Lazypud
Ok! so yeah, I have been busy and unmotivated for the past three weeks. Work has been going well. The semester has finally slipped into finals making the days much easier at work. Professors + students + busy = staff gets left alone.
Speaking of finals, I have one this entire afternoon. Taking classes and working full time is no good. I respect the people who are able too constantly take courses while working or with more classes - it's difficult not having any time for social obligations.
RANT: Taking honors physics has scared me away from pursuing an intense higher education again (PhD!). Being out of college for a few years then going back - it's way more difficult for me to be modivated. I already know exactly how much I don't use the majority of the classes. I'm even more aware at how friviolous group projects and examinations are and that their intended concequence is to force someone to study. Taking tests and silly projects may help me learn the material a little better - but it really makes it difficult to enjoy the material. There's no time to focus on very interesting points in the material due to review days and constant examinations. I loved the occasional class period where my 'aged and wise' professor stepped forward on an aside to discuss things within his field of research - mass extinction events caused by nearby high energy gamma ray bursts or his personal thoughts behind some of the universe ending hypotheses. The tight schedule of examinations prevented many of these asides - he'd literally say "oh no I cannot go into that, we must finish this."
These tests and assingments are, so far, the best way to assure that students going into a critical field know their shit. I want my pharmacist to pass a rigiorious instruction in chemistry and biology. I don't think someone dabbling in physics for personal interest and use needs to be treated to the same 'fail out' course intensity. Higher education should spend some resources focusing on a more casual scientist - someone who's interested to use the material in their garages and back yards, but isn't smart or modivated enough to pursue a true scientific career. I think it would lead to some neat innovation or discovery. I guess this whole attitude is the same reason I dropped out of Mechanical Engineering so long ago.
MEATSPACE: Not much has changed. The city of lawrence has decided to rip up the street infront of my apartment 6 days a week - making me very thankful that I can sleep through a bear attack. The improvements that the city is throwing into the street right there makes me believe that the old "historic" building I reside in's days are numbered. The building's new neighbor - a huge hotel, presumabally for rich sport fans, is about 50% complete. I'm expecting a developer to come in and level that corner of campus when it's a bit closer to completion. I would have said First Management's (the worst fucking management company ever) refusal to fix anything inside the apartment was an indicator - but they don't fix shit anywhere. ever.
Otherwise all is good. My teeth extraction was kosher - I had a great 5 days laying around playing GTA4 and Dwarf Fortress while dead to the world from codine. Oh! So earlier the week I got my teeth out, some kid got put into a coma because he went without oxygen for 5 minutes. Aparently whoever setup the NO2 tubes in the surgeons new office didn't properly setup the oxygen feed - the kid only received nitrus for about 5 minutes and still hasn't woken up. I only heard about this from coworkers and couldn't find anything on the web, but still! Kinda cool to dodge that bullet.
VACATION: I'm looking at scheduling a Vegas trip with some buddies in the stead of the usual trip to Burning Man. 4 days in luxury, huge buffettes, free drinks and showers sounds more enjoyable (this year) than 10 days of dust, drugs and MREs. I'm also trying to rope someone into going to PAX with me afterwards.
I am planning on taking some time this fall to take a handful of weekend courses:
SIG SAUER - Armorer and 101 courses
On-Point Tactical - Basic Scout
Urban Excape and Evasion
Oh, and I can't forget the yearly snowboarding trip to Durango. Purgatory and Telluride are high on the list!
May 12th, 2009 - 05:46
Fun to see you bloggin again. I’m going to attempt to find time to toss something up on my own later. I sent Johnny cakes an email about BM v Vegas. I still lean towards BM, cause well… it’s BM; but who knows! Glad you didn’t go into a coma, even if you do deserve it ya useless git!
May 16th, 2009 - 14:17
let me know if you actually find the motivation to get off your ass and go to those classes, im totally there. (esp the scout and urban ones)
June 2nd, 2009 - 10:37
Post ye filthy cur!
June 12th, 2009 - 09:10
Lazypud = 2 posts since march!
June 18th, 2009 - 00:03
Reading this was intense and it reminds me how long it’s been since I had an h to poke at my flab with a cock’d eyebrow. I hereby declare that I, Joshua Causey, will attend PAX this year with Michael Harry, or may the pastafarian zombie masses munch on me bones!