Science Majors Who Just Want to Dance!

I’ve hit a point in my life where I really like and really hate being a science person.

I really like it because I understand it and it forces me to think about the world a little. In a certain way, pretty much everything makes you think about the world, but science forces you to think about the very basic building blocks of the world and why they’re there and how they have changed. Also I like understanding this tough stuff and feeling smart, since most scientists are so specialized you can feel like this just talking to colleagues and stuff like that. Not that I’m obnoxious about it, but it’s a good feeling when you feel smart (which I never got to with French class…).

But I’m also having this issue where I love the arts. I do so many more arts activities than science-y activities, it’s a little ridiculous. And then there’s the sheer fact that you can’t affect other people with science the way you can with art. Art gives existential crises, it gives meaning to the world around you. You can’t do that with science, unless you find something really huge and important to everyone. But since everything’s so specialized and everything, you’re more likely to find something small that only affects people in your field.

And also whenever I go to see a show, I just really want to be part of it, be up there doing it as well. I think it’d be wonderful to do that, to affect so many people and make a difference to them. You just don’t touch as many individuals in the sciences as you do in the arts.

Of course, I’m not actually good at the arts enough, and probably don’t love it enough to make a living out of it. So I’m staying with science. But if there a term for this sort of crisis? Science majors who just want to dance/act/draw/play music? I like to think that I’m not the only one, but maybe this doesn’t bother other people to the extent that it bothers me!

20 Non-Bullshit Things That I Learned Before I Turned 20

I turned 20 today. It’s unfortunate. I can’t use my ripe adolescence as an excuse anymore. And no one ever does something in their 20s and is labelled a prodigy or anything, but do it as an 18-year-old and you get in all the newspapers.

HOWEVER this is not a post about how being old sucks, this is about what I have to show for the two decades I spent on this planet. And I know everyone and their mother has made a list like this, but they’re always filled with sappy junk like “cherish your friends” “you only live once” and whatever. What I’m aiming for is an actual list that actually gives advice and helps someone instead of being all touchy-feely (which means that a certain amount of sass is going to be in attendance so sit up straight! And let’s go!).

1.       Stop procrastinating! Like, right now! Need to get something done? Do it now! Always wanted to do a thing? Do it now! If you don’t get it done now it’s never going to happen and you’re going to be stuck watching Netflicks forever! Up and at em’!

2.       Organize and manage your time! This goes along with the previous one. Quit putting it off, get a planner, and get your life together! No, you aren’t going to remember that lunch date on Thursday, write it down somewhere and be consistent! Plan out your day so you can do everything you want! Don’t have enough time for everything? Liar, stop watching TV and playing Skyrim then!

3.       Get over yourself right now. You are not the freaking chosen one, eventually you are going to end that streak or fail that test or lose that thing. You are human, you are going to make mistakes, just accept that now and get it out of the way. Having said that, CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

4.       Simplify! I swear to the Powers that Be, if you buy one more unnecessary item that’s just going to sit on your desk for the next ten years I’m going to have a fit. Get rid of your junk! And don’t get anymore! You don’t need that new thing, it isn’t going to kill you to not get it, and you aren’t even going to use it on a regular basis! See it for what it is and be realistic before you buy it.

5.       You are going to be alone. There is almost definitely going to be times when you actually are alone, aka without anyone. Because they aren’t attached to you at the hip, obviously. Take the time to get to know yourself, because you are going to be spending a heck of a lot of time together.

6.       Nothing lasts forever. Enjoy the moment with all you’ve got because it’s going to pass and then no one will find the significance in it except you. And then everyone’s going to leave until no one even remembers it anymore. So you better enjoy it. Even if you aren’t enjoying it now, you’re going to later. Just remember that.

7.       Go to bed. Get sleep, you look like you need it.

8.       Stop worrying about everyone else. Odds are, no one cares about what you’re wearing today. If you just stop caring about what they think, your happiness is going to skyrocket.

9.       Don’t do that thing just because someone told you to. Think about it, consider it, and question it. There are enough mindless zombies out there that you don’t need to be one of them. Try thinking about your situation a little and wonder if it all seems reasonable. Everything everyone has told you is completely wrong, but no one ever believes me when I tell them that.

10.   Don’t follow someone else’s philosophy, create your own. Figure out your own ideas about life, love, and the universe, don’t become a parrot. Then you’ll only get crackers.

11.   Disturb the universe a little, it’s been far too quiet around here. Go out and do something you have never done but wanted to do, or something you’ve never done and don’t want to do. If you never try, you’re going to fail 100% of the time. So stick that on your resume. Learn about something new, try something new! Your only limits are in your mind, so why would you limit that as well?

12.   Just talk to people! If you don’t put yourself out there and have a conversation every once in a while, you are going to end up stuck inside with no one to talk to. Strike up a conversation about cats or cheese or anything, you never know what it will lead to. Doesn’t matter if you’ve never met them before or haven’t spoken in years, talk!

13.   You never know the full story. Ok so she did a thing. Did you ever think about why she would do the thing? Or what that means to her? Consider what the other side might be, realize that you have no freaking clue, and adjust your attitude accordingly.

14.   There are two things you only get one of in this life. One body and one brain. Don’t freaking destroy them.

15.   If you haven’t considered the fact that you’re eventually going to die yet you should probably get on that. Time’s a wasting, and it’s going to happen one of these days. Might even be tomorrow.

