10/26/16: Lovin' Life

1. 10/26/16
1. Finished StatMech homework (the last problem was really weird and my result didn’t agree with the one given. But hey, got me thinking, that’s what matters.)
2. StatMech class was mostly checking the validity of the Boltzmann statistical /counting definition of entropy, against what we’d already gotten from empirical thermodynamics. But Marcel also talked about how to generalize the ideal gas entropy (using, now, the counting definition).
3. Hit the SPS lounge. None of my math club buddies were there so I worked on the lunchbox and formatting the Halloween Party poster. Chatted a little with Kyle and Isaak about the newsletter. MailChimp stats are telling me about half of my 300 subscribers are opening the email, but then, based on link tracking, almost nobody finishes it. Compelling case for bullet points. At one point I nearly die laughing, when Kyle makes some goofy comparison between the newsletter and jeez, I don’t remember... Grabbed a delicious chicken fried waffle at the new food truck in Red Square and ate it during the meeting, which was routine.
4. Put up the newsletters and Halloween party flyers with Justin, who volunteered to help at no provocation.
5. Went to play basketball! Unfortunately the extra pair of shorts I’d packed was worthless without my basketball shoes, so I had to run back to 2104 and then down to the gym.
6. At the IMA I ran into Henry, an old hoops buddy of mine from WCC. We formed a team and won three games straight before finally losing the court. I couldn’t shoot at all, but I got lots of rebounds.
7. (Here I’ll note I had a bit of an epiphany the other evening (after dinner with Xin, Molly, and Brandon) when I remarked to Molly, who watches anime while doing homework and has several bottles of alcohol legitimately in her room, that if I didn’t know her, her lifestyle would seem rather dissipated. She agreed, and then said something that gave me a moment of pause: “I love my life! It’s great.” At that point I realized loving my (current) life hadn’t been high on my list of priorities. I’d been feeling that everything I was doing was just a means to the next thing, feeling a frustrating mix of ennui and treadmilling. Partially because my future plans aren’t well fixed and so aren’t a strong present motivator, partially because review in physics is frustrating, and partially because it’s become a habit to think of everything I do in terms of what it will net me. So I decided to snap the habit. Playing 4 games of basketball instead of leaving after 2 was part of it. Then, in-between basketball and swing, instead of trying to scramble and get some little things done, I just had a lovely snack, hung out with Lisa in the kitchen, appreciated a creamy glass of milk.
8. My altered mindset made a big difference at swing. I stuck around for both lessons and learned a lot of technique. Lots of fun--I felt very comfortable and at ease, not as tense as I’ve been. (I’ve noticed, at random times, a buildup of latent tension in my muscles, particularly hand and face. Will see if I can lose that.)
9. Then team food at EJ’s, good conversation with Trevor and noob swingers Sarah and Nico.
10. Now for phase 2 of my relaxation plan: be realistic about getting things done. You have to get things done in optimal and isolated conditions (at least strongly designated and mentally isolated), not in little chunks in the middle of the rest of your life (otherwise simple things, like getting a sandwich, face mental evaluation so that they can be compared against getting something done). So instead of going back to 2104, I went to a quiet room in Paccar and read about / practiced with databases for several hours.
11. Went back to 2104. (Note: Personal Journal entry). Good conversation with Xin, hopefully working out Xin / Brandon stuff. Laundry and log and sleep.