Hiatus

I've decided to take a temporary hiatus from public blogging (with the exception of ACL Chronicles). The hiatus could be a month or even longer. 

2015 New Year's Resolution

Continue cultivating a beautiful soul*, worth sharing with others. <3

Love,
--dreyers

*soul = vessel, being, humanity, etc etc

The Old Raja’s Notes on What’s What

(and what it might be reasonable to do about what’s what)

From Island by Aldous Huxley

I
Nobody needs to go anywhere else. We are all, if we only knew it, already there.
If I only knew who in fact I am, I should cease to behave as what I think I am; and if I stopped behaving as what I think I am, I should know who I am.
What in fact I am, if only the Manichee I think I am would allow me to know it, is the reconciliation of yes and no lived out in total acceptance and the blessed experience of Not-Two. 

In religion all words are dirty words. Anyone who gets eloquent about Buddha, or God, or Christ, ought to have his mouth washed out with carbolic soap.
Because his aspiration to perpetuate only the “yes” in every pair of opposites can never, in the nature of things, be realized, the insulated Manichee I think I am condemns himself to endlessly repeated frustration, endlessly repeated conflicts with other aspiring and frustrated Manichees. 

Conflicts and frustrations—the theme of all history and almost all biography. “I show you sorrow,” said the Buddha realistically. But he also showed the ending of sorrow—self-knowledge, total acceptance, the blessed experience of Not-Two. 

II
Knowing who in fact we are results in Good Being, and Good Being results in the most appropriate kind of good doing. But good doing does not of itself result in Good Being. We can be virtuous without knowing who in fact we are. The beings who are merely good are not Good Beings; they are just pillars of society. 

Most pillars are their own Samsons. They hold up, but sooner or later they pull down. There has never been a society in which most good doing was the product of Good Being and therefore constantly appropriate. This does not mean that there will never be such a society or that we in Pala are fools for trying to call it into existence. 

III
The Yogin and the Stoic—two righteous egos who achieve their very considerable results by pretending, systematically, to be somebody else. But it is not by pretending to be somebody else, even somebody supremely good and wise, that we can pass from insulated Manichee-hood to Good Being. 

Good Being is knowing who in fact we are; and in order to know who in fact we are, we must first know, moment by moment, who we think we are and what that bad habit of thought compels us to feel and do. A moment of clear and complete knowledge of what we think we are, but in fact are not, puts a stop, for the moment, to the Manichean charade. If we renew, until they become a continuity, these moments of the knowledge of what we are not, we may find ourselves, all of a sudden, knowing who in fact we are. 

Concentration, abstract thinking, spiritual exercises—systematic exclusions in the realm of thought. Asceticism and hedonism—systematic exclusions in the realms of sensation, feeling and action. But Good Being is in the knowledge of who in fact is in relation to all experiences. So be aware—aware in every context, at all times and whatever, creditable or discreditable, pleasant or unpleasant, you may be doing or suffering. This is the only genuine yoga, the only spiritual exercise worth practicing. 

The more a man knows about individual objects, the more he knows about God. Translating Spinoza’s language into ours, we can say: The more a man knows about himself in relation to every kind of experience, the greater his chance of suddenly, one fine morning, realizing who in fact he is—or rather Who (capital W) in Fact (capital F) “he” (between quotation marks) Is (capital I). 

St. John was right. In a blessedly speechless universe, the Word was not only with God; it was God. As a something to be believed in. God is a projected symbol, a reified name. God = “God.” 

Faith is something very different from belief. Belief is the systematic taking of unanalyzed words much too seriously. Paul’s words, Mohammed’s words, Marx’s words, Hitler’s words—people take them too seriously, and what happens? What happens is the senseless ambivalence of history—sadism versus duty, or (incomparably worse) sadism as duty; devotion counterbalanced by organized paranoia; sisters of charity selflessly tending the victims of their own church’s inquisitors and crusaders. Faith, on the contrary, can never be taken too seriously. For Faith is the empirically justified confidence in our capacity to know who in fact we are, to forget the belief-intoxicated Manichee in Good Being. Give us this day our daily Faith, but deliver us, dear God, from Belief.

Books and Movies of 2014

I challenged myself this year to get back into the swing of reading for leisure and for soaking up new information and ideas. Here are the complete lists of media I consumed over the past year (since I started keeping track in May). I wish I had read more but this was a great start!

