holding steady.™

songs of saturday, 7 may

most popular tracks by artist, 1-7 may 2011

just in time for the holidays….

a while back, i wrote up a post on which apps i find myself depending on the most. after upgrading to an iphone 4 a few months ago, i was looking for a new home screen presentation. off of the advice of the husband, i ended up with what you see below:

my barren home screen

i now have only three screens of apps, where before (the incorporation of groups into the iOS) i was probably working off of eight. the second page has only twelve items, the third only eight.

most of the media and regularly used apps on screen 2; the rest (including safari and phone) on screen 3

so, instead, i keep the apps on my “home” home screen that i open constantly. it may seem odd to see, then, neither the phone or safari icons in my dock. i so rarely use the phone, making less than a call a day sometimes, that the app ends up on the last page; with the proliferative capabilities of the wide variety of app store offerings (and my tendency to buy apps like other people change their socks), i use safari even less than the phone.

my apps of daily use

given the holiday season seems to be all about round-ups and best-of lists, i thought i’d share the applications i’ve found myself using on the daily. the clock’s alarms are without question dead-useful. i manage events with calvetica, as a replacement to (but built right on top of) the included ical.  weather hd is simply the most lovely of all the weather apps to look at for me (although, if you’re in the market for a little more data and location-aware forecasts, try accuweather). settings should probably never be too far out of reach. instapaper is the best way to read long(er) articles, and you won’t be able to truly appreciate it until you’ve been stuck in line somewhere (there’s also a free version). plaintext is a great text editor for writing and later organizing and storing your notes in the air (via dropbox). sportacular lets you keep on top of the scores, schedules and (in-game) stats of your favorite teams from very nearly every professional sport you can catch on television. things is the best gtd app i’ve ever used (and the minute it gets OTA sync, i’ll be the happiest little clam ever). twitter and facebook…need little to no explanation. the stock ipod app is a must. and i’ve just recently switched out the camera app for camera+, which really does a lot in terms of extending the OS camera’s capabilities (although for capturing video, you’d have to revert back).

anyways, here’s hoping that this helps anyone stuck for a gift idea (for someone else, or even yourself). happy holidays!

23 pieces of advice…

23 pieces of advice for myself that have become clear to me since 27 june 1987

1. it’s ok to be wrong. it’s going to happen a lot, so get used to it.
2. sometimes, you’re going to buy things. and regret it. this isn’t anything except a part of a life lived within the confines of capitalism.
3. being a socialist in America is sort of a waste of time. unless you’re Bernie Sanders, and then it can actually be fairly profitable.
4. it’s important to take personal time. read a book, go see a movie, take a walk…something that happens on your own time, and just for you.
5. don’t take so much of this time that you don’t get to take care of the pressing things in your life.
6. things are simpler with a to-do list.
7. there are in fact days of the week on which you probably don’t need to drink. these include but are not limited to mondays & tuesdays.
8. use it until it breaks. but have some money put away so that when it does, you’re not totally screwed.
9. soda shouldn’t make up more than about 20% of the liquid you consume during the week.
10. (anyone’s) children can change your outlook on life.
11. accept love when it’s offered.
12. do not accept other people’s bullshit, unless you’re prepared to try to fix it. and since that’s not ever your job, do not accept other people’s bullshit.
13. go pantry-shopping early and often.
14. even when all signs would point to a person being too ___ for you to deal with, give them a shot or two anyway. you don’t always meet people on YOUR best day, which should serve as a reminder that second chances are needed by everyone.
15. society is becoming more and more dependent on certain types of technology. learn about them. keep up. time won’t wait for you to read the “for dummies” book.
16. embrace your inner nerd. you know she’s in there.
17. no job is too good for you. and even if you think it might be, be careful, because it can absolutely kick your ass, and you may just learn something – about life, and
    about you.
18. learn to say “no.”
19. learn to share. (i was supposed to learn this in kindergarten, but, uh, i skipped? no, really.)
20. when surrounded by brilliant people who want to teach you, soak it up. life becomes less saturated with these as time goes on.
21. it’s ok to have heroes. just be sure to be clear on WHY you’re enamored of them. people are going to ask you.
22. socially uncomfortable situations are still within your control. you can choose to be awkward, or you can be in command. and if you can’t, fake it.
23. who you are is who people like. be less focused on the silly, and continue treat
    people as well as you’ve always wanted to be treated yourself.

the ten worst things that could ever happen*

*to me, obviously.

(only the first three are in order, the rest just came to me)

1. being burned alive by the Ku Klux Klan
2. having sex with a man
3. being raped by a man
4. becoming a paraplegic
5. being roommates with Taylor Swift
6. getting sucked into a space vacuum
7. being Catholic
8. having an appendage chopped off with a butcher’s cleaver
9. drowning
10. going to prison

update: things that make me excited to move…

(for the original, see here)

-i have yet to go to the rock gym.

-i didn’t buy that hookah.

-ikea.com charges out the ass for shipping, and you can’t buy lamps and housewares online. balls.

-i did do most of that painting, and it is pretty sweet.

-i in fact have made tacos and mac-n-cheese in the same night. it’s over-hyped.

-i do watch a lot of sports. 70% of my tv-watching.

-you would, i suppose, have to pay to audit a course. and i’m cheap.

