Aimless thoughts.
Mar. 23rd, 2004 09:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elwenThis morning was indescribably beautiful. Somehow I managed, in resolving to go to bed earlier, to sleep even later than before. So around 7 I was returning from breakfast in Lower Fishbowl and discovered that it was misting outside. Not just that, but the whole atmosphere was so serene and gentle. It was overcast, so the sky was a uniform grey light, and the mist was just barely visible across the courtyard. The air was very cool and clean, and the sensation of the mist was just so refreshing. There were birds that called to each other in single chirps; everything felt sharp and crisp. It was like a misty morning on a mountain, except dropped in the middle of Pasadena.
What I loved most was the light. It was just so uniquely natural. Not warm like the incandescents waiting for me in my room, not cold like the fluorescents I like to study by. Just ambient; bright enough to read by, but not too harsh to the eyes.
Earlier this evening I suddenly remembered that the PhotoFriday theme this week is "morning". But I don't think it's something I could have captured anyway. It was a feeling, more than anything else.
Last night, I had this sudden urge to go off campus. At first, I thought it was because I felt confined in my solitude, and mused how strange it was that, now that there's no one around, Tech feels smaller. Then I realized that it must be the opposite case: I feel too unconfined. I wanted to be where your surroundings push in on you, where there are rules and social expectations. I tend to be like that sometimes, wishing external factors would create bounds for me, so I don't have to worry about it myself, so I don't have to hold myself back, assured that I will hit a wall anyway if I go where I'm not wanted. It's another form of risk aversion, perhaps. It's why I'm a submissive (duh, not like that).
So yeah, I'm weird and dysfunctional that way. I'm trying to get over it, where I perceive it as problematic.
At any rate, I went to Borders tonight. Discovery: everything's cheaper at Amazon, duh. Originally, I was looking for some more Nietzsche, mainly Twilight of the Idols. Then I thought I might try to find Genome, whose sample was very enjoyable to read. One of those "oh yeah, I used to think science was fun and interesting" kinds of books. :P But really, it seems like I never thought about the big picture while taking biology. I don't think I even mentioned what chromosome Sonic hedgehog was on in my Bi 9 paper. But Borders doesn't have discounts, so the only advantage would be having the book in my hand right then, and I wasn't that desperate.
Really, though, I was appalled at the prices. Short little things -- Twilight of the Idols is less than a hundred pages -- costing over $10. A few years ago I mused how one day books would be more expensive than DVDs, and it seems like we continue moving in that direction. It's really quite sad.
I'm getting a PDA for my birthday, and part of the reason I warmed to the idea was that I'd always wanted an eBook reader. I love holding books in my hands, but a lot of the time nowadays I just want a more comfortable way to read text I have on my computer. But I will never give up paperback novels and tankoubon.
Anyhow, I think that's all the stuff that's been bouncing around my head these past two days. Before, I was planning on going down to the Houses to play some piano or DDR, but now I'm feeling lazy again. I really need to fix my piano-playing posture. I could easily go for hours, but my shoulder starts to tighten and it feels really painful and unhealthy. =/
*loses interest and wanders off*
What I loved most was the light. It was just so uniquely natural. Not warm like the incandescents waiting for me in my room, not cold like the fluorescents I like to study by. Just ambient; bright enough to read by, but not too harsh to the eyes.
Earlier this evening I suddenly remembered that the PhotoFriday theme this week is "morning". But I don't think it's something I could have captured anyway. It was a feeling, more than anything else.
Last night, I had this sudden urge to go off campus. At first, I thought it was because I felt confined in my solitude, and mused how strange it was that, now that there's no one around, Tech feels smaller. Then I realized that it must be the opposite case: I feel too unconfined. I wanted to be where your surroundings push in on you, where there are rules and social expectations. I tend to be like that sometimes, wishing external factors would create bounds for me, so I don't have to worry about it myself, so I don't have to hold myself back, assured that I will hit a wall anyway if I go where I'm not wanted. It's another form of risk aversion, perhaps. It's why I'm a submissive (duh, not like that).
So yeah, I'm weird and dysfunctional that way. I'm trying to get over it, where I perceive it as problematic.
At any rate, I went to Borders tonight. Discovery: everything's cheaper at Amazon, duh. Originally, I was looking for some more Nietzsche, mainly Twilight of the Idols. Then I thought I might try to find Genome, whose sample was very enjoyable to read. One of those "oh yeah, I used to think science was fun and interesting" kinds of books. :P But really, it seems like I never thought about the big picture while taking biology. I don't think I even mentioned what chromosome Sonic hedgehog was on in my Bi 9 paper. But Borders doesn't have discounts, so the only advantage would be having the book in my hand right then, and I wasn't that desperate.
Really, though, I was appalled at the prices. Short little things -- Twilight of the Idols is less than a hundred pages -- costing over $10. A few years ago I mused how one day books would be more expensive than DVDs, and it seems like we continue moving in that direction. It's really quite sad.
I'm getting a PDA for my birthday, and part of the reason I warmed to the idea was that I'd always wanted an eBook reader. I love holding books in my hands, but a lot of the time nowadays I just want a more comfortable way to read text I have on my computer. But I will never give up paperback novels and tankoubon.
Anyhow, I think that's all the stuff that's been bouncing around my head these past two days. Before, I was planning on going down to the Houses to play some piano or DDR, but now I'm feeling lazy again. I really need to fix my piano-playing posture. I could easily go for hours, but my shoulder starts to tighten and it feels really painful and unhealthy. =/
*loses interest and wanders off*
