don't call me a fuckup

earth day is every day

2008-04-22T22:39:00.004-04:00

Today, while reading The Book of General Ignorance, I learned that every time you or I have been bitten by a mosquito, it has been a female! Male mosquitoes only bite plants. Thanks girls

years months days seconds whatever

2008-04-16T20:50:00.004-04:00

time is ridiculous.

apparently today i've lived 20 years.
that also equals:
0.2 century
2 decades
243.33333333 months
1042.8571429 weeks
7300 days
175200 hours
630720000 seconds
630720000000000000 nanoseconds

so, again, time is ridiculous.
imagine letting go of time completely. what if clocks and watches didn't exist, schedules gone, the pressing urgency of making it somewhere on time eliminated...?
idealist? maybe. but just think about how nice it would be!

i suppose you could call me a luftmensch

2008-04-13T01:05:00.006-04:00

I don't like putting words in a box.
But here I am, typing away. I do this in an attempt to convey some type of emotion, feeling, state of mind, but it's at these times that I realize the limitations of language. Or maybe the limitations of my vocabulary? In celebration of the difficulties I have with expressing myself through writing, I am going through my email to read the 'Word of the Day's that I never opened and sharing them for your learning (or relearning) pleasure.
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ascetic
Meaning

1 : practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline

*2 : austere in appearance, manner, or attitude

Example Sentence

Ms. Walter's plain, dark clothing and pulled-back hair give her an ascetic appearance, but she is actually very warm and fun-loving.

velleity
Meaning

1 : the lowest degree of volition

*2 : a slight wish or tendency : inclination

Example Sentence

Samuel sometimes mentions that he would like to go back to school, but his interest strikes me as more of a velleity than a firm statement of purpose.

omphalos
Meaning

: a central point : hub, focal point

Example Sentence

“New Yorkers tend to see their city as the world’s omphalos.” (Alexandra Simou, The New York Sun, February 23, 2005)

luftmensch
Meaning

: an impractical contemplative person having no definite business or income

Example Sentence

I worry that my nephew, who has several advanced degrees but no practical skills, will be a luftmensch all his life.

Did you know?

Are you someone who always seems to have your head in the clouds? Do you have trouble getting down to the lowly business of earning a living? If so, you may deserve to be labeled a "luftmensch." That airy appellation is an adaptation of the Yiddish "luftmentsh," which breaks down into "luft" (a Germanic root meaning "air" that is also related to the English words "loft" and "lofty”) plus "mentsh," meaning "human being." "Luftmensch" was first introduced to English prose in 1907, when Israel Zangwill wrote, "The word 'Luftmensch' flew into Barstein's mind. Nehemiah was not an earth-man…. He was an air-man, floating on facile wings."

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Why rely so much on text based communication? Pick up your phone today and talk to someone. Maybe you can even meet up! Let's start being human again and interacting face to face. Perhaps you'll even find these words useful in verbal conversation. I'll end this with one of my favorite poems:

To You

STRANGER! if you, passing, meet me, and desire to speak to me,
Why should you not speak to me?
And why should I not speak to you?

- Walt Whitman

fresh start, new beginnings

2008-04-13T00:02:00.004-04:00

I'd say I'm a fairly techno-phobic person (meaning I try to avoid technology), but I think this could be an exciting and interesting endeavor.

Dropping out of college is something that 15 year old me never could have guessed would happen. The prospect of college seemed like heaven, the ultimate escape from a mundane suburban life. Beyond endless fun and debauchery, I had the idea that college would propel me into an unending cascade of knowledge and ideas. And that it did, in its own structured way. However, the pre-made education feel of the university left me unsatisfied. Exploring the libraries and perusing shelves upon shelves of books, I realized with awe the enormity of how much there is to learn. The more aware I became of the infinite quality of learning, the less thrilled I became with college.
Why limit myself to a university setting with a core of predetermined knowledge? Why hastily belabor the thoughts and ideas of others when I can enjoy them at my own pace, draw my own conclusions? Why cram my head with information I will soon forget in order to obtain a grade, while struggling to find time to learn things I enjoy?
Perhaps I've made a rash decision. Yet, what's done is done, and I'm not about to let this be something I regret. I've let go of college, but my love of learning is still burning, so don't call me a fuckup.