The Column
Motto: Sometimes I Impress Myself
In Columns #219 and #289 I shared a series of snippets from the Moleskine I had been writing in for the past year or so. Last night I re-discovered the green “Irish” notebook that Melissa gave me for our 1-year anniversary (of dating, not marriage). Reading through it last night was one of the more entertaining things I’ve done in a while. I’d like to share with you a brief selection of things I wrote about from ~January 2011 to ~February 2012. This is from a time in my life before I graduated college, got a job, got married, and started doing all the projects that I write about here in the Column (also it’s from before the Column). FYI - I’m going to write these quotes in the color they were in the notebook.
Let’s begin.
Things I’m likely to learn from the time log:
> You have too much time on your hands
> The implications of E=MC2
> Other stuff
It’s beginning to look like the best system is just writing everything down, then reviewing the day’s notes each night and making plans & arrangements then. Also, push-ups.
The chances of me using this exact sentence again any time in my life are slim-to-none – but that’s only if I leave it up to chance.
the chances of me using this sentence again any time in my life are slim-to-none.
The observant man would note the two sentences were not exactly the same.
that was not intentional.
A good person…
…is fair to others & themselves
…is nice when they don’t need to be
…is a hard worker & problem solver
…lives a well-balanced life
…is an effective communicator & team member
…knows how to win & lose, how to be right & wrong
…finds joy in the little things
…is loyal to his friends, family, and significant other
…speaks creatively and reserves foul language for foul situations
…puts themselves in other’s shoes
…is modest & moral
…never smokes & drinks only on occasion
…has interesting hobbies in place of television & such
…challenges themselves to do better and be better at everything they do
…can run a couple miles & move a couple weights
…doesn’t invest time, money, energy, or worry on stupid things
…is well-groomed, well-kempt, and well organized
…knows when and how to be both consistent & spontaneous
…doesn’t spend their life living in the comfort zone
Something big happened today in the world of pens.
English is a funny language.
A funny language is English.
English, a language, is funny.
Is English a funny language?
Funny, English is a language.
A funny language, English is.
Is a funny language English?
Now that I have the green pen, the blue one seems so wrong and inappropriate. I violated this notebook with my old pen’s blueness.
I’m sorry notebook.
Remember – every problem is an opportunity for a creative solution –
Time for a little of this:
x ← where you think
And a lot of this:
x ← where you act
Happy Aaron cannot stress this enough to unhappy Aaron
WORK OUT!
It’s just the bee’s knees.
Aaron Gillespie
Original, please
Piano allergies
A religion lapse
I ogle airplanes
Linear spoilage
Galleria ponies
Ailing parolees
A gasoline peril
Keep your juicebox close to your heart.
Coffee doesn’t suck?
When did this happen?
Fonts I particularly like:
Agency FB
Aparajita *(editor’s note: typefaces with an asterisk aren’t part of standard Windows/MS Word anymore. Huh.)
Cataneo BT *
Eurostile *
Harlow Solid Italic
Kokila *
Lucida Console
Lucida Sans
Nyala_*_
Trebuchet MS
and of course;
Franklin Gothic Book
More details on the Engineering Binder:
A collection of topics; the big points from each class, summarized so that older, stupid Aaron (or stupid non-Aaron people) can use it. Goal: ridiculously clear & usable.
It should be a mixture of typed & hand-written notes. Focusing on application & usage, not theory. Each topic should get its own definitions, equations, and example usage.
The finished product should be printed nicely, bound (like some Kinkos-type stuff). Also, digital copies should be saved ideally in 3 locations as well as the editable (Word) files & original drawings.
Steps needed:
1. Compile list of all subjects
2. Gather research & notes on all subjects
-
One at a time, list all topics to be detailed in the binder
-
Make rough draft of notes, including definitions, equations, example(s)
-
Make “pretty” version on word or paper
-
Archive an move on
Other cultures I appreciate:
Ø Runners, walkers, joggers, swimmers
Ø Coffee making coffee drinkers
Ø Beer aficionados
Ø Craftsmen
Ø Gun shooters
Ø Lunch makers
5.5 Megaohm resistor
Criteria on what makes a day bad:
Ø Where you paralyzed?
Ø Did someone close to you die?
Ø Did you or someone you know get diagnosed with something serious?
Ø Did you wreck your car?
Ø Did you get arrested?
Ø Did you break up?
Ø Did anything bad happen that you’ll remember in a month?