Text size and boldness indicates how the book or movie ranks as a favorite or recommended! (Re-read material not included). I think my favorite authors over my lifetime have been: C.S. Lewis, Aldous Huxley, and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.. Paulo Coelho could make the list... but I think I need to read more than The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes to know for sure. Heh.

Books Finished

Being Digital (Nicholas Negroponte, 1995)
Cat's Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut, 1963)
Deciphering the Cosmic Number (Arthur I. Miller, 2009)
Divergent (Veronica Roth, 2011)
Freakonomics (Stephen J. Dubner, Steven D. Levitt, 2005)
I, Robot (Isaac Asimov, 1950)
Meditations (Marcus Aurelius, 1909)
Mindfulness in Plain English (Bhante Gunarantana, 1992)
The Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx, Freidrich Engels, 1848)
The End of Eternity (Isaac Asimov, 1955)
The Last Question (Isaac Asimov, 1956 short story)
Thinking, Fast and Slow (Daniel Khaneman, 2011)
World War Z: An Oral History... (Max Brooks, 2006)
[re] The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde, 1891)
[re] The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth (Scott Peck, 1978)

Sci-Fi/Fantasy: 4

Young Adult: 1

Non-fiction: 4

Fiction: 1

Philosophy: 4

Total Books Read: 14 (13)

Movies Watched

Big Hero 6 (2014)
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
Neighbors (2014)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
The Lego Movie (2014)
The Maze Runner 2014)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Zoolander (2001)
[re] Crazy Stupid Love (2011)
[re] How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
[re] Star Trek (2009)

Buenos Propósitos del Año Nuevo

Ahora Leyendo: Island (Alduous Huxley, 1962); TF&S
Ahora Escuchando: Mistletoe (Justine Bieber) <- jajajaja

Ahora es un buen momento para reflexionar sobre el pasado.

Oh boo, it's too hard to think in Spanish right now... my mind's been overactive as I've been trying to distract myself from the discomfort of my knee.

I normally don't condone new year's resolutions/goals but I thought I'd use this post to renew commitments to some of my prior goals:

• Continue learning Spanish! (Duolingo every day, two Spanish posts per month)
• Reduce/control sugar intake and abate that sweet tooth of mine. This is in light of recently learning my dad is diabetic now. I'll need to figure out a reasonable sugar quota based on current intake.
• Continue reading lots of books! Yummm, finally satiating my inner literary geek. Write four short stories by the end of the year. :]
• Continue learning Mandarin songs. (3 more by.. February?)
• Join IM basketball by summer or fall. (Continue physical therapy and improve shooting technique)
• Take up a new physically relaxing hobby. (Archery?)
• Travel! Go to Europe in June! Paris for a Ophthalmology conference... awesome incentive at work.

P.S. not being able to walk sucks... :'(

Un-Taming of the Shrewd [The Reduced Shakespeare Company]

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

It was in an AP English Literature and Composition class at Oxford Academy that I first heard of The Reduced Shakespeare Company, RSC (not to be confused with the Royal Shakespeare Company). We were reading Hamlet and subsequently watched RSC do an abridged version from an online copy of their Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). Needless to say, hilarity ensued and I aspired to see them live--eventually. Because live theater is, well, awesome.

All the Great Works (abridged)

Six years later, I finally saw RSC live at the Laguna Beach Playhouse when they did "All the Great Works [abridged]," a fast-paced dive through nearly one hundred different great works of literature. This show is full of wit and brevity and... class. *snicker*

All the Great Works is structured in an English class whose syllabus covers everything from The Fountainhead to Frankenstein to The Grapes of Wrath to Green Eggs and Ham to War and Peace. I haven't read that last one but apparently I don't need to now. Having read less than half the books in the syllabus (36% to be exact), I still found it funny the entire time. I didn't catch all of the references which makes me realize just how well-read I'm actually not. That's fine by me given the limited spare time I have to improve my literacy. (Admittedly, the average age of the audience members was markedly higher than the ages of Sofia, Noah, Jasper, or I.. perhaps old people have had more time to read...)

And hey, I got an A+ and their autographs on my diploma! :D

It helps that many other references to works such as The Scarlet Letter, Jaws, and The Interpretation of Dreams have been popularized or referenced in a modern form of media that I've encountered. This helped me understand at least half of the book references from the syllabus. I state the obvious here but seminal literature is great because they've permeated throughout society despite the passage of time.