16.   Adjectives are useless. There is no “bad” or “good” or anything. Everything just “is”. So keep your opinions/descriptions to yourself.

17.   Shut up and listen. People are talking because they have something to say, so give them the courtesy of actually listening and understanding them. And the reverse, unless you have something really important to say, then just shut up.

18.   Remember what happens. There is no point if you just forget it. Keep a journal, write down what you’ve done and who said what, it’s all going to be fascinating later.

19.   Having said all this, stop working so hard and have a little fun. You do not need to be constantly doing something that you need to do or that will help you later or something. Take a break, stop and smell the roses a little. Find people lying in a field and join them. It isn’t going to hurt you.

20.   QUIT READING THIS STUPID BLOG AND LIVE YOUR LIFE

Two Years Ago...

So we all remember the Sandy Hook shooting two years ago. I still remember all of my high school teachers being really on edge, but no one said anything until last period when my French teacher almost started crying and finally told us. I remember going home and hearing the NPR announcers cry on air, unable to say anything. This tragedy hit me harder than most, I lived in Sandy Hook until kindergarten, and still call it home. It was strange to see it be the center of attention, have all eyes on some tragedy happening in my home, because you never expect it to happen.

And nothing's happening to make sure this never happens again, legislators are stalling, the NRA is indignant, and despite Obama's best efforts we have remained in the exact same position that we were two years ago.

Have we learned nothing? Has this country lost all hope of improving? Both gun control and mental health policies need to be revised, but no one seems to want to do it. It's taken the lives of small children before, and it will again! And it could be anyone, anywhere!

This shit needs to stop, we have students and teachers living in fear, and unless precautions are taken it will continue. THIS ISN'T GOING TO GO AWAY ON IT'S OWN despite what everyone seems to think.

Here's a good article I found on it, for more information on this. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/12/14/a-teachers-open-letter-to-congress-what-kids-need-two-years-after-sandy-hook/

Reasons Why The Music For Some Musicals Just Sucks

So there are a ton of musicals out there, and some are going to be better than others. But what I want to talk about here is some musicals that most people are big fans of that I literally cannot stand. Because what I’m really focusing on here is the music, since that’s really what I’m paying attention to and that’s really what stays stuck in your head for weeks after the show.

First of all, there’s Andrew Lloyd Weber. Now I like “The Phantom of the Opera” as much as the next person, but it has everything to do with the plot and not with the music. (Also “Evita” is so much worse than “Phantom”.) He must consistently run out of ideas halfway through writing the music because every song has the same theme, the same melody, and the only thing that varies are the words or the accompaniment. The entire show sounds like monotony as a result, exactly the opposite of what you want a musical to be. And “Evita” is an opera, so there’s no talking involved, which makes it even worse because all you get is the “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” melody for about two hours. And even then, there is very little flow to the music, it’s like he’s throwing darts at the staff and putting down notes where the darts land. Long story short, Weber has very little creativity.

And then there’s the problem that a lot of modern, rock musicals fall into. They come up with a decent plot, and then the music just isn’t memorable. It sounds as though they took monologues and set it to a beat. Musicals are supposed to become earworms and have clever lyrics, that’s what audiences remember them for.

But of course, they all get a cult following anyway because of the subject matter. They nearly all deal with some sort of issue that becomes a tearjerker. (Note: this doesn’t apply to all of these musicals. “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” or “RENT” are amazing. To contrast, “Next to Normal” is not.)

So what you really need for a good musical are composers who actually put thought into the words and music, and don’t just take the lazy way out. You would think that this would be obvious, but it very obviously isn’t.

More on Friendship...

Wait but Why is a blog that I'm a fan of, and they just posted this nice article on friends and friendships and also adult friendships. I'm not in my 20s (got another week until I can't use my adolescence as an excuse), but these descriptions are spot-on!
http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/12/10-types-odd-friendships-youre-probably-part.html?utm_source=List&utm_campaign=49b9666932-WBW+%28MailChimp%29&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5b568bad0b-49b9666932-50590553

Swerve

Epicurus’s theories about the world were pretty simple: everything is either atoms or the void. Atoms are the smallest particles of matter, so small that you cannot see them (this term was later adapted by scientists) and their random motion causes everything to happen.

He also theorized that atoms have a natural tendency to fall down (as in gravity) because that is their original state of being. So at the beginning of the universe, atoms simply fell down until they hit each other and formed compounds, which triggered the creation of the universe.

Critics found a flaw in this logic, namely, if the atoms fell straight down, how would they hit each other?

Epicurus’s answer is rather simple: one swerves.

For pretty much no reason, one tiny atom decided it had enough of this monotony and altered its path by the tiniest amount. This led to the formation of everything that exists today, including you and me. If one atom can trigger all this just by swerving by the tiniest amount, imagine what you can do when you decide to change something! If one atom can bring the universe into existence, then a being made up of trillions of atoms can rip it apart, or bring another into formation. The possibilities are endless.

So have faith in yourself, because that little atom has faith in you!

(Of course, critics also ripped apart this answer, since no reason was given for the swerve. But Cicero in his critique pointed out that we give no explanation for mental decisions, so that is what I’m going with here.)