Journal entries in 'Ruminations' for December, 2004

This whole photography thing was much easier back before I had realized it was a hobby of mine. I had lower expectations then. Originally, I just enjoyed having a camera and taking pictures of things. Then people started telling me I took good pictures, and in response to that I started trying to take better pictures, and became Wile E. Coyote. I'd run off the cliff, but everything went fine until I realized it, and then suddenly I found it so much harder to do because my ambitions were higher.

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Today as I bent to pick up a hubcap on the side of the road (this would be my second), I noticed the astounding similarity to the way the human body stores fat, and I realized that the problem is a simple one: my body is just a packrat! Show it a broken Walkman and it says, "Hey, this might come in useful sometime!" And pockets it away in some artery or buttock.

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Traffic jams in PR provide a good demonstration of the rules of conformity and distortion of action that Asch found in his experiment in the 50's.

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I just discovered the "Discovery: Wings" channel, by Discovery Channel but all about airplanes and flight in general. Awesome.

I was watching an episode of this show called Strange Planes, about the catapults on aircraft carriers and how the idea was first used by the Wright brothers to get their underpowered (12hp) airplanes in the air.

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Everyone says that talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity, but it's not really that out of the ordinary, right? ...Right?

I've always talked to myself when I drove, but over the course of the last few months I've been finding myself doing it excessively — like I say almost all my thoughts out loud now. I guess it's because I spend so much time alone. Every few days I'll suddenly notice all the concerned glances and realize that I'm walking through a store and mumbling to myself. Sort of like when you find yourself absently picking your nose and suddenly realize you're in public. Except with more straightjackets.