You really don't need to be an English major to enjoy RSC's All the Great Works. They incorporate as much intelligent comedy as they do slapstick. I enjoyed it and was ecstatic to finally see them live. If you appreciate literacy and paid attention in your mandatory high school and college English classes, this will be fun and completely worth it! And maybe you'll feel extremely pretentious buying tickets to a live theater comedy show about books and smart things. *wink*

The Complete History of Comedy (abridged)

The second time I saw RSC was last Saturday (12.13.2014) in "The Complete History of Comedy (abridged)" at the Marin Theater Company.

Again, there were a lot of old people (I didn't notice this until my date pointed it out). Perhaps people in my age demographic don't actively seek out live theater as a form of entertainment. It competes with the likes of television (Netflix) and cinema. I will, despite this, always advocate musicals, theater, and live performance because they are so mentally and sensationally engaging.

Reed, Dom, and Austin let us have a picture with them <3
Instagram-worthy.

Our experience this time was a prime example of that: Marvin and I had the fortuitous misfortune of arriving late to the theater. As is protocol, we had to be guided in at selected 'breaks' to minimize disruption. Disruption is difficult to avoid, however, and since the two of us had front row seats, it was practically inevitable.

"In Chapter 2 of the Art of Comedy.... [pause] two people walk into the front row LATE."

For the next five minutes, the actors heckled us with questions and reproach. We were obliged to introduce ourselves and shake hands with them. We were briefed on what we had missed. And we explained we were late because we were at a "Thanksmas" (Thanksgiving + Christmas Friendsgiving dinner), an explanation met with confusion and chiding. Boy, did the guy sitting next to us have a grand old time laughing at our demarcation.

From then on, our first-name basis relationship with Austin, Reed, and Dom primed us in the precarious position of "running gag" material. Yes, I reveled in the attention. Rewarded for our disregard for punctuality? I think yes. Though we did almost get a pie to the face....

As for the show itself: the framework was extremely clever. RSC guided the audience through a book paralleled to Sun Tzu's "Art of War" (for violence and comedy are often analogous, if not the same) and parodied religious leaders with Rambozo the Clown, the apparent messiah and author of the 'Art of Comedy.' Cultural and historical references are made--but none too out there for it to fall flat if you miss them. The experience is completely educational! It gave me a crudely wholesome appreciation for comedy, laughter, and even music. I'm often impressed with the chemistry these guys have with each other. Even when they are improvising, they will often have synchronous reactions that appears deceptively untamed. They have intelligent dynamic and are adept at all forms of comedy.

A worthwhile two hours of my life, if I do say so myself. I'd say so even if we had been punctual.

ACL Chronicles

Currently Listening: Landslide (in the style of the Dixie Chicks)
Currently Reading: TF&S; Mindfulness in Plain English

Going to do a little something different for this Wednesday post: ACL Chronicles will be updated as the days go by, keeping track of the details of my rehab journey. In classic "Flowers for Algernon" style.

[12.17.2014]

First, the surgery day!

Before my knee becomes
a cantaloupe :[

6:45AM Check-in: Straightforward. I have the medications and the medical history forms pre-filled out. The only medical thing I need to mention, really, is my 2006 knee surgery and the relevant titanium screws. The receptionist asked if I was Filipino and later asked if I knew Tagalog. my response: I am your typical Fil-Am and I am sure you know what that means. to which she fervently nods and says 'yup. I don't know Tagalog either.' I really need to immerse myself in Tagalog somehow.

7:30AM Pre-op: I talk to the nurse, who gets a urine sample from me, and asks me to wear a standard hospital robe with just my underwear on. The nurses all say I look like a young little thing... (but I'm 24!) I put my belongings in a bag and keep my phone on me until the last possible minute. She asks me my name, DOB, and the operation I'm going to have: "left knee arthroscopy with possible (read: probable) ACL reconstruction and meniscal repair". I talk to the anesthesiologist who recommends a "femoral block" which will be a local anesthesia injected into my femoral nerve. It is strong and lasts for up to 24 hours after the surgery. It will help manage pain. I don't remember having that before but he recommends it. And since insurance no longer covers "cold therapy systems" (see Donjoy IceMan Cold Therapy System) for knee surgery patients (I have one from my last surgery but we've lost the AC adapter), I decide to accept his recommendation. I am wary of anesthetics but I don't think there are any other options to help me avoid excruciating pain. He gives me a dose of valium to relax me and tells me it'll feel like two shots of tequila. Eh. Didn't really feel like that as far as I remember. But perhaps I was more friendly? The doctor meets with me to mark me knee. The PA meets with me to tell me what kind of graft I am going to get, the bone screw, and the company that distributes these materials:

Arthrex BioComposite Interference Screw (10 x 28 mm) made of 30% biphasic calcium phosphate and 70% PLDLA, intended to be bioabsorbed into the bone.

