#308 - A Brief Selection from My Irish Notebook
Motto: Sometimes I Impress Myself
In Columns #219 and #289 I shared a series of snippets from the
Moleskine I had been writing in for the past year or so. Last night I
re-discovered the green "Irish" notebook that Melissa gave me for our
1-year anniversary (of dating, not marriage). Reading through it last night was
one of the more entertaining things I've done in a while. I'd like to share
with you a brief selection of things I wrote about from ~January 2011 to
~February 2012. This is from a time in my life before I graduated college, got
a job, got married, and started doing all the projects that I write about here
in the Column (also it's from before the Column). FYI - I'm going to write
these quotes in the color they were in the notebook.
Let's begin.
Things
I'm likely to learn from the time log:
>
You have too much time on your hands
>
The implications of E=MC2
>
Other stuff
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It's
beginning to look like the best system is just writing everything down, then
reviewing the day's notes each night and making plans & arrangements
then. Also, push-ups.
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The
chances of me using this exact sentence again any time in my life are
slim-to-none – but that's only if I leave it up to chance.
the
chances of me using this sentence again any time in my life are slim-to-none.
The
observant man would note the two sentences were not exactly the
same.
that
was not intentional.
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A
good person…
…is
fair to others & themselves
…is
nice when they don't need to be
…is
a hard worker & problem solver
…lives
a well-balanced life
…is
an effective communicator & team member
…knows
how to win & lose, how to be right & wrong
…finds
joy in the little things
…is
loyal to his friends, family, and significant other
…speaks
creatively and reserves foul language for foul situations
…puts
themselves in other's shoes
…is
modest & moral
…never
smokes & drinks only on occasion
…has
interesting hobbies in place of television & such
…challenges
themselves to do better and be better at everything they do
…can
run a couple miles & move a couple weights
…doesn't
invest time, money, energy, or worry on stupid things
…is
well-groomed, well-kempt, and well organized
…knows
when and how to be both consistent & spontaneous
…doesn't
spend their life living in the comfort zone
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Something
big happened today in the world of pens.
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English
is a funny language.
A
funny language is English.
English,
a language, is funny.
Is
English a funny language?
Funny,
English is a language.
A
funny language, English is.
Is
a funny language English?
Now
that I have the green pen, the blue one seems so wrong and inappropriate. I
violated this notebook with my old pen's blueness.
I'm
sorry notebook.
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Remember
– every problem is an opportunity for a creative solution –
Time
for a little of this:
x ←
where you think
And
a lot of this:
x ← where you act
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Happy
Aaron cannot stress this enough to unhappy Aaron
WORK
OUT!
It's
just the bee's knees.
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Aaron
Gillespie
Original,
please
Piano
allergies
A
religion lapse
I
ogle airplanes
Linear
spoilage
Galleria
ponies
Ailing
parolees
A
gasoline peril
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Keep
your juicebox close to your heart.
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Coffee
doesn’t suck?
When
did this happen?
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Fonts
I particularly like:
Agency
FB
Aparajita *(editor's note: typefaces with an asterisk aren't part of standard
Windows/MS Word anymore. Huh.)
Cataneo
BT *
Eurostile *
Harlow Solid Italic
Kokila *
Lucida Console
Lucida
Sans
Nyala*
Trebuchet
MS
and
of course;
Franklin
Gothic Book
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More
details on the Engineering Binder:
A
collection of topics; the big points from each class, summarized so that older,
stupid Aaron (or stupid non-Aaron people) can use it. Goal: ridiculously clear
& usable.
It
should be a mixture of typed & hand-written notes. Focusing on
application & usage, not theory. Each topic should get its own
definitions, equations, and example usage.
The
finished product should be printed nicely, bound (like some Kinkos-type stuff).
Also, digital copies should be saved ideally in 3 locations as well as the
editable (Word) files & original drawings.
Steps
needed:
1. Compile list of all subjects
2. Gather research & notes on all
subjects
3. One at a time, list all topics to be
detailed in the binder
4. Make rough draft of notes, including
definitions, equations, example(s)
5. Make "pretty" version on word
or paper
6. Archive an move on
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Other
cultures I appreciate:
Ø Runners, walkers, joggers, swimmers
Ø Coffee making coffee drinkers
Ø Beer aficionados
Ø Craftsmen
Ø Gun shooters
Ø Lunch makers
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5.5 Megaohm resistor
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Criteria on what makes a
day bad:
Ø Where you paralyzed?
Ø Did someone close to you die?
Ø Did you or someone you know get diagnosed with something serious?
Ø Did you wreck your car?
Ø Did you get arrested?
Ø Did you break up?
Ø Did anything bad happen that you'll remember in a month?
