Random Thoughts 4

Sunday, October 31, 2010

- Oh! I just remembered I used to be the guy who wanted to be every girls favorite person even if I didn’t like them back! When did that change? I’m glad, but when? And who do I know who’s still like that? What can I learn from them?...

Monday, November 01, 2010

- I discovered something random today. Like 99% of BYU parking faces East/West, which is trouble if you want to park facing South so the sun can shine through port side of your van while you do homework in solitary confinement.

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

- Good news and bad news. The good news is, I seem to have enough time to do most the things I’d like. Read scriptures, listen to conference talks, do homework, spend time with people, even read a little for fun. The bad news is for the last week straight or so I have been SO TERRIBLE at focusing when it comes time to do homework! It ends up taking me like 3 hours over the whole week to read a 30 minute chapter. So I have the time, I just can’t seem to spend it as efficiently as I usually do, and it’s driving me crazy!

- later addendum: I did nothing for 4 hours this morning, but the last 4 hours since then have been all sorts of productive. Maybe I’m only useful after complaining about being useless haha.

- I had an interesting realization. I think of myself as witty (and cocky, but that’s not what I’m addressing here) but I believe I could be described as ‘reactionarily witty’ or some such. If someone told me to go write a funny short story, I’d have no idea where to even start. But I seem to be able to come up with funny or intelligent things to say all the time in conversation. Weird.

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

- For powerful writing, be aware of the ratio of glue to meat words.

- I tend to use wishy washy “I think that” and “maybe this is because” type statements a lot in writing and even in conversation. I think that (haha, I’m not changing that usage this time) I speak this way because people tend to butt heads if I don’t. If I say “this show is over the line” people who disagree get defensive or try to prove me wrong. But if I say “I think this show is over the line” people who disagree accept the statement much easier. Not saying they change their opinion any easier, they just don’t fight me as much. Which is good because my intention wasn’t to fight anyway.
What I don’t understand is, if I attach the words “I think” why does it make such a big difference? Of course it’s what I think, if it wasn’t, why would I be stating it? If I don’t include “I think” it’s like people assume I started the statement with “everybody knows that” or “science his undeniably proven”, so people tend to go “hey hey, wait a minute!” I’m going to cut more “I think” type filler words from my writing and verbal communication and see how it goes over…

- “not every problem needs to be legislated into submission.”

- Hmm, so often times if a guy seems too interested, a girl shuts down immediately. Like if he plans an elaborate date, or plans a date at all when he’s usually shy, girls assume the guy must be obsessed with her and they start thinking of ways to let them down gently before even giving them a chance. I realized this has an opposite, if a girl is bugged or feels devalued because the guy asked her last minute. There is a fairly easy balance to be point to with this though.

Thursday, November 04, 2010

- Good to Great talks about how when companies reach greatness, to us it seems like the company was an egg that hatched and is now a great company. But really, the company can’t think of any moment to point to that represented such an event, for them it was a process. I think most people don’t realize this is how most everything in life works. Take testimonies for example.

- I discovered I can take off my own shoes! I'd never really tried before. Haven't figured out how to put them back on though yet...

Friday, November 05, 2010

- I realized a good comparison of how I’d like my outlook on women to be. Note that this is not at all the point I’m at, but I’d like to want women the same way I want money. Money is great, I love having/getting money, for the most part if I have an opportunity to get money I take it and appreciate it. But I don’t ever think about how I wish I had more money. If offered money I don’t refuse because I’d rather be poor. Although sometimes I discourage people from giving me money because I feel like I didn’t earn it or because I know they’re low on money too… this sentence doesn’t have parallels to my analogy though. The point is, I’d like to be happy to have dating opportunities, and take them when I see them, but I don’t want to ever think about how I don’t have a girlfriend.

- I sure end up saying stuff like “my body is angry at me today” really often, and it’s always true at the time. The last 2 weeks or so I’ve either been super tired or super light headed almost every day, and it makes it harder to get stuff done. I often end up just quitting for the day earlier than I usually would with the excuse I don’t feel well and I’ll feel better the next day. However, I had the thought, what if this was just normal for me now? Luckily I believe it’s not, but it’s certainly not uncommon for someone to develop a health problem that never really leaves them be. I need to find new/different ways to be more productive despite set-backs like fatigue or lightheadedness rather than using them as an excuse to play small.

- Know what’s more fun than seeing some wacky dressed college student? Seeing a wacky dressed person who has to be at least 40. “You mean, it’s been 40 years and you still haven’t matured? I’m impressed.”

- man, I’m introspective today. I was thinking about which jokes are ‘ok’ and which aren’t according to the Book of Corby, and I found it immensely difficult to contain in concise rules. For example, particularly lately my passiveness towards sexual humor has dropped a bunch. It bugs me enough to not sit in the room and watch flight of the conchords or family guy generally. It bugs me because it makes a mockery of very sacred values. So I was thinking, jokes that make light of church/my values bug me. But! Violent jokes are totally fine with me. Maybe it has to do with sexual jokes being taken far over the line while violent jokes aren’t, but really what makes “I will RAPE you!” not ok and “I will KILL you!” ok? Generally my thoughts were that violent jokes are ok because I don’t really think anyone is going to kill anyone, or tear your face off or stab you in the throat or whatever phrase I admittedly think is funny and appropriate still. But how is this any different value wise? I don’t believe my friends are going to rape anyone any more than they’re going to kill anyone. True raping is joking about destroying virtue and is a terrible sin. But isn’t murder taking away someone’s agency and a worse sin than fornication? Plus, I don’t mind fighting, but blood bugs me? A thought I had a long time ago is I’m not really tempted at all to be violent, but breaking chastity is a temptation. So maybe I don’t appreciate thoughts that might be stick in my mind with sexual jokes, whereas violent jokes are meh. But then this makes “appropriate” jokes entirely subjective to what someone does and doesn’t struggle with. Yeah, I have no idea how to put my standing into concise terms. For the record though I still think joking about sex is over the top lately, and joking about violence is fine.

- I think it’s funny when strangers apologize for not hitting a door opening button for/before me. People do realize the button is designed so that I can open the doors myself, not so others can more easily open doors for me, right? Working as intended fellas, no need to apologize.

Saturday, November 06, 2010

- So I was praying last night and asked “what can I be doing different?” that’s how I ended up quitting video games. Pretty much all through high school if I’d pray “what can I be doing different?” I’d feel ike “play less video games” at which point I’d think something like, “I don’t see what’s wrong with video games, what could I be doing different besides that?” and I’d never get any other promptings. I finally gave that up enough that I don’t get that answer anymore. That was a tangent though, the point is, recently, when praying about it I get the feeling to not read the novel I am -or planning on- reading. This basically makes me doubt my ability to get promptings as a whole. There are warnings about video game addiction, I felt I played excessively enough, sometimes things I encountered in video games would light urges to do other stupid stuff, I can understand the reasoning to suppress my time playing video games dramatically. Books on the other hand are all round reputably encouraged. I feel like what I really am being asked is to give up something important to me. The problem is I don’t know what I’d replace it with. I really feel I need some escape, some enjoyment, I don’t think I’d be prompted to never have time to myself. I just don’t understand L.