I'll doze off safe and soundly, but...
I remember in my high school math classes, I hated word problems.
They were lame, and, well, wordy. You'd think that, as a current English major, I'd have enjoyed some kind of language literacy in a math class, but no--there was too much other stuff involved besides reading. Yes, I got to read, but I had to do other stuff too. I had to draw out as much information as I could on the problem. I had to find out which of that information was useful, and which I didn't really need to know to figure out a problem. I had to figure out if I could solve the problem straight, or if I had to do a series of complicated equations first before I could get anywhere close to the answer. I had to figure out if that outcome really was positive, or if I messed up somewhere along the way and it really was negative...or vice versa. I had to double check my work to see if the answer was correct, and even if I got the same answer in the end, if I even did the right kind of equation to begin with.
Life is like a word problem.
No, I don't mean that word problems seek to imitate life, because really, I don't need to know how fast Train A is going as opposed to Train B and when they're going to meet in the middle unless I happen to be in the middle and need to know if I'm going to get crushed by one train or two...or if at all--I'd like to think my head would be more focused on getting away quickly. I also don't need to know the probability of winning a coin toss; it's not like I've got Harvey Dent breathing down my neck, asking me if I feel lucky.
I meant the metaphor in a general way, which I think explains itself after you read that little shpiel again, and it's especially true for me right now. I have all the answers ready and waiting to be discovered, but I keep rereading the problem and I just don't get it. I have almost all the information I need to solve a problem, but I don't know which information to keep or which to throw away, and I don't know if the answer I want to come up with is the actual answer that's there. I'd ask questions, but it's like a test, and it's way past time to be asking questions anyway. We'll see how I do, I guess. I was never really that great at math...
Anyway.
Someone asked me last night if I was happy, and I half-lied. It's been on my mind since then because I told myself I wouldn't lie to keep someone else happy, and it makes me kind of angry at myself for doing just that when I thought it was something that person needed to hear. Or maybe I was just trying to convince myself. Either way, I have my answer, and that's what's important.
Usually, I'd start philosophizing about what happiness means, but I'd feel guilty about that too; I have so much homework I need to start with :D. Oops, where did the day go?
I had to go out and run errands this morning, which gave me an excuse to get out of the house, and I think I needed that. It's weird; errands are the kinds of things I hate having to get up and do, but at the same time I appreciate that they make me get up off my ass, and I like the feeling of accomplishment I have once they're all done. I feel like there should be another metaphor in there somewhere...
I think it's time for homework...or something...
They were lame, and, well, wordy. You'd think that, as a current English major, I'd have enjoyed some kind of language literacy in a math class, but no--there was too much other stuff involved besides reading. Yes, I got to read, but I had to do other stuff too. I had to draw out as much information as I could on the problem. I had to find out which of that information was useful, and which I didn't really need to know to figure out a problem. I had to figure out if I could solve the problem straight, or if I had to do a series of complicated equations first before I could get anywhere close to the answer. I had to figure out if that outcome really was positive, or if I messed up somewhere along the way and it really was negative...or vice versa. I had to double check my work to see if the answer was correct, and even if I got the same answer in the end, if I even did the right kind of equation to begin with.
Life is like a word problem.
No, I don't mean that word problems seek to imitate life, because really, I don't need to know how fast Train A is going as opposed to Train B and when they're going to meet in the middle unless I happen to be in the middle and need to know if I'm going to get crushed by one train or two...or if at all--I'd like to think my head would be more focused on getting away quickly. I also don't need to know the probability of winning a coin toss; it's not like I've got Harvey Dent breathing down my neck, asking me if I feel lucky.
I meant the metaphor in a general way, which I think explains itself after you read that little shpiel again, and it's especially true for me right now. I have all the answers ready and waiting to be discovered, but I keep rereading the problem and I just don't get it. I have almost all the information I need to solve a problem, but I don't know which information to keep or which to throw away, and I don't know if the answer I want to come up with is the actual answer that's there. I'd ask questions, but it's like a test, and it's way past time to be asking questions anyway. We'll see how I do, I guess. I was never really that great at math...
Anyway.
Someone asked me last night if I was happy, and I half-lied. It's been on my mind since then because I told myself I wouldn't lie to keep someone else happy, and it makes me kind of angry at myself for doing just that when I thought it was something that person needed to hear. Or maybe I was just trying to convince myself. Either way, I have my answer, and that's what's important.
Usually, I'd start philosophizing about what happiness means, but I'd feel guilty about that too; I have so much homework I need to start with :D. Oops, where did the day go?
I had to go out and run errands this morning, which gave me an excuse to get out of the house, and I think I needed that. It's weird; errands are the kinds of things I hate having to get up and do, but at the same time I appreciate that they make me get up off my ass, and I like the feeling of accomplishment I have once they're all done. I feel like there should be another metaphor in there somewhere...
I think it's time for homework...or something...