A good day is any day in which…
…none
of the above list happens,
…you
ate food & had a drink,
…you
woke up in a safe place.
99%
of days are good days
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List
of things to be scared of:
Ø Giant spiders (Harry Potter giant)
Ø Cthulhu
Ø The rapture for any religion other than your own
Ø The Kraken
Ø Ninja monkeys
Ø Anacondas
Ø Plagues
Milkduds
are horrible.
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This
is a green pen. It is a gel-based "ink" distribution device. The ink
is leaked onto the paper through the tip of the pen. The ink stains the paper
in the exact location the pen point had touched. The ink absorbs all of the
electromagnetic radiation within the visible spectrum except for some
frequencies around 5.88 Terahertz (510 nm). In a way the ink works as a
selective band-reject electromagnetic radiation filter. The light waves
reaching our eyeballs from this ink have all frequencies removed except those
in the reject region of the filter. The lack of these frequencies are what make
the portions of the paper distinct. The pen does not make the paper
"green", the pen shows us the paper was already green.
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The
trick to being the guy you want to be is realizing that means you'll have to do
some things you don't want to do.
Because
being that guy isn't easy. If it was easy, you'd already be him.
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Movie
stereotypes to parody:
Ø Walking away from an explosion
Ø The "background is getting closer" effect
Ø The "Flashbang" effect
Ø The windy slow-mo hot chick entrance
Ø The glasses removal dramatic line
Ø Black and white flashback sequence
Ø Fast-mo-to-slow-mo-&-back-again
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It's very hard to write on this page in this position
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This
is
me
writing
on
a
page.
How
deep is that s***?
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I
think the name Julian is a name of either a loser nerd or a really cool dude.
You can't be named "Julian" and be a run-of-the-mill guy.
Run-of-the-mill guys are named Steve. I'm glad my name isn't Steve.
Editor's note: this was
written before Captain America: The First Avenger came out.
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Maturity
blows. I try to employ as little of it in my daily life as possible.
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Attempt
at writing:
It's
fun,
looking
at you,
looking
at me,
like
you want more.
If
I could drive,
to
you in a fix,
it
would be heaven,
it
would be great,
it
would be fine.
Sometime
soon again.
That
type of "poem" doesn't really work.
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The
ideal notetaking software would be/have:
1. Ubiquitous – must be available locally,
online, and most important mobily
2. Unlimited & free – no
"usage caps" or "membership dues". Period
3. Convenient – no ugly interface w/
awkward menus & extra stuff + FAST
4. Well organized & searchable
5. Linked notes. Checkboxes. Images.
6. Play nice w/ scans & hand notes
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
|
|
Evernote
|
Y
|
No
|
Y
|
Y*
|
Y
|
Y*
|
|
Springpad
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y*
|
No
|
|
OneNote
|
No
|
Y
|
Y*
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
|
Pen/Paper
|
No*
|
Y
|
No
|
No
|
Y
|
Y
|
|
G
Docs
|
Y
|
Y
|
No
|
No
|
Y*
|
*
|
|
G
Keep
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Editor's note: Google
Keep is great, I added into that table just now..
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"Without
rest, a man cannot work;
without
work – the rest does not give you any benefit"
-
proverb -
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It's
2012
Jan.
1st
For
you, that's in the past.
For
me that's right now.
Current
mood:
Agitated
Current
time:
Late
Current
interest level to go on:
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Editor's note: this is
full of movie quotes are clichés. It's a bit embarrassing now, but
representative of Aaron at the time.
First
you have to know, not fear, know that someday you're gunna die. Fear, doubt,
and worry have made you a coward for far too long. Every day wasted and every
night squandered you don't get back. Would you rather die? Would you rather be
dead? I mean, for all that time wasted you might as well have been dead. Seize
the day, seize the moment, seize opportunities – in whatever form they might
come. Say "yes" more. You say "no" to life and therefore
you're not living. Everything in gained through experience; and experience is
gained by doing. So go do things. Go meet people. Do not tiptoe through life to
arrive safely at death. Actively and intentionally seek out adventure. Have new
experiences. Make new memories. You'll miss out on a lot of good times trying
to avoid a few bad ones. Bad times and awkward moments are part of a full life.
They are unavoidable. They are also temporary; and they, too, shall pass. When
they do they leave behind them a wiser and better person. You have to be lost
for a while before you can know where you are.
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It's
5-7-5.
That's
how a haiku is made
They
suck anyway
Limericks
are more fun.
It's
harder to write one.
But
I'm doing that now,
and
it doesn't matter how
it
looks when it's done.
They
are supposed to be funny.
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Scrubs
LOST
Breaking
Bad
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This Column was already long enough. I'm going to break the mold & end it without a Top 5 & Quote. Make up your own.
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