Pet Peeves

Some pet peeves of mine...I'll tell myself that these things are thoughtful critiques and not just me complaining because I'm looking for a reason to complain. If I no longer have a sense of that being true...I'll need to stop, ha ha!

1. When people put long sentences on PowerPoint presentations and then read them off word for word.
2. When someone responds to "what kind of music do you like?" with "everything." Seriously? I first of all highly doubt you've heard every piece of recorded music ever created. Second, there's something respectable and good about not being unreasonably stubborn about one's preferences, but to say you like everything suggests that you are completely unfeeling. Show that you can taste, please!
3. When people are on their phones walking along the sidewalk and are therefore completely unaware of me coming in their direction on my bike. (OK, I've actually been guilty of this one).
4. When professors explain physical processes or phenomena by ascribing human attributes to lifeless materials or processes without first giving a sufficient technical explanation. Does the clay really remember the highest level of stress it's experienced and adjust its behavior based on its memory? Or does it have more to do with, I don't know, actual physical properties? (OK, I actually have a sort of split opinion on this one--I actually think this sort of way of speaking can be used in a very helpful way to help students remember things or get a general conceptual grasp of things...but it should be done only after a reasonable technical explanation has been given when done in an upper-level engineering class. This isn't sixth grade science.)

I will probably continue to add to this list in the future...

Self-Forgetfulness and Blog-Forgetfulness

It's been a while.

I've let my mind run down its fair share of rabbit holes lately, as it tends to do...

But I'm working on how to still allow this to happen while not completely tearing myself apart and not being able to get any work done.

It has to do with worrying. That's the thing I've been neglecting to notice for so long...I have no concept of the line between staring into the pool of curiosity and wading through it, refusing to get out, like a little kid in a hotel pool.

I came up with this credo tonight to summarize a new perspective I'm going for:

Don't let the oft-repeated to command not to worry confuse you. Don't not worry because of some implication that you're so silly for worrying in the first place, and that you should feel bad because there are other people who really have something to worry about, and you're not one of them. Don't worry, not because you have nothing to worry about, but because to not worry is an act of worship to the God whose presence is encountered in the midst of one's self-forgetfulness.