A good day is any day in which…
…none of the above list happens,
…you ate food & had a drink,
…you woke up in a safe place.
99% of days are good days
List of things to be scared of:
Ø Giant spiders (Harry Potter giant)
Ø Cthulhu
Ø The rapture for any religion other than your own
Ø The Kraken
Ø Ninja monkeys
Ø Anacondas
Ø Plagues
Milkduds are horrible.
This is a green pen. It is a gel-based “ink” distribution device. The ink is leaked onto the paper through the tip of the pen. The ink stains the paper in the exact location the pen point had touched. The ink absorbs all of the electromagnetic radiation within the visible spectrum except for some frequencies around 5.88 Terahertz (510 nm). In a way the ink works as a selective band-reject electromagnetic radiation filter. The light waves reaching our eyeballs from this ink have all frequencies removed except those in the reject region of the filter. The lack of these frequencies are what make the portions of the paper distinct. The pen does not make the paper “green”, the pen shows us the paper was already green.
The trick to being the guy you want to be is realizing that means you’ll have to do some things you don’t want to do.
Because being that guy isn’t easy. If it was easy, you’d already be him.
Movie stereotypes to parody:
Ø Walking away from an explosion
Ø The “background is getting closer” effect
Ø The “Flashbang” effect
Ø The windy slow-mo hot chick entrance
Ø The glasses removal dramatic line
Ø Black and white flashback sequence
Ø Fast-mo-to-slow-mo-&-back-again
It’s very hard to write on this page in this position
This
is
me
writing
on
a
page.
How deep is that s***?
I think the name Julian is a name of either a loser nerd or a really cool dude. You can’t be named “Julian” and be a run-of-the-mill guy. Run-of-the-mill guys are named Steve. I’m glad my name isn’t Steve.
Editor’s note: this was written before Captain America: The First Avenger came out.
Maturity blows. I try to employ as little of it in my daily life as possible.
Attempt at writing:
It’s fun,
looking at you,
looking at me,
like you want more.
If I could drive,
to you in a fix,
it would be heaven,
it would be great,
it would be fine.
Sometime soon again.
That type of “poem” doesn’t really work.
The ideal notetaking software would be/have:
-
Ubiquitous – must be available locally, online, and most important mobily
-
Unlimited & free – no “usage caps” or “membership dues”. Period
-
Convenient – no ugly interface w/ awkward menus & extra stuff + FAST
-
Well organized & searchable
-
Linked notes. Checkboxes. Images.
-
Play nice w/ scans & hand notes
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evernote | Y | No | Y | Y* | Y | Y* |
| Springpad | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | No |
| OneNote | No | Y | Y* | Y | Y | Y |
| Pen/Paper | No* | Y | No | No | Y | Y |
| G Docs | Y | Y | No | No | Y* | * |
| G Keep | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Editor’s note: Google Keep is great, I added into that table just now. .
“Without rest, a man cannot work;
without work – the rest does not give you any benefit”
- proverb -
It’s 2012
Jan. 1st
For you, that’s in the past.
For me that’s right now.
Current mood:
Agitated
Current time:
Late
Current interest level to go on:
Editor’s note: this is full of movie quotes are clichés. It’s a bit embarrassing now, but representative of Aaron at the time.
First you have to know, not fear, know that someday you’re gunna die. Fear, doubt, and worry have made you a coward for far too long. Every day wasted and every night squandered you don’t get back. Would you rather die? Would you rather be dead? I mean, for all that time wasted you might as well have been dead. Seize the day, seize the moment, seize opportunities – in whatever form they might come. Say “yes” more. You say “no” to life and therefore you’re not living. Everything in gained through experience; and experience is gained by doing. So go do things. Go meet people. Do not tiptoe through life to arrive safely at death. Actively and intentionally seek out adventure. Have new experiences. Make new memories. You’ll miss out on a lot of good times trying to avoid a few bad ones. Bad times and awkward moments are part of a full life. They are unavoidable. They are also temporary; and they, too, shall pass. When they do they leave behind them a wiser and better person. You have to be lost for a while before you can know where you are.
It’s 5-7-5.
That’s how a haiku is made
They suck anyway
Limericks are more fun.
It’s harder to write one.
But I’m doing that now,
and it doesn’t matter how
it looks when it’s done.
They are supposed to be funny.
Scrubs
LOST
Breaking Bad
This Column was already long enough. I’m going to break the mold & end it without a Top 5 & Quote. Make up your own.