|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
| An Update That Will Be Easily Published to my Facebook Profile On the one hand, I've been pretty lazy recently. I've gotten next to no writing done since I finished my classes, aside from one or two reviews that I'm trying hard not to think about. When I originally decided to start publishing all the chapters of my book, I assumed I'd get started writing the rest and keep updating ahead of ya'll. But instead I've gotten zip done. But I have applied for a few jobs and I'm still looking. In the meantime, I'm also participating in a pain study for the Psych department at UNC, so I'll have some money coming in from there. I'm also preparing to move out, though I have no place to move TO. Considering how long it's taken me to get as far as I have, it probably wasn't such a crazy idea to start so far ahead of time. Chapter Two of <b>The Masked Patriot and the Alletoten Device</b> will be up on Friday and if you've forgotten everything about Chapter One, that was reposted LAST Friday. And Chapters Three and Four will go up the following weeks and if I've actually started writing again, more chpaters will follow. If not, you'll be left dangling at a really annoying point in the story. Fun! Dylan EDIT: I noticed after I posted this that I used HTML tags to bolden stuff in the entry, which is what I have to use when I write my reviews. But since Xanga doesn't pick up on that, you get to see the tags instead. I'm not changing it, because otherwise this addendum would make no sense. | | |
| Timidly Raising an Objection Against the Night I just took a look out the window. You'll never guess what I saw out there. Ok, maybe you will. It's night my friends. And not just a little bit night, but well on our way past midnight.
But that's ok, we've done this enough times that I can just skip the preamble and head into the meat and potatoes of the thing. Which would be a bulleted checklist of topics*. Are you excited? I'm excited.
*I decided while I was writing this to incorporate the songs I was listening to into each little segment. So if things seem a little odd in places, that's why.
1. Now, it's been a long time since we've rocked and rolled, but I think I have something to make up for it. Every Friday, I'm going to post a new chapter from my book. The book that I haven't finished yet. And yes, if I had stuck to the plan I came up with back in January, I would have been long done with it. But that's not the point. The point is, every Friday, you can tune into a new chapter and since I've been writing it like an old style serial, it's already perfectly suited to be serialized. Once again, it'll be protected and I'll be reposting the first chapter this Friday. If you can't see it, shoot me an email and I'll make sure you're on the protected list. If you WANT to see it that is. If you don't, then don't bother contacting me. Obviously. 2. I've been hunting for jobs recently, but I haven't actually found anything, not even at the damn mall. This is depressing. The mall should always have jobs available. But tomorrow I'm going to volunteer my services at the psych department at UNC so they can stick burning hot needles in me to see if I feel pain. Or something like that. As long as they pay me, I'd let them subject me to looks that kill. 3. Speaking of UNC, my semi-alma mater has yet to release me from its brick-paved grip. It seems like every step I take, every breathe I take, they're watching me. But no matter, I plan on making like a runaway and getting free of them. One way...or the other. I'm not sure why I wrote that last sentence so ominously. 4. Yeah, that's it. Dylan | | |
| In This Universe I'm Still AwakeOh look, it's absurdly late and I'm blogging instead of sleeping.
Again.
We really need to stop meeting this way.
But since I'm up and you will be in a few hours, I'll just keep writing and while I'm doing my final final, ya'll can catch up on what I've been doing.
Which is nothing.
Well, there has been a little bit of studying and an even littler bit of writing. And I've been catching up with an old friend I haven't talked to in a few months (HI BIBEKA!) and I've been reading.
It's a Neal Stephenson novel. He writes long, complex science fiction novels. I'm not sure if it's any good, but it has Ideas in it, and that's really what's important.
The book itself is about parallel worlds, a favorite playground of novelists and drunken physicists. He talks about why a particle's motions are only affected when they're observed. The theory I've heard most, in dumbed down layman terms that I can understand, is that a particle exists in two different states until it's been observed and then it settles into a single state. Stephenson's theory (which I assume he lifted from a real theory) is that the particle isn't really in flux until observation, rather that there's interference from parallel worlds in which the particle spins one way and the particle spins t'other. It's only upon observation that it can be determined which of the two potential parallel worlds that the particle is spinning in and the inteference is lifted. This makes some kind of sense to me. I've always had trouble believing that the universe awaits our keen eyes before it makes a decision and the former theory seems very humancentric.
But then, I really don't get the math involved. Undoubtedly it's infinitely more complex than that.
But like I mentioned a few (dozen) posts back. There were some scientists that said we had fixed the termination date of the Universe by OBSERVING it. I think I much prefer Stephenson's Theory. The Universe was always going to end when it was, but observation has merely determined which potential outcome the cosmos is going to be facing.
I've probably butchered the concepts something awful, but if you want to poke around the theories in their purer forms go here for a list of sources Stephenson drew on to write his book.
Time to wander away from the computer a bit.
Dylan
| | |
| Insomniac Charles and His Rambling RamblettesSo it's 1:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. Mainly because I was chugging a cup of coffee not more than an hour ago. This, beyond a doubt, proves that I possess a great intellect and a versatile mind. You get a big heaping helping of random as a result. Congratulations.
1. I've been working on my fan page again. I'm not sure why I keep adding stuff to it. Actually, yes I do. All it takes is one person to give my efforts a mild lauding and I'll work a joke to death in order to squeeze out every last drop of funny goodness. As a result, I've now done more work on my fan page than I have on any real creative endeavor. That is, I believe, some kind of irony.
2. I have four finals next week and then I'm done with school forever. Well, I'm done with learning things in a classroom setting. I still have to wrestle the school's bureaucracy in order to get my diploma away from them. Word I can never spell and, in fact, spell so badly that the spellchecker never has a clue what I'm trying to write: bureaucracy.
3. I'm nervous and anxious and keyed-up. I'll say why later. Or I won't. Most likely I won't, unless it's on a one-on-one basis with each of you that asks. Regardless, it's not a bad nervous and anxious and keyed-up. Not entirely anyway. I'm just nervous and anxious and keyed up.
4. Did I mention I'm graduating?
5. Great shivering Shivas, I'm hungry.
Dylan
| | |
| A Disorganized Good-Bye So it's finally happening, I know you're all excited. I am THIS close to graduating from college. Or, at the very least, I'm this close to not having to take classes anymore. Today is my penultimate day of classes and I'm feeling a slight twinge of sadness. I'd feel sadder if I wasn't frantically trying to do some last minute work. Mainly I'm feeling rushed and stressed. And panicky. A little panicky.
Things I'll Miss About College:
- It's really easy.
- Learning things.
- Yeah, I really just want to get out.
I will miss some of the classes. Film Class was fun. The people in the recitation actually had stuff to say. Usually recitations are one long slog of the TA frantically trying to get the students to say something, anything, to show that they did the reading. And I'll miss German, although the class was a little more subdued than it was the past two semesters. That's about it for classes I'll miss.
I really want a cup of coffee.
Also, I need a job. I mean, seriously this time. Any of you know someone (or something) that's hiring? Something that pays in money, not in "experiences" or "fond memories" or "friendships".
This is one of my more disorganized blog entries.
Fin.
Dylan
| | |
|
True