I’ve been accepted to RPI.
Monthly Archive for March, 2008
Page 3 of 4
My new favorite pastime has been watching videos from the remarkable TED conference. Before I go off to college, I hope to have watched all of the videos available on the TED website. I’ve watched 24 so far and have many times that number to go.
Yesterday, while I was having a uniquely bad day, I put on a talk from Jill Bolte Taylor. Here’s the summary on the TED website.
Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.
I beg you to watch this video. Not only did it cheer me up, but it’s changed the way I view the human spirit. Jill brings a type of genuine inspiration to her talk that’s rare today. Block out nineteen minutes and watch it below, or download a higher quality movie file (recommended). I cannot say enough good things about it.
I just received a big envelope from the lovely little college in Easton and I’m happy to say I’ve been accepted to Lafayette College.
That is all.
I had an opportunity the other night to sit down with my sister, some friends I’m currently in school with, some friends who have gone off to college, and a few acquittances. We sat around a living room and talked about the past – relationships, jokes, fiascos, whatever.
The night was miraculously uplifting. We all laughed about things that really bothered us at the time at the time they happened, but now seem insignificant. As we joked, I picked up the perspectives of people who through circumstance or by choice, I did not know while the events were happening. The re-realization of my limited knowledge in those emotional times gave me a silent epiphany of sorts:
Plenty of the people we write off as “not good” are in fact only opposed to us by circumstance, not by their own choice or character.
In other words, some people actually are “good”, you just didn’t know it yet. Sit down with people you’ve never gotten a chance to understand. Reach across the aisle, retire a stereotype, and connect with others… or at least try.
I just received a great email.
Richard:
I’m writing this to thank you for your help with my MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-857D problem. I followed your advice and wrote to Steve Jobs at his Apple e-mails and I got an answer; they fixed my superdrive for free. They realized that it was a worldwide problem and fixed it, no questions asked.
So thank you for the advice.
It’s times like these that I’m glad I wrote up a detailed article on fixing these SuperDrives. The entire SuperDrive saga is in the Matshita SuperDrive category of the blog.
Yesterday (Friday), I missed half of school to visit my surgeon. It was a quick visit, and a very positive one. He removed some inner packing in my ear, gave me a prescription for some ear drops, and took my questions. He said it looks good in there and that I’m likely on my way to a good recovery. I’ll see him again in two weeks.
Oh, I can take traditional showers again!