY0
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