Arthrex ACL Tightrope (Tibialis Tendon Posterior Frozen from the Achilles of a donor)

Later, I ask for my medical records and a copy of the serial numbers of these implants. 

I'm slightly amused by the fact that I have part of someone's Achilles heel in my knee.

8:30AM OR: I am wheeled to the OR, half an hour later than scheduled. They sprawl out my arms to make me more comfortable and the anesthesiologist (Dr. Ho) talks me through what he is doing: 'I'm going to inject you with the anesthesia now. It's going to be really strong. Strong enough to put you out in about 5 seconds.' He distracts me with various questions as I tell him that the injection kind of hurts. 'Are your parents from the Philippines? Think about going there.' is the last thing I remember. I remember seeing the time before then: 8:42AM.

10:15AM Post-Op:At around 10:15, I awaken to my dad beside me and the nurse unstrapping me from something. She says 'Welcome to the land of the living. Your surgery went really well.' I ask the nurse a few questions as the brief me on the discharge instructions. She asks if I want something for pain and I say I don't need it because it's a narcotic. They say the center will call me to check up the next day. My dad and I spend about half an hour making small talk until I decide it's time to go. Sandra and a nice nurse named Sonny helps me onto a wheelchair while my dad gets the car. We leave by 11 something AM. I am recommended to not bear any weight on my knee because of the meniscectomy and the biocomposite bone screw. Too much too fast can cause failure of the bone screw to reabsorb, I'm told. The meniscal damage was worse on the medial side (a buckethandle tear) with some damage laterally.

Homeward Bound:

Throughout the day, I feel pretty good about my knee. There is very minimal pain (1/2 out of 10) because of the femoral block. But I am very numb where the femoral region is as well as throughout the leg all the way to the medial side of my ankle. It is a strange feeling and I wonder what kind of pain I'd be in if I hadn't taken the block. I take care of a few work-related things, read, and put ice on top of the ace wrap and bandages (I can't feel anything though...).

My mom finds our old Donjoy Iceman but we are missing the AC adapter and I contemplate ordering a replacement so I can have it around when I go back up north.

Thursday will be the moment of truth...

"Lo que no fue en tu año"

Ahora Escuchando: Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran), Seaside (The Kooks - Boehm Remix)
Ahora Leyendo: Thinking, Fast and Slow; The Isaac Newton School of Driving; Mindfulness in Plain English

"Lo que no fue en tu año, no es tu daño" (tambien: no te hace daño)

Sofía me enseñó esta frase cuando expresé que tengo miedo al amor. Ella dice lo pasado, pasado. Y es verdad. Pero, como que expresé en mi carta anterior, el miedo es un rival muy fuerte.

El miedo es un rival muy fuerte.

He amado y perdido en el pasado. Tambien, he amado sin una razón lógica .

Tal vez yo estaba cegada.
Tal vez yo no puedo recordar con claridad.
Tal vez yo quería que el concepto de amor más que el intercambio de amor.

Diferenciar entre amor, capricho y deseo no es una cosa fácil.

Todos tenemos unos pasados.
Todos tenemos bagajes emocionales.
Pero, todos estamos tratando de vivir la vida.
Y todos estamos tratando de encontrar algo real.

Pues, no debemos ser demasiado desconfiando o miedo.
Tener estas cosas es más probable que resulte en fracaso.

Por otra parte, la autenticidad y el valor son maravilloso y sanador.
Sólo podemos ser valiente.
Y, tal vez, es vale la pena el riesgo.