-i chucked the moveable feast idea a while ago, it takes a lot more time than i could commit.

-the education thing keeps happening, so i suppose that’s something.

summer plans.

i shouldn’t have even typed that out as the title, since i still don’t have definite plans.

but i guess i just wanted to express how excited i am that several research opportunities have presented themselves for the upcoming mid-year break. those, along with my personal dedication to do some internal housekeeping (e.g. FINALLY organize, categorize and properly tag all my photos, clean up my music library, practice the guitar, do a little triathlon training, learn to cook some new things…basically be a better me™, will go a long way towards keeping me busy and out of trouble.

since i won’t see much (if any) of my beloved Miami this summer, it’s kind of just as well that i get things done, and in a big way.

ok, i guess i’ll go to work now…

mid-year reflections on grad school

1. there’s a lot of emailing that happens. a lot. it’s really easy to get drama started via email. it’s happened at least 3 times in the past five months.
2. college students NEVER visit during your office hours, unless it’s to get something out of you. i can appreciate that, having been a college student like seven minutes ago. but it’s really dreary to sit in a room for two hours, when you know that the chances of you interacting with another human being are slim.
3. ultimately, you go to grad school to improve the speed with which you can violate copyright protections. for proof, all one would need to do is go to the copying/scanning section in any university library. there will be at least one kid who is making copies/scanning with a look of trepidation across their face, like they’re worried Prentice Hall/Cambridge University Press cops are about to jump out from behind something and arrest them (these kids are undergrads). there will also be at least one person who is committing a variant on intellectual property infringement with a tired, somewhat dazed look on their face, but at an incredible speed. these are my people, these are grad students.

why i am a liberal

i’m a liberal:

and

also, i happen to find much modern conservatism ^[2] in practice to be akin to dark-age-fascism (since apparently, i’m a big communist…news to me). i still haven’t decided if it’s worse to be a conservative and not know why, or to be a conservative and know exactly why. the jury is still out in my mind, but either way, we probably won’t be friends .

(this was kind of the answer i gave when recently asked whether or not i could ever date a conservative. the answer is “unlikely,” if it wasn’t clear.)

[1] though religion should stay the hell out of politics, if everyone is going to treat the discourse on what government should and shouldn’t do as though that section of the first amendment on “free exercise” isn’t there, and that our Judeo-Christian foundations are to be heavily relied upon, then let’s do that in the context of the way it was written. if God can allow for free will, who the hell are we to limit that? (also, see the next point)

[2] conservatism, in my interpretation, requires an acknowledgment of a superior opinion or perspective and tends to ignore dissent; is often so focused on establishing “freedom of opportunity” that it tramples the non-majoritarian actors in a society and in practice is neither equal nor fair; and ascribes a questionable type of morality to the application of and political decision related to domestic and (if possible, more frighteningly) foreign policy. this is a minimal delve into all that conservatism is, but we really don’t have that kind of time.
also, these are often the people who deify ayn rand…which…no.

22 things i have learned since 27 june 1987

1. yogurt isn’t as bad as it is that first time.
2. falling in love feels like the most intense thing you will ever experience. it is…but then, it isn’t.
3. spending the extra cash to not compromise (but instead get what you really want) is worth it about 75% of the time.
4. you can never really get tired of Mexican food.
5. learning how to cook is the most valuable skill you can reasonably expect to learn.
6. there is no such thing as having too many books, or too fast of an internet connection.
7. it’s a good thing to cry during the movie.
8. you can always be just a little more organized.
9. there is totally such a thing as “too much [insert substance here].” that being said, there are a very small number of occasions when it is best to turn to drugs or alcohol instead of really dealing with an issue.
10. six hours is not a full night of sleep.
11. being afraid to open up is just as bad as being entirely too open.
12. older women are better, always.
13. when moving to a new city, finding a place that serves (and delivers!) your favorite comfort food will stave off your homesickness for a while.
14. there does come an age when you are too old for a futon.
15. being nervous, and having a fear of public speaking, is all about your state of mind. it’s totally within your control. UPDATE: so are the munchies.
16. you never get exactly what you want, and the earlier in your life that you realize this, all the better.
17. the anticipation of leisure when you’ve been working is a strong motivator.
18. when you move into a new place, the first thing you should do is locate the circuit breaker. the second thing is to check the water pressure.
19. it’s worth the snobby hipster points you accumulate for going out and getting yourself 1) a french press coffee maker and 2) a good record player.
20. little gestures go a long way. taking the time to handwrite a note conveying gratitude is the kind of thing people aren’t likely to soon forget.
21. if you’ve read a particularly good book, you’ll find it useful to recommend it to a friend (so now you have someone to gush to).
22. you can feel “too old” or “too young” at almost any age. qualifiers are a part of life, & without them, we’re all just waiting on a feeling.

things that make me excited to move to gainesville

-gainesville rock gym!!
-i’m getting a hookah.
-more trips to ikea.com
-my gorgeous painting ideas (hint: there’s going to be an obama on the wall…somewhere)
-making tacos and macaroni and cheese and pizza all in the same night will finally be an option.
-i’m going to watch a lot of sports. a lot.
-it’s possible that they will let me audit some photography classes (ftw!!)
-the work for ‘a moveable feast’ (more on this later, or you can check the inspiration for this) is almost done, so i can start keeping track of things.
-furthering my education and all that