New Thoughts

Old photo - reflection on distorted plastic-covered canvas.

I spent a lot of time today trying to understand new concepts or redefinine old ones or just think slightly differently. I went to the TUT World Tour that I mentioned yesterday and I had a good time. I like thinking about these sort of things, I like wondering how and why and what-in-the-world. I like discussing it even more than listening to it, but today was mostly a listening day, which was good too.

I had a fairly long discussion with my dad about it over the phone when he called tonight (long, at least, for us two fairly phone-phobics), so I won't go into detail about it again. Basically, time and space are an illusion, the base/basis of the universe is awareness, which is thought. And therefore, since thoughts created the dimension/universe in which we live, thoughts become things(TM) (I think I need to put a TM there). Therefore, stuff happens first in our thoughts and then in the physical world. Therefore, I think I am tired, and therefore I'm going to go to bed (moving in general direction of thoughts) and then I can fall asleep. Yay!


Wolverine

Oh-My-God Tired

An old photo of some fun rocks that I thought appropriate for this post.

Today was extremely busy and tiring, but it was mostly fun/interesting. It was a very 'Geosciences and Chem' day. I had a Geo lecture, which was cool, given by a researcher who'd been to lots of really interesting places and had many photos (squee!). I also skipped my computing lecture to go to a lecture given by a visiting Canadian geologist-researcher who spoke about early life (I think it was Pre-Cambrian, but I don't know all the names and such very well yet, so I'm not 100% on it). Very cool. And then I got to go up to their lunchroom and chat with him and a few other geoscience people for the majority of my lunch break. Yay!

And then I had a four hour Chem lab. Ouch. Interesting, but I wouldn't label it fun. Too exhausting and repetitive to be quite fun. I was pretty knackered after that.

I have heaps of work to do, but I'm still treating myself gently given that I definitely have not yet fully recovered from my cold-flu-thing. So, I let myself rest in the evening, which I really needed.

Tomorrow is an unusual day; I'm going to Mike Dooley's World Tour, which I hope should be very interesting and inspiring and I've run out of adjectives (god, I hope they're adjectives) because I'm so tired. Long day. More tiring. But should be good!

Tomorrow night I also have to finish my Geoscience lab report/questions, which are interesting but just take a while. And get a start on my Chem lab report from *last* week, which is now due Friday since I got an extension. And I'm going to shut up now. I have lots more I need to do, but right now just catching up and getting/staying healthy are the most important.

I'll stop rambling now.


Wolverine

Blegh

No picture today -- I'm too tired to go through them and find a nice one. I've been sick for, um, five days now, and I'm still not better yet. My head has been dizzy and hazy the entire time, so of course I didn't get anything much done.

Back at uni now after collapsing at home over the weekend, here for two weeks because I've got something on this weekend down here. Haven't really got much else to say, but I wanted to wander back over here before I forgot all about it. Still mostly concentrating on staying awake, staying upright and being semi-coherant for uni.


Wolverine

Non-Uni Intentions and Ponderings

This is what outside my home looks like.

Well, busy. I didn't mention in my previous post (I think) that we sold our house on the weekend. That birdfeeder is a new one we bought to look nice because our old one was really ratty and, well, old. So, we've got about two more months at home before it isn't our home anymore. I still haven't figured out how I feel about it, so enough of that for now.

Today went well during the daytime, and is the sort of day I want to continue, although I want the evenigns to be useful and feel positive and rewarding as well. I keep having long naps and although they feel wonderful, it means that the late afternoon/early evening period feels like a waste, and it also means that I am awake at times like now, ie, 1.55am. Something I need to work on improving is shortening the time of my naps, from a full-on sleep to a powernap.

When I finally get up and moving and showered and breakfasted, I actually really like mornigns. The light is gorgeous, they *feel* light and airy and gentle, and they're so quiet. I love quiet. What would make me feel wonderful is to get up with a decent amount of time in the morning, do all my usual mornign routine, plus a walk outside to get moving, and some reflection time that doesn't turn into internet-browsing time or book-reading time.

And it's finally quiet now, so I think I'll keep those things in mind as I go to bed, and implement them as best I can over the next few days.


Wolverine

Mostly Uni Stuff

My folders for all my subjects finally done and sorted. I also need to charge and format my poor camera.

It's quite late again; so far my intention of shifting my sleep backwards isn't working. That's okay, because right now it's not the most super-important thing. That, currently, is getting back into uni mode and actually studying and working and getting things done.

Sorting out my folders was one of the first things on the list for uni stuff. There's a huge long list of stuff in my head, so I'm going to splurge them all out into this post and try to get them all down.

1) Get a printer card/credit and print out pages for: Geo, Chem, Computing.

2) Begin working on Civil project, qus 1-6 are already do-able during this week. Get these done by the weekend.

3) Go through everything, all subjects, and mark down all the important dates on my year-calendar. Also include non-uni important stuff.

4) Finish putting up my posters; I've done all of my large ones bar one, but I've run out of bluetac. Therefore, buy more bluetac first.

