Hello LJ.
Hi Livejournal. I kind of missed you. I haven't made an entry in a long time, but I still like reading others' writing.
Life has been a mush of responsibilities, stress, and work these last few months. I wish it would have gone better, but it seems that success in one area guarantees failure in others. I guess I'm old enough that the future is not just opportunity after opportunity, but instead limited opportunity, as some doors now shut when others open.
Last night was an interesting experience. I was asked to join a group of ~10 people at the house of an art collector after a talk by one of the big names in my field. I was there with *very* accomplished people, some a lot younger than me---people who write the core books in their field, people who have been in the field since there were only a dozen people even *in* the field. The discussion was over my head most of the time. Nevertheless, I was able to talk to and connect with the artist, and we traded knowledge of methods, computer systems, and motivation. I find that I am always more like the artists themselves than like any one else surrounding them. The champagne was wonderful, and I listened a lot and spoke carefully. Most of the people there seemed genuinely interesting and kind. I mentioned it already, it was an interesting experience. And it all happened because I extended myself a little and kept saying "yes." It doesn't hurt that I truly love using scientific computational tools to make images of things no one has ever seen, and I'd do it without the potential for recognition (but that's nice).
These next months are not going to get any less busy or hectic. Maybe they will after I start a new job (still looking) and trim down some of the piles of belongings in the apartment, but likely not. Don't let me drift off into anti-social land, please.
Life has been a mush of responsibilities, stress, and work these last few months. I wish it would have gone better, but it seems that success in one area guarantees failure in others. I guess I'm old enough that the future is not just opportunity after opportunity, but instead limited opportunity, as some doors now shut when others open.
Last night was an interesting experience. I was asked to join a group of ~10 people at the house of an art collector after a talk by one of the big names in my field. I was there with *very* accomplished people, some a lot younger than me---people who write the core books in their field, people who have been in the field since there were only a dozen people even *in* the field. The discussion was over my head most of the time. Nevertheless, I was able to talk to and connect with the artist, and we traded knowledge of methods, computer systems, and motivation. I find that I am always more like the artists themselves than like any one else surrounding them. The champagne was wonderful, and I listened a lot and spoke carefully. Most of the people there seemed genuinely interesting and kind. I mentioned it already, it was an interesting experience. And it all happened because I extended myself a little and kept saying "yes." It doesn't hurt that I truly love using scientific computational tools to make images of things no one has ever seen, and I'd do it without the potential for recognition (but that's nice).
These next months are not going to get any less busy or hectic. Maybe they will after I start a new job (still looking) and trim down some of the piles of belongings in the apartment, but likely not. Don't let me drift off into anti-social land, please.