Commentary on the state of the Republic

My Spherical Trigonometry class is hardcore. Glen, our tutor, is a great teacher who leads us along to the answer without actually making us go there. Actually, the best thing about Glen is that he makes us all interested, he tells a story about math. He'll tell us where this theorem originated, who did it, and a bit about that (supposedly) famous person. And how this completely changed math. (since we're learning theories in chronological order, we completely appreciate newer and better ones).


Glen pushes us and we just push back, darn it! Hannah became sick and Durgen didn't sleep for two nights because of a math assignment. We're all getting pretty good marks, making Glen's grading curve go to " H-E-double hockey sticks". And I was one of three students who apparently did what was almost unthinkable on 'Glen' assignments and got an A.


Most of the time, class ends, and we all just stay there doing work. I would probably think that it's a lot more sad if I wasn't part of it... In fact, we figured that we spend a minimum of ten hours a day on math. (maximum averaged 18, more math than sleep!) And if you look at numbers of people who are thinking about math, it's always AT LEAST 17 (number of people in our class). And we get lovely conversations going at dinner with people who aren't even in the class!


Is it normal to search YouTube for 'triangle'? Most of us have by now had several math dreams, or see Menelaus figures in between people you're having conversation with. (It's also known in our class as the Star Trek Theory. You can see it to the right.) When we meet each other in the hallway, we'll start talking about Sperical Trig. We honestly can't stop thinking about it! So to restate, our class is hardcore.

Well as I said earlier this week, I was looking up propaganda posters for inspiration in style and feeling. I made this because we are all so devoted to our beloved Spherical Trigonometry. In fact, we decided to take a class picture in which everyone had part of a lénart sphere on their head. (A lénart sphere is a clear, basketball-sized glove you can draw on with wet-erase markers.) I think this would be more under 'political cartoon' genre than propaganda, but I still like it:

It's modeled after the American Pledge of Allegiance, with a couple of small modifications... Oh, and that thing in the background is a diagram of Napier's rules for Sines (and cosines and tangents)... This is what I created! I'm excited and amused by myself. Even though I was being vague so as not to ruin the surprise, I even asked Glen if I could boost my mark with it.

Captured light

Annie, my Molecular Biology teacher from last black, decided to start a photo club. We have a theme for each month, and anyone can submit up to 3 pictures on the theme. Then we all get together and view a slideshow, discussing each shot. These are the three I submitted. Trees on a foggy day with increased contrast, Quest at night with only minor overall colour adjusted (there are two different colours for the different lights around campus, I simply made it more red overall)

Planty things with light on them... I don't actually know what they are, fuzzy things...

Another series of questions that could be considered a rant

It seems the world does not appreciate a job thoroughly well done, only a job done passably, sometimes even shoddy work. Or perhaps everyone else just knows how to do everything better than I do, such that I spend so much time, excessively, thinking about how best to go about doing something or what is the best thing to do. I was talking with a girl today who got a full scholarship for Quest, and claims that she doesn't really know how she got it, except that she participated in so many things, school clubs and such. But she said sometimes she would overbook herself and stuff like that, which makes me wonder.... she got a full ride giving what I can only logically deduce as being part of her attentions to all her pursuits, whereas if I am not giving something my all I decide to discontinue my contributions to it; it becomes a chore for me, and the value for my time is lesser than the value of my time to something I would more enthusiastically pursue. Is that not a more mature way of thinking than 'taking on too much' (as she put it)?

On one hand I should not be so constantly comparing and seeing what others got in order to point out what I should receive. The world often does not work on the same set of rules, as illustrated so well by that card game barnga, where each table has different rules and players move among tables. It is making me even more disillusioned with the extrovert virtues, that of breadth rather than depth. I suppose that is why I am constantly so torn, because I have so many interests, but it is such my nature to devote myself to one or two things, to do my best and become all I can, rather than do about half (or less) in a number of things. I mean, even if you gave half to three things, you'd have more than devoting yourself to only one thing, at least nominally.

And there is the problem. Nomination. It's so difficult to quantify many such things that it becomes the contest of honking your horn louder than those who surround you. But isn't that life? The world truly is a extroverted one, judging by appearances rather than qualification for the job. I suppose, too, part of the reason I am so modest, seemingly naturally so, is that I would rather be real and authentic than to puff up my claims, would choose to be judged on my merits rather than the voice that says them. Fundamentals. But humans aren't like that. I'm just so annoyed at how human humans are, and my lack of humanness in some areas. Sometimes, it's just so hard to connect, fit in, understand, succeed...

And then I meet those who seem to be so great, and who also, very recently before arriving at Quest, have gone through such turbulence. Why have I been spared of such tragedies? Why have I still not produced anything of value, have little to show for my efforts? What am I doing?? What is my life being spent doing?

Part of it is the curse of who I am. I find I am highly susceptible to 'paralysis by analysis', because I strive to understand something before actually pursuing it. (When I mean understand, I mean all of it, plus some of everything surrounding it). Further, then, once I understand the entire scope of a project I know just how big it is. Other times, once I understand how to make the project a reality, I lose interest. Not very condusive to showing a product of any kind for my time, and that's what kind of person I am, meaning that is my natural inclination. It's not a very consumable, marketable, strength.

...especially having just watched much of the Olympics, I know how little desire I have to compete. Why try your best at something that has been done countless times already? Why try to be faster than the person next you when even that may not be a world record? In the end, everyone has run the marathon, can't we have new ways to prove our superiority?

Quest - first view

Just a couple of quick snapshots from my first day or so at Quest - they're keeping me busy right now so I'll keep you posted.

View from my balcony





Living room area


The view this morning on the way to breakfast at the cafeteria


My signature on the wall we all get to sign.