5) Read Chem and Geo labs before actually doing them.

6) Everything else I remember later.

Um. Can't think of anything else to write right now, so I'm heading off to bed.

Wolverine

Old Stuff I've forgotten and New Stuff I'm learning

Another cool campfire photo.

Today was completely a mix of old uni stuff that I really should remember but don't, and oh-crap-scary new stuff. Okay, maybe not quite that scary.

I only had classes for a single subject today, just how it worked out on my timetable, but oh-my-god, I don't remember hardly any of the stuff I need to know and am supposed to know. We're revising in a week a subject that took and entire semester at the start of last year, and not only is it highly compressed but it was a long time ago. So ack. Lots of revision needed, pronto.

In the evening I had my second-ever driving lesson. At night! Actually, it wasn't too bad once I'd actually got in, figured out where all the additional night-buttons were and just started. I could see! And I didn't hit anything OR stall.

Aside from that, it's late. Really late, and I'm tired. I finished off my container of vegie-tomato soup that's really yummy, and I'll write up the recipe for it sometime, but not tonight, because it's slightly more complicated than the chicken soup and I can't be bothered remembering all the stuff.

From my goals list, I did organise a decent amount of my bedroom today. So I know where most things are now. And I did a few ankle exercises this morning, not enough though.

And bugger, I forgot some Wednesday-specific stuff. I didn't pick up my geoscience lab manual like I was supposed to. That's about it, but bugger.

Oh well. Email lady tomorrow, maybe? Ask to pick it up at the end of the lecture since I *can't go* because it *clashes*. Grr.

Ah well. Bedtime, because now is no time for stressing.

Goals for tomorrow include getting that lab manual, practising MATLAB, washing my dishes, sending off an email to the outdoor club and... whatever else turns up. Yeah.


Wolverine

Chicken and Vegie Soup

I realise that is not a picture of the post title. That is not chicken soup. Duh. But I didn't take a picture of it tonight, and I won't scar you with pictures of the remains.

However, I *did* make a fairly nice, simple chicken soup for dinner, so I'm putting the recipe up here.

Ingredients:
3/4 Litre of Chicken Stock (Would use 1/2 L next time)
Small handful of cooked, roughly shredded chicken (Would use even less chicken less time, maybe half a handful)
1 baby carrot, sliced (Would use 2+ baby carrots next time)
125g can of corn kernals, including liquid
Half a red capsicum, diced
Small handful of shell pasta (Probably use a different sort of pasta next time, maybe even noodles)

1. Bring some water to a boil in a some saucepan and start cooking the shells. This could probably be done in the stock along with everything else, but I was a bit unsure.
2. Put the stock on the stove and get it bubbling but not boiling.
3. Put corn, corn liquid, capsicum and carrots in. Stir occassionally.
4. When pasta is al dente (I think?), ie, just cooked, soft enough to eat but definitely still a bit firm, drain them from the water and tip them into the stock.
5. Add the shredded chicken and stir occassionally until the chicken is heated through.

This was quite nice, although it didn't turn out quite as well as I'd hoped. Next time, more vegies, less chicken and a bit less stock. It's pretty much a generic chicken soup recipe, but I like it.


Wolverine

Starting Again

Right, so, I haven't posted here for a long time. (Must remember to have keyboard in front of my hands, not far over out of the way.) I'm not expecting anyone to read this, but I need somewhere to be accountable to myself. I'm sick of not getting done what I want to do, and I know part of the problem is I don't set out clearly what I want to do before the day starts/ends.

So, this blog is now going become just my general blog/journal/goals page/thingy. All the different things I'm trying to include are too diverse for a topic-focused place, like FM or Steve Pavlina or the foody places I hang out. And really, the only person who *really* needs to see them is me. I don't care if other people do (it's not like any of them are embarrassing!), but this is for me.

Goals? Lots. First semester of my second year at uni has just started, and there's heaps of stuff to do. Food, exercise, organising things, things I already have booked in -- ack! And that's not even counting, y'know, the actual uni stuff. *rolleyes*

Daily Stuff:

* Ankle and back exercises (former because I sprained it a couple of months ago, latter because it's just weak), preferably in the mornings.

* As often as possible, cook my own healthy meals. If it turns out good, why not write it up and post it on here!

* Take either a light textbook or some other form of reading with me onto campus every day, so I can have something to if I have a break and no one to talk to.

* Get up with reasonable time in the mornings so I can have a shower to wake me up, and get to bed at a decent time, too.

Stuff to do SOON:

* Email Outdoors club to ask about rockclimbing next Monday night (3rd March).

* Organise my room; papers, wash my dishes, find places for everything.

* Read some of my textbooks, preferably the ones I haven't read much of yet.

* Uni organising; print out lecture notes, pick up lab manuals for geoscience and chem.

* Practise using MATLAB.

* Work out my diary and dates for the semester, or as much as possible anyway.

There's probably heaps more to do, but I can't think of them right now. It's the starting part that gets it all moving, anyway. So, it's quite late and I need to get some sleep.

Wolverine