Headlock

Currently Listening: Let Go (Frou Frou)
[Still] Reading: Thinking, Fast and Slow; The Isaac Newton School of Driving
Recommended Reading: Mindfulness in Plain English (Bhante Gunaratana, 1992), The Machine Stops (E.M. Forster, 1909 short story)

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

The most annoyingly epic 38-point #Scrabble play. #ZEN

Human relationships are a wonderful way of pushing your own boundaries and learning about yourself. In my most recent lesson, I realized that not only do I spend a a LOT of time thinking about random things, I have also locked myself in my head. My mind is a safe zone. I protect myself from losing the illusion of control I get from remaining in my head and outside of the sensational world. I am self-conscious. Not really about how I look, no. But about the physical manifestations of my soul... (does that sound weird or make any sense at all?)

In moderation, self-consciousness and deliberation are excellent constructs. They are tools for personal growth and development. Without self-awareness, I would not have this blog. Without deliberation, I would not be focused enough to work towards the person I'd like to become.

I can avoid an overall stasis and yet I cannot avoid paralysis in situations where it is essential to be in the moment. You see, I have this idea in my head that when I finally find the ability to "let go" and lose my inhibitions, I'll be able to dance and sing and feel things around me--truly live in the moment. I can't remember a time I ever felt truly lost "in the music" or "the rhythm" or even in nature. For example, I went to Rave of Thrones, my first [semi]rave, this week in SF and while I enjoyed myself, I recall myself caged in thoughts of what other people thought of me, my appearance, my inexperience... all because it was new to me and outside of my comfort zone. Why can't I just step out of my shell and embrace the vulnerability?

Everyone struggles with this. This entire "Life Cartogprahy" blog basically documents my efforts to deconstruct and restructure my world, find balance, and live life with conviction and managed inhibition.

Yes, I've been cultivating confidence all this time but the epiphany here is the existence of this headlock. Understanding my mental framework is the first step. Andrea "Unlocked" will take time; baby steps, baby steps.

Someone recommended mindful meditation as a way of processing my existing states. I prefer therapeutic jogs, but after knee surgery, I might need to turn to meditation to stay sane.

Mmmm... let's get it on, 2015.

Musings on Science and Psychology

[Belated Post]



Disclaimer: I am not a physicist and I apologize for skimming over the scientific concepts presented in this post! The ideas presented here might be used to generate interesting conversations about science and philosophy but the ideas are by no means comprehensive. I don't have time to go too deep into the details!

While I concede I had a fascinating romp through the history of atomic physics and psychology, I don't recommend reading Deciphering the Cosmic Number for leisure.... It was a chore reading through the heavy physics of the book. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if I was concurrently studying (quantum) mechanics since it goes through Wolfgang Pauli's scientific life in depth - but for me, this book took a lot of brainpower and focus to read. The most enjoyable moments for me were when I read about the science from a historical context. We take for granted how much we know now about atomic physics and don't realize how much there is still yet to know.

Overall, this book is a synthetic piece on the lives of Wolfgang Pauli (physicist) and Carl Jung (psycho-analyst), who are in their time premiere experts of their respective fields. They come together and, essentially, muse on the mysteries of the universe. Many of these musings were represented through geometric figures, archaic symbols, and numerology. A large portion of the book focused on dream interpretation and imagery and, by extension, the mystique of consciousness and life. Interesting stuff.

You can read an excellent review about the the book and its writing style here.

What exactly is the cosmic number according to Jung and Pauli? There was a very long debate in the book between the number 3 and the number 4. Both of which represents different types of spiritual completeness.

Number 3: Represented by the Holy Trinity in Christianity and appears multiple times in biblical stories. The triangle is a representation of strength and stability and Pythagorean properties are unique in geometry. In popular culture, three is often considered an important iterative number (e.g. "third time's the charm" and the Wiccan rule of three). Our physical world is known as three dimensional.

Number 4: Pauli believed strongly that the number four was the 'next level' three. While there did exist the Holy Trinity, the addition of a fourth (probably the human spirit or some other representation) made wholeness and completion. Jung believed that there are four major archetypes within the human psyche. In Pauli's field of work, atomic physics, the fourth quantum number was necessary in understanding electrons and quantum mechanics. Originally, the theory encompassed three but was not unified before the introduction of the fourth quantum number (electron spin, ms). Our world's fourth dimension, time, is quintessential in our understanding of the perceived universe.

Reasonably, these numbers would have special meaning from a mystical perspective.

But in the end, according to Pauli, what was the real cosmic number?

The fine structure constant. Or, to remember it better, the square inverse of 137.03597.

