I volunteered to do a tedious job at work — copy/paste about maybe 200-400 parameters scattered throughout a group of FORTRAN files. The parameters may be in one of maybe 3 different formats. Also, the parameters came with multiline comments (with each commented line starting with !), and sometimes just big wodges of comments on …
Author Archives: brownstudy7975
The New Yorker has suffocated at times beneath a mask of wry gentility. For all its glossy reputation, the magazine still turns up its nose at stories and poems that make too many demands on the reader. It’s a middlebrow journal for people who would like to be highbrows — and perhaps for highbrows who …
I went to a “mindfulness” group at the psychological clinic here. I don’t know much about the topic yet, but it struck me that one definition would be using your own mind to your benefit rather than to your detriment. In other words, don’t outthink yourself. Notice the thoughts and emotions you are having and …
Writing in the library
I had an excellent ~6 hours of solid writing/wrestling with my master’s paper one day last week. At this stage, I’m still drafting raw text and am not in the polish stage where I’m honing the thoughts in the sentences and paragraphs, and ensuring my themes and the story I’m telling are all working together, …
Little steps
In trying to implement some new behaviors, I’m finally listening to advice and looking at how to piggyback the new behaviors on existing behaviors. The best way to introduce a new habit being to start small and link the new behavior to an existing behavior. These are basically implementation intentions [1], as introduced to me …
This may seem ironic, given that last point, but one of my favorite articles I’ve read this year: 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job by Steve Pavlina. A related tweet from Nassim Taleb: ”The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.” The 5-month break comes to an end « …
I happened to like Paul Houser’s work in Abigail Norris and Jerry Rothwell’s The Work’s the Thing, and he said some interesting things to say, such as “The notion of artists being special people is a bit misleading. If anything, they’re less than special. It’s almost something you’re missing rather than something extra you’ve got.” …
Libra Horoscope for week of December 30, 2010 In 2011, I believe you will have the chance to weave your fortunes together with an abundance of allies who are good for you. They will be your equals, they will share at least some of your most important values, and they will respect you for who …
I think of negative thoughts and emotions, rather, as signals telling you to make adjustments to your attitude, your work habits. In that sense, and that sense alone, they are valuable. Stupid Motivational Tricks: Why? Source: prosedoctor.blogspot.com
2010 leaving, 2011 rushing forward
2011 begins much better, in many ways, than did 2010. At this time last year, I was involved in helping to put on some events that scared me and my companions witless. My vacation time had been spent working on a paper so I could finish an incomplete. I had a full load of classes …
Brownstudy's Blog 