It's rare that I find something on the internet that I truly enjoy. So much of it is entertaining, but meaningless. I often find myself blankly staring at yet another funny picture or joke, wondering why I do this. Alternatively, there are websites with neatly packaged advice and deep meaning, a la Chicken Soup for the ____ Soul. Everything2 is not either of these.
Stories here have made me laugh, have made me cry, and have made chills run down my spine. This one in particular got to me today.
http://everything2.com/title/What+is+true+in+life#dannye
Life is funny sometimes.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Socks
It was a cold day today. 14 degrees Celsius, 57 degrees Fahrenheit, with a 7 mph wind headed west. It was even colder at night, dipping into the 40s Fahrenheit. I've never minded cold weather, so I headed out in a t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops like I always do. The chill starts at my extremities, but it never completes the trip up my arteries and veins into the rest of my body, held back by the cellular respiration that burns somewhere between 2500 and 3500 Calories per day, or on average 125 Calories per hour, 2 Calories or so per minute. The part of me that takes refuge in objectivity and numbers contemplates the analogy to steady-flow conditions that my body is currently in: even if I can never be in thermal equilibrium, at least the derivative of my body temperature with respect to time is zero.
Normally I don't mind the cold. But today it's not my feet or hands that are really cold, although they are numb from the chill of the night air coming in through the open window. I put on my warm socks and ensconce myself carefully in my bed. My feet may still be cold, but that's not really the point of these socks. I wasn't lying when I said I would wear these socks when I felt cold; I just didn't tell you that it's not my feet I'm trying to keep warm.
You may never understand exactly what I mean, but that's okay with me.
Normally I don't mind the cold. But today it's not my feet or hands that are really cold, although they are numb from the chill of the night air coming in through the open window. I put on my warm socks and ensconce myself carefully in my bed. My feet may still be cold, but that's not really the point of these socks. I wasn't lying when I said I would wear these socks when I felt cold; I just didn't tell you that it's not my feet I'm trying to keep warm.
You may never understand exactly what I mean, but that's okay with me.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Gay
Someone died too young recently. He was filmed in a sexual encounter with another man by his roommate. He committed suicide rather than face the consequences.
It hurts when I hear about someone else committing suicide. I may not have known him, but I know the depths of suffering that he must have felt to commit that final act. Being gay still marks people, sets them apart from their family and friends, and instills often overwhelming self hatred in them. Another author has put this down into fiction more poignantly than I could hope to:
http://everything2.com/title/There+is+no+answer%253B+there+is+no+question
To anyone out there who is gay: I support you. I cannot understand completely, but I know the hurt and loneliness that you may feel. Many people feel isolated and inferior at some point in their lives. Please, don't let society get you down. Don't sacrifice your ideals and happiness because of such a small difference.
It hurts when I hear about someone else committing suicide. I may not have known him, but I know the depths of suffering that he must have felt to commit that final act. Being gay still marks people, sets them apart from their family and friends, and instills often overwhelming self hatred in them. Another author has put this down into fiction more poignantly than I could hope to:
http://everything2.com/title/There+is+no+answer%253B+there+is+no+question
To anyone out there who is gay: I support you. I cannot understand completely, but I know the hurt and loneliness that you may feel. Many people feel isolated and inferior at some point in their lives. Please, don't let society get you down. Don't sacrifice your ideals and happiness because of such a small difference.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Reasons I Have a Bike
1. It takes 2.5 minutes to reach Joanne's apartment.
2. It takes 6 minutes to reach a class across campus.
3. It takes 2 minutes to get to Joanne's lab late at night to walk her home.
4. It takes 5 minutes to get to Safeway to buy groceries.
5. It takes 7 minutes to meet Joanne at RSF.
6. It takes 6 minutes to get to band rehearsal.
7. It takes 10 minutes to get to band rehearsal from Joanne's apartment.
8. It's good exercise and keeps me healthy and thinking clearly.
9. It's good exercise so that Joanne likes my legs.
10. It's exciting.
2. It takes 6 minutes to reach a class across campus.
3. It takes 2 minutes to get to Joanne's lab late at night to walk her home.
4. It takes 5 minutes to get to Safeway to buy groceries.
5. It takes 7 minutes to meet Joanne at RSF.
6. It takes 6 minutes to get to band rehearsal.
7. It takes 10 minutes to get to band rehearsal from Joanne's apartment.
8. It's good exercise and keeps me healthy and thinking clearly.
9. It's good exercise so that Joanne likes my legs.
10. It's exciting.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Purity Tests?
The Cal band trombone section has an interesting tradition. Purity bonding. We all gather in the band house, get drunk and take a questionnaire about what we have and haven't done. If you want to take it yourself, here it is:
http://www.armory.com/tests/100.html (btw, amend MOS to PPG: person of preferred gender. This test was written with an extremely strong heterosexual bias and has since been rectified elsewhere, just not in this version).
I scored a 27. That's right, I won. At the end of the night I had the lowest purity score out of any of the Cal band trombone or saxophone section. That is quite an impressive feat.
People congratulated me and said things like, "Wow, you are really sick! That's awesome!"
The funny thing is though, I don't feel sick. There was a girl who scored a 99. She has never kissed a boy, never been on a date, never had an orgasm, never tasted alcohol. She is "pure." If she came to these decisions of her own accord, I have a lot of respect for her willpower and individuality, but I have to say that I feel no less pure than she is.
Nearly every single purity point that I lost was in the context of a long term relationship. We dated for 3 years, and shared nearly everything together. We both often felt that we didn't receive enough love at home for various reasons, and we found it for ourselves. She helped me turn my life around and get to the point where I am now: happy, confident, and successful.
I have always been very careful, and have not done things I find morally objectionable or harmful such as taking hard drugs or smoking cigarettes. So I object to this idea of purity and sexuality. I believe it causes far too much anxiety in our world when it is at odds with our desires not for sex, but for intimacy and love. Our popular culture has capitalized on this schism in our perception of sex, and assaults us with images of irresponsible sex to sell consumer goods.
So let's do ourselves a favor. It's time to abandon the concept of being sexually pure. We should instead praise people for being sexually responsible and happy.
http://www.armory.com/tests/100.html (btw, amend MOS to PPG: person of preferred gender. This test was written with an extremely strong heterosexual bias and has since been rectified elsewhere, just not in this version).
I scored a 27. That's right, I won. At the end of the night I had the lowest purity score out of any of the Cal band trombone or saxophone section. That is quite an impressive feat.
People congratulated me and said things like, "Wow, you are really sick! That's awesome!"
The funny thing is though, I don't feel sick. There was a girl who scored a 99. She has never kissed a boy, never been on a date, never had an orgasm, never tasted alcohol. She is "pure." If she came to these decisions of her own accord, I have a lot of respect for her willpower and individuality, but I have to say that I feel no less pure than she is.
Nearly every single purity point that I lost was in the context of a long term relationship. We dated for 3 years, and shared nearly everything together. We both often felt that we didn't receive enough love at home for various reasons, and we found it for ourselves. She helped me turn my life around and get to the point where I am now: happy, confident, and successful.
I have always been very careful, and have not done things I find morally objectionable or harmful such as taking hard drugs or smoking cigarettes. So I object to this idea of purity and sexuality. I believe it causes far too much anxiety in our world when it is at odds with our desires not for sex, but for intimacy and love. Our popular culture has capitalized on this schism in our perception of sex, and assaults us with images of irresponsible sex to sell consumer goods.
So let's do ourselves a favor. It's time to abandon the concept of being sexually pure. We should instead praise people for being sexually responsible and happy.
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