The fine structure constant is a dimensionless quantity derived from many fundamental physical constants such as elementary charge, speed of light, and the Planck constant. It is also known as the "coupling constant" or alpha, and is used to explain the mysterious electromagnetic force that governs interaction between electrons and photons (elementary particles and light). The constant was determined while the Bohr model was the cornerstone of atomic physics in 1916. At this time, everyone knew that Bohr's model could not explain the splitting of spectral lines in H2 molecules. Thus, the introduction of this number was pivotal.

From a numerological perspective, the number is very mysterious. It finds itself related to the golden ratio and is theorized to be the value for stable matter, and thus the number that makes "life" possible.

I presume that physicists and psychologists seeking to reconcile science and consciousness would be fascinated with the idea of a constant that describes life on a fundamental level. An extension of this is the possibility of objective beauty and unity in life that springs out of the chaos and increasing entropy of the universe. (am I getting too poetic here?)

Pauli's famous quote is this: 'When I die, the first thing I shall consider asking the devil is -- What is the meaning of the fine structure constant?'

Perhaps the meaning of the fine structure constant was the answer to Asimov's The Last Question: 'Can entropy be reversed?'

Antiquated Anecdotes

Currently Reading: Thinking, Fast and Slow (Daniel Khaneman, 2011), The Isaac Newton School of Driving: Physics and Your Car (Barry Parker, 2003)
Finished Reading: The Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx, Freidrich Engels, 1848, audiobook/paperback), The Last Question (Isaac Asimov, 1956, short story), Divergent (Veronica Roth, 2011)
Currently Listening: Dancin' in the Moonlight (King Harvest), Beautiful People (Sam Ock)

Blurbs from the past two weeks.:

1. I have decided to change my weekly blog post day from Monday to Wednesday. Monday was very difficult for me to keep apace with!
    
2. I will be getting knee surgery (ACL Reconstruction) for Christmas. I got my knee imaged by MRI and saw an orthopedist. I need the surgery, though. Apparently there was no ACL to be found (PCL intact; ACL was completely torn...) and there was significant meniscus damage. Totally knew this would be the case, though. I have been struggling with my left knee for quite some time. I will need all of the moral support I can get from my friends and family. It didn't scare me at first but now I'm rather nervous about it, especially when I consider if I should get an allograft vs an autograft. My approach to knee surgery now is a lot different than my reaction to surgery in high school. Now, it's more like "Challenge accepted."
     
3. Spent Thanksgiving with the family. We had Thanksgiving lunch together and saw Big Hero 6. BH6 was a very memorable and funny movie. (Ba da da da da. I cannot deactive until you say you are satisfied with your care.) I also spent a few hours (distributed over 3 days) working on my first art project in years, thanks to the mentorship of my youngest sister (a high school senior). She has been applying to colleges and art school.
    
4. The art project was a gift for a very special guy. ;) I sometimes like to think we are the bananagrams dream team.
    
5. Been busy reading. I downloaded the audiobook for The Communist Manifesto so I could listen to it on my way back up to Northern California. The word "antiquate" and its variations were oft used. I like that word. Also, the manifesto is quite intense but a worthwhile political read. I was never really into politics but I realize now that the backbone of politics is philosophy. And philosophy is interesting. (Thanks, Tiffany, for lending me the paperback copy.)
    
6. Got in touch with old friends during my the Thanksgiving break! (Albert, Jimmy, Ann, Tiffany, Jayce, etc.) Most notably, an old high school flame. It was nice reconnecting; we have done so sporadically over the years.
    
7. Went to a murder mystery birthday party! (Ann!) 'Twas awesome. She did a terrific job organizing the party and getting people to go with the role play, involving steampunk wardrobe and time travel.
    
8. Went indoor rock climbing for the first time with Marvs and my upper body is INCREDIBLY SORE. But the sense of accomplishment you get from it is so much fun! It is such a functional/useful workout. I had so much fun that I purchased a Groupon for lessons/day passes at Bridges Rock Gym in El Cerrito and will go with Eric this Saturday! I might continue pursuing this hobby after knee surgery. (After the hip hop dance classes? haha... too many things I want to do in life...)
    
9. Notes to Self: Scrabble, Hiking, Just Dance, CAH charades
    
10. I have shifted very far from my happy baseline. I am more than happy these days... I have "so much zest" and I am inspired. This shift probably has very much to do with blurb #5. Somehow this person makes me simultaneously confident and vulnerable; strong and weak; hopeful and anxious.... Some kind of madness, I tell you! Madness!

That's it for now!